FYBO 2012 Just around the corner

As we get ready for the SPAR Winter Field Day this Saturday we get a great reminder from Rem K6BBQ that the FYBO will soon be with us…. 

Enjoy

73bob

HK0NA (Finally) :)

There are a lot of stories that begin with “Well you have to get up pretty early to…” <fill in the blank with your experiences> and today seems to follow that style of writing…

As you know for a few days now I have been attempting to reach the HK0NA Dxpedition on Malpeno Island with no luck whatsoever…  Today after getting up at the ungodly hour of 0600 eastern and staggering down into the shack I managed to make the much desired contact (before I even finished my first cuppa coffee)  on 80m (3.770) at 0630 eastern.  The rig was my FT 450 at 100w and the antenna was my S9 43 foot Vertical.    Not a big gun station by any means but this morning on my 3rd day of trying it was enough…

They say the Early Bird gets the worm….  This early bird got the DX but really wants to go back to bed for a few hours….

UPDATED AS OF 0813 EST

Did not go back to bed and came back down  to the shack and checked the cluster…

Saw that HK0NA was active on 17m (SSB) and got them on then first call.  I guess good things do happen to those who waits….  OR the band conditions are improving…

73bob

HK0NA (Nearly)

I am starting to wonder about this one….  Again on 17m with no other stations in the way that he could hear….

He called and gave his exact split frequency….  I replied…. no joy…  But no one else got him either….  He acknowledged no one and just called again…  I replied and had no joy again…  He stopped calling for 3′s and started calling for 4′s….

Wow…  Perhaps its not me then….

This is becoming harder than it looks (or should be…)   Its almost due south of me and only 2400 miles to boot…  I’ve worked further with less trouble but the problem seems to be the same on all the bands listed for him on the cluster…  I hear him working VE2 and VE3s with no problems but even when I have a clear freq he can’t hear me…

It could give  a guy a complex…

I decided to spin the dial and managed to work a few different stations on the bands and although none were due south the reports showed that my gear is working so its either a lack of conditions due south or… something is blocking my signals to the south…  Because as we know and you can just ask any amateur about this and he will tell you that…

It can’t be me as my gear is working fine…

On the lighter side of things I still have a couple of weeks to get them in the log and I will just have to keep on trying…

73bob

W9W- a class act

Back on October 23rd (a Sunday afternoon ) while I was sitting in the shack blogging about the fun I had out at the Long Island Lock station with Jose VA3PCJ on the Saturday,  I managed a contact with W9W who was operating from US Island WI048R in Wisconsin.

Well today in the mail came a full color QSL card from them.  This was unexpected…  The postage on the card was almost a buck so its safe to say that for a two sided color QSL card it would cost at least a dollar a card so this group spent  an average of a $1.50 to send out QSLs to all contacts.  This is no mean feat…  In the past I have sent out QSLs out via the buro for special event stations and mini DXPeditions but to swallow the postage for every contact could cost them as much as the radio cost they made the contacts with…

Like I said…  A class act

Thanks to the crew of W9W which consisted of  W9MZ, KC9MRV, KC9KOO, KC9KOP, KB9TPG, KC9NHQ, KC9LBO, W9JR and KC9UJM

73bob

HK0NA (almost)

Earlier today while sitting the shack I checked the cluster and found that HK0NA (Malpelo Island)  was active on 17m.  I spun the dial and hit the tune button and could just tell someone was there.  After playing with the DSP settings for a bit I had a very clear signal coming through just above the noise level.  It would of been a honest 5X5 or a contest 5X9… 

However it was not to be as there were many who could not hear the words ” Listening 5 to 10 down…”  And everytime one of the many replied on the DX stations calling frequency there were the DX cops who were very quick to point out the error being made…. This just made it harder to hear HK0NA so to be honest I don’t know if they heard me or not… 

Well at least I heard them….  And if everyone remembers the DX code of conduct  perhaps in the next few days they might hear me…

73bob

The NAQP (ssb) aftermath

I was able to participate in the NAQP for about 7 hours of the 10 allowed hours so it was not bad.  I found that 20m for me was the best performing band, followed by 15m.  I managed a few contacts on 40m and 80m later in the evening but the best results were from the higher bands. 

I managed to work a total of  25 states, 2 provinces and Puerto Rico for a multi of 28 and I managed 52 individual contacts.

The score for this event does not include the fun factor…  As I mentioned earlier I was using my FT 450 with the S9 Vertical (10-80m).  I was using HRD for logging and radio control and was using my EBAY computer headset.  The FT450 and the S9 worked flawlessly and I was very pleased with the performance.  I was operating search and pounce for this contest and as usual if I could hear them I would work them. (one VE9 station was the exception to the rule so he did not make it in the log). 

I did have some issues on 15m with the vox looping  with the headset.  I guess I was RFIing my headset microphone…  I put a choke on the headset cord up near the headset and it ended.  It did have me slightly confused for a while as it was a new problem and did not happen in the last contest.  I am guessing it has something to do with the snow covering my radials which were sitting on the ground in the open last contest.  I will be revisiting the radial system in the spring time but can’t do much now.  My “ugly balun” is also covered with snow at the antenna feed point as well…

The issues with the RFI also knocking the stuffing out of my shack laptop are still there.  The system can take me transmitting with 100w on ssb but just about everytime I qsy and hit the auto tune button it causes HRD to freeze up…  There is no quick fix to this and I am forced to turn off the computer and re boot and re log in to HRD.  I have tried multiple chokes/teroids with no luck.  I have also run extra station grounds with no success.  Changing computers is next on my list but has not happened yet…

So now lets look at how we did on the goals…

I did have fun….  I did manage to contact 25 states and  11 were new ones for me.  Getting closer to my WAS but not there yet.   I was only able to contact 2 Canadian Provinces and I’m not sure what happened there.  I managed 20m and 40m contacts with Washington State so I know my signal was getting out west.  I did hear VE4, VE5 and VE6 on 20m but they were searching and pouncing as well and so we never met up.  That one VE9 had trouble hearing me but I also did not do so well with the Eastern Seaboard states with nothing being heard north of Boston Mass so perhaps the band was not heading east for me…

So the final word on this on is…  It was fun…  Any time I get to sit in the shack for a few hours and make contacts is a great day.  Every time I try a contest I get better with the filtering on the FT 450.  I still don’t have the contesting skills but I am making contacts quicker…  I have a great deal of respect for those who can type and talk at the same time…  Wish it was a skill set I had…  To hear those contesters running a pile up….WOW

73bob

 

A reminder about the North American QSO Party

Or as some call it the “NAQP”….

Starting today (Saturday Jan 21st) at 1800UTC for 12 hours (ends Sunday at 0600UTC) is the North American QSO Party

The complete rules can be found HERE  but for those who just want the condensed version here we go…

—————————————–

Runs for a total time of 10 hours inside the 12 hours of contest time.  Your breaks must be at least 30 min in duration)

Maximum output power is 100w

Normal exchange would be Sig Report, Op Name and Province/State

Multipliers are US States and Canadian Provinces/Territories

Score is QSOs X Multis

If in doubt or for any questions please check the written rules rather than my “Coles Notes Version”

—————————————–

Now for those who know me ….  Here are my goals and I bet some of you can guess what they will be….

 Have Fun-  It goes without saying that it has to be fun

Make Contacts-  Given the performance of my station over the last few events I am expecting to make contacts across Canada and “hoping” to make my 2nd contacts in VY0 and VY1. I would also hope to work at least 25 different states and with any luck they also would be the ones needed to complete my WAS.

According to the family schedule I should be able to devote about 8 hours to the contest so the goals (as long as the bands are cooperating) are obtainable and not out of reach.  The rig for todays event will be my Yaesu FT 450 and the antenna will be my S9 43 foot vertical (with the radials and balun/feedline buried under about 18 inches of snow) 

Not my backyard but it does show the lenght of the antenna

My EBAY headset worked good on VOX last time and I plan to use it again and I am hoping that I have cured my RFI issues between HRD and my Dell Laptop.  Having the computer and the radio talking make logging so much easier.  I have added chokes and grounds but so far no joy and so every now and again the computer just locks up and when I try to fix it I get a visit from the old blue screen of death… 

Hope to work you in the Party

73bob

Bored…. Listen to a Net…

Every now and again you will fall into that rut…  You want to spend time in the shack but the group you usually gab with are not around…  It makes for great background noise if you just tune into one of the long distance service nets. 

I really enjoy listening to 14.300 usb which is the home frequency of the INTERCON Net and the Maritime Mobile Service Net  and the Pacific Seafarers Net.  3 nets all on one Frequency… What a deal!!!

What this means to you the listener that as long as your location has propagation on the 20m band you should be able to hear some sort of activity on 14.300.  First of all you have background sounds to keep you occupied but it also means that there is a chance that you might be able to assist with that one station that no else one can hear strong enough to assist.  You never know….

And you will never know unless you give it a listen for a while….

So if you follow the above links and read up on the websites which will put you in sync with the net proceedures…  Then when you know how they do things you will feel a little more comfortable listening and participating.  Feel free to jump in with your call WHEN the NCS calls for general check ins or if you hear that station that no one else seems to hear with a relay.

In addition and this is a hidden benefit after a few days of listening you will have a better understanding of where 20m works at what times….  You will notice that you hear certain areas at certain times and that there seems to be a pattern forming…

But sooner or later you will be  “the only station”  who can hear  “that station” …  “That station”  being the one who needs some sort of assistance and then you get that warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you have helped someone… 

Find the time to give a listen…

73bob

RAC BC Section Managers Site is very impressive

If you look on my Blogroll (right hand side of the page) you will notice that I have a listing for the RAC Section Manager for BC and the Yukon Territories.  The SM (VA7MPG ) is one busy fellow who is updating the Blog a few times a day as well as being active on the Twitter side of social media. 

He is doing an excellent job of keeping the Canadian Amateur Radio Operators in VA7/VE7/VY1 “ in the know” about whats happening in the Amateur world. 

 His blog has info that all amateurs would find interesting but it does have a “Western/North Western” swing to it.

A link to the Blog is here and a link to his Tweets is here

Without a doubt this is the best combination of Social Media and RAC that I have seen in quite a long while and its doing an excellent job of keeping not only the Amateurs in his Section informed but the Amateur Community as a whole informed.

Well Done…

73bob

Eastern Ontario Antenna WX Changing

After a weekend of Frigid Temps…  and worse with the wind chill the Weather Network Predicts that although we will be getting some snow here in Eastern Ontario,  the temps should warm up enough that your fingers (or anything else) will not stick to the masting…

If you have any mid season repairs to do this could be the time to think of them…

73bob