Posts Tagged ‘humor’
Snow is coming
March 2nd, 2014 | 
Author: And I certainly hope this is the last blast for the Winter of 2013/2014. The Equinox is less than three weeks away, and I am ready – perhaps readier than I’ve been in a while. The snow that is forecast to start this afternoon, and last into Tuesday morning my bring us 4 inches – and then again may bring us 14-18 inches. The meteorologists just cannot seem to agree on this one. So that tells you the situation is extremely volatile, and we’ll just have to wait until after it’s over to see who was right.
But in the meantime, here are some warm weather thoughts from the Buddies in the Caribbean from LAST Winter. Barbados seems like a good place to be right about now!
I was able to get on the air for a bit yesterday afternoon. The CW portion of the bands were kind of on the barren side, as the ARRL DX SSB was going on. I could swear I heard a tumbleweed or two blow through. But I did manage to work W1AW/7 in Washington State on both 12 and 15 Meters – first call with QRP each time. I also worked HK7/AL4Q – an Alaskan call in Colombia – that’s different! I also worked EA6BH in Mallorca. That’s probably another wonderful place to be this time of year.
Clear away those dishes after a delightful dinner – enjoy some wine and set up the KX3, throw an EFHW over the railing, and we’re good to go!
I can dream ….. can’t I?
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
We’ve come full circle
Back in the day, we Hams used to get blamed for everything!
Now, it’s come full circle and all these new fangled electronic devices seem to be polluting our bands with all kinds of RF noise.
It used to be that we had to prove that we weren’t the “interferers”, and now we have to prove that they are! Who would have thought that one day, the tables would be turned?
I remember when I lived in East Brunswick, I lived a couple of houses away from the only guy in New Jersey that didn’t have cable TV. He used to gnaw on my ear all the time that I was interfering with his TV. I even had him over to the shack to show him that my station wasn’t interfering with a small portable TV that I had set up there. That the TV picture didn’t so much as flicker when I transmitted didn’t convince him in the least.
But the funniest time (and you really just had to shake your head and laugh) was once when he confronted me as I pulled into my driveway. He was standing at the fence and was literally yelling at me how he couldn’t even use his TV the past couple of days because I was “screwing it up so bad”.
“Really, Bob?” I asked, “The past few days have been really bad?”
“You’re darn (he didn’t use “darn”, but this is a family friendly blog) right. I haven’t been able to watch TV the past four nights because of you and that Ham Radio of yours”.
I smiled (which made him angrier, but I couldn’t help myself) and answered, “Then that’s a pretty good trick, Bob, because I’ve been out of the country for the past two weeks. I just got back from the airport.” I had been in Switzerland on a training session for my old job.
Of course, the facts made no difference. I was still to blame as far as he was concerned. I can chuckle about it now, but back then it was annoying and upsetting to always be harped on for something that wasn’t my fault. It got to be that I hated walking out my own back door, dreading the next needless confrontation. I think that experience is one of the factors that drove me to go QRP full time, as I never want to go through that again.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Do QRP’ers Have an Identitiy Crisis?
QRP Key?
So, that brings me to the term "QRP Key". We've all seen it, an advertisment or solicitation for a small morse key or paddle. Phrases like, "a nice compact morse key suitable for QRP operation" or the key is "QRP" sized. Now this brings a few questions to my mind. QRP in the technical sense means low power, so can you only sent 5 watts with this key? I suppose QRP operators are not suppose to use full sized keys or bugs as obviously you wouldn't be QRP any longer. Does using a full size key boost your signal? Does this mean that this small key cannot be used for QRO operation, will this "QRP key" degrade my high power signal? What are the specifications for a "QRP" key?
What about the QRPp operator? What are they to do for an appropriate key? Surely if you have QRP keys, QRPp keys must be even smaller and only those with very small hands can be successful, QRPp operators.
All of this is very confusing from a literal sense. If I am new to QRP must I get a new key? Dare I mix my QRO and QRP paddles or will I have problems if I do? I have this nice desk paddle that I love, but surely I couldn't use it with my KX3, or could I? Since the KX3 is larger than my KX1 maybe I could use my big paddle with it, but definitely not with the KX1. Surely you understand the dilemmas here. What to do?
Now, a few more descriptive terms for these small keys is the term "portable", "small "or the phrase "for field use". These terms, from a literal pespective, seem to make more sense. Certainly these "QRP keys" make sense for the QRO operator on an expediton who doesn't want to carry around a heavy key. Begali uses the term "adventure key", which seems to be self explanatory and doesn't invoke a QRP only use.
So, be careful and use your own judgement on when and where to use your QRP key, someone may be watching.
Miles Per Watt; Another QRP’er/DX’er Adventure
The QRP'ers looked at each other to silently elect the leader of this counter attack. One of them pulled out a Cerficate that they had been discussing prior the DX'er's arrival on the scene. "We do our part, in fact ,look at this". The DX'er looked at the piece of paper and dismissively said, " Oh, another one of those silly QRP awards, what is so special about 1,000 miles per watt?". The QRP'ers had sly smiles on the their faces as they knew he had taken the bait. "You guys should get real radios so you can be heard, I was talking to my buddy this morning, he said I was 20 over 9". "That's interesting" said the QRP'er, "how far does your friend live from here?" This a question that QRP'ers have to ask because it's in their DNA. "I don't know maybe 1,500 miles, why do you ask?" said the DX'er. "Did you work him barefoot?' asked the QRP'er putting a little honey on the bait. " Absoulutely not" said the DX'er, " I run the full legal limit". The trap had been set and the DX'er had yet to recognize it, although he sensed that danger was just ahead. "So let me calculate that..hmmm..1 mile per watt" said one of the QRP'ers acting like he really had to think hard on the calculation. The DX'er shuffled his feet, now understanding the danger was closer than he thought. There was moment of silence as the QRP'ers moved into position. "So your new car gets twice the mileage of your old car?" "Yes" said the DX'er delighted at the change of topic. "Well it looks like you don't do so well with your watts out from your station" The DXer now realized his doom,"as we QRP'ers easily get 1,000 times the mileage with our watts as you do. You should really do more to conserve with your radio as well". The DX'er pondered one of the Mysteries of the Ages, "Less is more and more is less" said the QRP'er, "the less power I use the more miles per watt I get the more power I get the less my miles per watt are".
The DX'er saw no way out," I suppose that's true" he said, but silently he thought, "isn't more, more?". "I have to get back now, I think my wife has some things for me to do" he said, The QRP'ers knew this to be false, but acknowledged his need to escape.
"Enjoy that new car" the QRP'ers shouted as he walked back down the hill in silence and they continued to admire the 1,000 Mile Per Watt certificate.
As seen on TV
Well, actually, as seen on eBay. These are a few things I’ve seen on eBay that made me look twice (OK, maybe more than twice) :
Looking at other blogs
Two blogs that I would like to point out, just in case you haven’t visited them.
The first is the post by Tom K4SWL on the “QRPer” entitled “VA3OOG covers Bowie like no other”. After reading Tom’s account, I have seen this covered on some of the Internet news services. This is a really cool video and the fact that Commander Hadfield is a fellow Amateur Radio op is just over the top. Thanks, Tom, for picking up on that. This should put to rest the notion that we Hams are all just geeky nerds without an artistic bone in our bodies.
The second post appeared in John “K3WWP’s Diary”. Just as I got all pumped up for having successfully worked Z81X on Saturday, I read in John’s diary how he did it quite “easily” (a term he uses more than once) with QRP. For having succumbed to “the Dark Side” and for having used 85 Watts, I bow humbly before the QRP Master. I think I had better send in my QRP credentials to the QRP-ARCI, as I obviously lost the faith and did not fully give QRP the chance it deserved. 😉
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
