Amateur Radio – a hobby where people talk about their hobby using their hobby.
It was a short, but memorable QSO with Sal (W6EOA) – and my first QSO with California. Ends up Sal lives right next to where I grew up and also lives down the street from one of my old high school friends who’s dad is a ham (N6PT) – I always remember his huge tower that he had in his backyard.
Gary (W7FSI) uses a postcard as his QSL card – petty smart idea – and what a great picture.
This was an early morning QSO and the band didn’t allow us to chat long.
Bruce (K4CMC) used to work for NASA and the Apollo program.
I had a really nice QSO with George (K1EPT) – he was a nose gunner in the B-24 Liberator during WWII. He mentioned he had a picture of a B-24 on his QSL card during the QSO and I was able to find a stamp at the post office that had a B-24 on it and used the stamp on the QSL card I sent him. George transition from the Army Air Corps to the US Air Force and eventually retired. His grandson is a full-time national guardsman – also involved in aviation.
I think I just had my first CW QSO with N8DFM on 40 M – but the band was weak and so was my copy – but I’m pretty sure what took place can ultimately be considered a QSO.
I got my Bencher paddle working and I think it does the trick much better than my MFJ straight key.
I have a lot more work to do on CW, but I’m glad I’m getting on the air and giving it a try.
Tis the Season.
I wrote the story, A QRP Christmas several years ago when I still held the call, N9AVG.
Since there are only a few days left until the fat man comes, I thought it appropriate to share the story with you again.
I hope you enjoy it and it’s my wish that you have a very Merry Christmas!
73 de Jeff
“A foot of new snow and it’s still falling, this is getting bad,” Tom muttered to no one in particular. Just then Stella walked in with a sad look on her face and Tom knew right away.
“The kids aren’t going to make it, are they?” he asked. “No,” she answered, “I just got off the phone with them and the roads are all closed.”
Great! Two days before Christmas, and the world had come to a halt.
Tom gave his wife a hug and said, “Well Mother, we might as well get over it, nothing much we can do now but wait this thing out.” In the 50 plus years since the couple bought the house they had weathered many winter storms, but this would be the first Christmas without the kids and, now, the grandchildren. Nature could be cruel, but at least they had plenty of food and firewood, and there was ample gas for the generator in case the power went off. “I think I’ll go see if the repeater is still on the air,” Tom said as he headed to his ham shack over the garage. Being a radio amateur had its advantages, and emergency communication was one of them. He fired up the VHF set, and–sure enough–the local repeater was alive and busy. Several folks in the community needed assistance, and snowmobile deliveries were being organized accompanied by hams to maintain communication.
As with many things, people take communication systems for granted until they’re suddenly unavailable. Two years earlier, with the proliferation of cellular telephone technology, Middletown decided it no longer needed Amateur Radio to assist during emergencies. A few months later, the river overflowed its banks during a massive rainstorm. Lightning wreaked havoc on the power grid and even cellular telephones were overloaded or knocked out altogether.
With one loud clap of thunder Amateur Radio was back in the disaster communications business in Middletown. The Town Council went so far as to give the Middletown Amateur Radio Club access to a county building to serve as a communications headquarters and monthly meeting spot.
Stella walked up the stairs to the radio shack with a hot cup of coffee for Tom. She figured he’d be spending quite a lot of time on the air during this snow emergency. She was wrong. Tom wasn’t all that fond of 2-meters, really. He’d always been a CW op. In fact, for years he never even owned a microphone for his HF gear. To him, ham radio was and would always be, CW.
His high school print shop teacher had convinced him to get his ham license in 1939. A few years later, Uncle Sam took note of his radiotelegraphy talents and made him a Navy radio operator aboard the USS Missouri. He served from 1941 until the end of the War and even was present aboard the Missouri for the formal Japanese surrender.
Not long after the War, he married his high school sweetheart, Stella, and started what would be a 40-year career at the telephone company. They had three children and still lived in the very house they’d bought brand new as a young couple in 1947.
Tom was a tinkerer, and he’d built several transmitters and even a few receivers. But he was a serious brasspounder and could handle 30 to 40 WPM with ease. His station was always as clean as his signal, and any piece of equipment he built was a work of art. It wasn’t good enough just to work and look good–it had to be perfect. Other members of the local radio club poked fun because Tom had a habit of making sure that even the screw slots on anything he built were aligned in the same direction.
He didn’t buy his first commercially made gear until 1961–a Hallicrafters SX-140 receiver with a matching HT-40 transmitter. That was the only store-bought equipment in his shack until over a decade later, when his best friend died suddenly. His friend’s widow gave Tom all the equipment in her husband’s shack, including a complete Collins S-Line. That gear took a special place in Tom’s heart and shack, not so much because it was the “ultimate station,” but because it had belonged to his closest friend.
After retiring in 1986, Tom quit building equipment. He maintained several skeds with on-air friends from around the world. Saturday nights were his favorite, for it was then that he met with a large number of old Navy radio ops on 7.030. He really enjoyed those rag chews! But, one-by-one, the gang started to dwindle as more and more of his buddies became Silent Keys. It depressed him so that when his main receiver quit working in 1993, he didn’t bother to fix it. K9NZQ was off the air for the first time since World War II.
Stella was worried enough about her husband’s depression that she told the kids about the problem. They chipped in and bought him a brand new 2-meter FM radio for his birthday thinking that would cheer him up. Tom listened to the local repeater every day, but he rarely transmitted. It just wasn’t the same.
She had hoped that having all the kids and grandchildren at the house again this Christmas would perk Tom up and chase away the lingering blues but now the weather had ruined that plan.
“I think I’ll go out and make sure the generator still starts,” he said as he passed through the kitchen. “The power lines are beginning to ice up.”
Once he was out the back door, Stella took the opportunity to quickly and carefully wrap her gift to him. One of his friends had suggested to her that she buy Tom a kit for Christmas. Taking his suggestion, she ordered a small QRP CW transceiver kit he’d recommended. She didn’t know if he would like it, but with this weather she was especially glad it had a arrived a few days earlier. Like it or not, at least he would have something to open on Christmas morning.
Day turned into evening and somehow the power stayed on. More snow was falling outside. The TV was calling it some sort of record snowfall for central Indiana. When Tom said he was going to bed and it was only 6:30 PM, she decided it was time.
“Let’s go ahead and open our presents now, and not wait two more days” she said, handing him the gaily wrapped box. He didn’t really want to open presents, now but he didn’t want to disappoint Stella, knowing that she was still upset about the kids.
“All right, let me go get yours first,” he agreed. In a few minutes they were opening their presents. She seemed to really like the bread making machine. He was more than a little surprised as he opened the little QRP kit.
“There now,” she allowed, “that will give you something to do for a few days and it will keep you out of my kitchen.” Tom knew he’d been underfoot lately. “You’re sending me to my room without pie?” he said with a smile.
“Go on with you. I’ll bring pie up to you as soon as the coffee quits brewing,” she said as he headed back to the shack with the little box in hand.
By the time she walked in the shack, pumpkin pie in one hand and hot coffee in the other, Tom had unpacked the box, sorted the parts and was halfway through the instructions. She was happy to see he at least looked interested and left the room with her fingers crossed that this might cheer him up.
He didn’t leave the shack until nearly midnight. By then, he had half of the components soldered to the main board, and he had wound several coils. “If the power doesn’t go out,” he muttered, “I could have this thing running by Christmas!”
The next morning he awoke at 7:30 AM, two hours later than usual. Stella already had the bacon frying when he walked into the kitchen. A quick look out the back window revealed yet another foot of fresh snow had fallen last night. He was glad to see blue sky and sunshine and hoped that meant the worst was over. After breakfast he was back in the shack, soldering pen in hand.
Tom was genuinely impressed with the little kit. The instructions were clear, and it looked to be of high-quality. He had already convinced himself, though, that he would never make a contact on 40 meters with less than 3 W. Nonetheless, he was happy to have something to keep his hands and mind busy. And it was a good thing that he’d kept up that dipole so he could see if this radio actually worked.
By 7 that evening, the kit was nearly finished. He was ready to apply power and begin initial testing. Stella knew that her decision to buy the little kit was a good one when he asked if she’d mind if he ate supper in the shack. By 11 PM Christmas Eve, the kit was finished. He plugged in the headphones, hooked up the antenna connection, and applied power.
The noise level jumped, and he knew things were working when he moved the VFO ever so slightly and instantly heard a QSO in progress. “Now, that’s a good sign,” he said to himself. He pulled off the headphones and headed upstairs to tell Stella the good news. But she was fast asleep. It was midnight. No point in waking her up now. He slipped back to the shack and put the headphones back on.
73 ES MERRY XMAS OM DE W5WBL he heard as one QSO completed. Tom moved a little higher in the band until he heard a strong station in QSO with a VE6 in Vancouver. He was more than a little impressed with the sensitivity of the receiver. After listening to a few more QSOs he continued moving up the band until suddenly, he heard a familiar call sign.
CQ CQ CQ de XE3HHH XE3HHH XE3HHH K. Tom almost couldn’t believe it. Here was his old friend Miguel in Mexico calling CQ. He listened as Miguel called several more times with no reply. Thinking it silly to even try, Tom grabbed an old straight key and plugged it in. It was the first time in years that he had even touched a key. “This will never work” he thought as he tapped out XE3HHH XE3HHH XE3HHH de K9NZQ K9NZQ HW CPI OM?
Tom’s jaw dropped when almost instantly Miguel came back. K9NZQ de XE3HHH FB OM I THOUGHT YOU DIED HI HI MERRY CHRISTMAS AMIGO. The two chatted for nearly an hour until Miguel had to go.
After the final 73, Tom sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of just how much fun this day had been. Building the little kit and actually working an old friend just seemed to make his day complete. He would have bet half his retirement pension that there was no way to work Miguel with less than 3 watts. He knew some guys who worked QRP regularly, but he had always assumed that actually making contacts was a pretty rough and risky business. At least he never thought it would be that easy.
He was about to shut down the rig and go to bed when he heard a loud CQ just off the frequency where he worked Miguel. It was KL7DD. Tom reached for the key figuring he’d get in another quick QSO–or at least make the attempt–then go to bed. KL7DD turned out to be Joe in Point Barrow, Alaska. Joe also was ex-Navy, so the two hit it off right away. What started off to be a “quick” contact turned into a two-hour QSO. Joe only had trouble hearing Tom a couple of times. The little QRP rig was holding its own and making a believer out of Tom in the process.
Four contacts later, Tom was exhausted. About the time he shut things down and headed for bed, Stella walked in. “Merry Christmas!” she exclaimed. “What time did you get up? I didn’t hear you get out of bed?”
Tom wasn’t sure how to tell her he had been up all night ‘playing radio’ so he just replied, “early.”
“Well, I’ve got breakfast ready,” she said as she walked back down the stairs. He was still thinking about the contacts he made last night when he sat down at the kitchen table. “You know Mother,” he said with a smile, “this might have been one of the very best Christmas’s we’ve had in a long, long time. After breakfast, let’s call the kids, but then I need to be back in the shack by noon because I told a guy that I would meet him on 40 meters to help him check out his new antenna…”
No doubt about it. K9NZQ was radio active once again.
Copyright © 1998 Jeff Davis, N9AVG All Rights Reserved
I’ve enjoyed using Konfabulator and various Widgets – today I ran across one that provides real-time tracking of the International Space Station.
Check it out here and see if you can grab a QSO with Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR.
NEWINGTON, CT, Dec 14, 2005–ISS Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, has proven to be one of the more active Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) operators among ham radio operators who have occupied the space station. Early in his ISS duty tour, McArthur got on the air from NA1SS for Scouting’s Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) event in October, but he’s also been available during his off hours to make some quick, casual QSOs on 2 meters as well. In fact, McArthur’s having so much fun operating from space that he’s hoping to complete Worked All Continents (WAC), Worked All States (WAS) and maybe even DXCC from space.
“Bill McArthur continues to be active on voice and now has a couple of personal goals he is trying to achieve,” says ARISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO. “He is trying to talk to someone in every state in the United States. According to his log, he has managed to work 37 states so far.” In addition, Ransom says, McArthur wants to work as many countries as he can.
“He’s off to a good start with 28 DXCC entities in his log as of December 12,” he said. “These contacts have been with amateur stations on every continent with the exception of Antarctica.” That contact could happen this weekend, however. Although the IARU does not require WAC applicants to have worked Antarctica, Ransom says that ARISS tradition calls for an Antarctica QSO to achieve WAC from space “since the astronauts seem to have an unfair advantage.”
Expedition 9 astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, became the first ISS crew member to contact all seven of the world’s continents via Amateur Radio from NA1SS. Fincke worked KC4AAC at Antarctica’s Palmer Research Station for his last contact. In 1992, shuttle astronauts David Leestma, N5WQC, and Kathryn Sullivan also worked Palmer Station to complete their WAC list.
States on McArthur’s most-needed list are Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
“The list of DXCC entities is just starting to grow, so he needs a lot right now,” Ransom conceded this week. “I figure he can get it if we are able to add a handful of smaller entities.” He noted that Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, soon would be in Guantanamo Bay and will try to work the ISS from there. Ransom says he hasn’t included ARISS school group contacts in his counts and hopes McArthur will achieve his goals without them. “I hope Bill gets WAS and DXCC from space as well as WAC,” he said. “We won’t know the official results for months after the mission.”
During a brief 2-meter contact November 26 between the US Naval Academy’s W3ADO and NA1SS, McArthur cheered for an Army win in the traditional Army-Navy football game December 3. “Thanks very much for the contact, but I can’t resist,” said McArthur, a US Army officer and veteran. “Go, Army. Beat Navy!” It didn’t help. Navy won this year’s game.
Just before contacting W3ADO, McArthur discussed the crew’s Thanksgiving dinner with ARISS aficionado Al Lark, KD4SFF, in South Carolina, who was operating the Experimenters’ Group Amateur Radio Club’s N4ISS. McArthur reportedly made some three dozen casual contacts during Thanksgiving week, most of them over North America and a few over Europe and New Zealand.
Nine-year-old Mattie Clausen, AE7MC, of Oregon recently enjoyed her third QSO with McArthur, and the two now are on a first-name basis. McArthur made contacts with stations in the US on December 6. He also spoke with stations in Australia, New Zealand and the US on December 11.
McArthur is about halfway through his approximately six-month duty tour aboard the ISS. He and crewmate Valery Tokarev will return to Earth in April.
The NA1SS worldwide voice and packet downlink frequency is 145.800 MHz. In Regions 2 and 3 (the Americas, and the Pacific), the voice uplink is 144.49 MHz. In Region 1 (Europe, Central Asia and Africa), the voice uplink is 145.20 MHz. The worldwide packet uplink is 145.99 MHz.
When NA1SS is in crossband FM repeater mode, the worldwide downlink is 145.80 MHz, and the uplink is 437.80 MHz. All frequencies are subject to Doppler shift. The Science@NASA Web site provides location information for the ISS.
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
From KB6NU’s Ham Radio Blog:
I’ve always thought there should be more activity on 30m. I’ve even proposed the idea of starting a 30-30 club that would promote the use of 30m, just like the Ten-Ten Club does for 10m. Well, it appears that someone in FISTS is thinking along the same lines. Here’s an announcement for a new operating event sponsored by FISTS:
WARC BANDS CHALLENGE (DX SPONSORED)
DATES: From 00.01 1st January 2006 to 23.59 31st December 2006, this challenge is separate from all other activities in the FISTS calendar.
BANDS: 30M, 17M &12M
RULES:
1. Mode: C.W. Only
2. Scoring: 1 point non members, 2 points FISTS members, 3 points Fists club stations.
3. Exchange: FISTS nr , ( NM,) and IARU locator square (IO85
etc) which can be used as a multiplier for the total number of contacts made during the year.
For the locator square to be eligible for a multiplier, a club member must have been worked within the square. i.e. G9XYZ
scores 2,400 points 12 different locator squares. 2,400 x 12 = 28800.
4. Repeat stations: can only be worked a maximum of four times per month.
AWARDS: Outright winner: Trophy with call, year, etc, Engraved. with certificates for 2nd and 3rd places. A certificate will also be awarded to the highest points scored by a QRP entrant. (Max 5w output at the transmitter) endorsed accordingly. Therefore all entrants must declare their power output.
LOGS: Monthly returns by the 14th. By email in excel format if possible please to: m0bpt@blueyonder.co.uk Snailmail to:
R.D.Walker M0BPT, 38, Wheatley Street, West Bromwich, B70 9TJ, England.
The purpose of the challenge is to promote activity on the WARC bands… it is not a contest. Please bear in mind that contest activity on the WARC’s is deeply frowned upon and whilst you are encouraged to make use of them, number chasing can well be perceived as contest activity so your FISTS number and locator details should be an incidental part of a normal QSO.
CALL “CQ FISTS” on or around the following frequencies;
* 30m: 10.118 MHz
* 17m: 18.085 MHz
* 12m: 24.918 MHz
See you on 30m!
My first QSO with Russia! And from Andy’s page on QRZ.com:
ex: UA3-151-472 (10.12.80), EZ3SAN (16.11.81), UA3SFF (7.02.84 – 25.08.86), RW3DQC (27.09.98)
Добрый утро!
It was a short QSO, but great QSO.
Another short QSO, but first with North Dakoda:
Dwayne’s QSL is good in the 3905 Century Club and OMISS buro’s, the ARRL buro and via LoTW. ALL contacts are currently loaded in LoTW. SASEs are welcome. If you need a card, you got to send a card.
His love for radio stems from his father, an operator on 11m radio in the late 60’s. Dwayne’s start in radio was also with 11 meters as a teen. When that wasn’t enough, he explored other operating experiences. He became a communications officer in Civil Air Patrol, Panama City Flordia. Later took the FCC tests for his Amateur Radio license. He started with Amateur Radio as a NO-CODE Tech and received the call KD4POJ. He enjoyed the W4RYZ remote base (2-10 meters). At that point he was hooked on 10 meters. In 1994 he was voted in as President of the Panama City ARC. He considered that a great honor and still holds that club in the highest regards. Dwayne’s elmers and friends he will never forget are Steve AC4QB, Dan KO4YG, John KO4HX, and Dave N4YEO. “THANKS, GUYS!!!”
In 1995, he moved to Germany and received the call DA4POJ. Still wanting more he learned the code and upgraded to General. Keeping his stateside call the same but shortened his German callsign to DA1PJ. Dwayne made lots of good friends with that call.
In July 2002 Dwayne and his family moved to Minot (My Not) North Dakota. Dwayne enjoys digital communications such as PSK31, SSTV, and RTTY. Dwayne is active on 160m from ND and only needs HI to finish his 160m SSB ARRL WAS. He is a member of the ARRL, 10-10 International and AB1HZ (Former Operators of HZ1AB.) In 1993 he had the pleasure of being a guest operator (3 months) at HZ1AB in Dhahran KSA. He was also a regular op for the TEAM EIFEL ARC (DA1SP) and was a guest operator of DL0BIT (K-51.) Dwayne is an active member of the 3905 Century Club and OMISS WORKED ALL STATES nets, so if you need North Dakota for your WAS you can find him on one of those nets. Dwayne does very little CW but will work you on that mode if it’s really necessary.
Dwayne’s XYL Carol, is also a HAM (KE4ZLS, ex-DA4ZLS, ex-DA4ELS), she enjoys 6 meters and another way to keep tabs on Dwayne.
Above is a picture of Dwayne in Saudi Arabia, 2001. This was his second trip to The Kingdom; the first was in 1993. In June of 2003 Dwayne went back to the Middle East and spent several months in Kuwait but didn’t get to operate.
A message for his fellow brothers and sisters serving in the Armed Forces…”You’re in my prayers and thoughts as you serve our great Country. Be careful and serve with pride.”
First QSO with Maine! Fran said it’s getting pretty cold up there.
Nice QSO with John:
I was born in 1965 and like a lot of hams, I got into radio at an early age. Became an official ham in 1993 and made the move to extra in 2004. I have a stay at home XYL and 2 young boys who are beginning to show an interest in ham radio. I am now retired which gives me a lot more time to spend with my family and friends. Not to mention ham radio and my other hobbies which include the outdoors, firearms and restoring tube radios. I also enjoy military history and collecting military items from the civil war to Vietnam. This goes with-out saying the honor it is to be able to talk with any veteran. Thank you again for my freedoms.
I strongly feel that the ham community is a fraternity of wonderful people that are always there to help out. And as such, I would also be more then happy to help any one at any time any way that I can. Please feel free to email me about any thing. Together, there is no problem that we can not solve.
My motto has always been 100% ham-spirit in every sense of the word.
QSL info = 100% Direct or via Bureau. I also upload the logbook to LOTW and eQSL. Please do NOT send a SASE as these are not needed at all. But please send the paper QSL’s as I do collect them.
Thank you once again for stopping by and I’ll be looking forward to the next time we meet.
73 John
This was an interesting QSO with Alex – he was operating through an 80 M station in Virginia via the internet!
Check out his website.
Had a QSO with John (WB2NHQ) – he’s a retiree from IBM and a transplant for the Finger Lakes area, growing up on a dairy farm. Now he enjoys spending his free time at an amateur radio station that the Mecklenburg Amateur Radio Society (MARS) set up at Charlotte’s Discovery Place Science Museum – read more below:
By Bob Southworth KI4YV see note below
The Amateur Radio Education Center has been a dream since the late 1970’s when the Discovery Place concept was being developed. Due to budget constraints, Discovery Place Museum was opened in 1981 without the Amateur Radio Education Center.
Those working on the project back then, and I know I will miss some, were Regan Rowe W4FHI, Bob Thomas N4BX, Ervin Jackson N4BIG, and others at this writing. They did however instill in Discovery Place planning, the need for a Ham station at this facility. They were promised that the next addition would include the station and now the dream has been realized.
In 1987, Ervin Jackson N4BIG, attended a meeting of the Mecklenburg Amateur Radio Society urging the club to support and foster a Ham station in Discovery Place. That same year Discovery Place announced their planning of a sizable addition to it’s facilities.
Bob Southworth KI4YV, planning retirement, contacted Freda Nicholson, Executive Director of Discovery Place, offering his services in the preparation of a feasibility study for incorporating an Amateur Radio station in the new building. Freda assigned Bob to working with the newly selected architect as a consultant for the radio room. A committee with our club president Wilton McAllister WB4PCS, Karl Boxer AB4BI, and Bob Southworth KI4YV, was appointed by our Board of Directors. Since Bob was available during working hours, he worked with the architect and reported back to the rest of the committee, which would periodically report on progress made and the time schedule, to our Board of Directors. Bob visited several Amateur Radio Exhibits on the east coast for ideas and mainly to find out what did not work. Several club members visited similar installations and reported to the committee.
Working with Discovery Place, a three stage program was established. Stage one covered the design of the station, purchase of equipment, and installation. Bob chaired responsibility for stage one. Stage two was the fund raising and promotion of the project. Ervin Jackson chaired this stage which started upon approval by Discovery Place of the final plans and specifications, letting of bids, and acceptance of contracts to build. Stage three was recruitment and training of volunteer Amateur Radio Operators to operate and display the station to the general public. This stage will be a continuing operation as long as the station exists. Originally Bob Southworth chaired this responsibility.
The station was opened on November 1, 1991 with a Special Event station. The Special Event started at noon and lasted 24 hours, until noon November 2nd. Approximately 300 stations were worked and QSL cards and certificates about Discovery Place were sent out.
The goal is still to keep the station open from 10 am to 4pm Monday through Saturday and 1 pm to 4 pm on Sundays. At first this goal was achieved by a lot of work by Bob Southworth, David Lewis K1CBB, Bob Darke W4MHF, and Gary Fitzner KY4D. A complete staff was then trained and assigned to keep the station open everyday except Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are still looking for retirees to operate the station during working hours, and other Hams for weekend duty once a month.
The station visitation varies from day to day, some days being very crowded and others very light. Several foreign Hams have visited the station, and almost every day we have a visit from a Ham from our local area or around the U.S. Many come to operate the station, just bring a copy of your license, sign our operator book, and operate a top quality station with your own callsign and privileges. You meet the most interesting people at the Amateur Radio Education Center.
There were two early programs presented. One was for a Boy Scout Troop. We talked about what Amateur Radio was about, how they could become Hams, what Hams did during emergencies. Then we talked to several Hams around the United States. The other special program involved a group of foreign students and showed Amateur Radio involvement in international emergencies. A demonstration of working overseas stations followed to say hello to several foreign stations.
The following local Hams not mentioned above participated one way or another in getting the station on the air. If I missed some one please forgive me since I know there were some that did not get their names on the roster for work details. The following we thank: Ralph Eubanks, Cathy Roberts, Mark Roberts, Jeffery Blythe, John Chaney, Clyde Weddle, John White, Andrew Hawkins, Bob Helms, James Bishop, Lionel Bryson, G.R.Sumrall, Karl Boxer, Ervin Jackson, Bob Southworth, David Lewis, Timothy Slay, Bob Reed, Gene Ribas, and Ted Goldthorpe.
Come on down and visit the station!
Bob KI4YV
Pictures of some of the stations now in Discovery Place.
By Bob Southworth KI4YV see note below
Well the restructuring has taken effect and guess what? Amateur Radio is still here and will be here in the future.
The restructuring will now see a number of Hams, that have never operated anything but a hand-held FM radio, move into a large new spectrum known as HF radio. The opportunities are almost limitless. While many opportunities were available in the VHF and up spectrum, few took advantage of them. I personally blame the amateurs of General class or above for not introducing new Hams to those opportunities that were available to them. Let us not repeat this failure at this new juncture in Amateur Radio.
To that end, we at our Discovery Place Amateur Radio Education Center are making major changes in selection of operating modes available. Here are some things we are doing:
We are installing a totally digital operation bay:
The transceiver is a Ten-Tec Pegasus operated by computer.
The necessary computer controlling the Pegasus and running the programs has been installed.
Purchase and install programs to run PSK31, AMTOR, ACTOR, RTTY, and High Speed CW.
Upgrading the APRS Facility so we can use better maps and more easily track selected mobile units.
Improve and add to our computer slide show presentations about various topics.
Install access to the internet so we can:
Review specifications of new equipment coming on the market.
Test drive shareware to see if it does what we want.
Download data and programs that we can use in the radio room or at home.
These are a few of the improvements, but our main purpose is to introduce new operating opportunities to all amateurs and provide stations for those who have antenna and other deed restrictions at home.
Another reason for purchasing the Pegasus was the possibility of remote operation of the unit. The continued construction of buildings around Discovery Place will eventually deteriorate the operation of the station. With these new buildings come also more pagers, cell phones, and computer hash.
One of the projects of the future is experimentation of operating the Pegasus via wire and/or microwave links. We will be working with Ten-Tec staff to find the requirements and best methods. At present, Ten-Tec sees no problem when interfaced with a proper modem, and currently produced modems should do the job. Meetings with Discovery Place staff have determined the Nature Museum could be used for the equipment location operated remotely from the radio room at Discovery Place.
Exciting things are happening !! Come and be part of it and let us show you a whole new world of operating adventures.
Editor’s note:
Bob Southworth KI4YV has been our very active station manager since the beginning. Bob was there when our Board of Directors needed lots of encouragement that the station would happen. Without him it would not have happened. It has always been our commitment to provide good volunteer operators, any amateur license class holder is welcomed to operate at Discovery Place.
Mac Wood W4PVT has been our station personnel manager for many years. If anyone can spare some scheduled time each month to play radio and explain to people what we do, talk to Mac. If you cannot find time to volunteer, come visit as often as you can, bring your license and help us keep the finals warm. A warning however, talking with kids who have minds like sponges can be addicting.
From QRZ.com:
I was originally licensed in February, 1985 as KA3LUW and had that call until about 1993 when I *finally* got my Extra class call, and I changed it to WY3X. In about 1995 I gave up on ham radio for several reasons. Last fall my dad (N3FWI) said he hadn’t used his Kenwood TS-450S in several years and was just taking up room in his RV. He asked if I would get it off his hands. I decided to give ham radio a try once again. I ran a skywave loop antenna in the yard and rediscovered ham radio. Although I never seriously thought about getting a vanity call, when I saw this one available I thought it would be perfect for CW.
My main interests are PSK, RTTY and occasionally CW. During the summer months I gave the hobby a break and now this winter I have a G5RV (off-center fed) into the neighbors yard. This antenna outperforms any other antenna I ever used.
I look forward to hearing from some old ham friends. Please e-mail me at the callsign listed on this QRZ.COM site.
73 and God Bless.
Scott
Had a nice QSO with John, he’s a DA civilian in Alabama.