AmateurRadio.com

WAZ, DXCC, WAS, IOTA; certificates of achievement that are clear testimony to your operating prowess. Chasing awards is a niche segment of amateur radio; some might call it a cult, to aspire to capturing every possible certificate.

After reading up on various awards available, I was inspired to create unique awards to fill in some blank spots.

WOTA – Wal-Marts On The Air
Requires proof of QSO’s with amateur radio stations operating from at least 400 Wal-Mart locations. Individuals or clubs may activate an individual Wal-Mart location at any time and notify WOTA authorities by registering the activation in the WOTA world wide data base. The WOTA committee will issue a unique WOTA number for the location. Each QSO submitted for credit must be a current activation at the time of contact. There are over 6,600 Wal-Mart locations worldwide. Good Luck.

Contact with Sam’s Club locations do not count for WOTA credit. The WOTA committee is contemplating offering a separate award for Sam’s Clubs On The Air (SCOTA) later this year.

FFOTA (Fast Food On The AIR)
To be announced in 2013. There will be special endorsements for MDOTA (McDonalds On The Air), JIBOTA (Jack In the Box On The Air) and KFCOTA ( you can probably figure this one out for yourself). Details to follow later.

Academy Award Award
Given for contact with hams in cities where a movie filmed in that location won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The same city cannot be used multiple times. Only one city per film. Sorry, extraterrestrial locations such as Remulak, Vulcan and other mythical locations cannot be used for this award. In addition to the certificate, each award includes a package of microwave popcorn.

Special 70th anniversary Commemorative Casablanca Award
Commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Humphrey Bogart film. The award is earned for contacts with hams in the area of the former French Morocco whose first names are: Rick, Ilsa, Victor, Louis, Heinrich, Sascha, Carl or . . . Sam (as in “Play it again Sam”)

Ring of Fire Award
This award is given to hams who have contacted portable operations located on the rim of at least five active volcanoes. Considering the element of danger for the expedition operators, this is the only award in the world that is reciprocal . A person may earn this for themselves by going to five different volcanoes and contacting at least one other amateur before running for their life. Note – There is no power limit for this award although Ring of Fire expeditioners favor lightweight QRP gear in order not to hinder their need for a rapid departure!

And, my personal favorite…

The Next Year Award
This is the most prestigious of all amateur radio awards because the standard of achievement is quite high. Off hand, I can’t recall a single person, who has actually won this award. It is given to amateurs who have delayed, put off or deferred making or completing any changes in their equipment, operating skill, club participation or license class. The amateur eligible for the award must apply for themselves. Of course, by doing so , one is automatically disqualified for the award, having accomplished something in the process.

Good Luck Award Hunter!

I constantly search for new kit sources for the kit roundup list. Today I stumbled on this one:

Kit Radio Company KRC-1

–Kit Radio Company – KRC Kits.  http://kitradio.co.uk/page2.htm This UK-based company produces several interesting kits including receivers,

transmitters, and accessories.  All prices are in British Pounds.

• KRC-1 superhet receiver.  This receiver covers MW, and SW (160 thru 40 meters).  Built in a 5-stage process for education.  1) Medium wave TRF receiver driving an earphone. 2) Audio amplifier providing speaker output. 3) The TRF receiver is converted to an IF amplifier 4) Mixer/oscillator converting the receiver to a four band superhet. 5) BFO to enable CW/SSB to be resolved.  £65.99 plus S&H
• KRC-2 regenerative receiver.  Covers 1-30 Mhz. in 3 bands.  Regeneration with a difference.  The regeneration setting on the KRC-2 is unaffected by the receiver tuning or the antenna coupling. How is this achieved?  The regenerative stage is fixed at 10.7MHz and used as an IF amplifier.  This one reminds me of the Radio Shack Globe Patrol regenerative I built as a kid.  £54.99 plus S&H
• KRC-4 beginners TRF receiver.  2 bands; 800KHZ to 1.6MHZ and 4.0 to 8.0MHz.  A TRF receiver designed for the beginner. Using a reflex circuit this receiver employs only one transistor. Band selection is achieved with two plug in coils, these are pre-wound and both coils come as part of the kit.  £24.99 plus S&H
• KRC-5 direct-conversion 80 meter receiver. Designed around two well proven chips the SA602 and LM386. Employing a VFO that can be calibrated to fulfill your  requirements.  £25.99 plus S&H
• KRC-X-1 QRP transmitter.  Covers 7, 10 and 14MHz.  All you do is plug in a different crystal assembly to change band and re-tune the antenna.  0.5 to 2 watts output.  £69.99 plus S&H
• KRC-X-2 80/160 meter transmitter.  A simple cost effective transmitter covering either the 80 or 160 meter bands. It provides 2 Watts of RF power when operating from a 12 Volt supply. With a peak output rising to 8 Watts if external modulation is applied.  Please specify 160 or 80 meters when ordering.  £33.99 plus S&H
  

  Kit Radio Company KRC-X-2

One World Trade Center

Here in Manhattan, the highest point above the hustle and bustle, is the Empire State Building. Or, it was at least until yesterday. As of April 30th, 2012, the new One World Trade Center is officially the tallest building in Manhattan. As I listened to the news yesterday morning this got me thinking about the antennas on the Empire State Building, and the logistics and history of them. For those of you fascinated by these things, here are a collection of resources to consult, and some of what I learned about the tallest antennas in the city.

I found a great article on the history of the TV mast at www.lnl.com/esbantennas.htm.  The TV antenna portion was originally a mooring mast for dirigibles which was re-purposed 8 months after the building was completed in 1931.  The article was a reprint from Broadcast Engineering magazine, August 1967.  The mooring mast, which was part of the original design of the building, was supposed to be used by passenger airships for anchoring, while the passengers disembarked down a gangplank to the 102nd floor.  In reality, this proved to be unsafe, as the updrafts and other air currents around the building would not allow for safe mooring.  Only one dirigible ever successfully anchored to the mast after a 30 minute ordeal with mooring ropes, and even then was only able to stay anchored for 3 minutes.  The first entity to transmit from the re-purposed mast was NBC who began experimental TV transmissions from the ESB in December of 1931.  For you fans of  TV’s Fringe, the sequences shot in the alternate universe, show modern dirigibles moored to the Empire State Building, as well as a skyline that still contains the Twin Towers.

Here also, is another great article; from CQ Amateur Radio, March 2011, Digging Deeper With Bill Baker, W1BKR, where Bill visits the transmitter site for channel 13, WNET, in the Empire State Building.  Great pictures of the mast, and of the massive filter network that all signals have to pass through first to reduce interference with each other.

Today there are over 130 antennas on the Empire State Building at various heights.  This site lists the options available to anyone interested in locating an antenna up there.  I’m not sure how many Amateur Radio repeaters are on the building as of today, but one I know for sure is KQ2H.  KQ2H has a large linked network of repeaters that give it incredible range, including a 10 meter input up in the catskill mountains.  I can listen to the ESB 220, 440, and 900 repeaters from my desk at work, and get an idea of what’s going on with 10 meter propagation by taking note of where the incoming stations are.  Lately I’ve been hearing hams from Australia and New Zealand hitting the repeater late nights between 8 and 10 PM EDT.  KQ2H’s 10 meter FM machine transmits on 29.620, and listens on 29.520.  It is usually available on EchoLink, although the link has been down lately.  On EchoLink you need to search for the callsign W2FLA which belongs to the linked 2 meter repeater in the system up in the mountains.

Antenna Mast at the E.S.B. from CQ, March 2011 "Digging Deeper with Bill Baker"

Many of these entities that have antennas on the ESB, relocated there after the Twin Towers fell in the 9/11 disaster.  I was looking for antenna leasing info for the new One World Trade Center building, but nothing seems to be posted yet.  There is definitely going to be an antenna structure on the top of the building though.   I’d love to take a couple of radios up to the ESB observation deck sometime, but I hear the officials can be a little touchy about these things (understandably so).  As I learn more about One World Trade Center I’ll post it at a future date.

Does anyone else out there have stories about antennas on skyscrapers (like the former Sears Tower in Chicago, or even the CN Tower in Toronto)?  Leave some info in the comments.  73.

–Neil  W2NDG

Stormville Airport Flea Market

Yesterday was opening day at the Stormville Airport flea market, which is about an hour and a half north of New York City.  This to me indicates the start of this year’s flea market season.  What’s available at a non-hamfest flea market?  Well, my radio interests extend beyond Amateur Radio, so I always manage to find something interesting.  I have a small collection of antique transistor radios, and always look for new, and interesting samples.  I picked up a pristine Bulova MW/SW portable last year, which reminded me of a set I had as a kid.  It has been re-capped, and is playing rather nicely.  Some purchases I’ll admit end up on eBay eventually, after a good evaluation and cleaning.  The Bulova is a keeper though.

So, is there anything of interest to a Ham at these events?  For sure!  A smartphone with good internet service is a HUGE help at flea markets.  Quick lookups can tell you a lot about a prospective purchase.  Yesterday I saw a few items, including some test equipment, an SWR meter, and 3 boxes filled with commercial radios and accessories.  Watch the boxes under the edges of the tables for things like comercial radios, especially later this year when businesses and municipalities start dumping equipment that isn’t narrow-band compliant.  The box I found had 450 mhz (not convertible to 440 according to some quick research on the iPhone) and 800 Mhz equipment, but a nice collection of Yaesu and Icom chargers, and some remote speakers.  There was also a Motorola power supply for a mobile, a bunch of batteries, and a bag of about 30 HT antennas.  After talking to the proprietor the price dropped to $100 for all three boxes of equipment.  Reality struck though, and I passed on the lot, since I’m still sorting through the last pile of commercial radios I picked up.

Motorola JT1000 "Jedi"

As far as the Motorolas go, Watch for the VHF and UHF Jedi series radios.  Many of the Jedis can be reprogrammed for amateur use.  Ask around, and I’m sure someone you know through your club, or casual ham contacts knows how to program these.  It requires the correct cable (eBay) and the Motorola MTSX software.  Some of my fellow LIMARC members can attest to my fondness for the Motorola Jedi Series radios, which when successfully reprogrammed make a very nice 2 meter or 440 HT for event use, even if they are a bit heavy.  The batteries will last through a whole event, and then some, and the durability is legendary.  The common models to watch for are: HT1000, MT2000, MTS2000, MTX2000, JT1000, and MTX9000.  The JT model is a great find, since it is actually field programmable.  The 9000, is an inexpensive way to get on the 900 Mhz band.  If you grab one that cannot be reprogrammed for Amateur radio use, don’t fret!  Since most of the Jedis can be programmed to operate narrow band, they can be re-sold for commercial use, and usually at a nice profit.  More info can be found over at Radio Reference.

LIttle Tattler Headphones from oldheadphones.com

One booth had a nice pile of antique headphones.  I picked out a pair of Little Tattlers in fairly nice condition for $5.  These will be used for a crystal radio project for now after getting cleaned up. There were 2 fairly clean Hallicrafters receivers, both S-120s though, which don’t impress me enough to consider.

We headed home with the Little Tattlers, a very interesting old espresso pot, and a bag of wasabi peas.  Nice weather, good company, and an enjoyable hunt for interesting garb.  A successful morning.

–Neil W2NDG

1975 Radio Shack Catalog

As a kid, I used to enjoy the arrival of each year’s Radio Shack catalog. I would thumb through and think of all of the things I could do with the bounty of electronics within. I know, I know, Radio Shack was a joke compared to some of the larger electronics retailers of the sixties and seventies, but for a kid in the boonies of upstate NY, it was all I had. I started with the solderless 65-in-1 kit, and graduated to bigger and better things.  I built several of the P-Box kits, and tackled the Globe Patrol regenerative SW kit when I was about 11.  I wish I still had them.  I found an archive of the catalogs in my uncle Win’s basement at one point.  They were in his ham shack (S.K. W1PVC) neatly organized on a shelf.  Now, years later, the archive exists online.  For those of you that like to reminisce, go check out RadioShackCatalogs.com.  Unfortunately looking through these is a little depressing as we not only miss what RS once was, but also miss some of the now defunct competitors out there, like Lafayette Radio (although there appears to be a company called Lafayette Radio on the web, selling mobile and marine gear).

I mentioned in my introduction post, that I have some potential hams in the family.  I recently went to Radio Shack to purchase a Gordon West technician study guide for the better half (yes, they have it), and was surprised at the HUGE display of Arduino, Make, and Parallax products.  Now, I know that The Shack, as they like to be called now, was carrying a small assortment of these things already, but they have GREATLY expanded the selection.  In the Manhattan RS that I went to, there was the equivalent of 2 vertical wall sections, and a third section on an endcap.  I hear that they had a large display at last year’s MakerFaire.

Will this lead to some Amateur Radio gear, or at least some related accessories?  Time will tell.  They surprised us once before with an unexpected return to Ham Radio in 1990 with the HTX-100.  Maybe someone in Fort Worth is looking at the companies they are trying to compete with by becoming a cellphone store and realizing that they aren’t doing well either (Best Buy?).  I have also noticed that some of the stores that eliminated the component section, seem to have now added the component cabinet that some stores had retained back to their stock.

Someone on the repeater the other night called Arduino, Make, Raspberry Pi, etc., the modern erector set.  I would like to believe that.  I think it’s time to start building some things.  Makes me feel like I’m 11 all over again. 73!

–Neil W2NDG

In the comments for the kit roundup, a reader asked me about this, so I looked through the list again, and found the lowest priced kit available that will cover at least a portion of the 28.300 to 28.500 range. The YouKits TJ2A seems to be the only choice, but only after adding the accessory crystal pack #2.  He pointed out the inexpensive MKARS80 as an example of a great SSB kit for very little money, but not covering a band available to a technician-class ham.  On a side note, I wonder if it is possible to create an MKARS10?  Here is my reply:

I’m not sure why there aren’t more SSB kits for 10 meters. In the list here you can try the Youkits TJ2A (http://youkits.com/ or the eBay store) and build it for 10 meters by ordering crystal option package #2. They only show one optional package on the website, but two in their eBay store for some reason.  According to their specs this will give you 28.326 – 28.420.  You might have luck contacting them directly and trying to order one with the correct BPF components for 10 meters with the initial kit package and save a few $$.

Another suggestion is to step up to general. I started studying as soon as I got my tech, and took the test about 6 weeks later. Tech-to-general is a pretty easy jump (mush easier than general-to-extra) and will give you the ability to use some of these other kits (like the aforementioned bargain-basement MKARS80).

A third option is to pick up a used Radio Shack HTX-10 or HTX-100 rig on eBay or at a hamfest. I have a Magnum-257 in the car (same rig as the HTX-10) that I picked up for $125. That rig with a modified 11 meter whip has been heard in Europe, Africa, and all over South America from here with 25 watts. In fact, my first contact on HF as a new ham was with France! I wish that good fortune on any new ham. It certainly got me interested in getting more great contacts.

Whatever path he chooses I’m sure it will be enjoyable.  Once you make that first contact you catch the fever, and can’t wait for more.

–Neil W2NDG

EDIT:  Andrew AC8JO reminded me about the Softrock RX/TX SDR kits, which can be built with 17, 12, and 10 meters at 1 watt. (you select the bands when you build, the kit comes with parts necessary for all). The kits are $89 when available. See http://www.kb9yig.com to order, or the Yahoo Group Softrock40 for announcements of upcoming availability or units to purchase.  I hear that it is a moderately difficult build for a newbie, but there is PLENTY of info online to assist you.

Randy, K7AGE, attended the National Association of Broadcasters convention in April. Randy took along his camera and has posted three new videos.

Randy explains his day job-

In this video Randy was interviewed by Kirk Harnack host of This Week in Radio Tech as seen on the TWiT.tv netcast network.

This Week in Radio Tech, TWiRT, with Randy K7AGE, from NAB 2012

Wednesday night a Ham Radio Reception is held sponsored by Bob Heil of Heil Sound and BSW.  The reception was also streamed live on TWiT.tv network. Randy provides coverage of the event and was interview by Scott Wilkinson, host of Home Theater Geeks, also another TWiT netcast.

Tour around NAB 2012 and the Ham Radio Reception

K7AGE Amateur Radio Videos

Checkout TWiT TV