Got stuff done!

This past week was extremely busy at work. So busy, that I didn't even get the chance to do my weekly Friday post about contests and special event stations. And yesterday was busy with chores and errands at home. But today I did get some "me time", and I used it to full advantage.

I got the Jackite stand built, And as promised, here are a couple of pictures.

It's made entirely of 2"PVC. And it is all pressed fit together so I can transport it more easily when broken down. I know it looks kind of flimsy, but the idea here is that this stand's purpose is only to hold the Jackite upright while my hands are free to pound in the tent pegs and secure the CamJams and tie down ropes. Otherise, it's just juggling things and watching them fall down, while doing my best octopus impression. I've ordered a camping stuff it bag to make it easy to transport the parts.

The other thing that I got done was to build the 4 States paddle.

It was a pretty easy build, and it works very well. The only thing that I think I got wrong is that the actual paddle levers are upside down, but I have other commercial paddles where the "ears" point down, so that doesn't bother me and it doesn't adversely affect performance.

This will make for a nice Field Day paddle and I can leave my March and Begali paddles safe at home.  The only pre-Field Day chore that I have left to do Is to e-mail all the newly licensed candidates that we've tested over the past year and invite them to Field Day.

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!

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!

Another resource - QRP Builder

If you haven't heard about it, Ken WA4MNT has a great website QRPBuilder.com. He offers some neat items in kit form. One that has me especially intrigued is his QX1 antenna, which is an alternative to Elecraft's AX1 and AX2 antennas. I'm going to paste in Ken's description of the antenna:

The QX1 Antenna kit, is a small, ultra portable vertical 40m, 20-10m antenna with a male BNC connector and telescoping whip, rated at 20W. It is resonant on the whole 40m band with only a whip length adjustment. With a tuner, can be used on the 20m through 10m.

All the holes are pre-drilled and tapped. Assembly requires winding the coil, a little soldering, and some mechanical assembly. The tools required for assembly are a Phillips screwdriver, forceps or needle nosed pliers, wire cutters, soldering iron, and some rosin core solder. Depending on your experience, it can be assembled in about an hour. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 2.

The BNC Antenna Mount/Adapter kit is a versatile antenna mount with a nylon clamp included. This design allows small BNC terminated antennas to not mount on the output connector of the radio, but rather, with coax, to a more advantageous position. It is ideal for quick setup, field and SOTA operation. We have listed this as a separate kit because, some users already have an antenna like the Elecraft AX-1, MFJ-18xxT series, or similar homebrew antennas that are terminated with a male BNC connector. The strong clamp permits mounting to a apartment or patio railing, picnic table, or even a tree branch. There is a connection point for radials or a counterpoise with captive stainless steel hardware.

Assembly is easy and only the most common tools are needed and a 1/4″ drill. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 1.

I like my AX1, but I sure wish this had come out a few months ago. It's a much more affordable alternative, and with inflation the way it is nowadays, who doesn't need to stretch their $$$ as far as they can?

In addition to this nifty kit, Ken offers paddles, an audio amplifier kit and even a kit that will allow you to use normal earbuds/earphones on a crystal radio. Again, I'm not affiliated with QRP Builder in any way, shape, fashion or form; but when I see a site that offers items that I think you folks may be interested in, I'll showcase them here.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Another problem solved

 I was having a problem with my Bencher Mercury paddle.

The dit paddle was being real finicky. I originally thought it was a dirty contact, so I cleaned it and it would work for a while and then stop. Then I thought maybe I just had the spacing adjusted incorrectly, so I re-adjusted that. It would work for a while, and then stop.

I turned the paddle over and looked at the connections underneath and all seemed well. My frustration level was increasing as I like to use this paddle. I have both this and my Begali Simplex Mono adjusted so that they feel like as close as I can get them to feel like touch paddles. Both are on the bench and I will use either one, depending on my mood at the time. I purchased the Mercury from Len WB2HKK who was selling it from Bart WB2HEK's estate after Bart had become an SK. Bart and I were both members of the Old Bridge Radio Association back in the day, so I like to use it in his honor. But this dit paddle problem was vexing to say the least.

It turned out the problem was my fault. It turned out to be an intermittent at the stereo plug end.

I hate soldering these things! The soldering lugs are so tiny and there's never enough space to keep the connections from interfering with one another, once you put the cover back on. I usually end up stripping off too much wire insulation, leaving too much wire exposed, and then the wires inevitably end up touching one another causing problems.  I figured this out when I ended up taking the cover off, and expanding the space between the connections a bit with my fingers. As long as the cover remained off, the paddle worked fine. When I put the cover back on, it would squeeze the connections together just enough to cause problems. Way back when, when paddles and straight keys connected to rigs with 1/4" plugs this wasn't a problem. There was enough space where I could carefully wrap two of the connections with thin slivers of electrical tape, so even if the connections were squeezed together, there was no electrical contact made.

I knew that some of the old 19" Viewsonic monitors here at work had a 6 foot cable with these type of stereo plugs pre-molded on at both ends. The 19" Viewsonic monitors are being replaced with Lenovo 24" monitors and are being picked up by an e-waste collection agency for recycling. So I dug through the e-waste bin and came up with one of the cables. Thankfully, it was none the worse for wear and brought it home. I cut it in half and replaced the whole cable assembly on the paddle. Works perfectly now and I completed the mission - recycling, W2LJ style! As a bonus, I now I have an extra 3 foot cable on hand should the need ever arise. And yes, I guess you can rightfully call me a garbage picker, now!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least1

Well, you learn something new every day!

I got involved in a discussion on the KX3 Facebook page. A Ham who just recently received his KX3 was telling about how he was not overly enamored with the Elecraft KXPD3 paddles that attach to the transceiver. I had a pair, and I was not thrilled with the action and feel either, and said as much.

I have and much prefer the QRPGuys Single Lever Paddle which I bought a while ago. In fact, I like this little paddle so much that I purchased a second, just to have in case the kit was ever retired. And sure, enough, it has been.

When I purchased mine a few years back, the kit was around $25, give or take a few bucks. It's not the most stylish or elegant looking solution, but I really like the action and feel of this little guy.

I told the poster on Facebook about these (they came single lever or iambic) and suggested that maybe he might find someone willing to sell theirs.

My comment was commented on by Michael Harnage W1MT that they ARE still available from QRPBuilder.com. I didn't even know this company and website existed!  It's run by Ken – WA4MNT, and Karen – KF4EEL. I strongly advise you to check them out as they have neat things for sale as well as a lot of useful information. In particular, my eye landed upon an adapter kit that will allow you to use low Z earbuds with a crystal radio that normally allows only the use of a high Z earphone,

So, indeed, you learn something new everyday and today was a good one. Thank you, Michael!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Not sure if this is even available, anymore.

 This was the paddle I used yesterday for FOBB:

It's made from a Bulldog style paper clip.  I don't remember from where I got it; or even how long ago I acquired it - has to be 10 or more years ago. I always keep it in the portable ops bag in a hard plastic container along with my American Morse "Dirt Cheap" paddle.

This little guy has an amazingly good feel and action to it. You would think that it might get all fouled up once you hit a higher sending speed of say, 25 WPM or so, but no - it remains quite comfortable to use, and it doesn't get stuck and start sending extraneous dits or dahs.. The reason I like to use it when I'm operating from the patio table is that the rim of the table is metal. The base of the paddle is a magnet and when I place it on the table rim - it stays put!

I did a quick search on Google and eBay and couldn't find anyone who seems to be selling these. I'll have to take extra special care of it so that it doesn't get lost or damaged. Who would think that something so simple would work so well?

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!