March/April 2000
Red Cross Offers New Site
A representative of the American Red Cross offered the DRAC an opportunity To use their planned new facility for amateur radio activities as part of An expanded relationship between the Red Cross and ham radio as a whole.
Gary Shivers, of the American Red Cross, spoke at Monday's (March 20) Regular meeting of the Davenport Radio Amateur Club. Shivers told the group that his organization was in the process of constructing a new local Headquarters on Moline's River Drive (near the MARK and John Deere Commons) and that the club would be welcomed there to use the facility as a meeting place and possibly install a club station.
"We are excited about our new building," said Shivers, who described a Two-story, 14-thousand square foot facility with classrooms/meeting rooms that could accommodate 100 people. The facility is expected to be completed in about a year.
"We want a good working relationship between ham radio and the American Red
Cross," said Shivers.
He said that radio amateurs are vital in providing health and welfare messages in times of need. He hopes that more may eventually volunteer to be shelter managers or assist on damage assessment teams. Shivers said that the Red Cross would also be willing to provide CPR and First Aid classes to the club.
A club station is also being considered which would be in a secured, yet accessible location of the building. Antenna considerations would still have to be worked out.
The proposal will be further discussed at future meetings.
A signup sheet was passed around at the last club meeting and there is so interest in Red Cross training. They offer courses in damage assessment, cpr, first aid among others. If you are interested in any classes let me know and we will attempt to get some training scheduled. Bill WB0BBM
You can contact me at wb0bbm@arrl.net
Capacitor
I hope you like this. It's compliments of Jim Tromly WB9LNU. I have permission for us to run some more of his fun little tidbits.
The capacitor is a device for storing energy. The beginning was in the year 1746 at a place called Leyden, Holland where a physicist named Pieter van Musschenbrock was performing some experiments in an attempt to "electrify" water. Bear in mind that the year 1746 was in the early dawn of the electrical age. Ben Franklin hadn't even gotten around to flying his famous kite yet. (That happened in 1752.) Pieter van Musschenbrock had a number of crude batteries, a variety of glass jars, and some thin copper foil. He lined a very thin glass jar inside and out with the copper foil. He then filled the jar with water and placed it inside a larger jar, which was also filled with water. He attached the batteries to the foils and nothing happened. Pieter naturally assumed that his experiment to electrify water was unsuccessful, so he emptied the jars of water and disconnected the batteries, in the process he accidentally touched the leads connected to the foils and got the shock of his life. This must have been quite a surprise to him since the batteries were no longer connected to the jar. The question was, where did all this electrical energy come from?
Today we know that Pieter van Musschenbrock had by accident discovered the capacitor. It is interesting to note that present day laboratories use a capacitor almost identical to Pieter's original as a standard. It is even called the Leyden jar, in honor of its place of discovery. It is unfortunate that Herr van Musschenbrock's name wasn't a little bit shorter and easier to spell, because he gets very little credit for his discovery. Although Pieter van Musschenbrock discovered the capacitor, another noted scientist's name is more commonly used in connection with the device, Michael Faraday. Faraday developed the method used to measure capacitance. The basic unit of capacitance is named after him - the Farad.
For all of you new to electrical experimentation please note that experimenting with capacitors such as Pieter did, can give you a nasty, even fatal, shock.
Submitted by: Dave Springer, N0TXJ
Dayton ‘00
This year's trek to the Dayton Hamvention (May 18-19-20-21) is drawing a bit nearer all the time. We are down to just under the last 30 days and counting. Drivers this year include Les Conrad (NO9X), Dave Mayfield (W9WRL), Leo Williams (K9MVJ), Todd James (KB0EOU), Dick Sheets (N9WFO), and Phil Mc Millan (K9ZK). Of course for the rest of us, this means we split the gas bill but its still cheap transportation. Luggage should be kept to a minimum. Everyone should know who their respective driver is and arrive plenty early for departure. The tickets have been ordered (9) and received for those in the group who need them.
It should be understood that we are traveling as a group but not attached at the hip. There are
many fine eating establishments in the Dayton area and we have researched many over the years. Some have favorites while others move on to new horizons. The same with traveling over to the Hamvention. One can go with the group or travel alone. Below are the agendas traveling in two different directions. If you are traveling with a particular group, let them know ahead of time.
Same routes from previous years, with part of the group traveling down I-74 and part on I-80.
Les (NO9X) & Mary (KA9WAG) Conrad will be leaving their QTH, Lynn Center at 0530 hours, meeting up with Ken (W9KM) & Marge (K9JOG) Mudd and Luckie (KA9RQC) & XYL - Sandy Hughes in Galesburg. They will be communicating on 147.695 simplex.
Craig Jorgensen (WB0OLX) will be riding shotgun with K9ZK, leaving from the Geneseo area at 0600 hours. On May 18th, those traveling with us should be at the Deck Restaurant & Truck
Stop, I-80, Exit #19, prior to that time departing for the 420-mile trek to Dayton, Ohio.
New this year and never has been there before, is Ed Davis (KA9KCK). Ed will be leaving a day or two early visiting relatives in the Ohio area and vicinity of Dayton. He has one of last year's handbooks with a map and in particular the Hara Arena Cafeteria where part of the group hold a table. Vern Petersen (W0OJD) usually can be found there.
After approximately a 100-minute trip east on I-80, we will rendezvous with Jim Bolerjack
(KB9NUV) and Bob Bencik at Joliet, Exit# 131. Once underway down I-65, one stop will be
made at Crown Point, In, Exit# 247, for a short visit with K9ZK's long time friend W9CNY, Lew Coe. All other pit stops will depend on ground speed, fuel leakage, wind shear, and bladder control.
The group traveling I-74 upon entering Indiana, should take the Crawfordsville Exit #39, then
travel east on State Route 32 for approximately 17 miles to Lebanon, I-65, and Exit # 140. We will
regroup about 1030 hours and continue on to Indianapolis.
We will continue communicating on 147.695 MHZ simplex. Although one time there was a
conflict with a repeater in the Indianapolis area at which time we switched over to 144.340
simplex.
Lunch will be in the late forenoon at Bob Evans Farm, Indianapolis, In., so that Vern can visit his friend Elvin Cunningham from WW II days. Arrival at the Super 8 in Moraine, Oh. approximately 1445 hours. Due to the many reservation problems over the years with the Best Western Motel on North Dixie, we are now staying just seven miles south at the new place this year.
Dave (K9FHX) offers the following about the new Super 8 Motel location. On a rating of 10, I
would give this place a 6/7 with no complaints. Aaron and I where both happy with last years stay. We had one minor problem and they fixed it right away. It's next door to a good restaurant that is open for breakfast and supper. There is a Liq/Deli next door to the restaurant. The location is good and is less than a ½ block from the interstate. The rooms all open to the out side and parking was good. Of course not many speak English but who does. Every thing was clean and in good repair.
All day Friday and Saturday will be Hamvention time with a departure both mornings at 0710 hours. This will give us time for parking and beating the traffic problems. Due to the size of the Hamvention, in past years we have selected VHF and UHF radio frequencies with which to communicate to each other. With more than 40,000 attendees, there is a lot of RF going around there during the three-day period, and frequencies are at a premium..This year our VHF frequency will be 147.770, UHF 444.770, both simplex-using tones of 156.7.
In case any of the group make a return to the Hamvention on Sunday morning for those last minute bargains, we will be departing for home at approximately 1000 hours (Dayton is on Eastern Time), and should be arriving in the Q.C. area at about 1600 hours local time.
Vern Petersen (W0OJD) is the trip historian and will be once again asking for times and mileage. We all should have a grand time as usual and hope for pleasant weather.
Next year 2001, will be the 50th Anniversary of the Dayton Hamvention first started in 1951. We don't think it was as large as today in the beginning and probably not held at the Hara Arena.
We reserved plenty of rooms upon leaving last year. If you are unsure about going next year, rent a room upon arrival for Hamvention '00, just in case we run short as we did this year. Your confirmations have been checked and numbers confirmed. It will be here and gone before we know it.
Phil (K9ZK) Cruise Director
Editor:
Kent Williams
4245 - 10th Street
East Moline, Illinois 61244-4154
