AmateurRadio.com

I just put HamRadioNow episode 143 on-line. It’s mostly a conversation I had yesterday with… Joe Ham. OK, really Joe Hamm KC1BAQ. Joe’s sort of a new ham, sort of a young ham. He’s 35, and a boomerang, having been licensed in college, but letting it go when it didn’t really ignite a spark.

So now he’s back. He’s a EE, so what attracted this young engineer back to ham radio? And what will keep him?

Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, is the host of HamRadioNow.tv. If you enjoy this and other HamRadioNow programs, help keep them 'on the air' with a contribution. Contact him at [email protected].

LP-100 reading

I was on the air the other day using the MFJ loop and as I was trying to tune to the lowest SWR reading I noticed an odd thing happening! Available to me at the station are 3 separate points to view the SWR. I have the SWR reading on the K3, the LP-100 and the MFJ remote control for the loop antenna. While tuning the loop antenna I was able to get an SWR of 1.5.1 on 20m with the K3's meter this is a very decent reading. I had the same reading on the MFJ remote unit but the LP-100 was showing 2.08 SWR??? The way the meters read the SWR are as follows.....the K3 right at the radio, then the LP-100 and then the MFJ remote unit. Oh and in case you are wondering if I am SWR meter crazy, I have the LP-100 in the game plan as it also reads very accurate output power and when operating QRPp it comes in very handy. . as for the MFJ remote that just comes with the antenna package and is really used to adjust the antenna and I really don't rely on it's SWR meter. I have heard and read in the past that the remote MFJ meter should not be relied on to much. ANYWAY.............I am getting this odd reading on the LP-100 and it is on all bands that I get a differing reading from the other SWR meters. First thing that came to mind was faulty coax or faulty

K3 meter

LP-100. I bypassed the LP-100 ( I removed the LP-100 and attached the two PL-259 using a SO-259 coupling) using all the same coax that fed the LP-100 and there was no problem. I then setup the LP-100 on it's own, meaning out the K3 through the LP-100 into a dummy load and there was a perfect match. Then I simply removed the SO-259 coupling and added the LP-100 again....there was the funny SWR again. Not sure what is going on here. In my trouble shooting I tried the LP-100 on it's own into a dummy load and it worked fine. I then used all the same coax cables and bypassing the LP- 100 and all was fine. Therefore LP-100 is fine and cables are good??? Not sure what is going on here.


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

I caught a nice little Es opening on 50MHz this evening. Nothing huge, but some HAs coming in on CW with a few other countries audible from time to time.

I realised I had been working a lot of satellite QSOs recently, when I was reaching for the VFO during the QSOs, expecting to have to tweak it for doppler!

Talking of satellite QSOs today, I was pleased to work RA3MAU over in `KO97 on VO-52 this afternoon. A gotaway on FO-29 was UN7CY. Great to hear him on CW – easy copy on the vertical, but I couldn’t find myself to call him! Other nice QSOs today with PA3ARK and EI9EW on VO-52.

Tim Kirby, G4VXE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Oxfordshire, England. Contact him at [email protected].

On this day six years ago, I took a cheap USB headset, plugged it into my computer and recorded episode one of the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast.  As I stated in that short episode, I would continue to keep PARP alive as long as I had listeners willing to download, stream and listen to the content.   While PARP hasn’t always been released on the most timely and accurate schedule….six years in I’m happy to say that PARP remains very much a passion of mine and I hope it continues for many, many years.

I know I have listeners who started with me in the beginning and I know new ones are added all the time.  I thank you all for listening.  As I say on each and every episode, the practical amateur radio podcast…creating Elmers one podcast at a time and please, please, please share knowledge with others.  This is the true spirit of amateur radio!

You can access the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast a number of ways.  Search for PARP in iTunes or visit the podcast website located at hamradiopodcast.com, amateurradiopodcast.com or our original URL of MyAmateurRadio.com.  Thank you for listening.

73,

Jerry

Jerry Taylor, KD0BIK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. He is the host of the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast. Contact him at [email protected].

In this episode, we have a great interview with Linux software developer and ham radio enthusiast from the Czeck Republic, Petr Hlozek – OK2CQR. He is the author of CQRlog and HamQTH.com. Unfortunately, Petr’s audio was a little hot and nothing we could do made it better. Our sincerest apologies. Sound problems aside, we hope you enjoy this fascinating look into the life and mind of an Open Source ham.

73 de The LHS Guys

Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].

Not much special going on lately. Worked some SKCC members, spent some time on 6 meters and worked my first station over 3000 km there. My weather station always seems to be in need of repair and my website’s CMS needed upgrading. Oh yes, there is the daytime job, too. Busy, busy, busy.

But, my wife was so nice to bring me a 2.6 meter telescopic whip from one of her trips to China. And so, last Saturday afternoon, while my little girl was horseback riding, I took the KX3 and MP1 with the new whip for a spin. The longer whip proved okay, although now the loading coil is much too large. Without the coil the whip needs to be shortened to be resonant on 12 meters and lower. I made four QSOs: HL0HQ (the KARL HQ station), JD1BLY (from Ogasawara), 7M2ALZ and JL1NMB. The resident ostrich took interest in my setup and decided the counterpoise set was a nice toy to play with and so he took it from me. Who said QRP is not dangerous? Power levels may be low, but those beaks do have a lot of force in them.

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

The waterlogged  PL-259

Well FINALLY I was able to get some radio time it has been so long and really there were no good reasons just what I call excuses!  On Saturday afternoon it was time to get some long over due radio time in. I ran my coax jumper  to the 1788 MFJ loop from my K3 radio, I settled into my radio chair and flipped the switch…..and……it was time for Murphy to visit me! With the MFJ loop you are supposed to tune the loop for peak noise and this was just not happening. I was getting numerous peaks but the SWR was all over the place! I thought about it for some time and after trying numerous ideas it finally hit me! I have a 6 foot coax tail on the loop and via a coupling I connect the coax from indoors. It was really raining the last few days and the balcony was very wet and "normally" my outdoor coax tail is in a plastic zip lock bag. This past rain storm was also accompanied with a strong wind and somehow the coax was removed from the bag and was in the water. I removed the coax and checked it with my ohm meter and it showed a high resistance between the centre conductor and shield. So it seems water has made it's way into the PL-259 connector and after installing a new piece of coax and doing some check with great results it was time for bed. My loop is supported by the MFJ tripod. I have a cover over the loop it to help disguise it and kinda makes it look like patio furniture. There is lots of wind being high up and on the lake so the cover has to be secured around the centre pole of the tripod. It's great that the antenna works perfect with a cover and with it secured as well I just want to come up with an easy way to connect and disconnect the coax from the antenna. I don't want to remove the cover or un-secure it from the centre pole. Any ideas from ham world would be approbated.

A shot of the balcony antenna open for suggestions.

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