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Since Cynthia retired five years ago we’ve been going to a Dixieland Jazz festival in La Pine every Labor Day weekend and this year was no different. This year there were 30 musicians who played music in various combinations over a 3-day period. There was two venues; the American Legion and the Moose lodge, both of which were “jumping” with music for 8 hours each day. Lots of dancing took place and my new knee performed very well. Although there were some youngsters enjoying themselves, the gathering looked like an AARP convention (like a hamfest, radio club, etc.). The oldsters seem to dance more than the young ones. I saw one 85+-year old couple out there dancing a lot. She was wearing a neck brace too. The 86 year-old lady across the table asked me to dance and yes, I did keep up with her!

On Labor Day, we bid farewell to some of the musicians and headed down Route 97 to Crater Lake for some great viewing. From there it was on to Medford. On our way, we stopped by the Butte Creek Mill in Eagle Point. It’s a very interesting historic site and the new owner gave us a tour of the Mill which is water-powered with grinding stones that are the same ones that were brought in over a hundred years ago. We bought several items, including one I’m looking at, 10 Grain Cereal

On Tuesday we went out to North Ross Lane and had a very nice visit with Vic, W7VSE, and XYL Fran. I wasn’t sure how to get to Vic’s QTH so I kept looking up and sure enough, his dipole popped into view. Vic and Fran are doing well. To keep their minds up-to-speed, they solve a crossword puzzle every morning. Vic has arthritis in his left hand and can’t play the guitar anymore but still goes out to sing for the old folks two or three times a week. He took me outside to check out his antenna. The dipole is fed with homemade open wire line and it had shorted out. He had to take it down for repairs, which included climbing up on the roof & unhooking the mast guy wires. To fix the shorting problem, he bought 300 feet of that small drip irrigation line and rather than remove all the spreaders, he painstakingly split all 300 feet and slipped the foot-long pieces between the spreaders. I was astounded! What a dedicated traffic man! No wonder it took him a month to get back on the air. He did admit that he hadn’t replaced the rope to raise the dipole and as you all know, this rope failed – probably just a few days after we left. The rope has been fixed and the trivia question is: Who are the two OSN traffikers who went to Medford to replace Vic’s rope?

After our visit with Vic and Fran, we went to Ashland for two days to take in two plays (“Tartuffe” and “As You Like it”), do a couple museums and just drive around the area. We were very impressed with Ashland and will return soon.

We came back home via Cynthia’s sister’s place in Beaverton, where the Hardy Plant Society was having a plant sale on Saturday. Both Cynthia and Sylvia are Master Gardeners and enjoyed themselves helping with the sale. As you can well imagine, for our trip home on Sunday, our new Honda Accord looked like a greenhouse.

So that’s our Dixieland/W7VSE/Ashland/Beaverton trip.       73,  Don  W7GB

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Greetings from Yelm again. Hope this fall season finds everyone well, and your radios keep working for the rest of the year, at least!

This summer I pretty much finished my beam antenna projects in the back yard. I am now able to raise up and lower my TH3MK4 3 element 20/15/10 meter beam using a 3/8" rope system strung between three 100 footfir trees that happen to be growing in a nice triangular pattern. Right now the beam is cruising at an altitude of 40 feet, pointed southeast towards Texas. The Texas QSO Party is the last weekend of
September, you see.

For some reason my G5RV doesn't resonate on the CW portion of the 40 meter band, so I came up with a back yard system for a 40 meter vertical, 40 meter 2 element vertical beam, or 40 meter 3 element vertical beam pointed in whichever direction I want the best signal on any given weekend. I use concrete blocks to anchor the guy ropes for each element. It also usually takes me an hour or two to roll out my 600 square foot chicken wire ground plane oriented towards the beam's direction. The whole system does look strange, but it's in our back yard, I don't care. I do have to roll up my ground plane after the weekends, however, lawn mower doesn't do well.

For Salmon Run last weekend I used the TH3MK4 pointing towards Georgia on 20 meters, my 2 element 40 meter vertical beam pointing towards Georgia on 40 meters, and my G5RV at 50 feet on 80 meters. Unbeknownst to me, Murphy had made a little stop on my IF knob when I had earlier fitted the TS-570 into the mini-van in preparation for my mobile run Sunday. I found that out AFTER 20 meters had closed Saturday night... I couldn't figure out why the signals were weaker than usual, and my 600 hz filter wasn't working as per normal, but then when I caught it, signals started pounding in on 40 meters: My weird-looking lash-up in our back yard may look strange, but it kicked butt all evening on 40 meters. I would work station after station after station, and still had them calling me after I would try to take a break. I was very happy with the results: 127 contacts on 20 through 80 Saturday, and I was only able to operate for 5 hours.  It sure was nice being on the other end of the pile-ups for a change!

Sunday I picked up my grandson Allan (with his new driver's permit fresh in his pocket!) from Eatonville just as the contest was starting at 0900. After we fixed Murphy's visit which loosened the whip antenna mounts, we headed south to Lewis county. I made 23 contacts as N7EIE/M as we went through Pierce and Lewis counties, then hit Skamania county at noon. I was able to make 21 contacts from that rare county, but I was feeling a little queasy as we kept winding our way through the switchbacks east of Mt. Saint Helens! Allan didn't care, he was having fun getting in some mountain driving practice. I then got 22 more contacts as we went west and north through Cowlitz county on the way back home. Wrapped up the whole weekend with 193 CW contacts, my best Salmon Run ever! Works for me. My grandson did just fine driving:  Didn't hit anything. Next year, 200 contacts - Murphy notwithstanding!

C-ya!
Leroy
N7EIE

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: The ARRL now has a new Emergency Communications tool in its toolbox -- MARS call sign AAN1ARL. According to W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, "The call sign was requested to reflect both the holder of the license (ARRL) and the various MARS services (Army, Air Force and Navy)." The MARS station will be housed at
W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station. ARRL Emergency

Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, said, "The establishment of an ARMY MARS call sign for W1AW begins a relationship with the Military Affiliate Radio System and the ARRL. Our two organizations are working toward the near-term establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding. Additionally, the League and MARS will utilize each other's personnel and technical capabilities to further enhance our emergency preparedness and response capabilities."

The MARS program consists of licensed Amateur Radio operators who are interested in military communications on a local, national and international basis as an adjunct to normal communications. MARS has a long and proud history of providing worldwide auxiliary emergency communications during times of need. The combined three service MARS programs (Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine Corps) volunteer force of more than 5000 dedicated and skilled Amateur Radio operators is the backbone of the MARS program.

There are Army MARS stations in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Panama, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Central America, Africa, Germany and the continental United States. MARS responders operate on specially assigned military radio frequencies in voice, teletype and packet modes of communications.

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In mid-August XYL Elvera and I packed up the trailer and headed north to British Columbia.   We enjoy taking "new roads" (to us), so the object of our attention this trip was the road between Williams Lake, British Columbia, and Bella Coola; about 440 km to the west.    We pulled our 22 ft. trailter.   In the truck was lots of stuff, including an ICOM 706.    Antennas used were Hamstiks for mobile, and a "Clip Dipole" for  most campgrounds.   The middle of the Dipole/Inverted Vee is held up with a fiberglass pole or by a rope over a tree limb.   Either way, the height is usually not over about 20 feet.   The ends of the antenna are attached to a bush or tree limb, usually about 7 feet off the ground.

CW is always fun, especially when traveling to new places.   It is always a good feeling to be able to hear my friends on the NTS nets, escpecially the WSN folks.

The paddle I use with the 706 is homebrew.  It is made out of 2 micro-switches from Radio Shack, glued together, and glued to a velcro strap.   I usually hold the paddle in one hand and key with the other; but sometimes I just strap the thing to my leg and send away!  The rig also works well mobiling, usually with Elf driving.    HM tella me that while he was in the Army, he would bounce around in a jeep, with a straight key straped to his leg!    


The country west of Williams Lake can be described as "timber and cattle" country.   Lots of both, with not many people or towns.  The forest is plagued with "pine beetle" damage, with MANY dead trees (mostly lodgepole pine).      The road is mostly paved.   Closer to the Coast mountain range are many fine fishing lakes.  

After parking our trailer at Nimpo Lake, we drove through a pass and down "The Hill". The road on the west side of the pass is VERY steep, dropping about 500 feet each mile, for about 10 miles..   No guard rails and lots of fresh air!   That part of the road is also gravel; basically blasted out of rock most of the way.    At the bottom of  The Hill the road turns to pavement again and becomes a relaxful drive through a coastal forest another 20 miles to the coastal town of Bella Coola.     While on this part of the trip I checked into the Noontime Net on 40 meter SSB, while mobiling below majestic mountain peaks.   The NCS was in southern Oregon.  HF is wonderful!

I first became enchanted with the Bella Coola many years ago after reading the book "Crusoe of Lonesome Lake", and a later book "Ralph Edwards of Lonesome Lake".    Ralph and his wife Ethel homesteaded in the area, about 20 miles (by trail and boat) south of the road seen in this photo.    Very interesting books!

     

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Occasionally, DX stations may ask you to pass a third-party message to a friend or relative in the States. This is all right as long as the US has signed an official third-party traffic agreement with that particular country, or the third party is a licensed amateur. The traffic must be noncommercial and of a personal, unimportant nature. During an emergency, the US State Department will often work out a special temporary agreement with the country involved. But in normal times, never handle traffic without first making sure it is legally permitted.

US Amateurs May Handle Third-Party Traffic With:
V2    Antigua/Barbuda
LO-LW    Argentina
VK    Australia
V3    Belize
CP    Bolivia
T9    Bosnia-Herzegovina
PP-PY    Brazil
VE, VO, VY    Canada
CA-CE    Chile
HJ-HK    Colombia
D6    Comoros (Federal Islamic Republic of)
TI, TE    Costa Rica
CM, CO    Cuba
HI    Dominican Republic
J7    Dominica
HC-HD    Ecuador
YS    El Salvador
C5    Gambia, The
9G    Ghana
J3    Grenada
TG    Guatemala
8R    Guyana
HH    Haiti
HQ-HR    Honduras
4X, 4Z    Israel
6Y    Jamaica
JY    Jordan
EL    Liberia
V7    Marshall Islands
XA-XI    Mexico
V6    Micronesia, Federated States of
YN    Nicaragua
HO-HP    Panama
ZP    Paraguay
OA-OC    Peru
DU-DZ    Philippines
VR6    Pitcairn Island*
V4    St. Kitts/Nevis
J6    St. Lucia
J8    St. Vincent and the Grenadines
9L    Sierra Leone
ZR-ZU    South Africa
3DA    Swaziland
9Y-9Z    Trinidad/Tobago
TA-TC    Turkey
GB    United Kingdom
CV-CX    Uruguay
YV-YY    Venezuela
4U1ITU    ITU - Geneva
4U1VIC    VIC - Vienna

Notes:
* Since 1970, there has been an informal agreement between the United Kingdom and the US, permitting Pitcairn and US amateurs to exchange messages concerning medical emergencies, urgent need for equipment or supplies, and private or personal matters of island residents.

US licensed amateurs may operate in the following US territories under their FCC license:
The Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, Johnston Island, Midway Island, Kure Island, American Samoa, Wake Island, Wilkes Island, Peale Island, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Please note that the Region 2 Division of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has recommended that international traffic on the 20 and 15-meter bands be conducted on the following frequencies:
14.100-14.150 MHz
14.250-14.350 MHz
21.150-21.200 MHz
21.300-21.450 MHz

The IARU is the alliance of Amateur Radio societies from around the world; Region 2 comprises member-societies in North, South and Central America, and the Caribbean.
Note: At the end of an exchange of third-party traffic with a station located in a foreign country, an FCC-licensed amateur must transmit the call sign of the foreign station as well as his own call sign.


     

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     When Harvey’s K7GXZ radio bit the dust K7BFL went looking for another radio for him and found a TenTec Scout on eBay.  Don was able to get it and went over to Harvey’s QTH and helped him get it set up and Harvey is back on the air again. I wish Harvey the very best with his new rig and hope he doesn’t have any problems with it.   He sure has a good signal and I think everyone copies him FB.

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Region Twelve seems to be very unhappy with receiving so called SPAM Traffic and is gradually refusing to take anymore. K7OWZ  called Pat WB5NDK and told her he didn’t want anymore of her traffic sent to AZ and UT.so she eliminated it from her daily routine. Scott W7IZ had to service back 10 Colorado to Pat also as the person on PAN refused to take it anymore. That only leaves New Mexico and Wyoming left. I’m wondering when they will refuse that also

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The FCC will reduce the regulatory fee to obtain or renew an Amateur Radio vanity call sign by more than 40 percent starting September 17. In a Report & Order (R&O) released August 6, "Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2007," in MD Docket 07-81, the Commission will cut the fee from its current $20.80 to $11.70. This marks the lowest fee in the history of the current vanity call sign program. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated over the 11 years of the current program -- from a low of $12 to a high of $50. The FCC says it anticipates some 14,700 Amateur Radio vanity call sign "payment units" or applications during the next fiscal year, collecting $171,990 in fees from the program.

The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new term. The first vanity call sign licenses issued under the current Amateur Radio vanity call sign program that began in 1996 came up for renewal last year. Call signs issued prior to 1996 are not considered vanity call signs, even if the holder was able to request a specific call sign.

Amateur Radio licensees may file for renewal only within 90 days of their license expiration date. All radio amateurs must have an FCC Registration Number (FRN) before filing any application with the Commission. Applicants can obtain an FRN by going to the ULS <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/> and clicking on the "New Users Register" link. You must supply your Social Security Number to obtain an FRN.

The ARRL VEC will process license renewals for vanity call sign holders for a modest fee. The service is available to ARRL members and nonmembers, although League members pay less. Routine, non-vanity renewals continue to be free for ARRL members. Trustees of club stations with vanity call signs may renew either via the ULS or through a Club Station Call Sign Administrator, such as ARRL VEC.  
License application and renewal information and links to the required forms are available on the ARRL Amateur Application Filing FAQ Web page

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/application-filing-faq.htm.

The FCC's forms page http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html also offers the required forms.

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