AmateurRadio.com

WordPress is a great blogging platform but frankly I’ve had enough of being hacked. So to stop needing to spend hours and hours fiddling around with a website, which frankly isn’t much fun, I’ve moved things here until I get either the site sorted or a more secure platform to run things off.

Shame really as I’ve been with WordPress for many years and its done me well, but I just can be hassled with spending hour after hour going through code for a simple blog.

Alex Hill, G7KSE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, UK. Contact him at [email protected].

The K3 just stopped!

This weekend I hooked up the Elecraft k3 as it was all disconnected when we had the house painted as it had to be moved for safe keeping. I wanted to make sure it still worked with all the computer software and the Alexloop. Software can be a very funny thing in that you really don't have to do anything and for some strange reason it just stops working! I am happy to report that all between the PC and Elecraft K3 is working well.

There was one heart stopping moment, it was during a tuning session of  the Alexloop and the rig. I tuned the Alexloop for max receive I then hit the tune button on the K3 with the power on 3 watts the SWR was around 3.1 to 1 so some fine tuning was needed. As I tuned the Alexloop the SWR did a sharp rise and the rig powered off!! I waited for a moment and tried to power the K3 on again and NOTHING! I then checked the incoming power and it was dead. Well I thought better the Astron 20 amp supply taking a hit than the K3. Looking at the Astron supply the lights were on and 13.8 volts was showing on the meter. As I narrowed things down it was a fuse on the power bar that the Astron feeds power to. The K3 was fused at 1 amp at the power bar and not 5 amps and the fuse on the power bar went. After the proper fuse was installed all was well again.

Blown fuse

Last week I was able to purchase for a GREAT price a used very large roll top desk and this is going to be the desk that I use for the radio setup when we move to the condo. Not sure what I am going to do with my 3 monitor setup as it's great having all three. There seems at this point to be room for one monitor and all the radio gear. Whats great about the roll top once  your done all the radio equipment hides away into a nice oak desk. At this point I am brain storming on how to incorporate the other two monitors???
As for radio time Saturday was spent getting the K3 setup and my heart restarted when it powered down. There was a contest going on so the band were very busy but it did give me a change to see how Skimmer works under a contest situation. I can see how this piece of software will give my limited size station some advantages. The picture below is what sold me on the desk, the keyboard tray and the two pull outs.



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

The only trouble with my very portable satellite setup, consisting of the UV-5R handheld and the Elk yagi is that if the weather is less clement, the prospect of venturing out to make satellite contacts is somewhat less attractive!

Today was sunny if a little cool and once I’d finished my chores, I decided to see what was happening on SO-50. The first pass was well to the East of me, with plenty of activity but few contacts being made. I was more optimistic about the next pass, which was almost overhead here. I was pleased to work PA4MRS/P with a nice easy contact and scraped a quick one with an S56 station over in JN76. My final pass yielded a very nice contact with ES6DO. Just as the satellite faded, I’m pretty sure I heard a Norwegian station.

Good to make some interesting contacts. I suppose making some satellite contacts when there’s snow on the ground will prove my enthusiasm!

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

Series Six Episode Twenty-Two of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast has  been released. The latest news, Ed Durrant, VK2JI reports from Australia, listener mailbag and Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) reports from JOTA Weekend 2013.

• Previous RSGB General Manager
• Promoting amateur radio
• Wireless Internet access via light bulbs
• Friedrichshafen Lectures on Web
• ZM90DX - special ZL 90th anniversary callsign
• Poland to close short wave service
• New Worked All Britain Award
• New IARU Region 2 Band Plan
• 60 Metre activity weekend
• Ham Radio exams increase at Cal Poly
• US Air Force Reservist uses ham radio skills

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

Series Six Episode Twenty-Two of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast has  been released. The latest news, Ed Durrant, VK2JI reports from Australia, listener mailbag and Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) reports from JOTA Weekend 2013.

• Previous RSGB General Manager
• Promoting amateur radio
• Wireless Internet access via light bulbs
• Friedrichshafen Lectures on Web
• ZM90DX - special ZL 90th anniversary callsign
• Poland to close short wave service
• New Worked All Britain Award
• New IARU Region 2 Band Plan
• 60 Metre activity weekend
• Ham Radio exams increase at Cal Poly
• US Air Force Reservist uses ham radio skills

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

Series Six Episode Twenty-Two of the ICQ Amateur / Ham Radio Podcast
has  been released. The latest news, Ed Durrant, VK2JI reports from Australia, listener mailbag and Martin (M1MRB & W9ICQ) reports from JOTA Weekend 2013 .

• Previous RSGB General Manager
• Promoting amateur radio
• Wireless Internet access via light bulbs
• Friedrichshafen Lectures on Web
• ZM90DX – special ZL 90th anniversary callsign
• Poland to close short wave service
• New Worked All Britain Award
• New IARU Region 2 Band Plan
• 60 Metre activity weekend
• Ham Radio exams increase at Cal Poly
• US Air Force Reservist uses ham radio skills

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

I set the 472khz WSPR running last night in the middle of the evening, wondering what I might hear. Earlier in th e day, Colin, G6AVK had noted on Twitter that he had heard his first North American of the season on 472KHz the night before. With my untuned aerial I didn’t think that such DX was likely to be in my grasp.

However, by the time I went to bed, I was very pleased to discover that I had heard two new (to me) German stations; DC0DX and DK6NI,

When I got up this morning and checked what the system had heard, I was staggered to find several spots of WE2XGR/6 in FN12. My first North American copy on 472khz.

I reiterate that this is all down to the guys at the other end! I am using completely unmodified gear, so with any luck, if you decide to try it, you will do at least as well as me.

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