The LARG Radio News

The Loudoun Amateur Radio Group, P.O. Box 1004, Purcellville, VA 20134

	President	Norm Styer - AI2C	(540)338-2584
	Vice-President	Ray Houff - K4AJA	(540)338-7297
	Secretary	Nancy Dluehosh KE4RTP	(703)771-9284
	Treasurer	Dale Cabaniss -KD4LSL	(540)338-3521
	Editor	John Unger -W4AU	(540)338-4620
	Training	Paul Dluehosh -N4PD	(703)771-9284

NOTE: August Meeting Place

The LARG will meet in the Conference-Training Room at the Leesburg Police Station on Plaza Street at 8:30a.m., Saturday, August 21, 1999. The facility is located on Plaza Street between East Market Street and Edwards Ferry Road. Talk-In is on 147.480 MHz. You can join other LARG members for breakfast before the meeting at the Bob Evans Restaurant located Leesburg Corner Shopping Center (new Outlet Mall).

More August Meeting News

Everyone is invited to bring in their favorite CW key, bug, or paddle and to give a short talk about how they got started with CW and how they overcame some of the hurdles about learning this new "language". We will also discuss and vote on some important items such as the proposed amendments to the By-Laws of the LARG Constitution and the Balloon Committee budget, both of which are outlined below in this Newsletter.

July LARG Meeting News

As advertised, John, W4AU, stood in for the absent 1999 Field Day Coordinator, Gary, NC4S, and gave the club membership a rundown on the results of LARG's participation in the Field Day this year. His presentation was aided by some fine color charts prepared by Norm, AI2C. The club also discussed its Constitution and proposed to make the following changes to the By-Laws:

3. Meetings. Regular meetings shall be held each month unless changed by the general membership. Special meetings may be called by the President upon the written request of any five club members. Notices shall be sent to members concerning special meetings and the business to be transacted. Only such business as designated shall be transacted. Such notices shall be sent so that they arrive not less than 24 hours before the meeting.

4. Dues. A regular monthly assessment of $1 per member ($12 per year) and $1 per year for all additional club members from the same immediate family, is hereby assessed in accordance with the provisions of Article V of the Constitution for the purpose of providing funds for expenses.

A copy of the original Constitution was mailed to all members with the Newsletter a couple of months ago; it can also be found on the LARG www page. Because our By-Laws also specify that any changes to the Constitution have to be approved by a quorum of the paid membership, they will be voted on at the August LARG meeting. If you cannot make the August meeting and would like your vote counted either for against the proposed changes, you can send a proxy vote to the LARG mailing address above or email a proxy to the club President, Norm, AI2C, at [email protected].

Club News

GENERAL CLASS AMATEUR RADIO COURSE: Our Education Committee, chaired by Paul, N4PD, who will conduct a six-session General Class Amateur Radio Course starting on Thursday, September 23, 1999. These classes will be held in the Leesburg Police - Safety Center Conference Room on Plaza Street starting at 7:00 PM. The other five sessions are: Sep 30, Oct 14, Oct 21, Oct 28, and Nov 11. Our instructors are Paul, N4PD; Dennis, KF4TJI; Bill, K8SYH; Jim, WoMAZ; and Norm, AI2C. We could use a few more instructors.

To date, four students have signed up for the course: Mark, N3GMW; Larry, KG4CGR; Nancy, KF4RTP; and Dennis, KF4TJI. We are hoping others will join !!!

The course will include technical/theory, rules/regulations and Morse Code practice in accordance the ARRL General Class Instructor Guide. Students should purchase the following material from the clubs ARRL Registered Instructors (N4PD and AI2C) at a discount 1) ARRL General Class License Manual for $10.50 and 2) the FCC Rule Book, 10th Edition, 1995 for $9.00.  There are also Morse Code training material available at discount rates: "Your Introduction To Morse Code" on cassette tapes at $9.00 and on audio CD at $9.00. Instructors are encouraged to obtain the General Class License Manual, the FCC Rule Book, both listed above, plus, the General Class Instructor Guide, 4th Edition, for $7.50. There will be no other charges for attending this course. For additional information contact: Paul, N4PD, at 777-6949 or at [email protected] or Norm, AI2C at 338-2584 or at [email protected]. More information will be posted to our L_A_R_G Reflector.  The Education Committee will meet again on Monday, August 30th at N4PD - Paul's QTH.

BALLOON COMMITTEE REPORT: The Balloon committee met on 4 Aug at the Robey Room of the Purcellville library and discussed current status, the future of the program. The next meeting will be at 6:00p.m. on 25 Aug in the Robey Room.

Current Status:

Crystals were on order for the next transmitter (they since arrived). Paulson concluded that the Basic Stamp had sufficient memory for id'ing and sending pressure reading down in Morse Code. Gary ,NC4S, and Charlie, K4LJH will pick up the transmitter construction.

Future of the Balloon Program:

Next Launch (Mission 99-2) was set for Saturday 2 October.  Launch site will be determined by prevailing winds. The committee plans two launches in 2000.  We expect the first, 2000-1 to launch in late April, and the second, 2000-2 in July to take advantage of lower wind speeds at altitude.    The 2000-1 payload will carry an experiment designed to collect and store particulate from the atmosphere at various altitudes.  Gary, NC4S, is the "principal investigator" for the particulate experiment.  The 2000-2 experiment has not yet been determined.

Budget:

Cost of first launch was about $120.00.  Some estimates of launch and payload costs suggest that typical low-tech launch should average about $150.00 depending on the success of recovery and how the payload fares on the flight.  The committee decided to request financial support from the club as a whole as follows:

$150.00 for the next launch (99-2).

$300.00  for two launches in 2000.

Discussion of other funding vehicles was discussed but all were tabled in favor of this approach. This request will be submitted to the club at the August meeting.

For Sale

HTX-100 10 meter transceiver, 25 watts output cw and 25 watts PEP SSB. Includes mic, manual, and original box. Asking $100. Contact Gary (NC4S) 540-882-3017.

Yaesu 50RD dual band HT with charger and case; asking $325. Contact Gary (KD4SRX) at 703-430-2985.

Calendar of Events:
Every Sunday 8:00PM	Club Radio Net, 147.480 MHz simplex
Every Third Saturday 8:30AM	Club Meeting, 8/21//99 - Leesburg Police Station
Weekday Mornings and Evenings	Commuter Net, 147.480 MHz Simplex