April 2000 QST

180 Pages·2000·39.42 MB·English

(cid:1)
April 2000 Volume 84 Number 4
CONTENTS
David Sumner, K1ZZ
Publisher Technical
Mark J. Wilson, K1RO
Editor
Steve Ford, WB8IMY 33 A $20 HF Mobile Antenna Frank W. King, KM4IE
Managing Editor
This weekend project delivers a respectable “road radiator.”
Joel P. Kleinman, N1BKE
Associate Technical Editor 36 An Amateur Satellite Primer Steve Ford, WB8IMY
Larry D. Wolfgang, WR1B; Dean Straw, N6BV; Learn the basics of amateur satellite operating.
Robert Schetgen, KU7G; Charles L.
Hutchinson, K8CH; Paul Pagel, N1FB 42 Step Up to the 38,400 Bps Digital Satellites Stacey E. Mills, W4SM
Senior Assistant Technical Editors
If you think the 9600 bps digital satellites are hot, wait until you begin
Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW
swapping files and downloading high-resolution images from OSCAR 36
Assistant Technical Editor
at 38.4 kbps.
Ed Hare, W1RFI; Zack Lau, W1VT;
Mike Tracy, KC1SX; Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO 46 A Simple 6- and 10-Meter Long Wire Bob Witmer, W3RW
Laboratory Staff
Boost your performance on 6 and 10 without expense of a beam and rotator.
Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Senior News Editor 58 Continuous PEP Metering the Easy Way Eldon Bryant, K7ZQR
Rosalie White, WA1STO
Monitor your output up to 1.5 kW PEP with a couple of thermometers!
Public Service
Dan Henderson, N1ND 70 Product Review Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW
Contests
This month we round up several popular multimode communication prosessors,
Mary E. Lau, N7IAL
test the new RadioShack HTX-10 10-meter transceiver, and explore the
At the Foundation
ICOM IC-T81A quad-band FM H-T.
Bernie McClenny, W3UR
How’s DX?
Bill Moore, NC1L
DXCC, VUCC
John Hennessee, N1KB
Washington Mailbox
John Troster, W6ISQ; Emil Pocock, W3EP;
Diane Ortiz, K2DO; Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU;
Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RI; Al Brogdon, W1AB;
George Fremin III, K5TR; Roger Burch, WF4N;
John Dilks, K2TQN; Rich Arland, K7SZ; 70
H. Ward Silver, N0AX
Contributing Editors
Michelle Bloom, WB1ENT
News and Features
Production Supervisor
Jodi Morin, KA1JPA
Assistant Production Supervisor/Layout
Sue Fagan 9 “It Seems to Us. . .”: Extra Value Meal
Graphic Design Supervisor
15 DC Currents Steve Mansfield, N1MZA
David Pingree, N1NAS
Senior Technical Illustrator Spectrum issues back on The Hill; more states introduce bills on
Michael Daniels “driving while cellular.”
Technical Illustrator
28 Bulgaria: Amateur Radio Friends and Fun George Pataki, WB2AQC
Joe Shea, Paul Lappen
Production Assistants Meet the people behind the LZ call signs.
Steffie Nelson, KA1IFB 49 NE2Q’s Antenna Fell From the Sky Jay Kolinsky, NE2Q
Proofreader
When you tell a ham to “go fly a kite,” you never know what will happen.
John Bee, N1GNV
Advertising Manager 53 How Hamvention Happens Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Hanan Al-Rayyashi, KB1AFX
Get the behind-the-scenes scoop about the greatest ham show on Earth.
Advertising Production Coordinator
Melissa Yrayta 80 Happenings Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Advertising Assistant
League readies certification program for rollout; flames claim Ham Radio
Debra Jahnke
Outlet’s Anaheim store; setbacks alter plans for Amateur Radio’s ISS debut;
Circulation Manager
League officer elections set musical chairs in motion; ARRL asks FCC to deny
Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO
Deputy Circulation Manager Kenwood “Sky Command” petition; more...
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you periodically check the address information QST (ISSN:0033-4812) is published monthly as its official journal by the American Radio Relay
on your mailing label. If you find any inaccura- League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494. ARRL yearly membership dues (including a
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Telephone: [phone] POSTMASTER: Form 3579 requested. Send address changes to:
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4 April 2000
QST Workbench
59 The Doctor is IN
CQ and IARU zones, calling for a taxi on the autopatch; more...
61 Add a Morse Readout to the AA4FB PIC SWR Meter Bert Kelley, AA4FB
An easy modification makes this popular meter ideal for the visually impaired.
62 Test Your Knowledge! H. Ward Silver, N0AX
Have a heapin’ helpin’ of ohm slaw!
63 A Tool for Winding Small Toroidal Cores Charlie Hansen, N0TT
This simple tool and technique takes the pain out of working with tiny torroids.
65 Short Takes Steve Ford, WB8IMY
Nova for Windows 32
66 The Help Desk
A QST Glossary
67 Short Takes II Steve Ford, WB8IMY
Win95SSTV Our Cover
This month we're treated to stunning images from
68 Hints & Kinks Bob Schetgen, KU7G the OSCAR 36 satellite. The background image is
GE Master-II mods; prevent NiCd overcharging; an easy mobile mount; the Nile River with the Aswan dam clearly visible.
more... Inset views (top to bottom): Las Vegas, the Grand
Canyon and San Jose, California. All of these
images were downloaded from OSCAR 36 with
assistance from Chris Jackson, G7UPN, at Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd. See “Step Up to the
38,400 Bps Digital Satellites” by Stacey E. Mills,
W4SM, in this issue.
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106 2000 IARU World Championship Rules Dan Henderson, N1ND Foreign remittances should be by international
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Copyright ©2000 by the American Radio Relay
League Inc. Title registered at the US Patent
Office. International copyright secured. All rights
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QST®, DXCC®, VUCC® and DX Century Club®
Amateur Radio World.....................102 QRP Power.........................................93
are registered trademarks of the American Radio
Contest Corral.................................100 Section News..................................109 Relay League, Inc.
Coming Conventions.........................97 Silent Keys......................................104 The ARRL and QST in no way warrant the
products described or reviewed herein.
Correspondence................................24 Special Events................................ 101
QST is available to blind and physically
Exam Info...........................................94 Strays.......................................104, 107 handicapped individuals on audio cassette from
Feedback........................................ 107 Technical Correspondence..............78 the Library of Congress, National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Ham Ads..........................................150 The World Above 50 MHz.................90 Call 1-800-424-8567.
Hamfest Calendar .............................98 Up Front in QST.................................19 Indexed by Applied Science and Technology Index,
Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 21-9421
How’s DX?..........................................88 VHF/UHF Century Club Awards.......97
Index of Advertisers........................174 W1AW Schedule.............................105 Reprint Permission
New Books................................95, 107 We’re at Your Service........................10 For permission to quote or reprint material from
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New Products .....................................99 YL News..........................................103 request including the issue date (or book title),
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Public Service....................................86 the request to the office of the Publications
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April 2000 5