HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: feg@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (forrest.e.gehrke)
Subject: Re: Soldering radials to SO-239's
Keywords: antenna construction soldering
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 13:13:00 GMT

In article <1htdmvINNmrn@life.ai.mit.edu> moisan@silver.lcs.mit.edu (David Moisan) writes:
>As some of you are aware, there are many designs for 1/4-wave VHF
>antennas that use an SO239, BNC or N chassis-mount connector upon
>which the radials are soldered (to the mounting holes).
>
>I've tried to build one such antenna using coathangers as the elements.
>But try as I might, as hot as I get the connector (with a 100-watt gun
>newly-purchased), the coathanger will not take solder.
>
>It's occurred to me that some coathangers are aluminum (don't work,
> do they?! :))  Yet the coathanger I tried _was_ steel, or so I thought.
>
>Has anyone had actual experience?  What materials, if not coathangers, do 
>you use in *your* designs?
>

1) Never use steel as the material for a radial.  It is useless;
   you need to use a good RF conductor like copper or aluminum
   (brass, in a pinch).

2) Aluminum can be soldered but you need to use a different
   technique.  With steel wool burnish the area of the aluminum
   to be soldered.  Immediately cover this area with mineral
   oil.  With a very hot soldering iron this area can be
   tinned with a good tin/lead solder (63%tin/37%lead).  If
   you can find the specially mixed solder intended for 
   aluminum soldering, so much the better.

3) Don't try to solder to the so-239 body.  Use tinned lugs
   held to the four screw holes for this purpose.

Forrest Gehrke feg@dodger.att.com  k2bt
From: dave@eram.esi.COM.AU (Dave Horsfall)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Converting 49Mhz Toys to 6 meters
Date: 4 Jan 93 02:01:50 GMT
Organization: Pacific ESI, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
X-Disclaimer: "Me, speak for us?"
X-Witty-Saying: "Mobius strip - see other side for instructions"

In article <rrgd50-281292113249@222.5.80.3>,
    rrgd50@email.sps.mot.com (Chris Terwilliger) writes:

| Catalog Number: 60-4015
| Price         : $9.95

Gadzooks!  The Australian version (55 MHz) is about AU$50 !!!
No wonder Tandy (RS) have a reputation here for over-priced junk...

-- 
Dave Horsfall (VK2KFU)         VK2KFU @ VK2RWI.NSW.AUS.OC
dave@esi.COM.AU                ...munnari!esi.COM.AU!dave
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: reisert@mast.enet.dec.com ("Jim Reisert, AD1C  26-Dec-1992 0033")
Subject: ARRL Propagation Bulletin #52 - 24 December 1992
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 21:32:52 PST
X-Received: by usenet.pa.dec.com; id AA28607; Fri, 25 Dec 92 21:32:53 -0800
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X-Apparently-To: rec.radio.amateur.misc.usenet


ZCZC AP60
QST de W1aW
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 52  ARLP052
From Dad Cook, KT7H
Seattle, WA  December 24, 1992
To all radio amateurs
 
Last week was uneventful in terms of solar activity.  There was a
moderate disturbance on December 17 from 1800-2100 UTC, when the
Boulder K index went to four and five.  The only other time that the
K index went above three was at 1200 UTC on the 20th.  Solar flux
continued to drop slowly.
 
There is a possibility of a disturbance on December 26, and another
less severe upset on January 4.  The flux should continue to drop
until it reaches 115 around January 2, then rise again to around 155
on January 10 and 11.
 
During 1992 we saw solar activity continue to drop from the July,
1989 peak, but during the latter part of this year the solar flux
made a bit of a rally.  What does 1993 hold?  Average solar flux
values should be about 20 points lower a year from now, and another
15 points lower in December 1995, as the cycle frops toward a
probable minimum of activity around early 1997.  The next peak of
solar activity should be around the turn of the century.
 
The author welcomes correspondence from anyone interested in solar
activity and radio propagation, whether via letter or packet radio.
When writing via the mail, be sure to include a stamped return
envelope.  The packet address is KT7H at N7DUO.WA.USA.NA, and the
mail address is 5519 02 Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105-3505.
 
Sunspot Numbers from December 17 to 23 were 157, 157, 162, 150, 140,
125 and 120 with a mean of 144.4.  10.7 cm flux was 150.3, 149.8,
147, 148, 145.4, 102.1 and 144, with a mean of 146.7.
NNNN


Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Subject: Re: Realistic DX-160
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Destructive Testing Systems
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 01:30:30 GMT

In article <1992Dec31.095719.25238@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> sbooth@lonestar.utsa.edu (Simon E. Booth) writes:
>In article <1992Dec30.220002.10520@ke4zv.uucp> gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec28.071745.3632@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> sbooth@lonestar.utsa.edu (Simon E. Booth) writes:
>>>
>>>Sounds easy enough. One thing though--Does  lineing up the pointer on
>>>one mark re-calibrate the main dial calibrate the dial for all the marks?
>>
>>About as good as it was when it came from the factory. That's to say,
>>not great. Getting analog dials to track within 3% of actual bandspread
>>is often tough. That's about the same as analog voltmeters. You learn
>>to live with it, and use the crystal calibrator a lot when setting the
>>
>
>What's crystal calibrator?  The DX-160 isn't equipped with one.

Older communications receivers came with, or had as an option, a
crystal calibrator. That's a crystal oscillator circuit that is
optimized to generate harmonics. Usually the calibrator crystal
was 100 kHz, so you had a signal every 100 kHz across the spectrum.
You could turn it on and set the radio to zero beat with the nearest
harmonic and know exactly where the radio was tuned. The dial offset
would then be correct over a modest frequency span. If your radio
lacks a calibrator, they are easy to build. There were circuits
published in the ARRL Handbook over the years, but any crystal
oscillator will do in a pinch.

Gary

-- 
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary      
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     | emory!ke4zv!gary@gatech.edu
From: jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: 430mhz band under th
Date: 31 Dec 1992 02:03:55 GMT
Organization: UT Health Science Center Houston

In article <1992Dec30.234200.11309@ke4zv.uucp> gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman) writes:
>>     (e) Ancillary functions of a repeater that are available to
>>users on the input channel are not considered remotely controlled
>>functions of the station.  LIMITING THE USE OF A REPEATER TO ONLY
>>CERTAIN USER STATIONS IS PERMISSIBLE.
>Two things to note here. [...] Second, section (e) refers to
>*ancillary* functions of repeaters and the ability to limit access to
>those *ancillary* functions to certain user stations. This doesn't
>address closed repeaters where the *primary* function of the repeater
>is restricted.

This is the same reasoning that (mis)leads folks to believe that the Second
Amendment applies only to organized militias. 

The language is clear: Limiting the use of a repeater to only certain user
stations is permissible. Not "limiting the use of ancillary functions".
You can't redefine what the words clearly mean any more than you can say that
the clause at the front of the Second Amendment limits the right to keep and
bear arms.
-- 
Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC, PP-ASEL | Never ascribe to malice that which can
jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu      | adequately be explained by stupidity.
 "Brought to you by the letters O, S, and by the number 2." -- Mike Levis
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.cb
From: c60c-3gi@web-3a.berkeley.edu (Masayuki Karahashi)
Subject: engine noise...
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 08:13:00 GMT


I finally finished all my finals, took care of all the rest of the things 
I had to do and finally, I went shopping for cb's.

I ended up buying a Cobra 23Plus for 59.95.  Took me a while figuring out
how I should wire it in my car, finally did that after some hours, and
went on a drive to test it.

to My disappointment, I found out that the internal speaker on the damn
thing was broken.  Good thing I brought an esternal speajer off of my cheap
stereo since I wanted to try putting a speaker in different places.  I also
found a lot of noise coming from the engine.  So I tried moving the antenna
up and down bit by bit so see if things would get better.  I didn't.
BTW, I had a RS trunk lid antenna.

If anyone remembers my original posting, I asked what I should do.  Here
is the original question:  I am going up to Lake Tahoe from the San Francisco
Bay Area.  We are taking two cars, so I wanted to be able to communicate.
So I asked what I should do... Lots of people recommended to me
lots of stuff, (thanks!) but my other option was, I have a 3 watt handheld
3 channel CB, but no esternal antenna, I asked if I should get two brand
new mobile cb's or if I shouldd just stick with my handheld.

Well, along the line of looking, CB's started to look interesting, so I 
thought I'd get one with weather channel and get the truck lid antenna
and semi-permanently install it in my car.  well, with all the noise
and rude people on the cb's I don't think I want one anymore.  I think
I will be returning everything tomorrow, and stick with my two handheld
ones,  I'll just get two mag mount antennas or something.

that's my story... :(

---Masayuki Karahashi
c60c-3gi@web.berkeley.edu
"I think its time to change major"
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,fido.ham-radio,alt.bbs.ads
From: root@n8emr.cmhnet.org (0000-Admin(0000))
Subject: Email_Callbook_server
Organization: HAM BBS, 614-895-2553 
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 93 06:00:29 GMT

			EMAIL CALLSIGN SERVER
                            US CALLS ONLY


For those who do not have telnet access to marvin or one of the other
Internet callsign servers here is an alternative. 

N8EMR's Ham BBS, 614-895-2553  has an email server up and running.
The Server is based on Buckmasters Spring 92 database.

------------------------- INTERNET AND CIS USERS -------------------------------

	Mail should be addressed to 
callbook@n8emr.cmhnet.org

If you have a well behaved mailer or a well know return address 
the reply path will be taken from your mail header. If you have
a strange reply path or non standard reply path. You can use the 
option REPLY line to specify a return path.
On the Subject line include a list a call signs to lookup. If your
mailer doesnt generate a Subject line you can use the option CALL
to specify a list of callsigns. All other lines and info are ignored.

E.G. 
# mail callbook@n8emr.cmhnet.org
REPLY  user@site.domain		(your reply path, ! or @ format.)
CALL n8emr w5rrr  		(list of calls, space seperated)
^D
#

-------------------------- PACKET RADIO ----------------------------------------

	Mail should be sent to CBOOK@N8JYV.#CMH.OH.USA.NA 
	You MUST use both the REPLY and CALL option lines.
The REPLY line should be as follows n8jyv!HOME_BBS!CALL, where
HOME_BBS is your local packet bbs where you would normal pick up 
your mail, CALL is your callsign. 
You must include the n8jyv! in your reply path.. Packet mail will fail
without this.

E.g.
SP CBOOK@N8JYV.#CMH.OH.USA.NA 
Subject ^M
REPLY n8jyv!w8cqk!n8emr
CALL n8emr w1aw
/EX

------------------------------ FIDONET USERS ---------------------------------

	Fidonet users can send request to call book 1:226/20.0

	Mail sent to the fidonet address must have the following info
included the REPLY line in  the following format.

REPLY fistname.lastname@fxx.nxx.zxx.fidonet.org

	where xx is your fidonet node info.


---------------------------- OPTIONAL COMMANDS ---------------------------------

REPLY This is an email address you would like to send the lookup info
	to. Either Internet @ or ! addressing is fine.
CALL  This is a white space separated list of callsigns you would like
	to lookup.
From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: ICOM 901 vs Kenwood TM-741
Date: 27 Dec 92 15:39:51 GMT
Article-I.D.: ke4zv.1992Dec27.153951.19853
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Destructive Testing Systems

In article <00965AF6.8F32574A@POMONA.CLAREMONT.EDU> pat@POMONA.CLAREMONT.EDU writes:
>Hello all,
>
>I am interested in an comments on which radio would be the better way to go
>for my mobile station barring any costs.  I want to start with the basic 
>2 meter 440 and have 1.2 gigs.  Down the road I would like to be able to have
>220 and 6 meters as well.   Being a RACES member I will need to be able to
>utilize all the bands at any time " The big one hits".  But I do have limited
>creature space in my rice burner truck and these do both offer detached heads.

The IC901 is getting a little long in the tooth by Japanese mobile rig
standards, but it will stack more than 3 bands, and the control head,
and it's *cable*, are really small. The microphone also does *not* attach
to the control head and that's a major win. You can place the control
head anywhere you want and not worry about anchoring it against the pull
of the microphone or having the microphone cord tangle in the vehicle
controls. It doesn't have as many features as the 741, but how many of
those do you regularly use anyway?

Gary

-- 
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary      
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     | emory!ke4zv!gary@gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
From: greg@core.rose.hp.com (Greg Dolkas)
Subject: Re: About transverters (was Weak signal VHF)
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 18:03:57 GMT
Organization: HP - Systems Technology Division
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.8 PL6]

:
: The last problem may just be with my rig, but it seems that the receive
: sensitivity of the unit is a bit low.  I can hear RS-10/11 easily on my
: Radio Shack DX-440 shortwave radio, but nothing is heard on the 767.  My
: antenna in both cases is a long-wire strung around the roof.

Well, Murphy's law has hit...  You know, the one which says that the answer to
any problem will be made apparent *after* it's posted world-wide?

The answer to my problem was (blush) that the ground strap had bumped into the
antenna split button on the back of the rig, *disconnecting* the receiver from
the antenna.  The button is a "feature" to allow the 767 to be used on Tx, and
a different rig (or pre-amp, or whatever) on Rx.  The problem was that the
button is right next to the grounding lug, and the fat ground wire didn't make
the turn without hitting it.  It's moved now, and all is well.

Actually, I'm amazed I received anything at all!

Greg  KD6KGW
Xref: sparky rec.radio.amateur.misc:21342 rec.radio.amateur.packet:3318
From: gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman)
Subject: Re: Realistic DX-160
Reply-To: gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman)
Organization: Destructive Testing Systems
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 12:56:41 GMT

In article <1992Dec25.055513.29834@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> sbooth@lonestar.utsa.edu (Simon E. Booth) writes:
>
>I own an old Realistic DX-160 reciever that's still in excelent condition
>(I've had it about 4 and a half years) but the tuning is way out of
>alignment.  There are tuning marks on the main dial that are supposed to
>be used for calibrating the fine tuning (band spread) dial but with the
>tuner so far out of alignment these are of no use.
>
>I really can't afford a new radio but I might be able to afford a repair
>bill on the DX-160, so:
>
>Can the tuner be re-aligned, so the main dial and band spread dial are
>in synch with each other??

This is a common problem with older analog dial radios. The tuner does
not need to be re-aligned, radios almost never need re-alignment unless
there has been a major component failure. All that's wrong with your 
radio is that the string that moves the pointer has slipped on the
pulleys connecting the tuning knob and the main tuning capacitor. This
often happens when you attempt to tune beyond the end of the dial.
If you take off the case, it should be obvious what you have to do to
slip the string back to make the pointer fall on the calibration marks.
This is a simple do it yourself fix, just be careful not to break the
string. It can be a real chore to re-string a broken dial cord.


>I've heard about digital readouts being added to old radios.  Is this
>possible with the 160 while keeping it's components 'original'?

Anything is possible, but I wouldn't try this. It'll likely cost more
than the radio is worth.

Gary

-- 
Gary Coffman KE4ZV          |    You make it,     | gatech!wa4mei!ke4zv!gary
Destructive Testing Systems |    we break it.     | uunet!rsiatl!ke4zv!gary
534 Shannon Way             |    Guaranteed!      | emory!kd4nc!ke4zv!gary      
Lawrenceville, GA 30244     |                     | emory!ke4zv!gary@gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: NOVICE HF RECOMENDATIONS/
From: morris.middleton@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Morris Middleton) 
Date: 26 Dec 92 11:51:00 GMT
Reply-To: morris.middleton@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Morris Middleton) 
Distribution: world
Organization: The Courts of Chaos * 501-985-0059 * Public Access Usenet

Warren,
You ask a lot of good questions. I will not attempt to provide a comp-
rehensive answer if only because I cannot remember all the details of
the questions. First, the price you set for your station is fairly low.
I presume you mean by that price you are including transceiver, key,
microphone, keyer, low-pass filter, power supply, antenna, and feedline.
In order to get everything in for that figure you may be tempted to
purchase some old tube-type gear. DON'T purchase anything with more than
three tubes in it (driver and 2 rf amplifier tubes). It's just so hard
to get tubes anymore that it won't be worth the money even though most
tubes do last a LONG time with proper operation. If it were me I would
try to get an old Kenwood TS-830S or a used Icom IC-735. Both are
excellent, reliable rigs with lots of features for the price. The
Kenwood does use some tubes in the transmitter as indicated above and
the Icom is all solid state. Do not be suckered into buying a low power
rig in order to get a good price. It will help a lot to have about 100
watts out as a beginner. Leave the 5 watt stuff until you get more
experience. Don't buy vertical antennas right now. Use dipoles which not
only give you valuable experience making them cheaply, but have good
radiation patterns and do not have the high ground losses normally found
with verticals (I am talking about HF antennas now, verticals are ok as
VHF antennas). Do use the best feedline you can afford.
Sorry, I don't know about hamfests in North Carolina but a list is
published each month in QST which you can usually find in the public
library if you haven't joined ARRL yet. If you haven't joined ARRL yet,
do so asap and get a copy of _The ARRL Operating Manual_ and
_Understanding Amateur Radio_.
73 and hope to hear you on the air soon,
Morris, AD5M
From: chuck@eng.umd.edu (Chuck Harris - WA3UQV)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: [ANS] End fed 1/4 wave 80 meter antenna
Date: 30 Dec 92 04:25:04 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland, Department of Electrical Engineering

In article <9212272002.AA12811@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil> jdelancy@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil writes:
>Randall@uunet!pyramid!infmx@uunet asls:
>>
>>What is a good Earth ground?   According to the books I read, 
>>you can't get a good earth ground unless you live next to a salt
>>marsh.
>>
>A cheap salt ground is not that hard. Dig a hole in your
>backyard, maybe three feet deep and eightteen inches in

Take care with these chemical ground solutions; some of us are drinking from
the ground water supply!

Salt, isn't poisonous, and probably won't ruin the aquifer, but, it sure will
kill your lawn.  Concentrated fertilizer, Copper Sulfate, and other concoctions
are poisonous, and will seriously pollute the ground water.  DON'T DO IT!!!
Use buried ground radials.  This is only a hobby!

73,

Chuck Harris - WA3UQV
From: oler@rho.uleth.CA (Cary Oler)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Daily Solar Geophysical Data Broadcast for 02 January
Date: 3 Jan 93 09:33:37 GMT
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu
Originator: daemon@ucsd.edu

!!BEGIN!! (1.0) S.T.D. Solar Geophysical Data Broadcast for DAY 002, 01/02/93
10.7 FLUX=121.4  90-AVG=139        SSN=079      BKI=3223 3332  BAI=012
BGND-XRAY=B3.4     FLU1=1.6E+06  FLU10=1.1E+04  PKI=3235 4332  PAI=017
  BOU-DEV=020,014,016,029,035,038,026,018   DEV-AVG=024 NT     SWF=01:014
 XRAY-MAX= M1.1   @ 0436UT    XRAY-MIN= B3.0   @ 0054UT   XRAY-AVG= B9.3
NEUTN-MAX= +002%  @ 1605UT   NEUTN-MIN= -003%  @ 2320UT  NEUTN-AVG= -0.5%
  PCA-MAX= +0.1DB @ 2125UT     PCA-MIN= -0.3DB @ 1135UT    PCA-AVG= -0.0DB
BOUTF-MAX=55423NT @ 0342UT   BOUTF-MIN=55395NT @ 1816UT  BOUTF-AVG=55411NT
GOES7-MAX=P:+117NT@ 1700UT   GOES7-MIN=E:-011NT@ 1102UT  G7-AVG=+065,+019,+009
GOES6-MAX=P:+140NT@ 1700UT   GOES6-MIN=E:-027NT@ 1402UT  G6-AVG=+083,-002,+029
 FLUXFCST=STD:120,120,125;SESC:120,120,125 BAI/PAI-FCST=015,015,015/015,018,018
    KFCST=2224 4222 2224 4222  27DAY-AP=008,005   27DAY-KP=3332 1211 2111 2321
 WARNINGS=*SWF
   ALERTS=**MINFLR:M1.1@0436;**SWEEP:II=2@0524UTC;**SWEEP:II=1@2352UTC
!!END-DATA!!
From: ant-vent@precipice.chi.il.us (Paul Graham)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Clever Phonetics Needed--WK3C
Date: 17 Dec 92 09:15:01 GMT
Organization: Welch Research, McHenry IL, USA

wjc@ll.mit.edu (Bill Chiarchiaro) writes:

> 
> |> >Cute phonetics are a regular peeve of mine.
> 
> 
>   The king of all phonetics/mnemonics was once suggested for the
> suffix of my call sign (CPK).  I was talking with another ham who was
> a cardiovascular surgeon.  He said he was envious and wanted my call
> sign because he could then use the mnemonic:
> 
> 		Creatinin-Phospho-Kinase
> 
>   Yes, I'm almost completely unsure of the spelling.  "CPK" is a
> chemical which plays some role in the functioning of the heart.
> 
>   I can hear it now...
> 
> 	CQ DX CQ DX, this is November One Creatinin Phospho Kinase
> 
>   What, no copy?
> 
> 
> 73,
> 
> Bill Chiarchiaro  N1CPK
> wjc@ll.mit.edu


I guess you are looking for something like I got stuck with
a few years ago:

take my name and call and put them together and you get:

****  Passionate And Unusual Lover - Kissing 9 Extreemly Ravishing Girls 

I'm still working on one for you.   73, Paul K9ERG
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc