Rectifying

And I'm not talking about changing AC to DC.

As predicted, I have received some comments over at AmateurRadio.com, regarding the immediately preceding "Bug Fist" post.  As I've stated there, and will state here again (for the record) that post was NOT intended to be about folks who are learning how to send Morse Code as a beginner.  That post was supposed to be about people who know how to send good code - but don't, because they don't use a bug correctly.

But to answer a question posed over there. How does one learn to send good code in the first place?

Good question.

Back in the day - back in my day, the FCC had a very nice program in place. It was called the United States Amateur Radio Novice License.  It was our gateway.  We learned to receive Morse Code at 5 WPM.  We were restricted to "Novice sub bands".  You say that sounds like a curse?  Heck no! It was heaven!  Imagine trying to learn how to ride a bike with other kids on the playground zooming around on ten-speeds, mountain bikes, scooters and what have you.  We had a little area, set aside for us, where we could zip around on our training wheels.  As we rode and rode (made QSOs) we built up our confidence and eventually shed our training wheels, and we upgraded. Oh, in the process, we fell off our bikes, and got our knees and elbows bloodied along the way. But we learned!

But as they say, "Them days are gone forever." So what's a new Ham who wants to get on HF CW supposed to do?

Several things, actually.

I am going to assume you have learned the basic Morse Code character set and that you can receive at a speed of about 5 WPM.  If you haven't, you need to do that.  But here's an important point - if you've learned CW, whether it be from W1AW or whatever software program - you already know what good code sounds like!  You will also know, conversely, what bad code sounds like. Your assignment is to send good code.

This is where code practice oscillators come in to play.  They weren't invented just to teach people how to learn to receive Morse Code, they were also invented to teach people how to send Morse Code. If you have one, fine. If you don't - get one. Or ..... you can go to your rig, and turn off the VOX while in the CW mode. This should give you a nice, big, fancy and expensive code practice oscillator. Use it. Use it a lot until you are comfortable and can send Morse Code without really have to think about forming the characters too much. As I stated over at AmateurRadio.com - use a tape recorder, or the voice recorder on your cell phone and record your sending.  If you can decode what you are sending, then other people will be able to, also.  If you listen to your fist and find yourself going, "What?!?", then you probably aren't ready and need to practice more. It's OK to send slowly, but accurately. Personally, I would rather listen to someone sending slowly, but correctly, rather than listening someone trying way too hard, too fast, too soon, who leaves me scratching my head. (Pssst! This is why the FISTS motto is "Accuracy transcends speed.")

Once you are reasonably confident in your sending skills, you can get on the air.  The Novice subbands don't really exist anymore, but you can find some slower folks hanging around together around 7.125 MHz. The FISTS and SKCC frequencies also good places to hang - from around .050 to .058.  You can ply your newly discovered skills there among friends. Don't be intimidated!  Relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. Remember, we're not looking for a cure for cancer or cardiovascular disease here. We're supposed to be having fun. Don't obsess and don't put yourself down. We were all beginners once, and we all had to start somewhere.

I'm going to warn you. Your first half dozen or so QSOs will be a bit nerve wracking. Best thing to do is write down ahead of time a "canned QSO".  Just follow the script and before you know it, you'll feel more and more comfortable and will no longer need the script.  If you try to make a QSO every day, before you know it, you'll come to recognize the experience you have gained.  Your speed will increase and you will really come to enjoy this new mode you have set out to learn.

Another word of caution. There will be jerks! Sorry ..... there's nothing I can do about that. Just as on the highway, there's always that idiot that has to zoom in and out of lanes at 75 MPH, you're also going to run into jerks that think 40 WPM is beneath them and will not slow down for anyone - God included. If I may get Biblical here without offending anyone ...."Just shake their dust from your feet and go onto the next village."  The speed demons who won't QRS for anyone are not worth your time or effort. I've been in this game for 36 years now, and I run into my share, too.  To this day, I have to ask myself why guys send at around 55 WPM in contests only to have to repeat their exchanges multiple times, because we mere mortals can't copy their "buzz saw" CW.

Conversely ..... should you answer a CQ, do not, under any circumstances, start sending faster than you are comfortable receiving!  I know, we all have a tendency to do this, but it is going to get you into trouble.  You are going to get yourself into a terrible experience that will make you want to run away from Morse Code forever.  Any dedicated CW op worth his salt will slow down (QRS) for a newbie. Do not be afraid to ask someone to "QRS PSE?", either. We don't know for sure that your uncomfortable unless you tell us.  Sometimes, we more experienced CW ops assume too much, too.

I think I covered everything and I hope this helps those of you who are newer out there and are struggling to learn the CW ropes. If you have any questions, pop something into the comments box or send me an e-mail. I will try to help in any way I can.

There's an old joke where a stranger asks a cabbie in NY how to get to Carnegie Hall. The cabbie replies "Practice!".  If you want to get good at the Morse Code game, it's going to take lots of practice. No way around it, but it doesn't have to be a chore or unpleasant. Have fun and enjoy yourself!

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

This post is going to get me into trouble!

John KK4ITN left a comment on my post "Conditions" over at AmateurRadio.com. Here's a line from it:

"Seems when the bands are down every person with a ‘bug’ is out calling cq. Wish they would put code oscillators and dummie loads on sale. Dits at 20 wpm and dahs at 5 wpm."

I guess it's not directly related to band conditions, and I'm not sure that John's claim is 1,000,000% accurate, however - he makes an excellent point.

Not to dump on bug users, because I have a bug. I like using a bug. Using a straight key makes the arthritis in my hands go "Hey! Stop that!" But unless I've practiced with my bug (off the air) for a while .... my sending can be pretty bad.  So I try to make it a point to take the KX3 "off the air" and practice sending with my bug on a regular basis.  Not as regularly as I should, but I try to keep in decent practice.

I agree with John and I would posit that listening to someone use a bug (or even a straight key or paddles, for that matter), who doesn't know how to use it properly, is akin to listening to nails being scratched across a blackboard. NB: For any younger readers, a blackboard is what we used in school before the advent of whiteboards and smartboards.  If you scrape your fingernails across the surface of a blackboard, it makes a sound unlike anything you've ever heard. It literally hurts to listen to it.  It will make your teeth ache. There's something about human fingernails and slate that just don't mix. Listening to someone scratch a balloon is almost as bad. But .... I digress.

The phrase, "Dits at 20 wpm and dahs at 5 wpm" resonated with me.  Morse Code sent like that is not only unreadable - even worse, it's unbearable.  No one is asking that all Morse be sent so that it sounds like it's coming from a keyer or a computer - but for Pete's sake - at least make sure your sending is copyable!

I would suggest that anyone who is inclined to use a bug perform this little exercise.  Send some Morse and record it, either with a tape recorder (do they still make those?), or, I believe most smartphones have a voice recorder feature. Do it off the air. Either send your RF into a dummy load or turn off your "VOX" - that usually will put your rig into code practice oscillator mode.

Send some Morse, listen to it, and copy what you sent. Be honest and critical with yourself. If you can honestly copy what you've sent, then you're probably good enough to go live. It might even be a good idea to wait a day or two between the sending part and the listening to yourself part - just in order to make it a bit more objective.

I can tell you for a fact, that I have done this - I have listened to my own bug fist - and have said, "Oh my!".  It was a rude, but necessary awakening. I am totally glad that I did not subject my fellow Hams to what I had thought was decent sending.

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

PRELIMINARY 2014 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Results

Here are a couple links to the PRELIMINARY 2014 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt results:

Scoreboard:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1odmnlTAnQST7FgsEnsItHaT_ZO0e8yZpzLqxcsyGRkY/edit#gid=1768430587

Soapbox:

http://www.qsl.net/w2lj/index%20page%207

I state again - these are preliminary results!  The deadline for submitting summaries is this coming Saturday evening at Midnight, as we roll into Sunday EDT.

I am hoping that by publishing these preliminary results, more participants will send in their log summaries, sending all the results askew and making more work for me - seriously!  The more log summaries, the better! It would be wonderful if everyone who participated, sent in a log summary. I know that's a long shot, but hey, I can hope - can't I?

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

Oh, how I hope they're wrong!

For my USA readers, I don't know how many of you put stock into the Farmer's Almanac, but here's a link to an Associated Press article about their "long-term" USA weather forecast for the end of 2014 and for 2015.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OLD_FARMERS_ALMANAC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-08-20-15-08-00

I've never heard the term "refriger-nation" bandied about before. I know it's kind of a fluff piece, but I sure hope they are wrong!  And you may well be wondering - "How does this relate to Amateur Radio, Larry?"

My answer:

I don't think any of us want to see this kind of occurrence taking place, as simple wires and verticals can be affected just as adversely.  I know there's that old adage, "If your antenna made it through the Winter, then it's too small." But really, who wants to deal with antenna problems in single digit temperatures or in ice and snow?  I know some guys who actually relish it.  I, for one, don't.

UPDATE:  I sure hope this gentleman never runs into ice storms! (Tip o' the hat to W3BBO for the link.)

 http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~kan1/newmonsterantenna2.html

Imagine hooking up your QRP radio to THAT baby!

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

Kit builder link alert!

Thanks and kudos to Jim W4QO (QRP HOFer, I might add!) for posting this link to the NoGA QRP e-mail reflector yesterday.  I never saw these kits, or this provider before, but they look neat and affordable.

http://www.breadboardradio.com/breadboardradio/Products.html

Of course, W2LJ is not connected with the above provider, in any way. Just attempting to do my bit to keep kit building healthy and vibrant! Who knows? One of them just might fulfill a need, or strike your fancy.

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

Neat photo found on Facebook

This is an aerial view of the summit of Mt. Prospect, which is up in the Adirondacks right beside Lake George. I usually operate in the QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint from up there. It's not a SOTA peak, but the view is fantastic!

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

Change of heart

Kind of.

I have been approached (privately) by several people, asking me to reconsider yanking my blog from AmateurRadio.com.

Matt W1MST and I have come up with a solution where SOME of my posts will be mirrored there. I will determine which ones, and I will add a "AmateurRadio.com" tag to the selected posts so that he, or his software will know which can be used. (This should NOT be one of them.  If this appears there, then we have some work to do.)

The ones that I feel are not worthy of enough "general interest" will not be posted there. So please check here from time to time, as there will undoubtedly be more content here than there. Particularly posts dedicated strictly to QRP and anything that I deem to be possibly too "annoying", as it was so adroitly put to me by the original quibbler(s).

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

Ol' Sol slowing down?

Looks like we're headed directly for a period of minimal solar activity:



And here's a related article from the Helsinki Times:

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/themes/themes/science-and-technology/11590-hundred-year-period-of-increased-solar-activity-coming-to-end.html

The video was brought to my attention by Don K2DSV.  IF the hypothesis of the video is correct, lower ionospheric activity would be the least of our worries.

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

Getting there

As opposed to probably a majority of you, I am SO far behind the times from a technological point of view.  I still do a majority of my logging with paper and pencil before I manually enter the information to my logging software.

When it comes to QRP Sprints or the Fox Hunts, most of my compatriots use N1MM or some such program.  Again, I still use paper and pencil. I feel that I am lucky to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Operating a radio and trying to computer log simultaneously during a Sprint or a Hunt used to send shivers up and down my spine.

But I am getting better.  As long as I am not furiously trying to keep up with a pileup of QSOs in the midst of a frenzy during a Sprint or a Hunt, I have trained myself to log and operate at the same time (See? You CAN teach old dogs new tricks!). I recently purchased a small keyboard for my Nexus 7, so that I can log during casual portable ops without the need for pencil and paper. It cost me all of 8 smackers on eBay.

That's Ham Log that I keep on there, which in and of itself is a great piece of logging software for Android. The problem was that it's always been a pain in the butt to use the Nexus touchpad keyboard, which caused me to "one-finger" type, and slowed me down, holding me back.  So for the longest time, I was doing the same thing - logging on paper and entering the data later, at my leisure (which makes no sense). This "tactile feel" keyboard brings a lot of familiarity and works a whole lot better for me, and now I am actually able to use the Nexus 7 for logging in real time (sometimes).  I know that it's pathetic, but while I am able to use this setup for general QSOing, the melee of contests or Fox Hunts drives me back to the security of "old technology".

I guess the next step will be to install the KX3 Companion app.  Boy, that will be like Star Trek for me!

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

Think I wlll meet the deadline

I have imposed a deadline for myself with regards to Skeeter Hunt results. I want to have both the "scorecard" and the soapbox published to the Skeeter Hunt website this coming Sunday, after the log submissions deadline.

The "scorecard" itself is a piece of cake.  It's simply an Excel spreadsheet that I have composed, with formulas that do all the menial calculating chores for me.  I simply plug in the values and the spreadsheet calculates the final score for me. I will upload the completed spreadsheet to Google Sheets and it will be available for all to see on the Web, once it's completed. This was a good exercise for me, as I was very weak with regards to using formulas in Excel. I'm still no expert by any means, but I know a lot more than I used to, which was practically nil.

The soapbox page is another animal.  That is "simple" HTML composition, but it's more time intensive. I have about one half of the soapbox comments and pictures placed on the unpublished Web page.  At the rate I am going, if I can add about 5 more soapbox comments to the page each evening, over the next 4 or 5 evenings, it will be ready for publishing on time.

All this leads me to a worrisome discovery.  This year we had a record number of Skeeters sign up.  But I am lagging behind in receiving log summaries. Last year I received a total of 71 summaries. As of this minute, I have only received 54. I guess a "Que Sera, Sera" attitude is in order, but I sure would love to see more log summaries submitted.

It's very important to me that these results get published on time this coming Sunday.  You folks are kind enough to participate, and I know how much you like to see results.  I do myself!  It's not so important for me to see where I place, I want to see how my friends did, what their setup looked like, and I like to read about the fun they had.  The results and soapbox are a crucial part of any of these "special" QRP events, in my most humble opinion.  No one wants to make an effort and then wait months or more to see how things stacked up.

So, God willing and the creek don't rise, you'll see the finished results this Sunday at www.qsl.net/w2lj
I am just hoping I get a few more log summaries and soapbox comments before then.

And then the final phase will begin, which is the certificates.  I have to give myself more time for those, but hopefully, everyone who will qualify for one will have it by the end of September.

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

Conditions

It's evident that we are now on the down side of the peak of Cycle 24.  For the most part, I have had superb conditions for working DX during my lunch time QRP sessions for the past 17 months. DX has been plentiful, with good signals and decent RSTs on both ends. 17, 15 and sometimes even 12 Meters have been happy hunting grounds.  There have even been smatterings of openings on 10 Meters, which is not often the case during the 1700-1800 UTC weekday time frame.

I still hear DX signals on 17 Meters, but they're not as strong or as plentiful as they were. 15 Meters is nowhere near as nice as it was just a few months ago.  It wasn't so long ago that I was working three or four different DX stations during my lunch break - and it seemed like all areas of the world were open at the same time! I think that the days of working the world "with 5 Watts to a wet string" are just about over - as far as Cycle 24 is concerned, anyway.

With band conditions changing, it seems that lately, more and more of my lunch QSOs have been domestic - not that there's anything wrong with that!  Today, I was saved from being shut out at lunchtime by Jim K4AHO, who answered my CQ on 20 Meters.  We had a nice chat that was not only 2X QRP, but was also 2X KX3.  Jim was using a dipole and I was using the Buddistick, of course.  QSB was a bit of a nuisance. At the fading's worst, Jim was 459, and at best he was 579 (which he was for most of the QSO).

In addition to the declining ionospheric conditions, the weather here in New Jersey this Summer has been less "Summer-y" than I was looking forward to.  Take this morning for instance. When I woke up this morning, the thermometer was displaying an outdoor temperature of 52F (11C).  Very strange for August 18th.  That's almost unheard of, any other year. On the whole, it's been an average to dry Summer and the temperatures have been down and the humidity has been way down compared to the past three or four Summers.  The number of days that we have reached or have gone above 90F (32C), can be counted on both hands. There have not been many hazy, humid, hot days (The Dog Days of Summer) this year at all.

The weather people on TV have been saying that we are experiencing is an "average" Summer for this part of the country. The past few have been hotter than normal, so that's why this one feels so strangly cool. After the Winter we had last year, I was really looking forward to the heat.  I guess there's still time for us to get some hot days, but I saw on the AccuWeather.com website that the Northeast and the upper Midwest are supposed to experience a Polar Vortex in mid September, bringing along temperatures closer to what we might expect in mid to late November. Brrrrrr.

The other day, while walking my beagle Harold, I noticed the oak trees in the neighborhood are already shedding their acorns. That's not a great sign as the trees did the same thing around this time last year and we had a terrible Winter.  Normally, the acorns don't start falling until mid to late September around these parts.  The squirrels will have extra time to store up food for the Winter, and we'll probably have another long, cold one.  Oh well, at least conditions on 160 and 80 Meters will probably be good. You always have to look for the silver lining and try not to think about the heating bill!

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

Skeeter Hunt Log Summaries

So far, I have received Skeeter summaries from the following:

WD4EXI
N4EWT
W3ATB
WA1GWH
K4ARQ
NA3V
WD8RIF
WB8ENE
N0YET
N2JJF
KB1PBA
K1SWL
K4YND
KQ2RP
K0ALN
WA4PIG
K0RGI
VE3XT
K2ULR
N4KGL
WA8REI
AD4S
K4UPG
WI2W
N1LT
W1PID
K2WO
K2AL
WB3GCK
WH6LE
WD4MSM
NQ2W
K2TD
AB4QL
N1ABS
AI4SV
W3BBO
K3RLL
AB9CA
WV0H
K7TQ
W4MPS
WA0ITP
N0SS
KX0R

If you don't see your call there, I need to hear from you! Remember, log summaries are due NO LATER than 12:00 Midnight Saturday August 23/Sunday August 24.  At that time, results are frozen and we will go with what has been received. Summaries follow this example:

Larry - W2LJ - NJ
Skeeter #4 - All CW
Skeeter QSOs - 23
Non-Skeeter QSOs - 5
DX QSOs - (if any)
S/P/Cs - 18
Station Class Multiplier X4
"SKEETER" Bonus - 100 points (and here is where you would list the callsigns of the stations you worked that qualify you for the bonus points),

I'm trying to keep current with this and am composing the Soapbox now so I can post the results as quickly as I can after next weekend.

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

Patience pays off

How many times have you heard that? How many times have you been able to practice it? If you're like me, you know it .... you believe it ..... but find it oh, so hard to put into practice. Last night was a case in point where I toughed it out (yeah, like it was really tough) and was rewarded.

In particular, I am talking about the 20 Meter QRP Foxhunt.  The two Foxes were Jim N0UR in Minnesota and Dave N1IX in New Hampshire.  I managed to work Jim N0UR rather quickly and easily, pretty early into the 90 minute hunt.  Minnesota has always been a pretty easy hop from New Jersey. The challenge on the other hand would be working Dave N1IX. The distance between New Jersey and New Hampshire is rather short for 20 Meters, especially when you can hear European Hams coming in rather loudly on the same band. One one shoulder sat the little devil, telling me "You're never going to work him. New Hampshire is too close".

The angel on the other shoulder was saying "Have patience, you'll work him".

The little devil countered, "You've had a long day, you're tired, it's late. Go to bed."

The little angel whispered, "Good things come to those who wait".

With about 11 minutes remaining in the hunt, I was finally able to hear Dave. I knew where he was (from locating the pack trying to work him) and I could JUST BARELY make him out, calling "CQ FOX". But he was ESP, maybe sub-ESP. I thought for sure it was going to be a one-fer for the night. The mattress and pillow were calling my name. However, it seems the angel won the war.

Then with about four minutes to go, and my butt still in the chair, Dave became about 579. I could not believe my ears!  For 86 minutes, almost nothing and now he was as clear as a bell!  With two minutes to go, he got up to 599 and we made the exchange and I bagged both pelts for the night.

There must have been a nice, big airplane in the sky on the way to, or out of Boston; half way between NH and NJ that must have re-directed our radio waves to each other!  :-)

It's so easy to give up and succumb to the temptation of going to bed, or watching TV, or perhaps reading a book instead of staying in the chair, waiting, and getting the QSO done and in the log.  I wonder if this experience will remain in my memory banks long enough for the next time I'm in a pileup and I'm tempted to cave in and call it quits early.

Knowing human nature and knowing me ...... I'm not so sure!    ;-)

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

SP3RN

Father Maximilian Kolbe SP3RN died on this date in 1941.

Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest who died as prisoner 16670 in Auschwitz, on August 14, 1941. When a prisoner escaped from the camp, the Nazis selected 10 others to be killed by starvation in reprisal for the escape.

One of the 10 selected to die, Franciszek Gajowniczek, began to cry: "My wife! My children! I will never see them again!" At this Father Kolbe stepped forward and asked to die in his place - his request was granted.

As the ten condemned men were led off to the death Block of Building 13, Father Kolbe supported a fellow prisoner who could hardly walk. No one would emerge alive - Father Kolbe was the last to die, when he was given an injection of carbolic acid to stop his heart.

Kolbe was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and declared a martyr of charity.  He is the only canonized saint to have held an amateur radio license, with the call sign SP3RN.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

So long for now ..... sort of!

So long for now, sort of!

I have decided to ask Matt W1MST, the Editor at AmateurRadio.com to end the mirroring of this blog there.  I know this may appear to be kind of sudden, but actually, this has been a decision that I have been trying to discern since this past Easter.

The content of this blog is mostly about QRP and CW as you all know. So actually, I do cater to a rather small niche in the Amateur Radio world, and the things of which I write are not of interest to everyone - or even a large portion of everyone.  In addition, I have also been known to throw in random posts here and there that are of a religious or political nature, when the mood strikes me.  And I also regale my readers with my wacky sense of humor now and then.  They say that writers should write about what they know best, and that's what I try to do - and at this stage of my life, I'm not going to change that.

That's fine for people who actually come to w2lj.blogspot.com looking for that kind of thing.  They know what they're in for when they walk through my door. But to be foisted upon folks coming to a "general interest" Amateur Radio site?  I think maybe not so much.

So, AmateurRadio.com readers, if you like my ramblings - please feel free to come to w2lj.blogspot.com at anytime, 24/7/365.  The door is always open and you'll always be welcome. And per chance, should you not like what you see there - you're always free to "change the channel".

My thanks to Matt W1MST and AmateurRadio.com for the continued support over the past few years. Matt has been a most gracious host, ever since he asked my permission to mirror this blog over there. Certainly, the service he offers to the Amateur Radio community is a treasure. I will continue to keep the link to AmateurRadio.com active and open in my blog roll.  I hope you'll feel free to bounce back and forth between us.

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

Not often

that I link to an article written for eHam, but here's a really good one written by Ron KA3J:

http://www.eham.net/articles/32380

It regards Technicians (or any new Hams for that matter, CW and QRP - relevant topics for this blog!) And just to let you know how good it is, up to this point in time, Ron has not been heckled in the commbox!

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

Radical, but I kinda like it!

Posted by Bobby AK4JA (who I've worked - fantastic op!) on QRP-L today. Provocative? Yes. Controversial? Yes. True? No, but I kinda like it anyway:

"QRP - a real man's mode , not for sissies and certainly not for selfish, impatient , ego-maniacs - Man up, grow a set and go QRP if you dare!"

Not trying to start a QRO vs QRP war, but I enjoyed the humor. And it makes for a good battle cry. Definitely better than "Life is too short for $200 finals" or whatever some guys like to bandy about. And no, I won't be changing my tag line.

Hey, Bobby! I think this would make a good T-shirt!  Something on the order of this:

Hee hee!  Is that a challenge, or what ?

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

Special Event Alert

This coming weekend is International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. Here's an article I caught online:

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_4b4d8e82-21ea-11e4-9326-001a4bcf887a.html

I've had the opportunity to work various lighthouses and lightships the world over throughout the years and it's always been fun.  Back when the Piscataway Amateur Radio Club was in its hey-day, we activated the Twin Lights Lighthouse in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

 

That was a few years back, and my memory is fuzzy on the details.  We did a lot of special event stations as a club, and I don't think this activation was actually connected to ILLW.  It may have been, but I don't recall it being so. 

New Jersey is home to eleven lighthouses. They are:

• Cape May Lighthouse
• Barnegat Lighthouse
• Twin Lights
• Sandy Hook Lighthouse
• Sea Girt Lighthouse
• Tucker’s Island Light
• Absecon Lighthouse
• Hereford Inlet Lighthouse
• East Point Lighthouse
• Finn’s Point Rear Range Light
• Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse

I'm not sure how many, if any, will be activated for ILLW Weekend.  Even though the Skeeter Hunt falls the weekend before ILLW Weekend, maybe next year we can make lighthouses part of the theme and do some "pre-activations".  What say?

Here's a little video "advertising" a Spanish lighthouse that will be activated this coming weekend. The link was provided by fellow ETS clubmember, Don K2DSV.  This definitely gets the juices flowing, thinking about all the exotic lighthouses that will be on the air this coming weekend.



A special thanks to Paul VA3PAW. He posted to QRP-L a link to all the ILLW Stations that plan to be active this coming weekend.

http://www.illw.net/index.php/entrants-list-2014

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

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday, at this time, the bands were humming (relatively) with Skeeters, WES'ers, and WAE'ers, just to name a few. 24 hours later, during a later lunch break ....... not much of anything.  This is where I was picked up by RBN:

 

The one QSO that I did have was with HA3NU on 15 Meters. Other than that single contact, I spent most of my time calling CQ on 20, 17 and 15 Meters, interested to see where my signal would be picked up. Not as productive a lunch time QRP break as I would have hoped for.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Some Skeeter Hunt video

from Tim, W3ATB.  Not only a beautiful location, but an answer to those new to portable QRP ops who are wondering, "How do they do it?"



Thanks, Tim and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself! THAT is the whole point of this event - for folks to get out and enjoy themselves (Skeeter bites, and all!).

Oh ..... I also added Tim's blog to the blogroll. Make sure to check it out!

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

2014 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt

First off, I don't know who was hunting who. I thought I was hunting Skeeters, but I think they had other ideas - and I was the hunted:

And that was nothing compared to my legs! I didn't think the little buggers would be so active during the day, so I didn't bring my OFF wipes with me. I'll remember this for next year!

I set up in my favorite park here in South Plainfield - Cotton Street Park.  There are plenty of 50 - 60 foot trees which just beg to have wire strung through them. It's a quiet park and there's not the overwhelming amount of traffic that Spring Lake Park (our Field Day site) gets. There were people walking through and playing, but no one came over to investigate what I was doing. I guess I've become a fixture - "Hey, it's that crazy guy with the radio again!"

Off to the right, you can see the coax going up , up , up.  Here's a better shot:

Today, I ended up using the PAR END FEDZ. I stayed on 20 and 40 Meters only, so it turned out to be the ideal antenna for the event.  The antenna launcher worked flawlessly again, and I would dare say that the end of the wire was up at the 60-65 foot level.  I don't know if it was just me, but there was bad QSB and it seemed like one second, a station would be 599 and ESP the next second. As far as stations worked per band,  I ended up with almost a 50/50 split between 20 and 40 Meters. I listened briefly on 15 Meters, but it seemed like it was dead.

The equipment was the usual, but you might take notice of the new paddles. That's a set of Pico Palm paddles that I recently bought from Rick K7MW.  The magnets hold the paddles securely to the Velamints tin that I use to store my earbuds.  They worked flawlessly!  If there were any CW mistakes (and there were) it was my fault, not the paddles.  They feel and work just as nicely as any full sized set of paddles.

I ended up working 40 different stations. 34 Skeeters, 6 Non- Skeeters, no DX, 19 different S/P/Cs, and I did work enough stations to spell out "SKEETER" for the 100 point bonus.  I ended up with 5,876 points. The loudest stations I heard were K3RLL, KX9X, N0SS and WA0ITP.  I worked my bud, Bob W3BBO and he was about 569. Later in the day, I heard him again on the same band, this time working WB3T. Bob's signal had increased to an honest 589/599.  The bands seemed a little crazy today.

I'd like to thank not only the stations I worked, but ALL of you who participated.  This is so much fun for me - not only the event itself, but the planning and the corresponding back and forth with all of you. You guys really make this event worthwhile. My mailbox is already filling up with log summaries and I will work on those during the coming evenings.

There WILL be a Skeeter Hunt in 2015!  Hey, what better way is there to spend a beautiful Summer day than by being outside with your radio, making contacts with all your friends?

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

As if I needed

to remind anyone, but I will, anyway. THIS coming Sunday is the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt! And there is still time to sign up for a Skeeter number - all the way until 0400 UTC on Sunday morning.

We have 140 Skeeter's so far, warming up their wings and ready to take flight. Please consider joining in on the fun.

All the rules can be found at www.QSL.net/w2lj or, you can just click on the Skeeter Hunt page tab above.

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

That happened only once before.

I was in the pileup to work W1AW/0 in South Dakota today. I already have them in the log, but I can't seem to resist a good pileup these days. Anyway, after I worked them, instead of the normal "TU 73", I got "W2LJ QRP?"

I answered "YES QRP 73 DE W2LJ" and I got a dit dit in reply.

I guess it was somebody who knows of me. The only other time that  happened was when I worked W1AW/1 in New Hampshire, but I knew going in that Dave N1IX was the operator. Dave is a superb op and fellow Fox hunter.

It would be interesting to know who was behind the key. It sure makes you do a double take when you work a station and the operator is familiar with you, but yet you have no idea as to whom you may have worked.

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

New header photo

That's Apollo 15.  This is the anniversary as the mission lasted from July 26th to August 7th, 1971.  This was the first mission that employed the Lunar Rover.  There were a total of four EVAs or Extra Vehicular Activities. There were three moonwalks by Dave Scott and Jim Irwin and a deep space spacewalk by Command Module Pilot Al Worden as he retrieved film from a bay in the spacecraft, while the the spacecraft was between the moon and the earth.

Not an Amateur Radio related post, but I've always loved this photograph.

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

What a blockhead!

That would be me.

I totally screwed up big time in the QRP Fox hunt tonight. After corresponding with Don NK6A, I agreed to be the lower Fox. So what did I do? I set up in the upper half.

And I didn't realize it even when someone notified me that we were both in the same half - I went up even higher!

Rookie mistake - totally my fault. My apologies to anyone I messed up.

I am going to go find a hole to crawl into, I feel like a moron.

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

Feeling "Fox-ish"

Tonight is my turn to serve as one of the two Foxes in the 20 Meter QRP Fox hunt.  If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about - they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

 

No, no, no, no - not quite, but let me give you the lowdown, if you're not quite familiar with the concept of QRP Fox hunting, and want to give it a shot. For the "official" rules, please check out: www.qrpfoxhunt.org/

Tonight, Don NK6A and I, W2LJ will serve as the two Foxes. We will both be hiding in the 20 Meter woods, somewhere between 14.050 and 14.070 MHz.  One of us will be the "lower Fox" hiding between 14.050 and 14.060 MHz. The other will be the "upper Fox" hiding between 14.060 and  14.070 MHz.

Your job, as one of the Hounds, is to find us and work us - both.  Don and I will both be working split, that is, transmitting on one frequency and listening on another.  Just like W1AW/XX and DXpeditions and rare DX do. Once you find us, you have to figure out where we're listening. Once you think you have the spot - and ONLY then, I might add, you will throw out your call sign. Please! Only once or twice - not over and over until the cows come home! The QRP Fox hunts are a great place for learning and practicing pile up discipline.You know ..... the DX Code of Conduct.

The Fox will announce the call sign he has heard and will send his exchange to that station like in this example - let's say I pick out AB9CA's call from the pack of Hounds. I will send:

AB9CA DE W2LJ TU 559 NJ LARRY 5W BK

I am saying that I have heard you, AB9CA, your RST is 559, and that I am in NJ and my name is Larry and that I am transmitting using 5 Watts.  Once AB9CA hears my half of the exchange, he will come back with something on the order of:

BK DE AB9CA TU 559 DAVE AL 5W BK

He's telling me that my RST is also 559, that his name is Dave, that his QTH is AL and that he's also transmitting using 5 Watts.  ONLY when I acknowledge him with a "TU" and then send a "QRZ?" asking for the next station, is the exchange completed.  If he does not hear my "TU", then he either has to listen for my fill request(s), or try again later as the exchange was not completed.  Only when both Fox and Hound receive their exchanges, is there a valid QSO. This is known as "grabbing a pelt" amongst us Fox hunters. If you work only one Fox, you have a "One-fer", work both and you have a coveted "Two-fer". And believe me, due to band conditions, there will be times you will walk away with a "One-fer" and will be quite happy with it!

That being said, you really do have to try and work both Foxes in a 90 minute period, from 0100 - 0230 UTC. Here on the East coast, that's from 9:00 to 10:30 PM.  If you're located in the middle of the country, you probably stand a good shot, as I am in NJ and Don is in CA.  East coast stations may not be able to hear me, especially if the band is long.  West coast stations may not hear Don.  BUT ..... the theory has been known to go out the window compared to reality - so who knows?  Even though it shouldn't happen, I just might be able to hear up and down the East coast as well as the rest of the US and Canada. It's happened before! And don't give up just because you might not hear either one or both Foxes. Band conditions have known to change at the last minute. I can personally tell you that there have been times that I have not heard a Fox for 80 of the 90 minutes of the hunt, only to have him pop his little fuzzy head out of the woods for the last 10 minutes. If I had QRT'ed early, I would have been out of luck. There have been a time or two where I was the last Hound in the hunt to grab a pelt. Persistence can pay off here - big time.

Foxes tend to send Morse at a speed around 20 WPM.  But please don't feel intimated by that.  If you are comfortable sending and copying at 15 WPM, 12 WPM or even 5 WPM - please call me anyway!  I will slow down for you.

Why should you join in on the QRP Fox hunts?  First off, they are fun! Lots of fun. Secondly, participating will increase your skill sets (buzz word alert!). You'll find your Morse Code speed increasing and maybe more importantly, your skill in dealing with pile ups will increase dramatically.  I have been participating in the QRP Fox hunts since my call sign was N2ELW - and after a hiatus, have been participating as both a Hound and a Fox continuously since 2003.  My ability to work DXpeditions, special events, scarce DX has increased by light years.  The success I have in DX chasing as a QRPer, I owe directly to the training ground of the QRP Fox hunts.

 Ahhh! The sweet smell of QRP DX!

So don't be intimidated by the pileup or the code speed. Jump in and give it a go. The fun you will have and the sense of accomplishment from "grabbing a pelt" or two is worth the effort you'll put in.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

The USA vs Europe

Disclaimer - this is meant to be a bit of humor - let's not all get offended!

There are many differences between the USA and Europe:

First off, Europe would fit inside the USA.

You call it petrol, we call it gasoline.
You call them chips (or whatever), we call them fries.
You use the metric system, we're still on standard.
You use Celsius, we use Fahrenheit.
You call it the cinema, we call it the movies.

And so on, and so on, and so on ..........

But as a Ham, I've noticed a big difference in the way we approach special event stations.  Here in the US, for the most part but not always, we apply to the FCC through the ARRL for special 1X1 call signs.  For instance, when the Piscataway Amateur Radio Club celebrated the tri-centennial of the founding of Piscataway, we applied for and used W2P.

The 13 Colonies special event used call signs such as K2I for New Jersey, K2E for Delaware and so on.  The special event station that just celebrated the 45th Anniversary of Apollo 11?  W4A.

But in Europe, you guys take the opposite route!  Special event stations from European nations can be a mouthful.  DM200TSV, SF2014ECC, E72NATO, 3E2000PC, LZ1437MGS and my all time favorite, SV2013ATGM.

What I like about these European call signs is that they try to bear some significance towards the event they are commemorating -  SV2013ATGM was about Alexander the Great, E72NATO celebrated membership in NATO and so on.  A lot more descriptive than 1X1 call signs, that's for sure.

I'm just waiting to hear one some day that has all the numbers 0 through 9 and all 26 letters of the alphabet. THAT would be a special, special event call sign - a bear to copy, but special, nonetheless!

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

FOBB 2014

I ended up staying home, working from the shack and forgoing my bumblebee number. The weather was partly a factor as one minute it was sunny and five minutes later it looked like it was going to downpour.

The real issue was my back. I woke up this morning with a stiff lower back. Nothing incapacitating, but sore enough that hiking to my FOBB destination while carrying all my gear, and then setting up would have been no fun. Added to that was the fact that my sore back has also slowed me down somewhat, so if I would have had to dismantle the station in a hurry, it would have been a problem.

Even from home, on the good antennas, band conditions seemed to stink. I didn't hear a lot of FOBB'ers, and those I did hear were pretty weak. Giving out a 559 was generous today. I managed to work 15 stations.

I sure hope band and weather conditions and my back are better for the Skeeter Hunt!

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

Battery problems and a solution

My Chinese Li Ion battery "ol' Blue" (upper right) has given up the ghost, much the same as Mike VE3WDM has written over at his blog.  In my case, the battery will not take a charge.  The output from the wall wart charger is perfect, but no matter how long it's connected to the battery, the battery itself will not charge.

I suspect either a faulty cell or perhaps a fault with the little regulator board that's inside the blue shrink wrap. So the decision had to be made.  Even though the price is relatively cheap, do I buy another Chinese battery or try something else? Do I go back to hauling around my small, but heavy, 5 Ah sealed lead acid battery?

I have a charger that will handle 18650 type Li Ion batteries, as these are what go into the tactical flashlights that I keep in my CERT pack and my radio "Go Pack".  So I figured that since I already have half of what I need, that I would go a different route this time.

I purchased a pack of 10 type 18650 batteries (upper left) from an American vendor.  The ones I bought are 3.7V and have a rating of 5300 mAh.  I also purchased two of the 4 cell holders that you see above. This gives me two 14.8V, 5300 mAh batteries. All I had to do was solder on the connector that goes directly into the KX3.

I tried them out today and they seem to work without any problems.  I will use a fresh charged pack tomorrow for FOBB and will see how long one pack lasts before I have to switch over to the backup pack.

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

FOBB this weekend!

I wonder if this is what Rich KI6SN had in mind as a high tech Bumble Bee when he started this contest years ago? (Looks a bit on the QRO side to me - grin!)  

Just a gentle reminder that the Flight of the Bumble Bees is this coming Sunday!  When I last checked the roster, only about 100 folks have signed up for Bee numbers.  That number seems low to me as compared to years past.  This is an excellent sprint and is so much fun - it's almost illegal in this day and age to be able to have this much fun!

So sign up to be a Bee - lets give Rich some work these last few days and get that Bee number up there! And then get out on Sunday with your favorite QRP rig and get some fresh air and get your fun tanks topped off!

Bumble Bee Roster - http://bit.ly/15aGgN1

Da Bee Rulz - http://arsqrp.blogspot.com/2014/07/announcing-ars-2014-fobb.html

72 de Larry W2LJ - Bumblebee #17
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Elecraft - my personal opinion

I have been involved in the Service Industry for all of my adult working life.  I have worked in photo studios, photo laboratories, photo retail, professional photographic equipment distribution and service, and most recently in the IT field through inventory control and logistics.

Throughout that period, there was one Prime Directive (to borrow the term from Star Trek), and that is that Customer Service is, was, and always will be #1. Coming up close to 40 years in the field now, I can attest to how that's not always the easiest philosophy to live up to; but it is paramount. For truly, years of hard work to build up a solid reputation can be squandered in mere seconds by an instance of lousy customer service. And once you have squandered your reputation and credibility, even with one person and in one instance, word can get around so quickly that it can take years to get back to where you started from.

"What has this to do with Amateur Radio?", you are probably asking yourself. 

There are many service and product providers in the Amateur Radio market, as small as this niche is. We have many places where we can spend our heard earned dollars. There are many very good companies out there that will bend over backward to make sure that your experience with them is the best possible one that you can have.  On the other hand, there are also companies out there who quite literally (excuse my language) don't give a damn what you care about or want.  All they want is your dollars and once they have them, you are pretty much dead to them.  Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully these companies are the smallest minority and they usually die a pretty quick death, going out of business rather quickly.

On the other end of the spectrum are the companies that go out of their way to ensure that you are happy and satisfied.  In my experience, Elecraft has done an exemplary job in that department. I have been a happy Elecraft owner since 2003, when I first bought my K1.  Since then, I have purchased and built a K2, a K3 and a KX3, along with numerous sub-kits and accessories. In each instance, I had a great experience. The manuals are extremely well thought out, leaving (at least in my case) no doubt as to how things are supposed to go together. In the two instances where my kits were missing parts, or had a wrong part shipped - a quick e-mail to Elecraft got me the needed pieces in literally a day or two.

I have been fortunate that my radios worked right off my assembly line. However, I do know of instances where that has not been the case for other Hams, for one reason or another.  In those cases, it seems that the help that was received from Elecraft via the telephone from their outstanding staff,  or from the Elecraft e-mail reflector(s) where other Elecraft enthusiasts congregate got them up and running quickly.  I also personally know of instances where "stuff has happened" and telephone calls to Elecraft brought timely solutions, even though the equipment in question would have been considered out of warranty by any other manufacturer.

All that being said, the clincher came for me just prior to Field Day, this year.  On QRP-L, many of the guys were beginning to list where their QRP Field Day efforts were going to be held.  I chimed in with information about where the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club's effort was going to be, and I also mentioned that we were going to be all QRP, using my KX3s as our HF transmitters. Out of the blue, that night I received a private e-mail from Wayne Burdick N6KR, one of the principal owners of the company. In the e-mail he informed me that he read my posting to QRP-L and saw that we were going to be using my KX3s. So from there, Wayne proceeded to tell me how to set up the KX3s so that they would cause minimal interference to each other in close quarters.  And that information, which he also posted to the KX3 and general Elecraft e-mail reflectors, turned out to be a life saver.  After we first got going, it turned out that the SSB station was just swamping me out, and I was basically doing the same to them.  When that became apparent, I whipped out the printed e-mail from my back pocket (it was next to my Swiss Army Knife), made the setting changes and from there we were in like Flynn. The two stations sat side-by-side and hummed along for the rest of Field Day - fat, dumb and happy!

This boggled my mind.  One of the owners of Elecraft was keeping his eye on QRP-L, saw that one of his customers would be using their product and then graciously offered tips on how to make the radios work even better.  That, my friends is ADVANCED customer service - the stuff upon which legends are born.

Now don't get me wrong. No company in this world is perfect. Far from it. Heck, just go to the Elecraft reflectors and you'll find lots of instances where people feel they haven't been satisfied and take ample opportunity to vent.  Some of it may be justified, and some of it is pure nonsense.  But in my mind at least, Elecraft is a very bright spot in the Amateur Radio market, and I would recommend them highly to anyone. And aside from Amateur Radio, I think that they are a shining example to all industries on what great Customer Service is and should be.

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

The bands are slipping

Band conditions seem to have vastly deteriorated from what they were just a few months ago. It's not that propagation is non-existent, it's just that it seems to have left us in a bigger hurry than I would have thought.

I went out at lunchtime today (around 1730Z) to find activity on 15 Meters to be nil.  A quick scan of 17 Meters revealed not so much.  Just a few months ago, both these bands were hopping with all kinds of DX. It wasn't all that rare to hear Europe, South America and Asia all at the same time! It wasn't all that rare to hear a good amount of activity on 12 and 10 Meters just a few short months ago.

Since 15 and 17 seemed inactive, I went to 14.061 MHz and called CQ after QRLing to make sure the frequency was dead.  I was answered by fellow New Jerseyan, QRPer and blogger, Chris KQ2RP who gave me a 559 from Maine.

After that, I worked fellow Polar Bear, Ken WA8REI who is having a hard time enduring the heat and humidity in Michigan.  It's hard to put up with the Temperature Humidity Index when you have so much fur! ;-)  Ken was a good solid 579 here when the QSB wasn't wreaking havoc. We had a nice little chat and then it was time for Ken to go, and my available lunchtime minutes were growing short, too.

Before heading in, I decided to check out 17 Meters one more time.  There, blasting in at 599+ was GA14CG, the Special Event Station for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.  There was a bit of a pileup, but he was so loud that I figured that I could work him, if only I could place myself correctly.

With time running short, I was able to eventually find the right spot.  GA14CG was using the ol' racetrack pattern scheme. Start at a frequency, move a bit higher after each call, reach a high point and then continue to work stations, moving a bit lower after each QSO until arriving at starting point and starting the process all over again. Essentially, he was doing laps, which I guess was appropriate considering it's the Commonwealth Games.  I placed myself correctly on the return trip home and got into the log. They're on the air until August 3rd, so you have plenty of time to work them.

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

It was 45 years ago today ......

that "Men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D.  We came in peace for all mankind."

I was 12 years old and was obsessed with anything that had to do with the manned spaceflight program. Some of the earliest TV memories that I have included the launches of Alan Shepard and John Glenn during the Project Mercury days. As young as I was, I don't think I missed a second of any live television coverage of Project Gemini (that didn't occur while school was in session, that is!). My sister and I dutifully wrote to NASA requesting any free "NASA Facts" literature that they would send us. And they sent us plenty! I think I built every Revell model that there was that had anything to do with manned spaceflight,

On July 20th, 1969 my family and I were glued to the TV the entire day.  I believe it was just around 4:00 PM when we heard those famous words, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."  Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra were the commentators. I had watched them so much that they felt like part of the family. I remember Walter removing his glasses and uttering "Wow!" when those famous words were relayed, finally announcing that men had successfully landed on the lunar surface.

Fast forward to that evening.

After a sufficient amount of pleading. my parents let me stay up past my bedtime in order to watch the first live TV from the moon.  When Neil Armstrong pulled the cord that lowered the panel from the side of the LM, revealing the TV camera, we witnessed grainy, ghost like and upside down images from the moon. Someone at NASA quickly inverted the picture and we were able to clearly see the first human being take a fledgling step on celestial body that was not the Earth.  For the next couple of hours, we sat before the TV and we didn't go to sleep until Neil and Buzz had climbed back up into Eagle and had safely closed the hatch.

That was a wondrous time to be alive. To watch history being made - good history being made, is a wonderful thing.  The national will to explore space may have died somewhat with the conclusion of Project Apollo, but countless youngsters learned that it really IS possible to dream big dreams, and to do great and wondrous things.  All you have to do is have the will and ambition to get them done.

Earlier this afternoon I worked WA3NAN , the Goddard Spaceflight Amateur Radio Club station in Greenbelt MD, on 40 Meters Sideband (I know, I know!), in order to work one of the few Apollo 11 Special Event Stations that was on the air this weekend. I tried working N4A and N4R in Alabama, but it seemed like neither 20 or 40 Meters were allowing my signal the hop it needed to get the job done.


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

Thanks!

I have to thank two people:

Thank you, Derek MM0WST for the kind and encouraging e-mail you sent, as well as the neat button image.  I have posted it to the right side of the blog - it's really cool looking.

My other "Thank You" goes out to Ivin Flint W9ILF. We had been trading some e-mails back and forth about our Buddisticks and he sent me some photos of his set up.  Instead of the conventional order of base, arms, coil, whip - I noticed he was using base, coil, arms, whip.  As Ivin pointed out to me, keeping the coil closer to the base makes it way easier to change the tap setting on the coil. This is especially true in my case when my Buddistick is mounted on the top of my Jeep, and the coil is probably at the 12 - 15 foot level.  A small thing, but very useful and helpful.

I sometimes find myself getting into a habit or routine of how things are supposed to go together (conventionally) and I forget to think "outside of the box" from time to time.  It's nice to have good friends, with good ideas, to be able to count on! Now when I want to change coil taps, I just reach up and make the change, instead of removing antenna from roof, changing tap position, and putting antenna back on roof. Much easier!

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

SOTA

I worked three stations this lunchtime.  It takes me a little bit longer (about a minute or two) to get out to the car in the parking lot wearing this orthopedic boot on my foot. Common sense tells me that I should stay inside and go find a quiet place to sit down and read, rather than walking on this. But I was never accused of having an overabundance of common sense, so ......... out to the parking area I went.

I worked two stations on 17 Meters and one on 20 Meters.  DL2DX, Joe was coming in like gangbusters on 17 Meters. He was calling CQ over and over with no takers. I just couldn't let him think that he wasn't being heard.  I told Joe that he was 599+ and got a 569 back in return.

I also worked W1AW/4 in South Carolina.  That took a bit of doing as there was quite the pileup and my 5 Watts was being drowned out by European stations.  But I stuck with it and got in the log after I figured out their "listening pattern" and conveniently plopped myself down in the middle of it.

The coolest QSO of the session was on 20 Meters with George WB5USB who was on SOTA peak W5N/PW-019 in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico. (Turns out that was probably a 2X KX3 QSO, to boot!)

I gave George a 449, which he was when QSB was at a minimum.  When the fading was the worst, George was about 339.  I got a 529 in return.

I am fascinated by SOTA and the process of going to activate a mountain.  Maybe it's because of growing up here in New Jersey and not really having a lot of mountains in the area to go to.  I have always lived on the Piedmont. What we do have of bonafide mountains lay in the northwest corner of the state, where the Appalachians run through New Jersey.  They're about an hour or so from my house, by car.

Rocky Mountains

Years ago when I worked for Sinar Bron, I had the opportunity to visit the Art Center College of Design in Denver to do some maintenance on their view cameras and studio strobes.  While we were there, we took a ride out into the surrounding countryside and the mountains. Now the Rockies are what you would call REAL mountains - to the folks out there, the Appalachians would really be just huge, gigantic hills by comparison. Having seen both, I'd have to agree. That doesn't take anything away from the grandeur of the Appalachians, but they're just different from the Rockies.  The Appalachians are a lot older, from a geophysical standpoint, and they've had lots more time to erode into a smaller (altitude-wise) mountain range. To illustrate my point, Mount Mitchell in North Carolina is the tallest Appalachian Mountain. At it's peak, you are at an altitude of 6,684 feet (2,037 Meters). The mountain that George was on today? 9,431 feet (2,875 Meters) - and that's nowhere near the highest Rocky Mountain.

I've been fortunate to have seen the Alps while in Switzerland, they're a whole different story and they just take your breath away!

 Adirondack Mountains - part of the Appalachian chain.

Someday, when I'm through with this rat race we call the work world, I would really love to operate from a SOTA peak (out West), even if it's just one time.

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

Article on the Sunspot Cycle

Seems the general public is beginning to learn about stuff we have been observing and talking about for the past few years.

http://thesiweather.com/2014/07/16/1045-am-the-sun-has-gone-quiet-solar-cycle-24-continues-to-rank-as-one-of-the-weakest-cycles-more-than-a-century/

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

17 Meters was decent

I managed to hobble out to my car at lunch time today.  The weather was decent, but my right foot isn't. Seems I aggravated the same tendons and ligaments that I had a few years ago - so now I'm wearing "the boot" for the next week or so. Sigh.

Anyway, after the past couple of days of torrential rain, the skies were blue and sunny today.  The temperatures were downright pleasant and 17 Meters seemed to be hopping.

I worked CT8/DL5NUA, CR5W, and J79BH. So - I reached the Azores, Portugal and Dominica - not terrible.

In other news, we have 118 Skeeters signed up for the Hunt on August 10th. Still plenty of time to sign up. We could use more participation from the West Coast states - HINT, HINT, HINT!

I also attended a meeting of SPARC, the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club.  We reviewed our Field Day effort and claimed score before officially sending our entry off to the ARRL. We also started making some basic plan changes for next year.  It's so nice to know that my fellow club members had a good enough time with a QRP Field Day that they want to do it again next year!

By the way, if you want to read the local newspaper's account of our Field Day - here's the link:  http://tinyurl.com/ls56z6u.  I think they did a very good job, even though they did get some of the details wrong (like our callsign, for example). But on the whole it was an excellent article which put Amateur Radio in a very positive light.

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

Bees and Skeeters, oh my!

The bugs is among us!

As of Friday, if you aren't already aware, Rich Fisher KI6SN announced that he is accepting requests for Bee numbers for the Annual Flight of the Bumble Bees. which will occur on Sunday July 27th.  The sign up procedures for both Sprints remain the same as last year - however each Sprint has a different sign up procedure.

To become a Bee, the first thing you have to do is visit http://bit.ly/15aGgN1. Once you're there, you can see what numbers have been requested and assigned.  When you have in mind the number you would like to be assigned, you send Rich an e-mail with your request and two alternate choices to:  ARSBumblebees@gmail.com.

In your e-mail, you send Rich the following information:

Your Callsign
Your First Name
The field location you anticipate to be operating from

Your Top 3 Choices for FOBB Number

Then, go back and check the database after a bit of time, as Rich will not be sending individual confirmation e-mails. I saw my name and number appear just a few hours after I had sent Rich my request.

As I've stated before, the procedure for getting a Skeeter number for the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt is a tad different.  Just send an e-mail to w2lj@arrl.net, and I will send you a sequential number in a confirming e-mail.  I just sent out a bunch of Skeeter numbers to people who sent me requests last week while I was on vacation.  If you have sent me a request, and didn't get a reply or you don't see your name on the roster, then I apologize.  Send me another e-mail and I'll get a number out to you, lickety-split.

Both Sprints are on Sundays from 1700 - 2100 UTC and both are designed to get you and your gear out in the fresh air to enjoy the Great Outdoors. Personally, I hope to work you in both events!

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

Happy Birthday, USA!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. 

Happy Independence Day!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

QRP Club Forum

I don't know why, but I've never been a big fan of checking out Amateur Radio forums. Whether it's the forums on eHam or QRZ, for some reason, I never got "into it". I always preferred perusing and reading the various QRP e-mail reflectors.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail invitation from Nicola IZ5ZCO, to check out his QRP Club Forum.  When I got there, I liked what I saw.  The atmosphere is friendly and international - an international society of QRPers, as it were.  But .... like all forums, I guess it could use more activity. You should check it out - you might like it!  Here's the URL: http://www.qrpclub.org/qrp

I just posted something about the EARCHI antenna that we used this weekend, as it's always good to share.

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

OK ..... Wait ...... What?

Wow! It was hot here today! It got up into the upper 90s (36C) today and I was loving it! Well, maybe not "loving" it, but I wasn't hating it or wishing it away. I was in my element as I went out to the Jeep and proceeded to try a little QRP.

I wasn't hearing too much on 15 Meters and everyone on 17 Meters seemed to be involved in a ragchew, so I proceeded down to the good ol' standby - the 20 Meter QRP Watering Hole.  It was there that I heard a station calling CQ rather slowly.  I set the KX3's keyer for about 13 WPM and waited for him to sign.  I am guessing that this person is a relatively new Ham because of the slower code speed and because he had a 2X3 callsign and the prefix was KK. I think in the #2 call district we're still at KD as a newly issued prefix.

I sent his call twice followed by mine, three times.  He had a decent 579 signal, and he gave me a 549.  OK, not the strongest, but in my book, a 549 signal is decent enough to have a ragchew with.  After the preliminaries, I thought we were going to get into the heart of a nice chat. That's when I got, "BANDS SEEM TO BE UNSTABLE. YOU ARE UP AND DOWN. 73 DE KKXXXX". Just like that, he was gone.

OK .... wait a second ..... what just happened?

It seems to me that one of the attributes of short wave communications is QSB, i.e. fading.  It's a rare conversation where it doesn't occur, even mildly. It's something you learn to adapt to and overcome in all but the severest cases, as you build up your skills. I feel bad for this guy, because if you're going to limit yourself to only 599 signals, you're going to miss out on a lot of fun. And you're not going to develop yourself as an experienced operator, either.

The antennas are unplugged tonight. As a result of the hot weather and a cool (not cold) front moving through, we are getting some hellacious thunderstorms.  No hail, but the downpours have been heavy and even though the rains have stopped for now, it's still lightning. A lot.

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