AmateurRadio.com

When we get back from shopping I shall return to JT65-HF and JT9-1 modes hoping to work more stations. Yesterday, staying on 20m, I worked 4 Europeans running 2.5 or 5W. JT65-HF is very intuitive and works well. Althought I have had JT9-1 QSOs on 10m in the past, I suspect the rig stability is “challenging” and JT65-HF gives me a better chance. JT65-HF is some 4dB worse than WSPR but the TX period is only 48 secs (1 minute TX period but actual TX is less) so may be better with QSB?  JT9-1 is a narrower bandwidth mode than JT65-HF and is about 2dB worse than WSPR. Of course, JT65 and JT9 are proper QSO modes.

Sunspot count today is 76 (decent) and 20-30MHz conditions are supposed to be “normal” so there could well be some F2 (as well as Es) on 10m today. JT65-HF and JT9-1 on 10m are calling I think.

The great advantage of WSPR is you can set the rig running and monitor things in another room. JT65 and JT9 seem to require “hands on” operation, which is fine.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

My Chinese Li Ion battery “ol’ Blue” (upper right) has given up the ghost, much the same as Mike VE3WDM has written over at his blog.  In my case, the battery will not take a charge.  The output from the wall wart charger is perfect, but no matter how long it’s connected to the battery, the battery itself will not charge.

I suspect either a faulty cell or perhaps a fault with the little regulator board that’s inside the blue shrink wrap. So the decision had to be made.  Even though the price is relatively cheap, do I buy another Chinese battery or try something else? Do I go back to hauling around my small, but heavy, 5 Ah sealed lead acid battery?

I have a charger that will handle 18650 type Li Ion batteries, as these are what go into the tactical flashlights that I keep in my CERT pack and my radio “Go Pack”.  So I figured that since I already have half of what I need, that I would go a different route this time.

I purchased a pack of 10 type 18650 batteries (upper left) from an American vendor.  The ones I bought are 3.7V and have a rating of 5300 mAh.  I also purchased two of the 4 cell holders that you see above. This gives me two 14.8V, 5300 mAh batteries. All I had to do was solder on the connector that goes directly into the KX3.

I tried them out today and they seem to work without any problems.  I will use a fresh charged pack tomorrow for FOBB and will see how long one pack lasts before I have to switch over to the backup pack.

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].

Series Seven Episode Fifteen of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast has been released. The latest news, Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) and Colin (M6BOY) discuss the joy of working and operating a special event station as GA214CG comes live and Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) reviews Programming with Chirp.

• Thai hams get special permission for 6 metres
• UK CubeSail Amateur / Ham Radio Satellite
• Wirral Grammar School for Girls launch 434 MHz balloon
• Top Ten finish for UK Team in WRTC
• Spanish 5 MHz experimental period extended
• Andorra joins 5MHz allocations
• New Zealand Amateur / Ham radio Brass Monkey Contest
• Communicate with 'walkie talkie' dongle
• New Amateur / Ham radio Licences in Ireland
• 144 MHz channels to be used for the Commonwealth Games
• 20th Commonwealth Games, Galsgow 2014 Special Event

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

Series Seven Episode Fifteen of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast has been released. The latest news, Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) and Colin (M6BOY) discuss the joy of working and operating a special event station as GA214CG comes live and Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) reviews Programming with Chirp.

• Thai hams get special permission for 6 metres
• UK CubeSail Amateur / Ham Radio Satellite
• Wirral Grammar School for Girls launch 434 MHz balloon
• Top Ten finish for UK Team in WRTC
• Spanish 5 MHz experimental period extended
• Andorra joins 5MHz allocations
• New Zealand Amateur / Ham radio Brass Monkey Contest
• Communicate with 'walkie talkie' dongle
• New Amateur / Ham radio Licences in Ireland
• 144 MHz channels to be used for the Commonwealth Games
• 20th Commonwealth Games, Galsgow 2014 Special Event

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

This evening I went on 20m JT65 again and managed a couple of European QSOs in reply to the CQs of others. I am using JT65-HF software that is very simple to use. So far I have used the FT817 at either 2.5 or 5W.

JT65-HF screenshot

If you see a station calling CQ (shows up in green) you just click on it to start a QSO with that station. If he copies you and replies then the started QSO shows up in red – all very simple. Wonder if there is a similar (easy) package for JT9-1 on HF?

Looking on PSK Reporter I see plenty of USA stations were copying me too, so it should not be too hard to work DX with just a little effort even with my compromise antenna. When 10m and 6m are open, DX should be easier still.

With JT65-HF and JT9-1,  I have to be in the shack, but at least there is no speaking, saving my poor voice.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

When I got home from work last night I quickly mowed the lawn because the weatherman said there was a sixty percent chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday and I wanted to get ahead of the game. After working in the yard I plopped down in the shack to see if I couldn’t make quick work of the W1AW/1 and W1AW/9 portable stations.

Worked them both within a whisker of each other on 40 meter CW then worked them both again later on 80 meter CW for insurance. I didn’t think the Indiana station would be difficult, but I wasn’t quite as confident about Rhode Island but all’s well that ends well and both are logged and another week of the QSO Party is behind us.

Given that the weatherman said it would probably rain, I shouldn’t have been surprised to wake up this morning to sunshine and blue skies. I swear the weather prognosticators are getting worse at their jobs even as technology has delivered into their hands unfair advantage over the elements.

Brenda says it’s because the weather has become “news” and all of them want to be the first to report a bad storm using giant touch-screens powered by super, frappa, chappa, slappa doomsday doppler radar systems.

She might be right…

Anyway, with the sun shining we hit the local farmers market early this morning and picked up more sweet corn, tomatoes, and a great big melon. And get this, the guy who was selling from the back of his melon truck, told everyone who would listen that he would be back in two weeks — with apples.

Yep, the days are ticking away and the orchards around here are near to busting with autumn goodies. Another cold snap is due to arrive here on Monday and it looks like the first few nights of August could break a few records.

Not to worry though, I’m certain there remains yet a few more days of blistering heat before Summer yields to Fall, but we’re on the backside of 2014 with school days and sweet apple cider coming up fast.

Filed under: Ham Radio, Life Tagged: cw, hr, qso
Jeff Davis, KE9V, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Indiana, USA.

The pride and joy in my shack is a Weller WECP-COD3 soldering iron. It is the only professional piece of equipment I have.

My late father used in when he was still working at Philips and he got to keep it after his retirement. Unfortunately his Parkinson’s disease advanced to such a stage that he gave the iron to me so that I could help him fix the electronics in his house. Recently the iron had been acting up and the culprit turned out to be the temperature sensor/switch. Even though Weller is a world-class brand, after 26 years of use it is no surprise that even their equipment starts acting up. That doesn’t matter, because a world-class brand has world class service and so I ordered a new sensor (50 Euro) which my ever so nice QSL manager Wouter sent to me. I could have ordered it locally, but then they still would have ordered it from Europe with a 45 day lead time. Here in Taiwan Weller is not sold any more, because Japanese stuff is cheaper. My iron is too old to be interesting any more. Well, I am old too, but quality still shines and Weller remains top quality.

So now I wonder: how old is the soldering iron in your shack? Do you go for quality or buy low price and throw it out after a while? Leave a comment if you please. It will surely be fun to read.

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