WC4E / WPX

Wed May 31 12:42:51 EDT 1995

Hi. Well Jim hasn't come out with the long form version yet, so
I thought I'd jump the gun and give one of the operator's views!
The contest started well and fast. the rate meter was running up
250+ for the first couple of hours. All the computers were
working (wow) and incoming spots were good (but not of much use!).
Then...... about 3 hours in the rate dropped and stayed low for
the rest of the contest (zzzzzzzz).
We worked plenty of EU on 80, 40, 20 and 15. Don't recall anyhting
on 10m except maybe CT.
What did we break?   Looks like one of the Titan relays has gone
again (snore).   A Bencher LPF started doing weird things and looks
like it's blown up (!). Omni VI AGC started doing strange things.
And now the story of the TIC Ring........
Jim and Jeff spent several weekend days getting guys moved and the
TIC Ring wouldn't turn through EU. Jim goes to a hardware store
and manufactures a new idler wheel to stop the binding thats 
going on. We fit it. It's tight thru 90-100 degrees but it moves.
Then about 30mins trying to understand the STUPID calibration
routine for the TIC box. It doesn't work as they say. Come back
Create where are you? 
Next time I see the TIC just before the contest starts it's even
more crazy. When switched on, the meter swings with the preset
knob instantly and nothing turns up above. Luckily, the yagis on
EU and there it stays!
This heap of junk was supposed to turn MY 15m yagi (4ele) for the
weekend. The 4ele was fantastic at EU. In other directions I had
to use the KT-34A. I tried switching between the 4ele, KT and an R7.
The 4ele was always 20dB up on the KT and the sigs were inaudible
on the R7 !!!!!
Really, I'm surprised Jim has persevered with this thing. I was
always (as a nieve EU contester) in awe of these things.
It just finally confirms that there is only one rotator to turn
big arrays.....   the RC5E..... 
Lousy conditions, but we broke our multiplier target and we made
6M+ for the first time from the station.
Heartfelt thanks to the Whites for their fantastic hospitality
(again) and to a team that's getting it together....
watch out! The FCG is after ya' ! TIC permitting......
Paul.
P.S. Thank God for LU's on 15m and 10m !!!!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Paul Evans, W4/G4BKI   paul at paccomm.com                       
+1 (813) 874-2980  Fax:+1 (813) 872-8696                     
Views expressed here are not necessarily those of PacComm.                         
I don't surf the internet, I SAIL IT!                      
Captain of S/V "Spindrift" (Catalina 36), Dunedin, FL.     
PacComm Packet Radio Systems, Inc., 4413 N. Hesperides St., Tampa, FL 33614-7618

>From Daniel R. Violette" <Daniel_R._Violette at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com  Wed May 31 18:20:12 1995
From: Daniel R. Violette" <Daniel_R._Violette at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com (Daniel R. Violette)
Date: Wed, 31 May 95 09:20:12 PST
Subject: FD & Emergency ops/park rangers
Message-ID: <9504318019.AA801937390 at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com>

Subject: FD & Emergency ops/park rangers
Author:  al511 at Freenet.HSC.Colorado.EDU
Date:    05/31/95 09:05 AM

Dan, KI6X, writes:

>Two of us went to a mountain top park to try a VHF contest.  The 
>park ranger wanders up and asked us what are we up to.  We told him 
>the story.  Then he gets high and mighty with things like, the nearby 
>peak is full of radio towers and this is a radio restricted zone.

It is not uncommon to encounter officials who do not know the limits
of their authority or, worse yet, do not care.  I've found it useful to 
call the park offices, the district ranger offices, the city manager, 
or the mayor's office, as the case may be, to learn either or both of 
the following:  (a) the name of the superintendant or the chief ranger 
who has responsibility for the territory in which I am interested, and 
(b) the title and relevant paragraphs of written usage guidelines, if 
any, for the park or forest district.

It's too bad that some rangers have become adversaries, rather than 
willing helpers, of legitimate visitors.  But letting the offending 
official know in quiet language that you know the identity of his 
superior and are aware of the standard's that govern the ranger's 
conduct will usually knock the bully out of him pronto. 

Where feasible, one might even want to alert the park administrators to 
ones intended activities.  Yes, some bureaucrats have a habit of saying 
"no" to anything, citing non-existent or ridiculous "policy."  Then 
it's time to get to know your Congressperson or state representative.

--
73 de Bob, K0KR

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Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 09:58:53 -0600
Message-Id: <199505311558.JAA15928 at Freenet.HSC.Colorado.EDU>
From: al511 at Freenet.HSC.Colorado.EDU (Robert Neece)
To: Daniel_R._Violette at ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com
Subject: FD & Emergency ops/park rangers
Reply-To: al511 at Freenet.HSC.Colorado.EDU

>From David Robbins KY1H <robbins at guid2.dnet.ge.com>  Wed May 31 17:24:40 1995
From: David Robbins KY1H <robbins at guid2.dnet.ge.com> (David Robbins KY1H)
Date: Wed, 31 May 95 12:24:40 EDT
Subject: borrowed calls
Message-ID: <199505311607.MAA07405 at thomas.ge.com>

>"barry at w2up.wells.com" "Barry Kutner"
>
>AFter reading Randy's comments, I am beginning to wonder about the
>validity (and ethics) of "borrowed calls."  I can understand it in a
>multi-op setting - sure, use the "best" call for the contest. But a
>single op effort with someone else's call at your own station? Doesn't
>this also violate FCC rules, since the callsign owneer is not the control
>operator?

I don't think this is any different than the following common practices:

1. field day club stations using the club call when the trustee isn't present.
2. mountain top repeaters with a club call where the trustee doesn't have
a control box.
3. special event stations that borrow a 'good' call, but the call owner
isn't there for the whole event.

Or consider this:
It used to be that you had to post the station license on the wall, so it
used to be that you could have a visitor come, post their license and call
it their station.  then anyone could be a control op using the call of the
'new' station licensee.  NOW, you don't even have to have a piece of paper
in hand to start using your call, so there can't be any requirement to post
the paper you don't have to have in hand.  so any station could really use
any call without actually having that license on the wall.

or:

What happens in this case... I have a crew over a multi op.  sometime during
the weekend I have to leave for a while.  now when i get on 2m from the car
there are essentially two ky1h's. (boy you should hear the repeater
cops yell when i come on and call  "ky1h-base this is ky1h-mobile"!)  or
do they have to stop operating because i'm not there to be the control op?

or this:

wz1r sets up a multi op at my qth using his call.  he comes at the start 
but the leaves for some reason... do we have to stop operating?  do we have
to stop operating when he takes a nap because he isn't the control op at
that point?

I think it comes down to the fact that the fcc dropped the requirements
for informing them of portable and mobile operations a long time ago so
any call can be used from any location without fcc approval.  and anyone
can be the control op of any station (assuming proper use of / for id when
needed because of license class conflicts of course).  so therefor with
the permission of the call owner anyone can use any call from any location.
(at least in the U.S.A... other countries may have different rules)

73, Dave KY1H  Robbins at guid2.dnet.ge.com

>From n2ic at drmail.dr.att.com (LondonSM)  Wed May 31 19:31:09 1995
From: n2ic at drmail.dr.att.com (LondonSM) (LondonSM)
Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 12:31:09 -0600
Subject: SE Florida Contesters ?
Message-ID: <9505311231.ZM2626 at dr.att.com>

I will be at my parents QTH in West Palm Beach, FL from June 15-19.

Anyone out there want to get together and talk contesting in person ?

Steve, N2IC/0
n2ic at dr.att.com