The Panama City Amateur Radio Club has started a new Monday night net.

Please join the weekly net on Mondays at 7:00 pm. It will be held on the club's repeater, 145.210(-) and supports the club's efforts in preparing for local emergency support.

President's Tentative Agenda
PCARC Business Meeting
February 6, 2008

50/50

1. Call meeting to order and determination of quorum.
2. Introduction of visitors.
3. Pledge of Allegiance.
4. Reading of the minutes.
5. Financial report.
6. Reports:
    a. President - Past-President Dave Head (W4WLC) resigns membership
    b. Vice President - Name tags, directory, event calendar
    c. Secretary
    d. Sergeant-at-Arms
    e. Treasurer
    f. Committees
    g. Activities
    h. Health & Welfare
7. Unfinished business
    a.  Tower removal, etc. - Saturday, Feb. 9
    b.  Other
8. New Business
    a. Announcements
    b. Special interest groups
    c. Other
9. Motion to adjourn

50/50

See you at the business meeting!

73 de W4CWS
Chuck Shanholtzer

DOMINICA, J7.

Jim, WI9WI, Don, W9IU, Kevin, WN9O, Paul, N4PN, and Charlie, NF4A, will be QRV as J79WI, J79IU, J79KM, J79PN, and J79PC respectively, February 11 through February 19.

Activity will be on all HF bands using CW and SSB. They will concentrate heavily on 160, 80 and WARC bands.

They plan to be active as J7DX in the ARRL DX CW contest. QSL J7DX via W9IU and QSL J79WI, J79IU, J79KM, J79PN, and J79PC via home calls.

If you have CW skills, say "Hi!" to the J7DX team February 11th through the 19th!

-73-

SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS002
ARLS002 AO-16 Satellite Serves as Voice Repeater

ZCZC AS02
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 002 ARLS002
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT January 23, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS002
ARLS002 AO-16 Satellite Serves as Voice Repeater

Launched in January 1990, AMSAT-OSCAR 16 (AO-16) -- a digital satellite -- has been unavailable for use while the command team dealt with a serious computer problem. The satellite has since been recovered, and is now a voice repeater, at least for an unspecified "test period" using FM voice on the uplink, but SSB voice on the downlink.

Since AO-16 was recovered approximately six months ago, the command team -- Bruce Rahn, WB9ANQ, Jim White, WD0E, and Mark Hammond, N8MH -- attempted to reload the satellite software almost a dozen times without success. The team performed a series of memory tests that pointed toward a hardware failure that prevented the spacecraft software from restarting successfully.

AMSAT Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, said, "After concluding that the spacecraft computer system was damaged, and as discussions about decommissioning were taking place, Jim recalled a series of low-level commands that Tom Clark, K3IO, included in the spacecraft design during construction. One of these commands allows an uplink receiver to be directly tied to a downlink transmitter. The twist is that the uplink is regular FM, but the downlink via the BPSK transmitter is DSB (Double Sideband). Mark placed the satellite in this mode early this week and did some testing."

Glasbrenner also said the satellite hears very well; the reduced bandwidth by using either USB or LSB on the ground station receiver "allows for a very robust downlink. Tuning the downlink is just like on a linear transponder, meaning it is tight and with fast Doppler. Uplink tuning is not required, just as with the FM mode V/U satellites. My personal observations include being able to access and hear the satellite within one degree of the horizon, much lower than any other current bird for my location [in Florida]. This should be an easy satellite with omni antennas and 70 cm preamp."

Glasbrenner said that he would like to open the satellite to general use for a test period. The uplink is 145.920 MHz FM, and the downlink is 437.026 MHz SSB +/- Doppler shift. He asks that users restrict their uplink power to a reasonable power level, and do not transmit without being able to hear the downlink; all general single-channel guidelines apply. Please submit reports via e-mail at, ao16@amsat.org. "Enjoy this bird's new life!" Glasbrenner said.
NNNN
/EX

SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS001
ARLS001 ARISS Team Looking for Ground Stations

ZCZC AS01
QST de W1AW
Space Bulletin 001 ARLS001
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT January 22, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS001
ARLS001 ARISS Team Looking for Ground Stations

Do you want to be part of the international network of ground stations that help support Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) operations?

ARISS is looking to add numerous ground stations capable of relaying ISS Amateur Radio sessions with schools and also serve as back-up communications relays should they be needed.

Locations all over the world will be considered, but the greatest need for stations is in Central America, South America, Falkland Islands, Western Australia, Canada and Alaska. The following are guidelines for stations wanting to be considered:

* Third Party agreement with United States or waiver from their telecom agency
* Ability to speak and understand English
* Minimal horizon obstructions
* 24/7 access and availability of station
* Operator(s) willing to support scheduled contacts at various times
* Phone patch
* AZ/EL tracking satellite system, preferably an auto tracking system with the capability for manual override
* Multi-element Yagis for 2 meters and 70 cm (circular polarization preferred)
* Pre-amps
* Transmit output greater than 70 W

* Note: If you can specify your station's EIRP and receive sensitivity (thereby taking into account cable losses, pre-amps and antenna gain), it would be greatly appreciated.

Stations that can support the following will be given special consideration, but these items are not required:

* Auto Doppler adjustment of frequencies\
* Ability to speak and understand languages other than English
* 1.2 and 2.4 GHz satellite hardware
* Packet
* SSTV
* Digital ATV
* Redundant power system
* High-speed Internet

If you or your club would like to be considered for selection as one of the new ARISS ground stations, send an e-mail to ARISS at, ARISS-telebridge@amsat.org, with details about your station and contact information.
NNNN
/EX

ZCZC AE03
QST de W1AW
DX Bulletin 3 ARLD003
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT January 11, 2008
To all radio amateurs

SB DX ARL ARLD003
ARLD003 Information on FJ/OH2AM

This operation by OH2BH and OH0XX was conducted under CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01. This Recommendation makes it possible for radio amateurs from CEPT countries (and certain non-CEPT countries) to operate in other CEPT countries without obtaining an individual temporary license from the visited CEPT country.

Complaints were received from several individuals. The main thrust of the complaints is that the operators used a club call for which Laine is station trustee, rather than their individual callsigns.

The intention of the operators in using a single callsign was to limit the number of duplicate contacts. Many DXpeditions use club or special-issue callsigns for this reason. The Recommendation makes no mention of club callsigns but says that the visiting license holder "must use his national call sign preceded by the call sign prefix of the visited country." Other operations using club callsigns from French territory, including in the Caribbean, have taken place under provisions of the Recommendation and have been credited for DXCC.

Since the question was raised, checking with various CEPT administrations and with the European Radiocommunication Office (ERO) has revealed different views regarding the use of club callsigns under the Recommendation. The ERO observes that the use of a club callsign could prevent an administration from determining whether a particular operator is qualified and concludes, "Club members, including the holder of the club call sign, should use their national personal call signs when abroad."

In the case of FJ/OH2AM, the two operators clearly were qualified to operate in St Barthelemy under the Recommendation. They utilized a call authorized to them by their national authority. The purpose of a radio station callsign is to identify the administration and the licensee responsible for the operation of the station. The use of FJ/OH2AM rather than FJ/OH2BH and FJ/OH0XX did not thwart this purpose.

NNNN
/EX