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From: gws@cbnap.UUCP (Gary W. Sanders (N8EMR))
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: (LONG) fun-n-games (LONG)
Message-ID: <45@cbnap.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 12:29:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbnap.45
Posted: Thu Aug 22 12:29:37 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 17:20:31 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs Columbus,Ohio
Lines: 136


6/84
GEARVAKf News (Where the "f" is silent)

In this issue--

        SCIENTISTS SAY 2 METER BAND MAY BLOW UP

        RICHARD NIXON SEEKS WHITE HOUSE POST

        ADDING A "MAGIC EYE" TUNING TUBE TO THE TS-920S

        FCC LAUNCHES CALLSIGN STUDY

        TWO METER BAND EXPLOSION IMMINENT




SCIENTISTS SAY 2 METER BAND MAY BLOW UP

Scientists at the international Academy of Amateur Radio in Blue  Bank,
Sunderland, held a news conference today to reveal  the  results  of  a
study which shows that the amateur  radio  two-meter  band  is  on  the
verge of a violent explosion.  The impending catastrophe was  announced
by Dr. Flaubert L'Spigot, Acad president.  "Eet eez a beeg dangair  zat
zee two meetair band weel blowing up in zee  face  of  zose  who  using
eet," said Dr. L'Spigot. The good  doctor's  remarks  were  interpreted
for the press by the Academy's press secratary, Ms.  Pamela Sue  Teton.
"What Dr. L'Spigot said was that the  two  meter  band  might  blow  up
soon," said Ms. Teton.  When asked  what  Dr.  L'Spigot  meant  by  his
statement, Ms. Teton explained that  she  did  not  have  the  faintest
idea.    At  this  point,  all  reporters  know  is  that  there  is  a
possibility that the two meter band may blow up soon,  but  only  those
who understand some sort of foreign language know when  or  why.    For
more information be sure to stay tuned to this newsletter.


RICHARD NIXON SEEKS WHITE HOUSE POST

At a clandestine hideout meeting last Wednesday, an unnamed sorce  told
GEARVAKf Bulletin reporters that former President Richard M.  Nixon  is
looking for a White House  post  to  make  his  retirement  years  more
meaningful.  The post he would like to have, says  the  unnamed  sorce,
is one of those that holds up the roof on  the  North  Portico  at  the
White  House.    President  Nixon  wants  the  post  to  use  in    the
redecoration of his New York condominium apartment.


CONSTRUCTION ARTICLE
-ADDING A "MAGIC EYE" TUNING TUBE TO THE TS-930

As most owners know,  the  Kenwood  TS-930  is  a  fine  rig  with  the
exception that the built in S-meter is poor in appearance and  awckward
to use.  With little difficulty, however, the S-Meter can  be  replaced
by a sophisticated, green "magic eye" tuning tube  as  used  in  Gonset
Communicators in years past.  The electrical changes are simple.    The
existing S-Meter can be removed with a pry-bar or  wood  chisel.    The
front panel opening is then enlarged with  a  rat-tail  file,  and  the
"magic eye" tube is fixed in place with white "medical" adhesive  tape.
Use tinsnips to cut an empty Sucrets can to form a new  bezel.    Paint
it grey for a professional appearance.  The  filimant  transformer  for
the 6E5 tuning tube can be obtained from any junk TV  set  and  mounted
on the top cover of the transciever, 2 1/4 inches  in  from  the  right
rear corner.

-N4GG-


FCC LAUNCHES CALLSIGN STUDY

Mr. Knurled F. Lywheel, spokesperson for  the  computer  operations  at
the FCC, yesterday announced the start of a three-month study into  new
callsign allocations for the Amateur Radio  Service.    "Following  the
trend of the past  few  years,"  he  said,  "we  will  be  changin?rall
callsigns into a format that makes it easier for the FCC computer."  (A
Univac model 1-A) The study will determine if  binary,  hexadecimal  or
machin? language callsigns will be easiest.  A  typical  Callsign  like
W1ABC will be changed to 1011000010110, 6A33EBO, or !&#??X-@  depending
on the system finally selected.

-N4GG-


TWO METER BAND EXPLOSION IMMINENT

According to observations  made  at  the  GEARVAKf  Scientific  Studies
Committee's Mt. St. Lishnus Observatory  at  Mt.  Idy,  Ohio,  the  two
meter amateur band is in grave danger of  violent  destruction  due  to
radio frequency overpressure.  Said Studies Committee  Charip'son,  Dr.
Arvuell U. Harnishe, Co-disoverer of the  Harnish-Lishnus  Effect,  "It
seems to me that the 2 meter band is on the verge  of  going  ka-boom!"
Dr. Harnishe explained that  the  build-up  of  radio  frequency  over-
pressure has been going on for a  long  time,  particularly  since  the
marketing of supersenitive two  meter  recievers  incorporated  in  the
thousands  of  2  meter  transcievers  sold.    "What  apparently    is
happening," said Dr. Harnishe, "is  that  the  new  recievers  are  not
taking very much RF energy out of the 2 meter band because  they  don't
require much signal to produce good readability at the speaker.   "That
being the case," he went on, "an excess amount of RF has been  building
up on the two meter band for many years due to the new, more  sensitive
recievers.  Although the RF levels have been building up, Dr.  Harnishe
believes that there was plenty of rroom on the band to  accomidate  the
excess RF due to a certain degree of elastmgity in the band. Elso, he
pointed out that there has been a certain  amount  of  leakage   on  the
band which has acted as a saftey valve, until  now.    "What  triggered
the crisis ," Harnishe said, "were two events: first was the launch  of
OSCAR 10, which poured a great deal of downlink energy onto two  meters
for up to six hours per day without let up.  The second was  the  W5LFL
operation from the spacecraft  Columbia.    During  the  Space  shuttle
mission, so much RF was pumped into the two meter band by hams  wanting
to QSO with Owen that the band was stretch beyond it's elastic  limit."
According to Dr.  Harnishe's Scientific Studies Committee  Study  Team,
the two meter band began to show strech  marks  on  the  shuttles  79th
pass.  By the time the mission ended, the danger of expolsion was  only
averted by the cooling effect of  frigid  weather  which  overtook  the
country at the time.  Even though two meter activity  has  returned  to
normal, the danger still exists because the newest  crop  of  recievers
are still more sensitive and require almost no RF in order  to  make  a
signal audible.  That could cause a greater buildup of RF  pressure  on
the band until it expoldes.  Said Dr. Harnishe, "An  explosion  of  the
band will cause widespread damage to all adjacent VHF  frequencies  and
might irreparably damage two meters for all time.  The only remedy  for
this crisis," he said, "is  either  to  short  circuit  two  meters  to
ground-- something we haven't  figured  out  how  to  do,  yet--or  get
everybody  to  o  listen  on  two  meters,  preferably  with  very  old
recievers, and not transmit for at least six months."  Noting  that  in
some areas of the country this practice has  been  given  a  successful
try, Dr. Harnishe  is  advocating  that  repeater  groups  in  all  big
cities, particularly in and around Los Angeles,  give  the  no-transmit
idea a try.

-WB7TGQ-

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