AmateurRadio.com

A lot has been written recently (including by me) about the general conduct of hams on the airwaves. Over the last few days, I’ve seen something that has just been so absurd that I had to vent here. 

I’ve discussed operating in pileups before, and how it’s important to listen to the operator’s instructions to understand where they are listening. It’s frustrating when an operator doesn’t listen and calls right on top of the DX station instead of on his split frequency. While there’s really no excuse, the occasional call or two can be understood by operators who just send 5NN TU (on CW) or just “Thanks” on phone without giving the split often. The same can be said for those operators who don’t ID often.

What I cannot understand, and to me what’s totally inexcusable was the behavior that I’ve seen on RTTY in the pileups for the folks operating from the new PJ entities recently. The vast majority of operators at the DX end seem to be really top-notch operators and are doing their best to control the pileup. They leave nothing to chance when, at the end of a contact, they send something like “K2DBK TU DE PJ7E UP 2-4”. You know who the station is, and you know that they are listening for your transmission 2-4 up. In spite of this, operators repeatedly (and I don’t mean once or twice, but dozens of times) continue to call on the operators transmit frequency, not where he’s listening.

I believe in Heinlein’s Razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. I don’t believe that most of these operators are calling just to QRM (create noise) on the DX station. For one thing, they are all using their callsigns, so we know who they are. (There is a chance that they are using someone else’s callsign to intentionally make them look bad, but I don’t think that’s the case.) I think that either they don’t have a good enough copy on on the DX station to be able to understand that he’s listening on a different frequency, or they don’t understand what “UP” means. In the former case, they shouldn’t be calling at all. If you don’t have a good enough copy on a station to receive what they are sending, how on earth are you going to know if you’ve worked them? If it’s the latter, and you don’t know that “UP” means that the operator is working stations using split operation, then ask someone what it means, don’t just ignore it.

Incidentally, I want to mention that I’ve looked up a number of callsigns that are guilty of this behavior. There is a mix of stations, but a significant number of stations seem to be US Amateur Extra class, and, as best I can tell, they have been Extras for quite some time. This isn’t a case of “no-coders” not knowing how to operate. It may well be that RTTY, which has increased in popularity recently, is new to these operators, but like any mode you need to learn how to use it.

When in doubt, refer to the DX Code of Conduct. 

David Kozinn, K2DBK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a British wildlife conservation charity, has a slogan “aren’t birds brilliant!” I think QRPers should start promoting low power operation using the slogan “Isn’t QRP amazing!” Because whenever I try using low power the results simply amaze me.

Until starting on my QRSS adventure I had never tried very low power, sometimes called QRPP. I was inspired by Paul PC4T who yesterday wrote about using WSPR on 20m using 50 milliwatts. At the moment I am QRSSing with 50mW on 30m using my magnetic loop, but that still leaves my multiband dipole antenna for some QRPP WSPR experiments.

I connected my QRP power meter to my K3, turned the power control to the lowest setting (0.1W) and sent a Tune signal from the WSPR software. The meter read about 65mW. I thought that I would be lucky to get any reception reports at all at that power level so I was amazed to be spotted by around 20 different stations in the space of a couple of hours, including two from the USA. One, WA8RC, was at a distance of more than 5,800km! To be heard, consistently, over that kind of distance across the Atlantic Ocean using less than 100mW to a dipole zig-zagged into a tiny attic is simply incredible.

I think we all use too much power, myself included. We do it because it makes copy easier or because it increases the chance of someone hearing us calling CQ. Even WSPR users mostly use 5W or more, despite the fact that the “WS” in the name of the mode means “weak signal.” Because of our macho desire to have a bigger signal than the other guy we never discover just how far a little power will really go. And that’s a discovery that’s far more enthralling than receiving yet another 599 report, surely.

Isn’t QRP amazing?

Julian Moss, G4ILO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, England. Contact him at [email protected].

My 30m QRSS beacon transmitter is working very well. It has been on the air for more than a day now and has been received in Italy, Belgium, Holland and the UK. This is a 50 milliwatt signal being radiated by a magnetic loop antenna in the attic! Isn’t QRP amazing?

On Sunday I assembled the QRSS beacon into a nice case. This is not my favourite constructional task – give me toroids to wind any day! – but I do like the projects I build to look reasonable. The case I used was one I bought for the abortive 2m FM Fredbox project. I even used the SMA chassis socket I bought for that project as the case wasn’t really suitable for a BNC socket and I didn’t have any of the RCA phono chassis sockets I often use for QRP projects in my junk box.

This case has a compartment for a PP3 9V battery. I had toyed with the idea of using a PP3 battery and building in a regulator to reduce the voltage to the required 5V but space was tight and I was concerned that the heat given off by the regulator would affect frequency stability. Also with a current consumption of 70mA at 50mW output a rechargeable PP3 battery with a capacity of 280mAH would last for less than 4 hours between charges.

I observed that it is possible to squeeze 4 x AAA cells into the same space. Rechargeable NiMH AAA cells have a capacity of 1100mAH. Four of them will provide a voltage of 4.8 – 5.2V which will give 15 hours of operation and require no regulation at all. So that is what I will use.

Fitting the project into the box took a bit of time because it was a tight fit in the case. I had to be very careful positioning the antenna socket, switch and external power / charger socket to ensure they didn’t foul any of the components. One of the frustrating things about boxing-up projects is that you can never find a case of exactly the size you want.

As I didn’t have a suitable battery pack I started off powering the transmitter from the computer. I took a redundant USB cable, cut the end off, determined the +5V and GND leads and soldered a DC power connector to them. That got the rig on the air, where it was almost immediately spotted by PA0TAB. The stability of the transmitter is excellent. There is a slight drift down in frequency by 10Hz or so during the first few minutes of operation. After that it appears to be pretty steady. There does not seem to be any need to encase the crystal oscillator in insulating material or use an oven as some QRSS builders have done.

Later on I dug out a charger for a mobile phone which has a USB socket on it and I switched the power over to that so I could keep the QRSS transmitter on overnight after I had shut down the computer. Nobody spotted me overnight, but I will leave it on for a few days to see whether I can be received further afield than Italy. To be received on the other side of the Atlantic would be a great thrill!

Here is a selection of grabs from stations that received my signal in the last 24 hours:

Julian Moss, G4ILO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, England. Contact him at [email protected].

The weekend before last while operating the Pennsylvania QSO Party, I noticed spots on the DX cluster for the “South Dakota Tea Party“.  At first I thought it was a joke, but Googling I found this contest announcement on the ‘zed.  The contest organizer claims that this contest has “an emphasis limited government and there are no rules.”  Extra points are offered for things like having a valid concealed weapons permit, a hunting license, or fishing license.  I’m not sure how this relates to limited government as all of these are issued by government agencies, as are amateur radio licenses.  (Several of the posts in this announcement thread have disappeared; I’m not sure why.)

For those in amateur radio blogademia outside of K/W/N land, the tea party in the United States is a political movement that has sprung up since the current president took office.  The tea party started out as a supposedly independent grassroots movement, but has clearly emerged as a right wing conservative Republican organization funded by commercial interests.  You can see footage of them here and here protesting taxes and healthcare reform.  Google “tea party signs” and make your own judgement.

While it appears this QSO party is the creation of a handful of amateurs and is somewhat an informal thrown-together event, and albeit on that armpit of an amateur radio forum known as QRZ, this is the first time I’m aware of an operating event with a political theme.  As if it wasn’t enough to have non-stop right wing politics in 80 meter roundtables and on amateur radio forums, now we’re luring people into working stations in a somewhat rare state under the semblance of a political movement and agenda.  It’s distasteful and not in the spirit of amateur radio.

Having politically-oriented operating events could open the door to a whole new realm of contests and special event stations, both conservative and liberal oriented that would offend just about everyone.  Can you imagine having operating events such as the Obama Re-election Party or the Sarah Palin QRO Sprint?  How about the National Rifle Association Worked All Free States Award or the QRP Pro-Choice Contest?  And while we’re bringing politics into amateur radio, why not religion?  How about a Mosques On The Air weekend, or a Westboro Baptist Church Koran Burning special events station?  I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.  We don’t want to start an arms race of political and religious on-the-air events in amateur radio.

This may come as a surprise, but I did participate in the South Dakota tea party event.  I made no contacts, but since there are no rules I awarded myself 10 billion points and I made a clean sweep of all counties in South Dakota.  Such is life without rules.  Perhaps next year I’ll actually get on the air, but make up my own callsign in the spirit of limited government and regulation, and political inanity….

The weekend before last while operating the Pennsylvania QSO Party, I noticed spots on the DX cluster for the "South Dakota Tea Party".  At first I thought it was a joke, but Googling I found this contest announcement on the 'zed.  The contest organizer claims that this contest has "an emphasis limited government and there are no rules."  Extra points are offered for things like having a valid concealed weapons permit, a hunting license, or fishing license.  I'm not sure how this relates to limited government as all of these are issued by government agencies, as are amateur radio licenses.  (Several of the posts in this announcement thread have disappeared; I'm not sure why.)

For those in amateur radio blogademia outside of K/W/N land, the tea party in the United States is a political movement that has sprung up since the current president took office.  The tea party started out as a supposedly independent grassroots movement, but has clearly emerged as a right wing conservative Republican organization funded by commercial interests.  You can see footage of them here and here protesting taxes and healthcare reform.  Google "tea party signs" and make your own judgement.

While it appears this QSO party is the creation of a handful of amateurs and is somewhat an informal thrown-together event, and albeit on that armpit of an amateur radio forum known as QRZ, this is the first time I'm aware of an operating event with a political theme.  As if it wasn't enough to have non-stop right wing politics in 80 meter roundtables and on amateur radio forums, now we're luring people into working stations in a somewhat rare state under the semblance of a political movement and agenda.  It's distasteful and not in the spirit of amateur radio.

Having politically-oriented operating events could open the door to a whole new realm of contests and special event stations, both conservative and liberal oriented that would offend just about everyone.  Can you imagine having operating events such as the Obama Re-election Party or the Sarah Palin QRO Sprint?  How about the National Rifle Association Worked All Free States Award or the QRP Pro-Choice Contest?  And while we're bringing politics into amateur radio, why not religion?  How about a Mosques On The Air weekend, or a Westboro Baptist Church Koran Burning special events station?  I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.  We don't want to start an arms race of political and religious on-the-air events in amateur radio.

This may come as a surprise, but I did participate in the South Dakota tea party event.  I made no contacts, but since there are no rules I awarded myself 10 billion points and I made a clean sweep of all counties in South Dakota.  Such is life without rules.  Perhaps next year I'll actually get on the air, but make up my own callsign in the spirit of limited government and regulation, and political inanity....
Anthony Good, K3NG, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Pennsylvania, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Hello, everyone! Due to Cheryl having some hand surgery and my being a telecommuter for the last month or so, I haven’t been able to keep up with the podcast release cycle.  We’ve been recording episodes like we’re supposed to. It’s just been impossible to get them released on time. That means that #047 and #048 are going to be released in rapid succession so you’ll get twice the LHS yummy goodness.

This time around, Richard has been looking a little deeper into CQRlog, a great logging program for Linux created by OK2CQR.  We talked about this program in a past episode and we’ve mentioned it a few more times in passing. This time we’re getting down deep into the features and all of the integrations CQRlog has with other ham radio applications. We also address our usual announcements, feedback, other technical topics and throw in a bunch of witty banter just to keep things interesting. Thanks, all, for staying with us while we try and get back to a regular podcasting cycle. Keep listening and keep spreading the word.

73 de The LHS Guys

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].

Over the weekend sunspot 1112 erupted and produced a strong solar flare. Now according to Space weather sites there’s a 25-35% chance of high latitude auroras on 19-20 October.

And right now a group of four Norwegian friends are enjoying their annual DXpedition to Kongsfjord – well and truly in the high latitudes – at 70°43′N 29°21′E at the top of Norway.

Four of the main participants are Arnstein Bue, from Trondheim, Bjarne Mjelde (host), from Berlevåg, Odd-Jørgen Sagdahl, from Trondheim and Tore Johnny Bråtveit, from Trondheim. As you’ll see if you visit their pages these men are serious medium wave and short wave DXers, with impressive equipment racks and listening achievements to match.

Arnstein Bue’s blog DX Paradise gives a sense of some of the QSL trophies. DXpedition host, Bjarne Mjelde’s blog Arctic DX has an entry logging their first day last Friday anticipating the weather awaiting them:

“+2 Celsius, 15-20 m/s (35-45 mph) northerly winds, rain and sleet showers…”

As I write this it’s early afternoon there and according to their website it’s warmed up to +4 Celsius!

They also appear to operate remotely from this spot. Their antennas include a new 500 metre long Beverage aimed at the North Island of New Zealand which is clearly working very well. Two shorter Beverages (225m & 330m) and a Quad Delta Flag Array complete this dream DXing antenna farm.

And if you visit the site you’ll see ample evidence that they clearly know how to enjoy themselves at the dining table as well. Local King crabs are accompanied by the finest New Zealand wines. Their dining notes are as tempting as their DX!

Main course was pork sirloin marinated in garlic and chili, served with tagliatelle, basil, leeks and cherry tomatoes. With the pork we tried Kim Crawford’s Pinot Noir. Maybe a bit light for the quite tasty meat, but absolutely a super wine!

For dessert we had local blueberries with grappa – another Kongsfjord signature dish! And now we are off to listen to more recordings and prepare for another – hopefully eventful night. The solar indexes are going down and the K-index for Tromsø is now 0, and we hope that it will remain like this!

The main website is also the repository of a number of documents on DXing issues by Dallas Lankford. There are also data sheets for a large number of receivers (including AOR, Racal, Rohde & Schwarz, R L Drake Company, Siemens, Harris, TenTec, Icom etc) and information about antennas. Bjarne Mjelde has distilled his experience into a definitive article about the best antenna wire. The conclusion? A thumbs up for galvanised steel and aluminium. A number of his reviews are also aggregated on the site, including reviews of the IC-703 and the Perseus SDR.

Their sites demonstrate how much a part SDR plays in modern DXing and monitoring. There are some huge SDR recordings and mp3 files available as well. Retrospective analysis of these files enables them to find rare stations as well as – presumably – traditional live listening.

It’s been a delight checking in on their site each day to catch up with the activities of such a convivial group of friends. Truly inspiring to this reader on the other side of the globe.

Stephen Rapley, VK2RH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New South Wales, Australia. Contact him at [email protected].