AmateurRadio.com

For several years now, I’ve been teaching a Technician License course with a team of instructors from our local radio club. We use a very successful 2-day format (90% success rate on the FCC exam), holding the class on 2 consecutive Saturdays at the local fire station. Our next session starts on Sept 29th.

For this compressed two-day class, we’ve been using the Gordon West Technician Class book and (optionally) encouraged the class to read the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual. The Gordon West book is very focused on the exam questions, with some explanation around each one. The ARRL book is more thorough and deeper technically, so it is a good reference to round out the student’s understanding. Basically, the Gordon West book is good for “teaching the exam questions” and the ARRL book is good for providing a more comprehensive understanding.

My fellow instructor, Stu Turner WØSTU, got the idea into his head that it would be good to create a license manual that gave a solid treatment of the material while still highlighting the specific questions on the exam. The next thing you know, he is off creating  a new book, Ham Radio School.com Technician License Course. Stu did an excellent job writing this book, keeping it focused on the relevant topics but going beyond just teaching the exam questions. He also has a good knack for keeping it interesting.

The story didn’t end there. One thing led to another and the book concept blossomed into a integrated learning system that includes a web site, iPhone/iPad app and (of course) the book.  The web site offers some written content and interesting videos that help people learn about amateur radio. I will be contributing some material to the web site from time to time.

The Ham Radio School iPhone app is really sweet…check it out on iTunes. All the questions from the current Technician question pool are included in both review-style quizzes and in properly weighted, full 35-question practice exams, just like the one you’ll take at your VE session.

The most important thing is that the book, the web site and the iPhone app are coordinated and work together as a system. We all have different learning styles, so the system approach allows the student to focus on what suits them best.

73, Bob K0NR

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Today was the Sussex County Amateur Radio Club Hamfest, up at the Sussex County fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ.

I went along with two good friends, Tim AB2ZK (who graciously volunteered to drive) and Marv K2VHW.  Both are fellow South Plainfield Hams and fellow CERT Team members.  At the outset, I thought we were in for trouble, as it was very overcast and gloomy as Tim drove up to the house.  I even made sure to bring my CERT poncho along – better to be safe than sorry. Good fortune would be ours, though, as by the time we got up to Augusta the sun was breaking through the clouds.

I met many good friends up there, and was especially happy to hook up with Charles W2SH, who lives all of about 18 miles from me in Millington, NJ.  Chas, as he goes by, is a fellow Fox hunter, who represents NJ very well in the QRP Fox hunts.  If you don’t find my call in the Fox’s log for any particular night, the chances are good that Charles will be in the log.  He is the veteran of many hunts and does extremely well, as one of the baying hounds.  I will have to put the bug in his ear some time about considering to volunteer as a Fox. I think he would do an outstanding job!

I was also very pleasantly surprised to be tapped on the shoulder by Robert, N2SU who is a regular reader of this blog, as well as John K3WWP’s diary.  Robert is an all CW guy and has over 300 countries worked with a barefoot rig and simple wire antennas.  Not a small feat by any means; but all the more impressive considering he’s not going the HI QRO/beam/tower route.  Thanks for the tap on the shoulder, Robert, it was so nice to meet you!

My purchases were limited to some ARRL mini log books for the portable ops bag, two sets of tweezers (one set straight tips, one set curved tips), two BNC to SMA adapters, and some solderless “O” ring connectors.

The SCARC Hamfest is one of the bigger ones in New Jersey and I am always glad when I can make it, as it usually conflicts with our Lake George vacation.  I received a flyer for next year’s event and am glad to say that I will be able to make next year, too!

It strange what you can find at a Hamfest, though.  It’s not all radios, keys, computer parts, and junk.  There are actually some very interesting finds at these electronic flea markets:

Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

The IARU 2012 contest has come and gone it was not without atmospheric grumblings. High solar wind at times over 700, Kp index topping out at 6 and this being the aftermath of the class X flare last week. On a brighter note (no pun intended)  the sunspot numbers are up along with the flux readings.

 So how did all this solar mumbo jumbo affect the contesting goals at VE3WDM?? My first goal and last goal of having fun and enjoying the contest was accomplished. As for adding to my DXCC count I only was able to grab one DXCC. The spotting networks were alive with South Pacific and Asia but at VE3WDM nothing at all was heard. My openings seemed to be centered around Europe with the occasional South American tease.

 This contest for me was not about gathering points and contacts. It was taking advantage of a large amount DX and working them with the least amount of power as possible. This meant the contest was slow going and not worrying about total contacts and points. 99% of my contacts were made with QRPp power and some with QRP. Each potential contact started with trying to make the contact with as little as 50Mw's. I had to stop at 50Mw's as my LP100A meter will not measure any lower power output. Back when I ordered and built this meter I never thought I would ever be operating as low as 50Mw's......my thinking was "an attic dipole antenna at QRP of 5 watts I am pushing it" funny how things change over time. I have a device on order that will allow me to measure power output into the nano watts...not that I will ever go there......but you never know!! I was not able to top my all time miles per watt high of  45,868 well maybe next time.



Contacts                    16                   Six contacts 100mW's or much less
ITU                               9
HQ contacts                6
Points                         46 UPDATE: score was actually 690 have to stop using that new math!!


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

For one reason or another, I’ve not heard an aurora for ages! Being in the south of the country with fairly little aerials means that it’s not a particularly productive propagation mode for me. However, if a big one comes along and I hear something….

Like this afternoon! I knew there was an aurora going on – but hadn’t really worried about it much. I tuned across 144MHz and to my surprise there were some auroral signals. GM4BYF was loudest and I was delighted to work him. Other G stations were heard tone-A including G0CUZ, G7RAU and G3LTF none of whom are very far from me! Missed Clive GM4VVX who it would have been nice to work. GM0HTT on Orkney was a decent signal on SSB, but had quite a pileip, so I didn’t get involved.

I heard GM3WUX weakly on 50MHz also, but he didn’t come back to a couple of calls. An hour or two later, I tuned across 50MHz and found PA2M calling CQ with an Auroral tone. Despite my little signal from the vertical – not ideal for an Auroral QSO – we completed the QSO. Good ears, Frank – thank you!

I wonder if the Aurora will be visible this evening.

Tim Kirby, G4VXE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Oxfordshire, England. Contact him at [email protected].

Put my birthday gift (an RealTek RTL2832U based TV stick) in the suitcase to bring along with me on my family visit to the Netherlands. It worked fine in Taiwan but it was DOA when we arrived here. A pity since everyone is now talking about great sporadic E conditions. Only US$11, so no major monetary loss. I still have my HT and APRS setup to play with, but now my tracker is also not responding any more! Luckily the HT is still working fine and I’m having a good time talking to fellow hams on the local repeaters.

Hans "Fong" van den Boogert, BX2ABT, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Taiwan. Contact him at [email protected].

The bits to make up the adapter between the the SDR dongle and the external antennas here were all in place by Friday evening, so I did a hasty bit of construction on Saturday morning. Tested the adapter and it was fine. Unfortunately though, hooking up the SDR to the external antenna revealed very little activity. I have a feeling that in some of my tests, transmitting physically close to the dongle, I’ve blown the front end up! Ooops!

However, great to hear from David G4ASR who has been getting on really well with his. He hooked the SDR up during yesterday’s excellent Es opening on 70MHz and was hearing a number of stations including an Estonian on FM. It’s working well on 144MHz too and Dave was getting good results from the GB3VHF beacon. Sean, G4UCJ was also doing well with his and receiving stations on 70MHz – including the wideband FM which was very strong yesterday. Dave reckoned that his dongle was about 7KHz off ‘calibration’ on 70MHz. I found mine was about 20KHz off at 145MHz. You can cope with this using the ‘shift’ feature in SDRSharp.

Given that it’s only £11, I’ve ordered another dongle and hopefully that will behave better if I don’t transmit close by!

Tim Kirby, G4VXE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Oxfordshire, England. Contact him at [email protected].

Series Five Episode Fifteen of the ICQ Podcast has been released. News Stories include :-

• G3PSM Receives DARC Award
• Brunei chases Pirates
• KiwiSAT hoping for launch mid-2013
• UK HF Propagation charts for July 2012
• Farewell to RNW's shortwave broadcasts
• 35 Years of Amateur Radio Newsline
• Italian HF special event commemorates Apollo space program
• OSCAR-7 DX record broken again
• 420-430 MHz in Australia
• GB2012MV - Manchester Venue
• GB2VET Veterans special event station
• Police Explorers begin Amateur Radio classes

Listener mailbag and Martin (M1MRB) answers questions.

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