I have been using the N3FJP’s amateur radio logging software since I upgraded to General a year ago. I’m slowly starting to realize what a robust program it is. About a month ago, I started using the DX packet cluster feature about a month ago – very slick. Last night I played around with the software’s ability to print out mailing labels, which (with a little tweaking) will be a much more effective way for me to do my QSL cards. Now I want to explore interfacing the computer directly to the radio with my ICOM CT-17 CI-V level converter. I’ve had the CT-17 since I purchased the radio well over year ago, but have never used it. Setting it up looks pretty straight forward. I should have an available RS-232C cable and then I just need to solder a set of PowerPoles onto the power cable and I’ll be in business. The biggest benefit this will give me is the ability to have the QSO freq directly logged. I may also be nice using this direct computer-to-radio interface with the DX cluster capability… simply click on the DX spot that you want to go to and the radio switches over to it. So… we’ll see how it goes.
Tag: dx
W7 QSL Bureau
I received some cards today for my old KD7PJQ callsign from the W7 QSL Bureau. The coolest one was from Senegal – there was also another from Grenada and one from Croatia. A bunch from Germany. After I’ve sent out what’s left of the W4M cards, I am going to consolidate my old KD7PJQ log with my AD7MI log and figure out exactly where I am at towards DXCC. My guess is that I’m still short by about twenty confirmed entities.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
Finally put the CSV19 Pneumatic Antenna Launcher into action. The objective was to drop the four 10′ PVC pipe sections that supported the center point of my B&W inverted vee and replace it with a heavy duty rope supported by the upper sections of a pine tree in the back yard.
I pumped up the launcher to 70psi, loaded the ball, launched it almost straight up. I fired the tennis ball up over some tree branches at about 60′. The ball went up, cleared the branches and easily came down the other side. I attached some heavier line to the far end line and pulled it up and over the branch. I pulled down the PVC and attached the center point to heavy duty rope. I then pulled the center point back up. The launcher worked great and my next step will be to raise the end points from 10′ to 20’…. which will allow me to then raise the center point a few more feet.
I had two 20M SSB QSOs: a station in the British Virgin Islands that gave me a 59 and a station in Italy that gave me a 57. I’m pretty comfortable that my antenna is working at least as well as it was before I made the changes.
A few updates from the shack….
Scouts: received my Radio Merit Badge pamphlet in the mail today. Between the pamphlet and web resources, I want to put together a course package for the merit badge. One of the gentlemen I work with has a son who is interested in pursuing the Radio Merit Badge… so I need to get crackin’.
Army MARS: put in an application for Army MARS. The VA state rep told me it will be a couple weeks before I get my MARS callsign and initial training information.
US Army Amateur Radio Society: picked up a few more members. need to make contact with the Iraqi folks to check on the status of the pending YI9 applications.
DX: made contact with one of the newest DXCC entity… Montenegro! The YU6AO Montenegro DXpedition team now has a Web page at http://www.yu6ao.info/ and a log search at http://www.yu6ao.info/log.html … I’m in the log!
eBay: purchased an ASTATIC D-104 microphone. Should be a fun project adapting it for use with my IC-706MKIIG.
Local ham swap: made a deal to purchase a SB-220 Heathkit HF Linear Amplifier! This should give me a little more motivation to improve my antenna situation. Also need to acquire an antenna tuner.
Lighthouse QSL cards: finished my QSL cards for the Bodie Island Lighthouse (USA-062) and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse (USA-212) activations. Some of the Currituck Beach contacts are getting a North Carolina lighthouse key chain/compass/thermometer. Tried to get those to fellow ARLHS members.
W4M Special Event Station QSL cards/certificates: everyone who had sent me a SASE has been sent a QSL card (and certificate if they provided a large envelope).
SkyWarn Net: checked into the Chesapeake Amateur Radio Service (CARS) SkyWarn Net. They had made recent improvements to their repeater and have greatly expanded the coverage.
Antarctica’s KC4AAA to Be on the Air for Field Day
KC4AAA at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica, has announced plans to participate in ARRL Field Day 2006. The station’s Satellite Communications Technician Robert Reynolds, N0QFQ, will head up the effort. Operations from KC4AAA will commence at 1800 UTC on June 24 and continue through 2100 UTC on June 25.
Experience has shown that the best opportunity for North and South American stations to contact KC4AAA appears around 2300 UTC on the Eastern Seaboard, moving westward with time until the window closes around 0400 UTC. Given South Pole’s location right under the auroral oval, propagation can make South Pole intercontinental HF radio communications a challenge, so listen carefully!
The primary operating frequency will be on or about 14.243 MHz. KC4AAA operators will monitor and exploit other bands, but 20 meter SSB will be the primary operating mode.
South Pole will operate as a “home” station with supplied power (Class 1D). Reynolds plans to have a team of up to 10 operators staffing the station, most of whom are in a ham radio licensing class at the station. KC4AAA will be running 1 kW and will mainly use a pair of log-periodic antennas aimed toward the US.
KC4AAA plans to upload its Field Day log to Logbook of The World (LoTW) http://www.arrl.org/lotw. QSL cards will go out later in the year. For more information, contact Nick Powell, NH6ON, nick.powell@usap.gov
Lunchtime QSOs
Had two QSOs during lunch – the first with 6W8CK – a station in Senagal – my first African continent contact!
The second contact was with W7PAQ (Frank) in Montana.
From his QRZ.com entry:
I was a systems engineer with IBM for 30 yrs. I joined IBM in ’66 and worked on the very early IBM 360s. My first IBM computers were an IBM 7094II and IBM 7074 at the Univ. of Penna. Physics Dept where I was a scientific programmer for 3 years. After retiring from IBM I spent 10 yrs with InfoShare as the CTO (part of AtlantiCare Health System) in Egg Harbor Twp, NJ. Resident of Cherry Hill NJ for 31 years before the xyl and I retired and moved into the Lolo Mtns of western Montana.
I am active in the BSA and serve as Unit Commissioner and Eagle Board Chair for Mullan District.
The house sits up at 4700′ and is 1.5 miles up a forest service road with 7 major switch backs. We usually have our Jeeps in 4×4.
… and eham.net:
– Year born: 1941
– I am originally from… Philadelphia PA
– Previous calls: N2PAQ
– My marital status is… Married
– XYL/Kids/Grandkids: Jane/2/0
– I got interested in ham radio because… Ham in our Scout Troop taught me Morse code in ’54
– My favorite thing to do in ham radio is… Because? Chase DX..challenge
– My equipment consists of… Kenwood TS570 and 440. Yaesu FT897 Kenwood TH-D700G Yaesu FT5100 Yaesu VX=7R
– I am a member of the following ham radio clubs… Hellgate ARC
– I am most proud of the following accomplishments in ham radio… 313 DXCC, WAS< WAZ Alexander the Great Award Worked All Africa
- The funniest thing that ever happened to me on the air was... Contacted XE1/NP2AQ (my old call was N2PAQ) and we both had problems with the calls
- The biggest pileup I ever heard or busted was... YA and P5
- I would like to try the following new things in ham radio in the next 10 years... Satellite
- When I'm not on the radio, you can normally find me... 4x4 in my Jeep with APRS. Deep space photography with my 11" Celestron telescope Unit Commissioner and Eagle Board Chair Boy Scouts of America
I checked with findu.com – and it looks like Frank has a weather station connected to his APRS. You can find his location here and weather readings here.
Frank mentioned he had a group of Scouts that he was working with this weekend to earn “Frost Points” – you earn a Frost Point for every degree below zero the tempature is when you are sleeping outside. I’m curious as to how many Frost Points will be collected this weekend!
I also asked Frank about his weather station – sounds like he has a nice setup:
I have a Peet Bros. wx station with a weather picture (displays 7 measurements plus wind direction). The Peet 2100 unit then feeds via a serial port Weather Display software running on one of my PCs… Every 15 minues (user controlled) Weather Display produces a text file that UI-View is looking for. UI-View32 then sends the wx report via rf and the internet. The internet address is one of 4 Tier 2 servers that I connect to.
Pretty simple setup.
Only issues I have are 80M seems to get into the wx unit (even with the filter) and I get 80mph wind gust readings. My Carolina windom is right above the coax from the outside wx station. Snow got here before I could move the antenna forward and away from the feed line from the wx station.
The Weather Display program crashes if my PC gets too busy and can’t service the serial port. It usually happens when I run a backup program or heavy graphics. I have run 24 days without rebooting or crashing…of course I was also away at the time.
I had the Peet Bros. heated wind speed and direction unit, but it would fail about every year because of the heated elements..so they recommended the non-heated version which so far even in all the snow and -5F seems ok.
I also send a wx report to about 5 of my neighbors with a daily summary and then a weekly summary…all from Weather Display.
If you need more info let me know and tnx for the contact
73 Frank