HWC Shield Harvard Wireless Club Bulletin
April 13, 1999
Hello HWC:

Lots of things going on -- as always. I hope you will be able to fit the remainder of the meetings into your busy schedules. Let's all strive for a strong finish to this school year. Only six meetings left before the summer break. Present today were KO1O, K1XQ, K9HI and K3UOC. Here's the news:

  1. The new tower/antenna project is coming along. XX was here on Monday finishing installation of the tower, rotor plate, thrust bearing, rotor, and all cables. To be done yet are the assembly of the Cushcraft A-50 and X-7 yagis and then hoisting them into position. Matt will return the week of the 26th to complete the job.

  2. We hit several snags in the job with missing parts from *both* antennas. The replacement parts for the 6M beam arrived today and the parts for the X-7 are due any day. HWC paid for the 6M replacement parts as those were misplaced/lost last year; I am negotiating with UPS for reimbursement for the X-7 missing parts. I have filed a claim with UPS to reimburse me for those parts as it appears they were lost in transit.

  3. We all look forward to the May 4 exam session. KO1O, K3UOC & K9HI all have their VE badges in-hand now. K1XQ is applying for his ARRL VE credentials very shortly. We'll do an in-depth review of exam procedures at the April 27 meeting. Phil has listed the exam session on the Internet and we do welcome walk-ins. He also has a really excellent page explaining the license exams including a map of Harvard Square and links to sample exams on-line.

  4. Speaking of our web site, have you seen the new "Modern Times" photos this week? Very cool, indeed! How about the K1VR reminiscence re: W1AF in the early '70's? An excellent addition to the site. In fact, Phil is contacting a number of former HWC presidents and other movers-and-shakers to see if they could write some of their recollections of W1AF in days-gone-by. Did you know that over the past decade, nearly a dozen or so of our most committed alums have become SK's? We will not soon forget W1CF or W1TCD, and there were many others who were crucial to the HWC who have since passed on. Always good to reflect now and again that you and I are just the latest evolution of something that has been going on for a long time -- 90 years, to be exact.

  5. I OCR scanned the HWC History by W2KOY (SK) and passed it on to Phil today. Look for Gene's History of the HWC on our web site shortly. Then, we'll only be missing the last decade in order to bring the history up-to-date. We'll piece that era together in time.

  6. We talked Flea, April 18th. We still need more postering in the Yard and hope that Frank and Nick can do that. So far Phil and Dave Allred are signed up for this Sunday. Dave Smith is checking to see if he can work it. We have promised Steve a *minimum* of three HWC for each Flea. Please drop Phil a note if you can work it. Conway, our best Flea worker, has already committed to 3 monthly sessions. And he apologized for not being able to work more! I calculate that 3 HWC at each Flea will put $10,000 in our coffers next year. I'll be doing the May Flea. It's not too early to let Phil if you can do May as well.

  7. MAQP - Whew! A large topic this evening. Bill is working on clearing his schedule for Sunday, May 2 and I am doing likewise for Saturday, May 1. With both of us there for the duration, as we talked at the meeting tonight, there are just 5 slots to fill: 2 SSB slots on Saturday, 2 SSB slots Sunday and a VHF specialist for both days. We have N1EXQ in mind for the VHF Specialist spot on 6/2/440. This would entail about 3 hours operating each day. For the other 4 spots, we're looking at a total commitment of 5 hours from each operator on either Saturday or Sunday. I am hoping these 4 slots can be filled by Frank, Nick, Phil, and Dave Smith. If everyone can operate as planned, we can cover SSB and CW from 440Mhz-80M for the entire 20 hours of the contest. Contact me. We'll work out the times and modes of operation.

  8. TRLog is up and running on all 3 computers. We got this program for the MAQP and it was worth it, believe me. It is a much more flexible program than CT, although CT is still my favorite for the big contests. TR is easy to learn. We'll do a training session at the April 27 meeting, right before the contest. TR is not expressly written for the MAQP although with a little editing of the data file, it runs the MAQP beautifully. All ready to go!

  9. Lots and lots of things coming on the HWC web site. Check it frequently for news and bulletins, not to mention new areas such as photos, archival documents, an equipment inventory and more! We're discussing an official launch of the site and expect some good traffic will follow. If you haven't signed the GuestBook yet, take a minute and do so. The new photos are sensational!

  10. I contracted Brad Seawell, who painted the clubroom, to also paint the outer shack room. With all the pipes, wires, nooks and crannies, it is very labor-intensive work. However, he is making excellent progress and the job should be done in a week or so. The room is already much brighter and that is certainly a welcome addition. Say good-bye to the outer room as a dirt-magnet. Brad will also be painting our 3 long benches as well as the door and doorway to the clubroom. Eventually, we'll get to the carpet and ceiling work in the shack.

  11. We'll be getting a new mailbox that will be located inside the front courtyard area soon, courtesy of Scott Haywood and the university. I also spoke to Scott about the old and dangerous wiring to the ceiling light fixture in the outer room. He will handle replacement of that old installation. Harvard picks up the tab. Good stuff!

  12. I installed a new Heil footswitch on the IC-736 and moved the Heil headset over to that position for the MAQP. I moved the SM-8 mic and Yaesu phones over to Position #1. This will work out well for the contest. We'll be a multi-op entry in the MAQP, BTW. Probably the first M/M in the history of the HWC.

  13. A topic for tonight was whether a group of us would like to join the YCCC. The undergrads were not present to solicit info from; K1XQ is luke warm; K9HI is not in favor; KO1O & myself are interested. I don't think we as a club are solidly behind this initiative, so I will call KM1P of YCCC and decline the invitation. Nice idea -- for the future of W1AF, perhaps.

  14. The Harvard local who was going to sell us the IC-751 backed out on the deal. And you should understand that this was after a very well-understood agreement that we would take the radio off his hands for $200. There was no misunderstanding here, believe me. This guy sold-out for more money. Live and learn, I guess. Personally, I will give a big PASS to any future offers to sell equipment to the HWC. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

  15. Nothing heard re: OCR software. We'll have to purchase same. This is important for the HWC web site.

  16. The new QSLs are coming soon. They are at the printers now. After several problems with colors and format, all appears A-OK. We expect the cards to be delivered within the next 10 days.

  17. We all agreed that the IC-2KL needs to be converted to pump out the power on 10 & 12 Meters. I'll contact ICOM and see if we can get this little project going. The conversion kit is relatively inexpensive and not real difficult to install. Any volunteers for doing the conversion?

  18. K1XQ stunned us with his suggestion that W1AF should be on the DXCC Honor Roll! Is this possible? Can it be done? Dave has offered to write to the ARRL and find out what our DXCC country list looks like -- and then to start working through the logs and QSLs for confirmation of our DXCC data. And K9HI would love to post our totals on the web site. This is an EXCELLENT idea, one N1IR started a number of years ago. Thanks to Dave for bringing this long-overdue project to our attention.

  19. I am working upstairs now on answering @4,000 bureau requests for 7Z5OO and PJ5AA QSLs. And that's only for the past two months. Whew! Know anyone locally interested in taking on a big job? I'll gladly reimburse the right person to clear out this backlog.

  20. We seem hesitant to attack the Bylaws and Articles for revision and approval. It is important that we have our foundational documents in order before the start of the 1999-2000 school year. Let's agree to finish these up before we adjourn for the summer.

  21. With harmonic on the way, the XYL and I are going to Florida to commune with sol on Sunday the 18th, returning 5 days later on Saturday the 24th.

  22. Last, but not least, as we head down the home stretch for the 1998-99 school year, we have to ponder some hard facts. First, KO1O will soon be moving his workplace from the immediate area out to the suburbs. Bill will not be as able to assist the HWC as he has in the past. Second, K3UOC is definitely on borrowed time in the area. If and when I leave, some important decisions will have to be made about who will carry on the Station Manager responsibilities. Third, we all know we need an infusion of new members. The fact is, we've only brought in two new members this year. Good, but not nearly good enough. We should never forget that what happened at 52 Dunster Street could also happen at 6 Linden. Are you up to the challenge? Bring a new member to an upcoming meeting -- Harvard affiliation is the only requirement.

    Next meeting, Tuesday, April 20, 7:00 PM. CU on the 27th.

    73, Mike
    K3UOC

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