THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDLY REPEATER W2PQG WWW.10-70.ORG VOLUME XVIII JUNE 2005 NUMBER 6 FD2K5, FCC ENFORCEMENT, BPL, CW/TXT, more! PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE In the recent weeks of the ‘day job,’ I’ve had the very enlightening experience of trying to locate RF spectrum for some rather large systems we’re proposing. I have seen first hand just how tight available spectrum is right now. Yes, Nextel & that crowd are working on some re-banding, and once HD & Digital Broadcasting kick in, a few large chunks of RF will reopen for Public Safety, Land-Mobile, SMR and the rest. Although that is a ways off, allot of that spectrum authorization has already been auctioned to the highest bidders. Amateur Radio sits on some very valuable RF Real Estate. I often disagree with positions taken by the ARRL, but spectrum defense is a very real and very important part of what the League does. Tower Bills which favor hams are great, but they’d be meaningless without RF Spectrum. When Amateur Radio is at its most average, with the HF bands crowded with contests, the chirps of PSK, etc., and even when the bands shut down or some foole tunes up over rare DX, and the other lids appear, it’s still allot better than what I’ve had to put up with from the internet over that last two months. Between the kids & something I did (which I *still* can’t quite figure out…), every PC in the house has been infected with about every spybot, adware, malware, Trojan and whatever known to man or machine. I didn’t know there WERE “PowerPoint” viruses… it seems as if there is a chunk of malicious code out there for EVERY program ever to come out of Redmond Wa. The kids’ machines are needed for school, so I didn’t waste allot of time. I tried recommended anti-stuff, but nothing seemed to work. K2MIS’s laptop to be ‘nuked, and re-built. Booted it into DOS 6.21, and used an old utility I had to kill the existing disk partition info. Rebooted from the manufacturer’s CD, and re-installed everything from ground-zero. Had to do the same thing to Amanda’s desktop. My PC became another story. This thing would be a cyberforensics specialist’s Dream Machine. I decided to ‘accept’ the challenge to conquer all the invaders and thus reclaim my machine & my ego. I did give McAffee & Symantec a fair shot, along with a bunch of antiadware and other tools. It took allot of dips into the Microsoft Knowledgebase, far too many handedits to the Registry, and literally DAYS of running the various antithis-that-and-the-other-scan-sweeprecover utilities in Safe Mode which I test drove or bought outright. I think I may finally have it licked, as no pop-ups or alarms have gone off in a week. Long ago I shut off my home e-mail, and it remains that way. Besides my fear of having some mailing zombie in there, spreading the bad stuff to other innocents, I was getting far too much SPAM. (You can laugh with me here – the spammers seem to think I’m a hermaphrodite, and NONE of my body parts are acceptable. I’m getting all sorts of invitations to try Viagra & Cialis, along with $19.95 “Free” offers to try certain “famous” European breast enhancement creams and Menopause aids.) The laptop from work no long is used to read ‘home’ e-mails. We use Outlook at the office, and despite running various blockers, we still get smacked now & then. It’s just too risky. Now, to e-mail this to WB2AWQ, and hope I don’t infect him… 73 de Paul, kc2cjw (he didn’t!…//HH) NEXT MEETING 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2005 VFW HALL VALLEY RD CLIFTON THIS MONTH: ADVANCED SPECIALTIES and FD2K05 finalizing IMPORTANT DATES June 21…Take Your HT to Work Day (flyer to follow, don’t miss this!) June 18…...….…..10-70 VE Session Paramus Cong. Church June 25-26………….ARRL Field Day TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Message….……….…....1 About This Issue………………..…...2 Watt’s New……………………………2 Hudson Div Awards………………….2 Hamfest calendar..…………………..2 Swap-N-Shop………………………..3 Welcome New Members……………3 FD 2005 Shirts and Pins……………3 SKYWARN at 10-70 Field Day……..3 Talk to NHC and NWS………………4 This Does My Heart Good………….4 BPL Update…………………………..5 FCC Enforcement……………………6 USS Ling Update…………………….6 May Minutes…………………….…7/8 10-70 REPEATER ASSN. INC. 235 Van Emburgh Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07450-2918 www.10-70.org OFFICERS President: Vice Pres: Secretary: Treasurer: Paul Beshlian KC2CJW Joyce Birmingham KA2ANF Matthew Ryffel K2NUD George Sabbi KC2GLG COMMITTEES Activities: Membership/Awards: Joyce Birmingham KA2ANF Technical: Howie Holden WB2AWQ Repeater Trustee: Stan Sears W2PQG N2SE Callsign Trustee: Howie Holden WB2AWQ NX2ND Callsign Trustee: Bill Stagg KC2BLN Publications: Howie Holden WB2AWQ Web Master: Database Manager: George Sabbi KC2GLG PublicityChairman: Mike Adams WA2MWT Executive Assistant/Historian RichardShafer N2CFD Education Committee: Paul Beshlian KC2CJW Howie Holden WB2AWQ SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATORS Field Day: Fox Hunts: VE Liaison: NTS Liaison: SKYWARN: OEM Liaison: USS Ling: Bill Stagg KC2BLN Howie Holden WB2AWQ Joyce Birmingham KA2ANF Herb VanDen Houten N2OPJ George Sabbi KC2GLG Mike Adams WA2MWT Bill Stagg KC2BLN Howie Holden WB2AWQ The 10-70 Repeater Association, Inc. Is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of Amateur Radio. Permission is hereby granted for the reprinting of articles and quotations in this newsletter provided full credit is given to the “10-70 Repeater Assn. Newsletter” and the author of the article. .Deadline for submissions is the seventh day of the preceding month. Send submission to: Howard Holden, WB2AWQ 28 Molinari Dr. Wanaque, NJ 07465 e-mail: WB2AWQ@arrl.net All material sent to the 10-70 Newsletter becomes the property of the 10-70 Repeater Assn. Inc..Opinions expressed in the newsletter are not necessarily those of the 10-70 Repeater Association, its officers, or editorial staff. Copyright 2005, 10-70 Repeater Association, Inc. ABOUT THIS ISSUE Hard to believe – Summer’s almost here, and with it, Field Day. Unfortunately this year I will miss it due to other obligations, but you can be sure, as always 10-70’s Field Day will be one of the best. Even with the sunspot cycle being near the bottom, activity should still be high, especially on 80 40 and 20 meters. And 10 and 15 should show some daytime and early evening activity as well. Of particular interest should be 6 meters, and possibly 2 meters, with the always possible, rarely predictable, summertime ducting and E-skip. Those are the bands to watch! BE THERE! Even though we take the summer months off, there is still radio life after (and before) FD. Check out KC2GLG’s articles on SKYWARN and related weather activities in June. Then be sure and hit the Ramapo ARC hamfest in August. While it is a smallish one, I have found many a treasure there over the years, and for the most part, no one is trying to charge e-Pay prices. Also in July is the Sussex ARC hamfest. Yours truly will be spending some quality time this summer in 80-90 degree, almost-always-sunny, breezy Aruba, hopefully learning to scuba. No radios, no HT, just sun, water, sand, delightful beach sights, and some of the best-eating fish anywhere. Whatever your summer plans, enjoy, be safe, and we’ll see you all in September……..Howie WB2AWQ WATTS NEW 10-70 Badges are available for $8.50 (prepaid). These are the red and white badges that you’ve seen on just about every member of 10-70. See Joyce, KA2ANF to order one! The 10-70 Repeater Association, Inc. will sponsor an ARRL VE test session on Saturday, June 18, 2005 at the Paramus Congregational Church, 205 Spring Valley Road, Paramus, New Jersey. Tests will be given from 9am to 12 noon. Information is available on the website: www.10-70.org The Hudson Division Awards Nominations are being sought for the categories, Grand Old Ham, Amateur of the Year and Technical Achievement. Please consider making a nomination this year. The forms are available on the Hudson Division Website: http:// www.hudson.arrl.org Please return completed applications to Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF – Hudson Division Vice Director, 235 Van Emburgh Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450-2918. A seven member committee comprised of Assistant Directors in each section of the division will meet in May to select the winners. The deadline for submission is May 15, 2005. A dinner honoring the recipients will be held on November 12, 2005 in Northern New Jersey. This is a fun and exciting time for all of us in the Division. Please plan to join us this year! More information on the location will be forthcoming. Keep up to date! Visit the 10-70 Website for important news regarding the Repeater changes and updates and the upcoming events sponsored by YOUR club; The 10-70 Repeater Association, Inc. HAMFEST CALENDAR Hall of Science: Sunday, June 5, 2005 (fall date: Sunday, October 2, 2005) in Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, Queens, NY from 9AM to 2PM. Admission is $5.00 for buyers/$10.00 for vendors. More information on their website: www.hosarc.org Raritan Valley Radio Club (WQ2W Hamfest) on Saturday, June 18, 2005 at the Piscataway High School, 100 Behmer Road in Piscataway, NJ. More information: www.w2qw.org Talk in: 146.625 and 442.50 both with PL 141.3 ARRL FIELD DAY 2005 AT CAMPGAW SKI AREA IN MAHWAH, NJ. COME OUT AND SUPPORT 10-70!!! Saturday, June 25, Sunday June 26, 2005 Sussex County ARC will be hosting it’s annual Hamfest on Sunday, July 10, 2005 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ. More information: www.sussexhamfest.org Ramapo ARC will hold it’s annual Hamfest on Saturday, August 20, 2005 at the American Legion on Oak Street in Oakland, NJ. Contact info: Tony Cassera (N2KDZ)is the Chairperson (973-839-3564) SWAP-N-SHOP K2YOF FOR SALE: Hustler G7-144, fixedstation vertical (stacked colinears) for 2M. 15' tall, 7 dbd gain, rated up to 600w. Uses type-N connector. VG condition. $70 picked up. FOR SALE: Cushcraft 124WB Boomer, 4-element broadband 2M yagi. Forward gain = 10.2 dbd, F/B ratio = 19 db. Uses T-match & coax balun. Can be end mounted or turned w/rotor. Like new condition, $35 picked up. Bud, K2YOF - k2yof@njdxa.org WA2HHE Henry Lehmann 49 Leonard Avenue, Tenafly, NJ 07670 Henry, WA2HHE has been in Tenafly since 1968. He is moving to an Assisted Living Facility and can not take any ham equipment with him. All the below are in working condition and can be tested at his place. ALL Transactions are cash and carry and ALL sales are final. Ask for List and no reasonable offer will be refused. 1. E. Z. Way Tower Mod. RBS 40.2 with 2 –20’ Sectional Pieces, including: Ham IV rotator system, A 3 band 3 element YAGI from Cushcraft for 10/15/20 meters. A 2 meter Antenna on top of the beam. The tower is earth mounted and has a 4 inch cement collar on top of the grass. 2. Linear Amplifier Mod. S.B. 200 wired for 220, not used in the past 3 years. 3. HF Transceiver - Kenwood Mod. TS 530S. 4. HT VHF/FM Transceiver Mod. VX150 – Hardly used like new. 5. Kenwood Power meter SWR Mod. SW2000 6. Kenwood Phone Patch, PC 1A Absolutely MINT, never connected 7. Heathkit Electronic Keyer Mod. SB-610 8. Heathkit Monitor Scope Mod. SB-6 10 9. Heathkit Power Meter Mod. HM102 10. Heathkit Dummy Load Mod. HN31 – have original factory instruction books for most items. 11. HF Tuner – AT 200 from AMP Supply Co. from 1.8 to 30 mHZ. Highest offer will win…NOTHING will be shipped. WELCOME NEW MEMBER Helena Epstein – KC2OAC 2005 FIELD DAY SHIRTS AND PINS 2005 Field Day T-shirts – we will be placing an order through the club. The charge will be $14.00 for the shirt and $6.00 for the pin. This will allow us to save on shipping if we submit one order. Everyone should have received a form regarding Field Day. If you are participating this year we need to hear from you and if you wish to order a T-shirt and pin, please, fill out this form and return it to the 10-70 Field Day Committee or to the Field Day Chairman, Bill Stagg – KC2BLN. SKYWARN Activities At 10-70’s Field Day 2005 Local SKYWARN Coordinators will setup, staff and operate a complete Weather Center and Amateur Radio Station at the 10-70 Repeater Association's Field Day 2005. The weather center will be staffed and operational in the Campgaw Mountain Ski Lodge located in Mahwah, Bergen County NJ starting at 11:00 am, Saturday, June 25, 2005 with operations continuing as needed thru 2:00 PM on Sunday, June 26, 2005 EDT. Included as part of the fully operational Weather Center will be an Amateur Radio APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) setup that will show live digital weather data available via Amateur Radio on the National APRS frequency (144.390 Mhz). The 10-70's Field Day Weather Center will also include a live, fulltime wireless connection to the NWS's EMWIN (Emergency Managers Weather Information Network) DataStream. The EMWIN connection will be used by the Coordinators to receive NWS Forecasts, Advisories, Watches and Warnings for Bergen and Passaic Counties in NJ within minutes of their being issued. All relevant NWS Weather Products for the Field Day site will be posted for all to read in the Weather Center throughout the event. Several other weather related items will also be on operational display. These include a live and continually updated datafeed of Level III NWS 88D Doppler Radar images, images from the GOES Satellite system and a complete and operational BUFKIT setup. BUFKIT is a forecast profile visualization and analysis tool kit developed by the NWS Buffalo NY and the NWS's Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB) in Norman, OK. It is used by many NWS Forecasting Offices and the Department of Defense for graphically displaying the output of several key Weather Forecasting Models Should the NWS in Upton NY activate SKYWARN for either Bergen and/or Passaic Counties, during Field Day 2005, and should the need arise for a Bergen-Passaic SKYWARN Net in conjunction with that activation, Net Control Operations will take place from the Weather Center at the 10-70's Field Day site. For more information on the SKYWARN Program, or SKYWARN activities at the 10-70 Repeater Association's Field Day 2005, visit the Bergen- Passaic SKYWARN Website at: http://www.bergenskywarn.org How To Talk To The National Hurricane Center And The NWS Upton NY On Amateur Radio (And Get a QSL Card or Certificate) The 2005 Test of the Amateur Radio Station (WX4NHC) located at the National Hurricane Center in Miami FL will take place on Saturday, June 4 2005. Plans are to use SSB, CW, PSK31, EchoLink and IRLP as well as local Repeaters in the Miami area. The Test will run from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EDT. Report your Callsign, Signal Report, Location and name and give a Short Weather Report ("Sunny", or "Rain", etc.). Approximate frequencies include: 7.268, 14.325, 21.325 and 28.525 MHz on SSB , 14.035, 21.035 and 28.035 MHz on CW, 14.070 MHz on PSK31, WX4NHC also plans to be on the VoIP Hurricane Net 17001900 UTC on IRLP Node 9219 and The EchoLink WX-TALK Conference This Test is undertaken each year to test the Amateur Radio equipment permanently installed at the National Hurricane Center, which is used during Hurricane Watch Nets associated with major Tropical Weather Events. The Test will verify that all radio equipment, computers and antennas is in proper working order using as many modes and frequencies as possible. RFI monitoring is also done to NOAA & NHC equipment. While this is not a Contest, QSL Cards are available via W4VBQ. Please S.A.S.E. On a more local note, the NWS Upton NY will hold its Open House on Sunday, July 10 2005 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. As part of this event, WX2OKX, the Amateur Radio Station permanently setup inside the Forecast Office will be on the air as a Special Event Station. This Special Event Station will be promoting the partnership between the NWS and Amateur Radio in the Tri-State SKYWARN Program. Plans include operations on HF SSB and possibly other modes and frequencies. Approximate SSB contact frequencies will be: 28.320 Mhz, 21.320 Mhz, 14.320 Mhz and 7.250 Mhz. Certificates will be available for those who contact WX2OKX. Please send a businesssized SASE to: NOAA's National Weather Service Attn: WX2OKX 175 Brookhaven Avenue, Building NWS-1 Upton, NY 11973. The NWS Upton NY is located on the grounds of Brookhaven National Laboratories on Long Island NY. The general public is invited to attend the NWS’s Open House and tour the facilities firsthand. Driving Directions and Maps are available. (Note: an On-line Tour from the 2001 Open House, including pictures of a Weather Balloon launch, is available here). For more information on either of these events contact any of the Bergen or Passaic County SKYWARN Coordinators. WINNER OF THE “THIS DOES MY HEART GOOD” CONTEST---Even if you aren’t a real CW buff, this is a hoot: From the ARRL Letter Vol 24, no 20: CW OPS WHIP WHIPPERSNAPPER TEXT MESSENGERS ON NATIONAL TV It may have been Friday the Thirteenth, but it was a lucky day for Morse code--and particularly for veteran CW contest ops Chip Margelli, K7JA, and Ken Miller, K6CTW. During a May 13 appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the pair was able to pass a message using good old fashioned Morse code more rapidly than a pair of teenaged text messengers equipped with modern cell phones. The victory, which replicated a similar challenge that took place recently in Australia, has provided immense encouragement to Amateur Radio's community of CW operators, who been ballyhooed the achievement all over the Internet. The text messaging team consisted of world textmessaging champ Ben Cook of Utah and his friend Jason. Miller said afterward in a reflector posting that the CW team won fairly handily. "Ben was just getting ready to start entering the last two words when I was done," he said on the Elecraft reflector in response to various questions he's received following the TV appearance. "I already knew that 28-30 WPM would easily keep us in front of even the current world [text messaging] record holder, and also it is the fastest speed that I can make nice readable copy on paper with a 'stick' [pencil]." Miller said it was decided he'd be on the receiving end because he wasn't distracted by the noise in the studio. Margelli recalls that he was sending at 29 WPM. "I believe the goods were suitably delivered," he told ARRL. "CW and old guys rule!" What the viewing public didn't know was that Margelli and Miller had, in Miller's words, "smoked 'em every time" during three pre-program rehearsals. Even so, during the real thing, when Miller raised his hand to signal he'd copied the CW message successfully, Jason's jaw dropped. None of the players had any idea of the text they'd be sending, Miller noted. The message? "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance." As with many Tonight Show bits, this one involved a member of the audience, a young woman named Jennifer who predicted--incorrectly as it turned out--that text messaging definitely would top 170-year-old Morse code. She walked away with a gift of restaurant tickets anyway. Margelli says the CW team used Yaesu FT-817 transceivers--one of his own and another owned by Dan Dankert, N6PEQ. Backup units--not needed--were provided by HRO; Margelli's wife Janet, KL7MF, manages an HRO store. They ended up using 432.200 MHz as an operating frequency in order to avoid RFI from the plethora of TV equipment in the studio and to avoid interfering with NBC's gear. They ran the little transceivers at their lowest power level and with the antennas disconnected--although they were mounted on the back of each unit--no problem given the close proximity involved. Margelli sent with a Bencher paddle. To add a little atmosphere to the affair, NBC producers attired Margelli and Miller to look like 19thcentury-era Western Union or railroad Morse telegraphers. The costumes came complete with green visors, white shirts, sleeve garters, vests and bow ties. The teenaged SMSers wore T-shirts and jeans. Cook told Leno that he'd managed to send a 160-letter message to his friend using his cell phone's short message system (SMS)--the formal term for text messaging--in 57 seconds. A member of the Morse Telegraph Club and a QRP enthusiast, Miller said he'd been using CW for 38 years. Margelli told Leno he'd been using Morse "for 43 years in ham radio," a phrase Leno echoed. That was the only plug Amateur Radio got during the appearance on the show's "Dinner for 4" segment. Miller says that during rehearsal, the pair had come up with a few lines to promote ham radio and telegraphy, but they were cut during the final dress rehearsal in the interest of making the segment fit its allotted time slot. During the Australian competition in April, a Morse team consisting of 93-year-old former post office telegrapher Gordon Hill--the sender—and 82-year-old Jack Gibson--the receiver--topped 13year-old SMSer Brittany Devlin. In that event, Hill spelled out the message in full, while Devlin used text-messaging shorthand. In that competition, held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Hill took 90 seconds to send the message, 18 seconds faster than Devlin's message took to reach her friend's cell phone. Miller encouraged all who enjoyed the CW-vs-text messaging segment on NBC to contact The Tonight Show to let the producers know about it--with an eye toward having the network schedule a more elaborate segment "next time." "Thanks for the kind comments from all," Miller concluded, advising "let's keep on having fun!--It is a hobby after all." Commented Margelli to ARRL: "I completely agree with my fantastic teammate, Ken Miller. It was a lot of fun, just like ham radio, and the show also delivered an important, if subtle, message about the benefits of the 'basic' communication infrastructure that Amateur Radio provides." BPL UPDATE ARLB012 Resolution Calls on FCC To Evaluate BPL Interference, Review Rules Rep Michael Ross, WD5DVR, of Arkansas, has introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives calling on the FCC to "conduct a full and complete analysis" of radio interference from broadband over power line (BPL). The resolution, H. Res 230, says the Commission should comprehensively evaluate BPL's interference potential incorporating "extensive public review and comment," and--in light of that analysis--to "reconsider and review" its new BPL rules, adopted last October. If approved by the full House, the non-binding resolution, introduced April 21, would express the requests as "the sense of the House of Representatives." "We are grateful to Congressman Ross and his staff for taking a leadership position in recognizing that the BPL interference issue deserves more careful consideration than the FCC was willing to give it under former Chairman Powell," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, on which Ross serves. The resolution's prime focus is on BPL's potential to disrupt critical public safety radiocommunication. It cites National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) studies that "have determined that broadband over power line creates a 'high risk' of radio wave interference, and that harmful interference to public safety mobile radio receivers can be expected at distances of 75 meters from the power line where broadband over power line is in operation, and at distances of up to 460 meters from fixed stations, such as VHF police or fire dispatch communications facilities." The resolution notes that the same NTIA study determined that BPL interference to aeronautical and airline travel communications "could be expected at distances up to 40 kilometers from the center of the broadband over power line system, and that interference to outer marker beacons for airline instrument landing systems could be expected at great distances as well." Many public safety agencies and support services, including emergency medical services, fire, and law enforcement, utilize Low-Band VHF (30-50 MHz), the resolution points out. According to the resolution, at least 13 states-California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming—use the band for state police operations. It's the primary public safety radio band in nine states. The resolution further notes that the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Inc (APCO), and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), have urged the FCC to withhold final action in the BPL proceeding for at least a year, pending a "conclusive determination" of BPL's potential to interfere with public safety and other licensed radio systems operating below 80 MHz. It also cites comments filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which uses a statewide radio system with more than 1400 Low-Band VHF users. The Missouri State Highway Patrol commented that the overall effect of BPL implementation would be "a potentially significant increase in interference to the mission of critical public safety communications," the resolution says. The resolution recounts that the FCC has struggled for years to resolve widespread harmful radio interference to first responders on 800 MHz and "should not have proceeded with introduction of a technology which appears to have substantial potential to cause destructive interference to police, fire, emergency medical services, and other public safety radio systems" without first conducting a comprehensive evaluation. A copy of HRes 230 is available on the ARRL Web site in .PDF format at, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/ filings/hres230/HRes230.pdf. See the ARRL Web site, http://www.arrl.org, for more information. NNNN FCC ENFORCEMENT STUFF Just to show that the FCC CAN get tough on those who don’t follow the rules…from the ARRL Letter Vol 24, No 20: GERRITSEN RELEASED ON BOND, REMAINS UNDER HOUSE ARREST Reputed Los Angeles-area radio jammer Jack Gerritsen reportedly has satisfied the requirements of a $250,000 cash or property bond and has been released from a federal lockup. The US Bureau of Prisons indicates that Gerritsen got out of jail May 17, although he reportedly remains under house arrest at his home in Bell. Acting on a criminal complaint, FBI special agents, accompanied by personnel from the FCC Los Angeles Field Office, arrested the 69-year-old Gerritsen without incident early May 5 at his home. Federal agents also seized his radio equipment. According to terms spelled out by the US Attorney for the Central District of California after he was taken into custody, Gerritsen will be subject to monitored home detention and barred from possessing or using any radio equipment. Additionally, Gerritsen's residence remains subject to search. Unconfirmed reports say Gerritsen's passport has been taken as well. were asked if we could help them out with a recording of the real McCoy. The criminal complaint said an FCC investigation revealed that Gerritsen "often transmits his prerecorded political messages and real-time harassment and profanity for hours at a time, often making it impossible for licensed radio operators to use the public frequencies." Larry Zeiglmeyer KA2NRW joined us one Saturday to test out a new antenna idea he has been working on. While the test did not go well, the probable fixes were determined, and he is well on his way to having a very neat, easily portable and wellconstructed vertical antenna system. I am assuming Larry will make his plans available to us once he has perfected the design. This type of antenna is useful in many situations, including temporary operations aboard our favorite boat. The FCC already has affirmed a $10,000 fine against Gerritsen for operating without a license. It has proposed another $42,000 in forfeitures for alleged interferencerelated infractions. Five years ago, Gerritsen was convicted in a California court of interfering with police radio transmissions and sentenced to 38 months in prison. After his release, he applied for a Technician class amateur license and was granted KG6IRO. The FCC promptly rescinded the grant when it learned of his earlier conviction, however. USS LING UPDATE Well the April Submarines-on-the-Air event was a bust, at least as far as we were concerned. For openers, while on vacation out in Las Vegas the week before, I was put out of action by some nerve problems in my back and leg (and no, it was NOT from carrying bags of money, either before or after winning/losing!), and thus I was not able to be there. Bill KC2BLN was the only one who showed up, and, disappointed, he left around 11:30. Otherwise, things have been going forward. We added some more speakers in the engine room making the diesel engine sound byte even more realistic, and we made a recording of the Ling’s General Quarters and Collision alarms, which, by the way, happen to come from the original WW2 electronic alarm generator. We sent the recording on the the group aboard the WW2 craft USS LST-325, which is making a voyage from Mobile, Alabama to Massachusetts and back the end of May/beginning of June. They do not have a real alarm generator, and we I DIDN’T KNOW….. It is amazing how many people don’t read (or maybe just don’t retain what they read) the newsletter, or much else involving Amateur Radio. Notwithstanding the fact that the Subs on the Air event just didn’t pan out this year for us, I have had several members say they were not aware of it in the first place. Now this event was mentioned in TWO issues (or was it three?) of this newsletter, plus QST. And this is not the only time this kind of thing has happened. As Amateurs we have numerous sources of news available to us. There’s QST, the ARRL Letter, W1AW bulletins (both on the air and over the net), the Hudson Division Beacon, and our own club website, all in addition to the newsletter and other bulletins we send out from time to time, and lots more. There’s just no excuse for not knowing what’s happening in our hobby, and it takes so little effort to stay informed! A few of the URLs for the above are shown here…enjoy! …//HH http://www.arrl.org/join.html http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/ http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html#email http://www.hudson.arrl.org http://www.10-70.org If you have read this far, congratulations! Now, send me an email, no text, just “I got it, I read it” in the subject line to: WB2AWQ@arrl.net We’ll see how many responses I get! Howie WB2AWQ Editor MINUTES OF THE 10-70 REPEATER ASSOCIATION GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING MAY 4, 2005 Veterans of Foreign War Post, Valley Road, Clifton, NJ Vice President Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF, called the meeting to order at 7:52PM Secretary’s Report The Vice President called for a motion to accept the Secretary’s report for the April, 2005 meeting as published in the May, 2005 newsletter. Motion to accept by: Jerry NO2T Seconded by: Mike W2MLS The report was accepted by the Membership. Treasurer’s Report Reported by: KC2GLG, George Cash on hand: Checking: Savings: Total: Motion to accept by: Bob, N2SU Seconded by: Nathaniel, W2NAF The report was accepted by the membership. Health & Welfare Lou Janicek, N2CYY is in physical therapy for his shoulder and is doing well. Stan, W2PQG, is doing well. Henry, WA2HHE, is now 96 years old and is moving into a retirement home. He will no longer be able to get on the air, so he is selling his equipment. The club wishes him well. Membership and Awards Mike, W2MLS, is still looking for Maine and Massachusetts to complete his “Worked All States” award. Prospective Members The following new member was voted in by acclamation: Helena Epstein, KC2OAC Technical Committee A reminder from the technical committee; that the repeater was programmed with the new 2005 codes. Please see your membership renewal information for the codes. Activities / Announcements -We will be showing Dan Roman’s Field Day Video after our potluck dinner. -The 10-70 club is promoting the ARRL’s “Take your HT to work day” which will be held on June 21. 2005. Info on our website. -Field Day T-Shirts and Pins are on sale; please order now to save the club shipping fees. -Please sign up for Field Day; the club needs to know who is showing up. -The BARA Hamfest is Saturday May 28th at the Westwood Regional High School, in Washington Township, NJ. -BARA has invited all members of the 10-70 Club to participate in a Foxhunt to be followed by a BBQ or get together afterwards. Date is Sunday May 15th, at the Sony parking lot in Woodcliff Lake, NJ -There is a resolution in the House of Representatives sponsored by Ross on Broadband over Power lines, BPL; House Resolution 230 urges the FCC to evaluate BPL and the interference it will cause other licensed radio services. There is a sample letter available and we urge you to write, fax, or drop e-mail to Scott Garrett. Please check the ARRL website for links to his site and more information on this resolution. -N2FF, Frank Fallon, will be at the BPL Grassroots lobbying effort at the Dayton, ARRL National Convention, May 20-22 -The Empire State Games in Poukeepsie, NY on July 27-31 is looking for public service workers. Frank Stone the DEC is looking to sign up people for this event. You can attend the games for free if you sign up. -There is a bandwidth proposal by the ARRL. Please read up on their website and then present questions and your feeling sensibly to them. -Hudson Division Awards Nominations are due by May 10th. Dinner is sponsored by the NJDXA in northern New Jersey and it will be held on November 12th. VE Sessions The next VE session will be Saturday May 7 at the church in Paramus from 9AM to noon. There will be a garage sale that day so please do not park in the church lot. There will also be a session during June on Saturday the 18th. Nathaniel, W2NAF, talked about teaching a class and having 6 people take tests at his college, Montclair State. USS Ling Due to Howie, WB2AWQ, not feeling well the sub-on-the-air event at the ling did not happen. We hope Howie is feeling better soon. Field Day 80-CW, 75-Phone, 15-CW, 10-CW, Talk in station, Public Information Table, and Site Coordinator positions are still open. Please sign up for a position for our field day. Old Business W2INS is operating /EI4 in Ireland, he sends his wishes and will be back for the June Meeting. ARES/RACES -David, K2DBK, talked about appointing two EC’s, Matthew-K2NUD, and Jim-WB2HBZ who will be helping him build up Bergen County ARES along with Mike WA2MWT. -Tim, KC2KET, talked about the Passaic County ARES/RACES repeater now on the 440.950 repeater, PL 97.4 -Jerry, NO2T, Talked about the TOPOFF-3 exercise and that FEMA did not come to inspect his RACES station. The Red Cross was more active than RACES during this drill. Skywarn Next Wednesday is the Advanced Class; please see www.bergenskywarn.org for more information. Hudson County is rebuilding their Skywarn program; please feel free to join them on Thursdays at 8:00PM on 441.250 MHZ, +5, PL-127.3. 50/50 Raffle Larry, KA2NRW, won on this month’s 50/50 raffle. Meeting Close Being no further business before the membership, the Vice President requested a motion to close the meeting at 8:47PM Motion to close the meeting by: Janice, KC2JPA Seconded by: Mike, W2MLS Submitted, Matthew Ryffel, K2NUD, Secretary, 10-70 Repeater Association Registered attendance for the meeting was 20 members and 1guest.