Volume 15, No 3Web Site: www.w4gso.org

March, 2006Editor: Tom Forrest, N4GVK E-mail: info@w4gso.org

The Official Publication of the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association

Feed LineFeed LineScience Center Ham Station Needs Operators

GARA - We’re putting the “Spark” back in Amateur Radio©

The next meeting of theGreensboro Amateur RadioAssociation will be March 27,2006 at the Golden CorralSteak House off WendoverAve.

A program will be presentedby Don Campbell, KG4IYH,o n “ S a t e l l i t e P h o n e s . ”

Next Meeting

We have a great opportunity rightnow to promote amateur radio inGreensboro. It is an opportunitythat we are about to lose if we don’tact now. Yeah, I know we have allheard that sales pitch before, but inthis case I am talking about playingwith radios and talking to peopleabout radios; something we all loveto do. This is an invitation to alllicensed hams to come out to theNatural Science Center ofGreensboro and operate stationKF4RBN anytime the Center isopen. Admission is free.

KF4RBN was built by RyanBradley, KD4TMD, as his EagleScout project in 1997. With helpfrom a few scouts, hams, andparents, Ryan enclosed what hadbeen a wide spot in the corridorleading to the Planetarium to makea ham shack. After getting approvalfrom the management of the ScienceCenter and his Boy Scout leaders,he solicited donations of over $8600in needed money and equipment.He worked very closely with KarlMcKinnon, KD4UIT, DeputyDirector of the Science Center inthe planning and execution of theproject. Today we have two HFradios: an Icom and a Kenwood.We also have a two meter radio anda very old PC.

Roger Joyner, W4AYO, Curator

of the Zane Planetarium, was alsoinstrumental in building the stationand is the driving force behind itscontinued existence. It occupiesvery valuable museum real estate.Every time a new exhibit isproposed, that location becomes aprime candidate for renovation.Roger told me that the station hasnot been used in over a year. Hecannot justify an exhibit that is notused. The station still gets a lot oftraffic. People stop and listen to aprerecorded message that Rogermade, but they want to see it inoperation.

All we have to do to keep thestation is use it. That’s all. Just useit. Roger would like to see it usedevery weekend. I know weekendsare not ideal for us but that is whenthe museum is the busiest. It makessense for us to be there when thepeople are there. Roger agrees thattwo weekends a month, eitherSaturday or Sunday, would be

wonderful and would just aboutguarantee that the station willremain for the foreseeable future. He does request that we make aneffort to be there during specialevents. These events draw verylarge crowds and will maximizeour exposure.

By Allen Bradley, KD4IUN

Ryan Bradley, KD4TMD, at the controlsin 1997 at the Natural Science Center.(Photo by Allen Bradley, KD4IUN)

April 8, 2006 - Bunny Day

May 6, 2006 - AniMania

May 27, 2006 Special Traveling

Exhibit Opens:

Monster Trucks: The Science of

Extreme Machines

June 10, 2006 - Dino Day

July 22, 2006 - Insectaphobia

July 28, 2006 - Thesaurus Shoppe

Christmas In July Sale

August 19, 2006 - Rock Fest

September 16-17, 2006 - Snaketacular

October 26, 2006 - Boo Bash

November 30, 2006 -Thesaurus

Shoppe Holiday Sale

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“The Feed Line” is ©2006 by the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association and published monthly. Our address is P.O. Box7054, Greensboro, NC 27417. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide the club and prospective members informationabout the club and amateur radio in general. Material and information should reach the editor by the first Friday of the month for the next edition of the newsletter. Opinions expressed in “The Feed Line” do not necessarialy represent the views of theofficers, directors, editor or members of the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association. Material may be reproduced, providedproper credit is given to GARA.

Feed Line http://www.w4gso.org

GARA Meeting Minutes

Please turn to page 7 ------->

Regular Meeting MinutesFebruary 27, 2006

The regular meeting of the GreensboroAmateur Radio Association was held atthe Golden Corral Restaurant Mondayevening February 27 at 7:15 PM at theGolden Corral Steak House off WendoverAve.

The meeting was called to order byPresident John Doggett, KI4BMS. Theminutes of the previous meeting wereapproved as printed in the “Feed Line.”

There was no old business reported.Committee reports were presented.

Treasurer Ernie Wall, NC4EW, reportedall was fine and new memberships werecoming in steadily.

Al Allred, K4ZKQ, gave a financialreport and said all was fine.

Secretary/web master/news letter editorTom Forrest, N4GVK, reported that asympathy card had been sent to AnnGibson, N4AIG, for the loss of her mother.The web site had been renewed for anotheryear. He also presented the new sloganfor the web site “GARA- We’re puttingthe “spark” back in Amateur Radio.”Applications were still being sent out withthe newsletter for renewals.

Engineering Committee report waspresented by Arch, KT4AT. He said hissoccer antenna software project was almostcomplete and he needed to finish the“LogPer” user manual. He said he foundtwo more ways to balun and match theantenna, and he’s retrofitting them intothe software. New revision of the softwarehas been uploaded to the repeater controller(145.150) along with announcements byWG4R. Other housekeeping issues werereported: surge protector boxes have beenfixed and the UPS power supply had been

repaired with a new battery. Arch said theUHF repeater was due for a 6 month retuneand he will proceed with a cold pointcalibration of both VHF and UHF.

Operations Chairman and RepeaterTrustee Roy Smith, N4BYU, had no report.John Doggett, KI4BMS, reported aboutvarious events upcoming, including a foxhunt April 1, projects for construction, andtraining for new Hams and upgrades. Innew business, Madeline Bradley, KD4SVJ,brought to the club’s attention the need forHams to use the station at the NaturalScience Center. She stated they hadreceived an e-mail from Roger Joyner,W4AYO, saying that it had not been usedrecently. Roger said in his e-mail if therewas no interest, the Science Center coulduse the space for another exhibit. A sign-up sheet was passed around to permitmembers to schedule operating time at thestation. Members also discussed possibleways to increase interest throughout theHam community. Ryan Bradley,KD4TMD, built the station some yearsago as an Eagle Scout project, and it wouldbe a shame to let it be dismantled. Membersshowed a great interest in keeping it aliveand a volunteer schedule was will beestablished.

The program for the evening waspresented by Steve Marks, KE4FCW,Assistant Coordinator of Guilford CountyEmergency Management. He spoke on theamateur radio operator’s role during anemergency. Steve stressed the need forcoordination of communication duringemergencies, and the need for amateurs tobe familiar with the Incident CommandSystem. Steve spoke about how to respondand what procedures you should go throughduring an emergency. He suggested “jumpkits” and being prepared to respond at amoment’s notice. The members thankedSteve for a very informative program.

BOARD MEETING MINUTESMarch 13, 2006

The regular monthly board meeting ofthe Greensboro Amateur RadioAssociation was Monday evening, March13, at 7:30 PM.

Those present were John Doggett,KI4BMS, president; Rudy Langley,KG4HCT, vice president; Tom Forrest,N4GVK, secretary; Ernie Wall, NC4EW,treasurer; Al Allred, K4ZKQ, financial;Arch, KT4AT, engineering chairman; RoyS m i t h , N 4 B Y U , r e p e a t e rtrustee/operations chairman; ClarkDoggett, KG4HOM, and Mark Robertson,KG4STP members-at-large

Officer reports:

President John Doggett, KI4BMS,welcomed the members to the meeting.He mentioned the death of WendyColeman, KF4QDR, wife of JohnColeman, KF4QDS, Saturday, March 12.

Steve Marks, KE4FCW, AssistantCoordinator of Guilford CountyEmergency Management talks to theclub.

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March 2006

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March 2006

By the ARRL

DREXEL, NC - The AmateurRadio on the International SpaceStation (ARISS) arranged contactsin March with two schools. Oneschool located in the home state ofExpedition 12 Commander BillMcArthur, KC5ACR, NorthCarolina and the other in Ohio. Hetold youngsters in North Carolinathat he's been really been enjoyinghis duty tour onboard theInternational Space Station.

On March 3, McArthur chattedwith youngsters a t HarryHallyburton Elementary School inDrexel, North Carolina--his homestate. Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI,served as the Earth station for bothARISS school group contacts, andVerizon Conferencing provided atwo-way teleconference linkbetween Australia and the schools.

All 19 youngsters who took part in the ARISS contact at HallyburtonElementary got to ask a question of ISS Expedition 12 CommanderBill McArthur, KC5ACR.

North Carolina Youngsters Help ISSCommander Boost His QSO Record

McArthur told the third gradersin Deborah Childers' class thatsome of the ISS crew's scientificresearch could directly benefit topeople.

"We're doing scientific researchevery day to help to understand thehuman body better, and that canlead to new discoveries inmedicine," McArthur said. "Butthe real focus of our flight is tolearn how people can live and workin space for a very long time,because we think someday, humanbeings will colonize other planets."

Responding to another question,McArthur told the youngsters thatbrushing one's teeth in space doespresent a dilemma regarding whatto do with "all the foamytoothpaste" when you're done.

"We use exactly the same kind

of toothbrush that you use andexactly the same kind oftoothpaste," McArthur explained."We have two choices: We caneither swallow it, which is what Iusually do, or if you don't like todo that, then you just hold a towelup to your mouth and spit it directlyinto a towel."

McArthur said he could see hishome state of North Carolina fromthe ISS, but he could not identifyhis home town of Red Springsbecause it's too small to see.

As of this week, McArthur hadracked up a record 30 ARISSschool contacts during his mission,which wraps up in April. ARISSis an international educationaloutreach with US participation byARRL, AMSAT and NASA.

Ham HappeningsbriefsNEWS

Wendy Coleman KF4QDR,wife of John Coleman KF4QDS,passed away early Saturdaymorning March 11, in High Point.

She was a member of the Tri-County A.R.C and a member ofGuilford County ARES.

GARA extends our sympathy andprayers to John and his family.

Editor’s Note: Drexel, NC is located inBurke County in western NC, betweenHickory and Morganton off I40.

Feed Line http://www.w4gso.org

With the renewal window about to openfor the first Amateur Radio licensesassigned vanity call signs in 1996, theFCC's Wireless Telecommunications

Bureau (WTB) has attempted to clarifyfiling procedures. The WTB says vanitycall sign holders whose licenses expireon or after June 4, 2006, must fileelectronically or on paper via theUniversal Licensing System (ULS)http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/ to renew theirlicenses. Amateur Radio renewalapplications may only be filed within 90days of the license expiration date.

"Licensees of stations assigned vanitycall signs have the option of keeping thevanity call sign or requesting that it bechanged to a sequentially assigned callsign," the WTB points out. Those optingto keep their vanity call signs for the new10-year license term must pay the current

Page 6 March 2006

regulatory fee, now $21.90, whenrenewing (the vanity call sign regulatoryfee may change in August or September).If the licensee no longer wants to keep avanity call sign, no fee is required, andthe applicant should request a sequentiallyassigned call sign instead.

Amateur Radio licensees holding vanitycall signs granted prior to 1996 do nothave to pay a regulatory fee whenrenewing. This is because Congress didnot begin requiring the FCC to annuallyrecover its regulatory costs until1993. Additionally, such licensees are notspecifically tagged as vanity call signholders in the ULS.

To renew electronically via the ULS,licensees should log into ULS LicenseManager <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/>Online Filing (click on "Log In")using their FCC Registration Number(FRN) and Commission RegistrationSystem (CORES) password. Anyonedoing business with the FCC must supplyan FRN on any application.

To keep a vanity call sign, licensees

should select "Renew" under the "Workon this License" option. Fees forelectronically filed applications may bepaid online or mailed to FederalCommunica t ions Commiss ion ,Regulatory Fees, PO Box 358835,Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5835.

Online filers choosing not to renew avanity call sign should select the"Systematic Call Sign Change" optionfrom the "Work on this License" list. Toobtain a new call sign, licensees shouldanswer "No" to the question "Your licenseis eligible for renewal. Renew call sign(vanity call sign)?" Doing this will resultin the issuance of a renewed licensebearing a sequentially assigned call sign.

Licensees filing on paper must useFCC Form 605 (main form), and--if afee is required--Form 159 (remittanceadvice). Licensees wishing to keep theirvanity call signs should enter "Renew"under "Purpose" on Form 605 and enterthe present call sign in item 5. Manualfilers choosing not to renew their vanitycall signs must file Form 605 (main form)

Vanity Calls - Get Ready For Renewals

Please turn to Page 7

Behind The Scene At The NCAA Tournament

SERIOUS SATELLITE WORK - Satellite uplink trucks fill the side parking lot of the Greensboro ColiesumThursday during the NCAA tournament. CBS Sports also had their mobile studio equipped with HD-TV. (Photosby Tom Forrest, N4GVK

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Feed Line http://www.w4gso.org

Arch, KT4AT, gave his engineeringreport, discussing various items. Generalmaintenance was to be performed andannouncements were discussed.

Treasurer Ernie Wall, NC4EW, saidrenewals were coming in well .

Financial adviser, Al Allred, K4ZKQ,gave a financial report.

Member-at-large, Mark Robertson,KG4STP, had no report

Secretary Tom Forrest, N4GVKpresented an idea to the board for a “radioloaner” program sponsored by GARA.This would be for members who need aradio on a temporary basis or a newly

licensed member without a radio. Two 5watt handi-talkie radios (at present) areavailable along with chargers for theprogram. The radios are simple inoperation and can be programmed withlocal repeaters. The program was approvedby the board and will be announced onthe web and in the Feed Line.

Vice-President Rudy Langley,KG4HCT, d iscussed ac t iv i t i es .

Repeater trustee Roy Smith had noreport.

There being no further business, amotion was made to adjourn the meetingat 8:15 pm.

CROWDS GATHER - Crowds line flea market tables at the MecklenburgAmateur Radio Society’s annual Hamfest & Computer Fair, March 11 and 12in Charlotte. Attendance appeared to be good this year, but the absence of Icomfrom the manufacaturers disappointed many attendees. (Photo by Tom Forrest,N4GVK)

A “Radio Loaner” programhas been established as a servicefor GARA members.

Under the new loanerprogram, a member may borrowa two-meter handi-talkie for a60 day period at no charge.These radios are 5 watts and pre-programmed on local repeatersand simplex frequencies. Theyhave a Ni-Cad battery and rapidcharger.

This will assist members whohave a radio out for repair or anew Ham who has joinedGARA and needs to purchase aradio.

If you have a need for a“ loaner” , e -mai l us a tinfo@w4gso.org. or contact aboard member directly.

Radio Loaner ProgramFor GARA members

Board Meeting Minutes from page 2

Schedule D in order to obtain a newsystematic call sign. The "Purpose" ont h e m a i n f o r m m u s t b e"Renewal/Modification," and the"Systematic Call Sign Change" questionon Schedule D must be answered "Yes."

If no FRN is provided on the main form,an FCC Form 160 (registration) is also

required for manual filing. All forms areava i lab le v ia the FCC Formshttp://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html.

For more information on how to renewan Amateur Radio vanity call sign, visitthe FCC Help & Support pagehttp://esupport.fcc.gov/index.htm> or callthe ULS Customer Support Hotline, 877-480-3201 (TTY 717-338-2824)

Vanity Call Renewal from page 6

March 2006

Charlotte Hamfest & Computer Fair Big Event

A “Fox Hunt” (a transmitterhunt for the newcomers) will beheld on Saturday April 1st.

The hunt will start at the oldFood Lion on 220 on the left afteryou cross Lake Brant.

The hunt will continue until 12noon or until the fox is found atwhich time the group will headto Herbies on BattlegroundAvenue for lunch and a discussionof how the hunt progressed.

If you have any questions youcan e-mail John Doggett ataddress: dogg7460@bellsouth.net

Fox Hunt SlatedFor April 1

Greensboro Amateur Radio AssociationP.O. Box 7054Greensboro, NC 27417

FIRST CLASS MAIL

The Official Publication of GARA

Web:www.w4gso.org

Area ActivitiesFOURTH MONDAY – at 6:30 PM, the GreensboroAmateur Radio Association has their regular monthlymeeting at the Golden Corral on Landview Dr., off W.Wendover Ave. Please plan to gather at 6:30 PM fordinner. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7:15 PM

CLUB NETS:

SUNDAYS – weekly at 9 PM, the GARA News andInformation Net. This net features NewsLine and is onthe 145.150, W4GSO repeater. Roy Smith, N4BYU isalways looking for net controls. Contact him if you wouldlike to help.

THURSDAYS – The Guilford County ARES Net meetson the 145.150 repeater (100 Hz. tone) at 9 PM.

TUESDAYS – at 8 PM, the 2 Meter SSB Net meets on144.225 Mhz. USB. Chris Thompson, K4HC is the netcontrol station.

WEDNESDAYS – The Guilford Amateur Societyholds their weekly net on the 145.250, W4GG repeaterwith an 88.5 Hz. tone. Jim Hightower, W4JLH is the netcontrol.

TUESDAYS – at 8:30 PM The Triad SkyWarn Netmeets on the 147.225, K4ITL repeater, no tone required.

OTHER ACTIVITIES :

FIRST MONDAY – The Guilford County A.R.E.S.monthly meeting is held at 1002 Meadowood St. off W.Wendover Ave, in the EMS building, beginning at 7 PM.

THIRD MONDAY – at 6 PM The Guilford AmateurSociety holds their monthly meeting at the Golden Corralon Landview Dr., off W. Wendover Ave. Dinner at 6:30PM and the business meeting is slated to begin and 7 PM.

SATURDAYS – at the K&W Cafeteria on Big Tree Way,hams get together for Saturday Breakfast at 7:30 AM.Talk-in is on the 145.150, W4GSO repeater, with 100 Hz.tone.

MONDAYS & FRIDAYS – at 11 AM, Greensboro Hamsget together for lunch. On Monday they meet at variouslocations. Check on the 145.15 repeater for current locationand on Friday lunch is at the K&W Cafeteria off SouthHolden Road. Talk-in is on the 145. 150, W4GSO repeaterwith a 100 Hz. tone.

EVERY FRIDAY – at 8 PM (approximately) GreensboroHams get together for coffee at Starbucks at GuilfordCollege (winter location till Daylight Savings time changes)

If you haven’t alreadyrenewed, this is your LASTissue of the Feed Line.P l e a s e r e n e w y o u rmembership to GARA. Ifyou have renewed yoursupport for 2006, we reallyappreciate it . THANKYOU!

For more information,v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e :www.w4gso.org and click onthe join button.

Time To RenewGARA Memberships