Watts NewsMonthly Newsletter of the
Olympia Amateur Radio Society
P.O. Box 2861, Olympia, WA 98507
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Greetings
from the Oval Shack in the Spring This is always a beautiful and cheerful time of year, replete with many blossoming flowers and ham radio events. It is also a welcome precursor to summer antenna renovation season. Get ready, folks, your wire antennas have been oxidizing all winter. Your coax connectors need sealing. Your/my antennas may be or are drooping. Your/my coaxes may have been collecting water through capillary action down to the low drooping point of the coax feed line every time it rains. Those should probably be replaced. Lubed your rotor lately? Sealed your traps? Checked the SWR of all your antennas? You may not like what you see.
And of course there are the two or three "nice to have" antenna projects you/I need to put on order. Time's a wastin', folks. It'll be raining in September before we know it.
Speaking of blossoming operating events, Field Day is in two months. Lee Chambers, KI7SS, is ably in charge this year, so let him know if you will be participating, and in any particular areas in which you can assist. I myself have volunteered for the second-best part of the weekend, the potluck supper Saturday June 26th. Next month: category assignments.
My abundant kudos to our "Watts News" editor George Lanning, KB6LE, for his continued high quality newsletter output every single month. Watts News is one of the best designed ham radio organization newsletters produced in the Pacific area, and I get a lot of other newsletters. The topical content is always germane and informative, and he consistently reminds us to not take life too seriously. Nicely done, George, keep up the good work!
Re: his good work, that puzzle last month took me five hours! I know, must be nice to be retired, yes it is. I forgot about Lesotho, Dahomey, and Andorra. Those were tough. Next time he runs one of those, I think I'll peruse a map of Africa for a few minutes before I start. On sheer numbers alone, African countries are bound to come up more often than countries in other continents, and only the DXers work with those names with any frequency!
I don't know how many of you send out or respond to QSL cards, but I encourage all ham radio operators to QSL. As a ham radio operator that just got back in the hobby a couple years ago, I can tell you that receiving QSL cards from new friends all over the world is a highlight of the trip to my mailbox every day.
Right now I have received four hundred QSL cards from all over the world, and treasure every one of them. It amazes me as to all the different interests, philosophies, and personalities displayed by each station's QSL card. I have verified two hundred fifteen counties, forty one states, and five countries so far; only nine away from WAS -- getting there. And DXCC by 2024, that's fine. My point is, and I do have one, that if you do receive a QSL card from a ham radio operator with whom you had a QSO, it may very well MAKE THEIR DAY when they receive your QSL card from Thurston County Washington. It's part of what being a ham radio operator is all about, and it's fun too.
Those of you who have been good enough to run the OARS net on the repeater on Tuesday night, please also announce that the OARS CW net immediately follows at 2000 local on 3.68 MHZ. Want a little 8 WPM code practice once a week? That'll do it, including Technician Plus licensees and Novices. That's what clubs of friends are for.
There was an article on BPL on the ARRL web site (What a shock that is, eh?) a month ago, and it answered a few questions we had during the BPL discussion we had during our meeting a few months ago.
There are now audio recordings available on the web site so everyone can hear what BPL sounds like. Also, does anyone know if PSE has gone ahead with their BPL project? Let any of our officers or RFI Committee chairman Ghery Pettit N6TPT know if you hear anything.
I hope everyone in OARS is able to participate in the many operating events this summer and fall. The Capital City Marathon and Field Day have a long tradition of being great events for ham radio operators from around the Olympia area to get together and have fun operating their radios. See you there.
73
-- Leroy N7EIE
For those who may not have been as diligent as Leroy, here are last month's puzzle answers revealed:
VladimIR ANd Olga are SoVIET NAMes.
Have you ever heard an aniMAL TAlk IN DIAlect?
The children puT ON GAlashes TO GO out in the rain.
Extra tuition will helP AN AMAteur to improve hiS PAINting.
In the United NationS WE DENounce the wholesaLE BAN ON atomic weapons.
Rash decisions may lead to troubLE SO THOrouGH ANAlysis is required.
The prince has not founD A HOME Yet since leaving his fiNE PALace.
SuCH A Display could be either really grAND OR RAther disappointing.
Give the doG A BONe and give hiM A LIttle water.
If an iron piPE RUsts you just have to shrUG AND Accept it.
On Friday, April 9, 2004, the CTCSS Tone of 103.5 was turned back on for the 147.360 repeater. Also, the autopatch is now available, but there are currently no preprogrammed autodial slots.
When using the Autopatch, please identify first and then enter *phone number C. When finished with the call, enter #C and then identify (These are the same instructions given on the OARS Web Site.)
Thanks. We will be adding autodial slots in about a month.
73
-- Ken Dahl, K7TAG
Ever wonder about the rest of the world's current perception of Amateur Radio? This appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal. It ran on the front page in the middle column.
In This Power Play, High-Wire Act Riles Ham-Radio Fans
New Use for Lines Sparks Tension With Operators; 'Firestorm' in Penn Yan
March 23, 2004
Rick Lindquist drove down a street in a New York City suburb, ignoring the snow swirling around his car and twirling the dial on the ham radio mounted to the side of his dashboard. The radio picked up an operator in Minnesota discussing antennas, the Salvation Army's daily emergency network check and then the time, as broadcast from Colorado by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
As the car turned onto North State Road in the village of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, the voices faded, replaced with whirs and wahs -- what could have been sound effects from a 1950s science-fiction movie. The source, according to Mr. Lindquist, was right outside the window: the power lines running alongside the road.
Owned by Consolidated Edison, the lines transmit not just electricity but data, much like phone and cable-TV wires. The utility is testing a system for reading meters, probing for outages and potentially offering high-speed Internet access to its customers via their electrical outlets. The interference from the power lines "ranges from very annoying to that's-all-I-can-hear," contends Mr. Lindquist, 58 years old, who often taps out Morse-code messages as he drives.
In a clash between the dots and dashes of the telegraph and the bits and bytes of the Web, the nation's vocal but shrinking population of ham-radio operators, or "hams" as they call themselves, are stirring up a war with the utility industry over new power-line communications. Hams have flooded the Federal Communications Commission with about 2,500 letters and e-mails opposing power-line trials. In a letter to the FCC, the American Radio Relay League, a ham-radio group with 160,000 members, called power-line communications "a Pandora's box of unprecedented proportions."
The league has raised more than $300,000 from nearly 5,600 donors since last summer, to pay for testing, lobbying and publicity to spread the word about the perceived threat. A half-dozen hams even confronted FCC Chairman Michael Powell, a big advocate of the power-line technology, when he visited a test site near Raleigh, N.C., earlier this month.
The problem, most ham operators contend, is that power lines weren't built to carry anything other than electricity. Telephone and cable-TV lines are either shielded with a second set of wires or twisted together to prevent their signals from interfering with other transmissions. But signals sent over electrical wires tend to spill out, the hams contend.
The FCC and the utilities say new technologies have eliminated the interference and accuse the hams of exploiting the issue for their own gains. "We haven't seen the sun darken and everything electrical turn to white noise and haze during a deployment," says Matt Oja, an executive at Progress Energy, whose test Mr. Powell visited. "This is a fairly vocal group that has been whipped into a frenzy by their organization."
The controversy comes at a sensitive time for the hams. Not too many decades ago, ham-radio operators were on the cutting edge of communications technology. They chatted with people in far-flung places at a time when long-distance calling was still a luxury. They spread word of disasters that otherwise might have taken days to reach the public. In the age of e-mail, wireless Internet access and cell phones that double as walkie-talkies, many operators worry that their hobby will fade away.
To become a fully licensed ham operator, people still need to learn Morse code, though that requirement likely will be dropped soon after more than a decade of debate. Aging hams, who built crystal radio sets as kids or were radio operators during World War II, are dying. Fewer youngsters are replacing them. Armed with powerful computers, today's young tinkerers grow up to be tech geeks, playing video games and writing software.
The American Radio Relay League has seen its membership shrink to today's 160,000 from a peak of 175,000 in 1995, and the average member is in his mid-50s. The group estimates that there are about 250,000 active ham-radio enthusiasts.
Hams always have been a quirky bunch. They haunt a series of short-wave radio frequencies set aside for them by the federal government in the 1930s. Other slices of the spectrum are reserved for AM and FM radio, broadcast television, cell phones, and police and fire departments, among other uses.
Hams take great pride in radioing around the world. One favorite game: trying to contact someone in each of the 3,000-plus counties in the U.S. Mr. Lindquist is so enthusiastic about ham radio that he vacations in spots such as Whitehorse, the capital of Canada's Yukon Territory, so other hams can claim they made contact with that city.
Ed Thomas, the FCC's chief engineer, says the commission has spent a year listening to the hams' concerns about power lines and is getting frustrated. "Why is this thing a major calamity?" he says. "And honestly, I'd love the answer to that."
Companies such as Con Ed and Progress note that current FCC regulations call for systems to be shut down if they interfere with hams. The radio operators agree the rules are clear, but they fear they will be rescinded or not enforced.
Con Ed says its system in Briarcliff Manor doesn't interfere with the hams and maintains that, in two years of testing, it hasn't received one complaint. But the American Radio Relay League says it did mention this system in its letters to the FCC, and it has been complaining about it on its Web site.
The hams have been quick to act wherever systems are being rolled out. Just days after Penn Yan, a town of 5,200 that sits amid New York's Finger Lakes, approved a plan to test power-line Internet access, "the firestorm started with the ham-radio operators -- letters, e-mails, telephone calls saying, 'You can't do this,' " recalls Mayor Doug Marchionda Jr.
Hoping to keep everyone happy, he approached David Simmons, a local ham and owner of an electronics store that sells radio gear. They surveyed the town before the trial began to get base readings of interference. They even pinpointed a spot that had bothered police and firefighters for years, tracing it to refrigerators at a local supermarket.
With the refrigerators fixed and the power-line system in place over nine blocks of Penn Yan, Mr. Simmons is satisfied that there is no interference and now favors the new technology. "This thing has caught quite a buzz," he says. "It's just so much negativity out there."
Tom Gius, a ham-radio operator in Alpine, Texas, sees the power lines as a threat to the public services that hams provide. When hailstorms sweep through each spring, Mr. Gius heads to the local radio station, while other hams fan out to the north, south, east and west. They communicate by radio, and Mr. Gius passes information to the radio station. "We won't be able to understand each other, it'll be so noisy," frets Mr. Gius, a 60-year-old retired broadcaster.
-- from Steve Stroh N8GNJ, via seatcp mailing list
A Mafia godfather finds out that his bookkeeper has embezzled ten million bucks from him. This bookkeeper happens to be deaf, so the godfather brings along his attorney, who knows sign language.
The godfather asks the bookkeeper: "Where is the 10 million bucks you embezzled from me?"
The attorney, using sign language, asks the bookkeeper where the 10 million dollars is hidden. The bookkeeper signs back: "I don't know what you are talking about."
The attorney tells the godfather: "He says he doesn't know what you're talking about."
That's when the godfather pulls out a 9 mm pistol, puts it to the bookkeeper's temple, cocks it, and says: "Ask him again!"
The attorney signs to the underling: "He'll kill you for sure if you don't tell him!" The bookkeeper signs back: "OK! You win! The money is in a brown briefcase, buried behind the shed in my cousin Enzo's backyard in Queens."
The godfather asks the attorney: "Well, what'd he say?" The attorney replies: "He says you don't have the guts to pull the trigger!"
-- from W1GMF, via packet
When my cousin, Bobby, was 3 years old he was sitting on the porch eating watermelon. He wasn't bothering with the seeds, he was just swallowing them. His mother told him if he didn't quit swallowing the seeds, he would have a watermelon growing in his stomach.
A few days later at the grocery store a lady who was quite pregnant came up behind Bobby and his mother in the checkout line. Bobby turned around and pointed at the lady's belly and, in a very loud voice, said "I know what you've been doing!"
-- from W1GMF, via packet
As of 3/30/04
GENERAL FUND (checking account)
Previous balance $ 1,189.87
Income 450.27
Expenses 1,264.52
Ending balance 375.62
REPEATER / PACKET FUND (savings account)
Previous balance $ 974.58
Income 2.18
Expenses 0.00
Ending balance 976.76
-- Ed Fitzgerald, N7WW, Treasurer
The following stations checked in on the OARS General Information Net one or more times in the month of March, 2004:
| AA7YD | AB7PS | K7TAG* | K7VRE |
| KA4VVA | KA7VNE | KB6LE | KB7DFL* |
| KB7UKX | KC7FEE | KC7LA | KC7PAG |
| KD6ZBS | KD7ISO | KD7KHE | KD7RAT |
| KD7RAW | KD7TQW | KD7UJH | KD7YOE |
| KD7YXY | KE7CG | KI7SS | N7AAG |
| N7JHJ | N7SSD | N7WW | NX6W |
| W7DOY | W7IOM | W7MRK | W7RLL |
| WB7ROZ* | WC7I |
* Net Control Stations
The net meets at 7:30 every Tuesday evening on the 3 linked OARS repeaters: 147.36, 224.46, and 441.40 MHz. All Hams are invited to check in.
This might be a lifesaver if we can remember the three questions!
Is It a Stroke? Or is it in your mind?
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say any bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February.
Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
PASS IT ON...............
-- Keith McDonald, N7JSK
The FCC is seeking comment on three plans, one from the ARRL, that would reshape the Amateur Service licensing structure. Each Petition for Rule Making responds to World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 actions last summer that made changes to Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations. While differing substantially in some other aspects, the three petitions call for modifications at Amateur Radio's entry level and for a three-tiered license system. One petition goes beyond licensing structure to recommend additional changes to amateur testing and HF digital privileges. A fourth petition focuses solely on the Morse requirement. Comments are due by April 24 on all four petitions.
Designated RM-10867, ARRL's petition asks the FCC to create a new entry-level license class -- being called "Novice" for now. It would offer limited HF CW/data and phone/image privileges on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters plus certain VHF and UHF privileges. The League plan also would consolidate Technician, Tech Plus (Technician with Element 1 credit) and General licensees into a new General license that no longer would require a Morse examination. Current Technicians automatically would gain General privileges without additional testing. Applicants for Amateur Extra would still have to pass a 5 WPM Morse code examination, but the General and Extra written exams would stay the same.
A news report "ARRL to Propose New Entry-Level License, Code-Free HF Access" www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/01/19/1/, has further details. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) are addressed on the ARRL Web site, www.arrl.org/news/restructuring2/faq.html.
An "unincorporated grassroots organization," the Radio Amateur Foundation (RAF), has filed a petition designated as RM-10868. Its wide-ranging filing asks the FCC to modify the Technician ticket to allow restricted HF phone, data, image and CW privileges. The group also proposes retaining the 5 WPM Morse requirement for General and Amateur Extra applicants, upgrading Advanced class holders to Extra and all Novices to Technician. The Radio Amateur Foundation said it sees no need to change licensing requirements for General or Amateur Extra applicants.
The RAF also wants to scrap existing Amateur Radio question pools and start over from scratch, keeping the question pools out of the public domain and requiring a 10-day waiting period before retesting. In addition, it would permit only Generals and Amateur Extras or Technicians licensed more than two years to request vanity call signs.
The RAF has further asked the FCC to permit digital experimentation from 29.0 to 29.3 MHz at bandwidths of up to 15 kHz.
In his two-page petition designated RM-10869, Ronald D. Lowrance, K4SX, calls on the FCC to retain the 5 WPM Morse code requirement for General class applicants and to raise the Morse requirement to 13 WPM for Amateur Extra class applicants. He called Morse code "the most reliable mode of communication" in an emergency. Lowrance would make no change in Technician licensing requirements.
The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) wants the FCC to establish a new entry-level license called the Communicator class. Its petition, designated RM-10870, reiterates its call -- first made last fall in RM-10787 -- to altogether eliminate the Morse code testing requirement.
The NCVEC's petition would upgrade all current Novices to Communicator class. The NCVEC would further upgrade all existing Technician and Tech Plus (Technician with Element 1 credit) licensees to General and all Advanced class licensees to Amateur Extra without further testing. Once the Morse requirement goes away, NCVEC said in its filing, "there will be no effective difference between the Technician and General class licenses."
The new Communicator ticket would permit a power limit of 100 W on bands below 24 MHz and 50 W on all frequencies above 24 MHz. Communicator licensees would have to use commercially manufactured equipment (or gear built from a commercial kit). They could operate both voice and digital modes on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters plus VHF and UHF up to 70 cm.
All three license restructuring plans call for changes to the present HF subbands.
Interested parties may view and comment on these petitions via the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System, www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html. When entering the RM number in the ECFS "Proceeding" field, RM must be in capital letters and the hyphen must be included.
-- ARRL Bulletin ARLB007
Adult: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.
Beauty Parlor: A place where women curl up and dye.
Cannibal: Someone who is fed up with people.
Chickens: The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.
Committee: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
Dust: Mud with the juice squeezed out.
Egotist: Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.
Handkerchief: Cold storage.
Mosquito: An insect that makes you like flies better.
Raisin: Grape with a sunburn.
Secret: Something you tell to one person at a time.
Skeleton: A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.
Toothache: The pain that drives you to extraction.
Tomorrow: One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.
Yawn: An honest opinion openly expressed.
Wrinkles: Something other people have. You have character lines.
-- from David, ZL3AI, via packet
The OARS Directory which follows in this issue includes only members whose dues are current. If your name is missing, perhaps you forgot to renew.
Name Call Address City ST ZIP Phone
Larry Alvar KD7TQW 3412 Beth Ct NE Lacey WA 98516-9248 360-413-7539
Geoff Apgar W7JEZ P.O. Box 5801 Lacey WA 98503 360-923-0109
Reade
Apgar
N7AGG 929 Trosper Rd SW RM 126 Tumwater WA
98512 360-754-0395
Fred Baker W7SIX 224 Satsop Ave Shelton WA 98584 360-357-2662
Jack Barber W1PRT 4316 Chambers Lake Dr. SE Lacey WA 98503 360-438-5921
Ruth Barber K1IIF 4316 Chambers Lake Dr. SE Lacey WA 98503 360-438-5921
Ben Bennett N7IVM 1212 Tabitha Ct NW Olympia WA 98502 360-705-8533
Jon Bennett W7LWB 7132 Hawks Prairie Rd NE Lacey WA 98516 360-459-0697
Ruth Bolstad KC7QHK 929 Trosper Rd SW Tumwater WA 98512-6961 360-754-7433
Duane Braford WB7ROZ 204 Shadow Ln NE Olympia WA 98506 360-412-1902
Tiffany Braford KD7KHE 204 Shadow Ln NE Olympia WA 98506 360-412-1902
William Braford KD7SQT 2030 Cardinal Lane Lacey WA 98503 360-438-5777
Bob Brown KA7KSK 6106 Lemon Rd NE Olympia WA 98506 360-452-3842
Richard Bullard KD7RAT 2020 Mare Ct SE Olympia WA 98501 360-357-3249
Harold Burchards KD7YOE 6029 55th Ct SE Lacey WA 98513 360-413-0869
Mick Bush N7ZTU 1003 Surrey Trace Dr. SE Olympia WA 98501 360-956-3312
Sharon Campbell N7DHE 9101-24 Steilacoom Rd. Olympia WA 98513 360-491-6460
George Carle N7ARY 1809 Centerwood Dr SE Olympia WA 98501 360-943-3536
Chris Chambers KA7BNS 908 Narnia Lane NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0800
Kristopher Chambers KC7ZWN 908 Narnia Lane NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0800
Lee Chambers KI7SS 908 Narnia Lane NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0800
Marie Chambers KC7MNM 908 Narnia Lane NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0800
Morgan Chambers KC7VNY 908 Narnia Lane NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0800
Ray Chenhall AA7ET 9038 Waddell Creek Rd SW Olympia WA 98512 360-902-7378
Thomas Christian W7IOM 5825 Stellar Ln SE Olympia WA 98513 360-459-3060
Sarah Coats KD7WSH 2413 Woodfield Lp SE Olympia WA 98501 360-491-3749
Marc Cote KD7MHC 2105 Wedgewood Dr SE Olympia WA 98501 360-753-2276
Daniel Crane KB7DFL 4310 Glen Terra Dr. SE Lacey WA 98503 360-459-1564
Ken Dahl K7TAG 1120 Palomino Ct SE Tumwater WA 98501-8633 360-534-9357
Rick Damitio W7DOY 7023 Mullen Rd SE Olympia WA 98503 360-491-2587
Tom Dennis KA4VVA 1919 Evergreen Pk Dr #18 Olympia WA 98502 360-754-6651
Ken Elfbrandt AA7MX 1727 Sleater-Kinney Rd SE Lacey WA 98503 360-438-5971
James Elliott AA7OH 3455 Martin Way #18 Olympia WA 98506 360-456-5571
Gary Ernest N7HKI 2718 24th Ave. SE Olympia WA 98501 360-352-2503
Isabel Ernest KA7WIC 2718 24th Ave. SE Olympia WA 98501 360-352-2503
Bill Fill KD5IC 3 Fair Oaks Dr Conway AR 72032 501-327-0337
Dora Anna Fill NI5D 3 Fair Oaks Dr Conway AR 72032 501-327-0337
Ed Fitzgerald N7WW 5006 Lacey Blvd. SE Lacey WA 98503 360-491-2289
Dave Gates KD7YXY PO Box 414 Tenino WA 98589 360-956-7574
Robert Goodnow N7JHJ 4017 Indian Summer Dr SE Olympia WA 98513 360-456-2427
Helen Hannigan KB7JDL 2409 Morse Rd SE Olympia WA 98501 360-352-9189
Ron Hill W7NN 10624 Zephyr Ln SW Olympia WA 98512 888-357-7779
Gerald Julian KD7CZN 4417 Clar Mar Ln SE Olympia WA 98501-4711 360-943-7009
John Kennedy KD7ISO PO Box 5556 Lacey WA 98509
Sharon Kinder N7SSD 502 S. Edison St. Olympia WA 98501 360-943-6187
George Lanning KB6LE 4129 Green Cove N.W. Olympia WA 98502 360-866-2185
David LeFevre KC7FEC 8128 Bo Court SE Olympia WA 98513 360-413-7405
Paul Leach N7GGX 2030 Cardinal Lane Lacey WA 98503 360-438-5777
Lee Lininger W7RLL 20525 Lonesome Ln SE Yelm WA 98597
Vaunn Litchfield KD7UJH 7844 Holiday Valley Dr Olympia WA 98502 360-866-3618
Chuck Lund K7VRE PO Box 14729 Tumwater WA 98511 360-319-8715
Robert Lyon AA7YD 7734 Nottingham Ct SE Olympia WA 98503 360-459-9263
Sara Lyon AB7PS 7734 Nottingham Ct SE Olympia WA 98503 360-459-9263
Keith McDonald N7JSK 10337 Carney Dr. SE Olympia WA 98501 360-352-2514
Lawrence McKnight KD7MBP 4931 Delores Dr NE Olympia WA 98516 360-412-5973
Dick McRoberts WB9ZIP 9101-68 Steilacoom Rd SE Olympia WA 98513 360-438-2965
Dennis Mills N7MEA 804 Narnia Lane NW Olympia WA 98502
John Moore N7GMC 2407 Tyndell Circle SW Tumwater WA 98502 360-357-6234
Kathleen Moore KC7RHK 2407 Tyndell Circle SW Tumwater WA 98502 360-357-6234
Tim Nairn KB7UKX 5629 Sleater Kinney Rd NE Olympia WA 98506 360-491-4956
David Palmer AC7PT 2413 Woodfield Lp SE Olympia WA 98501 360-491-3749
Brian Parsons 3235 Lilly Rd NE Olympia WA 98506-3009 360-438-3966
Jeff Parsons KC7GBQ 3235 Lilly Rd NE Olympia WA 98506-3009 360-438-3966
Charles Scovill KC7FEE 6625 Bellevista St NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-1961
Rollo Shaw AB7NE 1809 Sawyer St SE Olympia WA 98501 360-754-9682
Don Shields KJ7NV 1872 Circle LN SE Lacey WA 98503 360-438-5066
Kenneth Smith W7HRY 7627 Cooper Point Rd. NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-2507
Leroy Smith N7EIE 8525 Mahonia Ct SE Yelm WA 98597-9794 360-458-8286
Thom Solberg N7KJG 3067 60th Ave SE Olympia WA 98501 360-456-3297
Kip Stilz K7KIP 4625 Norcross Ct SE Olympia WA 98501 360-456-4949
Charles Stoddard NX6W 1737 Judd St NE Olympia WA 98516
Brett Taylor KC7OQJ 3720 Wesley Loop NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0683
Paul Taylor KC7LA 3720 Wesley Loop NW Olympia WA 98502 360-866-0683
Bill Tilton K7OKC 3700 14th Ave SE #120 Olympia WA 98501
Deloise Tilton KB7GEG 3700 14th Ave SE #120 Olympia WA 98501
Bill Waesche KE7CG PO Box 1190 Rainier WA 98576 360-446-5085
Steve Ward WC7I 5034 Meridian Rd. NE Olympia WA 98506 360-456-4249
Kathy Watkinson KC7OQM 1405 9th Ave SE Olympia WA 98501 360-943-4352
Larry Watkinson KC7CKO 1405 9th Ave SE Olympia WA 98501 360-943-4352
Al Williams K7PUC 706 Frederick St NE Olympia WA 98506 360-753-1328
Jeff Withers W3GE 6010 193rd Ave SW Rochester WA 98579 360-273-8614
Lisa Withers KB7PNX 6010 193rd Ave SW Rochester WA 98579 360-273-8614
Vandals attacked the WC7I repeater on or about April 12, 2004. Using a pair of bolt cutters, they cut the lock on the automobile gate, then cut the chain on the perimeter fence, and then cut the chain on the stairs that lead up the back of the water tower.
Apparently they took the bolt cutters up with them because the antenna was cut near the base and the hardline coax was also cut. The cuts look like a bolt cutter did it.
Then the coax was thrown down as far from the tower as they could throw it. The weight of the coax was enough to rip the plastic holders so the whole coax came down on to the ground.
The owner, Steve Ward WC7I, does not think there was any attempt to hurt amateur radio in general, or even to specifically attack this repeater. He believes it was the easiest thing to cut while up on the top of the water tower. No other damage was done to the water tower or pump building.
The WC7I repeater will be off he air until the antenna and coax are replaced. While the repeater is off the air, Steve WC7I , will move the actual repeater to a location outside of the water pump building where it has been located for a few years. It will be a while before everything is completed and the repeater is back on the air.
-- Steve Ward, WC7I
Every day there are news reports about more deaths. Every night on TV, there are photos of death and destruction.
Why are we still there?
We occupied this land that we had to take by force, but it causes us nothing but trouble.
Why are we still there?
Their government is unstable, and their only leadership is a strongman.
Why are we still there?
Many of their people are uncivilized and they dress oddly.
Why are we still there?
There are more than 1,000 religious sects which we don't understand.
Why are we still there?
We can't even secure the borders.
Why are we still there?
They are billions of dollars in debt, and it will cost billions more to rebuild -- which we cannot afford.
Why are we still there?
It is becoming very clear...
We must abandon California !!!
-- from David, ZL3AI, via packet
-- from ZL3AI via packet