FOCUS

No. 92 Winter 2012

JOURNAL OF THE FIRST CLASS C.W. OPERATORS CLUB

www.g4foc.org

FOCUS 92

The First Class CW Operators’ Club

President

Ivan Davies, G3IZD 13 Thurlow Way, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA14 5XP Tel: +44(0) 122 982 8572 E-mail: g3izd@sky.com

Membership Secretary

Tyler Barnett, N4TY 213 Camelot Court Georgetown, KY 40324 Tel: +1 502 863 5576 E-mail: n4ty@me.com

Chairman

Rob Ferguson, GM3YTS 19 Leighton Avenue, Dunblane, Perthshire FK15 0EB Tel: +44 (0) 1786 824 199 E-mail: gm3yts@btinternet.com

Internet Services

Ray Goff, G4FON 27 Harley Road, Oxford OX2 0HS Tel: +44 (0) 186 572 7142 E-mail: ray@g4fon.net

Committee Secretary

Roger Western, G3SXW 7 Field Close, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2 QD Tel: +44 (0) 208 397 3319 E-mail: g3sxw@btinternet.com

Committee

Dave Lawley, G4BUO 4 Suttons Cottages, Clement Street, Hextable Kent BR8 7PF Tel: +44 (0) 132 266 6062 E-mail: dave@g4buo.com

Treasurer

Graham Bubolz, G4FNL 42 Hillcrest, Westdene, Brighton BN1 5FN Tel: +44 (0) 127 355 1186 E-mail: g4fnl.graham@virginmedia.com

Non Committee Members • Accounts Examiner • Awards Manager • Windle Award • Webmasters • Activity Co-Ordinator • Marathon • FOC QSO Party

G4HZV G4HZV W4PM KR3E N4TY G7VJR G3VTT F5VHY KZ5D

• FOCUS Editor • News Sheet Editor • Call Book Editor • FOCUS Mailing • FOCUS Mailing NA • Subscriptions (non-web) UK & Overseas N. & S. America Europe

S57WJ V31JP N4TY G3LHJ WB2YQH G3LIK K2VUI DL8LBK

FOCUS 92

Contents From Your President Ivan Davies, G3IZD 4 From Your New Editor Gabor Szekeres, S57WJ 4 FOC Annual Dinner at Jurys Inn, Milton Keynes John Linford, G3WGV 5 The Al Slater Award Ivan Davies, G3IZD 9 ROTAB Trophy Gabor Szekeres, S57WJ 10 Long Live CW or Eight Decades of Amateur Radio Rich Langford, G4FAD 11 Read the Manuals and Get New Ideas Manuel Wilches, LU5OM 13 Invitation to W5FOC Weekend Marvin Bloomquist, N5AW 15 Contesting Allen Singer, N2KW 16 FOC and WRTC Doug Grant, K1DG 18 Awards News Bob Bagwell, G4HZV 20 September 2012 FOC QSO Party Results Art Suberbielle, KZ5D 21 Invitation to Condin 2013, Amsterdam Miles Spiering, PA3CVV 27 Brief Report on Hurricane Sandy Allen Singer, N2KW 28 Obituary David Michael Wren, K8NW Jim Danehy, W9VNE 29 Obituary George McBride, W4DGJ Mark Clark, W4CK 30 Obituary Eskil ”Gus” Gustafsson, SM3BCS Tord Julander, SM3EVR and

Rune Wande, SM5COP 31

Obituary Tom Neill, K4XG Don Karvonen, K8MFO 32 Welcome to New Members Tyler Barnett, N4TY 33 Interview with Andrei Bindasov, EU7KI Carlo Consoli, IKØYGJ 39 I Hate Contests John Swartz, WA9AQN 41 Troy Weidenheimer, WØROF: Code Ode 44 75th Anniversary of RAFARS Roy Walker, GØTAK 45 Focals 46

Front Cover Photograph:

Mike, G3SED receiving the ROTAB Trophy from the president of RSGB, Dave, MØOBW

Inside Back Cover Photographs: Focals from the Annual dinner

Back Cover Photograph-top: Don, G3BJ receiving the Al Slater award from Ivan, G3IZD

Back Cover Photograph-bottom: Attendees at he the AGM

FOCUS is the quarterly journal of FOC and it is published four times a year (about 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1

October). It is mailed to members, to some clubs and to small number of subscribing non-members. Articles and

contributions for FOCUS are always welcome and should be submitted to the Editor by mail

<gabor.s57wj@gmail.com>, CD, disk, typed or hand written. Drawings can be re-drawn if necessary and original

photographs returned after scanning.

© First Class CW Operators’ Club

Articles may be re-published from FOCUS with permission from the Editor and

with the usual credit given.

FOCUS 92 4

From Your

President, G3IZD

One of the busiest subjects on the reflector recently concerns the perhaps increasing instances of bad operating practice noted on the bands. These have seemingly occurred from

chasing recent DXpeditions and on occasion by some of the DXpedition operators. Many instances during the CQ WW DX CW contest have also earned much critical comment. These have generally been brought about by the continual calling employed by many. I noticed this on the frequency of a Zone 40 station, always eagerly sought. Slightly alarming to me was the fact that, while still present, it was by no means confined to one or two specific zones. Correspondents have come up with a variety of proposed solutions and no doubt the suggestions will continue to roll in. On a more cheerful note it seems that the recent dinner at Milton Keynes received substantial favourable comment, and expressions of thanks to the organisers. In particular the Bletchley Park tour conducted by Ray, G4FON, was notably enjoyed. Committee therefore very supportive of having the dinner there in 2013, and it’s hoped that more members will be able to attend. There was some nervousness regarding the car parking arrangements but I think all attendees found it safe and painless. In conclusion may I wish all members and their families and friends a very Merry Christmas, and, of course a sunspot filled 2013.

161, Ivan, G3IZD

From Your New

Editor, S57WJ

“Csapjunk a lovak közé!” This Hungarian saying comes to my mind at the moment. The translation would be “Let’s whip the horses!”. The meaning of

this saying is “Go on, let’s do it!”. So, here I am doing my first edition of Focus. I would thank to Joe, V31JP for his work in past year. I guess many of us can’t realize how much effort he did due all the things he dealt with.

I also would like to thank the members for their encouraging words and confidence in me that I will carry on with the editing of Focus.

I hope that many of you will read the new Editors column and therefore I would ask all of you to send me your articles and interesting photographs. The articles should be in plain text format or one of MS Word formats. The photos should be in highest possible resolution to get a nice printed edition of Focus. The articles and the photographs should be sent in separate files if possible.

As many of you noticed by taking a look on the cover and turning the pages, this Focus has different typeface. Although the outlook is different now, the content will be according to the tradition of the previous issues of Focus.

What else to say? Read this issue and keep sending me your articles and photos.

I wish a prosperous 2013 for all members and their families! 161! Gabor, S57WJ

5 FOCUS 92

FOC Annual Dinner at Jurys Inn, Milton Keynes By John Linford, G3WGV

After a year’s absence, the reinstated FOC Annual Dinner at Jurys Inn, Milton Keynes was a great success. I have to admit that when I first heard that the dinner would be in Milton Keynes, my heart sank a little. For the benefit of overseas members, Milton Keynes is one of several ‘new towns’ built during the 1960s and 1970s. It is big on concrete, including, I kid you not, concrete cows standing in a field. It is big on roundabouts too, with a grid-like road system more usually associated with modern North American towns. All the downtown buildings are modern, rectangular boxes. There is no real town centre and certainly nothing in the way of interesting architecture. In short, it’s a rather soulless place! And you know what? It doesn’t matter! The Jurys Inn is one of the many uninspiring modern buildings in central Milton Keynes but inside is comfortably furnished and spacious. The staff is helpful and pleasant. The rooms are inexpensive and entirely satisfactory. And, of course, the company for the weekend was thoroughly excellent. As I had a fairly long journey from Cumbria in the far north west of England, I decided to travel down on the Friday afternoon, sharing transport with our president, G3IZD and arriving late afternoon. Many others evidently had the same idea and by 6pm on Friday there were a dozen or so members in the bar, including Mark, W4CK and Joe W1AO. Some of us decided to eat in the hotel whilst Roger, G3SXW led an expeditionary team of stalwarts on an exploration of Milton Keynes’s restaurants. We all regrouped in the bar an hour or so later, suitably fed and proceeded to inflict some damage on the hotel’s beer and wine stocks. A splendid evening all round and, for some of us at least, an early night in preparation for Saturday’s activities. On Saturday morning a guided tour was on offer at Bletchley Park, home to the World War 2 code-breakers. Way back in the early 1970’s I was stationed at Bletchley Park (BP) for a few months as a young radio technician, so this place has particular significance to me. Back then we had some vague idea that BP had been of some importance during the war but it wasn’t until some years later that the full details emerged. Since then BP has had mixed fortunes, with much of the original site sold off for housing and other parts allowed to fall into disrepair. More recently a trust has been established and much work is in progress to recover and maintain this important heritage site for future generations. Firstly, we had to get there. BP is only a short distance from Milton Keynes and the most logical way to get there was by train, as the rail stations are but a few hundred yards from Jurys Inn and BP respectively. A group of us walked down to Milton Keynes Central rail station, only to be confronted with huge queues for tickets. It would have taken longer to buy the tickets than make the journey so

FOCUS 92 6

we instead hired a taxi, which for six of us actually worked out cheaper than the rail fare would have been! Others made their way to BP by car. Our host for the day was our very own Ray, G4FON, who is a fully qualified tour guide at BP. First he entertained us with a short presentation on the stately origins of Bletchley Park and its somewhat quixotic mansion in which we were sitting. This gave us a useful introduction to the park’s history leading up to its acquisition by the Ministry of Defence as part of the war effort.

Ray, G4FON is ready to take the visitors through Bletchley Park (photo GU4YOX)

Soon we were treading in the footsteps of the code-breakers as we walked around the old huts and buildings of BP. We saw a working reconstruction of Alan Turin’s “Bombe”, a mechanical computer that was instrumental in rapidly cracking the German Enigma codes, which were changed every day. We also spent some time gazing in amazement at the world’s first electronic computer, Colossus, which was designed by Tommy Flowers and was used to crack the even more complex Lorenz ciphers. In this room there was the largest collection of AR88 receivers I think I have ever seen! A small workshop alongside had several other AR88s in various states of repair and it is very obvious that a great deal of radio engineering is going on here. Following the official tour we returned to the manor for a nicely prepared sandwich lunch before being let loose to explore the park for ourselves. The RSGB has recently completed construction of the National Radio Centre at BP and that attracted a lot of interest from members. It is fair to say that the centre is not aimed at already licensed radio amateurs but it certainly provides a nice introduction to potential newcomers and the RSGB is to be congratulated on its considerable efforts. It’s sad to hear that often the centre is short staffed but hopefully that can be sorted out in due course. I didn’t really want to leave BP and there is no doubt that the visit has tempted me to go again and spend some more time there. There is so much to see and far

7 FOCUS 92

too much to fully appreciate in just a few hours. I think I could spend a week there! But leave we had to, for the next item on the FOC weekend agenda was our AGM. We returned to Jurys Inn, this time via the train, just in time for the AGM, chaired by Rob GM3YTS. Those of you that have attended a GMDX AGM will know that Rob is highly efficient in getting through the formal business and he was on fine form, with the result that the AGM was completed in little over 20 minutes. A question and answer session followed and some important questions were discussed and opinions aired. In particular, a vote of thanks for the committee’s hard work during what has been a difficult time for FOC was heartily endorsed by all present.

With the AGM completed, it was time to find the bar! Not difficult, as we had our own private and very spacious bar right by the AGM meeting room. More and more members and guests arrived as afternoon gave way to early evening and soon it was time to get ready for the evening’s entertainment. Our dining room was spacious without being too large and before long we were all comfortably seated at one of the large round tables. Unlike previous FOC dinners there was a welcome absence of formality with just a few short and well received speeches. The meal was nicely presented and tasty and the staff looked after us well. Wine and conversation flowed and a good time was had by all. After the dinner our President, Ivan, G3IZD presented new member Don, G3BJ with the Al Slater G3FXB Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to the hobby and especially his recent work at the RSGB. We also had a quick raffle, the star prize being a TW MagPad paddle, kindly donated by member Tom Withers, G3HGE and won by guest Bob, GU4YOX who is on the sponsorship list. Dinner concluded, we all repaired to the bar once more, for much rag chewing late into the night. Ivan and I returned to Cumbria on Sunday after a leisurely breakfast, arriving home in the mid afternoon – the culmination of a fine and thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

The Committee at the AGM: G3IZD, G3XTT, GM3YTS, G4FNL and G3SXW

FOCUS 92 8

Stan, G3IEW, Joe, W1AO and Vicki, Stewart, G3RXQ

Milton Keynes may be a soulless place but I think on reflection that it is an ideal venue for the FOC dinner. It offers exceptionally easy access, being on a main railway line between London and Birmingham, with their international airports. Road access is excellent too, with the hotel just a few minutes drive away from the M1. As Milton Keynes is roughly in the middle of the country, it is handy for

those of us who live outside London and the south east. Parking is easy, right next to the hotel and despite being adjacent to the main road was inexpensive and safe enough. Of course it is the members and the venue that make the event and there was no problem on either score. There was a good turnout from our overseas contingent and UK members came from far and wide. The hotel was

efficient and friendly and a great deal less expensive than London prices! I think FOC could do a lot worse than adopt Jurys Inn as the venue for future events. Perhaps a word could be had with the management about drinks prices in the bar and the lack of real ale on tap but these are small issues in what was a truly excellent weekend. My thanks to the Committee and, especially to Don, G3XTT, who did a sterling job of organising it. The lucky winners of the raffle grand prizes: • 100 metres Kevlar antenna wire, donated by Mike, G3SED, Nevada Radio – won by Phil G3SWH • Begali CamelBack straight key, donated by Martin Lynch & Sons, in memory of Henry Lewis, G3GIQ – won by Alan G3XAQ • The star-prize, TW MagPad paddle, donated by Tom, G3HGE – won by Bob, GU4YOX

Interesting web links: Bletchley Park: <http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/> National Radio Centre: <http://www.nationalradiocentre.com/> Jurys Inn: <http://miltonkeyneshotels.jurysinns.com/> Lots of pictures by G3TXF: <http://www.g3txf.com/dxtrip/FOC-Dinner-12/FOC-Dinner-12.html> Milton Keynes: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_keynes> Concrete cows: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_Cows>

9 FOCUS 92

The Al Slater Award

By Ivan Davies, G3IZD

This prestigious award is presented by FOC to the individual or organisation that has, in the judgement of the Committee made an outstanding contribution to the hobby which reflects the attitudes and approach of Al Slater, G3FXB. The presentation is further discussed in the FOC Callbook. Following the routine requests, Committee received a nomination which seemed to satisfy easily the requirements outlined, the nominee being well known and admired throughout the hobby. He was a UK subject, and a past-President of the RSGB. Later, when some necessary adjustments to the managing structure appeared, he took over the task of Acting General Manager and thus ensured the continued running of the society’s day-by-day affairs. He was quite recently relieved in this role but continues as a member of the RSGB Board. He has a well sited and equally well equipped station, to which many visitors are frequently invited to operate as well as participate in contests. He is probably equally well known as a member of the core management team, actually co-leader, of the Five Star DX Association (FSDXA) which has carried out many of the most successful DXpeditions, 9MØC, D68C, 3B9C, 3B7C and the latest, record breaking, T32C. The DX fraternity are only too well aware of the lengthy planning and preparation which starts literally years before the event takes place. It became apparent to the Committee that the nominee was about to complete the membership routine of our Club, so, hoping that he would also attend the Annual Dinner at Milton Keynes, it was resolved to keep the identity of the recipient confined to the Committee and make the presentation as part of that event. In this event it all worked out and, following a brief preamble, I had the honour and pleasure of inviting Don Beattie, G3BJ, genuinely surprised as he was, to join me and accept the Al Slater award.

FOCALS

Jelka, S57NW and Gabor, S57WJ visited the Chelsea Flower Show and some other gardens in Essex County at the end of May. They met Dave, G4BUO in Bishop’s Stortford for a meal and couple of beers.

FOCUS 92 10

ROTAB Trophy

By Gabor Szekeres, S57WJ

Mike, G3SED, was thrilled at the RSGB HF convention in October to be presented with the prestigious ROTAB Trophy by Dave Wilson, MØOBW president of the RSGB. The ROTAB (Royal Order of Transatlantic Brass Pounders) Trophy was first awarded in 1924 and original Members of the Order were from those who operated transatlantic tests in 1921 to 1924. It has been awarded over the years to a small group of elite DX operators recognised for their outstanding performance and lifetime achievements in DX working. Mike, G3SED, wrote “Amateur Radio has been a major part of my life through business and pleasure. I have been lucky enough to travel the world through this hobby and enjoy some incredible experiences. Receiving the Trophy was a complete surprise and I'm very humbled to be amongst some outstanding names on the Trophy.”

FOC members who earned the ROTAB Trophy over the years:

Year Call Year Call

1931 G5ML 1975 G2FYT

1936 G6WY 1977 G3FXB

1947 G6ZO 1976 G3KDB

1948 G2MI 1983 G3TXF

1954 G4CP 1987 G3LQP

1956 G5DQ 1990 G4BWP

1957 G6GN 1992 G4EDG

1958 G8KS 1993 G3XTT

1959 G3AAM 1994 G3SXW

1961 G3FPQ 1997 G3HCT

1964 G2PL 1999 G3VMW

1965 G2LU 2002 GM3YTS

1968 G2LB 2003 G3AB

1969 G3FKM 2005 G3LZQ

1970 G3AAE 2008 GM3POI

1972 G2BOZ 2009 G3BJ

1973 G2HKU 2012 G3SED

11 FOCUS 92

Long Live CW or Eight Decades of Amateur Radio

By Rich Langford, G4FAD

Peter Jones, G3ESY, now 87 years old is the longest continuous FOC member, he joined in June 1950 after getting his licence in December 1946. Peter has a wealth of stories about amateur radio. His interest started before the war when he joined the Scouts and was taught semaphore sending messages using flags, after which he joined the local Air Training Corps and became proficient in both the trumpet and Morse. When it was time to join up Peter volunteered to become air crew and was sent to train as a wireless operator on air gunner and so began a lifetime of love of Morse operating. He flew in Wellington bombers. I asked him once what was it like operating a Morse key in an aeroplane in those days? He replied “Very cold, very noisy, a bit like national field day but people could shoot at you as well”! The Morse keys were fully enclosed because of the fire risk, and were called bathtub keys, not the easiest key to use. If you were asked to change frequency finding the correct new frequency was very difficult particularly as the home station would not transmit until you gave the correct recognition code for the hour and day, on the correct frequency. At this time Peter married Olive and they are still together 67 years later, with one son and daughter. After the war he became licensed as G3ESY and soon had a top of the range amateur station, Peter says that he received a certificate for having over 200 different stations from W6, he says he knew more W6’s than G stations at this time. People would drop in from all over the world and Olive had them sign the table cloth which she then embroidered over to make a very interesting talking point to other hams that dropped in to see who had been to dinner before. At this time Peter was using a flop over 2 element beam designed by Dick Bird, G4ZU, it was lashed to the chimney and could fire either way by pulling a cord and pulley system, so Steppir were not the first to have 180 degree option! DX’ing was harder in those days as you had to search out the weak stations but people had more time and were a lot more polite. There was a story in our local club that a ham who worked for the Electricity Board was called out to investigate a mysterious fault in a house, the householder described the problem “at dinner time the hall light flashes on and off, the amazing thing is it is not even switched on” sure enough on the stroke of one o clock the light started to pulse on and off, luckily for Peter the electrician saw it was CQ in Morse and stepping outside saw the beam on next doors roof was able to warn Peter to drop his power when working the DX, Peter had popped home so that he could work Danny Weil who was on various DX expeditions, and the only time he could work him was at dinner time. Peter by now had become The Electoral Registration Officer for Herefordshire a job that could be very demanding at times. Still contacts were made with people who are now legends such as G2MI Arthur Milne who started the QSL bureau and ran it for 50 years came to Hereford to see him and Al Slater (Maud still sends a Christmas card) and

FOCUS 92 12

Katashi Nose, KH6IJ, who Peter says one of the best fists that he had ever heard. One station that had daily contacts was a W5 from Albuquerque, suddenly he stopped transmitting many months later a letter came through from another ham who had seen the W5’s log and realised that the G station would not know that the W5 had passed away and would be wondering what had become of his friend. Peter is still active on the bands and has a 4 element monobander 204BA for 20 metres at 60 feet and a doublet for the low bands, a Yaesu FT-990 and a Bencher twin paddle key. He still puts out a good signal and he worked T32C days before me last year! Peter is very proud to be a member of FOC for so many years and has enjoyed passing the time of the day with his many friends on the air. He used to enjoy going to the club dinners especially at Lords Cricket ground, where he could meet other FOC members in person, especially as he had many friends from the EU as he had a call HB9CDY, and would often go to Friedrichshafen just over the border. He says “ The club has had many up’s and downs over the years but I feel it is going strong now, and long may this continue” Peter’s last words to me on the phone as we discussed this piece was” Long live CW and FOC”!

Peter, G3ESY in his shack five decades ago (photo published in DX Chaser, 1958)

13 FOCUS 92

Read the Manuals and Get New Ideas By Manuel Wilches, LU5OM

Unplug your radio... - A couple of months ago, a lightning strike hit near our home in Salta. I don´t know what happens in other places but here, lightning strikes hit in the middle of the night, when yours truly is usually dreaming of having VK6HD and ST2AR come back to his CQ's on 80 metres, to complete WAZ on that band. This one was no exception. To cut a long story short, I lost a brand new FT857D, a Navigator interface for digital modes, my HAM IV rotor controller, the shack ceiling fan and the computer. The newcomers, the K3 and KPA-500, were spared. No other appliances in the house were affected. Damage happened in the radio room and no place else. As the mains fuses, on the power company side, were blown away, I assume the damaging current peaks did not come through the coax or the rotor cable, but rather through the 220 volts line. For the benefit of others, let me explain how I had everything connected (or disconnected) in the shack at the time: • The K3 and KPA-500 had no coax connected to them and they were not connected to any power supply or the mains. • The computer, the rotor controller, and the Navigator interface (plugged into the PC) were connected to the 220 volts house mains. • The FT857D was far away, in another desk, and it had no coax attached to it. However, its power supply (switched-off) was connected to the mains wall socket. At the time, the K3 had been in the shack a few days, and the KPA-500 for a few weeks. I shivered at the thought the strike could have blown both away. I will never forget that night and I will never forget to unplug again! Please take note! Read the manuals… - and the next morning, there I was, looking at disaster on my hands. I wrote to a few friends, asked them for advice (they are too many to mention here) and, I immediately realised I could not send the FT857D, or the Navigator, to the US for repairs. It would be an expensive exercise of dubious results. A local ham, LU3OZ, managed to repair the rotor controller though. Not wanting to buy another digital interface (The Navigator, by the way, is an excellent interface, but expensive) and being an RTTY fan, I really wanted to get back on the air. That is when I decided to read the K3 manual! Please take note! And there it was: the possibility of working RTTY as A-FSK with the PC, with no need for further interfaces. However, com ports, serials, parallels, virtual com ports, rts-dtr, and all that jazz, were here to scare me to death for the next few weeks. Eventually, as it always happens, FOC friends guided me to a solution. As I looked at my K3, receiving RTTY without an external box, it occurred to me, I should try the internal keyer as well. Don´t take me wrong, the Idiom Press CMOS-4 keyer that so many of us have at home, is my favourite keyer, with great timing. However, I wanted reduced clutter on my desk and, using the K3 internal keyer, suddenly, became a very attractive proposition. I must confess however, when I am pushed for a high speed FOC chat, I go back to the IP keyer.

FOCUS 92 14

Get new ideas - I liked the reduced number of cabinets and started to think, how I could reduce them even further. I had a rotor controller box, plus my own home-made L-network controller that I use to tune my inverted-L (for 30, 40, 80 and 160 metres) from the shack. And there was a speaker too, and cables and more cables.... I thought I could, perhaps, fit all this into one or two cabinets and, obviously, to show a real improvement, these new cabinets had to be the same style, colour and size of the Elecraft K3 and KPA-500 cabinets. I am not talented at all with my hands and much less to be given the responsibility of shaping a metal cabinet, placing the holes in the proper positions and painting the whole thing. So, I consulted with my good friend and neighbour Don Ricardo González again (you will remember him from a previous article I wrote for FOCUS a couple of years back). Mr. González son is in the electronics world: he repairs, skilfully, all sorts of electronic gadgets, cell phones, sophisticated toys and anything that stops working in a house. He is a very talented fellow and a sort of a resident “MacGyver”, if you will, in our neighbourhood. Mariana and I are blessed to have him, and his father as friends. I must give Daniel González most of the credit for this project. My young friend managed to bend the metal sheets to the right shape and size and then helped me put together what you see in the attached photos. We stripped the rotor controller, placed it inside the new cabinet, and then added a new version of my L-network controller. I wrote to Elecraft (thank you Gary Surrency – AB7MY) and got the colour code for the Elecraft equipment paint. We do not have the same manufacturer here and the specification sheet was written in an unknown language to me. There was no way I could translate that into the proper chemicals to produce the same colour tone. So, we settled for what we had. They are all black colours anyway and, if you don´t look too closely, you won´t see much of a difference. It can be improved, particularly, if you live in the USA, or perhaps Europe, where that colour might be available. The result is, I now have four neat cabinets on my desk, that house a complete all-mode, 500 watt station for 10 bands (6 through 160 metres – 200 watts on 30 metres) including accessories and control of my antennas. • K3 + CW Keyer + RTTY (A-FSK) • KPA-500 (highly recommended, by the way, but you need to have your SWR under control)

Daniel Gonzales in LU5OM's shack

15 FOCUS 92

• The HAM IV + L-NETWORK controllers in one cabinet • The SPEAKER + AUDIO SWITCHING arrangement for the PC (Digital modes or Skype)

When Elecraft comes out

with their announced

KAT-500, I will have to find

a way to hide it. I would

hate to break the

beautiful balance of the

station as it is today, and

increase the number of

boxes on my desk.

Invitation to W5FOC Weekend By Marvin Bloomquist, N5AW

The 2013 W5FOC Weekend will be at Canyon of the Eagles in the Texas Hill Country April 5 to 7. Canyon of the Eagles is a resort located on a 940 acre nature preserve on Lake

Buchanan 18 miles northwest of the city of Burnet.

The nature preserve provides nesting grounds for Bald Eagles and two endangered bird species: Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-capped Vireos. It is also home to the largest privately owned astronomical observatory in Texas. There are numerous hiking trails, a fishing dock and many places to just sit back and enjoy nature and peace and quiet.

Check out the Canyon of the Eagles website at <http://www.canyonoftheeagles.com/hill-country-resort> To get to all this beauty does take a bit of travel. The nearest major airport to Canyon of the Eagles is Austin Bergstrom 80 miles away. San Antonio International airport is about 110 miles. The smaller but very nice Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport is 70 miles away and has frequent connections to Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston International airports.

If you are interested in attending please contact N5AW by email for more information: <n5aw@arrl.net>

161! Marv, N5AW and Bruce, K6ZB

Nicely arranged cabinets in the shack

FOCUS 92 16

Contesting … a well rounded operator can do it ALL!

By Allen Singer, N2KW

Amateurs in the Northeast must be over-engineering their antenna systems, because hurricane Sandy felled many old trees, but did very little damage in the antenna department. Typical damage consisted of a tree falling, bringing down a wire in the process. People in low-lying, coastal areas suffered terribly. Imagine a wall of water. Eight to ten feet high, travelling along at 40 MPH and you will quickly realize nothing can stand up to that impact. Cars floated out the door of underground garages, houses were flattened. The sand was so deep in Long Beach, you had to be careful where you drove your 4wd, because you could slash a tire, running over the top of a buried ‘Stop’ sign. I was to have operated SS from a contest station, but couldn't get gasoline for a week. At least I had power and heat, many didn't. The contests that I am looking forward to may be history by the time we publish. I will be QRV in RSGB-160 (2)....in CQ WW CW (on 160 from W2PV), in ARRL-160, ARRL-10, and in Stew Perry. I may make an appearance in the RAC-Winter Contest, but TBDC takes priority. The Marathon is the contest that lies ahead of us, and one we should discuss here, in order to maximise your score. Unlike ARRL or CQ contests, the Marathon has a ‘bonus’ for working someone on five, or on six, bands. This 'bonus' (IMO) is the key to doing well in your class. You must try to QSO someone on five, or on six, bands. There is, of course, an art to this. You must consider the three HF bands as a separate entity than the three LF bands. When you QSO a strong station, suggest a fast QSY, to fill three bands. ‘PSE QSY 21021’ or ‘PSE QSY 14014’ ....if someone is within groundwave range, get all six bands ‘out of the way’ ... lest you find out after the contest that you forgot 21! To this end (and this particular strategy only applies to the stateside crew) I usually open the Marathon on 28, stay there for at least 15 minutes, and then QSY to 21. It's usually 40 or 45 minutes into the contest by the time I make it to 14, where the rate is. Funny thing though, I end up working most of those stations on all three bands, in the first hour.......leaving the three LF bands for a midnight encounter. BING * BANG * BOOM ...another ‘sixer’ in the log. Unlike FOCQP, the Marathon is not a ‘rate’ contest. The reward for being a Speed Demon, is running out of stations to work. Both the size of the club, and the number of participants, is small. You have plenty of time to visit, to chat (but please don't write a book, while stations are standing by.) Please QSY if asked to, some people study the past records, looking for a perceived weakness, and they need your co-operation to realise their dream. You may not have an antenna for Top Band, but if you have an ATU, and short the feeders on your doublet, you would be amazed at how many 160 metre contacts you can make! Let us start planning our strategy an hour before local sunrise. Europeans must choose between enhanced propagation to their West (as in ‘USA’) on the LF bands, or

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propagation to their East on the HF bands. Since we have more members in North America, than in Asia, I would suggest staying with LF until there is nobody left to work on all three bands. Ideally, you would follow the MUF up, right to 28 MHz, but if the MUF gets ahead of you, go to the highest band with propagation. You can fill 14 and 21 later in the day. Remember ‘there's no meters, like ten meters!’ Two reasons commend higher frequencies. First, the Ionosphere is a more efficient reflector when the band is open, so your signal sounds like a 'big gun.' And second (thanks to K3ZO for teaching me about 'searchlight propagation') the skip zone has a smaller footprint, so when it's time for W5 to work the DX, a W3 can only be in the way. Everybody gets a turn, but if you hear the DX work 20 ‘W4’ stations, and you are ‘W1’...come back later. The venerable ‘tick-sheets' seem to score bands well, but the problem is you often colour in the wrong box, and then you two disagree about which bands you still need. Better to use a logging programme that takes the frequency information directly from the radio. Once upon a time, a radio with CAT control was expensive, but I am happy to say those days are past. My latest acquisition, an IC-718, with an aftermarket mechanical filter, cost me under $400 on the great auction site. It is a much better Receiver than IC-706. Europeans get to work each other long before us Yanks have a shot on LF. With big antennas, it is possible to QSO Europe rather early.....but it is a stunt. There is no rate to be had for an American until the shadows get long. There was a time, and not so long ago, when it seemed someone pulled a switch at 2400z, and 14 MHz died, but no longer. By that time, however, I'll be on 40m, maybe even 80m. At this point in the cycle, we have to keep an almost constant eye on 28 MHz. May I suggest that if it isn't buzzing with activity, that you try a CQ at the top of the hour? If we are all in the same place, at the same time, the result can only be more QSO's. Likewise, Top Band, during hours of darkness......if it isn't buzzing with activity, try a CQ on the hour. What can you lose? Two minutes? Minutes...I don't know about you, but I cannot operate for 48 hours. I am fairly comfortable with 14 hours, but a hot meal can put me back in the chair for another 5 or 6 hours. When the rate slow (for me, that is after European sunrise) I grab a nap. I have learned that sleep occurs in 90-minute intervals, and I require two of them. I go to sleep at 0700, and I'm back in the chair before 1000. At 1000, some amazing long-haul DX can be worked on LF, but at that hour, I want rate. Look for me on 15, or higher. So much for strategy, how about predictions? Last year, Jeff won a decisive victory in the Unlimited class, and if he enters that category again, he will repeat his triumph. Siggi, N3RS, is a fantastic operator (and so is Jeff) but Jeff is halfway to Europe, and has a huge signal on LF. Across the pond, it has always been neck-and-neck between Fraser, G4BJM and Clive, GM3POI and I don't see anything changing that. Andy, P4ØLE in SA, Barry, VK2BJ in OC, Ben, CT3AS in AF, Daniel, 4X1FC in AS. No surprises... In the Restricted class, betting on K3TW to win is a pretty safe proposition. Last year, LY9A squeaked by DL8LBK for the highest-scoring European in the Restricted class, and my money says that Karsten, DL8LBK will not allow this to happen again. Both K3TW and 4Z4KX will be trying to play ‘blackout Bingo’ with the ‘All-time Records’ in that class, for North America, and for Asia, respectively. Mark stands an excellent chance, but Tom will

FOCUS 92 18

have his work cut out for him, the performance by Chris, W4/G4BUE in 2002, will be difficult to match. Look for W1UU to break the 15 metre-record, set by K1ZZ. Pete stands a good chance of setting new high-water marks in ‘5B’ and ‘6B’ as well....will 2013 be the year? 2013 will certainly be an interesting year for N2KW. I plan on attending Hamcation, Hamvention, and Friedrichshafen. A BERU entry from Jamaica and a field-day style operation from one of the WRTC sites highlights the IARU Contest. I look forward to meeting many of you in person, on my first-ever European vacation. You will be hearing more and more about WRTC-2014, as the date approaches. As many of you know, WRTC brings the top operators in the world together, to compete on a level playing field, and to enjoy each other’s camaraderie for a few days. The 2014 event will be in Massachusetts, and our own K1DG is heading up the efforts. Assisted by K1RX, K1KI, and about a hundred others, Doug is doing his darndest to make WRTC 2014 the best to date. He has been kind enough to say a few words on the subject, so over to you Doug!

FOC and WRTC

By Doug Grant, K1DG

The World Radiosport Team Championship, or WRTC, is often called the ‘Olympics of Ham Radio’. It is a specialized contest that occurs every four years, with the best two-operator teams from each region of the world traveling to the same area and using identical antenna systems and power. This removes all the variables of location, geography, antenna performance, and even rareness. Contesting, of course, is only one part of ham radio. While some FOC members do not choose to pursue contesting, many others do, and recognize that the world’s top contesters are excellent operators. WRTC is a mixed-mode (SSB/CW) contest, but typically 70% of the winning team’s QSOs are made on CW. There is a long-standing tradition of involvement of FOC members in the event. The first WRTC, held in Seattle, WA in July 1990, was organized in a period of great transition in the former Soviet Union. The organizers managed to get the WRTC acknowledged as a cultural exchange event held in conjunction with the Goodwill Games. Four teams from the USSR were allowed to travel to the U.S. to participate – this was extraordinary. Among FOC members who participated as competitors were K1AR, K1DG, N5TJ, VE7CC, LZ1MS, G4BUO, and JE1JKL. Several other FOC members served as referees, including K6NA. The next WRTC was held in San Francisco in 1996. FOC was again well-represented in the list of competitors, including N5TJ, VE3EJ, K4BAI, W4AN (SK), K4UEE, K5ZD, S53R, K1AR, K1DG, WØUA, N9RV, OK1CF, JE1JKL, N2NT, and perhaps others whose calls have changed. This was the first time that the WRTC was held during the annual IARU HF Championship.

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WRTC 2006, Brasil (l to r): KC7V, G4BWP, K3NA, G5LP, K1DG, G3LZQ, GM4AFF, G3XTT

Subsequent WRTCs have been held in Slovenia in 2000 (FOC member Tine, S5ØA, was Chairman of the Organizing Committee), 2002 in Finland, 2006 in Brazil, and 2010 in Russia. FOC was well-represented in all of these with members attending as competitors, referees, and judges. K1ZZ has served as Chief Judge in several WRTC events and will be reprising that role in 2014. In interesting turn of events at WRTC 2006 in

Brazil, FOC member Lionel, G5LP, was randomly assigned as the referee for the two-operator team consisting of FOC members K1DG and N2NT, resulting in a ‘Team FOC’. WRTC has evolved significantly over the years. The current format of the competition uses ‘Field-Day-style’ temporary stations with identical antennas and comparable terrain to insure equal station performance. Power is monitored and controlled to 100 watts maximum. The goal is to insure a level playing field so that the team with the best operating and best strategy will win. The two-operator teams are required to bring their own equipment, keyers, headphones, computers, filters, and so forth. Locations and callsigns are randomly assigned, with the callsigns kept in a sealed envelope by the referee until 5 minutes before the contest. The contest, still held within the IARU HF Championship, runs for 24 hours, then the logs are turned in for checking and the winners are declared in an Olympic-style award and closing ceremony the following night. However, aside from the competition, WRTC has developed into a significant social event for the world’s best operators. For the several days leading up to the contest, operators who have made dozens or even hundreds of on-the-air QSOs meet for the first time in person. Stories are swapped, meals are shared, and friendships are made or renewed, crossing all manner of national, cultural and other boundaries. After the contest the camaraderie continues, and after the closing ceremonies, plans are made for visits to new friends’ QTHs, and some DXpedition plans are even hatched. WRTC 2014, to be held in the W1 area in the U.S.A., has a strong FOC involvement in the leadership, with FOC members K1AR, K1DG, N2NT, and K5ZD all serving as Directors. WRTC 2014 will continue the tradition of a level playing field, and strong social program. Fifty-nine teams will be selected representing all regions of the world and be set up at temporary station locations in central Massachusetts. All stations will be situated in tents, and provided with generators and identical antennas (Cycle24 TX38 tribander on a 40-foot tower, Inverted Vee’s for 40 and 80) so that all teams will have a fair chance at

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winning. Each team will also have a volunteer referee in the tent monitoring their activities to insure compliance with the rules. In July 2012, 13 of the station sites were activated during the IARU contest to determine if any of the sites were defective in any way (line noise, particularly good or bad signals compared to the other sites, too rocky to install guy anchors for the tower, etc.). Several FOC members participated in that test, including K1ZZ and N2KW. Using the Reverse Beacon Network to collect data, one site was found to be much louder in Europe and much weaker to W6 than the other sites. This site will probably not be used in 2014. The social program will offer something for everyone. New England is a popular vacation destination in the summer, with lots of activities apart from ham radio. We’ll be offering tours of local historic sites dating back to the early colonial settlements, sites where the colonists fought for their independence from England (hopefully our U.K. members have forgiven us), as well as shopping tours, cruises of Boston Harbor, and more. In addition, since 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ARRL, we’ll include a tour of ARRL HQ in nearby Newington, CT. Some visitors may want to extend their stay for another week to attend the ARRL’s Centennial National Convention in Hartford, CT. WRTC 2014 is an expensive undertaking, and is being funded entirely by donations and advertising. One of the more popular fundraising opportunities has been “Tent Sponsorship”. For 1000 dollars, a club or other group can have its logo displayed on one of the station tents, or dedicate a tent to the memory of a highly regarded Silent Key. Several FOC members will be memorialized at WRTC 2014 in this way, including N4TO, P43JB, W1CW, K4OJ, W4AN, and W5ZL. On behalf of the WRTC 2014 Organizing Committee, I hope to see a lot of FOC members here in New England in July 2014. It will be an event to remember.

Awards News

By Bob Bagwell, G4HZV

Congratulations to the following members who were recently awarded certificates and stickers: New Certificates: WAFOCC: IK0YGJ (393) Stickers: WAFOCC: IK0YGJ 50; G5CL 50; G3RTE 210, 220. WAFOCC Bands: IK0YGJ 40m 25, 20m 25, 50; 15m 25; G5CL 40m 25, 15m 25; G4HZV 15m 100.

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22 September 2012 FOC QSO Party Got High Praise from Members

By Art Suberbielle, KZ5D

Choosing the date for any amateur radio operating event is like rolling the dice. You never really know what you’re going to get. But finally, my selection of 22 September seemed to please just about everyone. As you will note in the comments from participants that follow this report, conditions were probably the best we’ve had for one of our FOC QPs. We were able to schedule on a weekend without any other major contests. And participation by members and non-members seemed better than ever. Actually, if you go by the number of reports received, this event was the best yet with member reports received from 113 participants. We also received reports from 35 non-members. By any measure, this operating event was a huge success. I hope that you had a chance to participate. My time was limited as were many of those who sent in reports. That’s the benefit of this FOC QP-spend whatever time you wish taking part in the fun. Some members such as Allen, N2KW, were on the air for over 20 of the 24 hours. But there were also a handful of reports from participants who spent a little more than an hour on the air. Congratulations and handsome certificates are in order for the stations that reported the highest number of QSOs on each continent. The world high score was reported by Allen, N2KW, with 673 QSOs, of which 582 were with members. Top European report and number 2 worldwide was Mike, F5IN with 550/382. Meanwhile, Hans, PJ4LS, won the award from South America with 279/135. That was the third highest world score. Right behind Hans was Nick, G3RWF, operating 5B/ from Cyprus with 266/189. The top honours for Oceania goes to Gary, ZL2IFB, with 124/80. No report was received from Africa. Certificate winners in the non-member category are N4BP operating W1SOC with 257 QSOs. This was the highest non-member score and the highest from North America. F6HKA took the top honours from Europe with 184, while JA1GZV with 16 QSO was the highest report received from Asia. It’s time to look to 2013 and mark your calendars. We’ve got two dates that appear relatively conflict free, so get these Saturdays reserved for some great fun on the radio: Saturday, 23 March 2013 and Saturday, 14 September 2013. Now let’s take a look at what some of the participants had to say.

Members’ Soapbox:

AC2K - I have been in Houston for a month on a work project, but I did manage 2 contacts from my remote station over a really poor hotel Wi-Fi connection. DKØFOC (op. DL1VDL) - The sun was with us presenting a good 10m opening during the last BWQP. I had the pleasure to use DKØFOC. DK5AD - Condx were very good especially on 10m were I had a lot of QSOs with members never worked before on this band. In addition plenty of Windles. DL3AZ - Great condx and a lot of fun during the BW QP. Unfortunately I missed the openings on 10m bands due my employment on Saturday afternoon.

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DL4CF - It really was good fun working so many members and non-members especially on 15 and 10m.The propagation was just great. GØGKH - Was not able to spend much time at the radio, the weather was so good had to make the most of it to do outside activities. GØORH - Only bit part here, Chores on the Farm. Worked Shin, JA1NUT on 15m. A few locals on 10m but a nice surprise and QSO with Eric, T6MO. G3KOJ - I missed quite a few due to the big signals from the states beating me to some of the guy's. Had lots of fun. G3LHJ - I was a bit limited for time this time, was involved with our local Club TARS A.R.S in putting on a special event station for the White Rock School annual fete – GB5WRS, which was from 9.30am till 17:00. G3LIK - limited time I had available as I had a reunion & AGM to attend but many thanks for you QSO on 15m and was pleased to catch the 10m opening too. G3NCN - I operated three periods in the 24 hours: early morning, early afternoon and early evening. I am currently my XYL's carer, with full household duties. G3PJT - limited to a couple of hours due to clash of dates with RSGB board meeting. G3RXP - Planned visit to Lincoln with the XYL all day so could only spare an hour or so when we arrived home in the evening, but very enjoyable, and it sounded like conditions had been great. However, I had a few sessions and thought conditions and the non-member participation were both good. G3YEC - Present health could not allow me to do either a continuous run or indeed long single periods. But I enjoyed it and meeting the gang. It was very nice to find 10M open over here. G4FAD - It was great to meet so many members and I received a warm welcome from them all. G4FOC (op. G3KTZ) - I couldn't put in the full day, as I had to help with the neighbor’s new roof before the weather broke here. G4HZV - Conditions were excellent. Even paused for extended QSO with some West Coast friends. FOC activity at its best. G4RCG - What a great QSO Party, one of the best ones since I became a member, none stop from when I went on at about 02.42z to when I packed in at 22.00z G5CL - Despite limited time, I notched up five new Augies and even heard and worked Mort on 10m! GMØGAV - Great conditions and plenty of activity. It was a rare sunny day here so didn't spend all day indoors. GW3KGV – I’m rather restricted in the time I can spend on the bands, so my score is never likely to be very high. However HF condx were super and that helped! K2SG - Sorry I didn’t have more time for the QP, conditions were really good. Family kept me busy this weekend but I did manage a little over 2 hours at the end. HA7AP - Although I was working only twelve hours, but I really enjoyed the party. I was able to work from 80-10m and surely had a lot of fun, especially when 15m were open to west coast and manage to log a few of them. IKØIXI - It was my first FOC QP. After some QSO in early EU morning, I was all day QRT due to work. Nice condition to US on 20m and 40m late Saturday when I back home, worked some "new ones" for my Windle. IKØYGJ - I really missed Dan 4X1FC, he wrote me he had a Cerebro Vascular Accident that left him with some issues that he is now trying to cope with. He reported me he could not talk properly and manipulates the key with difficulty. K1ZZ - Not much of a score but I enjoyed what little operating I was able to do. Nice to see 10 meters open to Europe again. K2SX - Condx seemed pretty good here with nice opening to EU on Sat morning. Activity level seemed pretty good. Nice to see a lot of newer members on the air but where were all the older ones? K2UV - I made an effort, but to have fun, not exhaust myself. Hence, I had plenty of time away from the radio. For example, with two hours to go I decided to jog for an hour and didn't get back on until around 2310. K2ZR - Band conditions were really quite good and I'm sure a good time was had by all. Lots of activity from members and non-members. I took time to explain FOC to a non-

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members since I was occasionally asked what FOC was all about. K3ZO - Finally you found a weekend on which there were no other contests. Glad to see a few non-FOCers who seemed to be taking the event seriously, likely candidates for membership. K4BAI - Lot of good non-members worked many of whom should be good prospects for membership. Bands were in good shape including 10 meters. K6ZB - What an excellent QSO party it was! Conditions were OK and 15 meters seemed the best. I operated on 80 through 10 (no antenna for 160). K8JP (op. V31JP) - I had a good time and pleased with what I could do with my 100 Watts and this home brewed wire ground plane antenna for 80, 40, 30 and 20 metres. I even had some 10 metre QSOs. I appreciated all the well wishes and "Glad to see you on the air." remarks. If certainly felt good except the back is a bit weak yet and would let me know "You're in the chair too long, Joe." Of course, I surprised a lot of members as K8JP, instead of my V31JP call. K9FN - I was not feeling well, and had limited time, but it was great to get a few more windless, some very warm welcomes, and to make a few multi-band contacts. KR3E - My "best ears" award goes to ZL2IFB, who managed to hear me on 3 bands: 20, 15 and 10. MØIKE - This was my best one so far, Nice to have great conditions on the bands. Found a lot more none members taking part this year making the bands buzzing with activity. N2ATB - The QSO Party was lots of fun. Conditions were good and there was a lot of activity. N2KW - WOW! Conditions were super for BWQP. N3BB - Ten meters was open to EU so I tried to hang out there and get some new Windles and say hello to the boys over the pond. N4AF - Very nice to have 10M opening up- I hope it lasts! The low bands (esp 160M) took a big hit, partly because we did not hit them hard (QRN). N9RV - The activity and conditions were intoxicating! First EU on 10 meters worked. More activity is good! N9SW - Not much time to put in this past weekend. PJ4LS - It was my pleasure to take part. R6AF - It was a wonderful event. Especially the propagation. I'm only a bit sad that since I didn't have appropriate antennas for 160 and 80m bands it was only possible to operate on 4 others. S57NW - I was surprised when I heard S57WJ calling me with a straight key. I thought that one of locals is making a bad joke. I found out few minutes later that Gabor called me from the kitchen using his old FT-767GX connected to a dummy load! S57WJ - I will use the dummy load to make 6 bander QSO's with the rest of the family in next Marathon! SM3/EA8CN - This year I had social things preventing me from keeping up the high flag but still enjoying meeting friends at the party. VE2AEJ (op. VE3HX) - I only operated a few hours in FOC QP from my VE2AEJ QTH because I was dividing my time between doing a propagation experiment consisting of searching for wireless echoes of long delay and participating in the QSO Party - and not really doing either very well! VK2BJ - Well it is always fairly hard going from here as we are so far away from anybody else except ZL. W1EBM – Was disappointed that there was no 160m activity. I called CQ a lot but no responses…and the band scope showed no activity. W1FJ - My first time to use Fabian's RBN and the new (to me) ACOM 2000, sure made for a lot of fun and extra QSOs. W1RAN – The FOC QSO Party was a great idea for the club. 50-year member next April. W1RM - Nice to see 10 open! W3MC - Operated mobile from Duluth MN to Bay City MI - 100 QSOs in about 600 miles. W4YE - Limited time, but good activity level, always fun. W6RGG – I found some time, and was actually able to hear some European members.

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W6SJ - I certainly enjoyed this party, Art. We were at the symphony until 10PM so I was on the air for a bit when it started and then wasn't on the air until about 11PM local Nice opening on 15 meter and I got a bunch of new Augies as a result. W9RGB - We had the best conditions in a long time for this great QSO party, a big favourite of mine. I was worried near the start, because we had a thunderstorm in progress, but it quickly passed and 40 came alive with CQ BW. During the next 24 hours every band was lively, even 10 meters. WB2YQH - WOW! What a party! Terrific event this time. The propagation gods even gave us a super opening on 15 meters and a splash on 10 meters. It felt like a mini-Marathon! This event seems to have come into its own. Looks like more members than ever were active and F6HKA takes the prize for the outstanding non-member pounding out QSOs. WG4FOC (op. K3TW) - It's always fun to use this special call sign in the FOC QSO Parties. See you again next year. ZB2CW - Gibraltar is a busy little place measuring 3 miles long by 1 mile wide, apart from the BWQP we had clean up the world where I joined a group of about 20 others to clean up the Northern Defence Tunnels on the Saturday morning which by the way were dug out in the late 1700’s, then across the frontier to Spain for shopping in the afternoon then back on the bands till they died out then Sunday the Gibraltar dog show which is a qualifier for crufts in London…life is good on the rock! ZL2IFB - Highlights were being heard by the lesser-spotted “illusive” Mort on 20m, working US East coasters stations via long path around 20z on 20m, and bagging an Augie or two.

Non-members’ Soapbox:

W1SOC (op. N4BP) - Worked many FOC members on four bands and N2KW on five. As usual, FOC Members took the "Second Class Operators Club" call in stride and made me feel welcome. G6GLP - Since I only started playing with CW in March this year I am a little out of my depth with the FOC gang but it is good to work you guys and I hope some of the practices rub off HI. Since I can only send at about max. 18 WPM. I was pleased that a couple of stations slowed the speed down while others like Tina gapped the letters. Sadly not all but I coped. GI4CFQ - Things started off slowly for me but once the propagation got its act together, I had a ball. A large part of the day involved alternating between 20m and 15m. Later in the evening here in the UK, 40m produced some nice 'goodies' too. My best DX of the day was with JA1NUT on 20m who came back to my first call. Regarding from the comments received, the 22 September FOC QSO Party was the best yet. Good propagation combined with a relatively free weekend combined for a fun-filled time for all who participated. A total of 113 members submitted reports which was the highest ever. Non-member reports were received from 37 stations. The high QSO totals reported from around the world are new records. Here are the continental leaders: FOC Members: North America: N2KW – 673/582 –World high score Europe: F5IN – 550/382 South America: PJ4LS – 279/135 Asia: 5B/G3RWF – 266/189 Oceania: ZL2IFB – 124/80 Africa: No report received

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Non-Members: North America: W1SOC (op.N4BP) – 257 Europe: F6HKA – 184 Asia: JA1GZV – 16 No reports received from South America, Africa, or Oceania. All of the above will receive handsome certificates to commemorate their efforts. Here’s the list of all the reports received:

Results-Members:

Call QSO's FOC Call QSO's FOC Call QSO's FOC

N2KW 673 582 KR3E 233 207 W4YE 128 117 F5IN 550 356 K1SA 228 218 S57WJ 125 101 R6AF 505 379 F3AT 224 209 ZL2IFB 124 80 G4RCG 501 397 K4LTA 218 164 G3XTT 123 109 AA3B 500 382 WB2YQH 218 190 DL3AZ 121 94 W1FJ 470 345 PAØLOU 211 162 PAØVDV 114 93 N4AF 459 372 DL8PG 207 109 G3PJT 110 77 DKØFOC 455 376 NA5G 207 182 G3YEC 108 105

op. DL1VDL

SM3/EA8CN 207 178 G4FAD 108 106 DL4CF 432 329 N2ATB 206 135 W1RAN 106 95 WØUCE 430 309 US9PA 204 192 G3RVM 100 88 K2NV 429 322 K3ZO 202 166 W3MC 100 76 MØIKE 410 284 KØVBU 198 162 G3LIK 97 78 KZ5D 400 305 K5TF 198 163 K2SG 97 91 OK1WF 388 306 N5XZ 197 163 IKØIXI 92 70 W9RGB 385 285 G4FOC 195 165 VE3BHZ 86 78 W5ZR 374 310 op. G3KTZ IKØYGJ 85 60 DJ5IL 363 308 S57NW 195 161 G8VG 82 79 N9RV 338 240 W6RGG 180 132 G3SXW 81 70 K4XU 333 260 W7QC 180 140 G3LHJ 79 64 DK5AD 325 282 N3AM 175 158 PAØDIN 75 65 GMØGAV 322 253 K2UV 172 154 G5CL 74 52 K2ZR 320 225 G4HZV 165 153 N3BB 73 55 GW3KDB 316 265 OZ4FF 159 128 VK2BJ 73 49 W1RM 315 233 K6ZB 158 120 G3NCN 72 70 G3LWI 299 188 S51WO 156 146 DK2GZ 70 64 K4BAI 293 208 HA7AP 147 138 K9FN 70 60 G4BYG 287 231 SV5/G2JL 138 127 N9SW 70 45 PJ4LS 279 135 YO3FRI 138 107 W1HL 66 62 5B/G3RWF 266 189 K8JP 136 116 W1EBM 59 58 G4BUE 260 230 op. V31JP DJ4KW 57 41 K2SX 255 205 IK6BAK 131 110 KY7M 55 44 PA7RA 250 162 GW3KGV 128 121 W6SJ 53 45

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Call QSO's FOC Call QSO's FOC Call QSO's FOC

W4PRO 52 44 WG4FOC 43 12 GØORH 34 28 W7GKF 52 42 op. K3TW OH2EA 33 32 HSØAC 51 24 PAØINA 39 37 GØGKH 30 25 VK4TT 46 35 G3ZRJ 38 35 ZB2CW 29 25 K1ZZ 45 41 G3KOJ 37 37 VK8AV 16 15 VE2AEJ 44 38 G3RXP 36 31 AC2K 2 2

op. VE3HX

Results-Non-members:

Call FOC Call FOC Call FOC

W1SOC 257 DL5YL 58 YO4AAC 30 op. N4BP IK2SOE 55 VE3/YO2GL 29

K7QQ 225 SI5Y 53 VE2KOT 28 F6HKA 184 NN6T 53 PAØATG 23 DK9HE 145 IK2SOE 52 OK2KFK 21 K4GM 117 W4GJ 49 PA7CG 20 TF3DC 107 G6GLP 46 KØLWV 20 NB4M 95 UR5FCM 43 AC2FA 17 VE3USP 78 W9DLN 37 JA1GZV 16 NW2K 78 G3RSD 36 DJ6TK 15 GI4CFQ 69 SD7W 32 F3WT 6 PA2W 66 N5XE 32 PAØSAN 4 KCØURL 60 IK2GRA 31

FOCAL

Gabor, S57WJ made a short trip to Budapest in July. The reason for the trip was to buy a home-made solid state amplifier from a fellow ham. The tip about the amplifier came from Imi, HA7AP.

Gabor, S57WJ in Imi’s, HA7AP shack

27 FOCUS 92

Invitation to Condin 2013, Amsterdam

By Miles Spiering, PA3CVV

The 2013 Continental Dinner will be held in Amsterdam. Everybody is cordially invited! Amsterdam is packed with things to see and do. We will provide information and suggestions for all participants.

When?

Saturday 18 May 2013.

Where?

Novotel Amsterdam City

Europaboulevard 10

1083 AD Amsterdam

+31(0)204313633

H0515-RE2@accor.com

This 4-star hotel is near the ring motorway and the RAI railway/bus/tram/underground station, which links directly to Schiphol Airport (20 minutes) and the centre of town (15 minutes). The Dinner Starts at 7pm, 18 May 2013. It is a 3-course buffet dinner, costing € 27.50 per person, excluding drinks. We must pay in advance, so when you decide to come, please pay this amount to M.E. Spiering (PA3CVV), either through PayPal (using the email address pa3cvv@yahoo.com), or via an electronic bank transfer (IBAN: NL84RABO0344751384).

How to book? A number of rooms have been reserved for FOC members for the period of 17-19 May. The special rate is €129 (single room) and €149 (double room), including breakfast. You can book by telephone or email, or, preferably, via the booking form which you can download from the FOC website (Members Only > Forums > Social Events). In all cases ‘FOC’ is our special booking code. Please book early. Amsterdam is a popular tourist destination, causing a robust demand for accommodation. You can cancel free of charge until three days prior to the day of arrival. Of course other hotels are available, should you so wish. A good place to start is < www.iamamsterdam.com>

Finally Please keep us informed! If you plan to come and/or if you have booked the/a hotel we would like to know so as to plan things properly. You can contact us at: <pa3cvv@yahoo.com>, or by post, or telephone (see the Call Book). We’re looking forward to meeting you in Amsterdam.

161! Miles, PA3CVV & Kees, PA5XM

FOCUS 92 28

Brief Report on Hurricane Sandy By Allen Singer, N2KW

This storm was a bad one. Sustained winds of 80mph, a full moon, and high tide, caused the ocean to rise 12 feet above its normal level. The ocean met the bay at several of the barrier islands. There was severe flooding, many fallen trees, power outages (still) which means no heat, and temperatures just above freezing. The FOC members seem to have made out well, although there were several I couldn't reach...

N2ATB - I could not reach Tony, but I have heard him on the air. KF2AT- Percy had no damage. N2NT - Andy did not have any damage but he said "It was scary, the tower bent in the wind". K2LE - Andy and Agnes were vacationing on Florida. There was no damage on their home. W1RM - Pete is in nearby CT, and suffered no damage.

WK2G - Merrill now lives in NJ, but I could not check him. I don’t have his number. K2QMF - Ted had a power out for five days, trees and wires were down in his area. K2SG - Tony was very lucky. He lives only two blocks from the water. There were three trees down in his neighbourhood. K2UV - Warren did not return my calls. I understand the only damage were trees, one of which landed on Sherry’s car. N2UU - Bob did not have any damage. His Carolina Windom resisted to all circumstances. W2VT - Rich had luck too. Although his home is in NY, he has a vacation home on Long Beach Island, NJ. A barrier island, three new cuts were formed by the storm. The entire island has been evacuated...there is extensive damage there, but the only thing that happened to Rich's house, was two inches of water in the garage! WB2YIP - Chuck called back, his power was out for two weeks, but no damage other than trees. W1JR - Joe had very high winds from Sandy but only about two and half inches of rain. There were lots of branches, etc. down and no power for one day. After over 8 years of faithful service, one half of his SteppIR director fibreglass tube broke off. Fortunately, he had the elements retracted. He also has a spare fibreglass tube, so will be able to repair it OK. K2TT - I could not reach Bill.

Damaged lines by fallen trees (photo N3JT)

29 FOCUS 92

Obituary David Michael Wren, K8NW

By Jim Danehy, W9VNE Mike Wren, K8NW was born on 5 December 1944 in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He grew up in the nearby village of De Graff, Ohio. He died on September 17, 2012 in Dayton, Ohio. On 12 November 1988 he married Sharon Lott who preceded him in death four years ago. Mike is survived by his Mother, a Daughter and a Brother as well as several grand-daughters. He entered military service after graduation from High School in 1962. He served with pride in the United States Air Force for four years during the Vietnam era. After his discharge from military service he returned to the Dayton, Ohio area and started a professional career in the Communications industry. He was employed for

many years by the Montgomery County, Ohio (Dayton) Communications Division. He retired a couple of years ago. At the time of his death he was working as a consultant to several communications agencies in the Dayton, Ohio area. He told me that it was difficult to stop working and retire. At the time of his death he was working in his garden. He suddenly collapsed and expired. Neighbours attempted to revive him without success. His passing was sudden and unexpected from natural causes. Mike was first licensed in 1958 as KN8MRB and later upgraded to K8MRB before changing to K8NW in the late 1970s. I first met him when we were both charter members of the South West Ohio DX Association in 1977. I had the privilege of being one of Mike's FOC sponsors. He enjoyed DXing and had achieved a DXCC score of 350 and had worked them all earning the ARRL #1 Honor Roll plague. His favourite band was 160 metres. In his early years on 160 he operated AM Phone. In the 1990s Mike organized the Sunday Brunch for FOC members attending the Dayton Hamfest. There were usually forty to fifty attending that affair. On 12 September 2012 in DeGraff, Ohio AD8P, K8ZH, K8MFO and I (W9VNE) represented FOC at services held for Mike. We all had a chance to visit with his family. They expressed their appreciation for our presence as Amateur Radio had played an important part in Mike's life and professional career. In recent years Mike and I would meet four or five times a year for lunch. We both enjoyed and owned Corvette sports cars. I will greatly miss his "dry" sense of humour. He was a very modest person who was also understated in his comments. I miss him a lot. Rest in peace my good friend.

FOCUS 92 30

Obituary George McBride, W4DGJ

by Mark Clark, W4CK

Our friend George Herman McBride, W4DGJ, died peacefully at Hospice at the Meadowlands in Hillsborough, North Carolina on August 21, 2012, after a brief illness. George was born on 15 February 1918, in Lyons, Georgia and spent his early years there before attending Georgia Institute of Technology ("Georgia Tech") in Atlanta. He left to join the U.S. Army Air Corps (now Air Force) at the beginning of World War II. During the war, he flew several different types of aircraft, including the P-38 fighter, piloting many dangerous missions while taking aerial photographs of operations in the Pacific Theatre. At the

end of the war, he left the service as the youngest Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Corps. During his military training in Colorado Springs, Colorado, George met Grace Virginia Rogers from Amarillo, Texas. After a whirlwind courtship, she would become his wife of 57 years until her death. After the war ended, the couple settled in Amarillo where they lived for seven years with their two young children. George then joined Western Electric Company as an electrical engineer, a position he held for 32 years. The family lived in several different cities throughout the U.S. before settling in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2003 after the death of his wife, George moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina to live with his daughter. George’s lifelong hobby of ham radio provided him with many years of enjoyment and the opportunity to make friends all over the world. He had one of the early licenses granted by the FCC and worked as a radio station engineer in college. He was a member of numerous state, national, and international ham radio organizations, especially cherishing his membership in FOC after becoming his membership number 1477 in December 1984. Indeed, he continued to talk regularly on his radio until his death. George was a regular attendee of the North American FOC Weekend and Dinner for many, many years. George was one of my sponsors for FOC, so naturally he occupies a special place in my heart. Those of us who knew him will forever remember how he demonstrated the nature of a true gentleman. George lived his 94 years with quiet dignity, absolute integrity, and a keen sense of humour that charmed everyone he met. George was preceded in death by his wife Grace and his younger brother, who was killed during World War II. He leaves behind his daughter and son, two grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and numerous extended family members and friends. A memorial service and interment will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. Memorial contributions may be made to the Grace and George McBride Scholarship in Music, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, 1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27127, or to a charity of one’s choice.

31 FOCUS 92

Obituary Eskil ”Gus” Gustafsson, SM3BCS

by Tord Julander, SM3EVR and Rune Wande, SM5COP

It is with deep sorrow we have to

report the death of Eskil, SM3BCS.

He passed away on October 9, 2012

at the age of 80 after having

suffered severe illness for some

time. Licensed since 1951 and an

avid SWL and BC DX-er in the 40´s

his main hobby was Amateur Radio

but he never missed a chance for

trout fishing.

Eskil was one of the very first HAM

operators Rune (later SM2COP) met

being just 12 years old in 1956.

Living north of the Arctic Circle in SM2 there were no Radio Amateurs in the vicinity but

Eskil's XYL Elsy grew up as a neighbour to Runes family which brought Eskil to visit the

small village of Korpilombolo. In 1960 when they both had moved to the iron ore capital

Kiruna and Rune had his license he got to experience Eskil operating both DX and

contests. In 1949 Eskil enlisted in the Air Force as a Radio Operator and was in the air

both physically and with radio to 1955 when he took a job on the ground in Luleå, also as

Radio Operator.

In 1959 he moved north to Kiruna and worked as air-traffic controller. In 1965 he moved

south and became SM3BCS. Eskil worked as air-traffic controller at Midlanda Airport near

the town of Sundsvall up to his retirement in 1992.

In his youth he was a high ranking handball goal keeper which requires enormously quick

reflexes.

Having been an FOC member since 1958 (SM2BCS) with the ”odd” numbers 599 he

always maintained high standards of operating and valued friendship through Amateur

Radio very much. Living in the same area and both very keen on DX, Eskil and Tord,

SM3EVR were regularly exchanging information of ”what's new” on the bands. The

Cubical Quad antenna was Eskil's favourite and with his Ten-Tec Corsair II he managed to

work everything he heard. Since 2007 he enjoyed the new era of ham radio equipment

and was happy with his Ten-Tec Orion II.

After his retirement in 1992 he often said:”What would I do if I did not have Ham

Radio!”! His calm and pleasant way of meeting people and having been an excellent Ham

Operator will be greatly missed.

FOCUS 92 32

Obituary Tom Neill, K4XG By Don Karvonen, K8MFO

My longtime pal, Tom Neill, K4XG became a silent key early on the morning of 6 August 2012. Six weeks prior to that Tom had been diagnosed with terminal, inoperable lung cancer, and had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments. During that time Tom busied himself by keeping in touch with friends, more interested in their everyday activities than about his own fate. This is the kind of guy that Tom was. He had a varied work career, the first of which was 20 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel Tom then moved into the healthcare industry in an executive position, while simultaneously serving as a Lieutenant in the Williamson County, Tennessee, Sheriff Department’s Reserve Officer Program. Tom was in fact in charge of that program for several years. After retiring for the second time from Hospital Corporation of America, Tom continued to serve on boards and committees devoted to public service in his community. Tom gave time and his considerable talents to these many endeavors. Tom became a ham in his teens at the same time as many of us did, in the late 1950s, which perhaps was the largest influx into the amateur ranks. Those were exciting times to be a ham, and it’s not surprising that many who got involved in the hobby then are still active today. I first remember Tom as K4MOJ, and we instantly became friends. This friendship continued through the 2012 Marathon. Tom always had the time for a short chat. We shared a mutual friend, Lex Bonner, N4DF (former K8KJN) who Tom saw frequently, and of course we talked about DX, antennas, and radios. Tom was also very proud to be a member of FOC. Tom had a world class station on his farm about 35 miles southeast of Nashville, where he and his beloved Cheryl had cows, horses, goats, dogs, and a single donkey, whose job was to keep coyotes away from the other 4 legged friends. Tom even operated a second station out in the barn (a full kW) and he said the horses seemed fascinated with CW, or maybe they knew that the arrival of the “code man” meant they were soon going to be fed! Tom’s father was W4HYT, in his own right an accomplished ham. Tom’s son in law Eric is W4AOA, and grandson Tyler is W4TNH. Tyler was licensed at age eight, and earned his DXCC at age nine. What a great teacher Eric and Tyler had. Tom used up to date commercial gear, but he was also an accomplished builder, particularly when it came to amplifiers and antennas. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty if it meant improving his signal by a dB or two. Those who entered pileups with Tom knew that they were up against a quality operator with quality hardware. Tom’s family and life on the farm, combined with his love for amateur radio, provided him with constant pleasure. Sadly, Tom was only 68 when he became a silent key. He leaves behind a loving family and countless friends. I feel fortunate to have been one of those friends. Rest in Peace, Old Pal. I truly do miss you. 73! Don, K8MFO

33 FOCUS 92

Welcome to New Members By Tyler Barnett, N4TY

Fred Pevoto, K5FP (1990)

I learned Morse code at the age of 14 and found out about ham radio a year later. I got my novice license in 1953 and general in 1954. I upgraded to extra class in 1976 when I got my present call. I like DX and contesting on CW and I do like to rag chew also. I have a very modest station consisting of a K3, IC746pro and a TS940s. I have an AL1500 amp that I use when needed. I have 2 towers, a 76 foot Rohn 25 with a 3 element Steppir and a 57 foot Rohn with a A4S. I have a 4 square for 40 meters and load the 76 foot tower on 80 meters. I have a 1/4 wave sloper for 160 meters. My XYLs name is Jo Ann and her call is WD5CHK. She supports my

activity in ham radio- even learned Morse herself. David Sharred, G3NKC (1991)

I got my license in 1977, and have been active ever since. I like the LF bands in particular, but 160m is just too noisy from my current QTH. I am mainly interested in DXing and contesting; and am one of the members of the Manx Kippers Contest Group, MD4K. I have travelled to contest shacks in all continents, for CQ WW SSB, but we always try to do some CW before and after! I am currently on DXCC honor role, needing just 2 entities from a modest home station. I also have 9BDXCC, 5BWAZ, and will have 5BWAZ when I can get a QSL from UT on 40 m!

Michael Wells, G7VJR (1992)

I'm 34 years old and live on the outskirts of Cambridge, where I have a modest station with LF wire antennas, a small amplifier and an Elecraft K3. I'm an active member of the Cambridge University Wireless Society, and use the well-equipped HF station there, too. Over the past few years I've been fortunate enough to activate various interesting locations, including JX, ZD8, VP8, JW, YS, S7, T32 and others. DXPeditioning got me hooked on CW, and it has become my passion. A fascination with DXing led me to create Club Log <www.clublog.org> which has risen to prominence in recent

years, much to my delight! I was first licensed in 1995, at which time a G7 callsign was strictly for VHF use. It wasn't until 2005 that I really became active, and in the intervening period the code requirement for HF was dropped and most G7's "upgraded" to M0 calls. I feel lucky to be one of very few G7 callsigns active on CW. Outside the

FOCUS 92 34

shack, I am the founder and CEO of an Internet software business. When I am not behind a screen I have a wonderful pet Beagle called Ella to entertain with walks; she has a habit of putting a paw on my CW paddle if I have forgotten to feed her! I'm delighted and proud to join FOC. I would like to express my gratitude to those who generously supported my nomination by Paul VE1DX. See on you on the bands! Michel Menetrier, F5IN (1993)

I was born in 1944, and received my amateur radio license in 1965. My first activity was CW contests. I am married to Claudine and we have 2 children, and I am retired about 8 years ago. We live in a very small village (100 persons) near Pithiviers, about 100 km south of Paris. More information can be found on my web site: <http://perso.wanadoo.fr/f5in>. You can also find photos of my village and antennas using Google Street View, using my address.

Cezar Trifu, VE3LYC (1994) Cezar Trifu (VE3LYC) was born and raised in Romania, and moved to Canada with his family in 1992. Cezar holds a PhD in Seismology, is Director of Engineering Seismology Group Inc., and an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Mining Engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He published over 80 scientific papers in peer review journals, edited six topic volumes, and is an Associate Editor with the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Cezar’s father, ‘Lionel’, was licensed as YR5TI and

served as Secretary of the Association of Romanian Short Wave Radio Amateurs before WW2, after which he operated as YO3TU. Licensed as a SWL (YO3-2371), Cezar later became YO3YC – which he continues to hold, and finally VE3LYC since the end of 1995. An avid DXer, he sits on DXCC Honor Roll #3, 4, and 5 at Mixt, Phone, and CW, respectively, is close to 300 DXCC in DIGITAL modes, has 9BDXCC, DXCC Challenge 2500, 5BWAZ (200), WAZ-160, IOTA 1000, and US Islands-WAS. A passionate IOTA chaser and activator, Cezar operated from nine rare and new IOTA groups since 2008 as VO2A (NA-194, 205), VYØA (NA-186), VYØO (NA-231), VY0V (NA-230), VYØX (NA-208), CE9/VE3LYC (SA-031, SA-097), and CE4A (SA-095). Stories of his adventures were published in QST, The DX Magazine, RadCom, The Canadian Amateur, and well as in radio magazines from Germany, Finland, Argentina, Romania, etc. In 2009 he has received the RSGB Premier IOTA Plaque for services to the community, and was awarded the RAC Amateur of the Year 2011. Cezar is married to Lucia, and their son Tiberius is a Mechanical Engineer.

35 FOCUS 92

Toly Fedorenko, US9PA (1995) My ham-career began in distant 1966 to the year after reading of the article "In a kind way" by Ernst Krenkel (RAEM) - the known arctic radio operator and wonderful radioamateur, published in the magazine of "Radio". In the article he told about a surprizing hobby and enthralling trips in the air, possibility to communicate with people from distant countries with Morse Code by means of radio. This was the real window in the world when in the world Cold war went and in the former USSR people lived after the "Ferrous curtain" not having, because of the KGB, possibility of live interaction. The first steps are in HAM - radio I did as an operator to the club station and it got first SWL-callsign UB5-06522. First licensed in 1969. Since

the Morse Code goes along with me on life and I try to support the High standards of as a CW operator. As a member of CWOPS 286 and HSC 1863, I follow to DX Code of Conduct and The FOC Code of Conduct, which you kindly sent me. I have made a Ukrainian translation of DX Code of Conduct, which is on the site <http://dx-code.org/ukrainian.html>, and it is my personal little contribution to the large matter of popularization of CW and high standards of behaviour in the Air. John Ellerton, G3NCN (1996)

I was first licensed in 1958. Before licensing I was a SWL for some four years. I started to operate in December 1958, in the days when there were only two modes CW and AM (Fone). I was an engineer with a company called GEC, with whom I served my apprenticeship, and then for Labgear, then Racal, with whom I was an engineer for 30 years. I was a member of Hull ARC, Coventry ARC, and Racal ARC. At the age of about 40, I ceased frequent operating, because the children were growing up and needed a father. I continued to support the Racal club activities, including National CW

field day each year. I returned to amateur radio in 1989, since when my activity level has gradually increased. I retired in 1997, joining the Bracknell Radio Club, and eventually becoming chairman of that club, and spearheading a renewal of that club which still continues. I have been involved in Morse tuition, both on a face to face basis and on-air broadcasting for RSGB, although changes in health of myself and June (XYL) have led me to abandon those activities - at least temporarily. I remain active - particularly in (UK) early mornings and mid-evenings, (winter) 160 metres, 80 metres and all bands down to 6 metres. I rarely call CQ, and almost never use clusters. As a suburban dweller, I have never used more than 100 watts, and have always used wire antennae.

FOCUS 92 36

Rich Langford, G4FAD (1997) I first became aware of Morse code when I was about Ten years old. Back in the 1950’s we had a Murphy valve set which also covered the short wave bands and as my father was interested in listening to commercial radio broadcasts he would often tune across the shortwave bands. I remember asking him “What’s that?” as Morse code came out of the speaker. “It’s Morse code and is used by spies, pilots and ships, to talk to each other”, at that moment I became interested in the code and I had to learn it! In 1971 I read a book by G3JGD called Radio and realized that I could become an amateur radio operator in my own right. At the time I was using an AR88D to listen to the ham bands and

found some local amateurs, the first I heard was Peter, G3ESY, FOC 286 still active on the air, who told me about a local club in Hereford. When I went to the first club meeting it was a bit daunting. Having signed in I wandered over to a group of old timers one of whom said to me “Who are you then?” so I explained that I was interested in radio and had just joined the club. “Oh” said my interrogator “I expect you’re interested in the repeater then”, rather shamefacedly I replied I had no idea what a repeater was, I wanted to use Morse. Suddenly everybody said’ oh why didn’t you say you were a cw op’ found me a chair and I was privileged to join in the conversation straight away!! That is what I always find; there is a common bond between the people who use Morse. I passed my Radio Amateurs Exam in 1976 and was able to pass the Morse test at 12 WPM in May of that year. I was very lucky to find Fred Bryan, who had been an operator during WW2. Although he had not touched a Morse key for over 30 years he could still send perfect code and would not tolerate any deviation from what he considered to be proper Morse! I had ten very happy years on the bands but soon had to stop as we took over the running of our small farm and now had a family to look after. In 2009 we sold our dairy herd and started beef instead and suddenly I had time to get back on the air. I was amazed to find that the code had stuck after 22 years, in fact I think I can read it faster today than when I was in my 20’s. I had the chance to buy a Ten Tec Jupiter a great CW rig and I have never looked back. Thank you for inviting me to join FOC, it is a wonderful feeling to have 500 friends ready worldwide to ragchew at a moment’s notice and I have received a great welcome when I meet another member. Gavin Taylor, GMØGAV (1998)

I have been interested in radio since I was at school, through CB and a SWL in the village. He worked away from home but gave me a key to his garden shed, which had an AR88, CR100 and a FRG-7 so I could use his gear when ever I wanted. I got my license in 1985 and my log shows my first CW QSO's in 1986. The following year I purchased a Samson keyer from G5BM and a TS-830, which I used for the next 10 years. Between 1990 and 1995 I worked for British Antarctic Survey and was active as VP8GAV.

37 FOCUS 92

I have always been interested in chasing DX and CW contesting, however over the last few years family life has made it difficult to devote full weekends to contesting so have focused more on chasing DX. In 2002 I moved to a new house with four acres of ground, this has allowed me to build a good station with beams from 40 to 6m and effective LF antennas. For the last few years I have been building up my DXCC challenge score, working everything I can on 160 to 6m. I am married to a very understanding wife; Margaret and we have a 7-year-old son Robert. I have worked in telecommunications since 1985, currently involved in operating mobile networks as a managed service. Sadly, work plus family life doesn't allow me to devote as much time to radio as I would like, you’re most likely to catch me on the bands late evening just before heading to bed!

Fabio Bonucci, IKØIXI (1999)

I was born in Civitavecchia (Rome) in 1968. I still live here, with my wife Patrizia, my son Luca and Spark, our dog. I've started as BCL-SWLing (IØ-1366/RM) in 1981, when I was 13 years old. In 1986, just over 17 years old, I passed tech and CW examinations for obtaining a amateur radio license. Early 1987 I received the callsign IKØIXI. Telegraphy is my preferred mode of emission and I worked all over the World using only Morse code. Between 1988 and 1995 I was very active on VHF bands too, via tropo, MS and EME. My first job was as Radio Technician in maritime communications in 1988 - 1992. Then I started my

job in the Italian national electric power Co. (ENEL) and today I am Chief supervisor in control room. In 1990 I started "ragchewing" QSO on 40m CW. This mode allowed me to be appreciated by many amateur radio operators. In 1993 I purchased a Vibroplex Original and fell in love the "BUG". In 1997 I married my girlfriend Patrizia (Patty) and in 1998 our son Luca is born. In 1999 I was invited to be part of INORC - Italian Naval Old Rhythmers' Club, the most prestigious club that meets in association Italian ex-R/O and deserving amateurs. Today I am in the INORC Committee. In 2008 I passed the three FCC Ham Radio exams in just one day (Tech-General-Extra) in Villa Griffone and my US callsign is KF1B. I became a popular collector of bugs and in 2010 I founded the VCA - Vibroplex Collector's Association, a valuable web resource dedicated to the study and collection of semi-automatic keys. Early 2012 I published a book about bugs, Vibroplex, about history, restoring and collecting. I am member of: INORC, RNARS, MF-RUNDE, FISTS, HSC, VHSC, SHSC and EHSC. I like QRP too, and I am G-QRP representative for Italy. After this long but interesting "career" that is also my whole life, I am proud to be a FOC member and I want to thanks the FOC member who have believed in me.

FOCUS 92 38

John Warburton, G4IRN (2000)

My father Derek was a wireless technician in the RAF

during the war years and retained his interest in later life.

When I got to the age of 11 or 12, I started to become

fascinated by the noises and whistles emanating from his

short wave radio as he listened to broadcast stations from

around the world. I was intrigued to learn that people

could obtain licenses to transmit around the world to each

other - my growing interest spurred his too and we

purchased a copy of 'Short Wave Magazine' to find a local

club where we could meet like-minded people and learn

more about amateur radio. Having bought a 'proper'

receiver for listening to radio amateurs on the HF bands,

our enthusiasm didn't diminish. I was 14 years old by then

and we took the amateur radio course together at a local night school class, passing the

exam with flying colours. During our study for the exams, my father taught me CW; we

spent many hours with a key and buzzer sending to each other. With our exam

certificates in hand, we were immediately able to take the 12wpm Morse test and go

straight to the full Class A licenses in September 1979 - my father G4IRM and me G4IRN.

Our first HF radio was a Heathkit HW8 which someone kindly lent to us. Being low

powered, this soon got me thinking that CW was a great mode for DX communication

and my competence started to increase with practice. I've since realised that learning

CW at a young age is rather like learning a language when young - it's much easier! I was

off the air between about 1983 and 2001 whilst other interests took over my free time.

When I got back into the hobby I did a search on <QRZ.com> for any local hams that I

could approach - by coincidence Roger,G3SXW lives about a mile away and he happened

to be the random ham I contacted. Roger was very supportive of my entry back into the

hobby after such a long break and helped resurrect my interest in CW, which is where

99% of my operating is now done. My main interests are DX'ing and contesting and I

enjoy nothing better than being on the DX end of a pile-up. I've done a number of small

and solo DXpeditions, joined the Voodoo Contest Group several times and am involved in

the RSGB IARU contest team. In 2012 I am also on the organising team for the flag-ship

Olympic station in London - 2O12L. I work as a freelance IT and business consultant,

advising companies how to design large IT solutions to provide value to their business

operations and how to organize themselves to get the best from IT solutions. I live with

my wife Janet in Surrey and have lots of other interests including windsurfing, skiing,

motorcycling and the outdoors.

39 FOCUS 92

An Interview with Andrei Bindasov, the HST manager of Belarus

By Carlo Consoli, IKØYGJ

Following the placement of the High Speed Telegrapy Italian team, thanks to the performance of Claudio Tata IKØXCB, I had the opportunity to interview an exceptional figure in the worldwide competitive landscape: Andrei Bindasov, EU7KI. Andrei is the technical manager of the world champion Belarus team, and world record holder himself. Last November Andrei was guest of Claudio in Rome and gave us a memorable evening for telegraphy. Italian Ham Radio Society ARI is supporting the recognition of telegraphy as a heritage of humanity. To achieve such objective we need to prove that this art is not only alive, but constantly evolving to meet the needs of the user community. An always changing community that, independently from the geographical location and cultural characteristics, not only uses telegraphy but develops it in accordance with their needs. Andrei Bindasov is really a volcanic character and, in a few hours, he gave us quite a lot of food for thought, technical concepts, development ideas to fill an entire book. We have repeatedly stated that our aim is to show that CW is alive, once again, not only because it is used but because it evolves. Bindasov, who is active only in the world of HST, returned a lively picture of this complex process of evolution. Enough to say that during the evening Andrei illustrated a shorthand writing method, expressly developed for HST, to bring groups of 5 characters on paper at speeds well in excess of 200 characters per minute. We'll go into the details of this method in a later article in FOCUS. With Andrei, the vice-champion of the world Ludmila, she gave us a foretaste of the performance of the Belarusian team. An incredible performance, after dinner with an adequate selection of wines and an exhausting day of visiting Rome, then in less than ideal situation. A show of pure talent from the 20 years young girl: 250 characters / minute, transmitted with an error free constant pace. I felt like I was watching Bolt doing a world record in my yard. High Speed Telegraphy competitions are also important for the development of amateur radio and its spread in the community of young people. As in Formula 1, technical solutions, devices, educational settings that come from HST can also actively evolve amateur telegraphy and, last but not least, economy. I interviewed Andrei and our talk went forward for more than half an hour. Here I will present only the few key questions and answers from Andrei Bindasov, telling us about the world of HST seen from the perspective of the strongest team in the world.

- How did you start your adventure with CW? I started at age nine, when I was a boy. It’s very common in our country, at the time, Belarus was part of the Soviet Union and HST was recognized as an official sport, technical sport, by the government. An association was founded, aimed to the development of technical sports, directly funded by the state. Its mission was the

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dissemination of this type of competitive activity among youngsters. Local clubs were very active in disseminating HST, as well as in my city. They came from time to time in schools to present the competitions and the world revolving around them, a world made of travel and challenges. I found this sport interesting, the coach had noticed my skills and, therefore, I decided to try.

- This is interesting: it seems that HST could attract young people for its engineering aspects, instead the real lever is in its competitive aspects. As a child, what was attracting to you, in the HST world?

First, the challenge of learning a means of encoding made of dots and dashes. Then, to put myself under the test of increasing speed, with the perspective of winning a competition. Go fast, be at the top of the billing board is like throwing a mountain on skis: pure adrenaline. I've tried many sports and I can say that the feeling of adrenaline in HST is quite similar to those of other physical sports. I found it a very attractive opportunity to travel and meet people in an international environment. During the championships HST members of all teams spend a lot of time together.

- How did you designed the software now used in HST training and competitions?

I am a computer engineer and, with the help of some experienced friends, some years ago I built the software now used both for training and for competitions. It is currently used by teams from around the world to train, with excellent results.

- This software has become a de facto standard. It’s noticeable to see how it was born to meet a specific need, then evolved into customary use and, finally, as a standard tool for this kind of applications.

It happens when an invention achieves a high level of maturity and is adopted by a community of users ever wider.

- You know that many people consider telegraphy dead. The fact that new solutions are invented, developed and evolved into a real standard shows the exact opposite.

In my personal experience, people who consider this or that a dead thing, in fact, have simply lost interest in new things. In that sense, their intellectual curiosity is dead, not the object itself. Generally people thinking this way only wish that things never change, if you are a person who cares for things to change and evolve, your thoughts should be pretty far from such a position.

- How long does it take to become a competitive athlete?

To be competitive you need a workout of two or three sessions a week for an hour and a half or two, for at least two years, or even three. In the Belarusian team, we have developed this training system to an extent that allowed us to be undefeated for over ten years. Personally, I am a guy who does not like to stop and at present I am looking for new challenges, in particular from emerging athletes that could challenge our team. It would be really interesting to me if a person or a federation in the world was interested in developing a highly competitive team. I would accept this challenge with great pleasure. I can even promise that using our method of learning, it is possible to form a competitive team and get several medals. In two or three years this can be done.

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I Hate Contests

By John Swartz, WA9AQN

Brrrrring, ding-ding ….. Brrrrrring, ding-ding ….. Brrrrring, dong! Wha?

Huh? Uh? Who could be texting me at this hour? No, wasn’t the phone, either ….. Oh, yeah, that was the alarm clock … a real one … authentic replica Westclox … Big Ben … (snicker, snicker …..)

Let’s see, where did I leave my teeth? Hmmmmmm. Oh, yeah, I don’t have dentures yet, must have been that same nightmare ….. I’m almost old enough for Medicare … Wow, it’s almost 8, let’s see, that would be about 1400 Z, so maybe 20 is about ready to open to Europe …. hmmmm, what cycle are we in … oh, 24, the almost dud one … back to sleep for another hour … Ok, I guess I better let the girls out to do their thing, then I’ll see if the timer on the coffee maker worked (what happened to real coffee pots?) ….. then to the shack … Click, snap, (crackle and pop), hmmmmm, dead …. oh, yeah, switch the antenna to the rig, that may help ….. OHØXXX, QRZ? Yeah, cycle 24 enhancement of Northern Europe … Twiddle … Twiddle … DL9QQQ, you’re 59 14, good luck … twiddle, oh yeah, it’s open, seems like mostly northern stuff …… Ding, Ding …. better get the coffee before it turns into yucky sludge stuff …… M m m m , Industrial Strength …. Ding ….. ding …… mmmmm, good stuff…. sweeps the cobwebs …. Let’s see, there’s LZØOF, he’s having a run of them …. say, isn’t that Hans, there…. yeah, gee a bunch of them are on … Oh, no, what was that, “Thanks, OZ5ZZ, contest . . . . “ Aw, no, not another contest, why can’t those miserable . . . . . ??? Ok, up to 17 and see what’s going on there, maybe get a real QSO . . . “LA9QQ, you’re 59 on EU-767 .. “ Oh, No, a bunch of those IOTA guys here, “Thanks, Georg, my BFD number is 47328, QSL?” “Roger, QSL, Roger, your BFD number 47328, mine is 72946, QSL?” Aw, more numbers chasers, let’s see …. twiddle, twiddle, Naw, maybe if I turn the antenna a bit more to the …..Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, clack ….. Ok, yeah, “JAØXVX, thanks for the 59, you are 59 my OOOOF number is 00004, thanks and good luck in the ….. “ Twiddle, twiddle, twiddle …. I hate these contesting, number chasing idiots …. …isn’t there anyone on …. try 15 CW and see what’s up there ….

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“VK2DBD ….. “ Well, gosh, it’s David …. wonder how he is? … tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap … no, I’ve got him on this band/slot … so ….. let’s see …. Guess I’ll just have to try to coax (har, har, good pun) them out of the . . . maybe someone will spot me……..Naw, better go to CW and see what the Reverse Beacon shows,

“CQ CQ CQ de WA9AQN WA9AQN WA9AQN CQ de WA9AQN K” Wow, it is open, gee, there I am, 3 skimmers in the US, 4 in EU, AFR, even VK … let’s try it again, “CQ CQ CQ de WA9AQN WA9AQN WA9AQN CQ de WA9AQN K” Hmmmm, zip … maybe again, “CQ CQ CQ de WA9AQN WA9AQN WA9AQN CQ de WA9AQN K” Still zip?

Whatsa matta, where are they?…………One mo time “CQ CQ CQ de WA9AQN WA9AQN WA9AQN CQ de WA9AQN K”

Aha, “WA9AQN de W6ISQ, R U In the TEST?” Aw, no … “NO”

“SRI, 73 ….. “

Hmmm, can’t get anyone … twiddle, twiddle, twiddle, let’s go back to 20 …. Hey, there’s Jack, aw, maybe I should give him a Q, boost his score one …

“WA9AQN” “TU, WA9AQN 599 472 AR” “599 001 GL 161” “161 W0UCE TEST…”

Yeah, OK, oops, that’s Paul, better give him one as well …. “EI5DI …”

That wasn’t so bad … maybe one more …wonder if anyone else is in it …. “W9RGB …..” “HI VIC …..” “161” “161”

And there’s Rob …. “K6RB …. 161”….that should help him out with one more …. Well, it’s not too bad … one or two more …. That’s Joeke. “PAØVDV … 161”

Gee, maybe I ought to set up SD to keep track, can’t just give out points without sending in the log . . . don’t want them accusing the guys of inventing Q’s with me ….

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…..

OK, well, that should do it … now what serial number was I on …. oh, hell, gotta move all them over to this log …... tap, tap, tap ….

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Ooops, better redo those macros, wrong test …. were we using serial numbers or our states? … yeah, numbers …. oh, this damn program, there, that should do it …. tap, tap, tap, tap …. Hmmmm, Her Majesty will not be happy about this … There, now maybe …. better turn on ESM and set my ports ….. Why am I doing this? I hate contests . . . “Dear, can you come help with vacuuming?” There, got it that one, sure hope they don’t bust those guys …. only a few more …. “Just a minute, dear ….” Yeah, that’ll do it, I made one swipe of the band … better get upstairs or I’ll be in the soup …. I hate contests, these mindless macro, button pushing …. “Yes, I’m on my way, just a minute ….” Say, wasn’t that a clear spot about .048? Hmmmm, yup, well, maybe ten more minutes … one quick run ….

“TEST de WA9AQN K” …..it’s chilly in here, isn’t it? … could go up and get the sweater ….

“Naw, dear, I’ll only be here a few more minutes,” Maybe if I ….. CLICK, CLACK, twiddle, twiddle, well, that should help . . . . There’s a full gallon and a few more … ha, ha... that’ll keep me warm for a few more minutes ….. Oh, is she going to be annoyed ….. just one more …. I really hate these ……. “Adrianne? I forgot, it’s the big DX Weather and Sunspot test …. it’s only once a year ….. I’ll be up soon …. gonna give a few more points to the Gang!” “N2KW 599 036 … 161”

FOCAL Dennis, K2SX made a trip to South Africa with Betty. They had a pleasure of having lunch with Vidi, ZS1EL at the V&A Wharf in Cape Town. After that Vidi took them to his house in Somerset West where they spent the afternoon. Betty had a nice chat with Vidi’s daughter while Dennis made 80 QSO’s on 15 metres including about six FOC members together with Pete, W1RM who was actually looking for him to show up on the air.

Dennis, K2SX in operating position in Vidi's, ZS1EL shack

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Troy Weidenheimer, WØROF: Code Ode

It's more than dots and dashes, It's a place.

A sanctuary for those who've learned To love the mysterious magic of

Thoughts arriving in mile-long strings On roads of ether or wire.

Even more, it's peace,

A shield from the disordered sounds Of traffic, angry people

And industrial clutter clatter, Within its warm mantle

We find soothing respite.

And the patter of bright ideas it is, The sharp focusing of others' thoughts From miles beyond our vision's range,

As in a dream we sit so still, It floats in our ears and stirs our minds

With concern, remembrance, speculation And mirth.

And code is music,

From sounders and speakers it dances In the shack to each sender's inner clock,

And comes butter-smooth, deliciously swinging, Or choppy staccato from a "fist" praising definition,

Or perfectly metered, flowing exquisitely From the gentle hand of an artist.

A place,

And peace, Intelligence and

Music. Code is more than dots and dashes.

Vic, W9RGB was rearranging his shack and came across this composition which he had framed many years ago. Perhaps others would enjoy it.

45 FOCUS 92

75th Anniversary of RAFARS

By Roy Walker, GØTAK

As many of you will know the Royal Air Force (RAF) was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service on 1st April 1918. In 1924, serving radio amateurs delivered urgent RAF signals via their own networks when the RAF's high-power, long-range, systems could not get through from Iraq due to ’poor conditions’. Following this, the RAF encouraged their amateur radio operators to provide the official United Kingdom to Hong Kong link. In 1938, during mobilisation for WW2, radio amateurs were asked to join the newly formed civilian Wireless reserve (CWR) to overcome a serious shortage of wireless operators. They rapidly formed the backbone in all ranks of radio operating and engineering on the ground and as aircrew for the whole of WW2. In 1936 the radio amateurs at the RAF Electrical and Wireless school at RAF Cranwell formed the Cranwell Amateur Radio Transmitting Society (CARTS) and on 1 April 1938 extended CARTS to include the whole of the RAF to form the Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society (RAFARS). When the radio the school moved to RAF locking in 1952 and later, in 1998 to its current location at RAF Cosford the RAFARS HQ went with them. These close links remain today; in fact the Radio School provides accommodation for The Annual General Meeting of the Society each year. The RAFARS governing body is made up of serving members of the RAF and retired members of the service in almost equal numbers. The President, Vice President and Chairman of the society are all serving officers concerned with RAF communications in various forms. In the 75th anniversary year of RAFARS the society intends to celebrate the event in a number of ways; it is intended to have radio stations on the air on 1 April 2013 from Cranwell, Locking and Cosford exercising various RAFARS call signs and it is hoped that several current and former RAF airfields will be activated by members (and others). It is also hoped that operation will be possible from DX locations. Details of these events and of the society generally are contained on the website <www.rafars.org>. Membership of the society is open to anyone who expresses the wish to further the objects of the society. For the whole of the year RAFARS members will be using the salutation ‘75’ in the place of the usual ‘73’or ’72’. If anyone hears a RAFARS station on the air please give that station a ’shout’ you will be most welcome.

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Pictures from the Annual Dinner Top row left: Miles, PA3CVV; Sheere, GM3YTS/2; Hans PAØINA; Colin, G3VTT and Hilary Top row right: Derek, G3PQD; Janet, G4IRN/2 the raffle girl; John, G3NCN and Knut, DK5AD Second row left: Tony, GØOPB; Arlene; Don, G3BJ and Hilary, G4JKS Second row right: Jayne, G4BYG/2; Graham, G4FNL and Vic, G4BYG Third row left: Dave, G4BUO and Andrea Third row right: Roger, G3SXW with the lucky winner of TW paddle, Bob, GU4YOX Bottom row left: Ron, G3KTZ Bottom row right: Peter, G3XJS; David, VK2AYD and Margaret, G3IEW/2 Many thanks to Nigel, G3TXF for the photos from Annual dinner!

FOCAL

Oskar, TF3DC (left) and Phil, G3SWH (right) during the CQ WW CW Contest at TF4X. The large shackle in the top of the photo was struck by Thor, TF4M with a large hammer for every million points.