Stark difference

I didn't get much time on the air today; but I did hear both T32C and TX7M on the bands.

Wow!  What a difference in operating philosophy.  T32C was still pounding away at what - maybe 23 WPM, and sending their call after each and every contact.  You definitely knew who it was that you were chasing. The other thing I noticed during my various QSOs with T32C was that they also rang true when they sent "T32C UP 1" or "T32C UP 2".  I'm not sure, but I'd be willing to bet that helped to keep down the massive sprawl that occurs in and around these DXpedition frequencies.

TX7M, on the other hand, was sending probably at a speed of about 25 - 26 WPM (very copyable) and was sending their call only every now and then.  I was hearing something more like, "OM3XYZ TU 73 UP".

Different strokes for different folks, I guess; but the impression I received was that the T32C experience was less frenetic, and more "in control".  Perhaps a bit more polished and definitely less pandemonium. YMMV.

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

Holy Flea Power, Batman!

I turned on 17 Meters tonight, hoping to hear K6JSS/KL7 from Alaska on.  In all honesty, the band is quiet but once again, T32C is there loud as a bell.  In fact, the op was working simplex - not split, and he wasn't getting many takers at all.  15 - 20 CQs between callers?  You can tell this DXpedition is coming near an end.  I'm sure the team has to be ecstatic with the job they have done.

So, I decided to try something.  I cranked the power on down to 900 milliWatts and put out my call.  They came back to me first shot!

Just who is on this DXpedition anyway ..... Steve Austin with his bionic ears?  I figured I was going to give it a max of about three tries; AND if he came back with only a W2?? or a W2L??, I would not strain their ears any further with my somewhat selfish experiment.  But there it was, first try and full call.  That's over 6,000 miles per Watt.  And yes, all the credit goes to the wonderfully amazing ops at T32C.

BTW, equipment here was the K2 to the Butternut HF9V.

This QRP and radio stuff continues to delight me!

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

Internal Debate

Last night, I saw K6JSS/KL7 on QRPSPOTS at 24.906 MHZ.  I ran down the basement and heard Jim AL7FS in conversation with a Japanese station.  Jim was a realistic 329, maybe 429 at peaks and the JA station had a lot of polar flutter on his signal.  It was great to hear not only Jim, but also the JA stations he was working.  It makes me think that there maybe hope that I will be able to get K6JSS/KL7 in the log this week.

I see that Wayne NK6R mentioned that orders for the KX3 MIGHT be taken in November or December; however no delivery time was mentioned and I doubt it will be immediately. I have come to the conclusion that I will not be in that initial round of folks putting in orders.  It's going to take me quite a while to save and sell off items (i.e "fund raise") in order to have enough money to make this purchase.  I really, really want one; but "common sense" keeps kicking in.  You know, the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. I have a K1 and a K2 and a PFR3A.  Just how many radios do I need, anyway?  Realistically, the K1 and PFR3A are my portables and I can only use one at a time as it is.  And yes, I know I can sell them and put the cash towards the KX3; but I still have MAJOR regrets on having sold my HW8 so many years ago.  I have a real hard time parting with gear that I built myself.

Having a full time job (Thank the Lord!) and a wife and two young kids plus a house, my portable operations time is severely limited as it is.  To purchase a KX3 so that I could use it a handful of times a year out on the trail - does that even make sense?  Does it need to make sense?  Also, as much as I would like a K3, my life is fine without one.  There are Hams out there with a lot less, who would kill for what I already have. Maybe I just need to grow up, be happy with what I have and not even think about it.. 

It doesn't help to keep looking at that picture up top!

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

Kudos to CQ Magazine

What?!?  Wasn't he complainin' about having to pay for WorldRadio just week or two ago?!?

Yes, I was - but when credit is due, credit is due.  I received the newest issue of CQ on Wednesday and didn't have time to go through it until yesterday, while I was sitting and waiting while having the Jeep's oil changed and tires rotated (for free!).  This issue is devoted to Emergency Communications, and while I know a lot of you could probably not care less about that, it was a wonderful read, anyway.  This issue is a good weapon to have in your back pocket the next time you get hit with that "Amateur Radio is obsolete and has outlived its usefulness" lie.

And, as if THAT wasn't enough, there were two fantastic columns - one on building by Joe KØNEB and the other on QRP by Cam N6GA. These guys write so well, that I wish they had columns every month!  But that's a terrible burden to place on them as I know how difficult it is to come up with original material for a monthly column. (Correction: Joe DOES write a column each and every month - sorry for my error, Joe!)

The new issue of QST, received the same day, did not capture my attention like CQ did.  Although the article on homebrewing a DSP speaker is appealing.  But Rich Moseson W2VU does come up with a superior publication month after month - and I will probably let the moths out of my wallet and will sign up for the "new" WorldRadio".  BTW, just so we're clear on this - I don't work for CQ or any of its affiliate publications. I'm just a satisfied (most of the time) customer.

Unfortunately, I have not been on the air at all this weekend.  With the arrival of Autumn, and the leaves on the ground and the wet weather we have been having this past week, my leaf mold allergy has kicked in big time.  I don't feel ghastly (yet) but I don't feel like myself, either and sitting behind the radio just isn't as appealing as it normally is.  That, and like John K3WWP, I think I have a kidney stone on the move, too.  Maybe later today, I can hand out some points in the QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party.

I have been looking at more cases for the PFR3A and am also considering this one.

http://www.seahorse300cases.com/?caseclub=on

I like the fact that I can get it in yellow and that would match the PFR3A.

For those of you who like to participate in the Zombie Shuffle, Paul Harden NA5N has indicated that it will be held this year on Sunday night, right before Halloween. This should avoid conflict with the CQ WW DX Contest which begins that Friday night.

Lastly, for those of you who like to operate QRO, take a look at this.  THIS is a QRO station !!!!



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

New housing for my PFR-3A

When I built my PFR-3A and applied the decals, I sprayed the housing with a clear coat of Polyurethane in order to protects said decals.  Unfortunately, in my haste to use the radio, I didn't let that clear coat dry for as long as I should have.  I thought a few days was enough; but apparently it wasn't.

As a result, when I stowed the radio away in my rucksack, something else came in contact with the housing and left a rather unsightly mark.  This mark isn't just on the surface, it is into the urethane.  It didn't disturb the yellow paint, it just left an unsightly scuff in the overcoat. When I run my finger over the scuff, it feels like a gouge. I am enough of a perfectionist and enough of a "Type A" personality where that really, really bugs me.  I take great care (or thought I did) to make sure my equipment doesn't get beat up.  My K1 on the other hand looks mint, and I built that back in 2003.

So I contacted Doug at Hendricks QRPKits and sprung (sprang?) for a new housing, which arrived today.  I will apply the decals; but I think instead of applying clear coat, I will buy one of those Pelican type cases with the form fitting foam and will make that the PFR-3A's new home.  I believe it has been mentioned on QRP-L that inexpensive knock offs of those Pelican style cases are available at Wal-Mart.

And then, there's this:

http://www.utility-cases.com/b8.5x6.0x3.0.htm?caseclub=on

This would work and the price isn't bad at all.  Any suggestions out there?

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

Simple pleasures

One of the best things in Amateur Radio (outside of working a "new one") is just having a nice, simple, unhurried and relaxed QSO.  I was fortunate enough to hook up with Milt WA4FNG on 20 Meters tonight and to have one of those (kind of).

Courtesy of WA4FNG and QRZ

I called CQ on 14.062 MHz, and Milt answered my call with a very nice 589 signal (Imagine that - a 589 QRP signal!).  Milt was using his TenTec Corsair 2 - pumping a full QRP kilowatt of 5 Watts into a dipole at 60'.  Wow!  I wish I had some trees in my backyard that were 60' tall.

Milt's call was instantly familiar and a quick check into the log revealed that I had worked him in a couple of QRP-ARCI Sprints as well as handing him New Jersey for K6JSS/2 back in August.  But we never had a ragchew.  And we were on the verge of that this evening, but the band had other ideas. So while we were still copy-able to each other, we decided to call it quits.  Discretion being the better part of valor, I guess.  That was a shame, as I would have really enjoyed a longer QSO with Milt; but that's something that I can still look forward to at some other time.

Speaking of QRP ARCI Sprints ........ keep in mind the QRP ARCI Fall QSO Party is this coming weekend.  Not a Sprint by any means, but a very fun event that can be as serious or as relaxed as you want it to be.  I look forward to these - a lot!

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

Like a moth to a flame

I admit, sometimes I see things on e-Ham and I get drawn into the fray.  Not often, but if I see something that I feel strongly about, I will say something. I really shouldn't, and should stay out of the argument, but like the title says ..........

My grandfather (my Mom's father) once told me when I was young, "If you get into an argument and you're not sure of yourself, it's better to keep your mouth shut.  But by the same token, if you're right AND you know you're right - don't be afraid to speak your mind".  That advice raged through my mind as I read the following, entitled "Dust Off the Old Amplifier' by Mike Higgins K6AER:

"I know the conventional wisdom is if you can’t hear them you can’t work them but there is a corollary to that saying and it is; ”If they can’t hear you they won’t call you.” This is a call for those of you who own an amplifier to use them when you call CQ. For those of you that have never tried to call CQ, CQ is what you do when you don’t hang around a net all day to make a contact. It is more honest than asking for a radio check.

At this point I expect the replays descend into a class warfare battle between the QRO crowd and the QRP minimalist group. Let’s skip the replays who have worked 100 countries with 5 watts for even a blind squirrel will find an acorn if they look long enough."

Skipping the rest.

Now, before I begin my rant, I want to state, for the fact, now and forever, that I do not have anything against people who choose to operate QRO.  For me, QRP is a fun choice, and I have no need or desire to force it upon anyone else.  For that matter, Amateur Radio is a big enough hobby for everyone, whatever mode, style of operating that they choose.  My motto is, "As long as it's legal and within the rules, and it's not interfering with your fellow Hams - knock yourself out"

But I have to admit that I was really irked by the "At this point I expect the replays descend into a class warfare battle between the QRO crowd and the QRP minimalist group. Let’s skip the replays who have worked 100 countries with 5 watts for even a blind squirrel will find an acorn if they look long enough."

In my humble opinion, that statement showed a true lack of practical knowledge on the part of the author. Wouldn't it have been better to have written (perhaps) "At this point I expect the replies to descend into a class warfare battle between the QRO crowd and the QRP minimalist group. Let’s skip the replies from those who have worked 100 countries with 5 watts, for this article's intended audience is folks who have amplifiers and don't mind using them".

Unfortunately, the original paragraph resulted in exactly what the author desired to avoid.  Personally, however, considering the words he chose to use, I'm not so sure that he intended to avoid a "class warfare battle".  And of course the arguments devolved into the classic "Everybody knows that it's always the receiving station that does the heavy lifting in a QSO with a QRPer".

I hate that! I have had my eardrums blown out repeatedly by W1PID, N4BP, N9NE (at 1 Watt!) and countless others to know that this argument is utter BS.  Yes, there are times when QRP signals are so weak that even I wonder how they can be copied at all.  But this is NOT the rule.  It might not be the exception, either; but it's not a hard and fast rule.  Received signal strength is due to a multiple of variables. While output power may be an important one, it's not the ONLY one!  Antennas, propagation, band conditions all play into the equation.

The best response I saw, was from a person who identified himself a STRAIGHTKEY:

"And likewise, even an unskilled squirrel can crack any nut by purchasing and operating a steamroller.

Congratulations on condemning class warfare and then turning around and engaging in it yourself."

A bit snarky perhaps?  Yes, but it was straight and to point, and I wish I had thought of it.  I might not have posted it that way, but it is what I was thinking.

Anyway, a very sincere 73 to ALL Amateur Radio ops, everywhere!

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

Another good day here.

Indian Summer is here!  For those of you readers who are not familiar with the term, Indian Summer is a warm spell that occurs in mid to late October, after the first frost of the season.  We had our first frost earlier this week, when the temps dropped into the 30s overnight.  Not a hard frost; but there was evidence of some hoarfrost on the grass one morning earlier last week.  This was followed by yesterday, where the high was in the upper 70s (25C) and today where the high was about 83F (28C).  Tomorrow is supposed to be just as warm and then I believe it is to cool down for the rest of the week.

The family and I spent a good part of the day today, picking apples and pumpkins at a farm in East Brunswick, the town where I grew up.  While most of the town is developed and suburban, there are big parts that are still rural.  This hearkens back to my very young days when East Brunswick was about 75% rural and farms.  Now that is probably closer to about 10 or 15%.  Anyway, in all we picked about 20 pounds (10 kilos) worth of apples and maybe about 40 pounds (20 kilos) in three large pumpkins.

When I got home, I managed to get some "on the air" time before dinner.  I worked T32C on 12 Meters for a third band.  The more I listen to that team operate the more and more impressed I am with them.  I can only relate about the CW side of things, but they identify after EVERY transmission which is great!  No guessing who's on the air here.  They work at a good clip; but they are not overwhelming with the code speed.  It's about 23 WPM which is very comfortable for me.  And they just seem to be super organized.  They are doing superb considering that. according to their press briefings, their main shipment container of gear never made it to the island.

After working T32C, I hopped on down to 20 Meters and worked Dick K2UFT who was on the air as N4V, a special event commemorating the Vibroplex keys that were made in Norcross, GA for a time.  Dick was really slick on the bug, it was a joy to work him.  And I was totally unaware of this special event, so it was good to run into him, as he explained for me what was going on.  I feel a bit embarrassed by that, as I try to stay on top of these kind of things so that I can pass them on to you all.  But Dick was a very gracious tutor and I always love working special events.  There are so many that never make an effort to put a CW station on the air - I was so glad to find this one.

 

Lastly, I was able to end the day by working N4BP on 20 Meters as K6JSS/4 from Florida.  I had horrid local QRN on 20 Meters this evening; but Bob's signal was so strong that it rose above the noise like it wasn't even there.  It's nice to get a K6JSS station in the log so early on in the week.

Here's hoping that these good band conditions last for a while!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Good day despite antenna woes

After finishing with the lawn; I decided to try test the Butternut to see which bands are affected by that snapped wire.  The good news is that 10 Meters seems to be the only band that is wonky.  SWR is good on all the rest of the bands; but the best match I can get on 10 Meters is about 2:1. The internal tuner of the K2 has a fit getting there.  So next weekend, I will make like an antenna surgeon and will get that fixed.

I managed to work T32C on 10 Meters this afternoon using the 88 ft EDZ - so worse comes to worse, I have something for 10 Meters that works well.  Hey, any wire that will get 5 Watts from New Jersey to the middle of the Pacific Ocean is nothing to sneeze at.

I worked OX3XR on 12 Meters with the Butternut this afternoon and got an honest 579.  I absolutely love it when I get a "real" RST report from a DX station and not just the rubber stamped "599".  At least it gives me a decent idea as to how I'm really being heard.

In the evening, tuning around the bands, I saw that 30 Meters was decent for the second night in a row regarding background QRN.  No buzz saw, so I decided to call CQ.  I was answered by Terry W9UX and we had a bit of a chat.

Courtesy of QRZ

I had worked Terry back in August as K6JSS/2 - it was nice to chat for a bit instead of just a basic exchange.  And anytime you can work a real nice fist like Terry has, that's even more of a special treat. He'll be operating in the NAQCC Anniversary Special Event later on this week; so keep an ear out for him as N9A.  In fact, all 10 call districts will be activated as "N#A", so keep an ear open for all of them. They will be active from October 10th to the 15th and your best be will probably be around the standard QRP frequencies.

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

Oh Snap!

That's what my kids say instead of "Oh, Darn" or "Oh, Heck" or worse.

That's what I said while working on the Butternut HF9V this afternoon.  Currently, I am taking a breather between mowing the front and back yards.  Before starting the front yard, I got the limb pruner out to take care of a branch in the back yard that is overgrowth from my neighbor.  It had pushed my Butternut out from vertical and was causing it to lean a bit to the right.

I removed the offending branch; but now that the leaves are out of the way, I noticed that the wire radiator had snapped.  Probably during some wind, the branch just plucked it until it broke and I never noticed it until the foliage was cleared away.

I still have to mow the back yard (among other things) so there is no time to fix it today, and tomorrow is booked as family time.  This will have to wait until next weekend (God willing me good weather).  The plan as it stands, is to remove the top half of the antenna (one screw and nut), bring it down, repair or replace the wire and then return things to normal.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?  Yeah ...... right !!!!!!

I have to get this done before bad (and cold) weather sets in as the Butternut, more often than not, is my radiator of choice.

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

US7UX

I tooled around the bands this evening, listening for T32C on some frequency other than one in the 17 Meter band; but had not much luck.  As I was switching bands, I noticed that for some reason, 30 Meters seemed less noisy than normal for me.  And by that, I don't mean a lack of signals, I mean less background noise.  For whatever reason, it seems that most nights, 30 Meters has an S5 to S7 noise floor around here. Tonight that was not the case.

I heard a station calling "CQ DX" that was so loud (599 +++, lit up all the LEDs on my K2) that I was certain that it had to be a Stateside station looking for DX.  I was wrong. It was Oleg US7UX who is near Kiev, in the Ukraine.  Not one to pass up working a DX station, I threw out my call and got an immediate answer.  I wanted Oleg to know how loud he was and got a "TNX FOR 599 PLUS" for my efforts.  And in turn, I received a 599 report back.  Now normally, I would have said to myself, "Yeah, right!",  but from listening to Oleg handle other stations, he was giving out actual RSTs. I heard some stations get 559 and 579 and even a 449 report - so the 599 made me feel pretty good.  Just goes to show that when band conditions are right, even a 5 Watt station can be heard well.

I certainly hope that Oleg is as loud later this month when he is on DXpedition to the Marquesas Islands as TX7M.  And now it makes perfect sense as to why he was working everyone in such rapid fire succession - he's getting in some practice before his trip.

Marquesas, Christmas Island ..... dreaming of DXpeditions.  Reminds me of the adventures I used to dream about in my Novice days.

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

K2ORS

now belongs to an op in Massachusetts.  But in the greater Northeastern part of the US, K2ORS will always be Jean Shepherd.  (Sorry Warren, no offense intended).

Anyone who has watched the movie "A Christmas Story" ("You'll shoot your eye out, Kid") knows Jean Shepherd, as he was the creator of that story.  But to a lot of us "baby-boomers" we know Jean Shepherd from his nightly radio show on WOR in New York City.  Many of us would sneak a portable transistor radio under our pillows, so that we could listen to his hilarious stories about school, life in the military and his famous stories about fireworks and the 4th of July as he was growing up.

Every now and then, he would talk about being a Ham and his experiences as being a "kid" Ham growing up in Hammond, Indiana.  Here's one of them:







There was a Website that someone referred me to once, where I was able to listen to his story about the time lightning struck his antenna and all the havoc that caused (including moving out of a rental house in the middle fof the night!).  Hilarious.

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

Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel

For those of you around my age and older, that phrase that I used for my title should be familiar to you.  For you young-uns, I will explain.

Back in the late 60s, WABC aired a weekly Batman television show.  Actually, it was on two nights a week - Tuesday and Wednesday nights if I remember correctly.  Anyway, it was done as a serial, like the old movies. The adventure that was started on Tuesday was continued and finished the next night.  The announcer would always exhort watchers at the end of the first show, "Tune in tomorrow. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel".

And so it went for me with T32C.  Second night, same band and approximately the same time.  But this time my signal was QRP and this time the Butternut HF9V did get the job done! (BTW, that works out to approximately 1,155 miles per Watt)

Kudos to the superb ops out there.  I have seen that many QRPers are getting them; and I even heard tonight's op come back to a W1 station that signed /QRP.  That seemed to get his attention; but on the whole I don't recommend signing /QRP when working DX.  The faster you make your call heard, the better the chance of being worked.  I guess there are always exceptions to the rule, though. YMMV.

Good luck to all of you out there - you have three weeks to get your signal to them.

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

Some Stateside success

All right!

I got to keep the K6JSS effort going by successfully working K6JSS/1 out of Rhode Island tonight.  For those who actively work towards their WAS awards, working Rhode Island is almost as good a prize as East Kiribati!  It's not often you hear "Lil' Rhody" on the air; so it was a treat to work the steady fist of Randy K8FZJ to get RI in the log.

Randy posted on QRPSPOTS that he was on 40 Meters and I was listening for him.  I heard Dan KB6NU working him. Dan just about blew my eardrums out with this 599+ signal, but nothing was heard of Randy.

When Randy later posted on QRPSPOTS that he was going to be on 80 Meters for a bit, I bounded down to the basement faster than Santa's reindeer.  And it was Christmas in October as I worked Randy on the first shot - and yes, I did remember to turn the power back down to 5 Watts - thank you very much.

T32C and Rhode Island in one night - two rare ones (one close, one not) in one evening.  I love this Ham Radio stuff!

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

Got T32C - but ..........

I must confess, it was not QRP.  I had to crank up the K2 to 10 Watts to make the QSO, so I will not be counting this QSO towards my tally of countries worked via QRP.  He was calling CQ and not getting many takers - and at 5 Watts he just wasn't hearing me.  Since East Kiribati is a totally new entity for me, how could I not turn up the juice?!?  At any rate, I nabbed him; and I'm glad I did.  There will be time yet to try again; but with 5 Watts next time.

It was 17 Meters, they were transmitting on 18.072 MHz and listening up 1.  Even with 10 Watts this was no mean feat.  They were NOT 599 when we QSOed. If I were to be honest, I'd have to say more like 569 - so you can imagine what I must have (not) sounded like on their end.

I had to repeat my call several times as he had me as W2DJ - but after two more sendings of my call, the op came back and confirmed W2LJ.  Superb ears out there in the Pacific!

At any rate, they will be out there for three more weeks; so maybe 10 Meters might be conducive to a true QRP QSO sometime this weekend.

The only other thing that was strange ..... I worked him using the 88' EDZ antenna. Usually, for DX, the Butternut HF9V is the weapon of choice.  But when switching between the two, I was able to hear him much better using the EDZ and ended up using it for both transmit and receive.

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

Words

I am a big fan of other Ham's good writing about Amateur Radio, particularly good short stories, essays, etc.

One of the best wordsmiths in our hobby is Jeff KE9V (I think the other top wordsmith would have to be Don N4KC).  For your reading pleasure, Jeff has posted some of his work here:

http://ke9v.net/

Go down to the bottom section that is entitled "Words" and enjoy!

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

HamCan

I finally got my butt down into the basement to melt some solder Saturday night.  I elected to build the HamCan transceiver that was offered by the Four State QRP Group that I had bought when they first came out; but never assembled.

The instructions were quite clear and easy to follow.  This could easily be a first time builder's kit.  The first step, as per the instructions, was to wind the toroids. There were only three.

That's L1, L2 and T1 from left to right.  L1 was 22 turns of 26 gauge wire.  L2 was 11 turns of 22 gauge wire.  T1 was 11 turns each of 26 and 22 gauge wire - wound so that one wire lays interspersed to the side of the other.

Then came the installation of the discreet components.  Everything in this kit is through hole, which makes it ideal for beginners.

All that took no more than about an hour, and this is what the semi-finished product looks like:

If you click on the picture to enlarge it, and look just to the upper left hand corner of the left side phone jack, you will see that I soldered in two machined pins that I cut out of a DIP socket.  This is for the crystal; and will allow me to change crystals easily in the future.

I still have to solder in the 9V battery connector and I'll have to make up an antenna jumper cable as the antenna connector is an RCA connector.  I haven't used one of those babies as an antenna connector since my Heathkit days.  But you know what?  It was good enough back then, so it's good enough now.

Tomorrow afternoon or evening, I'll try to get it on the air and see if I can make any contacts.  It will be interesting to see how much power this lil' guy puts out.  Oh, I have to remember to put the heat sink on the final before I do any of that.

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

More things

It was a beautifully sunny day here in NJ, with warm temperatures.  I did get a chance to get out to the Jeep during lunch and did set up the Hamstick and PFR3A.  I didn't work anyone; but I did hear Paul WØRW/PM working KM6Z on 20 Meters around 1700 UTC.  I called Paul after their QSO was over; but he didn't come back to me; so either he QRT'ed or didn't hear me (way more likely).

I did call CQ for a bit before heading back in. Not so much with any expectation of getting answered (you never know); but I did want to see if I was picked up by the Reverse Beacon Network.  Sure enough, WE4S down in Georgia heard me calling CQ at 8dB above the noise level.  Not ear crushing; but at least I know I was getting out.

I bought these really inexpensive earbuds at the A&P to stick in the backpack for use with the PFR3A.  They're called Rock Candy earbuds and they're made by Mizco.  They cost me all of $4.99.

They're very comfortable and they're quite loud!  They deliver more sound than my Sony earbuds that I was using.  In fact, with the Sony earbuds, I had to use a Boosteroo audio amplifier and set PFR3A's volume control at the max to get decent sound levels.  Today, I was able to turn the volume on the PFR3A almost all the way down; and there was still more than enough volume.  Tomorrow, when I go grocery shopping, I plan to pick up another set or two; just to have in reserve.

Keep in mind that on Sunday, is the launch of  iHAB7, the latest effort by the Iowa High Altitude Balloon project.  There will be a 40 Meter beacon on 7.028 MHz.  Launch is at 1600 UTC.

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

Things

I started using a new template here on blogger; but today I took out the background image. Too distracting and it bothered my eyes.

I wanted to go out and do some QRP during lunchtime today at work.  I wasn't able to because one of my guys at another of our locations called out; so I sent the guy I normally work with, over there to help pick up the slack.  So I was flying solo today and couldn't leave the building.

However, this morning, I did throw a very small backpack in the back of the Jeep containing the PFR3A, Baby Black Widow paddles, battery, and a power cable.  I also placed the magmount and my Hamsticks in the back of the Jeep.  So hopefully tomorrow, I will be able to go to a local park or even just sit in the parking lot and get on for a few minutes around lunchtime.

As it turned out, I might not have been able to get on during lunchtime today as we've had thunderstorms periodically running through the area all day.  The last few days were very humid and muggy. As I left the building at work today, it was obvious that fresh, dryer air has swept into the area.  It's also been pretty breezy and the temperature has dropped significantly.  I think this weekend, the daily high is only supposed to be in the 60s (18C) with lows at night in the 40s (7C).  The seasons are a changing!

This weekend looks like it will be somewhat busy.  I am hoping to make it over to Washington Rock State Park next weekend to begin activating New Jersey's State Parks via the POTA program.  Definitely not Mt. Herman or Eagle Cap - but it's a start!  Next year, I hope to make it up to High Point State Park in the Northwest corner of New Jersey - the Appalachian Trail runs through there.  So maybe I can do double duty - activate the park and also start qualifying for some of WB3AAL's Appalachian Trail awards!

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

Confession time

It is said that confession is good for the soul.  I have a confession to make - I have severe QRP outdoor envy:



I'd be willing to bet that after watching Steve WGØAT's latest video, that I am not alone in my transgressions.

And Guy N7UN, thanks for that great idea for supporting the Buddistick counterpoise - I am going to be heading out to the hardware store this weekend!

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

I never realized

I have lived in New Jersey all my 54 years.  And until joining the "Parks On The Air" group on Yahoo, I never realized that New Jersey had so many state parks.  In all, there are 51. One of the things I would like to start doing (probably next year) is activating as many of these as I can.  According to the group's rules, it takes five complete QSOs from any given park for it to have been considered activated.  This is pretty much similar to activating a Summit On The Air, if I remember correctly.

I am familiar with a lot of them, perhaps even a majority of them.  But I have to confess, that before reading the list on the POTA Yahoo site, I wasn't even aware of Farny State Park, or Wawayanda State Park or even Double Trouble State Park (does that refer to Pennsylvania and New York? Sorry - no offense!).  These and others I will have to Google for locations and directions.  

In addition to these, there are also fourteen National Parks in New Jersey; but I believe that only twelve can be activated.  I am pretty certain that bringing Amateur Radio equipment to Liberty Island and Ellis Island is not permitted.

Operating the parks and activating them seems to be a natural activity for someone who likes to QRP from the "Great Outdoors".  If you're intrigued by this idea, I encourage you to visit:

http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/p_o_t_a_/?yguid=372515288

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Knew this was going to happen

I don't quite know what to think about this.  I just received an e-mail telling me that WorldRadio Online will no longer be free beginning with the November issue.  The yearly subscription fee will be $19.95 a year beginning October 25th - BUT ......as a loyal WorldRadio Online reader, if I subscribe before then, my first year will only be $9.97.

This seems to be prompted by the fact that WorldRadio Online will now be made available to tablets, phones and other on-line devices.  I am guessing that there's some kind of inherent costs associated with that, which makes a subscription necessary (once again)?  Or perhaps it the fact they are turning over production to a company that specializes in "e-zines" (hate that term!).

Which makes me wonder ..... what the heck happened to my Lifetime subscription that I ante'd up good money for (in good faith) so many years ago?  Yes, I know, they extended my subscription to CQ Magazine for a limited time. But that runs out next April, and I have to start paying for that again, too. Note to self - NEVER sign up for a lifetime subscription for ANYTHING, ever again.

I really love CQ Publications and I think they do an outstanding job.  My gut makes me feel that somehow, I am getting the shaft here.  I'd better cool off before I make a final determination, because right now, I'm in no mood to be forking over 20 bucks a year for something I thought was going to be free. And right now?  Saving up for that KX3 is more important to me than Kurt N. Sturba.

But referring to the title of this post, in the back of my mind I always knew that "There's no such thing as a free lunch".  The way my luck is, pretty soon I'll get an e-mail from the League telling me that my Lifetime Membership no longer includes QST!

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

The One and Only

I was going through some of my older Ham Radio publications and ran across some old QSTs and ARRL license manuals and study guides from the 60s and early 70s.  QST was still its smaller size then, as were the license manuals and the famous "How To Become an Amateur Radio Operator".  These were the publications that I constantly leafed through when I very first started dreaming about joining the Amateur Radio community as a youngster.

It was fun looking at the old advertisements AND the old prices; but the best part of the older ARRL publications (IMHO) were the cartoons by Phil Gildersleeve W1CJD.

I'm sure many of you are very familiar with Phil's work - an example of which appears above.  For me, Phil was the face of the ARRL!  Whenever I saw one of his great drawings, I knew it was an ARRL publication. Jeeves, the Podunk Hollow Radio Club, and his many QST covers were and continue to be the greatest! And back when I was first licensed in 1978, a lot of folks were still using his artwork on their QSL cards.  For more examples of his work you can visit W8JYZ's "Old QSL Cards" Website - especially:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115747543308902188110/OldQSLCardsGilGildersleeve

and

http://oldqslcards.com/W1CJD.pdf

There are a lot of talented cartoonists out there; but I doubt we'll ever see anyone come close to the caliber of "Gil", as far as Amateur Radio is concerned.

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

PFR3 thoughts

My good friend Bob W3BBO just e-mailed me that he was able to nab K6JSS/6 from California before the Special Event station moves on to Massachusetts in all of about 7 minutes.

That got me to thinking how perfect the PFR3, and radios like it are for folks like my friend Bob, who are in antenna challenged circumstances. Bob lives in an apartment now after many years of house owning.  While he could have thrown a hunk of wire out the window (he lives on the second floor) he opted to go out to the car and hook up his PFR3 to a Hamstick.

Think of the situation .... it's dark here on the East coast already as Autumn is now officially here.  Throw the Hamstick on the car and hook up the radio.  In his case, Bob has the attached paddles.  The internal battery holders mean no fussing around with an SLA or anything else. The red LED frequency display is perfect for evening operations.  Hook up the antenna, power up the rig and go to town!  Set up is what - all of a couple of minutes in this case (if that) ?  And it worked for him, so that makes it all the more sweeter!

Thanks go out to Steve Weber, Hendricks QRP Kits and Elecraft for coming up with and offering these trail friendly radios. They are great - even when not used on the trail!

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

Good day for the higher bands

Between chores and other duties, I managed to find some "On The Air" time for station W2LJ today.  It was quite a treat as propagation was favored in the higher bands today.  20 Meters was open today as well; and I managed QSOs on the 20, 12 and 10 Meter bands.  DX was plentiful to find; and while I didn't work any new countries, I did manage QSOS with fellow Hams in the Slovak Republic, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Mexico, England and the good ol' U.S. of A.

I think these bands being open is such a novelty that stations were just rushing through QSOs in the fears that the bands could close at any second.  Unfortunately, my DX QSOs were not ragchews, but more of the DXpedition "599 TU" kind of QSOs.  I long for the days when the bands will be open for long periods of time and DX QSOs can be not so rushed and more leisurely.  I remember back to my Novice days, when contacts with DX stations were ragchews, just like any stateside contact.  I still have a lot of QSLs from back in those days that contained letters and photographs that picked up where the radio QSO ended.  I enjoyed those immensely and I sincerely hope that they have not gone the way of the dinosaurs.

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

Very weird

propagation on the bands today.  I didn't hear anyone who posted on QRPSPOTS today, with the exception of Cam N6GA who got on 15 Meters early and was calling CQ as K6JSS/6.  He was very light into NJ, only about a 529/429 or so.

However, 17 Meters seemed pretty active and I was able to work RT5A Yuri in Russia and S59AA Franc in Slovenia.  20 Meters was dead to me. (Is that melodramatic or what?)  There were a lot of SOTA spots mentioned on QRPSPOTS and I didn't hear any of them.  If I hadn't worked the two DX stations on 17 Meters I probably would have gone out back to make sure the antennas were still up.

Rem K6BBQ mentioned on QRPSPOTS something about an X Class flare.  I guess I wasn't alone in listening to the "sounds of silence".

72 de Larry w2lj
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Excited

Going through my e-mail this morning, I was grrrrrreeted by the fact that fellow Polar Bear and QRPer, Ken Louks WA8REI has started his own blog.  I've known Ken for a few years as we bump into each other on the air all the time, it seems.  And that's really a good thing as Ken is one of the nicest individuals that you could ever have the fortune to know.

But for as many QSOs as we have had, there are obviously things that I didn't know about him; and by the same token, I am sure he doesn't know about me.  For instance, I remember when he had his stroke back in 2008; but I had no idea he was a professional musician.  And I'll tell you right there, on an admiration scale, that knocks him right off the chart in my books.

I would love to play a musical instrument; but I have no talent whatsoever.  I am what could probably best be described as musically bankrupt.  But listen to the sample of Ken's one handed playing that he's inserted into his first post - he has more talent in that arm than I have in three or four of my collective bodies (if I had more than one!). And with all that musical talent that Ken has, now I have a good idea as to why he is the superb CW op that he is.

My dreams of having musical talent aside, my point is that I am so happy that Ken has decided to share his Amateur Radio experiences with us.  And there are MANY of you out there who should be doing the same. Blogging is easy and simple and free, if you use Blogger or Wordpress.  You don't need to be a Shakespeare or a Hemingway or a Bronte or a Fitzgerald for that matter.  All you have to be is yourself, along with a desire to share whatever it is about Ham Radio that you like or is important to you.  We're not talking high prose here - just imagine this as all of us, sitting around a huge kitchen table, sharing coffee (or whatever) and jabbering on about what we love the best.

Love to operate outdoors?  Wow, I love reading about that - consider sharing!  Love to build and design things - I can't get enough about that (especially from a beginner's point of view) - consider sharing!  Love to just ragchew and make contacts around the world?  Love stories about that too - consider sharing!  Are you considering doing something new for you, like attempting to work satellites or maybe doing moonbounce or meteor scatter for the first time?  I would really love to read about something like that!

And from someone's blog, you just might learn a new bit of information about something that's important to you; but you never knew before, or had the time to look for.  Take today for instance,  John AE5X tells about his new weather station in his latest post on his blog, "Radio & Photography".  I have been wanting a weather station for years, but have never wanted to shell out the big bucks for a Davis or Peet unit.  John posts about a station that he has found that seems to be a good bang for the buck.  Although John and I have never met face to face, we've run into each other on the air enough and have e-mailed each other enough where I consider him a good friend.  I respect his opinion immensely, and if it weren't for his blog post, I would have probably never run into the info about this weather station for a long time to come.  Thanks John!  Now when Marianne asks me what I want for Christmas this year, I have something more realistic to ask for besides "KX3"!

The point is, that blogging about Ham Radio is almost kind of the like the "New Elmering".  You have no idea how many people you can touch and inspire.  Also, you have no idea of how many instances occur that when you post about something that you think is routine and mundane, for someone else (perhaps a newcomer) it's a "Gee,I never thought of THAT before" moment!

The bottom line is, we all have something to share.  "Too many blogs out there already" you say?  No my friend, I say there are not enough!

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

A request - revisited

Thank you!

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

Do More With Less

Is the title of this blog.  Of course, as a QRPer, I am referring to operating using low power - 5 Watts or less.  For the non-believers (and sorry, I don't mean to make this sound like a religion - perhaps skeptics would have been a better word), 5 Watts will get you nowhere unless you have mega-aluminum in the air.  You know, what I'm talking about - the kind of antenna farm you can see using Google Earth.

Time to debunk that Urban Myth, also.  Not to toot my horn; but I have worked all 50 States and over 100 DXCC entities using nothing more than a Butternut HF9V vertical and simple wire antennas (G5RV or 88' EDZ).  Any my accomplishments are PUNY, small and not noteworthy at all!  My accomplishments are nothing, nil, zip, nada!  There are people out there who are on the DXCC Honor Roll using 5 Watts and not that much in the way of antennas.

But maybe the benchmark, is none other than a Ham that I mention here from time to time - John Shannon K3WWP.  John is eligible for awards many times over using 5 Watts or less and very simple antennas. And if that wasn't enough - he has currently had at least one QRP QSO for over 6,200 consecutive days.  That is just over 17 years, my friends!  Through sunspot highs and sunspot lows, through geomagnetic storms and other anomalies,  John has kept his 5 Watts out there in the aether, working the world.   And he has done this with the following:

http://naqcc.info/k3wwp/antennas/antennas.html

So the next time you look at your antenna farm and you're tempted to bemoan the fact that it's small and that it's not much as compared to the Big Guns, and that it can't be seen using Google Earth - take heart. People are accomplishing great feats every day using not much more (and sometimes less!) than you and I have.

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

Eureka!

That's what the 49'ers yelled when they struck gold in California - wasn't it?

I struck gold in California tonight by working K6JSS/6 - Cam N6GA on 15 Meters of all bands.  Who would have thought that 15 Meters would have been the money band to California at close to 8:30 PM local time?  But Cam bore with me and we got the QSO accomplished.  I got a 529 and sent a 549.  Not strong signals at the time; but as I sit here typing this, Cam's QRP signal is getting increasingly louder. He's almost a good 579 when the QSB isn't affecting him.  15 Meters at this time of day with such a lousy sunspot cycle!  If we were having a superb cycle, this wouldn't have struck me as odd.  But with the less than great propagation we've been having - I am surprised to say the least.

And speaking of accomplished - Cam is the editor/writer of the QRP column for CQ Magazine - double treat to have worked a "QRP Celebrity".

This QSO went a long way towards making my day, that's for sure!

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

So very cool!

Good friend and fellow Polar Bear, Rem K6BBQ posted this video on YouTube, about operating from the USS Pampanito, a World War II submarine.  The Pampanito is berthed near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

Back in the day, when I worked in the professional photographic industry, my company used to send me out to Photo West.  The years that I attended, the trade show was held at Mosconi Center in "The City by the Bay".

I always enjoyed the many restaurants on and around the Wharf and Pier 39.  Going to the Pampanito was always a special treat!



Once again - great job, Rem!

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

QRP Afield

I had to settle for being a "giver of points" again.  Too much to do here this weekend to make a full, outdoor effort.  I am typing this as I prepare to go to the grocery store and get some food shopping done.

I am seeing what seems to be a decent amount of activity on QRPSPOTS; but to be honest, I'm not hearing a lot of QRPers.  I am hearing a lot of European contesters in the QRP area, especially SK7OA up around 14.062 MHz.  I did manage to get down to my basement shack for a few minutes and did work AB9CA and WT4M.

I also worked Bob W3BBO who was one the air as W3M - Special Event station for the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the founding of McKean, Pennsylvania. Bob mentioned that it was cloudy and cool in McKean.  Same thing here in New Jersey. Temperature is only around 60F (15C) and it looks like it wants to rain.  It feels like we went from August to late October in the span of a day.

Anyway, like I said, busy here today!  I had an allergist appointment early this morning, Joey had a soccer game around 11:00AM.  Now it's time to grocery shop and then put some salt in the water softener in the basement.  When I get home, maybe I'll find more time to get on the air.

Oh yes, tomorrow is the monthly Run for the Bacon - have to post that to the QRP e-mail reflectors later!

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

A request

Anything that appears in this blog is free to be used elsewhere.  I really don't mind at all if you see anything here that you want to use in your club newsletter, your own blog, or even if you want to print something out and put it on your refrigerator!

As my regular readers know, I have posted things that I have seen on QRP-L, and even things from other blogs and Websites (such as Jim W1PID's adventures) that I thought merited sharing.  But, when re-posting another's material, I always go to great pains to name the source, so that there is NO CONFUSION that what I have posted in those instances is not my original material.  Hey, if I didn't think of it, I ain't gonna take credit for it!

So please, if you're going to use anything you see here (and I invite you to!  Please, feel free!) - just don't copy and paste without mentioning that you saw it here.  While it's not a big sweat to do this blog, it does take some forethought and effort.  I love to share - just don't make it look like you're the author of my words - OK?

Thanks so much!

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

Wow!

Trying to work K6JSS/7 - Jed (AD7KG) in Utah on 20 Meters and did not have any success, even though he was 599 and loud into NJ.  Guess reciprocal propagation is not always a sure thing.  Just as the herd was thinning out a bit, Jed's signal went from 599 to about 229 in a heartbeat.  Oh, well!

I tried again on 40 Meters a little later and came oh, so close!  A bunch of us were calling and he sent a "W2??" - so can you please tell me, for the love of Pete - why do W4 stations start sending their call at that point?  I could see a W3 sending his call at that point as 2 and 3 are so close in Morse.  But sending WU4"XX" over and over and over when he's stated that he's looking for a W2?  Oy vey! - the difference is obvious!  But the squeaky wheel got the grease and the "WU4" station, who was louder than me, I guess, got heard and beat me out for the QSO.  And then a little later, when he sends a "K4B??" - why does a K4 with a suffix that starts with an "F" feel he has to start sending his call?  Oh yeah,  "-..." and ".._." - they're so close as to be twins!  Well, at least he had the call district right.

Pileup discipline is not very good these days, I guess.  Rather than get frustrated (too late), I'll just try working him another night.

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

Changes

An announcement was made on QRP-L today that Alaska has asked for a slot later in the year for K6JSS, so Utah is pinch hitting in the lineup this week.  Should be interesting to see if I can work them.  According to Jim W4QO, it looks like operations will be run by one Ham this week. I guess there aren't many Hams in Utah, let alone QRPers.  I wish him the best - it's a heavy burden to be facing a whole week alone like that.

W1PID has been out and about again!  For his latest adventure, please go to:  http://www.w1pid.com/ramble/ramble.html

John AE5X has hyperlinked to .pdfs of several Heathkit catalogs on his blog.  I found that if you Google or Bing "Heathkit Catalog" you can find a few more than he has listed.  I was looking through a couple of the catalogs from the late 70s and it jogged my memory about building a few kits that I had forgotten about! These are some of the kits I had built:

HR-1680 Amateur receiver with matching speaker
VTVM
Cantenna dummy load
HD-1410 keyer
HW-8 and power supply
SB-104A transceiver with matching speaker and power supply, remote VFO, station monitor and five function console
Synthesized scanner for Amateur and Public Service frequencies
LED alarm clock
Complete stereo system composed of:
Power Amp
Pre-amp
Pre-pre-amp for moving coil cartridges
AM/FM tuner
Equalizer
Noise Reduction Unit

The only kit that I had a problem with was the SB-104A.  During final assembly, when I installed one of the boards, it would cause the entire radio to go dark and shut down.  After much troubleshooting and head scratching, I gave in and took the radio and boards to a (kind of) local Heathkit store.  It turned out it was one of the pre-built factory boards that had a problem.  To compensate, the Tech finished the Final Assembly (which consisted of plugging in all the daughter cards) and did a professional factory alignment, free of charge. Now that's service!

And there may be a few more kits that I still don't remember building.  That was the advantage of being young, employed and not being married at the time - lots of free time and more disposable income than now! 

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

Looks like Oregon isn't going to happen.

With only a few hours to go until K6JSS changes states, it looks like Oregon is going to become only the second state that I have not been able to work.  Who would have figured that?  Oregon has never been a problem for me until now.

However, a lack of volunteers, and a lack of propagation seems to be preventing a QSO with K6JSS/7.  There haven't been any substantial operations during the evening hours of this past week - and you can't blame the Oregon K6JSS/7 ops for that. The few ops that have volunteered have been on the air as much as they were able.  And in fact, they have been graciously accommodating in trying to work East coast QRP'ers during the evenings towards the end of the week; but the propagation just hasn't been there!  When you only have two, three or perhaps four ops trying to cover a whole week's worth of operating, you're going to run into holes and problems.

During this weekend, when they have spotted themselves on 20 Meters during the day, the signals just haven't been there, again. I am supposing that this is due to the geomagnetic event that we have been experiencing over the past few days.

Bad luck, bad propagation, bad timing - nuts!

Anyway, thanks to the Oregon ops for the many contacts they did make, even if one of them wasn't with yours truly.  Next week is Alaska's turn.  I suppose that my chances there will be equally, if not more slim.  Other than Jim AL7FS, I'm not really sure how big Alaska's QRP community is.  If he is going to bear the main brunt of the operating effort, I wish him well going into it.

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

It was a beautiful day

As I left for work, ten years ago today, I looked at the sky and noted how blue it was.  It was such a deep and beautiful blue, like you almost never see it.  And there were no clouds in the sky, it was just a pretty, spectacular, azure blue.

When I got to work (at my old job) I was in the Service Department and we had WPLJ FM on the radio as we always did, listening to the "Scott and Todd" morning show.  All of a sudden, Todd came on and announced that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center.  We all looked at one another and thought that he must have meant something like a Cessna or some other small aircraft.  There must have been some kind of mechanical trouble or perhaps the pilot had a heart attack or something like that.  We had hoped that whatever it was, that it would be taken care of quickly and professionally as things happen in New York City; and that the loss of life would be minimal.

A few minutes later, Scott Shannon came on and told how the second tower had been hit; and that both towers had been hit by commercial airliners.  We all knew right away that this was no accident; and that we were under attack.  My mind raced and thinking of the USS Cole, I blurted out to everyone that I thought this was the work of Al Qaida.

Then, a little bit later, one of the people in the front of the office started telling us how the Pentagon had been hit and was burning.  Things were now flying out of control and even though we were nowhere near being directly affected, a small sense of panic set in among everyone.  The first thing you want is the most information that you can get.  At that point, I called my wife Marianne on the telephone.  She was home, and at the time was pregnant with our daughter Cara (who would be born in four days).  I told her to turn on the TV to watch what was happening.

We had a monitor in the office conference room; but it was used for video presentations only and was not hooked up to cable or any other service.  I volunteered to make a run up the street to the local Radio Shack to get a set of "rabbit ears", so that we could keep an eye on whatever broadcast TV was showing.

As I got to the main street, which was Inman Avenue in North Edison, I could look off to the east and see dense columns of smoke rising into the air.  We're not at a vantage point to directly see the New York City skyline; but we were close enough to see the smoke plumes.  At that very moment, I distinctly remember feeling a lump in my throat and saying to myself, "So many brave firemen, police officers and EMTs are going to die today".  From my experience as an Emergency Management Volunteer, I knew that these heroes would rush into harm's way without a second thought. It's just what they do to keep the rest of us safe.

I got back to the office with the makeshift antenna; and we watched the buildings burn.  We saw images of the chaos happening at the Pentagon.  The we heard about one other plane, still out there somewhere, while all air traffic had been shut down and all commercial flights were forced to land immediately.

Then we watched, helpless, as the towers fell.  We thought immediately of friends who had relatives that worked in the towers and we all prayed that they had gotten out safely.  But as those towers fell, I had a sinking, queasy, sickening feeling in my gut - I knew there were firemen and police in those buildings, doing their utmost to save lives, and that in doing their jobs, they had committed the ultimate sacrifice.

Information was coming in fast, furious and disjointedly.  We had heard that United Flight 93 had crashed in Pennsylvania.  There were bits and pieces and unsubstantiated rumors being reported also; and we watched and listened - feeling lost and helpless.  It was apparent that nothing was going to be done at work that day, so our boss let us leave, allowing us to go home and be with our families.  It was the best salve that could be given us at that point.

I arrived home around Noon or maybe 12:30.  As I got out of my Jeep and was walking into my house, I heard the sounds of jet engines in the sky.  We live under the flight paths for Newark Liberty Airport; so this is so common as not to be noticed.  But I had remembered that all commercial air traffic was shut down.  I looked up into the sky and I saw an F-15E Strike Eagle racing across the sky, keeping the New York Metropolitan area under a watchful eye, performing Combat Air Patrol.




This video was put together by a friend and ex-coworker - Richard Andres.  He left Sinar Bron (where I was working 10 years ago) to go work for our best dealer in New York City - Foto Care.  This is what he witnessed from their vantage point on 21st Street, looking south. Thank you, Richard, for sharing and for producing this video.

Seeing that combat aircraft flying over my house was a sight that I will never forget.  At this 10th Anniversary of that horrible day, my thoughts and prayers go out to the innocent victims of Al Quida's bloody murder plot.  They also go out to all the first responders who gave their lives that day, trying to keep their fellow citizens safe.  Also, they go out to the members of our Armed Forces, those who have died in the War on Terror and the those alive who are still carrying the battle to the enemy.

May God continue to bless America.

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

Fallacies in Life

"The best things in life are free".

Sometimes, but not always. A lot of good things ARE free; but a lot of good things have to be bought and paid for.

"You get what you pay for".

Most of the times, this is true, but sometimes you get lucky and come across a bargain.

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence".

I think everyone older than about 10 years old knows that this isn't true.

"If it's a loud signal, he must be running power - if he's running QRP, who's gonna hear him?"

Let's NOT even go there!

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

W1PID Outing

Once again, Jim W1PID treats us to a story about another one of his outdoor portable QRP adventures in beautiful New Hampshire.

http://www.w1pid.com/andover/andover.html
This time a short video is included!

The reason I post these, is that I consider Jim to be right up there with epitome of outdoor, portable QRP Ops.  He has the experience and he gets the results.  I hope to be able to do similar things, one day.

And here's a video from another one of the other top outdoor portable QRP Ops, Steve WG0AT.  Featured prominently in the video is the object of my craving - the KX3!



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

Drying out, possibly?

The sun came out for a while today, late this afternoon.  He's been hiding the last few days as Lee dumped on us.  Rivers and streams are swollen again, and the Raritan River has breached its banks once again.  Who knows, maybe we'll have a dry Winter?

Not much new on the radio front; but I see on some news flashes that the FBI has announced a "credible" threat from Al Queda to disrupt this coming weekend's 10th Anniversary of 9/11.  Seems some rental trucks are missing from the Kansas City area and somehow, some suspected terrorists made it into the country in August.  Seems they intend to launch a "vehicle borne bomb". 

Nice to see the intelligence gathering business seems to be working.

I know a lot of folks read this blog from all areas around the world.  There is a Ham of note in our area who could use your prayers, even though I'm sure most of you have never even heard of him.  Steve Mendelsohn W2ML, is battling pancreatic cancer.  Steve is so well known in our area, as a League official (one time ARRL Vice President), Division Director, and all around really, really nice guy.  I have met with him several times and I'll never forget, back in the 90s when the no-code license debate was raging - Steve came to a Piscataway Amateur Radio Club meeting and took the time to genuinely listen to my take on the idea.

Here's his story:

http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-1/In-the-Fight-of-His-Life-His-Family-by-His-Side/8dd2d760-f3cd-434e-b0e9-282fffd69cdb

If you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers, that would be great.   If you could fire off a QSL with some encouraging words, that would be even greater.  As per QRZ, his address is:

Steve Mendelsohn W2ML
318 New Milford Avenue
Dumont, NJ  07628

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

Raining again!

It's raining like crazy again, only one week after Hurricane Irene.  This time, were experiencing the remnants of Tropical Storm (actually, Tropical Depression) Lee.

I have found some videos on YouTube that fellow South Plainfielders posted of the flooding in our town.  This will give you a small idea of the effects of Irene on our little town.



This is what the park normally looks like:

The gazebo and flag pole to the left of the picture were completely submersed.

When we first decided to move to South Plainfield, we came VERY close to buying the house all the way at the end of the street on the right of this street:



Needless to say, I am glad we didn't!



This is, aptly named, Lakeview Avenue. The building with the big tower behind it is Boro Hall.  To the left of Boro Hall is the Rescue Squad building, where the EMS rigs were evacuated from just in time.

This video, which is the longest, was taken from Lakeview Avenue, looking TOWARDS where the other video was taken from.  Our Monument Park is under water, you can see the Rescue Squad building in the background and more footage of the rain swollen Spring Lake Park.  All the walking trails and recreational areas were under a minimum of 6 feet of water.



There are many other areas of town that were affected just as badly.  If you drive around town, you can see heaps of piles of what is now garbage that people have had to remove from their houses because of flood damage.



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

Labor Day

The South Plainfield Labor Day parade went without a hitch this morning.  Our CERT team was out in force, relaying communications to the parade organizers, relaying changes about the line up to the parade announcers; and just helping out in general, where ever help was needed.  Unfortunately, there were a lot of line up changes to be relayed as many groups scheduled to participate, just never showed up.  I don't know of it was due to the chance of impending inclement weather or what; but it was a shame to see so many scratches and no shows.

 Me, all CERTed out!

The fireworks show for tonight has already been preempted.  I would guess that the folks responsible are going on information that heavy rain is supposed to come in at some point this evening; but right now, as of 4:00 PM, it's a bit overcast with the sun peeking through every now and then.  There are going to be a lot of disgruntled citizens if the rain holds off.  The parade and fireworks have been a Labor Day tradition in South Plainfield for over half a century now.  Folks in this town don't take too kindly to folks messing with their traditions.

The forecast for tonight through Thursday is for heavy rain, however.  The possibility for over 2 inches of rain alone tomorrow has been made known on AccuWeather.com.  I certainly hope that no one's basement ends up flooding again.

Tonight, there are two QRP Sprints taking place for those who are inclined to such competitions.  The monthly Adventure Radio Society Spartan Sprint is tonight, as well as the Michigan QRP Club's Labor Day Sprint is tonight.

I noticed that my Butternut is slightly out of vertical after Irene's visit.  It's caught is some small branches of a bush that is overhanging from the neighbor's yard.  Looks like there will be some pruning this upcoming weekend (weather permitting).

Jeff KE9V has announced that he will be discontinuing blogging for a bit as he begins to work on new projects.  His "Cornbread Row" series is available for download from his site.  Jeff is an extremely talented writer.  I'll miss his posts.

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

Yay!

 

The most recent models show Katia bending and staying out to sea.  That is certainly good news for those areas up and down the East coast that were ravaged by Irene just last weekend.  Looking back, it is hard to believe that all that took place just a week ago.

And .... looking at Tropical Storm Lee, it looks like he's going to stay away from New Jersey, if you pay attention to Weather Underground. 

  Both maps are courtesy of Weather Underground.

If, on the other hand, you pay attention to AccuWeather, you get this forecast for Lee:

This map courtesy of AccuWeather

So .... who's right and who's wrong?  Guess I'll know come Tuesday - Wednesday of this week.  And, the other thing to keep in mind is that Hurricane season really has just begun.  It won't end until the end of November (usually). So we'll have to remain vigilant.

I spent both yesterday and today doing a lot of chores around the house.  Catching up for the past few weeks where I wasn't able to do anything because of my sprained ankle.  It feels much better and is behaving itself.  It's still a bit sore on one side, but I haven't even had to Ace Bandage it up.  While catching up on chores has been a good thing, it hasn't left me with any time for radio.

I am looking forward to QRP Afield, which is always held the third Saturday in September, and this year that's September 17th.  If Marianne is working that day (which undoubtedly she will) I may only get the opportunity to set up in the backyard.  But hey, that's better than nothing, and I am excited about the last big outdoor QRP event for the Summer 2011 season.

One of these Saturdays, I also want to take my high school and college rings to the local gold exchange to see what I can get for them.  I never wear them and I think that they will provide a good starting point for KX3 funds.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Oh crap !!!

Pardon my language!

Just got back from helping to decorate the Labor Day Parade float for Holy Savior Academy, where my kids go to school.  I decided to sit down and check out e-mail before going outside to mow the lawn.

I wandered over to the National Hurricane Center to check on Katia.  If she doesn't significantly change course, as of right now, New Jersey could be in the cross hairs late next week. In fact, New Jersey could be in the DOUBLE cross hairs next week!  If you look at the tracks for both Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Katia, there is a distinct possibility that New Jersey could be hit with a one-two punch late next week.

We still have about 30,000 or so people in New Jersey without power since LAST weekend.  Lord knows what will happen this time.  In any event, we'll be ready.  When I go grocery shopping later today; I am going to stock up on water, batteries and some canned stuff so that I'm not fighting the hoards at the last minute.

I don't remember getting hit with two hurricanes in one season in a very, very long time.  I think I was about twelve years old the last time that happened.  And the memories of that are spending all my time in my parent's house basement, helping my Mom and Dad pick up water from the basement floor as fast as we were able.

Such is how these things go - cycles.  This has happened before and will happen again.  I think they're going to find out someday how this is all harmonious - sunspots, weather, etc, etc.

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

New kit alert!

QRP-L is a buzz today with a new offering from Hendricks QRP Kits.  This new one is called the Hendricks 40 - 15 Meters SOTA Halfwave Tuner.  As you may be able to guess, it's a tuner for End Fed Halfwave wire antennas.  Designed with portable ops, such as Summits On The Air, in mind.

Of course, QRP-L is abuzz, not so much with the news of a new kit; but more as to whether this new product can truly considered to be an End Fed Halwave Tuner.  Doug's new kit has two connections, one for the wire and one for a counterpoise.  The purists are maintaining that a true End Fed Halfwave Tuner would not have a connection for a counterpoise.

I don't have a dog in this fight; so I won't offer my two cents regarding that issue.  However, any product which makes it easy to get on the air while attempting portable ops, instead of fussing with settings and other details is all right in my book!  Like I've said so many times before, for me at least, the fun part of operating outdoors is to see how many contacts I can make - not how many minutes I can spend setting up.  The faster I am on the air, the better!  And I have found that a hunk o' wire thrown up a tree, with a counterpoise leading off the tuner is quick, easy and down and dirty.  Much better than other options which are out there.

I have been spending a bit of time over at the Discovery News Storm Tracking site, keeping an eye on Katia.  The Discovery News site has a feature which allows you to keep track of possible storm paths.  It's way too early to tell as of today; but I am hoping that Katia does NOT follow the same path as Irene.

I received an e-mail from our Director of Emergency Management this week; and there have been letters in the local town paper today from the Mayor and one of the Council members, thanking all the responders for our turn out last weekend.  No thanks are necessary, as we do this kind of thing because we want to, not because we have to. But with that said, it's still nice to know our efforts are seen and appreciated.

I hope everyone in the US has a happy Labor Day Weekend this weekend.  Monday is the town's parade in the morning and the town's annual fireworks display at night - South Plainfield's "good-bye" to Summer.  I will be with my CERT team providing assistance to the town during both events.

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