AmateurRadio.com

While strolling through the links at eHam, I came across this link to a very nice article about Rex Harper W1REX of QRPME fame:

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/reporter/news/not-your-father-s-ham/article_4bb5d548-8ed3-11e1-947b-0019bb2963f4.html

On a KX3 note, a Ham friend of mine has decided that he and his XYL are not cut out for apartment living and have found themselves a small house to live in. Closing is near the end of this month.  Right now it looks (as he described it) like a “horse race”. Which will occur first – arrival of the KX3 at W2LJ’s house – or my Ham buddy and his wife closing on their new house?  My bet’s on them.

Hmmmmm …….. maybe I spoke to soon – this just came out on the KX3 reflector from Steve WG0AT:

Great News… Kit#1 to be Field Tested via kit assembly/manual …ships 05/02/12 tomorrow. Just heard from Bob/K6XX at Elecraft we’ve been asked to “Kit-test”, as in assemble, Kit# 1 using the latest rev of the kit manual and provide feedback on the process.

I’ve had Elecraft kit building experiences before with their K1, KX1, and K2 but not with any of their recent preassembled gear like a K3 etc. So it should be interesting to see how we do without the smell of a hot solder filling the room. (wonder if they sell solder scented candles aka Ham candle, Hah!)

My KX3-kit was originally destined for shipping via UPS ground but I thought 2-day air in this case would be a much better choice. (Next Day Air is ~$100!) 2nd Day air would get my kit here Friday PM. That’s assuming UPS does their job? Bob agreed and graciously offered to ante up the difference. This gives us the weekend to build and mark up the manual (if needed) and get the feed back to Elecraft before Monday (Maybe even as early as Sat? …no promises!).

Obviously at this point sooner is mucho better than later! (And no need to go into the waiting ‘whine’ song we all dread hearing! Instead …it’s soon over folks! – Peanut) So with any luck and we should be putting our brand new #1 Phillips to use this Friday PM! …YEEAH Baby!

Will keep you posted but if you hear silence for me Friday PM remember that’s a good sound! …Sri, no video – I want to focus on task! Video comes later.

Cheers, Steve …WGOAT/Rooster & Peanut
http://www.youtube.com/goathiker
http://w0-sota.org/

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

When I was a boy my father paid for my membership in the ARRL, but when I got out on my own I let my membership lapse because of the cost. When I finally joined again last year, I mainly did it so I could use the outgoing QSL bureau. Since then, however, I have come to appreciate other benefits of membership. One of those benefits is full access to the QST Archives. They are a treasure-trove!

The other day while doing a little research for some blog posts that are in the hopper, on a whim I searched for “Granite Falls,” the small town where I live. Sure enough, I got a hit — from September, 1969. It’s just one photo and a caption, but it’s an eye-opener. It shows that once upon a time Amateur Radio was used in an emergency here. For sure I’ll be showing this to the Emergency Manager in our county:

September, 1969 issue of QST, p. 66. Copyright © 2012 American Radio Relay League, Inc. – All rights reserved.

Using QRZ.com I looked up the fellow on the right, WAØJRA, and sent him an email inquiring about Amateur Radio here in Granite Falls back in those days. I’m looking forward to his reply.

Have you searched the QST Archives for references to your own city? Try it!

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

Q1 plus one (April) equals four months of at least one QSO per day in 2012.  While April won’t break any QSO records, it was still a very busy and productive month. 

While my QSO a day project is just that, having an on-air QSO each and every day in 2012,  I had a few other notables I wanted to mention.  In addition to my blogging and podcasting efforts, I’m also active in Summits On The Air (SOTA) and serve as regional manager for the central portion of Colorado (W0 region).  Part of my responsibility is to promote Summits On The Air and by doing so I conducted three presentations in April.  Two of the three presentations were to local amateur radio clubs in the greater Denver area and the third was via Skype to an ARC in Washington state.  One of the local SOTA presentations included a demonstration activation which I conducted.  I also completed a second SOTA activation on my own.  Between the two SOTA activations, this netted 26 QSO’s.

I also spent a few hours working QSO party stations in both the Missouri and Florida QSO parties.  QSO party QSO’s totaled 35.

Finally, in addition to the presentations and conducting at least one QSO per day in April.  I also worked several weekends on the basement ham shack project.  The basement ham shack is coming together nicely.  We have all the drywall boards on the walls and ceiling and starting on the taping, mudding and sanding of joints and screw holes.  This is what I’ve often referred to as the “messy phase”.  But this work must be done before we can get to the painting phase.  I’m hopeful by the end of May we will be ready to paint.

Stay tuned as I hope to complete at least one SOTA activation in May.  Also, I’m working on some really cool content for episode 55 of PARP.  I plan to get this episode out prior to Dayton.  

The breakdown for April is as follows: 

Mode
Number QSO’s

JT65
31

SSB  
64

Additional notes of interest:

DX Stations Worked – 3

New DX Entities – 1

Total QSO’s for 2012 – 478

Total consecutive QSO days – 121

Days left in 2012 – 245

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

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

I’ve committed to ‘presenting’ the B&Q beam to the club in a couple of weeks so I better get on making it. The idea is one that has been done a few hundred if not thousand times over. Give some new / inexperienced hams the opportunity to build a perfectly adequate 3 element beam for 2m from parts found at a local hardware shop. In the UK B&Q is just about everywhere and it supplies just about everything, apart from the thing you want, generally.

Seriously the design is taken from any of your favourite calculators. I have found that they vary slightly against the original maths but I know my Sotabeam works very well so that’s a good starting point for dimensions.

Costs to date are in the region of a few quid but by far the most expensive parts are the nylon bolts used to hold the elements. I’ve bought a bunch so I’ll have a few attempts at drilling straight through the nylon without heating it up too much.

For quite a while now I’ve not been able to get into the shack. Not because its stacked to the rafters with new gear but because I’ve had too much on to even think about it. Yesterday I managed to squeeze some time in and quite frankly I wish I hadn’t bothered.

My FT817 lives in a padded bag when its not in use along with its charger and an old Miracle whip. Now the Miracle whip no longer has a whip courtesy of my youngest who managed to snap it in half. Whilst it isn’t the finest antenna it was extremely useful for travelling. Now I need a replacement telescopic whip and I’m guessing they’re either hard to get hold of or unnecessarily expensive.

The other doom was the CI-V controller (mine is a G4ZLP USB digimater pro+) which has given some sterling service over the last couple of years but now has decided to read the frequency but not PTT or supply audio. Several wasted hours later the status quo remains. Reliability of kit in my shack isn’t that great at the best of times and this just confirms that a law based on expense and reliability. ‘No matter what it costs the chances are that it’ll stop working for no apparent reason’.

At this rate I’ll have nothing left either as a result of a 3 year old or its own suicidal components..