The Official Newsletter of the Kansas City DX Club

KC DX NEWS AB0X-EDITOR

DX PACKET CLUSTER:144.95 APRIL 2006

IN THIS ISSUEClub News -AB0XAsk Elmer-Wd0SRIARRL DX Bulletin

NEXT KCDXC MEETING:

APRIL 24 The next meeting of the KCDXC is on April 24 at7:30 PM. The meeting location will be the SalvationArmy building at the corner of Troost and Truman Road.The address is 1110 Truman Rd. Make plans to attend our next meeting. We mighthave a program.

MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2006

SHOULD BE SENT TO AB0X Over 1/3 of club members have NOT sent in theirrenewal checks and the KCDXC is in need!Reservations for Dayton and the Hospitality Suite aredue . Dues have remained $15 for several years andmembership in the KCDXC continues to be one of thebest values in the American economy!Send your check to:

AB0XKCDXC Treasurer7871 Webster Ave.Kansas City, KS 66109

QRZ? QRZ?

IF THERE IS A RED DOT BY YOUR NAME ONTHE MAILING LABEL, YOU HAVE NOTRENEWED YOUR KCDXC MEMBERSHIP, ANDTHIS WILL BE YOUR LAST ISSUE OF THENEWSLETTER!!!!

KCDXC DXCC HONOR ROLL

Call Mixed CW Phone RTTY 160

K0JN 357 356 306

W0TM 352 343 334

K0CS 349 254 340 206

AB0X 349 331 191

K5ZQ 349

W0NS 349

N0XA 345 285

W0JLC 345 343 325 102

AK0A 342 332 337 280

K0CA 341 337 337 301 66

K0HQW 340 319 339 32

NX0I 339 334 332 191

KB0U 339 319 318

K3PA 336 322 314 139 51

K0RWL 332 326

K0GY 325 314 323

K0ZM 322 303

K4SV 320 288 290 178

KB0X 295 285

N0UF 275 145 271 9

W0LHK 300 21

AA0MZ 279 242 262

KG0UA 275 269 111

AE9B 268 219 245 78 104

K0XM 245 172 202 32

KI7WO 241 143 228 33 5

KD0FW 201

NW0L 190 2 175 95

WD0SRI 67 36 12 4

A R T I C L E S N E E D E D F O R

NEWSLETTER !

Some help is needed with news stories and articlesrelated to ham radio and DX for the newsletter. It is adifficult task each month to fill 8 pages of thenewsletter without some input from members. Pleasesend to the Editor any ideas or stories that you havewritten or would like aid in writing for publication.

If more input is not provided from the membershipyou will be forced to read news from the KC Ballet andsee all the latest pictures of AB0X’s newgranddaughter !

This is Avery Lorraine Crabtree. She just turned 8months and can already copy 10 WPM CW in herhead! Hopefully, she will learn to write soon so shecan put to use all the CW she copies! She also laughswhen her toy duck is made to quack, so it is my beliefthat she will be a CW op only. SSB sounds too muchlike the duck quacks!

Send over an article soon to the Editor, or you will beforced to see more cute baby pictures each month!!

ARIZONA BPL FIELD TRIAL ENDS

A BPL field trial in Cottonwood, Arizona, that drewcomplaints from Amateur Radio operators from 2004until earlier this year apparently has shut down forgood. The small system, which MountainTelecommunications Inc (MTI) operated under an FCC

Part 5 Experimental license WD2XMB, went silent inearly March. The Part 5 license stipulates that thecompany "establish and maintain" a relationship withthe Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association(VVARA), which called for the system's shutdown asrecently as last December. According to VVARA BPLCommittee Chair Bob Shipton, K8EQC, MTI initiallytook the system down for a firmware upgrade butsubsequently told him that it was discontinuing theexperiment in Cottonwood and moving it, possibly tothe Phoenix area, where MTI is headquartered.

"There's no definitive statement from Arizona PublicService or Mountain Telecommunications that theyhave stopped BPL in the state of Arizona entirely,"Shipton told ARRL this week. "It's just that they pulledout of the Cottonwood area."

Not only did the VVARA determine the system wasgenerating interference on the high end of 20 metersand elsewhere, Shipton said, the club demonstratedthat it could "break" the system's datastream whilerunning as little as 65 watts from a mobile station.

"I think that was a bit of a surprise to them," allowedShipton, who noted that MTI remained helpful andlived up to its agreement to keep the VVARA in theloop. At the same time, he said, MTI learnedeverything it wanted to learn in the Cottonwood area,"and they know we're not going to let this thing go."

According to club measurements made in cooperationwith MTI, the BPL interference in the vicinity of thesystem on the upper end of 20 meters was 20 dB overS9, Shipton said, and even in the middle of the band,it was S7 to S9. "On 17 meters, from 18.059 to 18.180they were S9, on the 15 meter band they were S7," headded. In support of the VVARA effort, the ARRLtwice asked the FCC to shut down the CottonwoodBPL field trial for interfering with Amateur Radiocommunication. The League's own testing of theCottonwood system in the summer of 2004 indicated"extremely high" levels of radiated RF energy onamateur HF allocations--well in excess of the FCC Part15 levels.

Beyond the mere fact of the RF interference, Shiptoncontinued, was the nature of the interference itself."With the high-speed chipsets, the sound is soobnoxious that you don't necessarily have to have a lotof RF strength on an S meter to cause interference

when you're trying to listen to a station--even if it'sstronger," he said, describing it as an annoying "raspy,buzzing" noise.

In December, the VVARA filed with the FCC whatShipton characterized as an "informal" interferencereport of ongoing interference on 20, 17 and 15 metersand reiterated its request that the FCC shut down thesystem. While MTI's interactions with the VVARAmay not have been the primary factor in its decision totake its BPL pilot elsewhere, Shipton believes his clubat least played a role.

"We feel at least we got 'em out of Dodge--they're outof Cottonwood," he said. "What they do in Phoenixwill have to be taken up by the Phoenix amateuroperators, if they do anything."

Shipton said he believes efforts like those of theVVARA to raise the interference issue and keep itbefore the public are prompting the BPL industry totake a harder look at how to avoid the problemaltogether. "The issue of ham interference was oneissue on their plate out of many, many issues," he said.

DE ARRL LETTER MARCH 31, 2006

K U 0 G A ’ S 1 0 Y E A R O L D

G R A N D S O N E A R N S H A M

LICENSE ! Proud Grandpa, KU0GA, John, announced at thelast club meeting that his 10 year old grandson had justearned his ham license! His new call is KC0WFL!Look for him on the bands, and don’t forget to saycongratulations to KG0UA!!

A N D A M A N S ( VU 4 ) T O B E

ACTIVATED IN A BIG WAY

STARTING APRIL 18

Enthusiasm and anticipation have been building withinthe DX community this week as the radio window isabout to open once again on the Andaman and NicobarIslands (VU4). The National Institute of AmateurRadio (NIAR) in Hyderabad, India, will sponsor a first-of-its-kind event, "Hamfest - (VU4) India - 2006,"April 18-20 in Port Blair on South Andaman Island.Dozens of VU4 stations are expected on the air.

India's telecommunication authorities have issued a

number of short-term licenses to both nationals andforeigners, and operations reportedly will extendbeyond the three-day festival to April 26. The mostrecent VU4 DXpedition, led by Bharathi Prasad,VU2RBI, in December 2004, turned into a disastercommunication operation after the devastating SouthAsia earthquake and tsunami. Prasad and othersinvolved in the 2004 VU4 DXpedition are expected tobe active during the Andamans hamfest activity.

All call signs for this event will bear the VU4ANprefix followed by an India mainland call sign. Therewill be no operation from Nicobar Island and, so far,no operation on 30 meters.

According to The DX Magazine's 2005 survey ofDXers Andaman and Nicobar Islands was the 10thmost-wanted DXCC entity. There's more informationon the NIAR Web site "http://www.niar.org Daily DXhttp://www.dailydx.com

DE ARRL Letter April 13, 2006

K A N S A S C I T Y B A L L E T

C O N C L U D E S W I T H A

KALEIDOSCOPE OF SOLOSKansas City Ballet’s Spring Program, May 11 through14 at the Lyric Theatre, will feature Kansas Citypremieres including Six Solos of Consequence II andthe Twyla Tharp’s The Catherine Wheel Suite to musicof pop/rock icon David Byrne. It will also present anencore production of Artistic Director Emeritus ToddBolender and the late beloved artist Dale Eldred’sV o y a g e r . T o r e a d m o r e , g o t o

http://www.kcballet.org/enews/apr06/spring.html.

REMINDER

06-07 season renewals are due today, Friday, April14th. Call now to keep the best seats in the house!

ASK ELMER ???

DE WD0SRI

Well, the Redbub is blooming, the crappie arebitting, Dayton is coming soon! How great is it livingin NE Kansas?? Even my relatives have shifted from winter living tothe outdoor life! Skeeter, my brother-in-law, sent overthe picture below of their first cook out of the year! Ithink they took the grill from AA0MZ’s grocery!

I believe charcoal works a little better. Guess theykept Grandma busy chopping firewood. This was takenin the campgrounds at Lake Perry. Hope the Rangerdidn’t catch them. Bet the fresh crappie, though! Now on to ham radio! I got some interestingquestions from the peanut gallery this month, so herewe go: Dear Elmer, What is your favorite event at Dayton and why?? New guy going to Dayton

Dear New Guy, I think my favorite event at Dayton each year is theSafety forum where the guy cooks the hot dogs whilelecturing about safety issues.If you stick around he willgive you the hot dogs to eat and you won’t have to buylunch. I also enjoy the DX forum. It is great fun to see thegeeks who go on some of these DXpeditions that makeall the news. I enjoyed talking with that Indian ladywho went to VU4 last year after her talk in the forum.Skeeter kind of embarrassed me though when he asked

her how she got out of her traditional Indian dresswhen she got the runs! I also enjoy watching the so called CW Jocks takeour CW Pile Up test and listen them make up excuseswhy Lee Ward, beat them!! I have seen deaf dudesscore better than some of them! But watch out for thatone old guy, K3 Zed something, he kicks butt! Oh, yeah, I always like seeing KB0U’s girl friend, LaShana, who works at the Crowne Plaza. I like it whenshe sings “Shake your Booty.” Dear Elmer, What kind of delay circuit do you recommend formy homebrew linear amp to protect from in rushcurrent when you turn it on??? Reddy Kilowatt

Dear “Rolls Your Own,” I had quite a bit of trouble in the last linear I builtdeciding what type of circuit I should design to protectmy tubes from frying when I hit the big switch. I triedlatching relays on timers. But it seemed just socomplicated. I discovered a simple solution: I just bought two500' reels of household wire from Home Depot andconnected them in series and then attached the 220 Vplug on one end and the end of the wire went right into the power supply. That 1000' run of wire had justenough resistance that it provided the protection Ineeded for my tubes! Haven’t lost a 4-1000 since Istarted using this. The best part of the deal is that Ihave almost “Instant ON” . I keep the reels of #12 wirein the bottom of the power supply case. Give it a try! It is a lot cheaper and faster thanfooling around with those fancy delay circuits! Dear Elmer, What mobile antenna do you recommend for HFwork? I want to operate mobile all the way to Daytonand back but I want something that will look decent,too! I am very proud of my new Lexus and don’twant to drill lots of holes or detract from its naturalbeauty. What can you recommend?? Rich HammP.S. I have a new IC-7000 to use in the Lexus.

Dear Well Loaded, I recommend you build your own antenna. I believeyou will be happier and have more satisfaction if youdo. In my Honda Civic I only cut one hole so that Ididn’t devalue the car! Just use a drill and make a 1

and 3/4" hole in the top of the car. Put a 6' long pieceof 1 and ½" conduit thru and use a flange from a RohnTV telescoping TV mast and screw it into the floor ofthe car. Insulate the conduit with a plastic pop bottlefrom the chassis. Attach your coax feedline here witha hose clamp. Then I clip on pieces of wire withalligator clips the appropriate length to make theantenna a full quarter wave. This works great! I workall over the world with this set up. The onlydisadvantage is when I go lower than 20 meters.Sometimes guys who follow too close will run over thetrailing piece of wire and pull it off the antenna. There is another advantage to this antenna if your carhas a sun roof. You can change bands without stoppingthe car if some one else is driving. Or if you don’t havea sun roof, you can just use the red neck method andcrawl out the window and climb on top of the car tochange the antenna to a different band. The last time I did this Skeeter was driving on I-70there by Paxico and he kept serving back and forthtrying to throw me off the roof of the car. I had toseriously kick his butt when we stopped! Give this antenna a try. I only had to cut one hole inthe car, too. You might want to get some of that CoaxSeal to put around the conduit so it won’t leak insideyour new Lexus if it rains. I have done this yet in myCivic. My old dog likes to lick the conduit when itrains and drains down in back seat! However, my Swan 350 loads up great on thehomebrew mobile antenna! I have worked all over theworld on 20 meters with this set up. Let me know how it works for you!

Well, boys and girls, that is all I have time for thismonth. Got to QRT and go fishing! See ya’ll soon and“Think Dayton!”

WD0SRI

QST de W1AW

DX Bulletin 15 ARLD015 From ARRL HeadquartersNewington CT April 13, 2006To all radio amateurs :This week's bulletin was made possible withinformation provided by IZ1GDB, NC1L, W0GJ, QRZDX, the OPDX Bulletin, DXNL, 425 DX News, TheDaily DX, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRLContest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks toall.KENYA, 5Z. Riccardo, IZ1GDB will be QRV as

5Z4/homecall from April 20 to May 1. QSL to homecall.MALDIVES, 8Q. Francis, F6DPD will be QRV as8Q7FB from Kuramathi Island, IOTA AS-013, fromApril 18 to 24. Activity will be on 40, 20 and 17meters using SSB and PSK. QSL via bureau.ANGOLA, D2. Janne is QRV as D2DX and has beenactive on 12 meters using CW and SSB around 0900and 1045z, respectively. QSL via OH2BAD. SCOTLAND, GM. Members of the Orkney AmateurRadio Club are QRV as MM0MWW from the Isle ofShapinsay, IOTA EU-009, until April 17. Activity ison 80 to 10 meters using CW and SSB with twostations. QSL direct via GM0IFM. SOLOMON ISLANDS, H4. Bernhard is QRV asH44MS from Honiara until April 27. Activity is on 80to 10 meters using SSB. QSL via DL2GAC.THAILAND, HS. Champ, E21EIC will be QRV asE21EIC/8 from southern Thailand from April 20 toMay 2. Japanese stations QSL via JR5XPG andeveryone else via E21EIC. WESTERN KIRIBATI, T30. Members of the CollinsAmateur Radio Club are QRV as T30CXX fromTarawa, IOTA OC-017. Activity is on 40 to 15 metersusing CW and SSB. Their length of stay is unknown.QSL via W0CXX.SOMALIA, T5. Mike, PA5M is QRV as 6O0M in hisspare time during his local evening. He expects to behere for at least six weeks. Activity is on 40, 20 and 17meters using CW. QSL via PA7FM.TURKEY, TA. Karl, WA2KBZ will be QRV asTA0/homecall from Buyukada Island in the MamaraSea from April 20 to May 1. Activity will be on 80, 40and 20 meters using mostly CW. QSL to home call.GABON, TR. Alain, TR8CA has been active usingRTTY on 20 meters from around 1800 to 2000z. QSLvia F6CBC. CHAD, TT. Syl is QRV as TT8LN andhas been active on 15 meters around 1300z. QSL viaF5TLN. ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS, VU4.During a big Hamfest in Port Blair from April 18 to 20,a rather large group of amateurs from various countrieswill be active. Look for VU3CHE, VU3FRK,VU3GMM, VU3KIE, VU3NZB, VU3OHA,VU3OHB, VU3JLW, VU3PLM, VU3RIC, VU3RVC,VU3RWN, VU3RWO, VU3RWP, VU3RYB,VU3RYE, VU3RYF, VU3RYG, VU3RYH, VU3RYI,VU3RYJ, VU3RYM, VU3RYN, VU3RYP, VU3SIB,VU3SIC, VU3SID, VU3SIE, VU3SIF, VU3SIG,VU3TLY to be QRV as VU4AN/homecalls. Inaddition, 40 Indian amateurs have also been assignedcallsigns for the event. Activity will be 80 to 6 meters.

A 5-day extension for after the hamfest has also beengranted. QSL via operators' instructions.INDONESIA, YB. A large team of operators is QRVas YE5P from Berhala Island, IOTA OC-107. Activityis on 80, 40, 20 and 15 meters using mostly SSB, butwith some CW and digital as well. QSL via operators'instructions.AVES ISLANDS, YV0. A large group of operatorsplan to QRV as YX0A beginning April 19 for abouttwo weeks. Activity will be on 160 to 6 meters usingCW, SSB and various digital modes. QSL via KU9C.OPERATION APPROVED FOR DXCC. Thefollowing operation is approved for DXCC credit:Chad, TT8PK, operations from March 15 to May 27,2004 and from December 27, 2005 ending on October3, 2006.THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The TARASkirmish Digital Prefix Contest, Holyland DX Contest,ARLHS Annual Spring Lites QSO Party, ES Open HFChampionship, EU SSB Spring Sprint, Michigan QSOParty, EA-QRP CW Contest, Ontario QSO Party andthe YU DX CW Contest will certainly keep contestersbusy this weekend. The Run for the Bacon QRPContest and Low Power CW Spring Sprint arescheduled for April 17. Please see April QST, page 101and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest websites fordetails. NNNN /EX

ANNUAL ARARAT HAMBASH

HELD ON APRIL 15TH

The Ararat Annual Hambash was held on April15th. A large crowd turned out for the big event.Despite unseasonably warm temperatures, hugeamounts of “Good Junk” was on sale in the flea marketand an interesting program kept hams very busy allday.

Various KCDXC members were present and a goodtime was had by all as many members practiced theirtrue lies for the Dayton crowds on the locals. Koshi,Godzilla Radio, Sales manager, was seen in the fleamarket passing out flyers on the new Flamethrower IIILinear Amplifier, which will soon be on the amateurmarket. K0LW and his groupies were seen holding court inthe midst of the flea market discussing practical jokesthey could play on WA0WPJ at the next club meeting.

Plasma TVs -- Still Bad News?

Bill Savage (K3AN) on April 10, 2006 .Reprinted fromEham.com In late 2002, an article was published here that showeda Panasonic plasma TV to be a serious polluter of theHF ham bands. There was a similar article published inlate 2004 on the Handi Ham web site, but I was onlyable to find the first installment, and never found thepart with the detailed information. That article didmention that their Panasonic came with a chokemolded on the power cord, and a bag of snap-on RFchokes for the various cables that connect to a HDTVset.

It's now 2006, and my wife and I are interested inbuying a HDTV. A recent issue of Consumer Reportsreviewed them, and the plasma sets are rated higherthan the LCD flat screen, LCD projection, and CRTprojection sets. So, I'm enlisting the help of any and allof this site's readers who have purchased a plasma-typeHDTV in the last six months. Nothing older please; it'slikely those sets are no longer available.

In your posts, please provide the brand, size, and modelnumber of the set. Also state your judgment of theinterference it generated on each HF ham band, from"none" to "unuseable." Was the interference spottywithin a band, or did it cover the entire band? Finally,were you able to "tame" the set to your satisfaction, ordid you return it, or are you living with theimpairment?

No second-hand reports or hearsay, please. Justpurchasers within the last six months should respond.Many thanks.

Maybe this can be the basis for a new "Resources"section of Eham, and ultimately expanded to includeother devices besides TVs. It could be organized theway the "Reviews" section is organized now.

2006 KCDXC ROSTER OF MEMBERS

AA0FO Marshall Toburen 4925N. 123 rd St. Kansas City, KS 66109

AA0MZ Jim BoB Klingler Box 1 Wetmore, KS 66550

AB0X Mike Crabtree 7871 Webster Ave. Kansas City, KS 66109

AC0A William Freeland 12601 W. 100th Terr Lenexa, KS 66215

AK0A Bill Boeckenhaupt 8904 Westbrooke Drive Overland Park,KS 66212

K0BRO Ron Wood 17701 S. Timber Ridge Rd. Belton, MO 64012-4664

K0CA Cliff Aherns 65 Pioneer Trail Hannibal,MO 63401

K0CS Steve Gecewicz P.O. BOX 1047 Elizabeth, CO 80107

K0FYJ Bob Smith 5505 W. 86th Ter. Overland Park, KS 66207

K0GY George Yantis 11551 W. 176th Ter. Olathe, KS 66062

K0HQW Torsten Isaacson 1636 W. Division Rd. Urich, MO 64788-8241

K0OU Steve Lucfcy 11020 E. 72nd Ter. Kansas City, MO 64133

K0RWL Larry Wilson 8497 PR 6895 West Plains, MO 65775

K0THN Charles Hett 12414 W. 101st Ter Lenexa, KS 66215

K0TLM Tom Bishop 4936 N. Kansas Ave. Kansas City, MO 64119

K0ZM Tom Rose 6100 W. 147th St. Overland Park, KS 66207

K3FP John Outland 459 N.E. Churchill St. Lee's Summit, MO 64086

KA0REN Vern Rowland 9829 W. 67th St. Merriam, KS 66203

KB0GVE Blake Thomas 8503 N. Carson Ave Kansas City, MO 64153

KB0U Rick Barnett 11425 10th Ave. CT.E,Apt.205 Tacoma, WA 98445-8003

KB0X Jim Walker 5915 Hill Century Court Lipan, Texas 76462

KC0DLM John Sutton 4320 Sycamore Dr. Roeland Park, KS 66205

KD0FW Mike Bogard 1304 N. Kiger Rd. Independence, MO 64050

KG0UA John Rogers 1408 West 125 th St. Olathe, KS 66061-5020

KI0KH James Cessna 1506 E. 153 Ter. Olathe, KS 66062

KI7WO Alan Homer 1407 SE. 19th St. Oak Grove, MO 64075

N0AG William Laux 21985 W. 265th St. Paola, KS 66071

N0EUH Bob Brown 3101 Mercier #431 Kansas City, MO 64111

N0TT Charles Hansen 8655 HWY D Napolean, MO 64074

N0XA Fred Lindsey 19960 W. 203rd St. Spring Hill, KS 66083

W0AR Lee Bergren 808 E. 108th St. Kansas City, MO 64131-3416

W0BV Bob Garwood 12010 Vermillion NE, Unit C Blaine, MN 55449

W0JLC John Chass 103 Santa Barbara Marathon, FL 33050

W0JM John Marshall 2933 S. 9th St. Kansas City, KS 66103

W0LHK Barry Roseman 6901 W. 194th St. Stilwell, KS 66085

W0NS Mike DeCheff 6933 NW 80th St. Kansas City, MO 64152

W0ROO Robert McConnell 22101 211th St. Tonganoxie, KS 66086-4132

W0TM Gary Yantis 11900 W. 87th St. Pkwy. Ste220 Lenexa, KS 66215

W0UY Tom Lappin 8016 N. Halstead Hitchinson, KS 67502

WA0NPK Karl Pruett 4428 S.E. Pennsylvania Topeka, KS 66609-1743

WA0WPJ Craig Martin 1236 Ewing Kansas City, MO 64126

WA9NIN Dave Snyder 33 Beveridge St. Greencastle, IN 46135

WC0W John Patterson 2900 Cantaberry Drive Jefferson City, MO 65109

WD0SRI Elmer Hinkle P.O. BOX 69 Wamego, KS 66549

NOTE: If you are not listed on the roster, it means you have not renewed your club membership. Theroster will be updated each month.

THE KANSAS CITY DX CLUB

The Kansas City DX Club is a regional, ARRL affiliated amateur radio club dedicatedto Dxing and contesting. The Club meets the last Monday of each month, except forthe summer months. Membership is open to anyone interested in DX or contesting.Contact the Club President, K0LW, if more information is needed. Contributions forpublication in the newsletter are always appreciated and should be sent to the Editor.Contact AB0X, at 913-334-0139, or mcrabtree@kc.rr.com if you have any questions

about the newsletter. The KC DX News is the official newsletter of the Kansas CityDX Club. Any original article, except copyrighted ones, may be reprinted in anotheramateur radio journal as long the author and the newsletter are given credit.

KC DX NEWS First Class

AB0X-Editor7871 Webster Ave.Kansas City, KS66109 TO: