Lately, Joyce/K0JJW and I have been doing combined Summits On The Air (SOTA) and Parks On The Air (POTA) activations. Most of the SOTA summits we activate are inside parks as defined by POTA. Our primary focus is using VHF/UHF from SOTA summits with POTA is being a nice addition. Although the two programs have a lot of similarities, there are some significant differences that need to be understood.

SOTA / POTA Differences

Let’s compare the two programs to understand the differences, so you can have a successful activation with both. We will focus on differences when doing an activation so this is not an exhaustive list.

• Summits Vs Parks. Well, this is the fundamental difference. Summits tend to be small in area, defined by a specific lat/lon coordinate and the surrounding activation zone (AZ). The activation zone is roughly defined as the area surrounding the actual summit, staying within 25 vertical meters. Parks can be almost any size and may cover many square miles. Both SOTA and POTA maintain lists of official summits or parks, so it should be clear whether one of these is valid for an activation.
• Accessibility. While there are drive-up and easy walk-up summits, most SOTA summits require a hike. Many of them are physically challenging. Parks often have easier, park-like access. Or you can always do a 50-mile backpack trip for a POTA activation.
• Equipment restrictions. SOTA allows you to reach the activation zone in a vehicle but you must move away from the vehicle an unspecified distant and operate totally independent of the vehicle. On drive-up mountains, our practical application of this rule is to load up our normal SOTA gear into backpacks, hike away from the vehicle, and set up for the activation. SOTA requires the use of portable power sources but not fossil-fuel generators. This pretty much means battery power, perhaps augmented with solar panels. POTA does not have such restrictions, so if you meet the SOTA requirements you’ll be valid for both.
• Scoring. SOTA emphasizes the accumulation of activator and chaser points, while layering in other challenges such as Summit-to-Summit (S2S) scores. Each summit has a point value assigned to it, based on elevation. In POTA, all parks are created equal and the main focus tends to be on the number of activations and the number of parks hunted (chased).  POTA also has awards for the number QSOs. For example, the Kilo Award is achieved by making 1000 QSOs from a single park (usually over multiple activations). Both programs have quite a bit of variety and flexibility built into their awards and operating objectives, which is one of the reasons people enjoy the programs.
• Successful Activation. SOTA requires only one radio contact for a successful activation. But to receive point credit for the summit, which is what most people are after, you need to make at least 4 contacts. So most SOTA activators define success as getting at least four contacts. The 4 SOTA contacts must be with 4 different stations, with no credit for working the same station on multiple bands. In contrast, POTA requires 10 QSOs for a successful activation.  POTA does count QSOs with the same station on different bands. For example, an activator could obtain the required 10 POTA QSOs by working just two stations on 5 different bands.
• Same Location QSOs. A SOTA activator does not get credit for working another station on the same summit. That is, the other station must be outside of the summit activation zone to be counted. POTA allows an activator to work another activator in the same park for QSO credit. In fact, the activators can receive park-to-park credit for such a radio contact.

VHF SOTA and POTA

Racking up lots of contacts on VHF/UHF from a summit can be a challenge, dependent mostly on the range of your gear and the ham population in the area. Most of the time, we can get four contacts without too much trouble but at times even that can be a challenge. Getting ten contacts for POTA raises the bar higher.

We noted that most of the hams we work on 2m FM are also workable on 70 cm FM. So an easy thing to do is to ask 2m chasers (hunters) to switch over to 70 cm and work us there, doubling the number of POTA-valid QSOs. Interestingly, the SOTA QSO count recorded in the database includes these QSOs. (But you must have contacted at least four unique stations to get the summit points.)

Because Joyce and I usually activate together, we can also work each other for POTA credit. I have discovered that many POTA activator teams make it a standard practice to pull out a couple of handheld radios and work each other on 2m FM when they first set up. OK, maybe that’s not the most exciting QSO of the day, but it is allowed.  With a dual-band HT, you can make two QSOs this way. And it is a good idea to put out a call on 2m FM to work any locals that might be hunting parks. On a summit, these QSOs would not be valid for SOTA, unless one of the operators leaves the activation zone. Yes, we’ve done that, too, taking turns hiking down out of the AZ to make a quick contact.

Summary

This covers some of the things we’ve learned about doing combined SOTA and POTA activations. Again, this is with an emphasis on VHF/UHF operating. You should study the SOTA and POTA rules carefully because this article does not cover everything. However, some of the issues I’ve outlined here are not obvious from the SOTA and POTA rules, so I hope you find this article helpful.

73 Bob K0NR

The post Combined SOTA / POTA Activations appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Adam/K6ARK recently posted this video of his 2m SOTA activation in California. Adam does a really nice job with his videos and this one is no exception. During this activation, he worked KE9AJ in Arizona at 256 miles. This was an FM QSO, with KE9AJ running 6 watts and K6ARK running over 120 watts.

In the video, he shows the 8-element 2m Yagi antenna, which has a clever folding boom design (homebrew, I assume). You’ll notice that he is carrying quite a bit of gear in his pack, including a 160w amplifier, a Yaesu FT-857, several batteries, the Yagi antenna, and antenna masts. Adam has posted other videos of VHF SOTA activity, so check out his YouTube channel for them.

Note that at 256 miles, this is definitely propagation beyond line of sight. We’ve talked about this before: The Myth of VHF Line-Of-Sight.

This has me thinking about some of my best VHF SOTA activations, which I will list here.

Sneffels to Pikes

In 2012, for the Colorado 14er Event, Joyce/K0JJW and I climbed Mt Sneffels (W0C/UR-001) at 14,150 feet in elevation. I worked Stu/W0STU on Pikes Peak (W0C/FR-004). We both were running 5 watts on 2m FM, with 3-element Arrow II antennas. I had an FT-817, while Stu used an HT. We made the QSO without too much difficulty, at a distance of 160 miles. Stu put together this video that shows the action on both summits.

Capulin Mountain

Capulin Mountain (W5N/SG-009) is out in the middle of nowhere New Mexico, a long distance from populated areas. My goal was to activate it (and get the points) on VHF, but I knew it would be a challenge. I put the word out to the weak-signal VHF community and used my FT-817 (5 watts) and 3-element Yagi to make contacts. My best DX was with Arne/N7KA at 184 miles. I could hear him fine on SSB but he could not copy me, so we switched to CW to complete the QSO. Arne used a 2M12 Yagi antenna with 700 watts of power vs my 5 watts.

This turned out to be a good lesson in what happens when the two stations are imbalanced with respect to RF power. My 5 watts vs his 700 watts is a difference of 21 dB. No wonder I could hear him just fine but he was struggling to copy me. Flipping over to CW narrows the receiver bandwidth, improving the signal-to-noise ratio, and was enough improvement to make the QSO.

Capulin Mountain (W5N/SG-009) VHF SOTA

Mount Scott

Mount Scott (W5O/WI-002) is a drive-up summit (elevation 2464 feet) in the Witchita Mountains of Oklahoma. It sticks up high enough to have a good radio horizon in all directions. We stopped there to do an activation in March 2018, using the Yaesu FT-90 (set for 30 to 50 watts) and the 3-element Yagi antenna.

We easily worked a bunch of stations on 146.52 MHz FM, including K5RTN in Brownfield, TX. Later, I checked the distance to Brownfield and found that it was 245 miles, which is still my best SOTA DX on 2m FM. There was probably some favorable propagation that morning, perhaps some ducting, for this to occur. K5RTN was operating from home and I am not sure about his power and antenna.

Threemile Mountain

During the 2021 January VHF Contest, we decided to activate Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107), which is usually accessible, even in the winter months. Because it is in the Pike National Forest (K-4404), I did a combo operation of SOTA, POTA, and VHF contest. At 10,020 feet in elevation, it is not the highest summit in the region but it has a good radio horizon in all directions.

Also, the hike is relatively short, so I packed the Yaesu FT-991 and a 20 Ah battery, which gave me more power (50 watts) on 2m and 70 cm. Not only that, I actually fired it up below 50 MHz and made some HF contacts, using single-band end-fed halfwave antennas.

I was working a few stations in Denver on 2m SSB when I heard Larry/N0LL calling me from Smith Center, KS. Larry is a well-known Big Gun on VHF with excellent antennas. I’ve worked him in past contests on various bands and modes but I was surprised how strong he was coming in at Threemile Mountain. We probably had favorable conditions on 2 meters that day but nothing exotic, to make a 372 mile QSO. I’ve worked longer distances on 2 meters but this is my best DX for SOTA.

Radio Fun on Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107)

Power and Antenna

Most ham transceivers have decent receivers, so the choice of radio on the receive side is not that critical. (OK, you can add a preamp in front of the receiver to improve it.) The big difference for making QSOs (or not) on 2 meters is antenna and power level.

Improving your antenna is normally the first step in improving your VHF SOTA station, because it helps on both transmit and receive. Joyce/K0JJW and I almost always use the 3-element handheld Yagi from Arrow Antenna. Arrow does not specify the gain, but various sources have measured it at 6 dBd. We have made many QSOs over the years where the extra 6 dB made the difference. An omnidirectional antenna would have come up short. I’ve been looking for a higher gain antenna to use for SOTA but have not found one that I like. Adam’s 8-element antenna is tempting but longer antennas pretty much require a mast, which adds weight to the pack. One of the benefits of the 3-element Arrow is that it is handheld, so we don’t carry a mast. Of course, having two of us activating together really helps…one person can hold the antenna while the other operates and logs. A handheld antenna with a single operator can be a challenge.

Concerning power level, the Capulin QSO with N7KA illustrates what happens when two stations are imbalanced with respect to RF power. After this experience, I did purchase a small 2m amplifier that boosts the 5 watts from the FT-817 to 35 watts. It is compact and not too much of a DC power hog.  I think we also heard an imbalance with the QSO between K6ARK and KE9AJ. KE9AJ’s signal was a bit noisy at K6ARK while K6ARK’s signal was full quieting 59 at the other end. This is not a surprise with K6ARK at around 120 watts and K6ARK at 6 watts (13 dB difference).

For higher power on 2 meters, you generally need to bring a bigger radio or an amplifier. The popular HT is generally limited to about 5 watts. For 2m FM, we’ve been carrying the Yaesu FT-90, which is a pretty compact radio and can put out 50 watts of RF power (FM only). On the Threemile Mountain activation mentioned above, we took the FT-991, which is not very SOTA friendly, but it also does 50 watts on 2 meters…and all modes.

Battery capacity also comes into play as higher power requires more DC current. The FT-90 manual says it draws 9.5 amps at full 50 watts of power on 2 meters. (We usually run it at lower power but will punch it up to 50 watts when required.) The FT-991 manual says it draws 15 amps when transmitting at full power on 2m or 70cm. My 160 watt 2m (Mirage) amplifier can draw up to 30 amps on transmit. Wowzy, that’s some real current! The point is that as you increase power, you need to look at your battery situation more carefully.

It might sound like I am suggesting that we should maintain a power balance between the two stations. That’s not the case and is often not even practical. When one station is much stronger than the other, it can be used to advantage. The stronger station is easily heard and the weaker station can point the antenna in the right direction to peak up the signal. The weaker station consistently hears the stronger station, so now the challenge becomes to just get a few seconds of successful transmission in the opposite direction. You keep trying until the weaker station manages to get through. Compare this to having two lower power stations trying to make a contact. They may not even hear each other at all because the antennas are not pointed optimally. When they do hear each other, they are both struggling to hear the other station and complete the QSO. This lowers the probability of completing the contact.

So how much power should you run on 2 meters for SOTA? Of course, More Is Better, except for the extra weight in your backpack. The difficulty of the hike comes into play…on shorter hikes, weight does not matter so much. I am finding that 5 watts is on the skimpy side. On the other hand, going much above 50 watts requires larger batteries, so I am thinking the sweet spot is around 30 to 50 watts. If I do happen to work a base station running 1kW, my signal will be 13 dB lower with 50 watts (worst-case scenario). This is just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

Summary

So can we all agree then that VHF signals can go beyond line-of-sight? These examples are basic tropospheric paths and do not include the exotic propagation modes such as meteor scatter, sporadic-e, aurora, EME, etc. I’ve used most of those modes to work longer distances but not during a SOTA activation. Most hams know that SSB and CW are more effective than FM when signals are weak. In fact, FM weak-signal performance is lousy. Still, we see multiple examples of making some long-distance contacts with FM.

73 Bob K0NR

The post How Far on VHF SOTA? appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

You may have noticed announcements about the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) making substantial grants to various amateur radio and communications technology projects. Where did this outfit come from and how do they have funds to donate?

This is my story about it, but I don’t speak for the ARDC. I am a member of the Grants Advisory Committee, which reviews the grant proposals.

My Story

My story starts with a discussion that happened a long time ago (1980s?) with Bdale/KBØG. We were talking about packet radio, networking, and other technical topics and he mentioned that a group of hams had requested and obtained a block of IP addresses. The ARDC website credits Hank/KA6M, for taking the lead on this. This block turned out to be 44.x.x.x, which was set aside for amateur radio use. At the time, I thought it was a nice thing to have but really didn’t pay much attention to it.  This 44Net or AMPRNet was managed informally until 2011 when ARDC was formed as a non-profit, public benefit corporation under IRS rules 501(c)(3).

Well, it turns out that in today’s world of everything-on-the-network, IP addresses have a significant monetary value. The ARDC Board of Directors recognized that the amateur community would not use all of the IP addresses assigned to it and that those IP addresses could be sold for significant dollars. Also, the value was time perishable because the internet would eventually transition to IPv6. So in 2019, ARDC decided to sell a portion of those IP addresses with the goal of using the proceeds to benefit the amateur radio community and digital communications, in general. More specifics to the story are available here.

The amount of money raised from this sale was not disclosed. However, the ARDC 2019 Financial Statement shows assets of approximately $109M. Yes, that is an M, as in millions of dollars. This is an unprecedented amount of money available to the amateur radio community. The basic idea is to spin out a portion of these assets as grants (say 5% annually), while maintaining and growing the principle.

Grants Advisory Committee

In 2020, Bdale pointed out to me that ARDC was taking applications for the Grants Advisory Committee (GAC). This committee reviews the grant proposals as they come into the ARDC and makes a recommendation to the Board on whether to approve them. (The final decision is with the Board of Directors.) In my semi-retired state, I was looking for ways to assist charitable organizations, so doing this role for ARDC sounded great! How can you not like helping out with a well-funded organization focused on amateur radio and communications?

At this point, I am about 10 months into the effort and I’m really enjoying it. I think everyone in ARDC sees 2021 as a building year…not everything is running like a precision machine just yet. Some paid staff have been hired which has been a huge step forward. This program is large enough that it is difficult to operate with just part-time volunteer efforts. More importantly, we have people like Rosy/KJ7RYV and Chelsea/KF0FVJ that have deep experience with non-profit charitable work. My friend (and well-known ham) Dan/KB6NU has signed on as the Content Manager.

The details of the grants program are spelled out on the ARDC website, so I won’t cover that here. I will say that if your radio club or other organization has a project they would like to pursue but is struggling to fund it, consider asking for a grant from ARDC. What kinds of things has ARDC funded? College scholarships in partnership with the ARRL Foundation, development work on the M17 protocol (open-source digital voice), ham stations at several universities, repeater installations and upgrades, radio club communications trailers, and much more. The list of 2021 grants that have been funded is on the website.

As you can probably tell, I am excited to be a part of this worthy effort and helping to make it happen.

73 Bob K0NR

The post What’s This ARDC Grant Thing? appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Ham operators make radio contacts on a routine basis. We call another station or another station responds to our call, we exchange some information, maybe chat for a while and then finish the contact, clearing out with our callsigns. Most of the time we clearly know whether we had a valid radio contact, commonly referred to as a QSO.

Sometimes it is not so clear. I hear a DX station calling CQ…I call him (giving his callsign and my callsign) and I hear him say “your report is 5 and 9” so I say “QSL and 73” and put him in the log. Did I really work him? Maybe not. Did he hear my callsign correctly? Was he even talking to me? Not sure.

The question of what constitutes a valid radio contact has been asked for decades. Edward Tilton W1HDQ in the “The World Above 50 Mc” column, QST Magazine, March 1957 wrote this:

As amateurs we are presumed to be engaged in communication. This implies exchange of information, not just identification of one another. Thus, a reasonable definition of a QSO, for amateur purposes, would seem to be an exchange of useful information. Otherwise, why communicate at all?

Tilton goes on to say:

The minimum exchange for two-way work to be considered a contact has been fairly well standardized on a two-stage procedure: positive identification of calls at both ends, and the complete exchange of signal reports. The latter is about the shortest item of information that can be transmitted between two stations that will have any meaning at all. The form varies with various operating activities, but the basic idea of mutual exchange remains in all.

Actually, the exchange of signal reports may be replaced by some other “exchange of information.” For example, during VHF contests the standard exchange of information is usually the 4-character grid locator. Signal reports are not usually given.

The IARU Three Steps

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in their HF Manager’s Handbook and VHF Manager’s Handbook says:

A definition for a valid QSO is:
A valid contact is one where both operators during the contact have
1. mutually identified each other
2. received a report, and
3. received a confirmation of the successful identification and the reception of the report.
It is emphasized that the responsibility always lies with the operator for the integrity of the contact.

Let’s take a practical look at the IARU definition and what it means:

1. mutually identified each other

You exchange callsigns with the other station (making sure you have them correct). This tends to happen naturally as part of the calling process in amateur radio.

2. received a report

You exchange a signal report or some other information (grid locator, contest exchange, …)

3. received a confirmation of the successful identification and the reception of the report.

You acknowledge that you have the information from 1 and 2, by saying “QSL”, “Thank you” or something similar.

Some Scenarios

The rigor applied to making a contact does vary depending on the specific situation. Here are a few specific examples that will help explain this.

FT8

The WSJT-X software used for making FT8 contacts has IARU Steps 1, 2, and 3 embedded into its communication protocol. FT8 is intended to work well under weak-signal conditions, so the software implements a rigorous use of information exchange. Appropriate use of this software guarantees a valid QSO.

The QSO starts with one station calling another (callsigns are exchanged). The standard FT8 messages (see figure) show that KØNR calls W1AW with grid locator included (TX1). Typically, W1AW would respond by calling KØNR and providing a signal report. (Signal reports are in decibels, just a number.) KØNR responds with TX3, which does two things: sends “R” to indicate that the signal report from W1AW was received AND sends the signal report of -15 dB to W1AW. When W1AW receives that transmission, it knows that callsigns and signal reports have been exchanged and sends RR73 to complete the QSO. KØNR may respond with a 73 message, but that is not required for a valid QSO.

I realize that if you haven’t worked FT8, this may be confusing. If so, just note that the design of the WSJT-X software leads the user through these specific messages to ensure that the three IARU steps happen.

VHF Contest QSO With Weak Signals

Radio contacts during VHF contests can be a bit casual: one operator calls another (callsigns exchanged) and they tell each other their grid locators. IARU Step 3 (the QSL or acknowledgment) may be assumed or perhaps one of the operators just says thanks or 73 to indicate the contact is complete and they are signing clear. But when the signals are weak, VHF operators tend to be more careful about making sure they made the contact.

Here’s a weak-signal CW QSO between KØNR and W9RM:

KØNR calls W9RM
KØNR: W9RM W9RM W9RM de KØNR KØNR KØNR

W9RM responds and sends his grid (DM58)
W9RM: KØNR KØNR de W9RM DM58 DM58 DM58 BK

KØNR responds with multiple “R”s to indicate that the grid was received and sends his grid (DM78)
KØNR: R R R DM78 DM78 DM78 BK

W9RM responds with multiple “QSL”s to acknowledge that the information is complete
W9RM: QSL QSL QSL de W9RM BK

KØNR would probably reply with “73 73 73” but that is not necessary for a valid QSO

HF Contests

HF contests are fast and furious, with a high value placed on quickly making contacts. Thus, they tend to use the bare minimum to complete a QSO. Let’s take the example of a Big Gun station making multiple contacts in succession, otherwise known as “running.” Here, ZF1A is working the CQ Worldwide DX Contest with a number of stations calling him. He initiates the radio contact with “QRZ?”

ZF1A calls QRZ?
ZF1A: ZF1A QRZ?

KØNR calls ZF1A by just saying his callsign
KØNR: Kilo Zero November Romeo

ZF1A calls KØNR and gives the contest exchange: signal report (always 59 in a contest) and CQ Zone (08 in this example)
ZF1A: KØNR 59 08

KØNR responds with a “Roger” to indicate the information was received and provides a signal report and CQ Zone 04
KØNR: Roger 59 04

ZF1A acknowledges the information and calls for the next station
ZF1A: Thank you, ZF1A QRZ?

This is a fast and tight exchange. Note that to save time, KØNR did not say ZF1A’s callsign during the contact. It does have the potential of a broken QSO if the operators are not paying close attention. KØNR must be sure he is hearing ZF1A’s callsign correctly and that ZF1A sent KØNR’s callsign correctly. Similarly, ZF1A will make sure he has KØNR’s callsign and exchange before moving on. If ZF1A is not sure of KØNR’s callsign and exchange, he will ask for a repeat. Sometimes the running station just calls QRZ? to complete the contact so IARU step 3 is implied. (If ZF1A did not have confidence that the QSO was complete, he would have asked for a repeat.)

Parks On The Air (POTA)

From the POTA rules: “POTA does not require a formal exchange, though many activators will wish to receive real signal reports, names and locations.”  My experience is that the park Activator usually sends a (real) signal report and the park number (e.g., K-4404). The Hunter usually sends a real signal report and state. Something like this:

KØNR calls CQ POTA
KØNR: CQ CQ Parks on the air Kilo Zero November Romeo

KØJJW answers him
KØJJW: KØNR this is KØJJW Kilo Zero Juliet Juliet Whiskey

KØNR responds with the signal report and park number
KØNR: KØJJW you are 57 in park K-4404

KØJJW acknowledges the information and provides a signal report and state.
KØJJW: Roger. You are 5 6 into Colorado. Thanks for the activation.

KØNR confirms that the QSO is complete and moves on to the next station
KØNR: QSL and thank you, this is Kilo Zero November Romeo, Parks On The Air

When conditions are marginal, a POTA QSO will naturally tend to have signal reports and QSL messages sent multiple times to make sure that the information gets through.

Summits On The Air (SOTA)

The general SOTA rules state “QSOs must comprise an exchange of callsigns and signal reports, it is strongly recommended that the summit identifier be given during each contact.” SOTA contacts are similar to POTA contacts in terms of format, except the summit number (e.g., W0C/FR-004 ) is exchanged instead of the park number.

Time Constraints

Meteor scatter (MS) is an interesting case, mostly because it can take a long time to complete the QSO.  The two stations are transmitting to each other on alternating time windows hoping that a meteor will streak by and leave an ionizing trail so that a radio contact can be made. It is common for an MS QSO to take 30 minutes or longer.

The message sequence is similar to the FT8 example, so I won’t repeat it here. Imagine sitting in front of your computer patiently waiting for the right meteor burst to occur so that 1) callsigns are exchanged 2) signal reports are exchanged and 3) a final acknowledgment occurs. This raises the question of how long is too long to count as a valid QSO? I don’t know of a specific standard but most people would agree that if the three steps occur over several days, it is probably not a valid QSO. It seems like most hams working MS complete their contacts within a few hours, typically less.

One more question: what information do you need to record concerning the QSO? This will also vary depending on the circumstances, but most hams log callsign, signal reports, time (UTC), frequency or band, and mode. Note that Logbook of The World does not store signal reports but does require and store the time of the QSO, along with the band and mode. Another example: when submitting a contest log, the context exchange from both stations must be included (and these are checked against other submitted logs). The point is you need to be thinking about how the QSO information is going to be used and recorded. [Thanks, Bob/WØBV]

Summary

The three steps in the IARU definition of a valid QSO can be summarized as: 1) exchange callsigns 2) exchange signal report or other information and 3) confirm that #1 and #2 happened. This still leaves some gray area when it comes to deciding whether a QSO was valid or not. Most of us have had that funny feeling at the end of a marginal contact: should I put this in the log or not? This is where the final IARU advice applies: The responsibility always lies with the operator for the integrity of the contact.

The post What Is a Valid QSO? appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

The Technician Class License is the entry-level ham radio license in the USA. The next step up is the General Class License which provides operating privileges on the high-frequency bands. If you want to work the world with ham radio, you should seriously consider going for the General license.

The Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association is offering a blended (online and in-person) license class to assist you in moving up to General. The class starts on Nov 6th and will have five sessions: two in-person sessions in Monument, CO plus three online sessions via Zoom.  The final session is in-person and includes the FCC exam. (Complete schedule listed below.)

The General License provides access to regional and worldwide communications on the HF bands via ionospheric skip, greatly expanding operational capabilities!

• Upgrade from Technician to General Class radio privileges
• Pass your FCC General Class amateur license exam Nov 20
• Live equipment demonstrations and activities
• Learn to operate on the HF bands, 10 Meters to 160 Meters
• Gain a deeper understanding of radio electronics and theory
• Take the next step with antennas, amplifiers, digital modes

The registration fee is $30 ($20 for those under 18 years of age). In addition, students must have the required study guide: HamRadioSchool.com General License Course,
Third Edition, effective 2019 – 2023, $24.95. A current FCC Technician License is required for registration.

More information and registration page here: https://w0tlm.com/radio-classes/general-registration
For questions, email: [email protected]

Schedule

Session 1, Sat Nov 6, 1-5 pm:  In-Person, Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room, Monument, CO. Ch.Ø-3 instruction

On-Demand Video Lesson (online video at your convenience).  Ch.4 instruction

Session 2, Tue Nov 9, 6-7 pm:  Live Zoom meeting.  Ch.1-4 review and Q&A

Session 3, Thur Nov 11, 6-8:15 pm:  Live Zoom meeting.  Ch.5 instruction

Session 4, Sat Nov 13, 1-5 pm:  Live Zoom meeting.  Ch.6 instruction

Session 5, Sat Nov 20, 1-5 pm:  In-Person, Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room, Monument, CO.  Wrap-up, review, VE Exam session.

The post Get Your General License, Colorado appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

The Technician Class License is the entry-level ham radio license in the USA. The next step up is the General Class License which provides operating privileges on the high-frequency bands. If you want to work the world with ham radio, you should seriously consider going for the General license.

The Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association is offering a blended (online and in-person) license class to assist you in moving up to General. The class starts on Nov 6th and will have five sessions: two in-person sessions in Monument, CO plus three online sessions via Zoom.  The final session is in-person and includes the FCC exam. (Complete schedule listed below.)

The General License provides access to regional and worldwide communications on the HF bands via ionospheric skip, greatly expanding operational capabilities!

• Upgrade from Technician to General Class radio privileges
• Pass your FCC General Class amateur license exam Nov 20
• Live equipment demonstrations and activities
• Learn to operate on the HF bands, 10 Meters to 160 Meters
• Gain a deeper understanding of radio electronics and theory
• Take the next step with antennas, amplifiers, digital modes

The registration fee is $30 ($20 for those under 18 years of age). In addition, students must have the required study guide: HamRadioSchool.com General License Course,
Third Edition, effective 2019 – 2023, $24.95. A current FCC Technician License is required for registration.

More information and registration page here: https://w0tlm.com/radio-classes/general-registration
For questions, email: [email protected]

Schedule

Session 1, Sat Nov 6, 1-5 pm:  In-Person, Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room, Monument, CO. Ch.Ø-3 instruction

On-Demand Video Lesson (online video at your convenience).  Ch.4 instruction

Session 2, Tue Nov 9, 6-7 pm:  Live Zoom meeting.  Ch.1-4 review and Q&A

Session 3, Thur Nov 11, 6-8:15 pm:  Live Zoom meeting.  Ch.5 instruction

Session 4, Sat Nov 13, 1-5 pm:  Live Zoom meeting.  Ch.6 instruction

Session 5, Sat Nov 20, 1-5 pm:  In-Person, Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Meeting Room, Monument, CO.  Wrap-up, review, VE Exam session.

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Lately, the majority of my radio activity has been SOTA and POTA activations, sometimes simultaneously. The logging requirements for the two programs are different so I often need to adjust the log file before submitting it. Even more common, I need to double-check and fix errors in my SOTA and POTA logs. Some of this comes from the idiosyncrasies of the logging software but often the errors are introduced by the operator. (That would be me.)

Here are a few tools and tips to assist with your portable logging.

SOTA and POTA Logging Tools

For SOTA, Joyce/K0JJW and I normally just use a paper log. If the number of QSOs is small, the paper method is easy and reliable. Later, I use the SOTA CSV Log Editor by G0LGS to enter the information into a CSV (Comma Separated Variable) file. This program is reliable and easy to use. This Windows program uses CSV for the log files but it can also export the log in ADIF (Amateur Data Interchange Format).

For POTA activations, we tend to have a larger number of QSOs so I try to log them in real-time on a computing device. The HAMRS logger is a relatively new logging program by Jarrett/KB0ICT. It runs on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS and Android. I’ve been using it on Windows, an iPad, and my iPhone. The user interface is tuned for portable operating with just enough features and not a lot of fluff. There are some bugs here and there but Jarrett continues to release bug fixes and new features at a steady rate. I have not encountered any serious issues and I really like the implementation. HAMRS exports files in ADIF format.

CSV Files

A CSV file just has the variables of interest separated by commas, usually one QSO on each line. These files are a bit cryptic but can be read by humans with just a little effort. Below is a CSV file generated for a SOTA activation. Note that the first line contains the header information that defines the variables in the subsequent lines.

Sometimes it is very helpful to just be able to edit a CSV file directly. For example, if Joyce/K0JJW and I worked the same set of chasers from a summit, I can create a new log file by doing a find/replace of my callsign with her callsign. For this, I use a simple text editor such as Windows Notepad. Its native file format is plain text so it won’t inadvertently add in additional formatting or characters. Excel (or another spreadsheet) will handle this format but make sure you output a clean CSV file.

ADIF Files

ADIF is the most flexible and portable file format for ham radio logging. It can be uploaded to Logbook of The World and imported into most comprehensive logging programs. ADIF files are a bit more complex, using Data Types, Enumerations, and Fields to produce a flexible file format that is also human-readable.

Again, a simple text editor (Notepad) is useful for making edits to an ADIF file. The particular file shown above was exported from the SOTA CSV Editor with each field on its own line. This makes each QSO easier to read but the file has a lot more lines in it.

The program ADIF Master is very good at viewing ADIF files and making changes to them. I often use it to do a final check of the log before submitting it.

When ADIF Master saves an ADIF file, it puts each QSO on one line. The fields and variables remain the same, but the spacing changes. This reduces the overall length of the file (number of lines) but it can be more difficult to read.

Sometimes you might need to convert between CSV and ADIF file formats. There are online tools to do this but I have not used them enough to comment.

I am not going to try to explain the various fields and labels used in these file formats. For the ADIF format, take a look at the detailed specification here: https://adif.org/. A few times, I have needed to find a specific field that was missing and add it to an ADIF file. ADIF Master can do this for you, but you must know the exact name of the field.

These are a few things I’ve learned along the way playing around with SOTA and POTA logs. I hope this is helpful.

73 Bob K0NR

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