Our Social Director WA1BZQ - Bruce along with our Secretary Treasurer W7TUS - Mike set up a very successful Christmas Party at the Colonia Verde Club House as arranged by  our special XYL - Lillian .   With hors devors provided by our members, Christmas music by N6ITY Dennis and a great catered Italian dinner by , it was a very pleasant evening.  Of course, we had the much anticipated gift exchange hosted by Annette . (Picture is from a past Christmas paty). Everyone had a great time! Check it all out here:

  K6WSC - Bill, opened the meeting welcoming our guests for the evening including a new potential member, KE7FEX who says he came to the meeting to see what it was all about.  Bill commented one the successful Christmas Party and turned to our Secretary/Treasurer W7TUS - Mike for a report.  Mike reported that the club is solvent.  He noted that it's a new year for membership and for everyone to please pay their dues.

Bill asked if there was any new business and it was asked if we would be donating to the . It was voted to donate $250 to the Northern California DX Foundation.  

Before turning the meeting over to the membership for the DX Round Table discussion, he mentioned that January is SADXA elections and for everyone to consider running for office.

 
Time for the part of the meeting.

W7EXG - Bill reported that W7LB - Larry is at St. Josephs Hospital at Carondelet Dr. and N Wilmot Rd in Tucson . This Hospital is just N of Broadway off Wilmot Rd on East side. He is in Room Number 256. 

OUTPUT impedance of Baluns is not alike.  For example, the output impedance of a 1:1 Balun [from Balun Design], is Inductive with input terminated on 50 or 75 ohms. The output impedance of a 1.5:1 balun (75/50 ohm Balun) (from Balun Design) is capacitive with input terminated on 50 ohms.  Thus, for a fixed dipole element length, the resonant frequency of the dipole using a 1:1 Balun (75 ohm Coax) will be substantially different than for this same dipole element length with the 75/50 ohm balun (50 ohm Coax). BOTTOM LINE: Output impedance of Baluns is important, yet not specified.

On DEC 20-24, the Northern Solar Noon Terminator is about 1090 Mi from the US border. As a result of low ionization over the entire US, the EMUF = 7 MHz boundary is about 2500-3000 miles from the terminator, or located South of most of the US .  As a result, 40m Signals f during the day have condition f >  EMUF, thus signals pass through the E layer to the F DX layer. As a result, 40m Daytime DX is VERY likely and most significantly up to 3-4 hours after Sunrise , and from 3-4 hours before Sunset. Solar Noon 40m DX is challenging due to D absorption, but possible.  

Bill plans a presentation on this subject matter with examples of actual 40m DX paths at the Jan. 17 SADXA meeting. Presentation Title: Daytime 40m DX Propagation Corridor.

W7TUS - Mike said he had been having fun with 100 contacts over the past 3 months with 30 new countries.

K6WSC - Bill worked 18 countries on 80m, 64 countries on 40m, 102 countries on 20m, and 41 countries on 15m in the CQ Worldwide DX CW Contest.

W9FI - Jim worked the   WWCW contest on 160 meters and scored several JA contacts.

KB7AZ - Carl that he's earned a Worked All Zones award.  He has 80 new countries on 40 meters and qualifies for 4-Band DXCC (not an award).  He now has 177 on CW, 204 on Phone and 161 Digital.  He has 9 countries on 160 and 28 on 80.

N6ITY - Dennis finally got his antenna and tower up and has been working some pretty good DX with 21 countries last month. He's been upolading his QSOs to and The disheartning thing is that a neighbor is complaining about the possibility of RF exposure. Go figure!

W0PZD - Dick needs Vermont for WAS on .  He has 30 countries now.

K4HHX - Vince is still working his tower to take his Hex Beam.

KW7CD - Cornell said that the only DX he had worked was Argentina on 20 Meters.

WA1BZQ - Bruce reported that the held a special event on 8 December to honor the USS Arizona and originally intended to set up on the U of A campus , however, due to U of A bureauracy, it was decided that the  would provide the club shack for an operating station.  They made  425 contacts in 6 hours.  Did you work 'em?

K7NN - Don has made 1200 all DX contacts on 60 meters with 101 counties.  He reported that EA8AK - Fernando Fernandez Martin, probably the biggest DXer in Spain had 189 countries on 60 Meter !  Get busy, Don!

W6ZQ - Ron has worked on 80 thru 10 this summer with his G5RV and a 100 Watts.

AA7FV - Darrell  told of how he had a 20 meter CW schedule with a friend, F5LAW, every Sunday and that they had only missed once in the last 3 months!  The bands are dead, right Darrell?

AC2K - Alan said tht he had a 40 meter dipole at 10 feet off the ground and a 100 Watts working the WWCW with 15 countries, 5 of them African and 350 CW contacts.  He said, quote: "It's good to be back on the air!"

K7NN - Don Prior to the evening's presentation, Don held a drawing for an 2018 Iota Directory and the winner was........AC2K - Alan .  Congratulations to you, Alan.