NASWA Notes, August 1996
LAST CALL: A brief reminder that the Association of North American Radio Clubs (“ANARC”) is holding elections for its Executive Board. Those interested in being nominated to serve in this capacity you should contact our Club Representative Kris Field (705 Gregory Drive, Horsham, PA 19044 – or – k.field4@genie.com). ANARC Executive Board members serve a two year term and govern the day- to-day operations of the association. This is where all the decisions are made! From the elected Executive Board members, a Chairman is selected to serve a concurrent one year term. The Executive Board term begins on January 1, 1997 and runs for two years. Your club is looking for one or more of its members that may be interested in serving in this capacity. Currently, we have seven members serving in these positions: Skip Arey, Harold Cones, Rich D’Angelo, Dave Marshall, John McColman, Mark Meece, and John Vodenik. The terms of Messrs. D’Angelo, Marshall, McColman, and Vodenik expire at year-end. If you are interested in serving on the Executive Board of ANARC (and possibly serving as its Chairman!), please contact Kris by August 15th. The election takes place in September.
Another ANARC club has become insolvent. The Radio Communications Monitoring Association, the association’s largest club in terms of membership size, has ceased publication. A declining membership, reduced revenues, and rising publication costs were blamed. The RCMA was a national scanner club. This is the third major club to close its doors in North America in the last eighteen months. A disturbing trend!
For those of us interested in country counting, check out the report from Country List Chairman Don Jensen in this issue of the Journal. Two countries have been added to the list after an extensive review by the committee. Let’s see if this generates some more awards applications!
Finally, congratulations and best wishes to Harold Ort who recently took over as editor of Popular Communications magazine. Harold has edited many reference guides for the PopComm folks over the years so he is well versed in the communications hobby. We look forward to an excellent relationship and an exciting new era for the magazine under Harold’s capable leadership.
That’s it for this month. Enjoy this month’s JOURNAL; it’s another good one.
ANARC SWL Ham Net
Tune in Sunday mornings at 10 A. M. Eastern Time on 7240 LSB for the latest in shortwave, medium wave and longwave listening, DX tips, and up to the minute hobby news. Contributors share their DX tips via their own amateur radio stations or by telephoning a “gateway” station who then broadcasts the relayed tips. Contributions are also accepted via the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel #swl while the net is in progress. The net moves to 3940 LSB after the 40m session closes for an informal session. Net Controls Tom Sundstrom W2XQ, Hausie WB4JSP, Mike McCallum WA4SGC, and Bob Curtis W1EXZ host an always lively gang of DX monitors. (Best heard in the eastern half of NAm) Net info also available at <http://www.trsc.com/swl_net.htm>.
Contribute!
Send your loggings and QSL information off to our Distributing Editor, Fred Kohlbrenner (2641 South Shields Street, Philadelphia, PA 19142). He will forward them to the appropriate editor. Remember, Fred has now expanded his business to include QSL report information and totals for the Scoreboard column. He can also be reached through the Internet at: fkohl@ix.netcom.com.
Musings
Jon Horen, P. O. Box 58139, Fairbanks, AK 99711
Greetings from the Golden Heart of the interior of Alaska! (June 10: sunrise at 3:09 AM, sunset at 12:35 AM). I’m a new NASWA member and find the “Musings” column to be excellent. It’s been less than a year since I’ve been DXing and have already received QSLs from all over the world (I have a Sony ICF 2010 receiver and use an insulated wire as an antenna).
Does anyone else out there have a concern similar to mine? That is, I find it difficult to write to stations such as Radio Pyongyang and China Radio International. What does one say? Perhaps this: I do enjoy your broadcasts but wish you wouldn’t torture and oppress your people. Or this: your programming is excellent but I’m not especially keen on the way you smash democracy.
Believe me, I’m not a political activist but I found it difficult to communicate with representatives of governments who throttle their own people. I’d be interested to hear other’s views on this.
I wish you all well in the lower 48. Feel free to write — the postage to Alaska is the same (last time I checked).
Regards, Jon
Doug Robertson, 4045 Sunset Lane, Oxnard, CA 93035
Joe Buch, Charles J. Shaw and other readers intrigued with the idea of a windup shortwave receiver may now satisfy their curiosity (or unwind their credit card limit) directly from an American source for the Baylis BayGen Freeplay clockwork radio.
Contact BayGen USA for info and orders at 1-800-WIND-234 or <http://www.freeplay.pair.com/>.
Advertised as AM/FM/SW and battery-free for life; no specific frequency ranges are listed in their advertising. Obviously, despite being manufactured South of the equator in Milnertown, South Africa, the owner of this radio would wind it clockwise; otherwise the vendor’s phone number would be 1-800-WIND-432. Right???
Keep crankin’! 73, Doug
Marlin A. Field, 128 Oak, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Recently lightning ran down the tree (no damage to tree) to which I had tied a pole the end of my long wire antenna. It burnt up the balum at the end of the antenna, dropping my lead-in to the ground. It came in the house, burning up my tape recorder and timer (clock part was not affected). The surge protector into which they were plugged was turned off at the time and suffered no damage nor did the radio plugged into the timer. The long wire and dipole antennas were unfastened at the time. I was in the kitchen when all this happened. When the lightning struck, right outside of the kitchen window, it turned the tornado alert on my weather radio on and the alarm on my wristwatch. Now I can’t change the time on the watch. Does anyone have the address of a source where I can buy a new timer? The one I had was a Micronta, sold by Radio Shack, but it is no longer available. I can get kitchen timers around here, but they aren’t accurate enough. I may have to go back to the sears timer, with its inexact timing, that I used for many years.
Neil Berman <nberman@uottawa.ca>
Sub: Baygen Radio Spin-off
Are you guys for real? I can’t tell from your site if this is satire or there really is such a beast as the Spring-Driven Thing.
Good listening, Neil
Brian Boulden <boulden@community.net>, 429 Begonia Blvd., Fairfield, CA 94533
I have already checked with Kris Field of the “NASWA Company” store on this
I was wondering if anyone has seen or made a copy of the current “NASWA Country List & Awards Booklet” on computer disk? If so please let me know — and thanks
73’s
Richard A. D’Angelo, 2216 Burkey Drive, Wyomissing, PA 19610
After three very hectic months, baseball season has ended. I only managed one team this year but it still takes its toll on my time and energy levels. We had a very successful season posting a 13-1 regular season record but took it on the chin in the playoffs. The good news is that baseball is done. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of DX activity. Already I’m beginning to plan for the first DXpedition outing to Gifford Pinchot.
Welcome to the following new NASWA members
- William J. Andrade, San Luis Obispo, CA
- Joel Bernstein, Essex Fells, NJ
- Kevin Bueckert, Gladstone, MB, CANADA
- Doug Carr, Louviers, CO
- Michael Civiello, Kerman, CA
- Reuben Dagold, Baltimore, MD
- Dale R. Dundore, Myerstown, PA
- James H. Evans, Acton, MA
- Thomas Gallagher, Irving, TX
- Mark Helinski, Citrus Heights, CA
- Harold Horne, Trinidad, CA
- Rachel M. Jones, Texarkana, AR
- Henry E. Krupa, Woonsocket, RI
- Hugh Parker, Greensboro, NC
- Franklyn Rutherford, Front Royal, VA
- Dan F. Schopp, Ballwin, MO
- Kate Sullivan, Boston, MA
- Tim B. Truwe, Santa Paula, CA
- Dimitri Vlachos, Allston, MA
Calendar Of Events
| Aug 16 | Meeting. | Philadelphia Area NASWA Chapter. Kulpsville Holiday Inn, Kulpsville, PA at 7:30 PM. For more information contact Dan Cashin at 215-446-7831. |
| Aug 16 | Meeting. | Boston Area NASWA Chapter. The Lexington Club, Rts. 4 & 225, Lexington, MA at 7:30 PM. The location is 1/4 mile west of Rt. 128, Exit 31. For more information contact Paul Graveline at 508-470-1971 or Internet: 74007.3434@compuserve.com. |
| Aug 20 | Meeting. | The Miami Valley DX Club (all band orientation) meets at 1:00 PM. For more information plus this months meeting location contact Dave Hammer at 614-471-9973 or write to MVDXC, Box 292132, Columbus, OH 43229-8132. |
| Aug’96 | Convention. | The 1996 Worldwide TV-FM DX Association Convention will be held in Estes Park, CO on 9-11 August 1996. Lodging will be at the Dripping Springs B&B/Cabins, two miles east of Estes Park on US Highway 34. Call 1-970-586-3406 and talk to owners Oliver and Janie Robertson about rooming choices. Room rates run from $74.00 to $89.00 per night (sleeps two) and a cabin which sleeps three for $95.00 per night. Send $1.00 to Jim Thomas, 4437 S. Stover, Apt. 3, Ft Collins, CO 80525 for a complete convention packet. |
| Sep’96 | Convention. | The National Radio Club will hold its 63rd annual convention at the Ramada Inn in West Knoxville, TN ($48.50 single/double occupancy) from 30 August-2 September 1996. Registration fee, including the banquet, is $40.00. Contact: Steve Francis, 1620 Lodge Street, Alcoa, TN 37701 (telephone number 423-982-3122). |
| Sep 14 | Meeting. | The Tidewater SWL’s meet at 6:30 PM. For more information plus meeting location contact Joe Buch at 804-721-2782 or Internet: joseph.buch@dol.net. |
| Oct’96 | Convention. | MT Expo Atlanta GA, October 18-20 1996. Hotel: Atlanta Airport Hilton $76 single or doublereservations 1-800 HILTONS. Registration $55.00. Contact: expo96-info@grove.net, (800)438-8155 or FAX (704)-837-2216. |
| Mar’97 | Contest. | 1997 North American DX Championships. Further information will be published in the Journal or you can send a self-addressed stamped envelop to 1997 NADXC, c/o Dr. Harold Cones, 2 Whits Court, Newport News, VA 23606. |
| Mar’97 | Convention. | The 10th Annual Winter SWL Festival will be held at the Kulpsville Holiday Inn (Exit 31 on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) on 13-15 March 1997. Organized by the infamous “gang of three” (Messrs. Brown, Cones, and Field) this all wave gathering attracts over 200 hobbyists each year. Further details and information will appear later this year. |
FRENDX: Twenty Five Years Ago.
Renewing members included Al Miller, Alan Thompson, and Jerry Berg (2rd year), Chris Lobdell (4th year), and Richard Wood (5th year). Ed Shaw advises members that club stationary now costs $1.25 per 50 sheets. Charlie Loudenboomer talked about “Games DXers Play” in the Loudenboomer Report. In the Shortwave Center, Bruce Churchill writes about a visit to VTVN in Saigon. In the QSL Report, temporary editor Gerry Dexter provides his first column with 101 countries represented. In Dan Ferguson’s last Log Report column, he comments that “exact” frequency measurements spice up the column.