Hono Amateur Radio Club

Volume 9, Issue 1 An ARRL Affiliated Radio Club January 1, 2005

JAN IS A HARC MEETING MONTH!
Mark your calendar -PLEASE ATTEND!
Saturday January 15, 2005
0900-1100
ZIPPY'S on Vineyard Blvd
Corner of Vineyard and Mauna Kea Streets
Entrance on Maunakea Street

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

President's Message

Here we go again

John D. Peters K1ER

President HARC


This is our first meeting in 2005, please try to attend.

News and comments

The January HARC meeting is a chance to reflect on the future of this Amateur Radio Club. Anyone may volunteer for any of the HARC offices. A 2005 swap meet planning meeting was scheduled on our regular meeting date. Members can learn all about the swap meet later in the year closer to the event.

SICK CALL

I had a report that our esteemed Board Member and long term member Francis Blatt, KH6KH is in the Hospital. St Francis, Room 468. Everyone needs to think good thoughts and help Francis in your prayers.

SILENT KEY

FREDERICK "KH6BI" BOOTH HO'OLULU MAERTENS, 84, of Kailua, died Jan. 2, 2005. Born in Honolulu. Supply agent with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Survived by wife, Claire; son, Peter Sr.; daughter, Dorothy Kia'aina; brother, Kamehameha; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren

ARRL SM

Our Member, Kevin Bogan AH6QO, who is well known for the KH6 QSL Bureau, and is our ARRL Section Manager; is well informed on the status of BPL in Hawaii. You will have the opportunity at the meeting to pick up your bureau QSLs, learn about Kevin's plans as SM and about the status of BPL.

We are doing a few things for Amateur Radio, besides providing the BEACON for Hawaii and a 2 meter repeater. (Both are KH6WO)

We continue to add new hams at a slow but steady rate. Lee Wical KH6BZF and his W5YI VE team frequently test and we typically add at least one new licensee per session. I have been getting "What do I do?" "How do I get a ham license?" email so there are new hams out there waiting to be found. But we need more.

MEMBERSHIP as in MORE!

We need to increase the number of hams and those who want to be hams, both in HARC and in Hawaii. If you know a ham who is not a member or HARC, invite him/her to join. If you know someone who might like ham radio, invite him/her to a meeting so we can sell ham radio. The effort to get a license is well worth expending as WE know.

Please RENEW NOW for 2005. Pay your 2005 Dues for HARC.

IF YOU ARE OVER 70 AND YOUR BIRTHDAY IS IN JAN/FEB, your breakfast is on HARC. We value our senior and experienced members and want your stories.

CLUB PROJECT Amateur Radio School in Guadalcanal H4 Progress report.
The radio school in H44 now has over 30 graduates. I have worked a few but many others are not on the air because they have no equipment. Remember, poverty is typical in the Solomon Is.

I intend to continue sending donated books and equipment as they are received. Radios should work, and run on 12 VDC. There is no commercial power and car/truck battery power is the typical power source.

LOTW, Logbook of the World

This is an ARRL project to reduce the cost of DX QSLS (no postage). Learn more at the meeting.
If you are not a DXer or Contester, you do not know what you are missing. The activity level sky rockets on the HF bands on a contest weekend and you should be one of the participants. Ask if you are interested at the HARC meeting.

73 John HAVE FUN! GET ON THE AIR!

73 John K1ER

ARRL NEWS AND VIEWS

HARC Special Report by Pacific SM

Happy New Year! I hope 2004 was a good year for you and that 2005 will be even better. Amateur Radio faces many challenges this year - as in the past. Our frequency spectrum privileges are continued to be threatened. One threat remains to be Broadband over Power Line (BPL). Throughout the world, BPL has caused interference to users of the HF bands. Here in Hawai'i, HECO ran a test in 2004 in the McCulley street area and in Kapolei. Five properties in each location were used. They reported that they received no reports of interference. The difficulty with that statement is that the technology used in that test would only produce interference when actually used. When individuals (e.g., AH6QO) would do sweeps of the McCulley area during the day, it is likely that the users were not there and not using the BPL.

The complete text of Kevins report will be printed and inserted in this HARC Newsletter for your reading convenience.

You should think about Questions related to BPL and any thing related to ARRL and ask Kevin in person at the HARC meeting.

73
John

HARC Special Report by Pacific SM

Happy New Year! I hope 2004 was a good year for you and that 2005 will be even better. Amateur Radio faces many challenges this year - as in the past. Our frequency spectrum privileges are continued to be threatened. One threat remains to be Broadband over Power Line (BPL). Throughout the world, BPL has caused interference to users of the HF bands. Here in Hawai'i, HECO ran a test in 2004 in the McCulley street area and in Kapolei. Five properties in each location were used. They reported that they received no reports of interference. The difficulty with that statement is that the technology used in that test would only produce interference when actually used. When individuals (e.g., AH6QO) would do sweeps of the McCulley area during the day, it is likely that the users were not there and not using the BPL.

Recent news has reported that HECO will run another test with 100 users in the Pearl City area in 2004 beginning in January. A number of concerns amateur radio operators have formed a working committee to identify and document any interfence to the amateur radio HF bands. The committee is working with Ed Hare, N1RFI, of the ARRL headquarters RFI section to determine standards of measurements and testing procedures. Of importance is obtaining baseline levels now before BPL actually begins. The committee will be approaching some Pearl City hams to ask them to volunteer for BPL installation in order to conduct tests and to monitor noise levels. As I understand it, those who agree to have the BPL devices installed in their homes for testing will have a slight reduction on their monthly electric bill. This needs to be confirmed. This new test will not use the same technology as the 2004 test.

I recently received a letter from Rick Stuller, CIO, HECO that "there have been numerous changes in the project team make-up and some of the scope. The focus still remains significantly on utility applications that holistically will benefit Hawaii customers through improved customer service, reliability, and energy conservation. We are still undergoing some key decisions about the project, including significant discussions with our preferred technology provider, thus it is still premature to speak in any detail about the project's shape and scope for 2005." In essence, we are back to square one on having to find out exactly what technology they will be using, how it may cause interference, and what its track record is like in other test areas around the nation.

This work is time consuming and laborious, our thanks go out to the members of the committee and to Ed Hare, N1RFI for their work. It is only beginning and we will need your help in monitoring, recording and documenting any BPL interference. As we develop more information and procedures, we will notify you of our results and how you may help.

Thank you for your interest,
Kevin, AH6QO
Pacific Section Manager/Section Emergency Coordinator


TREASURER'S REPORT

Balance $4,329.61
Dec 16, 2004 statement

Expenses .17 Bank Fee
Newsletter $in next statement

Deposits
Dues $105.00

Balance $4,434.44

Report as provided at the Jan 2005, Meeting. You may pay dues at any time. We're accepting 2005 now. We are ALSO accepting DONATIONS, equipment or money for the Amateur Radio School in the Solomon Islands (H44A).

Member Application Form

New or renewal, same form. The best way to learn what your new license can mean is to chat with the old timers who've been there. Mail a check to HARC. Mail a check to HARC.

Name __________
Callsign __________
Address __________
City __________
StateZIPCODE __________

ARRL Member? (Yes) (Life) (No)

Dues for 2005 are due and remain $15
Mail to:

HARC
Attn: Treasurer
98-1547 Akaaka Street
Aiea, HI 96701

MEETING TOPICS

We always play it by ear at the HARC meeting, but we always introduce everyone and any guests. We will hear from KEVIN our ARRL SM and learn what he knows about the BPL threat to our HF bands in Hawaii. We will also continue the discussion of safe antenna work and tower climbing, DX, Contesting and your interests. We will hold elections for HARC Officers for 2005.

HARC WANTS YOUR INPUT!

What do YOU want HARC to do?

What would YOU like to do in HARC?

I need material for this Newsletter. Do you want me to copy material from the Pacific Division ARRL Newsletter? ARRL Bulletins? Why don't YOU write something and send it?

W5YI VE Session at HARC Meetings

The W5YI VE team is headed by Lee Wical KH6BZ.

The VE Session will follow the HARC Meeting. If you have any question, contact Lee. The fee is set by the FCC. You need your current license and a copy of it, plus a photo ID, if you plan to upgrade.

HARC, John D. Peters K1ER
98-1547 Akaaka Street
Aiea, HI 96701-3051
USA