AmateurRadio.com

I haven’t bottomed this out yet, but it’s in my mind that I almost never use the FT1000MP anymore. It’s a lovely rig if you’re into CW and SSB DX chasing and has a great receiver, particularly on LF. I’m not doing any of those things currently. Most of my HF activity is using the FT847, which doesn’t have anything like the same receiver performance, but it works well for JT65/JT9 on 14MHz and above which is where I tend to be.

The FT1000MP doesn’t get switched on so much. I’m wondering whether to trade it in against something like a TS2000X, which would give me another nice flexible HF/VHF rig, with the benefit of 1296MHz. Again, I don’t think the HF performance is likely to be the same as the MP – but maybe that doesn’t matter so much.

If I do want to try and work a DXpedition then I ought to be able to do it on anything with a couple of VFOs!

Then there’s some antenna work to think about – particularly on the VHF side. The 2m beam on the mast isn’t working at the moment – that needs to be replaced. Again, I think with something quite compact – 5 elements or so, is quite adequate for what I need. The 70cms 10 element seems to work well – and if I go for 23cms, then, if I can get something small on the top of the mast, that could be good. I think I’ll need to replace the rotator really – it’s probably worth doing, to avoid failure.

I’m quite keen to put together something which makes it easy to put up temporary (and slightly larger) VHF beams in the back garden, for things like MS or EME tests – perhaps on a tripod. All that really needs is a decent run of coax down the garden to the shed or greenhouse where cables can be brought in.

I think the 50 and 70MHz Es systems are fine as they are on the vertical antennas – particularly with the addition of the Funcube Dongle receiver which should allow for good monitoring.

So, there’s quite a lot to think about here – and some exciting possibilities. How much of it will come to pass – I don’t know! But it’s good to dream!

Ham Radio Two-Day License Class

Monument, Colorado
Sat April 12 and Sat April 19 (8 AM to 5 PM) 2014

Location: Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Station 1

 The Technician license is your gateway to the world-wide excitement of Amateur Radio …

• Earn your ham radio Technician class radio privileges
• Pass your FCC amateur radio license exam right in class on the second day
• Multiple-choice exam, No Morse Code Required
• Live equipment demonstrations
• Learn to operate on the ham bands, 10 Meters and higher
• Learn to use the many VHF/UHF FM repeaters in Colorado
• Find out how to participate in emergency communications

There is a $25 registration fee for the class.

In addition, students must have the required study guide:

HamRadioSchool.com Technician License Course $19.95

Advance registration is required (no later than one week before the first session, earlier is better!)

To register for the class, contact: Bob Witte KØNR

Email: [email protected]  or Phone: 719 659-3727

Sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Radio Association

For more information on amateur (ham) radio visit www.arrl.org  or www.wedothat-radio.org

Despite the lack of activity on the blog, I’m still alive and QRV on the radio.  The blog had to wait.  Here are some recent activities around K8GU:

• We moved from our 50′x100′ “city” (WM3O told me it was “suburban” because I couldn’t walk to an Asian grocery) lot to a nice “suburban” (semi-rural) lot of just over an acre in October 2013.
• In order to work the November DXpeditions and contests, I hastily erected the hexagonal beam on surplus fiberglass poles, as well as the 80-m vertical and a 40-m dipole.  Also, put up several Beverages (yay!!!).  The hex has survived some modest wind gusts, which surprises the heck out of me.  I thought it would have been on the ground by now.
• Managed to work K9W, T32RC, and T33A on 80m (as well as other bands), which made me happy.  Did not manage to work Z81X (on 80m) through the EU.
• Put in a nice 19-hr effort in CQ WW CW, SOAB-HP “CLASSIC” (one radio, no spotting), about 1.5M.  It’s nice when WW is before Thanksgiving.
• Repaired a number TS-930Ses for people.  I think mine will be on the bench soon since the sensitivity appears to be shot.

I’ve never been into making New Years’ resolutions, but some projects are in order for the next few months:

• More TS-930Ses.  I have one still to fix in my queue, plus mine.
• Keep refreshing LoTW until the 99 DXCC I presently have confirmed on 80m rolls over so I can apply for 5BDXCC.  I have cards for even more on 80m, but I’d rather do it all on LoTW.
• Getting some VHF antennas up.
• Editing my junquebox and ham equipment holdings, mostly parts.  Anybody need some big air inductors and variable capacitors?  6-el 220 beam?
• Getting on 160 and 30 meters, better antenna for 40.
• Working FT5ZM on at least one band/mode.
• Re-installing antenna switching hardware.  Right now I have to run across the basement to move coax.
• And, a special project that you’ve probably heard about but do not yet realize…details to follow.

So, Happy New Year and I hope your 2014 holds as much interesting and promising to do as mine does!

Not so perfect together.

I hate to end 2013 / begin 2014 on a negative note, but it was not the best idea to hold a QRP Fox Hunt tonight. And I speak from the perspective of being one of the two Foxes.

Yes, SKN is a wonderful thing. Yes, it brings out so many to the bands. Yes, SKN has become a tradition and an institution. But let me tell you from the eyes of a QRP Fox, it wasn’t the most fun thing I’ve ever had to deal with.

I must have had to QSY at least half a dozen times. Every time I would find a relatively clear frequency and run it, inevitably, within five or ten minutes, some 20 over 9 station would come on and start calling “CQ SKN” without so much as a “?”, let alone a “QRL?”.

There were a few who asked if the frequency was occupied, but they were in the minority. And I know that SKN has become an opportunity to bust out and operate the vintage gear, but there were quite a few signals out there that sounded really bad.

In all, I think I worked about 30 stations. I was feeling badly about such a stinky total, and then I traded e-mails with Don NK6A, who was the other Fox. Not only did he have to QSY more than I did, but he only worked about 38 stations. NK6A is a top notch caliber QRPer. For me to get only about 8 or so fewer QSOs than him is a major feat. That definitely takes some of the sting away.

But a note to the Fox Hunt Committee? Avoid having a Hunt on Straight Key Night like the plague!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

The New Year (UTC time) begins just after 5 PM local time and when I’ll begin my 2014 QSO A Day challenge.  I successfully completed a QSO a Day back in 2012 and it was a lot of fun.  It also helped me meet several smaller goals of achieving my first WAS and build on my DXCC list. 

For 2014, I’ve stepped up my goals slightly and would like to achieve WAS in six different categories and of course also move me closer to DXCC. 

I have a brand new QSL card which I’ll start using in the new year (shown below).  Randy Dorman, KB3IFH did an excellent job on the card.  If you need QSL cards for the new year, please contact Randy.  You won’t be disappointed.

I also have to get back on track with my diet and exercise routines.  I had a stumble on the ice just after Thanksgiving and have been moving slower than normal and consuming more “comfort food” than I should.  However, with the new year comes new goals and new energy to achieve these goals.  The back and tailbone are better and I’m ready to get back to 10,000 Steps per Day.

Happy New Year!  Happy Amateur Radio!

73,

Jerry

Howdy, folks! It's another rip-snortin' episode of Linux in the Ham Shack comin' atcha. In this installment, your intrepid co-hosts have discuss a couple of new Linux distributions, namely Fedora 20 and SteamOS. After that, we have a fantastic interview with the show's good friend Jonathan Nadeau. He has a new accessibility project to make Orca the best screen reader ever, and he (and we) wants everyone to know about it. Also, make sure to check out Hacker Public Radio's New Year's Eve show to get more details. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and has a most prosperous New Year in 2014.

73 de The LHS Guys

I mentioned yesterday that I only seemed to be copying a few frames from each ISS pass. Those seemed to be when the satellite was closest. Which is fair enough of course.

This morning, I spent a few moments reading the UZ7HO manual (which is very good!). You might argue that I should have done that a week ago. But I’m really not that sort of person, I’m afraid.

It transpired that my audio levels into the program weren’t as high as they should have been. I cranked these up almost as far as they would go and left the program monitoring the next ISS pass.

Definitely an improvement! Many more frames copied – great, including some more distant stations such as HG8PL. Rather than copying frames over a short period of time, it was usable over several minutes.

The default setting for the UZ7HO software seemed to be a monochrome waterfall display. I changed it into colour and then followed the manual’s advice to make it a green colour, with red when packet signals are received.

So, a few more frames digi-ed via the ISS today, and messages swapped between Pete, 2E0SQL and myself, over a ground path of around 12 miles, via a spacecraft travelling above us at 17,500MPH.