The Kansas Sunflower QCWA Chapter will hold an eyeball meeting to visit and discuss anything amateur radio related. We will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Walt’s East Side, 7732 E Central Ave, Ste. 110, Wichita.
Feel free to bring guests.
We are in need of a program. If you can provide one, please contact Chapter President Joe Pajor at JTPajor@aol.com.
We hope to see you there.
Please note: We will be meeting one week earlier than usual, due to the Christmas holiday.
Joe Pajor, KBØKFH, has lined up another great program for us for our last meeting of the year. It will be of general interest in connection with the Christmas season.
We need to elect officers for 2020 since we didn’t have time to do that at the October meeting. All offices are open for nominations: President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer.
We hope to see you there. As always, you are welcome to bring your spouse or another friend.
President Harold Childress, WBØLFH, called the meeting to order at 1900.
Joe Pajor, KBØKFH, introduced Jim Stafford, AJ5BS, who presented Part 2 of “My Submarine Career.”
He served aboard USS Seawolf (SSN 575) from 1972 to 1975. His talk included information about the nuclear reactors on board submarines and other general information about serving on submarines.
He answered questions from the audience, and his program concluded at 2025.
We didn’t have a business meeting after the program since the restaurant was closing. Election of officers will be at the December meeting.
Meeting was adjourned at 2030.
President Harold Childress, WBØLFH, called the meeting to order at 1845.
Joseph T. Pajor, KBØKFH, introduced Scott Knebel, planning manager at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department.
Scott presented an interesting program titled “Presentation on Wireless Master Plan.” He told us that most cell phone cell sites in residential areas are located on city rights of way. Cities can’t require a cell site to be justified and that a lot of them are built by companies who sell tower space to various cell phone providers. Sites can use galvanized steel towers or poles to support antennas.
The minutes of the June 25th meeting and treasurer’s report were approved as printed and e-mailed. Motion by Jerry Kahn, ACØRL, second by Joe Pajor.
President Childress said that we need nominees for all chapter offices, President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer, for election at the October meeting.
There was a discussion about our chapter having a table at the Hutchinson and Wichita hamfests. Bryon Cannon, KAØIIU, will check the national QCWA web site to see what is available in the way of handout pamphlets, etc.
Meeting was adjourned at 1958.
At our next meeting, James B. Stafford, AJ5BS, will present “The Road to Nuclear Power Operations.”
Here’s what James has to say about his program and himself:
We will discuss:
1. When and how the United States got into naval nuclear power
2. The types of ships that the Navy has used nuclear power on
3. The requirements for a person to get into the nuclear power program, and
4. The road from being recruited to becoming a nuclear plant operator. (Points 3 and 4 will be especially interesting for high school juniors and seniors.)
About me: I graduated from Scottsbluff Senior High School in 1968. In 1969, the United States instituted the draft by lottery program. Rather than be drafted, a friend of mine and I decided that the Navy was our choice, so we contacted the local naval recruiter. He was immediately enlisted and served aboard an aircraft carrier as a machinist’s mate and scuba diver. The recruiter delayed my entry because of my desire to serve aboard submarines, which required me to enlist in the nuclear power field program, and the station had already met its quota for the rest of the year. So on my 19th birthday, September 9, 1969, I was enlisted into the United States Naval Reserve so that I could not be drafted (even though my lottery number would never have been called).
On March 5, 1970, probably a little sooner than the recruiter would like to have seen, I was enlisted into the active duty Navy and reported to NRTC San Diego, CA. I served aboard 5 submarines, one surface vessel, and 3 shore commands before transferring to the Fleet Reserve on March 31, 1990, as an electrician’s mate chief petty officer. My retirement from naval service was finalized on September 30, 1999.
My amateur radio journey began in February 1996, when a friend convinced me to look into amateur radio as a communication option while traveling as opposed to a mobile phone. So, in February 1996, I received my first call sign, KC5SVI, and my no-code Technician license. I then tested for the General license and passed the written exam but not the code and then passed the Extra written exam and the code on the same day, thus going from Technician to Amateur Extra in one fell swoop.
Since being first licensed, I have worked with Tarrant County RACES in Tarrant County, Texas; the Fort Worth Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emergency communication group; Kansas ARES group; the Topeka Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emergency communication group; Sedgwick County RACES; the Derby Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emergency communication group; the Wichita Amateur Radio Club; and Air Force Military Affiliated Radio System. I am an ARRL registered instructor, an ARRL VE, and a Laurel Group VE.
President Harold Childress, WBØLFH, called the meeting to order at 1840.
Minutes of the February meeting and financial report were approved.
Old business: None
New business: There has not been a policy of paying for the meal of a Chapter 79 member who presents a program for a meeting. The Chapter has been doing that for non-members. Harold asked for thoughts about doing that for Chapter members who present a program. After discussion, Jerry, ACØRL, moved that Chapter 79 pay for meals for Chapter 79 members who present programs. Second by Henry, WØIE. Motion passed.
President Harold Childress said he needs to step down as president at the end of this year and won’t serve for another term. Secretary-Treasurer Larry Cannon said he needs to step down from that office at the end of this year, too. So, next October, we need to elect another president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer.
Harold asked that we all introduce ourselves.
Lloyd McCombs, KØLM, mentioned that his wife, Jeanette, passed away March 18. Our sincere condolences to Lloyd.
Shaun Halstead, KØPER, presented a very interesting program about ham radio testing. He started with some amateur radio statistics that showed that there are more licensed amateur radio operators in the United States today than at any time since 1912 when licensing began. As of January 2019, there are 755,952 licensed ham radio operators.
Shaun talked about Laurel Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC). Laurel doesn’t charge a testing fee. Wichita Amateur Radio Club (WARC) has a Volunteer Examiner team associated with Laurel VEC. Shaun is the Team Leader of the VE team.
Shaun also gave information about the felony question on the license application form.
Meeting adjourned at 2020.
President Harold Childress called the meeting to order at 1845, with nine members and four guests in attendance.
Minutes and financial report were approved as e-mailed.
Nominations for officers for 2019 were opened. Nominated were Harold Childress for president and Larry Cannon for secretary-treasurer. No nominations were made for vice president.
President Childress asked Secretary Cannon to send an e-mail to all members who were not in attendance at the meeting, asking for nominations for all offices.
The business meeting was closed at 1855.
Harold introduced Aaron Diller, NØQD, who presented an interesting and informative program about the Kansas Civil Air Patrol. A question-and-answer time followed the presentation. Aaron is the communications officer for Emerald City Composite Squadron, located in Wichita. He is also a flight instructor at Flight Safety International.
Please contact Bryon Cannon, Chapter 79 webmaster, if you have content to post on the chapter’s website.
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.
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.
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.