Preview: October 30, 2018, meeting

QCWA Chapter 79 will meet at 6:30 p.m. October 30. Our speaker is expected to be someone from the Civil Air Patrol.

At this meeting we will have nominations of officers for next year.  Our officers are President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer.  We need to nominate a complete slate of officers so we can function efficiently.

We especially need to nominate and elect a Vice President.  He chairs the meeting if the President is unable to attend the meeting.  He is also the person who secures a program for each of the meetings.  Throughout the year he will be happy to hear from members who are willing to present a program or who know of someone who will do a program for a meeting.

Self-nominations are allowed and even encouraged.  But if you are a bit shy, ask someone else to nominate you.  Please check ahead of time with anyone you wish to nominate to be sure they are willing to serve in an office.

Minutes: August 28, 2018

President Harold Childress called the meeting to order at 1900. Twelve members and three guests were in attendance.

Minutes and financial reports were approved as e-mailed. Motion by Joe Pajor; second by Henry Monton.

Harold said we have two more meetings this year, and asked members to start thinking about chapter officers for next year. We really need to elect a vice president, who is also the program chairman.

Please contact Bryon Cannon, Chapter 79 webmaster, if you have content to post on the chapter’s website. The URL of the web site is QCWA79.com. The secretary was asked to add the website URL to the e-mails of the meeting notice and minutes.

The business meeting was concluded at 1905.

President Childress introduced Coy Terry, WØZWS, who presented a very interesting program about delta loop antennas for 40 meters and how he phases two loops to add some directivity, which helps with the transmit and receive signal strength.

Coy is almost completely blind due to an eye disease he got in 2006, possibly related to his stay in the New Orleans Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. Although it is a condition that moves slowly, it will most likely result in total blindness.

Coy holds an Amateur Extra class operator license. He enjoys operating CW and building and putting up antennas. He has taught himself to solder but says he endured some burned fingers in the process. His wife, Pamela, helps him by reading meters and a few other things, but Coy says the words “can’t do it” aren’t allowed at his house.

Preview: August 28, 2018, meeting

Our speaker for the August 28 meeting will be Coy Terry, WØZWS.

After serving in the Army, Coy worked on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. He performed maintenance and did all of the electrical work on the rig. While employed on the rigs, he experienced Hurricane Katrina; he was housed in the Superdome in New Orleans and then transferred to various states from there. He had an interesting experience while in Cheyenne, WY, which maybe he’ll tell us about.

In 1986 Coy earned his baccalaureate in astrophysics from Louisiana State University as a result of his interest in astronomy. He studied clusters and wrote articles for several astronomy magazines.

Coy’s eyesight started going bad in 2006, possibly related to his stay in the Superdome. It is a slowly developing condition which will most likely result in total blindness.

In 2013, Coy went for his first amateur radio license and tested through to Extra Class. About two weeks later, he traveled to Kansas City where he took the commercial broadcasting exam. By this time, Coy had to have someone read the questions to him as he could no longer see well enough to read. Even though visually challenged, he worked in the broadcasting field repairing broadcast equipment for a number of years.

In amateur radio, Coy has enjoyed reconditioning tube-type receivers and transmitters. Yes, he has even learned how to solder, after burning his fingers countless time. His other passion is in antenna design. Not content with only the technical aspects of amateur radio, he has earned several difficult-to-get awards. Coy is a very accomplished CW operator, which is his favorite mode.

No doubt, Coy will have some interesting tales to regale us with. Hope to see you there.

Minutes: June 26, 2018

There was no formal business meeting.

Attendance was 11 members, 1 guest.

Jerry Kahn, ACØRL, presented an interesting program about reforming electrolytic capacitors. Jerry explained that the plates inside of an electrolytic capacitor slowly lose their insulating oxide layer as it sits unused for a number of years. As the insulating oxide layer depletes, the capacitor’s internal resistance lowers, eventually to nearly zero ohms. Permanent damage will occur if a sufficiently high current is applied to an electrolytic capacitor with depleted oxide layers.

The safest way to reform an electrolytic capacitor is to apply a constant low current (5 ma maximum) to the capacitor, with its rated voltage. When the capacitor is fully reformed, the current drops off sharply to a leakage current value on the order of microamps.

The next meeting will be August 28, 2018.

Preview: June 26, 2018, meeting

Jerry Kahn, ACØRL, has prepared a very interesting and informative program for our June meeting: “A Modern, Simple, and Safe Method of Reforming Electrolytic Capacitors.”

The DOD, NRC, and manufacturers of capacitors recommend periodic reforming to keep electrolytics ready for use and to restore electrolytics that have gone through extended periods of disuse.

Bring an old, undamaged, electrolytic capacitor (or two or three) to the meeting. Once they are smoked, the magic is gone.

Jerry is an Amateur Extra Class operator, first licensed in 1991. He holds a GROL with Ships Radar Endorsement. He served in the United States Navy as an avionics tech, working on FLIR, RADAR, flight, and weapons systems. He worked in marine electronics.

Jerry attended DeVry University in electronics engineering technology. He worked for Logical Devices in QA, test, and product engineering.

He started his current technology business, VeriStitch, Inc., and Stitch Dynamics, in 1993, serving the personalization and decorative industry. His customer list includes Lands’ End, Neiman Marcus, J.C. Penney, Vera Bradley, Disney, Michaels Arts and Crafts, JanSport, Taylor Made, Williams Sonoma, and other companies.

He is a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor with instrument and multi-engine endorsements. He is also a certified motorcycle safety coach, currently teaching motorcycle safety at Hutchinson Community College.

Minutes: April 24, 2018

There was no formal business meeting.

Shaun Halstead, KØPER, joined Chapter 79. Three members paid their Chapter 79 dues for 2018.

Attendance: 12 members and 3 guests.

Joe Pajor, KBØKFH, arranged for the very interesting program presented by Dr. Brian A. Coon, traffic engineer and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator for the City of Wichita.

Dr. Coon’s program, “Traffic Signals: Look Who’s Talking Now,” included information about various ways traffic signals can be programmed. Some intersections even have helpful talking signals for people who have impaired vision.

Preview: April 24, 2018, meeting

Joseph Pajor, KBØKFH, has lined up a guest speaker for our next meeting. Dr. Brian A. Coon will present a program titled “Traffic Signals: Look Who’s Talking Now.” This sounds like a program you won’t want to miss.

Dr. Coon brings his experience as an engineer, attorney, and police officer to bear on transportation-related problems. After graduating the University of Iowa, Brian was youngest elected representative to the Iowa House of Representatives. Going back to engineering from politics, Brian studied at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he worked with the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, where the SAFER Barrier was developed to protect racecars during crashes. After earning his master’s degree in civil engineering, Brian was a Fulbright Scholar at Sweden’s premier transportation research institute, VTI, Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut.

After returning from Sweden, Brian earned his doctorate in engineering and then graduated law school with honors at the University of Nebraska and is licensed to practice law in Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. Brian is a licensed Civil and Mechanical Engineer in Nebraska, a licensed engineer in Kansas, a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, and an accredited Traffic Accident Reconstructionist. Brian is the chair of the Machine Design Exam Committee with NCEES and was a reserve police officer with the City of Maize for ten years. Brian also served as the sole technical expert in a whistleblower lawsuit, where a jury found that Trinity Industries had defrauded the Federal Government, awarding a $663M verdict. Brian is currently the Traffic Engineer and the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for the City of Wichita, Kansas.

Bring a friend, and if you see a former Chapter 79 member ask him or her to join us again. If you have an idea for a program, or know of someone who will present a program for one of our meetings, let Harold Childress, WBØLFH, know.

Minutes: February 27, 2018

President Harold Childress, WBØLFH, called the meeting to order at 1907.

The minutes of the December 19, 2017, meeting and treasurer’s report were approved as printed and e-mailed.

New business: Discussion about sending a memorial in memory of Sharon Minor, KDØXW, and about raising the amount of memorial contributions our chapter sends to the QCWA Scholarship Fund. We have been sending $20.00 for many years. Bryon Cannon moved that we increase the amount to $30.00. There was a consensus to send a memorial and to raise the amount to $30.00. Motion passed. In memory of Sharon, XYL of John Minor, WDØEDK, we will send $30.00 to QCWA Scholarship Fund.

President Childress asked us to think about a way we could estimate how many people would be at our dinner meetings, so as a courtesy, we could let Spear’s know a week ahead of the meeting how many to set up for.

Old business: President Childress asked for a list of Chapter 79 members and a list of former members.

Business meeting adjourned at 1918.

Program: Shaun Halstead, KØPER, presented an interesting program about the history of amateur radio licensing. He told about new changes to radio application forms that the FCC announced August 7, 2017, that includes adding a felony question, effective September 7, 2017.

Our next meeting will be April 24, 2018.

Preview: February 27, 2018, meeting

Our trusty president, Harold Childress, WBØLFH, has wrangled another interesting program for our first meeting of 2018. Shaun Halstead, KØPER, will be presenting our program. Here is his ham radio autobiography.

I was first licensed in April 1993, as NØWHG. I passed my Novice written element at a hamfest in late 1992, and then the Tech written element at a hamfest in April ’93. I pursued my license initially as part of the Boy Scouts Radio merit badge, but also out of a genuine interest in electronics and radio. I upgraded to General in April 2013 (and took my current call, KØPER), then to Extra in December 2014.

In mid-2014, I was approached by Frank Blake, AA4FB (previously ADØNA) about helping stand up a Laurel VE team, under the auspices of the Wichita Amateur Radio Club. I agreed to help, and today, I am the team leader of the WARC’s Laurel VE team. While I don’t have totals for the life of our team, I can say that in 2017, we had 91 applicants, 76 of whom earned new or upgraded tickets; 42 people earned their Tech, and 7 jumped the line and went straight to General.

I’ll be talking about licensing changes over the past 25 or so years, the felony question, and, time permitting, Laurel VEC.

As a side note, I tried joining QCWA, but their PayPal link is broken, and I couldn’t pay.

–Shaun Halstead, KØPER

Bring a friend, and if you see a former Chapter 79 member ask him or her to join us again. If you have an idea for a program for one of our meetings, let Harold know.