QRP

A new Pod!

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That is the Pod! It arrived last Monday and is a Christmas present from my most wonderful wyfe! It is an ice fishing shelter though I will be using it for POTA activations. Without any heat source it was nice and warm inside today. Much better than it would have been sitting out in 40 degree F (that’s 4 C for those who use Metric) temperatures with a light breeze blowing. It is large enough to fit a table and chairs inside and tall enough for a 2 meter high person to stand upright, though I am nowhere near that height. It has windows that let enough sunlight in to keep from needing a lantern. It isn’t too heavy though I would rather not have to carry it any great distance. I am very pleased with it overall. I activated Big Spring State Park today and made a total of 46 contacts to include some park-to-park contacts which is always nice. The day was a good one weather wise. I am trying to take advantage of all the nice days we are having. I used to do a lot of portable operating when I was younger, operating QRP and doing it as a personal readiness exercise. I, over time, fell out of that habit. POTA renewed my interest in it and I admit that I have dived right in. I am a neophyte to the POTA program but I enjoy the “freshness” of the whole thing. Each time I go out there is a new motivation. It is the same with hunting at home. Each time I reach a new goal hunting, I set another one. Another new experience I had today was a drive-by by a DCNR vehicle. When we were taking our stuff down they came back and talked to us for a few minutes. The driver was the regional manager for some of the local parks and was interested in what we were doing (in a good way). She even asked about the POTA program and for the web page for more information. We (my wyfe and myself) answered their questions and they seemed happy when they left. Well enough blathering. As soon as hunting season is over, I hope to activate some of the State Game Lands around here. Keep watching for new entries and stay safe. Namaste, kidlets

Ptolomey watching my 6 as I log a contact.
My set up including owl, log book, battery and coffee … always coffee. 🙂

Summertime is getting closer and the living will be easy

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Soon it will be time to start thinking about getting outside more and enjoying the warmer weather …. until it is 95 degrees Fahrenheit ( for those who still use that system, I prefer 35 degrees Celsius) with a relative humidity of about 85% then you will want to lay about in the AC and bitch. Actually I was out yesterday with my new radio and a G5RV Junior playing around. First off I was learning the foibles of tuning this set up as an inverted vee. I didn’t want to have it set up in too permanent looking a configuration as I was in a public location. Second, I was learning the menu system of the radio as so far I have not had a lot of time to use it. Third, I was fine tuning my grab and go style. Back some years ago I could have a portable QRP station up and on the air within 15 minutes of pulling into a location. Yesterday it took me over 40 minutes to get on the air not including having to return home to get my power supply (turning red with embarrassment). I am not as readiness able as I used to be, I reckon. Guess I just need to practice. My plans for the future include bringing alternate antennas to try out. One nice thing is that my wyfe is willing to assist. She enjoys coming along for the ride and likes to laugh at my mistakes. 🙂 In any event, I will keep plodding away and keep posting here. For now, namaste, y’all.

At Least My Kitties Love Me!

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Of course the title has nothing to do with the subject. I hope everyone is well though that is a hope based in futility as if everyone is well then there is no basis of comparison, now is there?

I had some fun this past Sunday. I belong to an online Morse Code radio club called FISTS which sponsors a quarterly contest. In February, May, August and November, they hold 2 two hour contests. Since they are short duration contests they are called Sprints. The goal is to contact as many other stations as you can within the 2 hour time frame. There are 3 entry catagories: high power, low power and group. I was working low power (5 watts). I was able to make several contacts and was lucky enough to contact 8 different states. Each state gives a multiplier which ups the score. All in all I scored a very decent score for working a single band and a low power station. I am looking forward to the Spring Sprint in May.

More information can be found at fistsna.org and information on ham radio can be found at arrl.org. Information about the Perry County Amateur Radio Club and the special event station we will be running can be found at https://perrycountyarc.org/event/celebrating-marie-doro/ and also at https://www.qrz.com/db/KC3TKC

Why is the game a foot?

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So here it is, a Saturday afternoon in November and I am enjoying coffee. Today was the Fall FISTS Saturday Sprint. FISTS is an international Morse code club. They started their Sprints up again after a year or two hiatus. The object is to work as many stations as you can in 2 hours. There are 3 entry categories: QRO, QRP and Club. I entered the QRP category. In August, I worked the Summer Sunday Sprint and came in first place in the QRP category.

The Sprints are held on the 2nd Saturday and 3rd Sunday of February, May, August and November. On Saturdays they run from 1600 UTC to 1800 UTC and on Sundays from 2100UTC to 2300 UTC. They are a lot of fun.

Conditions were good today but there are several other contests going on which made some of the bands a bit crowded, especially if you are QRP. I enjoyed myself and look forward to the February Spriing.

More information can be found at: http://www.fistsna.org

TTFN

Ahhhh …. Autumn

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Well it is Autumn again. I just got done beating Satan’s Putting Green back into submission and I am looking forward to the seasonal die-back. In any event, running a lawn mower reminds me of safety. Thinking of safety reminds me of the annual Simulated Emergency Test. What is that, you might ask? Well :

The annual Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is a training exercise involving the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the National Traffic System (NTS), a message-handling service of amateur radio. The American Radio Relay League is a prime mover in this event, which is organized somewhat like a contest. Its primary purposes are to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in emergency preparedness and communications, and to demonstrate amateur radio to the public.

During the first full weekend of October of every year in the United States, a nationwide radio communications network is set up that links every major city and most of the geography of the country. This technological infrastructure is set up from scratch within a few hours at locations that vary from state and local government Emergency Operations Centers to isolated areas without utilities of any kind. Every mode of radio communications is utilized including analog, digital, voice, data, simplex, duplex, satellites and even automated relay stations launched on aircraft and with weather balloons. For no more than 48 continuous hours, this nationwide radio communications network is exercised with the primary objective of proving the system’s readiness and capabilities. Then as quickly as it was set up, the system is dismantled and stored in preparation for when it is needed. The system has demonstrated its value time after time during earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires, terrorist attacks and other disasters. All of this capability is provided by volunteers who continuously hone their technical skills and acquire, build, and maintain their own equipment. These radio engineers and operators, along with their equipment, combine into an important resource for emergency communications.

There you have it. The SET will be held this weekend, OCT 1 and 2. The SET is held this time of year because it is near the end of hurricane season and is a good way of evaluating performance under stressful conditions. Right now, Florida and other areas in the South are being pummeled by Hurricane Ian. There are traffic nets set up on the HF bands to pass health and welfare messages into and out of the affected areas. Ham radio has been a major part of emergency communications and will remain so.

Slash and Chop

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Well yesterday I continued my perpetual war with Satan’s Putting Green. I finished the mowing and weedwacking and was trimming the white mulberry trees back to bonsai size when the first drops of rain fell. I was glad to get it all done and it does get unruly and I start to fear the demons inhabiting the tall grass.

I recently have started to get more active in one of the clubs I belong to. FISTS is a club dedicated to the preservation and use of Morse Code. The name of the club refers to the fact that every operator sending with a straight key has a distinctive style of “fist”. It is as distinctive and individual as a finger print. During WWII one indication that was used to determine that an operative was turned to a double agent was to listen for differences in their sending. A change could indicate the operator was under an unusual amount of stress. In any event, FISTS is a (free membership) club for promoting the use of Morse Code on the ham radio bands. They even have 4 mini-contests (sprints) during the year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. All information dealing with them can be found at http://www.fistsna.org

Again with the Namaste, folks

Summer Musings

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It has been over a week since I posted. I am sitting here marveling at how fast the summer is going. Soon it will be that time of year when I get stuck behind school busses on my way home from work. Joy. I looked at Satan’s Putting Green today and realized it needs mowing. I won’t be able to do it until the weekend. Oh well, my neighbors won’t care. Usually my one neighbor mows his yard the day after I mow mine. Almost a symbiotic relationship.

I was able to work the final (of 3) special event station run by W9IMS. I qualify for their certificate. Every year they run 3 specail events: the Grand Prix, the INDY 500 and the Brickyard. You can get a qsl card for working any of these events and a certificate if you work all 3. Now I am looking forward to the Route 66 On The Air event which happens in the beginning of September.

Namaste y’all

And it’s a beautiful day…

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On Sunday I worked the W9IMS special event celebrating the Indianapolis Grand Prix. 2 more to go. Every year the W9IMS club runs a series of 3 special events : 1 for the Grand Prix, 1 for the Indy 500 and 1 for the Brickyard 400. They have nice QSL cards and if you work all 3 events you can get a great certificate. I have worked them for the past several years. Their info can be found on qrz.com

As you can tall, I like working special event stations. They can be an exercise in radio skills and a lot of fun. I have a collection of certificates that I have in loose-leaf binders. I have my wyfe laminate them and then I store them. I look through the binders now and then and revel in the memories.

Good outside activity weather is here. I am looking forward to doing some outside operating, either from a state park or doing some basic hilltopping. Some years back a group of us got together and camped out on a mountain top and used helium balloons to support antennas. That was a lot of fun.

Namaste, all

Almost Tax Day

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Yup, it is almost Tax Day. Mine were done ages ago but I guess a lot of people wait until the last minute to file. No matter. I file early because I don’t like things hanging over my head.

Is this entry going to be about taxes? No. Tax Day falls in the middle of April. The weather is getting better and thoughts are turning to outdoor activities. Soon it will be time to plant the garden and, more importantly it will be time to expand outdoor operating. In fact, a club I belong to, Perry County Radio Amateurs, will be activating a state park. There is a programs called Parks On The Air where hams can go to a park and operate. Parks are assigned a number and people can get certificates for working them. I know this may not sound fun but for the hams out there, it is. It is an opportunity to test your equipment under less than ideal situations and to test out new portable antennae. It will also provide other hams with a chance to work Perry County PA. Some hams (called County Hunters) like to make contacts in counties all over the US. Though our county is not extremely rare, it is sought after.

Another outdoor activity coming up is Field Day. A lot of hams see Field Day as a contest but it originally was an exercise to test out portable and emergency operating. In an emergency, knowing what works and what doesn’t ahead of time lets you concentrate on the task at hand.

Finally, there are a lot of prosigns, abbreviations and jargon in use on the radio. If you listen in on a QSO (conversation on the radio), you will hear these cryptic phrases and 3 letter codes sprinkled into the exchange. Back in the days of telegraphy, operators came up with shortcuts and abbreviations. Some of these became official. In the early 1900’s, the British Postal Service (they were in charge of wired and wireless communications at the time) came up with a series of “Q” codes. These are 3 letter codes which all start with the letter Q. Some of them have changed over the years but some are still the same as when they were first originated. Below is a list of Q codes for your enjoyment.

CodeQuestionAnswer
QRAWhat is the name (or call sign) of your station?The name (or call sign) of my station is …
QRBHow far are you from my station?The distance between our stations is … nautical miles (or km).
QRGWill you tell me my exact frequency (or that of …)?Your exact frequency (or that of … ) is … kHz (or MHz).
QRHDoes my frequency vary?Your frequency varies.
QRIHow is the tone of my transmission?The tone of your transmission is (1: good, 2: variable 3: bad)
QRJAre you receiving me badly?I cannot receive you, your signal is too weak.
QRKWhat is the readability of my signals (or those of …)?The readability of your signals (or those of …) is … (1: bad .. 5: excellent).
QRLAre you busy?I am busy. (or I am busy with … ) Please do not interfere.
QRMDo you have interference?I have interference.
QRNAre you troubled by static noise?I am troubled by static noise.
QROShall I increase transmit power?Please increase transmit power.
QRPShall I decrease transmit power?Please decrease transmit power.
QRQShall I send faster?Please send faster (… words per minute).
QRSShall I send more slowly?Please send more slowly (… words per minute).
QRTShall I cease or suspend operation?I am suspending operation.
QRUHave you anything for me?I have nothing for you.
QRVAre you ready?I am ready.
QRWShall I inform ___ that you are calling?Please inform ___ that I am calling.
QRXShall I standby? / When will you call me again?Please standby. / I will call you again at … (hours) on … kHz (or MHz).
QRZWho is calling me?You are being called by … (on … kHz (or MHz)).
QSAWhat is the strength of my signals (or those of … )?The strength of your signals (or those of …) is … (1: very weak .. 5: very strong).
QSBAre my signals fading?Your signals are fading.
QSDIs my keying defective?Your keying is defective.
QSGShall I send ___ messages at a time?Send ___ messages at a time.
QSKCan you hear me between your signals (while transmitting), and if so can I break in on your transmission?I can hear you between my signals (while transmitting); break in on my transmission.
QSLCan you acknowledge receipt?I am acknowledging receipt.
QSMShall I repeat the last telegram (message) which I sent you, or some previous telegram (message)?Repeat the last telegram (message) which you sent me (or telegram(s) (message(s)) numbers(s) …).
QSNDid you hear me (or …) on … kHz (or MHz)?I did hear you (or …) on … kHz (or MHz).
QSOCan you communicate with … direct or by relay?I can communicate with … direct (or by relay through …).
QSPWill you relay a message to …?I will relay a message to … .
QSRDo you want me to repeat my call?Please repeat your call.
QSSWhat working frequency will you use?I will use … kHz (or MHz).
QST–Here is a broadcast message to all amateurs.
QSUShall I send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))?Please send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)).
QSVShall I send a series of “V” on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))?Please send a series of “V” on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)).
QSWWill you send on this frequency?I am going to send on this frequency.
QSXWill you listen to … on … kHz (or MHz)?I am listening to … on … kHz (or MHz).
QSYShall I change transmission frequency (to … kHz (or MHz))?Please change transmission frequency (to … kHz (or MHz)).
QSZShall I send each word or group more than once?Send each word or group twice (or … times).
QTAShall I cancel message number ___?Cancel message number ___.
QTCHow many telegrams (messages) have you to send?I have … telegrams (messages) for you (or for …).
QTHWhat is your position in latitude and longitude (or according to any other indication)?My position is … latitude, … longitude.
QTRWhat is the correct time?The correct time is … hours.
QST–General call preceeding a message address to all amateurs and A.R.R.L. Members. This is in effect “CQ ARRL”.
QRRR–Official A.R.R.L. “land SOS.” A distress call for emergency use only.