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My heart turns out to the people in Europe today as I read about the massive floods in Europe.    

Most of the DX stations I work with my QRP station live in these areas, and personally, I remember a lot of the towns I’m reading about on the Danube River. I found it to be one of the most beautiful and interesting places on earth. When I was there, my thoughts were always revolving around the fantastic “bicycle” routes. It was common, to see entire families on their bicycles, enjoying nature in a way that only can be experienced at this slow pace, and demanded, by human powered transportation.

We’re experiencing similar events here in the United States with heavy rain and high winds. Sadly, I feel the world is experiencing a deteriorating climate which is about to cause an inland shift of major populations. At times like this, I feel fortunate to live in this sheltered valley in West Virginia. Although I’m only 630 ft above sea level, I feel safe because of a series of locks and dams on this coal mining transportation route.

I worked a couple of stations yesterday in Poland and Denmark. I’ve worked the Polish station before. (SP9KR), and I’ve also worked Denmark previously, but this station was a new one. It was nice to see this card in my mail box before I could list him in my log book.

I still get “paper cards” in the mail without a SASE. On all the data bases on the web, I’ve made it crystal clear that I only respond with the electronic E-QSL format. I enjoy the memories of a nice QSO but find it “silly” to send a card to everyone I talk to on the air. However; “if you absolutely got’a have a paper card”, join the E-QSL group. It’s free…..and you can have a “paper card” printed and mailed to you for a fraction of the normal postage rates. (hint)

Not sure I like it; or will keep it, but it IS different from what I had.  Is this template easier on the eyes?  Some folks recently and privately commented to me that they didn’t like a white typeface against a dark background.  Is this any better?

I joined my CERT group to aid South Plainfield with the running of the Holy Savior Academy 5K walk/run this morning. Luckily, I only had one obnoxious driver to deal with who couldn’t understand that the main roads were closed so that people wouldn’t be run over.  “You actually expect me to park on this side street and walk a block to my house?”, I was asked.  “Yes, sir”, I replied, “It’s for your protection as well as theirs.”  He still huffed and puffed until he started getting unreasonable and a little belligerent, so at that point, I radioed for police assistance.  They arrived and suddenly the light bulb went on over his noggin – he got the idea.

The thing that gets me is that not only is this an annual event; but it’s also very well publicized.  Notice about it appears on the local cable channel. Sacred Heart Church, which loans out its parking lot for the epicenter of the event is by far the largest church in town.  The notices for the “Family 5K Run/Walk” appears in their bulletin for weeks ahead of time. The local town paper published the details about the run/walk and the road closures the week before the event, also.  The town puts it on their Website and their Facebook page. Don’t people read?  Several of our CERT members suggested to our Director of Emergency Management that perhaps next year, on the night before the event, that we do an automated “reverse 911” call and telephone all the houses anywhere near the route that the roads will be closed. Oh, and by the way, the roads are closed for all of about an hour – 90 minutes tops!

One of my Ham buddies, Marv K2VHW, who also lives in South Plainfield was at the event with me.  He told me that his rain gauge had close to 4.5 inches (11 cm) of rain in it due to yesterday’s visit from Tropical Storm Andrea.  Yesterday was definitely a soaker, and I’m willing to bet the cicadas weren’t too thrilled with it.   I know that the tropical storm season does officially start  with the end of May.  I don’t recall us ever getting a visit by a named storm so early in the season.  I hope it’s not a portent for things to come.  Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012 were enough for me for a long, long time.

After several tries, I managed to work VP5/W5CW in the Turk and Caicos Islands last night. We’ve worked before; but last night the conditions were so poor that I worried if I would be able to continue my string of daily DX contacts.

The weather in the Caribbean, Southern Florida, and upward along the Eastern coast is horrible this week. True, the propagation is dismal, which might explain why I hear very few stations on the air, but I can’t help but think that most hams in these areas have unplugged their stations and unhooked their antennas because of the accompanying thunderstorms, high winds, and storm surges.

I worked another Oklahoma station last night (W5WIL) which was just a few miles from where that tremendously destructive tornado rumbled through last week. Within a weeks time, there’s been two tornadoes touch down in this area with 300 mph winds. (482 kph) I don’t know what word to use to describe that other than “devastating”.  Fortunately, they touched down in empty fields this time.

We were on the 40 meter QRP frequency (7040) and had the possibility of a nice QSO; but were interrupted by a careless operator who decided “his” frequency was a good place to  “tune up”. It was an inexcusable and  thoughtless action by a “four” station, who obviously “didn’t give a hoot who was on the frequency”. I continue to find this behavior a “big”  problem on this band and sadly find myself avoiding it out of frustration.

I imagine the thousands of “rock bound QRP kit builders” experience the same frustration. They don’t have the option of “moving somewhere else”.  In essence, their “kits” have become nothing more that paperweights and conversation items.

I don’t know what the answer is to this continuing problem since “common courtesy” doesn’t seem to be in their vocabulary.

Another warm, sunny day. It really seems as if summer has arrived. But it’s not the weather for sitting in the shack operating the radio. It actually gets a bit unbearable in the shack on warm days with all the equipment (not to mention the operator!) radiating heat.

The weather forecast is for fime weather on the next few days. I’m not complaining but dare I say it, Olga and I have been wishing for some rain – Olga to water the garden and me to see if the rain gauge of the new weather station is really working!

With some freshly charged batteries in the KX3 I thought I would see what I could hear from out in the garden. The answer was – not much. Band conditions seem to be pretty dire at the moment. True, the antenna I was using out there (a WonderWand L-Whip) is not the most efficient I could find but it is easy to tune and usually receives OK. But today I could hear almost nothing.

One word to describe the bands tonight – stinky! (I could have used a more colorful and apropos term, but I’ve sworn off swearing.)

Oh, I had my share of success. I worked St. Barthelemy again, but on 30 Meters this time, and I worked Morocco and Ecuador. But each was akin to pulling teeth.

These were not 599 QSOs, even though that’s the default DX exchange, it seems. Signals were weak, warbly, and almost hazy and indistinct, for lack of a better description.

I saw on the DX Cluster that a fellow NJ QRPer, Chris KQ2RP managed to snare an Algerian, 7T9A on 17 Meters. I tried for a while, also, but I couldn’t hear him well enough to be sure that he would be coming back to me.  And if you can’t hear him well enough to know that he’s answering you, then why even bother? I’d probably only get in the way of people who actually stood a chance, so I gave up the chase after a few tries.

Over the next 24 to 36 hours we’re supposed to get around 3 inches of rain from this first tropical storm of 2013. Maybe as our terrestrial weather deteriorates, the solar weather will improve. Here’s hoping, anyway!

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

It was good to see, earlier in the week via the Southgate Amateur Radio site, a video from David Mercado KK4MND, using his Baofeng UV-5R to operate through the SO-50 sateliite. David is using an after market MFJ antenna for the rig, rather than the stock antenna. Nevertheless, it’s pretty impressive to see the satellite coming through so well – on a simple handheld. This is the sort of thing that everyone with a dual band handheld should try!

I have a UV-5R of course, and I’ve programmed up the frequencies for SO-50. I only have a stock antenna, so I have ordered something which should give a little more gain – at vast expense (£8 including shipping from Hong Kong!) to see if I can do something similar. I think the best passes for something like this will be when the satellite is almost overhead – let’s say 45 degrees elevation and more. When the antenna arrives, I will let you know how it goes!

Well done David, on such a great and inspiring video.