AmateurRadio.com

When I first heard about the ARRL’s centennial operation, I was mildly curious but hardly enthused. As most know, the League is sponsoring a year-long operating event in which ops in all 50 states will be on the air a week at a time, signing W1AW/X, where “X” is the call district.

Well, it has been 52 years since I earned WAS, I thought. So I decided to see if I could work each W1AW/X state for a new certificate.

Then I decided to work each state several times each just to be sure I was “in the log.”

And as the first round neared the end (each state will be on the air for a full week at least twice during 2014, usually two states each week), I thought to myself, “Self, why don’t you see if you can work them on all modes?” I need practice in pile-up and contest operating on the digital modes and especially RTTY.

 

Suddenly, this little centennial thing has become a lot of fun and a thrilling challenge! I’ve heard other guys say the same thing. I’m way down the list on total QSOs (3000-ish somewhere) and just cracked the top 15 in my state, mostly due to my late and lackadaisical start. But now I spend far more time than I should chasing W1AW.

I have a new book due at the publisher’s, have just started a new ham radio book, have a 10-month grandson I want to teach the Morse code, I need to be getting ready for the Huntsville, Alabama, Hamfest this weekend, college football season is about to start, and…Wait!…W1AW/1 in Vermont was just spotted on 12-meter PSK31.

Excuse me. I gotta run…

73,

Don N4KC
www.n4kc.com
www.donkeith.com
(Author of the new book RIDING THE SHORTWAVES:
EXPLORING THE MAGIC OF AMATEUR RADIO)

Don Keith, N4KC, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Alabama, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

KX3 bathed in light from my red headlamp

The kids are starting back to school this week, so we thought we would get in one more family outing before life gets crazy.  So last week we went camping from Wednesday morning until Saturday morning.  Its great to be at the campground during the week – almost nobody else is there!

It rained every night – the days were hot and humid.  We spent most afternoons out on the lake in my Dads boat he loaned to use – nice and cool with lots of swimming and tubing.

Friday night I had time to play radio!  I setup the KX3 running on internal batteries on the picnic table.  Hooked up the portable QRP antenna that I lashed up to the canopy and I was off to the races.

I used my headlamp with a red light to see what I was writing and the radio controls.  This worked exceptionally well – and kept the bugs away.  I have used the white light before and it really draws in the bugs!

When I turned the rig on it was on 20 meters – I expected it to be dead since it was about 03:45 UTC (10:45 PM local) – but I immediately heard signals.  As I tuned around, I was hearing DX everywhere!

I listened to some of the exchanges, and could tell it was a contest – RST and Serial was the exchange.  Turns out it was the Worked All Europe HF Contest.

So I dove into the mix and started pouncing!  Wow it was fun….

UA7K – Russia (I think, could not find in QRZ)
UW2M – Ukraine (1,172 miles per watt)
UT0U – Ukraine (1, 134 miles per watt)
AI6O – California
K1XM – Massachusetts
UY5ZZ – Ukraine (1,115 miles per watt)
RW1A – Russia (1,091 miles per watt)
RM5D – Russia (1,091 miles per watt)
YP9W – Romania (1,139 miles per watt)
HA8VV – Germany (1,055 miles per watt)
S57DX – Slovenia (1,054 miles per watt)
HG7T – Hungary (1,091 miles per watt)
HG8R – Hungary (1,115 miles per watt)
DJ5MW – Germany (1,004 miles per watt)
SN6A – Poland (1,019 miles per watt)

I finally shut it down at 05:21 (12:21 AM local time) – but the band was still hoping.  I did tune around 40 meters and heard some signals, but the antenna just needs to be longer for good 40 meter operation.

What a blast!  Almost everyone came back to me on the first call – only 3 times did I have to repeat my call.  Everyone I called, I worked!

It was fascinating to think about working Russia and Ukraine with all the tensions in that part of the world right now – guys are still having fun playing with the radio.

I am really enjoying dipping my toe into these contests – it is a great way to work a bunch of stations – and some DX to boot.

Nick KE0ATH working 2 meters

Nick (KE0ATH) also did some operating on 2 meters using a collapsible portable J-pole that we built together.  He had a blast.  He is working on putting together a go-box 2 meter station for camping and outdoor adventures.

Be sure and check out, and subscribe to my YouTube channel – I am working on several more videos – stay tuned!

Burke Jones, NØHYD, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Kansas, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

from Tim, W3ATB.  Not only a beautiful location, but an answer to those new to portable QRP ops who are wondering, “How do they do it?”

Thanks, Tim and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself! THAT is the whole point of this event – for folks to get out and enjoy themselves (Skeeter bites, and all!).

Oh ….. I also added Tim’s blog to the blogroll. Make sure to check it out!

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].

It’s not often that I meet hams whom I only met on air. So today I was delighted to put a face to the call HL5KY, Joe from Korea.

Going home from from Canada with his wife Yuni – HL5BTF – he had a two day stop over in Taiwan and a chance to get together with me. We had a delicious lunch of Dim Sum snacks before they headed to the airport to go home. We’ve spoken on air and conversed via Olivia, but meeting and talking to him and his wife in person was even more enjoyable.

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

Unenthralled by the prospect of  a life lived in bed, hoisted from pillow to pot, I have allowed myself to believe that I’m not going to “beat the bugger”, in other words survive the tumour with sufficient faculties intackt to lead a normal life. I have decided to leave my whissper beacons running for as long  as I’m capable to supervise them.

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

 Julie and I were out this evening taking pictures of the Supermoon. These were taken over Lake Ontario with Toronto peeking through the center photo. The camera was the Nikon D800 and the lenses were the 70-200mm with a 2.0 tele converter and 24-70mm lens. Not really a ham radio post but a great way to spend an August evening.



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

First off, I don’t know who was hunting who. I thought I was hunting Skeeters, but I think they had other ideas – and I was the hunted:

And that was nothing compared to my legs! I didn’t think the little buggers would be so active during the day, so I didn’t bring my OFF wipes with me. I’ll remember this for next year!

I set up in my favorite park here in South Plainfield – Cotton Street Park.  There are plenty of 50 – 60 foot trees which just beg to have wire strung through them. It’s a quiet park and there’s not the overwhelming amount of traffic that Spring Lake Park (our Field Day site) gets. There were people walking through and playing, but no one came over to investigate what I was doing. I guess I’ve become a fixture – “Hey, it’s that crazy guy with the radio again!”

Off to the right, you can see the coax going up , up , up.  Here’s a better shot:

Today, I ended up using the PAR END FEDZ. I stayed on 20 and 40 Meters only, so it turned out to be the ideal antenna for the event.  The antenna launcher worked flawlessly again, and I would dare say that the end of the wire was up at the 60-65 foot level.  I don’t know if it was just me, but there was bad QSB and it seemed like one second, a station would be 599 and ESP the next second. As far as stations worked per band,  I ended up with almost a 50/50 split between 20 and 40 Meters. I listened briefly on 15 Meters, but it seemed like it was dead.

The equipment was the usual, but you might take notice of the new paddles. That’s a set of Pico Palm paddles that I recently bought from Rick K7MW.  The magnets hold the paddles securely to the Velamints tin that I use to store my earbuds.  They worked flawlessly!  If there were any CW mistakes (and there were) it was my fault, not the paddles.  They feel and work just as nicely as any full sized set of paddles.

I ended up working 41 different stations. 35 Skeeters, 6 Non- Skeeters, no DX, 19 different S/P/Cs, and I did work enough stations to spell out “SKEETER” for the 100 point bonus.  I ended up with 5,876 points. The loudest stations I heard were K3LRR, KX9X, N0SS and WA0ITP.  I worked my bud, Bob W3BBO and he was about 569. Later in the day, I heard him again on the same band, this time working WB3T. Bob’s signal had increased to an honest 589/599.  Tha bands seemed a little crazy today.

I’d like to thank not only the stations I worked, but ALL of you who participated.  This is so much fun for me – not only the event itself, but the planning and the corresponding back and forth with all of you. You guys really make this event worthwhile. My mailbox is already filling up with log summaries and I will work on those during the coming evenings.

There WILL be a Skeeter Hunt in 2015!  Hey, what better way is there to spend a beautiful Summer day than by being outside with your radio, making contacts with all your friends?

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].