F E E D - P O I N T
| October, 2008 | Vol. 18 No.10 |
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Last night the Caribou weather people told me we would get about 2 " of snow. We awoke to 6" this morning (Oct. 22) and it looks like a winter wonderland. The evergreens are drooping with snow. Machinery and other items have a cake of snow on top. All those nice dry leaves on the ground that were so nice to scuffle through are now buried. The worst thing about the snow this time is that N1EVO needs to go to Rocky Mountain one more time. N1EVO and brother Pete, and KB1OWW went up on Oct.19 and put the Ringo in place. Unfortunately it does not work as they hoped. A new Hustler G6 144 B is on the way from HRO. Reviews of this antenna say it is sturdier than the G7 144. N1EVO hopes to go up there with it on October 25. | At the October Meeting we chose Sunday, October 26th for our Harvest Get-Together. It will be at noon at Lakeview Restaurant. Please let me know how many are coming. I have already heard from several of you. Gale Flagg 108 Franklin School Rd Fort Kent, Maine 04743 Phone: 207-834-6670 E-mail: galeflagg@sjv.net Next Meeting: Next Meeting, November 11th, UMFK, Nadeau Hall, Alumni Conf Rm 6:00 PM |
| Schedule of Coming Events | ||||||
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| Date | Event | Place | Contact | Sponsor | Time | Freq |
| SUN | Net | NB | VE1PIN | IRG | 2000 | 145.130 |
| MON | Net | Fort Kent | N1FG | SJVARA | 1900 | 146.64 |
| MON | Net | Presque Isle | WA1YNZ | AARA | 2000 | 146.73 |
| Page 2 | Feed-Point, October, 2008 |
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Start Time: 18:05 Members present: N1FG, K1FTK, KA1SJV, W1TCP, KB1OWW, N7GLR, KA7VNR, and N1EVO. Treasurer's Report: N1FRX:
N7GLR made a motion to accept. W1TCP seconded. Passed. Old Business: 1. Rocky Mt.: Rocky Mountain repeater voltage 13.92 volts at 13:34 hrs October 14th. Thanks to N1EVO and KB1OWW, who went up to the repeater on Monday, October 13th. They added water to the batteries, and noted that the antenna has taken a beating from the wind. They are surprised it works at all, but I was able to key it up. They are proposing to put a ringo inside the cab to see if it would work. |
2. 146.640 Repeater: 13.64 volts at 13:36 hrs October 14th.
The repeater's audio has begun to fluctuate again after being in use for 15 minutes.
We may need new batteries again. However, we will put the charger on it. Also, KB1OWW
will try to test the batteries. N7GLR mentioned he has a radio that loses audio
abruptly when on high power, but does okay on low power.
New Business: 1. ARRL AUCTION: The ARRL is holding an on-line auction with more than 140 items up for bid, including some vintage radio equipment. They say there should be something for everyone. It starts Oct. 23rd. 2.Harvest Get Togther: October 26th at noon. Lakeview Restaurant. Program: A video about UHF and VHF digital voice. The descriptions
were detailed. So far, no interest among our members in trying it .
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| Happy Birthday | |
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| QST October 1933: The editorial discussed the importance of international radio conventions to discuss the future of Amateur Radio. The next such convention would be in Cairo in 1937. The technical editor described a "Tritet multi band crystal control" rig that only used two tubes for five bands. | |
| Page 3 | Feed-Point, Octoberr, 2008 |
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I used to be skeptical of one-day ham radio classes, sometimes called "Ham Cram" classes. After teaching a couple of these classes over the past year, however, I've become a supporter of this method of teaching, at least for the Technician Class license test. One reason I'm an advocate of the one-day class is that I think a lot of people "learn by doing." I'm not an expert on pedagogy, but my guess is that more people learn by doing than learn by reading or by listening. That being the case, isn't it a good thing that new hams get their licenses quickly so that they can begin doing--thereby learning--more quickly? Second, people are busy. Tell them that the class is going to eat up one evening a week for six to eight weeks and a lot of them will tell you that they just don't have the time to do it. Squeezing in six to eight hours on a Saturday is, however, something that they can do. |
Critics of the one-day classes say that if people just cram for the test, they may learn enough for just long enough to pass the test, but they really don't know enough to be "good hams," whatever that may be. There's some truth to this. It's important not to abandon them once they get their tickets. I encourage all of the students to join a ham radio club, and I make myself available to answer any questions they may have as they get started in ham radio. Critics also say that releasing this horde on the amateur bands will create nothing but chaos. Fortunately, I've personally seen no evidence that the hundreds of folks that have taken these classes across the country have created said chaos. Make Your Next Class a One-Day Class. I would encourage you to give this a try. Make your next Tech class a one-day class. You don't conduct Tech classes? Well, get started! Another benefit of the one-day class format is that it's easier to find teachers since it takes less time for them, too. |
Heavy duty 40' galvanized steel tower, 16" X 16". Includes mounting hardware. $200. N1FRX. Force 12 EF-510, 5 ele 10m Beam w/balun New in the box, never installed Retails at $470/$480 ... asking $350 Call Don, K1FTK, at 543-6033 | Church Bulletin Bloopers |
F E E D - P O I N T October, 2008
Published by the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association
| and distributed free to members and friends of Amateur Radio.
| President: Gale Flagg N1FG
| Vice President: Gil Daigle, N1JHD
| Secretary: Sandra Daigle, N1QMC
| Treasurer: Charles Zafonte, N1FRX
| Public Information: Charles Ames, N7GLR
| Technical Advisor: Carl Pelletier, N1EVO and June Despres, KB1OWW
| Editor/Publisher/Printer
| Gale Flagg - N1FG / Stan Flagg 834-6670
| Associate Editor/Web Edition
| Charles Ames N7GLR
| Membership Information (Annual Dues):
| Regular Membership $ 12
| Associate Membership $ 6
| Articles may be submitted by anyone with a good idea, and may be re-printed
| only in their entirety and with credit going to this newsletter.
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