W4CLdotNET/LAYNOdotCOM

J. Charles Layno

What is a W4CLdotNET?

W4CL is the call sign that was issued to me by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as an Amateur Radio operator.

This site is a method of providing information for three of the things I enjoy in Amateur Radio; propagation beacons, or special stations that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the sole purpose of determining where signals might be transmitted to in the short wave radio spectrum; Radio Amateur testing, and APRS.

In 1984 the FCC stopped testing applicants for Radio Amateur licenses and began to allow licensed Radio Amateurs to administer the tests. In 1991 I became interested in being an examiner, or VE (Volunteer Examiner) and applied and was accepted as a VE.

Here I am with my wife Lesa taken at the Charlotte Hamfest in March of 1997.

Electronics and communications are a large part of my life. I am the Transmitter Supervisor for the FOX owned and operated television station FOX8 WGHP in the Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, North Carolina market.

I am an Amateur Radio Operator, first licensed in September 1976. I have participated in many different aspects of Amateur Radio, including the National Traffic System, contesting, DXing, emergency communications, packet radio, RTTY, special event stations, public service events, county hunting and teaching classes. My main radio interests at the moment are digital communications, VHF technology, teaching, beacon transmissions and volunteer examinations.

I am also active in the Civil Air Patrol, a national civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force, whose main interest is in aerospace education, search/rescue and moral education of the youth; where I am currently the Asst Deputy Chief of Staff - Communications for the Middle East Region of the Atlantic Seaboard and have completed Level 4/Paul Garber senior training and hold the grade of Major. By completing this level, late in 2004 I will be promoted to the grade of Lt Colonel. I am not a pilot, but I want to be one when I grow up. (my wife says I will never grow up!)

My wife and I are big Carolina Panther's football fans. Living just 90 miles north of Ericsson Stadium located in downtown Charlotte, we try and make at least one game a season, and see friends in the Charlotte area. The rest of the games we watch on TV. People always ask me since I work for a FOX station, and the Panthers are shown on our station, do I get tickets to the games? NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! I have to pay regular price too! A big thrill for us was after the 1996 NFC Championship game between the Panthers at Green Bay Packers, when we (my wife works at the station too in the news department) got assigned to go to Charlotte and be at Founder's Hall, (a mall area in downtown Charlotte where away Panthers games are shown) for the game. It was a heart break to lose to the Packers, but we had to stay and wait for the team to come back and get reaction from them at Ericsson Stadium. The team arrived about 10:30 that night and the crowds just showed up to show support for the team. It was very emotional and it deeply effected everyone. Most players thought they had let everyone down, but the spirit was one of fan joy. For the second season of existence, they brought home an NFL division championship (NFC Western division) a season win record of 12-4, beat San Francisco, TWICE (just killed them at their place and stomped 'em at home!), and go undefeated at Ericsson! (How could ANYONE be down after that?) It is a night I will never forget. But the next season, THEY STUNK (7-9)! But then no one thought that season four could turn into the debacle it did with a losing season of 4-12, the loss of the Panthers first coach, Dom Capers, and the hiring of legendary former 49'ers coach George Seifert. But the Panthers rallied in season five with a 8-8 season and a strong finish at the end and former Quarterback Steve Beurlein in the best form of his career! Season 6 was many dreams unfulfilled with a 7-9 finish. Season 7 was a BOMB! 1-15 finish. Only win over Minnesota in Game One. Worst in the league! Well good bye George, hello John Fox as the new head coatch for Season 8. Looks to be an other rebuilding year with LOTS of new faces including a new offensive line and defensive line. We may not have anything going this year because of the new faces, but the future is looking brighter than it has in many years. Post season hasn't produced any wins, but the look of the team is better than at anytime last season. So there may be hope yet! But we still support our Panthers though thick and thin. GO PANTHERS!!

I am not a computer programmer, but I do enjoy playing around with computers and I have been playing with the free Linux OS. It is a UNIX based OS, but with the different GUI (graphical users interfaces) it can look and act like Windows is suppose to i.e. no crashes. It is certainly more stable than Windows, but is a little more difficult to setup, but it is becoming more workstation end user friendly and I have adopted as my everyday OS with a triple boot (3 OS selectable) Windows 98/2000/Red Hat Linux with KDE desktop environment. So far Linux hasn't crashed, and it has had many a chance with me! There are several flavors but I like the Red Hat version that is written by Red Hat Inc out of Research Triangle Park (Raleigh/Durham area) of North Carolina

I also have a separate computer setup with SCO UNIX ( a true UNIX) to say I have one. It does everything Linux does, but Linux didn't cost me a user license of $50! But UNIX is still pretty cool!

TUX the penguin is the universal symbol for Linux. Linux is a what is called an Open Source OS, meaning that the source code is freely available to used or tailored for your situation, unlike Windows or the Microsoft world and most are downloadable free from the Internet or for just the cost of distribution, i.e. postage, CD ROM disk cost, etc. Several large software companies have recently made product for the Linux platform. These include Corel with the Corel Word Perfect Suite and Oracle database programs to name just a few. Many of the worlds web servers are run on Linux using the Apache web server software (like this one!). Your favorite web site is more than likely operating on Linux and you didn't even know it!

Some of the things that I have done in my life:

*Born in Kinston, NC *Grew up in Fayetteville, NC *Attended Louisburg College, Louisburg, NC

*WQTI FM, Dunn, NC - 1977-1981 - Weekend Announcer

*WAGR-AM/WJSK-FM, Lumberton, NC - 1981-1985- Night Announcer and Chief Engineer - Remodeled studios and AM frequency change

*WKML-FM, Fayetteville, NC - 1985-1987 - Chief Engineer - Built new transmitter site

*WPHR-FM Cleveland, OH - Built new transmitter facility- Fall 1986

*WBIG-FM (then became WJMH-FM 1989), Greensboro, NC - 1987-1991 - Chief Engineer - Built new transmitter facility/rebuilt studios

*WCKS-FM - Charlotte, NC - Built new master control studio - Spring 1988

*WGHP-TV, High Point, NC - 1992-present - Transmitter Supervisor - Rebuilt transmitter site - 1993-95, implemented stereo broadcasting - 1995, designed and installed digital audio network - 1994, implemented SAP broadcasting 2000, Project Captain for new digital transmitter site - 1997-present

Some of the things that I am doing in my life:

Digital television is fast approaching. Working in Nielsen Market 44, we were not required to be transmitting a digital signal until May 1st, 2002. Being owned by a large company with stations in larger markets, we have had to wait our turn to start while the larger stations had to meet earlier deadlines. But with a low power station to get on the air and get our feet wet, we wait for the large tower project which should start anytime.

We have been assigned channel 35 as our digital channel with the maximum DTV power of 1 million watts, but we are transmitting the same signal as on our main analog channel 8 so there will be no change in the on air moniker. We will have to install a new tower as well as transmitters for channel 8 and 35 and luckily our transmitter site is large enough to install a new installation while maintaining our current tower and transmitter during construction and to use it as a full backup site for the analog channel. I am the project captain for this project and I have been busy with all aspects of equipment specing and manufacture visits and such not to mention learning a whole new way to transmit. It is a lot to do, but I am excited and can hardly wait to get started on the actual construction of building buildings and installing towers and antennas and transmitters. This is not the first transmitting site I have built, but will be the first television site and EVERYTHING in television is BIGGER! (including the hours to do the job!)

To contact me, send e-mail to: clayno at nc-cap dot org

Some of the radio-related things that I am doing:

*Licensed as an Amateur Extra Class since 1991, amateur radio call sign W4CL. Previously held amateur radio call sign WB4WOR from 1976 - 1996 *Amateur Radio Testing - I am a W5YI Volunteer Examiner *Operate several FM repeaters in the following amateur radio bands: 6 meter, 1 1/4 meters and 70 cm *Operate several amateur radio packet digipeaters *Operate the amateur radio WB4WOR ten and six meter propagation beacons on 28.2905 MHz and 50.0625 MHz *Experiment with APRS - Automatic Position Reporting System.

I am a member of the following radio organizations:

*American Radio Relay League (Life Member)
This is the main national organization for Amateur Radio. The ARRL North Carolina Section is the statewide ARRL Field Organization.

*Carolina Digital Coordinating Council
This is a small group of digital operators that coordinate packet radio activity in western North Carolina.

*Crude Dudes Contest Club, W4FNC (President)
This is a small group of NC hams devoted to contesting.

*Southeastern Repeater Association (full member)
SERA is the repeater frequency coordination body for this part of the country. They have a very impressive quarterly magazine called the Repeater Journal, edited by Wayne Williams, K4MOB.

*Possum Trot Net (member #24, that's pronounced two dozen)
This is a net that meets early weekday mornings on the Fayetteville, Hillsborough and Goldsboro repeaters. A friendly bunch of folks and a nice way to start your morning on 2 meters.

W4CLdotNET/LAYNOdotCOM

J. Charles Layno

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