Spokane DX Association

At a recent SDXA meeting, Rudy W7FCB from Rosalia was asked if he was the Mayor of the small town South of Spokane and he replied, “No, I’m the Emperor!”

Rudy in his shack.

A meeting of the SDXA is held outside the library due to “who was supposed to get the key before they closed at 6 pm?” Thank goodness it was warm outside although the concrete benches were a little hard to sit on.

Email from Lamar WA7LT says three of the monthly photos featured in the new 2006/2007 CQ Communications “Ham Radio Operator’s Calendar” (not the Classic/Vintage one) feature locals with the SDXA . You will remember that during our 2005 Field Day, Photographer Larry Mulvehill, WB2ZPI of CQ Magazine visited us.

Locals featured are:

LaMar, WA7LT, is October

As Lamar said, “That isn’t bad for a small town DX club–congratulations to all. I suggest you buy several before the supply runs out!”

Brandi Hammers & Doug W3AS, K7SDX GOTA Field Day station, are June

Barb & Gary, KE7AJ & K7OX, are March -picture pending.

They are available from the CQ Magazine web page and are $12.95 postpaid. You want the one with the blue sky on the cover and dated for 2006-2007.

http://unix8.sunserver.com/cq/Search.bok?category=CQ+Calendars

You might notice that both CQ Magazine and the ARRL have a club competition in most of their contests. In both cases, three or more members of the club have to submit scores. If only two enter a particular contest, there is no club credit and the SDXA does not show up in the club standings.

Already the club (and its excellent contesting members) have won three gavels from the ARRL. To ensure that we have the necessary minumum of three entries, I have been known to make one or two contacts officially from my station in a contest just so that the other high scoring members can credit their scores to the club competition. These were contests in which I was not going to be in, but I made the effort to utilize the other members’s scores in the club competition.

Remember that you don’t have to “win” to be in a contest. It provides practice in communicating, typing, cw, talking efficiently, organization, listening , and perhaps stepping on a few toes.

CQ Magazine contests require that the names of the contestents be sent to them from a club. Presently, we have W3AS Doug doing that for us. The ARRL requires a list of possible contestents .

Let’s review the published rules on club competitons.
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ARRL

Here are the rules from the ARRL on club competition THAT APPLY TO US:

8.Club Competition:

8.1.There are eight ARRL-sponsored contests that are designated as Affiliated Club Competitions (ACC) for ARRL and RAC affiliated clubs:

8.1.1.January VHF Sweepstakes

8.1.2. RTTY Roundup (January)

8.1.3.(February and March) International DX Contest

8.1.4. June VHF QSO Party

8.1.5.September VHF QSO Party

8.1.6.November Sweepstakes

8.1.7.(December) 160-Meter Contest

8.1.8.(December) 10-Meter Contest

8.2.Only clubs actively affiliated with the ARRL or RAC may participate in the ACC.

8.2.1.Within the US and its territories, a club must:

8.2.1.1. Be affiliated with the ARRL, and

8.2.1.2. Have filed an annual report with the Field Services Department of ARRL HQ within the last two years.

8.3.For a club to be listed, the following conditions must be met:

8.3.1.A minimum of three entries from qualified club members must be submitted.

8.3.2.The entry must clearly indicate the club name in the Cabrillo file header.

8.3.3.To be eligible to submit a score in the Affiliated Club Competition, operators must be members in good standing of the club designated, and reside and operate in the club territory as provided in 8.4.1, 8.4.2, and 8.4.3. The Club Secretary or designated Club Scorekeeper for an affiliated club must submit a list of all club members eligible to compete for the club (not a club roster) and which level (unlimited, medium, local) they wish to enter for each competition within 30 days after the contest.

8.3.3.1. In lieu of mailing a list within 30 days after the end of each contest, the club may designate its Secretary or Scorekeeper to submit their club’s eligibility roster electronically to a secure web site (if
available). The designated club official may update the electronic eligibility list by the start of each ACC contest as new members join the club or established members no longer meet the eligibility requirements. The designated club official must contact the ARRL Contest Branch Manager in order to obtain access to the secure website.

8.3.3.2. Failure by the club to submit a valid list of member’s eligible to submit scores for the club either electronically or by mail may result in the club being declared ineligible for the Club Competition event in question.

8.3.4.A member’s score must be shown in the contest results to be counted for a club. Only that score shown in the results (or in subsequent corrections) will count for the club competition.

8.4.There are three categories of club competition:

8.4.1.UNLIMITED
8.4.1.1.Club submits 51 or more entries.

8.4.1.2.One station can submit two entries one on CW and one on Phone in the November Sweepstakes and the DX Contest.

8.4.1.3. The club territory is either defined by:

8.4.1.3.1. A 175-mile (282-kilometer) circle from a designated center; or
8.4.1.3.2. One ARRL section.

8.4.1.4.All stations must be located and all operators must reside within the designated club territory.

8.4.1.5.All members must be “members in good standing” according to the rules and requirements of the club.

8.4.1.6.Eligible members that operate stations outside the club territory may not compete in the club competition, except as provided in rule 8.6.

8.4.2.MEDIUM

8.4.2.1.Club submits 50 or fewer entries and does not qualify under the local club criteria.

8.4.2.2.One station can submit two entries–one on CW and one on Phone in the November Sweepstakes and the DX Contest.

8.4.2.3. The club territory is either defined by:

8.4.2.3.1. A 175-mile (282-kilometer) circle from a designated center; or;

8.4.2.3.2. An ARRL-section.

8.4.2.4. All stations must be located and all operators must reside within the designated club territory.

8.4.2.5.All members must be “members in good standing” according to the rules and requirements of the club.

8.4.2.6. Eligible members that operate stations outside the club territory may not compete in the club competition, except as provided in rule 8.6.

8.4.3.LOCAL

8.4.3.1.Club submits 10 or fewer entries.

8.4.3.2.One station can submit two entries – one on CW and one on Phone in the November Sweepstakes and the DX Contest.

8.4.3.3.All members must reside and operate within 35 miles of the club’s designated center.

8.4.3.4.All members must be “members in good standing” according to the rules and requirements of the club.

8.5.At Single Guest-Operator and Multioperator stations:

8.5.1. To claim a Guest Operator score for a club, the guest operator at a single-operator station must meet the membership and residence requirement for the club classification (Unlimited, Medium or Local see rule 8.4) and the station must be located within the defined club territory. The owner of the station does not need to be a member of the club claiming the score.

8.5.2. At least 50% of the operators at a multi-operator station must be eligible members of the club and the station must be located within the defined club territory. The owner of the station does not need to be a member of the club claiming the score. A club member who resides outside of the club territory counts as a non-member when determining the number of eligible members at a multi-operator station.

8.5.3. Multioperator entries may (optional) utilize non-member operators licensed one year or less without including such operators in the 50% calculation. (The intent here is to encourage clubs to recruit contesters from newer amateurs without adversely affecting the club aggregate score.)

8.5.4. All other applicable contest rules must be satisfied.

8.6. For the ARRL International DX Contest only, DXpedition (operating outside the United States and Canada) scores for either single operator or multioperator stations may be counted for Medium or Unlimited Clubs even though the operation is outside the club’s area, provided all other requirements are met.

8.7.For multioperator stations, the score may count for only one club and at least 50% of the operators must be members of the club receiving the score and meet all other criteria.

8.8.A club’s entry classification may be changed if, in the opinion of the ARRL Awards Committee, the club has manipulated its number of entries to allow the club to enter a lower classification. (For example, if a club with 100 members submits only the 10 highest scores, even if more than 10 of its members compete.)

8.9.It is not within the intent of these rules that a club should vote out a member or that a member resign and then be voted back into the club later so the member in good standing rule can be met.

8.10. The highest scoring active affiliated club entry in each category (unlimited, medium, local) will be awarded a gavel.
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To summarize the ARRL boundaries, if we stay in the LOCAL category, our circle of eligibility is a 35 mile radius. If we are in the other two categories , we have a 175 mile radius.
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CQ MAGAZINE

The CQ Magazine rules are:

CLUB COMPETITION:

1. The club must be a local group and not a national organization.

2. Participation is limited to members operating within a local geographic area defined as within a 275 km radius from center of club area (except for DXpeditions specially organized for operation
in the contest; club contributions of DXpedition scores are percentaged to the
number of club members on the DXpedition).

3. To be listed, a minimum of 3 logs must be received from a club, and an officer of the club must submit a list of participating members and their scores, both on phone and CW.
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CQ does not have the three classifications of clubs that the ARRL does. All clubs compete against each other.

So how can we take advantage of the rules to further the Association in the club competition?

I suggest:

1) ensure that we always have a minimum of three entries. Talk among yourselves and ensure that there are at least three. Just so you are competing against each other does not mean you cannnot talk it over for the good of the Association.

2) those in the contest must send the results in within the deadline and in cabrillo style.

3) those in the contest must designate the Spokane DX Association by title and NOT by abbreviation such as SDXA.

4) for the ARRL contests, if we get more than ten entrants, then we are in the MEDIUM category. So be it. We need to maximize the number of contestants in the organization; after all, our Constitution says:

Section 2 The purpose of this Association is to bring together those radio amateurs interested in the serious endeavor of working DX and DX contesting…

submitted December 25, 2005 by Steve K7AWB

In the Club competition in the ARRL RTTY Round-Up contest, our SDXA won FIRST PLACE in the Local Club Category. Our prize was an official ARRL contest gavel which was given to Barbara KE7AJ and Gary K7OX for their great contribution to the total score. The total club score was 131,022 points with three entries, beating out the Boeing Employees ARS – St. Louis and the Dauberville DX Association. Congratulations to all SDXA members who participated, and the Elliotts for their high score contributions. A write up on our club win is on page 100 of the July, 2005 QST article by Jay WS7I. More information HERE.

Barbara KE7AJ

Gary K7OX

Our main activities are:

Working DX, getting those “numbers” up
Contesting
Monthly Meetings
ARRL Field Day
Summer Picnic
Using a Google Group for internal communications
Annual Awards Banquet in December
Support of annual Spokane Hamfest in September
Helping each other with installations, problems, antenna parties, etc.
Sponsorship of two contesting plaques: Salmon Run & 7QP
Major sponsor of Spokane based PNW DX convention every four years
Informative programs each month including guest speakers

The purpose of this Spokane, WA based Association is to bring together those radio amateurs interested in the serious endeavor of working DX and DX contesting, to enhance the DXCC totals of the members, to promote good DX operating practices, and to enjoy the fellowship of like minded individuals. Visitors with an interest in DXing and/or contesting shall be welcome at meetings.

We communiate through this website, our Google Group (at http://groups.google.com/group/sdxa), emailings, and monthly meetings or events.

The Spokane DX Association is an ARRL affiliated club. We proudly exhibit the ARRL logo on our pages.

To become an affiliated club, our group met the ARRL club requirements:

— At least 51% of your voting membership must be full or associate ARRL members.

— At least 51% of your voting membership must be licensed amateurs.

— You must have a club constitution.

— Your club’s goals must not conflict in any way with the goals of the ARRL.

Per the ARRL, once your club is affiliated, it remains affiliated. To stay actively affiliated, we must complete and submit an Annual Report at least once a year. Our club’s status will be changed to inactive should 2 years go by without our submission of an Annual Report. Our club can return to active status at any time by simply completing and submitting an Annual report.

SPOKANE DX ASSOCIATION

Following is a very brief summary of the formation of the Spokane DX Association in 2001 and 2002:

In June 2001, a random group of 20 or so retired local hams met for breakfast at Rosauers Restaurant at the Y (near North Division and Holland) in Spokane on Monday mornings. The group included the ARRL Eastern Washington Section Manager, Kyle Pugh (KA7CSP), who provided an excellent sounding board for local information. There were also three new DXers and contesters to the Spokane area: Dan Hearn (N5AR), Gary Elliott (K7OX), and LaMar Ray (W9LT / WA7LT). Each had moved to the area to be with children in the 1999 / 2000 time frame, and each reminisced about the old serious clubs left behind (Lone Star DX Association, North Texas Contest Club, Central Arizona DX Association, and Potomac Valley Radio Club).

In the opinion of these three, the previous attempts at a DX club had failed, become inactive, or did not satisfy their personal needs. These included the Eastern Washington Amateur Radio Group, Eastern Washington DX Club, Spokane DX Association, and Inland Empire DX Association. Further, it seemed there were a few more local individuals who wanted a more serious DX club. At the urging of K7OX and N5AR, WA7LT took a very early stab at writing a solicitation for others with a serious interest. This first written material dates to November 7, 2001. Discussions of the club purpose included contesting versus DXing; it was decided contesting was too limited, and that almost all contesters were also DXers, so it was decided we should promote a DX club. After much discussion and procrastination, and a little discussion with other local DXers, the original three decided to proceed. A second draft document for possible circulation was drawn up on February 20, 2002. Finally, after much editing, a final informational document was produced which included the announcement that a suitable organizational meeting was to take place at noon on Saturday, March 16, 2002. It was circulated by any and all means available, including an abbreviated version circulated via the Eastern Washington ARRL Members Only Web Site.

At the organizational meeting with 29 in attendance, it was announced this was to be called the Spokane DX Association and would be targeted at serious DXers. All present were asked to state their interest(s) and a completed questionnaire was requested from each for follow up. The meeting was moderated by K7OX, and notes were recorded by WA7LT. At the conclusion, six volunteers (AA7RT, K7OX, K7TQ, N5AR, W6AEA, and WA7LT) were appointed to get the club in motion: prepare a constitution, investigate ARRL affiliation, establish the next meeting, etc.

The rest is history, and the first meeting of the Spokane DX Association took place April 11, 2002 at 7:00 PM.

C. LaMar Ray, WA7LT
April 11, 2002

At the 2005 Annual Banquet, a plaque was presented to outgoing SDXA President Randy Foltz K7TQ

In recognition of leading the Spokane DX Association as President, January 2004-December 2005.

Click on a thumbnail to view it full size.

We now have a Google Group for communicating between members and friends. This will become a major method of communicating between SDXA members and with the outside world. You must join Google Groups if you are not a member already. A lot of people already belong to other groups. It is free. No cost! There are thousands of groups that you could enjoy besides SDXA.

To become a member of the SDXA group (free, of course) , go to:

http://groups.google.com/group/sdxa

and follow the instructions.

Once a member, send postings to:

[email protected]

or post on our Google Groups site, with more options.

Your postings must be in good taste, no flaming, and keep on the subject of amateur radio, the club, etc. Post your electronic items for sale, your latest ham station news, awards, dx worked, etc. If you need help on something, post a help message.

Remember, as with all message boards, your post goes to ALL subscribers, not just a few. If you have email that that is meant for one or two persons ONLY, then the message board is NOT the appliance to use. But, if you offered your Yaesu transceiver for sale, then you want the widest audience and the Google Group message board is great.

From WS7I Jay:

On 24 October, EWARG has added another cluster. This is the W7BT cluster. It has TelNet access from the Internet to fill that need. Login is with Callsign. It is linked to WS7I and to K7TJ as well as the other nodes in Eastern Washington when they are on-line.

Port 7300 is the port number and you type it in as it appears in this line from a windows Start-Run prompt.

telnet w7bt.ewarg.org 7300

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How to access the K7TJ Cluster:

Set XCVR to144.93 simplex.

Connect SPOKN

Connect K7TJ

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We need to use the packet cluster for both receiving and posting DX spots. Take advantage of this great resource.

posted Dec 20, 2005

This is a short but important tip on how to best use your manual antenna tuner. If you are adjusting your tuner for the lowest SWR at its input, you are probably not using it in the optimum manner. By far the most loss in your tuner is in the inductor. The variable capacitors are nearly lossless. Have you ever looked inside one of the tuners using Air-Dux or similar coils which has had considerable use? It is not unusual to see the coil is distorted. This is due to over heating. Tuners using rotary inductors sometimes show burn marks on the traveling roller contact. I have seen quite a few tuners like this at ham flea markets. This is particularly a problem when matching short antennas on 80 or 160 meters. Many of the commercial tuners, which are OK on the higher bands, cannot handle legal power on the low bands

Here is how to adjust the tuner for lower loss.

1. Tune for lowest SWR with low power.
2. Reduce the inductance and retune for the lowest SWR.
3. Look for the lowest inductor setting which still gives an acceptable SWR.

That’s all there is to it. 73, Dan, N5AR

Here’s some of the latest antenna project activity from one of our club members. Interesting design, Dick!

Dale,

I am sorry, but I won’t be able to help with your antenna project on Saturday. That is because I will be working on my own antenna project.

On Wednesday evening last week, I received a new multi-polarized tri-band beam from Falling Tree Design Corp. I also have to reinstall my 75 m and 40 m inverted vee antennas as a result.

I have attached two pictures of the new design. I also attached a picture of some other work that Falling Tree did for me.

I hope everything goes well.

73,

Dick, W7BHP