F  E  E  D  -  P  O  I  N  T

The Official Newsletter of the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association

JanuaryVol. 16 No.1
Letter From Our President

What a strange winter we are having! Snow, sleet, snow, sleet, snow. We now have three ice layers in the snow. Fortunately, after nearly a month, the ice is off the trees. Down town Fort Kent looked like March on Jan. 20th with slushy brown snow on the streets and in parking lots. The St. John River was running free at Fort Kent, nearly all the way across. Even our little brook has open water in places. Most unusual for late January.

With all the ice and the strong winds, I wonder how everyone's antennas have made out. The tower for 146.640 looks good. The batteries of both repeaters are reporting voltages of 13.43 and 13.71 (Rocky Mt). We heard that one wireless tower was bent by the wind on Jan. 18th and had to be replaced. Guess it wasn't as well guyed as our tower!

Echolink contacts in Bury and Devon in the U.K. tell me of white snowdrops and wild daffodils in flower."Earlier than usual" they say. My New Zealand contacts send me digital photos of gardens in full flower. I appreciate their sharing these things with me, especially when it is snowing heavily here.



Joel Harrison, W5ZN, To Be ARRL'S 14th President

ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, of Judsonia, Arkansas, will be the League's president for the next two years. Harrison, 47, said he believes Amateur Radio is looking at a different society--and pool of potential licensees--in the 21st century than in the past. "It is imperative for the Amateur Radio Service that we have an entry-level license that provides a wide variety of privileges for an individual to get into radio and learn a little bit about all of it," Harrison said, adding that the League believes this approach will keep new licensees interested in ham radio. Saying that the Technician ticket "is not attracting or keeping newcomers in its present configuration", the ARRL has asked the FCC to consider modifying the Technician license to provide limited HF phone, data and CW privileges.


Gale Flagg
108 Franklin School Rd
Fort Kent, Maine 04743
Phone: 207-834-6670
E-mail: galeflagg@sjv.net

Next Meeting:
Tuesday, February 14th, 6:00 PM
Nadeau Hall, Alumni Conference Room, UMFK
Schedule of Coming Events
DateEventPlaceContactSponsorTimeFreq
SUNNetNBVE1PINIRG2000145.130
MONNetFort KentN1FGSJVARA1900146.64
MONNetPresque IsleWA1YNZAARA2000146.73
Page 2Feed-Point, January, 2006
Minutes of January 10, Meeting

Start Time: 18:15
Members and guests in attendance:N1FG, WB1FTK, KA1SJV, N1PMS, N1EVO
Secretary's Minutes: N1PMS moved to accept minutes as posted. Seconded by WB1FTK. Passed
Treasurer's Report: N1FRX Report: $1,642.67 = Old Balance + interest $2.04, + Prorated Dues $3.00 - Website Payment $40.00 = $1607.71 New Balance

Old Business:
1. Rocky Mt.: 13.99 volts at 14:29 Hrs January 10th. Both repeaters used by N1?? Cliff, who was sight seeing in Allagash. Both worked well, though this one produced some static after two or three transmissions.
2. 146.64 Report: 13.92 volts at 14:29 Hrs January 10th.
3. Check was sent for website Apparently the check was misplaced after receipt. Website turned off for a few days.

New Business:
1. Special Test Session Luke Dyer is ready for testing. N1EVO hopes to be ready by mid-February. Luke(formerly KA1SOT) has an expired license and he wants to get back in the hobby.
2. Can-Am Sled Dog Races The races will start March 4, 2006. N1PMS will do the 30 mile checkpoint again. N1EVO will let us know if his work schedule will allow him to help. (Daigles are planning to do Allagash Check Point; KB1EBE, 60 mile checkpoint and net control.)
3. Other: (A)Googleearth.com was suggested as a good site to view just about any location in detail. Photos from satellites available. (B) WB1FTK has listed the SJVARA on QRZ. THanks, Don. (C) WB1FTK says he has not made too many satellite contacts because of ice on the antennas and snow removal. There was a discussion of satellite operation. N1FG has the ARRL's Satellite Handbook, if any one would like to borrow it, just ask.
Program: Short video on Costa Rica. We saw the cloud forsts from suspended bridges and ladders swaying in the air. Bungee jumping, scary looking, from a high bridge over a deep chasm in the forest. A horse back trip into the hills gave closeups of tree ferns. Rafting through world class rapids on the wild rivers was exciting. Olympians from all over the world were training for kayak competition. Accomodations were in huts in the mountains with native people and native food, and in one luxurious resort.

Some items were on hand for the taking.

Adjourned: 19:07

Submitted by N1FG.
Beware E-Mail Scam
February Meeting
An e-mail from a Dr. asking for money for the the medical treatments of McCloy(KC8VKZ) is a scam. Randall McCloy, Jr. is the surviving miner from the Sago Mine. His wife is grateful for the cards from the ham community. Randall is showing some improvement.
Tuesday February 14th 6:00 PM
Nadeau Hall, Alumni Conf. Rm, UMFK
Page 3Feed-Point, January, 2006
From the overcrowded shack of N1EVO
For Sale

2 Meters
  • Yaesu Ft-5100 2 meters and 440, never been mobile
  • Radio Shack HTX202 handie talkie
  • Yaesu VX1R shirt pocket 2 meter with wide coverage rcv.
Transceivers
  • Ten Tec Argonaut 509 2 watt qrp ssb and cw no WARC bands
  • MFJ9020 5 watt QRP 20 meter superhet xcvr QSK
  • SGC2020 w/ADSP2 20 watt all band HF radio, keyer, memories

Antenna Items
  • SGC230 antenna tuner…top of the line auto tuner
  • MFJ949C antenna tuner cross needles, dummy load, 2 antenna inputs
  • MFJ204B antenna bridge
  • MFJ259 SWR analyzer, frequency counter and grid dip meter

Station Accessories
  • MFJ1275 sound card interface
  • MFJ493 super memory keyer 20 functions, 8 memories
  • MFJ784B DSP filter
  • MFJ1278B multi mode controller
  • MFJ1272B mic / tnc switch

All items priced at 50% to 60% of replacement value. Discontinued items are priced at the average price they have been fetching on E-Bay.

May consider trading for what have you.

For more info or to horse trade call Carl at 207-316-5985


For Sale

Heavy duty 40' galvanized steel tower, 16" X 16". Includes mounting hardware. Best Offer. N1FRX.
Yaesu VX-5R Excellent condition. Mic, charger, two batteries, DC cord, charger, manual. N1FG
A Bit of Humor
Church Bulletin Bloopers
*"Don't let worry kill you off--let the Church help." *"For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs." *"The Rector will preach his farewell sermon after which the choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy'."

F E E D - P O I N T            January, 2006

Published by the St. John Valley Amateur Radio Association
and distributed free to members and friends of Amateur Radio.
President: Gale Flagg N1FG
Vice President: Sandra Daigle, N1QMC
Secretary: Sandra Daigle, N1QMC
Treasurer: Charles Zafonte, N1FRX
Public Information: Charles Ames, N7GLR
Technical Advisor: Marty Bernstein, KW1C
Editor/Publisher/Printer
Gale Flagg - N1FG / Stan Flagg 834-6670
Associate Editor/Web Edition
Charles Ames N7GLR
Membership Information (Annual Dues):
Regular Membership $ 12
Associate Membership $ 6
Articles may be submitted by anyone with a good idea, and may be re-printed
only in their entirety and with credit going to this newsletter.




FEED-POINT
108 FRANKLIN SCHOOL RD
FORT KENT ME 04743