I was very pleased that the CVARC, VCARS and Simi Settlers were able to help with Flory School's QSO with the International Space Station last month. It is my belief that Public Service opportunities like this are very important for Amateur Radio. It is an added benefit that a great deal of fun was had by all involved!

The same can be said of CVARC's involvement with the recent CLU fundraising "Crop Walk". This event has become a regular feature on the CVARC calendar. Not only is it fun, but we provide a valuable service to the event organizers. Without the involvement of Hams, it would be very difficult for the organizers to secure the necessary permits to hold the event.

Coming up next weekend is another annual event in which CVARC has traditionally been involved in a big way. The "Cruisin' the Conejo" bike event will be held May 7th. This is a big event on the biking calendar. Cyclists come from all over to ride one of the routes, which are 21, 35, 62, 68, and 103 miles long. CVARC members who have been involved with this event in past years say that it is a lot of fun. They tell me that it is clear that our presence makes genuine improvement to the safety of the event. It is not too late to get involved – see elsewhere in the newsletter for details.

If you have never participated in events like these, I would highly recommend that you give it a try. It is a very satisfying experience that is so much appreciated by the organizations that we help. You don’t have to wait for the next wildfire or earthquake to contribute to the community!

73

Steve champion, AE6NX

Ron Spooner, W6FIF, will be the speaker at our May 12th CVARC General Meeting. Ron will talk about the importance of accurately measuring “Time” in today’s complex technological world. Ron received his first amateur radio license in 1958 and holds an Extra Class license. Ron is a Senior Partner at Ward/Davis Associates where he has been selling test and measurement equipment for the past 33 years. Ron is also an avid sailor and an amateur astronomer.

CVARC hosts FCC License Examinations at 8:30 AM on the second Sunday of even numbered months at the Ventura East County Sheriff Station on Olsen Rd. (near the Reagan Library). CVARC conducts exams for all license classes . Exam candidates must bring a form of government issued photo I.D., the original AND a photocopy of any existing license or Certificate of Exam Element Completion, a Social Security (or government issued Taxpayer I.D.) number, and $14 ARRL VE Exam fee (cash is preferred). No advance reservation is necessary, walk-ins are welcome. Advance notice is needed for special circumstances, such as reading the exam to sight-impaired candidates. If you have any questions, contact CVARC VE Coordinator Jeff Reinhardt at 818-706-3853.

Here are the results from the VE Session of Sunday, April 10, 2005:

In all, the CVARC session served 11 candidates. The next scheduled exam is Sunday, June 12 at 8:30 am at the East Valley Sheriff's Station on Olsen Road. The ARRL Exam fee is $14. 

Cruisin the Conejo is the big event for the Conejo Valley Cyclists (CVC). This year is the 21th edition of the bike ride. For bike enthusiasts, this is one of the premier bike rides in Southern California. Last year, we had over a thousand bicyclists on the ride! The routes have a good variety of challenges for both the cyclist and the ham operator. And the support is very good. From the Boy Scouts manning the rest stops to you the ham radio volunteers helping to coordinate the SAG wagons and keeping tabs on the cyclists.

We would like to have about 8 SAG support vehicles on the course this year, each with a ham radio volunteer providing communications back to the CVC coordinators at the start finish line. If you like to drive, you can even be a SAG driver. (CVC will reimburse for gas if you drive a SAG wagon.). If you would like to be at a critical place along the route, we can use you to help warn the cyclists as they approach the steep sections on Westlake/Decker Canyon and on Potrero Canyon. These places do have accidents each year. We positioned ham radio operator at each of these places last year and significantly reduced the number of accidents, in fact, we had no serious accidents.

Another location where we can use some help is net control at the start finish line. In the past, one person has served as net control for the entire event, which is quite a burden. This year I would like to have a couple of net control operators so that they can work in shifts.

One open question that we can discuss is the use of APRS on Cruisin.  In the past, we have had so-so performance.  Recently there have been some major changes in how the local digis work and it has actually improved the ability of low power APRS beacons to reach a digi. So placing APRS units in the SAG vehicles to track their locations may be a possibility. 

I'm also looking into the possibility of passing some video traffic back and forth.  The Amgen amateur radio club has some Kenwood video "commanders" that provide an HT with SSTV capability.  I'm checking into that.  If you know some hams that are involved in ATV, it might be interesting to run a live video link from the main rest stop (Westlake and Potrero) to start/finish.

If you would like to help out, send me an e-mail and tell me what you would like to do and when you can help. The ride hours are from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The first of the SAG wagons will get on the road by 7:30 AM. I would like to have two waves of SAG support, so if you have a preference for morning or afternoon, let me know.

Hope to see you at Cruisin!

Mike Bass, N7WLC
n7wlc@vcars.org
805-447-1812 (days)
804-493-5714 (evenings)

On April 8, students at the Flory Academy of Science and Technology in Moorpark, CA contacted Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, aboard the International Space Station.  The event was arranged by NASA Explorer Schools Coordinator Ota Lutz, KD5UQZ, Flory science teacher Pat Bachamp, and Principal Pam Hill.  At Ota's request, onsite engineering and other assistance was provided by members of CVARC, Ventura County Amateur Radio Society and Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club.  The earth station for this contact was NN1SS at the Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, MD.

About 700 students, family members and media representatives were in attendance as a dozen young people asked questions ranging from "at what age did you become inspired to become an astronaut?" to "if one of the astronauts was to break their arm, how would their body react in space?"  It was an honor to be asked to participate in the Flory students' "fifteen minutes of fame" (just about the length of the contact).  I'd like to acknowledge the following for their invaluable assistance:  

Rick Tate, KQ6NO--audio engineer extraordinaire!  

Steve Champion, AE6NX, Ben Champion, AE6NY and Kate Champion, KG6TWK--for teaching the kids about ham radio.  

Terry Graves, K7FE--onsite technical troubleshooter.  

Neil Waybright, KG6QEL--computer orbit simulation technician.  

Spencer Smith, N6IWY--still photographer.  

To listen to the contact and see photos, go to http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/04/13/2/?nc=1

  But that's not all!  The school's science teachers have asked us to present a ham radio booth at their Science Night, tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 19.  Call or email me ASAP if you'd like to capitalize on this opportunity to teach kids about our great hobby.

  73, Tom Stough, W0UFC
(805) 341-1354 or tomstough@juno.com

Do you have any friends who are interested in technology or ham radio? Starting at the next CVARC general meeting, any young ham (under 18 years old) who brings a friend to the meeting will get an extra ticket for CVARC’s “End of Year” kids’ raffle. As usual, your friend will also get a raffle ticket. If they have their Amateur Radio license by the time of the “End of Year” party, they will have a chance to win the kids’ raffle prize. Hope to see you at the next meeting!

Rep Michael Ross, WD5DVR, of Arkansas, has introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives calling on the FCC to "conduct a full and complete analysis" of radio interference from broadband over power line (BPL). The resolution, H. Res 230, says the Commission should comprehensively evaluate BPL's interference potential incorporating "extensive public review and comment, "and--in light of that analysis--to "reconsider and review" its new BPL rules, adopted last October. If approved by the full House, the non-binding resolution, introduced April 21, would express the requests as "the sense of the House of Representatives."

"We are grateful to Congressman Ross and his staff for taking a leadership position in recognizing that the BPL interference issue deserves more careful consideration than the FCC was willing to give it under former Chairman Powell," said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, on which Ross serves.

The resolution's prime focus is on BPL's potential to disrupt critical public safety radio communication. It cites National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) studies that "have determined that broadband over power line creates a 'high risk' of radio wave interference, and that harmful interference to public safety mobile radio receivers can be expected at distances of 75 meters from the power line where broadband over power line is in operation, and at distances of up to 460 meters from fixed stations, such as VHF police or fire dispatch communications facilities."

The resolution notes that the same NTIA study determined that BPL interference to aeronautical and airline travel communications "could be expected at distances up to 40 kilometers from the center of the broadband over power line system, and that interference to outer marker beacons for airline instrument landing systems could be expected at great distances as well."

Many public safety agencies and support services, including emergency medical services, fire, and law enforcement, utilize Low-Band VHF (30-50 MHz), the resolution points out. According to the resolution, at least 13 states--California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming—use the band for state police operations. It's the primary public safety radio band in nine states.

The resolution further notes that the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Inc (APCO), and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), have urged the FCC to withhold final action in the BPL proceeding for at least a year, pending a "conclusive determination" of BPL's potential to interfere with public safety and other licensed radio systems operating below 80 MHz. It also cites comments filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which uses a statewide radio system with more than 1400 Low-Band VHF users. The Missouri State Highway Patrol commented that the overall effect of BPL implementation would be "a potentially significant increase in interference to the mission of critical public safety communications," the resolution says.

The resolution recounts that the FCC has struggled for years to resolve widespread harmful radio interference to first responders on 800 MHz and "should not have proceeded with introduction of a technology which appears to have substantial potential to cause destructive interference to police, fire, emergency medical services, and other public safety radio systems" without first conducting a comprehensive evaluation.

A copy of HRes 230 is available on the ARRL Web site in .PDF format at,

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/hres230/HRes230.pdf.

See the ARRL Web site, http://www.arrl.org, for more information.

Note: If you plan to contact your congressman to support the resolution, it's important to clarify that it's a House Res 230 ("H. Res 230")  vs HR 230 which is different legislation.

CVARC, through the efforts of Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR , and Rory Eikland, KG6HCU, have made arrangements with the City of Thousand Oaks to hold Field Day at the “Old City Hall” facility located on the hill over looking the Oaks Mall.

The building complex currently serves as the home of the Santa Monica National Recreation Area Visitor Center, Conejo Recreations and Parks District, and the Arts Council. The facility is at the end of Civic Center Drive which is off of McCloud Ave. one short block up from the corner of Hill Crest Drive and McCloud. The city is allowing us to use the parking lot and grass area to the right of Civic Center Drive as it enters the parking area.

The city is looking forward to having us run Field Day from that location as much as we are. From the city's perspective, this location has excellent public exposure and provides an opportunity for the city to show case the work that they have been doing with us to improve the city's emergency communications capabilities during natural disasters and other emergencies. In particular, City of Thousand Oaks Emergency Management Mr. Grahame Watts is looking forward to working with us on Field Day.

The combination of the parking lot and grass area should provide us with ample room to set up the assortment of HF and VHF/UHF stations which we expect to support again this year. We should have no trouble with HF operations and may even have good VHF/UHF shots up and down the coast from this location. Plans are to have Thousand Oaks Meat Locker cater dinner for us on Saturday night as we have done in the past. During last months CVARC general meeting, Rory and Bruce Elbert, K6ZB, began the work of signing up band captains for each of the stations that we will run and as well as identifying operators interested in running the stations. This work will continue at this months meeting. There are still band captain positions open as well as opportunities for everyone to serve as station operators.

Ventura County Area 2 R.A.C.E.S. members are encouraged to check in every Tuesday night at 7:00 pm on the Area 2 Check-in Net. Specific ARES/RACES times and frequencies are as follows:

Net Control operations for the weekly ARES/RACES Area 2 check-in is run from the ARES/RACES communications center at East County Cheriff Station on Olsen Road each Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Visitors are welcome and have the opportunity to operate the station equipment. Contact Jerry Goldman KC6SO ( 805) 241-9187 if you plan to attend. RACES members, should remember that their RACES card is issued for only two years. When your card is due to expire call Jackie ( 805) 646-2551 at the Office of Emergency Services in Ventura to renew your card. For questions concerning ARES/RACES call Area 2 Emergency Coordinator Ken Larson KJ6RZ ( 805) 495-9435 or go to the ARES/RACES secion of the CVARC website at http://www.cvarc.org.

The Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club is an ARRL affiliated Special Service Club. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month, unless otherwise noted. Meeting location is at the Elks Lodge, 158 Conejo School Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA. Meetings start at 7:30 pm. with a pre-meeting social and technical assistance session, for those who are interested at 7:15 pm. Meetings are open to the public, and members are encouraged to bring their friends.