Iowa is in the books!!

Thanks to Jerry W0PWE, K6JSS/0 and the state of Iowa is in the books. I saw where he announced on QRPSPOTS that he was going to be QRV on 20 Meters. After my less than stellar luck on 40 Meters, I decided to high tail my kiester to the shack, PRONTO.

What a difference the right band makes!  Jerry was loud into NJ.  569 to almost 579 loud on the Butternut HF9V.  Jerry answered me on my first call and gave me a 559 in turn.  I was a very happy camper,to say the least.

So far, it seems all the states have done a wonderful job airing the K6JSS callsign given the resources at hand.  I only hope that when it is New Jersey's turn in the batter's box, that we make our state proud.

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

Flight of the Bumblebees - 2011

The Flight of the Bumblebees is one of my favorite outdoor QRP events of the entire year.  Usually, around May 1st, Bee numbers begin to be handed out.  This year, there seemed to be an uneasy silence about FOBB 2011.

So, I fired off an e-mail to Chris K6DBG asking him what was up and if there was any way I could help?  He replied that the Adventure Radio Society was looking for someone to take over as Contest Manager for FOBB this year, and would I be interested?

Not looking before I leaped, I said, "Yes" and the rest, as they say, is history. (Lord, what have I done?)

This year's Flight of the Bumblebees will be held on Sunday July 31st. You can find all the pertinent information at:

http://adventure-radio.org/wiki/index.php?title=Flight_of_the_Bumblebees

If you want a Bee number, please send an e-mail to w2lj@verizon.net 

All I ask is that you please "bee" patient with me if I don't answer your e-mails immediately; or you don't see updates to the roster as soon as you think you might.  I give you my solemn promise that I will do the best that I can.

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

Don't forget

Thia coming weekend, besides it being the "unofficial start of Summer", there are two good QRP Sprints occuring:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QRP ARCI Hoot Owl Sprint (CW) ... QRP Contest!
May 29, 2000 to 2400 LOCAL TIME
Rules: http://www.qrparci.org/content/view/1518/118/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michigan QRP Memorial Day Sprint (CW) ... QRP Contest!
May 30, 2300z to May 31, 0300z
Rules: http://www.qsl.net/miqrpclub/contest.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

K6JSS/0

K6JSS is in Iowa this week.  I tried working Terry WA0ITP both last night and tonight; but so far - no joy.  Terry's been plenty loud - 339 to 449.  Not booming in but loud enough for a basic QSO.

The problem, once again, is me.  I don't seem to be making it to the other end.  Sometimes, I fall into that trap that because I can hear a station I want to work, I assume they can hear me also.

This may end up being another case where I'm too close for 20 Meters; but too far for 40 Meters.  30 Meters might end up being the proper band.  Problem is, I don't get to choose the band!

Keeping my fingers crossed!

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

I think shaking the dead chicken worked

About a month ago, Thunderbird stopped working for me.  It received e-mails fine; but for the life of me, it wouldn't send one.  I kept getting a timeout error when it attempted to hook up to my ISP's outgoing mail server.

I tried changing settings, downloading the newest version - everything I could think of.  Nothing.  So for the past few weeks, I have been using Verizon's Yahoo page for looking at my e-mails.

Today, just for the heck of it, I sent myself a "test" e-mail, using Thunderbird.  It worked!  Thunderbird is now working with the Verizon outgoing server again - something healed itself.

Or perhaps it was the dead chicken that I shook at the computer?

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

One last photo ...........

That someone had sent me of the display at Hamvention.

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

QRP ARCI awards at FDIM

As per the QRP ARCI Website, a detailed report will be published later.

There were no new inductees to the QRP Hall Of Fame this year.

Three people were included on the QRP Honor Roll -

QRP Honor Roll - Norm Schklar, WA4ZXV

QRP Honor Roll  - Steve Fletcher, G4GXL

QRP Honor Roll -  Terry Fletcher, WA0ITP

Three people received the QRP Merit Award -

WG0AT - "the goat man" - QRP award

AA4XX - QRP award

W3FPR - QRP award

The raffle was won by -

John Kunz, N8MCA, Dayton, OH - Elecraft K3

Chuck Nolin, WA6LTV - Flex 1500 Transceiver

Major draw prizes were won by -

W9UX - Begali Contour paddle

W4IM - Begali HST

N9WO - Buddipole Vertical Antenna

WA3JAT - TenTec 4020 Transceiver

KD0FRT - MFJ 9200 Transceiver

W0IMI - MFJ 266 Antenna Analyzer

ZL1AWR - Palm Key Paddle Package

There were approximately 50 other prizes. QRP ARCI is grateful to all companies who made prize donations - a full acknowledgement will be made in due course.

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

No streaming of the QRP Banquet

Darn!

As per Ken Evans W4DU, president of the QRP ARCI, due to technical difficulties, there will be no streaming of the FDIM QRP Banquet this year.

I really enjoyed it last year, especially the announcement of the new inductees into the QRP Hall of Fame.

I really have to try and get out to Dayton next year.  The kids are getting older, maybe next year will be the charm.

Now, down to the shack for a bit.

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

And now for something completely different

After all this talk of the KX3 and new technology, this appeared as Friday's "Pluggers" comic strip.  It struck a chord:

Thank you, Gary Brookins and comics.com !!!

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

Thanks to Jeff KE9V

Many thanks to Jeff KE9V for supplying the KX3 photos and some commentary that he has shared with me.

I love Amateur Radio ....... I really, really do.

But you gotta admit, this non-Ham technology stuff is cool too (although it could never take the place of Ham Radio for me)!  Here I am, sitting at my dining room table, typing away on my WiFi compatible laptop.  At the same time, Jeff and I are trading e-mails as he uses his iPad in Dayton.

We definitely take too much for granted these days.  100 years ago - heck ..... 50 years ago, this would have all been considered "magic".

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

Double wow!

I just watched Wayne Burdick give a presentation of the KX3 courtesy of some streaming Dayton video from Steve G4GXL.



This radio is even more impressive than the still photos could ever convey!

Imagine having a little K3 out in the field with you.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get every feature available, but I'm pretty sure I'd be happy with the basic radio and the built in tuner.

As some others have said, Elecraft has hit another home run and has raised the bar, once again!

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

I am starting to save for one of these ..... today!

WOW !!!!!!

Thanks to Jeff KE9V for the photos.  

I want one of these!  I am going to start saving now; and as availability gets closer (end of the year?) you just might see my K1 being offered up for sale.  I never thought I'd ever think that possible; but for one of these?  Definitely!

Drool, drool, drool, drool ...........

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Favorite QSLs

I got my old Canon scanner working with this HP Laptop.  It will only work with Windows XP, so it has lost its place connected to the big family computer, which is running Vista.  So, from time to time, I will post some of my favorite QSL cards.  This is the one that earned me the QRP-ARCI "1,000 Miles per Watt" award. In reality, it worked out to be 1,191 miles per Watt.  I worked Jeff V73GJ back in February of 2004.  If memory serves me (and sometimes that's iffy!), at that time I only had my K1, the K2 wouldn't be finished until that July.  I was putting 5 Watts into the Butternut HF9V.  I got a 559.  As I recall, Jeff was using a K2/100 and was about a 569/579 here.  The QSO was on 21.050 MHz.

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

K6JSS/8

In honor of Dayton Hamvention, K6JSS has been operating from the great state of Ohio this week.  By the looks and comments on QRPSPOTS, operation so far this week has been on the sparse side.

It was no surprise then, that when Mike N8IUP got on the air tonight as K6JSS/8, that he immediately faced a pileup of determined QRPers.  I joined the fray and finally made it into the log after about a half hour or so of trying.  He did come back to me earlier and asked for "W?LJ" but someone came on top of me and took my spot.  No matter, a few QSOs later, I was in the log.

Jeff Davis KE9V promised to send a photo of the new K3/KX1 if he will be able to get anywhere near it.  He said that the QRP community at FDIM is abuzz with the news.  Depending on how much this new guy costs, I just might be tempted to sell my K1 and my PFR-3A to raise funds to buy one.  If I do, it won't be for a while.  As much as I LOVE Elecraft equipment, they have a little bit of a history supplying new products right out of the gate.  I wouldn't want to sell my K1 and PFR-3A to finance a new Elecraft rig, only to have it arrive AFTER the summer QRP season is over.

If I'm going to do this; and that's highly speculative at this point, I'd wait until the initial order tsunami has petered itself out.

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

New at Dayton

Posted by the Elecraft folk on the QRP mail lists:

KX3: Ultra-compact K3/KX1 hybrid; 160-6 m, 10/100 W, all-mode, 32-bit   DSP/SDR, 1.5 lbs.

Dimensions: 3.5"H x 7.4"W x 1.7"D -- a bit larger in all dimensions  than a KX1.

(By the way, I'd like to thank everyone on the list who's sent us   suggestions for a next-generation portable over the years. Many great ideas!)

73,
Wayne
N6KR

Details will be posted to the Elecraft Website this weekend.

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

Godspeed!

To all of you fortunate enough to be heading out to Dayton and FDIM, my best wishes for a safe journey there and back.  May your trip be filled with good times and pleasant memories.

 
Maybe next year ......... (sigh!)

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

Thank God for the WARC bands!

Sometimes you want to get on the air and have a nice casual rag chew.  It can be difficult sometimes in the midst of a contest.  Personally, I have nothing against contests and contesters; but there are times one can be "not in the mood".  This seemed to be the case for R7AX, tonight on 20 Meters. This has to be one of the first, if not the first time I have ever heard a DX station send "NO TEST" to stations calling him.

Thank God for the WARC bands!  If you are a rag chewer by choice, then you have a haven during contest weekends.  I switched over to 17 Meters for a bit and had a QSO with Pat F6GCP who was a very loud 589 in NJ.  The QSO wasn't what you'd consider to be a marathon; but it was a bit more than just "5NN TU" and goodbye.

Conditions on 20 Meters were strange.  Bob AJ4SM and I had to strain with QSB and changing band conditions to complete our QSO - Florida to NJ.  A few minutes later, I was working European stations with no sweat and good reports on the very same band.

This is the reason I have high esteem for the folks who understand this propagation stuff better than I do.

Today was the monthly Polar Bear outdoor QRP event.  I had intended to put my newly assigned #283 to good use from the local park.  However, my wife reminded me that our son's Boy Scout Troop was holding their annual car wash today.  So I spent most of the day washing other folk's cars.  It was a good day for fundraising and we managed to gather $192 for his troop, which will probably go towards new tents or a camping trip this summer.

I did make sure to have the VHF/UHF handheld secured to my belt.  It was turned on and was monitoring the local repeater.  Several of the boys seemed curious and interested; so I started explaining about Amateur Radio.

I think some seeds have been planted.

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

Driving you buggy

On AmateurRadio.com, another venue where this blog shows iself, a comment was left by Ernest, AA1IK with regard to my posting about WB9LPU's new bugs:

Ah-dunno-Larry! It seems to me the last thing this ham world needs is another bug on the air.


Didididididididididididididididid - DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh,dididididididididiidi-Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah -  ddidididi,


When I hear stuff like this I shut the rig off and play my clarinet!


Charter member of the Dead Bug Society! I can hear it now! 'There are lots of good bub ops out there, sure there are!


Ernest does have a point, and I sure as heck won't deny it.  You will run into guys who use a bug badly, and it can be painful to listen to.  At times like those, I 'd be right next to Ernest, playing the clarinet. But since I don't know how to play the clarinet - the bad bug fists would probably sound better!  But in all seriousness, it's not the bug that causes the bad sounding fist.  It's the fist that causes the bad sounding fist.  If you learn the proper technique and then work at it, there is positively no reason that a bug fist should sound any different than a keyer and paddles or a good straight key fist.

Rich WB9LPU goes out of his way to eliminate those variables in his designs.  He responded thusly:

Hi, Ernest


I couldn't agree more with you about the pain of hearing (let alone trying to copy) bad bug sending.


Ever since I began designing bugs, my goal was to keep them from sounding like typical bugs - using features like independent control of dot duration and dot spacing. You are welcome to search YouTube to hear a variety of bugs from my workshop.  It is very difficult to hear the "bug signature" or the "Lake Erie swing" in any of them - they do sound like straight keys (well handled, I hope).


But I do wish that I could play the clarinet!


So to borrow a cliche' - bugs don't cause swing ... people cause swing.  Used correctly, bugs ARE sweet to listen to; and I've heard a number to excellent fists who just happened to be bug users.  Just wish mine was one of them!

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

Heaven!

If you're a CW op and like to use bugs, that is!

Richard Meiss WB9LPU posted to the Brasspounders Yahoo Group two new bugs.  The BB-7 and the GoBug.  The GoBug has got my radar beeping full blast!  I can imagine taking this guy to the field:




And the BB-7 is a work of beauty! The wood base is gorgeous and I'm sure like all of Rich's creations, is a joy to use.



Just think - if I didn't just purchase that new lawn mower .....

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

Now that's not something that happens everyday

In my 30+ year Ham career, I think this may be only the second or third time that this has ever happened.  I had a QSO with a Maritime Mobile station.

I was listening around the QRP watering hole on 20 Meters, when I heard a pretty loud station calling CQ. I answered and had a short QSO with Oleg UR5FA/MM who was running QRP also.  He was using a Yaesu FT817 at 5 Watts to a Windom antenna.  He was a good 569/579 and I received a 559 in return.

He gave his location as FL97.  A quick look at the Maidenhead locator available at the ARRL Website allowed me to see where that is - in the North Atlantic, about 1/3 of the way between Florida and North Africa.  Talk about a ground plane!

The picture above was provided by the program DX Atlas, and according to the ARRL Maidenhead locator, FL97 appears to be towards the eastern edge of the grid.

Now that's just something that doesn't happen every day!  Not only did I get to work a Maritime Mobile station; but he was also a QRP Maritime Mobile station.  How cool is that?

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

QRP can't be beat!

Remember me telling you about my buddy who moved into the Senior's apartment?  How he and I were both kind of fearing that his Ham Radio days might not be over, but might be significantly curtailed?

Needless worries on both our parts, as it turns out - and that, my friends, is mighty good news!  For sure, his situation is not as ideal as when he was in his own house; but as I often say, "We have to make do with the cards we are dealt". So my heart gladdened when I received the following report in an e-mail the other day.

"I made 25 contacts yesterday and worked all the states in W7 land.  I still need Maine and Vermont to finish off W1 land and will be looking for those today.  So far, 20 states  and 13 countries worked from my "noisy" apartment, via QRP."

 
Proof positive that you should never, ever underestimate the power of QRP and the resourcefulness of an eager Ham who is willing to exploit it!  For where there's a will, there's a way and you only need a few Watts  to do it with.

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

Ahhhhhh .... Summer time!

No, it's not here YET.  Heck, it hasn't been nearly warm enough to even feel like late Spring, let alone Summer.  But the following QRP event, of which I was reminded of by Brian KB9BVN, always speaks to me as the beginning of Summer.  It's the annual QRP-ARCI Hootowl Sprint, which takes place every Memorial Day weekend - and it's only three weekends away!

DATE/TIME:

8pm to Midnight LOCAL TIME on 29 May 2011.

OBJECTIVE:

To test your ability to make contacts late into the evening local time.

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:

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

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

BONUS POINTS:

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

CATEGORIES:

Entry may be All-Band, Single Band, High Bands (10m-15m-20m) or Low Bands (40m-80m-160m)

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:

Email Submission:  Submit Logs in plain text format along with a summary stating your Callsign, Entry Category, Actual Power and Station Description along with score calculation to contest@qrparci.org

Snail mail Submission:  Submit Logs along with a summary stating your Callsign, Entry Category, Actual Power and Station Description along with score calculation to:

ARCI Hoot Owl Sprint
c/o Jeff Hetherington, VA3JFF
139 Elizabeth St. W.
Welland, Ontario
Canada  L3C 4M3

Deadline:

Entries must be postmarked on or before 30 June 2011.


RESULTS:

Will be published in QRP Quarterly and shown on the QRP-ARCI website.

CERTIFICATES:

Will be awarded to the top scoring entrant in each category, as well as the top scoring entrants from each State, Province and Country. Certificates may be awarded for 2nd and 3rd place if entries are
sufficient in a category.

I got a certificate one year for top NJ entry.  That was a surprise and the very first certificate I was ever awarded for participating in a CW contest.  Maybe that's why this one is so near and dear; or maybe it's just because this Sprint is just so much darned fun!

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

35th Anniversary

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Tuna Tin II, QRPME Kits is offering an updated version.  No toroids on this one, so for those of you who might suffer from toroid-windophobia, this one is a must.

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

KØK in the log!

Jim W4QO as KØK,  was working stations coming at him with savvy and finesse.  I made it into his log at 0234 UTC with a 579 report.  Here's some video of Jim going at it after we made contact. Conditions on 40 Meters was great - low background noise and loud signals!

By the way, you might notice that this video looks a bit cleaner and sharper than ones I've previously posted.  Our old Polaroid digital camera was stolen recently.  Marianne's and my birthday fall within two days of each other, so this year we "gave each other" a new digital camera.  This was taken with a Kodak EasyShare C195 that we purchased on sale at Target.  We're very pleased with it so far.

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

Did anybody see this?

First off .....  Wow!  I seemed to have touched a nerve with the Vanity Callsign renewal fee post from last night.  I've only one more thing to say about that.  Glad to see you're out there, reading!  Sometimes you wonder when you do an undertaking such as this.

Secondly ...... was it just me that seemed to miss this?

I saw this for the first time in the "What's new?" column of May CQ magazine.  Usually, when a new QRP rig is introduced there's a big hoopla, fanfare and general buzz on the QRP mailing lists and blogs.  Did I miss all that; or did I fall asleep at the wheel?

Or is it the reputation that MFJ has for producing "Mighty Fine ....." that has kept this from being bigger news?  Personally, I've never had a problem with any MFJ product that I have owned in the past; and I've owned plenty of them over the years.

For more details, you can click here, which will take you to the MFJ Website.

A lot of my Ham brethren and sisteren (new word - just made it up!) have the philosophy that "you can never have too many radios".  That's a philosophy that my XYL would take exception with.  So as much as I would like to have a neat lil' radio that would fit in my pocket (I never did get my ATS-3B to work), I don't think I'll be forking the money over anytime soon.

You know, I was thinking though - I don't wear my high school or college rings anymore and with the price of gold the way it is ...

Before I go for the night to catch some shut-eye ....... here's a good one to try and work this weekend!  This was posted on the QRP e-mail reflectors:

This weekend Coca-Cola will celebrate its 125th anniversary. On 8 May 1886 Jacobs' Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, began mixing Dr. John Pemberton's syrup with carbonated water at a price of 5 cents per glass.

Most of you foxes and hounds know Newton White, K0NWT. In addition to being a regular fox hunter he is a longtime Coke employee, and he has organized an amateur radio event to commemorate the anniversary. Newt convinced Coca-Cola to provide a special QSL card, and a group of Atlanta-area amateurs will operate from the World of Coca-Cola museum during the headquarters celebration party.

The K0K special-event callsign will be in operation from 0000Z Friday through 0000Z Sunday (Thursday evening through Saturday evening, local time). There are two phases:

1) Prior to Saturday's party, a group of Atlanta-area QRPers will use the K0K callsign from their home or portable stations. We will use qrpspots.com to announce our presence. Operating frequencies could be on any band. The duration of the "pre-party" is from 0000Z Friday through 1200Z Saturday. These contacts will qualify for the special QSL card.

2) The "main event" at the World of Coca-Cola will run from 1200Z to 2359Z on Saturday. Newt hopes to have four stations running throughout the day. The primary emphasis will be on these frequencies, +/- as conditions dictate:

CW: 7.050, 14.045

Phone: 7.250, 14.260

If we are able to operate on additional bands, our target frequencies are:

CW: 3.545, 21.045, 28.045

Phone: 3.810, 21.30, 28.450

We look forward to working as many stations as possible. The QSL card will be a very "limited edition" piece of Coca-Cola memorabilia. The operating station on Saturday will be in front of the museum where hundreds of Coke employees and their guests will see our hobby at work. We will have extra hands on deck for educational outreach.

The main event stations will operate QRO but will certainly try to work QRP stations whenever we can hear them!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Vanity Callsign Fee to Increase

The FCC is seeking to increase the fee for a vanity callsign.

http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-seeks-to-raise-the-fee-for-vanity-call-signs

What we're talking here is chump change - a mere 90 cents from $13.30 to $14.20 - a mere 9 cents a year, if you think about it.

But the "Don't Tread On Me" hairs on the back of my neck get prickled just a little by this.  I am reminded of the old tale of the frog who sat in the pot of water, thinking that nothing was wrong, until the water boiled and it was too late!  Yes, I have a vanity callsign.  No, I do not mind paying for the privilege.  If I minded, I would not have changed from N2ELW.

BUT ....... in the days of computers, does it really cost the FCC anything to allow me to keep W2LJ?  I don't think they have to pay a lil' ol' man somewhere in Gettysburg who sits behind a desk wearing a green eye shade and sleeve garters and toils all day writing down vanity callsigns in a huge leather bound ledger, like a monk in the Middle Ages.

Maybe there should be a one time fee for the privilege - like say $50 or something when you originally apply and then wham!, it's yours for the rest of your life (or as long as you choose to retain your license) -  like any other callsign?  If you want to apply for a different vanity callsign, then you submit a new "application fee".

Really, once you change your call, it doesn't cost the FCC anything to maintain that.  Once their licensing system knows me as W2LJ or N2ELW or even KA2DOH for that matter, it doesn't cost a thing to maintain.

To me, as it stands, this just smacks of another tax increase.

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

It's been two good days

not at work (sigh); but at least at the mailbox!  Last night I came home to find my Four States Hamcan transceiver in the mail.  Today, I found QRP Quarterly and CQ magazine in the box today.

The Hamcan is going to be a super easy build - only 26 parts.  This will most likely be a one evening kit.  This little gem is even featured on page 62 of May CQ. I am looking forward to getting it built and going this weekend, which should be my first opportunity to work on it.

CQ and QRP Quarterly are always good finds in the mailbox.  CQ seems to have a goodly amount of QRP and homebrewing articles this month.  QRP Quarterly is always a gem and there's a nice article in this issue about WB9LPU's Bugnapper, which I featured prominently on this blog.

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

Club72 QRP Marathon - April 2011

I received the above certificate for participating in the Club72 April 2011 QRP Marathon.  Out of 28 entries, I came in 24th - but hey, I was the only W/K/N station to participate!  Fred VE3FAL was the only VE station to participate.

There's another one of these that will occur in July of this year.  You should join and participate.  This is another one of those organizations that should be near and dear to any Ham's heart - membership is free!

To join in the Marathon you just enter your QSO for the day where you got your best distance.  Enter in the maidenhead locators for the two stations, the power used and hit submit and BINGO, your entry is automatically tabulated.  You can enter one QSO per day, so if you have the time to make one a day for 30 days - you could end up scoring big!

It's another fun activity and don't think that your QSOs necessarily have to be DX - just think MPW, really.  A 500 mW QSO between NJ and CA would have been a HUGE entry in this competition.

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

The QRP mindset

This post is a "back to basics" post, intended ideally for QRP beginners and those new to this blog.

Can anyone who is devoted exclusively to QRP have any fun and stand a real chance at Amateur Radio?

My first answer to that is to read Jim W1PID's latest - May Afternoon at the Pond.  Jim is living proof positive that a QRPer can have just as much success and fun as any other Ham Radio operator in the world.

If you're new to the QRP game, I have some words of advice.

1) Forget that you are running low power.  Don't handicap yourself.  If you take the "Woe is me, I'm just a lil' peanut whistle" attitude, you've already lost the game.  In reality, you're just another fish in the pond.  A smaller fish, maybe, but just another fish.

2) Don't advertise that you are a QRPer.  I never tell anyone that I am running QRP unless I am calling "CQ QRP" for a QRP Sprint or QRP QSO Party.  When I'm in a QSO, I have learned to mention that I am running a K2 and a doublet or vertical.  There have been many times in the past when I was engaged in a ragchew, where once I mentioned that I was running 5 Watts, that my RST went from 599 to 449 in a heartbeat and the QSO came to an abrupt an unfortunate end.  As far as I'm concerned, let them think I'm running a K2/100.

3) Don't work only the strong ones.  Many times, especially when working DX, I will also try to work weak signal stations.  For all I know, they may be running QRP also.  In fact, just this evening I worked S57JA on 30 Meters.  He was only 569; but in return, I received a 559, just a little bit weaker than he was to me.  We had a good QSO, even though it wasn't 599 both ways.

4) Don't fall for that line that QRPers have to resort to the receiving station "doing all the heavy lifting".  In many cases that is true.  But I personally have received 5 Watts signals that have blown the headphones off my ears.  Chances are that your signal is going to be loud to someone - somewhere.

5) Have fun!  You are an Amateur Radio operator, no different than anyone else, really.  If you take that mindset, you WILL have fun!  Power isn't everything!

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

So was that you that I worked so many years ago?

For whatever reason, the bands were super noisy for me today.  After doing some heavy duty yard work (I ripped out about eight dead shrubs from in front of the house that didn't survive this past harsh winter on top of last year's scorching summer), I decided to sit my butt down in front of the radio for a little relaxation.  It was not to be, really.  All the bands were filled with loud hashy noise, except for 80 Meters of all places!

I was listening around 3.560 MHz, the QRP watering hole, when I heard a fairly weak station calling CQ - K4JYS.  I answered him and we made contact.

Station K4JYS, courtesy of K4JYS and QRZ.com

As you can see, Bill is into using older equipment.  His signal was only 449 and there was lots of QSB.  I can say with confidence that he told me he was using a Hammerlund receiver; but am not quite sure what he was using for a transmitter.  Since band conditions were not the best, we kept it short and bade each other best wishes and called it a QSO.

"So, what's the point of this blog post, W2LJ?  Are you just going to bore me with details about a short QSO?  Or are you going to whine about band conditions?"  Neither, gentle reader, neither ....... read on.

I popped K4JYS into Ham Radio Deluxe only to find that I had worked that station twice before.  Once in 1994 during the ARRL's Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial contest event that the League had run that year; and also in 1995 in the RTTY Round-Up.  Back in the old days, when I used to be QRO - 100 Watts for the 1994 QSO and 125 Watts for the RTTY QSO.

But ultimately, this begs the question ..... was this K4JYS the same person that I worked back in 1994 and 1995?  I have gotten several e-mails in the past from folks who have looked at my log on QRZ.com and have written me to say, "There's an error in your log. You say you worked me on such and such a date; and I wasn't even licensed then!" To which I can usually reply, "No, that's not an error.  I worked the person who was the original holder of your call".

We tend to forget that those of us who have vanity calls (myself included) are many, many times not the original holder of said call.  Just because I didn't work YOU, doesn't mean that I did not work the callsign which you now hold.

Having that experience in the past, this leads me to wonder about this when I work someone that the log tells me that I worked 10, 15, or 20 years ago.  Fortunately, there's a place where you can go to check things out for yourself.  N4MC's Vanity HQ  Pop in the callsign in question and you can see for yourself.  When I popped in K4JYS's call, I found out that yes indeed, this was the very same Bill that I worked sixteen and seventeen years ago.

Plug in my callsign and you will see that if you worked W2LJ prior to 1999, it wasn't me, it was Ed Swoffer, the original W2LJ.  It's a neat tool to have at your fingertips if you have a computer in the shack.  There's a lot of guys who are "purists" and are dead set against computers in the shack.  There are also guys, whose computers do everything for them from pointing the antenna, to generating the CW, to making coffee for late night contesting sessions.  I fall in the middle - my computer is there for logging, looking up QTHs on Google Earth and for neat little Web sites like QRPSPOTS and N4MC's Vanity HQ.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

K6JSS/7

From looking at QRPSPOTS today, it looks like if I am going to have any shot at all of getting Montana in the log, then I will have to get up early tomorrow morning.  K6JSS/7 was on the air for what seems to be a goodly amount of time from about 6:30 to 9:30 AM local time.  The rest of the day, not so much.

I listened around 20:56 UTC on both 15 and 20 Meters, as posted.  I heard absolutely nothing on 15 Meters and only ESP signals on 20 Meters.  Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow morning on 40 Meters.

The bands were very busy with Florida QSO Party stations.  Other than that contest, I didn't seem to hear much.  15 and 17 Meters seemed pretty dead.  Not too much QRP activity on 20 Meters from what I was able to hear (or not hear).

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

Guess I won't have to get up extra early tomorrow.  Roy AB7CE who is K6JSS/7 this week just announced on QRPSPOTS that he was going to 30 Meters and I worked him!  A good 559 into NJ, this was the clearest and loudest that I had heard him all week.  Common wisdom made me think 20 Meters would have been the preferred band between MT and NJ.  Seems 30 Meters doesn't know much about common wisdom - and for that I am extremely grateful!

Great Club Meeting!

Today was one of those rough work days that you get every now and then.  When I left the building at 5:00PM, I felt like I had spent a week there today!  I knew there was a repeater club meeting scheduled for tonight, but I was not really too keen on attending.  I have missed the past couple meetings, though, and a little bit of guilt was kicking in.

I am so glad that I decided to go, however.  There was a presentation on the QSL card collection of Joe Painter W2BHM (SK) as given by Barry Cohen K2JV.  Joe was a Past President of the North Jersey DX Association and was a very avid DXer.  He's on the DXCC Honor Roll with over 370 confirmed.

Joe passed away in 2005, a couple of years after moving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.  As Barry explained it, Joe left New Jersey after his wife passed to go live with family in Pennsylvania.  In the move, he gave up his radio station and his antennas.  In his depression over his wife's passing, he simply threw away his QSL card collection and other radio related items.  They just didn't mean anything to him anymore.  I can understand that, were I to lose my Marianne, the love of my life, I would probably be just as despondent.

However, Barry was a very good friend of Joe's and understood the value of what was discarded.  It may not mean anything to the average person, but those awards and certificates mean a lot to other Hams.  So Barry did some serious dumpster diving and saved what he could, including W2BHM's original DXCC certificate, his Honor Roll plaque and a boat load of QSL cards.  He felt that this was something worth preserving for Ham Radio posterity.

Wow!  What a collection!  Some of the cards that he was able to save predated WWII as Joe was first licensed in 1933.  It seemed like W2BHM had more QSL cards from countries that don't exist anymore than I have from countries that DO exist today!

Barry put together an excellent PowerPoint presentation and shared a lot of interesting stories and anecdotes about some of the Hams that W2BHM had worked over the years.  The highlight was when Barry related how he had actually contacted Ivan Pastre F3AT who was one of the Hams that Joe had worked back in the 50s. Ivan was the only person in the world to ever use a FQ3 prefix while he was on an overseas assignment for the French government.  That prefix has never been used again!  Barry recorded bits of a CW QSO that he had with Ivan on 20 Meters.  Ivan, who is now 91 still has an EXCELLENT fist and it was so neat to hear him pound the brass.  I hope my fist is that good, should I be fortunate to live to reach that age!

It was a fascinating evening and even though the meeting lasted a couple of hours, it seemed to have flown by in the blink of an eye.  I was so glad that I attended, it just made the stress of the entire day just melt away!

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

Oh my gosh!

Sending Morse Code over the airwaves is a passion of mine.  I guess I have made that obvious enough throughout the posts of this blog.  As I type this, I am sitting back, tuning through the 40 Meter CW portion of the band (yes, I do know that CW is allowed everywhere - but you know what I mean) just content to listen for a change.

There are some beautiful fists out there; and there are also some horrid ones.  I think there are several reasons for both - good and bad.

1) A good CW op will knows what their sending speed is and seldom pushes it too far past the boundaries of the envelope.  Yes, you have to push to improve; but if you push too far, your sending will suffer.  Hey, if you're comfortable at 5 or 10 WPM, there's no shame in that.  And if you're comfortable at 40 WPM, bully for you!  But if you're comfortable at 18 WPM, for example, why try sending at 25 WPM?  You're going to make more mistakes than is good form and it's going to sound terrible.

2) Spacing, spacing, spacing.  This is maybe the MOST important thing to pay attention to when sending Morse.  Spacing is everything !!!!  Noonewantstolistnetomorsecodethatissentlikethis. Itwilldriveyoucrazy.
A    t         t   h   e       s   a   m    e       t   o   k   e  n,      t   h   i   s         c   a   n      d   r  i   v   e       y   o   u  
n    u    t   s,       t   o   o  !  (And I don't mean slow sending - I mean sending with exaggerated pauses for spacing).

When you get behind that key, please try to send in a nice easy, conversational rhythm.  That's what makes for the best  QSOs.

3) When you make a mistake - admit it!  A series of about 5 dits ..... or even a ?  and then starting over again with the word you messed up on is a lot better than just glossing over it.  Sometimes trying to figure out what's being sent, whether or not a mistake was made can leave you scratching your head.

Try to do your best, keeping it neat and not sloppy; and you will earn the reputation for having a fine fist.  Care about what you're doing and take pride in it - that's how the Old Timers did it in days of yore.  These practices will only enrich your CW experience.

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

Looks like Montana is going to be tough

It's Montana's turn as K6JSS/7 this week, and it look like this could possibly be a repeat of New Mexico.  I have heard K6JSS/7 only once this week, on 40 Meters.  They were 559 into New Jersey; but I wasn't making the return trip.

Last night, the station was on 20 Meters for a goodly amount, according to QRPSPOTS.  However, when I fired up the rig last night, 20 Meters had 10 over 9 QRN on it - wall to wall!  I couldn't hear them on any of the bands they appeared on last night.

Having done this since the first week of the year, I know that if I haven't made contact with a K6JSS station by Wednesday, the outlook isn't the most favorable.  Here's to hoping that I get lucky.

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

Four States Group releases new kit!

The Four States QRP Group announced the release of a new QRP transceiver on the QRP e-mail reflectors today.  Most notably (at least to me anyway), this kit will include a crystal for 7.122 MHz, which is a good move, utilizing that portion of the band!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Four State QRP Group is pleased to offer a new kit for sale. It has been dubbed the "HamCan", and at only $30 it is an excellent value in a small transceiver. More information may be found on the order page here: http://www.wa0itp.com/hamcan.html

The NMØS HamCan transceiver is the latest offering in minimalist amateur radio from the Four State QRP Group! It is a crystal-controlled CW transceiver, delivering 1/2 to 1W transmit power, with enough sensitivity and selectivity to receive plenty of signals. It does all this with only TWO transistors!

It is a minimalist transceiver designed to be very simple and inexpensive, yet provide good performance. The low cost kit sacrifices nothing in the way of quality. It features a high quality printed circuit board, through hole parts, low parts count and fast and easy building. It is an excellent kit for first time builders, and was chosen as the Build Session kit for OzarkCon 2011. It has also been selected as one of the ARRL Midwest Convention's Buildathon kits. There are two, the other is Four States AAØZZ EZKeyer
http://www.wa0itp.com/aa0zzkeyer.html

Click here to order http://www.wa0itp.com/hamcan.html   Payment may be made by PayPal, Check, or Money Order. We hope to fill your order soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I placed my order - looks good!  Hey ..... $30 for a transceiver.  How can that be a bad thing?

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

QRPTTF - 2011

As expected, I was not able to put much of an effort into QRPTTF for 2011.  The reason was twofold:

1: The day was also Holy Saturday and there was just too much to do in preparation for Easter Sunday.

2: It rained and it rained and it rained and it rained until about 5:30 in the afternoon.

I did manage to get on as a Home station for a lil' bit and made 13 QSOs between 20 and 40 Meters, using the EDZ on 40 Meters and the HF9V on 20 Meters.  Sad to say, there was also some deliberate QRM on 40 Meters.  Despite sending "QRL?" several times and not receiving a reply, I could tell, because of the K2's excellent QSK, that there was someone deliberately holding the key down as I would send "CQ QRP".  Sometimes the offending station didn't have his timing down and he would continue for a second or two after I stopped sending.  Thinking that it might be a coincidence, I QSYed, only to have the QRMer follow me.  Then, when he decided to drop that tactic, every time I did have a QSO, it would be followed up with an extra "dit dit" that was very obviously sent by neither the station I had worked or myself.

There's so much spectrum that we have that's underused.  You would think that better use would be made of it other than silly, childish games.

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

Easter 2011

 

Wesolego Alleluja

 

He is risen - Alleluia!

Holy Saturday

Today is Holy Saturday, which brings back a lot of childhood memories. But one of the most vivid; as well as one of the fondest remains that of the Blessing of the Food; or the Święconka, as it was known to the Polish community.

My mom would place a small card table in a corner of the living room.  On it would be the Easter ham, kielbasa, Easter Eggs, red horeseradish, fresh babka (Polish bread that could have cheese and raisins in it) and all kinds of Easter food.  Also included were two sticks of butter where one was cut in half and joined with the other to form a Cross.  Inserted were five cloves to represent the 5 wounds of Jesus.  There was also always a Lamb cake.  This was a vanilla cake that was baked in a metal form pan that was shaped like a lamb.  It was covered with white icing and flaked coconut for "wool".  The Lamb's nose was a small piece of Maraschino cherry. And of course, there was always a chocolate rabbit or two placed somewhere on the table.

At some point during the morning, a priest from our parish would come visit the house with an altar boy or two in tow.  He would sprinkle the food with Holy Water and pronounce an Easter blessing upon it.  He would stay for a few minutes to chat with my mom while my sister and I did our best to behave and stay out of trouble for a few moments.

This tradition is still carried out today here in the NorthEast US, even in parishes that are not Polish ethnic parishes, such as Sacred Heart church in South Plainfield, which is my home parish.  There is a twist now - since there are not enough priests to visit the homes of all the parishioners, we are invited to being our baskets of Easter food to the Church to be blessed.  The Blessing is the same, but I feel badly for the folks who won't have as quite a warm memory to hold for the future.

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

It's a rainout

If I get the chance to do any QRPTTF this year, it's going to be as a Home station.  Right now, as I type this at 8:30 in the morning (local time) the rain is coming down at a pretty good clip.  So much for having faith in long range forecasts! Even this morning's Town Clean-up, which was scheduled to be held this morning was postponed until next weekend.  Both of my children, one as a Boy Scout and the other as a Girl Scout, were supposed to take part in this (with the help of dear ol' Dad, of course!).

Even so, my trip to Home Depot the other day to buy a new painter's pole to serve as a mast for the Buddistick was not in vain.  The new pole is much nicer that the one I had, and it will serve nicely for years to come.  It is heartier and more robust in construction.  It is School Bus yellow and actually compliments the PFR-3A very well, if you're into aesthetics.  It collapses down to 6 feet and extends to 12 feet.  They had another that collapsed to 8 feet and extended to 16 feet; but it was twice the price.  Also by collapsing only to 8 feet, I thought that to be kind of unwieldy for transporting around to portable locations.

It looks to be another busy day, getting ready for tomorrow's big Easter celebration.  Even with the clean-up being postponed, I might find it hard to squeeze any QRPTTF activity in.  I guess it's just an unfortunate coincidence (for me, at least) that one of my all time favorite QRP events had to fall on Holy Saturday this year.  Lot's of running around to do today. AND ...... I'm sure glad I got the lawn mowed yesterday!  It was quite shaggy and after today's rain, certainly would have gotten more jungle like.  I also quietly thanked the Lord that the mower started.  Seriously had my doubts about that and really don't want to buy a new one if I don't have to.

If I get some time, I hope to hear you folks on the air later.  If I don't - good luck to you all.  Hoping for good band conditions and lots of QSOs!

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

The Warmth of a Friendly QSO

The chores and preparation for Easter are many; but I managed to get on the radio for a few brief minutes before heading out to Church for Good Friday evening prayer.

On 40 Meters, I called CQ for a bit to be answered by Buzz WA4AIM.  Something about that call seemed familiar and the mention of his name really jogged my memory.  The shack laptop was busy doing the latest updates to Windows XP; so even though I didn't have Ham Radio Deluxe to rely on, I could sense that  I was in familiar territory.

WA4AIM courtesy of QRZ

Buzz and I had last QSOed about three years ago.  Evidently though, Buzz keeps a lot of notes in his log, like I do.  He asked if I was still using the K2 and even asked me about Joey and Cara, my two kids.  That was really nice and during the conversation, I was able to start up the logging program.  Turns out that Buzz was still using his Ten Tec Omni 6 and his 80 Meter dipole.  The exciting news is that he's contemplating the possibility of a K3 in the near future.

Isn't this hobby neat?  Three years go by and you can pick up a conversation where you left off with it.  There's something quite reassuring and nice about that.  Amateur Radio has its share of quick, rapid "TU UR 599 NJ 73" type of QSOs; but it also has it share of "How are the wife and kids?" type of QSOs, too.  Those gems are what makes this all worthwhile.  And when you get to share the air with a really good fist, that makes it even more special!  Thanks for the QSO, Buzz - sure hope it's not another three years before we hook up again.

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

Good Friday - 2011

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

20 Meters - just right!

20 Meters was the band on which to work K6JSS/4 from Alabama.  When I worked Dave at 01:08 UTC, he was a nice 569 into New Jersey with the 88' EDZ.  A few minutes after working him, Dave shot up to a bona fide 599.  Amazing how a 5 Watt signal can be so loud.

The hunt for these K6JSS/ stations has been a lot of fun and at times, a bit of frustration.  I'll take an easy one for a change with no complaints.

Looking forward to QRPTTF this coming weekend.  Of course, as we get closer to the day itself, the weather forecast is changing.  Yesterday, the prediction was for a chance of rain.  Now I am looking at mostly sunny skies with temps in the upper 60s.  If it stays that way, or gets even better, then that would be the perfect Easter present for this Ham!

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

Another good day on the radio

And another good day to be indoors!  It's sunny and a lot warmer in Central NJ today; but you wouldn't quite know that if you stayed outside for any length of time.  The high for the day peaked at about 59F (15C) but there was a ferocious wind that made it feel quite colder.  However, for the few brief minutes when there were no gusts and if you were standing directly in the sun, it felt heavenly.

I got so spend a little time on the radio this afternoon and it didn't seem to be quite as busy as yesterday.  Also, 15 Meters seemed to be busier than 17 Meters, which was the opposite of yesterday, at least in my opinion.  I worked Greece, Brazil, Denmark, Aruba, the Turks and Caicos Islands.  I also worked a Special Event Station from the Slovak Republic for the IIHF Hockey Tournament, which must be taking place there.

The highlight of the day was working Steve WG0AT who answered my CQ on 21.060 MHz.  We exchanged 449 reports and only a few brief pleasantries as there was also a lot of QSB.  And no, he wasn't on the mountain top with Rooster and Peanut.  This time he was working from the friendly confines of his home station.  It's always nice to run into Steve and I asked him to say "Hi to the boys" for me.

Tonight is the Run For the Bacon, the monthly QRP Sprint hosted by the Flying Pigs.  Hopefully, I'll get to make a few contacts in that tonight and will get the chance to say hello to some more QRP friends.

One of the things on the "To Do" list for this week, is to stop by the hardware store and pick up a new painter's pole - preferably one that will extend to about 16 feet (approx. 5 meters) if I can find one.  With QRP To The Field coming up next Saturday, the current plan is to use the Buddistick from the backyard station.  The extended forecast for next weekend (if you can believe a forecast a week in advance) is calling for a cloudy day with a high of about 62F (17C),  If it stays dry, it just might be a very pleasant time.

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

Google Earth

I had Google Earth on the old computer and never added it to the new one - until now.  I did this because of the Google Earth feature that's included in Ham Radio Deluxe.

If you click on one of your QSOs in the logbook display and then click on "Google Earth" from the "More" drop down menu, you'll get a graphic display that shows you the straight line path between you and the station you worked.  This is really cool, especially for those of us who only have verticals and wires which don't require us to point our antennas.

I am looking at how my signal traveled today to the DX stations I worked.  You grow up looking at paper maps and at least for me, even though I know it doesn't really work that way, I always envisioned my radio waves traveling from my QTH, east across the Atlantic to Europe.  Google Earth has shown me that my signals to Europe actually shoot almost straight North/NorthEast to Europe.  Looking at the globe view is somehow even more meaningful that just looking at one of those Great Circle Maps.

On a side note, I have found that the HP Laptop with the dual core processor that I got from eBay a few months ago is by far the fastest computer that I have out of the three that we own.  Google Earth works better on it than either the Acer or the family computer.  In fact, graphics wise, the family computer which is now a little over two years old, is the slowest of the three.

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

17 Meters ..... nice ..... VERY nice!

It's been a very rainy day here in Central NJ.  That meant no outdoor chores today; so I spent some time on the air.  There seemed to be quite a bit of contesting activity on 20 Meters, so I decided to hang out on 17 Meters for a bit this afternoon.

The band was hopping and I worked a new DXCC entity via QRP.  ER1LW in Moldova (Moldavia). Slawa was loud into NJ - 599 and I received a 569 report in return.  I even managed to tell Slawa that I was running QRP and got a "FB" in return.  I just checked my DXCC account on the ARRL Website and I see that Moldova is new for me .... period!  Not just QRP!  I also worked ES3AX, August in Estonia and OL2011VP in the Czech Republic, and CT1JGA, Oli in Portugal.

Later in the day, I got on 20 Meters for a bit and decided to call CQ at the 500 mW level.  I posted myself on QRPSPOTS and got a call from Jack W7CNL in Idaho, who saw my spot. I got a 529 and then a 559 from him, while he was a solid 559/569 into NJ.  According to the distance calculator feature on the QRP-ARCI Website - the distance between Jack and I is 2,133.62 miles, so this was a case where I was at the 4,267.25 miles per Watt level.  I know that a lot of times this is meaningless, but I still get a kick out of it!

Looking at the Reverse Beacon Network, my 500 mW signal was being reported as 19dB above the noise floor by OL5Q.   So my 500 mW signal was kind of loud to the Czech Republic - not bad!  In all cases I was using the K2 and the Butternut HF9V.

As I type this, it is REALLY pouring rain - I mean cats and dogs, buckets of rain!  I sure hope it's not like this next weekend.  Not only is next weekend Easter weekend; but next Saturday is QRPTTF - QRP To The Field.  This is the inaugural "outdoor" QRP event for the 2011 outdoor season.  I always enjoy this one and I really hoping for decent weather.

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

Gotta hand it

to the boys from Michigan!  They are doing a SUPERB job of keeping K6JSS/8 on the air.  They will be a hard act to follow and they've definitely raised the bar.  It seems every time I check my e-mail or look at QRPSPOTS, one of the avid MI QRPers is on the air, handing out contacts.  If you don't get K6JSS/8 in your log this week; then it will have certainly been for the lack of trying.

Way to go, Michigan - thanks for all the QSOs!

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

A time for celebration !!!

A very dear friend of mine, who is a Ham, recently decided that the best situation for him and his XYL, was to move out of their house and into a Senior's housing complex.  This is becoming more and more common as owning a house is taxing.  It's taxing on your time, it's taxing on your finances, it's taxing on your peace of mind.  For those on a fixed retirement income, sometimes it's the only thing to do.  In my friend's case, I don't think it was so much of a money thing as it was a peace of mind and peace of body thing.

But here's the problem; and I mentioned it in the first sentence.   He's a Ham ..... a pretty darn active Ham.  He's definitely not one of those "on the air once every few years" kind of Hams.  So in the process of moving, he also had to give up his antennas.

Now I don't know about you folks out there; but in that regard, I guess I'm kind of weird.  If something happens to one of my radios or one of my antennas, I just don't feel quite "right" until I get it rectified.  Even if I don't be happen to have the yen to be on the air that much during that time period ...... just knowing that "I can't" makes me uneasy.  There's just something calming and liberating about knowing that I can enjoy my hobby any darn time that I want to - that all is up and running if I want it to be.

So I felt badly for my Ham buddy.  Right now, I'm in a point in my life where I don't even want to imagine about having to do without an antenna.  Even though he had gained a new kind of freedom - freedom from worry, freedom from the extra financial burden - I was a bit concerned as to how he was going to deal with his new situation.  For Ham radio isn't just a hobby for him.  For him, like me and so many others, it's part of who he is.

So I was very happy to get an e-mail from him today.  In it, he explained that he threw a hunk o' wire out off his apartment balcony, hooked it up to one of his QRP radios and had a QSO!  Way to go!  Okay, so maybe it wasn't a QSO with the outer reaches of Inner Mongolia; but the important thing is - he's on the air again!  And for the most part, any time he wants to get on the air, all he has to do is throw out that hunk o' wire and he's pretty much good to go.

Another advantage of  QRP.  That's something you really can't do with the kilowatt station and expect to remain alive with your skin intact.

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

Busted

My very good fortune of working K6JSS stations in the various states looks like it has come to an end.  As I write this, there remains only about 25 minutes of time before K6JSS/5 becomes K6JSS/8 and moves on to Michigan.

20 Meters just didn't work for me, I am sorry to say.  I tried several evenings, but my signal was too weak to be heard - trying with both the EDZ and the Butternut.  I must have been "Receiver Y" in the dreaded "Skip Zone" and the radio waves were just flying too far above my antenna to be captured.

Oh well, it was a good run and I am happy with what I have accomplished so far.  I knew that it would be tough working all 50 going into this.  I thought the stumbler would be either Hawaii or Alaska, though.  Much to my delight K6JSS/6 from Hawaii has been confirmed for me through my logbook on QRZ.com. Alaska will remain to be seen.

Kudos to all of you out there who are fortunate to still have your streaks unbroken.  Here's to working all the rest! (Glass held high!)

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

PS: Wow!  Worked two K6JSS/8 stations within the first 20 minutes of Michigan's start for the week.  Hank N8XX on 30 Meters and Ken WA8REI on 40 Meters.  Superb operators both.  Thanks, guys!

Strange

Band conditions and propagation are subjects that are very well known to better men and women than I.  For all these years in Ham Radio; and I consider myself to only have a smattering of the most basic knowledge of propagation.  For the most part, I am a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of guy.

I am still hunting the elusive K6JSS/5 from New Mexico (can you say jackalope?); and time is dwindling and I am starting to feel a lil' bit of pressure.  This state may prove to be the end of my streak.  I have been following QRPSPOTS and have been straining to hear K6JSS/5 on 20 Meters, who, when I can hear him at all, is only about 229 at best with lots of QSB.

However, on the SAME band, working stations in Asiatic Russia has been a veritable piece o' cake by comparison.  With the standard QRP 5 Watts, I have been able to work RO9O (1141.23 miles per Watt)  and UA9OG (1141.27 miles per Watt), who are both almost 6,000 miles away from me with relative ease.

Even with my limited knowledge and expertise, I have a feeling once again that 40 Meters would be the band on which to "get 'er done" at this time of day.  However, if the NM station wishes to remain on 20 Meters, then there ain't much I can do about it.

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

Elusive

K6JSS/5 in New Mexico has been eluding me so far.  I saw a post on QRPSPOTS that W9YA was operating as the Special Event station on 20 Meters.  He was 449 at best here, more often 229-339 with lots of QSB and QRN.

Continuous calls for a good part of the evening have yielded nothing.  Bob has taken a break for now; and I am hoping he will come back on to 40 Meters.  That was the band where I had luck working KK6MC last week in the Spring QSO Party.

If not tonight, there are still two days left.

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

Grrrrr ...

"They" say that timing is everything.  If this is true, then my sense of timing has not let me down, once again.  :)

As Winter draws to a close here in New Jersey land, I was invited to join (and did) the PolarBearQRP Ops group.  I am now Polar Bear #283.  Of course, while these hearty QRPers love to operate portable all year long, they seem to thrive outdoors even more so during the Winter months. 

As adverse as I am to the cold, this looks like a fun group to belong to.  I appreciate the invitation and the acceptance; and I am hoping that this will draw me out into cold weather in Winters to come.

Operating portable is one of my most favorite activities.  As I've said so many times before, there's nothing like being in the great outdoors while sitting next to a portable QRP rig and antenna.  If you are a subscriber to CQ magazine, please be sure to check out the QRP column in this month's issue.  You'll be treated to a photo of Jim Cluett W1PID doing his outdoor portable QRP thing.

On a totally non-related note, I was successful this past weekend in acquiring an Acer Aspire One at a good price to serve as the shack computer.  It arrived today and I have installed Ham Radio Deluxe onto it and have successfully gotten my logbook added.  It's not as fast as the family computer here; but it way faster than the old Dell I was using.  I think the lady I had purchased it from hasn't used it much as it was very busy downloading upgrades to its Windows XP operating platform.

Other than DX Atlas, Firefox, Dropbox and maybe a few other Ham related programs, I don't intend to bog the hard drive down with a lot of garbage.  Also, this netbook is going to be the sole property of Dad.  No kids on this one - one of which catastrophically damaged the old one.  This is for Ham Radio purposes only!

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

It's all a matter of perception.

I hope I am not touching a nerve here.  But really, it's all a matter of perception.  What is a hindrance to one is a golden opportunity for another.

http://www.learnmorsecode.info/philip-morse-code/

Old .... antiquated ...... useless ...... an anachronism?

I think not.

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

Club72

Not sure if many of you know about this organization - Club72.  Club72 was recently started by Oleg Borodin, RV3GM. Oleg was the one who coined the term "72".  We all know that 73 means best regards. Oleg thought that one number less or "72" should mean "best QRP".

The organization is devoted to the promotion of low power radio communications, worldwide.  To that end, that's my kind of organization and I quickly became a member.  This month, the club is running a QRP Marathon.  The idea is to get on every day and then enter your best, longest distance QRP QSO.  There is a form where you enter your call and the call of the station you worked, along with the output power of both stations and both maidenhead locators.  The webpage does all the calculations for you.  Then you get to see where you stand with regards to your fellow QRPers.

As of right now, there are 22 stations competing. Most are Russian and Europeans.  In fact, I'm the only stateside station that has jumped into the fray at this point.  Thanks to my two QSOs with EA2LU over the weekend, and one tonight with V44KJ on St. Kitts and Nevis, I stand in 9th place - pretty firmly smack dab right in the middle of the pack.

I'm sure my place in the standings will probably drop towards the bottom as the month wears on.  However, I am now motivated to look for at least one DX QSO everyday for the rest of the month.  The things I do to get on the air more!

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

Fun ...fun...fun!

Even though I didn't think it was going to be possible, I did manage to put in about another hour's worth of operating time in the QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party today.  In all, I completed 54 QSOs in the time I spent yesterday and today - perhap about 3 hours total.

The highlights were working EA2LU yesterday on 15 Meters and 20 Meters today, as well as HA7UG on 20 Meters yesterday.  I also worked a few really low QRP-ARCI numbers.  I managed to get KR3E #85, K2UFT #447, W1XH #59 as well as K6JSS/4 for #1 in the log.  I always enjoy working the really low numbers, guys who have been at this way longer than me.

I didn't hear any activity on 15 Meters today and not much at all on 20 Meters, except for EA2LU.  Today was totally on 40 Meters - all around 7.030 MHz and environs.  It seems that the argument about the 40 Meter QRP calling frequency, that was so contentious just a few years ago, is now a moot point.  It seems most weekends (at least in this part of the world) that 7.040 MHz and the immediate vicinity is covered in wall-to-wall RTTY and other digital signals, and is virtually unusable for QRP or any CW, for that matter.

There were a lot of contests happening simultaneously this weekend. The Polish contest, the MO QSO Party and a few others that I wasn't able to decipher.  It was veritable alphabet soup at times with stations calling all sorts of special "CQ"s depending on what contest they were in.

The K2 and both antennas performed as or better than expected.  My two EA2LU QSOs were my entries in the Club72 QRP Marathon. 

It was a fun weekend.

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

I am a DOP

No, No, No.  I am not trying to be hard on myself.  I am a DOP - not a dope!  I am a "Dispenser of Points".  At least that's the role I took on in my participation  in the QRP-ARCI Spring QSO Party today.  Not out to win anything - just have fun and hand out points to the serious contenders.

This afternoon, on the higher bands, I though it was going to be a DX party.  I was hearing and worked a few DX stations.  EA2LU as I mentioned before on 15 Meters and HA7UG on 20 Meters.  But right around dinner time 40 Meters livened up with activity and I started having some fun.

From there it was down to 80 Meters to work some closer in stations.  Conditions were decent with lots of loud stations, but also a lot of loud static crashes.  Then it was back to 40 Meters to see if it had gone long.  And it did.  I was able to work some farther away stations and now I am going to call it quits for the day.

The K2 and the EDZ did a fine job on 40 and 80 Meters.  I am becoming more and more satisfied with it and do not have the yen to pull it down in place of anything else (at this point!).


Tomorrow will be a busy day and I'm not sure I'll get any air time.  If that's the case, then that's all right as I had a lot of fun this evening.

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

Hmmmm

Right now, it's 17:40 UTC and I am not hearing too much activity in the QRP-ARCI Spring QSO Party. I've worked WA8ZBT on 20 Meters and EA2LU on 15 Meters.  I'm hearing lots going on in the Polish contest; but not many calling "CQ QRP".

Maybe it will pick up later in the afternoon - people are busy on the weekends.

Got the April 2011 edition of CQ in the mail today.  I see that there's a nice photo of Jim W1PID in the field, paying close attention to his rig and tuner.  Nice to see friends make the magazines.

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

Four months in

April Fools!

We're now four months into 2011.  Wow, time flies by fast!

Looking back on my last post for 2010 and looking at my Ham Radio resolutions, I see that I have only really kept one so far.  I have been on the air more so far this year.  In fact, my QSO tally is about 20% higher than it was at this same point, last year.

The other resolutions can't really be touched until warmer weather returns and I can get more done outside.  But I did take care of one thing that didn't even make the resolution list and that was putting up the new wire.

Hopefully during the summer months, I will get more radials down for the HF9V and I will get that 160 Meter vertical built.  The Butternut continues to amaze me as to how good a performer it is.  Since I removed it from the coax switch and put it directly on the K2 as "Antenna 2",  it's been my mainstay.

Tomorrow and Sunday, I hope to spend time in the QRP-ARCI Spring QSO Party. Meeting old acquaintances and perhaps making new friends.  Keep your ears peeled for #4488 (that would be me!).

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