Category: Uncategorized

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.

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!

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.

wn6bdb
Reply-To : SolidCpyCW@xx
Sent : Wednesday, December 7, 2005 2:59 PM
To : SolidCpyCW@xx
Subject : [SolidCpyCW] Re: Paddle and keyer recomendation

There have been a lot of recommendations for keyer paddles but not much discussion about the characteristics of different paddles.

The first characteristic to consider when selecting a keyer paddle is Iambic (sometimes called a squeeze key) vs non-Iambic. An Iambic keyer paddle is designed to allow both dot and dash contacts to be closed at the same time. When used with an Iambic keyer closing both contacts together sends an alternating sequence of dots and dashs. This can be useful in sending characters that have alternating patterns such as the letter “C”.
(It’s my personal opinion that most cw ops don’t really use the Iambic feature much.)

Next come the design characteristics that determine the feel of the paddle. They include:
Weight.
Paddle size, spacing, and height above the table.
Single vs dual lever design.
Pivot point.
Contact placement.
Spring placement and type (some use magnets, leaf springs, etc.)

All these things (and some others I’ve probably missed) will have an effect on the tactile feedback you get from the paddle. Some have a very solid click feeling when closed, others are softer. Often the design will result in different angles of travel for the paddle as it is closed resulting in a distinctively different feel, quite apart from the feeling of the contact closure.

Then you need to consider “access to”, ease and range of adjustment. You will have to change the adjustments as your proficiency improves.

My personal preference is a heavy key with very positive tactile “click” when a contact is closed. I also prefer somewhat wider paddle spacing about 1/4 inch or so. I find that there are several keys that meet my requirements and they all have things in common. They all have fairly long levers, pivot in the middle of the lever, have the contacts on the opposite side of the lever from the paddle, and use ordinary coil springs with simple knurled knob adjusters.

I think the first step would be the try and determine what characteristics you prefer then look for a keyer paddle that has those characteristics.

Steve AI7W

Mission Status Update (all information is approximate/interpolated):
LAUNCH: 1508 UTC from Knoxville, TN
BURST: 1642 UTC
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 60,000FT
LANDING: 1729 UTC 18 Miles east of Wytheville, VA 36.9623N 80.8104W 187 Miles at 67 degrees from launch point
The balloon has landed in the woods in southwestern Virginia. The 20M homebrew beacon is still functioning, powered by photo-style lithium batteries which may provide power for the transmitter for up to 36 hours. The antenna is a vertical wire dipole with the transmitter hanging in the middle. The initial hope was that the antenna would collapse onto the ground, disabling it’s ability to radiate, however it appears that it probably draped itself nicely on a tree as it parachuted down to the ground, as signals continue to be heard across the continent (though not here).

Due to equipment problems and unpleasant weather conditions for testing, it was decided to postpone the launch of the University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club (UTARC) balloon flight UX-4 until the following weekend.

This Saturday, December 10, 2005, the weather appears to be cooperating for this test run of the 20m beacon. All equipment was tested during pre-flight clearance and are ready to go.

Launchtime is slated for 10AM Eastern Time (1500 UTC).

This mission contains only a 20 meter CW beacon with battery voltage and transmission number being transmitted via the beacon. The power out is about 1 1/4 watt depending on antenna ERP. The frequency is 14.328 MHz CW but tune up or down as temperature changes during the flight may cause the transmitter to drift. The Balloon Callsign will be AA4UT/B.

Success of this mission is reliant on the signal reports we get back from listeners. The 20m CW transmitter is being tested for use on future missions that will relay telemetry readings as well as produce reception reports from earth stations on HF bands. Recovery operations are not planned for this flight as only the 20m beacon and battery are onboard. It will have a homemade parachute and ID tags on the payload in case it is recovered in a populated area.

This beacon, if successful, will be used on balloon flight UX-5, now scheduled for the weekend of December 17 (the following Saturday) to deliver expanded telemetry readings about the payload as we attempt a reception distance record. More information on that flight and its payload will be made available soon.

UTARC will spot the transmitter on DXclusters and there will be QSL info in the beacon ID. If you would like to email your report, please send an email to info@utarc.org with your Callsign, QTH, and signal report.

International Space Station Commander, Astronaut Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, has been very active on the NA1SS amateur radio station aboard the ISS over the past several days.

Since November 23, NA1SS has made over 50 contacts during brief operating opportunities. This past week, reports from Turkey, South Africa, South America and North America indicated NA1SS was calling CQ and making contacts.

For those who are still trying for a contact with the ISS, keep it up. For those of you lucky enough to work him, congratulations, but please give the others a little more time before making another contact since you have your QSO for Expedition 12. Let’s see how many different stations he can work.

In addition, Bill has been doing 2 school contacts a week when his schedule allows. Not since Expedition 3 has a crew member done this on a regular basis. Please consider telling Bill, “Thank you” for all of us if you are fortunate enough to speak with NA1SS.

Worldwide packet uplink: 145.990 MHz FM
Region 1 voice uplink: 145.200 MHz FM
Region 2/3 voice uplink: 144.490 MHz FM
Worldwide downlink: 145.800 MHz FM

Repeater Uplink: 437.800 MHz FM
Repeater Downlink: 145.800 MHz FM
Doppler Shift is 10 KHz

Russian callsigns: RS0ISS, RZ3DZR
USA callsign: NA1SS
Packet station mailbox callsign: RS0ISS-11
Packet station keyboard callsign: RS0ISS-3
Digipeater callsign: ARISS

From the Southgate Amateur Radio Club

Saturday, December 03, 2005

There has been a marked increase in the level of ham radio activity from the International Space Station (ISS). Astronaut Bill McArthur KC5ACR has been active on the 145.80 MHz downlink, making quite a few random contacts with hams on earth. Many of the other astronauts with amateur radio licenses have focused on making the scheduled radio contacts with schools and didn’t take time to make random contacts. It is great to have Bill up there making contacts.

I have not made a contact with Bill yet, but have heard him several times now. Of course, quite a few hams can hear the ISS signal and lots of people are calling him. It is critical that hams on the ground use discipline in when they call on the uplink so that Bill doesn’t get totally overloaded by a pile up. More information on working the ISS is available at the ARISS web site.

General information on the ISS space station radio gear is available here. The ISS Fan Club web site is another great resource, as well as the AMSAT web page.

73, de Bob K0NR

I had a nice QSO with Paul this evening – he’s a sheriff in Gainsville and is going to retire in the near future. His plan is to winter in Florida and spend the rest of the time in the Smokies Mountains… sounds like he’s going to have a mobile HF setup in his RV. Pretty cool.

I’m jealous of Paul’s Heathkit amplifier.

Had a QSO with Andy earlier today. I’m starting to like eQSL.

Here’s some info from his website:

My hobby is amateur radio. Having been licensed since the mid 60’s with most of my operating time spent on Morse code (CW) working contests and DXing although I do enjoy operating RTTY and occasionally SSB. I was first licensed as VE1ASJ.
Over the years I have operated from numerous spots around the world.
Some of the calls I have held are: VE1DX, VE1SPI, VE8CW, VO2AB, CY0SPI, HP9FC, VP9/VE1ASJ and ZD9BP.
Back in the Spring of 1970 I was lucky enough to arrive on the Island of Cape Verde just in time for the CQWW WPX SSB contest and operated as CR4BC.
I have also operated as CT3AS,PY7AKW,TF3EA and ZS1JD as a guest.
One of my enjoyments of the hobby was providing special prefixes when every available and of course I was always looking for new prefixes on CW.