Issue 57:01 January 2016 57 Years Of Service To Our Community

Inside This Issue…

President’s Message ........................ Page 2

Tech Saturday Forum ..................... Page 3

Down Jersey DXing ........................ Page 4

Skip Arey, N2EI .............................. Page 5

January 6 Meeting Program ......... Page 6

What’s up for the club 2016 ........... Page 6

The unRoyal Announcement ......... Page 7

2015 Membership Stats ................... Page 8

Regional Hamfests/Events .............. Page 9

Milt Goldman Award .................... Page 10

Life Membership ........................... Page 10

Holiday Dinner Pictures ............... Page 11

Free Vanity Callsign ..................... Page 12

Social Media Messages ................. Page 15

Repeater Committee Update ......... Page 16

Club Member Contest Scores ....... Page 17

National Parks On-The-Air .......... Page 18

DA’s and DIT’s ............................. Page 18

Something Missing ....................... Page 18

System Fusion Repeaters .............. Page 20

January Birthdays ........................ Page 21

January Contest Calendar ............ Page 22

Last Page Calendar ....................... Page 25

President :

Vice President :

Treasurer :

Recording Secretary :

Corresponding Secretary :

Jim Wright, N2GXJ

Cory Sickles, WA3UVV

Al Arrison, KB2AYU

Bob Fields, KC6AOH

Ron Block, NR2B

2016 Club Officers

Dan Tremolini, N2TXG (2014-2016)

John Zaruba Jr, K2ZA (2014-2016)

Chuck Colabrese, WA2TML (2015-2017)

Trustees - 4 year term

Ray Martin, W2RM (2014-2016)

Brian Jones, KD2BXD (2014-2017)

Bob Demola, KD2GFL (2015-2018)

Mark Gottlieb, WA2DIY (2016-2019)

Bill Price, NJ2S (2015-2017)

Jeffrey Garth, KC2WCS (2016-2018)

Chuck Lanard, KD2EIB (2016-2018)

Board of Directors - 3 year term

This Month’s Calendar…

General Membership Meeting

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 @ 1930 Hours

Pfeiffer Community Center

Tech Saturday Forum

Saturday, January 9, 2016 @ 0900 Hours

GCARC Clubhouse

VE License Testing Session

Thursday, January 14, 2016 @ 1900 Hours

Franklin Township Public Library

Gary Reed, N2QEE

glreed49 <at> verizon <dot> net

Board of Directors Meeting

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 @ 1900 Hours

GCARC Clubhouse

GCARC 2M Ragchew Net

Thursday, January 21, 2016 @ 2000 Hours

147.180 MHz Repeater

GCARC 11:00 AM Brunch

Every Friday @ The Seven Star Diner

1890 Hurffville Road, Sewell, NJ

CrossTalk January 2016

2

President’s Message

Welcome all GCARC members to another edition of Crosstalk, with well wishes and a Happy New Year

to all in this, the 57th year of our club, two thousand and sixteen! Looking at the calendar, I see that this

year, MMXVI, is a leap year, so we get an extra day to play. What are you going to do with your extra

day?

There’s something I’ve always been curious about. If you were born on a leap day in a leap year, when do

you get to celebrate your birthday? And when you turn 21, what day is that on for your friends to celebrate

with you? Just curious.

As I am writing this, the forecast is for near 70 degrees here on Christmas eve. Now I used to live in Flor-

ida, and that was reasonable for there, but this is New Jersey, and it is December! This weather is confus-

ing the spring flowers and trees around here. Isn’t doing much for those that make their living from or to

those who look forward to winter sports around here either! This is whacked out!

With the warmer than expected weather, it might be hard to remember how this past year started. You

might recall our January club meeting was held during a full-out blizzard, and yet a few hearty souls (or

should I say “die-hard”s) made it out to the meeting anyway! With some luck, we won’t have any repeats

of that this year! Things were a little better when John Zaruba Jr (K2ZA) kicked of the inaugural Tech Sat-

urday Forum at our Clubhouse.

February’s club meeting included a double feature, with both an introduction from our new section man-

ager, Skip Arey (N2EI), and an introduction from GigaParts’ Steve Molo (KI4KWR) of the brand new FT-

991 transceiver from Yaesu.

In March, Cooper Hospital’s Bob Saunders (KC2UYS) and Section Emergency Coordinator John Zaruba

Jr (K2ZA) unveiled a new rapid-deployment communications resource, affectionately referred to as “The

Pod”. The snow lingered on a bit after that, as did the crispy crunchy cold, as Jeff (KC2WCS) can attest to

when he was first to find the hidden transmitter during our “Has Spring Sprung?” fox hunt.

In April, noted author John Dilks (K2TQN) helped us relive some moments of yesteryear, giving us a bet-

ter appreciation of the efforts of those who pioneered amateur communications ahead of us. In a special

session, Gary Mirkin (WA3SVW) led an overflow capacity FLDIGI class for the ARES/RACES group.

Another highlight of the month was when members of GCARC were guest operators on board the Battle-

ship New Jersey, courtesy of Harry Bryant (AA2WN). That was a fun weekend!

In May, Nobel prize recipient Dr. Joseph Taylor (K1JT) was our distinguished guest speaker, discussing

weak signals modes with us. In my opinion, the popular “JT” modes that he invented made modern digital

ham radio amazing. Thank you again, Dr. Taylor, for a most informative presentation! Not exactly radio

related, but also amazing was American Pharaoh's triple crown victory. That was a long time coming!

June started with free pizza, and finished with a couple weekends of battering from Mother Nature that left

few Field Day operators standing. Though we probably won’t be talking about our Field Day score much

President’s Message - Continued on page 3

CrossTalk January 2016

3

Tech Saturday Forum : January 09, 2016 By John Zaruba Jr, K2ZA 0900 to 1200 Hours

Happy 1st Anniversary!

The theme of this month’s forum will be an overview of Hands-On tech projects for

2016 and D-STAR repeater linking and reflectors.

There are many Hands-On projects in the works for this year, from antennas to kits to cable connectors

and Yes! SOLDERING (Boy, I can smell the solder-smoke already!).

Did you get any new Ham Toys for Christmas? Well, bring them and show them off!

So, come on out on to the Clubhouse on January 9th and see what’s in store for 2016!

The heat will be on and you can always get a hot cup of Joe!

The objective of the Tech Saturday Forum is to have an open discussion of subjects of Amateur Radio in-

terest. All questions are welcome as well as a venue for members to show off their latest ham radio pro-

jects or gadgets. All are welcome - hams and non-hams - club members and non-club members. Take a

guided tour of our clubhouse. View our HF and VHF/UHF Operation Facilities and our vast antenna farm.

The Tech Saturday Forum is held on the Saturday after the General Membership meeting. For more infor-

mation, go to www.w2mmd.org on the Tech Saturday Forum page.

longer, it’s likely other stories from Field Day 2015 will get retold for a lifetime. Here’s hoping for calmer

clearer skies for this year!

In July we had an amazing summer picnic at the Red Bank Battlefield Park (thank you Jennifer

(KD2EYR) and Laurie (KD2EYW) and crew!). In August Mike Andrescavage (N2ICV) provided an ex-

cellent introduction and demonstration of DMR for ham radio. And then there was an amazing September.

September brought two of the biggest events of the year to our area – the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia, and

the GCARC Hamfest!

We finished the year with a program on Antenna modeling software, election of new officers, a Milt Gold-

man Award presentation (congratulations Bill (NJ2S)), and a holiday party in December (thank you

Phyllis (W2PDB) and Ray (W2RM)). Even “Star Wars” made a long anticipated return to the theaters! All

-in-all, a very good year!

How can we do so much in just one year? Well, the answer is simple. You do! Thank you for making this

vibrant club what it is today! I especially want to thank you to all the new members who joined our club

this past year. You rock! And hopefully you were able to attend some of our club meetings, and make it

out for a few of the club activities, and events in 2015 and will be able to do so again in 2016. Being part

of an active club like ours offers opportunities for you to network with others and make connections with

those who can help grow your interests. Glad you made the first step! Now, what’s next?

Respectfully, Jim Wright, N2GXJ

President’s Message - Continued from page 2

CrossTalk January 2016

4

CALL DATES HIGHLIGHTS

DIFFICULTY

(5=MOST

RARE)

ENTITY

5W0UO 01/01 - 01/07 HF/CW 2 Samoa

YJ0AFU 01/02 - 01/10 160-6M/CW, SSB, Digital 3 Vanuatu

4S 01/03 - 01/08 40-10M/CW, SSB, RTTY 3 Sri Lanka

ZL9A 01/07 - 01/11 40-10M/CW, SSB 4 *Auckland/

Campbell Islands

T88 01/07 - 01/14 160-6M/CW, SSB, RTTY 3 Palau

K5P 01/12 - 01/25 160-10M/5 Stations/3 Modes 3 Palmyra Atoll

XW4ZW 01/15 - 01/24 HF/Low Band Emphasis 4 Laos

P5 01/15 - 02/15 ? Maybe...20, 15, 10 SSB 5 Plus! North Korea

VP8STI 01/17 - 01/27 Big Multi Band/Mode Effort 5 South Sandwich

Islands

PY0F 01/19 - 01/26 80-10M/CW, SSB, RTTY 2 Fernando

de Noronha

* Now called New Zealand Subantarctic Islands

Credits : NG3K Announce DX Operations : www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxo.html

Down Jersey DXing By Bill Grim, W0MHK

I have made the decision to QSB out of my monthly Down

Jersey DXing column. The internet is just too good in provid-

ing many sources for DX information now. My comments are

outdated often and not very useful especially to the casual

DX'er.

If you would like, I will continue to send monthly "Best Down Jersey DX Picks" until you can find some-

one else to take over the entire column if you wish to continue it. I have enjoyed writing my thoughts and

DX info over the years and thank you for being patient with my computer shortcomings!

Been a real pleasure to work with you, and "Crosstalk" is, I feel, one of the best ham Club newsletters you

could ever find!

Best wishes to you and yours for the holidays!

Bill, W0MHK

Editor’s Note : Bill has been doing this monthly column since December 2007, taking over the column from Doug Gehring,

WA2NPD.

Here are the “Best Down Jersey DX Picks” for January 2016

CrossTalk January 2016

5

November 2015 Southern New Jersey Section Report By Skip Arey, N2EI

The Southern New Jersey Section had a great response to this month’s Army MARS

COMEX Drill. 7 of 9 Counties were activated via Repeater Nets and 40 Meter

Voice Net. Well done!

SKYWARN™ Recognition Day is December 5th. The 17th annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD)

special event will take place Saturday, December 5, 2015, from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC. SKYWARN

Recognition Day, co-sponsored by the American Radio Relay League and the National Weather Service,

pays tribute to Amateur Radio operators for the vital public service they perform. During the 24-hour

event, Amateur Radio operators visit their local National Weather Service (NWS) office and work as a

team to contact other hams across the world. This event is also aimed at strengthening the bond between

Amateur Radio operators and local NWS offices.

The Amateur Radio Parity Act S.1685 has been endorsed by the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Sci-

ence, and Transportation. “Our work is not finished on the Senate side of Capitol Hill, although this is a

huge step forward,” said ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN. She urges ARRL members to continue to

write, call and e-mail their Senators about S. 1685 to build up its support for the future.

New Hams in our Section for this month include:

Ryan M Kohlhofer, KD2JPI

Daniel R Mcalister, KD2JQW

Mark C Walters, KD2JPW

Holden J Correia-Fisher, KD2JPV

Nathaniel C Henry, KD2JQT

Andrew C Henry, KD2JQU

Zachary A Kuligin, KD2JRA

Erich J Smith, KD2JPH

Shengwei Lin, KD2JQB

Stephen K Rodriguez, KD2JMA

License Upgrades in our Section for this month include:

Francis Riehl, KD2JMB to General

Ivan Lopez, KD2JHW to General

As we close out this year in the Section, we have much to celebrate. We have filled all the relevant Section

Level posts with the notable exception of appointing an Assistant Section Manager for Gloucester County.

It is the Section Team’s hope that we can find someone to take on this position so we can enter 2016 with

a full Team.

73 de SKIP N2EI

ARRL Southern New Jersey Section

Section Manager: T J Arey, N2EI

n2ei@arrl.org

CrossTalk January 2016

6

What’s up for the club in 2016? By Jim Wright, N2GXJ

Planning has started for the new year, and already we’ve got quite a few suggestions on the “wish list”.

Some are things we like to do each year, so we put some money in the budget for them. These include the

monthly club meetings and educational guest speakers program, and major yearly club events like Field

Day, Hamfest, and more recently a summer picnic. But we also like to do other things too. We’ve started

up a monthly Tech Saturday Forum out at our Clubhouse – it’s part socializing, part “Elmering” in a more

1-on-1 or casual small group setting – ideal to learn how to use that great new radio you picked up over

the holidays, or to play radio at the club’s station, or for pretty much any other radio related questions that

you would like to try and have answered.

We support ARES/RACES emergency communications preparedness activities. We offer radio communi-

cations support to several local charity walks. We participate in Skywarn in conjunction with the National

Weather Service. We’ve made presentations with hands-on radio demonstrations to local Scouting groups.

We support volunteer examiner program for license upgrade testing. Our members participate in on-air

special events, often from our clubhouse station as was done during the W1AW portable stations opera-

tions, and annually during the Original 13 Colonies on the air.

Many of our members are avid DX chasers, often using the clubhouse or another club member’s supersta-

tion to hunt the airwaves for new countries they can contact, or to participate in international DX contests.

We’ve had field trip outings to be guest operators on board the Battleship New Jersey, and have run an

occasional radio direction finding hidden transmitter “fox hunt” that can be entertaining for the whole

family.

Have an idea for an activity or event that you would like to see?

How about a guest speaker you know, or maybe something you yourself could share at our next club meet-

ing? Let’s hear from you!

What activity or event would you like to see in 2016?

January 6, 2016 General Membership Meeting Program

Mark Gottlieb, WA2DIY

Pick up any cool new radio gear for Christmas

this year? It sure looks like Mark, WA2DIY

did! He'll be demonstrating and sharing his ex-

periences so far with a new gizmo called the

DV4 MEGA. Advertised as "the Swiss Army Knife for Digi-

tal Voice", MEGA is a collective name for digital voice and

data related kits and modules. The concept is very intriguing.

Can one device really serve as a mini Digital Voice and Data

Hotspot for D-Star, DMR, and Fusion?

Come on out to the meeting, and lets find out together what this new category of emerging amateur radio

tech can do!

CrossTalk January 2016

7

It’s your Two Thousand and Sixteen Club Officers!

Treasurer:

Al Arrison,

KB2AYU

Corresponding Secretary:

Ron Block, NR2B

Director:

Jeff Garth, KC2WCS

President:

Jim Wright,

N2GXJ

Vice President:

Cory Sickles,

WA3UVV

Recording Secretary:

Bob Fields, KC6AOH

Director:

Chuck Lanard, KD2EIB

Trustee:

Mark Gottlieb, WA2DIY

Hear

Ye!

Hear

Ye!

CrossTalk January 2016

8

Club Membership Stats - 2015 Year In Review

We now have 141 members.

We had 23 new and 5 returning members join the club in 2015. They are:

AC2PT, K2QA, KB2RGZ, KB3HMR, KC2HMG, KC2UYS, KC2VNI, KC2YWJ, KD2DAO,

KD2GSM, KD2INR, KD2ITC, KD2ITE, N2EEE, N2MMC, N2WHV, N3BKR, N3YYZ, W2RES,

W4RFJ, W7STR, WB2MNF, and WB7QBZ. Returning members are:

KD2EYU, N2EBB, N2PKN, N2SRQ, and WA2KDV.

A Big THANK YOU to the new and returning members of the class of 2015!

We have 123 Full, 6 Family, 1 Junior, 1 Associate, and 10 Life members.

102 of our flock are ARRL members. 17 of which are ARRL Life members.

We have 21 Technician Class, 43 General Class, 12 Advanced Class, and 64 Amateur Extra Class licen-

sees in our club.

There were 5 Silent Keys in 2015:

4 Current Members: Walt Ashton Jr WB2OYQ; Jim Mollica Jr K2OWE; Gene Wallace N2IMK;

and Whitney Myers KB2ZTL.

1 Former Member : Bob Layton KB2COB.

CrossTalk January 2016

9

Regional Hamfests and Events

January 23, 2016 : Harrisburg Radio Amateurs’ Club WinterFest, Harrisburg Area Community College,

Cooper Student Union, South Hall, 1 HAAC Drive, Harrisburg, PA. www.w3uu.org

Richmond Frostfest - Saturday, February 6, 2016

Richmond Raceway Complex (Richmond, Virginia) The Frostfest website at www.frostfest.com has all the details

Giant Winter Hamfest - Sunday, February 14, 2016

Brooklawn Memorial American Legion Hall

11 Railroad Lane, Brooklawn, NJ

Gloucester City Amateur Radio Club will be hosting their Giant Winter Hamfest on Sunday, February 14,

2016 at the Brooklawn Memorial American Legion Hall in Brooklawn, NJ 08030. Doors open to vendors

and sellers at 0600 Hours. Lots of space and tables. Nearly 10,000 square feet.

Talk in will be maintained on the NJ2GC repeater, 447.775 MHz, (- 146.2 Hz).

Entry donation : $5.00. Vendor tables: $8.00 (8 foot).

Further information can had from Jay Goheen, KB2ADL, kb2adl <at> comcast <dot> net or their web-

site at: www.nj2gc.org.

GPS: 39.881434°, -75.120090°

January 29, 30, and 31, 2016

www.arrlpr.org

CrossTalk January 2016

10

2015 Milt Goldman Award recipient:

Bill Price, NJ2S (l) with Ray Martin, W2RM (r)

Life Membership Opportunity By Jim Wright, N2GXJ

Thank you to all the new members to our club this past year! And congratulations to John O’Connell

(K2QA), who just recently has been accepted as a new life member in our club!

If you’re considering becoming a life member too, send me an email pronto, and we’ll talk. Our next

scheduled board meeting to approve such things is January 20, which is two weeks after the next General

Membership Meeting on January 6.

Otherwise, if you have not already, please get your (still only $20) 2016 dues in to our Treasurer. You can

pay them in person at the next club meeting, or send them in to our P.O. box. Thank you!

If paying by check, please make payment to:

Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club

PO Box 370

Pitman, NJ 08071

Thank you!

CrossTalk January 2016

11

Holiday Party Pictures

December 3, 2015

Seven Star Diner

Sewell, NJ

www.sevenstardiner.com

CrossTalk January 2016

12

FREE VANITY CALLSIGN! By Layne LaBaume, AE1N

Nashua (NH) Area Radio Club www.n1fd.org

HEADLINE: Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Fee Disappeared September 2015

So there you have it! How often does Uncle Sam offer a freebie?

Are you not happy with your callsign?

For what reason would any Ham want to change his callsign anyway?

A call easier for your friends to remember. John, W1MBG (‘Many

Beautiful Girls’).

You don’t like the way your call sounds or looks, e.g. KJ4JPY,

KC9FKU, KC7PQJ.

I moved to a new call area. I said I would never give up my callsign,

K7GN, when I moved to New England and I kept it for a while but got

frustrated at times. Two things happened: Hams would hear K7GN,

swing their beams West and I would lose them; or I would send QTH

NH and they insisted in copying NV and turned their antennas to Ne-

vada. In addition, it was more difficult for contesting, Europeans were

disappointed and Japanese stations ignored me!

License Upgrade benefit. I worked hard for my Extra and I want others

to appreciate my work.

Shorter calls. For Example, KC9NJU (Kilo Charlie Niner November

Juliet Uniform) upgrades and obtains N9GM (November Niner Golf Mike).

Something easier to use in contests. Whether on phone or CW, I always copy Bud, AA3B, on his first

call.

How to determine your ideal callsign

Personal

Club name: California Highway Patrol, W7CHP

Favorite operating mode: W3PSK, W1UHF

Initials: One of my old calls, k0sld, was later selected by Steve L Dunlop.

Location: Guess where these hams hail from: N1NH, WA2NYC, K5ARK, K1MVA.

Names: Jim Griffin is K2JIM; Karen is KA1REN

Nicknames: N1KIM, N6EVA, W1GUS

Cute

1 or 0 to spell visually: K0RN, K1TE

Abbreviations: W1OM, W1YL, K0ANT, K0HAM, K1GHZ

Acronyms: K8LED, W7NPN, N4BFD

Actual Initials: W8FBI, K1IBM

Phonetically interesting: NE1R (‘New England One Radio’)

Humorous: N5BFT-Big Fat Turkey; K1ESE (dit di di dit dit; after the old jingle ‘Shave and a

Haircut’.)

Free Vanity Callsign - Continued on page 13

CrossTalk January 2016

13

Visually appealing: W1XX

Words: KP4PIE

Optimized Character - Easy to send or receive: N1EEE, NN0SS, NN5XX

FACTORS IN SELECTING YOUR IDEAL CALL:

# of Characters: AE1N (vs. KC0QJY).

# of CW Elements (dots and dashes): N1NN.

CW or phonetic ease in pileups: (Last letter ‘K’ confused with ‘K’ meaning ‘Go Ahead’.

CW rhythm: how it sounds at various speeds. If a letter ends with a dash, the next should be a dit; if a

letter ends with a dit, the next should begin with a dash – K1ARM, W1SMV.

Letter clarity without phonetics: B, D & E sound alike; R, O and X are unique sounding.

Length or weighted characters (dits x1 plus dashs x3): AE1T, NE1R.

Phonetic clarity: How callsign sounds & easily pronounced: N4FOG, K1ORO.

Visual appearance (how it looks on QSL card or License Plate): K4USA, N5LUV.

The Application Process

The latest information can be found here:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=cft&id=amateur&page=cft_get_call_sign

Groups and Comments:

I would not recommend doing applications by mail. You can list up to 25 desired calls. I suggest put-

ting your top 25 desired calls on your application, especially if competing for 1X2 and 2X1 calls.

Eligibility

Group D - Novice, Club, and Military Recreation Stations (Primary stations licensed to Novice class

operators, and for club and military recreation stations):

2X3 with K or W prefix: K#XXX or W#XXX

Group C - General, Technician and ‘Technician Plus’ Classes (Primary stations licensed to General,

Technician, and Technician Plus class operators):

1X3 with K, N, W prefix: K#XXX, N#XXX or W#XXX

Group B - Advanced Class (Primary stations licensed to Advanced class operators):

2X2 with K, N W prefix: KX#NN, NX#XX, WX#XX

Group A – Amateur Extra Class (Primary stations licensed to Amateur Extra class operators):

1X2 with K, N, W prefix and 2X1 with A, N K, W prefix

Group A can choose from A, B, C, D groups; Group B from B, C, D Groups; Group C from C & D

Groups.

Note: Some calls are reserved for Caribbean and Pacific Areas.

Special Eligibilities:

Close relative of former holder: You may display the call sign of a deceased spouse, child, grandchild,

stepchild, parent, grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, niece,

nephew, or in-law on your primary station license. An "in-law" is limited to a parent, stepparent, sib-

Free Vanity Callsign - Continued from page 12

Free Vanity Callsign - Continued on page 14

CrossTalk January 2016

14

ling, or step-sibling of a licensee's spouse; the spouse of a licensee's sibling, step-sibling, child, or step-

child; or the spouse of a licensee’s spouse’s sibling or step-sibling.

Former primary station holder: You are eligible to have the call sign, which appears on your primary

license displayed on your new vanity license if you are a former primary station holder.

Primary station preference list: You may request one or more call signs that you provide in the correct

Commission format in the order of your preference. ULS will validate the format of each call sign on

your list in turn and select the first call sign in the correct format that is not already assigned to another

licensee.

The “W” prefix was started in 1928. So if you want to become an instant “OLD TIMER”, just get

yourself a W#XXX callsign. There are many, many ‘choice’ W1XXX callsigns immediately available,

like W1AAU, W1ADI, W1AGE, W1ANE, W1ARA, W1ATR, W1EEC, W1EEL, W1EIF, W1EIM,

W1GTE, W1IAE, W1LEM, W1TEI, W1TEN.

The first “K” calls appeared in 1947; the first “WA” calls in 1958; and the first “WB” calls in 1962. It

wasn’t until the time of Incentive Licensing that the appearance of “A” and “N” prefixes arrived.

NEEDLESS TO SAY: 1X2 and 2X1 calls are in HUGE demand. My favorite vanity callsign help site is

http://www.radioqth.net/vanity/available

As of this writing, November 22, 2015, the following 1X2 and 2X1 callsigns were becoming available

within 30 days: K2KK, N2LU, N2SV, W2SE, KQ2Z, KY2N, NE2K, NN2B, NT2Q and WZ2Y.

Special 1X1 Callsigns.

These days on can hear such callsigns as N1E, W2Q, K7U from special events. Rules are specific. I my-

self have operated using K1I, N1O, N1E, N1U, W1O, and K2K. It is a lot of fun seeing the interested gen-

erated by these 1X1 calls. For the New England ARRL Convention in Boxboro, W1A was activated. For

details goto: http://www.1x1callsigns.org/

WHATEVER, you decide to do Remember: AND:

AND, IF for some reason you do not like your new vanity callsign, you can always apply for another one.

After all, its FREE!

73, Layne AE1N Reprinted with permission from the author

Free Vanity Callsign - Continued from page 13

Remember that a Ham’s Callsign is to him the sweetest and most

important sound on-the-air! - Layne AE1N

CrossTalk January 2016

15

Straight Key Night is held every January 1 from

0000 UTC to 2359 UTC

Cherry Valley Model Railroad Club

Holiday Open House

Grace Episcopal Church

7 East Maple Avenue

Merchantville, NJ 08109

Saturday, January 2 & 3, 2016 and Sunday, January 9 & 10, 2016. Hours : 12 Noon - 4pm

Free Admission! Bring the Family!

Information supplied by Ernest Kraus, KD2EAV

Messages from the website and Facebook page:

A friend of mine shared some photos of some GCARC activities on Facebook today, and they stirred old

memories of my all-too-brief time in Pitman as a Novice and General between 1959 and 1960. My family

moved to Pitman from Long Island in 1958 and with a lot of support from other young hams in Pitman

HS, I obtained my novice ticket in May 1959: WV2FHE. My first station was a Viking Adventurer crystal

controlled 50W transmitter and an NC-57 receiver. I joined the GCARC in '59 and it is possible that I was

a charter member. I was only 15 years old at that time. I have vivid memories of going to meetings in the

Owens-Corning plant. Being too young to drive, I was offered rides , possibly by Van Turner, W2KE,

Ed Stetser, K2JJC and for sure, Pappy Ralls, WV2CVW. Pappy was a great friend and drove me to

many ham radio events. My very first Field Day was in 1959, as I recall either in Pitman or somewhere

nearby. A lot of time has passed by. I read some of the archives from 1959-1960, and saw my name in a

few of the newsletters. Wow! My family moved to Dayton, OH after my sophomore year at PHS in 1960,

and I was assigned the call, K8VSB. I have been continuously licensed since 1959 and have enjoyed being

a ham and making friends all across the country. I was a career Air Force officer and typically the first

people I met at every new assignment were hams due to the operation of repeaters. I retired from the Air

Force in 1993 to Las Vegas. I was Section Manager for one term and have been the Clark County ARES/

RACES EC for 6 years. What a great hobby! Anyway, I thank you and the GCARC for making available

the archives to the public and to this old ham. Good to see that the club is still going strong.

73,

Bill Smith, W7HMV

CrossTalk January 2016

16

“This is my DXCC Mixed Award I got for doing Phone and Digital PSK31 on LoTW. I am only

3 entities away from getting DXCC for Phone only on LoTW.” - Dan, N2TXG

Repeater Committee Update By Jim Wright, N2GXJ

Thank you to Brett Waller (KC2UXQ), Gary Bendy (KC2YWJ),

Chuck Colabrese (WA2TML), John Zaruba Jr (K2ZA), Al Arri-

son (KB2AYU), Wayne Wilson (WA2LET), and Michael

Weldon (KB2UMJ) who I’ve got listed so far to be members of

the 2016 GCARC Repeater Technical Committee. Did I miss

anyone, or is there anyone else that would like to be added?

As you read about in last month’s Crosstalk, efforts have com-

menced to assess the current coverage of our repeater systems,

and improve upon them, if possible, for the benefit of our mem-

bership and other communicating hams in our local communities.

I’ll be scheduling a kick-off meeting of the 2016 repeater techni-

cal committee in early January, with report-out to the general

membership on a regular basis after that. Expect more complete

coverage of progress in the February Crosstalk.

Bill Price, NJ2S, upgrading the electrical wiring at the 2 Meter

repeater site.

CrossTalk January 2016

17

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

November 28, 2015

Call: N2CQ

Operator (s) : N2CQ

Station: N2CQ

Class: SOAB (A) LP

QTH: SNJ

Operating Time (hrs): 16

Location: USA

Summary: Compare Scores

Band QSOs Zones Countries

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

160:

80: 18 7 17

40: 187 14 58

20: 151 27 76

15: 183 17 66

10: 57 10 28

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total: 596 75 245

Total Score: 544,960

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

ARRL 160 Meter Contest

December 4, 2015

Call: W2YC

Operator (s) : W2YC

Station: W2YC

Class: Single Unlimited HP

QTH: SNJ

Operating Time (hrs): 13

Location: USA

Summary: Compare Scores

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals: QSOs: 927 Sections: 83 Countries: 77

Total Score: 156,519

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

November 28, 2015

Call: W2YC

Operator (s) : AA2WN, K2SE, KA2NPD, W0MHK, W2YC, WK2G

Station: W2YC

Class: M/2 HP

QTH: NJ

Operating Time (hrs): 48

Location: USA

Summary: Compare Scores

Band QSOs Zones Countries

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

160: 49 10 32

80: 314 26 91

40: 1130 36 125

20: 736 37 124

15: 1065 34 133

10: 282 24 82

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total: 3576 167 587

Total Score: 7,662,148

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments:

ARRL 160 Meter Contest

December 4, 2015

Call: W2MMD

Operator (s) : WK2G

Station: W2MMD

Class: Single Op LP

QTH: Mullica Hill, SNJ

Operating Time (hrs): 17

Location: USA

Summary: Compare Scores

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals: QSOs: 633 Sections: 68 Countries: 5

Total Score: 87,108

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments: Put up a quick inverted V at our Gloucester

County Amateur Radio Club site and was very surprised

how well it played. When Murphy doesn’t show up, it’s al-

ways good. The only problem was I could not get into the

actual West Coast of California except for one station in

SDG. Thank you for hearing me and thanks to all who

worked me.

Merrill, WK2G

CrossTalk January 2016

18

DA’s and DIT’s

John O’Connell, K2QA : Congratulations on becoming a Life Member of the Gloucester County Ama-

teur Radio Club.

Keith Waltman, W2ERP : He is doing well at a rehab facility. He was transferred back to Lourdes for

some surgery not related to his stroke.

Our 442.100 MHz repeater has been switched back the System Fusion DR-1 transceiver after it was sent

out for repairs.

Darrell Neron, AB2E : Looks like he has added a 70 foot crank-up tower to his vast antenna farm. Dar-

rell, along with Tom KE2ES, Al KB2AYU, and Bart KC2WVP helped transport the tower from PA to his

home in Franklinville.

Sad news to report : Whitney Myers, KB2ZTL, age 93, of Laurel Spring became a Silent Key on De-

cember 15, 2015. Whitney has been a club member since 1997. Our condolences to his family.

National Parks On-The-Air By Jim Wright, N2GXJ

A few years back there was much radio excitement when

the ARRL put portable stations on the air from New Jer-

sey and other states across our great nation. This year,

the ARRL is behind an effort to put our National Parks

on the air. Not yet familiar with this event? Check out

www.arrl.org/NPOTA for more details. Enjoy!

Notice anything missing in this month’s Crosstalk? By Jim Wright, N2GXJ

What I noticed was missing is the regular column that I look forward to each month on Down Jersey

DXing. Mr. Bill Grim (W0MHK), I want to take this moment to publically say thank you for your years of

service to our club for having produced this long running column. As I grew in the hobby, I found myself

paying more and more attention to this column, as you would often find a subtle way to impart a little of

your hard earned DX wisdom in there for the benefit of those of us just starting our radio hobby journey.

After a while, this column became one of the first things that I would look to read each month when the

new edition of Crosstalk would come out.

Looking back now at our online archives (accessed from the “Club Archives” tab on left side of our

w2mmd.org site), the volume of your original work will be preserved across solar cycles for generations to

come.

Thank you again

CrossTalk January 2016

19

Maximilian Kolbe, SP3RN

Patron Saint of Amateur Radio Operators

TARA RTTY Melee

December 5, 2015

Call: N2CQ

Operator (s) : N2CQ

Station: N2CQ

Class: Single Op LP

QTH: SNJ

Operating Time (hrs): 5

Location: USA

Summary: Compare Scores

Band QSOs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

160:

80:

40: 34

20: 117

15: 4

10:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total: 155 State/Prov: 38 Countries: 25

Total Score: 9,765

Club: Frankford Radio Club

Comments: Great Activity!

ARRL 10 Meter Contest

December 12-13, 2015

Call: N2CQ

Operator (s) : N2CQ

Station: N2CQ

Class: SO CW Unlimited LP

QTH: SNJ

Operating Time (hrs): 8

Location: USA

Summary: Compare Scores

Band QSOs Mults

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

CW: 182 81

SSB: 0 0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total: 182 81

Total Score: 58,968

Club: Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club

Comments:

ARRL 10 Meter Contest

December 12-13, 2015

Call: N2GXJ

Operator (s) : N2GXJ

Station: N2GXJ

Class: Single Op Fixed LP

QTH: SNJ

Operating Time (hrs):

Location: USA

Summary:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Q points: 156

States: 29

DXCC: 15

Total Mults: 44

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Score: 6,864

Club: Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club

Comments:

CrossTalk January 2016

20

County, State Location Callsign/Club Frequency Off-Set PL Tone

Atlantic County, NJ Atlantic City K2ACY 449.625 MHz Minus 156.7 Hz

Atlantic County, NJ West Atlantic City W2HRW/SPARC 443.250 MHz Plus 146.2 Hz

Camden County, NJ Blue Anchor KB2AYS 445.125 MHz Minus 91.5 Hz

Camden County, NJ Cherry Hill NJ2CH 145.370 MHz Minus 91.5 Hz

Camden County, NJ Cherry Hill K3RJC/HARC 444.900 MHz Plus 131.8 Hz

Camden County, NJ Gloucester City NJ2GC 447.775 MHz Minus 146.2 Hz

Camden County, NJ Runnemede WA2WUN 147.225 MHz Plus 192.8 Hz

Gloucester County, NJ Pitman W2MMD/GCARC 147.180 MHz Plus 131.8 Hz

Gloucester County, NJ Pitman W2MMD/GCARC 442.100 MHz Plus 131.8 Hz

Mercer County, NJ Lawrenceville W2MER 147.105 MHz Plus 123.0 Hz

Mercer County, NJ West Trenton W2ZQ/DVRA 146.670 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

Mercer County, NJ West Trenton W2ZQ/DVRA 442.650 MHz Plus 131.8 Hz

Ocean County, NJ Manchester WA2RES/OCARES 145.170 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

Ocean County, NJ Toms River NJ2AR/JSARS 448.625 MHz Minus 141.3 Hz

Salem County, NJ Pennsville N2KEJ/SCRA 146.625 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

*Bucks County, PA Sellersville W3AI/RFHARC 444.750 MHz Plus 131.8 Hz

Bucks County, PA Southampton W3SK/PWA 146.790 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

Bucks County, PA Southampton W3SK/PWA 448.225 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

Chester County, PA Paoli WB3JOE/MARC 445.675 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

Delaware County, PA Lawrence Park W3DI 447.375 MHz Minus 100.0 Hz

Lancaster County, PA Buck KX3B 146.745 MHz Minus 114.8 Hz

Lancaster County, PA Cornwall W3AD/LRTS 449.025 MHz Minus 162.2 Hz

Lancaster County, PA New Holland N3FYI 449.275 MHz Minus 114.8 Hz

Montgomery County, PA Horsham K3JJO/DRC 147.165 MHz Plus 162.2 Hz

Montgomery County, PA Wyndmoor K3PDR/PDRA 447.475 MHz Minus Open

Philadelphia County, PA Philadelphia WM3PEN/HARC 146.685 MHz Minus 146.2 Hz

Philadelphia County, PA Roxborough W3QV/Phil-Mont 444.800 MHz Plus 186.2 Hz

Kent County, DE Dover KC3ARC/KCARC 146.970 MHz Minus 77.0 Hz

New Castle County, DE Newark W3DRA/DRA 146.700 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

New Castle County, DE Newark W3DRA/DRA 449.025 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

New Castle County, DE Wilmington WA3UYJ 146.955 MHz Minus 131.8 Hz

**Sussex County, DE Lewes W4ALT 443.550 MHz Plus 156.7 Hz

Sussex County, DE Millsboro WS3ARA/SARA 449.825 MHz Minus 156.7 Hz

Sussex County, DE Selbyville WS3ARA/SARA 147.015 MHz Plus 156.7 Hz

Regional Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters

*New entry or update as of this issue. **As of December 20, 2015: Repeater in testing mode.

CrossTalk January 2016

21

January Birthdays Congratulations to our members celebrating their

birthday this month

James Alston AC2BY

Alan Arrison KB2AYU (President 1998, 2010, 2011)

Gary Bendy KC2YWJ

Henry Bunk KD2HBO

Mark Clark N3QMJ

John Czuba K2AEN

Paul Dallard Jr KM3W

Joseph DiNovi WA2GFK (President 1986)

Laurie Love KD2EYW

Peter Marek KD2EYU

Adan Maskery KC2YJX

Anthony Pitale Jr N2PKN

Gary Reed N2QEE

Clarence Rodgers AA2QD

Matthew Wilson K2MFW

Crosstalk Submissions

This is your Club newsletter. Make use of it.

If you have stories or photos of your hobby that you would like to share with the Club, please do so!

We will keep covering all of the GCARC events, but it is also nice to get those personal perspectives to

include in every issue.

Connecting through experiences is what makes the Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club a

REAL club.

All submissions, queries, comments and editorials should be addressed to

Jeffrey Garth, KC2WCS at jeff.garth <at> comcast.net.

Submission deadline for the February 2016 issue: Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Club Website www.w2mmd.org

Club E-Mail Reflector: gcarc@mailman.qth.net

In Memoriam

January Birthdays

Silent Keys:

Sidney Bozarth WB2YHX

John Fahey WB2ONY

William Hunsinger KB2YJB

Louis Joseph W2LYL

Miriam Kravitz KB2EUA

Robert Layton KB2COB

Charles Naylor W2CAN

Steve Pakyz W2PZX

Frank Van Turner K3JM (Club Founder & President 1959)

Gene Wallace N2IMK

Wayne Wood W2SUA (President 1973)

Frank Van Turner

K3JM

Ex. W2KE

Ex. 3JM

Club Founder

President 1959

CrossTalk January 2016

22

January Contest Calendar For more information on the contests, please go to the WA7BNM Contest Calendar website:

www.hornucopia.com/contestcal

January Contest Calendar - Continued on page 23

CrossTalk January 2016

23

Facebook Page w2mmd.org

www.facebook.com/W2MMD

January Contest Calendar For more information on the contests, please go to the WA7BNM Contest Calendar website:

www.hornucopia.com/contestcal

January Contest Calendar - Continued from page 22

CrossTalk January 2016

24

GCARC@mailman.qth.net e-mail reflector guidelines 1. No attachments (e.g. pictures, files) are allowed on the reflector.

2. If you have club-related pictures that you would like to share, you can send them to the webmaster, he will put

them on the website and he will send out a general e-mail to all the members.

3. Otherwise, the pictures will have to be sent to the members’ addresses.

4. URLs/Hyperlinks are acceptable on the reflector.

5. Do not send any messages with e-mail addresses in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field. The message will be

rejected. Use only the To: or CC: fields.

6. Members are subscribed to the reflector using the member's e-mail address from the roster database. You must

use that address when sending an e-mail via the reflector.

7. If you use another address on the reflector, the message will get rejected or "bounced", because the reflector

does not recognize that address.

8. Whenever a message sent to reflector is rejected or "bounced" for various reasons, the administrator has to log-

in to the Mailman.QTH website and approve the message. If the admin recognizes the address as belonging to a club

member, the message is accepted and passed on to the reflector.

FYI...If you use Comcast e-mail, you are limited to 100 addresses per message.

For more information about the e-mail reflector, goto : www.mailman.qth.net

ARES/RACES

Awards and Contests

Budget*

Club Publications

Crosstalk Magazine

Website

Clubhouse Site/Operations*

Constitution and By-Laws*

DX

Field Day*

Fox Hunts

Hamfest*

Hamfest Contact

Health and Welfare*

Historian

Hospitality*

License Testing, VEC Liaison

License Trustee

Member Database

Membership*

Nominations*

Programs

Publicity*

Repeaters*

Scout Liaison

Summer Picnic

Technical and TVI

Ed Champion, N2RO

Kenny Denson, WB2P

Al Arrison, KB2AYU

Jeffrey Garth, KC2WCS

Al Arrison, KB2AYU

Ron Block, NR2B

Bill Grim, W0MHK

Kenny Denson, WB2P

Jim Wright, N2GXJ

Sheldon Parker, K2MEN and Bill Price, NJ2S

Cory Sickles, WA3UVV

Ray Martin, W2RM

Jeffrey Garth, KC2WCS

Dave MacDonald, WB3JOY

Gary Reed, N2QEE

Darrell Neron, AB2E

Jeffrey Garth, KC2WCS

Cory Sickles, WA3UVV

Jim Wright, N2GXJ

Cory Sickles, WA3UVV

Cory Sickles, WA3UVV

Cory Sickles, WA3UVV

Frank Simila, KC2SJ

Jennifer Robinson, KD2EYR

Chuck Colabrese, WA2TML

Committee Chairs

* Denotes Standing Committees

CrossTalk January 2016

25

The W2MMD Repeaters

Output: 147.180 MHz

Input: 147.780 MHz

Offset: +600 kHz - PL: 131.8 Hz (Conventional FM plus C4FM Capability)

Output: 442.100 MHz

Input: 447.100 MHz

Offset: +5 MHz - PL: 131.8 Hz (Conventional FM plus C4FM Capability)

Output: 1284.400 MHz

Input: 1272.400 MHz

Offset: -12.0 MHz

PL Tone: None

The above 3 repeaters are all

located in Pitman, NJ

GPS: 39.728481°, -75.131088°

Output: 224.660 MHz

Input: 223.060 MHz

Offset: -1.6 MHz

PL Tone: 131.8 Hz

Location: Sewell, NJ

GPS: 39.781382°, -75.099963°

Meeting Calendar

General Membership Meeting

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 @ 1930 Hours

Pfeiffer Community Center

301 Blue Bell Road

(Main Street and Blue Bell Road)

Williamstown, NJ

Board of Directors Meeting

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 @ 1900 Hours

GCARC Clubhouse

Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds

235 Bridgeton Pike (Rt 77), Mullica Hill, NJ

Area Repeater Nets

SKYWARN™ Net

Sunday @ 1945: 147.180 MHz

Gloucester County ARES/RACES Net

Sunday @ 2000: 147.180 MHz

Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club - P. O. Box 370 - Pitman, NJ 08071

January 6, 2016 Club Meeting

Mark Gottlieb, WA2DIY

DV4 MEGA

“The Swiss Army Knife of Digital

Voice”

Ω

Maker of our Milt Goldman Award plaque