From: rc@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov (Robert Carpenter)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: 1992 CSVHFS Summary - LONG
Date: 26 Jul 92 02:48:12 GMT
Organization: National Institute of Standards and Technology
	formerly National Bureau of Standards
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu


                The 1992 Central States VHF Society Conference
                  YO Hilton, Kerrville, TX, July 16-19, 1992
                                    Summary

The 1992 Conference is history. The ham registration was 196, and at least 75 
others took part in the family, teen, and infants activities. A number of the 
"family" attendees were hams - spouses or children of the "ham" attendees. 
Hams from G, VE, VK, ZL, XE, and about 30 states attended. 

The conference started on Thursday afternoon with a tour of the Mooney 
Aircraft factory, one of the very few light-plane factories still operating 
in the USA. Thursday evening saw a joint meeting with the Hill Country 
Computer Club, featuring Bob, N4HY, talking about Digital Signal Processing 
and what it can do for you.

The Conference attendees were welcomed Friday morning by W3XO/5, 1992 CSVHFS 
prexy. Friday morning saw two simultaneous activities - the traditional 
antenna gain measurements and the first session of the "First VHF Ionospheric 
Propagation Conference" organized by N5JHV. 

Antennas from 144 to 24 GHz were measured, using two ranges. A highlight was 
the portable !! 54-foot-boom beam for 2-meters brought by K6MYC. It beat all 
others, but was not eligible for a certificate, being a commercial product. 
Listen for W6JKV using it on future DXpeditions. 

The ionospehric propagation session included a tutorial by W7CI; a talk on 
solar influences on VHF progagation by Norman Cohen from the Space 
Environmental Services Center in Boulder; a talk on the physical principals of 
50 MHz propagation by K6MIO (by tape); and concluded after lunch with a talk 
by N6TX and W4HHK on correlating sun noise and solar activity. 

The CSVHFS technical sessions, organized by W5LUU, started Friday afternoon 
with a microwave session. Three talks were given on the subject of "Microwaves 
Made Simple" by WA5VJB, WB5LUA and AF1T. It concluded with the ultimate in 
microwaves - Lightwave Communications by KY7B and WA7LYI. 

After the hotel-hosted margarita party, a number attended a play at the Point 
Theater. As usual for CSVHF Conferences, a three-hour swapfest took place on 
Friday evening - as well as the preamplifier noise figure measurements for 
50zMHz and up. At midnight the Stupid Numbskulls on Two-Twenty (two) Sideband 
(SNOTTS) had their traditional bash. 

As a stamina test, a propagation session was called to order at 8am on 
Saturday morning. The talks were about using UHF TV video carriers to monitor 
propagation (WB5LUA), exploiting aircraft scatter (WA5VJB), a multiple power 
level beacon system (& demo) (N4MW), and a discussion of a possible invisible 
meteor shower (N6CL). 

The space communications session followed with a detailed update on the AMSAT 
Phase 3D satellite progress by N4HY, and talk about GPS and its possible use 
in satellite orbit determination on Phase 3D and other ham uses by W3IWI. It 
is expected that a consumer-grade GPS receiver optionally reading in ham grid 
locator coordinates will soon be available. 

The EME session took place Saturday afternoon featuring W5LUU giving an 
overview and K2RS reporting on his many 144 MHz EME contacts made with 150 W 
and a single beam. The afternoon closed with the annual discussion of the 
state of weak-signal VHF/UHF and the membership meeting - where CSVHFS board 
of directors members were elected. 

The Saturday evening banquet for about 250 featured a talk by Jimmy Treybig, 
W6JKV, showing slides and telling tales of his 24 VHF DXpeditions to out-of-
the-way places all over the world in the past 10 years. The CSVHF tradition of 
a prize for everybody continued. Everyone called gets to choose from the 
remaining prizes. N4HY was second winner and chose an 8877 tube - kilowatts on 
VHF. It was announced that N6CL/5 will host next year's Conference in Oklahoma 
City, and thus the VHF editor of CQ follows the VHF editor of QST as CSVHFS 
president. The 1994 Conference will be hosted by N4MW in Memphis. 

After a Sunday morning breakfast meeting of the Six Meter International Radio 
Klub (SMIRK), the Conference was brought to a close with the second session on 
VHF ionospheric propagation. Bob Cooper (ZL4AAA, VP5D, K6EDX) explained his 
proposal for a network of "smart" 50 MHz beacons, or robot stations. This 
brought much discussion. WA5IYX gave results of his 30 years of nearly-full-
time observation of Es openings - mostly on the 88-108 MHz FM band. W9IP 
presented W3EP's talk giving statistical data on transatlantic 50 MHz Es 
openings. A panel consisting of K6QXY, K6MYC, W6JKV, and ZL4AAA, discussed 
Cycle 22  50 MHz propagation. Then we all repaired to Tierra Linda Ranch for a 
barbeque hosted by W5OZI and W3XO/5. 

As usual, perhaps 1/3 of the speakers had some sort doctorate: archeology, 
math, EE, physics, etc.   Others included a vintner, various engineers, 
technicians, Fortune-500 company president, investment banker, .... 

 73,  Bob  W3OTC
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,sci.electronics