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Lately I have been doing a lot of hit and run contacts – either with DX stations or SOTA Activators.  I can copy pretty fast in these quick exchanges.  However, I have noticed that my speed has slipped a bit when in a normal QSO.

So today I decided that I would start having at least one QSO that was a bit more of a rag chew each time I operate.  Today I had two!

Here is the run down for today (15 meters seemed pretty dead, and so did 17 meters)…

KE7GKM – I heard Bob calling CQ on 20 meters and gave him a call.  He was in Boise, ID.  He was running a K2 at 5 watts into a dipole.  This was a nice 2xQRP QSO.

Then I took a look at SOTA Goat and noticed several activators….

W4EON – Eric was on Mill Mountain, VA – W4V/HB-023 – he had good ears since he gave me a 449 and I gave him a 559 on 20 meters.

WA7JTM – Peter was on Baker Butte, AZ – W7A/AE-035 – RST of 559 both ways.

N7CW – Bud was on West Spruce Mountain, AZ – W7A/AW-202 – it sounded like he was running a nice little pile up!  579 exchanges both ways.

Still had a bit of time, so I tuned down 20 meters and heard….

KF7YHB – Wyatt was calling CQ with a nice clean fist.  His QRZ page says he sometimes uses a “cootie key” – I wonder if he was today??  We had a nice long QSO which was really enjoyable – the speed was perfect and Wyatt had a great fist and signal!

On another note, I hope to make some more progress on the Mag Loop antenna this weekend – get it mounted and tuned up and hopefully make a QSO!  We are heading to the Kansas State Fair on Sunday to see one of my sons friends and our neice and nephew – so that should be a fun day!

Oops. I bought some bits off eBay for the grand total of a few quid. Duly waited for them to arrive (3 weeks) then founds out I’d ordered the wrong thing.

Now then, where is that micrometer and I’ll make sure they’re right this time?

The 2013 edition of the Colorado QSO party is complete and in the books.  Perhaps, with exception to Field Day…the COQP is my favorite on-air radio sport opportunity.  I truly enjoy representing the Centennial State and Denver County in this annual event.

The event is a full 16 hours from 1200 UTC (6 AM local) to 0400 UTC (10 PM local).  In past years I’ve honestly not bothered with setting an alarm in order to get up with the chickens and get on the air.  However, this year…well, my wife and I had just arrived back in the US from two weeks in Europe less than 36 hours before the start of the contest.  Needless to say, I was still on London time and I was awake at 4 AM. 

With coffee in hand, I switched on the computer and radio (my trusty Yaesu FT-950) and began spinning the dial promptly at 6 AM.  Band conditions at this time of the day and in Colorado just weren’t compatible with my contesting efforts.   Having been up due to jet lag for a few hours, I decided a nice morning walk was in order.  After all, I still needed to get in my 10,000 steps.  It was a beautiful morning in the mile high city and I used the time to walk along the DTC and admire the beautiful rocky mountains. 

Energized after the walk, shower and breakfast.  With even more coffee I headed back down to the basement ham shack and resumed my efforts of calling CQ Colorado QSO Party.  Ahhh, 20m was as awake as I was and we were well underway to putting Q’s into the logbook.

My somewhat loose goals for the 2013 COQP was A. Have fun and B. attempt to make more contacts than the previous year.  By the way, this number for 2012 COQP was 281.  The end result for my 2013 efforts would most certainly meet the “Have Fun” goal (after all, this is important) and would unfortunately fall short of breaking last year numbers. 

As you can tell from the screen grab from N1MM logger, I missed my Q goal by 23 Q’s. 

So what was different about 2012?  I decided for the 2013 COQP that I would work phone only versus in 2012 I operated mixed mode to include PSK and RTTY.  But I also believe last year I wasn’t jet-lagged and I was able to give a solid effort in the final hours of the contest.  Unfortunately, this year I was physically out of gas around 7 PM. 

Overall I felt band conditions were just as good (or as good as I could remember them to be in 2012).  Below is a map showing the 258 Q’s I worked during the 2013 COQP.  By the way, I created the map using K2DSL free service. 

I truly look forward to next year and I hope to work you.

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

I was surprised to be spotted by ZL3PX Geoff (see photo) on 40m WSPR. Very nice, distance: 18.663 km. I was running 5W. Yesterday I experimenting with WSPR QRPp 50 mW on 20 meter. Best spot was LA9JO that's 39.300 km/W or 24.426 mpw. With such low power LA is DX!

After reading Larrys post this morning about 15 meters being open, I thought I would check that band out first today when I arrived at the park for some lunch time portable operation.  It has been a week since I have been on the air, so I was itching to get back to some CW.

Sure enough, right off the bat I had success…

DL4MO – I heard Loy finishing a QSO and when they wrapped it up I gave him a call.  He came right back to me with a 449 report – he was 599 here in Kansas.  Interesting thing is this was more than a quick report and “see ya” – I don’t think he could believe I was at 5 watts – he had me repeat my power after I sent it to him.  Loy lives in Germany – a new country for me.  His location is almost smack dab in the middle of the country.

SM5CAK – I heard Lars calling CQ and gave him a call – he was booming in here at 599, he gave me a 559.  Lars lives in Motola, Sweden – looking at Google Earth, it looks like a beautiful area.

I didn’t hear anyone else that was not in a QSO or very strong, so I decided to throw out a CQ on 15 meters…

F5RQQ – Jean-Marc is located in France.  We exchanged a quick report, he sent me 549 and I sent him 599.  Nice quick contact.

With 40 minutes left of my lunch hour, I decided to chase me some SOTA Activators…

K7SO – Sat was on W5N/PW-012 in New Mexico.  I worked him on 30 meters – he was booming in here at a 599 and I got a 549.

NM5S – Alan was on the same peak with K7SO but he was working 40 meters.  He gave me a 539 and I sent him 579.

KE5AKL – Mike was on W5N/SS-001 – Wheeler Peak, which is the highest peak in New Mexico at 13,167 ft.  I found this panaroma photo of the peak at Wikipedia – pretty cool shot.

Panorama of Wheeler Peak, NM – KE5AKL was here when I worked him!

With so many quick contacts, I still had about 8 minutes before I had to tear down, and I spun the dial on 20 meters looking for a CQ….

NK6X/4 – Bill was sending almost to fast for me, but I enjoyed it!  Sometimes it is good to be pushed.  He was in Dallas, GA, which appears to be part of metro Atlanta – I didn’t even know there was a Dallas, GA.  We had a nice QSO for the rest of my lunch hour, but I was having problems with the KX3 key.  Sometimes, it just will not send the dits and dahs when you push the arm.  Not sure what the deal is!

FUN FUN day today!  Thanks to all those that worked me!

You’d have to be crazy to stay indoors today! I rode my bike along the Pemigewasset River… on the other side… in Hill Village. I worked Poland, Russia, Italy and Croatia.

Judy and I took the old road south toward Franklin. We passed Bennett’s Brook and I took a quick photo. After riding two miles, we pulled over near a field along the river. There’s an old butternut tree alongside the lane. I stopped here to setup the KX3.

I tossed a line over the top branch and pulled up 33 feet of wire. I started on 17 meters and worked SP1JPQ in Poland. Jerry gave me a 439. He was only 569 and I decided to try 15 meters. That was much better. I called RX6AM after he finished a QSO. Mike gave me a 569. We’ve worked many times before. When I told him I was QRP at 5W, he sent: “Hi 5W great sigs Jim.”

Next I had a QSO with IZ8BRI in Italy. Egi and I quickly exchanged 599’s and then I worked Croatia. 9A2AJ, Tom and I also exchanged 599s. “FB WID UR QRP,” he sent when I told him I was operating portable with 5W. With that I packed up. Judy took a quick photo before we rode back.

Today was much cooler… in the 60s. Here and there a few leaves have started changing color. I’m trying to make the best of the warm days.