Going solar

Well ...... kinda sorta.

I went to Harbor Freight yesterday during lunch to buy a 15" soft tool bag that I had a coupon for. The purpose of the bag is to haul around the disassembled pieces of my magnetic loop antenna.

While I was there, I started walking up and down the aisles, looking and knowing I had a 20% "off" coupon in my pocket.  You can get into a lot of trouble this way, but I got myself into only minor trouble, I guess.

I purchased one of these:

 

It's an attache` case sized solar panel with 12V and 24V - (unregulated) outputs.  It's rated at 13 Watts. This will be head and shoulders above the mini panels that I use now for charging 12V SLAs.  Knowing the output is unregulated, I then proceeded over to Banggood and picked up one of these:

So not only will I be able to charge deep cycle batteries in an environmentally friendly manner (we all gotta do our part!); but I can even run the KX3 (after mucho testing, of course!) off the panel for Field Day as this little unit will regulate the panel's output to a steady 12V.

Both units ran me less than $75.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Matthew

To all my friends/readers in Florida, Georgia and The Carolinas ........

Earnest prayers that Matthew leaves you as un-battered and un-bruised as possible - AND that all your antennas stay up in the air.

Be safe; and have those batteries charged and those "Go Kits" locked and loaded!

And special prayers go out for our friends in the Carribean nations who are dealing with the aftermath.

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

The KISS principle - always a winner.

WARNING!  The following post contains OPINION. It is not meant to slight anyone, or to infer that the author knows better than anyone else. The Good Lord knows, THAT'S not true. LOL!

I was wafting through Facebook, and I saw a post on the ARRL NPOTA page about a "busted" activation that only yielded 5 QSOs - a minimum of 10 is needed for a valid activation. Mind you, not 10 QSLs - 10 QSOs.

I looked at the pictures he posted and everything looked pretty good.  I am thinking that it was just a case of lousy band conditions. He definitely deserved an "A" for effort.  BUT, (there's ALWAYS a "but", isn't there?) his setup, while looking marvelous, appeared a bit too elaborate for my taste.

And that, I think, is where a lot of NPOTA activators and I part company. I've seen many photos of setups that approach Field Day scenarios.  Like ....... did anyone notice the cover of the latest DX Engineering catalog? There was an NPOTA setup there that looked better than our SPARC Field Day.

It seems many NPOTA activators are there for marathon sessions - hours upon hours, handing out hundreds of QSOs. That's good for all the chasers and I applaud them; but I like the simpler approach.

The KISS principle, or "Keep It Simple, Stupid" has worked well for many portable ops, such as SOTA, the QRP Sprints, etc.  Break out the rig, hook up a battery, throw a wire up in a tree (or to a portable mast where using trees is a no-no), or perhaps a doublet, or a vertical or magloop and go to town.  The emphasis being on the word "portable".

It seems to have worked very well for the SOTAteers (Steve WG0AT comes to mind) all these years, and for NPOTA activators such as Joe N2CX and Eric WD8RIF, Ed WA3WSJ and "yours truly" among others. And if dropping those names wasn't enough, if you follow the adventures of the "Premier" portable op, Jim W1PID, then you know the words I speak are true.

Keep It Simple = less to forget, less to break, less to not work, less to lose, more time to actually operate (who wants to spend all their valuable time setting up and tearing down an elaborate setup?) and hopefully, more success!

Simple doesn't handicap the superb ops - for a reminder, here's a re-post of KX9X's Pigeon Key video:

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Emergencies

This coming Saturday is the annual Simulated Emergency Test.  Amateur Radio operators who volunteer with Public Service and Emergency Management agencies throughout the United States will be getting on the air, sending an receiving drill messages. This is done in preparation for "If this had been an actual emergency" - re, the verbiage of the National Emergency Broadcasting messages.

Here in Middlesex County, New Jersey, our simulated emergency is another hurricane scenario.

How appropriate. because in the following couple of days,this may become a very real possibility:

Meet Hurricane Matthew.  He's a nasty bugger. Today, he's dropping 40 inches (100 cm) of rain (yes, you read that right) on portions of Haiti and Cuba. This hellion may make landfall somewhere over the Carolinas early Sunday morning, if he doesn't turn out to sea.

If he hugs the coast, New Jersey will be in for a lot of rain, coastal flooding and a wicked storm surge sometime Sunday into Monday.  Not exactly the way you want to start off your week.

Our barrier islands and low laying coastal towns are already making plans for evacuations and other hurricane preparedness activities.  We've been very lucky in New Jersey as we haven't been hit hard since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Let's hope we dodge another bullet with Matthew.  If not, and Amateur Radio ops are needed by our towns or counties - we're ready.

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

I want one of these!

Mini-iambic paddle with magnetic return!  According to a post on Facebook, these are in Beta test (Europe only) and will hopefully be in production soon.  http://www.hamshop.cz/

These look to be just the thing for portable ops.

I did not know about Hamshop.cz, until I saw this post on Facebook. Looks to be another fine Vendor for the QRP/Homebrew world.

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

NPOTA success - WR03

The day dawned gray. misty and chilly, but it wasn't downpouring. So I collected this bag of bones out of bed. I showered, shaved, got dressed and packed the Jeep with everything necessary for a ride to NPOTA land.

As stated a few days ago, the destination was WR03, the Delaware National Scenic River, via Washington's Crossing State Park, in Titusville, NJ.  Thanks to the fact that there was hardly any traffic on an early Sunday morning, I arrived in about 45 minutes.

Everything was wet from the light rains and heavy mist that fell throughout the night. I made the decision to forgo using a soggy, leaf covered picnic table and used my camping table and folding chair from the parking lot, instead.  This was not the main parking lot, but a smaller one, farther in the park. It was literally a stone's toss from the river.

You can see the 25' piece of coax going up to the PAR in the tree.

The set up was the usual, the KX3 at 5 Watts to a PAR END FEDZ 40/20/10 in a tree.  I got really good height this time. The PAR was easily 50 -60 feet up in the air this time. And that was evident with the results - 43 QSOs in under 90 minutes. 20 Meters was LONG! I worked Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Mexico, California, Montana and appropriately enough, Washington State.  40 Meters got me up and down the east coast and as far west as Minnesota.

I called it quits after about 90 minutes as the QSOs were drying up and I was starting to get a bit chilled.  Oh, and there were skeeters! But NOT the kind that I like. I was swatting at them the whole time I was there. Who would have thought that mosquitoes would be out and about on a damp, and chilly day in the high 50s?  After I packed up, but before leaving, I walked around to snap a few more photos.

This is a re-creation of one of the "boats" that were in use during Colonial times to ferry people and supplies across the river. It's really not much more than a glorified raft. So the painting IS right. Washington stood ...... and do did everyone else!

The house owned by the "ferry operator".

Later, when I had time to think about all of this, it was truly amazing.  2,400 men, some horses and artillery began silently crossing the river as soon as it got to be dark (There were British spies all over). Once they all reached the New Jersey side,they all marched the 20 or so miles to Trenton throughout snowy fields and made it there by daybreak. The effort just to get to Trenton must have been exhausting given the distance, the cold and the snow. Then they surprised the Hessians and won the battle without one Continental soldier being lost. Astounding!

All in all, it was another good NPOTA day. I thank all the chasers who worked me and I look forward to another adventure in a few more weeks - this time, maybe the NJ Pine Barrens.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Sometimes you can just feel your HBP climbing.

Saw this on Facebook, on the ARRL National Parks on the Air page.  The original post was a question:
"How much power (wattage) do you use for NPOTA QSO's? (Question is for both activators and chasers)?"

I answered with:
"Worked Bill AB4BJ in Utah today from NJ. 5W SSB. When activating, 5W CW."

My comment was immediately followed by someone who said:  
"100W - 95% of the time for chasing. 50 to 100W activating. QRP is unfair to chasers."

Saywhatnow? 

"QRP is unfair to chasers?" How the heck can QRP be unfair to chasers?

If you understand propagation, then a QRP signal will be loud to someone, somewhere.  As I've stated SO many times before, QRP does NOT automatically equal "weak signal".  I gave, as an example, just last Sunday, when I worked that N7 station from Seattle, WA in the Peanut Power Sprint.  His 5 Watts almost blew my earbuds out.  He was 20 over 9, if he was anything. And there were quite a few times that I got the comment "FB SIGS" during a QSO when I was using 5 Watts (but not mentioning that fact).  Heck, I'm sure you have, too.  In fact, I'm sure every QRPer has heard that at least once - probably many, many times more.

So, if QRP is unfair to chasers, how about the times that I can't hear the activators running 100 Watts?  Do I blame them for running "low power"? Should everyone run the full 1.5 kW?  Would that be fair and satisfy everyone?

Bottom line - It is what it is. If you can hear 'em then try to work 'em. If you can't hear 'em - what are you worrying about?

Or maybe it might be better if certain people went back to the ol' study manual and brushed up on that chapter about propagation.

I just don't understand comments like that..

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

Sunday morning is open

Sunday morning is currently open. As we get to the weekend, if the weather turns out to be decent (and no surprises come in out of left field), I am thinking of taking a trip to Washington's Crossing State Park in Tiutsville, NJ to activate NPOTA WR03, the Delaware National Scenic River.  As you can imagine, the park is right on the (scenic) Delaware.

 

I've never been there, myself, but my family has a very small connection to the park.  Back in the early 1970's my Mom, who was an avid needle-point'er and cross-stitch'er, did a custom needle-point rendition of Emanuel Leutze's famous painting. By custom, I mean that this needle point project was not available at any retail store. My Mom had a blank needle point canvas given to an artist in Philadelphia, who actually "re-painted" Leutze's image upon it, so that my Mom could perform her stitchery.

My Mom was an avid fan of all things Colonial and tied to the Revolutionary War Period.  This is definitely where my affinity for that time in history came from.

 

The finished, framed piece was displayed at Washington's Crossing State Park during our Bicentennial year - 1976.  After that, it hung in our living room up until my Dad passed away and my Mom moved. For 9 years, it hung in my Mom's apartment. When she passed away, the piece was bequeathed to my sister and it now hangs proudly in her house. 

So it occurred to me that a trip to Washington's Crossing State Park for NPOTA year seems like the right thing to do. I get to have another activation under my belt, and in a way, honor my Mom's memory in the process.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

A word to the wise

I'm sure that many of you have heard about the data breach that occurred at Yahoo. A word to the wise. If you have a Yahoo account, sign in and change your password.

Yesterday,  I tried to check my email (I use the web based Yahoo email client) only to discover that my account was blocked. It appeared that someone was trying to access my email,  or change my password,  only to fail too many times at guessing the answers to my security questions.

With the help of Verizon,  I was able to change not only my password,  but also my security questions.  So that issue is taken care of. But before you get to the point that I reached, it would be best to be proactive if you have a Yahoo account.

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

Nibs bitter the butter

Remember that TV commercial from the 1970s?  I think it was for Jif peanut butter. Basically, the point was that the peanut butter company removes the little "nib" from between the two peanut halves before processing, because including them taints the sweetness of the peanut butter.

I had to deal with a bunch of nibs yesterday during the NoGA Peanut Power Sprint.  My "nibs" were RTTY stations on 40 Meters that pretty much made the band useless for CW. I believe it was the CQ WW RTTY contest that was in full bloom, with RTTY stations going right down to the very band edge.

There was a time, way back in the 90's, that Digital ops respected a line around 7.055 MHz or so - where they would go no lower in order not to disrupt CW operations on the band.  And I would know as I was pretty heavy into RTTY and the TOR modes at the time. I see that "gentleman's agreement" has been pretty much shot to Hades.

20 Meters was in good shape, however, so that took away the sting of not being able to make many contacts on 40 Meters.  When all was said and done, I made 25 contacts, most of which occurred on 20 Meters. Without having my log to refer to, I believe only 5 QSOs happened on 40 Meters.

The smart one was Marc W4MPS in North Carolina.  Marc was able to find this little tiny spot between two very strong digital ops, and he just ran the frequency like the pro that he is. Most of my 40 Meters contacts were from searching and pouncing. I tried calling CQ for a while on 40 Meters, but it proved to pretty much just be a waste of time.

My best contact on 20 Meters was with a station in Washington State.  Again, without my log in front of me, the call escapes me - it was an N7 station - that much I remember. Anyway, he was about 20 over 9 to me in NJ.  20 over 9 with only 5 Watts from 3,000 miles away. He almost knocked the earbuds right out of my ears. So much for the "QRP equals weak signals" argument!

And that's an argument that needed to be refuted on Facebook again this morning.  On the "100 Watts and a Wire" page - someone asked how many members are truly QRP.  In the middle of the answers, a German op came on with the old "It's all in the listening station" fallacy" again. "The better question to ask is, Who has a big enough station to hear QRP.?"

Blech!

Obviously, I had a big enough station to hear QRP signals yesterday; and all I was using was a KX3 and a PAR END FEDZ 40/20/10. And if I could hear QRP stations just fine with that - then what's anyone else's excuse?

The excuse turns out to be that there are a plethora of Hams out there who really don't understand propagation and antennas.  They believe that power is everything, and as it turns out, nothing could be farther from the truth.

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

Peanut Power Sprint - this Sunday !

Listen to Lucy and don't be a blockhead!  The NoGA Peanut Power Sprint is this Sunday, and as usual, it will be a ton of fun!

If you have EVER been shy about QRP contesting; but have been hankering to give it a try - then this is YOUR event!  It's only two hours long - who can't spare two hours on a Sunday afternoon?

What's that? You're thinking "QRP CW ...... hmmmmm ........ I don't know ........? " Well, those wily NoGAnauts have thought of you, too. There's a QRO entry category AND this is NOT a "CW Only" event - SSB is allowed- so NO excuses! For the rules (which are simple!) go here and click on "Peanut Power Sprint" on the left hand side.

So do yourself a favor and go nuts for a few hours! You deserve it - you know you do!

And don't be a party pooper like Snoopy and keep this a secret - tell your Ham Radio buddies and let them join in on the fun, too!

See you on the bands on Sunday afternoon! "Goober" or "Salted"? - not sure yet!

72 de Larry W2LJ - Peanut #43
QRP - When you care to send the very least

Filed under "Miscellaneous"

From the ARRL:

Amateur Radio-Military Interoperability Exercise Set for October 31-November 1

An Amateur Radio-military interoperability exercise will take place October 31 and November 1. The event will begin at 1200 UTC on October 31 and continue through 2359 UTC on November 1 on 60 meter channels 1-4 —5.3305 MHz, 5.3465 MHz, 5.357 MHz, and 5.3715 MHz, respectively.

During this exercise, military stations will attempt to make radio contact with stations in as many of the 3143 US counties as possible. Radio amateurs providing “county status” information will receive a US Department of Defense “interoperability QSL card.”

Also from the ARRL:

Logbook of The World to No Longer Accept Contacts Signed by TQSL Versions Earlier Than 2.0

As of 1400 UTC on January 16, 2017, ARRL Logbook of The World (LoTW) no longer will accept contacts that have been digitally signed by versions of TQSL earlier than version 2.0.

Users of earlier versions are encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible, as older TQSL versions contain uncorrected defects and display inaccurate error messages. The current versions of TQSL for Windows, OS X, and Linux are available online.

To date, LoTW has confirmed some 135 million contacts for its 90,000 users. — Thanks to Norm Fusaro, W3IZ

Morse Code in the News

 http://www.wusa9.com/travel/open-road/morse-code-man/319351895

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

Weekend plans go semi awry.

I had planned on two Amateur Radio activities this weekend. I almost ended up going 0 for 2, but ended up batting .500 instead.

My first planned activity was to participate in the NJ QSO Party on Saturday.  The work party that I attended at the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management went longer than I anticipated. I'm glad we got the work done that we did, though, as it was important that it got done before the Simulated Emergency test in October. When I got home, there was still plenty of time to participate in the contest - no doubt. Other chores had to be taken care of first, though; and I made sure I got those done. End result? One very tired W2LJ and no NJQP on Saturday.

After dinner, I sat down with the tablet and saw on the ARRL NPOTA Facebook page that Peter K0BAK was doing  a sweep of NJ activations this weekend, including AA17, the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail.  My heart sank a bit because he's such a superb operator and activator - does AA17 really need to be activated twice the same day? And if you had the chance to work either me or Peter .... heck, even I'd rather work Peter than me !!!

When I went to bed last night, I was really iffy about making the effort. The weather was supposed to be suspect but I decided to sleep on it, thinking perhaps that maybe it might be better to wait for another weekend.

Sunday morning dawned muggy and overcast. Not exactly the greatest of weather conditions. But then the thought occurred to me that K0BAK normally does most of his operating on SSB, and mine was to be CW; so I decided to throw caution to the wind and decided to go to Cheesequake State Park, anyway.

I left the house a little after 9:00 AM and got to the park just around 9:30 AM.  I found the Spring Hill Picnic Grounds to be deserted, save for a few parked cars. The occupants of those cars were all going off on hikes as the lot also served as the starting point for one of the park's many trailheads. With the picnic tables all to myself, I set up the PAR ENDFEDZ 40/20/10.  The line went up over a 60 foot tree with ease thanks to my trusty Joplin MO ARC Antenna Launcher.  I literally had the antenna up within minutes.  I've had enough practice with the launcher to now get a good shot on the first try, at least 90% of the time.

The setup was the usual, KX3 to antenna, the Power Werk deep cycle battery, the Palm Micro paddles and a set of ear buds.  The ear buds turned to be a life saver, as the picnic area turned out to be pretty gosh darn close to the Garden State Parkway, and there was lots of highway noise.  In some cases, there were also some ignition noise moments.  I thought I was far enough away where that wouldn't be a concern; but there must be a few vehicles out there that are close to being spark gap transmitters!

I got on the air at 1400 UTC, calling "CQ NPOTA" on 40 Meters at 7.034 MHz, and had my first QSO with W3JRR at 1415 UTC.  I stayed on 40 Meters for about 45 minutes before taking a break to stretch my legs and to use the rest facilities. Thank the Lord they were open!  I came back to the ear buds, and I could have sworn that I heard "BBO".  I thought that was my good friend W3BBO looking for me; as I spotted myself on the Cluster.  I called him a few times and heard no come back; so I decided to move on up to 20 Meters.

20 Meters turned out to be the better band.  My farthest DX QSOs happened there with S58AL in Slovenia and ON4RO in Belgium. I also ended up working Arizona and Washington state on 20 Meters. So even though I made it to Europe, this is where the Reverse Beacon Network picked me up:

Just before 1600 UTC, I was visited by a Park Ranger who came to put up a sign showing that the picnic grounds had been reserved by a Baptist Church group for a BBQ.  It was booked for 1:00 PM local or 1700 UTC.  I decided to pack it in, anyway.  My original plan was to put in about two hours, so that I wouldn't be away from the family for the entire day; and I put in my two hours, so I was happy.

The highlights of the day were working Kay Craigie N3KN, Dave Benson K1SWL of Small Wonder Labs and Rockmite fame, as well as Paul Signorelli W0RW, of QRP and Paraset Pedestrian Mobile fame.  It's always cool when you go on an outing like this and hear the call signs of people you regard as friends.  Not to say that ALL of you aren't friends ........ but you know what I mean!

37 QSOs later, my activation of AA17 was in the books for the day.  I still hope to join up with Dave Hackett KD2FSI to activate the Pine Barrens and the Delaware Water Gap and the Appalachian Trail before NPOTA comes to a close - so stay tuned!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

New Jersey QSO Party this weekend!

Not one of the biggies, by any means, but the Burlington County Amateur Radio Club has been working their tails off to get the NJ QSO Party back in the mainstream.  For years, there was a lack of participation; but due to their diligence, it seems to be making a comeback.

For all the details, please visit: http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/k2td_index.html

I have a Middlesex County OEM work detail to attend in the morning.  I hope to get some operating time in sometime during the afternoon.  Maybe out on the patio table with the mag loop?

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

It's a toss up

The weather forecast for Sunday is uncertain.  There's a good chance for scattered thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and evening; but the morning is looking "OK".  I have the morning free; as we'll be attending Church on Saturday evening - so I have two options.

Option A is to attend the Garden State Amateur Radio Association Hamfest in Tinton Falls, NJ.  I've never been to this one. I'm not sure how big it is, whether or not it's worth it, etc.  I am intrigued by their offering of "entertainment".  What could that possibly be?

 

Hopefully, it's something better than watching a bunch of Hams trying to duke it out over the "$1 Bargain Bin".

Option B is to activate NPOTA AA17 - The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail.  Cheesequake State Park is part of the Trail and seems to offer many picnic areas near wooded spots. Can you say "antenna support"?

That would offer an ideal location to set up, sit down and possibly launch a EFHW into a convenient tree.  The park opens at 8:00 AM, and now that Labor Day is behind us, it's now considered to be "Off Season". That means that there are no park entry fees (cheapskate that I am). If I get there around 8:30 AM or 9:00 AM-ish, I could operate for a couple or three hours (probably relatively undisturbed) and still get back in time to do something with the family.

I'll probably end up going with the NPOTA activation, as it's cheaper (for me) in the long run. The temptation of GSARA is that I'd probably come home with something I don't need - an empty wallet.

Stay tuned!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

September 11

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may Perpetual Light shine upon them ......

Remembering those who perished - NYC, the Pentagon, Shanksville, PA.

72 de Larry W2LJ

Who owns the frequency, Kenneth?

No one.

I received an interesting e-mail (which I have since answered and deleted) from an Amateur whose name and call sign I can't (and don't want to) recall. It started out, "Sir".

You know you're in trouble when you receive correspondance that starts out like that.

Anyway, the tone of the e-mail was gently chiding (this is NOT verbatim), "I see you recommend 14.060 MHz as a reference frequency for your Skeeter Hunt.  Don't you know that's only 2 kHz from the SOTA frequency? Your event may have caused interference."

I counted to 10 before replying, and I took time and effort to make sure that I was polite and charitable. I explained that 14.060 MHz has been the recognized QRP Watering Hole for like ..... forever. And since the Skeeter Hunt is a QRP event, it kinda makes sense we should be there.....no?  I also pointed out that the Skeeter Hunt happens once a year and it's only for four hours.

I wanted to go on, but didn't, lest I lose control and become sarcastic. But when you think about it - where the heck are we supposed to go?

Go to 14.062 MHz and you tick off the SOTA people.

Go to 14.058 MHz and you risk stepping on the toes of FISTS folks.

Go to 14.056 MHz (or thereabouts) and you risk the wrath of the County Hunters.

Go to 14.055 MHz and you will upset the SKCC people.

Go up to 14.070 MHz and you run into digital territory

See what I'm getting at?  Everybody has "their" frequency, but yet, NO ONE "owns" any frequency! Ahem, that includes nets! If the SKCC'ers happened to be holding their WeekEnd Sprint and wandered on up to 14.060 MHz, while the Hunt was in session, what am I supposed to do - lob grenades at them?  No, you just spread out and deal with it the best you can.

I wonder what this guy would have done in the "Good Ol' Days" when the bands were literally wall-to-wall with signals and you couldn't swing a dead cat and find an empty spot?

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

Tree news

There is none.

So, while talking with good friend Drew W2OU this evening, I have decided to be proactive.  The only thing that I am sure of, is that I'm not sure of anything at this point.  What I definitely know is that my neighbors want to remove the oak tree from their front yard. The maple in the back "may" have carpenter ant damage.  Or it may not. The tree specialist that they are hiring will look and make a determination whether to just "top" the tree (trim it back) or make it go bye-bye.

I am going to assume the worst case scenario and will assume "bye-bye".  With that outcome in mind, I am going to go to Home Depot some time this weekend and will buy one of their big five gallon paint buckets and some Sakrete.

I will dig a hole in the back corner of the backyard, big enough and deep enough to hold the paint bucket even with ground level.  The bucket itself will be filled with Sakrete and will anchor one section of the military surplus aluminum masting that I have. This will serve as my base.  It will be there, ready to accept another 25-30 feet (8-10 meters) of masting, if and when the maple disappears. Should the maple stay, then all I will have is a piece of pipe sticking out of the ground in the extreme corner of my backyard, where it will hurt no one.

In either case, I will be ready to either return my wire back into the topped tree; or hook it up to the 30 foot (10 Meter) mast as quickly as possible, before the weather turns miserable for Winter.

Sounds like a plan; and I feel better when I have a plan.

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

Haven't said this in a while

but "Thank You" to all of you who read this blog.  It would be foolish and time wasting for me to do this if you weren't out there. From the e-mails, photos and comments I receive, I know that you all are, indeed, out there. Again, thank you so very much.

On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:

The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m. 

It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1. 

Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.

For more information, and ordering, you can go to  http://www.qrpguys.com/

I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.

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

Now what?

Yesterday was Labor Day in the USA - the unofficial end of Summer. School resumes, vacations end (for the most part), everybody gets back into the swing of things. With the resumption of routines, comes less dispensable free time. That being said, there are a few things that I want to accomplish before the weather turns cold and nasty as we head into "those" months.

1) I purchased a 150' length of RG213 from DX Engineering this summer. I want to get that run to the Butternut, replacing the 15+ year old coax that is there, before the weather turns.

2) Get the W3EDP redeployed if it comes to that. I hope my neighbors don't dilly-dally with their decision on that maple tree.

3) Get a few more NPOTA entities activated. The NJ Coastal Historical Trail beckons as well as the Appalachian Trail.  Dave Hackett KD2FSI has a spot in mind that would entail some hiking. Perhaps during foliage changing season, that would be a worthwhile endeavor.

4) Play around some more with the magnetic loop antenna that I built. In particular, I am looking to the New England QRP Club's "QRP Afield" and the NoGA "Peanut Power Sprint" to help in that regard.

5) Marv K2VHW and I will be starting another Technician licensing class beginning September 13th at SPARC HQ. We will run every Tuesday night for eight weeks. We have several South Plainfielders who are interested in earning their licenses and one or two who eventually want to become CERT/RACES operators, also.

My one winter time project will be to homebrew band pass filters for 80, 40, 20 and perhaps 15 Meters to be used at SPARC Field Day next year, so that the stations can operate more freely without interfering with each other.

What are your Amateur Radio plans for the Fall and Winter?

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

Some potential bad news

I was walking out of my house to get in my car the other evening, when I heard my name being called - never a good thing.  It was my next-door neighbor who wanted to tell me that he will be removing an oak tree from his front yard.

"Whew!" I thought to myself, dodged some sort of bullet or another.

Then it came.  "And we're thinking of removing the maple from the backyard, too".

Argh!  That's the tree in which my W3EDP antenna lives!

My neighbor stated that he was thinking of having the tree topped (trimmed back), but his wife came out and commented on how she thinks the tree is riddled with carpenter ants, and she would like to see it gone.

Meh. I mean, it' s not the end of the world if they have the tree removed.  I have enough of that aluminum military masting where I could put a 30' (10 Meter) section in the back corner of the yard, and then run the W3EDP over to that. 

The pain in the butt thing is having to take it down and then be without it for a while as all this work gets done.  My only hope is that if they do go through with this plan, that they do it quickly. I need to have enough time to anchor the mast in some cement and get then get the wire back up before the cold weather sets in.

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

2016 Skeeter Hunt Scores posted

The 2016 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Scores have been posted!

Congratulations to the following:

1st Place Overall - KX0R
2nd Place Overall - N3AQC
3rd Place Overall - AB9CA
4th Place Overall - NN9K
5th Place Overall - N0SS

Thank you to all who participated, to those of you who sent in Log Summaries and Soapbox comments - and most of all to the NJQRP Amateur Radio Club for sponsoring this event.

To see the complete scoreboard - you can click here.

Soapbox comments to follow in a week or two.

PS: We got a mention in the "ARRL Contest Update for September 7th" - we hit the "Big Time"!
Thanks to W3BBO for pointing this out to me.

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

Labor Day Weekend ..... a washout?

Maybe, if Tropical Storm Hermine has anything to say about it.

 

It may chug up the coast and just sit off of New Jersey bringing wind and rain. Or maybe it will go out to sea. Or maybe it will re-strengthen and become a major concern. Too soon to tell with any certainty.

All I know is that as of right this minute, the South Plainfield Labor Day parade looks iffy at best. As part of the CERT team, we'll be providing the Parade Committee with communications; but Hermine might have something to say about that.

Stay tuned.

Personally, if Labor Day weekend was a washout, I would not be terribly disappointed.  Not only will I be busy tabulating results from the Skeeter Hunt, but the basement shack is a great place to weather out a storm. ;-)  And I might regret saying this, but if my antennas were able to withstand Sandy, then Hermine should be a walk in the park. 

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Portable Ops antennas

It's ALWAYS a good thing when more information comes out. And Peter Parker VK3YE has come out with a new e-publication on the subject. And as this is a favorite topic of mine, I'll be looking into this:

Hand-carried QRP antennas     (by Peter Parker VK3YE)

Hand-carried QRP antennas is the new book that takes the mystery out of portable antennas.  After inviting you to assess your needs, it discusses the pros and cons of popular types.  Its style is brisk and practical with almost no maths.

Many ideas for cheap but good materials suitable for portable antennas are given.   Beginners and those returning to radio after a break should especially find this section handy. 

Finally there’s construction details on a variety of simple but practical antennas and accessories suitable for portable operating.  All have been built and tested by the author over almost 30 years of successful QRP activity.  

Hand-carried QRP antennas is an ebook readable on most devices.  It’s the author’s second book, following on from the top-selling Minimum QRP, released last year.

More information: http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/vk3yebooks.htm

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/vk3yeradiobooks/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imFk17gARiA

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

Slowly, but surely

the dummy figures it out!

The reason I was missing so many Skeeter Hunt results was that on my tablet, the Verizon Web based e-mail client shows both my Verizon account and my gmail account in one big "In Box".  On the laptop, I have to toggle between the two.

Now I see them all. I am computer literate ........ barely. Sigh.

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

Skeeter Hunt Log Summaries

Hmmmmmmm ...... not sure what happened or how to explain it.

I wasn't seeing a lot of Skeeter Hunt log summaries - and was becoming a bit concerned. Then I turned on my tablet!  Exact same Web based e-mail client as I use on the laptop - Yahoo e-mail. There was an avalanche of log summaries that weren't showing up on the laptop!

I have no idea why that would be. I checked the Spam box - various other places. Nope, the entries that WERE on the tablet; were just not showing up on the laptop.

Anyway, I responded with a "Thank You" to every log summary that I have received, and I also put a comment "Log Summary Received" in Column "E" of the roster.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KJWpvDDBZibCMqna_qGXF3Ayg8KdEw5f1N8K6ByGMe4/edit#gid=880964485

If you didn't receive that "Thank You" e-mail, or don't see that your log was received on the roster, I can only beg your indulgence and would ask you to try again.  Please use w2lj@arrl.net and w2lj@verizon.net

I deeply apologize if I've caused you any inconvenience; but sometimes this computer stuff remains dark magic to me!

Out of the 173 people who signed up for Skeeter-dom, 45 have sent in log summaries and 6 Non-Skeeters have also sent in summaries. I have included them on the roster at the bottom. Entries can be sent in until Midnight of the Sunday before Labor day - so keep those cards and letter coming in folks!

Oh, and here's a little video for your viewing pleasure from non-other than Steve WG0AT, SOTA Master and all around QRP Portable Operator, extraordinaire!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Hey, Buddy! Looking for some QSL art?

Tired of the same old images?  Want something unique and personal for your very own QSL card?   Something that says "you", and reflects your personality and interests? Are you sponsoring an event and want a well designed and memorable logo?

Have I got the man for you!

That man would be Jeff Murray K1NSS - the man, and Ham behind Dashtoons.

A few years back, I wanted a new QSL card. I've done some self-designed ones before and they always came out well (if I do say so, myself!)........ but at the same time, they came up short of professional looking.  From Facebook, I saw that Jeff also designed QSL cards.  I sent him an e-mail. We corresponded back and forth a few times, and Jeff latched onto my association with the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt and after a few iterations and alterations, came up with this:

About a year later, I decided that I wanted the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt to have its own special and unique logo.  So back to Jeff I went and his talent and skills came up with this:

So this year, yet another challenge presented itself.  The South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club needed a QSL card.  What's that old saying about "Going back to the well once too often?" This time "the Well" did not disappoint!  Jeff came up with this superb image, which will be presented to the Club this Wednesday evening for consideration as adoption as our QSL card.

The club members wanted something on the card that is unique to South Plainfield. One of our claims to fame is Hadley Field, which served as the Eastern Terminus for the fledgling USPS Air Mail system back in the 1920s.  Night time flights leaving Hadley Airport got US Mail to Chicago in under eight hours.  Hadley Field remained the terminus until Newark Airport enlarged to become the largest air field in New Jersey. Jeff took our idea, ran with it and came up with pure gold again!

So if you're looking for an image that's unique and well designed, send Jeff an e-mail at k1nss@dashtoons.com.  Jeff is very easy to work with and will keep at it with you until both you and he are totally satisfied.

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

The Skeeter Hunt is over for 2016 ..... now what?

I've been getting several e-mails - "How do you want my log?"

Short answer?

I don't!   Please ..... no adif, cabrillo, csv files.

What I do want is your log summary. It' s real easy to send and I'll include the following example (we'll use mine):

Larry - W2LJ -TR23 - (Name, Call, Location)
Skeeter #13 - All CW - (Skeeter # and the mode you worked, CW/SSB/Mixed)
Single Op - (Single Op, Multi Op, Multi-multi Op)
Skeeter QSOs - 39 - (# of Skeeter QSOs)
Non-Skeeter QRP QSOs - 1 (# of Non-Skeeter, but QRP QSOs)
Non-Skeeter QRO QSOs - 1 (# of Non-Skeeter QRPO QSOS - NPOTA activators may have had a lot of these)
S/P/Cs or NPOTA Designators - 25 (# of states, provinces, countries, NPOTA entities that you worked)
Station Class Multiplier X4 (See da rules fror the categories) NPOTA Bonus - 100 points (If you activated an NPOTA you get an extra 100 points! See, I told ya to!)

If you do the math correctly (gotta love spreadsheets and formulas!), you'll see my total was 12,100 points.

Log summaries are due by the end of the Sunday before Labor Day. Please remember to include your Soapbox comments and photos if you have 'em.  I know that a lot of us in the QRP Community "know" each other; but one of the best things about these Outdoor QRP Sprints is to see how you operated and where you operated from. Please feel free to share, they will appear on the Skeeter Hunt Soapbox page.

As I receive log summaries, I will acknowledge them with a return e-mail. I will also update the 2016 Skeeter Hunt roaster with "Log Summary Received" in the comments column. If you don't get a "Thank You' e-mail from me - or see an update on the roster, you need to re-send your log summary!

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KJWpvDDBZibCMqna_qGXF3Ayg8KdEw5f1N8K6ByGMe4/edit#gid=880964485

I will do my best to post the scores on Labor Day and follow up with Soapbox comments and photos a week or so, later.

And once again, thanks to all of you who make this possible and thanks to the New Jersey QRP Club for their sponsorship!

So to answer the original question a little more - Now what?

There are still  two Summer QRP Outdoor events coming!  QRP Afield and the NoGA Peanut Power Sprint - two good ones for sure!  Be sure not to miss them - Winter will be here before you know it.

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

2016 Skeeter Hunt Report

The day dawned sunny and warm, and everything needed to go hunt Skeeters was sitting in the living room, waiting to be loaded into the Jeep.  The kids and I attended Saturday evening Mass, so with that obligation taken care of, I was awarded with a quiet Sunday morning.

As Noon approached, I loaded up the Jeep and made the 7 or 8 minute drive over to the historic Frazee house in Scotch Plains, which sits right on the Washington-Rochambeau Historic National Trail (TR23).

The house in abandoned and in dis-repair, but a major effort is being made by several organizations to restore it to its original, Revolutionary War era state, complete with gardens and out buildings. The wooden cutout is a drawing of Betsy Frazee. Legend has it that Lord Cornwallis was marching his troops back to their base after the Battle of the Short Hills. As the British marched past the Frazee house they smelled the bread that Betsy was baking. Cornwallis was going to commandeer provisions, and demanded a fresh baked loaf. Supposedly, Betsy gave him one saying, "I give this to you, Sir, out of fear and not out of love." According to the legend, Cornwallis was so moved by her bravery that he marched his troops on without taking any bread - but probably took everything else that wasn't nailed down!

Across the driveway, you can see what remains of the old well.

Union County has a community garden in the back, on the site of the original garden which belonged to the Frazee's.

I set up across the gravel driveway, making sure that I was well within the 100' limit for activating a national historical trail. Not sure how many visitors might show up, and how "protective" they might be, I decided not to throw any wires up into the trees. Instead I used my drive-on mast support, my Jackite pole and my PAR END FEDZ 40/20/10.

Set up went easily and I was able to walk around and take these photos before the Hunt started. I also chatted with a few visitors who drove up and asked me what I knew about the garden and the restoration effort.

At 1700 the Hunt started and I jumped into the fray.  There was plenty of activity on 20 Meters, which was so good to hear. There was not as much activity on 40 Meters, but I was pleasantly surprised that background noise was low on both bands. That allowed me to work several stations that were pretty weak. It's always nice when you can work stations that don't have to be 599 to overcome the noise floor.

The station set up was the same. The KX3 with the Palm Micro paddles, and I used my deep cycle battery for power.   Yesterday, I went to Dick's Sporting Goods to buy an ammo box to make toting the battery a lot easier.

The cooler with water bottles was essential. Although it wasn't as beastly hot as it has been, the humidity was pretty high and it felt hotter than it actually was. It was very nice to be able to grab a few swigs of cold water throughout the Hunt.

As the Hunt progressed, the partly cloudy skies changed to totally cloudy.  From about 1900 UTC, it spritzed droplets of rain on and off.  Nothing to cause me to go QRT until about 2017 UTC, when with about 45 minutes to go, the rain changed from a spritz to a bone fide drizzle.  Not wanting to get the equipment wet, I packed up and headed home.

My goal was to make at least 40 QSOs and I ended up making 41.  I worked 19 different S/P/Cs and 6 different NPOTA entities.  It was a very delightful day and I thank all of you who participated and especially the New Jersey QRP Club for sponsoring the hunt and making it possible.

And last - but very much not least, I'd like to thank all those diligent QRPers who activated NPOTA entities.  By my tally, the following were activated - NP51, NM05, TR23, TR01, TR05, SS05, RC17, HP11, TR04, MN29, NS60, HP46, HP30, RC04, TR10 and TR06. And these were just the ones I knew about beforehand. I'm sure there were a few entities activated on the spur of the moment.

Here's my summary:

Larry - W2LJ -TR23
Skeeter #13 - All CW
Single Op
Skeeter QSOs - 39
Non-Skeeter QRP QSOs - 1
Non-Skeeter QRO QSOs - 1
S/P/Cs or NPOTA Designators - 25
Station Class Multiplier X4
NPOTA Bonus - 100 points

Final score of 12,100 points - not that it matters, as I don't figure into the mix, but I like to see how I did vs. all the other participants.

So thank you, one and all, those who participated and those I worked.  If it weren't for you, the Skeeter Hunt would not be the success that it has become. I'm already looking forward to the 2017 Skeeter Hunt!

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

QRP Afield 2016

This appeared on QRP-L.  It appears that the NEQRP Website has been hacked and is down - so to further propagate the spread of information ........ here goes:


QRP AFIELD-2016 

QRP Afield-2016 is sponsored by the NEW ENGLAND QRP Club and is designed to encourage QRP enthusiasts to field-test their radio equipment, using temporary and non-commercial Antennas and non-commercial sources.

Date/Time Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 1600Z to 2200Z

Exchange      QRP-NE Members: RST, state/province, NE-QRP #
                      Non-Members: RST, state/province, power OUTPUT

Definitions

Permanent Location: Any location using commercial power AND/OR permanently installed antennas
Field Location: Any location using battery/solar/natural power AND temporary antennas

Low power QRP: Less than one watt output.
High power QRP: 1 to 5 watts output.

Scoring (CW only)
1 point for each contact from a permanent location using high power QRP.
2 points for each contact from a permanent location using low power QRP.
4 points for each contact from a temporary location using high power QRP.
8 points for each contact form a temporary location using low power QRP.

Note: All contest contacts MUST be made using the same location and power output.

Multipliers Each state/province/country worked counts for one point. Multipliers may be counted only once, regardless of band worked.

Results will be posted to the NEQRP web page. Scores and logs may be sent by email or mail to the following addresses:

cludinsky@verizon.net or
Chuck Ludinsky – K1CL
6 Prancing Rd. Chelmsford, MA 01824

I think this might call for another trip to Washington Rock State Park!

PS: Don't forget, the following Sunday (Sept 25th) is the NoGA Peanut Power Sprint!  There's no such thing as too much outdoor QRP!

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

August 14th

Thanks to a gentle nudge on Facebook by my good friend, Brian KB9BVN ..... I would be remiss if I didn't mention that today, August 14th is the anniversary of the death of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe SP3RN.

As I've mentioned on this blog before, Fr. Max was a Catholic priest as well as an Amateur Radio operator in Poland.  He stood up to Nazi aggression and paid the ultimate price.  Fr. Max is the "unoffical" patron saint of Amateur Radio operators, everywhere.  May we follow his example of courage and kindness and love for our fellow man.



St. Max, please pray for us!
72 de Larry W2LJ QRP - When you care to send the very least!