THE FIRST CLASS C.W.

OPERATORS CLUB
Editor: G4BUE

NEWS SHEET 560

June - 10m until 15 VQ9DX by AA5DX 1/9 SV8/G3SWH 4 Deadline for June News Sheet 27 Deadline for July News Sheet 28 Deadline for FOCUS 27 28/1 July GJ3RTE/P and GJ3SWH/P 29 Northern Get-Together July - 12m 10/16 WRTC-96 10/25 Aug OX/G3WUX/P 26/9 Aug K7UOT visiting UK 29 Deadline for August News Sheet August - 17m 25 Deadline for FOCUS 28

June 1996

BAND OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE IS 10 METRES

Friends June and I arrived home on the 4th June after a really super holiday in the USA, hence this News Sheet being a little late. The July News Sheet will be back on schedule as per the deadline shown in the FOC Calendar opposite. On behalf of all members, wives and guests who attended the Washington DC Dinner, a big thank you to Jim, N3JT, and his team. Once again they did a superb job of giving us a weekend to remember, along with Somporn and Fred, K3ZO, and Phyll and Frank, W3LPL, who opened their houses to us on the Sunday. If you have heard rumours of changes for the 1997 North American Weekend, this is because the new hotel management in Washington DC want to increase prices quite considerably, and Jim and the committee are looking at other options. We wish them luck and will publish information about the 1997 weekend in due course. The change of date to May for the Dayton Hamvention paid off in terms of better weather. There were complaints of sunburn in the flea market as opposed to being wet and cold in previous years! I lost count of the members I met there but it seemed higher this year despite the overall attendance appearing to be lower. Our thanks to Mike, K8NW, for organising the FOC Breakfast on the Sunday morning. We had a lot of fun at the N4AR Sunday afternoon barbecue with K4EF, K4FU, N4WJ and others, along with temporary residents GM3POI, G4BUO, G3RXP and G3PDH and their wives. Our thanks to Betty and Bill once again. Finally a personal thanks to Laura and Mark, WB4CSK, and everyone in Fayetteville, TN for making us feel like two celebrities, complete with TV and radio appearances! We discovered that Mark has many other talents in addition to sending good code.

A man should keep his friendship in constant repair - Samuel Johnson (1755).

FOC CALENDAR

28 Deadline for September N/Sheet September - 30m 26 Deadline for October News Sheet October 4 Open House at Alamosa 5 Annual Dinner at Lords 6 Open House at Wychwood 28 Deadline for November N/Sheet November 25 Deadline for FOCUS 29 27 Deadline for December N/Sheet December 7 7th Florida Dinner 7 Pump Handle Party 29 Deadline for January N/Sheet

Starred List

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION by G3MXJ

Amendments
G3HCT (924): resigned. G3VTT (1342): change telephone - 01634 230860. VK8AV (1526): new address - P.O. Box 3718, Alice Springs, NT 0871, Australia. Add yl Christel. WB4CSK (1515): new e-mail mark@msic.dia.mil N4LS ((1448): new e-mail - n4ls@chassource.com AC5K (1662): new e-mail - ac5k@ih2000.net N6RA (1444): new fax - 415 989 0910; new email - tomg@patentz.com

3. GIVZ: G3LIK, G3VCN, G4ZVJ, N4AR, N4TO (+G4VXE). 1. OY1CT: G4ODV, K1JKS, K8MFO, OY3QN, WA1G (+GW3SYL, OZ5DX, W8XM).

Additional Nominations
3. AA5TN: W9GW, N2DAN, N4LS, N9RD, K6TS, DL4CF, G4BUE. 3. W6ZH: W9NN, K4FW, ZP6CW. 3. G3IZD: G3LIK, G3JFF. 3. AA6KX: W6CYX, K6TS, K1RH, G4BLX, W6DU. 3. YO3APJ: G3AAQ, W2MEL, G3NOH, I7ALE. 2. VE1AL: N9RD. 2. W4PBC: W9GW, W4MJ. 2. WHZ: WIAK. 1. G3ZEM: G4BLX, W9KNI. 1. N4YGP: W4MJ, G4BUE.

INTERNET by G4BUE
When I logged on to the Internet after returning from the USA there were 1094 e-mail messages waiting for me! This was in less than four weeks and despite unsubscribing from the Contest Relflector.

Although most of the messages were from reflectors I did not unsubscribe from, there were lots of personal messages amongst them, including many from members. Before I was able to complete this News Sheet, I had to go through all the 1094 messages to find those from members with information to be included in the News Sheet. Due to the style of some e-mail addresses (in particular Compuserve) the identity of the sender is not always apparent. Sometimes the subject of the message makes it obvious it is to do with FOC but often it does not. In my haste to check all the messages I may have missed one or two from members.

To avoid this problem for me, and other members who subscribe to several reflectors and regularly receive upwards of 40 messages a day, can I please make a suggestion adopted by some of the reflectors. When sending e-mail messages about FOC matters to other members, insert the word FOC: at the beginning of the subject line. This will enable all messages to do with FOC to be quickly identified when listing messages.

1996 LORDS by G4HZV

I am pleased to report that overseas members planning to attend Lords can now pay for their tickets in advance in US Dollars to W2MUM. Many thanks to Elliott for providing this service.

THE 1996 WINDLE TROPHY

Score updates can be passed to any G3LIK, G3MXJ, G4BUE or any committee member. An asterisk against the call indicates the score has been updated this month. Table shows the scores received by 1500z 6th June 1996.
GM3POI K4KQ* EA8CN* G3LIK* G3JZV* K4LTA G4BLX* DL6TQ* ON4UN* K4EF W9KNI* G3KTZ* W3NZ* OZ4UN G3RVM G4PKT VE1BN 347 298 272 248 246 245 243 227 225 220 218 214 213 209 204 200 200 N3RS* K2LE* W3VT* YV1NX* W6OV* G3HZL* G4BUE* W6DU* W6CYX K9BG G2FDF F3AT K5DQ OH2BDA K4II* YO4PX G3GFG* 198 195 190 190 188 183 183 178 173 170 160 159 158 157 152 147 145 OK1RR 145 N4AR* 144 AA5DX* 143 G4HZV* 142 K4XU* 142 W9GW 142 G4ODV 141 VE3DZZ* 139 G3IY 137 WA4SNI* 136 GW3SYL*135 G3KDB 131 W1BIH 130 N3SZQ 126 G3KKQ* 121 OZ5DX* 118 W8XM 116 K8KJP* 113 DL7AKC* 112 N3JT 112 PABW 111 KRY* 110 G3MXJ* 107 G3NOH 106 W4QM 105 G3ZYV 104 KT5X* 103 K6DC* 103 W6THN* 102 W6TZD* 102 K6TS* 101 U3DR* 101 ZL2AGY* 101 G3MCK 100 K6RA* 100 OZ8RO* 100 W2DX* 100 WB2DND*100 ZL1MH 100 G3WGV 94 G4BJM 94 GCMM* 93 G4PKD* 93 G3RCU 92 G4SFO* 92 W6GTI* 92 G2HKU* 91 DJOS* 90 LA1IE 90 K4DL* 88 W4DHZ* 87 G3LKZ* G4ZVJ* N4LS* N4XR WB4CSK* G3JFF8 K5MA XE2/NR7O DL4CF GM3YTS* WD8LLD* N9RD* GW3KGV K7UOT SMCOP* G4RMV W1HT* 81 80 80 79 78 77 77 77 76 75 75 73 72 72 71 70 70 W1NV KC7V* KP4L OH2KI PADIN GW3SB WB2YQH W8KJP W9NN GM3HUN W4TAJ PAINA G3ZWH W5GEL W6RGG* G8VG GW3HCL 65 62 62 62 62 60 60 60 59 58 58 57 56 55 55 54 52 PALOU 52 W3NX 51 G4XRV 50 G3LHJ 49 W4DGJ 48 ZP5CW 47 LA3FL 45 KL7PJ 43 WA1G* 41 K4FU* 40 SO5TW 40 W4/GIHM39 W4MJ* 38 ZL1AH* 38 VE3AR 35 DJ9SB 33 W1FZY 31 VK3MJ K1JKS K5XK JP1BJR VK8AV* ZS6AL N4WJ* OZ7YL OH2BDP W9VNE W1RM* W1HL DL8CT* 30 29 29 28 27 26 24 21 20 20 19 11 10

1996 CALL BOOK by G4BUE

The 1996 Call Book is being mailed with this News Sheet. Please check your entry and let Dennis, G3MXJ, or me know of any errors or anything you want changed in it. Your attention is called to the new format of the Call Book, which is explained at the top of page 9. There are still many members who do not have their telephone number shown in the Call Book, and in some cases their XYL. If you are one of these, please consider completing your entry so the Call Book can be as accurate and up to date as possible. I think we have included the majority of members e-mail addresses but I believe there are many fax numbers missing. Again, please let us have these if you want them included.

Mort had 342 points and not 242 as reported. This places Mort in 11th position and everyone else below this moves down one position. Apologies again Mort, but I only accept partial blame for this one in that I did not double check your entry which you had recorded incorrectly!

COMMITTEE by G4BUE
GW3KGV, G3KTZ, G3MXJ and G3SYM will complete their two year term on Committee in October 1996 and are willing to continue serving. Please submit any other nominations for Committee service to me by 15th July to enable ballot papers to be sent out with the August News Sheet. Nominees should, of course, be willing to undertake Committee service if nominated.

1996 MARATHON by G3LIK

My apologies to Joe, DL4CF, for omitting his log from the Marathon results on page 31 of FOCUS 26. Joes score of 1631 places him in 9th position in the European Open Section and everyone else below this moves down one position. His breakdown was 122 QSOs on 160 metres, 203 on 80, 214 on 40, 263 on 20, 90 on 15 and 32 on 10 metres for a total of 924 QSOs. He had 50 five banders, 19 six banders, six continents and 41 countries. Apologies again Joe, it was operator error here; put it down to retirement!

MEMBERS NEWS by G4BUE

AA5DX: Ron asks members to turn their beams to VQ9 occasionally where he is still QRV as VQ9DX. Joost, ZS5S is QRV again and so Ron can be reached on email once more to zs5s@iafrica.com and then on the first line of the text put, Radio: VQ9DX @ ZS5S.ZAF.AF. G3GFG: Don has put up some temporary wires to get back on the bands and in under a month found 145 members. G3LZK: Barry reports the sad news that Merxem, xyl of Nazim ex UI8AA, passed away on 2nd May. Members will remember G3LZK and G3SWHs visit to Merxem and Nazim in 1991 and their subsequent visit to England, reported in FOCUS. K2LE: Andy reports the sad news that Janos, HA5AM, (ex FOC member 527) recently became a Silent Key. K7UOT: Tom and his family arrive in the UK on 26th July for two weeks holiday.

1995 WINDLE TROPHY by G3LIK

My apologies also go to Mort, G3JZV, for an incorrect score in the results of the 1995 Windle Trophy on page 3 of FOCUS 26.

They will initially be staying with GCRX in Worcester and visits to other parts of the UK, including Sussex, are planned. Tom has applied for a reciprocal licence and will be QRV from the UK. K8MFO: Don worked half a dozen UK stations on 6 metres between 1915 and 1945z on 29th May. N3JT: Jim has erected a two element 40 metre beam above his TH6 and although it gives him at least three to four S units on receive over his full-wave loop, he is anticipating a lynching party from his neighbours because of the size of it! QSOs with VK6RU and VK4XA, with Russ saying, strongest signal Ive ever heard from States, indicate the new antenna is working very well. VK8AV: Alan and Christel have moved back to Alice Springs and may go touring again, this time to the VK6 area. Alan is missing his home station as he has been confined to a TS440 barefoot and a 11 feet copper pipe antenna bolted to the roof-rack of his Nissan Patrol. W6THN: Rad had a nerve failure in his right leg about a month ago and for a while he could only get about on crutches. He is getting better and can now carefully walk with a cane, but still cannot drive a car. We hope you soon fully recover Rad. ZL3GQ: Peter has sent a report and photographs of the ZL8RI DXpedition to Kermadec for the next FOCUS. He was surprised at the run of FOC members he had on 40 metres and wonders how they tail-ended each other. Who is going to tell Peter they were operating from the FOC station at the Washington DC Dinner? Considering the modest station being used, they did well to break through the big USA pile-up as did Peter in hearing the FOC callsigns.

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