AmateurRadio.com

With WSPR I got good reception reports, e.g. Australia on 20 meter, but I was spotted nowhere. Very strange. Yesterday the same. I was doubting the antenna wasn't okay, but the reception was good. I don't know why they didn't hear me with WSPR. The clock is OK. With JT9 I was heard. And I made a qso with EA7AH with 2 watts. So there's nothing wrong with the antenna.



Paul Stam, PC4T, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from the Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

I was chasing Saudi Arabia on 17 Meters tonight. 7Z1HL was on the air and was working mostly W/VE stations. I boosted up the power to 90 Watts and joined in the fray. I have never worked Saudi Arabia before, so this would have been a new one.

Finally – finally he comes back to W2L? So I start sending my call several times. Can someone, for the love of Pete, please tell me why a W6 station would start calling on top of me when 7Z1HL clearly asked for “W2L?”?

I didn’t make it through, so again he sends, “W2L?”. Again, the same W6 station takes it upon himself to QRM me. Sadly, all I got for my effort was “SRI W2L? QRM NIL”. And he moved on.

Nuts! – for lack of a more appropriate sentiment.

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].

I got a mail from Harry PA3CWQ about his vacation adventures with the FT817 and Alex Loop. He wrote:

It gives me a lot of fun working QRP in digital mode like JT65HF during my Holiday’s and also from my QTH of course. In May I was in Spain near Moraira Costa Blanca in JM08BR. I am always traveling with my qrp-rig, the Yeasu FT-817 (with a little accu) and my Alex loop. This loop gives me a lot of fun, only a little bag in my suitcase and I am qrv from 10 to 40 meter. I was calling cq on 14.076 MHz with 5 watt and John VK7XX was coming back for me. That gives me a lot of fun, tnx John.

Harry PA3CWQ

The Alex Loop seems to be a great travelling antenna. Maybe I should buy one.

Paul Stam, PC4T, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from the Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].

The weather has taken a decidedly summer-like turn in central NJ.  At lunch time today, the outside temperature is a June/July like 84F (29C).  You will not hear a word of complaint out of me, that this is too hot, considering how long and extended our winter was.  I’ll take this any day of the week!

As the situation at work returned to somewhat normal, I was able to head out to the Jeep this afternoon, for my hour long break.  I was able to work out of the back, with the rear tailgate open, providing a bit of shade from the Noon sun.

15 Meters and 17 Meters seemed to be the active bands.  On 15 Meters, I worked SN777AG – Jurek SP2GUB who was commemorating the 777th Anniversary of the City of Elblag, which is not far from Gdansk.

After SN777AG, I worked Jose EA1MX in Spain.  QSB got the better of that QSO. We were able to exchange rudimentary RST information, and that was about it. I’ll count it as complete QSO, but I hate when QSB kills an opportunity for more.

I then hopped on over to 17 Meters, where I worked EM90WF in the Ukraine, another Special Event Station.  This one was to commemorate the 90th birthday of Vladimir Goncharsky U5WF (SK). Vladimir was not only a very successful Ham who had won many awards, but was also a WWII veteran.  The station was loud into NJ – very loud.  This is not the first time I have heard them, or have tried to work them, as I’m always attracted to very loud signals from DX stations.  Attempts to work EM90WF in the past were unsuccessful.  In fact, a few weeks ago, I spent one or two lunchtime sessions trying to break the pileup, fruitlessly.  Today?  First call – go figure.

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].

What a beautiful day in New Hampshire! Tim W3ATB and I hiked to Bald Ledges, a little past Sky Pond. We had a fantastic time. We worked the Netherlands, Belgium, England and WA8REI in Michigan.

Sky Pond is a tiny lake in the wilderness of New Hampton. It’s about 12 miles from home. We had a picnic lunch on the shore and then hiked about 20 minutes to the ledges. The view there is stunning.

Toward the northeast, we can see Lake Winona in the foreground and both the White Mountains and Ossipee Mountains in the distance.

I set up the KX3 with a 33 foot sloper to a pine tree. Band conditions weren’t very good, and I worked 17 meters, because that’s where I could hear the most activity. I worked PI4DX in the Netherlands, OS11M, a Morse Heritage special event in Belgium, and then my old friend Tom G3HGE in England. As I was working Tom, a large hawk flew back and forth at eye level out several hundred feet from the ledges. I described it to Tom but I called it an eagle by mistake. He was impressed with the description and wanted me to send a photo!

I packed up my gear and walked up the ledge to see how Tim was doing. He was running the HB-1B on 20 meters and there wasn’t much going on. We went up to the QRP frequency and there was Ken WA8REI just finishing up a QSO. What a thrill to receive a 579 from Ken in Michigan and chat with him for a few minutes. We first met at Lobstercon in Maine. I handed the key to Tim and he and Ken chatted for a minutes before signing. It was a perfect ending to a perfect outing.

The black flies are just coming into their own in New Hampshire. Soon they’ll pretty much control all the outdoor activity. We might not get out much for the next couple of weeks until they die back. Then we’ll have mosquitoes to contend with. All better than snow!

Jim Cluett, W1PID, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Hampshire, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

While talking with my bud, Bob W3BBO today, we discussed an instance that we had both heard, of a Ham who was selling all his equipment.  It appears this operator feels that he has reached the pinnacle of the hobby by working all the DX that there is to work, “So there’s nothing else to do”, and he’s packing it in.

Bob and I were both incredulous.  He’s been in the hobby for over 50 years and I have been in the hobby for 36 years now.  I do understand that with any undertaking, there are ebbs and flows of enthusiasm and interest.  You might be super active for a period and then lose steam for a while. It might even reach the point of becoming temporarily inactive.  And as John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”. Life circumstances change, as do priorities.

But to chuck everything and get out of the hobby because you have “done it all?”  I don’t think that’s even possible!

So let’s say you’ve been fortunate enough to work 9 band Honor Roll ……. there’s nothing left?  How about (wait for the plug) trying to do it again using QRP?  Or how about getting into satellites, or digital modes, or perhaps taking a shot at working all counties?  I have a friend, Dr. Paul Scipione AA2AV, who has worked all counties three separate times – SSB, CW and CW QRP. That’s an accomplishment!

Build something, go hilltopping or become active in SOTA or IOTA, go on a DXepdition! Bounce your signals off the ionized trail of a meteor, or the moon.

My point is, Amateur Radio is actually a hobby built up of sub-hobbies. There’s always something new to try and undertake.  The day someone actually does end up “doing it all” will be a very special day, and I’d like to meet and shake that person’s hand.  For indeed, that person will definitely be very special, and I think I would love to read whatever book they choose to write about their adventures.

Scrolling through QRP-L today, I came across a link to a cool article written by Gerry Lynch, a Ham in the UK.  If you’re contemplating learning CW and are not sure it’s worth your time and effort, you might want to read this: http://www.gerrylynch.co.uk/WhyCW.html

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].

Several years ago I changed my old call sign PAØPSY (and my first one) into PC4T and a few others. (PA9B | PH0TO) but they changed suddenly the rules. When changed you can't get the old call sign back. WTF. If I had known I would not have changed my call sign. Now they will withdraw this rule. At the end of this year I can go back to my first and old call sign again. [link]

Next question: should I? I made a lot of contacts with the PC4T call sign, also they know me by blogging. And now everyone can get a PAØ call sign, it's not special any more. So I tend to stick to the PC4T call sign.

Still in HamCall.net

Paul Stam, PC4T, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from the Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].