ATV Newsletter Archive

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Introduction

ATV Newsletter Archive from August 2007 until present (with a few gaps). Reproduced with permission from Bryon Foster, N6IFU.

ATV Newsletters

 
434 MHz:
There has been problems with 434 MHz inputs into the repeaters on both Oat Mtn. and Santiago Peak. And it is a good possibility that it is also effecting Mt. Wilson because WB6ATN John was unable to get into the net last Tue..
 
K6RGW Rich has monitored the freq. on his spectrum analyzer for sometime and during the problem he was unable to see any signal strong enough to cause a problem. We were having the same problem while the OC Fair was going on and Gordo WB6NOA was going to check into it but I never heard anymore. Maybe Gordo can give some feed back on what he found.
 
Can anyone else help in finding out what is the source of the problem?
 
Newcomer to ATV:
KI6JL Hank in Canyon Country should be receiving Oat Mtn. very soon and then on the air with 60 watts soon after. Keep an eye out for Hank.
      Dishes for Sale
 
Chuck WA6FGK still has some dishes for sale. There are two 10' grid dishes that break down into two pieces that are available. Price for the 10'ers are $80.00 each.
 
There are 8' and 6' grid dishes and solid dishes available. The solid dishes come with radomes which you are responsible for taking away with the dish. All the smaller dishes are gone and I have a waiting list of people just in case a small dish turns up.
 
Price for the 6' dishes are $60.00 each
Price for the 8' dishes are $70.00 each
 
The brand of these commercial dishes is ANIXTER-MARK.
 
All the proceeds from the dishes are being donated to ATN for repeater improvements and maintance by Chuck WA6FGK.
 
The dishes were used for 1.7 to 1.8 GHz and come with az/el mounts for towers as well as feed assembly which is fed by a N connector. The dishes are currently being removed from towers where they were in service. The dishes are 0.4 parabolic. Not real deep and not real flat.
 
The only thing I ask is that if you order a dish please come and pick it up soon after it is dropped off at my house here in Simi Valley. I am not interested in storing it for you.  If you are interested e-mail me at bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
 
 
   ATN Summer Bar-B-Que/Meeting
The event is Sat. August 25th. Go to the ATN web site for more info. Family members are welcomed. Open to the public.
 
                                            Reminder:
                            ATN Net Tue. @ 8:00 PM
 
See you on the net,
N6IFU
 
 
 
DXing ATV:
Frank N7ZEV in Las Vegas sent me an e-mail that proposed a schedule to attempt ATV communications with Southern California.
 
I brought the subject up during the net last week and received some interesting input such as: Frequency to be used. Location for So. Cal station. Best time of year for propagation. All these areas are open to consideration. I know that Frank plans on locating his DX Station on Hi Potosi Mtn.. Sounds like a fun project.
 
Anyone that has equipment and/or the interest in working with Frank should contact him at Frank@Kostelac.com  Maybe someone  can put together a group here to take on the project.
 
ATN Link/Las Vegas:
Mark W6MAF is checking on Blueridge's equipment to see if it is all functioning for it's link to Las Vegas and Frank is in communication with Mark. Frank wants to try and be on Potosi when Mark is on Blueridge to do some testing on the Las Vegas ATN repeater. We may have the link to Nevada working sometime in the future.
 
New 434 Signal on Oat:
KI6JL Hank transmitted his first ATV signal into Oat Mtn. on August 16th @ about 11:30 AM. Hank is located in Canyon Country and about 10 miles from Oat.  And he is going through the same frustrations we all did when putting together a station. Congratulations Hank. Hang in there.
 
Call for Oat Technical Group:
WA6SVT Mike sent me an e-mail this week and made this statement, " If you know anyone else who should be on the technical group to work on the repeater, let me know so we will have better backup for the repeater".
 
I know many people that have volunteered assistance in the past. Now would be the time to contact Mike. wa6svt@aol.com 
 
Oat Mtn. Controller:
After 8 months of being without a controller Mike WA6SVT and Allan W6IST installed the repaired controller on Oat Mtn. last Tue. just before the net. The output of Oat experienced some problems shortly after they left the shack and they didn't find out about it until they arrived at Allan's house around 9:30 PM. To their disappointment they saw the same bad signal that we were watching. Herringbone like you wouldn't believe. Very Nasty!
 
Mike brought with him the 2.4 GHz antenna that Rick W6DQE donated in Sept. 2006. The antenna is now on Oat or at Allan's house.
 
On Saturday at about 4:00 PM Allan W6IST and Joe K6TBA made a special trip up Oat Mtn. and repaired the repeater. And it is working fantastic.
 
Oat Mtn. 2 meter Link:
For the newcomers to ATV and the old timers that might have forgot there is an additional useful benefit of having the controller back in service. When you transmit a 2 meter FM audio signal on 146.430 MHz simplex with a 100 Hz PL on it your signal is received by the ATV repeater on Oat. It is then up converted and added to the 919.25 MHz output and comes out on the audio sub carrier. So you can be heard on the TV's audio you are watching the ATV signal on. This is full audio duplex.
 
It is very useful when helping someone tune up their transmitter or just to make a comment while you are having a QSO.
 
If you mute your TV while you are transmitting an ATV signal you will not have this benefit.
 
W6KL in Burbank:
Dave sent me an e-mail after the repeater was repaired on Sat. and gave an excellent signal report at his QTH.
 
W6KGE in WoodRanch:
Bob put his perfect signal up on Saturday and showed he is still around. Welcome back Bob.
 
Oat Mtn. 2.4 GHz:
Now we have all the parts for the 2.4 GHz receiver. And after Mike WA6SVT and Allan W6IST installed the controller on Oat last Tue., Mike climbed the tower to check out the location for the antenna and made a drawing for it's placement.
 
Now the antenna and feedline can be installed. And the location for the antenna is a know value. Rock & Roll!
 
K6BNN of Anaheim:
Gene helped us out with a check-in relay last week during the net and helped out with KI6JL over the weekend. For you new comers to ATV Gene is one heck of a nice guy. Gene works mostly on 2.4 GHz and 10 GHz with the Mets ATV group. Good to see you.
 
The Iowa Kid:
Mike N6KYD contacted me and wants to check-in via the internet and Skype. I have put him and George AC6RB together to see what they can do. Although I understand George is very busy with work right now.
 
Internet ATN viewers notice:
Now that the Oat Mtn. controller is in service Santiago will be taken off beacon mode. What that means to you as an internet viewer is there will not be streaming video of Santiago Peak 24/7 on the internet. When ever the repeaters are in use during normal operation the video will be seen. But once the last signal into the repeater drops about 30 sec. later your picture will drop and you will see a blank black screen on the internet streaming video. Please pass this information on to others you have directed to this web site.
 
During the net the repeater system is put into beacon mode and it will appear as it has for the last 8 months.
 
Equipment for Sale:
Chuck WA6FGK has 6', 8' and 10 foot dishes still for sale.
Bob K6CUK still has his equipment for sale.
And I still have the two PC Electronics 434 MHz ATV transmitters for sale.
 
ATN Summer Meeting/Bar-B-Que: Aug. 25th Saturday:
If you haven't contacted Don KE6BXT and let him know your coming and what side dish your bringing, you better do it now.
His e-mail address is hillda@cox.net
 
                                         Reminder:
                              ATN Net Tue. @ 8:00 PM
 
See you all on the net,
N6IFU
  
 
News:
I was out of town most of the week visiting my son and daughter in Dallas. So I don't have a lot of news this week.
 
I did talk with KA6DPS on the way home from the airport on Sunday afternoon. Dave told me that "fun was had by all" at the Summer Meeting /BBQ. And I understand the weather cooperated by making it a nice day.
 
Thanks to N6IWY Spence for arranging for the use of the Senior Center here in Simi Valley.
 
WA6SVT Video Processor *UPDATES*:
W6KGE Bob wrote an article for "Amateur Television Quarterly" magazine that appeared in the Summer 2007 edition. The article updates Mikes old design video processor. It provides everything to build your own or you can purchase an assembled and tested unit from Bob for $39.00. Contact Bob at w6kge@yahoo.com Maybe Bob can tell us more about the processor on the net.
 
Amateur Television Quarterly:
Anyone wishing to subscribe to ATV Quarterly should go to http://www.hampubs.com
 
Microwave Dishes:
Chuck WA6FGK still has 6 foot ($60), 8 foot ($70) and 10 foot ($80) dishes available. Please pass this around to other clubs and hams that maybe interested in them. Have them contact me at bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
ATV DXing?:
Has anyone contacted Frank N7ZEV in Las Vegas or is putting together a group to do DXing from So Cal.? Or is there anyone interested in working with a group but doesn't have equipment?
 
Las Vegas ATN Link:
Last I heard from Frank was that he is in contact with W6MAF Mark. No other news so far.
 
I haven't seen the Las Vegas repeater in the three years that I have been on ATV but some old timers have.
 
Pt. Loma ATN link:
W6WYN Al tells me that the Pt. Loma repeater is operational in the San Diego area but not linked to Santiago Peak yet. Does anyone else have anymore news on the situation?
 
Santa Barbara ATN link:
Anyone know any news on the Santa Barbara repeater link? We see the controller on Mt. Wilson ID as Santa Barbara when it is in use.
 
AC6RB internet link:
I did show my family the internet link while I was in Texas as well as his friends. So we should have third party check-in's this Tue. during the net. I am sure that my daughters best friend, Jackie will have some interesting things to say via the chat room.
 
And thanks again to George AC6RB for his time and effort in providing the link.
 
Oat Mtn.:
The condition of Oat appears to be very good right now. I don't know of any plans for installing the 2.4 GHz antenna system and transmission line right now but I will keep you all informed.
 
                                         Reminder:
        ATN Net @ 8:00 PM every Tue./ 10:00 PM Dallas time.
 
See you all on the Net,
N6IFU Bryon
 

 
 
DXing News:
As of this weekend no one has contacted N7ZEV Frank about setting up a schedule to do some point to point ATV DX. I would think this kind of thing is a long term planning project. And may become of interest in the future. It's at least something to think about.  N7ZEV's e-mail address is n7zev@embarqmail.com
 
Newcomer to ATV:
Not real new to ATV, Ed K6UUZ had a different downconverter
last year. And has been involved in other things. Some of you might remember him for his corner reflector antenna that he had at my Open house last Sept.  
 
Well Ed is back and receiving an almost P5 picture. And Ed is now working on his 434 MHz transmitter.
 
Welcome back ED.
 
News on Repeaters:
 
Santa Barbara Repeater:
Rod WB9KMO is Santa Barbara sent me the following news on his local repeater:
 
"Everything is working fine except the backlink. We're hoping to add a couple of new ATVers in the next month. Stay tuned. The backlink gave us trouble, with signal strength inadequate to get through. When the need arose for a Santiago controller input for Mt Wilson, Santa Barbara's was the logical choice. That's why Mt Wilson signals appear to come from Santa Barbara! There's another input, but it needs to be fixed. In the meantime, we're planning to increase our backlink power from Santa Barbara so we have a fighting chance to override the WiFi noise floor. We hope to be back online within the next few weeks."
 
Mt. Palomar Repeater (W6NWG):
Art KC6UQH in Vista sent me the following news for his local repeater.
 
"Until there is an easy way electronically, to positively determine a transmitted picture from the ID screen on ATN, the link to W6NWG will remain off. This is something that Mike and I need to work out on a technical level. PARC is not willing to pay for 24 hour operation of a repeater that serves one or two club users."
 
Point Loma Repeater:
I heard from Robert KA4JSR in San Diego area and he is in contact with W6KGE to make the first board for an ATV Repeater Controller of a completely new design.
 
Mt. Potosi Repeater (Las Vegas area):
Frank N7ZEV has not been able to make it to the repeater site since the last newsletter but will make it soon. He has been extremely busy with commercial communications work.
 
Blueridge Repeater:
Mark W6MAF has been to Blueridge to check out the equipment for the link to Mt. Potosi but I haven't heard for him. Frank told me that he has talked to Mike WA6SVT in a long conversation and was informed of what needs to be done. Maybe Mike can give us an update on the link equipment.
 
Snow Peak Repeater:
There is no full time user for Snow Peak. I think that Dave KA6DPS is the only ATVer that can turn his antennas to Snow Peak and bring it up. But he told me that there was a problem with it but I can't remember exactly what it was.
 
Mt. Wilson Repeater:
WB6ATN is the only full time user and John has been having problems bringing up the repeater during the net. Merv KO6E has not been able to get a picture into Wilson as well. The Oat Mtn. users have volunteered to go to Merv's house and check out his station and see what can be done. (Crew of W6KGE, N6IWY and myself)
 
To help rule out a problem with the repeater, I have asked W6IST Allan to set up a test and see if he can bring up Mt. Wilson from his QTH.
 
Oat Mountain Repeater:
The 2.4 GHz antenna, LNA, bandpass filter and feedline was installed by WA6FGK Chuck on Friday. Chuck volunteered to do the tower climbing as well as the 7/8" heliax and connectors for a full run of about 140'.  His backup crew of volunteers from the Oat Mtn. area was N6IWY, W6IST and myself. WA6SVT stopped by for a couple hours and dropped off the LNA and filter as well as a bias T.
 
No one in the Oat Mtn. area has the capability to put up a 2441.5 MHz signal right now so we are not sure how it works. But we should have something going very soon.
 
Everything else is working fine on Oat with the exception on the intermittent problem on the 2 meter link audio sub carrier. But that is something we can live with.
 
Programming on ATN:
I have received requests from the readers of my newsletter to see what we can do to rebroadcast nets from our sister clubs. Rockford Ill, Las Vegas, Fresno, Mt. Diablo (N.Cal). I addressed this question to the President of ATN Don KE6BXT. Don gave me a reply that with the use of a sling box it can be done. I would like to ask Don to make a statement to explain this on the net this Tue..
 
"San Bernardino Microwave Association" used to have a time slot once a month where ATN would broadcast their club meeting. The meeting, as I recall, ran from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM and I would like to see it come back. It was very informative and I know other ATVer's that are experimenting with microwave would find it useful. What needs to be done to bring it back?
 
         Volunteers:
I have been involved with ATV for a little over 3 years. I have seen people volunteer for work on the repeaters and fellow Ham's stations all over Southern California and it gives you a good feeling to belong to a club with that kind of involvement. And I have to say that the group here that use Oat Mtn. are the greatest group of Hams. All that has to be done to get volunteers is ask and people step forward. I want to thank all the volunteers that help this whole thing work. 
 
See you on the Net, every Tue. at 8:00 PM
N6IFU  Bryon Foster    Editor and Publisher of "ATV Newsletter"

 
 
 
Back from Christmas Island:
Gordo WB6NOA should be back from Christmas Island this week and maybe he will have some pictures for us on the net.
Tune in and see.   Welcome back Gordo!
 
W6WYN:
Al in San Diego was in the hospital for the last couple weeks and is now back at home. AL will be providing us with some additional information on the Pt. Loma repeater.
 
San Bernardino Microwave Society Meeting Rebroadcast:
I have been talking with W6KVC Gary about bringing back the SBMS meeting to ATN. The meeting is held the first Thursday of every month and runs from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The rebroadcast was stopped about a year ago
 
When I used to watch the meeting the first part covered a normal club's business. And then there was a round table/mic pass with members showing/talking about microwave projects that they were working on. And many of the club members also had equipment that they had found that could be used on our frequencies and connections to all kinds of goodies for microwave. That was followed by tech talk. 
I will try to have a better description of what to expect from the rebroadcast of the meeting in next weeks newsletter.
 
The production quality of the video feed is excellent. Two cameras with cameramen  and wireless mic's. And they break so you will also be able to interact with the meeting via ATV. Very professional.
 
The reason that the meeting stopped being rebroadcast on ATN was because two ATN members made some negative and really stupid remarks. Gary was volunteering his time and equipment to set-up and tear down a station so we could watch. And Gary didn't appreciate the remarks. One person who made a remark that ATN should be charging SBMS for air time, but he did apologize. And the other person said that having the Microwave Society on 2 hours a month was taking up to much air time on ATN. 
 
I don't think one person should rule what we do as a club. I asked five ATN members if they would like to see the SBMC meeting return and they all said yes. I asked Mike WA6SVT and he has no problem with it returning. So I have placed it in my ATV Guide so you will know when to watch. And I have asked Gary W6KVC to reinstate the SBMS meeting rebroadcast on ATN if it is alright with him and SBMS.
 
Maybe this is a subject that should be brought up at the Winter Meeting after we have seen several months of viewing SBMS meetings and make an official vote.    
 
Internet Viewers:
Last week during the net the internet viewers were meet with a blank screen on the AC6RB link. I do not know if it will be back in operation for the net this week.
 
Sling Box?
Many of the internet viewers that were without a signal last week were talking about the "Sling Box" concept in the chat room, after someone brought it up from the newsletter. For more info on this mode, you should address questions to Don KE6BXT hillda@cox.net  Don is the expert on this subject.
 
Mark these dates on your calendar:
Don KE6BXT, the President of ATN, tells me that the next ATN meeting is scheduled for February 16, 2008. This is the "Winter Meeting" and will be held in Ontario. This is one of two meeting held each year and the only one that conducts any club business. The agenda for this meeting is for the election of club officers.
 
Anyone that is interested in bringing up any new business for the club should be thinking about it, so it could be placed on the agenda.
 
The "Summer Bar-B-Que" is scheduled for August 16, 2008 and will be held in Simi Valley.
Address's of meeting locations are unknown at this time.
 
                              QRM & Fades
There is still a buzz that comes in & out on our audio output on Oat from signals originating from users transmitting into Oat. The buzz wipes out some of our audio altogether. All other signals from other repeaters are unaffected. It has been sugjusted that we should monitor 438.5 MHz (audio subcarrier) to see what we might be able to track down. Users in Simi Valley have been monitoring with no luck. Maybe we could get someone listening in Santa Clarita and the San Fernandio Valley.
 
Spencer and myself also heard a CW repeater ID on the audio subcairrer on our TV's Thursday evening. 
 
Oat Mtn. is once again seeing fades on the 1200 MHz link from Santiago. They are short in duration and seem to accure in the late morning and early evening and well into the night. I noticed only one fade on the 2.4 link back to Santiago. We have all learned to live with the fades but I address this because we have new users that need to know what is going on.
 
KI6JL Hank has the same QRM as K6LDK Mike in the Santa Clarita Valley. The QRM is right on our 919.25 MHz output freq.
 
                                 Repeater News
 
Snow Peak:
On last Tue. Mike WA6SVT was on Snow Peak checking out the equipment. It appears that the problem I couldn't remember in last weeks report was; the return signal to Santiago Peak is not being received. (Santiago Peak is the "hub" of the ATN repeater system in Southern California) 
 
Blueridge:
Mike says it's all there and working.
 
Mt. Wilson:
No news to report on Wilson. I didn't hear from Allan W6IST to see if he was able to do a test from his QTH. WB6ATN John was able to get into the net with an ATV signal last week.
 
Update on Oat's 2.4 GHz receiver:
On Sept 9th, Sunday morning during the "Coffee Clutch" N6HOG Barry in La Cresenta turned his antennas and put the very signal into Oat Mtn. on 2441.5 MHz. So we know that the receiver is operational. Thank you Barry.
 
Chuck WA6FGK has purchased some 2.4 GHz equipment from the Netherlands and is waiting for it to arrive. W6KGE Bob has been out of town. W6DQE Rick's equipment doesn't tune to 2441.5 MHz yet.
                         
                                                                     ATV Guide
 
       Every Tuesday, "ATN (So Cal) Net Night" held at 8:00 PM
       Every Sunday, "Coffee Clutch" at 9:00 AM
       San Bernardino Microwave Society Meeting Rebroadcast
            Thur. Oct. 4, 2007 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
 
                                  ATN Breakfast
    Sat. September 15th at 9:30 AM @ Flo's Airport Cafe at Chino
                    Airport on Merrill Ave., Chino CA
The exact address is a closely held secret so if you plan on using mapquest or a GPS device you will not find the Cafe.
                                                                     Everyone is welcomed.
 
                        Letters to the Editor
If you have a view point or opinion that you would like to express to the readers, please submit your letters to: bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
                             Buy-Sell-Trade
 
Looking for Equipment:
K6HXX is looking for a small HF linear amp, about 400 watts. Contact John at k6hxx@sbcglobal.net
 
N6ESW Mike is looking for a turret from a battleship so he can rotate his dish. It should be able to handle 250 lbs. and 90 knot winds. Mike's address is oracle6@verizon.net
Anyone looking to buy, sell or trade ham radio/ATV equipment are welcomed to submit your ad for publication.
 
See you all on ATV,
N6IFU Bryon Foster       Editor and Publisher of "ATV Newsletter"
 
 
Santiago users with 434 MHz inputs:
If the input isn't working by the net on Tue., I would hope you would check-in on 2 Meters. 
 
 
WB6HYH:
Tom was able to hold a 434 MHz signal into Santiago Peak on Wed. evening even with a strong radar interference. The following night Tom put a signal into Snow Peak after Santiago's 434 input was shut down. Way to go Tom!
 
KI6JL:
Hank has a P5 picture into Oat Mtn now. Maybe we can get him to check-in on the net this Tue. so you can all get to meet him.
 
K6IOJ:
Gary is back in town and you all should see him on the air soon.
 
New Downconverters:
WB6ATN John was up to date with new ATV equipment and let us know last week on the net that P.C. Electronics has a new line of downconverters for 70 cm, 33 cm and 23 cm. To check it out, goto www.hamtv.com/newstuff.html  PC Electronics also has a 250 watt amp from Downeast Microwave for 70 cm.
 
KM6KU:
I hope you all received the news about Rod Hewitt KM6KU. Bob K6CUK was so kind to make us aware of Rod's condition. Rod's mailing address is 226 Via La Solidad, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 if you wish to send him a get well card.
 
                          Internet Viewers
I have not heard from AC6RB about his link so I have nothing to report.
 
KE6BXT Don, the President of ATN, gave a demo of "Sling Box" verses "Skype" after the net last week and Skype seems to be the way to go.
 
N6KYD Mike in Iowa asked me a while back to get the address/ password to get into AC6RB's Skype. I was unable to, so I have asked Mike to get in touch with Don at hillda@cox.net so he can check-in with us for the first time since he moved to Iowa. 
Others interested in using Skype to send a video and audio signal should contact Don as well. 
                           
                             QRM & Fades
The QRM problem on Oat Mtn. that was taking our audio out has all but disappeared. It is still there but very faint.
 
Fades seem to be much less than they were last week.
 
                                 Repeater News
 
Crown Point, IN-K9ATN:
Report submitted by Henry AA9XW/K9ATN:
"There are very few local ATV'ers, always been that way. Instead, we're more of a node, between Rockford, Lafayette, and a few local users. The system has been up and down because of tower access issues since I left Sears site in 01. It was up as a 70 cm band system on the current tower, then the boss got pissy and I sold the Andrew to Wisconsin. I got it back up then he got pissy again. I put up two new V pol omni's so I could have full duplex cross band 23 cm/70 cm, either in goes to both out. I expect to get it back on the air in about a week, with a bigger 70 cm TX. (100w Vs 10 W). The 23 cm is at 3 W. TPO, until I can afford a 60 watt or so amp. After the tower sale, I can likely add NASA as there is a vacant sat dish and and I can get a digital sat receiver."
 
"I sent WA6SVT a pile of microwave gear to sell that I was planning to use here to link Rockford or Lafayette, but the boss/new owner is not likely to let me put up dishes to do that. But I do have a couple nice NEMA boxes if someone wants them for the shipping costs. They have front windows as they were used for Flashtek strobes."
 
Snow & Santiago:
I received this e-mail from WA6SVT last Monday and read it on the net last week:   "Snow link update, The 2417.5 Signal is making it to Santiago as the control audio is making it into the 1286.15 machine. The video is not making it out of the receiver or the controllers sync detector or logic circuit in the Santiago controller is not working. This will require a visit to Santiago to fix the link receiver or controller. I will also turn up the sensitivity of the Santiago 434 sync detector so some of the 434 users can get in easier. I plan to be on Santiago either Thursday or Friday for company work and that will give me the opportunity to check on ATN's equipment at the end of the day while I am there."
 
Update after service on Thur. 13th: The 434 MHz input on Santiago is still down at the time the newsletter was sent out. And I was told Snow Peak is now operating. But on Friday evening Dave was watching Snow Peak as N6AZV Bob was trying to establish a signal into Snow. And when I transmitted, Dave told me that my signal would come up on Snow Peak for a moment and drop out of Snow.
 
Mt. Wilson:
Update after service on Thur. 13th: The service call Mike preformed on Wilson last Thursday was noted by several people and the color bars he was transmitting looked great.
 
FYI: When you see a signal key up Mt. Wilson you will no longer see the ID in the upper left corner of the screen read, "Santa Barbara". It now reads "Point Loma/Polamar".
 
Point Loma:
W6WYN Al sent me this report from KA4JSR Robert in San Diego: "Unfortunately, nothing new to report that you can lay your eyes on. I'm working diligently on the new repeater controller that will improve the operation of Santiago Peak and several other sites when we get them installed. It's an entirely new design using the latest technology and software. In the midst of all that, I'm working to get the Point Loma (shack) in order before the 50th birthday Dec. 1. I'm going to get Mike down here one weekend soon to make some more improvements. In the mean time, my plate is pretty full with work and home."
 
Oat Mtn.:
W6KGE Bob put a 2.4 GHz signal into Oat Mtn. last Wed. with 3 watts. With his antenna in the attic and looking through the two story house next to him. He had some horozontal bands going through his signal and was unable to receive his audio back from Oat.
 
Bob was interested in knowing if N6HOG Barry was able to get audio into Oat with his signal the previous Sunday. So I asked Barry to once again to turn his antennas at Oat and do another test. When Barry repeated his test, his signal had the same horozontal bands and he also was not able to transmit audio into Oat.
                         
                                                                     ATV Guide
       Every Tuesday, "ATN (So Cal) Net Night" held at 8:00 PM
                             Everyone is welcomed
             Every Sunday, "Coffee Klatch" at 9:00 AM
                             Everyone is welcomed
            San Bernardino Microwave Society Meeting
              Thur. Oct. 4, 2007 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
                             Everyone is welcomed
 
                                ATN Breakfast
    Sat. October 20th at 9:30 AM @ Flo's Airport Cafe at Chino
                      Airport on Merrill Ave., Chino CA
                                                         Everyone is welcomed.
 
                        Letters to the Editor
 
"We need to stress that someone volentering their time to bring a quality program of general Amateur interst to ATN should be praised, and others should be encouraged to donate some of their time to bring some local video of Amateur Radio events to ATN. This was the spirit of of ATV when I first started watching ATV and it needs to be rekindled."
Art KC6UQH Vista, CA
 
If you have a view point or opinion that you would like to express to the readers, please submit your letters to: bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
                             Buy-Sell-Trade
 
Equipment for Sale:
Henry AA9XW/K9ATN sent me this list of equipment for sale.
"I sent Mike WA6SVT several microwave radios and Amps. They are for sale. Contact Mike for details. I also have a brand new still in the bag Dentron 500 watt HF mobile amp for sale. Make an offer." 
If WA6SVT can give me a list of Henry's equipment and prices, I will be happy to put it in the newsletter.
 
Henry also wrote:
"I have 4 23cm antennas. One Andrew truncated parabolic (as seen on most every TV news truck). One Dual Goldenrod, and two smaller end fire/end mount disk on rods cut for ham radio. The dish/dual rods are 1.8-2.5 (channels 1-12)
Also on hand, 4 Larsen 900 MHz 12 dB yagi's and 2 KLM 900 meg 4 way splitter/combiners. Also a new in box Bensat rx for 900/1200 RX."
 
"Make offer plus shipping." 
Contact Henry AA9XZ/K9ATN a9xw@cs.com 9/18/07
 
Looking for Equipment:
K6HXX is looking for a small HF linear amp, about 400 watts. Contact John at k6hxx@sbcglobal.net 9/11/07
 
N6ESW Mike is looking for a turret from a battleship so he can rotate his dish. It should be able to handle 250 lbs. and 90 knot winds. Mike's address is oracle6@verizon.net 9/11/07
Anyone looking to buy, sell or trade ham radio/ATV equipment are welcomed to submit your ad for publication.
 
See you all on ATV,
N6IFU Bryon Foster       Editor and Publisher of "ATV Newsletter"
 
 
                                   Please send this ATV Newsletter to anyone you think would enjoy it 
 
If you would like to subscribe to the ATV newsletter send me an e-mail with "ATV Newsletter" in the subject and I will add you to the list.                                      bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
If you are currently receiving the ATV Newsletter and would like to have it stopped, please drop me an e-mail as well.
 
                                                        My mailing list will not be shared or sold.
ATV Newsletter
September 25, 2007
 
San Bernardino Microwave Society:
Next Thursday evening, Oct 4th the SBMS meeting will be on the ATN repeater network here in Southern California. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and runs to 9:00 PM. You may see equipment being set up and testing around 6:30. The program is produced by Gary (W6KVC) and he uses his own portable 2.4 GHz station to link us to the meeting. Gary is assisted by Gene (K6BNN). 
 
Tune in and join the meeting.

Oat Mtn. Brush Removal:
On Tue. the 18th Allan (W6IST) and Spencer (N6IWY) and myself cleared the brush from the area around the Oat shack and tower. There are plans for a return to the site again in the late spring to remove any new growth and apply a herbicide. 
 
W.A.R. Award: (Worked all Repeaters)
(N6AZV) Bob was looking around for a different repeater to transmit his 434 MHz signal to last week. Bob normally uses Santiago but with it's 434 input being inoperative he turned his antennas and started a search. Bob worked Blue Ridge, Wilson and Snow Peak. He even made a blip on Oat Mtn.. Bob's QTH is in Long Beach.

 
Beacon Mode or Not:
I heard Art (KC6UQH) comment this morning about whether the Beacon Mode on Santiago would be turned off or not.
Mt. Palomar can not be activated while Santiago is in Beacon Mode because it would make it operate 24/7 and the club doesn't want to pay for electricity for operation with only two users. 
 
Dave (KA6DPS) told Art that he had turned the beacon mode off for three days and had got 6 complaints. Then he said it was up to Mike (WA6SVT). Maybe Mike can fill us in why the system remains in beacon mode.
 
Santiago was put in beacon mode about 9 months ago when the controller was removed from Oat Mtn. and it was slaved to Santiago. Oat has it's controller now and has no need for it to be left in Beacon mode.
 
We all used to make arrangements for the system to be put in beacon mode if a user was going to do some testing or a demonstration. And it was always put in beacon mode during the net.
 
If you were one of the six users that complained about it being in beacon mode, maybe you can send me an e-mail and explain why you need it in beacon mode and I will put it in next weeks newsletter.
 
I don't think anyone one on Oat Mtn. has a problem with it being in or out of Beacon Mode.
 
 
Silent Key:
Rod Hewitt (KM6KU) passed away on Sunday September 16th.
He died at home while under hospice care with his son Erich in attendance. A memorial service was held last Tue.. 





 



Repeater News:

Mt. Wilson:
Robbie (KB6CJZ) brought up a problem with Mt. Wilson during the net last week. And after the net I brought up the topic and no one was quit sure what Robbie was talking about. So I sent Robbie an e-mail and he spelled it all out. And I think I can explain it for everyone.
 
It has to do with Mt. Wilson's ID. When Wilson ID's it self, all video and audio is blocked coming into the repeater as well as going out of the repeater. This doesn't sound like much of a problem but it can be very frustrating to someone trying to work into the network via Wilson.
 
Here is an example of a QSO with the ID coming up in the middle of things: Robbie is transmitting into Wilson and talking to anyone else on the network. The ID comes up while he is still talking and the other party in the QSO sees him drop out and thinks he has turned it over to them. But Robbie is still talking. And the other party makes a few comments and turns it back to Robbie. Neither party heard of saw anything from the other during the ID. This can be very confusing and make you doubt your equipment if you didn't now what was happening.
 
The ID lasts about 15 seconds.
 
Robbie can watch Santiago and Wilson at the same time so he can see the problem first hand. And the ID doesn't happen just every 9 min.. It can be triggered by noise and all is lost until the noise goes away or the ID drops.
 
This problem makes Wilson unreliable for communications as it is. And I can now see that WB6ATN is being constantly confused by this problem.
 
Robbie suggested that Mike should let everything work as is but allow the ID to pass the audio so the communication isn't completely broken every time the ID comes up or there is some noise tripping the ID. Robbie has been trying to make us all aware of this problem ever since Mt. Wilson was put back in service earlier this year.
Thank you Robbie for your observations and comments.
 
The following e-mail is from Mike (WA6SVT) in response to Robbie's report: "Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The controller at mt. wilson is done with a PC Electronics VOR 2 and three connected together to make a priority controller. The PC unit forces an ID at 9 minuit intervals. This controller board uses a DPDT relay to switch audio and video. I could bypass the audio part of the relay in the last VOR in the chain since Mt. Wilson uses the 5910 FM output that is always on. The issue would be if the link on 5910 gos down of faded out (I do not think this has happened yet) the Wilson output would have loud white noise. If this is OK with all parties, I will pull the Wilson controller and put it into slave mode and modify the controller then re-install."
 
"Santiago's ID is very diffrent as it is a video overlay not a A/V interupt ID."
 
73s,
Mike
Thank you Mike for your comments on Mt. Wilson.
 
From another ATV'er Dave (KA6DPS) told me last Wed. that he thinks the 434 MHz receiver on Wilson is numb. "And it's the same receiver that has been up there for years and years", says Dave.
Thank you Dave for your observations and comments also.

Oat Mtn.:
Oat had a power outage from 11:20 PM Friday until 7:30 PM Saturday. The outage inpart was due to a scheduled outage from Edison to change out some worn power lines.
 
While the repearte was off the air, a signal on the 900 MHz out put could be heard in the audio subcarrier range which has been heard for months. Most thought it was some QRM coming in from the 146.43 MHz link. Guess not.
 
Also Spencer (N6IWY) Noted on Sunday morning that he had to tune way off his nornal position on his downconverter to receive the signal from Oat. I noticed the same at my station. Could the output frequency on Oat moved?
 
No news on the 2.4 GHz output yet. No ajustment on the deveiation.    
 
Santiago Peak: (Southern Cal. Hub)
As far as I know the 434 MHz input is still non-operational.
 
Blue Ridge Mtn.:
No New News
Snow Peak:
No New News 
Point Loma:
No New News
Santa Barbara:
No New News 
 
 




QRM & Fades:
QRM is down this week and the fades are very slight.
 


 



ATV Guide:
 
"ATN Net Night" every Tuesday @ 8:00 PM
Everyone is welcomed.
"Coffee Klatch" every Sunday @ 9:00 AM
Everyone welcomed
"San Bernardino Microwave Society"
Meeting is Thur. Oct. 4, 2007 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 pm 
Everyone welcomed
 
"ATN Breakfast"
Sat. Oct. 20th @ 9:30 AM
@ Flo's Airport Cafe
AT Chino Airport on Merrill Ave.
Chino, CA
Everyone welcomed
 
 

 


Letters to the Editor:
I received an e-mail from an ATN Club member who asked a very reasonable question:
 
"I would like to see a budget of the ATN's fixed club costs. A break down of each repeater site rental and insurance. It could be posted on the ATN web site."

If you have a view point or opinion that you would like to express to the readers, please submit your letters to: bryonfoster@hotmail.com  
 


 


Internet Viewers:
No news about the AC6RB's internet link. I just hope everything is alright with George.
 
Skype can put you on the air for $0:
With "Skype", all you need is a high speed internet conection on your computer, a web cam and a microphone for your computer. Then you goto www.skype.com and download the free software and set up an account. There is an offer for long distance telephone service for $29.00 a year that you don't need for this. Just the free software. 

Then you contact Don (KE6BXT) at hillda@cox.net So you can get his Skype phone number. Then and you can at least check-in on our net with video and audio. KE6BXT is one of our resedant computer wizirds and knows this stuff forwards and backwards. Don is also the president of ATN and one heck of a nice guy. I am sure he will be happy to help get you setup. Really, it's not difacult.
 
This is the same setup as AC6RB had but he had the streaming video so you could watch. And AC6RB's Skype phone number is hamradiotv .
 
Last week there were no Skype or Sling Box contacts to the ATN net.
 
If you want to call me using Skype my skype phone number is bryon foster .


 


Buy-Sell-Trade:
Henry AA9XW/K9ATN sent me this list of equipment for Sale.
"I sent Mike WA6SVT several microwave radios and amps. They are for sale. Contact Mike for details. I also have a brand new still in the bag Dentron 500 watt HF mobile amp for sale. Make an offer."

"I have 4 23cm antennas. One Andrew truncated parabolic (as seen on most every news truck). One Dual Goldenrod, and two smaller end fire/end mount disk on rods cut for ham radio. The dish/dual rods are 1.8-2.5 (channels 1-12). Also on hand, 4 Larson 900 MHz yagi's and 2 KLM 900 Meg 4 way splitter/combiners. Also a new in box Bensat rx for 900/1200 RX."
"Make offer plus shipping".
Contact Henry AA9XZ/K9ATN a9xw@cs.com  9/18/07
 
Anyone looking to buy, sell or trade ham radio/ATV equipment are welcomed to submit your ad for publication.

 


See you all on ATV,
N6IFU Bryon Foster
Editor and Publisher of "ATV Newsletter"
 
Please send this ATV Newsletter to anyone you think would enjoy it.
 
If you would like to subscribe to the ATV Newsletter send me an e-mail with "ATV Newsletter" in the subject and I will add you to the list.
bryonfoster@hotmail.com
If you are currently receiving the ATV newsletter and would like to have it stopped, please drop me an e-mail as well.
 
My mailing list will not be shared or sold.  
 
 

ATV Newsletter
October 2, 2007   Circulation 317 

 
Mystery on Oat Mtn.:
Remember the power outage on Oat last week? Well I received an e-mail from Jim (K6IYK) whose equipment is in the rack right next to the ATN equipment. Jim writes: "I wonder if the ATV system at Oat had any problems on Friday evening. We apparently took a VERY local lighting strike that scrambled my controller. No damage to the hardware so I assume it didn't come in the telephone line or the antenna feedline, but was a very close proximity EMP burst."
 
-JimF K6IYK

And thank you Jim for your input on Oat Mtn..

I talked with Jim after reading the e-mail on Skype and he told me that the scheduled power interruption with Edison accrued three weeks before this event.
 
Just to refresh everyone's memory, I noted that on that Friday evening the signal on Oat was flashing in and out from 9:30 to 11:20 when it completely went off the air.
 
Could this be why three downconverters at different locations can change calibration overnight?
 
Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club:
Frank (KL7IPV) editor of the LARAC requested to be on my newsletter mailing list after getting a taste from Frank (N7ZEV).
 
Frank (KL7IPV) asked me to invite you all to visit their clubs web site. And Frank wants you to check out the clubs Sept. newsletter, ATN here in Southern California is in the newsletter.  LARAC's newsletter is very well written and laid out with reports from some of the club officers like the Secretary, the Treasurer, new business and old and even a Treasurer's report. And they put this out every month.
 
The club web site is http://www.larac.org  check it out!
 
And thank you Frank for your interest and support.
 
SBMS:
Don't forget that this Thursday Oct. the 4th at 7:00 PM is the San Bernardino Microwave Society Meeting, right here on ATN. 
 
Watch for K6BEN:
Next week in the ATV Newsletter there will be a repeater report from W2NYC about his K6BEN ATV Repeaters.
 
Antennas Moved:
Chuck (WA6FGK) moved his 434 antenna and what a difference it made in his signal into Oat.

Beacon Mode:
The "Beacon Mode" was turned off after the ATN Net Tuesday night. Al (W6WYN) tried to make his thoughts known via 2 meters but was unable to get in during the net. He did send me several e-mails. Al writes: Hi Bryon I tried to get in on 2 meters last night with no success. I wanted to put in my 2 cents worth about the beacon mode on Santiago. It is the only ATV repeater in the southern district that has a picture the new people can use to check their equipment. Believe me I went through it all. I used the repeater to orient my antennas and contact you and Dave who put me on the right track to become one of the group. I don't know what I would have done without Santiago being there. 73 Al W6WYN
 
I should point out that Al has been completely without ATV for about two weeks with the 434 MHz input on Santiago not working.
 
I was also told that Barry (N6HOG) expressed his dislike with the beacon mode no longer being on. But this info about Barry came to me second hand so it may be wrong. 
 
I have not received any other comments about the "Beacon Mode."


 




Repeater Reports:
 
Oat Mtn.:
WA6SVT said we could adjust the 2.4 GHz receiver with a bunch of equipment that we don't have or we could tune it up with a known 2.4 GHz signal.
 
Maybe we can put together a work detail to make the adjustments using N6HOG's 2.4 signal and the technical volunteers here on Oat Mtn. This would save Mike a trip to Oat and free up more of his time. And we could get the 2.4 receiver working.
 
WA6SVT also noted that the reason that there is no audio on the 2.4 GHz signal may be because the audio subcarrier could be plugged into the wrong hole. This should be an easy fix.
 
N6HOG has weekends off as well as Mondays so maybe we can arrange with Barry to see if he could help us out with his signal.

Santiago Peak:
At the time I sent out this publication and as far as I know the power to the preamp is still off and the 434 MHz input is still not operational.
 
Santa Barbara:
Rod (WB9KMO) sent me this update on his repeater: "I got a phone call from Mike Collis and he told me that he corrected the Santiago controller problem and reconnected our link input."
 
"In other words, if we get enough 2.4 GHz signal into Santiago, we'll get in. Problem is he only saw a very low level signal, not enough to bring up the link."
 
"I'll check out our link transmitter on Sunday to see if it's working properly. We may need more power."
 
That's all for now,
Rod
 
Mt. Wilson:
Mike (WA6SVT) was on the air direct from the ATN repeater on Mt. Wilson on Friday. He gave us a tour of the facility and the equipment. It is clear that the link transmitter to Santiago from Wilson works great.
 
There was a problem with the audio and Mike said it was because of the QRM on Wilson. He said that 434 MHz is a very big problem on Wilson because of all the interference.
 
Mt. Palomar:
The Palomar link was established and has existed for over 10 years, and is co-ordinated with Scrbra, and is listed on the control codes for Santiago Peak W6ATN repeater.
 
Art tells me he is well on the way to putting the Palomar repeater back on the air. I will provide updates as Art progresses.
 
I just received this e-mail from Art (KC6UQH) this afternoon just before sending out the newsletter. Art writes the following:
 
"O.K. guess I was not informed by anyone that the Palomar Link was consumed for Mt. Wilson. Dave, KA6DPS did so this morning. At this point I have no other option but to abandon the project as things are being done behind my back, as Mike, SVT does not communicate with me his plans for the system. I even question at this point if there is a plan for the system! The last time the link was working we had interference from over modulation of the output from Santiago Peak on one ID screen jamming the Palomar input. Mike never fixed that problem to my knowledge. I spent several hours testing and confirming the problem. Robbiewitnessed part of the testing."
 
"San Diego has very few or no users of ATV. I will bring the status to the attention of the Board of Directors for the Palomar Club, and I doubt that they want to continue the operation of the ATV repeater. I have no means of monitoring it here. No one else that is a part of the Palomar Club control ops do either. I am at a point in my life that I need to simplify things, my efforts to improve the system have gone largely unrewarded. No one that would be a good understudy to learn the system and take over the maintenance responsibility of the system is available of interested. I am 64 and I do not intend to make this my last stand." 
 
"In short it is time to stop urninating up a rope! I can not deal with Mike, ATN and the crazyness that surounds his mode of operation. He has no documentation on the ATN system, others have very limited knowledge of the system, and he does not have anyone to continue the operation of the system in his absense. Amateur Radio must be fun or you find another hobby or another part of the hobby that you can enjoy."
 
Art
 
I did make a comment for Dave to pass along to Mike that Snow Peak doesn't have a any user at all and it is using one of the ports on Santiago Peak and could reslove this problem.
 
Art told me that if Mike wants to work this problem out he should contact Art.
 
Because of this situation the Beacon Mode can be turned back on.
 
I am surprised that Mike didn't bring this all up when he told Dave to go ahead and turn it off last week during the net.
 
And as I said when this all started it's up to Mike if he want's the beacon mode turned on or off.


No New News on all the other repeaters. 

 




ATV Guide:
 
"ATV Net Night" every Tuesday @ 8:00 PM
Everyone is welcomed.
 
"Coffee Klatch" every Sunday @ 9:00 AM
Everyone is welcomed.
 
"San Bernardino Microwave Society"
Meeting is Thur. Oct. 4th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Everyone is welcomed.
 
"ATN Breakfast"
Sat. Oct. 20th @ 9:30 AM
@ Flo's Airport Cafe
at Chino Airport on Merrill Ave.
Chino, CA
Everyone is welcomed.


 



Letters to the Editor:
Is there a club "charter" or "constituion" that the ATN club operates under? I have looked all through the ATN web site to try and find it. Can someone let Bryon know so he can put the location in the newsletter?
 
If you have a view point or opinion that you would like to express to the readers, please submit your letters to:
bryonfoster@hotmail.com  


 



Internet Viewers:
No news on AC6RB or his streaming video link from Santiago.
 
I know that ATN had many internet viewers and the link was a great place for Hams interested in getting into ATV to see what it was all about. It also provided other chapters of ATN a place to see what was going on in Mike's backyard.
 
Maybe someone else could step forward and do what George was doing.


 



Buy-Sell-Trade:
Here is some of the equipment that (AA9XW) Henry sent (WA6SVT) Mike to sell.
"There are two Microwave Associates agile transmitters. Both are BAS 2 gig with 2 subcarriers. One is self contained 2-3 watt, the other is an exciter with a 12 W amp module that connects vis a multi strand cable so it can be remote of the exciter. All are N output. There are also 2 H-P TWT amps, rated for 20 watts for 2-6 gig, work well on 3.5, 5.5 gig bands and I am told make about 30 watts on 2.4." 
Henry   a9xw@cs.com  10/02/07

Anyone looking to buy,sell or trade ham radio/ATV equipment are welcomed to submit your ad for publication.


 



Comments from N6IFU:
Mike (WA6SVT) is a very busy man and has responsibilities just like we all do. He has a full time job and sometime works double shifts and not always the best hours. He is married and has three children. And the house that Mike has been building and making a home with his wife and children hasn't been finished. And he also has an ATV repeater network called ATN.
 
The repeater network puts enormous demands on his time to maintain all the equipment on all the mountain top sites and Mike also travels to other states to repair their ATV equipment. He doesn't even have time to set-up an ATV station at his own QTH. You can only spread one man so thin. Maintaining all the repeaters for ATN rests on Mike's head. 
 
Having said that, I sent an e-mail to Don (KE6BXT) last week. Don brought up the e-mail topic on the net last week. The following is the e-mail I wrote Don:
 
Hello Don,
 
I thought I would suggest that you as President of ATN might want to ask for volunteers to help Mike out with service on Santiago and Wilson.
 
Mike is so busy and there has to be people in the area that have the expertise to service equipment. As Mike gets busier with his life the club has to take more responsibility of maintaining the repeaters.
 
N6IFU
 
In my e-mail I wasn't referring to someone to ride along with Mike and watch him work. I was referring to volunteers who could lighten his work load.
 
And I know that someone would need keys to get in the gates and building as well as alarm codes. That isn't an obstical that can't be overcome. Daryl N6DTO went to Santiago by himself to service the equipment for Mike.
 
I was suggesting to Don that Mike needs help and that there has to be people in the area that can help out. And that is why I made the comment about asking for volunteers.
 
And if Mike's doesn't get help with his work load the club members should expect very long periods of time before repairs are made. And that pretains to the last sentence of the e-mail where I wrote---the club has to take over more responsibility of maintaing the repeaters.
 
I know that each repeater should have a "bible" so technicians could understand everything about the equipment. And I know that none of the repeaters have a "bible", but that doesn't mean that we can't start to assemble the infomation now.
 
What happens if Mike is shipped off to China by CBS to cover the Olympics and he's gone for six months? Or any other unforeseen event that would render Mike unable to service the equipment. Then we would all have to start at zero.
 
Working together for a common goal is what a club is and our club is the repeater network. Our dues pay for the repeater network. Without the repeater network there is no ATN. And without the club members there is nothing but a bunch of equipment.
 
I think that my e-mail about getting Mike some help and the club taking responsabilty for maintaining the equipment, something of importance. This is a subject that all the club members should consider.
 
I have been told by some that Mike doesn't want anyone to help him take care of the repeaters. I can't understand how that could be true. You all have to understand the preasure that Mike must be under to do all the work all the time.
Mike should welcome help.
 
I also refuse to think that Mike is the kind of man that would encorage someone to make an investment to build or buy ATV equipment, set-up an ATV station, expect them to pay club dues, ask them for donations for repeater improvements, and then leave you without repeater service for months or years. 
 
We should judge Mike by his deeds and actions and not by what people say about him and his ATN repeater network. And you can be assured that I will be right here reporting what is happening.
 
Once again I send this subject back to Don to do with as he wishes as the President of ATN, as well as all it's members.
 
And I want to thank Don for bringing this up during the net. It shows Don is a true leader.
 
See you on ATV,
N6IFU  Bryon Foster
Editor and Publisher of the "ATV Newsletter"

To view past issues of the "ATV Newsletter", click on http://atn-tv.org/atnnews.html
 
Please send this ATV Newsletter to anyone you think would enjoy it.
 
If you would like to subscribe to the ATV Newsletter send me an e-mail with ATV Newsletter in the subject and I will add you to the list.
 
bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
If you are currently receiving the ATV Newsletter and would like it stopped, please send me an e-mail as well.
 
My mailing list will not be shared or sold.

 

ATV Newsletter
October 9, 2007      Circulation 321

 
 
This Week in the News
 
Las Vegas Radio Amateur Club:
In last weeks newsletter I make a mistake when I listed their club web site. The correct web address is www.lvrac.org
I apologize to Frank and all the LVRAC members for the mistake.

 
W6KGE Breaks the Sound Bearer:
Bob (W6KGE) setup his 2.4 GHz station at my QTH last Thur. to do some testing before planning a trip to Oat to service the 2.4 GHz receiver.
 
Bob put up a fantastic picture with 3 watts and also confirmed Mike's suspicions that the audio subcarrier was plugged into the wrong jack on Oat. Bob was able to test 6.0 & 6.5 and he was successful in passing audio along with his picture on the 6.5 subcarrier.
 
Santa Monica on the Air P4:
(KO6E) Merv in Santa Monica got his station on the air with a P4 picture on Saturday around noon. Mike stopped by and adjusted Merv's antennas so they were plum with the horizon and took out his first step amp and drove his 120 watt amp direct. Welcome back Merv.
 
For all that might not know, Merv donated all the money to resurrect Mt. Wilson. Thank you Merv.
 
San Bernardino Microwave Society Meeting:
If you didn't watch the meeting you missed a very interesting two hours chuck full of information presented in a very professional format.
 
Before I describe the meeting I want to thank Gary (W6KVC) for his the time and the use of his equipment to bring the meeting to us. And Gene (K6BNN) assisting Gary.
 
The meeting opened and right after the pledge to allegiance they went right to a Treasures Report, the min's of last months meeting and then new business. All taking about 15 min..
 
Then they passed the microphone to each member to report on the activates each has been involved with during the last month. Which was not boring at all. I didn't make a count of hams at the meeting but it had to be at least 30. This month they also included with their activities the results of the 10 GHz contesting. This lasted about 1 hour.
 
The last 45 min. was a part of the meeting they call "Tech Talk". This is a presentation buy a member of the society pertaining to a microwave. This month was a presentation about a new design for a 24 GHz microwave switch. The switch was designed and manufactured by a member of the SBMS for members use, as well as for sale to the general amateur radio population.
 
I will try to find out what the subject of next months "Tech Talk". Next meeting: Thur. Nov. 1st. And I am sure we will have some viewers on the internet link.
 
ATN Constitution:
Don (KE6BXT) answered the question asked in "Letters to the Editor" about where is the ATN club constitution located in the ATN web site. It is located in with the "Contact us" button or you can click on: Thank you Don.
http://atn-tv.org/atn-ca_constitution-2006.pdf  
 
Ahead of my time or behind:
I have an odd problem with my hotmail account. When I sent out an e-mail msn time stamps it 19 hours into the future. 
 
Example: I send out an e-mail @ 5:45 PM on Sunday it shows up at your address marked "sent" at 12:45 PM on Monday. I will keep trying to fix the problem.
 



 




Repeater Reports:

Oat Mtn.:
Everything is working well on Oat with the exception of the audio subcarrier on the 2.4 GHz receiver is connected to 6.5 instead of the 6.0. The next time Allan (W6IST) goes to the mountain top, he should plan on swapping out that lead.
 
Until the subcarrier is swapped, Barry (N6HOG) won't be able to transmit into Oat and pass audio. That is unless Barry can change his audio subcarrier to 6.5 with ease and switch it back once the changes are made on Oat.
 
Maybe Allan can give us a time frame of when he can make a trip to service Oat and if he needs any volunteers.
 
On Saturday morning there was an outage of some kind on Oat Mtn.. It was off the air when I turned on my station at 10:20 AM. Oat came back on around 11:00 AM. 
 
On Sunday morning (Oct. 7th, today) there is once again an outage of some type. Oat Mtn. is off line and not operational. I contacted W6IST by phone to let him know the situation. Allan informs me that it must be because of the wind. While we were on the phone, Allan told me that he thinks he lost the business card/phone number of the site owner so he wouldn't be unable to confirm a power outage or let the site owner know. I did call Mike WA6SVT and leave a message about the outage. K6LDK Mike called me on 2 meters and asked about the problem. He is a member of the PAPA Group and he was able to confirm that there is a power outage by checking one of their repeaters on Oat Mtn..  Oat Mtn. is still witout power at 6:19 PM.
 
For future referance here are the freq's for the PAPA Group so all the Oat users can check to see if there is a power outage. PAPA 1 repeater is on 446.580- PL 127.3 and PAPA 2 repeater is on 224.400 PL 127.3. Both do not have battery backup. Thank you K6LDK. 

 
Mt. Wilson:
Dave (KA6DPS) normally turns off the link from Wilson because there is something that is keying up the repeater. It causes the Wilson to chatter in and out for long periods of time and if you are monitoring the network it drives you crazy.
 
On Tue. Dave left the link on and we were all able to see the extent of the problem and it is in and out all day long.
 
On Wed. Mike (WA6SVT) was able to track down the problem while he was at work. The power supply was going into automatic shut off and it was backed up by an additional power supply that evening to solve the problem.
 
On Thursday the chattering started again. I sent an e-mail to Mike who was working the night shift on Wilson and he confirmed the chattering and replyed that he went over to the building to insert a 5.8 GHz filter. Mike also said he would make up another filter for 5805 MHz Wilson link RX for the next trip up to Santiago.
 
Last Tue. just before the net John (WB6ATN) was able to get a P1 picture. During the net he was unable to bring it up.
 
Bob (N6AZV) and Gordo (WB6NOA) were able to check-in to the net with P1 picture but I wasn't able to receive audio and Gordo's 2 meter was very hard to copy on Oat Mt.
 
Santiago Peak:
WA6SVT tells me that he thinks that the problem with the preamp is a power lead to the preamp was pulled lose from a screw head and needs to be reconnected. The 434 MHz input has been down since Sept. 14th. As far as I know at the time of publication Santiago's 434 input is still down.
 
Snow Peak:
I didn't think that there was anyone using Snow Peak but I was wrong. There are three. And two are receiving signals and one is going to get a downconverter. Keith N6GKB in Yucca Valley (thats (WB6HYH)Tom's brother). Wayne WA6QMM in Cathedral City. Rich KI6KSB in La Quinta. This information was supplied to me by WA6SVT. Thank you Mike.
 



 





ATV Guide:
 
"ATN Net Night" every Tuesday @ 8:00 PM
Everyone is welcomed.
 
"Coffee Klatch" every Sunday @ 9:00 AM
Everyone is welcomed.
 
"San Bernardino Microwave Society"
Meeting is Thur. Nov. 1st from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Watch and interact with meeting on the ATN repeater network.
Everyone is welcomed
 
"ATN Breakfast"
Sat. Oct. 20th @ 9:30 AM
@ Flo's Airport Cafe
at Chino Airport on Merrill Ave.
Chino, CA
Everyone is welcomed 



 




Letters to the Editor:
Hi Bryon. This is Greg, WA6KNO in Apple Valley. I was reading the newsletters you have sent getting caught up on reading them and was concerned about the need for volunteers to maintain the ATN equipment. I am not specifically qualified to work on repeaters but would like and am willing to volunteer to help out with Blueridge and perhaps Santiago, Snow Peak also. I have mentioned this to Mark W6MAF, but havn't gotten any invites to ride along yet. Part of the problem is work schedules but I am free on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Thanks. Greg  Lets get something going. 

Thank you Greg.

If you have a view point or opinion that you would like to express to the readers, please submit your letters to: bryonfoster@hotmail.com





 





Internet Viewers:
BIG BIG News. The streaming video from Santiago Peak is coming back this week or next.  Viewers outside the Southern California repeater range will once again  be able to watch ATN 24/7.
 
AC6RB George plans on having his link back in operation by the net on Tuesday night this week or next. There is some confusion as to the exact week so keep checking the web site. 
 
The address for the link is www.ac6rb.com once the web site opens click on "ATV" and the cam stream will began to load. If no one is using the repeaters you will see a series of ID screens for W6ATN Santiago that are always displayed. When someone is using the repeaters you will see and hear everything.
 
Below the streaming video there is a chat room you can interact with other viewers in the chat room. When the cam stream is loading you are assigned a name in the chat room--Guest1--Guest2-- and so on. In the lower right hand corner of the chat room is a button you can click on and change your guest name to your call. This makes it easy to see a ham is in the chat room. And each time you log into the streaming video your call will be displayed such as "N6IFU enter the room".
 
During the ATN Net each Tue. at 8:00 pm, I log check-in's from this very chat room and mention your call and comments on the net, such as name and location.
 
There are a large number of Hams that are going to be using George's link and some things can happen that you should know about. If the number of viewers logging on to the web site is very high you might not be able to see the streaming video, but you still maybe able to be in the chat room because of the demands on the web site. I know George had made some changes to his equipment to increase the number of users who could be on the web site at one time. I will try to get that information and pass it along next week.
 
Other chapters of ATN have used this link to rebroadcast our net in their area.
 
It will be nice to see some of the old timers back on the link. 
 
We owe this link all to George AC6RB. Thank you George and welcome back.

Internet viewers: Please e-mail me your comments about the link and plans you have for using it in your area. bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 



 





 
Buy-Sell -Trade:
Here is some of the equipment that (AA9XW) Henry sent (WA6SVT) Mike to sell.
"There are two Microwave Associates agile transmitters. Both are BAS 2 gig with 2 subcarriers. One is self contained 2-3 watt, the other is an exciter with a 12 w amp module that connects via a multi strand cable so it can be remote of the exciter. All are N output. There are also 2 H-P TWT  amps, rated for 20 watts for 2-6 gig, work well on 3.5, 5.5 gig bands and I am told make about 30 watts on 2.4."
Henry a9xw@cs.com  10/02/07
 
Additional info on equipment from WA6SVT: "Microwave Associates 2 CP TX compleate transmitter, It's a portable with handle. Works are in drawers inside the top cover. Has BNC Video in, XLR Audio in, PWR switch, metering switch with meter (PWR out, voltages etc.) "N" output on the back and all other connections front. It's about 6X7 inches and 10" deep. ENG channels 1-7 with freq. switch and frequency offset switch. $75 I think it's a 10 or 12 watt radio."  This Item has been Sold
 
"Same brand as above 2MX  TX Head, designed to mount outside at antenna. No control cable or control head. $50 same power as above."
 
"Two Hughes 1277HO3 TWT instrumentation amplifiers, one manual 4-8 GHz 20 watts 30 db gain $75 each"

 
Anyone looking to buy, sell or trade ham radio/ATV equipment are welcomed to submit your ad for publication. 

 



 
See you on ATV,
N6IFU Bryon Foster
Editor and Publisher of the "ATV Newsletter"
 
To view past issues of the "ATV Newsletter:, click on http://atn-tv.org/atnnews.html
 
Please send send this ATV Newsletter to anyone you think would enjoy it.
 
If you would like to subscribe to the ATV Newsletter send me an e-mail with ATV Newsletter in the subject and I will add you to the list.
 
bryonfoster@hotmail.com
 
If you are currently receiving the newsletter and would like it stopped, please send me an e-mail as well.
 
My Mailing List will not be shared or sold. 

 

ATV Newsletter
Oct. 16, 2007            Circulation 347
Vol. 1, No. 10

 
In This Edition:
*  Santiago Repairs, 434 MHz
*  Simi Valley Police & ATV
*  Volunteers
*  Repeater Reports/Local/Las Vegas
*  New colum, "Repairs Needed"
*  ATV Guide
*  Lighten Mike's work Load, Letters to the Editor 
*  Internet link is back
*  Lots of equipment in Buy-Sell-Trade  
 
This week in the News

Santiago Peak 434 MHz:
WA6SVT repaired the 434 MHz input on Santiago on Wed.. He also installed a PL tone encoder on the output of the 1200 MHz repeater so Dave can duplex with users on Oat Mtn.. Thank you Mike. 
 
There is an added advantage because of the tone encoder. Rod (WB9KMO) in Santa Barbara is able to working to the rest of the Network with audio  
 
Simi Valley Police Dept.:
I was contacted by Greg Riegert (W6GRG), Special Opera