CREAMCAN DINNER SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 Our annual fall feast will be held at Villa Hi Park. Choppin' n' mixin' start around 3PM and with luck the can will be bubbling and ready by shortly after 5PM. Bring an accompanying dish if you like and we'll take donations toward ingredient expenses. Plans are afoot to take advantage of the recent sunspot spurt and do some HF Dxing while waiting for the meal. We'll use KØFJ's newly acquired MFJ 33' push-up mast (guaranteed easier than our Rohn monstrisity…) and fabricate a light-gauge wire antenna on the spot. In case the wx is truly nasty we'll hold the dinner at 1015 Maize Road -- first house southwest of the Methodist church.

SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 Don't forget to listen to the 82 repeater. Activity will also take place on the 444.650 repeater. We need all the help we can get for this test.

440 MACHINE AT FULL TILT Andy WBØOQJ found time to do the KLBY tower climb, including installing our new 440 antenna, before leaving Colby. NØXJ KCØJAO and KØFJ along with KLBY engineer Bernie Schmidt were on hand to do ground work. Initial indications were not good - unstable and high SWR readings on an MFJ antenna analyzer. Using a wattmeter, 38 watts fwd and 4 reflected didn't seem so bad, and the analyzer readings were chalked up to the 'active' RF environment. Proof is in the performance, and the machine sprays Colby with a great signal and importantly, NWS Goodland can hit the repeater easily. Keep in mind that the 444.65/449.65 machine requires 156.7 CTCSS input tone to activate the transmitter. Thanks again to the K-N gang and other helpers for bringing this strategic repeater to life.

MT. SUNFLOWER The ham magazines are touting our expedition to the highest point in Kansas. We plan to be active from noon Saturday October 20 through noon Sunday. Trojans and SHARCers will be combining equipment and efforts to make this thing click. We still need to nail down logistics and this will be a big item at the regular meeting and continuing on to that weekend.

PACKET RACKET de Mike KØFJ - New PCSAT-11 is in orbit. It is undergoing preliminary testing and should be ready for APRS use shortly. The PC connecting cable for the Hoxie Weather node has arrived. Mike & Allen will work on moving the system and replacing the PC in the next few weeks.

BANDSCAN Gil and Charlotte KØGIL/K3RRY have been enjoying some Dxing with their A3S perched atop their Oberlin home. Moldova is one of the exotic locales that's gone into the log. The couple are part of a radio (commercial) net set up to provide search comms for dogs, and would like to hear from any hams interested in getting involved in that effort. BT KCØJAO enjoyed his TS820 but was frustrated by some cantankerous problems with it. After doing some research Jeff settled in on 2 candidate rigs and took a field trip to HRO with NØXJ. He's now the proud owner of an IC-746 (Icom's 'soft' front panel rig) and has enjoyed the rig's performance and flexibility. McMurdo Sound Antarctica is among the QTHs Jeff has logged with the beast. BT KCØHBR found a controller for his brain-dead rotor via eBay, and now awaits arrival of control cable, plus a replacement direction pot. Jim still shoots some DX with his stationary beam, including a QSO with a missionary in New Guinea and his beloved 10 M FM repeaters. BT Jake KBØZIA is the latest to pull off a new antenna raising. This was a mast that went up with assistance from KCØJAO. A 2M beam (horizontally polarized to favor SSB) is the prize atop the pole, and is swinging nicely now that he's "modified" the landlord's cedar tree to allow a full swinging arc for the 13 element yagi. BT Figuring that the best way to ensure a mild winter is to plan for a nasty one, KØBJ acquired a 5KW generator from KBØZIA and now has it installed at his place. Bruce's power pole has always included the required DPDT cut-off switch, and he and Barrie from England have completed preparations and are ready for any long outages that may occur. Maybe there's a potential E-class Field Day entry in the works….? BT KCØJAO and KØFJ recently shook down Mike's newest version of WriteLog in the CQWW RTTY contest. An improved soundcard demodulator and logging features make this a honey of a program BT One irresistible item at the Scott City hamfest/picnic was the 10 x 2 plastic QSL card holders. KØBJ picked up three 3-packs of them, two of which are now owned by KCØHBRand KCØJAO. At the rate these guys are logging DX QSOs, it won't be long until some spiffy cards are displayed on their shack walls. BT

NEXT MEETING OCTOBER 11 7:00PM. SET results, trip to Mt. Sunflower with SHARC, etc.TravelPlus for Repeaters 1997-8 version doorprize.