Getting reaquainted

 I spent yesterday doing two things.

The first was posting results to the Skeeter Hunt Scoreboard, which will be published on Labor Day, September 1st. I didn't do an exact count, but there have to be close to 100 some log summaries that were sent in. If my guesstimate is correct, we're closing in on an 50% participation rate based on the number of Skeeter numbers that were issued.  That would be phenomenal!

The second thing I did was to spend some time in the shack getting reacquainted with my QMX.

I haven't used it much since our trip up to Alexandria Bay last October, when I used it for two POTA activations. I'm an old school "knob and dial" Ham.  Menus are something to be seen at restaurants, not radios. But I did OK for an Old Man.

The trickiest part for me is getting used to the number of pushes of those two main knobs. Depending on how many "clicks" you make - single pushes,, double pushes or even triple pushes - you accomplish different things.

I ended up using the ZM2 tuner instead of the 4 States (which I prefer) because I sheared off one of the BNC connectors. Thanks to the 4 States Group, a replacement is on the way.  The BNC connector is held in place by its solder lugs. I have to come up with a way to add extra stability to that as sometimes my big paws aren't as gentle as they should be.

I was happy that it didn't take long for me to get reaccustomed to my QMX. I made some POTA contacts on 20 Meters during the afternoon and a few on 40 Meters before checking into the St. Max Net at 8:00 PM.

As much as i love my KX3, this little guy amazes me for what it can do in a package about the size of a cigarette pack. It's ideal for POTA activations, and I hope to be doing a lot more of those next Spring and Summer ........ God willing and the creek don't rise.,

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Here we go again!

 

Of course, I live in the red zone. I hope it doesn't take me another 2 & 1/2 hours to get home tonight! The only good thing about this event is that the rain is supposed to occur from this afternoon, into tonight and overnight into tomorrow morning. It's when we get an exorbitant amount of rain in only an hour or two that things get really wacky. 

The good thing about this system is, that once through, it will pull along behind it some drier and cooler air. We've been in the 90s since Sunday and this has been one of the hottest summers that I can remember in a long time. We had a bunch like this when I was a kid, but I was better equipped to handle it then.  Even when I was in my 20s and 30s, I would think going out for a long bicycle ride in the 90s was "no big deal".

I'd probably keel over if I tried something like that now. Growing old is not for sissies!

The weekend outlook is looking very nice. Maybe on Sunday, I can pull out the QMX and my K6ARK EFRW and play a little radio from the patio table in the back yard, instead of confining myself to my basement shack. Admittedly, I still have not used my QMX enough for it to become second nature to me. Looks like Sunday might be a chance for a learning opportunity - maybe even at Washington Rock State Park for a POTA activation? Hmmmm?

I love the QMX for its size and portability - but menus drive me nuts! I need a lot more time behind the wheel before "comfort zone" and "second nature" happen. The downside of being a fossil ... being more comfortable with mechanical knobs, buttons and switches.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

On The Road Again!

Pretty soon, Marianne and I will be making our annual Summer sojourn up to Lake George. We've been going up there very year since 2003 - 22 years now - wow!

What to bring with me Ham Radio wise?

I'm thinking the KX3 and just the AX1. The antenna worked so well for me when we went up to Alexandria Bay last October. I'm fully confident that it will do well again for me as I activate Adirondack State Park for POTA again this year.

Why not the QMX? I could, but I know the KX3 like the back of my hand and it's an old familiar friend. I'm such a creature of habit that I'm seriously thinking of divesting myself of the QMX. It's the 80- 20 Meter version, was not used much and is in excellent shape, both cosmetically and electronically.. It's really redundant to my needs, so if you're interested, or know of someone who might be, I'll let it go at a very reasonable price. Just drop me a line at w2ljqrp@gmail.com

It's a fantastic little rig, but I'm not one of these guys that needs a radio for each finger of both hands. You can use only one at a time, right?

One other last Field Day thought. My batteries! Bravo ......superb job, batteries!  I used my 12Ah lithium battery and I loaned my 12Ah SLA to Bill W2AOF for his KX3. Both lasted for the entire Field Day effort, allowing the KX3's to deliver a full 5 Watts out for the duration.

They are still in my ammo box in the baxk of the Jeep. I'll have to bring them inside tonight and hook them up to my smart charger.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

QRP Labs QMX SSB Beta release

 You can now add SSB to your QMX or QMX+ via a beta firmware update released yesterday by QRP Labs.

For all the details, please go to https://qrp-labs.com/qmxp/ssbbeta

Personally, I'll pass; but I'm sure there's a lot of you who have been patiently waiting for this.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

QMX pack is lighter now.

I ditched the "AA" lithium batteries for another of the exact same battery that I use with the KX3. (Boy, did it drop in price since I last purchased one!) I mentioned before of having to make an adapter from 3.5mm to 2.1mm for the QMX and it came out fine. I couldn't just change the plug outright because it's used not only to power out, but also to charge the battery. So I took what I needed from an older one that bulged and cobbled together what I needed.

And I also acquired a smaller key that I first saw on Craig WB3GCK's blog:

Craig had some issues with getting used to the action on his, and I assume the action on mine is identical to his - but I'm fine with the stiffer feel. I adjusted the contact spacing to the point where I was getting continuous dis and dahs and then backed off a 1/2 turn with the Allen wrench. I like the feel of this much better than the other paddle that I had used in Upstate NY. The Morse I was sending from my two POTA activations in NY was atrocious and embarrassing, in my own estimation. This stiffer spring pressure allows me to send with less errors. When the tension is soft, I get sloppy. To make sure, I plugged this little guy into my shack KX3, turned off the VOX to essentially turn the KX3 into a code practice oscillator and was able to send Morse comfortably at up to 25 WPM with no extra dits or dahs. I can show my face on the bands again!

Here's a video from YouTube that i found about the paddle.

'I disagree with him on several points, but like he said - it's his opinion. I think it's a great little portable ops paddle, the price was right, and I think it will hold up well -it's not like i'm going to be using is 365 days a year.. The magnet on the bottom of mine seems to be on very securely - I'm going to disagree with his "F" for mounting. And I stated above, what was most important to me was the feel.

I've got a VE session this morning, followed by grocery shopping. I'm hoping that maybe I can get away for an hour or two to activate either the Edison Memorial or perhaps the Washington-Rochambeau Trail, which is a lot closer to my house.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Maps a lot

No. Not the Monty Python musical Spamalot - this is Maps a Lot. A comparison of RBN Maps vs. QSO maps from my POTA Activations last week. Just to see if and how they differ.

First - Keewaydin State Park, US-2088:

The Reverse Beacon Network Map

Actual QSO Map including the Alaska QSO

Closer look at just the Continental US QSOs

And now Kring Point State Park, US-2091:

The Reverse Beacon Network Map

The QSO Map

The QSO maps (courtesy of Log Analyzer 3.2 by DL4MFM) pretty much gibe with the skimmer maps, just as you'd expect. There are some discrepancies, though. From Keewaydin, I made it to Alaska, a bit farther than the skimmer in the Canadian North West that picked me up. Also, the RBN map didn't show me as getting out to the South West, but I did have a QSO with Oklahoma.

The RBN Map for Kring Point had no skimmers in the Western US pick me up, but yet I had a QSO with California. And I had a QSO with Arkansas, where the RBN map showed no skimmers picking me up. But even with the discrepancies, the Reverse Beacon Network is a great tool which allows you to get an idea of how your RF is getting out.

 

Just for reference, I was located in NY State right at the border with Canada, pretty much opposite of Ottawa. The RBN Maps are showing my signals as originating from my home QTH in New Jersey, so there's a bit of inaccuracy there.  The QSO maps show the origination point accurately. I think RBM goes by your call sign info, not where you're actually located at the time.0

Lesson learned from all this? You're definitely getting out and being heard to where the skimmers can capture you, and if your snr figures are in double digits- probably a lot farther.

A week later and I'm still astounded that the AX1 table top antenna completed QSOs with Alaska and California. As Craig WB3GCK says, "It defies logic."

Final thought - with all this geomagnetic activity happening right now, I'll bet the Northern Lights are quite pretty up in Alexandria Bay. Sigh. Seems I'm always a day late and a dollar short.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I guess I learned a few things about my POTA setup and a few changes that need to be made.

First, these battery packs I am currently using don't last long at all. I've decided to purchase another of the small blue lithium packs like I use with the KX3. The only problem there is that I will have to build an adapter cable as they come with a 3.5mm plug, while the QMX uses a 2.1mm plug. I have plenty of 2.1mm plugs and I have an old battery that bulged and is no longer usable. I'll scavenge the 3.5mm charging socket off of that, solder on a 2.1mm plug and I'll have the adapter cable I'll need.

Second, I'm not thrilled with the paddle I had recently purchased.  I'm having a hard time adjusting it to the feel that I want, and as I was putting it back into the QMX bag yesterday after the Kring Point activation, a small nut dropped out of it and landed on the picnic tabel - not good. I still have a Whiterook single lever paddle kicking around somewhere and I also have the Bulldog Clip key. I can use either one of those. My American Morse DCP paddle will remain exclusively with the KX3.

Lastly, I have not fallen in love with the QMX to the point to replace my KX3 with it. For POTA activations, it's great because you generally find a clear frequency, call "CQ POTA" and don't move around too much. The KX3 is way more easier to tune. For general operating, and for hunting and pouncing in Sprints the KX3 is the way to go. Plus the KX3 gives me access to bands that the QMX does not. The QMX will be my "in the car, operate at the spur of a moment" rig. The KX3 will remain the weapon of choice for serious operating. 

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

OK, I'm sold!

Yesterday was a rainy day, and Marianne and I vegged out for most of the day. The skies started clearing out in the late afternoon:

And we were rewarded with yet another beautiful sunset a few hours later:

This morning dawned sunny, bright and a tad on the chilly side. After breakfast and a few stops, Marianne and I headed out to Kring Point State Park, US-2091 for the second activation of our wedding anniversary getaway.

This time, I did not bring the AlexLoop along, only the Elecraft AX1. I was impressed by its performance on Tuesday and I was not to be disappointed this time, either!

Here are some photos that Marianne took of me doing the POTA thing:

And here are some photos that I took of the setup:

We arrived at the park at about 11:00 (15:00 UTC) and stopped at the Park Ranger booth only to be told that the picnic area was closed for renovation and construction, but that we were free to drive around and look at the park. That's when Marianne noticed quite a few vacant campsites that sure enough had picnic tables! So we stopped at campsite #12 and I headed off to the picnic bench while Marianne did some exploring,

I was set up by15:25 UTC, spotted myself on the POTA app and after calling CQ POTA on 14.062 MHz, I was immediately greeted by Hunters. I didn't want to stay too long as today is actually our anniversary and I didn't think it was polite and proper for Marianne to be bored out of her skull.

I quickly racked up another 14 QSOs in just 32 minutes and I pulled the plug when my batteries started going wonky. More about that in a minute. QSOs were made with New Jersey (NY to NJ on 20 Meters - strange!), WI, a Park to Park with WA9LEY at US-7256 in IL, SC, CA, GA, OH, VA, NC and AR.

The performance from this little antenna just blows my mind. As Craig WB3GCK said to me, "It defies all logic.", but there you have it, the proof is in the pudding. The AX1 will be my go to whenever I activate picnic table portable, The RBN map wasn't as impressive as Tuesday's but the snr figures were very nice! There was not a single skimmer that picked me up with a single digit snr report.

Regarding the batteries. I made sure they were fully charged and they did not last at all. That's probably due to the fact that they've been sitting in the shack for years without being used. I'll have to go to eBay to pick up some fresh ones or perhaps something else that will last a bit longer, but is still small enough to fit in my QMX bag.

Thanks to all the Hunters who worked me this week! My activations were not long or filled with triple digit QSO numbers, but they are valid activations and I had a lot of fun!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Success!

Around 10:00 this morning, Marianne looked at me and said, "So you want to go to one of those parks you were talking about?" Of course, I didn't miss a heartbeat and answered in the affirmative, so I placed the gear in the Jeep and we headed off for Keewaydin State Park, US-2088, which only a few miles down the road.

We drove to the lot where people park their boat trailers. Right next to it was a children's playground, a community pool and a very nice pavillion with plenty of picnic tables. The pavillion is all wooden, so no Faraday Cage syndrome.

I began by setting up the AlexLoop. It doesn't take long and I was on the air a few minutes before 11:00 AM - 15:00 UTC. At first, the calls came easy as I worked to really loud N9 stations out of Indiana. But after those two contacts I was calling "CQ POTA" a lot with little to show for it, and I was starting to worry that this was going to turn into a busted activation.

That's when I decided to break out the AX1, From previous posts you all know I've had mixed results and have been ........skeptical about its ability. I have to adnit that once I swithed over, the QSOs just started rolling in, one right after another! I worked stations in Virginia, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio. I worked NL7V who according to QRZ is in Alaska, but I have to believe he was down here in the lower 48 somewhere on vacation. I didn't catch the state when he sent it. Alaska would be a dream QSO!

I didn't want to stay too long, as Marianne has no interest in Amateur Radio whatsoever. In just over a little over an hour, I made 14 contacts which is nothibg as far as POTA activations go, but still it counts as a valid activation.

The good news is that Marianne has agreed to accompany me to Krings Point State park later this week. The bad news is that since I only brought my aging Samsung tablet with me (and no laptop) my log submissions will have to wait a few days. My tablet doesn't have the display format size required to display the log upload page.

Here's the Reverse Beacon Network report for the day:

As you can see, the snr dB figures are pretty good for QRP. This AX1 is starting to turn me into a beleiver!

The rest of the day was spent doing things that Marianne had an interest in, and it turned out to be a very nice day. As we headed out to dinner this evening, we were rewarded with another gorgeous sunset.

Perfect ending to a great Amateur Radio day!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP = When you care to send the very least!

More Experimentation

We made it up here! We arrived yesterday at Alexandria Bay, NY - the land (or water) of big ships and spectacular sunsets.

Those cargo ships travel up and down the St. Lawrence Seaway, carrying tonnage betwwen the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. And as you can see, the sunsets are breathtaking.

This afternoon, while Marianne took a nap, I set up the QMX and the AlexLoop on our balcony, overlooking the river. 20 Meters was a snap. I was able to get a good enough match quite easily, which kept the QMX happy. I even figured out how to get my pre-programmed messages to transmit, and I called CQ several times, just to see where the Reverse Beacon Network would pick me up, I was happy wiiith the result:

The locations of the spotters was great and the s/n db ratios were pretty darn good too. I had double digit s/n figures for a lot of the spots, indicating that I would have been heard by Hams near those skimmers.

On the other hand, 40 and 30 Meters were disappointments. I could not tune either band in well enough to keep the QMX happy. The procedure is to tune the Alex Loop's capacitor for loudest band noise. Once you do that, you're normally close enough for a decent match, No go on both 40 and 30 Meters, No matter what I did, the QMX's SWR circuitry kicked in and the unit refused to generate RF.

Luckily, the QMX is happy with the AX1, as I have previously successfully tried. That and the Buddistick will have to be the mainplayers for 40 Meters if I get the chance to do some POTAing later this week. Of course, if I decide to stick to 20 Meters solely, the Alex Loop is a more than viable alternative.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Interesting

I saw this on the QRP 14.060 MHz page on Facebook. It's a POTA/SOTA setup by Vasil LZ1WF. I like the enclosure he fabricated for his QMX. I am assuming he built the kit. and designed his own enclosure which is really nice. He has a very nice little portable station!

These qualify as the QRP Image(s) of the Day!

Now for something completely different.

I recently purchased an OTC hearing aid from Nebroo, from an ad they ran online. These are supposedly different from other OTC hearing aids as they are not just sound amplifiers. They tout that these have a chip in them which will allow you to filter out background noise in various settings to allow you to hear voces better. They were delivered on Sunday and so far, they are much better than another pair that I had purchased. These are a stop gap measure as I am saving towards prescription hearing aids, which are mucho expensivo.

Anyway, I wore the one in my left ear (my right ear is so bad that no OTC hearing aid is going to help) during the St. Max Net on Sunday evening and used over the ear headphones instead of my usual earbuds. What a difference! I was able to hear everyone so clearly, I almost forgot what effortless hearing was like! They're very comfortable, too. These are the "in ear" type instead of the "over the ear" kind.

After the net, I went down to the CW portion of the 40 Meter band. I was able to turn the KX3's AF level down towards the lower end of its range instead of the upper end. That was nice, really nice. An additional nice thing is that don't give me any feedback whine like my other ones did.

I'm not running a commercial here, just a happy customer. My Mom always said to me, "Larry, don't get old!",  and I always used to answer, "Ma, there's not much I can do about it!". I wish I had had hearing protection back when I used to photograph concerts for Six Flags when I was a PR photographer in the late 70's. It wasn't a "thing" back then. I'm paying for it now.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Happy first day of Autumn

For those of you who love the season, that is. For me, it's an occasion to symbolically shed a tear for Summer. I'm not into falling leaves or pumpkin spiced coffee, although I do love pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving. Autumn for me is juat a harbinger of what is to come ....Winter. Yuck!  Give me Spring or Summer any day of the week. Shortly, I'll be back in three layer season - long Tee, golf shirt and sweat shirt on top of it all.

I mention all this because I am hoping to spend some time this afternoon at the patio table with the QMX and the AX1. A little more experimentation. However, when I went outside this morning to take some trash and recycling to their respective receptacles, I noticed it was downright chilly! When I came back inside, the console of my weather station reported that it was 60F. Not cold by any means, but it was accompanied by a breeze that made it feel colder than reality. And these earlier sunsets are a bane to my happiness as well.

So I may have to don a sweatshirt when I sit outside later today. I didn't get on the air yesterday, just too many things got in the way. I'm hoping to see how the QMX, 4 States tuner and the AX1 play together to see if they provide a usable possibility when Marianne and I head for Upstate NY. I will also have the AlexLoop, Buddistick and the KM4CFT EFRW along for the ride, but if the AX1 gives me some decent results, that would be an option for picnic table operating from the state parks up there.

I'll let you know how it went.

Question for my fellow QRPers. As I was not able to sit down behind a radio yesterday .... was there any QRP Afield activity to speak of? Let me know in the comments, please!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Productive weekend

It was busy, but at the same time productive. Saturday started off with the monthly ETS of NJ VE Session. We had three candidates and only three VEs. I can't tell you the last time that happened as the number of VEs that show up usually way outnumbers the candidates! In fact, I was sweating it out for a while worrying that I would have to tell the candidates that for lack of VEs, they'd have to go home.. Fortunately, a third showed up and we were fine.

We brought one new Tech into the fold and another Tech upgraded to General. The third candidate walked away with nothing, which was extremely disappointing to both him and us. He was a Tech who let his license lapse in 2012. He took the exam and I don't know if it was a case of overconfidence or if he just hurried too fast through the last 10 - 15 questions. He was going great guns, but in that last set of questions, he got enough wrong to put him two over.

I hate when that happens! I offered him the chance to take another version, but he declined. Hopefully, we'll see him again next month after a bit more study. He was so close, I'd hate to see him give up in disgust!

The rest of Saturday was spent doing house chores as on Sunday morning, we had a guest arrive for a visit for this week:

My sister and brother-in-law went down to the Jersey Shore for the week and the AirBnB they are staying at does not allow pets, so Jessie (Harold's "cousin", and also a rescue) has come to stay with us for the week. She took an immediate liking to our son, Joseph as you can see in the photo. She's a good girl, very quiet and very friendly - she loves to be held. A real Momma's girl. She's a demon with her food, though! I put the kibble she eats in her bowl and all I did was blink and it was gone! LOL! Maybe my sister should have named her Hoover!

That reminds me of a story. When I was young, one of the first "real" jobs I had (not working at my Dad's store) was working at a camera store. If you've ever worked retail, you know that when it comes to lunch and eating - you eat fast; or you don't eat at all. It got to be such a bad habit, that when I was eating a meal at home, my Mom would always say, "Larry, take human bites!"

Anyway, getting back on track, in between grocery shopping and cleaning, I did manage to get down to the shack to sneak in a few POTA stations. Geomagnetic activity was quite high on Saturday with the K index getting up to 5 for a bit, but I still managed to work a couple, even though signals were down in the mud.

On Sunday, I finally managed to do something that I've been wanting to do the past few weekends. I finally got the chance to try out my KM4CFT EFRW antenna. I wanted to give it a workout before I put the heat shrink over the UNUN circuit board. Again, due to a prior obligation in the afternoon, I only got a few hours in, but I have to say that I am pleased with its performance.

For starters I called CQ on both 40 and 20 Meters - about maybe a 1/2 dozen times on each band, just to see where the Reverse Beacon Network would pick me up:

Not too shabby! Not the greatest signal strengths on 20 Meters, but I was having a hard time getting the Emtech ZM-2's red LED to go out. So later in the afternoon, I switched it out for my 4 States NM0S tuner.

This little guy worked like a champ! I was able to get the red LED to go out completely and the green LED to glow like there was no tomorrow. I promptly worked several POTA stations, including Dan KB6NU - fellow blogger, who you see on the blog roll to the right so often.

I think I'm going to have to open and inspect the connections inside the ZM-2. as it has always worked reliably for me in the past. Even so, this was the tuner I keep in the shack for when I fire up my HW-8. I may purchase another of these to keep in the QMX bag. And speaking of the QMX, I'm getting to the point where it's becoming more routine to operate without having to pause to think what do I have to press in order to............... It's slowly becoming second nature but I still have a ways to go.

I was happy with the KM4CFT, and I was happy with the 4 States tuner and the QMX. Like I said, it was a productive weekend.

Last thing - something I saw on Facebook on the EFHW Antenna page that was posted by K4IVN. I am guessing he fabricated this via his 3D printer:

This will hold his UNUN and at the same time it has a spool for the wire of his EFHW or EFRW. How neat is this? I don't know if he fabricated a cover to keep the UNUN safe from the elements, but I'm guessing he either has, or will do do.  

Another project for me - to make one of those daisy wire spools like the ones Dave KD2FSI made for me so I can better store the KM4CFT EFRW.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Mixed day

Yesterday was a mixed day. I was happy because I did get to the car at lunchtime and made a POTA contact on 20 Meters with WS4Y at US-1873 in Florida. That was nice. Then, up the band a ways, I heard NV4H in New Mexico. re-tuned the ZM-2 until the red LED went out, as per the instructions, but for some reason, I still got a high SWR warning on the QMX and it went into self-protection mode and would not transmit. I still have a lot of "getting used to" with the QMX ahead of me. I guess I've been spoiled by how easy the KX3 is to use..

When I got home, I was saddened to learn of the passing of two people:

Ed Kranepool was my hero Met when I was a kid. He is the only player who played for the team for his entire career. He was very good first baseman and later in his career, a pinch hitter par exelance. He was a National League All Star in 1965 and was a member of the 1969 World Championship team. To me, he was Mr. Met. I got to meet him in the 90's at a baseball card show and got his autograph on a Major League baseball. He was quite the gentleman.

The other person whose passing away touched me is James Earl Jones.

This clip, from Field of Dreams, is one of my absolute favorites. The world will remember him as the voice of Darth Vader and the voice of CNN, but to me, James Earl Jones will always be Terence Mann, delivering perhaps the finest soliloquy about baseball that I've ever heard.

RIP Eddie and James - I hope you get to meet each other on the Field of Dreams.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Weekend - Sept. 7th & 8th 2024

Contests - so you know what's going on while you're trying to find space to call CQ this weekend. "#$&^@ Contesters!"

All Asian DX Contest, Phone  -https://www.jarl.org/English/4_Library/A-4-3_Contests/2024AA_rule.htm

CWOps CW Open - https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/cw-open/

Wake-Up! QRP Sprint -  http://qrp.ru/contest/wakeup/333-wakeup-eng

IARU Region 1 Field Day, SSB -  https://www.darc.de/der-club/referate/conteste/iaru-region-1-fieldday/en/

AGCW Straight Key Party - https://www.agcw.de/contest/htp/htp-en/

PODXS 070 Club Jay Hudak Memorial 80m Sprint - http://www.podxs070.com/o7o-club-sponsored-contests/jay-hudak-memorial-80m-sprint (for those of you who will ask, "What are these digital signals doing on 80?")

North American Sprint, CW - https://ncjweb.com/Sprint-Rules.pdf

4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf

Special Event Stations:

08/31/2024 | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival Special Event Station

Aug 31-Sep 7, 1323Z-1323Z, K9A, Auburn, IN. Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association. 40 Meters : 7.180MHz 20 Meters : 14.250MHz 10 Meters: 28.350 MHz. Certificate & QSL. Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association, P.O. Box 145, Auburn, IN 46706-0145. www.w9ou.org

09/07/2024 | Commemorating the Danbury Railway Museum's 30th Anniversary and First Responders Day

Sep 7, 1400Z-2000Z, W2MNR/W1QI, Danbury, CT. Metro-North Railroad Amateur Radio Association (W2MNR) and Candlewood Amateur Radio Association (W1QI). 7.235 14.235; other frequencies as conditions permit. Certificate. PDF certificate, available on , request. www.cararadioclub.org

09/07/2024 | Route 66 On The Air

Sep 7-Sep 15, 0700Z-1559Z, W6Q, Brookfield, IL. Citrus Belt Amateur Radio. 28.366 14.266 146.970 443.300. QSL. Mike Huedepohl, 3532 Raymond Ave., Brookfield, IL 60513. We will be operating HF, CW. SSB,FT8 and FM. w6jbt.org

09/07/2024 | Route 66 on the Air

Sep 7-Sep 15, 0000Z-2359Z, K9ONA, Brookfield, IL. Six Meter Club of Chicago. 28.366. QSL. Mike Huedepohl, 3532 Raymond Ave., Brookfield, IL 60513. https://www.k9ona.com

09/08/2024 | 9-11 Remembering Our Heroes

Sep 8-Sep 12, 0000Z-0000Z, K4A, Cordova, AL. Alabama Contest Group/WA1FCN. 7040 14040 21040 28040 . Certificate & QSL. Robert Sarnecki NF7D, 591 Deer Run RD, Alabaster 35007, OT. Certificate for 3 QSOs on 3 bands any mode/band combination. wa1fcn@charter.net or https://alabamacontestgroup.org

09/08/2024 | Blue Ridge Bonanza

Sep 8, 1300Z-2100Z, W4CA, Roanoke, VA. Roanoke Valley Amateur Radio Club. 7.265 14.265. QSL. Roanoke Valley ARC, P.O. Box 2002, Roanoke, VA 24009. Multiple stations and frequencies, 20 and 40 meters, along the Blue Ridge Parkway. See website for frequencies and QSL card information. https://blueridgebonanza.info

Today would have been a good day to play hooky from work and head down to Sandy Hook. The newest addition to the US Navy, the attack submarine USS New Jersey (SSN-796) was scheduled to sail within 100 yards of the shoreline as she makes her way to Naval Weapons Station Earle for her commissioning. She was christened back in 2021, but has been undergoing sea trials since. Today will be her official call to report to duty,

Photo courtesy of Mario KD2HPF - You can see NYC in the background and the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge all the way to the left, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn.

Of course, Ham Alert was chirping on my phone all morning as NJ2BB, the battleship USS New Jersey was on the air to mark the occasion. As you can see on the official insignia, the SSN-796 pays homage to BB-62, as well as to General Washington as he crossed the Delaware into NJ to take on the Hessians at Trenton.  (Don't mess with New Jersey, my friends!) NJ2BB was on 15 and 10 Meters - 10 Meter groundwave just might have been possible! W2LJ was stuck at work when he really didn't want to be. LOL!

Anyway, as a result of missing out and with the prognosticators predicting a gorgeous week next week, I will be bringing the QMX with me to work next week. I will park in the outside lot and will spend lunch hours with the QMX hooked up to the Buddistick mag-mounted to the Jeep's roof. I need to get more comfortable in setting it up and tearing it down, as well as operating it.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

I've got to put some more effort into the AX1

After reading Craig WB3GCK's blog post, and reading comments from Brian KB9BVN on Facebook and his blog, I've decided I've got to spend more time getting used to (I was going to say "playing around with") my Elecraft AX1 antenna.

My results with it so far, the few times I've used it, have been 50/50. Sometimes it seems to work great, and other times I just end up with a whole bag of frustration.

Tom K4SWL had a great blog post and video of using the AX1 with the Emtech ZM-2 tuner. I'll have to give that a shot. I don't know .......I mentioned to Craig that I seem to have an innate "wire ... the higher, the better" antenna bias. I think the times the AX1 has disappointed me has caused me to consider it more of a last resort kind of thing. 

I think this calls for a few evenings of operating from the patio table in the backyard. Actual QSOs and perhaps a few sessions of calling CQ and seeing where the Reverse Beacon Network picks me up. I can kill two birds with one stone and use the time to also get even more familiar with the QMX. I have not even attempted programming the keyer messages yet. It took me long enough how to figure out changing bands and setting up the display and the VFO! I guess I just need to take baby steps.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Haven't done this in a while

 QRP Image of the Day, by Hans Terlouw PA1ALV: - as found on the POTA page in Facebook:

This is a very personal opinion, and I know a lot of people would disagree, but to me this is the heart and soul of POTA. Going out to a park with equipment that you can carry in a small case or backpack, setting up and operating and having fun. In no way am I knocking those who go out with very elaborate setups and with 100 Watt rigs (or higher) - if that's your thing, then by all means, keep on doing what you're doing. Whatever gives you joy.

In that vein, I started populating my LowePro backpack last night. So far, I have the QMX, two battery packs (very much akin to what Hans has in the photo), the charger, my Emtech ZM-2 tuner, and a couple of 3 foot coax jumpers packed away.

I still have to decide which paddle I am going to include, and I'll probably pick up a new set of earbuds. I plan to store those in a small plastic Hefty food storage container with a a few other miscellaneous necessities - a few BNC to PL-259 adapters, some wire ties and a multi-purpose tool.  From eBay, I ordered another small digital travel alarm ($4), so I don't have to keep raiding the KX3 backpack. I wish Radio Shack was still around so I could buy another like the one I have in the KX3 backpack, but if wishes were nickels, I'd be a rich man!

This is pretty much life-size. It's very small.

In another inside pocket, which is meant for carrying a laptop or tablet, I put a 25' length of RG-8X and I attached the 41' radiator and the 17' counterpoise to the KM4CFT 9:1 UNUN kit that I assembled. I want to try out that antenna some time this coming weekend, just to make sure I assembled the UNUN correctly. The last thing to go in there will be a notepad and a pen for logging.

This is what I plan to take when Marianne and I head back up to Alexandria Bay later this year. There are two state parks that I would like to try and activate while we are there.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Older things repurposed

When I got my KX3 so many moons ago, I needed something to store it in for taking it along on portable ops. At the time TJ W0EA had posted a YouTube video extolling the virtues of the LowePro 150 Traveler camera backpack. From the beginning it worked very well, but I soon accumulated enough "stuff" to outgrow its usefulness. Thus, it sat languishing in my computer room. It was too good to dispose, but I also had no use for it ........until now

This bag/backpack will be the prefect solution to carry the QMX, two battery packs and their charger, the Emtech ZM-2 tuner, a couple of coax jumpers, a set of earbuds, a paddle and the KM4CFT EFRW and a 25' roll of coax. Those dividers are configurable to any way that suits my need the best. An added bonus is that it will hardly take up any space in the car.  I'm glad I didn't get rid of it.

The photo above is just a random internet photo of the pack. I'll take a photo of mine when I have it configured the way I want and  have it filled. 

And now, for something completely different. (Shades of Monty Python) Yesterday was the annual ETS of NJ picnic:

It was a beautiful day, you could not ask for better weather for an event like this. Turnout was a little bit lower than expected due to a couple members coming down with COVID. Of course, at this point, COVID has mutated to where it's just another variant of the common cold, but it was gracious of those infected to be thinking enough about the rest of us so as to not spread it around. We're going to be coming upon some really hot weather again this week and having a cold in the summer heat is just miserable.

As I stated, the weather was gorgeous, the food was outstanding and the company most enjoyable. Eric WA2EGE at the far right set up the club's Kenwood TS-2000 and was running FT8. Our President, Vic K2NBC (small hidden guy, back row, center) , brought along his Yeasu FT-891 and a Chameleon antenna (I think it might have been the MPAS) and was running 20 Meter SSB.

I stuck the QMX in my pants pocket and brought it along for "Show and Tell". It would have been nice to have had everything in the LowePro to "set up shop" as it were, but I didn't even think of that until after we got back home.

Another case of W2LJ being slow on the uptake! Hi Hi!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

It is alive!

The little QMX is alive!

I hooked it up to the W3EDP yesterday (I did not switch out antennas like I planned - kinda long story that I won't go into here) through both my Emtech ZM-2 Z-match tuner and my 4 States QRP Tuner and I worked five POTA activations.

K9DXA - Harry, who hasn't competed in the Skeeter Hunt in a few years, he used to be a regular.

WT2P

N3T

K9RDO

WG8X - a two-fer!

It was pretty easy to get into the habit of using a manual tuner again. The only thing I had to look up was the "In/Out" switch on the 4 States tuner. Last time I used it was with my HW-8 and I forgot that "In" meant tune and "Out" meant operate. Common sense, really, but at the moment I wanted to be sure. I didn't want to kill a brand new rig over my forgetfulness/stupidity.

In any case, I had no trouble being heard and I worked all but one station without any repeats. Even there I got a decent RST, there just must have been a pileup on his end.

It's going to be neat having this little guy. I have a couple ideas for putting together a dedicated go-bag and keeping this bad boy in the car for possible spur-of-the-moment operating sessions. I may even start parking in the outside parking lot at work again!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Last night

I spent some more time with Skeeter Hunt results, and then it occurred to me. Instead of sending acknowledgements as I post results to  the Scoreboard spreadsheet one by one, I should go through all the e-mails NOW and send acknowledgements. This takes the guess work out of the equation for the Skeeters. So now I can truly say, if you didn't get an acknowledging e-mail from me, I didn't get your log summary.

Thirteen years of doing this, you would have thought this would have occurred to me sooner! Some times I can be so perceptive and on top of things and other times I can be as thick as a brick! Sometimes I get so used to doing what I've been doing that I block out other possibilities for doing things better. Last night I became my own "auto-acknowledgement" tool!

After that, I went down to the shack and opened up the package that I received yesterday from QRP Labs.

When I was down in the shack the other day, I stumbled upon the lithium batteries and holders that I used to use with my PFR-3A. I had them stored away in a few plastic containers. So I took them out and charged up the batteries and changed the connector from the size that the PFR-3A and the KX3 use, to the smaller diameter connector that the QMX uses. Three of the batteries give me 12.1 Volts fully charged, which then drops to just under 12 Volts under load. Perfect for the QMX. I have more batteries and another holder, so I can have two battery packs ready to go whenever I need them. That dummy battery that you see in the 4th position is a wooden dowel with a thumb tack on each end, with a wire going from tack to tack to provide connectivity. Four batteries would produce too high a voltage.

One thing I noticed about the batteries. Of course, just like about everything else, these were manufactured in China. They work fine, but the brand name - "UltraFire". For a lithium battery, I think a better name could have been chosen.

Before I get to the subject of the QMX, you also see a paddle that I just recently purchased. It's a single lever paddle made by CW Morse LLC. 

I found it on eBay after a search on "morse code paddles" that I do from time to time, just to see what's out there. It was $39, and I love single lever paddles and didn't have one for portable ops, so I indulged. It arrived on Monday, but I had to dig up a cable for it, as it didn't come with one. I connected it to the KX3 last night, which I took out of VOX mode so I could use it as a code practice oscillator. I have to tell you, this little guy has a very good feel to it! I was able to adjust the spacing very close, as that's how I like it, and I was able to send code nice and easy! If you're looking for paddles for portable ops, I would recommend that you at least take a look at https://cwmorse.us/. I think you'd be as pleased as I am.

Getting to the QMX. There's going to be a learning curve here. I can tell you I love this little radio already, but it's not quite what I'm used to. After I turned it no, I found out that it was set for 80 Meters. It took me a while to figure out how to change bands. Once I figured out how to get to 40 Meters, I hooked it up to my W3EDP and started tuning around. 

At first, i thought I broke the radio somehow. I could only get it to tune in 10 kHz steps. 7.000 to 7.010 to 7.020 to 7.030 MHz, etc. I couldn't figure out how to get to tune in smaller steps. Then I discovered that you have to go into the menu, go to "VFO Settings" and you have to enable the smaller steps. Wow! Never had to do that on a radio before! I also had to go into the settings to enable the S-Meter, SWR Meter and the Battery Level icon to be displayed. Whew!

It's going to take this fossil a bit of time to master this radio, but once I am there, this is going to be grand! The batteries, the radio, my Emtech ZM-2 tuner and an EFRW will fit into a daypack so easily! I just may start going out at lunchtime to start operating from the Jeep with the Buddisitck again!

I printed out the manual - it's over 100 pages long and I also downloaded the pdf file to my phone. Like I said, I've got a lot of learning to do, but the fun is in the journey as well as the destination. I just hope I don't do anything stupid to accidentally damage it. That would kill me!

72 de Larry W2LLJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!