Back in the Saddle again

Well the title says it all…

After 3 weeks of fighting the “common cold” or whatever the *^&%$#$%^ it was….  I finally have my voice back…  I have been able to make a couple of DX Contacts and I am not sleeping most of the day away…  Strangest thing though….  Not in my memory has an ailment ever knocked me down for so long that did not large amounts of antibiotics involved…  I never even had a fever or anything normally associated with a bug… and I did have my flu shot this year as usual so I have to think that it was just a very stubborn common cold…

So now what did I miss…  I did try for the CQ WPX SSB Contest but my voice did not stand for any long term CQ DX stuff so I listened with envy and then just went back to watching the Television…

I did however find a logging program for my Galaxy Android Tablet that will talk nicely to my account of HRD Log .net and so I can now enter my contacts from the field in real time and they will show up immediately on my hrdlog.net account the same as when I enter them from home.

This of course means that I have to be within cell service distance of a Wind Mobile Tower but they seem to have excellent coverage in the areas that I normally operate from and due to being a long term customer I also have an excellent Data Plan and using my mobile hotspot (with my tablet connecting to it) I can have a solid 3G connect.  I am also using an APRS Program and a DX Cluster Program on the tablet and really now I have all the conviences of home when I operate in the field except for the computer controls of the actual Ham Radio Deluxe program…  Hopefully there will be an app for that in the near future…

I have heard of a blue tooth adapter that plugs into the FT817 (FT8X7 series of radios) that does allow using the tablet for controling the radio along with some excellent software but…  The adapter which is the expensive part of the package is for the Yaesu Radios only and I am still sitting on the fence on what the new rig will be …. Argonaut 6 and KX3 are still in contention to be added to the stable…. The 817 will not be leaving but used for VHF/UHF sat stuff…  I still do have my arrow sat beam and soon will be working it a lot more…

I also found a company that does some great Ham Radio apps for the android system and even built a PSK adapter so you can do PSK31 and other sound card modes from your device…  I have tried one of their apps so far and I like it so….  with any of the apps its your opinion that counts so follow up at your own risk but the link to their site is here and take a look around…

The weather has been slow to warm up this year so my attempts to head out to the parks just ain’t been happening.  I did not want to make the cold worse than it already was…  But I am hoping to get out again before the end of the month as April has several events that I wish to participate in…

RaDAR Contest (North America)

This is a Portable Operating contest working on the principals of Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio.  Its gets its origins from South Africa where they have an excellent group and is starting to work its way into North America.  However with the contest being early in April I am having my doubts if it will be warm enough for me to venture out without getting that cold back

Ontario QSO Party

I try and participate in the OQP every year and actually have gotten some good (no make that Great) wallpaper over the years.  This year I will most likely be operating from Ottawa (slight chance of Renfrew County again) and I know that it will be in the QRP Catagory.

QRP to the Field

This will be the first time I have actually participated in the QRPTTF event as its the first time they are allowing SSB to be part of the competition.  Previous years it was CW only.  I have assisted the OVQRP with their efforts in previous years (someone had to put up the antennas and do the coffee runs) but I am looking forward to showing what 5w and a loud voice can do…

So as you can see…  April should be a busy and fun month… Hopefully I will have lots to share with you after…  Perhaps even some gaps filled in my Worked All States for even better with some new ones added to my QRP DXCC efforts…

73bob

A few contacts and some “neat stuff”

The quest for QRP DX continues (although slowly) with HA9RT in Hungary (20m ) becoming QRPDXCC entity number 51 in the log.

He did say I had a great signal but I think (once again) his beam and tower heard a weak signal and thought it was great… What do you think???

I also managed to get 9A8DX (Croatia) in the log on 10m and AC0ML  (USA) in the log on 20m so I am still making contacts but it was easier “back in the day” with the FT 450…  Regrets????  Not yet…. Well maybe just a little…

Before I sold off all my 100 w rigs my sole exposure to QRP SSB was a couple of outings a month in the local Parks stretching out a decent wire antenna and playing for an afternoon…

This daily operating with 5w and a vertical is slightly harder than I thought it would be and although I am not discouraged I find myself not spending as much time in the shack as before.  In the 100w days it was easier to just sit in front of the rig knowing that if I heard something I could work them…  Now I can still hear them (nothing wrong with the RCVR in the FT 817) but I find myself not being able to work them in some cases with 5w.  I tend to sit in the shack for an hour or so and if I have no luck then try again in the afternoon…

I do have some tricks up my sleeve though and I’ll talk about them now…

A few of you might remember that I had mentioned that I had bought myself a new Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet…

Well now that I’m getting used to it a bit more I have included some really great Amateur Radio Applications and they are helping me in my quest for DX.

The first application I use is the simple DX Cluster.  I can check the DX Cluster from anywhere I have internet access…  My local Timmies and my local Starbucks both have solid WIFI hotspots (FREE) so that covers most of the places I visit on a regular basis.  For the rare times I’m not out having a coffee….

I do have a Wind Mobile 3G mobile Hotspot which covers the rest of the time.  This little toy is the same size as my cell phone and gives me a solid 3G connect just about everywhere I would want to go in the City of Ottawa.  In my opinion its an excellent bang for the buck (for me).  I don’t travel that much so….  Their coverage is still lacking in parts of Eastern Ontario as they build their network but for me it works…  The data plan I have is just fantastic… One of the loyality benefits as I have been with them since they arrived on the scene in Ottawa.

Now the other APP which has been helping me I just found out about…  its a little gem called glSDR and its a FREE app available on the Google store.   It turns your android device into a SDR (Software defined Radio) Receiver.  This RCVR connects to several (you pick which one) remote receivers and you can go from there…

I’m guessing it was just dumb luck but I have a receiver to the east of me in VE9Land and a receiver to the west of me in W8Land and between the both of them I can hear more than I can hear from here at home….

So while I’m not in the shack….  I can check the cluster…. If I see that the bands appear to be opening up I can check on the SDR radio to see if I can hear anything….  If I’m hearing stuff then I can head back to the shack and fire up the FT 817 and try and make some QRP Contacts….  Its a system thats working for me….

As an example I was checking in to the 3730 net last nite and the NCS was in Pickering Ontario…. The band was starting to go long and I was getting him S7 here in Ottawa (about 200 miles away) and my noise was about S7 as well so it was difficult copy.  I turned on the Galaxie and connected to the VE9 Remote Rcvr and he was coming in at S9 with a lower noise floor.  Armchair copy…..  It did not help him hear me…  but it did help me hear the net….

A few of you might remember me saying that I was doing this in the past with an ECHOLINK system that was remoteing the same way and I was using it as a split rcv…  Its the same idea but with much more modern technology and I can do it from anywhere I have a internet connection….  Do I need to rush home if the bands are open….  yes…. but now I know if I need to rush home….  Its working for me…

The added bonus is as I mentioned above, it works anywhere I have an internet connection so I can now check the DX Cluster from my local Parkbench or Picnic Table once the warmer weather gets here…  Another tool for the DX inventory…  I am also testing out a logging program which is Android Based…  it won’t replace HRD but it could cut down on the paper trail while in the park… More on this later…

Enjoy the DX my friends…

73bob

Revisiting ECHOLINK

As a few of you know back in 2006 for a few months I sponsored the ECHOLINK Node VA3QV-L which was operating on the VE3TWO (Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club) Repeater Frequency of 147.300 (+).  The idea of the node was to see how many people would use it to link back into our Club Repeater and say HI to us while they were out of town.

It was a fairly simple setup consisting of a Rigblaster Nomic interface, a Yaesu FT2400 2m mobile radio along with a simple JPOLE antenna (10 foot mast) and a power supply strong enough to run the radio at the 5w setting.  The computer was an old desktop that was strong enought to run whatever version of windows that it had on it along with the ECHOLINK Software…

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Its main purpose was to see if there was the interest in such a service and if there was then the Club would set things up and run it themselves.

I ran the Node for about 4 months and then the Club took over the project which let me use the same equipment without the ECHOLINK Software as an APRS station once I had configured the AGWPE and UI View to work with the Rigblaster interface and the desktop.  This carried on for years until I replaced the Desktop with the Dell Laptop I am still using as the shack computer now…

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As you know the Dell although its getting tired has been operating on APRS as VA3QV for a few years now and doing great…  With the arrival of my new Android Smart Phone (as it has an ECHOLINK APP) I decided to get my old ECHOLINK Node of VA3QV-L back up and running just incase the need ever came up that I would want to link into my node from my Droid or from my Netbook using my Internet Stick.

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Right now the link radio is set up on 146.550 while I do the testing but its not on unless I am sitting there watching it while I am trying to get the configuration correct.

So far I am pleased by my attempts.  I have been able to get the software to key up the radio and even more importantly able to off key the radio.  From the Droid to the computer to a vhf handie being used as a monitor the audio levels seem to be fairly good.  From the vhf handie to the computer to the droid the audio levels seem to be be a bit high and so far I have not been able to get them set correctly yet.  Lowering the audio levels at the sound card and also lowering the volume on the radio has not seemed to fix it yet.  Its only a matter of time till everything gets set up right

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I wish I could remember how I did this 7 years ago…  Perhaps it will come to me…

More on how this works out…

73bob

Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend

Has it been a year already???

Well its time again for the…

” International Lightship- Lighthouse Weekend”

0000 Sat August 21 to 0000 Mon August 23

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This year the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club will be once again setting up at the Lighthouse at the Museum and operating as VE3RAM.

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If you look back through the archives of this blog you will see that I’ve taken you to the museum and especially the lighthouse numerous times…

You can see that we have been there a few times in the past

Picture courtesy VE3EMB

We were just there for Field Day 2010

And I’ve even taken you for a walk around the site…

So as you remember the Lighthouse and myself are very old friends.  It does help when the Lighthouse is a short 5 minute walk from my place as well.  And if you have taken a look at my videos you see that I am a radio operator and not a film producer…Spielburg has nothing to worry about from me…

This year the OVMRC is planning to participate in the event on the Saturday starting at 1100 local and run till the batteries die out.  WX permitting the same will happen on Sunday…

Operators will include VE3EMB, VE3EUS, VE3AGE VE2AGE and VA3OFD.  In addition I most likely will be there as I will have to miss Maplecon (as previously mentioned)

I attended a planning meeting on Tuesday evening at the “Timmies” across from the Museum and the following was decided….  We would run off battery power….

VE3EMB will operate QRP PSK 31 with his Flex SDR Rig…

VE3EUS will operate Voice with his FT 857 with VA3OFD assisting.

If I can make it I will be operating QRP Voice with my FT817 combo.

I’m 99% sure I will be there…

We plan to operate two stations at any time…  We are figuring to start on 80m and 40m…  Once 80 starts to fade then we will take down that band and switch to 40m and 20m….  Once 40 starts to fade then switch to 20m and either 10-12-15-17 or 80m depending on conditions,

We will be using a 20m copper pipe vertical which will work between 10 and 20m with the help of a tuner and a 6m to 80m Windom antenna.  In addition I will have my Buddistick vertical there along with the W3EDP and both antennas are always packed in the FT817 carry bag.

Now seeing that not everyone attended the meeting at Tims there most likely will be some extra gear there…

In addition I will have my ACER Netbook there along with my Wind Mobile internet Stick and a Digital Camera so there will be some RT Blog postings going on as well.  If I’m not operating then I’ll be blogging about what has been happening so far…  As much as I care about RAC and the important stuff going on right now its also nice to chat about getting outside and playing radio…

So look for us on the air as VE3RAM along with checking the blog here and the DX Clusters including QRP Spots and you never know what you might see and hear…

View Larger Map

If your in the Greater Ottawa you are more than welcome to drop in to the Lighthouse for a visit… Remember I take my coffee “Triple-Triple”…

73bob

It was a busy weekend

This weekend was spent reading material from John HK3OZ and commenting to emails about blog postings.

There were a few long distance phone calls as well but between my great new cellphone plan and the Magic Jack I bought from Durham Radio at the Iroquois Hamfest….

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No suprises at the end of the month…

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A  few of  the comments were that of shock because due to a lack of information plus a very positive spin given in what information escaped no one seemed to know how far up the creek we were and how few paddles we had actually had in our canoe….

And what was the name of that creek again???

So now we know there is a problem…. But what do we do about it???

First of all we will fix the problem!!!  Failure is not an option!!!   Although it might seem easier to start from scratch in this case the damage that would be done to Amateur Radio in Canada would be devestating…

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In the next few postings (in between general interest postings) I will give you some examples of what would happen (in my opinion) in a “Canada without RAC”.

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So drop back when you get a chance and you will see why I say that failure is not an option…

At this time I should add the following disclaimer:  I have no connection to Durham Radio and Magic Jack other than being a happy customer.  My daughter is employed by Wind in Ottawa but I do admit to being quite happy with their product as I would not switch over just to make her stats rise.  Actually she does not handle my accounts  for this reason.

73bob

Remember back in January we were…

…B!tching about the cold temps…

Looks good on us now eh!!!  Now I normally like the warm temps.  Its a side effect of my heart issues that includes the use of blood thinners and now I acutally feel the cold which means the heat does not normally bother me…

Its so gosh darn golly gee whiz hot that I actually broke down and started installing air conditioners in some of the crucial windows (the master bedroom) which is something that we did not have to do last year at all…

Now back to Amateur Radio for a bit.  As you gathered by the previous comments we don’t have central air in our rental gardenhome.  This means that the shack (even though its in the basement) is way to warm and it too darn hot to lug any gear out into the park for portable ops so the radio activities are on hold due to heat.

I have tried disconnecting the feed line at the balun and running a 25 foot long run of RG8X to the Ft 817 on my patio table but there was an issue of the neighbors kids (not complaining as kids will be kids) and a garden hose that got a stream of water dangerously close to washing a FT817 so I have decided that was not one of my better plans.  Better yet it was a good plan just not till the kids go to the beach or the neighborhood pool to get wet…  Hoses, and kids go together but not when my radios are close by…

So I’m not as radio active on the HF bands due to heat…and the chance of moisture meeting radios…   Even on a good day I’m not that active on the local repeaters so I might not be radio active till the temps break and we return back to normal…

I can blog and check email from cold locations thanks to my two Wind mobile devices (internet stick for the netbook and my new smartphone) so I still am in touch… Liz won’t let me run the 100 feet or so of coax needed to make it from the balun to the master bedroom so for the next little while its internet instead of RF…

Hope you all are coping with the unusually hot and strange summer of 2010 weather…

73bob

New cellphone tower gets residents talking

Now although this is not directly amateur radio related it does mention towers.  One thing to keep in mind is that they are talking about a 15m tower.  By my calculations thats people complaining about a 48 foot self supporting tower…

Not exactly a skyscraper….  But the funny thing about this is that its less than 5km from the Ottawa International  Airport and Transport Canada is not worried about the height of the tower but …  The neighbors are…

Thanks to the Ottawa Citizen for the article

73bob

New cellphone tower gets residents talking.