AmateurRadio.com

See http://hamspots.net/3bjt/

A little while back someone introduced me to Hamspots which is a sort of  filtered spotting system for digital modes. You can chose how many bands to monitor and the modes, Very useful to see JT65 and JT9-1 activity on, say, 20, 10 and 6m.

Daniel DO7FOX and Gregor DO5SSB have released a premium version of their QRZCQ callsign database. Attached below is the press release they sent.

If you’ve tried it out, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Will you be switching to it or are you happy with what you have now?

We are happy to tell you, that the QRZCQ Premium is now available!

Features:	Standard	Premium
Supporting our work and effort	NO	YES
Unlimited own callsigns	YES	YES
Add unlimited amount of your additional callsigns, for example portable, mobile, maritim mobile, qrp, foreign countries, dxpedition, etc.
Managed callsigns	YES	YES
Manage club callsigns or those of your friends, dxpeditions, clubs, etc.
DX Cluster	YES	YES
Incredible DX Cluster, with advanced filtering and telnet access
Propagation	YES	YES
Resources	YES	YES
Email [callsign]@qrzcq.com	YES	YES
Standard use	YES	YES
Full featured online log	NO	YES
Our awesome full featured online log, click here for more info and here for a tour. You have never seen an online log like this one!
XML API access	NO	YES
XML API access for automated lookup, curently we are supported by UcxLog, Winlog32, Logger32 and MacLoggerDX, more pending
Visitors counter	NO	YES
Permanent visitor flag counters down on your page, grouped by country
Sell on Swapmeet	NO	YES
Sell your stuff on the swapmeet, VERIFIED status additionally required
DX notifications	NO	YES
Email notifications when new ones are on air, accesible from the online log
More images on your page	NO	YES
Additional 12 images on your page
Write articles on page	NO	YES
Write news on page	NO	YES
More extended search	NO	YES
Search the entire database and all archives
Manage dates in calendar	NO	YES
Create events, hamfests, contests etc. in calendar
Add videos with description	NO	YES
Extended propagation	NO	YES
Extended use	NO	YES

There is already a widely compatible XML API. This XML API serves for the purpose of looking up call data for logbook programs. We’d like to invite all developers to implement the API in their code. The technical documentation is available at the XML API documentation page. If you have any futher quesions contact us at [email protected].

Some sizes and numbers of the site:

– Calls in database: 3.037.674
– Page views: 30.153.394
– Call views: 18.161.873
– Logbook QSOs: 27.899.334
– All time QSOs processed: 293.502.458
– Monthly visits: 1.400.000
– Video views: 240.834
– Users with picture: 21.748
– DX-Cluster spots via web interface: 151.324
– Max users on DX-Cluster via web interface: 176
– XML lookups: 404.215
– DX-Cluster spots in database: 12.613.267

We are about 75.600 users now and still growing fast! There is no advertising, no blink blink, no junk. Only ham radio put in a nutshell. A big THANK YOU to everyone who made our progress possible! Without your support, trust and goodwill throughout the years, QRZCQ would not be the same.

Visit us at QRZCQ.com, we look forward to see you there!

73 de Gregor, DO5SSB and Daniel, DO7FOX

I’m all prepared for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, starting Saturday. Today I paid another visit to the Baishajia lighthouse and they will give me the VIP pass this weekend. I’m allowed to use the employee-entrance so I can come early and leave late, and I can go up the tower to string longwires. Electricity is free, too! (With the electricity bill they have over there I guess my use of a couple of Ah won’t make much difference).

This year the Taiwanese entry to the ILLW is three strong. Apart from me being at BaiShaJia on both Saturday and Sunday, BV1EJ will use a special call sign BV0LH from the SanDiaoJiao lighthouse, on Saturday. SanDiaoJiao is where the Spanish first discovered Taiwan and its English name is Santiago or San Diego Lighthouse. It is the most eastern tip of Taiwan. On Sunday BM2LDT and BX2AI will be at FuGuiJiao Lighthouse, which is the most northern lighthouse in Taiwan. Not bad and I hope a bit of promotion will result in even more lighthouses being activated in 2015. Have fun and keep an eye on the clusters to see where we can be reached. I’ll be active as BX2ABT/LH from 0100 till 0930 UTC on both Saturday and Sunday.

that I link to an article written for eHam, but here’s a really good one written by Ron KA3J:

http://www.eham.net/articles/32380

It regards Technicians (or any new Hams for that matter, CW and QRP – relevant topics for this blog!) And just to let you know how good it is, up to this point in time, Ron has not been heckled in the commbox!

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

Posted by Bobby AK4JA (who I’ve worked – fantastic op!) on QRP-L today. Provocative? Yes. Controversial? Yes. True? No, but I kinda like it anyway:

“QRP – a real man’s mode , not for sissies and certainly not for selfish, impatient , ego-maniacs – Man up, grow a set and go QRP if you dare!”

Not trying to start a QRO vs QRP war, but I enjoyed the humor. And it makes for a good battle cry. Definitely better than “Life is too short for $200 finals” or whatever some guys like to bandy about. And no, I won’t be changing my tag line.

Hey, Bobby! I think this would make a good T-shirt!  Something on the order of this:

Hee hee!  Is that a challenge, or what ?

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

This coming weekend is International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. Here’s an article I caught online:

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_4b4d8e82-21ea-11e4-9326-001a4bcf887a.html

I’ve had the opportunity to work various lighthouses and lightships the world over throughout the years and it’s always been fun.  Back when the Piscataway Amateur Radio Club was in its hey-day, we activated the Twin Lights Lighthouse in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

 

Yesterday, at this time, the bands were humming (relatively) with Skeeters, WES’ers, and WAE’ers, just to name a few. 24 hours later, during a later lunch break ……. not much of anything.  This is where I was picked up by RBN: