January 5, 2017 Club Meeting
Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 7:00 PM Red Cross Building (likely), 60 Hawthorne St., Medford, OR (across from Hawthorne Park)
Program: DXpedition from a duffle bag, Dick Lemke, AD7AF
Dick will discuss several DXpeditions he has made, and how to setup a portable station, accessories, and an antenna in a small duffle bag suitable for airplane travel.
Dick Lemke, AD7AF is a CW operator, he likes to travel and operate from distant shores, enjoying being the other end of the big pile up.
Note: the management of the local Red Cross facility recently changed. Scott was able to get agreement with the Red Cross for continued use of the meeting facilities, and is awaiting final paperwork from Portland. It’s very unlikely that we will have to move our meeting place for January, but if we do we will send emails to members, post on the club email reflector, and put a notice on the club webpage.
Announced in the January 2017 issue of The Repeater.
Meeting Notes
From the February 2017 issue of The Repeater.
The January 2017 meeting was held Thursday, the 5th at the Medford Red Cross center. Attendance was substantially reduced due to weather related road and driving conditions but a good time was had by those who braved the roads and temps. It was called to order at 7:10 with discussion about success in securing the Red Cross facility to use as our meeting place. Apparently there is a supportive ham (N5ABE) in the Red Cross chapter leadership. He saved the day. The local personnel allowed Scott and a few others to ’tour’ the local radio room. It is apparently in significant disorder but we may be given an opportunity to rehabilitate it.
Don Bennett announced the 2017 testing session dates (Phoenix fire station) as February 28, June 17, and October 28. All sessions signup at 8:30, testing at 9:00AM.
Treasurer’s report: $4398.73. Payment of $200 for club insurance and the balance includes an uncashed check to the Red Cross currently in Scott’s hands.
Two visitors/possible new members were introduced:
- Jason Davis KI7ITJ
- John Fowler KI7ITQ
Jason has a simple HT but has big HF plans. John is CCR-limited and seeking ways to become radio-involved. At this time, John has the license but no (nada) gear. K7GT suggested he become acquainted with the local VHF SSB gang (N7EU, N7RBP, K7TRK, etc.) and also with JCARES.
Field Day 2017 was a major topic of discussion, lead primarily by Mike WB6FFC. Mike has become the de facto Field Day honcho. Scott and Mike have asked all club members to consider (and soon!) location and style for RVARC’s Field Day effort this year. A return to the field by Science Works is plausible but all suggestions and thoughts are invited.
Coming out of the FD discussion was a follow-on discussion of power line and generic digital RFI remediation. Bot Scott NA7OM and Allan K7GT report that Pacific Power is very responsive to powerline RFI complaints. Several locals in Ashland have obnoxious noise levels. Bob K2GLO suggests that a tour be made near noise locations looking for bad streetlights. Apparently Ashland city schedules replacements weekly on Fridays for reported bad lights.
After a short break for conversation and mini cinnamon rolls, the presentation for the evening was given by Dick Lemke AD7AF about suitcase mini-DXpeditioning. His presentation included many salt-water vistas, stories of amateur ingenuity, fun running on both CW and SSB , and meeting interesting people. In other words, DXpeditioning. He gave us a pictorial tour of his many South Pacific jaunts. Calls held include: ZK1WWA, E51WWA, E51WWB, T32RL, V31RL, and V63WWA. He outlined how he became involved with DXpeditioning by chance in Rarotonga and in time refining his DXpedition go-bag and antenna/mast collection. He suggests the Ki-Ki Hotel, room 21 with its balcony almost over the surf zone. Verticals and vertical dipoles adjacent to the surf rule! Other details gleaned: be prepared with adapters to the local power standard (Rarotonga is 220V 50Hz!), anything smaller than RG8X is an effective dummy load, anything larger is too heavy. He uses a 100W radio (his is an Elecraft K3) and light switching power supply, use a simple old (XP-class?) laptop/notebook for logging and sending CW, trap verticals are a compromise to be avoided (go full-size untrapped if at all possible). 100W and a surf-side vertical is 2 S units above an amp and yagis inland, a rare call prefix is good for another S unit or two, etc.
By the way, Dick and his wife had a morning flight Friday for Rarotonga. They will be there three weeks. Try 40 and 80m CW.
Submitted by Allan Taylor K7GT January 6, 2017
