Viva la CW!

The following is a copy of a copy.  Originally posted on the K3 e-mail reflector, to which I do not subscribe, it was then posted to the CW Ops reflector by Bob, N7WY.  It is so good and meaningful to us Morse Code fans, that I am re-posting here.

A post by Wayne Burdick - N6KR

I find that CW has many practical and engaging aspects that I just don’t get with computer-mediated modes like FT8. You’d think I’d be burned out on CW by now, over 45 years since I was first licensed, but no, I’m still doin’ it :)

Yes, FT8 (etc.) is a no-brainer when, despite poor conditions, your goal is to log as many contacts as possible with as many states or countries as possible. It’s so streamlined and efficient that the whole process is readily automated. (If you haven’t read enough opinions on that, see "The mother of all FT8 threads” on QRZ.com, for example.)

But back to CW. Here’s why it works for me. YMMV.

CW feels personal and visceral, like driving a sports car rather than taking a cab. As with a sports car, there are risks. You can get clobbered by larger vehicles (QRM). Witness road range (“UP 2!”). Fall into a pothole (QSB). Be forced to drive through rain or snow (QRN).

With CW, like other forms of human conversation, you can affect your own style. Make mistakes. Joke about it.

CW is a skill that bonds operators together across generations and nations. A language, more like pidgin than anything else, with abbreviations and historical constructs and imperialist oddities. A curious club anyone can join. (At age 60 and able to copy 50 WPM on a good day, I may qualify as a Nerd Mason of some modest order, worthless in any other domain but of value in a contest.)

With very simple equipment that anyone can build, such as a high-power single-transistor oscillator, you can transmit a CW signal. I had very little experience with electronics when I was 14 and built an oscillator that put out maybe 100 mW. Just twisted the leads of all those parts together and keyed the collector supply--a 9-volt battery. With this simple circuit on my desk, coupled to one guy wire of our TV antenna mast, I worked a station 150 miles away and was instantly hooked on building things. And on QRP. I’m sure the signal was key-clicky and had lots of harmonics. I’ve spent a lifetime making such things work better, but this is where it started.

Going even further down the techno food chain, you can “send” CW by whistling, flashing a lamp, tapping on someone’s leg under a table in civics class, or pounding a wrench on the inverted hull of an upside-down U.S. war vessel, as happened at Pearl Harbor. Last Saturday at an engineering club my son belongs to, a 9-year-old demonstrated an Arduino Uno flashing HELLO WORLD in Morse on an LED. The other kids were impressed, including my son, who promptly wrote a version that sends three independent Morse streams on three LEDs. A mini-pileup. His first program.

Finally, to do CW you don’t always need a computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or software. Such things are invaluable in our daily lives, but for me, shutting down everything but the radio is the high point of my day. The small display glows like a mystic portal into my personal oyster, the RF spectrum. Unless I crank up the power, there’s no fan noise. Tuning the knob slowly from the bottom end of the band segment to the top is a bit like fishing my favorite stream, Taylor Creek, which connects Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe. Drag the line across the green, sunlit pool. See what hits. Big trout? DX. Small trout? Hey, it’s still a fish, and a QSO across town is still a QSO. Admire it, then throw it back in.

(BTW: You now know why the Elecraft K3, K3S, KX2, and KX3 all have built-in RTTY and PSK data modes that allow transmit via the keyer paddle and receive on the rig’s display. We decided to make these data modes conversational...like CW.)

Back to 40 meters....

73,

Wayne N6KR

The best sentiments I have seen or read about CW in a very long time.  Thanks, Wayne, for putting into words what a lot of us feel!

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

QRP Podcast

This episode of the ARRL's "The Doctor Is IN' is semi-devoted to QRP. I am listening to it right now.

Sponsored by DX Engineering, "The Doctor Is In" is a bi-weekly podcast offered by the ARRL. You can get it from the iTunes store, or through Blubrry or Stitcher.  I use the free Stitcher app for my Android phone.

So far, it's a pretty vanilla discussion on QRP. Nothing isn't being talked about that a seasoned veteran QRPer wouldn't already be familiar with.  However, it seems to be a decent primer for someone just getting interested in QRP.

And lo and behold, we went from a discussion of QRP to a discussion of fan dipoles.

Oh, well, so much for that!

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

New club in town

There's a new QRP Club, or new Yahoo Group, if you will. It's the California QRP Club and membership is open to any QRPer. Residence in the Golden State is not a prerequisite.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/calqrp/info is the link.  And as Doug Hendricks KI6DS, posted:

"The purpose and goals of the California QRP Club is to promote QRP. We don't have dues, we don't have officers, and we don't have business meetings. We do have monthly get togethers in San Jose, and we will be a co-sponsor of the qrp activities at Pacificon next year. The club will have two caretakers, Steve Smith, WB6TNL and Doug Hendricks, KI6DS. They will be responsible for the running of the club. We will not do anything that involves the exchange of money to the club. If there are expenses, Steve and Doug will pay them.

We will also issue membership numbers, only upon request. You may get yours by sending an email to directly to Steve. Do not send your request to this list. It will not be acted upon. To get your California QRP Club membership number send an email to Steve Smith at sigcom@juno.com with "CalQRP Membership number" in the subject line. Steve will assign a number to you.

I plan on doing more issues of QRPp, but it will not have a regular schedule and will be posted as a downloadable file in the file section of this list.

The first announcement that we would like to make is that the club has an Amateur Radio Club License, and the call sign is WA6GER. We are dedicated to preserving the memory and legacy of Jim Cates, and plan on activating his call at least once a month. More on that later. This was formerly the club Vanity Call Sign of NorCal but it was allowed to expire and was not renewed. When the 2 year grace period for renewal had passed, the FCC cancelled the license and WA6GER was returned to the available call sign database where anyone could have claimed it. Steve Smith did the leg work to secure the call and I want to thank him publicly for it.

Everyone is invited to join the California QRP Club, and you may do so by going to (Ed. note - see link above). and signing up."

So there you - new group in town.

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

"Pardon me .......

........ but what exactly are you doing?"

That was question from another person here at work who passed by the picnic table where I was set up at lunchtime.  This time, however, the person knew what Amateur Radio was when I mentioned it. She asked me if I had contacted anyone, and I was able to tell her, "Yes. Hungary and Italy. Both contacted using less power than it takes to light up your average nightlight."

She seemed duly impressed, and I was able to give "The Schpiel" once again.

The stations I worked today on 20 Meters were HG500L, in Hungary. A special event station commemorating Martin Luther and his 95 Thesis - my Protestant friends will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation next week.

The other station I worked was IK6FWJ, Alessandro in Corridonia, Italy Al was running 5 Watts, too and he was loud! Definitely 599 and perhaps some over. it was nice to have a 2X QRP QSO - haven't had one outside of a sprint in a while.

The magloop continues to work and surprise me.

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

Zombie Shuffle post-mortem

I was glad to have been able to participate in the Zombie Shuffle this past Friday evening. Oh, the reason it was last Friday and not this coming Friday (which is actually closer to Halloween) is that this coming weekend is the CQ WW DX Contest.

The bands were not friendly.  In fact 20 Meters was so dead that it didn't even support any "undead" Zombies.  That left 40 and 80 Meters.  I've seen on QRP-L that for many, 80 Meters was fruitful, but for me it was not.  Right around the QRP watering hole of 3.560 MHz, I had S7 to S9 noise.  Not sure what is causing it, but the lower parts of 80 Meters were as they always are. Even so, I did manage one QSO on 80 Meters with my not so far away neighbor, W2SH.

The rest of my QSOs were made on 40 Meters, all five of them.  A grand total of six QSOs in the span of about two hours.  Pretty dismal, huh?  Yeah, pretty dismal.

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

JOTA 2017

On Saturday, members of the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Clun were invited to join with members of the Tri-County Radio Association, in their presentation of Amateur Radio to local Boy Scout troops.

The guys from W2LI had quite an impressive set up. An IC-7100 was tethered to an OCF dipole and a VHF/UHF station was activated as well.

After a brief presentation of what Amateur Radio is and what you can do with it, the kids were given a chance to actually get on the air and make contacts.

The Scouts had fun, none looked or complained of being "bored". While the older Scouts got busy on working towards their Radio Merit Badges, the younger ones got on the air. After some initial mic fright, there were plenty of exchanges with other Scouts around the country about ages, hobbies, locations, etc.

The team from the TCRA also brought along a code practice oscillator and some printed out Morse Code sheets.  This part of the afternoon seemed to have garnered as much attention as the HF station.  The kids were fascinated by the Morse Code.  It got to the point where some of the Cub Scout den leaders had to remind their charges that they had to share!  The kids got a kick out of sending code while we translated what they were sending - mostly their names.  It was tough duty, as spacing was all over creation; but when we were able to decode someone's fist, the kids thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. And of course, the adults were amazed with regard to the Morse Code, that Amateur Radio operators "still do that".

I had to leave before the official end of the event; so I'm not sure of any mention was given about possible future licensing classes. One thing is for sure, though .... seeds were planted in what is hopefully fertile soil. Maybe there were three our four (or more) potential Hams recruited last Saturday.

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

Zombie Shuffle Tonight!

4:00 to Midnight, local time.

Rules are here: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/zombie/2017/pg.htm

See you on the air tonight!

72 de Larry W2LJ - Zombie # 858
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

More loopiness

Another sunny day in NJ, so that meant another lunchtime QRP session.  I decided to stay put on 20 Meters for a change. I did a bit of CQing as well as a bit of hunting.  I stayed near the QRP area and heard many stations working a SOTAteer.  I heard the chasers, but not the activator.  I twiddled the dial and went up a bit to hear a very loud OM3KAP in the Slovak Republic calling CQ at around 14.063 MHz.

So I answered.

And I was heard!  But then, when the guy on the other end has antennas like this, how can you NOT be heard?

Miro was conducting a test between two yagi systems for the upcoming contest season. He wanted to know if I was able to detect a marked difference between the two.  I wasn't.  He was a solid 579-599 on both, depending on QSB.  Maybe a younger sprout with better ears could have detected a difference -  but I couldn't.  What I should have done was to ask him to conduct the test a second time, while I relied on the S Meter for an indication. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20 and my brain didn't think of that in real time. This is how he was being heard around the world:

Pretty good, eh?  But then, with all that aluminum in the air, I'd be disappointed if I weren't getting RBN reports that looked like that.  I didn't tell Miro that I was running 5 Watts to a magloop.  After I gave him the report he was looking for, we signed.  It was more than your typical DX "5NN TU" QSO, but not quite a rag chew.  I was happy, though, to snag a bit more of DX.

After OM3KAP, I went down to 14.0595 MHz, which was clear, and called CQ for a bit. I was answered by Mike KA5VZE in Tulsa, OK, who was also running 5 Watts.  Mike gave me a 539 and I gave him a 569; but then things went downhill.  Fading kicked in like nobody's business and we both dropped out on each other.  Oh, what could have been!  A potentially nice lunchtime rag chew kicked mercilessly in the behind by Old Man QSB. We heard each well enough for that final 73 and call sign exchange and the final, final "dit dit". 

Curse you, QSB!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Puerto Rico

It will be interesting to watch out for the stories coming out of Puerto Rico regarding the ARRL's "Team of Fifty" that was sent to help out with communications. I've seen snippets of stories on social media that suggest not everything was wine, chocolate and roses.

The whole subject got me to thinking about what kind of operator would have been the best to send there.  I'm sure all the volunteers were screened and only a certain type were chosen. If it were up to me, this would have been my criteria, a blend of the following:

1) Someone who lives a lifestyle other than "sedentary"
2) Someone who is used to staying behind the radio for a long period of time - i.e  a contest type of person ....OR a DXpedtion type of person.
3) Someone who doesn't mind operating solo, is accustomed to operating in less than ideal conditions, and who can improvise and adapt when necessary.  To me, this just screams of SOTA, NPOTA or POTA.

It seems to me, in a situation like Puerto Rico, you just can't hand your average "Joe Ham" a Pelican case full of HF and UHF/VHF equipment with a power supply and antenna and just tell them, "go to town".  Ideally, the people sent should have been (and may have been for all I know) experienced in toting their own equipment around (backpacking/hiking), and operating under adverse conditions. Small, portable but yet powerful enough radios with wire antennas, lithium batteries, foldable solar panels and associated  accessories would seem to have fit the bill, entirely. But all that would do no good if the operator him or herself were not familiar with passing third party traffic or at the very least, sending information at a fast pace in a short amount of time (as in contesting or running a DXpedition pileup).

I know a lot of people get miffed about all the contests on the air on weekends (and I'm not big into contesting myself) but it IS a somewhat primitive method of preparing someone to be able to handle a Puerto Rico kind of situation.  In that regard, I think that SOTA, NPOTA, POTA and DXpedition people are kind of an almost perfect mix - because if you've ever worked any of those people, they handle(d) hundreds of QSOs in a small amount of time, as rapidly and efficiently as they are able.  I know that the conditions that these people usually operate under aren't nearly as stressful as what's going on throughout that island, but I think they have the best mix of capabilities and demeanor to be able to pull it off.

Of course, YMMV.

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

Learning lessons

Today is a sunny and warm day in New Jersey, with a lunchtime temperature of about 66F (19C). This made it a good day for some outside QRP, as the sun made it feel a bit warmer than it actually was, thus providing a comfortable operating experience. The fact that the leaves on nearby trees are changing and are very colorful didn't hurt, either!

I set the station and magloop up in all of about 5 minutes. I seem to be getting better at this. 20 Meters was alive with some activity, but not overly crowded.  I worked Josef at DL0IL in Germany, and then a little later Alexei who seems to be on holiday in the Canary Islands EA8/UA4WW.  Both were decently loud here. I got a 559 from Josef and a 579 from Alexei, so they both seemed to be "honest" RSTs, as opposed to "cookie cutter" 599s.

I heard a French station around the 20 Meter QRP watering hole, but I couldn't quite make out the call.  He was also decently loud here, perhaps even louder than DL0IL and EA8/UA4WW. However, his fist was shaky, and his callsign was extremely hard to make out. F6VAT, or something like that? RBN showed him as F63AT, but that's not a valid call, either. Anyway, it mattered not, for as loud as he was, I wasn't able to get him to hear me, even after trying 4 or 5 times. So much for reciprocal propagation, eh?

So as I gain experience with the magloop, what am I learning?  This is all subjective as I have no empirical data to back me up, but I would say (IMHO):

1) Magloops work, as improbable as that may seem (to me, anyway - still seems weird to me).
2) They seem to work as well, if not better, than compromise verticals, such as the Buddistick or a Hamstick.
3) I have no way of proving this right now; but my hunch would be an EFHW in a tree would perform better. This would be an interesting experiment, to see if I could set them up side by side, for at least a listening comparison.
4) It would seem to me that a permanent "home station" antenna such as a dipole or full sized vertical would have a better performance edge.  This would seem to be only common sense, given the size and efficiency of these antennas.

So when is a small magloop antenna a viable solution?

1) When you are portable, and you are pressed for time and require a very quick set up and tear down.
2) When you are bound by an HOA or other agreement that does not allow for outdoor antennas at your home QTH.
3) When you are operating portable and using trees is out of the question because A) there are none, or B) it is prohibited.
4) When you are operating portable away from your vehicle, thus losing a very effective ground plane for a compromise vertical.
5) When it's all you've got!

My magloop will continue to remain as one arrow in my antenna quiver. I doubt I would ever rely on it, entirely, in an outdoor Sprint such as FOBB or the Skeeter Hunt, although it might be interesting to give that a try, some day.  I think I'm going to have to pull out my WSPRlite and do some more testing, in the mean time.

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

Disappointed last weekend

I did not have a walloping amount of success with the QRP-ARCI Fall QSO Party over last weekend. Granted, I didn't put in a lot of time.  I would have made a bigger time investment had my QSO rate been higher.

I got on the air both mornings, Saturday and Sunday, around 1400 UTC or so.  20 Meters seemed dead on Saturday and on Sunday, I was able to make out a few whispers of signals, but that was about it.  40 Meters was active as all get out on both days  ......... with Pennsylvania QSO Party participants.  It seemed like wall to wall  PA QSO Party'ers, as a matter of fact.  And don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, it's just that unfortunately, there didn't seem to be many QRPers on the bands.

In all, between calling "CQ QRP" and tuning around and pouncing (no panadapter here, guess I'm too 'old fashioned'), I made about seven Fall QSO Party contacts in the span of a combined total of about three hours operating time. I'd be more willing to glue my posterior to the shack chair for a larger turn out.  If band conditions and a low participation rate seem to be the dominant factor, well then ....... I have more useful ways to spend my time.

My fingers are crossed that The Zombie Shuffle, occurring this Friday night will see more QRPers on the air, and as a result, will yield a lot more fun.

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

2017 FOBB Results are in!

For those of you who participated, but might have missed the announcement on QRP-L:

Scoreboard - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5eRs7Rxs_YGTy1adG9JWkVJRVk/view

Soapbox - http//arsqrp.blogspot.com/2017/10/soapbox-2017-ars-flight-of-bumblebees.html

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

Another rant ..........

Sometimes I make the mistake of going over to eHam or QRZ and reading the forums.  I say "mistake" because of one type of post that really gets my blood pressure elevated. Those are the ones by Amateur Radio ops who dismiss the value of Amateur Radio in Emergency Communications.

I understand that some Hams feel there is too much emphasis on EMCOMM by the ARRL and other organizations. They usually dismiss the people they are speaking with by saying something like, "Yeah, When All Else Fails ....... like that's going to ever happen!"

I don't want to hear that from anyone, ever again.  I think over the past weeks, we have seen that not only is "When All Else Fails" possible - it can happen at anytime, anywhere.  The power of Nature laughs at our infrastructure.  The sin of pride fools us into thinking that as human beings, we are infallible; and that our edifices are indestructible.

The hurricanes in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean, as well as the wildfires in California are showing us that humans are no match for the forces of water, wind and fire.  All our finest efforts in building and engineering can be laid to waste in a matter of hours.  As we have seen in Mexico, in the case of an earthquake, that could be minutes.

When a disaster occurs, Amateur Radio operators are poised to go into the breach, volunteering their time and talent, or even their treasure by donating to the ARRL's Ham Aid Fund. Our brother and sister operators (when asked) will always be running towards where other people are running away from.

God bless them and the First Responders that they support!

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

Rainy weekend

The forecast for today is cloudy, cool and damp. The forecast for the weekend is rainy. Not deluge type, hurricane rain; but enough to curtail any outdoor (leaf raking, lawn mowing) activity. So maybe, just maybe, I can get the certificates printed up for the 2017 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt.  Then, maybe I can get them posted during the next week.

I don't mean to pontificate or mount a "high horse" here, or do any self-back patting with what I am about to say, but if I may utter a few words with your kind indulgence. I know from various private e-mails that I receive, how maddening it can be to participate in a QRP Sprint and then get the results months down the road; or maybe never!  I know that for many of you, "the win" is not so much important as seeing where you stand in the crowd. This is how you evaluate your portable ops setups and antennas, especially for those of you who participate from year to year.

That's why it will always be a top priority for me to get the Skeeter Hunt Scoreboard out within a week, if not a few days, after the log submission deadline.  This year, I was fortunate enough to get the Soapbox out at the same time.  Last year, 2016, I slipped badly.  I got the Scoreboard out quickly, but sloughed off with regard to the Soapbox and certificates.

As long as I am able, that will never happen again.  The Scoreboard and Soapbox will always be timely, with the certificates following shortly thereafter.  You folks so graciously put your time (time is money!) and talent into participating. For that, I am eternally grateful. The least that I can do is to post the Scoreboard and Soapbox as quickly as I can, followed by the certificates - just another way that I can say "Thank You" to all of you.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Zombie Shuffle in a week!

I may have mentioned this before, but a week from tomorrow, one of the most fun events of the QRP year will be occurring - the 2017 Zombie Shuffle.  And I am going to be able to participate this year, as it is occurring a week early!

This is more an operating event than a hard core contest. The idea is to get on the air and have fun, regardless of your CW speed/skills. All the details, the whole magilla, can be found here: http://www.zianet.com/qrp/zombie/2017/pg.htm

I'll have to decorate the shack in a Halloween motif and submit them with my score to NA5N.

Remember ....... "Zombies shuffle because they can't run!"

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

Crummy weather

Crummy weather the past two days have curtailed my lunch time QRP activities.  I guess as we transition from Summer to Summer/Autumn to Autumn and things become more stable, conditions will become favorable again.

Yesterday, though, I was pleased to be able to have lunch with another Amateur Radio Op.  Chris KA5W is a consultant working at our firm. One day, a few weeks ago, he had sent me an e-mail stating that he had seen my call sign plates and a couple ARRL bumper stickers on my car - would I care to meet for lunch.  Conflicting events on our schedules precluded that from happening until yesterday.

Photo courtesy of KA5W and QRZ

It was an enjoyable hour that flew by way too fast.  Chris is a Marine, now engaged in IT as a civilian (there's really no such thing as an ex-Marine!). He's working here for a few months, so we took the opportunity for an eyeball QSO.

We talked of rigs, CW, DX and antennas, but mostly about portable ops, which seems to be near and dear to both of us.  I promised Chris that I'd send him an e-mail the next time I head out to the picnic tables, and maybe if he has the time, he'll come out for a look-see. He's interested in the KX3. I'll have to remember to bring the mic along.

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

QRP-ARCI Fall QSO Party this weekend

2017 QRP-ARCI(sm) Fall QSO Party

Date/Time:
1200Z on 14 October 2017 through 2400Z on 15 October 2017. You may work a maximum of 24 hours of the 36 hour period.

Mode: HF CW only.

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

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

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

Power Multiplier:
>5 Watts = x1
>1 - 5 Watts = x7
>250 mW - 1 Watt = x10
>55 mW - 250 mW = x15
55 mW or less = x20

Suggested Frequencies:
160m1810 kHz
80m3560 kHz
40m7030 kHz (please listen at 7040 kHz for rock bound participants)
20m14060 kHz
15m 21060 kHz
10m28060 kHz

Score:
Final Score = Points (total for all bands) x SPCs (total for all bands) x Power Multiplier.

BONUS POINTS: None available for this contest.

Categories:
Entry may be All-Band, Single Band, High Bands (10m-15m-20m) or Low Bands (40m-80m)

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.

Log Submission:
Submit your entry online at http://www.qrpcontest.com >
Contest logs are not required for entry, but may be requested by the Contest Manager if required.

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked on or before 29 October 2017.

Results: Will be published in QRP Quarterly and shown on the QRP-ARCI website along with qrpcontest.com

Certificates: Will be awarded to the Top 10 Scoring Entrants.

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

Phooey!

Today may well be the "Last Rose of Summer" until Indian Summer arrives, if indeed we get one this year.  It was partly cloudy and warm - near 80F (26C). Over the next few days, the temperatures are supposed to drop and bring weather that is more normal for Autumn.

I was hoping to work W3BBO for a lunch time rag chew.  I thought 40 Meters would do us in good stead; but looking at my RBN spots. Bob, who lives in Erie, PA, may have well been in the skip zone.

I called him a few times without an answer and then called CQ a few times, hoping he would look me up on RBN and try to answer me.  An after action e-mail confirmed that's exactly what he did, but he didn't hear me and if he tried calling me, I didn't hear him. Humbug.

I went up to 30 Meters after a while and didn't hear much there. 20 Meters was way busier, and in the time I had left, I managed to get both DR5E and ON4UN in the log.  Quickie DX QSOs rather than the rag chew I was looking for; but it's better than being skunked.

From the admittedly small sample of times I have used the magloop. compared to the multiple times I have used either the Buddistick or Hamsticks on the Jeep - they seem to be about equal performers in a very preliminary estimation.  It's hard to know for sure, though. I used the Buddistick and Hamsticks when the sunspot cycle was much more favorable. Having success with the magloop now makes me wonder how much better it might have performed when solar conditions were more robust.

Apples and oranges. It always seems to come down to apples and oranges.

On a side note, I got the chance to give Amateur Radio a little PR.  A woman came up to me and asked me what I was doing.  She and her lunch buddies at the next picnic table over were curious. I told her it was Amateur Radio and she looked at me like I had three heads - obviously she had never heard of it before. I asked her to Google (when she got back to her desk) Amateur Radio, hurricane, and Puerto Rico.  There are plenty of positive articles and videos out there that shed good light on our hobby/service.

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

Skunk for lunch

I headed outside again today with the QRP gear, to try some stuff.

1) I wanted to try a different method for tuning the magloop capacitor
2) I wanted to try a little more Reverse Beacon spotting.

Although I made no contacts, I did have success (more than I thought) with the new method of tuning the magloop. Instead of listening for the loudest receive noise with my ears, I keep my eye on the KX3's S-Meter and watch for the most bars.  Once I get there, I tweak very slowly for the loudest receive noise and then use the KX3's SWR Meters for the lowest SWR.  I was surprised how much better and quicker this worked.  It was markedly faster than my older method of just listening. I guess in my old age, the KX3's S-Meter reacts more quickly than my ears do.

The second "experiment" involved sending out CQs with the primary purpose of wondering how RBN would pick me up.  I certainly would have answered any calls, as that would have been icing on the cake, but even though I got no takers, I fulfilled my primary objective.

17 and 20 Meters got me the most distance - no surprise there. 40 Meters got me the most hits.

While it would have been more fun to have actually had a QSO, it wasn't a totally wasted effort. Tomorrow, I'll spend more time actually trying to nail down a QSO.

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