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I’ve worked Lubo (LZ1NP) in Bulgaria before; but last night he was 599 into the valley. I’ve also worked eleven other stations in this country. There seems to be a “pipeline” from here to there. I’ve heard other QRP stations here on the east coast mention the same phenomenon. They’ve got great ears over there!

All these contacts are over 5,000 miles from here; some of them are very weak but they still hear my 3 watt signal from the valley floor. I congratulate them all….

I also found openings into the Netherlands (PA4VHF) and in the southerly direction, PV8ADI in Brazil.

The Brazil logbook comes in with fifteen contacts. The Netherlands comes in with seven contacts. Despite my success with some of these DX stations, I still feel an excitement every time I work a new one.

This is an article I wrote for LIMARC here on Long Island, and also posted at my blog Fofio!.  Some of it is targeted to beginners in the hobby, so I apologize for the elementary nature of some of it.  Many of the kit references can also be found at my list of radio-related kits RadioKitGuide.com

I have been slowly getting into QRP these days (low-power for you beginners).  Being an outdoorsy kind of guy, it mixes well with my outings.  What has really surprised me lately though, is how well you can do with some inexpensive equipment, and a simple antenna.

Most of my portable setup is relatively Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been to this creepy state park several times since moving to Long Island.  Why creepy?  Mostly the abandoned buildings from the previous tenant on

Nissequogue River State Park

this property; The Kings Park Psychiatric Center.  So, crumbling scary buildings, and a great view of the Nissequogue River Inlet?  Is there a better place for a Sunday afternoon QRP outing?  I think not!

While I was here last time, I spotted a great spot for a QRP setup.  At the top of the long hill, and past the courtyards is a nice grassy area that terminates at a fence at the top of a Read the rest of this entry »

I was sitting in our Board Meeting for the NI4CE repeater system – http://ni4ce.org and realized that I have not been playing radio in quite some time. There is more than one reason. I have been extremely busy at work and due to that I have had no time for anything else.

One of those other life factors besides work, kids, family, and other hobbies is school. For many of you this might sound odd, but for others you will completely understand.

At this point in my life, even though I have been in computer industry for over 25 years, I have never had a college degree. My wife was starting her MBA and I said with her going to be taking on the stress and challenge of that maybe it’s something I should consider. I looked into what my company would help pay for, I looked into the time commitments, and I landed on University of Phoenix.

Online works great for me – I am a computer geek and live online. I thought this would be a great time in life and then I would finally not be the only person around the table that couldn’t talk about having their degree. It was just something that always has been in the back of my mind.

Well, I started and finished week 1 with all A’s in my two classes and I’m on my way. I understand that this isn’t Ham Radio specific but if you ever read my story about how Ham Radio helped put me on a better path you will understand why this ties back together. Ham Radio helped me get my 15-year-old head on straight; many people in the hobby-helped push me into computers. I have worked for one of the largest software companies for the last 18 years and been pretty lucky to still know the two guys that did it.

I am sure my story of going back and getting my college education will bring more bliss to a great story they had impact on.

I won’t post all of my weeks progress, but I thought I would start with week one:

http://nicktoday.com/week-one-officially-books-university-phoenix/

I am still active on the Board of Directors for NI4CE and I am going to do my best to get back into radio further. I promise J for not if you want to find me it will most likely be in the library.

Hanz W1JSB and I hiked to Knox Mountain this afternoon. What a day! We worked England, Italy, Hungary and Spain… but that was only part of it. This was the most stunning early fall day. Perfect for a hike. We walked along the brook, sparking in gold sunlight. The greenest moss I’ve ever seen adorned the rocks. Piercingly blue gentians were in full bloom below the dam as we approached the pond. It was a dazzling view.

We walked around the pond and came to the two small cabins that overlook the water.

We set up between the cabins, in front, toward the lake. We threw a water bottle over a 40 foot high branch on the large cherry tree. I used the KX3 at 5 watts. The antenna was a 33 foot wire connected to the rig through an earchi.org 9:1 unun. I started on 15 meters with a quick contact with G3PJT. Bob gave me a 559 and he was a 599. Then I gave the key to Hanz.

We switched to 17 meters and right away Hanz worked Laci, HA0NAR in Hungary. Laci was very strong and gave Hanz a 579. It’s really exciting to set up portable gear from a small backpack and work across Europe with a few minutes’ effort.

Hanz handed the key back and I worked IK5ZWU, Walter in Italy. I was 559 and he was a 589. “FB UR 5 WATTS,” he sent before we signed.

I made one more quick QSO with Vic in Spain before packing up. EA3MM gave me a 559 and he was a 599.

We paused on the way back to take one more photo of the pond.

Hanz and I talked about the places we want to hike to during the fall… the ledges, mountain pond, and, of course, a return to Knox Mountain.

Wayne Green, W2NSD, died Friday, September 13th at the age of 91.

This from his blog:

Wayne Green passed away this morning in a peaceful, painless transition from this life on Earth. An eternal optimist, and one who loved to share his neverending zest for life, he was a friend to many and will be missed greatly. Wayne was not afraid of dying and was very much ready to embark on his next great adventure to the afterlife.
73,
W2NSD

Wayne’s contributions to Amateur Radio simply cannot be overstated. As a former editor of CQ Magazine and founder of 73, he helped to inform the views of an entire generation of ham radio operators in the United States and beyond.

Rest in peace, my friend.

This afternoon Judy and I rode our bikes a couple of miles to Old Hill Village. I worked Greece, Poland, Venezuela, Ukraine and Steve WG0AT in Colorado.

It was a cool afternoon, but warm enough in the sun. I set up alongside a field with the KX3 and a 33 foot wire. I won’t detail each QSO; here’s the log:

15 Sep-13 1956 18.085 YV5YMA CW 599 599 Venezuela
15 Sep-13 2000 18.078 SV2CQB CW 569 599 Greece
15 Sep-13 2007 18.076 UY2UQ CW 599 599 Ukraine
15 Sep-13 2009 14.004 SV2CQB CW 599 599 Greece
15 Sep-13 2012 14.060 WG0AT CW 559 559 CO
15 Sep-13 2022 14.024 SP2EFU CW 599 599 Poland

I actually worked SV2CQB twice… once on 17M and again on 20 meters. He was strong both times. The real surprise was working Steve WG0AT. I had just looked up his QTH this morning to see if he was in the flood zone. I don’t think he is. He sent, “CAN’T STAY X JUST WANTED TO SAY HI.” I told him I was operating /P in the field. Judy got a quick snapshot of me right after I worked Steve.

The clouds seemed to take over the sky at about the time I decided to pack up and head back. As always, it’s great to get out and operate a little.