Volume 28, Number 11 - NOVEMBER 1998

NOVEMBER MEETING

As of this mailing we do not have a speaker for the November meeting. Check the 145.23 repeater to hear if we get one. We did find speakers for future meetings. Jack suggests we have a members? night so that we can discuss interesting things which have happened to us in pursuit of our hobby (way of life, avocation, insanity, whatever).

The next board meeting will be December 7.

CALENDAR

Livermore Swap Meet - 1st Sunday of each month at Las Positas College in Livermore, 7:00 AM to noon, all year. Talk in 147.045 from the west, 145.35 from the east. Contact Noel Anklam, KC6QZK, (510) 447-3857 eves.

Foothill Flea Market - 2nd Saturday of each month from March to October at Foothill College, Los Altos Hills.

LETTERS

Regarding the piece about transmit ID in the last newsletter: You don't have to go to Australia to get to the web site, its in Columbus, Ohio at

www.axom.com/kb8rln/xmit_id.html

The software is very interesting but I declined to tackle it as it would be just another log on the pile (of things to do).

CLUB INFORMATION

President: Jack Eddy, WA6YJR
Treasurer: Shel Edelman, N6RD
Secretary: Martin Liberman, KD6WJW
Training Officer: Paul Zander AA6PZ
Radio Officer: Mikel Lechner, KN6QI
Newsletter: David Wilkes, KD6WRG

Board members: Dirk Thiele, KE6ZUY; Dick, N6ATD; Hans, KE6TGA; Martin, KD6WJW; Herb, KF6BKL

K6YA Station Trustee: Stan Kuhl, K6MA

FARS Web Page: www.fars.k6ya.org
FARS announcement mailing list is moderated, so you cannot reply directly to the list. To subscribe, send the word "subscribe" to: emarc-request@ham.yak.net; For help, send the word "help" to majordomo@ham.yak.net; For human assistance, email to: human@ham.yak.net.

The FARS Relay is the official monthly newsletter of the Foothills Amateur Radio Society Meetings are held at 7 PM on the fourth Friday of each month except January (Winter Banquet); and 3rd Friday in June, Nov. & Dec. Annual membership $20; family $25. Visitors are always welcome! Directions on the back page. Talk-in: W6APZ (145.23-, 100Hz) or W6ASH repeater (145.27 or 224.36). Contributions to the newsletter from members, family, and guests are earnestly solicited! Contributions subject to editing and/or compression. ASCII files via packet, Internet or diskettes preferred; but all readable forms welcome. Here are the various ways to reach the editor:

Packet: KD6WRG@N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA
Internet: dwilkes@svpal.org, davewilkes@aol.com

VHF voice: KD6WRG on W6APZ, 145.23- (100Hz PL) FARS net Thursdays 8 PM; Various other times.
Mail: 1093 Kelly Drive San Jose CA 95129-3222 Voice: 408-996-1613 (Until 9 PM); Fax: 408-725-1036; Eyeball: at FARS meetings.

AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE

Packet HT from Kenwood

Kenwood Communications has jumped in to help to build interest in packet radio and APRS in a very big -- yet very small -- way. Robert Sudock, WB6FDF, says the company's new offering has to be seen to be believed:

Looking for yet another niche product is becoming popular in the world of ham radio equipment supply, and Kenwood is becoming one of the leaders in this area. And Kenwood has struck again with its sneak peak at an exciting new packet equipped five watt dual band hand held at the recent Digital Communications Conference in Chicago.

Dubbed the Kenwood Data Communicator this new HT features a built-in dual speed Terminal Node Controller and APRS system. This permits the user to send and receive packet radio messages.

The big question was how well could such a small package work. The answer came in trying it out. After playing with all of the radios built in TNC, GPS and APRS features, conference attendees at the conference took the unit out to the parking to see what it could do.

They used a handheld 3 element UHF beam on the various Pacsats flying overhead. Reports are that even without the proper software, attendees still saw screens full of downlinked UI packets from KO23, KO25 and UO22 using just a dumb terminal program on a laptop.

For more information on the new Data Communicator drop a note to: Kenwood Communications, P.O. Box 22745 Long Beach, California 90801 or visit the Kenwood home page on the world wide web.

LOCAL HAMS AND PUBLIC SERVICE

Drop, Cover and Hold Drill

On October 28, eight HAM?s assisted the Los Altos Elementary School District during their annual Drop, Cover and Hold drill. This drill usually involves all the schools in the district and is done with simulations of possible scenarios after a major earthquake.

I would like to thank the following HAM?s for their participation: KF6DHX, Bob Hall; K6HKY, Jim Kerschner; KE6QPX, Bob Sherwood; KF6LWZ, Tom Cascone; KF6CUU, Charles Arney and KC6PUN, Dennis Paull. Also, a special thank you to N6NXI, Scott Overstreet for changing his schedule at the last minute that day in order to help us out.

Safe Street

Another successful Halloween night occurred due to the able assistance of the HAM?s. The Rotary Club of Los Altos, sponsors this event every year, and ask us to attempt to have enough HAM?s to staff every desired position. Because it was a Saturday night this year, it was particularly difficult to staff all the positions that the Rotary Club organizer wanted to staff. Nevertheless, we were able to get the job done thanks to several last minute volunteers.

To those very last minute volunteers - WA6TJX, Dave Ricci and KF6BQC, Travis Whitt, both Frances LaPoll (Rotary Organizer) and KC6PUM, Ann, say THANK YOU, these two were truly saved the day coming in at the 13th hour. And to KE6AGJ, Larry Carr and KE6TFZ, Ramsey Melugin for stepping forward at the 12th hour. Plus all the others who came to help - KF6LWZ, Tom, KF6CUU, Charles, KC6PUN, Dennis, KQ6LX, Steve and KF6TFU, Robert, my and Mr. LaPoll?s sincere thank you?s. ALL OF YOU made for a very safe and successful Halloween night.

We have been asked to come back to both of these events next year, SOOOO - mark your calendars and come on out and enjoy the experience.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

We are in need of additional HAMs to help with communications for the Festival of Lights Parade in downtown Los Altos on Sunday, November 29 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is an event that is a lot of fun and in which the HAMs have been very helpful to the Police Department and the organizers.

If you are interested in helping with this event please call WA6TJX, Dave Ricci at 650 - 965-9190 and leave your call, name and phone number on his machine or with Dave or his wife. Of course, you will need 2 meter HT capability to work this event.

In the event of rain on Sunday, November 29th, the Parade will be held the following Sunday, December 5th the same time and same place. If it rains on Dec. 5th, there will be no Parade this year. If the weather is questionable, Dave will come up on th 145.27 W6ASH repeater at 3 p.m. Sunday and let all who are participating know if the parade is a go - no-go.

How to get to meetings:

(Visitors always welcome)

FARS meets at the Covington School District building, 201 Covington Road, Los Altos. Take the El Monte exit (The same exit as for the Foothill Fleamarket) off of I-280 and go East on El Monte. Cross Foothill Expressway and turn right at the next light on to Covington (Note Saint William church on corner). Stay to your left as the road forks. Just past the fork, turn left into the school parking lot. Walk through the center hallway and turn right. The meeting room is the first door on the left. Talk in on 145.23 or 145.27, negative offset, 100 PL.