In this episode, Martin M1MRB / W9ICQ is joined by Colin M6BOY to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news  and this episodes feature is 2016 Amateur / Ham Radio Elmer Kit.

• German Request More 5 MHz power
• Amateur Radio Kids Day 2016
• Irish Spectrum Strategy Consultation
• German Medium Wave AM Switch-off

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

Win4kSuite up and running

I have decided to change up my rig control software to Win4K3 suite I downloaded the trial version and was very impressed. I would had done it sooner but my PC was not up to the grade to properly run Win4K3 software and to be honest it was long over due for a PC upgrade. The PC was upgraded and if your interested that can be viewed here.  I decided to purchase the Win4k3 software (50.00) and change from my long time N4PY's Pegasus Plus rig control program. Carls Pegasus Plus program is very good and the support that Carl offers is excellent but I found the Win4k3 software was more catered to my Elecraft rigs. Once installed you have full rig control including the Elecraft P3, KPA500 amp and KAT500 tuner and the Sub receiver if you have these installed. (I did have the sub but sold it and I look back on that with regret)  I have the K3, P3 and KX3. The software installation has very good documentation and there are videos as well. Im the type of person who picks up much more from videos than written instructions. With the Win4K3 suite I was able to have PC control of all my K3 functions that some other software programs did not offer, such functions as spot, test, equalizer setup, terminal program, cw decode, Auto tuner and APF just to name a few. I also have the Elecraft P3 and with my PC upgrade I added a VGA capture board and since my P3 already had the SVGA board installed I N1MM contest software and Log40M. (More about Log40M in another post…. great software)

P3 on the monitor

was able to add point and click with my mouse to my P3 and this is great during contests. The SVGA board also allows me to view my P3 on a second monitor and mine being a 22" LCD monitor the P3 looks great on it. This software also has the availability to set up virtual ports. Now in the past just hearing "setting up virtual ports" made me nervous I really never had to much luck setting them up and getting them to work! With Win4K3 suite VA2SFQ makes it almost plug and play with both very detailed easy to follow steps and software that makes it painless…..and best of all IT WORKS!! The 3rd party software I set up to "play" with Win4K3 so far are If you have either the Elecraft k3 or KX3 (I have not setup my KX3 rig with the Win4k3 yet) and you are looking at PC controlled software then consider downloading Tom's trial version and give it a go!


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

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.

Merry Christmas!


Not wishing to contend with an evening of dire XYL style Christmas TV (Strictly Come Dancing, Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey) I escaped into the shack and decided to repair my Vectronics VC300DLP Antenna Tuner. I got this ATU second hand last year and while it has been serviceable it had become temperamental of late. The units rotary inductor switch had become stiff and suddenly I was unable to match the OCFD on some bands so it had clearly broken.

I had a 12-position switch (rated at 5A) and knob, originally sourced for an abandoned project and hoped it would be suitable. The existing switch knob on the ATU wasn't an original, I'd assumed it had replaced one lost or broken. When I removed the cover it was clear that the whole switch had already been changed at sometime.


I also noticed a prominent burn mark inside the inductor coil, caused by a clear break in the insulation of the wire which was resting on the grounded bottom plate.


I know the previous owner of the ATU has a 300W RM BLA-350 linear amplifier, whereas I only normally operate around 30W maximum at my QTH, so not sure how much of this arcing I had caused but it needed sorting! A little over half an hour with the soldering iron and I had replaced the switch and slipped some heat shrink over the broken insulation and re-soldered the wire, lifting it off the ground plate.


The ATU seems to work well, now fitted with a new knob (just missing a cap at the moment) the switch turns nicely. I also cleaned up the SO-239 connectors on the back as they were tarnished and oxidised. I used a small bit of contact cleaner on some cotton buds to clean up the threads and the centre pins, removing a surprising amount of crud. The patch and antenna leads now screws on much better.


With the Mother--in-law staying with us over the festive period I suspect I may be in the shack quite a bit, I have plenty of jobs and half finished projects to keep me busy!
Andrew Garratt, MØNRD, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from East Midlands, England. Contact him at [email protected].

Merry Christmas!


Not wishing to contend with an evening of dire XYL style Christmas TV (Strictly Come Dancing, Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey) I escaped into the shack and decided to repair my Vectronics VC300DLP Antenna Tuner. I got this ATU second hand last year and while it has been serviceable it had become temperamental of late. The units rotary inductor switch had become stiff and suddenly I was unable to match the OCFD on some bands so it had clearly broken.

I had a 12-position switch (rated at 5A) and knob, originally sourced for an abandoned project and hoped it would be suitable. The existing switch knob on the ATU wasn't an original, I'd assumed it had replaced one lost or broken. When I removed the cover it was clear that the whole switch had already been changed at sometime.


I also noticed a prominent burn mark inside the inductor coil, caused by a clear break in the insulation of the wire which was resting on the grounded bottom plate.


I know the previous owner of the ATU has a 300W RM BLA-350 linear amplifier, whereas I only normally operate around 30W maximum at my QTH, so not sure how much of this arcing I had caused but it needed sorting! A little over half an hour with the soldering iron and I had replaced the switch and slipped some heat shrink over the broken insulation and re-soldered the wire, lifting it off the ground plate.


The ATU seems to work well, now fitted with a new knob (just missing a cap at the moment) the switch turns nicely. I also cleaned up the SO-239 connectors on the back as they were tarnished and oxidised. I used a small bit of contact cleaner on some cotton buds to clean up the threads and the centre pins, removing a surprising amount of crud. The patch and antenna leads now screws on much better.


With the Mother--in-law staying with us over the festive period I suspect I may be in the shack quite a bit, I have plenty of jobs and half finished projects to keep me busy!
Andrew Garratt, MØNRD, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from East Midlands, England. Contact him at [email protected].

The days leading up to Christmas were busy. Dave busied himself by working with the Technical Committee of the Twin Counties Amateur Radio Club to try and solve a problem with the club's repeater. It seems the members would be bothered by an intermittent hash or raspy static at times. Dave, with the help of the other members of the Technical Committee basically took apart and rebuilt the entire repeater, component by component. The checked every connection on the receiver, transmitter, duplexer and just about everywhere else, looking for something obvious. Unfortunately, it seems like it's never anything obvious in cases like these.  They changed connectors, jumper cables and even replaced a few suspect capacitors in the power supply. They hoped it would be enough to alleviate the situation. The only other areas left for troubleshooting were the antenna, tower and feed-line itself. Looking at those during the current were weather pattern were not an option.


It had been snowing everyday since Dave had arrived home from school. Some days more, some days less, but it was still beginning to pile up, even by Springdale standards. This winter was shaping up to be one of the snowiest in Dave's young memory. It made for hazardous driving, but if you took your time and were careful, it wasn't a problem.

Dave was finishing up work on the repeater when he looked at his watch. It was 1:00 PM on Christmas Eve.

“Holy Smokes, Bob, I lost track of the time! I have to get out of here!”

Dave had been working with Bob, KB2VMG. “You're right, Dave, it's getting late. Time files when you're having fun, don't it?” Bob jokingly answered with a wry smile on his face. He was glad they were nearly done, too. Troubleshooting these kind of problems was always a challenge, and sometimes a headache.

“You're headed over to George N2EBA's QTH for dinner tonight, right?”

“That's right Bob.  My family and AA2AJ's will all be there.”

“Well, you have a great time. Get going. You and Jimmy are all George ever talks about. He's so proud of the both of you and all.  Tell him I said “Hello and Merry Christmas.”

Dave blushed a little and said, “Thanks, Bob.  You're all right finishing things up here by yourself? Dinner's not for a while, but I still have a few presents to buy.”

“Don't trouble yourself, Dave.  I just need to put the tools away and wash up. Everything is done here. Between you and me, I think we got the problem licked. Thanks for all your help – I don't think I would have noticed that iffy filter capacitor on the power supply if it weren't for your second set of eyes.”

“Merry Christmas, Bob – to you and your family. I'll see you next week at the regular club meeting.”

Dave set off for his Mother's car and went into town. He needed to buy gifts for his mom and sister, and it was still a new experience for him. Being alone with just his Dad for so many years, he still drew a blank at times when it came to buying gifts for females.  But in this case, he was lucky as he knew exactly what he wanted. A down vest for Maria to wear when she went skiing and some scented candles and soaps for Donna.  They were both pretty easy to buy for. Within an hour or two, he had made his purchases.

As he was driving home, the HT in his pocket came to life.

“AA2AM this is KD2JMJ. You on the air Davey?”

He pulled over to the side of the road. “Don't need to get a ticket for distracted driving on Christmas Eve.” he thought to himself.  “KD2JMJ, this is AA2AM – what's up Dad?”

“His Dad answered, “Davey, I just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm going to have to pick up the beagle late this afternoon. The lady from the shelter in Pleasanton is closing the place early, but she gave me her home address. She's bringing Barney home with her and I'll pick him up from her house. I'll have to leave dinner from the Mason's early though.”

“Isn't that going to be kind of obvious, Dad?  Mom's going to know something's up.”

“Got that all worked out, Davey. Fred from work is going to call me on my cell phone at 6:00 PM. By then we should have finished dinner. A “work emergency” that needs my presence will be the pretense. I'll just head out, pick up Barney and head back home. I should be home by 9:00 PM at the latest.”

“OK, Dad. I'll cover for you, later when the “work emergency” rears its ugly head. I'm just on my way home now. I'll see you in a bit. I think we worked out that problem with the repeater. I think it was either a bad ground or a bad jumper cable. Possibly even a bad filter capacitor in the power supply. The repeater hasn't hashed while we've been on.”

“Very good, Davey! Hey, I guess this EE education I'm paying for is working out!” His Dad loved teasing his son, even though he was practically a full grown adult now.  “See you in a bit, son.  AA2AM, this KD2JMJ, clear. 73, Dave.”

“73, Dad, see you in a few. KD2JMJ, this is AA2AM, clear.”

Dinner at the Mason's was as spectacular as everyone thought it would be. There was enough food to feed the 8th Infantry Division with leftovers to spare. And it was all exceedingly delicious. The Boltons, the Masons and the Stapletons thoroughly enjoyed each others company and the evening.

Everyone agreed to meet at the Bolton's house the next morning for Christmas brunch after Mass.  As everyone was sitting down to dessert and coffee in the living room, Jason Bolton's cell phone rang, as on cue.

“Jason Bolton, speaking. May I help you?” Of course, Fred was on the other end, allowing Jason the opportunity to play the charade out.

“The router and switch are totally down? I'm not sure what I can do at this hour on Christmas Eve. All the techs have probably left the data center for the holiday.  Looks like I'll have to come in and reset them.”

“What's the matter honey?” Donna asked, “Something wrong at work?”

“Yes, dear” Jason answered in feigned exasperation. “One of our client's routers and switches went down at the data center. None of their office door card readers are working and their Security department wants them reset right away. Looks like I'll have to go in.”

“Oh, no – not on Christmas Eve! And the roads – how long do you think it will be?”

Jason looked at his watch. “Well, it's 6 O'clock now. By the time I get there, reset the equipment and then babysit them out for a bit – I should be home by 9 O'clock at the latest, I would think.”

“Well, just be careful, Honey”, Donna said. “I don't like the idea of you out on these roads so late on Christmas Eve.”

“Everything will be fine, Donna. I'll see you in a while. Davey, you monitor the repeater, OK? If I run into any trouble, I'll give you a call. Merry Christmas, everyone! See you at our house tomorrow morning.”

With that, Jason Bolton took off for Pleasanton. The drive went quietly and uneventful. The roads were not all that busy, as everyone was already home for Christmas already. He found the address easily enough and knocked on the door.

“Mrs. Buckley? Hi! I'm Jason Bolton. I'm here for Barney.”

“Mr. Bolton! I'm so happy to see you and so is Barney.”  Barney came bounding up and jumped up onto Jason when he saw him come in the door. His tail was wagging ferociously and he was practically doing somersaults.

“He looks happy to see me.” Jason said.


“Oh yes, Mr. Bolton. Barney is such a good boy. I think he's going to love his new forever home. Let me get you his papers and the carrier.”

Mrs. Buckley was gone for a few minutes and Jason bent down to play with Barney. Barney was alternately licking his face, and then laying down on his back so Jason could give him a tummy rub.

He was laughing softly to himself, thinking “You, my little friend, are going to melt Donna's heart!”

“Here you go, Mr. Bolton! Here are Barney's vaccination and neutering records, as well as the paper about the microchip under his skin. You'll have to call or e-mail the company to let them know your family is now Barney's forever family.”

Jason handed Mrs. Buckley the adoption donation, signed a few papers and then the two of them put Barney into his carrier. That was no chore at all, as Barney was used to being toted around to local pet stores on adoption days.

“Mr. Bolton, you may want to invest in a new carrier for Barney. The latch on that door is kind of cranky. Sometimes, if Barney pushes hard enough, he can open the door.”

“Thanks for the warning. Mrs. Buckley, I'll look into that after Christmas. Thanks so much for everything. My wife is going to love Barney! She always had dogs as a child and Barney is going to be a perfect fit in our home.”

“It's not trouble at all, Mr. Bolton. I'm always glad when a lab beagle finds a forever home. Barney is such a joy, I'm sure he'll fit right in your family.  A lot of our adoptive parents re-name their dogs. Do you think you'll give Barney a new name?”

“No, Mrs. Buckley, somehow Barney seems a perfect fit for him. Thanks so much, again. A very Merry Christmas to you and your family”

With that, Jason put Barney's carrier in the back of the Jeep and headed off for home.  As he was headed towards the state highway, he had heard on the AM news station that he was listening to of some major construction delays. “Who does road work on Christmas Eve?” he thought to himself. At that he decided to take one of the parallel running back roads.  He thought it would probably save him a half hour or so in delays.

He turned on the VHF radio and put it on scan. Maybe he'd hear an interesting conversation or two to pass the time on the way home.  The drive home was going smoothly when all of a sudden, he noticed a car, off in the distance, coming in his direction, and driving erratically. The driver was weaving in and out of the lane. “The guy's probably drunk from some office Christmas party.”, Jason disgustedly thought to himself.  Jason flicked on his high beams and sounded the horn to warn the oncoming driver that he was now in Jason's lane. Coming straight at him, and dangerously fast, it was all Jason could do to jerk the wheel to get out of the way. He had avoided a head-on collision, but in doing so, had hit an icy patch and skidded off the road into a culvert.  He banged his head pretty badly against the side window in the process. All he could see was the world somehow weirdly upside down, and the air bags deploying, as he blacked out.


To be continued ...........

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

                                   Thanks for popping in and reading throughout the year,
                                                I will be back with some more soon!

         Hope Santa brings you all some nice Amateur Radio goodies and some good DX!


                                A Merry Christmas to you all & Happy New Year 2016.

                                                                  73's Steve


                                     


Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].