The Q-Fiver, newsletter of Oh-Ky-In ARS, Cincinnati OH April 2001 Vol 43 #4 President's message Hello! Happy April Fool's Day! No jokes, I promise. Here we are already and the year is just flying! We are all busy, and like I said last month, we're entering our busiest time with summer approaching at light speed. We'll be asking for a lot of help from everyone in the next few months so please pick up the phone and help us out. Oh-Ky-In Awards Dinner 2001: This year we have a another great awards dinner planned. Please see the info posted in the 3d article of this Q-Fiver. We have a few people who have put in a tremendous amount of work into this year's event -- I'm sure you will all be pleased. Please come out for the one social night of the year and spend a joyous evening with your fellow members, family and friends with great food and and fun. Classes are well on their way through the Spring session. We're already planning Dayton Ham-ention, Field Day and our 4th annual Oh-Ky-In Hamfest. Have I said we're _busy_? We need your help and will be glad to find something for you to get involved in YOUR club! So please help us out. Thanks and 73, Eric N8YCL Next meeting The next meeting of the Oh-Ky-In Amateur Radio Society will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2001 at 7:30 PM at the Western Hills Church of Christ, 5064 Sidney Road, one block from Glenway Avenue. Program details were not yet settled at Q-Fiver final copy deadline. To get to the club meeting, coming from town on Glenway, pass Ferguson Road and turn left on to Sidney between the BP station and Sebastian's restaurant, just before the Frisch's, then turn right at the light into the drive down to the church parking lot. The entrance is at the back of the church building. Plenty of parking is available. 73, Rick KD4PYR 2001 OH-KY-IN ARS Awards Dinner This year's awards dinner will be at Raffel's on April 21, 2001. Raffel's is located at 10160 Reading Road. The event will start at 6 PM with dinner served at 6:30 PM. The buffet dinner will include: Tossed Salad Choice of Sliced Top Round, Fried Chicken or Baked Cod Mostaccioli, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans, Rolls and Butter Yellow Cake with Icing Choice of drink: Coffee, Tea, Decaf, Iced Tea, Soft Drinks Cash bar will be available The cost is $15 per person, payable at the door. We do need a head count, so please make reservations soon with Carol Hugentober WA8YL at 513=661-5323. Come and join us for a good time and to see who wins OH-KY-IN Ham of the Year! Mark your calendar and see you there! 73, Rick KD4PYR Minutes of members' meeting, Tuesday, March 6, 2001 Eric N8YCL called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM with the Pledge of Allegiance. There were 2 guests among the 45 or so present. Self- introductions followed. Rick KD4PYR introduced Ken Scheper WA8JOC at 7:36 to begin the program. As QSL manager for Dave Heil K8MN, he deals with great volumes of QSL cards. It's his task to issue the cards, not to prevent their issue. He recommends using standard postcard-size cards and security #6-3/4 (small) envelopes. Fold return envelope with wings up so it won't be sliced by letter opener. A major point in awaiting QSLs is to be patient! Use of bureaus is a privilege. Contributions and "green stamps" should go toward outgoing postage. Ken told of an instance where an unstamped IRC turned up and his wife was nearly arrested for postal fraud. Don't send "green stamps" to the Middle East! $2 is appropriate for Europe. Thin foil is often used to wrap cash from Russia. KA9FOX's web page has a list of old QSL managers. A list of letter-managers (1st letter of suffix) managers exists; Ed WB8ES says it too is on the web. Ken suggested clipping a lower corner point of an envelope to allow inspection. Program ended 8:28 PM. Split the pot tickets and coupon books to benefit the Ryle HS Art Dept Scholarship Fund are on sale at hospitality. Dues may be paid. Business meeting convened at 8:40 PM. Eric N8YCL thanked the Haltermons for staffing hospitality, split tickets and the art scholarship coupon books. The library is open. Lynn WD8JAW reported for membership that the 2000 total was 202. This year's total through yesterday was 141, of which 5 are new, 2 renewals who were not paid members in 2000. Bylaws say dues are due by March 31; for those not paid, Q-Fiver mailing will cease, so will auto-dial and phone patch privileges. Brian KE4HOR moved to accept the minutes of the last meeting as printed in the Q-Fiver, Mike KC8IVR second, carried with no opposition. Bill KI4QJ was actually present to present the treasurer's report, copies of which are circulating. Much is the same. As of Feb 28 Bill showed 117 members, about $2200 in checking. Eric N8YCL announced that the awards committee has been hard at work developing an outstanding program with new ideas for the awards dinner. He thanked Phil KG8AP, Carol WA8YL, Rick and Jo KD4PYR and KD4PYS for their efforts. Rick then picked up the thread, saying that Shuller's was cheaper than anyplace else (closed last fall). He and Jo did a lot of research, and found that Raffel's Banquet Hall, 10160 Reading Road, had the best deal. The awards dinner will be 6-10 PM Saturday, April 21. Price is $15 payable at the door. Reserve with Carol WA8YL. Dayton: We've requested the same spaces. Bill KI4QJ said our check has cleared but he hasn't seen tickets yet. Judd N8RVR observed that Dayton's only 80 days away. It's planned to staff the spaces 8-4 all 3 days. Sign-up sheet will circulate next month, meanwhile talk to Gene N8KOJ or Eric N8YCL. Field Day: Only 3 meetings to Field Day! Oh-Ky-In placed 3d or so in OH last year. We traditionally operate 3A. Dates this year are June 23-24. Set-up starts at 2 PM Fri at Mitchell Memorial Forest; family camping is encouraged. Phil KG8AP will chair the picnic. Station sign-up sheets will circulate at the May meeting, folk are needed to come early to help set up. Hamfest: Lynn WD8JAW reminded those present that our Hamfest is July 28. Next committee meeting is Mon, April 30. Thu, June 28 the committee and those willing to help will stick labels and prepare the fliers for bulk mailing at Salem Presbyterian Church (same place as classes and exams). Help will be needed Fri eve, July 27 to assist vendors with move-in, also fest day at 6 AM for late vendor arrivals. Striking the fest after major prize drawing at 1 PM moves quickly with a lot of help, slowly without. Major prizes are in hand: top, Yaesu FT-840; second Yaesu 1500M 50-watt 2 meter mobile. Web page will be updated shortly. Rick KD4PYR reported for classes that there are 12 students, 6 of whom are taking code. Eric N8YCL thanked the teaching team: Ev KC8JR, Otto AA8KK, Bob WB8W, Harry WA8LOJ, Rich W2RG, Judd N8RVR and Carol WA8YL. New students can be taken in this week yet. Brian KE4HOR reported for the Technical Committee that they're close to only thing not swapped out is cavities. Bruce N8BV has suggested making .925 a split site. .925 now has VBR and voice announcements. Committee will meet in April. As always, Brian welcomes queries and signal reports. Harry WA8LOJ said the usual 8-9 folk check in to the SSTV net, get to send about 3 pictures each. They're about to try a new program, MM SSTV shareware, Chromatix -- $120 if used beyond the free test period. Club equipment is in good shape and ready for the audit. Bruce N8BV continues to manage the Tech Talk net with the usual 15-35 check-ins. More queries and news lately. Stu KC8HQT reported for WARN that the March 30 weather spotter training will be at Nathaniel Greene Lodge off Wesselman Rd instead of Blue Ash Red Cross, due to double-booking. Stu went on for QCEN that the Flying Pig continues to draw most of their attention. Steve N8TFD may well come to make a presentation. Gayle N8SVA reported that ARPSC will not meet in April. In Gene N8KOJ's absence, Carol WA8YL told of Irv Dick K8MQF who became SK a few days ago. He and wife Geraldine K8MRZ, also SK, were Oh-Ky-In members years ago. Also Tom Henderson K4CIH, president of 10-10, has died. Dick WB4SUV reported that there was low attendance at the DXers' last meeting. Suggestions are desired. He continued for the last fox hunt that there were 6 hound teams again, last time a team from Indpls. He and Janie are the foxes this Saturday; Dick promised an "easy" hunt (hi!). Greg Vicars KA8MQD, who usually is present, would have won the $10 attendance incentive had he been at this meeting. As he was not, the sum will be $15 next time. Old business: Bruce N8BV made a last in-person call for help for Scouting for Food and Clothing on April 1. Those still needing to check their schedules may call or e-mail him. Bill KI4QJ announced the next Oh-Ky-In VE exams will be Sat, May 12 at noon. (He will be at his sister's in CA then.) This will be the last chance for multiple choice on the code exam. Lynn WD8JAW reminded those present that dues are due March 31. Bill KI4QJ won $17 in split-the-pot (more cries of "Fix!" 3d time lately a club officer has won this). Pete KC8BZM moved for adjournment at 9:05 PM, Harry WA8LOJ second, motion carried along with the chairs to the storage closet. Respectfully submitted, Susie Scott N8CGM, Recording Secretary DX Extras April 2001 Bob WA6EZV's recent hectic schedule left him no time to compose the column (no foolin'!). DX Extras should be back next month, with any luck at all. Contests April 2001 1 Whistling Dixie Contest, all contacts made by whistling Code into a microphone. Separate category for blowing code on a cornlikker jug 7-9 QCWA QSO Party, all modes; EA RTTY Contest; SP DX Contest VHF/UHF Spring Sprints, (East Tennessee DX Association) 13-16 JA International DX Contest, CW, 20-10 meters; DXYL-NAYL YLRL Contest, CW; QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party, CW; Lighthouse Spring Lites Rites QSO Party; His Majesty the King of Spain Contest, Phone and CW (separate simultaneous contests) Low Power Spring Sprint, Slovak ARA, CW 17 222 MHz Spring Sprint, see April 9. 21-22 DXYL-NAYL YLRL Contest, Phone; MI QSO Party; ONT QSO Party TARA PSK31 Rumble (The Spring Wakeup) Holyland DX Contest, Israel ARC25 23 432 MHz Spring Sprint 28-29 FL QSO Party; NE QSO Party; Six Meter Sprint Many small contests in case of April showers. For more see QST, the Weather Channel, etc. 73, Dan KF4AV from The ARRL Letter, Vol 20 #5, Feb 2, 2001 ==>Reciprocal licensing info is on the Web US amateurs planning to vacation in a foreign country this year will find it easier to obtain permission to operate there. Amateur Radio operation from several countries is now a reasonable goal -- even for short trips. The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administration -- or CEPT -- Amateur Radio licensing system requires that you carry only 3 documents. You'll need a copy of FCC Public Notice DA 99-2344 (available at http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/cept-ral. pdf), proof of US citizenship, and your FCC-issued Amateur Radio license. The CEPT instant reciprocal privileges apply only for travel by US hams to those European countries that recognize US participation in the CEPT protocols. As a reciprocal system, hams from CEPT-participating European nations have similar privileges while touring the US and Canada. For a list of countries that recognise US participation in the CEPT reciprocal system, visit the CEPT countries page on ARRLWeb, http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/cept-list.html. The International Amateur Radio Permit is another special licensing arrangement. It applies to certain countries in the Americas, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Peru, US, Uruguay, and Venezuela, who are signatories of the CITEL Amateur Convention. US amateurs may use the IARP to operate only in those countries. An IARP is not a license, but it certifies the existence of a license. The CITEL Convention provides that IARPs may be issued by a country's government or by its International Amateur Radio Union member-society, and the ARRL is the sponsoring society in the US. To obtain an IARP or for more information on operating from a CEPT or CITEL (IARP) country, visit the ARRL International Operating page, http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/. Obtaining a license to operate in a country that is neither a CEPT nor a CITEL Amateur Convention signatory or participant requires more paperwork and some advance planning. Delays of a month or longer are common. Licensing and operating requirements for all other countries are available on the "Operating Permit Information by Country" page on ARRLWeb, http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/recip- country.html. Another source for reciprocal licensing information is the "Information on licensing abroad for radio amateurs" Web site of Veikko "Veke" Komppa OH2MCN, http://www.qsl.net/oh2mcn/license.htm. OH2MCN and the ARRL share information to assure that both sites are as accurate as possible and that the information is suitable for their respective audiences. VE exam opportunities April 2001 Sat. Apr. 7 at Hartwell Presbyterian Church, Parkway & Woodbine Avs, sponsored by CRA. Registration 8:30 AM; walk-ins only! Info: Herb Blasberg WA8PBW, 513=891-7556 Sat. Apr. 14 at Indian Springs Admin Bldg, Morris & Millikin Rds in suburban Hamilton OH, sponsored by Butler Co VHF Assn. Take By-Pass 4 north to Princeton, right (east) to Morris, then left (north) to Millikin. Millikin no longer exits to Route 4 near By-Pass 4; that entrance to Millikin is permanently closed and blocked off. Registration starts at 9 AM, testing on completion of registration. (This is a noisy location with conversation not curtailed. -directions & observation Fred K9OHE) Info: Ted Wilson K8TCR, 513=868-7012. Talk-in 146.97 Wed. May 2 at Verity Lodge on the Middletown Campus of Miami University, sponsored by DIAL ARC. Info: Carol Morgan or Dave Williamson . Sat. May 12 at Salem Presbyterian Church in Western Hills (corner of Mozart and Higbee, just behind White Castle at Harrison and Boudinot), sponsored by Oh-Ky-In ARS. Exams begin at 12 noon. Exams will be given for all levels of license. WALK-INS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!! However, advance registration is appreciated. For that, send your completed NCVEC Form 605 and a check or money order made payable to OH-KY-IN A.R.S. in the amount of $10, along with a copy of all certificates of successful completion and your current license (if any) to the following address: Bill Simpson KI4QJ, 10743 Palestine Drive, Union KY 41091. For more information, contact Carol Hugentober WA8YL at 513=661-5323, e-mail to , or visit the OH-KY-IN Amateur Radio Society on the World Wide Web at: www.qsl.net/k8sch. IN ALL CASES 2 IDs (at least 1 with photo), originals (bring to exam) & photocopies (enclose with preregistration or bring to exam to file with NCVEC Form 605 of license & CSCEs) are required. Given the recent Restructuring, best in all cases to call for info. Headphones for the CW element and photocopying available at Oh-Ky-In exams but not at most other testing locations (again, call for info). Pre-registration encouraged where available (see specific exam info for where to send, enclose SASE for confirmation and NCVEC 605). $10 is 2001 ARRL/VEC exam fee; this should eliminate most needs for correct change for walk-in registrations. Hamfests &c. April 2001 News Flash! Bill KI4QJ received on March 21 the packet of Hamvention info. Same spaces as usual - 4007-4008. Apr 21 Coalton OH Hamfest sponsored by Jackson Co ARC at James H. Rhodes Community Ctr on SR 93 between Jackson and Wellston; from US 35 go N on SR 93 4 mi to Coalton, Rhodes Ctr is building on right as you go into town. Hamfest/Radio/Computer Show, fleas, vendors, VE sessions (10 AM, all classes, walk-ins OK) an auction (after hamfest for any items not sold), handicapped accessible, refreshments. Admission: $5. Info: Ed Dempsey KD8XL, 740=286-3239, [kd8xl@ohiohills.com] Apr 29 Athens OH Hamfest sponsored by Athens Co ARA at Athens Rec Ctr, 733 E State St, hamfest at 2d light. Fleas, indoor exhibits, refresh- ments. Talk-in: 145.15. Admission: $5, spouses free. Info: Drew McDaniel W8MHV, 740=592-2106, [dmcdaniel@ohiou.edu] Canfield OH Hamfest sponsored by 20 Over 9 RC at MCCTC, 7300 N Palmyra Rd, 2 mi W of Square in Canfield, on US 224. 8 AM-2 PM, ARRL activities, VE sessions.Talk-in: 147.315, 443.225. Admission: $5. Info: Don Stoddard N8LNE, 330=793-7072, [n8lne1@juno.com] May 5 Louisa KY Hamfest, sponsored by Big Sandy ARC at Louisa Middle School (far-eastern KY, just south of Huntington WV); turn off US 23 onto Rt 2565, go to Rte 644, at flashing light turn right onto Bulldog Ln across from 3 Rivers Hospital. Vendors, tailgating, VE sessions, special meeting of District 9 ARES program, refreshments. Admission: $4. Talk-in: 147.39. Info: Fred Jones WA4SWF, 606=638-9049, [wa4swf@arrl.net], www.bsarc.org You may not believe this but the head muckety-muck himself -- Jim Haynie W5JBP, the ARRL president -- said I could send this out for your consideration -- written in a hurry from prelim Newington figures. Joe Phillips K8QOE, OH SM, Tue, 13 Mar 2001 New membership activity in the American Radio Relay League "got hot" during February, according to reports from Newington headquarters. David Sumner K1ZZ, ARRL Executive Vice-President, reported "very healthy new membership results" during February, as amateur radio operators move to save money before the July 1 dues increase. In fact the numbers were checked 3 times before being released, because they had looked so unbelievable. Previous membership history predicted a gain of 254 members last month, but the actual figure was 755. There were 1,196 actual membership completions (many renewals) during that time with 503 coming from the ARRL Web site -- a new electronic form usage record for one month. This brings the total active membership of the League to 164,907 or 2,710 more members than this time last year. Annual dues for the League on July 1 go from $34 to $39 for regular dues and from $28 to $34 for seniors, age 65 and up. Until June 30, 2001, the old rates of $34 annual, $65 (2 years) $92 (3 years) or the new $146 (5 years) apply. The senior rates until June 30 are $28 (regular), $53 (2 years), $76 (3 years). Renewals are easy on the Internet at or toll free at 1-888-277-5289, Sumner said. "I hope as many members take this new opportunity which is available for only a short time." Charges to credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, AMEX and Discover) are available either by telephone (toll free) or by the Internet. Snail- mail to 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111 will also work. >From The ARRL Letter, Vol 20 #10, March 9, 2001 ==>New Field Day rules for 2001 designed to enhance the fun Field Day 2001 will run from 1800 UTC June 23 to 2100 UTC June 24 - as always, the 4th full weekend in June. Typically a club or group event, Field Day is the most popular operating activity of the year -- and one of the most enjoyable for hams of all skill levels. A few rules changes this year affect bonus points for Field Day scores. * The non-traditional mode bonus has been expanded from 100 to 300 points for doing 3 separate demonstration modes. * Packet is back and will be counted as one of the 3 demonstration modes, but to claim packet credit, you must set up a portable digipeater system. Existing, permanent packet networks do not qualify for this bonus. * You may earn a 100-point bonus if an invited local government official or representative of one of the agencies that ARES serves in an emergency visits your Field Day site. To earn this bonus, the invited official must actually visit the site, not just be invited. * The message-handling bonus has been changed. You may now earn 10 points per message, up to 100 points total, for origination, relay, and delivery of formal NTS messages. In the past, only messages received and relayed were counted. The Field Day participation message to the Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator under rule 7.3.5 does not also qualify for bonus points under these rules. This marks the last year that the extra Novice/Tech + station will exist in its current form. The Novice/Tech station is a non-counting transmitter, and its QSOs count for QSO point credit. The ARRL Member- ship Services Committee is considering several options to encourage participation by newly licensed hams. The ARRL Contest Branch has compiled a 24-page Field Day 2001 Informa- tion packet, http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/01fdpack.pdf. This document is available in hard-copy format by sending an SASE with 4 units of postage to Field Day Package, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington CT 06111. In addition to the dated Field Day pins that have proven so popular the past few years, the League now offers 2001 Field Day T-shirts. Pins are just $5, and the T-shirts are $9.95. For ordering information, visit the ARRL Products Catalog, http://www.arrl.org/catalog, or call toll- free 888=277-5289. The Contest Branch no longer handles orders for these items. ==>Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 introduced The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 is now officially HR 817. Rep Michael Bilirakis of Florida introduced the bill on March 1 in the US House of Representatives. Last week, ARRL President Jim Haynie W5JBP and ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison W5ZN visited the Congressman's office to thank him personally for his continuing interest in protecting Amateur Radio frequency allocations. The measure has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill seeks to amend the Communications Act of 1934. It would require the FCC to make no reallocation of primary Amateur and Amateur-Satellite allocations, diminish any secondary allocations, or make additional allocations within amateur allocations that would substantially reduce their utility without also providing equivalent replacement spectrum. League officials traveled to Washington in late February and early March for a 3-day round of visits with senators, congressmen and their staff members. Haynie and Harrison also visited the FCC, where they spoke with Peter Tenhula, Chief of Staff to FCC Chair Michael Powell. Haynie was upbeat about the impact of the visits. "Once again we had an opportunity to tell our story about Amateur Radio and the important function it serves, especially in public service and education," he said. ==>AO-40 team reports success in slowing satellite's spin rate Initial efforts to slow AO-40's spin rate have met with success. Peter Guelzow DB2OS of AMSAT-DL and the AO-40 team says magnetorqueing has been able to decrease AO-40's initial spin rate from 17.59 RPM to 15.9 RPM. "The target is something in the area of 5 RPM," Guelzow said this week. The onboard magnetorqueing system -- which consists of solenoid coils - makes use of Earth's magnetic field to control the spacecraft's spin and orientation. Magnetorqueing is most effective when Earth's magnetic field is strongest, so it typically only takes place at perigee -- when the satellite is closest to Earth. Ground controllers have been making incremental adjustments during each perigee. Guelzow said that as soon as the spin is favorable, AO-40's attitude will be adjusted to improve communication with Earth. De-spinning the spacecraft is a necessary first step to making any attitude adjustments, however. What's coming in Oh-Ky-In in April 2001 Thu Mar 29 7 PM Code & theory classes at Salem Presbyterian Church, Mozart & Higbee in Westwood-Cheviot Tue Apr 3 7:30 PM Club Meeting at W HILLS CHURCH OF CHRIST, 5064 Sidney Rd Program: Come see what! Wed Apr 4 7:30 PM Slow-Scan ATV Net, 146.67 9 PM Tech Talk, NCS Carol WA8YL Thu Apr 5 7 PM Code & theory classes at Salem Presbyterian Church, Mozart & Higbee in Westwood-Cheviot Tue Apr 10 7:30 PM Technical Committee meeting,location TBA Wed Apr 11 7:30 PM Slow-Scan ATV Net, 146.67 9 PM Tech Talk, NCS Dale KC8HQS Thu Apr 12 Maundy Thursday, no class Sat Apr 14 10 AM Monthly fox hunt, hounds start from Mt Storm Park; talk-in to start 146.67 Tue Apr 17 7:30 PM DXers at Bob WA6EZV's or Lynn WD8JAW's Wed Apr 18 7:30 PM Slow-Scan ATV Net, 146.67 9 PM Tech Talk, NCS Dennis KB8ROA Thu Apr 19 7 PM Code & theory classes at Salem Presbyterian Church, Mozart & Higbee in Westwood-Cheviot Sat Apr 21 6 PM Awards Dinner at Raffel's, 10160 Reading Road Tue Apr 24 7:30 PM Board of Directors' Meeting at Carol WA8YL's Wed Apr 25 7:30 PM Slow-Scan ATV Net, 146.67 9 PM Tech Talk, NCS Rick KD4PYR Thu Apr 26 7 PM Code & theory classes at Salem Presbyterian Church, Mozart & Higbee in Westwood-Cheviot Tue May 1 7:30 PM Club Meeting at W HILLS CHURCH OF CHRIST, 5064 Sidney Rd Program: To be determined Your mailing label decoded (irrelevant for e-mail copies) It's come to Ye Ed's attention that some of the codes, ciphers and numbers in the first line of some members' mailing labels create confusion. First item in first line is your call, if you have one. Only a few addressees on the mailing list do not. Second item is "dues number", your sequential number in the relevant year's list of members. As an example, Henry N8GBE's dues number is 142.01. This indicates that he was the 142d individual to be entered into the mailing database for 2001. Anybody whose dues number ends in .00 will almost certainly have a _red_ "LAST Q-FIVER" stamp on or next to their mailing label! That means dues are absolutely due, and action needs to be taken. Only Oh-Ky-In members will have a dues number. New members, renewals, students etc are ciphered by the punctuation in the dues number. A period indicates a renewal, a ^ a new member, a # a student. ^# would be a new member who's a student. Those with ".+01" in their dues number are paid beyond the current year. EC means Exchange Copy; Ye Ed receives their newsletter. Final item on the first line is "dues date", or when dues were last paid. 2 letters for the month, 2 letters for the year - for those who've just paid their dues the cipher is "mr01" for March 2001. Any other queries, feel free to ask Ye Ed by any of the means at the foot of the mast page. News of members and students in recent classes Our sincere condolences to K8MQF Irvin Dick's family and friends. Irv became SK March 3; wife Geraldine K8MRZ died in 1992. Both were early members of Oh-Ky-In. W8DJY Mike Brown's family and friends. Mike, OH Section Techn Coord and professor of physics at Miami University (Ohio), became SK March 21. Welcome to new and returning members Greg Elsbernd KI8JC Jeffery R. Lehman KC8QCH Michael J. Wigle KC8PXC First grand-harmonic for JN3QUC and Karen (Who? What? Eh??) JN3QUC, better known to Oh-Ky-Ins as Dana Laurie WA8M, is with P&G in Kobe, Japan. Baby Justin Joseph Laurie arrived just seconds shy of St Patrick's Day. Wee lad, parents and grandparents are all doing well. Dana's been on the air a little but not very much due to his work schedule. Oh-Ky-Ins past and present in KY Section, NKARC leadership roles Former Oh-Ky-In member John Meyers N4GNL was elected KY Section Manager in a close 3-way race. Ballots were counted in Newington Feb. 20. Lynn Ernst WD8JAW may already be NKARC's new Net Manager, succeeding Jake McHendrix WD4PBF who'd served in that capacity for at least as long as Carol Hugentober WA8YL was Oh-Ky-In's Education Committee chair. Brian DeYoung KE4HOR has moved from the NKARC presidency to posts as parliamentarian and communications manager. Congratulations all round! --tnx ARRL, NKARC Feedline, Feb 2001 Copy deadline for May issue is Friday, April 13 (yikes!) WA8M/JN3QUC, you only get one more. Conga-rats on your new gradnson BTW!