The JUG: June 1998

(W0YK and FrontPage take the blame in equal measure for any formatting weirdness caused by conversion from George's original copy. The original is in MS Word 97 format. If you don't have MS Word 97, you can get a free reader from Microsoft for either Windows 95/98/NT or Windows 3.1)

Don’t miss out on the fun! Contact Al via e-mail at nh7a@radiomaui.com so we can plan the food and operating time. Bring guests, prospective new members, and even wives and husbands to Field Day!

From the South on Highway 680, take the El Cerro off ramp, Left on El Pintado, right on Toyon Terrace.

From the North on Highway 680, take the El Pintado off ramp, left at stop sign, proceed to next sign and turn right, then finally left onto Toyon Terrace.

The May meeting was held at the South Bay Yacht Club in San Francisco and was another very popular get-together for club members, thanks to Ed, W0YK, Mary, and John, N6JT. This meeting was wedged in between Visalia and Dayton, so attendance was a little below average, but it was a great time for those who came - even Bip and Elsie made an appearance!

The program was an informal discussion moderated by Bob Cox, K3EST and included Ken Keeler, N6RO, Trey Garlough, N5KO, Kenny Silverman, K2KW, and Bob Wolbert, K6XX. The focus was on things we can all do to improve our scores in upcoming contests like WPX CW and IARU. K3EST was concerned that folks show their enthusiasm for contesting by operating in as many contests as possible - after all, this IS a contest club. N6RO stressed the point that you should have a plan for each contest, no matter how much or little you plan to operate. Once you decide, you should do everything possible to be totally ready ahead of time so you can maximize your effort, even if it's only for a few hours. N5KO explained how to analyze the rules for each contest to determine how to maximize your score. K2KW and K6XX explained the value of studying propagation ahead of time, and using computer-based aids like Geoclock to jump on gray-line openings. It was a very worthwhile discussion - we're really fortunate to have so much Top 10 experience in the club.

Next month's meeting will coincide with ARRL Field Day and will be a picnic-style affair at the NCCC Club Station, K6ZM. This will definitely be a lot of fun. There are lots of new, big antennas up there now, so it will be easy to be loud in FD -- I hope you all will make it.

The July meeting will be held on Saturday, July 18 in Jackson, and will be a joint meeting with the Mother Lode DX and Contest Club (MLDXCC.) Directions and details appear elsewhere in this issue of the JUG. This will give us an opportunity to spend time with NCCC members from other parts of the state, and it's in a great location. W6EU will present his recent trip to Scarborough Reef. I hope everyone will come up and spend the day (or the weekend) - K6DB has been raving about the many wineries and antique stores in the area.

In August we will present details on "How to Win the Sprint!" Our presenter will be Tree, N6TR. He'll also give us insight into how best to use his program, TRLog. This meeting will be in the South Bay.

Getting back to K3EST's issue from the May meeting - this IS a contest club, after all. It was pretty disappointing to see how few people were planning to enter the WPX CW contest this coming weekend. It's pretty easy to get yourself talked into thinking there are only three or four contests worth entering all year, but if you study the calendar, there's a pretty decent contest at least one weekend out of four all year long. If you want to keep your skills and scores competitive, you need to be active. If you need help with antenna or tower work, let someone in the club know. If you'd like to do some operating, or just do some observing at a multi-multi, let me know. If you have questions about rules or technique, ask someone, or send me an e-mail. If you're reluctant to talk to club members (or you're new and haven't met anyone yet,) contact one of the club officers. We're all here to help each other, do a LOT of contesting and, above all, have fun!

Visalia Report: The DX Convention in Visalia was pretty successful, although attendance seemed down from previous years, perhaps because it was so close to the Dayton dates. There was not much new to see equipment-wise, but for FT-1000MP owners there were some new gadgets from W2VJN's INRAD company -- noise reduction mods and new crystal filters. W0UN was there with W0ID (W4ETO) as the new Prez of Alpha Power. The US Towers barbeque was very impressive this year since they have expanded into substantial new facilities. Also impressive: there were no lines for the barbeque.

Contest emphasis for the year: We spent some time discussing this at the May meeting. There was general agreement on Sweepstakes and CQP. It's not clear how the informal voting went when choosing between ARRL DX and WPX SSB. I personally like WPX SSB because it's a contest that occurs outside the dreaded "divorce window" October-December timeframe, where we have so many big contests (this one happens in March.) Also, NCCC has a good chance of winning it - something we've done more than once already. Anyway, the board will be asking you to accept its recommendation for the fall season soon – or, if you have any suggestions of your ownt, send them along to me at merchant@garlic.com.

Speaking of sending things on the Internet, we're working hard on new, consolidated web sites for the club and CQP, and we are very close to having a reflector (mailing list) exclusively for the members of NCCC. (The hold-up on the reflector is N5KO teaching me how to be a list administrator!) Watch your mail for news about both.

We’ll see you in WPX from KO6N! Be sure to get on and give NCCC members a qso, especially if you have an interesting WPX-style callsign!

Well, it has been quite a month for many in the NCCC. First, we had Visalia and then the Dayton Hamvention. The 6Y4A team put together a very nice presentation for both outings. In my opinion, with their vertical antennas, they have forever changed the way people contest/DX at island locations. Also Force12 unveiled a new antenna, the C31XR. You can see a picture of this antenna at www.vcr.com/visalia. This antenna has 7 elements on 10 meters!

In looking over the results from the ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone) the club did very well. In my opinion we beat PVRC. The average PVRC score was 82,979. NCCC averaged 94,991. An idea came to me with which some of you may not like. Take the top 100 entries from each club and then submit them for an overall score, that would be a more competitive contest. To me, it’s not about which club can encourage more people to get on, it’s about who has the superior operators. This also would create a healthy competition within the club for the top 100. What do you think? Let me know by email k7co@vcr.com.

Congratulations go to N7TR, Rich, for his outstanding performance in sweepstakes. He had a score of 363,558. He was edged out by WP2Z (op, K4MA) for the single op, high power.

I hope all of you were able to operate in the CQWW WPX CW contest. My brother is getting married so I will be in Utah. After the reception, I hope to be at KO7X (ex - K6XO) to see how WPX is going.

1998	WPX	SSB	KT6RA(+KD6KKP)	M/S	1646	628		2002692
1998	WPX	SSB	NP4IW/WX6	15M	353	216		142776
1998	WPX	SSB	K6III	15M	312	218		146496
1998	WPX	SSB	W6ISO	SO HP	366	260		202540
1998	WPX	SSB	N1CS	SO LP	553	302		267270
1997	SS	CW	N1CS	SO HP	662	77		101948
1998	WPX	SSB	K6BZ	SO HP	1156	592		1251488
1998	WPX	SSB	W6PLJ	SO LP	333	217		172515
1998	WPX	SSB	KO6N(@N6RO, +KX7M, K6AW, K3EST, N6IG, AE0M, K1KI, K2KW, KM6F, IK8ETA)	M/M	4710	1038		12166398
1998	WPX	SSB	VP5E(K6HNZ)	SO LP	3491	824		7021304
1998	CQ 160	CW	KF6T(+WX6V)	M/S	734	75		172050
1997	CQWW	CW	WX6V	SO LP	66	58	43	16766
1998	WPX	SSB	N6CCL	SO AS	454	349		369242
1998	WPX	SSB	KI6CG	SO HP	1318	557		1566284
1998	WPX	SSB	KT6RA(+KD6KKP)	M/S	1646	628		2002692

The July meeting will be Saturday the 18th at 12 noon and will be a joint meeting with the Mother Lode DX/Contest Club (MLDXCC) in Jackson, CA. Jackson is located at the intersection of State Highways 88 and 49 in Amador County, southeast of Sacramento and approximately two hours from the Bay Area, Nevada, Southern SJV, and Northern SV.

The meeting will be a Barbecue and potluck similar to the summer meetings that were held at KF6T's (W1FEA) place in previous years. Following short business meetings, Jim, W6EU will give a presentation on his Scarborough Reef experiences.

In addition, plans are for Tom, N6BT, to have his latest Force 12 TriBander on display and operational from Special Event Station K6A, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in California.

Amador County is in the heart of the Mother Lode Gold country. Our meeting location will be minutes from antique shops galore, 18 wineries, gold mine tours, camping and fishing sites, and the historic Chaw'se Indian Grinding Rock State Park. Motels/hotels and B&B's are close by if anyone wants to make a weekend of it. Information is available on the Amador Chamber of Commerce website at:

There are also published brochures available detailing the winery tours and B&B's which I can mail to anyone interested. Just e-mail me a note of your interest to the address below. This promises to be a fun event, so plan to be there!

1. If you come upon a pileup, find the exact DX frequency and slowly tune up your KW right on his frequency. Take your time doing this as it has maximum effect this way. The longer you take, the better.

2. If you cannot wait to find out the DX call sign, ask "What is the DX call sign?" Do this repeatedly until some one gives you the call, this will show all others on frequency that you are serious about wanting to work this DX. This is called sharing.

3. When you find out the DX call, repeat your call over and over on the DX frequency. Even if he is working split there is a chance he may be listening on his transmit frequency.

4. When the DX says "ABC only"- Don't believe him. If he says "Europe only," don't believe him. If he says "2's only," don't believe him. Keep giving your call. "!!...XYZ !!...XYZ !! HOW COPY MARIO ?" Make sure you use his name when you call him; he may think you are some one he knows. It must work, because we hear it on bands all the time. It has to be effective. Don't pay attention to directional CQs, when did any DX know what they really wanted? What matters most is what you want.

5. To get the DX to work other modes tell him you want set up a schedule later which is convenient for you. You should wait until the pileup has built up to several hundred, and just before the band is about to go out, then ask him to meet you on CW, RTTY or SSB at a set time and frequency. Above all, make sure you tell him that YOU need him on these modes. This will endear you in the hearts of all on frequency, it shows that you can work more than one mode and are a well- rounded amateur.

6. If you have worked the DX previously, make sure you call him and tell him that he is stronger than the last six times you worked him this week. The DX station will want to know this. Others on frequency will respect you more, and you will be recognized as a Big Gun DXer.

7. When you find a DX pileup, to bring your operating skills to a higher level and impress all those on frequency - Zero beat the DX, and send "QRL? Is this frequency in use?" This shows character and that you are truly a caring person.

8. When finally making the DX contact, give the DX some background about yourself, TX, RX, ANT, WX, how many children and grandchildren you have, where they went to college, what size bedroom slipper you wear, or any other items of interest to the DX. This shows that you are not just a 599 kind of guy. This is most effective and most appreciated when the band is just about to fold.

9. After you have worked the DX you will need the QSL route. Although this will be listed on the DX packet cluster, in ARRL & DX News Letters, and on the Internet, there is not reason for you to go to all the bother of reading these sources. You can just keep calling on the DX frequency... "What is the QSL Information?" If you don't get a reply with the information after 8 or 10 calls, keep it up, your persistence will pay off, because there are bound to be plenty of other stations on frequency who are waiting to work the DX who have read these publications.

1. For a split operation, spend most of your day listening and transmitting on the DX sending frequency. On CW if some one calls on the DX transmitting frequency, using your J-38 at 7 WPM, send VP...UG...NP...UP.. until you get it right. If the station continues to call on the DX frequency, then send LSD...LIB...LED...LID… until you get it right. This has three benefits: a. Others waiting to work the DX will be forever indebted to you for informing the offending station; b. The offending station will be grateful. c. You will get some code practice you need to get you over that 10 WPM hump.

2. For those with CW and voice memory keyers this will be easy. All you have to do is program in "UP" and "LID." For the more advanced, you can add "SPLIT"...."YOU IDIOT, WORKING SPLIT" Using the memory keyers for your day’s activity will save your lousy, non - existent fist, should you happen by chance to have a QSO.

This one needs an introduction, so you won't be lost at the beginning. This man was in an accident at work, so he filled out an insurance claim. The insurance company contacted him and asked for more information. This was his response:

"I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80 foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now un-needed tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools."

"You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel."

"Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind. I let go of the rope..."

Many thanks to the hard working gang that mailed out the CQP results and awards: Bob, K6XX; Al, AD6E; TV-Bob, N6TV; Andy, AE6Y; and Sarah, K1D (? XX-Bob’s Daughter.) Not in photo, Dorothy, AD6E’s XYL, and Jim, NK6L.

Our erstwhile VP-CC Jon, K7CO, and Director (and past-prez) Kenny, K2KW, took on the daunting task of providing hospitality for hundreds of dx’ers and contesters at Visalia this year. For those of you who haven’t attended, NCCC provides refreshments and a gathering place after the Saturday night banquet at Visalia (or Fresno.) Once again this year, Ron Manabe, W6RN contributed his incredibly tasty Tied House beer, and it was the hit of the convention. Thanks, Ron!

There was such a crush of people in the two-plus hotel rooms we used for the hospitality suites we ended up being evicted by the hotel management (no sense of humor.) We relocated the beer and the revelers to the poolside room used by SCCC’s Code Copying Contest earlier that day. K6ZZ was still ambulatory, so he set up a few rounds of code copying for those guys who can’t ever seem to get enough cw. It was great fun.

Next year’s plan is to get a room away from regular guest rooms, and to set up the code copying contest, a RUFZ contest, and the TR simulator – that should be enough to keep everyone occupied and competitive into the wee hours again.

Special thanks to JT, Kenny and Ron for putting on this event for us, and to N6NT for hauling the suds!

"Gosh, Old Timer," said the Young Squirt, fondling his brand-new NCCC badge, "from what I’ve been reading in the old JUGs, our club sure has a long and proud tradition!"

"Yes, indeed," replied the Old Timer, "and some of it is known to only a very few of us who have been associated with the club since its early days. For example, did you know that W6CF’s real name isn’t Jim Maxwell? It’s actually J. Ulysses Grant. He had to change it and take on a whole new identity – some scandal about a morals charge involving chickens, as I recall. We never did get the whole story."

"Golly," said the Young Squirt to himself. "J. Ulysses Grant? J. U. G.? Could it be that the JUG’s name…?"

"And here’s something else you newer members don’t know," said the Old Timer, warming to his reminiscences. "The first editor of the club newsletter was supposed to have been Hiram P. ‘Short’ Skipp, K6JUG. We had to dump him, even before the first issue, when we found out he was secretly a CB operator. He let the cat out of the bag during a phone contest when somebody gave him a ‘Five-Nine’ and he answered with a ‘Ten-Four.’ Too bad – he had real talent."

"Holy cow," whispered the Young Squirt. "K6JUG! Maybe that’s where the JUG…"

"You know, back in those days it was hard to work through the East Coast Iron Curtain in the DX contests. Oh, we’d still run Japanese and Russian and English stations, though. It got to be sort of a cliché: Not many multipliers, just the usual J’s and U’s and G’s."

The Young Squirt could contain himself no longer. "Cowabunga!" he exclaimed. "Jim Maxwell’s real name is J. Ulysses Grant, the first newsletter editor was supposed to be K6JUG, and the club members used to complain about working J’s and U’s and G’s. No wonder the NCCC newsletter ended up being named the JUG – what a great story!"

The Old Timer peered at his youthful comrade in astonishment. "What the hell are you babbling about, boy?" he snapped. "It was named the JUG because all the members used to guzzle rotgut wine at the meetings. I thought everybody knew that!"

"Honest to God," he muttered sadly to himself, "I just can’t figure out where this younger generation comes up with such wild ideas."

QSL cards for the club call have been printed up. They are fairly plain cards, featuring the NCCC logo, and are black on orange, the club’s colors. They include a nice tribute to our former member, Phil, who first held the call, K6ZM. ("Kilo Six Zoolah Moolah.") If you have ever used the club callsign, then you might have scads of requests for confirmation of QSO’s. If this is the case, please mail your requests (and appropriate logs) to George, K6GT, who is serving as the QSL manager for K6ZM. George’s address is: