HAM-MAG January 2010F5SLD's Free HAM Magazine 100% HAM RADIO

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A Small Yagifor 50 MHz

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[[ HHOOMMEEBBRREEWW ]]AA ssmmaallll yyaaggii ffoorr 5500MMHHzz 1111

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[[ CCAATTEEGGOORRIIEESS ]]PPOOSSTT IITT !! 33

SSppeecciiaall EEvveenntt :: OONN5500RRNN 99

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DDXX CCaalleennddaarr 2255

CCoommiicc''ss HHAAMM 3399

a "V" for victoryThe V army 32

[ HAMMAG N.12 January 2010 ]

WWoorrkkiinngg RRaaddiioo aattRReemmoottee llooccaattiioonn 2200

[[ HHIISSTTOORRYY ]]

HHaallll ooff FFaammee 3388

DDXX NNEEWWSS 2233

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5500MMHHzz DDXX NNeewwss 3300

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PPOOSSTT--IITT !!TThhee bbrreeaakkiinngg NNeewwss

HappyNew Year2010 !HamMAg is now on...Facebook.

Type "hammag" in the facebook homepage and become a fan.If we are a lot of fans, may be some retailers would be interested in publishing one (or several) ad inthis magazine. Of course, to exist this magazine needs your participation... All infos are welcome.Happy new year 2010.Vincent Faucheux F5SLDChief Editor**********************************************************************************************************************Hello,I have just found a mistake in my circuit Diagram as published in HamMag No10 of Nov09.There should have been a Jumper but it is shown as a short circuit.Sorry about that, see the circuit corrected.Best 73's Peter ZS2ABF * The Locust

[ HAMMAG N.12 January 2010 ]

WINMORA New HF Transmission Protocol for Winlink 2000By Leon Singh 9Z4BMhttp://9z4bm.tripod.com/http://9z4bmhamradio.tripod.com/

WINMOR, by Rick Muething KN6KB of the Winlink Development Team, is a new HF radio transmissionprotocol for the Winlink 2000 system. WINMOR was introduced at the 2008 ARRL / TAPR DigitalCommunications Conference in Chicago on September 2628, 2008. Unlike PACTOR, only a simplecomputer soundcardtoradio interface is required, and it will run as a "virtual TNC" with Paclink andRMS software. Also unlike PACTOR, it will be fully documented and without restrictions or licenseissues preventing anyone from using the protocol in other software. It will have at least three modes,ranging from 200 to 2000 Hertz in bandwidth, and will provide raw speeds ranging from 125 to at least1875 bits per second.WINMOR will NOT replace Pactor but be used in addition to Pactor. The RMS HF will be able tooperate BOTH WINMOR and Pactor (13) but not simultaneous connections. While WINMOR may notequal P2 and P3 in total performance it will provide lower cost, higher performance and morerobustness than P1. The primary applications will be for those lower usage Emcomm applications whichhave trouble justifying the high cost and low utilization of the P2 and P3 modem.Current StatusThe second round of beta testing began on September 17th, 2009. All individuals interested incontributing to the test should:1.Signup for the WINMOR Yahoo group, where the Beta test will be conducted, athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/WINMOR.2.Review the documents in the FILES area of the WINMOR Yahoo Group. Particularly the "WINMORTesting and Evaluation Plan." You may not want to participate at the outset of the testing period. Pleaseeducate yourself before making requests. Thanks.3.Direct your communications regarding testing and your participation to the WINMOR group.Have a look here : http://www.winlink.org/WINMOR73's 9Z4BM, Leon

[ HAMMAG N.12 January 2010 ]

Having just read the 6 Metre Handbook by Don Field, G3XTT, I realized that although this book wasintended as a handbook, I felt that there was a lot of 6 meter background information not addressed.I became licensed as WN3BJG in February of 1955. This was before the days of FM and Repeatersand EME, Moonbounce, Scatter and all of the other technologies available today was essentiallybuzzwords but there were a few pioneers.. SSB was just coming into being as far as the amateur world.For the average Ham, It was either A1 or A3 emissions. A new word was spreading among the amateurworldsemiconductors! To most, this was a Selenium rectifier, others were experimenting withGermanium diodes and a few lucky ones gained access to the Raytheon CK722 transistor.I immediately got on the air on the utilizing the 2 Meter band, mainly because I had previously acquireda surplus SCR522 rig which was completely converted and ready to go on the air.Having no HF transmitting capability, I spent my entire Novice year operating on the 2M band andlistening to W1AW and private code practice stations, getting ready to go for the General class license,which I successfully obtained within the one year grace period.Not many commercial manufactures were making 50 MHzequipment in the mid 50's. Practically all commercial/amateurequipment manufactured at the time only went to 30 MHz. As Irecall, I got on the air after much prodding by my friends on 144MHz. A recently formed VHF Club had as a club project, a 50MHz transmitter so I built it and then I needed a receiver. Havingplayed with some superregenerative receivers before getting mylicense, I took that route and finally had a 50 MHz station.A quick check thru the advertisers in the ARRL Handbooks yielded the following manufacturers of 50MHz gear: See Appendix 1.According to my Log Book, my first 6M contact was February 12, 1956 but this activity ceased in April ofthe same year when I enlisted in the Navy. In June of 1956, I bought my first piece of commercial2M equipment, a Gonset Communicator.As I recall, my first piece of 6M equipment, was a Tapetone XC50 Double Cascode High Performance6M converter which Ibought early in1957 and used it in conjunction with a BC312Nsurplus receiver. Ithink my 6M antenna at the time was most likely a modified TV antenna.During the next several years, while I was attending Navy TechnicalSchools I did manage to operatefrom Memphis, W4ODR and later when stationed in Hawaii, KH6AHQ. Most of the operation at theseclubs was on the HF bands, handling phone patch traffic.During the latter part of 1956 and early 1957, I had the opportunity tobecome acquainted with PaulWilson, W4HHK. I often visited withhim while he was at work as a TV engineer at a local television inMemphis, TN and also was fortunate in visiting him at his home QTHin Collierville, TN. One of thethings I remember most about hisstation were the twin towers he had erected in preparation for theupcoming IGY program, See QST, Nov. 1957. On these towers Paul had erected 6M arrays and thetowers were oriented so in one direction, they pointed directly towards W1AW and in the oppositedirection, they were directed towards Australia.

6 MetersThe Early YearsA personal history by Dave, W3BJG

[ HAMMAG N.12 January 2010 ]

[ HAMMAG N35 15 octobre 2009 ]

Unfortunately, I never heard of what success he may have had with the antenna although I did have theopportunity to speak again with Paul as I traveled thru Memphis in 1973.While in Hawaii, I started the construction of what I intended to be a Portable 6M Transceiver. I laterfound out that in the process oftesting the transmitter portion, I apparently did it during a rathergoodband opening to the East coast (from Hawaii) and I was heardsomewhere in the New England states. I had no receiver capabilityat the time and wasnt aware ofwhat had transpired. The receiver inthis portable transceiver was a modified version of the SuperRegen originally used when I first got on 6M.As soon as I saw an advertisement for the Heath Seneca 6 & 2 MTransmitter kit, I immediately orderedit. In the latter part of 1958, I secured permission to set up my own amateur radio station on the Navybase at Barbers Point, TH and assembled my new transmitterin my own Ham Shack. In a letter toSam Harris, W1FZJ, I statedas of the 15 of March (1959), I got on 50 MHz and during the first threehours of operation with the new rig, I worked several of the local hams in Hawaii, and then hit anopening into VK4 and VK9 land. The present setup is: Heath Seneca, Tapetone XC50 into aHallicrafters SX100, and a 5 ele beam abt. 60 feet in the air.Openings:I was fortunate in that I was on the air during the IGY which coincided with what was anticipated to be agood year as far as sunspot activity. As it turned out, cycle 19 proved to be the highest recorded sunspot activity and that record still stands, 50 years later.Another factor which made these openings interesting was the fact that Hawaii had gained statehoodon August 21, 1959 and was the last state required for WAS on 50 Mhz. Many of the West Coaststations that contacted me were attempting to obtain the coveted WAS on 50 MHz and really expressedan interest in getting my QSL card. The operatingduring a great band opening was a lot of fun, but thework began after the band closed. I made it a policy toQSL 100% and although the cost was not thatgreatstill only 3 cents a card, the time required toresearch the address information and then fill out thecard took much more time then the contact itself.Having notified the FCC Engineer in Charge inHonolulu, I was able to operate under my own call asW3BJG/KH6 which was an asset during bandopenings. That call stood out among the other KH6stations during band openings.I know I contributed to several of the W6 and W7 call area hams among the first to obtain their WAS 50on 50 Mc certificate. During one exceptional band opening, there was a two (2) hour period where Iworked fifty (50) different stations just as fast as I could log them. See Appendix 3.Many lapses in DX contacts were due to either the lack of