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Archive for the ‘qrp’ Category

My Elecraft P3 YouTube video

September 14th, 2012 |

I put together this somewhat short presentation on how I use the Elecraft P3 along with my K3 to help me snag contacts. As a matter of fact I believe most pan-adapters will accomplish what I am doing with the P3. Have a look see what you think and I hope it helps out with your hobby endeavors.

I tried and I tried…..

September 10th, 2012 |

Author: Mike VE9KK

It was not addressed to me....this time!!!

This evening I was on the radio and 9K2MU from Kuwait was BOOMING IN...never had that happen before. It was 20m at 14.025.008 CW around 23:05 UTC. I was reading on the spots that he was "as deaf as a doornail" Well when he was booming into my QTH he was answering lots of calls and the pileup

Just not meant to be today.

was fairly large to boot. Maybe there are those out there who think if they are not heard then the DX station
is just simply deaf. Just as fast as he came in.... he was gone and just replaced with static at 23:15!! Did I make the contact....NO.... but I gave it may best effort and it was not my time. This is what I love about ham radio it's the surprises that help sharpen your skills but at the same you understand that you have so much more to learn.......it just never becomes boring!!!

Last weekend was a contest in the park.

August 30th, 2012 |

Author: Mike VE9KK

The setup at the park

Last weekend on Saturday the weather here was great lots of sunshine and very few clouds. So it was off the the park with the radio to give the ARCI welcome to QRP contest a go. Its a 3 hour contest from late morning to early afternoon. I setup my Elecraft K2 along with my mono band mobile whip antennas. The key I used was the Mini Palm paddle which works great and has a super feel to it. I found the bands to be in good shape but was not able to find many who were participating in the contest. In total I made 3 contacts contacts in 2.5 hours of operation. While operating I did hear W6/DL6AP/P who was operating in the SOTA at location CT-086....translation Strawberry peak in California. I was not able to contact W6/DL6AP/P but I did hear him in there. There was some other very attended State QSO party contests going on at the same time and were very well attended. So over all I did not strike it rich in the contest by any means...BUT.......I did pickup some bonus points for just being portable on battery power with a portable antenna.

QRPometer case….

August 24th, 2012 |

Author: Mike VE9KK

Finished product

A few months ago I built and blogged about my QRPometer build from the 4 state qrp club its a great kit. In the post there was only 2 con's that I could think of regarding the kit.
1.The TX and Antenna connections were RCA and not BNC, the kit now ships with the RCA to BNC adapters.
2. The meter did not come with a case and the rear of the meter had an exposed circuit board. I felt this left the meter vulnerable to damage.

My solution to problem number 2

first attempt....not good

We have in town a great electronics parts store it's been here for just a few years now but it's fantastic I don't have to travel for about 40 minutes to the next closest store. I ventured off to the store for a case, it was a plastic case I had in mind. The metal and or aluminum cases I felt were just not as easy to work with for the needs I had. I brought the QRPometer with me to assure I got the right depth and width. I found a case that was deeper than I was wanting but it was all they had....so I purchased one.....that later turned out to be a mistake!!

New opening and front plate on

With the chosen Hammond 1594E box at home using my machinist ruler I traced the cutout on the box that was needed to house the meter. The best tool to cut the case I felt was the Dremel hand held rotary tool that I had....so I thought!! With my pencil lines all in place the Dremel was used to make the hole, I found I was so consumed with the cutting line that I did not notice the spinning chuck that held the cutting blade was destroying my plastic box. As Murphy's law would have it this problem was only noticed after all the cutting was done. The top cover was a mess and since I am a VERY fussy person this just would not due. So it was off to the electronics store for another box and to rethink the opening for the QRPometer. It was not until I got home the idea came to me to use my coping saw. There is more control with the coping saw and a neater cut would be the end result. I also came to the conclusion that a smaller opening would be smarter as well, less cutting and less chance for a mistake. With the revised hole cut with

Meter in the new case

the coping saw the QRPometer with some tweaking of the hole fit just right. As always another thought came to mind........the meters power comes from a 9 volt battery that is sandwiched between the QRPometer circuit boards. In the future this battery is going to have to be changed. I am not going to want to take 20 minutes of dis-assembly and assembly to change a battery!!!! As you all know batteries go dead at the most inopportune times. It was off AGAIN to the electronics store for a 9 volt battery holder. I found the perfect flush mount holder and to instal it meant to just extend some battery leads off the QRPometer board and cut but another hole in the plastic box. This was a very fast addition to the QRPometer box and the coping saw again made short work of adding an opening to the side of the plastic box.

9 volt battery mod

Side view of 9v holder

Lots going on….but no on air time.

August 19th, 2012 |

Author: Mike VE9KK

No room for Oliver on the old desk

The new desk twice the size

The first half of August sure has been busy around the shack here, not busy with on air time but with getting things done. I have built the A A Engineering smart battery charger for my Elecraft K2. I will be posting the build in the near future. On this project for the first time the during the "smoke test" I actually had SMOKE!!! With kits I have found some of the final check out testing is what I call "destructive" testing as opposed to non destructive testing. Going to a destructive testing with the Smart battery charger post. One of the kits I built just a short while ago was the QRPometer and it did not have a case...well it does now and that too is going to be another post. I am really not finished with that case yet. I was at the
electronics store the other day (picking up parts as a result of a destructive test going wrong) and saw a neat 9 volt battery holder I am going to add to the QRPometer case. I also have sold all of my items that were up for sale and I have the funds to order my Elecraft KX3. It's not going to be here until October but that will give me time to read the manual and set up a place for the radio. While on that topic with some of my funds I went online to Ikea and purchased a much needed larger table for my kit building. The old desk was just way to small and things were falling off. The old table was actually a computer desk and it now is off to the side in my shack with an iMac (27 inch screen) one that Julie donated to me!!! So the new Elecraft KX3 is going to run on Mac software.

iMac waiting for the KX3

F8DGY's antenna

The on air time has been very limited as having to get things done around the house and shack the rig really has not been turned on. I did manage to get some radio time in late last week in the evening. I heard clear as a bell Chris F8DGY calling CQ on 20m. I dropped the K3's power down to 500mW's and gave him a go. He came right back to me with a 579 report. It was a fast exchange and he was off answering others. For me that that a 7,597 miles per watt contact.

Double Dip Weekend August 2012

August 13th, 2012 |

Author: Kelly K4UPG

Homebrew Buddipole inspection

Great weekend of QRP Portable fun. Saturday our Central FL QRP group had some new ops join us and we had a good time comparing antennas and rig setups at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford, FL. As is typical, we did more talking than operating but did manage to sneak a few qso’s in on 20 and 17 meters. The contesters in Europe were hot and heavy on 15 m too so made for a fun day despite the heat and high humidity. I was a bit disappointed to not be able to snag any fellow Polar Bear QRP ops on 30m but the band did not stay open long and the other stations were operating on alternative bands.

Sunday after church was the first annual NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. So glad to work Skeeter Hunt promoter and fellow Polar Bear, Larry, W2LJ before the lightning ran me off. Larry was my last QSO of the day as a thunderstorm started making LOTS of noise and it was my signal to pull down the 31 ft Jackite and wire and get out from under the shade of the 50 ft tall pine trees down by the lake! YIKES… just made it too!

I ran my Sierra at 2.4 watts out into an end fed half wave suspended as a sloper from the 31 ft Jackite pole in a WNW direction. I normally use the trees to get a bit more height for my wire, but the Jackite goes up and down faster and with storms coming, I chose the simple and fast way to git ‘er done. Turned out to be a good choice. Band conditions were pretty good on 20m and I was hearing a good bit of activity. After 1800 the Caribbean, Central and South American SSB stations were causing a good bit of QRM down here in FL. They all seem to run power and gain antennas so we learn to listen through the chatter here in FL. The approaching storm was obvious as QRN increased with distant lightning stirring up the noise and crashes. Nonetheless, the signals were pretty good despite the distractions and there were some SKCC, FISTS and other cw fans out there having fun too which made the band busy.

I built a simple key and am posting a photo of my K4UPG Knee Cap Key. Used the lid of a bulk black peppercorn jar and made a simple non-iambic key with paper clips, standoff and a bit of wire. It actually worked fairly well, but not good enough to use for the whole contest. As a long time CPG (Contest Point Giver) I decided that was a good way to give myself some points so took advantage of the bonus points! It did inspire me to try a more substantial lid and make a strap to use it as a leg key for portable ops.

Umbrellas for the rig and the op!

It was fun to hear so many familiar calls and work a few of our fellow Polar Bear Ops who were out for the fun too. Sure appreciate the effort to put this event on the calendar and process the results. Thanks to the NJQRP group for the support of our niche in the hobby and to you Larry for the time you devote to contests, blogs and getting us all out and on the air.

Here’s my results before the storm drove me for cover:

Date	Time	Call	Band		Pwr	RST	RCV	SPC	Nr
8/12/2012	17:12	N0SS	20	CW	2.4	559	579	MO	#122
8/12/2012	17:17	W0EA	20	CW	2.4	559	559	IA	#22
8/12/2012	17:23	NK9G	20	CW	2.4	559	559	WI	#75
8/12/2012	17:25	VE3WDM	20	CW	2.4	559	559	ON	#15
8/12/2012	17:37	KQ2RP	20	CW	2.4	449	439	NJ	#27
8/12/2012	17:39	AB4PP	20	CW	2.4	579	599	NC	#79
8/12/2012	17:42	N0JRN	20	CW	2.4	559	559	MO	5W
8/12/2012	17:46	N3AO	20	CW	2.4	449	559	VA	#109
8/12/2012	17:49	W4MPS	20	CW	2.4	599	559	NC	5W
8/12/2012	18:00	KR9Z	20	CW	2.4	449	449	IL	#10
8/12/2012	18:06	AA4GA	20	CW	2.4	579	569	GA	#2
8/12/2012	18:08	N7UN	20	CW	2.4	579	559	NJ	5W
8/12/2012	18:14	WF4I	20	CW	2.4	559	559	NC	#71
8/12/2012	18:18	K3RLL	20	CW	2.4	449	339	PA	#21
8/12/2012	18:31	KX0R	20	CW	2.4	449	359	CO	#69
8/12/2012	18:36	W2LJ	20	CW	2.4	579	599	NJ	#4

A good time was had by me!

72,
Kelly K4UPG

The first annual skeeter contest….done!!

August 12th, 2012 |

Author: Mike VE9KK

Packing up for the contest

I took part in the first annual Skeeter contest sponsored by the NJQRP club the first years theme was to go to your favorate outdoor operating place and get involved with the contest. Well up this way the weather was not looking like it was going to co-operate. My fav place to operate was out in the open and very vulnerable to the weather....namely rain!! I decided to head out to a location that offered some trees as

The weather to look forward too

shelter just in case of a sprinkle, as for a down pour my car was beside me and the rest of the contest could be finished from there. I was using my Elecract K2 and this by the way this was the first contest this rig has ever done as battery powered. My key was the Mini Palm Paddle which by the way worked great!! My antennas were mono band mobile whips on the back of my car. I operated QRP at 5 watts Oh and the K2's battery lasted for 4.5 hours at 5
watts with me calling CQ and not searching and pouncing.
The weather was a mixed bag from nice sunny skies (very rare) to very threatening overcast that did let go

The setup...with a bit of rare sunshine

with rain at times.Over the last month the temperatures have been in the upper 30's and low 40C...today it was nice and cool almost to the point of putting on a long sleeve shirt (which was used to cover the rig during light rain). The location I chose was about 15 minutes from my home and offered a pic-nick table, trees and what I consider a luxury when operating out and about a portable washroom!! The bands were busy with not only the Skeeter contest but the WAE contest as well. I did have some European stations involved in the WAE contest respond to my "CQ Buzz contest" Thats ok they gave me their report and serial and I asked for their power output and then they moved on this made it a skeeter contact....I believe anyway???

Covering for rain drizzle

I confined my operating to 20m as it seemed to be a "buzz" with skeeters but at 14.060 for some time there was some SSB going on, not sure if anyone else heard it but they were there right on the CW QRP calling frequency. While calling CQ I did have someone come back to me at the same time a passer by asked me what I was doing and showed an interest in ham radio. So I sacrificed the contact for taking time to talk with this gentleman about the hobby. So if your reading this blog I was not ignoring you just had to promote the hobby.....:). I had to end the contest around 4:40 as the Elecract K2 was telling me that the battery is getting to the point of no return so it was time to shut things down.

When it really rained

I made in total 19 contacts including DJ5AV from Germany and YU2A from Serbia. 12 of the contacts were fellow Skeeters as they had Skeeter numbers. One contact was just an average QRP op not in the contest but wanted to know what he had to give me as an exchange so he could count in the log. Over all I had a great time even though the weather was touch and go at times.

Finally...a must have!!!

See all you Skeeters next year!!!