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I received a telephone call tonight from South Plainfield’s Director of Emergency Management.  He wanted to know if I can come down to the Emergency Operations Center on Saturday from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM to help distribute sand bags to the various South Plainfielders who want them.  Possibly Sunday, too. Good thing I wasn’t planning on participating in the CQWW DX SSB Contest this weekend.

All of this in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy arriving sometime early next week.  Of course, I offered my assistance immediately.  Hurricane Irene is still fresh in my mind, even though it’s been 14 months since she graced us with her presence.  She was the most destructive storm to hit New Jersey – ever.

The forecasts are all over the map, if you’ll pardon my pun. Anywhere from nothing but some strong wind, to the possibility of a “White Hurricane” if a cold front from Canada moves into place at just the proper time.  We had a “White Hurricane” back in 1991, the much vaunted “Perfect Storm”.  I still vividly remember THAT one and am not looking for a repeat performance.  I thought those were supposed to be “once in a lifetime” events, anyway!

Here’s hoping and praying that Sandy is so impressed with her pre-arrival media coverage, that she turns out to be nothing more than a big fizzle!

By the way, got on the air tonight looking for some good DX in advance of the big DX contest this weekend. I didn’t check out the TelNet Cluster; but I suspect all the DXers must have been hanging out in the SSB portion of the bands as there was nothing doing in the CW sections. Dead as a door nail. Can you say, “Disappointing”?

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

NY3A	W2LJ	3560.4	CQ [LoTW]	9 dB	20 wpm	0112z 24 Oct
K3MM	W2LJ	3560.4	CQ [LoTW]	5 dB	19 wpm	0112z 24 Oct
W4KKN	W2LJ	3560.4	CQ [LoTW]	13 dB	19 wpm	0111z 24 Oct
KM3T	W2LJ	3560.4	CQ [LoTW]	8 dB	19 wpm	0111z 24 Oct
NY3A	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	11 dB	19 wpm	0109z 24 Oct
K1TTT	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	7 dB	19 wpm	0109z 24 Oct
W4KAZ	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	5 dB	20 wpm	0108z 24 Oct
W2RDX	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	12 dB	19 wpm	0108z 24 Oct
KQ8M	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	5 dB	19 wpm	0108z 24 Oct
AA4VV	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	8 dB	19 wpm	0108z 24 Oct
W4KKN	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	16 dB	19 wpm	0108z 24 Oct
KM3T	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	7 dB	20 wpm	0108z 24 Oct
K3MM	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	16 dB	20 wpm	0107z 24 Oct
W3LPL	W2LJ	7041.0	CQ [LoTW]	7 dB	20 wpm	0107z 24 Oct
WA7LNW	W2LJ	10116.0	CQ [LoTW]	9 dB	21 wpm	0105z 24 Oct

Antenna was the 88′ EDZ – rig was the K3 – power out was 500 mW.

No QSOs, but interesting to see where I was heard via the Reverse Beacon Network.

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

Working HF is definitely like fishing – or maybe like the proverbial Forrest Gump “box of chocolates”.  You never know what you’re going to get.

Last night, I cast my net out upon the waters and was fortunate to have two nice QSOs on 40 Meters. One was with Rick KC4KNN and that was immediately followed up with a nice chat with Scotty KG3W.  I have worked both ops before, Rick once back in 2006 and Scotty several times in various QRP events.  It’s always nice to run into someone you’ve worked in some contests. The chance to QSO and talk for a bit longer than “559 NJ 5W” is very pleasant.

Tonight, I was tuning around 30 Meters and heard a loud station way down near the bottom at 10.103 MHz.  Loud, calling “CQ DX” and not getting many takers.  I listened for a bit to find out it was ZB2FK.

ZB2 – that’s Gibraltar!  Hot chocolate, that’s a new one for me!  I have heard Gibraltar several times in the past; but was never able to break the pileup.  This time, Ernest was not all that busy. I waited until he was done with the station he was working and threw out my call.  As I finished unkeying, I heard several others also calling.  I thought to myself, “Here we go – from nobody to pile up in 60 seconds” but he answered ME!  Little, puny ol’ 5 Watt me – and on the first call! Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

There’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of netting a new DXCC entity.  And I’m a lucky kind o’ guy, as I seriously doubt I’ll ever make Honor Roll, I have close to 200 more chances to feel that exhilaration again!

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

Courtesy of Rem K6BBQ – questions that I guarantee you have never been asked before!

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

Sounds silly, doesn’t it?  But yes, I do have Ham Radio heroes.  They include the ones who Elmered me; and the ones who have mentored and motivated me.

But tonight, I’d like to concentrate on the ones who have inspired me, in a very particular way.

My big dream as a QRPer is to someday be in the position where I can operate from the “Great Outdoors” on a regular basis.  Whether it be SOTA or a far away DXpedition like Steve WG0AT and Guy N7UN. Or day hikes like Jim W1PID or Ron WB3AAL. Or even perhaps, someday, serious trail hiking like Steve KD1JV.  And then there are always the pedestrian mobile exploits of Paul W0RW and Ed WA3WSJ to enjoy.  There are also the adventures of Martin VA3SIE to admire.  He always seems to be able to get to a good location for the outdoor QRP events – or just a fun day out.

For now, I will have to settle for trips to the local parks and even the back yard to fulfill my outdoor “fix”. But someday …….. someday ………. (the dreaming continues).

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

I measured out the distances from the house to the maple tree in the back yard and over to the mast in the “upper right” corner of the back yard.  The 85 foot W3EDP will fit just fine, with room to spare.  There should be less than 10 feet worth of Dacron rope between the end of the antenna and the mast.

The drawing is not to scale; but the run along the side of the house accounts for no more than 15 to 20 feet or so of the antenna run.  The EDZ currently follows the same route (more or less) but I am hoping to get a dog bone insulator (which will serve as the wire “bending point”) up about 10 to 15 feet higher in the tree than where the center insulator hangs for the EDZ.

Last Thursday, I ordered a 4:1 current balun from Universal Radio and I have all the other materials I need.  The balun should come during the week, and hopefully I will get to do some antenna installing next weekend.

In the end, this W3EDP will be configured as a horizontal “L” as you can see from the diagram.  The ends will be at about a 25′ level and I am hoping the point at where the wire will take its sharp right turn will be in the 35 – 40′ neighborhood.

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

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”.

Yes.  The original plan today was for self indulgence – to spend all afternoon playing in the QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party.  Needless to say, it didn’t happen.  Not by a long shot.

There was grocery shopping to get done, lawn mowing and leaf clean up to get done, baking to be done for the Sacred Heart Music Ministry bake sale tomorrow.  All things that had to get done, which left me not much time on the radio.

After dinner, I have gotten on the air and have made some contacts on 20 and 80 Meters.  40 Meters would be nice but the RTTY’ers are once again swallowing up the band all the way from 7.040 to 7.100 MHz.  Wow, I remember in my RTTY contesting days in the 90’s we didn’t dare come below 7.060 MHz.  Times have changed.

I will go back down to the shack in a bit; but wanted to share something I found in the basement while calling “CQ QRP’ looking for contacts.

I found some old licenses. These three each have one of the call signs that I have held.

The top one is a KA2DOH one, and this is the license I received after upgrading to General in the Summer of 1979.  The N2ELW one is from when I applied for a General Class call in 1983.  Got this one in August of 1983 and shortly thereafter upgraded to Advanced on October 18th, 1983.  The reason I remember that date so well is that’s the date of my parent’s Wedding Anniversary.  If they were both alive, they’d be celebrating their 60th this year.  Both of these licenses were from back in the days when the license term was only five years.

The W2LJ one is the license that I carried before I renewed two years ago.  I found the CSCE’s (for you non-US Hams, those are Certificates of Successful Completion of Exams) from when I upgraded to Extra all the way back on March 1st, 1993.  Next year will be 20 years as an Extra and this year will mark my 34th as a Ham – sure doesn’t feel that long!

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