Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all my Amateur Radio friends, throughout the world, for a very Blessed, Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! May 2015 bring you all the QSOs and DX that your hearts desire!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

New heat sink upgrade for the KX3

This was just recently announced via the KX3 User Group on Yahoo:

Hi all,

In response to feedback from KX3 users, we have improved the transceiver's heat sink, without significantly changing its outside dimensions. The new heat sink has twice the surface area and much greater mass, using an 'L' configuration that places part of the heat sink underneath the rig's chassis. A high-performance, die-cut thermal gasket is used between the rear panel and heat sink to ensure excellent heat transfer.

Our lab tests show that for a given power output level, the new heat sink provides up to twice as much transmit time as the original before power is automatically scaled back under firmware control.

(Larger, third-party heat sinks can still be used, if desired, to allow extended operation in data modes at full power, or at very high ambient temperatures.)

The new heat sink is already included in production KX3s, starting with S/N 7292 for kits, and S/N 7255 for factory assembled units. It can be easily added to existing KX3s using modification kit model #KX3HSKIT ($39.95). Refer to our Spare Parts and Mod Kits page, KX3 section:

http://www.elecraft.com/order_form_parts.htm#kx3

If demand is high for modification kits, there may be a brief delay in filling orders.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

Within hours, the complaining and whining has commenced. "Design flaw - I shouldn't have to pay!" seems to be the rallying cry.  And I disagree with that line of reasoning.  After all, the KX3 was designed to put out 12 Watts max. I use my KX3 at 5 Watts, for CW mostly, (OK, I'll confess - I made one SSB contact with it just to test that mode) so I don't have a need for a new and improved heat sink. However, who runs their radio at full output all the time anyway?  I may be naive, but even when I had QRO radios that were capable of 100 Watts out, I never ran them to full output. And the few times that I have used it, I don't think I've ever pushed my KXPA100 past the 90 Watt mark, even though it's capable of a lot more. When I do use it, I generally keep it around the 75 Watt neighborhood.

I suppose that if I was a digital aficionado, I would want the upgrade. And the $40 price tag that Elecraft is charging is way less than what third party after-market vendors are charging for their versions. I am assuming that a lot of guys are hoping that the "squeaky wheel" scenario will hold true.  I wouldn't hold my breath on that one - and all the complaining IMHO, only enforces the negative connotation about Hams being tighter than the bark on a tree.  It's pretty simple when you boil it down to the essentials, if you want to dance the QRO tune, you're just going to have to pay the piper.

72 de LarryW2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Start off the New Year with a QRP Sprint

Courtesy of the QRP-ARCI and Jeff Hetherington VA3JFF

 2015 QRP-ARCI NEW YEAR’S SPRINT

A) Date/Time: 1500Z to 1800Z on 1 January 2015.

B) Mode: HF CW only.

C) Exchange: Members send: RST, State/Province/Country, ARCI member number Non-Members send: RST, State/Province/Country, Power Out

D) QSO Points: Member = 5 points Non-Member, Different Continent = 4 points Non-Member, Same Continent = 2 points

E) Multiplier: SPC (State/Province/Country) total for all bands. The same station may be worked on multiple bands for QSO points and SPC credit.

F) Power Multiplier: >5 Watts = x1 >1 - 5 Watts = x7 >500 mW - 1 Watt = x10 >200 mW - 500 mW = x15 >55 mW - 200 mW = x20 <55 mW = x25

G) Suggested Frequencies:

    160m  1810 kHz
    80m  3560 kHz
    40m  7030 kHz (please listen at 7040 kHz for rock bound participants)
    20m  14060 kHz
    15m  21060 kHz
    10m  28060 kHz

H) Score: Final Score = Points (total for all bands) x SPCs (total for all bands) x Power Multiplier + Bonus Points

Bonus Points: If you are operating PORTABLE using battery power AND a temporary antenna, add 5000 points to your final score. (You can NOT be at your shack operating from battery power using your home station antenna to qualify for this bonus.) This is to help level the playing field for contesters who work from the field against contest stations with 5 element yagis at 70 ft.

I) Categories: Band: Entry may be All-Band (AB), Single Band (e.g., SB-160, 80,40,20,15 or 10), High Bands (HB); 10m, 15m and 20m) or Low Bands (LB); 40m, 80m and 160m Antennas: Entry may be A1 or A2 A1: Single Element Antenna If you are using a single element antenna such as a dipole, inverted V, loop, or a vertical you can enter the A1 category. ( Note that with a vertical you can have as many radials as you want but only one “vertical” element. ) A2: Multiple Element Antenna If you are using a multi element beam, vertical array, or any antenna that has more than one driven element or uses reflective or directive elements you are in the A2 category.

J)How to Participate: Get on any of the HF bands except the WARC bands and hang out near the QRP frequencies. Work as many stations calling CQ QRP or CQ TEST as possible, or call CQ QRP or CQ TEST yourself! You can work a station for credit once on each band.

K) Email Log Submission: Submit Logs in plain text format along with a summary stating your Call Sign, Entry Category, total # of QSOs with members, total # of QSOs with non-members on different continent, total # of QSOs with non-members same continent, total # of SPCs worked, Actual Power and Station Description, along with score calculation to contest@qrparci.org

L) Snail mail Log Submission: Submit Logs in plain text format along with a summary stating your Call Sign, Entry Category, total # of QSOs with members, total # of QSOs with non-members on different continent, total # of QSOs with non-members same continent, total # of SPCs worked, Actual Power and Station Description, along with score calculation to:

ARCI NEW YEARS SPRINT
C/O Jeff Hetherington
139 Elizabeth St. W.
Welland, Ontario
Canada L3C 4M3

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked on or before 8 January, 2015.

M) Results: Will be published in QRP Quarterly and shown on the QRP-ARCI website.

N) Certificates: Will be awarded to the top scoring entrant in each category. Certificates may be awarded for 2nd and 3rd place if entries are sufficient in a category.

Thanks, Jeff!

An idea of my own - maybe participate in this sprint with a straight key?  A little SKN and QRP to boot?  Just a thought!

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

2014 In Review

2014 was a pretty eventful year - here are some of the highlights and lowlights, from a W2LJ point of view (in a somewhat chronological order).

1) Got published! 

My very first article to be published in a major Amateur Radio magazine occurred when a piece that I authored, entitled "QRP a la Carte" made it into the February 2014 edition of CQ Magazine - the yearly QRP Special. Unfortunately, this was just about the time that CQ was having severe troubles with the new firm that they had hired to do their hard copy printing, so I don't know that the printed version made it out to many of their subscribers. But it did make it out to all the digital subscribers (of which I am one).  Thanks to Rich Moseson W2VU who thought the article was worthy enough of some space in his fine publication.

2) Acquired a Begali Simplex Mono

This is by far, one of the best purchases that I have ever made in my Ham Radio career. Everything you have heard about Begali keys AND their customer service is true, and then some.  This is the only paddle that I use now, when I'm in my basement shack.

3) Acquired and built a KXPA100

 

Admittedly, I don't use this a lot. I've probably have made use of QRO power less than a dozen times this year.  But when I run across a new DXCC entity that I have never worked before, and QRP just doesn't seem to cut it, my KXPA100 goes online. I think I've worked about a half dozen new ones this year, thanks to the KXPA100. Some may say the little use I give it makes the price I paid a bit frivolous. But there's something to be said for the piece of mind that I have, knowing the "OOMPH" is there should the need arise.

4) WZ8C SK

 We lost a good friend and a valued CW advocate when we lost Nancy Kott this past March. There's a saying that only the good die young. I know for a fact that that's not true, but this is one of the times that it is.

5) Switch to Log4OM

Earlier this year, I switched from Ham Radio Deluxe to Log4OM, written by Daniele Pistollato IW3HMH, for all my QSO logging.  After using it for some months now, I am still happy with that decision, and would recommend it to anyone. It's full featured, intuitive and free.

6) G4KKI SK

The QRP community lost another friend this year with the passing of Bill Stevenson G4KKI. Bill was not only an active portable ops kind of guy, but he also did a lot of experimenting with homebrew construction of magnetic loop antennas.

7) SPARC is born

The South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club in South Plainfield, NJ was born.

This was something I had hoped to see occur in our town for a number of years. This year, the dream bore fruit - and the club is growing!

8) Amateur Radio Week and Field Day

This past June, our Mayor and Town Council proclaimed the week before Field Day to be "Amateur Radio Week" in South Plainfield.

 

Not only did they honor us with this proclamation; but they came to visit our Field Day site, too. They spent more than just a few obligatory minutes with us, and actually sat down to see what type of communications that we are capable of providing. Not that they didn't "know", but it's one thing to have the concept in your head, and it's another thing to see communications being done, real time!

7) Separated from AmateurRadio.com

After hearing that Matt W1MST was taking some flack regarding the content of some of my posts, I decided upon a halt to the automatic mirroring of all my blog posts on that site.  Now I choose what posts will get mirrored there. Some of my "humorous" posts and just about all of my posts of a religious nature (i.e. Christmas and Easter Holiday posts) were garnering Matt headaches.  Add to that some e-mails that I privately received from readers of AmateurRadio.com stating that they "were sick of QRP" - that kind of solidified my decision. To his credit, Matt never once complained, but I can't put anyone through that. It's one thing when someone comes here of their own volition, they know what to expect from me before they get here - it's another thing at an aggregator site.  I've probably have taken a big hit in readership, but that's OK. I'm in this for the fun of it and the love of the hobby, not because I'm trying to make money from it.

9) NJQRP Skeeter Hunt 2014

The third edition of this outdoor QRP operating event was another success!  159 Skeeter numbers were handed out and 64 log summaries were submitted. Look for the Skeeter Hunt to return on the second Sunday of August in 2015!

10) Radio classes

Through SPARC, Marv K2VHW and Drew W2OU and I ran an eight week Technician Class licensing course that ran from September to November of this year. We had an 80% success rate as some of the students dropped out about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through. On the whole, all the students were eager, perceptive and quick on the uptake. It was an honor and a privilege to bring over a dozen new Hams into the fold.

11) G4ILO SK

Another loss - another BIG loss as we watched the passing of Julian Moss G4ILO take place before our very eyes.  Julian was a talented Amateur Radio op, QRPer, software developer and blogger. Julian blogged throughout his ordeal, and he will be missed. Julian was a very gentle and courageous man, and he leaves a deep void behind.

12) New QSL cards

A picture is worth 1,000 words:

My hearty thanks to Jeff K1NSS for the concept and the fantastic artwork and KB3IFH for the gorgeous printing!

13) Lunchtime QSOs

Throughout the year, I had the pleasure of making many QSOs from the Jeep during lunchtime at work using my KX3 and Buddistick configuration - over 300 this year alone! And typical of these was the QSO I had with Ted N1WPU during lunch today on 20 Meters. Ted answered my CQ and I was delighted to engage him in a 2X QRP QSO. Actually Ted was QRPp, as he had an attenuator on the back of his Kenwood TS-570D  and was pushing out only 250 milliWatts to his G5RV. When there was no QRM, Ted was an honest 569 into NJ. According to QRZ, Ted is 392 miles from me, so for him that works out to be about 1,600 miles per Watt!

 

Thanks, Google Earth!

In closing out this post, I hope that Mr. Claus was generous to you this Christmas, and that you found a lot of Ham Radio goodies under your tree this year. Personally, I was graced with a new "QRP - When you care to send the very least!" hoodie from my lovely wife, Marianne.  These NJ winters can be brutal, but I'll be keeping warm, and this is perfect for my basement shack! A kind reader sent me a tip last winter, "The key to staying warm in a cold basement shack is to keep your head warm." This hoodie will fit that bill to a "T".

A very huge "Thank You!" to all the readers of this blog. You are the ones who keep me inspired and make this so much fun. Hoping you all have a wonderful, safe, healthy and prosperous 2015. AND ... my high hopes that I get to meet many of you on the air!

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

Christmas 2014

“Christmas, my child, is love in action.” 

-- Dale Evans Rogers

Christmas Eve 2014

First off - another blast of Ham Christmas nostalgia from W4KTL:

And .... a little something else, too. Been played lots of places and lots of times before -  this may be an oldie but it's definitely a goodie!

And finally - as we lay down our heads tonight, fondly recalling Christmases past, and wishing wishes and dreaming dreams, hoping to find shiny new rigs, keys, microphones, antennas or whatever under the Tree - a gentle reminder of what this Season is all about.

May this Christmas find you happy and healthy. May you enjoy good food and the wonderful company of friends and family, near and far. May the Peace and Joy of our newborn Savior reign supremely in your hearts. So from the W2LJ household, to all your households, throughout the world - our best and truest and fondest wishes that you will have a very Blessed and Merry Christmas.

"God bless us, everyone!"

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

A Christmas Story - Shep style!

Undoubtedly, most of you are familiar with and may have watched (many times!) the movie "A Christmas Story".

 

I am hoping that all of you (or at least MOST of you) know that this story was written by one of the most famous Amateur Radio celebrities - Jean Shepherd K2ORS (SK - call re-issued). What you may not know, is that this story originally appeared as only one chapter in Jean's book, "In God We Trust, All Other's Pay Cash".  The story was also published in Playboy magazine (of all places!) under the title "Duel In The Snow, Or, Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid".

Shep, as he was affectionately known, had a long running radio program on WOR-AM radio in NYC when I was a kid. If I remember correctly, it began at 10:00 PM, so we had to listen to it clandestinely, with our trusty transistor radios tucked under our pillows with the earphone running to our ears - as this was way past our appointed bed time. On Christmas Eve of 1974 (when I was a teenager and could listen with no bedtime repercussions), Shep gifted his audience with a reading of this hilarious Holiday tale. Here it is for you to listen to - commercials and all!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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

Tidings of the Season - the good ol' days!

Kudos to Jeff KE9V, for posting on Google+ This brings back so many fond and favored memories of special ads, special magazine covers, special holiday catalogs which became wrinkled, dog-eared, worn and drooled upon!



Special thanks to W4KTL for creating these videos - more to come throughout the week!

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

It was a two fur night

in last night's 40 Meter QRP Fox Hunt.

We had two excellent Foxes, Jim N0UR in MN and Chris W0EP in MS.  I heard Jim right off at the beginning of the hunt, and I think I was either the second or third Hound to nab a pelt. Chris took a bit more effort. I was hearing him fine - 569 in fact and getting stronger. But call as I might, I was not being heard.

Finally, it dawned on me to switch antennas. I had worked Jim so easily on the 88' EDZ that it seemed natural to use the same for Chris. When I switched over to the HF9V, Chris was a little weaker on receive, but within three calls I had him in my log. It turns out that I hadn't read the Fox announcement close enough. If I had paid attention, I would have read that Chris was using a vertical last night.  If I had switched antennas earlier, I might have had logged him earlier - but who knows?

Once again, a lesson that propagation is not always reciprocal. Just because I heard Chris louder with my wire didn't mean that he was hearing me as well as I was hearing him. Obviously, the results show that he heard me better using an antenna upon which he was not quite as loud to me.

Lesson learned - don't ignore any arrows in your quiver. Use them all, even if it seems like it shouldn't work.

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

Lots of stuff

going on. Unfortunately, it's been all non- Ham Radio related. So my blog has been kind of at a stand still. For that, I apologize.

We have one of those little baby fences situated in the doorway between our kitchen and our dining room. It's there so that Harold, our spoiled rotten Beagle (and I say that affectionately) won't wreak havoc in either the dining room or living room. He's just over two years old and still has so much of that puppy vim and vigor (and mischief) inside of him. A few weeks ago, right on Thanksgiving, I was attempting to swing my leg over that fence while simultaneously carrying a full platter of carved turkey.  I didn't quite clear the fence and snagged my left leg on it.  At the time, I really didn't feel anything searingly painful and didn't give it much of a second thought.  A day or two later, I really began to feel it!  I not only twisted my knee a tiny bit, but I also caused untold grief to the hamstring and upper calf muscles of my left leg.  Getting old is not what it's cracked up to be!

For about a week, I was actually hobbling around with a cane. I could bend my leg, but only with effort and major discomfort.  My wife suggested going to the doctor, but I knew what I had done - severe strains of said muscles. If I had ripped or torn anything, I would have immediately folded like a house of cards, and that wasn't the case. Until this past weekend, it was a basic routine of coming home from work, sitting with my leg elevated and applying a heating pad. Advil has been a big friend of mine.

The good news is that my condition has been improving each day and last Friday was the last day I needed to use the cane. I can walk now almost without limping.  I'm at about 90% back to normal  and any discomfort that I experience is minor and lasts only a few seconds.  I can walk up and down stairs relatively pain free. That was a major impediment to getting on the radio!  The shack is in the basement and in the last week, I was only down there twice.  Last Thursday to work one of the two 80 Meter QRP Foxes and last Sunday to check out the 10 Meter contest.  I totally blew off last Tuesday's 40 Meter Fox Hunt, but didn't miss anything as both post-hunt logs showed no East coast Hounds worked.

Like most of you, I found 10 Meters to be hopping over the weekend, but I had so much else to do in preparation for Christmas, that I could not devote any time to my most favorite hobby. Hopefully, as more gets moved from the "To Do" list, to the "Done" list, that will change.

In the meantime, I've noticed that cane is aluminum and since I don't need it for support anymore, I'm wondering how it might load up?!? Just kidding!

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

FISTS / SKCC Joint Sprint this Saturday

For all the details: http://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/fists-skcc_sprint/

Looks like I'll have to get some bug practice in before the weekend. This is going to be a toughie, though - a Saturday afternoon before Christmas. I definitely won't be able to put in a full four hours, but I am a member of both organizations and I do need to start working on my SKCC Tribune award. I've been treading water as a Centurion for years now.

72 de Larry W2LJ - FISTS 1469 - SKCC 49C

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Some common sense, please!

After working the QRP Fox Hunt last night, and over time working a bunch of DX and a lot of the W1AW Centennial WAS stations, and other pile up causing stations - I really have to wonder what goes on in the minds of some people.  It seems like when there's some kind of quarry to be had, whether it be a QRP Fox, a DX station, or a W1AW/XX station - common sense goes right out the window and sheer insanity takes its place.

Take for instance last night.  I was trying to work Steve WX2S on 40 Meters who lives about 18 miles from me.  Ground wave was strong enough that he was about a 229/339.  The advantage was that not only could I hear him, but I could also hear the stations that were calling him.  I ended up not working him, but even so, it was a unique opportunity to observe.

Steve was working split from the beginning and he was handling the pile up deftly.  But I was left shaking my head, because so many times - all through the hunt, people continued throwing out their calls while Steve was engaging another station! I sat there, kind of dumbfounded. There was Steve, sending out "559 NJ STEVE 5W" to whomever, and all the while there were stations sending out their calls, over and over and over, without so much as taking a breath!

So here's the deal......if you can't hear the quarry well enough to realize he answered someone other than yourself - then why the heck do you continue to throw your call sign out there in the first place? Obviously, if by some miracle, he actually came back to you - would you be able to hear that well enough to realize it and complete the exchange? Something tells me ........no.

Part of pile up discipline (on the part of the chasers) is to realize when you have a legitimate shot. But in any case, whether the quarry is 229 or 599 on your end, don't you think it would be a lot wiser to send your call maybe twice at most and then take a break to actually listen?

Listening. That seems to be a dirty word in the minds of a lot of folks.

Look, I know we all make mistakes and I've made my fair share, too.  No one is perfect, and I can understand forgetting to turn the "split" function on or some other such thing.  But deliberately sending your call over and over and over in the vain hope of somehow scatter-gunning the target is really just inexcusable, and rude and inconsiderate of your fellow Hams.

As always, this is just my humble opinion. Your mileage may vary.

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

Gift ideas for Hams

It's December, and that means Christmas and Hanukkah are right around the corner. And sometimes for a Ham, "The Holidays" presents a quandary.  Imagine this scenario - your lovely XYL comes over to you and asks, "What would you like for Christmas, Dear?"

You look lovingly into her eyes and say, "A 60 foot Rohn tower with a 3 element beam". And then you get THAT look - and you know instantly, in your heart of hearts, that your request has gone over like the proverbial lead balloon.

Or maybe the wife of your best Ham bud calls you and asks, "What can I get Jim for Hanukkah this year? And no, I'm not getting him a 60 foot tower and a 3 element beam".  What do you say? Somehow, I don't think K3, or IC-7800 or FT-DX5000 would go over too well, either.

So, as we get closer to the gift giving season, I'll post some items that I come across that may help break the "What do I get for my favorite Ham?" log jam.  My aim will be to keep to suggest gifts that won't break the gift giving budget while at the same time would be a gift that almost ANY Ham would enjoy receiving.

I came across this one this morning on Facebook (see- Facebook is actually good for something!). I thought this was unique, and I sure wouldn't mind having one of these hanging from my shack wall.

This is a little plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ARRL postage stamp. It was issued by the United States government for two reasons - to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ARRL, and in gratitude of all the valiant work performed by Hams during the Alaskan earthquake ans tsunami that occurred that year.

You can get this little beauty from Hamcrazy.com.  It's reasonably priced and will not break the bank.

Suppose you are a CW aficionado, or perhaps your Ham bud is.  The following is always a perennial favorite - the Morse Express Christmas Key.

The above photo is the key being offered for 2014.  These keys are small enough to be used as a Christmas Tree ornament, but yet are fully functional. One of my most favorite straight keys of all times is the 2004 Christmas Key which my lovely Marianne gave me that year. It has a fantastic feel to it and is perfect as a traveling portable QRP ops straight key.

Please note that I am in no way connected with any of the companies offering these fine wares. I receive no recompense and I have not even been asked to endorse any of these items. This is just W2LJ offering a public service to those of you out there who may be stymied by either of these two  questions - "What can I give?" or "What would you like?".

To be continued as I come across neat stuff!

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

Socialhams

I've been asked by Andreas OE8APR to spread the word about a project he has launched called "Socialhams" (I see that Roger G3XBM must have received the same e-mail).  It seems to be another attempt at a Web based social media site for Amateur Radio operators.  Here's what he sent (with a bunch of photos):

Introduction to socialhams

Socialhams is a community for ham radio operators. It combines features known from typical social networks with ham radio related ones. To join socialhams all you need is a valid email address and obviously a ham radio callsign. It’s as simple as that!

As registered member of socialhams you can freely meet like-minded people as well as join the Chat, write Blog and Forum posts, start Polls, create Groups and Events. Photos, Videos and Files can be embedded or uploaded to your profile and many other sections too.

The iPhone App, allows you to browse profiles, watch photos and videos, upload photos, send mail, and lots more. All from your iPhone! And if you have an Android-powered device, our Android App lets you use socialhams while on the go, right from your own handset.

You can meet people; chat online; check our top rated, featured items; read about popular topics; wish someone special on his/her birthday; match your interests; and even take advantage of our elaborate people search option.

You will also find unique ham radio related modules:

·       DX Cluster

o   Use the DX Cluster feature to make that contact or Spot one for the rest of the community! The DXCluster tool allows users to locate and spot other Amateur Radio operators transmitting on specific frequencies to make those rare contacts or find that missing location you’ve been searching for.

o   This is the world first HTML5 web socket based DXCluster client

·       Logbook

o   The socialhams logbook allows you to record those important Amateur Radio contacts. This tool gives members the ability to add, edit, organize and sort their contacts all in one convenient location.

·       APRS Map

o   The APRS feature will display the location of any APRS station in the viewable area. This feature also provides each member with the ability to send a message from socialhams to any APRS device with messaging capability.

·       NCDXF Beacon

o   The Beacon Map displays the location, status and the current or future action of each NCDXF beacon in the network. By listening for each beacon on each band you can determine which bands are open and to what part of the world.

·       World clock

o   The World Clock allows each user to stay up to date with the time on any part of the globe. Users can also keep track of the Grey line as it moves to make use of this unique propagation condition.

·       Library

o   Collection of various documents like manuals, schematics, spreadsheets, etc

·       Elmer’s corner

o   The Elmer corner allows any socialhams member to create and publish a tutorial or guide for the entire community to use. Become an Elmer today!!

In our Feedback section, you can post your questions, comments, regards, etc. without any restrictions. Of course, you must strictly avoid obscenity, rude language, and abide by terms of socialhams. To cater for a wider ham radio community, all our features are offered in both English as well as German. Additional languages are in preparation.

We steadily improve existing functions as well as develop new interesting ham radio related modules. At the moment we are hardly work on a Geophysics and SOTA module. All our work in process modules can be previewed on our development site http://dev.socialhams.net, additionally all our developments are available as Git repository on http://gitlab.paan-systems.com. We would be happy to find developers that are interested in joining the project.

To enjoy the unique socialhams experience, all you need to do is sign up http://socialhams.net!

Disclaimer: Seems harmless enough. I have no affiliation or pecuniary interest in this whatsoever. My only goal here is to help a fellow Amateur Radio op out, if I can.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

CQ WWDX

This weekend turned out to be a lot busier than expected. With Thanksgiving, and now the beginnings of getting the house ready for the Christmas season, there wasn't a lot of time for radio. But I did get to play in the CQ WWDX contest for about an hour and a half this afternoon. 10 Meters was hot! In those 90 minutes, I worked 50 different stations, about 40 different countries, all of them QRP save one.

When I heard V55V on the band, I cranked up the KXPA100 quicker than you can say "Jack Robinson". Namibia is a totally new one for me, and I rarely hear them on the air.  Even with QRO power, it took me a while to break the pileup, but break it I did.  I am coming closer, ever closer to the 200 DXCC entities worked mark.

Oh, and last week, this came through the mail:

My second DXCC certificate.  This one for working 100 different entities using CW only. And I noticed something interesting, indeed.  My original DXCC certificate, which is for the "mixed" category was issued back in May, 2003 and is certificate #38,973. This certificate, for an all CW DXCC, issued some 11 years later, is only certificate #20,995.  I'm not sure what to make of that.

Hope you all had fun in the contest this weekend.  The bands seemed to be in great shape, I hope a lot of QRPers either earned, or got a great start on their QRP DXCC.

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

A Thanksgiving Prayer

On this Thanksgiving Day in the United States, I wanted to share with you the prayer that my family will be offering before sitting down to our roasted turkey dinner.

Dear Father in Heaven, we take so much for granted. You shower us so abundantly with Your gifts.  Everything we have is Yours and we forget that.  We go through our busy lives, foolishly thinking that we're the ones in charge. "I did this" and "I earned that" and "Look at what I accomplished" and "Look at what I have", and yet none of that would be possible without You, because everything that exists is truly Yours, and apart from You we are nothing.  You are the Provider, the Giver, the Sponsor of our bounty.  Thank You so much for all that You have given us and continue to give us.

As we sit down with friends and family, we also thank You for the gift of each other. We thank You for the gift of life, for our time, our talents and our treasures, for our health. We thank You for our wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends who help to root us and mold us into what we are.

We thank You for those who are protecting us, even now as we sit down at table. Please bless and protect and watch over all our men and women in the Armed Forces, Police officers, Firefighters, EMTs, First Responders and Doctors and Nurses who are on duty right now, protecting and watching over us as we speak. Please return them to their families safe and sound, to enjoy their own celebrations and their own offering of thanks to You.

In a special way, we ask You to bless and provide for those who are less fortunate, those who are poor or who are alone and have no family or friends to be with, for those who are ill or out of work.  Please open our hearts to them as never before, to share our time, our abundance and friendship with them. You have given these to us to be our physicians, to rid our hearts of selfishness and greed, to rid our attachment to material things, and to aid You in Your Divine Task of providing for everyone.

Lord, we thank You for those who have gone before us and are not with us today. We are still connected to them through You and through love. Watch over them as well, and we pray that they are with You, enjoying life and happiness for all eternity.

Lastly, Oh God, we thank You for this wonderful meal that we are about to enjoy. Please bless this food, bless this house and bless this family and continue to bless our nation on this Thanksgiving Day, and always.

Amen.

A very Happy Thanksgiving from the W2LJ household to yours! 

72 de Larry W2LJ

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