Amateur Radio – a hobby where people talk about their hobby using their hobby.
On Sunday I headed out to Fort Monroe and activated the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse with limited success. About 4 hours on the air and two contacts. The first contact was Colorado, a loud, booming 59. The next was Virginia Beach…. about 5 miles across the water. I need to come up with a better plan than my hamstick vertical. I’d like to do the next activation during Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day coming up on Memorial Day weekend.
Anyone have any antenna ideas?
– Tried to contact KD6EUG (at his alternate QTH in Mi-Wuk Village, CA) via EchoLink last night, no luck. I tried on two different EchoLink repeaters: one near Tuolumne (N6EA, 146.115) and another near Modesto (WA6OEC, 441.350).
Going to try again tonight and see if we can make contact.
– I got NOVA for Windows up an working.
“Nova for Windows has become the most popular Windows-based satellite tracking program in the world. In use by NASA, the U.S. Air Force, industry, and thousands of amateur radio operators, Nova sets the standard for excellence.” [It’s a great program.]
I can use NOVA to track amateur radio satellites, the International Space Station, and the Space Shuttle (when it’s up).
– Sparked up the RX-320 this morning and got Radio Sweden (15.240 MHz).
“The year 2005 marks the centenary of the birth of Greta Garbo. One of Sweden’s most famous exports, her name still evokes glamour and mystery.”
“Join Radio Sweden’s Juan Navas for a special half hour program looking at the life and times of one of the world’s biggest stars, Greta Garbo.”
More about Greta Garbo
Talked with KD6EUG (Larry – my dad) last night via EchoLink (more about EchoLink on May 20th). We’re going to try a QSO when he goes up to the cabin in Mi-Wuk (up in the Sierra Mountains) using either EchoLink or IRLP.
Above is a picture of my dad, KN6ILL/KD6EUG around 1954 in his bedroom Hamshack running 75 Watts input to a 4D32 Output final Tube on a HT-20 transmitter on all HF Novice Bands – using a National NC-57 for a receiver. The antenna: an 80 meter dipole up about 50 feet feed with RG-8 52 ohm coax pointing north and south with the power lobes going east and west.
Here’s KD6EUG from his Mi-Wuk Village QTH
Had an enjoyable time tonight via EchoLink talking with my dad.
EchoLink® software allows licensed Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station, greatly enhancing Amateur Radio’s communications capabilities. There are more than 150,000 registered users in 152 nations worldwide!
I installed the EchoLink software and was able to have a brief QSO with my dad, KD6EUG. I was on my laptop and he was using his HT. I connected in to a repeater in Saratoga, CA and it worked very well.
Sunnyvale, CA – Ely, NV
Daily Mileage: 571
Total Mileage: 5483
Total Number of States Traveled: 23
Great day and wonderful weather. Topped off the gas tank ($2.54 a gallon…. what kind of craziness is that?) and headed towards Tahoe. I picked up US 50 on the outskirts of Sacramento and continued east, climbing into the mountains. Stopped by In-N-Out Burger in Placerville for my Double-Double fix. I found a plateau just outside of Placerville where I was able to talk to KD6EUG back into the valley. The drive into the Sierras was gorgeous – the roads were great, some snow. Pulling in to South Lake Tahoe I realized I hadn’t loaded the Nevada map into my Pocket PC… which would prevent my GPS from talking me through Nevada to Ely. Seeing a Starbucks, I parked and hauled in my laptop along with my coffee mug and loaded up the maps.
I’d only been to Lake Tahoe once before (when I was in the 5th grade) – what a beautiful place.
After circling counterclockwise around the southern part of Lake Tahoe, I crossed into Nevada… with all the casinos. Heading east, I approached Spooner Summit and the downhill ride into Carson City. On a local repeater I had a great conversation with Jo Anne who was down in Carson City. I told her I was planning on taking US 50 out to Ely and she gave me a few tips – watch out for wild horses on the highway! She also described how her local ham club provides communication support to the annual reenactment of the Pony Express that spans the length of Nevada. I passed the Nevada State Capitol and headed east out of town.
I made it to Fallon by sunset, refueled and continued east. It’s hard to say what Nevada looks like after Fallon, because once the sun set – it was pitch black. There were about a billion stars out – but only three trucks passed during the next five hours. Austin, Eureka… and finally Ely. For some reason I imagined Nevada would be flat – but I was up at 7,000 feet, rolling up and down a zillion summits.
Ramada Inn & Copper Queen Casino
805 Great Basin Blvd
Ely, NV 89301