#2 FEED BACK

GEORGIAN BAY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB NEWS

Editor Bill VE3EFX

DECEMBER 1973

Executive

President Jim Vamplew VE3CRV
Vice Pres. Dick Shave VE3BIS
Sec.Treas. Jack Avis VE3DTS

The meeting of tile club on November 15 was attended by 11 people and in some measure this was due to an adverse weather forecast from Wiarton. Driving conditions were okay and apart from some slush on Highway 21 for a few miles around Oven Sound we had nb trouble in driving back to Tiverton.

Jim VE3CRV was the only executive member present as Dick VE3BIS was in Toronto. It was decided to leave the question of Associate Membership until the December meeting in order to get more opinions from the membership. A decision was made to commence the fiscal year on January 1,1974. All membership paid to date will be current through till December 31,1974. Discussion on repeater frequencies resulted in 34/94 being picked for the initial operation and if we experience QRM from other users of this pair we will move to 25/85. Jim explained that the repeater would be installed initially in Owen Sound and this would allow easy access to check it out and maintain the equipment. When the bugs are worked out it will be moved to its permanent location where good coverage of the area is expected.

It was mentioned on the net that some club members feared that perhaps too much emphasis was being put on am operation and the repeater. This may be so at the present time when efforts to get the repeater on the air takes priority at meetings and in net discussions, but this is by no means the intention. Anyone with ideas of what facet of amateur radio the club should be supporting is welcome to make their wishes known. We can get into contests, DXing, traffic handling, Field Day or any other thing that turns you on. If the club wants to support a small contest that everyone can enter, let me know and I'll organize it and print it up in "Feed Back".

Even the SWL's can get in on this type of thing. Emergency type operation is another thing that can be done with Field Day operation tied into it. Within the GQderich Club we held an emergency exercise with the local hospitals last Spring and it went off very well considering that little preparation was done beforehand and some of the operators were participating for the first time in this kind of operation. There is little point in me writing up DX available in the newsletter as it is always covered very well in QST, CQ and other publications. If the membership expresses an interest we'll try to cater to it, so let's hear what you have to say.

NOTICE: The next meeting of the club is at 7:30 P.M. on December 13 in the CIAG COMPUTER Bldg. Owen Sound where we held the November meeting.

GBARC Net 3.783mcs 14.30Z Sundays.

Jim VE3CRW is now on the air with a new FTDX1O1B and putting out a nice signal on 75m. Hope we can look forward to some regular activity from Owen Sound Jim.

Metro Amateur Radio Club in Toronto is sponsor of a certificate for Working All Ontario Counties. There are 56 counties and districts in the province and the certificate can be claimed for 30 confirmed with endorsements for 50 and all 56 counties. There is a net each Monday night controlled by VE3FPM on 30m between 3.770 and 3.780 depending on QRM. The net is usually started at 8:30 P.M. and counties are called in for those wanting contacts.

ONTARS is a good source of counties for those able to get on during the day. This issue of "Feed Back" has a list of Ontario Counties as required for the Ontario Counties Award. Fill in the list as you confirm each county and send it in to the Metro Club with your QSL cards when you apply for the certificate.

At the end of January the annual A.R.R.L. Simulated Emergency Test SET) takes place. Monitor your local traffic nets, ONTARS, OPN, QRN etc. and be ready to take traffic for your area. Originate some messages to put on these nets and even if you have no friends send messages to your SEC and SCM to let them know you are participating. Don't be shy, get in on the action, you might even enjoy it. The SET dates are January 26 - 27.

COUNTY HUNTERS AWARD

NOTICE: Eighteen Marconi DT65 transmitter-receivers will be available to club members for $30 each . These will be complete, in working order with schematics. They are mobile units, 3 channel with transistorized power supply. Modification should be easy for use on the repeater and if base operation is desired, construction of a suitable power suppiy is all that is required.

Remember the code practice sent Monday through Thursday at 8 P.M. on 3.700MHZ and 146.43 MHZ via the Goderich repeater by VE3EFX. Plain language is now being sent at 5-6 WPM and hopefully we will be up to about 10 WPM by the end of December.

Story By Verne H. Bohlender VE3BSF.

We were about 12 years old when we first played with a crystal cat-wisker. Rea11y got DX with that rig. A truck going by and a dandy shock off the ground. That really "sparked" my interest in Ham radio. Several years later we built our first regen on cigar box. First station we heard was Mexico City radio. We had been visiting Hams around the area to learn more. Two of them being ATR and AYM and oh yes BYV who gave us a circuit for a one tube 6L6 rig which worked quite wel1. Later he also gave us a circuit for a VFO, the coil of which was wound around a plastic perfume bottle we swiped from my mother. Nothing fancy but we really got results.

We were using an end fed hertz at the time. I'm getting ahead of myself as usual, for awhile I was getting interested in the subject of Ham radio and so was DPO, BMW, DQA and later AOJ. These four and myself all were licensed around the same time although I believe I had the first beginners ticket due to the fact that I had to go to hospital in Toronto and had my pencil pushed while trying the exam.

When we got tired of the first rig, we built the coffee can rig from QST and after we got the phone ticket we modulated the rig. I learned my first real lesson about tubes from this and that was that one doesn't put 400 volts on a 6L6 on phone. Wrecked the rig looking for the trouble and it wasn't until I'd picked up a DX35 that we realized what our trouble had been.

First commercial receiver was a Sargeant 20 which we got for 20 metres. That receiver we used until just about four years ago and any young ham could still use that vintage and get away with it.

Present station consists of the FLDX400 and FRDX400, home brew compressor and audio amplifier, phone patch same make, straight key and bug. Antenna is the above G4ZU and my famous Barowire 75 metre dipole. Our most treasured contact was the Bonaventure VE0NE on her last voyage. We're fond of rag chewing, some net work and still trying to pinch theory into a very thick head. Hoping to be on 2 this coming season and working on the idea of a low power QRP rig for fun and emergency. So gang, if you hear VE3BSF on the air, give us a shout.

73 Verne