THE FIRST CLASS CW OPERATORS CLUB

NEWS SHEET 646

(http://www.firstclasscw.org.uk)

Editor: G4BUE

(g4bue@adur-press.co.uk)

August 2003

A man should keep his friendship in constant repair - Samuel Johnson (1755)
(3525, 7025, 10120-10125, 14025, 18080-18085, 21025, 24905-24910 and 28025kHz)

ACTIVITY DAYS FOR AUGUST: 4th (Mon), 17th (Sun), 28th (Thur)

THE 2003 LONDON FOC DINNER

Saturday 4 October 2003 See April News Sheet and page 2 of FOCUS 50
Tickets 29.50 each from Maud Slater, Wychwood, Park Lane, Maplehurst, West Sussex. Telephone 01403 891342.
Time is slowly running out if you are considering coming to the London Dinner on 4 October at the Trafalgar Tavern. By the time you read this there will be only nine weeks until the event! The ticket sales are now starting to pick up and Maud informs me that Baldur, DJ6SI; Al, W1FJ, and Bill, K4LTA, (with a bevy of ladies!) are coming. I also understand that Jean, EI5IY/2 and her sister are hoping to attend along with Colum, EI3CP . If you wish to book your place and meal at the Dinner, then please contact Maud (her address is on the last page of the FOC Call Book. Maud also tells me that she intends to be in fine form this year and will be staying for the whole event! Our thanks to you Maud for your support and for co-ordinating the ticket sales. Accommodation details were given in the July News Sheet, but also look on the Internet at <HO975@accordhotels.com> or contact 0044 (0) 208 305 1177 for the Ibis hotel. Im still looking for raffle gifts and hope to be supported by Waters & Stanton, Icom and the RSGB again. If you could bring a small gift from your locality, this would be most appreciated. Looking at the expected ship movements into London over the period, I see there will be plenty to observe from the dining room windows again this year. (I must get my Zeiss 8x40s cleaned and Hilarys telescope polished!). Good old Greenwich, always plenty to see and do on the nautical front! G3LIK asks that members travelling from London for the Open House on Sunday 5 October are asked to catch the 10.15am train from Waterloo which arrives at Havant at 11.30am where transport will be waiting to drive them the short distance to Allison and Micks home in Cowplain. Fast trains go back to London at 37 minutes past the hour from Havant. Members should ask for a cheap day return ticket to Havant at Waterloo. 73 de Colin, G3VTT. was 55, which included Wesley and Bruce, N6NT, and everyone agreed it was the best one yet. Next Monday we have Julie, Kevin, VK6LW, and their family, together with Maud where they are staying, visiting us and then we look forward to the South and West Dinner at Cirencester. A few days after that on 21 August, June has to go into hospital for a couple of days for an operation on her shoulder. She has been in a lot of pain for the last few months while waiting for the operation and we are now hoping there is not a last minute cancellation, as sometimes happens. June and I hope your summer is going fine.

It is hard to believe that we have been back in the UK for ten weeks now and are still less than half way through our summer decorating project (lounge, hallway and two guest bedrooms). Where does the time go? I have not been so active because of the decorating, but apart from the odd day, I dont appear to be missing much as the usual summer conditions on the HF bands seem much worse this year! We took a week off in July to spend some time with Diane and Pete, G3PDL, at their lovely new QTH and enjoyed meeting many of the gang at the Harrogate Get-together. The attendance

EDITORIAL by G4BUE

More than ever, now the licensing requirement for Morse has been formally removed, it is up to CW clubs like FOC to help ensure that Morse continues to flourish. FOC has been working with the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) for some time to work out how we can work together on this. With the demise of the Morse requirement, the formal Morse Testing Service (MTS), which has run successfully for many years under the RSGB will soon be disbanded. Many FOC members have done some great work in the MTS. In addition, the hugely successful Morse Camps were underpinned by considerable FOC involvement. The plan is to draw all these threads together in the form of a Morse Proficiency Programme (MPP), which FOC has been asked to co-ordinate. There are three aspects to this programme: 1. Testing for people who need a Morse certificate in order to apply for a licence elsewhere. It is envisaged that some nations will retain the requirement, since this is permitted in the WRC resolution. 2. Morse speed certification. This is for people who want to demonstrate that they have achieved a higher level in Morse proficiency. 3. Morse operating techniques proficiency certification. This might include, for example CW pile up operation or contest operation as skills based certificates. It is hoped that FOC will draw together all aspects of Morse competence under the umbrella of a more general Amateur Radio proficiency programme that the RSGB is pioneering. The MPP will naturally draw upon FOC , members skills and resources but it is important that we also engage with and make use of appropriately skilled people outside the club. The opportunity is for FOC to become the focal point for Morse excellence in the UK. Maybe the idea could be taken up by other nations as well, eg in the USA, with the ARRL? At this stage, we are seeking members views on this proposal and, especially, offers to become involved. Please contact me directly, by e-mail if possible, to john@g3wgv.com. If FOC doesnt take this initiative, then who will? Red, K5ALU, was QRV /M from Oklahoma on 4 July and Ink, N4OO, from Wisconsin at the beginning of July. Thanks to Tom, K3TW, for his trip to Delaware 19/20 July when he was QRV as WG4FOC/ 3. Delaware was a very rare FOC state - no one had credit for the new FOC WAS Award until Toms trip and now about 25 members who worked him have credit for it. Tom was QRV from Killens Pond State Park, near Felton. The

MORSE PROFICIENCY PROGRAMME by G3WGV

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION by G3NOH

Starred List
3. W1JR (Joe): W2MUM, N6RA, W9KNI, K2VUI, 5B4AGC, G3SWH, G4YNU. 2. K2UR (George): K5NA, G3LCS, N3BB, F2MA, K4LTA, YV1NX, GW3HCL. 1. DK1WU (Hans): DL7AKC, DL8LBK, SV1AOW, DF5JT, DL4CF, VE1BN, GW3KGV, G4XRV, 4Z4KX. 1. N3AM (John): F5NZY, K4LTA, VE1BN, K4AO, W9GW, N3JT, KZ5D, G3LIK, PAVDV, N3BB, G3JVC, W6TZD. 1. YO3FLR (Cristi): G4HZV, LY2PX, ON4RU, SV1AOW, K4LTA, K4AO.

An invitation extended to KL7J was declined.

Additional Nominations.

6. WA7SPY (Glenn): W6CYX. 6. KCDJ (Bill): W1OT, W8LX, W6OV. 6. MUFAL (Colin): N4AF, G4UZN. 5. OK1TN (Slav): OK1KT, N6NT, N4XP OK1GT, OK1CF, N3JT. , 5. WJLC (John): ZS6QU, ZS1EL. 4. W3AWU (Al): G3XNG. 3. MTIX (Bob): G3LCS, F5VEX, W8PBO, K4LTA. 2. SP3CW (Art): F5VEX, G3RXP LZ1AF. , 2. W5JAW (Jim): K4AO, W5ZR, OK1CF, W1PM. 1. UA9BA (Willy): N2AA. 1. MAGA (Kevin): GJWB. 1. VK3IM (Tim): OK1CF.

Amendments.

G4PKD (1658): resigned. J3/G4BKI (1578): new address - PO Box 1702, Grand Anse, St Georges, Grenada, West Indies. W5GEL (483): Silent Key. camp is open all year and he hopes to make another trip there in the autumn. He used his trusty IC-751A (from 5H3TW, circa 1988-90) and a 40 metre dipole fed with 450 ohm line through a small MFJ-901B tuner up only 20 feet in a heavy wooded area. I have to report a correction to the results of the Marathon published on pages 4 and 7 of FOCUS 55. European Open Section - delete CT3AS in position 42 and move all higher places up one. Africa Open Section - insert CT3AS in first position with 1144 points and move other places down one. This was my mistake for putting CT3 in Europe instead of Africa. My apologies to Ben, DJ8FW, (CT3AS) and Vidi, ZS1EL, for the mistake. A new plaque will be sent to Ben for winning Africa and Vidi can keep the one I have already sent him for second place. The committee meeting was held on 13 July at G3RXPs QTH. G3LIK, Chairman, G3WGV , G3NOH and G3RXP attended with apologies from G3MXJ, G3RVM, G4VXE and G3SWH, President. A letter from G4VXE with regard to the Morse proficiency programme was discussed, a coordinator needs to be appointed. G3WGV will

THE 2003 MARATHON by G3LIK

THE FOC WAS AWARD by W4CK

COMMITTEE REPORT by G3RXP

follow through the feasibility/review Phase for the present. G3NOH reports that the option of receiving the News sheet by e-mail only, is included in the final letter to new nominees. It may be included in future News Sheets. The date and venue for the Cirencester 2004 Dinner has been booked, and G3WGV will continue to liaise with G8VG for this event. With regard to the Mechanical Key Event, G3WGV suggests the date needs to be checked against other events in the calendar. G3RXP suggested the event be combined with an activity day and a date in early 2004 will be arranged. The 2003 Greenwich Dinner tickets have been printed and sales have now started. Sponsors for raffle prizes are being contacted, and if any member would like to contribute, please contact G3VTT or a Committee member. On the Sunday G3LIK will be holding an Open House for those wishing to make the journey. It was agreed at an earlier meeting that the rules for the Marathon would not change for 2004. However, it was noted that there had recently been some good discussion about the Marathon on the FOC Reflector. Given that the Reflector represents a third of the members, it was agreed that the debate was a useful one and that any consensus that emerged would be properly considered at subsequent Committee meetings. It was agreed that any proposed changes would be discussed in the News Sheet for the whole membership to consider. G3NOH reported there were 496 current members, seven Associate and two Temporary Associate members. G3RXP reported there was a disappointing response to a request for nominations for Committee in the May News Sheet. It was agreed to keep the subscription rate for 2004 at the same rate as 2003, and a full review will be taken in 2004. At the July committee meeting, Dave, G4BUO, (1486), was nominated as President for 2004. Dave has been a member of FOC since October 1985 and will be installed at the Annual Dinner at Greenwich in October. 5B4AGC: Lucky George! He won the door prize at Dayton this year, M2s latest antenna, the KT36XA, complete with shipping to Cyprus. George is looking forward to comparing it with his Hygain TH11DX. 9H1EL: The 425 DX News reports Jeff (who recently resigned from FOC) will leave Malta for good on 21 July. All antennas and towers have been dismantled and donated to local amateurs. If and when he becomes licensed in the Philippines, it will probably be with a temporary callsign (DU3/G3YDR) - thanks G3LIK. AA5DX: Ron expects to be QRV as AA5DX/MM while aboard USNS Bob Hope sailing between Kuwait and the USA until mid-October.

2004 PRESIDENT by G3RXP

MEMBERS NEWS by G4BUE

DF5JT: Peter was QRV from A61AF in June and not from A61AJ as I wrongly reported in the July News Sheet. DL6TQ: Our good wishes go to Dorothea for a quick recovery from a broken hip after she fell just before the Con-Din - thanks G3LIK. EA8CN: Our sympathies to Andy on the loss of his father just after he returned to Sweden for the summer. He has been QRT while looking after his mother - thanks G3LIK. GBQV: Mary recently returned from a short trip to Prague with an old school friend, and through e-mail, arranged to meet up with Martin, OK1RR, at their hotel. She says, It was good to see him and we enjoyed a pleasant chat. G3AB: Andy will be QRV 6/30 August from Christmas Island (VK9X) with 100 watts and wire antennas. He has asked for VK9XAB. G3SWH: Phil made about 1250 QSOs from Tubuai, OC-152 and 3200 from Mangareva, OC063 during his July DXpedition as FO/G35WH (yes, FO/G three five WH)! He says, It was not until I actually collected the licence from the PTT office that I was aware of the very obvious typographical error on the documents. Instead of FO/G3SWH, I was issued with FO/ G35WH. This error was apparently irreversible, so I decided to use what the paperwork said rather than risk the operation being disallowed due to the wrong callsign being used on the air. It certainly caused some confusion and I was rather dismayed to be accused by several operators, who should have known better, that I was consistently sending a 5 for an S!. G3XTT: Don writes, As a newbie, what has been most encouraging is the number of members I have already run across on the air. Indeed, it feels like D68C all over again, when I go on 14025kHz and find myself at the sharp end of a pile-up! I cannot think of any other amateur radio club or body I have belonged to where I have actually worked such a high proportion of the members in such a short time! Now I look forward to opportunities to put names to the faces at some of the social events (though many members are old friends in any case, and I have been a guest at Lords, Washington and the Dayton breakfast). G3YXX: Congratulations to David on his marriage on 19 July. G4PKD: Jack has resigned and writes, After eight years of FOC, I feel I must resign due to lack of activity due to constant hospital treatment for ill heath and family commitments.. This is not beneficial to the Club and all it stands for. Lorraine and I send 73s to all. I3BLF: Jack has been QRV on 6m since the end of 2002 and recently worked G4UPS and EA6BF. He only QSLs direct as he is not now a member of ARI - thanks G3LIK. J3/G4BKI: Paul will be QRT for a few days from 1 August while he and Ann move QTH. K1JD: John will be QRV 16/18 August as K1T from Prudence Island, Narragansett Bay, RI

with K3IU and W1CG as part of the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. K2ZR: Congratulations to Lynda and Dick on the birth of their first grandson on 27 June. K4FU: Zim has been inactive for some time due to health problems, but has recently moved to a very nice assisted-living facility, and is doing well and on the mend. N4TY and family paid a visit recently, and found him in good spirits, but with no radio but his Omni 6 might yet ply the airwaves again. Zims mail is being forwarded to from his Call Book address - thanks N4TY. KF7E: HF conditions were so bad at the beginning of July that Jim tried 6m. In addition to finding a rare opening to the East Coast, K3ZO made his day when Fred answered his CQ. N4OO: During a two week trip to Wisconsin, Ink contacted 61 members from his mobile setup, including LY, PA and G. A highlight was working K3TW on 6m following a tip from W6TZD that the band was open and a short skip 20m QSO on 16 July with K4EFZ/M and W8KJP/ M in Orlando over a distance of about 200 miles with S8-9 signals. Finally, congratulations to Shirley and Ink on their 50th wedding anniversary on 17 July. N4TY: Tyler has just finished his web site at <http://homepage. mac.com/n4ty/> and has a recent picture of K4FU and the storm damage that has put him off the air this year. He hopes to be QRV again by the end of August. N9SW: Gene writes, January saw major surgery in W6 land for Phyllis and then the shack was disconnected for several weeks of house refurbishing. I put up a Hex beam and a StepIR 40-10m vertical, but unfortunately, a 60 foot hickory tree fell on our house in mid-May, causing nearly $30k in damage, and taking down the beam. The home is finally repaired, antenna replaced, and the station is getting back in order with a new Ten-Tec Orion. Despite some startup bugs, easily resolved with downloadable software, the Orion is a superb performer.

August (G3WGV) 2/16 G3KKQ/MM (645) 4 FOC Activity Day 6/30 VK9XAB by G3AB (646) 16 South and West Dinner (638) 16/18 K1T by K1JD (646) 17 FOC Activity Day 24 Deadline for FOCUS 56 28 FOC Activity Day 29 Deadline for September News Sheet OH2EA: Congratulations to Hans on being one of only two Europeans who have confirmed every entity on CW on the DXCC Honor Roll for 2003. The other European is ex-FOC member OH2BN who did it all with wire antennas and a vertical. OK1RP: Petr found a burned out trap in his TA33 and thinks this might be part of the cause of his recent TVI problems. In the meantime he is QRV on activity days from his fathers (OK1SP) QTH and daily from his car travelling to and from work. W1DV: Dave returns to their home in Maryland in August until at least until December While our mission tries to figure out where to send us next! The possibilities include Kenya, Uganda, Chad, and Cambodia. W1PL: Laci has had rig problems and expects to be QRT until the end of August. W4LZ: Our good wishes to Mike for a quick recovery from surgery. He writes, Due to upcoming hip replacement surgery, I will not be able to climb stairs for about 8-10 weeks and therefore will be off the air for that period of time, as my rig is in the basement - thanks G3FBN. W5GEL: Sadly I have to report that Bob became a Silent Key in July. He joined FOC in February 1965 (483). W8KJP: Del was QRV as HL9CW 28/30 July.

(callsign in brackets indicate G4FOC operator)

FOC CALENDAR

Scores to G3RVM only. An asterisk against the call indicates the score has been updated this month. The two scores are the total points and the total number of different members worked.
K4LTA* 1034/382 W5ZR* 618/311 LZ1AF* 616/307 PAVDV* 597/294 W6CYX 527/290 G3KTZ* 520/287 LY2PX 493/244 W6TZD* 431 G3LIK 426/260 KZ5D* 423/234 W8FJ* 412/246 G4BUE* 389/250 W4QM 388/252 K4AO* 371/218 W3NZ* 370/226 W1HMD 328/204 DJ5ZN* 306/198 F5VEX 297/214 N3BB* 288/197 K1JD* 268/185 OZ1HET G4HZV* W3MC* G2JL* N4OO* YV1NX N3JT* DJ1YFK* PABW K4WJ G5LP* G4BJM* W8LX* DK7VW* K2VCO* G3PDH G4BWP GW3HCL VE1BN LY3BA 266/198 262/192 261/159 260/202 260/178 252 250/179 244/170 233/163 231/154 223/175 219/168 204/137 198/130 197/161 196/127 195/181 193/131 192/150 190/148 4Z4KX W9GW W1HT* EA6BF WCGR* SM5COP* W4PM* G3ZGC WCGR ZS1EL* W4LZ DU3NXE* G3RVM* W1RM* K5ALU GORH K5RC* G3HZL G4XRV ZP6CW* 185/122 184/143 180/136 179/145 179/135 178/132 168/126 166 166/127 166/117 163/122 162/128 161/132 159/129 156/125 154 152/117 150/111 149/123 148/114 W4ZYT* G3PJT KC7V* G3LHJ* G3NOH* DL8LBK J3/G4BKI* G3IY* W2UE* DK4LX* K4EF G3XTT* ZL1AH* ZL2TX PALOU DL1BUG G8VG W4CK* G3MCK 146/118 141/114 139/111 138/123 137/105 132/102 132/120 131 125/114 123/95 122/94 121/92 121/105 120/87 119/97 118/87 113/90 110 108 N1DG W1DV* G2FFO N6NT K6TS G3ZRJ G3KKQ W4YE VE3AR G3LCS LA3FL W2DX W6IJ OZ4FF GW3SB N4JT WK2G G2HKU F3AT 105/88 105/81 104/86 101 99/78 98/70 96/91 87 85/73 81 80 79 77 76 74/68 74/62 73/68 69 67 G3IZD G3VTT LA5HE K5ZR* W1FJ K4LQ G3MBN AA5DX OH2KI VA3LK VE3BHZ* KY7M W9VNE K9QVB W6ZH K2ZR OH2EA* VE3HX K6WG 67 67 65 57/47 57/54 55/51 52/44 51 51 46/36 45/42 43/40 43 42 36 31 22 21 11

THE 2003 BILL WINDLE AWARD