VP Report
By
Dan Bowen , KB2UVE
There's
a lot going on in the club these days!
Last week, on Wednesday February 28th, several club members set up a
portable HF station on the UC
Plaza. We were able to raise the interest of many
students attending the Student Activities Fair, and hope to gain some new
members.
As
Treasurer, I have been working in conjunction with Club President Mike
Swiatkowski (AA9VI) and Chief Op Mike Coffey to obtain funds and
resources for
UTARC. This continues to be a very long,
drawn out, and difficult series of challenges.
It seems that we are in a unique situation here on the UT campus in that
we, as a modest sized, un-funded student organization have a space assigned
directly to us, and it is not classified under any department. We
have many goals for the Ham Shack, and have been
working hard to
attain them. We are creating a powerful
website that is actively serving the organizational needs of the club,
unfortunately almost
all of them require
money to get accomplished. We are
trying to get Ethernet access in the shack, as we now have several computers
for logging, dx cluster and web access.
These tasks are already taxing the feeble
telephone modem we
have. We would like to obtain a compete
library set of ARRL publications, (not that expensive when we become affiliate)
which would
greatly benefit us
in license advancement as well as all other radio endeavors. We also need to
obtain or fund the purchase of more club radio equipment.
While we have been
extremely fortunate to have several club members loan a lot of equipment to get
the shack in a great state of operation, for the
future members of
the club, we need to own our own club equipment at some point. We are going to apply for Recreation Entertainment
and Social activities funding, though we do not know how much if anything we
will be able to get. We believe that
because of our campuswide value for emergency communications and just a great
activity in general that we should be able to
get something. Members are very close to having 24-hr free
access to the shack - we have put in a request to have the punch code on the
door lock changed and given to us, and the student ID's activated in the card
readers of the external East Stadium Hall doors. Thanks to the MANY people who have helped to to get this accomplished
including Dean Carilli, Ron Laffite, and Officer Freels.
The shack is
almost clean now, though we've not been able to get at certain window panes to
clean them, nor have we been able to find a vacuum cleaner ANYWHERE nearby,
(can anyone help with a vacuum cleaner?
there's more dust than can be swept)
We're getting a nice return on the cokes in the refridgerator, at 50 cents, they're less than
the vending machine down the hall for us and the club still comes out with some
revenue. If you haven't stopped by the
shack lately, let one of the officers know when you'd like to go, things are getting
better all the time!
How to Contact the ISS
AMSAT Website
USA Voice Uplink:
144.49 MHz FM
First Contact
By
Arun Srikantaiah, KG4LKK
All of us radio
jocks fondly remember our first contact especially if it occurs after a long
wait. Talking on H.F or C.W to a person hundreds or even thousands of miles
away truly encompasses the true spirit of amateur radio underlying the fact
that the world is truly a small place.
I had
my first contact just a few days after upgrading to General class (thanks to
the efforts of Chief Operator Mike Coffey, KJ4Z!!!!). The University of
Tennessee presented the club with a golden opportunity to display our skills
and recruit more members, by organizing the student organizations fair at the
university center and we grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The next step
was setting up all our equipment at the site, which by no means was an easy
task. President Mike Swiatkowski (AA9VI and Vice-President, Dan Bowen (KB2UVE)
hooked up a dipole between one of the shelters and a lamp post and I set about
hooking the radio and power supply up.
That
done we were all set to rock 'n' roll. Thus began our quest for contacts. We
took turns calling CQ over the 20m band and waiting for any kind of response. The
band itself was pretty crowded with all kinds of traffic. This is where or
special event call sign (K4T) came in handy and pretty soon Mike had made
contact, Dan followed suit soon. I
meanwhile was still waiting to hear that crackling voice from the other side.
For
the first 45 minutes I was luckless needless to say I was getting nervous.
Dan and Mike both guided me through the exact procedure of
operating the station and when I felt comfortable both left to have some lunch
and I was all alone managing the station. Somehow I had the feeling that
something was going to happen in the next ten minutes. I called CQ once again
and after a brief delay came the voice from the other side identifying himself
as K9KGM, from Wisconsin, Bingo! I had my first contact. After the initial
jitters things smoothened out and I managed a decent QSO. I was truly exited
and it took a while to sink in. I was now hungry for more and after a couple of
tries managed 2 more.
I was truly thrilled at having my first contact and with the help of the club and its members I hope to have many more in the years to come.
RF Burn and Miscellaneous Pranks
By Mike Swiatkowski, AA9VI
This week UTARC received a new
callsign, AA4UT which replaces W4EAL.
W4EAL had a bit of history with it and we have a great collection of QSL
cards in the shack to prove it. Early this
school year, Dan and I thought that a vanity callsign could
represent the UTARCās
new image. Indeed, since the club has
been brought back from its quieter days a lot has happened. I believe that the UTARC is now poised to be
stable for years into the future. We
have received a few correspondences from alumni members who have also expressed
enthusiasm over this concept.
I hope that our VE
program will enable new hams to keep the ranks strong.
I have been talking to our Chief
Op, KJ4Z, and our VP, KB2UVE about a new HF antenna. We have noticed some problem of making contacts to stations to
the south and west from our current QTH.
I believe that if we get the antenna our from between the beams that we
can take care of our southern radiation pattern. I think weāre stuck with what we have to the west until we get
some sort of heliax to go to the top of the skyboxes.
Speaking of that· I propose that
we start a grass-roots campaign to ask for donations from various
companies. We can contact the Andrew
Corporation, for example, regarding our hard line needs. Many companies can simply write off their
contributions as tax deductible. So, in
this case, everyone wins. Letās make a
serious effort before the year ends to explore these companies and see if they
are willing to help us.
The Kerbela Swap is this
weekend. Hope to see some familiar faces
there! 73 de AA9VI!
Ham Catches Teens
Wanted for Double Homicide
From Jack Parker, W8ISH, of AR
Newsline
A pair of
teenagers accused of killing Dartmouth professors of Hahlf and Susanne Zantop
have been captured thanks to an alert ham radio operator. 16 year old James
Parker and 17 year old Robert Tulloch who had been on the run from New
Hampshire for three weeks when they made the mistake of hitching a ride with a
trucker who had a CB radio.
Deputy
Bill Ward, N9RHY, is a second shift road sergeant with the Henry County
Sheriff's Department. Interstate 70, one of Americas crossroads, runs right
through his eastern Indiana county.
While
working his weekend patrol he overheard a west bound trucker on the CB, looking
for a ride for two teens hitch hiking to California. Deputy Ward had just seen
a TV story about two teens wanted in the slayings of two Dartmouth College Professors.
Posing as
a trucker, Sergeant Ward said he would meet the boys at the fuel desk in the
New Castle truck stop. Today, two alleged killers are behind bars back in New
Hampshire. Thanks to an alert deputy, who happens to be an amateur radio operator
with a CB radio.
While
N9RHY has received many accolades for the capture, the best may have come from
some those closest to him. A week ago Sunday, Bill Ward was honored by the
church he attends in Anderson, Indiana.
Upcoming Expidition
By Mike Coffey, KJ4Z
The club will be sponsoring an expedition to Dickinson (Knoxville Downtown) Island this coming Sunday, beginning at 11:00 AM. This expedition is in connection with the US Islands awards program, in which Tennessee is a very rare state. I have operated from several other Tennessee islands before, and usually make about 100 contacts at each. Operations will be on SSB only. We will be signing AA4UT/P and will stick around until we work everyone, weather permitting. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend! Please contact Mike Coffey (chiefop@utarc.org) for more information.
David Clark Wants to
Continue Round-the-World Attempt
ARRL Letter Vol 20, No 7
Within hours of a maritime disaster in which his sailboat sank and his beloved canine companion Mickey was lost at sea, 76-year-old David Clark, KB6TAM, was ready to once again set sail. Despite the devastating loss, Clark has vowed to continue his effort to become the oldest person to sail solo around the world. Clark may have ham radio to thank for being alive. According to media accounts, when Clark realized he was in trouble, he used his onboard ham gear to call for help. Following his rescue February 7, Clark told his wife, Lynda, that he would complete his journey "if I have to swim." Clark had begun the final leg of his round-the-world sail when his vessel, the Mollie Milar, sank two days after leaving Cape Town, South Africa. He had hoped to reach Ft Lauderdale, Florida--where he began his journey in late 1999--by mid-May, a sail of approximately 7000 nautical miles from South Africa. Clark now is back in Cape Town, thanks to several South African hams, and he's making plans to restart his adventure with another vessel. Lynda Clark said that since speaking with her husband by telephone, she's been able to get more accurate details on what happened the night of February 7, when the Mollie Milar began taking on water and her husband and Mickey, a west highland terrier, had to abandon ship in rough seas. Clark is said to have put out a distress call via Amateur Radio, and his call was picked up in Cape Town and relayed to maritime rescue authorities. "It was very fortunate that there was a ship close by," she said. The container vessel Emonte was equipped to mount a rescue effort. The Emonte launched a lifeboat with a crew of four, which subsequently capsized. But David Clark and Mickey were not aboard at that point. With the initial rescue effort foiled and thinking the ship might not be able to rescue him after all, Clark prepared his own lifeboat for launch, Lynda Clark said. By then, the ship was within a few feet of Clark's 44-foot steel-hulled sailboat and again ready to attempt a rescue. A line was thrown, and Mickey was put into a sling to bring him aboard first, but he wriggled free and was lost at sea. For his part, Lynda Clark continued, "David had all he could do to get himself up the side of that ship at this point, and limited time to do it." "We are totally indebted to the people on the ship who rescued David and brought him safely back to East London port," Lynda Clark said. "And we can't express how much we appreciate the ham operators and all the people of South Africa who have loved and supported David and are now offering him so much assistance." Hams in East London paid Clark's fare to Capetown and arranged for a hotel. Another group of hams is said to be looking after Clark in Cape Town."He will get to Ft Lauderdale to complete the goal, we just don't have the date yet," Lynda Clark said this week. For more information on David Clark's journey, visit http://www.dclark.com and http://www.captainclark.com.
Calendar
Mar 10th-
Kerbela Swap in Knoxville, Contact Paul Baird (865) 986-9652 for more info.
Mar 17th-
Kennehoochee Hamfest, Marietta, GA 8:30a-3p, visit http://qsl.asti.com/hootch/KARC-HamF.html
for more info.
March 29th-
General Meeting 8pm UC Room 217
The Volunteer DX is
the official newsletter of the Amateur Radio Club at the University of
Tennessee and is published 5 times or more each academic semester. The newsletter is free to all UTARC club
members.
UTARC Officers 2000-2001 Academic Year
President ö Mike Swiatkowski, AA9VI 637-8707
VP/Treasurer- Dan Bowen, KB2UVE 595-6879
Secretary- Arun Srikantaiah, KF4LKK 946-5166
Newsletter Editor:
Mike Swiatkowski, swiat@utk.edu
Club Monitored
Frequencies: 145.43 MHz Knoxville repeater and 146.58 simplex
Webpage: http://web.utk.edu/~utarc
Email: utarc@utk.edu
QSL Correspondence:
Amateur Radio Club of UT / AA4UT
Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept.
University of Tennessee