E.A.R.S.

1506 S. Parker Dr.

Evansville, IN 47714

(812) 479-5741

"Because a frequency.. ..is a terrible thing to waste"

An ARRL Special Service Club Member Indiana Repeater Council

KB9KBT May, 1995 Newsletter

REPEATER SYSTEM UPDATE:

E.A.R.S. repeaters have a new callsign! KB9KBT, the new club callsign, was placed on the repeater on Tuesday, April 25. The call was issued that day, and was obtained via the Internet at 4:00 p.m. that day. The original license has since been received. For those who may not be aware, you can call the FCC at 1-800-322-1117 for callsign information. If they can find your callsign, you may operate with it immediately! Receipt of the actual license will follow in about a week. Or, if you have access to Internet, access the FCC using ftp.fcc.gov. Login with anonymous and use the password provided on the screen. To get to the amateur license information directory, type: cd pub/XFS_AlphaTest/amateur. The dir command will give you a list of the available files. Then use the get command to download the desired file. Documentation is available by downloading the readme.txt file. Updates are posted daily, by day of issue. The complete list of amateurs is available, but is rumored to take 7 hours at

14.4 Kbaud.

145.11 - No news to report

145.150 - no news to report

146.925 - The transmitter is still having problems. We were able to find some parts at Dayton to get a new transmitter running. Hopefully this will be in place soon. A new omnidirectional antenna was also purchased at Dayton for the 146.925 transmitter.

443.925 - Since the Indy link transmitter was damaged in a storm last week, the still one-way link went down. While we are waiting on repairs, the link receiver has been moved to receive the National Weather Service office in Evansville.

145.250 - Some programming is being done to correct some mistakes, and the new call will be placed on the system soon. A new amplifier for the Indy transmit site was purchased at Dayton, and should be online soon.

UPCOMING HAMFESTS:

Paducah, KY May 20

Indianapolis, IN September 2

Indy Armory (Holt Rd. & I-70)

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. T/I 145.250-

(Hoosier Hamfest) - by E.A.R.S.!

Bedford, IN Oct 8

Louisville, KY Oct. 14-15 KY Fair & Expo Center

Evansville, IN November 25

Vanderburgh Co. 4-H Fairgrounds

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. T/I 145.150-

Sponsored by E.A.R.S.!

Listen for EARS on 145.15 (107.2 PL) at hamfests!!

VE TESTING INFORMATION:

Test fee: $5..90 Must have 2 IDs, Form 610, photocopies of licenses/CSCEs, and originals to verify photocopies

Paris, IL May 7 at 1 p.m. - Paris Comm. Hospital (217) 466-4315

Mt. Carmel, IL May 10 - Wabash Valley Jr. College (W5YI/VEC) 6 p.m. (812) 479-5741

(NRE Commerical exams by appt. only)

Vincennes, IN May 20 - Vincennes Univ.1

ARRL/VEC exams at 9 a.m. (812) 886-9765

NRE commercial exams by appointment - Call (812) 479-5741

From the home office in Lebanon, OH:

TOP 10 Stupid Things heard at Dayton

10) Isn't there parking available at Hara Arena?

9) Well then,what's the regular price on this?

8) It just doesn't seem like Dayton without the rain flooding the flea market

7) Does this bus go to Salem Mall?

6) Is there any activity on 145.19 this weekend?

5) Sqqquuueeeeeeeeeeeeek! (The brakes on all of the shuttle buses)

4) Gee, this bus driver sure is going too fast

3) From the flea market: "Does it work?"

2) Look for me in the main arena...I'll be the one wearing the H.T.

1) Is this frequency in use?????

DON'T FORGET THE E.A.R.S. WIDE AREA NET AND NEWSLINE....Every Monday at 8:30 Central on the EARS Wide Area Repeater Network!

E.A.R.S.

1506 S. Parker Dr.

Evansville, IN 47714

THE E.A.R.S. NEWSLETTER is a monthly production of Electronic Applications Radio Service, Inc., a non-profit, charitable, tax-exempt organization. Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, editor. Send donations, articles, comments or information to E.A.R.S. at the address at the address below or call (812) 479-5741. E-mail can be sent via Internet to Neil.Rapp@ evsc.com, or via Prodigy at CAEK86A. For the braille edition, contact Tom KE9ZV.

E.A.R.S. Information Sheet

What is E.A.R.S.?

Electronic Applications Radio Service, Incorporated is a not-for-profit organization formed to "further public knowledge of electronic fundamentals associated with federally licensed radio services." Some of the goals of E.A.R.S. are to: 1) provide Amateurs with wide area repeater coverage; 2) provide oppertunities for alternative, experimental and new technologies to be used in repeater operation; 3) encourage cooperation between already formed local clubs and organizations; 4) provide the area with reliable, handheld, long-distance communications in the event of an emergency; and 5) promote fellowship and proper operating practices among amateurs. E.A.R.S. is NOT a club, at least as you would normally think of one. E.A.R.S. is not in competition with ANY club or organization; it is simply an alternative organization that supports wide area and experimental repeater projects specifically. "Members" of E.A.R.S. are also members of many, many other Amateur radio clubs and organizations.

What does E.A.R.S. do for me?

While the list is long and we don't have enough room to list everything that E.A.R.S. does for hams, these are some of the more obvious services:

Monthly "Eating Meetings provide oppertunities to meet hams and fellowship, as well as learn about associated topics and events

Provides FREE autopatch service to any licensed amateur upon request in Evansville and Vincennes

Provides FREE temporary autopatch service to hams traveling through Indianapolis for a short period of time

Provides low-cost full-time autopatch services in Indianapolis ($20/year)

Provides FREE access to amateurs to all repeaters, as long as proper courtesy and operating practices are followed

Maintains the 145.15 Wide Area Repeater serving Southwestern Indiana, Southeastern Illinois, and Western Kentucky, with up to four remote receivers around Evansville and vicinity, also linked to Vincennes and Indianapolis

Provides HAND HELD coverage across Evansville on 145.11 and 145.15

Maintains wide area 145.11 repeater serving Southwestern Indiana, Southeastern Illinois, and Western Kentucky, but not linked to Network for longer usage in the Evansville area

Maintains wide area 146.925 repeater, which transmits from north of Vincennes. Two remote receivers are available: one at Vincennes, the other at Farmersburg; also linked to Indianapolis and Evansville

Maintains wide area 443.925 repeater, at 400 feet in Vincennes; also linked to Indianapolis, Evansville, and 146.925

Maintains legendary 145.250 Wide Area repeater in Indianapolis; when in full operation, remote recivers stretched from Muncie to New Albany to Terre Haute to Richmond, also 147.135 linked repeater in Corydon; also linked to Vincennes and Evansville

Sponsors Commercial license testing for GROL, MROP, and other commercial FCC licenses

Operates annual WINTER hamfest in Evansville; one of the largest hamfests in Southern Indiana (Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend)

Operates annual Hoosier Hamfest in Indianapolis (Saturday of Labor Day Weekend)

Sends FREE reminders to amateurs whose licenses are due to expire, with FREE instructions as to how to renew

Provides monthly newsletter, which includes news about the repeaters, VE testing, hamfests, Amateur radio in general, and other related information

Operates weekly Wide Area Net Mondays evenings at 8:30 p.m. Central time on the Repeater Network to test coverage area (not a traffic net), offer

announcements and swap shop items

Retransmits weekly amateur bulletins from Newsline each week during Wide Area net with 10-15 minutes of national and international Amateur news

Provides newsletter in printed, ASCII, on-line, or braille forms upon request

Provides information to new hams about repeater courtesy and operating practices

Provides Severe Weather watches and warnings as they are issued on repeater network

Full-service, repeater integrated real-time voice mailbox service on 443.925 and 146.925 repeaters

How can I help E.A.R.S.?

There are many ways you can help E.A.R.S. continue serving the VHF/UHF amateur community. Perhaps the most important help would be simply to make good use of the services provided. Monitor the repeaters. Help hams passing through town if possible. Use good repeater courtesy. Another way is to volunteer your talents. Perhaps you can help maintain some equipment, repair equipment, monitor the repeaters as a control operator, help put up antennas, sell tickets at the hamfest, or help with mailings. Whatever help you can offer will be appreciated. Of course, repeaters are expensive to purchase and maintain, as we must pay for electricity, phone lines, and maintenence of some sites. Your financial contributions are greatly appreciated. E.A.R.S. is recognized both by Indiana and the IRS as a not-for-profit, charitable corporation. We do not have "membership dues" since we are not a club. We do not recommend any amount for a donation, as some are able to give more than others. But, in order to pay for specific services, we do ask for a $10/year minimum contribution if you wish to receive the newsletter. For Indianapolis autopatch access, we ask for a minimum of $20/year. Otherwise, your donation is entirely up to you.

Where do I get more information?

For information about the Indianapolis repeaters, contact Marty Hensley KA9PCT at 7205 Mohawk Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46260 or (317) 253-7985. For information about the Vincennes or Evansville repeaters or the newsletter, contact Neil Rapp WB9VPG at 1506 S. Parker Drive, Evansville, IN 47714 or (812) 479-5741.

* We appreciate your patience as a larger system takes longer to maintain! There is a LONG list of repairs that are scheduled to be made, especially after the Indy fire. Not

all services may be available at the present time. Please accept our apologies for any service not currently functioning.