53 years! Where did the time go?
Buzz Aldrin is the only crew member left. The flight jacket he wore during the mission is up for auction with Sotheby's and is expected to go for more than 2 million. Wow!
I was 12 years old and was absolutely GLUED to the TV set that day. If you're old enough to remember, where were you?
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
I went to the Sussex County Amateur Radio Club Hamfest this morning. I was debating internally about it as the hamfest is about an hour drive from home, and after driving back from Lake George yesterday, I really didn't feel like being in the car today.
I haven't been to any hamfests this year and this is the biggest one in the northern half of the state, so I gave in and went. About the only thing I was in the market for was a second VOM. I reasoned you can usually find dozens of vendors selling them, so the chances were good that I would come home with one.
I reasoned wrong. I was only able to find one seller with VOMs on his table and he had two Radio Shack models for sale. I already have a Radio Shack VOM and it works well, but I find its analog to digital converter to be on the slow side. There's a delay between placing the probes and the reading showing up on the display. I didn't want another with the same spec.
I ran into some friends and familiar faces, so it wasn't a total loss. There was a new vendor in the indoor section that I had never heard of before - Three Mosquitos. They were selling EFHW antennas and end fed random length wire antennas, designed with the portable op in mind. They seemed to have drawn a small crowd at the table when I was there. Here's a link to their website - https://www.threemosquitos.com/ I am interested in their drive on mast holder which I guess is coming soon, as there's no link to it yet.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
I hooked up the AlexLoop on the porch of the cabin and worked two POTA stations, K5SJC in Texas on 20 Meters and N2EIM in New Jersey on 40 Meters. N2EIM was set up on the Delaware / Raritan Canal. Bob lives in Princeton, so I have a pretty good idea on which section of the canal he situated himself. Funny thing is that if I was home, I'd probably never had heard him.
I was going to toss up the PAR in a tree by the side of the cabin. I don't know what's going on up here this year, but we are being invaded by moths. Medium sized brown ones that fly in your face and make a nuisance out of themselves. Harmful? No. A pain in the butt? Yes.
I'll probably continue to work off the porch with the loop. I heard some decent activity on both 20 and 17 Meters including stations from Israel and Lithuania. I didn't break the pileups as I wasn't really trying. Today was just fiddlin' around, getting used to tuning the loop which take a little practice if you haven't done it in a while. But after a few minutes I was getting the hang of it, once again.
As I was adding the entries into AC Log, the program stopped responding. I never have a problem with AC Log, so I knew something was up. Of course, Windows decided to update and after all was said and done, my log would not load. The MDB file must have somehow got corrupted while Windows decided to do its thing. Fortunately, the most recent backup was today, so I was able to load it up after missing only about 2 or 3 heartbeats.
Oh, by the way, I saw an announcement by Rich Fisher KI6SN for the 2022 Flight of the Bumblebees. instead of me speaking about it, I'll just paste in Richard's e-mail with the links, here.
The Adventure Radio Society is eager to announce the 2022 Flight of the Bumblebees, a four-hour event on Sunday, July 31 - the last Sunday of the month.
This is one of the most popular QRP contests of the year.
For complete details of FOBB rules and instructions, and for how field stations can obtain a Bumblee number go to http://ARSqrp.blogspot.com
The official email link for 2022 FOBB is:
We thank you in advance for your support of the 2022 Flight of the Bumblebees and hope to see you there.
All ARS events are underwritten by 73 Radio Row.
73,
Richard
Richard Fisher, KI6SN
Co-founder, the Adventure Radio Society
73 Radio Row
Riverside, CA
So there you have it - go sign up for a Bee number!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very keast!
Found this photo on the Interweb (my XYL jokingly calls it that). For you newbies who get confused by solar weather index numbers ..... and for some of us veterans who keep forgetting which way is which:
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"Show up!"
That's the theme and that's the bonus. Show up, operate and submit a log and you automatically get 100 Bonus Points.
Each year, it's become more difficult to come up with an Bonus Activity that's inclusive of both CW and SSB entrants. The "spelling thing" is OK, but I don't want to get into a rut with that. The very first Bonus Activity was to homebrew a key - but since we added SSB as a mode, that would not be fair to those entrants.
So this year, it's just "show up". I'll try and come up with something novel for 2023.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
There was time today to head down to the basement shack and put the MFJ-1982LP antenna on the bench. This is the antenna that failed for me during Field Day - in the middle of the night (strains of Billy Joel in the background.) How does an end fed antenna go bad? I guess there are a number of ways so I had to eliminate them.
1) The wire itself was not damaged, kinked, cut or otherwise disturbed along its entire length.
2) Opening the UNUN box the toroid looked fine. No cracks, no breaks, again ..... no mars.
3) The toroid windings were of a stout gauge of enamel coated wire - no breaks or other visible defects.
That left two things - either the two capacitors in there shorted out, or one of the factory performed solder joints was dicey.
My gut went with the solder joints. Nothing was to the point of being loose or hanging free, but it looked like whomever soldered the joints thought that solder was going for about $200 a pound. The solderer could have been way more generous with the stuff.
I heated up the ol' Weller, added more solder to ALL the joints and headed out to Cotton Street Park, my home for the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt.
The first thing I did after setting up was to bypass the ATU in the KX3. A brief hit of the tune button showed about a 1.2:1 match on 20 Meters. No more infinite SWR readings!
As long as I had everything set up, I decided to work a few stations. First up was AC6ZM on 14.044 MHz. He was at POTA K-7605. I haven't looked up where that is, I'll do it later.
I know I said I wasn't going to bother with the 13 Colonies Special Event, but they provided such a target rich environment. Perfect for giving a repaired antenna a workout!
I worked TM13COL on 20 Meters, making it through the pile up with 5 Watts. Then I switched to 40 Meters and worked K2E is Delaware and K2M in Pennsylvania. I finished the test back up on 20 Meters by working K2G in Georgia. The op was Phil K3UT and he must have recognized my call as he didn't send that bit of info to anyone else he was working.
I listened for a bit on 15 Meters but didn't hear anything, so I packed up my hastily erected setup and returned home. It's a comfort to know that I have the antenna back at my disposal. However, I'm still going to set up a backup antenna next year at Field Day - bitten once, twice shy.
As far as 13 Colonies goes, that was enough for me. I'll let the newer stations or those who have never gotten a clean sweep have a go at it.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
As seen on the Flying Pigs ARCI e-mail reflector:
The 2022 Summer Homebrew Sprint is just around the corner!
2000Z to 2300Z July 10th
Bonus points for homebrew equipment, and portable battery powered operations.
All the details can be found here:
https://www.qrparci.org/contest/summer-homebrew-sprint-2020
Entries must be posted on or before July 29th online at www.qrpcontest.com
73,
Paul K4FB
Maybe I can jump on the air a bit from Lake George,
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Wow! I guessed something right for a change!
I went down to the shack at just a little after 9:00 PM and fired up the KX3. I tuned around in the vicinity of 14.060 MHz and found John K4BAI pretty quickly. He was about a 569 or so on the W3EDP. To see if it would make any difference, I switched over to the Butternut.
Again ........ WOW!
John was a solid 599. I put out my call and made contact on my second try. I not only got a 589 report, but since I haven't partaken of the Fox Hunts in a while, I also got a "W2LJ FB".
I may have to do this more often!
To be honest, there were several reasons I stopped doing the Hunts. The main reason, as I've stated before is the time. Not only do they start late for an early riser like me, but the competition (mostly with myself) to see how quickly I could work both Foxes left me so wired that I had a hard time falling asleep afterward. Silly, isn't it? But I guess that's my OCD kicking in.
So from here on out, I'm going to take the "take it easy" approach if and when I participate. No putting pressure on myself. I bag a pelt or two ..... fine. I don't ....... that's fine, too. It's much more enjoyable and satisfying this way.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
the 2022 Summer QRP Fox Hunt season started last Thursday.
For all the particulars, you can visit https://www.qrpfoxhunt.org/ for the rules and the schedule.
By the time 9:00 PM rolls around here in NJ, I'm usually too pooped to pop. But now that Summer is here and the basement is the coolest part of the house, I might just give it another whirl. The problem is that my 5:30 AM wake up time comes way too fast!
Tonight's Foxes are John K4BAI and Steve WX2S. I don't expect to hear Steve as we are all of about 18 miles apart. My head is telling me I have a better chance of hearing John, who lives in Georgia. But my head is a silly thing sometimes and can often lead me astray. So now that I've published my thoughts, I'll probably hear Steve and John will be silent. Go figure.
I went over to eBay today and put RigExpert in as one of my favorite searches with e-mail alerts when new postings are made. Who knows? One of these days I might get lucky and will find an antenna analyzer that I can actually afford.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Next Monday we celebrate Independence Day here in the US of A - our nation's birthday. So, beginning on July 1st and running through the 7th (I think) is the 13 Colonies Special Event.
While I understand the mindset of those who really consider Field Day to be an uber-contest and go whole hog........ as I get older, I see the wisdom of keeping it simple. A few wire antennas, a few low power portable rigs make set up in 90F weather much easier and by the same token, tear down is much less of a horror after being up for 30+ hours. Taking down hexbeams, yagis and makeshift towers is a younger man's game. Definitely. Plus you get the added bonus of having visitors say, "You were talking to California (or wherever) with just 5 Watts and some wire?"
CW speeds - this one might be a ticking time bomb. If you want to run QRQ - by all means, go ahead. But if you expect a lot of responses on Sunday morning at 9:00 AM from guys who have been at this continuously since Saturday at 2:00 PM - I think you're barking up the wrong tree. There's no disgrace at keeping CW speeds at a more realistic 25 WPM or less neighborhood. And for Pete's sake, if a guy is calling "CQ FD" at about 18 WPM, QRS for him, please! You're not impressing anyone by continuing to send at 40 WPM. You're just annoying the rest of us by you forcing him to ask you to repeat your exchange for 5 or 6 times.
For those of you, who like us, run a club effort ....... I really recommend N3FJP's logging software. We're lucky enough to have Ron N2LCZ, who is a networking guru set up our logging system . He does it so that we're all tied into a portable network. We log at laptops and this all feeds into a master desktop acting as a server. I couldn't set this system up if my life depended on it, but Ron makes it so that the entire FD team can see our collective effort at each and every transmitting position. And it makes reporting results to the ARRL as easy as falling off a log.
Don't discount digital ops. While I'm not a devotee of FT8 or whatever the digital mode du jour is - they are an invaluable tool. Dave KD2FSI was our DX King, working into New Zealand, Hawaii and other distant locals with the digital modes. Plus ........ while they might not everybody's cup of tea, they also seem to attract the younger crowd and that is definitely a plus. A youngster of say, 15 or 16 may think Morse Code is cool and may really be attracted to the paddles and keyer,. I know this first hand, as I have witnessed it. On the other hand, that same youngster will undoubtedly feel right at home and like an old pro behind the keys of a laptop. I may not be the one to do it, but sit with a youngster and guide him/her through a connection with the other side of the country (or world) in their first few attempts and you may have hooked someone for life. Getting that youngster to realize he/she can enjoy SSB and CW can come later.
Field Day is the most excellent opportunity to get inactive Hams on the air again. For whatever reason, some Ham's enthusiasm for the hobby can dry up. Raising a family, working a job (or two) might leave no time for sitting behind the radio. Let them sit down and make a few contacts and you're going to help re-ignite that old flame. It works....... I've seen guys who have not been on the air for decades, but have kept their licenses active look at my KX3, see what it can do and they're almost salivating! "THAT little rig does all this?!?"
Besides being a contest, Emergency Communication exercise or whatever ....Field Day is perhaps our biggest PR opportunity of the year. Take advantage of it.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Another Field Day has come and gone. This year was not without its surprises, but as Clint Eastwood said as Gunnery Sargent Thomas Highway in "Heartbreak Ridge" - "You improvise, adapt, and overcome!"
The week started with a Proclamation of Amateur Radio Week in South Plainfield by our Mayor and Borough Council.
... you tend to forget how much fun it is.
2022 has not been my best year. As I've told the tale here before, I injured my hand at work in January and had to undergo surgery. I've been dealing with physical therapy twice a week since then. Sessions are right after work and I get home really late. It's all I can do to grab something light to eat and then melt into bed.
Then, in March, my latest PSA results came back and were not good. That led to having a prostate biopsy done, which in and of itself was not terrible, but at the same time was no fun. The results of that were not what I was hoping for. I'm now in the process, along with my doctors, of determining a course of treatment for prostate cancer. The good news is that it has been caught early and it can be totally cured. CT scans and bone scans have revealed it hasn't spread. Within the next few weeks a decision will be made to either go with surgery or radiation treatments.
Guys .... get those yearly physicals and blood work done. The life you save will be your own!
Needless to say, with all these pre-occupations, my desire to be on the radio has not been Priority #1. But tonight, as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, Brian KB9BVN posted that good friend, and QRPer par exellence, Dave AB9CA was doing a POTA activation on 7.035.50 MHz, at K-1945 in Ohio.
I figured "What the heck!"
I ran downstairs and turned on the KX3 and Dave was right there, just where Brian said he would be. The KX3 was switched to the W3EDP and sounded pretty good. I gave him a few calls as he had quite the pileup going. Sadly, no dice, so I switched over to the Butternut HF9V.
Wow! His signal was now much louder - a true 599. A few more tries and I made it into his log! My cares and worries had me forget how much fun this radio business is! It was only one QSO but I enjoyed myself immensely. I will make it a point to get on the air way more often than I have been. It's a good tonic for the weary soul.
My backyard neighbor totally removed all the vegetation that was on his side of our mutual fence. For the first time in a few years the Butternut is now totally in the clear. It may not be as stealthy without the foliage camouflage, but it seems to be performing better than it has been.
One other note before I close. Please remember that Sunday, August 21st will be the 11th annual NJQRP Skeeter Hunt, I will be handing out Skeeter numbers in response to e-mails sent to me beginning on June 21st, the first day of Summer. Please don't send in your requests before then. I will update the Skeeter Hunt website within the next few days. Thanks for your cooperation!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
I haven't been on much, or have been posting much lately. I won't bore you with details, but a lot has been focusing my attention away from radio. Hopefully in the next few months that will change. In the meantime - I thought this was way cool!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
From Amateur Radio Newsline:
New FCC Application Fee Will Not Apply to Amateur Radio License Upgrades
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff has clarified in response to an ARRL request that the new $35 application fee will not apply to most license modifications, including those to upgrade an amateur radio licensee's operator class and changes to club station trustees. The FCC staff explained that the new fees will apply only to applications for a new license, renewal, rule waiver, or a new vanity call sign. As previously announced, the new fees take effect on April 19, 2022.
"We are pleased that the FCC will not charge licensees the FCC application fee for license upgrade applications," said ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM. "While applicants for a new license will need to pay the $35 FCC application fee, there will be no FCC charge for future upgrades and administrative updates, such as a change of mailing or email address. Most current licensees, therefore, will not be charged the new FCC application fee until they renew their license or apply for a new vanity call sign."
ARRL previously reported that the new $35 application fee for amateur radio licenses will become effective on April 19, 2022. Further information and instructions about the FCC Application Fee are available from the ARRL VEC at www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
To be honest with you, I'm not even sure how Wordle works. All I know is that it's some kind of word game where (I think) you have to guess the word of the day and you get a certain number of tries. All I know is that I see a ton of posts on social media about how people have done that day. Even my sister posts!
I've not tried, nor jumped into the fray, or think I ever will. At least the "conventional" game. There is a new one that I learned of today thanks to Dave Ring N1EA on the CW e-mail reflector. This version is called "Morsle".
Just for fun.
Morsle - the daily Morse code challenge
Welcome to the daily Morse code challenge
Brought to you by Remote Ham Radio
You have 21 tries to guess the word, which will be played aloud in Morse code.
Playback speed starts at 40 WPM, which is pretty fast, but don't worry! Every three tries, the speed decreases by 5 WPM.
Each time you play the word or submit a guess, you are deducted one try, so conserve those guesses until you are certain you have correctly guessed some letters.
You can guess at any time, even if there are some blank letters. Correct answers will be marked in green, but there are no other hints.
I got today's word on the second try at 40 WPM - so I guess I can still copy well enough. Good job on whomever came up with this! I look forward to rising to the challenge each day. In addition to the "main game", there's a practice session and you can change between regular words and call signs.
I'd like to see the "Wordle" champs take this one on!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
The particulars - according to the ARRL:
New Amateur Radio License Applications Fee To Become Effective April 19, 2022
03/24/2022
A Public Notice released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on March 23, 2022, in MD Docket No. 20-270, announced that new application fees for Wireless Telecommunications Bureau applications will become effective on April 19, 2022. The new fees, mandated by Congress, apply to applications for Amateur Radio licenses including those associated with filing Form 605, the Amateur Operator/Primary Station Licensee Application.
Effective April 19, 2022, a $35 fee will apply to applications for a new Amateur Radio license, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change), renewal, and vanity call signs.
Anticipating the implementation of the fee in 2022, the ARRL Board of Directors, at its July 2021 meeting, approved the "ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program." Under the program, ARRL will cover a one-time $35 application fee for license candidates younger than 18 years old for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Qualified candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC. ARRL is finalizing details for administering the program.
ARRL had filed comments in opposition to imposing a fee on Amateur Radio license applications. The FCC initially proposed a higher, $50 fee. In a Report and Order (R&O), released on December 29, 2020, the amount was reduced -- the FCC agreeing with ARRL and other commenters that its proposed $50 fee for certain amateur radio applications was "too high to account for the minimal staff involvement in these applications."
ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, explained that all fees are per application. "There will be no fee for administrative updates, such as a change of mailing or email address. The fees will be the responsibility of the applicant regardless of filing method and must be paid within 10 calendar days of FCC's receipt of the application. For applications filed by a VEC, the period does not begin until the application is received by the Commission, a ULS file number assigned, and an email sent by the FCC directly to the applicant."
VECs and Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams will not collect the $35 fee at license exam sessions. New and upgrade candidates at an exam session will continue to pay the $15 exam session fee to the ARRL VE team as usual, and pay the new, $35 application fee directly to the FCC by using the CORES FRN Registration system (CORES - Login).
When the FCC receives the examination information from the VEC, it will email a link with payment instructions to each successful candidate who then will have 10 calendar days from the date of the email to pay. After the fee is paid and the FCC has processed an application, examinees will receive a second email from the FCC with a link to their official license or explanation of other action. The link will be good for 30 days.
Somma also explained that applications that are processed and dismissed will not be entitled to a refund. This includes vanity call sign requests where the applicant does not receive the requested call sign. "The FCC staff has suggested that applicants for vanity call signs should first ensure the call signs requested are available and eligible for their operator class and area, and then request as many call signs as the form allows to maximize their chances of receiving a call sign."
Further information and instructions about the FCC Application Fee are available from the ARRL VEC at www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee. Details for the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program will be similarly posted there, when available.
Just like anyone else, I don't enjoy paying what is in essence, just another tax - but it is what it is. This was mandated by Congress, not the FCC, so there's no use being mad at them.
I'm happy to see that the ARRL is going out of their way to help young Hams under the age of 18. Not only covering the $35 fee; but also reducing the cost of the test. It's a good thing to remove roadblocks preventing younger blood from joining the ranks.
As far as older Hams living on a fixed budget are concerned - this is a great incentive for local clubs to develop a program to help defray the cost of the fee for those who TRULY need it. But if you can afford a K4 with all the bells and whistles, an extra $35 to the FCC isn't going to hurt that much, is it?
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
at least, as defined by the Federal Communications Commission for Radio Amateurs in the United States:
Part 97.1 - Basis and Purpose
The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.
(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.
(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.
(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.
Special emphasis on the last one. Be an ambassador for goodwill!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Not trying to get involved in the middle of anything. It just goes to show that there ARE times when "old fashioned" analog radio is the ultimate backup "when all else fails".
 |
When the ARRL introduced their "When All Else Fails" placard and bumper sticker a few years ago - it resulted in chuckles in some places.
"Radio - who needs it? We have cell phones and the internet now!"
"Radio is old fashioned and obsolete ...... Amateur Radio is still a thing?"
The BBC might not be Amateur Radio, but they have resurrected some of their shortwave service. As long as there is an ionosphere, analog radio will NEVER be obsolete!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
