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An afternoon of POTA

4 December 2022 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (0)

We have been having rain a lot out this way and today it was overcast and showers were not forecast. I decided it was time to go out for a walk and get some fresh air. The temperature was plus 2C with a brisk wind. As I was getting back home it started to snow but not enough for any to stay on the ground but the days of that are just around the corner. Once home I poured myself a cup of decaf coffee and headed to the radio room.

I am not sure why but I thought it would be nice to check the POTA (parks on the air) website and look over the spots. I have done this in the past and was not able to hear any of the park activators. I am very glad I did as the POTA propagation gods were smiling on me. On 20m I tuned in to each mentioned spot on the POTA website and low and behold I was able to hear the park activator. Their signals varied from 229 to 599. I had a great time and it's only a short exchange of information for the contact as they are racking up contacts.
The contacts I made on 20m:
KQ4CW
KD8IE
N1QD
KD3D
KG8CO
K9ABR
One contact on 40m
KC1MXB

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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ICQ Podcast Episode 391 – Kick Start Ham Radio for 2023

4 December 2022 | by Colin M6BOY | Leave a Comment (0)

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in the episode's, feature is Kick Start Ham Radio for 2023.

We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

Dr. Ulrich Rohde, N1UL/DJ2LR/DL1R, to Be Inducted to the Indian National Academy of Engineering
YOTA Month
Big Promise from Ultra-Tiny Battery
Santa HF Net is Coming to Town
Filmmaker makes a Documentary - Documentary makes a Future Ham
146/147MHz NoV Extension
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Special Event Stations
How to Set Up a High Frequency (HF) Radio Station

Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].

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Inspection of the Hustler 4BTV antenna

3 December 2022 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (5)

A loose spider arm not seated in bracket.

We are expecting some high winds and lots of rain starting late afternoon and all evening and for this reason, I took my Hustler 4BTV antenna down. The maximum gusts are to be in around 70-80 km and the antenna specs say the antenna is suitable for 90 km winds. I would rather not go with the see what happens theory as I have made the antenna very easy to take down. I decided not to purchase the tilt base for the antenna as there is nowhere I can tilt the antenna fully down too. I can store the antenna in the shed and it only takes about 10 minutes for the whole ordeal of taking it down and storing it. While the antenna was down today I noticed a few of the blade spiders were loose. There are 6 of these what is called in the manual "spider blades". It's for the 40m portion of the antenna. They are pieces of round hollow aluminum tubing held in place by nuts and bolts. Two of the 6 blades were very loose. I don't think the nuts loosened off I think the aluminum tubing being a soft material compressed a bit and the connection came loose. I tightened the nut and bolts on all the spider blades and will check it each time the antenna comes down. I don't feel double nutting each connection would solve the issue as was said it's my humble opinion the nuts did not loosen off.

Top view of securing screw.

My theory is at one point the aluminum blades will stop compressing and the connection will remain tight. I would have thought an SWR issue would have been apparent with this but nothing was out of sorts with the SWR.

Nuts on bottom of spider arm.

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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Ham College 95

3 December 2022 | by George W5JDX | Leave a Comment (0)

Ham College episode 95 is now available for download.

Extra Class Exam Questions – Part 33.
E7C Filters and matching networks: types of networks, types of filters, filter applications, filter characteristics, impedance matching, DSP filtering.

Download
YouTube

George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].

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Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 264

3 December 2022 | by Cale K4HCK | Leave a Comment (0)

Open-Source passive radar taken down for regulatory reasons
KrakenRF team has stumbled into an arms-trafficing legal roadblock for their KrakenSDR-based passive radar code.
Hack A Day

Turn a 20+ year old Yaesu FT-817 into a CW mean machine
It was quickly becoming clear to me that my humble FT-817 couldn’t cut the mustard in the world of serious CW operating.
Ham Radio Outside the Box

FCC OKs Ham-Military QSOs for Pearl Harbor Day
The FCC has approved an ARRL request to permit contacts to be made between amateur stations and military stations.
CQ Newsroom

Can you handle yet another ‘OTA?
Coming soon to a body of fresh water near you.
AE5X

40 MHz beacon in Denmark off air due to electricity costs
OZ7IGY has an annual electricity bill of more than 2,800 EUR.
EI7GL

FCC Commissioner advocates for preservation of AM Radio
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington said AM radio is an “indispensable resource.”
Radio World

Turning a trailer wiring harness into ready-made ground radials
Now we have four 25 foot radials. Bonus was all were different colors. Easy to untangle.
QRPer

Raspberry NOAA V2 Edition 2023 image released
Raspberry Pi automated NOAA and Meteor weather satellite capture.
RTL-SDR.com

How to repair a broken solar panel
I learned that solar panels have bypass diodes and that if one fails, it will cause reduced output on a solar panel.
Mikes Tech Blog WB8ERJ

222 MHz: Is anybody there?
Amateur Radio on 222 MHz has endured several reallocations and other changes through the years.
On All Bands

Video

Building your own electric motor
Hannah Fry delves into the inner workings of electric motors.
BBC

Innovative use of screwdriver antenna
Would counterpoises work better if the radials where pointed down at a 45 degree angle?
David Casler

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Amateur Radio Weekly is curated by Cale Mooth K4HCK. Sign up free to receive ham radio's most relevant news, projects, technology and events by e-mail each week at http://www.hamweekly.com.

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LHS Episode #491: Beginner Hams Deep Dive

2 December 2022 | by Russ K5TUX | Leave a Comment (0)

Welcome to the 491st installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this deep dive episode, the hosts expand on their topic from the previous episode, focusing on new radio amateurs getting into the hobby. This episode focuses on tips, tricks, insights, recommendations and resources for people new to the hobby. We hope you find this episode entertaining and informative. Have a great week.

73 de The LHS Crew

Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].

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CQ WW CW contest wrap up

28 November 2022 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (0)

Another CW contest is in the books and this is the first time that Murphy stayed far away from me. I spent the longest time I ever have sitting in the contest chair, one reason could have been it was rainy and cold outside. I took one-hour sessions at a time with about a 10-minute break and lunch and dinner. I found this worked very well and allowed me to focus better when I was on the radio. I spent most of my time in running mode ( calling CQ contest and listening for callers) I will be honest there were times I did have issues and most likely ticked off some contesters with my failing to get their call, but oh well we all have to learn. A highlight was contacting a fellow blogger Bas PE4BAS on 2 different bands. With calling CQ or running I found the time just flew past and before I knew it I was coming up on my 1-hour break mark. Having said that at times when someone spots you on the cluster (thanks Bas) it can get jam-packed. At one point I answered and logged 136 QSO's in 1 hour! My theory is, keep my CW speed at a moderate level (around 29-27 WPM) and I figure I may get more callers. I could go faster but I feel I limit my prospects. Having said that while going at 29wpm I did get over and over stations coming back to me at 32-39 wpm, could be those I have worked in my weekly CWops mini contest and know the speed can be picked up a notch. But it does throw you off to all of a sudden get a call out of the blue at 36 wpm. It was nice to see 10m open and I was able to make some DX contacts. On Sunday afternoon 15m opened to South America and Hawaii which allowed me to get some nice multiplier contacts. I was very happy with how the new Hustler 4BTV performed as this was the first major contest I was able to use it in. My dream goal was to double last year's score and I went way beyond that! As a side note: This morning was the weekly Monday running of the ICWC MST (medium speed 1-hour contest) I gave the morning session a go and what a DISASTER it was! Not sure if there is such a thing as day after major CW contest brain fog but I sure did have it. A half-hour into the hour session I was ready to pull the plug but I hung on and ate humble pie. I was hearing the correct call but typing differently, hearing letters that just were not there, logging a contact before I received their full exchange and as a call was being sent to me I was like a deer in headlights. I could not send or receive S.O.S. if my life depended on it. Oh well, water under the bridge and just for the heck of it I am going to jump back in the operating chair for the afternoon MST session. What could go wrong eh?

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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