S.O.A.R. President discusses amateur radio and YL issues with ARRL President
Elizabeth Bigley-KD7RIN, John Bigley-N7UR, Kay Craigie-N3KN
SOAR President Elizabeth Bigley recently had an opportunity to discuss amateur radio with the President of the American Radio Relay League.
Elizabeth attended the National Convention of the ARRL June 10th-11th in Plano, Texas where she was able to chat with President Craigie.
In addition to the League President, Elizabeth spoke with most of the Officers and Directors of the ARRL. During these discussions she was able to share some of the insight she has from the YL community.
S.O.A.R. meets R.O.D.E.
RODE members present John-N7UR with an autographed poster
Before flying to the National Convention of the ARRL. SOAR President Elizabeth Bigley flew to Fajardo, Puerto Rico to attend the June 4th monthly meeting of R.O.D. E. Radio Operadores Del Este (Radio Operators of the East). Radio club meetings in Puerto Rico are called "Reunions".
Fajardo is a seaport town on the eastern side of the island, where the Atlantic Ocean joins the Carribean. The meeting began around 5:30 PM and lasted until after mid-night....primarily due to the large exchange of ham stories and information between the club members and their visitors from " the states".
Puerto Rican hams are known as some of the best operators in the world. RODE is a very active group, sponsoring several Special Event stations each year, active during all major contests, they activate lighthouse during Lighthouse Weekend, and they operate heavily during Field Day. This year they are operating Field Day from the closed Roosevelt Roads Naval Station.
Many people are unaware that Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States. Puerto Rico became a U.S. Territory in 1898 during th Spanish-American war when Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States. Puerto Rico had been a Spanish colony since 1493 when Columbus first arrived. In 1917 Puerto Ricans received U.S. citizenship. The Amateur Radio Service in Puerto Rico is overseen by the FCC. Exams are given both in English and in Spanish.
Charter Member Libbie Bussen Passes Away
Elizabeth "Libbie" Swan Bussen, a Charter Member of SOAR passed away in Las Vegas on December 27, 2010 at the age of 61, of an unknown illness. Libbie was born at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California on August 9, 1949. She was raised in South Pasadena, attending schools there, graduating from South Pasadena High School in 1967 and continuing her education at Pasadena City College.
Libbie was the XYL of Ronald "Butch" Bussen-W0VJR. Butch and Libbie were married ten years, having wed August 12, 2000 at St. James Episcopal Church in Pasedena where Libbie had been a member for 50 years.
Libbie was an avid and extensive traveler, particularly fond of London and Paris. Libbie's husband Butch has been totally blind since birth and Libbie's sister Molly often accompanied her on these journeys.
During her working career Libbie served as Administrative Assistant at Boller and Chivens, Inc. in South Pasadena, Pasadena City College, Huntington Memorial Hospital, and San Gabriel Valley Medical Center. She was active for several years in the family business, Swan Stationers in South Pasadena.
Following their marriage Libbie and Butch moved to Las Vegas where she was employed by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation until the time of her passing.
Libbie's mother Marilyn Swan preceeded her in death. Surviving family members include her husband Butch, her father Fletcher, and her sister Molly.
Services were held for Libbbie at Grace in the Desert Episcopal Church in Las Vegas. Libbie's remains were interred in the Bussen Family Cemetery in Wallace, Kansas
Libbie was the XYL of Ronald "Butch" Bussen-W0VJR. Butch and Libbie were married ten years, having wed August 12, 2000 at St. James Episcopal Church in Pasedena where Libbie had been a member for 50 years.
Libbie was an avid and extensive traveler, particularly fond of London and Paris. Libbie's husband Butch has been totally blind since birth and Libbie's sister Molly often accompanied her on these journeys.
During her working career Libbie served as Administrative Assistant at Boller and Chivens, Inc. in South Pasadena, Pasadena City College, Huntington Memorial Hospital, and San Gabriel Valley Medical Center. She was active for several years in the family business, Swan Stationers in South Pasadena.
Following their marriage Libbie and Butch moved to Las Vegas where she was employed by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation until the time of her passing.
Libbie's mother Marilyn Swan preceeded her in death. Surviving family members include her husband Butch, her father Fletcher, and her sister Molly.
Services were held for Libbbie at Grace in the Desert Episcopal Church in Las Vegas. Libbie's remains were interred in the Bussen Family Cemetery in Wallace, Kansas
S.O.A.R. is ready to build once again
KD7RIN bakes up her first radio from scratch.
We girls from SOAR already have one building project chalked up on the board and we are heading toward another. We are going to be building Five-Band Shortwave Receivers.
We learned a bit about soldering terminals to antennas and about soldering half inch copper pipe when we built our Cactus J-Pole antennas. Now we are going to learn how to assemble and build real working radios!
KD7RIN recently built one of these radios at the ARRL National Convention and was thrilled when she turned it on and instantly was able to hear music and a foreign broadcast in Chinese.
It took a bit of arm-twisting from SOARS resident "Elmer", her OM John, to get Liz to agree in trying her hand at the project. But after only a few minutes of construction the fun kicked in and Liz was off and running on her own (sent John off to the seminars). Four hours later the Engineers from the ARRL Testing Labrotory put Liz's radio through it's paces on their lab gear and pronounced that the baby was healthy!
At Field Day, Liz showed the SOAR ladies the radio she built and they instantly wanted to build their own. So parts are now being secured. We will be scheduling a series of build-it parties for this project, as we will be building these radios entirely from scratch, including making our own printed circuit boards.
In "Ham Speak" this is called "Rolling Your Own." How come the male hams never told us about how much fun building stuff is?
We learned a bit about soldering terminals to antennas and about soldering half inch copper pipe when we built our Cactus J-Pole antennas. Now we are going to learn how to assemble and build real working radios!
KD7RIN recently built one of these radios at the ARRL National Convention and was thrilled when she turned it on and instantly was able to hear music and a foreign broadcast in Chinese.
It took a bit of arm-twisting from SOARS resident "Elmer", her OM John, to get Liz to agree in trying her hand at the project. But after only a few minutes of construction the fun kicked in and Liz was off and running on her own (sent John off to the seminars). Four hours later the Engineers from the ARRL Testing Labrotory put Liz's radio through it's paces on their lab gear and pronounced that the baby was healthy!
At Field Day, Liz showed the SOAR ladies the radio she built and they instantly wanted to build their own. So parts are now being secured. We will be scheduling a series of build-it parties for this project, as we will be building these radios entirely from scratch, including making our own printed circuit boards.
In "Ham Speak" this is called "Rolling Your Own." How come the male hams never told us about how much fun building stuff is?
Silver State Classic Challenge
Speaking of fun things to do. How about a weekend trip to Ely, Nevada? Ely is a mining town 250 miles north of Las Vegas which has become a tourist destination. The Great Basin National Park is located just outside Ely. Many other tourist attractions are in Ely, among them the Nevada Northern Railway.
The NNry is an historical operating railroad museum, featuring round-trip excursions on Steam locomotive #93 The Famous "Ghost Train", Steam locomotive #40, or diesel engines #105 and #109.
Want to try your hand at finding precious jewels? Head out to Garnet Hill and give it a try. Maybe you would like to see how charcoal was made. then visit the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historical Park and view the six 35-foot tall beehive brick ovens.
Museums? White Pine Public Museum, East Ely Depot Railroad Museum, McGill Drug Store Museum , and the White River Valley Museum offer a diverse choice of exhibits. Ely is also Pony Express territory.
Yes there is plenty to see and do around Ely. But the event that Ely is world famous for is the twice yearly running of the Silver State Classic Challenge open road race. This is the fastest highway race in the world as certified by the Guiness Book of World Records.
The State of Nevada closes down more than 100 miles of highway 318 thru White Pine, Nye, and Lincoln counties to permit the operation of these events....provided.....and only if........Amateur radio operators watch over and guard these drivers for every inch of this highway!
So here is your chance to have a great fun filled weekend.....almost free. The Silver State Challenge provides hotel rooms at the historic Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall for amateur radio operators volunteering for the event. They also re-imburse you for your gasoline expense incurred travelling to and from Ely. Plus they even feed you a bit. Amateur radio operators are the guests of the SSCC at their Media Luncheon held at Sams Town in Las Vegas on Thursday as the week-end kicks off. They also have a reception at the Postal Palace in Ely Thursday evening which hams are invited to attend at no charge.
Friday morning is the half-mile "High Noon Shootout" event which hams may attend. Friday afternoon the cars parade down the main street of Ely..hams are invited to ride along. There is another reception at the Bristlecone Convention Center immediately following the parada..once again hams are invited, free of charge to enjoy the food and beverage....don't worry about being alone....plenty of other hams will be in attendance.
Saturday morning there is a Pancake Breakfast in the BroadbentPark presented by either the Ely Little League or the Lions Club. There is a $5.00 cost for this event as it is a fundraiser for these groups.... but...more often than not, there will be drivers or other folks with extra tickets to give away, as they usually by several more than they need to support the fundraiser.
Following the breakfast there is a car show in the park. Here you can see the cars up close, talk with the drivers and navigators, and frequently get to meet celebrities who have entered the race. John Schneider "Bo Duke" from the Dukes of Hazzards is a frequent driver. The 1 mile running of the "High Noon Shootout" takes place on Saturday. Ham operators who have volunteered for the race will attend a one hour briefing at the convention center at noon on Saturday.
Sunday is the main event, the day the cars race from Lund to Hiko, Nevada. News media from around the world will be on hand to record the stories of their favorite racer. The only thing you won't see at this race is spectators. The Nevada Department of Transportation only permits ham operators, course workers, police, fire, and EMS personel on Highway 318 the day of the race.
So if you would like to explore at true western town, get a bit of free grub, a place to bunk down, and some go juice for your Mustang....and to see some really sharp cars....going twice the speed of a NASCAR..down an open highway full of elk, coyotes, cows,.....twisting thru a narrow river gorge...before rocketing to the finish line then sign up for the next race the third weekend in September. Visit www.sscc.us for more information or Contact Tim Duerson-W9AYK 702-306-2622 w9ayk@cox.net
Check out all the videos of the race and parade on YouTube.