SOLID COPY  The Monthly Newsletter of the  Monongalia Wireless Association

Election of officers for 1997 was held at the October 15, 1996 meeting. Results were:

 President: WA8YCG -- Bill

 Vice President: W8PT -- Rich

 Secretary/Treasurer: WD8AFJ -- Norton
 

We must consider the Balloon Festival a complete success this year. -- IT DIDN'T RAIN!!!!! -- a nice change from last year.

 Setup began around 1:00 Friday afternoon. What a smooth operation this has become. The new club tent went up quickly, followed by the Antenna and Radio. Many thanks to the top notch ground crew.

 WD8MYM began operating Friday afternoon picking up DX on 20 meters. We continued operating until we froze out around midnight.

Saturday saw a number of volunteer operators take charge of the microphone, including a surprise visit from Pepper, KA8ZOO -- what a triumphant return!

 We had the plug pulled on us for a couple hours Saturday evening. Seems the band needed our power reserves to rock and roll. Station was put to bed about 1:00 a.m.

WD8MYM concluded operation around 11:00 Sunday Morning.

 Many thanks to all MWA members who participated and supported this special event station -- too long to list here. Here's a few special thank you's:

 Al, W3GEG -- insured that we logged nearly 100 total contacts by his diligence at the microphone.

 Norton, WD8AFJ -- for providing the antenna mast and support.

 Bill, WA8YCG -- Stayed with us from start to finish and provided a nice warm trailer.

 Bill, N8HKI -- Many late hour contacts (cw always)

 And a very special thank you to:

 Jim, N8WRH -- made the trip from Bluefield and stuck it out Friday thru Sunday (Thanks Dad).

 Hope everyone had a good time with this special event station. If you have any pictures that might be used for the QSL certificates, please bring them to the next club meeting.

 Up Up and Away

 Chris, K8OH Formerly: AA8SL, KG800, KB8SYA

 Footnote: An article in the newspaper concerning the Balloon Festival listed a special thank you from BOPARC to MWA for their participation in the Mountaineer Balloon Festival.
 

Audrey, KG8QS, would like to thank John, N8MUU and Jack, WF8X for putting up her Cushcraft R7000 Antenna.
 

Jamboree on the air was held the weekend of October 19, 1996. The event was a success. The scouts made contact with amateurs across most of North American. The group was able to contact Germany.

 Fifteen (15) boy scouts participated in the event. A special thanks to MWA for sponsoring the event and to those amateurs who braved the cold and rain to assist with the event:

 W3GEG -- Al
 KB8SXY -- Lydia
 WA8YCG -- Bill
 KC8AJS -- Rick

 73's, KC8DFW and the Scouts
 

The MWA/MARA Holiday Celebration will be held on Friday, December 13, 1996, 7:00 p.m. at the Diamond Street United Methodist Church. Entree(s) will be Stuffed Chicken Breast and Pasta. Cost: $8.00 per person. Return your reservation and money with the enclosed sheet by December 6th to: Mountaineer Amateur Radio Association, PO Box 571, Fairmont, WV 26555-0571.
 

The "breakfast" club is planning a get together on Saturday, December 7, 1996, at La Casa. All are invited to join us. For additional details contact N8TJM, Norene (304-296-8823 or e-mail: norene_arnold@wnpb.wvnet.edu). If you plan to attend, please let N8TJM know by November 22, 1996 so a count can be passed on to the resturant
 

The October 24, 1996 VE exams were attended by ten test applicants. Eight earned the no-code Technician license. The VEs were: KX2A, N8MUU, N8QYI, N8MUE, and K8LG.

We are also indebted to KC8DFW, who has now brought half the population of Fairview, WV to our sessions. It is to be expected that Fairview will soon pass a law requiring that every residential property have an antenna tower at least 50 feet tall.
 

You can run 1500 watts between 28.1 MHZ. and 28.5 MHZ., and legally (and politely) stomp all over the Novices and Technicians who are allowed only 200 watts.

 Lower class licensees will respect you, and refer to you in terms such as: "know-it-all," "wise guy," or "person who should know better."
 

Al, W3GEG, has been appointed State MARS Director for Air Force MARS effective January 1, 1997.
 

The D.A.R.E.N. System node for Morgantown is back on the air.

Frequency	145.69
Node	MONOWV
PBBS	MGTNWV

The West Virginia State Radio Council will meet Saturday, March 8, 1997, at the Western Sizzlen Resturant at the intersection of I-70 and US 19 (Morgantown [Westover] exit).
 

This is my second article on antenna installation at my QTH. In my first article, appearing in last month's Solid Copy, I noted that I was augmenting my station for low-band operation by adding both a vertical (the GAP Voyager) and a special receiving (the Beverage) antenna for 80 and 160 meters. The Voyager has been up for about five weeks now and seems to perform well. The low band season is just starting (best between November and March) so the real test won't come until another month or two.

 The DX'ers rule for successful operation on the low bands regarding antennas is vertical(s) for transmit and horizontal(s) for receive. The horizontal antenna is a specially constructed traveling wave aerial called a Beverage (after its inventor, circa 1920). Two unique physical properties of a Beverage are its long length (hundreds of meters long) and low height-above-ground (typically only 2 or 3 meters high). Without going into the theory of how a Beverage works, suffice it to say that a straight wire of several wavelengths in length (one wave length for 160 meters is - you guessed it - 160 meters or about 525 feet) mounted just 6 to 10 feet above ground will exhibit both directivity and increased gain (technically, an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio). Operators report that Beverages can produce S5 or S6 signals when the same signal is just barely audible (S1 or S2) on their vertical or dipole. Additionally, if you have the real estate (many acres), Beverages can be constructed to favor specific headings such as NE for Europe, NW for Japan, and S for Argentina.

 A two-wavelength Beverage is about as short as you want to go, although many hams have shorty-Beverages that are around one wavelength (for 80 meters that's only about 270 feet). These shorties lack the gain and directivity of their longer cousins; however, operators say that they provide just enough signal to copy the DX stations signal. So the major limiting factor in constructing a full size Beverage is you need lots of open space.

 Although my two-acre lot is sufficient for my VHF tower, a 500 foot horizontal loop, and the GAP vertical, I don't have the 1000+ feet needed to put up a 160m Beverage. Luckily, there is a farm behind our lot with sufficient space to string out a 1000 foot Beverage pointing in a suitable direction (NW). After making friends with the farmer-owner I found out that the field is basically unused from October to March each year--just when the low bands are active! After a few chats with the owner, I convinced him to allow me to run a thin piece of wire from my lot across the large, open section of this property. The run would terminate along the far edge of his tree line, away from any homes or vehicle traffic. Additionally, the run would have to be supported by a number of eight-foot high posts, so people (hunters and the like) could safely walk underneath.

 So several weeks ago I started the Beverage Project by purchasing a 1000 feet of # 16 gauge insulated wire, a transformer matching box to connect the Beverage to the feed line, and 125 feet of RG213 coax. To keep the wire at approximately the same height above ground, I bought a number of 2" x 4" x 8' and 4" x 4" x 8' pressure-treated lumber that would serve as temporary, movable mounting posts. The terminating end, where the transformer would be mounted, would be located inside the XYL's garden, attached to a two-foot high 4" x 4" stuck in 80 pounds of concrete. One of the nearby mounting posts is a permanent fixture of the garden fence. I installed another permanent 4" x 4" x 10' in the far corner of my lot, in line with both distance ends. I constructed three temporary posts that I hauled down into the farmer's field, each separated by about 150 feet. One large maple tree also helped out holding up the Beverage.

 At the distant end, I used just over 100 feet of 3/16" kevlar to affix the wire to a tree at a height of about 15 feet up (the ground slopes down at the far end). I then repositioned my temporary mounting posts to obtain a fairly constant above-ground height of the receiving wire. The maximum sag in the longest run between supports is about one foot, leaving nearly seven feet of ground clearance. The Beverage has a very small (~ 5 degrees) bend from true--that shouldn't make any difference it its performance. I buried about 80 feet of RG-213 at a depth of only a few inches from the transformer box to a location just outside my basement wall. I used another small run of RG-213 from there directly into the receiver input on my FT1000MP.

 My first impressions on using the Beverage were how quiet it was in comparison with my vertical or loop. I also noticed that signals coming in broadside to the Beverage were at least one s-unit down from those arriving at the GAP or the loop (both are fairly omni-directional). My particular Beverage is basically bi-directional: NW and SE. Beverages can be made to be uni-directional if they are terminated at the distant end with a ~ 500 ohm resistor.

 Here at W8PT, I have a fairly open view to the NW, but I think that the Chestnut Ridge obscures the really low-angle incoming signals from Africa and the Indian Ocean. It is my hope that this Beverage will allow me to copy signals from Alaska, Japan, and Oceania that I would otherwise never hear.

I am also using the Beverage to search out weak signals on the mid-HF frequencies (15m 20m, and 40m). On these bands, I'm amazed how little noise is present compared to the other antennas. For stronger signals I often insert 6 or 12 db additional antennuation. For weaker signals, I often turn on the DSP (digital signal processor) unit to further enhance the signal. This morning (10/24) I heard a station first come on the air (I could tell from the audio quality that it was probably from another continent), tune up, and give his call. It was the Antarctic DX-pedition, EM1U on 7.006, which I promptly worked. I'll let you know next spring my full evaluation of both the GAP vertical and the Beverage.
 

The next VE test session sponsored by MWA will be on Thursday, January 2, 1997 at 7 pm in the Engineering Sciences Building at WVU.

January 2, 1997

February 26, 1997

April 30, 1997

June 25, 1997

For additional information contact Jan Ditzian (KX2A) via one of the following methods.

 Telephone: 412-324-9160

 Packet: @ W8SP

 E-Mail: DITZIAN@GREENEPA.NET

 If you are planning to attend one of the sessions, please contact Jan prior to the testing date so the VE team can properly prepare for the exams.
 

I have been cleaning the shack and find that I no longer need the following items. I am offering these "for sale" at the prices shown. I will ship but would like to have them picked up.
 

ICOM IC-25H 45 watt 2 meter radio with TT microphone, mobil mount, and manual.	$180
ICOM IC-25A 25 watt 2 meter radio with TT microphone, mobil mount, and manual.	$160
HP Model 5623A Timer/counter. This is a frequency counter (50 MHz) and timer.	$50
MFJ model 1274 TNC-2 packet TNC. This is the VHF/HF TNC with the tuning indicator. Have manual and power supply (wall transformer).	$65
Open frame power supply 13.8 Volt @ 6 Amp. Ideal for a packet station. Tuck this under the table out of the way!	$25
EPROM programmer. JDR Micro Devices model MEP programmer with PC control card and software. Programs UV EPROM's 2716 through 271000 types. (replaced by newer model)	$65
DRSI dual 1200 baud (TYPE 2) Packet card with manual and software in original box.	$140
DRSI 1200 baud MODEM and RS-232 card (TYPE 1) packet card with manual and software. This card may used with external MODEM such as the TAPR 9600 baud MODEM.	$130
Seagate ST-138 32 Mbyte MFM hard drive	$25
Seagate ST-157A 45 Mbyte IDE hard drive This drive pulled to install larger drive.	$35
Conner CP-3022 20 Mbyte IDE hard drive This drive pulled to install larger drive.	$20
IDE Disk drive controller with serial I/O, floppy controller, and printer port (super I/O card). Could be used with above IDE HD.	$15
MFM Disk drive controller for use in AT class computer. This has both floppy and Hard Disk controllers. New card with manual.	$20
System: 25 MHz 386DX with 4 Mbyte memory, Mono TTL monitor, 3.5 in. 1.44 Meg, 5.25 in 360K, two (2) ST-225 20 Mbyte hard drives, two Serial ports, and keyboard. DOS 6.22 and other software installed. All in a Flip-top case. Ideal for a packet computer or work bench machine.	$150
PC and AT I/O boards. Too many to list. Some have manuals others do not.	$5 and up

 If interested please contact Mike, K8LG, at home after 1700 hr at (304) 296-9175 or by packet at K8LG@W8SP.WV.USA.NA.
 

If you have articles for SOLID COPY please contact me via any of the following methods:

on packet at W8SP

by mail at
Rt 3, Box 421
Morgantown, WV 26505

 via telephone (304) 296-8823.

 via E-Mail:
 Norene_Arnold@wnpb.wvnet.edu

Articles for the January 1997 issue of SOLID COPY are due to me by Tuesday, January 7, 1997.
 

The November meeting of MWA will be Tuesday, November 19, 1996 at 7:30 PM in the WVU Engineering Sciences Building.