Massasoit Amateur Radio Association
                          Founded January 6, 1962
                                 PO Box 428
                           Bridgewater, MA  02324
                                October  1995


REPEATER UPDATE
by Jay Zappulla, N1FDX

Recently, the MARA repeater has been blamed for generating a spur on
its signal, as well as having a signal walking up and down the 2-Meter
band.   On October 3, Carl, N1FYZ, and I pulled the repeater off the
air and took it to New Hampshire where 'old faithful' Dave Bourque,
WB1FLD, helped us to investigate these allegations, and to cure some
other ongoing problems with the controller interface (i.e., double
audio, no control over the air, no PL option, etc).  The work was done
at Dave's office, with the help of all of the latest gee-whiz
instruments at his disposal.  The controller problems that have
plagued us have been corrected.  It should be noted that the repeater
was pulled off the air on September 29 & 30, because of the
walking-signal accusation.  The interfering signal was still present,
so the repeater was placed back in service on Sunday, Oct 1.

The reverb problem on weak signals has also been eliminated.  The
audio, PL, and over-the-air remote control operation have been
restored.  The output signal was swept with a spectrum analyzer as a
double check for the walking audio and spur problems.  There was
absolutely no evidence of the problems that the MARA repeater has been
accused of, so it looks like we are in good shape.

The repeater is now back to its original program of operation, with
the PL active from midnight till 7:00AM.  The PL can also be enabled
by control operators as needed during the day as well.  You may notice
a bit of difference in the audio.  The double-audio path (reverb) on
distant signals was caused by the Motorola repeater overdriving the
controller.  The audio was reset to a lower level.

The repeater also has the option for battery backup and PL Transmit,
which we are researching.  The backup batteries from the existing
repeater have been removed and are being tested to see if they are
still usable.  If so, we hope to have these features operational soon
for you.


MARA REPEATER HISTORY CAPSULE
by Dave Bourque, WB1FLD
[Editors note; Newer members may not recognize Dave Bourque's call,
WB1FLD.  To give you a bit of history, Dave is now a resident of New
Hampshire.  Until he moved, he was a very active member of MARA,
including being our Repeater trustee for several years.  Dave always
found the time to help out fellow hams, and also helped to maintain
other rerpeaters as well.  Dave has kept a history of the MARA
repeater, and he thought it would make excellent reading for the
members.  We agree.  Thanks, Dave]

April 1973:  Control operator on air and off air testing on the
assigned frequency of 146.250 / 146.850.  Repeater trustee was W1ECK
and the repeater location was Dupont Circle in Brockton.

May 1973:  Assigned new frequency pair because of interference with
Derry, NH repeater.  New frequency is 147.780/147.180.  Still waiting
for repeater license before full time automatic use.

March 1974:  Bought duplexers and installed at repeater location.
Still waiting for repeater license.

April 1974:  Repeater moved to High Street in Bridgewater, MA.

May 1974:  Received repeater license WR1ADF.  Repeater placed into
full time automatic service.

August 1974:  Repeater moved to Great Hill in Bridgewater, MA.

October 1979:  New repeater trustee and callsign change to WA1MRH.

July 1980: New repeater trustee (K1UIW) but no callsign change.
Temporary trustee until a permanent replacement can be found.

August 1980: New repeater trustee and callsign change to AB1C.

May 1981: New repeater trustee and callsign change to W1ECK.  Second
call of duty for W1ECK.

August 1981: New repeater trustee and callsign change to AE1P.

June 1983:  New repeater trustee and callsign change to WB1FLA.

June 1984: New repeater trustee and callsign change to WB1FLD.

Date unknown:  Packet DIGI placed into service on 145.050 under WB1FLD
callsign.  TNC made by GLB.

February 1987:  Requested and received 70cm frequency pair.  Assigned
444.175/449.175 by NESMC.  Placed receiver on location at Great Hill
and connected as an auxiliary input to 147.180 controller.  Inputs on
444.175 would repeat out on 147.180.  Discovered input interference
and requested new frequency pair.  Received new pair of 449.250 /
444.250.  This was a frequency switch with Falmouth (Jim, WA1GPO
trustee).  Tested input on site with receiver provided by Falmouth.
Tests revealed more interference.  Requested and received new
frequency pair.  NESMC assigned 449.550 / 444.550.  Linked input to
147.180 output for experimentation.

Circa September 1988 :  Received donation of UHF repeater from
Plymouth County Communications.  Model make by Standard.

Circa October 1988:  Plymouth County Communications modified UHF
repeater for service in Amateur band as opposed to service in
commercial band.  They had trouble getting spectral purity on
transmitter to get rid of spur on receiver input frequency.

November 1, 1988: New repeater trustee and callsign change to WA1ZUF.
UHF repeater placed into full time service on Great Hill in
Bridgewater, MA.  WA1ZUF loaned (donated?) amplifier for use on UHF
repeater to provide 50 watt output versus 12 watt output of Standard
repeater.  WB1FLD donates GLB TNC for packet digi to club.  Packet
DIGI changes call to WA1ZUF.  To date, packet digi sees little use as
TNC type is now outdated and doesn't support new features and
protocols.

August 1, 1991: New repeater trustee and callsign change to WB1FLD.
Second call of duty for WB1FLD

June 1993: New repeater trustee and callsign change to N1FDX.

October, 1994.  Plymouth County Communications advises MARA that a new
Motorola commercial grade repeater is available at a reduced price.
Its only problem is a cosmetic dent which does not affect performance.
MARA buys the repeater for $1500.  Due to a low Treasury, MARA
assesses a special surcharge for all 1995 members to be able to afford
it.  Can be converted to 2M use with minor modifications.

June 1995: New Motorola repeater placed into service on Great Hill.


SHORT NOTES

This is a good time to say 'thanks' all those who came up on Sunday,
Oct 1, to help to clean up and start the change-over to the new
Repeater shed.  About 15 people showed up to help.  There was a lot of
work to be done, and everyone pitched in a little to help.

Please say 'hello' the next time you hear W1GFB on the repeater, or
see him at a meeting.  Red Malley has generously donated his time as a
licensed electrician to help wire the new Repeater shed and charging
for the supplies he used at cost.  Thank you very much, Red.

We also want to thank Red's nephew Paul Malley, N1TKW who traveled in
from Duxbury, to generously lend MARA his time and professional
talents.  The MARA membership thanks both of you very much for your
efforts on our behalf.

Glenn Howard, K1GVM, was mentioning that the turnout at the September
30 Museum of Antiquated Technology open house was so good that Mark
Vess, curator/owner has given thought to opening the museum to the
public one more time before the end of the year.  Glenn may even try
to interest the local Cable TV company to come down and do a spread on
it.


DEWEY'S NEW DIGS

Dewey Ratliff, N5ZPQ, and XYL Julie Pederson, KB5YTL, are finally
settled in Clifton, Texas.  Dewey didn't let on, but he was going in
for hip surgery on October 3.  Dewey and Julie weren't with us that
long, but they made many long-lasting friends in the MARA Club.

As of this writing, we have not heard anything regarding his
condition.  Dewey keeps in close contact with Gil, WA1GDJ, so Gil may
be the best resource for news about how Dewey is settling in, and how
his operation is going.

Dewey asked Gil to pass along his address, so drop a line and a
get-well card to him via packet (N5ZPQ@WA5ZAI.#CENTX.TX.USA.NA), snail
mail (RT. 2 Box 81, Clifton,TX  76634), or EMAIL: (gdratliff
@aol.com).  Get well fast, Dewey!!


SECRETARY'S NOTES
Opening balance $1298   Closing balance $1085
Jay, N1FDX,  talked about the repeater and the forthcoming workparty
to rebuild the repeater site.  He also noted that a used repeater
controller was offered to us for $500 for the 440 repeater, but the
club declined it.
Carl talked about First Night and EOC drills.  He and N1EDM had
attended a drill on the 14th for EOC, and the next upcoming drill on
October 11.
Bob McGuire reminded everyone (via N1EDM) about JOTA.
Steve Meuse, N1JFU,  talked about the BBS and how well it is running.
He and Mark, N1NLR , also let on that a user can get on Internet
directly from Brockton now, instead of via AOL, etc for only $29/MO,
pluse a one-time $20 setup fee.
Bruce Beaman, K1HTN, talked about ARRL '/126' event.  Bruce made a
total of 155 '/126' contacts, and 258 contacts overall.  He worked 40
states and 5  countries.
Larry Houbres, AA1JF, won the 50-50 raffle.
Glenn Howard, K1GVM, brought in a tape of his EME contacts for a
demonstration.  Glenn also mentioned that there would be a parade in
Hanson, and that the Museum of Antiquated Technology would be opened
for the last time this season on September 30.
Gary DeCoster, WA1CIM, advised MARA that the Bridgewater YMCA would be
putting on a 5K road race on October 28.  He asked for, and received,
several volunteers to help with communications.  He would appreciate
it if a few members would also volunteer, if possible.


BBS to Get New Home!!  Steve, N1JFU plans to relocate the BBS to the
"hill" in the near future..This will provide greater coverage..Thanks
to all who work behind the scenes to make MARA a great club.


NEW SOFTWARE UPLOADS
The following ham-related software has been uploaded to HAM SHACK and
SANCTUARY for club use.

UNINSTAL.ZIP uninstalls WINDOWS-based programs including their
reference in SYSTEM and WIN.INI files
BD_MAKER.ZIP  Boot Disk Maker.  Makes customized boot-disks for
memory-hungry programs that need all the ram possible in your PC.
PROD_REV.ZIP is a listing of QST Product Reviews over the period of
several years.  Great reference.
WXMAN2.ZIP  Use WEFAX Files via your PC's Sound-Blaster board
AM_SHARE.ZIP  Zipped catalog of American Shareware. Over 1000 titles
of all types.  $3/disk.  Based in Mansfield, you can order via phone
up till Saturday night and pick up the programs at the Raynham Flea
Market without paying S+H, or have them shipped for a nominal S+H fee.

BBS_ARRL.ZIP  A complete listing of all files at the ARRL BBS as of
8-24-95.
VSWR-M.ZIP  A Windows-based SWR calculation program. See QST, Oct
1995, pg 62.


TOO MUCH TREK - TOP TEN LIST
[We found this on packet]
AC5DK@WA8ZWJ.#DAY.OH.USA.NOAM (Courtesy of the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette)

Top 10 signs you're watching too much "Star Trek" or its spin-offs:
10.     Whenever you start your car, you say, "Engage!"
 9.     Your ears are growing points.
 8.     You lapse into a horrible Scottish accent when near any energy
source.
 7.     You only get the urge to mate every seven years.
 6.     You're constantly doing self-diagnostics to make sure you're
"fully functional".
 5.     You try to pay rent with gold-pressed latinum.
 4.     You start thinking William Shatner is a good actor.
 3.     You're positive Ross Perot is secretly a Ferengi with a good
plastic surgeon.
 2.     You try to turn your doctor off when you don't like his
diagnosis.
 1.     No one has to explain anything on this list to you.


MAYFLOWER FLEA MARKET

The Mayflower Amateur Radio Club is holding a Flea Market October 28,
at the Plymouth Memorial Hall Building, located on Route 3A in
downtown Plymouth, MA.  Hours are 9am-3pm with seller setup at 8am.
Admission is $2, under 12 are admitted free.  Seller tables are $12
each in advance and $14 each at the door if available.  For more
information, call Jon WS1K (508)746-0162 (days)  or Jim NM1F
(508)747-2224 (days or evenings).


FCC NOTIFICATIONS BEGINS
ARRL Bulletin ARLB087

The FCC has begun mailing notices of upcoming amateur license
expirations.  Those amateurs whose licenses would expire in December
1995 are being sent, by first class mail, a computer-generated Form
610-R ''short form.''  The Commission's Gettysburg facility expects to
mail more than 5000 such notices this week, covering expirations from
December 1 to December 20, 1995.

The new Form 610-R may be signed, dated, and returned to the FCC to
renew the license, provided that no changes (such as address) are
needed.  It will be permissible to correct misspelled words.  For
other changes along with renewal, it will be necessary to file a
regular FCC Form 610.

For some time the ARRL has been sending license expiration notices as
a free membership service.  That service will be discontinued once the
new FCC program is established.  There is no monetary fee for an
amateur license renewal.


SUNSPOT HINTS NEW CYCLE
ARRL Bulletin ARLX046

Astronomers at the California Institute of Technology say they have
identified the first new sunspot in the next sunspot cycle.  Scientist
at Caltech's Big Bear Solar Observatory in Big Bear City, CA,
photographed the spot on August 12.

''This makes us happy,'' said Hal Zirin, Professor of Astrophysics at
Cal Tech and director of the Big Bear facility.  ''The sun is a lot
more interesting to study when things are going on.''

Early in the 11-year sunspot cycle, sunspots appear rarely and at
relatively high solar latitudes, around 30 to 35 degrees, then
increase in frequency and appear at lower latitudes until they reach
Sunspot Maximum, CalTech said.  After this peak in activity, the
number of sunspots slowly declines and they appear ever closer to the
sun's equator until they reach a relatively quiet phase called sunspot
minimum.

The sun has been in a quiet period through much of 1994 and this year,
with a few spots showing up near the equator.  The new sunspot found
on August 12 appeared at a solar latitude of 21 degrees, and its
magnetic polarity is opposite to that seen over the last decade.  A
key to identifying it as ''the manifestation'' of the start of a new
cycle, CalTech said.


Electromagnetic Fields and Your Health
Part 2 of 2


There appear to be other variables that affect the outcome of research
on the biological effects of EMFs.       For example, there is
evidence that low-level EMFs have significant biological effects only
at certain frequencies and intensities and not at other frequencies or
intensities.  There is a general rule about toxic and cancer causing
chemicals: If some is bad, more is worse.  That rule may not
necessarily apply to EMFs, however:  Some studies have detected
biological effects of low-level EMFs--but not when the field is
stronger.

There are also studies showing health effects at certain frequencies
but not at adjacent frequencies. And there are studies suggesting that
a radio signal modulated by certain low frequencies, or a signal that
is keyed or pulsed, has more harmful effects than an unmodulated,
steady carrier. Scientists call these kinds of phenomena window
effects, and they greatly complicate any attempt to understand the
relationship between EMFs and health.       There is an unfortunate
footnote to this research on window effects: Much research seems to
indicate that there is a window at 50 or 60 Hz--the exact frequency of
the electric energy traveling through millions of miles of in- home
wiring in the US and many other countries: EMFs at higher and lower
frequencies may not have the same health effects as 60-Hz fields. And
yet, the financial and technical obstacles that would stand in the way
of changing the frequency of ordinary household ac current--should
that prove to be desirable--are staggering.

Safe Operating Practices       After reading this far, if you are
uncertain about the possible health effects of EMFs, you're not alone:
The scientific community itself does not agree about this issue. In
fact, medical doctors, biologists, physicists and other scientific
researchers are engaged in an intense, sometimes- emotional debate
about the health effects of EMFs. There is a computer bulletin board
system for scientists concerned about this issue; messages posted
there range from esoteric discussions of these complex issues to
personal attacks on some scientists who espouse views not shared by
others!       If the experts don't always agree, how can the rest of
us know what is safe and what isn't?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private body that
sets voluntary standards for industry, has had guidelines for exposure
to EMFs for many years. In fact, the ANSI guidelines have been revised
downward repeatedly to reduce the recommended safe levels of EMF
exposure.       ANSI adopted its latest guidelines in 1992, but many
health scientists have questioned whether even the newest guidelines
are adequate to protect public health. Recently, the Environmental
Protection Agency publicly questioned the adequacy of the 1992 ANSI
standards in an official statement to the Federal Communications
Commission.       Some scientists challenge the newest ANSI standard
on several grounds. For one thing, it's primarily intended to prevent
exposure to EMFs strong enough to cause thermal effects, not exposure
to weaker EMFs that may cause athermal effects. Nor does the ANSI
standard take into account the effects of modulation. And the ANSI
standard applies only to RF energy, not to low-frequency EMFs that are
so central to public debate these days.       There is no generally
accepted standard in America for exposure to the low-frequency fields
produced by power lines or home appliances. And in general, there is
considerable uncertainty about what level of electromagnetic energy
should be considered safe.       Another problem is that RF fields are
difficult to measure. The price of a professional quality RF power
density meter runs well into four figures, and low-cost meters for
home use are often grossly inaccurate. Even the best meters may not be
accurate in the near field, the area close to an antenna where the
potential for hazardous RF energy levels is greatest.

Field strengths can be calculated using mathematical formulas, but
that, too, fails to take into account the random hot spots that often
exist in the near field. Fortunately, the low-frequency fields from
power lines and appliances are easier to measure than RF power
densities.       If there is no consensus about safe energy levels,
and if EMFs are difficult to measure, what can we do to minimize the
potential health hazards of EMFs?       Several years ago, Professor
M. Granger Morgan of Carnegie Mellon University offered a simple
proposal: practice prudent avoidance. Dr Morgan said we should avoid
unnecessary exposure to EMFs as a common-sense response to
potential--but not yet proven--health hazards. He didn't suggest that
we all abandon our electric appliances and go off to live in the woods
in cabins without electricity, but he did suggest that we minimize
exposure to EMFs when it's practical to do so.       He said, in
essence, to avoid electromagnetic fields strong enough that they may
have adverse health effects. The League has adopted Dr Morgan's
approach: The RF safety sections of major ARRL publications urge radio
amateurs to practice prudent avoidance wherever possible.

Which amateur operating practices are clearly safe, and which ones
might be hazardous? Here are some suggestions based on guidelines
developed by the League's Bio-Effects Committee:       * Transmitting
antennas should be mounted well away from living areas. If medium or
high transmitter power (100 watts or more) is to be used, antennas
should be mounted on a mast or tower at least 35 feet above any
populated area if possible. The FCC/EPA study indicated that with an
antenna that high, there is little RF energy where people are.
Because feed lines can radiate in some cases, when installing
open-wire line (or even coaxial cable if the SWR on the line is high),
it's best to route it away from areas where people will be spending a
lot of time.       * When using a ground-mounted or mobile antenna, be
careful not to transmit when anyone is near the antenna. A good rule
of thumb is to avoid transmitting when anyone is within three feet of
a car-mounted 2-meter FM whip if you're using a typical 25-watt
transceiver. With a 100-watt amplifier, don't transmit when anyone is
within five or six feet of a whip antenna. If you're using a beam
antenna and 100 watts or more, follow the 35-foot rule: Don't transmit
when anyone is within 35 feet of the front of the antenna (the
direction where the antenna is pointed). It may be safe to transmit
when people are a little closer to the antenna if everyone is below it
or behind it, not in front of it.       * Exercise particular care
when using indoor antennas, including those mounted in attics, because
in some situations they can generate substantial RF fields. As much as
possible, try to locate indoor antennas as far from people as
possible. Use low power (10 watts output or less), and keep your
transmissions short when someone might be near the antenna.       *
Never use a power amplifier that has its metal cover removed. The
cover provides shielding, keeping the RF energy inside the unit--not
out in the room.

If you're going to experiment with UHF or microwave equipment, or do
moonbounce communications, discuss your installation with experienced
operators before getting on the air. UHF and microwave antennas and
waveguides--as well as high-gain moonbounce antennas--may produce
hazardous levels of RF energy and must be installed carefully so that
no person is in the line of fire. Never look into an activated
waveguide or stand in front of a high-gain VHF-UHF antenna when the
transmitter is on.       * When using a hand-held transceiver, use the
lowest power possible and keep the antenna as far from your head as
possible. Within the scientific community, there is disagreement about
the safety of "handy talkies." Most hand- helds have been exempt from
the ANSI standard because their power output is too low to produce
significant whole-body heating. However, there is growing evidence
that even one- or two-watt hand-held radios may produce significant
EMFs within the user's head, with possible health effects that are not
yet fully understood. (The potential for a health hazard is greatly
reduced when a hand-held radio is used in its low-power position, with
only a fraction of a watt of output power.)       *
Be aware that low-frequency fields exist in your home. If possible,
avoid being within 24 inches of any electric motor or power
transformer while it is turned on. Hair dryers, ac-operated hand
drills and other electric devices that are held close to the body when
in use often expose users to stronger EMFs than those produced by
Amateur Radio equipment. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to stay about
24 inches away from the fans and power transformers found in
high-power amplifiers and 12-volt power supplies, for example.
Further Information       The issue of electromagnetic fields and
health is as complex as it is controversial. It isn't possible to
cover this topic fully in a short article such as this one. A more
detailed and technically-oriented treatment of the subject appears in
the "RF safety" sections of current editions of The ARRL Handbook and
The ARRL Antenna Book. The bibliography there lists some of the major
scientific works in this field.  Wayne Overbeck, N6NB, holds PhD and
JD degrees and is a Professor of Communications at California State
University, Fullerton. He is a member of the ARRL Bio-Effects
Committee, and first became interested in this subject because his own
operating activities--VHF DXing and contesting with high power
portable stations on mountaintops--require special precautions to
minimize EMF exposure.
Captions for Overbeck's Bioeffects article: go together  with photos,
(not shown) This 3-element 6-meter beam is only a few feet above
N6NB's second-story hamshack. When the antenna is pointed toward the
operating position, fields in excess of ANSI standards were measured
in the shack on a laboratory-grade hazard monitor.  The transmitter
power output was set to 900 watts.    Dr Robert Cleveland (FCC) and Ed
Mantiply (EPA) measure RF fields generated by a hidden wire antenna at
a condominium complex.  When local restrictions force hams to use
indoor or hidden antennas, extra safety measures should be taken.
Many home appliances produce strong low-frequency electromagnetic
fields. The 60-Hz field generated by a hand drill, for example, is in
excess of 1200 milliGauss. In contrast, the field 12 inches in front
of the 1-kW Amateur Radio amplifier is about 10 mG. The main sources
of 60-Hz fields in ham gear are power transformers and cooling fans.



Classified Ads

TOWER 68 ft HEAVY STEEL 3 sections.
Ready for transport  Call Rick, N1MJT eves
at 617-294 8990 [Note:  You will need a flatbed to transport this
tower, and a crane to erect it.  The sections weigh 600 lb. each.]

TOWER  50 ft. Free standing,  needs some hardware readily available
$250  Call Leo, WB1EZC at 617-986-6061.

LIST WANTS AND SALES  The Waltham repeater, 146.64 hosts a swap net on
Wednesday eves at 9:00PM.  Here you can list your sales and wants.


NEW "TECH" NET ON 440

The Bridgewater UHF machine is the scene of a Sunday night net hosted
by Steve, N1JFU.  This is more of a round table rather than a formal
net, and anything technical can be discussed.  SEE you there, Sunday
night at 8:00PM on 444.550.