The LED Published by the

Livingston Amateur Radio Klub (LARK)

Howell, Michigan

Aug

2017

Submitted by Larry Kube, KD8VKW

Continued on page 2

Many Amateur Radio operators use small hand held radios (often called HTs) for communications. They are great entry level radios and are invaluable for many of the activities in which HAMs participate. But what does HT stand for and where did they start? An HT is a hand held two way radio transceiver. Although we all like to call them “Handy Talkies”, they were formerly known as “Hand Held Transceivers”. The 5 Watts output power of modern HTs make them extremely useful for short range communications in simplex mode or longer distances when using a repeater. They operate in the VHF & UHF amateur bands utilizing frequency modulation (FM) making them incredibly clear and quiet compared to earlier amplitude modulated (AM) versions.

The walkie-talkie was developed by the US military during World War II. The first radio transceiver to be widely nick-named "Walkie-Talkie" was the backpacked Motorola SCR-300. The 1940 design is credited to Donald L. Hings, Alfred J. Gross and engineering teams at Galvin Manufacturing Com-pany (a forerunner of Motorola). They were first used for in-fantry, and similar designs were created for field artillery and tank units.[1]

The SCR-300 operated in the 40.0 to 48.0 MHz frequency range, and was channelized into 41 channels. The unit weighed between 32 and 38 pounds depending on the batteries[4]. It, along with mobile FM tank and artillery radios such as the SCR-508 (20.0 to 27.9 MHz) and the SCR-608 (27.0 to 38.9 MHz) marked the beginning of the transition from low-HF AM/CW to low-VHF FM for combat-net radio.[2] The SCR-300 was an 18-tube battery operated radio trans-ceiver. It used an FM transmitter section and a double super-

heterodyne receiver. It incorporated a squelch circuit, an automatic frequency control circuit, and a crys-tal controlled calibration circuit. It had an RF output of 300 milliwatts and a range of approximately 3 miles.[2]

HTs, Walkie Talkies, and Hand Held Radios: What Are They

and Where Did They Come From?

Upcoming Ham Fests

September 9, 2017

GRA Hamfest

Location: Wyoming, MI

September 10, 2017

Findlay Hamfest

Location: Findlay, OH

September 17, 2017

Adrian Hamfest

Location: Adrian, MI

October 7-8, 2017

Great Lakes Division HamCon & Convention

Location: Brooklyn, MI

August 13, 2017

Seaway Trunk Swap

Location: Port Huron, MI

August 19, 2017

Thunder Bay ARC Swap

Location: Alpena, MI

Page 6 The LED Aug 2017 Page 2

HTs, Walkie Talkies, and Hand Held Radios: What Are They and Where Did They Come From?

The SCR-536 is often considered the first of modern hand held, self-contained, "handie talkie" two-way radios. It was developed in 1940 by a team led by Don Mitchell, chief engineer for Galvin Manufacturing (now Motorola) and was the first true hand-held unit to see widespread use.[1] By July 1941, it was in mass production. In November 1942, the SCR-536 received coverage in the amateur radio magazine QST.

The SCR-536, incorporated five vacuum tubes in a waterproof case, and had no separate power switch. Instead the radio turned on when the antenna was pulled out, and off when it was retracted.[4] The SCR-536 weighed 5 pounds with batteries and 3.85 pounds without. The unit operated in AM voice mode be-tween 3.5 and 6.0 MHz frequency range. It could only transmit on one but the frequency could be changed by swapping the crystals. The SCR-536 had an RF

output power of 360 milliwatts. The range of the unit varied with terrain, from a few hundred feet, to approximately one mile over land, and 3 miles over water. [3]

Thanks to the increasing use of miniaturized electronics, “walkie-talkies” can be made very small, with some personal two-way UHF radio models being smaller than a deck of cards (VHF and HF units can be substantially larger due to the need for larger antennas and battery packs). In addition, as costs come down, it is possible to add to inexpensive radios advanced squelch capabilities such as CTCSS (analog squelch) and DCS (digital squelch), which are often marketed as "privacy codes". Additional features such as voice scrambling (not legal for amateur radio use) and trunking capabilities can also be included. Some units (especially amateur HTs) also include DTMF keypads for remote operation of various devices such as repeaters. Some models include voice operated transmit capability (VOX) for hands-free opera-tion, as well as the ability to attach external microphones and speakers.[1] The range of a modern 5 Watt HT can be anywhere from 20 to 50 miles depending on the antenna, and the batteries can last for days. They have come a long way from their origins. _________________________________________________________________ [1] Wikipedia Contributors. “Walkie-talkie.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24-Jul-2017. Web 24-Jul-2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkie-talkie. [2] Wikipedia Contributors. “SCR-300.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24-Jul-2017. Web 24-Jul-2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCR-300. [3] Wikipedia Contributors. “SCR-SCR-536.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24-Jul-2017. Web 24-Jul-2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCR-536. [4] “SCR-300 Backpack Radio ” Website Title, ARRL, The National association for Amateur Radio, 16-Apr-2013. Web. 25-May-2017. http://olive

-drab.com/od_electronics_scr300.php

(continued from page 1)

The LED Aug 2017 Page 3

Who 8 Darrell’s Spicy Bacon?

W8DSB

Darrell Black

Welcome to the dog days of summer. No swaps, no contests, too hot to work outside or work on anten-

nas. What to do? Well, we are first and foremost radio operators. Its time to get on the air and just use

the system you have. We have the club net on Sundays. There is at least one simplex net in the area on

Mondays. There is a Michigan DStar net on Mondays. There is a DMR net on Tuesday on the Texas talk

group that is really good, and many more. On HF, 20 meters has been open well past dark almost all

summer. Working JA, VK, ZL, Cook islands is all possible with very little power this time of year. In the

digital area, I did an overview of JT65 at the last meeting. Since then FT8 and T10 digital modes have tak-

en off and seem to have a large following. Of course there is no end to special event stations to work.

Since this is a little ham radio month, I figured I would provide you with something useful.

How to Make Spiced Bacon:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a rack on top. Lay 6 slices thick-cut bacon on the rack in a single layer. Bake until they start to crisp, 12 to 14

minutes. Flip the bacon and top with your seasoning mixture (see recipes below). Continue baking until browned all over, 12 to 16 more minutes. Drain on paper towels. Mix ¼ cup maple syrup and 2 tablespoons each light brown sugar and ancho chile powder in a

small bowl. Brush on 1 side of the bacon. Microwave 1/3 cup light brown sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie

spice and1 teaspoon water in a small bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Brush on 1 side of the bacon.

Microwave 1/4 cup light brown sugar with 1 teaspoon water until melted, about 1 minute. Brush on 1 side of the bacon, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon each cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds and crushed pink peppercorns

73 de W8DSB

The LED Aug 2017 Page 4

Livingston Amateur Radio Klub Meeting Minutes

July 13, 2017, Minutes of the L.A.R.K. General Membership

Meeting started at 7:30pm with Pledge of Allegiance Darrell Black (W8DSB) opens with an introductions of the board and all present members

Questions of the day: “If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why?”

Reminder of the “do one thing project”.

Last month: check the batteries in your flashlights.

This month: create a plan to communicate with family members without the use of cell phones or repeaters.

CERT Update

Good reviews and thank you for the CERT team service of the 4th of July Parades and balloon fest.

By request, a quick overview of what CERT is and what services it provides to the community. Check with Bruce

(N8WWX) for further information.

Old Business

Updates on making a user database.

Cloud storage for the board members.

Mailing list for the board and output to the club members.

Questionnaires from last month have been used to create a members only mailing list for future distribution of

the LED.

Newsletter will be sent to club members, life members, and neighboring club officers as well as community

officials.

Motion made by Tom (KT8Y) to submit the LED newsletter to the AARL newsletter contest for our section; second-

ed by David (KD8UCF); a vote passed the motion. Bob (K8VQC) will assist in submitting the newsletter.

New Business

Efforts being made to reestablish the corporate status of the LARK Klub.

LARK lost its corporate status in 2011, paperwork has been submitted to reinstate the corporate status. Cost

will be $234 to file and renew paperwork.

LARK was insured, but insurance policy may need to be cancelled. For the future we will be looking to get

in sured through ARRL.

LARK 501C3 status expired in 2010. Once the Corporate status is up to date we will look into the status of the

501(c)(3), as some conflicting documentation leaves us unclear about the current status.

Current LED has been distributed. Thank you to Mary for her hard work.

New Fusion Repeater and controller installed at repeater site on 146.500 SNPR, operating on 10-15 watts with a

coverage of roughly 11 miles (no tone squelch) and is EchoLink enabled.

This will not replace the main repeater on 146.680, (as of this meeting power has been out at the main repeater

site for the past 30 hours due to recent storms) and the repeater will continue to operate.

Photos of various local hams participating in Ham Camp at Bishop Lake were presented.

TREASURER’S REPORT (Published in the July LED)

Balances as of June 27, 2017 were $2685.16 in Operations and $4358.79 in Emergency Fund. Continued on page 5

Page 6 The LED Aug 2017 Page 5

July 13, 2017, Minutes of the L.A.R.K. General Membership (continued from page 4)

What you NEED to KNOW about YOUR LED….

The August version of the LED will be the last version that is being emailed via the large mailing list and this is the first version being mailed via the new list server. What’s the difference? The large mailing list allows each member to see all the e-mail address of the other members. It also allows any spammers that get a hold of the list to sell them as good working e-mails. This change is occur-ring, in part, to protect the privacy of all our members. Moving forward, the

LED will be sent to a list server that repeats the e-mail to each member. It will still appear as email from the edi-tor (Mary) as it has for the past several years. If you reply, the reply only goes back to the message sender (Mary). This is a sign of our times. Often large email lists put our private information (such as personal email addresses) more vulnerable to those who wish to obtain our information to use it for less than honorable purposes and to exploit in a variety of ways. Using a list server for our communications is an attempt to prevent this.

What do you have to do as a member of the LARK? Darrell has added everyone that was listed in the LARK roster to the new list server. This means you should have gotten an INVITE to a yahoo group named W8LRK. All you have to do is accept the invite and you will receive the LED and any group e-mails. If you did not receive an INVITE please report this to W8LRK@yahoo.com and we will check the member records and get it fixed. Remember, moving forward only LARK members will receive the LED. If you want to continue to receive the LED and you are not a member, we will be happy to help you become a member at any club meeting.

Club Presentation

Darrell Black (W8DSB) presented the six minute introduction to the JT-65, what it is and different software

suites to utilize it. Further information on JT-65 are readily available online.

Larry Kube (KD8VKW) presented to the club an introduction, overview and history of Sideband communications.

Motion to close the meeting made by Darrell Black (W8DSB) , seconded by Mark (WQ8S). Meeting adjourned at

8:42pm.

Technical session for anyone wishing to stay to discuss technical issues.

For Sale table available.

Congratulations to Isaac McChristy (no call sign) on winning the 50/50 drawing. Other winning raffle tickets were

placed on goodie table for winners to pick up their prizes.

Respectfully submitted by: Todd (Dante) Kube KD8WPX, Recording Secretary

The LED Aug 2017 Page 6

GLHamCon Forum Schedule as of August 2, 2017

Activity Sponsor Day Start End Location

One Day Tech Class KB6NU Sat 9:00 AM 4:00 PM MC

NONE NONE Sat 9:00 AM 9:55 AM ML

OPENING / ARRL Forum ARRL Sat 9:00 AM 9:55 AM MR

YL Forum TASYLs Sat 10:00 AM 10:55 AM ML

DX Forum SEMDXA Sat 10:00 AM 10:55 AM MR

Clubs Ohio Section Sat 11:00 AM 11:55 AM ML

Contesting Mad River RC Sat 11:00 AM 12:00 PM MR

Propagation K9LA Sat 12:00 PM 12:55 PM MR

Kit Building for Success K0NEB Sat 1:00 PM 1:55 PM ML

Fox Hunting K8TB Sat 1:00 PM 1:55 PM MR

Fox Hunt K8TB Sat 2:00 PM 4:30 PM FIELD

QRP MI QRP Club Sat 2:00 PM 2:55 PM MR

Youth RCA Sat 2:00 PM 3:55 PM ML

MI QRP Club Meeting MI QRP Club Sat 3:00 PM 3:55 PM MR

VE Testing Ford ARL Sat 4:00 PM 5:30 PM MC

OPEN OPEN Sat 4:00 PM 4:55 PM ML

OPEN OPEN Sat 4:00 PM 4:55 PM MR

Banquet/Plenary/Awards GL Division Sat 7:00 PM 8:30 PM MR

Wouff Hong Ohio Sect Sat 8:30 PM 9:00 PM MR

ARES Div SECs Sun 9:00 AM 9:55 AM ML

OPEN OPEN Sun 9:00 AM 9:55 AM MR

OPEN OPEN Sun 10:00 AM 10:55 AM MR

NTS Div STMs Sun 10:00 AM 10:55 AM ML

OPEN OPEN Sun 11:00 AM 11:55 AM ML

OPEN OPEN Sun 11:00 AM 11:55 AM MR

Room Capacities

MR - Michigan Room 150

ML - Media Lounge 52

MC - Media Center 100 Something for everyone!

Page 6 The LED Aug 2017 Page 7

The LED will not be published

in September 2017. Publica-

tion will resume in October

2017.

Thank you for your

patience!

Please consider taking ACTION—Amateur Radio Parity Act

Although this my not directly affect you as an amateur or non-amateur, it does affect our ability during an emergency with having effective home stations. Please contact your Senators!

Thanks, Bruce Begin forwarded message: From: "ARRL Members Only Web site" <memberlist@www.arrl.org> Subject: Amateur Radio Parity Act Date: August 1, 2017 at 10:45:41 PM EDT To: n8wwx@arrl.net Greetings all, Our Great Lakes Division Section Managers have already alerted everyone about the need to send an e-mail to their Senators in Washington to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act. This note is a friendly reminder that if you have not yet sent your e-mail, the attached link will allow you to do that with a very minimal effort. https://arrl.rallycongress.net/ ctas/urge-us-senate-to-support-amateur-radio-parity-act This is truly important that we get this passed so the FCC will be directed to create a set of guidelines implementing PRB-1-style rules that allow those hams living in areas governed by homeowners' associations to install effective an-tennas. The above link is also available at the top of the ARRL Web Page. Thanks for your help and 73. Dale WA8EFK, Director, ARRL Great Lakes Division

Being a licensed Ham, I used the link to send a message to

my Senators. It takes less than one minute and could

make a world of difference. W8MCK, Editor

NOTE: If link is not available, please copy and paste this

URL into your browser.

Page 6 The LED Aug 2017 Page 8

Livingston Repeaters

During the last meeting Darrell was asked to review the repeaters available within Livingston County. He offers the map below

to augment his explanations. Darrell suggests programming these into your radio:

146.68 (162.2 Hz PL) LARK2 Repeater (-.6mhz offset)

146.68 (162.2 Hz PL TX only) LARK2 SIMPLX (No Offset / Talk-a-Round)

444.525 (100.0 Hz PL) LARK4 Repeater (+5mhz offset)

145.410 (162.2 Hz PL) Livingston Repeater (-.6mhz offset)

146.500 (No PL) Livingston Repeater (+1mhz offset) with Echolink Node

146.500 (No PL) Livingston SIMPLX (No Offset / Talk-a-Round)

146.500 N8EOC ~10 mile radius

146.680 LARK 444.525 LARK ~30 mile radius

145.320 DStar 444.0375 DStar ~20 mile radius

145.410 K8JBA ~15 mile radius

The LARK is seeking volunteers to join a rotation to host the Sunday night LARK net held at 9 PM. We would like sufficient volunteers so no individual need host it more than once a month. A rotation would be the initial plan with the volunteers being able to coor-dinate their rotation among themselves, based on their personal calendars.

Please e-mail w8lrk@yahoo.com for more information or to volunteer to participate. Thank you for your con-sideration.

Wanted: Net Controllers Got Junk? HAM junk, that is...

Bring it to the LARK Meeting and place it

on the FOR SALE table. Be sure to label it

with your name and contact info….and the

price!

NOTE: If you don’t sell it, be sure to take it

home with you. We have no storage in the

building for the ‘FOR SALE’ items.

Page 6 The LED Aug 2017 Page 9

Livingston Area Radio Klub

LARK

P.O. Box 283

Howell, MI 48844

www.W8LRK.org

Net 146.680

Americus Grill

9836 E. Grand River Ave

Brighton, MI 48116

Meetings generally held:

LIVCO Central Dispatch

300 S. Highlander Way

Howell, MI

The Livingston Amateur Radio Klub maintains the 146.680 (negative offset, 162.2

CTCSS) and also the 444.525 (positive offset, 100.0 CTCSS) repeaters in Livingston County

August 2017

September 2017

The LED Aug 2017

Livingston Amateur Radio Klub P.O. Box 283 Howell, Mi 48844

Www.W8LRK.org

Net 146.680, Sundays 9 p.m.

Club Call: W8LRK

Klub Meetings:

Second Thursday each month

@ Livingston County Central Dispatch

300 S. Highlander Way

Howell, MI

Board Members:

President: Darrell W8DSB

Vice-President: Van N8GVD

Secretary: Dante KD8WPX

Treasurer: Patrick W8LNO

Program Director: Larry KD8VKW

Tech Director: Les W8MSP

Member at Large: Reece KB0KSU

Committee Chairpersons:

Repeater Trustee: Jim K8JK

LED Editor: Mary W8MCK

VE Coordinator: Jim K8JK

Public Info Ofcr: TBA

Web Site: Reece KB0KSU

The Livingston Amateur Radio Klub maintains

the 146.680 (negative offset, 162.2 CTCSS) and

also the 444.525 (positive offset, 100.0 CTCSS)

repeaters in Livingston County.

Page 10

Next Meeting:

September 14, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m. At the EOC

Submitted by Les Butler W8MSP, LARK Rep to GLD HamCon

Carole Perry, WB2MGP

GLHamCon is honored to welcome legendary youth activities champion, Carole Perry WB2MGP to MIS this October. Carole worked as an executive secretary in an electronics manufacturing company, Rapid Circuit Inc. for 16 years. In 1980, when the company relocat-ed she returned to Intermediate School 72 in Staten Island, NY where she worked until her retirement in 2004, teaching “Introduction to Amateur Ra-dio” to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for almost 30 years. Carole wrote the curric-ulum for “Introduction to Amateur Radio” a very successful program which had 950 students a year coming through it.

Carole Perry is the recipient of the prestigious 1987 Dayton Ham of The Year Award, the 1987 ARRL Instructor of The Year Award, the 1991 Marconi Wire-less Memorial Award, the 1993 QCWA President’s Award, the 1996 Radio Club of America (RCA) Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio Award, the 2009 RCA President’s Award, the 2012 RCA President’s Award, and the 2015 Vivian Carr Award for Women in Radio. She is the winner of the 2016 SOAR (Sisterhood of Amateur Radio) Legacy award for Pioneering Women in Amateur Radio, and the 2016 recipient of the YASME Foundation Award for Excellence.

Carole is an RCA Fellow, and in 2007 she was elected to the RCA Board of Di-rectors; a position she still holds, and she created the Youth Activities Com-mittee which she now chairs. She serves on the RCA Scholarship committee as well. She also created the RCA Young Achiever’s Award, given to students in grade 12 and below who have demonstrated excellence and creativity in wireless communications. Ninety eight youngsters have received this award along with a stipend, so far.

Carole is also presently a Director for QCWA (Quarter Century Wireless Asso-ciation). The QCWA Youth Activities program was created and chaired by Carole.

Under Carole’s leadership, the RCA Youth Activities Committee goes into schools across the country to set up radio/technology programs. Equipment, cash grants, books, and supplies are donated to the chosen schools or youth groups.

Carole has moderated the Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum and Instructors’ Forum for 30 years. She is a member/director of QCWA and RCA. She is also a member of ARRL, DARA, (Dayton Amateur Radio Association) AWA (Antique Wireless Association), and Brandeis Women.

Carole is a contributing columnist for CQ Magazine’s Youth Column.

Mark your calender...

“It’s gonna be great!”

You won’t want to

miss this event!