Posts Tagged ‘QSLs’
500KHz Lives Again – 2014 Night of Nights
July 11th, 2014 | 
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| Courtesy: Maritime Radio Historical Society |
This year's annual Maritime Radio Historical Society's event, to mark the anniversary of the end of maritime CW in 1999, will take place Sunday, July 13, from 0001Z until 0700Z (Saturday, July 12, from 1701 until midnight PDT). This year's event may be historic in itself in that it will likely be the final year for any of the U.S. Coast Guard stations to ever be heard again on CW, as the equipment and wiring for this mode is now being dismantled.
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| Courtesy: Maritime Radio Historical Society |
Commercial CW land station transmitters from WLO (Mobile, AL), KLB (Seattle, WA), KFS (San Francisco, CA), KPH (Bolinas, CA) and KSM (Pt. Reyes, CA) should be active near 500KHz as well as on HF.
(late update: due to operator illness, KLB will not be participating)
USCG stations NMC (Bolinas/Pt. Reyes), NMQ (Cambria /Pt. Reyes) and NMW (Astoria / Pt. Reyes) will also be transmitting below 500KHz as well as on HF. QSL's confirming reception of CG stations as well as for K6KPH and KSM will be available following the event.
K6KPH, the MRHS's amateur radio station located at the Pt. Reyes, CA site, will also be active on the HF bands during the event.
For a nice historical 'look back', the MRHS has some great stories associated with HF and MF maritime operations. Further details of the event detailing times and exact frequencies are available from MRHS newsletter #45.
Lastly, if you never had the opportunity to listen to '500' back in its heyday then you will surely enjoy this recording made by K2NP in March,1966 and presented with thanks to N1EA. Listening to this 500KHz action reminds me of 20m CW during the annual DX contest! What land stations can you identify in the pileups? Hopefully, when all North American amateurs gain access to the band, it will sound like this once again.
A 1935 Style QSL
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| '29 Style Card |
When I next became interested in mid-30's style construction, I decided it was time for another 'era-appropriate' card to match the transmitters. I began searching the web for vintage cards from the mid-30's and soon zeroed in on a card that I found particularly attractive...and from Canada as well.
Once again, Dennis came to the rescue and worked enthusiastically with me to try and duplicate the features and look of the VE4 card that I wanted.
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| '35 Style Card |
I think he did a super job once again and this past winter the new cards have gone out at a furious pace as I worked many new stations, all on 10m CW with my 6L6 Tri-Tet-Ten.
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| 6L6 Tri-Tet-Ten |
If you or anyone you know might be interested in a vintage style card (or any type of card) please get in touch with Dennis. I cannot speak highly enough about him and the quality of his work. You won't be disappointed.
The good and the not so good.
Last night, while hunting in the 80 Meter woods in the QRP-L Fox hunt, I continued to work on my PigRig. I came to the part where I am winding T1, and I guess I had a case of brain flatulence, because I just couldn’t figure out from the instructions, how the center tap was supposed to be done.
Before going to bed (late), I came up here and fired off an e-mail to the Flying Pigs e-mail reflector looking for some enlightenment. When I checked my e-mail this morning, there was an e-mail from the Head Honcho himself, Diz W8DIZ. He explained to me (very patiently) what should have been as obvious as the hand in front of my face.
Thanks, Diz for excellent customer service! And also thanks for being super courteous and patient with someone who seems to have had a “Senior Moment”.
On the other hand, last night I was fortunate to work an SU9 station from Egypt on 40 Meters. I was doing the “happy dance” as this was my first QSO with Egypt – ever. So I dutifully went to QRZ to look up QSL information, only to find that LOTW is not accepted (as it’s too cumbersome and difficult to figure out), that paper QSLs are not really wanted, but if you go to PayPal and enter this particular PayPal address (along with the appropriate “donation”) that a QSL card can be had.
What ?!? I mean, really …… what?
OK, I understand that Egypt is not the most commonly found country on the air; and I’m sure that QSLing is quite the tedious chore (if not a downright pain in the butt). But isn’t that what QSL managers are for? And really, I mean even I can figure out how to use Log of the World. You know, the guy who had trouble figuring out how to wind a simple toroidal transformer? …… Yes, me – even I figured out how to use Log of the World.
I hesitate to use that hackneyed expression, but if I can figure it out – you can figure it out.
Maybe I ought to quit my job, move to a “rare and exotic” locale, get on the air, make a couple hundred QSOs a day, and start charging a few bucks per QSL card.
But then I guess I’d have to figure out how to use PayPal. (Of course, I am being facetious, I already know how to use that. Learned how just around the same time I learned how to use LOTW).
72 de Larry W2LJ
Famous callsigns
Many friends who have been at this hobby a lot longer than I have worked some pretty famous people – King Hussein of Jordan, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Barry Goldwater.
I have never worked anyone famous per se, but I did get a chance to work the Arizona DX Association last night, which is celebrating Arizona’s Centennial this week. Their call is K7UGA – the same used by Senator Barry Goldwater (SK). So when I heard them on 40 Meters tonight, I jumped at the chance.
It took a while for me to break the pileup; but I was successful. 5 Watts and the HF9V yielded me a response. I got the customary “599”; but they were truly a 599 here into New Jersey. One of the loudest signals on the band.
I will definitely send for a QSL card, as this may be the closest I ever get to working a “famous” Ham.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Random thoughts.
The other night, I tried uploading some QSOs to Log of the World. I was unsuccessful as my certificate had expired. I filed for a new one, got everything working and uploaded my latest batch of QSOs without a problem. I try to do this once a month or once every couple of weeks.
Out of curiosity, I went back to the LOTW site tonight to do a little math. I have a LOTW QSL return rate of 19.8 percent. I have no idea as to whether that’s good, bad or average.
I went over to eQSL and did the same math – 19.27 percent – slightly lower. Frankly, that surprised me. I think we can all agree that eQSL has less “hoops” to jump through in order to get it working. I am not criticizing LOTW when I say that – I’m just pointing out what I think is fact. Although personally, I have not had any insurmountable LOTW problems, I have heard horror stories from other Hams who had, and gave up – running and screaming into the night. eQSL may not be as secure, I don’t know – but it does seem easier to use.
I would have thought (there goes that “conventional wisdom” again!) that being easier to use would also translate to ” greater participation and use”. I guess not.
Tonight is the 80 Meter QRP Fox hunt. Dave N0IT in Missouri is not feeling all that great, so he has swapped with John K4BAI. So the Foxes will be John in Georgia and Jim K9JWV in Utah. “Conventional wisdom” is telling me that from New Jersey on 80 Meters, I should be able to work John fairly easily and that Jim may be a stretch, if I hear him at all.
We’ll see.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
