Volume 10, Number 2 February 2005
The Nugget
The Newsletter of the Mother Lode DX/Contest Club
The MLDXCC Newsletter Page 4
MEETING DATE, LOCATION & PROGRAM
When: Saturday, February 26th, 11:30AM-14: 30PM
Where: Ione Hotel, 25 West Main St., Ione, CA 95640 Phone: 209-274-6082, Order from their menu.
What: This month's program will be a video of the 1994 DXpedition to Peter I Island (3Y0PI). This presentation was supposed to have coincided with the 3Y0X operation that would have started up this past weekend. Maybe this video will give us all some insights of the magnitude that a DXpedition to this forbidding location presents
de Jim WX6V.
MLDXCC meetings for balance of 2005. Subject to modification.
March 19 Ione Hotel Ione, CA
April 9 Ione Hotel Ione, CA
May 21 Ione Hotel Ione, CA
June 18 Ione Hotel Ione, CA (Pre-Field Day meeting)
July 23 Senior Center in Jackson?? Ione Hotel, maybe??
August 13 Ione Hotel NAQP-CW on 6th/SSB on 20
September 24 Ione Hotel Sprints on 10th & 17th
October 15 Ione Hotel (If we would rather attend Pacificon, meeting on
Oct 8) CQP is on Oct 1 & 2...CQWW SSB Oct 29 & 30 Nominations
November 12 Ione Hotel (SS/CW on 5th & 6th, SSB on 19th & 20th) Elections
December 17 Ione Hotel (Could have on 3rd-ARRL 160, if 17th too close
to Christmas)
January 28 2006 Ione Hotel (CQ WW 160 CW)
Any suggestions, ideas, major objections, quibbles?? Thanks for reading...73,
Dick K6LRN
As most of you know, I am the “stuckee” to setup the “Contest Dinner” at the 05’ DX Convention in Visalia. It will be Friday night, however I am still waiting for the final contract to sign. Just as soon as that happens I will let everyone know - thanks! – Jeff WK6I
FROM THE PREZ
DUES ARE DUE! Basic dues are $15 minimum. It is $10 more, if you want a paper copy of the ‘Nugget’. Donations gladly accepted. Please, pay at meeting…next best, mail to Treasurer, Carolyn Wilson, K6TKD at Box 273, Somerset, CA., 95684-0273.
Someone far wiser than I once stated about speeches…in my case it applies to statements made during meetings…”There are three speeches; the one you intended to give, the one you did give and the one you should have given.”
I am referring to comments about Round Table as a meeting place discussion. I spoke about the $100 RT management wanted as a guarantee that we would be spending that much to use their so-called banquet room. I failed to mention the part about not being able to reserve the room more than 30 days in advance. This, to me was more of a deal breaker than the $100. If someone were to reserve before us, we would be scrambling to find a place to meet. We had one mix-up over meeting venue a couple of years ago…that is one too many!!
Congrats to Bill, KI6PG, Ken, K6TA, Jeff WK6I, Rick W6SR+WX6V, KF6T, NU6T, KG6CMS (now N6NIA) for great scores in recent contests. Bill & Ken were first in class in IARU.
Thanks to all who opted to receive the ‘Nugget’ via email. It looks like we will be able to postpone a dues increase until next year. Many members have renewed on time…thanks, again. If funds are needed for any unusual expenses we might encounter for the balance of the year, we can ask for donations or assess ourselves. As of now, Field Day would be one possible expense.
…And speaking of Field Day…yes, it is about four months off. It is not too early to be looking for a beam for 20 meters (or parts to build one) or to brush up on CW, for instance.
Is everyone able to access the MLDXCC ‘reflector?? See info elsewhere in ‘Nugget’ on how to sign up. Help is available…ask Jeff or Ron, for instance.
Thanks to Rick, W6SR I got the antennas turning again. High winds in early January broke the aluminum casting on the Yaesu GS-800 rotator and left the antennas pointing north. I had been using a ‘Genie-Lift’ from Ace Rentals on Missouri Flat Rd. in Placerville to perform maintenance on tower. In desperation, I rented 5 sections of steel scaffolding to get to the 30’ level. I do not like to climb crank-up towers in general and this one in particular. With Rick on the ground shouting advice & encouragement we ‘got ‘er done’!!
An envelope from Germany held a card for CW contacts with TX9-Chesterfield Island making 316 confirmed on CW. Still waiting for SSB card…worked them on 75 ssb…that will be # 100 on 75/80.
Does anyone have a larger TV we can use for video presentation?? I can bring VCR. We have a 13” TV but should have one a little larger so all can see.
Deadline for pre-registration for the International DX Convention is March 15. After that date, it will cost you $70. Info, including forms can be found at the website located at www.ncdxc.org/Ncdxc/Convention.
Make sure you sign in at the meeting.
Agenda;
Call to order
Roll Call
Introductions & recognition of guests
Acceptance of minutes & treasurer reports as printed in ‘Nugget’
Committee reports
Old business
New business
Recognition of achievements, milestones, etc.
Adjourn
Hope to see everyone in Ione next Saturday!
de Dick K6LRN
NEWS FLASH! (Possible New Country?).
Members of the American Samoa Amateur Radio Association (ASARA) have announced a DXpedition to Swains Island (IOTA OC-200) to take place March 2-6th. Operators will be Kan/JA1BK, John/K1ER/KH6, Tet/JH1JGX/AH7C, Yuichi/JR2KDN, Paul/F6EXV, Jim/N9TK and
Burt/W0MY (ex-W0RLX). The callsign will be KH8SI. Activity will be on
160-10 meters on the usual DX and IOTA frequencies. Modes will be CW, SSB and RTTY. Pilot base stations are: AH8LG, WA2MOE, JE2EHP and KH6BZF. QSL Manager will be VE3HO. The DXpedition's support team is: Yaesu, Steppir, JH1BUO and WD4NGB. The original ASARA project team members; JA1BK, AH8LG, K1ER, KH6BZF, K5FUV, W1RU, WA2MOE and AH7C, believe Swain Island, a privately owned island which is part of American Samoa, has a sufficient distance from Tutuila (where Pago Pago is located) to qualify as a new DXCC entity - per the original DXCC2000 Criteria. They also believe the island falls into the same category as Chesterfield, Ducie, and the Australes and Marquesas. The American Samoa's Amateur Radio Association had applied for membership in the IARU under Article II, paragraph 2. of the IARU Constitution, which states, "There shall be only one Member-Society representing a country or separate territory."
American Samoa, is in fact, a separate territory of the United States, and is thus eligible. However, the ARRL Board of Directors in January 2004 removed paragraph 1.c) from the DXCC criteria for determining a DXCC Entity. This provision, implemented in 1998 as part of the DXCC 2000 Program, had provided that "An Entity will be added to the DXCC List as a Political Entity if it ...has a separate IARU Member Society."
For more details, maps and pictures, we "highly" suggest that Dxers visit the following Web page: http://www.swains-island.org/
We also recommend you read the section under "The Rough Road to IARU".
Courtesy of the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 698
The VP Says…………….
Greetings from beautiful uptown Auburn,
Sure enjoyed our new meeting location at the Ione Hotel last month. The place may be old, but I found it to be both historic and classy. The food was very good too! Also enjoyed the line noise presentation given by Bob Pretzer. It was very revealing just how little the average person knows about electronic things. Unfortunately, I will have to miss this month's meeting. My wife's best friend is renewing wedding vows with her husband of 22 years up in Lake Tahoe next weekend. My wife and I are serving as maid of honor and best man for this event.
Not much radio activity from my place - although I did pick up a new one when I worked 3D2RR on Rotuma Island recently as well as a few new band country contacts on 30 and 80 meters. The mailman brought me a huge envelope of QSL cards last week - mostly from last year's WPX contest. Surprisingly, the JA cards were outnumbered by cards from other places! Speaking of WPX, looks like we may operate WPX SSB as a multi-single from W6SR again this year. The contest is over the weekend of March 25-27.
Been working a little bit more on my tower project. The excavator man has been here to
check out the site of the dig - now we are waiting for something besides a rainy day. In the meantime, I got busy with my chain saw, removing several trees that were in the
vicinity of the new tower. Topped that off with a massive bonfire to get rid of the brush - great fun!
Too bad about the postponement of the 3Y0X DXpedition again for another year. I still
need this one on CW. In the meantime, the upcoming DXpedition to Kerguelen next month should generate some excitement on the bands.
That's about it from here. See ya in the pileups!
Jim -WX6V-
Recent contest scores posted on the reflector:
KI6T - CQ 160 Meter CW Contest 23,300
K6LRN - NA Sprint 8,364
WK6I - CQ RTTY WPX 1,371,534
(nice job- Jeff!)
Send future results to . Jim -WX6V-
Using our MLDXCC E-mail Reflector
Take advantage of the MLDXCC email reflector to stay current on club and member news. This is a standard "Mailman" system provided to the club by the hosts of contesting.com: AD1C, KM3T, W4AN and N5KO.
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* Contest results, including:
* contest name
* operator callsign(s)
* station callsign (if different)
* entry class (e.g., SO15LP, MSABHP, etc.)
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Jeff Stai
Twisted Oak Winery http://www.twistedoak.com/
MLDXCC TREASURER’S REPORT, DECEMBER
Balance January 1, 2005 $276.51
Income: Donations 15.00
Dues 315.00
$330.00
Expenses: Badge 12.87
Speaker _8.00
$20.87
Balance January 31, 2005:
Cash 175.36
Checking 410.28
$585.64
Carolyn Wilson, K6TKD, Treasurer
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
This past month found Karen and I catching-up on medical and dental appointments, some were scheduled, and others were overdue because we had delayed them because of the holidays. Anyway, at least a couple of times a week we have been makin’ a trek down the hill for medical stuff. We will be glad when all this probing and poking this stuff is over, it makes us feel old, HI HI
My mother has finally decided to move out of her apartment (at 89 years old it’s about time) and into a small second home on my brother’s property in Sacramento. Karen and I gathered all the small stuff from her apartment and moved it for her, the movers handled all the big stuff. Another few days up and down the hill HI HI. However, since she has decided to live with my brother, and not here, the ol’ radio shack got a reprieve and does not have to be dismantled and moved. Hooray!
A week a go Tuesday, Norm N6JV, Mike W6FI and I visited Ken (TA) and Kay (KO) QTH to tighten the mast on their 89’ tower. It had worked loose in the recent windstorms and was in the (almost) freewheeling mode. All went FB, and we even got Ken’s Alpha 87A re-assembled and back on-line after a repair visit at the Alpha factory. All and all we spent 2-3 hours there and had a nice visit. Ken who is recuperating from a recent fall, was in good sprits and has been on the air while he mends. After the work party, Kay took us out to lunch at a very good Mexican restaurant in the area. Gee, maybe we should do this more often?