APRIL 2009 QST Vol 93 No 4

9 It Seems to Us: Keeping the “Amateur” in Amateur Radio12 This Just In .......................................................................................Joel P. Kleinman, N1BKE Local hams volunteer at Super Bowl XLIII; Inside HQ; Media Hits; more.54 VK Alpine Winter Mini-expedition .......................................Stephen Warrillow, VK3SN, and Australia: Kangaroos, koalas, boomerangs, ham radio Gerard Warrillow, VK3GT and skiing. Skiing? You bet! 57 ’Rah for Technology: America’s Oldest College

Amateur Radio Club Turns 100 ........................................................Michael J. Keane, K1MK Take a look back to April 1909 as the MIT Wireless Society, 1XM, makes history as the fi rst

Amateur Radio station on an American college campus. 59 Sky Chatting .................................................................................Steve Sant Andrea, AG1YK Who needs Internet chat rooms when you have Amateur Radio? 60 Party Time on 40 Meters ....................................................................Brennan T. Price, N4QX Come March 29, amateurs can expect to enjoy reduced interference. 62 ARRL Board of Directors Sets Legislative Agenda, More at

2009 Annual Meeting ................................................................. S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA The ARRL Board of Directors looks to the future at its January 16-17 meeting. 66 Happenings .................................................................................S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA Amateur Radio enforcement at the FCC; new leadership in West Gulf Division; ARRL Board

releases mobile Amateur Radio policy statement; FCC News; more.

QST (ISSN:0033-4812) is published monthly as its offi cial journal by the American Radio Relay League, Inc, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Hartford, CT, USA and at additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: QST, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494, USA. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

April 2009 Volume 93 Number 4

Technical

US & Possessions: Membership in the ARRL, including a one year subscription to QST, is available to individuals at $39. Licensed radio amateurs age 21 and under and the eldest licensee in the household may qualify for the rate of $20. Life Membership, in cluding a subscription to QST is available at $975.* Membership and QST cannot be separated. Libraries and institutions, $39 per year. Single copies $5. InternationalTo compensate for additional postage for mailing outside the US, the follow-ing rates apply:Canada: Membership in the ARRL, including a one year subscription to QST, $49, payable in US funds. Life Membership, including a subscription to QST is available at $1225.* Libraries and institutions, $49 per year.All Other Countries: Membership in the ARRL, including a one year subscription to QST, $62, payable in US funds. Life Membership, including a subscription to QST is available at $1550.* Libraries and institutions, $62 per year.*Payment arrangements available. Please write for details.

Membership without QST is available to the imme diate family of a member living at the same address, and to anyone who is legally blind, for $8 per year.Foreign remittances should be by international postal or express money order or bank draft negotiable in the US and for an equivalent amount in US funds. Copyright © 2009 by the American Radio Relay League Inc. Title registered at the US Patent Offi ce. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Quedan reservados todos los derechos. Printed in the USA.QST®, DXCC®, VUCC®, DX Century Club®, ARES® and Amateur Radio Emergency Service® are registered trademarks of the American Radio Relay League, Inc.The ARRL and QST in no way warrant the products described or reviewed herein.QST is available to blind and physically handicapped individuals on audio cas-sette from the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Call 1-800-424-8567.Indexed by Applied Science and Technology Index, Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 21-9421.

30 Bringing an Early Solid State Transceiver into the 21st Century ...................................................................Marc van Stralen, DK4DDS

Adding modern conveniences makes this vintage rig fun to operate in any era. 34 Hairpin Tuners for Matching Balanced Antenna Systems ............... John Stanley, K4ERO Discover a useful approach to impedance transformation at higher frequencies. 37 A 20 Meter Moxon Antenna ....................................................................Larry Banks, W1DYJ Take a look at the compact king of two element skyhooks 41 A Removable HF/VHF/UHF Mobile Installation ...................................... Paul Stone, KQ6RJ Make your mobile station truly portable. 44 Product Review .........................................................................................Mark Wilson, K1RO DC to AC power inverters; Maha MH-C9000 Battery Charger.51 Where is Bob? ............................................................................................Bob Bellini, N2IGU Different technologies work together to enhance APRS.

News and Features

Interested in Writing for QST? www.arrl.org/qst/aguide

e-mail: qst@arrl.org

This Month in QST

4 April 2009

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In order to ensure prompt delivery, we ask that you periodically check the address information on your mailing label. If you fi nd any inaccura-cies, please contact the Circulation Department at circulation@arrl.org or 860-594-0200 immediately. Thank you for your assistance.Reprints and permissions: permission@arrl.orgSee page 14 for detailed contact information.Telephone: 860-594-0200Fax: 860-594-0259

Harold Kramer, WJ1BPublisherSteve Ford, WB8IMYEditorJoel P. Kleinman, N1BKEManaging EditorJoel R. Hallas, W1ZRTechnical EditorLarry D. Wolfgang, WR1B Senior Assistant Technical EditorSteve Sant Andrea, AG1YKAssistant Editor

S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFAHappeningsMark J. Wilson, K1ROProduct ReviewBob Allison, WB1GCMProduct Review Lab TestingSteve Ewald, WV1XPublic ServiceMary M. Hobart, K1MMHAt the FoundationSean Kutzko, KX9XRadiosportBill Moore, NC1LDX and VHF/UHF Century Clubs

John Troster, W6ISQ Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RIAl Brogdon, W1ABBernie McClenny, W3URJohn Dilks, K2TQN H. Ward Silver, NØAX Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZPaul Wade, W1GHZContributing Editors

Michelle Bloom, WB1ENTProduction SupervisorJodi Morin, KA1JPAAssistant Production SupervisorMaty Weinberg, KB1EIBProduction CoordinatorCarol Michaud, KB1QAWProduction Assistant

Sue Fagan, KB1OKWGraphic Design SupervisorDavid Pingree, N1NASSenior Technical Illustrator

Ed Vibert, Nancy G. Hallas, W1NCY,Elaine LengyelProofreaders

Debra Jahnke, K1DAJBusiness Services ManagerQST AdvertisingBob Inderbitzen, NQ1RSales & Marketing ManagerAmy Hurtado, KB1NXOCirculation ManagerDiane Szlachetka, KB1OKVAdvertising Graphics Designer

QST Workbench

Amateur Radio World ............................. 94At the Foundation ................................... 87Convention and Hamfest Calendar ....... 95Correspondence ..................................... 24Eclectic Technology ............................... 98Feedback ................................................. 65Field Organization Reports .................. 101Guide to ARRL Member Services ......... 14Ham Ads ................................................ 156Hamspeak .............................................. 103How’s DX? ............................................... 89Index of Advertisers ............................. 158

72 The Doctor is IN Baluns and system loss; power supplies connected in parallel; wires and antenna

performance; more. 74 Short Takes ..............................................................................................Steve Ford, WB8IMY DX Engineering FCC050-H05-A Feed Line Current Choke 75 Hands-On Radio ......................................................................................H. Ward Silver, NØAX Experiment #75 — Series to Parallel Conversion 77 PSK — 10 Years On .................................................................................Steve Ford, WB8IMY Ten years after the debut of PSK, a look at a favorite mode of digitally savvy hams. 78 Superior Audio from a $5 Boom Arm Mic .........................................Ron Wagner, WD8SBB Enjoy the advantages of a boom mic — without breaking the bank. 81 Hints & Kinks ................................................................................Steve Sant Andrea, AG1YK Acorn altitude apparatus; ladder line center insulator; more.

Radiosport

DepartmentsInside HQ ................................................. 13Public Service ......................................... 69New Products .......................................... 36Silent Keys ............................................ 102Special Events ........................................ 88Strays ............................................... 73, 102Up Front in QST ...................................... 20VHF/UHF Century Club Awards............. 88Vintage Radio .......................................... 99The World Above 50 MHz ....................... 9175, 50 and 25 Years Ago ....................... 101

Our CoverBaby, it’s cold outside! — Our cover for the month of April, the month that offers the hope of springtime, features some frosty hams operating from Australia. The Warrillow brothers — Stephen, VK3SN, and Gerard, VK3GT, both of Victoria, — trekked over to the Bogong High plains (6200 feet above sea level), part of that country’s alpine region, for some snow skiing and Amateur Radio. Read more about their adventure beginning on page 54. Photos by VK3GT.

83 This Month in Contesting .................. Sean Kutzko, KX9X 84 Contest Corral ..................................H. Ward Silver, NØAX 85 2008 ARRL International EME

Competition Results ............. Jeremy Alexander, W7EME86 Straight Key Night 2009 ..................... Sean Kutzko, KX9X87 The 2009 IARU HF World Championships

78 44

86

April 2009 5

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54 April 2009

If asked about Australia, most people can readily list some of the classic icons associated with VK land: kan-

garoos, hot desert plains and boomerangs. Probably very few outside of the antipodes are aware that every winter parts of south-eastern Australia undergo a deep freeze. The alpine region makes up less than 1% of the continent’s landmass, but is still larger than some European countries (see Figure 1). Renowned for being a huge, but fairly flat continent, Australia’s alpine region is not high by global standards (its highest peak is Mt Kosciuszko at 7310 ft above sea level), but much of it is extremely rugged, remote and relatively inaccessible.

For over 10 years now a group of VK hams have taken Amateur Radio into this inhospitable region every winter as part of an ultralight exercise in self-reliance. The adventure centers on using cross-country (X-C) skis to explore regions of the Victorian section of the Alps, with each member of the team carrying all the necessary equipment and food to sustain themselves for 4 days. Ham radio has become an essential part of the trip, mainly for the fun of working distant stations from an austerely beautiful

environment using low power (QRP) gear, but also as a vital means of communication with the outside world in the event of an emergency.

Each member of the team must, to a large extent, be able to take care of himself. Only the genuine essentials can be taken in order to keep weight and bulk down as far as possible.

The recent revolution in radio gear has helped. Licensed members of the team carry various versions of modern submersible mul-tiband handheld transceivers, such as Yaesu’s VX-7R. These devices are remarkably robust and waterproof. Li-Ion batteries are vastly superior to previous technologies and the use of larger “homebrew” whip antennas strapped to the side of a backpack permits reliable communication at low power, dramatically prolonging battery life. Being up so high allows excellent access to distant VHF/UHF repeaters and quite reliable contact with civi-lization where cell phones simply have no coverage.

This is not the case, of course, dropping down from the peaks, where HF is the only option. For HF work, we use a Yaesu FT-817. This little radio is a real treasure. Using a fine wire dipole strung between snow gum trees and a small tuner (Elecraft T1) it is possible to move around the bands without leaving the warm safety of a mountain hut or snow cave. The real challenge is how to power the rig. The best solution we have discovered is to carry compact SLA batteries, which we trickle charge from rollable solar panels (PowerFilm R15-600; www.powerfilmsolar.com). Such an approach is remarkably effec-tive and provides an acceptable trade-off between weight and optimal power capacity.

Expedition 2008 — Day 1Our 2008 trip was one of the best yet. We

decided to head up in late July to a region known as the Bogong High Plains, which is a substantial plateau sitting at 6200 feet above sea level. The snow had accumulated to about 4 feet in depth and conditions were ideal. The group left Melbourne to drive the 5 hours or so up to the Alpine region and we left our vehicles at the Falls Creek Ski Resort.

After checking that all the gear was prop-erly packed up, the vehicles were left behind and we headed out on skis along snow cov-ered fire trails and then across open country. Crossing frozen streams and climbing up to the high plains we were treated to truly spec-tacular views across the roof of Australia.

Our reverie was cut short by news com-ing through on our liaison 2 meter frequency that a skier from another party appeared to

VK Alpine Winter Mini-expeditionTwo brothers enjoy skiing and radio in the Australian Alps.

Stephen Warrillow, VK3SN, and Gerard Warrillow, VK3GT

Figure 2 — A typical alpine hut where trekkers camp overnight.

BogongHigh

Plains

AustralianAlpineRegion

A U S T R A L I A

Kangaroo Island

Tasmania

S . A u s t r a l i aB a s i n

Darling

Don River

Murray River

Murray River

T i m o r S e a

G r e a tA u s t r a l i a n

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at B

ar r i e

r Re

ef

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0

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Adelaide Canberra

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Hobart

Melbourne

Sydney

Darwin

Perth

Figure 1 — The region of southern Australia the authors put on the air.

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Appril 2009 55

be seriously injured. Some of our team who had gone ahead encountered a group of army Special Forces soldiers out on an alpine sur-vival exercise. One of the soldiers (the unit’s medic as it happened) had been seriously injured in a fall and now appeared quite dis-tressed. The army guys were quite surprised to discover that our team included a physical therapist, two paramedics, a radiographer, a veterinary nurse and a critical care physician. We stayed to assist the injured soldier and were glad that our extensive medical kit was available to stabilize his condition and make him comfortable. An emergency retrieval was arranged and he was transferred out with the assistance of the local emergency services using over-snow vehicles.

Staying up high is not really an option overnight, so we headed down to one of the few remaining mountain huts nestled in a nearby valley (see Figure 2). These are very basic structures, mostly remnants from the old days when cattle were grazed on the high plains in the summer months. They generally consist of a corrugated iron roof, rough timber walls and a basic fireplace; they are a real haven in the winter. Anyone is welcome to shelter in them provided that these delicate structures are treated with respect. Protecting the huts is hugely important, as, apart from their historical sig-nificance, they are a lot more practical than building an igloo or snow cave for winter shelter.

Once we’d set up and put coffee on to boil, it was time to play radio. Getting wire into the trees in the snow can be a real chal-lenge but fishing weights and strong line cer-tainly help. We use RG-174 coax to run from an ultra-lightweight, homebrew balun into the rig. Losses on HF are trivial and it seems to work well. First off, calls were made to let family at home know we were safe and well. Then for some fun! While QRP work demands a little patience, it is very rewarding to speak to some distant amateur knowing that those few watts of power are sufficient to bridge such an expanse (see Figure 3). Despite the current low level of sunspot activity, we always seem to have a decent number of contacts and really appre-ciate the efforts that these skilled operators make to pull our weak signal in from the ether.

One of the benefits of being so far from the rest of the world is the almost complete absence of noise. From 160 meters all the way up through the HF, we were troubled by nothing more than the occasional static crash of distant thunderstorms. As the weather closed in with heavy snow and a whiteout, we settled in for the night with a warm drink and worked 160 and 80 meters contentedly.

Day 2 — Fresh Powder and Fine Weather

The next morning we woke to find much fresh heavy snow. These are nearly perfect conditions, as it remained cold enough to keep the snow dry and powdery. On X-C skis it is possible to cover fairly decent dis-tances quite efficiently and we made good time back up to the main plateau, through several stands of snow gum forest before climbing above the tree line again. Once higher up, we felt the full force of the strong winds we had been sheltered from down in the valley. While the snow was perfect, the gale made for heavy going, except when it swung around and came from behind. From this point on, it was possible to glide forward and with jacket open like a kite, hitch a free ride on the wind.

We made it to one of the other huts and decided it would make a good lunch spot. While enjoying lunch, the weather turned and we experienced a “whiteout.” On a clear day, one can see mountains over 60 miles away, but when the weather turns bad, visibility is dramatically reduced — on this occasion down to less than 20 feet. We decided that heading back to base (about 9 miles away) was the best bet and let the others know our intentions on our 2 meter liaison frequency. At times like this the mar-vels of satellite navigation really come to the fore. Using GPS, we headed out into heavy mist, snow and wind, following the blinking arrow on the LCD display. Despite the chal-lenging conditions, we all returned in good time to what had become our designated base camp.

On arriving back to the relative shelter of the camp, we found that those who’d stayed behind had been most industrious. The foun-dations and walls of a large igloo had been constructed and after pausing for a warming cup of hot soup, the rest of us joined in to assist. We put our backs into the task and a few hours later we were standing inside a very impressive igloo.

While the wind screamed outside and heavy snow falls persisted, inside was amazingly quiet and surprisingly comfort-able. After setting down insulated sleeping mats and putting the kettle on a fuel stove to make coffee, we organized getting antennas fed through into our new base (see Figure 4). Now we had a real talking point — operating solar powered HF from an igloo in VK land; improbable, but true! Working mainly 40 and 80 meters was extremely effective and even though the balun and antenna became heavily iced up, performance seemed quite reasonable. Some battery performance problems did emerge in the cold conditions, but placing the battery inside the opera-tor’s jacket to use body heat for warming worked well. A very useful aspect of playing radio that afternoon was obtaining updated weather reports from several helpful hams who checked the forecast online and advised us that a high pressure system was due through and would bring some relief from the mini-blizzard we were experiencing.

Day 3 — Waking Up to a Good Day

On day 3 we enjoyed much improved weather and decided to ski up to the summit of Mount Nelse, close to the highest point in the state. Progress was slow, but steady as we approached the summit, which is marked by an old ice covered trig surveying point. The view in all directions was quite stunning and in the bright sunshine, sunburn became the biggest risk. Using our handheld transceivers, we worked in to several distant VHF and UHF repeaters, some of which had IRLP capabilities so that we could chat with friends back home and in Europe. The capacity of these bands to cover remark-able distances when line-of-sight is possible never ceases to amaze. We easily worked in to one distant IRLP linked repeater that was over 125 miles away and had successful contacts into Great Britain — now try doing that on a cell phone!

Mount Nelse had a large cornice of compacted ice — beautiful but danger-ous. The trig point marker identified the summit and the limit of where it was safe to venture. Heading further out on the plains, we obtained excellent views of the massive Mount Bogong plateau, which is Victoria’s highest mountain. The Big River

Figure 3 — Stephen, VK3SN, making a contact from inside the hut.

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56 April 2009

chocolate and still a bit of power left in the batteries, we enjoyed a great night of radio contacts and yarns about previous trips (see Figure 5). Savoring the experience seemed all the more important knowing we would be heading back to civilization the follow-ing day.

Day 4 — Homeward BoundThe following morning required an early

start. Winding up icy wire antennas and packing gear took a little time, but we were soon ready to break camp. We crossed over the high plains and came round near the fro-zen lakes above Falls Creek to arrive back to the vehicles after midday.

As we journeyed back the 5 hours home, it was good to reflect on our experience. We had enjoyed another fantastic adventure into a snow-covered wilderness familiar to very few. The gear had performed well and the importance of a good medical kit and navi-

gation aids had been reinforced. Once again, radio was an integral part of the trip, provid-ing reliable communi-cations and contributing to our safety. Besides these important aspects, it brought a fun means of sharing our adven-ture with hams from near and far, something we (and I hope they) really appreciate. We are indeed fortunate to have the resource of Amateur Radio avail-able to us. The more often we utilize our band access in innova-tive and engaging ways, the better we can attract

new hams to the hobby and also maintain our operating privileges. Now to start planning for the next trip!

All photos courtesy of Gerard Warrillow, VK3GT

Stephen Warrillow, VK3SN, has been licensed for 10 years and is a member of the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA), the North East Radio Group (NERG) and the ARRL. He obtained his Advanced operating license in 2003 while completing specialist medical train-ing in the United Kingdom, where he also holds the call sign MØCYT. Stephen is a physician specializing in critical care medicine, medical education and clinical research. His Amateur Radio interests include HF mobile, portable operation in austere environments and wire antennas. Wherever possible he combines radio with hiking, cycling, skiing and travel. Other interests include Australian native gar-dens, wine and music. You can reach Stephen at PO Box 416, Rosanna, Victoria 3084, Australia or at swarrillow@hotmail.com.

Gerard Warrillow, VK3GT (previously VK3JPA) has been licensed for 8 years, holds an Advanced operators license and is a member of the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network (WICEN). He has traveled extensively through-out Australia and Europe and has operated in the UK while living there for several years. Gerard is a senior radiographer experienced in CT, MRI and ultrasonography. His main radio interests include ultralight portable QRP opera-tion, homebrew portable gear and multiband mobile work, all of which complement his other favorite pursuits of mountain biking, off trail cross-country skiing and long distance hiking. Gerard can be reached at PO Box 416, Rosanna, Victoria 3084, Australia or at gwarrillow@hotmail.com.

Figure 4 — Igloo on the air.

Figure 5 — Gerard, VK3GT, and Mat, VK3HFI, inside the igloo.

valley, nearly 3000 feet below us, could be glimpsed through ravines dropping away from the plains. With near perfect weather and visibility, the team dispersed to enjoy heading wherever conditions suited them. Keeping in touch on 2 meters was handy but risks in such great conditions are fairly minimal anyway. On arriving back we dis-covered that the solar panels laid out on the snow had heated up in the sunshine and melted down several inches. Lesson learned — next time hang them in a tree or place them on an insulating mat!

During the afternoon, we again had good success working the lower HF bands. By evening 80 meters was great with 0.5 W sufficient to cross the 150 odd miles back to Melbourne reliably on phone. There was much less activity on 160 meters, but some of our most satisfying contacts were into a few of the regular weekend nets on this band. With a mug of old port, a block of dark

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