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Worked All Germany from Shute Hill
October 20th, 2012 | 
Author: Today was almost Indian summer. I hiked on Shute Hill and sat in the sun under a canopy of gold. I worked a dozen German stations in the Worked All Germany Contest.
I hiked up the Rufus Colby road and turned right into the woods. Not far ahead lay two small fields. It was grand to be in shirt sleeves at the edge of the field. I brought the ATS-4 and set up a half wave wire for 15 meters in an oak tree. Bright orange, yellow and gold accentuated the deep blue sky.
In barely six minutes, I worked six German stations with my 3 watts and 22 foot wire. I tuned the wire with an Elecraft T-1. Then I extended the wire to 33 feet and set the ATS-4 for 20 meters.
In the next ten minutes I worked 3 more German stations and a Dutch special event station celebrating 75 years of Boy Scouting. All the QSOs
were quick contest exchanges. Here’s my log:
20 Oct-12 1843 21.018 DL5NDX CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1844 21.019 DJ9DZ CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1846 21.024 DK4WF CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1847 21.028 DK5DQ CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1848 21.030 DL0UM CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1849 21.032 DL5JS CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1900 14.016 DL3GA CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1903 14.019 DJ9DZ CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1904 14.020 PH75S/J CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1905 14.022 DL8QS CW 599 599
20 Oct-12 1910 14.042 DL0UM CW 599 599
I packed up and headed back through the 20 acre field at the top of Shute Hill. The field is surrounded by a wall of color. The air is so fragrant and warm, I wonder why Mother Nature didn’t make Fall last at least another month or so.
“Armchair Copy”
DX from the Old Range Road
Today I hiked on the old east-west range road in Sanbornton. The fall colors were fantastic and so was the DX. I worked Dominica, Germany, Czech Rep., and a research ship off the coast of Africa.
The day was glorious… a tad over 60F with clear blue skies. The hike was less than a mile, but the views and the fall colors were grand. I stopped in a field on the Swain Farm, a little north of Hunkins Pond. I tossed my line into a huge maple tree. In the spring, it’s tapped for maple syrup. Today, it provided glorious color and a great antenna support.
Even though my throw went nearly 50 feet high… I only needed 22 feet. I set up on 15 meters with the ATS-4 and used a half wave wire. I powered the setup with 8AA batteries that I solar charged this morning.
The band was remarkable. Very quiet with a handful of very strong signals. My first contact was with Volker, J79WE in Dominica. He gave me a 549 and we finished a quick exchange easily. Next I answered a CQ from CM8CAD in Cuba. Carl gave me a 559. I sat right in the grass under the tree and enjoyed a view of the Belknap range to the south.
My third QSO was with Hardy, DL1VDL in Dresden. He gave me a 579. Hardy reminded me that we had worked before. Checking my log, I noted that I had worked him in 2008 from the cabin at Knox Mountain! “UR FB 4W is great,” he sent. “Have fun hiking.” With that we signed and I packed up to continue the hike. I went east over the side of the hill, and set up once again. This time on 20 meters.
I sat down in a second field after throwing a 33 foot wire over another maple branch. This time I looked across the high field into a glade below. Mt. Rowe is in the background. I called CQ on 14.060 and received a quick reply from Jan, OK2BUT in the Czech Rep. Jan gave me a 569 and sent “FB sig from UR 4W.” He was running 100 watts with a 3 element yagi. I dropped down to 14.017 and was just in time to hear the end of a QSO. I called GM0HCQ/MM and Mike returned my call. He gave his QTH as 28N – 20W. Mike was on the Royal Research Ship James Clark Ross near Gomera Island off the north east coast of Africa. Here’s a picture of the ship at anchor in the Antarctic:
You can find out more about the ship and Mike’s station at: http://gm0hcq.com
After this QSO I packed up and walked out of the field onto the old range road. The sun was falling rapidly and illuminated the trees as I headed west.
These glorious fall days are numbered, with November just around the corner. The forecast for tomorrow is rain.
Falling Leaves at Knox Mountain
It’s a perfect fall day… sunny and nearly 60F. I head to Knox Mountain to enjoy the fall air and make a few QSOs. I work France and Georgia.
The trail is a carpet of color. The air is glorious. Most of the leaves are on the ground. Afternoon sunlight still dances between the bright yellow beech leaves.
The brook tells the story without a word. Gold leaves mingle with golden sun and green moss. The season is changing as rapidly as the running water. There is a certain nostalgia that comes with the season.
The trail follows the brook, and as I approach the cabin, I must jump across the rocks to the other side. The old bridge has rotted, and the caretaker has removed the ancient timbers.
The pond is full, not only with water… but of stories and images that lay mysteriously upon the fragile surface.
I sit in my favorite place in the sun on the east side of the cabin… beneath a cherry tree. Everything is still except the tapping of a woodpecker. Even the crickets are quiet now. But I see them hopping in the grass around me. The clouds are but wisps… the day a poignant reminder of the changing season.
I heave a line about 40 feet over a cherry branch and pull up a half wave wire for 20 meters. The band is muted… I think many of the stalwarts are on 15 and 10 meters today. I should have brought the ATS-4 so I could operate on 15. I am using the HB-1B with 4 watts. Signals are down here and I get poor reports from the stations I work. First I call F8BPF in the northwest of France. It takes Sylvain a few tries to get my call correctly. He gives me a 419, but copies my name and QTH the first time. He is running 100 watts to a 3 element yagi. I can hear him easily.
Next I work a county hunter operating mobile in Georgia. Greg, NM2L/M only gives me a 339, but again he copies the exchange first time.
I pull down the wire and prepare to leave. Today radios take second place. The air, the sky, the water, the leaves and the quiet rule the atmosphere.
That downward “ham radio” trend line
There’s an interesting discussion ongoing on some of the amateur radio blogs (including this one) about how an analysis of the number of searches in Google using the term “ham radio” is trending. No doubt about it, if you simply look at the graph, it shows the hobby I love so much–and that I fully credit for getting me into a career in media–is trending more and more southward:
This could mean a number of things:
— People are getting their info about ham radio in other ways besides searching for that specific term on Google.
— They are searching for info on the hobby using other keywords, such as “amateur radio.”
— Nowadays, people search initially for information on a subject and then, if they find what they seek, they bookmark it/make it a favorite and don’t search anymore on Google.
— As we have gotten more sophisticated in how we use the search engines–often merely using the address bar in our browsers to type in odd terms that more closely match what we are seeking–the big, all-inclusive search terms are not used so often.
— Interest really is declining.
You know what my heart tells me. Licensing backs me up in that belief. We have more licensed amateurs in the country now than ever before in the 100-year history of the hobby. My sense is that the hobby is vibrant and growing, and, before you slap on me me that “rose-colored glasses” brand, be aware that I am pretty good at looking at things such as reliable research data realistically.
On the other hand, I still believe it behooves those of us active in the hobby, those who want to see it continue to grow, expand, and become even more exciting and diverse, to be evangelistic about it. We have to do what we can to recruit potential hams into our little “cult of the airwaves.”
That was one reason I wrote the book RIDING THE SHORTWAVES: EXPLORING THE MAGIC OF AMATEUR RADIO. I want people to understand that the hobby can be much more than sitting in a basement sending Morse code or trying futilely to hit repeaters with a handheld and a rubber-ducky antenna. As with most technology, our avocation has dramatically changed, and for the better. It offers so much to younger people who have grown up with cable, satellites, computers, and smart phones. True, those folks might think amateur radio is still what their weird uncle used to do in his back room with all that spittin’ and sparkin’ radio junk. We need to make them more aware of what the hobby is these days. And make sure they know that it absolutely can lead to a career in a technical field, including computers, communications, engineering, meteorology, media and more.
We won’t panic about that trend line. We will continue to do what we should be able to do best: COMMUNICATE!
Don Keith N4KC
www.n4kc.com
www.donkeith.com
Cracking the Whip…
The Miracle Whip, that is.
I only acquired my fantastic Yaesu FT-817 to give me 5W of SSB on V/UHF from windswept Welsh hilltops. I couldn’t resist a second-hand bargain of a Miracle Whip to see what I could achieve with QRP on the HF bands.
The ‘817 and Miracle Whip
It’s a classic Fred-and-Ginger combination that has been blogged, reviewed and You-Tubed extensively along with other rig/telescopic antenna double-acts. Yes, it’s only 57” of radiating metal with a rather good tuner at the base, but thanks to the current propagation conditions it at least enables you to experience the miraculous. Its advantage lies also in its simplicity. It means you’ll use it because it connects, extends and tunes in seconds. I like that! Connect. Extend. Tune.
I’ve been having fun with the ‘817 on my lap, indoors, running off its own batteries (=2.5W max) and chatting to stations on the higher bands in places such as St. Petersburg and the Ukraine with 5/9 reports. You simply can’t get this thrill with a big station. It’s reconnecting to the magic of radio – which is a real miracle every time a contact comes out of the ether. I’m even moved to ‘Tweet’ a new QSO with excitement! (@MW0DNK).
I’ve started at 10m, sliding my way down the bands as the challenge rises. Using 5W (external battery) I managed a QSO with Algeria yesterday on 15m, 4/3. I finally cracked 20m with a shorter, brief contact to Spain. I had a 5m counterpoise wire connected this time.
On 40m I’m simply not heard, at least not yet. This is where I need to start learning some CW skills. This will open up the lower bands for me. Until then, living on the Isle of Anglesey, I might head to a beach and try getting some salt water under my portable station to see if I can crack the ‘40m SSB phono challenge.’ Listen out for me.
Connect. Extend. Tune.
On 2m the antenna is a ¾ wave. I’ve no idea what the radiation pattern is for this length, but it seems to work very well. Unfortunately the antenna is just short of a ¼ wavelength at 6m, so perhaps a wire clip-on extension is the answer.
Enough with the nitrates, already !!!!
There’s a couple of threads going on the KX3 e-mail reflector today. One is titled “QRP Baloney” and the other “QRP Sausage”. Both threads are a “discussion” trying to determine what QRP “really is”.
I, for one, originally thought that QRP was making sure your transmitter put out 100 Watts or less. Well, that was back in the “Ancient Times”, in the Mesozoic Era when I originally joined QRP ARCI.
Somewhere along the line, that changed and the definition of QRP became a power output of no more than 5 Watts for CW and 10 Watts for SSB.
I am fine with that definition. Period.
Now we have some purveyors of bologna that are insisting that QRP means “5 Watts with ONLY simple, non-gain type antennas”. Wow!
Somehow it’s not in the “Spirit of QRP” to do as much as you possibly can with that 5 or 10 Watts.
Really?
For the record, my antennas (currently – might add a W3EDP soon) are simple, and non-gain – a Butternut HF9V ground mounted vertical and an 88′ Extended Double Zepp wire . But while I am sleeping tonight, if the Angel of the Lord appears in a dream and says, “Lawrence, the Father has decided that you have truly been a good and faithful servant lately. In appreciation, when you wake up tomorrow morning, in your backyard He will provide a 40 foot tower with a multi-band Yagi mounted at the top”.
What? Am I supposed to say, “Dear St. Michael (or Gabriel or Raphael – whatever), I am a QRP Purist – could you tell the Lord to make that a Buddipole instead”?
No …. I don’t think so.
The concept of QRP is to limit your power output. If you take that 5 or 10 Watts and pump them into an antenna “fire hose” so that you SOUND like you’re pumping out a kW, then I say “Bravo for you”. The true “Spirit of QRP” is “doing more with less” – taking those Watts that you’re using, and with a combination of good operating skill and the best antenna you can muster, putting out the best signal that you possibly can. That’s it – no more, no less.
If you listen to the purveyors of bologna, I guess they would also tell you that a guy pumping 500 Watts into a 6 inch piece of copper at ground level is actually QRP.
No …… that would just be stupid.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least! (But take the pains to make it sound like the very most!)
