AmateurRadio.com

to the beautiful Spring that is upon us.  Celebrated with Amateur Radio by Jim W1PID:

http://www.w1pid.com/april/april.html

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

But in the same vein as the last post, sort of, as we’ve recently passed another anniversary (April 14th) ………

I am currently finishing reading Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever”.

It is an extremely fast reading book.  I started it Monday, while visiting my Mom, who has been in the hospital this week (hence the pandemonium).  I should be finishing it very soon.  I wouldn’t consider it to be the definitive book on the subject, but it is definitely interesting. I would heartily recommend it.

Having it on the Kindle makes it that much easier to carry along.

I know this topic isn’t radio related in any way; but the authors do mention that Mr. Lincoln was addicted to the Internet of his day – the telegraph.  He spent much time bothering the Signal Corp for as much “from the front’ war news as he was able to get.  I’m willing to bet that were he alive today, President Lincoln would have been an Internet and cable news junkie – and who knows, maybe a Ham, too?

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

I don’t like to “steal” from my fellow bloggers; but I caught this on John N8ZYA’s blog. It is worth sharing with those of you who might not read his blog (You’re cheating yourself if you don’t! Just saying!)  This “independent movie” is about 45 minutes long.  It’s worth viewing to get an idea on how wireless was situated on seafaring vessels.

Now for the error as described in the post title. I didn’t work any of the Titanic Special Event stations due to some pandemonium that has been enveloping me over the past few days.  With this Saturday being a full week past the anniversary day, I doubt any of them remain on the air.  Oh well, centennial observances, like the tides, wait for no man.

Oh – before I close. This rule change to QRPTTF appeared on QRP-L today:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gang,
While QRPTTF is open to all QRPers, I have always seen it as a “QRP-L” function. This is where it is administered and the QRPers on this list are those I attempt to satisfy and respond to.

Response to having additional SOTA stations on the air for QRPTTF has generally been positive. However, I underestimated the desire of QRPers to go climb their nearby mountain or feature, whether a SOTA summit or not. A few want to make a camping trip out of it. SOTA began and is headquartered in the UK. There are numerous US chapters. Not all states/call districts have a SOTA chapter, mostly due to no or few summits to survey or activate over 500 feet high. SOTA guidelines state that the minimum “prominence” for a summit is 100M or 300 feet. Sounds good enough for me. Therefore, we will also use this definition.

RULE CHANGE
QRPTTF has been expanded from three to four categories and multipliers

STATION CLASS AND MULTIPLIERS:
X1 HOME station
X2 FIELD HILL station – operating on a hill from 3-300 feet above
average terrain
X3 SUMMIT station – operating from a “hill” or geological feature
300 feet or higher from the average terrain
X4 SOTA Summit – operating from a designated SOTA summit

I have received several emails from those wanting to operate from the largest darn “mountain” in their corner of the state, though not a SOTA summit, which in most cases will require a substantial effort. This rule change will allow you to do this and receive a X3 multiplier for the additional effort. In turn, operating from a designated SOTA summit is now X4.

This rule change has been updated on the website, rules and summary sheet
http://www.zianet.com/qrp/ or direct: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/QRPTTF/ttf.html

So for those of you who want to be a QRP “Mountain man” for the weekend, go
for it!

72, Paul NA5N

PS – Driving out to the VLA site today (54 miles from Socorro), it made me appreciate how we have to drive through or around three different mountain ranges, with numerous peaks from 9,000-12,000 feet. I always took them for granted. Not anymore. Average terrain here is about 4,700 feet, the VLA is at 7,000 feet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Hot off QRP-L:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gang,
The rules for this year’s QRP TO THE FIELD (QRPTTF) and Summary Sheet are posted at: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/

This year, we are teaming up with the Summits on the Air stations – or SOTA. SOTA stations will be operating from designated summits to participate in QRPTTF. SOTA stations are QRP – some QRPp, and operate on the usual QRP watering holes. This joint effort was designed to give us all more stations to work (since the sun isn’t helping us out much … solar flux for QRPTTF predicted to be 100).

Since we’re talking mountains and summits, this year’s theme is “Get high with QRP” … basically, operate from any old nearby hill or as high as you want to go.

SOTA stations will send the exchange, plus a SOTA designator they use for identifying the summit (this gives them credit for their awards as well). Many hike to the summits with a minimalist station, often QRPp, so may be a bit weak. Whether you work TTF or SOTA stations, they all go in the log for credit. However, you also get an extra multiplier for each SOTA station worked to reward you for your effort to boost your score.

Complete details and scoring on the website http://www.zianet.com/qrp/

There are also several SOTA members on QRP-L that will be participating in QRPTTF. If you have any questions regarding SOTA, or if you feel so inclined to operate a SOTA location, ask here and they will answer your questions.

None of us want to haul our gear to the field then struggle to find stations to work. Past few years, we have plenty of experience with that! This will give us more stations to work for more QSOs, higher scores, and of course, more fun.

72, Paul NA5N

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, Paul – remember folks, QRPTTF is Saturday, April 28th.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

A topic being discussed on the CWOps e-mail reflector is about two letters to the editor in the May issue of QST.  I won’t re-print them here. If you get QST, they are to be found on page 24 and the header is “Proud to be a No-Code Extra”. These are in response to another letter to the editor in the April edition of QST bemoaning the fact that the Extra license “is not what it used to be” now that the code requirement is gone (in essence - not the exact words).

The authors of the May letters are steamed by the concept that they are some how inferior because they did not pass the 20 WPM Morse Code test that used to be required to earn Amateur Extra.

I guess they have a point; but as usual – both sides of the arguement have their merit.

Perhaps what we need to do is just get over with labeling everything!  It seems all human beings (not just Hams) love to do that – label, compartmentalize, file and designate.  The problem is, as human beings, we rarely fit neatly into any one compartment.

Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, gay, straight, Extra, General, Technician, and on an on and on and on until it makes your head swim. And don’t let’s get started on the nationalities or religions – too many to begin even thinking about listing here for the purposes of this discussion.

I think one of the worse trends that has ever happened in the last few years is all this “celebration of diversity”.   Seriously. We have come to the point where we concentrate too much on what makes us different instead of how so many of us are so much the same.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t meant that we should ignore our differences – we should not all become just some amorphous, giant blob of humanity. We should be proud of our races, nationalities, creeds – but not to the point where they become exclusionary.  We need to look at each other, as well ……. people.

Whether you’re white, black, brown, red, yellow, or purple – whether you’re a man or woman, whether you’re Polish, Italian, Kenyan, Afghanistani or whatever – we all have the same needs and dreams.  We want roofs over our heads, food on our tables, and we want our kids to have a better life than we’ve had. We want to be loved.

Once we realize that despite our apparent differences, that we’re all basically the same – maybe then we’ll truly have peace some day.  Pie in the sky?  Maybe.

Sorry – I didn’t mean to get all “Kumbaya” on you; but some times I get really tired of what are basically, silly arguments that in the end, don’t amount to a hill of beans.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

I got my April copy of CQ and it’s no April Fool’s joke – the issue is dedicated to QRP!  How cool is that?

Included feature articles:

QRP in Paradise by Woody Hester WD9F
The “Splinter” QRPp Trans-Reciver by Bill Minikiewicz W4FSV
A QRP Superstation by R. Scot Rought KA8SMA
CQ Reviews – the MFJ-9200 QRPocket CW Transciever by Rich Moseson W2VU
Learning Curve – A QRP Primer by Rich Arland K7SZ (who I had the honor of working this past weekend in the QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party).
The regular QRP column by Cam Hartford N6GA
The regular Kit Building column by Joe Eisenberg K0NEB

Yes, we always have great QRP publications at our fingertips like QRP Quarterly and Sprat; but it’s nice when the “mainstream” publications feature QRP.  You never know, maybe we’ll soon meet some new friends who will be joining us after being introduced to QRP by the April edition of CQ.

Thanks to Rich Moseson and all the fine editors at CQ.  And a special thanks to Cam and Joe, who keep the fine articles coming all year ’round!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Thanks to K7TRY, now we know!

 Hopefully, I will be seeing this for myself in just a few short weeks!

72 de Larry W2LJ

Got this nice e-mail from John K4BAI, QRPer and contester, exemplar :

Hi Larry:

Hope you will be able to participate in our annual Georgia QSO Party on Apri1 14 and 15. All information can be found on the GQP Home Page at http://georgiaqsoparty.org. It runs 10 hours on Sat (1800Z to 0359Z Sunday) and 10 hours on Sunday (14Z to 2359Z) on 160 to 6 meters CW/Digital and SSB. Georgia with 159 counties has more counties than any other US state other than TX and the small size of most of them means that the mobiles and rovers are frequently changing counties.

Suggested frequencies are 1815 and 45 kHz up on CW and on 1865, 3810, 7190, 14250, 21300, and 28450 SSB. Also 50095 and 50135 on 6M. Digital would be near traditional digital calling frequencies. Multipliers for Mixed Mode stations are counted per mode (not per band).

Band conditions have been pretty good recently, including 20M often being open at night and 15 and 10 providing a lot of QSOs during the daylight hours.

Rapidly moving mobiles have been a hallmark of the GQP, particularly on CW.

Please join in the fun for as much time and you can and send in your log.

Awards are available for high power, low power, and QRP entries from the various states, provinces, countries and GA counties.

Thanks for your support and for passing this information on to others who might be interested.

I should be QRV from many GA counties as W4AN/M.

73, John, K4BAI.

So folks, if you have some time this weekend, let’s support our fellow Hams from the great state of Georgia.  There should be lots of activity – build up your logs and perhaps even be the QRP winner from your state!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

As I thought, I did not have any real time to devote to this contest, this being Easter weekend.

In about an hour and a half total operating time, I made 18 QSOs – the best DX being EA2LU, Jorge in Spain.  One QSO was made on 40 Meters, and the rest were made on 20 and 15 Meters.  15 Meters was the pleasant surprise.  There was a decent amount of activity there and the signals were nice.  QSB was a fast and furious beast to deal with, though.

If it were any other weekend, I probably would have been able to devote more time. But it is what it is.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!