Every now and then

something happens that just makes your day!

I got an e-mail from Andre WI9AJR asking me to check out Page 83 of December QST.  Well, as a Lifemember and part of a captive audience, it seems like just about every Ham I know gets their QST before I do!  So I did the next best thing - I checked out the online digital edition and this is what I saw:

Two Skeeter Hunters, Andre WI9AJR and his son Etienne WI9EJR both passed their Extra exam upgrade on the same day. Father and son Extras !!! How cool is that? The fact that Etienne is wearing a NJQRP Skeeter Hunt t-shirt is just icing on the cake.

Way to go guys! Congratulations and I look forward to hearing you in the 2020 Hunt next August!

In the same edition, were the 2019 Field Day results. As I expected, NJ2SP wasn't quite up to snuff this year - but still, we had a respectable score.

A few of us came down with some kind of stomach thing and we were definitely not up to our "A Game". 2020 will be different - just wait until next year!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

JOTA was kind of a bust.

This past Saturday, an intrepid few from the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club, and a few friends, set up in Putnam Park in town. Our goal was to get local Scouts from town to come and work other Scouts as part of Jamboree On The Air 2019.

As it turned out, no Scouts showed up.  I guess, once again, our second attempt at this fell short. We (actually Drew W2OU) DID speak to some Scouts up at the Watchung Reservation via the W2LI 2 Meter repeater. So in that regard we were successful, but we were really hoping to provide some Scout to Scout QSOs.  That's where the magic happens.

Drew W2OU talking with Scouts on the W2LI repeater while Bill W2AOF, Dave KD2FSI and Bill KC2PLO observe.

Bill W2AOF brought the VHF/UHF gear and I brought my KX3 and the PAR END FEDZ. Bob WB2UDC brought his K1 and that Elecraft AX1 antenna.

Bill W2AOF programming the W2LI and other JOTA frequencies into his VHF/UHF rig.

WB2UDC's K1 with the AX1 antenna attached.

I have to admit when this antenna was first introduced by Elecraft that I was very skeptical as to how it could perform. And I remained skeptical when Bob brought it and placed it on his K1.  But then I worked ON6VL with the KX3 and the PAR, which was hoisted up into a tree.

The PAR END FEZ in a nearby tree - you can see the coax going to the matchbox pretty clearly.

About five minutes later, Bob also worked him with that "thing" sticking off the back of his rig! I guess I'm too stubborn to see how that little bitty antenna is effective as an everyday QRP antenna. It goes against all those times the mantra of "Get up as much wire as high as you can" was driven into my skull. But I have to admit - it did work!  Bob even contacted a German station with it a bit later. So, OK ....... I'm still not buying one. The PAR and the KX3 got me a few more German as well as a few NY QSO Party contacts, so I was happy that everything worked the way it was supposed to.

Dave KD2FSI brought his HF/VHF/UHF rig along with his high power PAR and a VHF/UHF J-pole antenna, so we had that at our disposal, also.

Dave KD2FSI's set up.

We also had Marty WB2BEW show up with an old Swan rig. It was a friend's and he wanted to see if it still worked. He hooked it up to my PAR (I told him he had to limit power so as not to burn up the PAR's matchbox) and he was still able to make contacts - so he was pleased as punch!

 That's Marty WB2BEW to the front, right making QSOs with the Swan.

With regard to meeting up with and hanging out with friends, making a few QSOs, having some pizza for lunch and generally having a good time - the day was a HUGE success. With regard to reaching our JOTA goal of getting South Plainfield Scouts on the air and exposing them to Amateur Radio - not so much. The fact that it was a pretty chilly and at times, breezy day didn't help matters much. My hands were cold all day. I can't possibly see how Bill W2AOF and Dave KD2FSI were comfortable in just shirt sleeves. They both must have hot coffee running through their veins!

We've had great success at Camporees and at the recent JerseyJam, and I very much want to continue presenting at those kind of large scale events.  But I am tempted to bring up at our next club meeting that unless WE are invited by the local troops to give an Amateur Radio demonstration, that I think we're pretty much spinning our wheels inviting them and hoping against hope that someone will show up.

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

Mt. Allamuchy

Our (the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club) day at the Mount Allamuchy Scout Reserve for Jersey Jam 2019 was very successful. A good day was had by SPARC members, the Scouts, and their leaders. I hope we can do this again next year, should there be a Jersey Jam 2020.

The day started on the brisk side. Marv K2VHW, Chris N0CC, Wayne N2LRE and I caravanned  the hour ride up to the reservation, after loading up essential gear from our SPARC meeting place. When we left South Plainfield, it was probably around 44F (6C). When we arrived at our destination, it was 37F (3C), and you could tell there had been frost on the ground overnight.

Dave KD2FSI, who lives only 17 miles away, had already been there and had set up most of his equipment. He had an HF/VHF/UHF station going with his big batteries in attendance, running 100 Watts. In addition, he set up his portable man pack station, as well as his satellite station and his Alex loop for demonstration purposes. It was an impressive sight to say the least; and I saw no point in setting up a QRP station. We would have been in such close proximity that I probably would have been blanked out on receive and the day was for demonstrating Amateur Radio, not operating QRP,

The Scout Reservation has its own Ham Shack and WW2BSA was on the air, making contacts at the other end of the venue. This was a great opportunity, as we were able to put Scouts on the air, allowing them to talk to WW2BSA from the field using VHf/UHF handhelds.  Scouts visiting the Ham shack got a chance to talk to Scouts at out field and visa-versa. There was a shuttle bus that ran back and forth between sites, so we encouraged the Scouts at our set up to go and visit WW2BSA.

Dave KD2FSI's main HF antenna, a 20 Meter Buddipole type, was working its magic. We were able to demonstrate HF contesting to the Scouts as SPARC members took turns working a lot of station from the California QSO party, which ran yesterday. To demonstrate working DX, we were able to make contacts with Slovakia, Norway, and Hawaii to name a few.

Even with the sunspot total down in the dumps, it's amazing who you can work with a good antenna and some patience and determination.

But once again, the hit of the day was the Morse Code demonstration area. Marv K2VHW brought along a code practice oscillator, a bug and a paddle, and I supplied one of my straight keys. The kids were fascinated by the set up. This area of our booth seemed to be almost constantly occupied, and Marv and I took turn explaining the history of Morse Code and how it evolved over time from land line telegraphy to CW in Amateur Radio.

Another facet of the hobby which interested both the kids and the adults was Dave's satellite antenna.

Although the station was set up more for looking at, rather than trying to work an actual satellite, both the kids and adults were fascinated when they found out that with a Technician  license they could communicate with not only the many Amateur Radio satellites orbiting the Earth, but the International Space Station as well.

All in all, it was a fantastic day, getting the chance to spread the news about Amateur Radio to people who probably had no idea of what was available to them. At 5:00 PM, we tore our display down and headed home, tired and hungry, but satisfied that we had accomplished our mission for the day. Thanks go out to the Scouts, Chris WW2BSA, Bill W2AOF, Marv K2VHW, Harry KC2PGX, Wayne N2LRE, Chris N0CC and of course to our "Main Man" Dave KD2FSI for another successful venture.

Now ....... on to Jamboree on the Air in two weeks!

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

Cool beans!

I've mentioned before that the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club is headed up to North Jersey this coming Saturday to demonstrate "The Ham Radio Experience" at the Mt. Allamuchy Scout Reservation at the 2019 Jersey Jam.

It just so happens that Tim W3ATB's "Leaf Peepers QRP Contest" is the same day. (Click on the event name for a link to the rules.) What a happy coincidence!  As long as I have to be on the radio demonstrating Morse Code, with a QRP contest in progress there may be a chance for these young people to see and hear what CW radiosport sounds like.  Hopefully, there will be a decent amount of activity, rather than me putting out long strings of CQs.

There will be enough of us there so that another SPARC member will be able to explain radio contesting in general, and maybe CW radio contesting specifically. During the lulls in the ebb and flow of Scouts coming by to visit, this will also keep me occupied - a win/win situation!

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

Autumnal Equinox

A day that I always dread.

Today is the first day of Autumn in the Northern hemisphere - the Vernal Equinox in the Southern hemisphere. Happy Spring to all of you South of the Equator!

Personally, the first day of Autumn is heralded by just about everyone I know, as they look forward to cool, crisp temperatures, the pretty colors of changing trees, and the change of seasons.

For me, Autumn means less daylight and the fact that Winter follows. Looking for the silver lining, at least 160 and 80 Meter band conditions will get better as the season progresses. Always have to look at the bright side, right?

I confess was remiss in my blogging duties. I failed to mention the NJ QSO Party was this past Saturday. I did not get the chance to participate as I had too many house chores to accomplish. After doing those, I was too pooped to pop.  On Saturday there was also a Scouting event in town, which would have been a good opportunity to once again "show off" Amateur Radio to the local Scout troops. My chores precluded that. too.

However, on Saturday, October 5th, the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club will be participating in "The Jersey Jam" which is a gathering of several hundred Scouts in Northern New Jersey at Waterloo Village, which is not all that far away from the Delaware Water Gap. We're supposed to be there, demonstrating the hobby from about 9:00 Am until 5:00 PM that day. Travel time is about an hour each way, so that will be a long day - no time for house chores that day!  Coincidentally, the FISTS Fall Slow Speed Sprint and the SKCC QSO Party are that day, so maybe I'll be able to log a lot of CW activity while explaining to the Scouts what's going on. Morse Code always seems to be a big draw.

Two weeks later is JOTA. Once again, we're going to be set up in a local park in town. Hopefully, we'll have some Scouts drop by this year and make some contacts. :Last year, all we ended up doing was providing contacts to other sites that had Scouts on the radio. That was fun, but not as fulfilling as having local Scouts drop by our site. We need to do a better job advertising this and getting the information out. Need to speak with our PIO about this - we need to get this into the two local news outlets.

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

Outstanding !!!

So far, I have received over 70 e-mails with Skeeter Hunt log summaries, soapbox comments and photos. That's close to a third of the people who asked to be assigned a Skeeter number; and is definitely a record so far. The deadline for submitting log summaries is September 1st at 11:59 PM EDT. After that, log summaries will still be accepted, but will appear as a footnote as far as official standings go..

To be honest with you all, right now I'm just concentrating on tabulating results, and am kind of glossing over soapbox comments and photos. Except for this one, which caught my eye and gave me what has probably been the biggest smile this stubbly old mug has seen in years. Since it will eventually be published in the 2019 Skeeter Hunt Soapbox Comments section of the webpage, I am going to share it early. Not only does it deserve special attention, but it also makes the effort behind the Skeeter Hunt so worthwhile.

Good evening,

Since he’s in bed and has school in the morning, I’m submitting Etienne’s logs (WI9EJR; #144) on his behalf. Since we only have one radio, we ultimately decided to run a single op station, so I won’t be submitting logs (WI9AJR; #143). Logs are attached in CSV format. I’ve never submitted contest logs before, so if another format is preferred, let me know.

I’ve attached two photos, one of Etienne helping raise Rick's (NK9G) antenna which was in the same general vicinity as our station. And another of Etienne’s station, including the logo sign we hung from the EZ-up.

Summary:
Etienne - WI9EJR - WI 
Skeeter# 144 - All SSB , Single Op 
Skeeter QSOs - 1 
Non-Skeeter QRP QSOs - 1 
Non-Skeeter QRO QSOs - 6 
S/P/Cs - 7 
Station Class Multiplier X3 
Logo Photo Bonus - 100 points

Soapbox:

This was Etienne’s first contest, other than Field Day (“it’s not a contest!”), so why not make it SSB on QRP in the worst possible propagation? We headed over to Sheridan Park in Milwaukee, overlooking Lake Michigan (in the photo background), near the popular Oak Leaf Trail pathway. Rick (NK9G), as usual, took us under his wing, loaned us a longer dipole than we usually use, and helped us get it up high up into the trees. We hooked it up to our KX3, and let Etienne go to town.

Etienne alternated the four hours between calling CQ and hunting around on 20m. The bands started pretty quiet, with him being able to hear a few people but not much ability to be heard. Strangely, his first contact was a QRP station in North Carolina, with both sides hearing each other really clearly. Later in the day Europe started coming in, but Etienne either wasn’t getting back them or just couldn’t break through the pile ups. Finally, by the end of the contest things opened up to the western US, but 20m was so full that it was hard for him to be heard.

All in all, it was a good day to spend some time out in the park and for him to play on the radio. QRP with phone is a tough racket, so hopefully he’ll learn Morse sooner than later. And for those wondering, he’s eleven, just started sixth grade. He got his General last summer when we started ham radio.

An outstanding effort by this young man!  QRP SSB can be a tough go; and has caused many a person much older than Etienne to throw up their hands and toss in the towel. However, he stuck with it (under particularly crummy band conditions) and made a good number of contacts.  His perseverance and determination are to be admired. These qualities will serve him well as he travels through middle school, high school and college.

Kudos to Etienne,  and kudos to his Dad, Andre WI9AJR and to Rick NK9G for being outstanding mentors.  Amateur Radio needs a lot more like these two fine men.  I don't know Andre that well; but I do know Rick as an active and particularly excellent QRP'er. Now, I also know him as a particularly fine mentor.

If stuff like this doesn't bring a smile to your face, then I don't know what will!

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

BSA Camporee

This coming Saturday is the Boy Scouts of America Camporee. In our area, The Raritan Valley District Fall Camporee is going to be taking place at Sandy Hook, NJ, This is the part of NJ that juts out and forms a land barrier between the Raritan Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

We.re going to set up on the North Beach Observation Deck around 9:00 AM and hope to get busy making contacts from 10:00 AM to about 4:00 PM.

I will be bringing my portable ops backpack with the various antennas that are packed in that, as well as the magloop.  There will be no hard set presentation, just us guys from SPARC making contacts and yakking up Amateur Radio with any of the youngsters that may come by and show an interest.

It's supposed to be sunny with a high temp of 71F (21C), so it should be a nice day to be outdoors. I am not sure at this point whether I will be operating under W2LJ or NJ2SP. I will spot our operations on QRPSPOTS, so if you hear us, give us a call.

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

QSX Transceiver

Hans Summers and QRP Labs have updated the Website with information on the new QSX transceiver.

http://www.qrp-labs.com/qsx.html

This is really exciting; as it could open HF to a whole new generation - especially those who are into building, making, experimenting. You know ....... Amateur Radio like it used to be. AND most important, it will be affordable. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to youth events, and the youngsters get all enthused about the prospect of getting their license, only to hear what rigs go for, and you can see their disappointment.

"How much will QSX cost?

We aren't sure exactly yet. It is expected to be somewhere in the region of $75 or the 40m single-band version. Addition of the 10-band filter module and the anodized black aluminium enclosure should take it to around $150 in total. These are ballpark figures and subject to change."

$150 ????  Mow a Summer's (no pun intended) worth of lawns, do some baby sitting and that can be within practical reach for a teenager!

• Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology with standalone Digital Signal Processing (DSP), no PC required
• Very high performance 24-bit Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and 24-bit Digital to Analog Converter (DAC)
• 40m (single band) or 160-10m (10-band, including 60m) versions available
• Modes: SSB, CW, AM, FM, PSK31, RTTY, WSPR beacon
• Power output: 10W from 13.8V supply (power output is adjustable by the firmware)
• Single power supply needed, 12V to 14V
• USB host interface and connector, for USB keyboard to allow PC-less operation on PSK31 and RTTY
• USB device interface and connector, for PC CAT Control
• QSX can appear to a PC as a high performance 24-bit USB sound card and radio - for digital modes from a PC e.g. FT8
• Built-in CW IAMBIC keyer (or straight keying also possible) with raised-cosine key-envelope shaping
• DSP features (selectable sharp filters, AGC, Speech Compression, Noise Reduction etc.)
• Dual microphone inputs (mobile phone headset with VOX, or RJ45 connector for Kenwood/Yaesu mics)
• Dual VFO (A/B/Split), frequency and message memories
• Through-hole assembly only
• Built-in test equipment features for alignment, debugging and general purpose use
• Detailed assembly manual
• Macro facility for user defined sequences of operations, or redefinition of controls
• Front panel: 16 x 2 LCD (yellow/green backlight), 2 rotary encoders, 4 buttons, mic/earphones socket
• Soft-power on/off switch, the radio saves its state automatically on switch off, so that it starts up in the same state next time
• Free firmware updates for life, very simple firmware update procedure via a USB memory stick

Availability is not expected until November - maybe. But even so, this is still very exciting news. If the quality of the QSX is anything like the QCX - and I have no doubt that it will be - this transceiver WILL be the next big thing!

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

New offerings

The heat wave across the United States sizzles - and it must have something to do with QRP kits, because they're coming forth like rabbits!

First, from the 4 Sates QRP Group - The Murania

This is an AM Broadcast band radio - just like we used to have back in the 50s and 60s.  Remember when you used to have one of these? We'd sneak them to bed with us and listen to ball games or Jean Shepherd K2ORS on WWOR Radio out of New York City.

It's described as perfect for the 1st time kit builder. The price is a modest $35. This would be a great kit for youngsters or scouts, because unlike a lot of Amateur Radio kits - this is something that can be used immediately after they've finished building it.  The details are at http://4sqrp.com/Murania.php

The other offering is a Simple RF Probe Kit from the QRPGuys:

Coming in at $10 - this is a great item to have on your workbench for troubleshooting RF circuits. No RF output?  Go back to the beginning stages and see where the output stops. Trouble has to be there! For details - https://qrpguys.com/qrpguys-simple-rf-probe

You can always get one of these to have on hand if you have trouble with your Muriana - although, like most 4 States kits, I doubt you'll encounter any problems.

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

Another evening - another demo

Admittedly, my appearances on the HF bands have been pretty much nil, lately. But as I have mentioned before, that does not mean my life has been a void, Amateur Radio-wise.

Last night we gave another Amateur Radio "demo" to Boy Scout Troop 125 right here in South Plainfield, NJ.  It's a small troop of only about a half dozen scouts; but they seemed to take to the presentation given by Dave KD2FSI and Harry KC2PGX and Marv K2VHW.

There were two "hits", as far as the reaction of the Scouts seemed to indicate. The first was when Dave produced his Go Kit.  The concept that a small HF radio, a battery and a wire antenna tossed into a bush or tree could get you talking around the world from the middle of nowhere seemed to interest them to no end. Of course, you would think that portable operations and Boy Scouting would go "hand in glove" wouldn't you?  And yet this seems to be something that's not promoted enough. Sure, there's JOTA and all that; but can you imagine a serious effort to integrate Scouting and SOTA - or even Scouting and POTA?

The other big hit was, once again, Morse Code. Not exactly sure why, but the code just seems to have a certain "wow factor" that impresses the heck out of youngsters. They eagerly ran up to the table where the keys and oscillator were so that they could play with the straight keys, the bug and paddles that we brought to show them. And they were duly impressed when they heard and saw Morse Code being transmitted on 40 Meters. Dave had Fldigi (I think that was what he was running) on his laptop and it was decoding the Morse as it was being sent.

So, how does one get a feel for whether or not the presentation was a success?  Two or three Boy Scouts asking if we could offer a class seemed to be a big indicator. Personally, I would love to hold a Tech course just for kids and Scouts in general, both boys and girls.

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

Maker's Day

Yesterday was New Jersey Maker's Day, and I previously mentioned, the local venue was the John F. Kennedy Library in Piscataway, NJ. The South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club was asked to participate, and we came up with a plan, and did. Participate ......that is.

The plan was to acquire 20 Simple Morse Code Practice Oscillator Kits from the 4 States QRP Group and to make them available free of charge, to any youngster of reasonable age who was willing to build one (with parental approval, of course). This was to be a totally mentored project, with a SPARC member sitting one on one with the builder, guiding them through the entire process. Our goal was to teach basic kit building and soldering skills, perhaps a little electronics theory and work in some interest in Amateur Radio in the process.

The kits were acquired through donations from a local business and the Boyle Family Education Foundation, a local concern that donates to causes that further the education of local youth. SPARC members provided the tools, the soldering stations, the know how and the passion for passing on knowledge and love for our great hobby onto a younger generation.  From past experience, we knew that kids are fascinated with Morse Code - simply because it's different. That's why we picked the 4 States QRP Group kit. It had a small number of components, it's easy to build in a relatively short amount of time, and it left each builder with a memento of the day.

To say the day was a rousing success would be an understatement. Our section was one of the most popular and the most visited. We were right up there with the robotics display.  In addition to the actual kit building, Dave KD2FSI had his rig set up to a 24 inch monitor and had his laptop running a program (Fldigi, I think) that was decoding actual Morse Code being sent on the air. Dave set up his AlexLoop and was monitoring the BERU contest on 40 Meters. Kids and adults alike got a kick out of seeing the code made understandable for them, live and real time.

We had a reception table where SPARC members took requests for kit builds and there was plenty of ARRL material about Amateur Radio available to anyone who wanted it. Our Section Manager, Rob Roschewsk KA2PBT came down for the morning and even served as a mentor for a kit build.

Even though the kit was a simple, through hole build, we allotted an hour for each. We took into consideration that the youngsters would probably have no soldering experience and that learning how to solder would be part of the process. We had four stations set up, so we planned to get four kits assembled per hour, with five hourly time slots to fill up the day.

From start to finish, everything went very well. There was a small glitch in that a number of the kits were missing some screws, but a quick run to Home Depot by yours truly took care of that situation. The ratio of kits that worked right off the bat to those that needed some TLC was about 50/50. In one incident, a transistor was soldered in backwards, in another the battery contacts were reversed. The code practice oscillator was rugged enough to withstand these mishaps, and once corrected, they buzzed away, quite happily.  There were of course, the expected cold solder joints and those were corrected, my failing eyesight notwithstanding. The number of solder connections on each circuit board was low enough so that when I had to, touching up every solder connection in a kit took less than a minute.

As we were breaking down and cleaning up at 4:00 PM, the person from the library responsible for putting on Maker's Day came by and told us how pleased she was with our participation.  Not only were we invited to come back next year, but we were also asked about the possibility of running a Technician Licensing Class some time later this year, at the library.

So all in all, Amateur Radio had a nice showing at Maker's Day. Our next project is to make ourselves available at a Boy Scout Merit Badge Fair in April. And the beat about spreading the word about Amateur Radio goes on!

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