AmateurRadio.com

In a shocking turn of events in the amateur satellite community, AMSAT-NA is claiming AMSAT-UK steered their AO-73 Funcube satellite into the AMSAT-NA AO-85 Fox 1 bird.  NORAD satellite tracking confirmed at 0200Z a combined debris path consistent with the orbits of both satellites.  Both satellites are silent and assumed totally destroyed.  AMSAT-NA officials in a press conference called the move by AMSAT-UK an “act of war” and promised swift retaliation but wouldn’t give details on the next move.  AMSAT-UK officials taunted AMSAT-NA with several incendiary tweets.

In other satellite news, North Korea announced their plans to launch the first of many amateur radio satellites.  The satellites were described as being “worthy of Supreme Leader” and will feature outrageously over-modulated audio similar to North Korean state run television so that North Koreans can properly understand each other when communicating through the satellites.

On Tuesday and Thursday nights my daughter takes Tae kwon do at the local YMCA.  I typically run a few miles while she in class, but last night I decided to setup portable and play a little radio.  The SKCC sprints run from 7-9pm once a month local time, and her class starts at 7:00 pm.

Since I would like to participate in these sprints, I have been looking for a location in the parking lot I could do this while she was in class.

The parking lot at the YMCA is large and at one end there are zero cars parked.  There are small trees that I can attach my portable antenna to.

So last night I decided to test it out.  The antenna strapped easily to a small tree and the coax easily reached in my car where I operate.

I made one contact…

AC4FZ (4987T) – Wally was working another station on  10.120 and once the QSO was over, I gave him a call.  He was nice and loud here in Kansas.  Wally was in North Carolina and had a nice signal and fist – with just a slight bit of QSB.  He was a 559 here and he gave me a 549 – I am constantly amazed and just what 5 watts can accomplish!

That was it for the night, but I am glad I tested the setup for the SKCC sprint at the end of April – I will be active!

On Tuesday and Thursday nights my daughter takes Tae kwon do at the local YMCA.  I typically run a few miles while she in class, but last night I decided to setup portable and play a little radio.  The SKCC sprints run from 7-9pm once a month local time, and her class starts at 7:00 pm.

Since I would like to participate in these sprints, I have been looking for a location in the parking lot I could do this while she was in class.

The parking lot at the YMCA is large and at one end there are zero cars parked.  There are small trees that I can attach my portable antenna to.

So last night I decided to test it out.  The antenna strapped easily to a small tree and the coax easily reached in my car where I operate.

I made one contact…

AC4FZ (4987T) – Wally was working another station on  10.120 and once the QSO was over, I gave him a call.  He was nice and loud here in Kansas.  Wally was in North Carolina and had a nice signal and fist – with just a slight bit of QSB.  He was a 559 here and he gave me a 549 – I am constantly amazed and just what 5 watts can accomplish!

That was it for the night, but I am glad I tested the setup for the SKCC sprint at the end of April – I will be active!

This post is a two-fer, I didn’t get a chance to write up #11 portable operations, so I just decided to combine them.

Do you ever have one of those QSO’s where everything seems to go wrong??  I did when I worked WB3GCK.  Right now I don’t have a true straight key, so I use one lever of the paddles on my KX3 set to HAND mode.  Sometimes the contacts don’t make great connection and they dits and dahs sound funny.  Well during this QSO this was happening a bunch!  On top of that my KX3 started complaining about the voltage level of the battery.  So mid QSO I had to attached my external battery which required me to change where the KX3 was sitting – it was just a mess!

But Craig WB3GCK seemed very gracious and we just carried on.

So who did I work??

3/29/13 – I just had about 30 minutes to play between meetings….so just two contacts…

KG7VTO (14714) – Bob had a great signal from Oregon on 20 meters, plus a great sounding fist.

KK6GLP – I have worked Mike before and his signal sounded great as usual from California.

3/30/13 – Had a ton of fun this day!  These were all from me calling CQ on 18.080…

N1WPU (1312) – Ted answered my CQ from Maine!  He was running 75 watts into a G5RV and had a really nice signal and fist.

WB3GCK (15052T) – Craig came back to my CQ and he was also QRP at 5 watts.  Craig is also a fellow blogger, and a blog I frequent!  He has just recently obtained Tribune status in the SKCC.  From reading his blog it looks like he was bitten by the same SKCC bug I have been bitten by!  You can read his blog here http://wb3gck.craiglabarge.com/.  This is actually the second time I have worked Craig.  The last time was back in 2013 when he was vacationing in North Carolina!

WB1AJX (12872T) – The last contact for the day was with Howard running his KX3 at 5 watts.  We had a nice exchange from Rhode Island to Kansas for another nice 2xQRP contact.

So for this day it looks like there was a pipeline from Kansas to the far Northeast of the USA.  I had never worked Maine or Rhode Island before – so that is awesome.  Plus to have two 2xQRP contacts was a real kick as well!

The main reason I moved to 17 meters was because there was at least one VERY LARGE pileup going on 20 meters – it ran from about 14.035 to 14.057 – completely spread out!  I never did figure out the DX everyone was trying to work – but the pileup was destroying the band.

This post is a two-fer, I didn’t get a chance to write up #11 portable operations, so I just decided to combine them.

Do you ever have one of those QSO’s where everything seems to go wrong??  I did when I worked WB3GCK.  Right now I don’t have a true straight key, so I use one lever of the paddles on my KX3 set to HAND mode.  Sometimes the contacts don’t make great connection and they dits and dahs sound funny.  Well during this QSO this was happening a bunch!  On top of that my KX3 started complaining about the voltage level of the battery.  So mid QSO I had to attached my external battery which required me to change where the KX was sitting – it was just a mess!

But Craig WB3GCK seemed very gracious and we just carried on.

So who did I work??

3/29/13 – I just had about 30 minutes to play between meetings….so just two contacts…

KG7VTO (14714) – Bob had a great signal from Oregon on 20 meters, plus a great sounding fist.

KK6GLP – I have worked Mike before and his signal sounded great as usual from California.

3/30/13 – Had a ton of fun this day!  These were all from me calling CQ on 18.080…

N1WPU (1312) – Ted answered my CQ from Maine!  He was running 75 watts into a G5RV and had a really nice signal and fist.

WB3GCK (15052T) – Craig came back to my CQ and he was also QRP at 5 watts.  Craig is also a fellow blogger, and a blog I frequent!  He has just recently obtained Tribune status in the SKCC.  From reading his blog it looks like he was bitten by the same SKCC bug I have been bitten by!  You can read his blog here http://wb3gck.craiglabarge.com/.  This is actually the second time I have worked Craig.  The last time was back in 2013 when he was vacationing in North Carolina!

WB1AJX (12872T) – The last contact for the day was with Howard running his KX3 at 5 watts.  We had a nice exchange from Rhode Island to Kansas for another nice 2xQRP contact.

So for this day it looks like there was a pipeline from Kansas to the far Northeast of the USA.  I had never worked Maine or Rhode Island before – so that is awesome.  Plus to have two 2xQRP contacts was a real kick as well!

The main reason I moved to 17 meters was because there was at least one VERY LARGE pileup going on 20 meters – it ran from about 14.035 to 14.057 – completely spread out!  I never did figure out the DX everyone was trying to work – but the pileup was destroying the band.

Stories you’ll find in our April, 2016 issue:

Let Portable Antennas give you a Noise-Free Vacation
By Keith Baker KB1SF/VA3KSF

An increasing cacophony of mostly man-made RF noise on our HF bands makes it ever more difficult to hear particularly weak incoming stations, sometimes to the point of making reception of favorite shortwave or ham DX stations all but impossible at home. Keith shows us how you can take a break from noise using portable antennas that really work.

What You Should Know before Investing in an Antenna
By Richard Fisher KI6SN

Whether you are a relative newcomer to amateur radio, SWLing, TV DXing or VHF-UHF scanning, or are a seasoned card-carrying veteran, only you will know the antenna parameters best suited for your amateur station or listening post. Your own passions, needs, capabilities, real estate, budget and a jillion other factors inform your antenna choices. Richard helps sort out the options and explains how to get the most S-units per dollar spent in pursuit of DX.

Wi-Fi Radio Primer Part 1
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

Always a hard-core shortwave radio listener, Thomas likes the tactile experience of turning the knobs of the shortwave, tuning in stations across the globe. So, when online listening became popular, it never occurred to him to give it a try. Then, at the 2012 Winter SWL Fest, an excellent presentation on the merits and technologies behind Wi-Fi radio intrigued him. After downloading and installing the Pro version of the TuneIn radio app, he had to admit, it was a pretty powerful listening experience…one he could easily get used to.

Piggy-Bank Ham Radio Part 1
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV

After hearing someone bemoan the “high cost” of amateur radio and how such a “prohibitive expense” was preventing many from becoming hams, his knee jerk reaction was, “Really?” Sure, if you’re referring to a super-mega-über contest station, then he might agree, but just to get started, you don’t need deep pockets—just some preparation and some well-placed effort. Cory outlines a “cheap and dirty” way to start enjoying HF—with the basic Technician class license. Just as ham radio itself has no barriers as to age, the ideas he shares can work for anyone, whether you’re a student, retiree or somewhere in between.

Multiple FTA Satellite Reception Techniques Revisited
By Mike Kohl

The most cost effective way to get into Free-to-Air satellite reception is with 75 to 90-cm antennas for most Ku-band reception because they’re cheaper and shipping costs are less. But needing to monitor multiple FTA satellites forces a decision about whether to use multiple Ku-band antennas linked together with a DiSEqC switch, or to motorize one or more antennas. Which Ku-band satellites do we actually watch on a regular basis? After the busy Galaxy 19 satellite at 97 degrees West, what satellites do we need continuous access from on a 24 hour basis? Mike shows us how to properly set up a motorized Ku-band dish or use a DiSEqC switch.

Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
Growing Acceptance of TETRA

Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
The 2016 Political Season

Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
Uncovering U-2s on HF

Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
US ALE Smorgasbord

HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman

Digitally Speaking
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
Digital Destinations

VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
The Meteor Shower Nobody Saw—Revisited—Again

Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
Home-Brewing and Kit Building Isn’t What It Used To Be—But It’s Almost What It Will Be!

Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Last of the Standalone DRM Portable Radios?

Radio Propagation
By Tomas Hood NW7US
Season of Lights (Aurora)

The World of Shortwave Listening
By Rob Wagner VK3BVW
Clandestine Stations Alive and Well

The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
The Queen’s Birthday, KBC Cutback and VOA Tibet

Maritime Monitoring
By Ron Walsh VE3GO
Radio Action on the Great Lakes Returns

The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Spring Remedies

Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Sound and Light: The Mitchell Lumitone 1260

Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Multi-banding a Single Antenna: Several Routes Beckon

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