********************************************* * Razorback Radio News - Electronic Edition * * (c) January 1994 * ********************************************* Annual meeting - 1st Thursday of September Regular meetings - 1st Thursday of each month Informal Lunch meeting - every Thursday Operation SKYWARN - whenever necessary!! Welcome Back ------------ Hard to believe that the Xmas break is already over. Hope everyone is well rested. Gosh, it seems like just yesterday that we were all looking forward to Finals - NOT! Those of you who were around over the break would surely have noticed the star hanging from the tower high atop the Science Engineering building (TNX - KB5RUI). We *will* be meeting this Thursday, January 13 for our usual "bull session". Come to the Servery about noon if you're interested. Congratulations!! ----------------- Professor Joe Wiggins of CSCI is now Chief Operator of Amateur Radio Station KC5EQK and Scott Fendley is now Chief Operator of KC5EQ? (call not available at press time). Good job! Emergency Power --------------- Over the holidays, club funds were used to purchase several items for W5YM's emergency power supply. The battery, it's box, connecting wire and a 12 VDC flourescent light (0.08 A draw) were installed by myself and Frank Buercklin (KB5WAR). The float charger is still under construction. RTTY Roundup ------------ ARCUA participated in the 6th annual ARRL RTTY Roundup on the weekend of January 8-9. Your intrepid reporter (Chief Op of N5UWY) operated W5YM for the 24 hour period. Over 250 QSOs were completed with stations in 47 states, six of ten Canadian provinces, and some nineteen DX countries. Dupe sheets have yet to be completed, but look for a score of just over 20,000 points. All contacts were made in Baudot RTTY mode (AMTOR, packet, and ASCII RTTY are permitted in the contest). If you are interested in the competitive part of ham radio, there are a few other contests coming up: Novice Roundup and School Roundup are but two. Antennas -------- After much discussion, consultation, and head-scratching over the Holiday break, we have concluded that a WARC-band beam (such as the CushCraft A3WS) will serve the club's needs better than a multi-band HF vertical. Verticals, we have learned, are no better than dipoles for in-state communications (working DX is another story). The antenna has not been ordered yet, so if this makes no sense to you and wish to make your case please do so now (not after we take delivery!!). This the antenna we will purchase with ASG funding. TU W5XH ------- In a somewhat related note, ARCUA is now the proud owner of a HyGain TH6DX. "Wow", I hear you saying, "A HyGain TH6DX. What is that?". Well, W5YM currently uses a three element beam for 10-15-20 meters. It's gain and directionality are adequate for our needs. Yagi-Uda design antennas get more gain and become more directional with the addition of more elements. Guess what the "6" in TH6DX stands for? Yup. *SIX* elements! This monster is now on the roof (TNX - KB5WAR, K5GOE, N5UWY) and will be installed later this spring. How did ARCUA manage to secure this piece of equipment? Through an old ARCUA friend, Murray Harris, W5XH. Dr. Harris is an Alum and long-time supporter of this club's activities. On behalf of ARCUA, thanks! Code Net -------- The Morse code practice net (every Thursday at 2100 local - 146.7) resumes on January 13. We still need volunteers to run the net - please see N5UWY. Its easy to do and only requires about 45 minutes of your time. Exam News ---------- The Volunteer Exam session, previously tentatively scheduled for January 29, will be postponed until a later date. Stay tuned for an announcement. Next Meeting ------------ Next meeting is February 3 at 7 pm in Bell 291. Special guest speaker will be Bruce Vaughan NR5Q. Bruce is well known in local ham circles and has had material published in QST. There will be refreshments. Remember: --------- If you join the ARRL, make sure you do it through ARCUA. Why? Because the League lets us keep $5 from every new member that joins. We get $2 for every renewal, too. In addition to QST, ARRL membership gives you important benefits like inexpensive equipment insurance, a Field Organization helping hams in every state and a voice in amateur radio related affairs in Washington DC. 73 ES GL TEST DE N5UWY K K