Tag: operating events

Already the 19th of November!

I’ve been falling behind on my updates…

(1) W4V – Veterans’ Day Special Event Station. I got a late start on Saturday… took a while to pack the truck. Setup at Fort Story took longer than expected – my biggest challenge was tying down the center mast after I’d gotten it vertical. It’s really a two person job and hard to do alone. But once I got the antenna up, the rest was easy. A beautiful day as well, low 70s and clear skies. The QSOs rolled in, as long as I was calling “CQ” I was getting QSOs. Sunday was a different story. The forecast called for rain, but I thought I could weather it out. I arrived at Fort Story but the winds became too extreme – no chance of getting the center pole up. I threw in the towel for a portable operation and headed home to operate. Not the same satisfaction running a special event from home, but I still enjoyed the QSOs. Even got Wyoming… which completes my Worked All States Award!


(2) Kenwood TS-930S…. my “new to me rig”. I picked this up from a local ham at a bargain. What a radio!

This piece of electronics perfection is over 20 years old, but it performs like a dream. The receiver is amazing. Also getting great reception reports on both SSB and CW. This rig is now the centerpiece of my shack.

(3) I didn’t work the Sweepstakes this weekend, but did have a QSO with a special event station celebrating Oklahoma statehood. However, I did work a sweepstakes station on 15M who was operating from the Santa Clara Valley.

(4) Also a few CW QSOs – I’ve hooked up my Logikey CMOS4 Keyer. Amazing little device, lots of features – but does a great job as a basic keyer.

Upcoming Special Event Stations

Nov 9-Nov 12, 1600Z-2000Z, Arlington Heights, IL. Armored Force Amateur Radio Net, KA9NLX. Veteran’s Day SE honoring all veterans. 14.325 7.283 7.035 3.985. Certificate. John Paskevicz, 1423 North Ridge Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004. AFAR members will operate from different parts of the country on all amateur HF frequencies and 2 meters.

Nov 10-Nov 13, 1300Z-2100Z, Hampton, VA. US Army Amateur Radio Society, W4V. Veteran’s Day observance from Fort Monroe, VA. 14.248 7.248. Certificate. US Amry Radio Society, 224 Beauregard Heights, Hampton, VA 23669. www.usaars.com

Nov 11, 1200Z-2359Z, Nutley, NJ. Robert D. Grant United Labor Amateur Radio Association, N2UL. CQ Veterans Day, Labor remember our heroes. 28.420 12.260. Certificate. RDGULARA, c/o WA2VJA, 112 Prospect St, Nutley, NJ 07110-0716. rdgulara.org

Nov 11, 1300Z-1900Z, Brownsville, TX. Charro Amateur Radio Club, W5CRC. Return of the Snow Bird to South Texas. 28.335 21.335 14.335. QSL. Bob Austin, K5VC, 107 W Park Dr, Brownsville, TX 78520. www.qsl.net/w5crc

Nov 11, 1430Z-2039Z, Grand Rapids, MI. Michigan Amateur Radio Alliance, W8USA. Veteran’s Day. 14.250 7.250 14.070 7.040. QSL. W8USA, PO Box 670, Comstock Park, MI 49321. www.w8usa.org

Nov 11, 1500Z-2230Z, Baton Rouge, LA. Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club, W5KID. Veteran’s Day. CW 28.060 21.060 14.060 10.106 7.040 SSB 14.250 to 24.320. QSL. W5KID, c/o USS Kidd Museum, 305 South River Rd, Baton Rough, LA 70802. www.lsu.edu/brarc/USS_Kidd.htm

Nov 11, 1500Z-2200Z, Waterloo, IA. Five Sullivan Brothers Amateur Radio Club, W0FSB. Veterans’ Day and the 64th Anniversary of the loss of the Five Sullivans. 50.140 21.240 14.240 7.240. Certificate and QSL. Five Sullivan Brothers Amateur Radio Club, 4015 Independence Ave, Waterloo, IA 50703.

Nov 13, 2100Z-0000Z, Fort Wayne, IN. Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day, KC9HAJ. Military Appreciation Monday/DAV — Golden Corral. 21.240 14.260 7.240. Certificate. Emery McClendon, 6116 Graymoor Ln, Fort Wayne, IN 46835. www.armad.net

Special event 4U60UO to mark UNESCO 60th anniversary celebration

Members of the Association of Radioamateurs of Paris (ARP) will operate special event station 4U60UO to mark the conclusion of the 60-week long 60th anniversary celebration of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The station will be on the air from UNESCO Headquarters in Paris Saturday and Sunday, November 4-5. 4U60UO will operate all modes — including CW, SSB, SSTV, PSK31, satellites and hamDRM — and all bands from 1.8 MHz to 47 GHz (except for 6 meters). Chartered November 16, 1945, UNESCO marked its 60th anniversary by selecting 60 themes to highlight the 60 weeks between September 5, 2005, and November 4, 2006. A special QSL and certificate will be available from ARP.–Laurent Beugnet, F6GOX

KPH to mark International Radiotelegraph Conference centenary

The Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) will join others around the world in marking the 100th anniversary of the International Radiotelegraph Conference. Delegates to the 1906 gathering in Berlin designated 500 kHz (600 meters) as the international distress and calling frequency and SOS as the distress signal, and they signed the International Radiotelegraph Convention, which eventually became the International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations. MRHS’s KPH, which began operation in 1905, will activate at 0001 UTC on Saturday, November 4, on 500 kHz and on its working frequency, 426 kHz. “KPH will send special messages and marine information using 500 kc as frequently as possible, keeping in mind that other stations share this frequency,” says the KPH Chief Operator Richard “R.D.” Dillman, W6AWO. “Longer bulletins will be sent on 426 kc after an announcement on 500 kc.” Dillman says KPH will monitor 500 kHz at all times for calls from ships and will observe the silent period. KPH ops also will listen between 505 and 510 kHz for stations operating as part of the ARRL WD2XSH experimental group, although Dillman adds that contacts between those stations and KPH will not be possible. MRHS Amateur Radio station K6KPH will monitor 3550, 7050 and 14,050 kHz for calls from radio amateurs wishing to submit signal reports. To obtain a printed confirmation of KPH reception, send reports to D.A. Stoops, PO Box 381, Bolinas CA 94924-0381 USA.

Upcoming Special Events

Nov 2-Nov 6, 1700Z-1700Z, Whitefish Point, MI. Stu Rockafellow Amateur Radio Society, K8F and N8F. Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald. 21.360 14.260 7.260 3.860. Certificate. Richard Barker, 264 N East St, Brighton, MI 48116. www.qsl.net/w8njh.

Nov 3-Nov 5, 1430Z-2000Z, Split Rock, MN. Stillwater Amateur Radio Association, WØJH. Anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, from Split Rock Lighthouse (ARLHS USA 783). 21.360 14.260 7.260 3.860. Certificate. Shel Mann, NØDRX, 1618 W Pine St, Stillwater, MN 55082. www.radioham.org.

Nov 3-Nov 12, Knokke-Heist, Belgium. UBA Section ONZ, ON25CLM. Canadian Liberation March/Canadian Week. SSB and CW 80 40 20 17 15 10 2 m bands. OO4CLM Special Event, Postbox 1006, B-8300 Knokke-Heist, Belguim. www.on4clm.be.

Nov 4-Nov 5, Paris, France. Association of Radioamateurs of Paris, 4U60UO. 60th anniversary of UNESCO. all bands 1.8 MHz – 47 gHz SSTV PSK hamDRM. QSL and certificate. Laurent Beugnet, F6GOX. arp75.free.fr.

Nov 4-Nov 5, 1500Z-2000Z, Melbourne, FL. Titusville Amateur Radio Club, W4V. Operation StandUp, helping returning veterans of all conflicts. 28.333 21.350 14.250 7.250. Certificate. W4V, c/o Robert Osband, N4SCY, PO Box 6841, Titusville, FL 32782. operationstandup.org/w4v.

Nov 4-Nov 5, 1600Z-0300Z, Detroit, MI. Livonia Amateur Radio Club, W8F. Dossin Museum, commemorating the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 21.372 14.272 7.272 145.72. Certificate. Livonia Amateur Radio Club/Special Event, PO Box 51532, Livonia, MI 48151-5532. www.larc.mi.org/.

Nov 4-Nov 19, 0000Z-2400Z, Pittsburgh, PA. Panther Amateur Radio Club, K3F. Fessenden First Voice Transmission. 21.260 14.260 7.260 3.920 . QSL. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Panther Amateur Radio Club, 348 Benedum Hall/University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. www.pitt.edu/~sorc/parc.

Nov 5, 1400Z-2100Z, Rocky Point, NY. Radio Central Amateur Radio Club, W2RC. Radio Central 85th anniversary of the first transatlantic wireless transmission from RCA’s Radio Central transmitter site. 14.270 14.050 7.270 7.050. Certificate. Radio Central ARC, PO Box 396, Centereach, NY 11720. www.rcarc.org.

Lots of Special Events this weekend

Oct 6-Oct 7, 1230Z-2300Z, Paintsville, KY. Amateur Radio Community Service, KI4OIP. Kentucky Apple Festival and 100 years of Amateur Radio. 14.250 7.230 3.910 1.900. QSL. Amateur Radio Community Service, PO Box 75, Paintsville, KY 41240.

Oct 6-Oct 7, 1500Z-2300Z, Honobia, OK. McCurtain County Amateur Radio Club, KD5YQI. Annual Bigfoot Festival, Honobia, OK. 21.230 14.270 7.270 3.900. Certificate. Gary Brock, PO Box 1656, Idabel, OK 74745.

Oct 6-Oct 7, 1600Z-2000Z, Cincinnati, OH. Queen City Emergency Net, W8T. Tall Stacks on the air! Cincinnati’s Riverboat Festival. 14.260 7.265. Certificate. David Vest, 2934 Rontina Dr, Goshen, OH 45122. www.qcen.org.

Oct 6-Oct 7, 2200Z-1600Z, Lake Placid, NY. Northern NY Amateur Radio Association, N2Y. NNY Hamfest and Convention. 14.260 10.124 7.240 7.035. Certificate. Richard Sherman, 25 Pines Rd, Malane, NY 12953. www.nnyara.org.

Oct 6-Oct 15, 1300Z-0000Z, Albuquerque, NM. The High Desert Amateur Radio Club of NM, Inc, NM5HD. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2006. 21.255 14.275 7.260. QSL. HDARC of NM Inc, 4972 Turquoise Dr, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. www.nm5hd.com.

Oct 7, 1200Z-1600Z, Brownstown, PA. Red Rose Repeater Association, KB3BVL. Annual Red Rose Tailgate Fest. Gen phone 40m 20m. QSL. Red Rose Repeater Association, PO Box 8316, Lancaster, PA 17604-8316. www.qsl.net/rrra/.

Oct 7, 1300Z-1700Z, Anamosa, IA. Jones County Amateur Radio Club, N0CWP. 18th Annual Anamosa Pumpkinfest. 14.260. Certificate. Jim McClintock, N0CWP, 301 Vine St, Morley, IA 52312. www.ia.net/~anachamb/pumpkin.html.

Oct 7, 1300Z-2200Z, Columbus, OH. Madison County Amateur Radio Club, W8C. Columbus Day Celebrations/Santa Maria Radio Day. 14.040 7.225 7.040 14.070 PSK. QSL. Don Fuhr, W8LJ, 6800 McVey Blvd, Columbus, OH 43235. http://qsy.to/mcarcoh.

Oct 7, 1300Z-2200Z, Harlem, GA. Columbia County Georgia Amateur Radio Club, W4O. Annual Oliver Hardy Festival. 146.52 21.260 14.260 7.260. Certificate. CCARC/W4O, PO Box 800, Evans, GA 30809. http://ccarc.hamradio.com.

Oct 7, 1400Z-2000Z, Palmyra, VA. Fluvanna County ARES, W4F. 11th Annual Old Farm Day Celebration in Fluvanna County, VA. 28.350 18.150 14.250 7.250. Certificate. Manny Rodriguez, K4MSR, 22 Fleetwood Dr, Palmyra, VA 22963.

Oct 7, 1400Z-2000Z, Springfield, MO. Frisco Retirees Radio Club and The Railroad Historical Museum, Inc, W0DLR. Commemorating the preservation of Frisco 4524 Steam Engine. 14.270 7.270. QSL. Dave Rust, 2151 Deer Ln, Kirbyville, MO 65679. www.rrhistoricalmuseum.zoomshare.com.

Oct 7, 1400Z-2200Z, St Charles, IL. Fox River Radio League, W9CEQ. 21st Annual Scarecrow Festival. 14.260 7.260. QSL. FRRL-Scarecrow, PO Box 673, Batavia, IL 60510. www.frrl.org.

Oct 7, 1400Z-2000Z, Sterling, VA. Sterling Park ARC, K4NVA. Sterlingfest 2006. 14.260 7.240. QSL. SPARC, Call Box 599, Sterling, VA 20167. www.qsl.net/sterling.

Oct 7-Oct 8 and October 14-Oct 15, 0700Z-2000Z, Bedford, PA. Bedford County Amatuer Radio Society, K3NQT. Bedford County Fall Foliage Festival. 14.230 21.330 7.230. Certificate. Paul Fischer, 185 Main St, Alum Bank, PA 15522.

Oct 7-Oct 8, 1400Z-2100Z, Glen Hazel, PA. Elk County Emergency Services, W3E. Elk County Rescue Weekend. 14.280 7.280 3.980. QSL. Mike McAllister, N3RZL, PO Box 448, Ridgway, PA 15853. www.ncentral.com/~elkcnty.

Oct 7-Oct 8, 1600Z-0300Z, Menlo Park, CA. 24th Month, Amateur Radio-Technology Day, N6T, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. 14.240 7.240 14.044 7.044. QSL. David A. Cooper, 270 Redwood Shores Pky, PMB 41, Redwood City, CA 94065. www.fars.k6ya.org.

Oct 7-Oct 15, 0001Z-2400Z, Milford, CT. Lake Effect Amateur Radio Club, W1M. National Wildlife Refuge Week. 21.310 14.265 7.240 7.055. QSL. Kevin Gunther, 2 Milford Point Rd, Milford, CT 06460.

Oct 8, 1400Z-2000Z, Robbinsville, NC. Smoky Mountains Amateur Radio Team, N4GSM. Anniversary of opening of Cherahala Skyway. 14.242 7.242. Certificate. SMART, PO Box 517, Robbinsville, NC 28771. http://main.nc.us/graham/smart/.

Lazy Sunday

Knocked out some more QSL cards and certificates for the W4M special event station. It’s fun going through all the QSL cards. Two QSL cards stood out from this morning, one from Washington State near Fort Lewis and the other from Sierra Vista, AZ… near Fort Huachuca. Each QSL response has the W4M folded QSL card, the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse (USA 567) QSL card, the W4M US Army Amateur Radio Society special event certificates, and sometimes a picture or two from the actual event.

The US Army Amateur Radio Society is picking up more members. We’ve been able to identify more hams downrange as well as hams getting ready to go – trying to get them their reciprocal licenses as soon as possible. Also identified some folks in Korea, to include a POC to help with licensing. I need to start looking at Germany as well… I’m sure there has to be quite a few Army hams in Germany.

…. and I even had a 40M CW QSO today! Had about a 40 minute ragchew with AA4TB who is down in Summervile, SC (near Charleston). Tommy put up with my horrible CW skills and kept it slow. I need to find the time to do some serious work on my CW. I wish I could find somebody I could establish a regular CW sked with… like two or three times a week. I think this would really help me improve. Plus – on air practice is a lot better than working one of those CW computer programs.

I have grand plans for a new antenna. The Radio Works is a local company and produces quality antennas. I have two Radio Works G5RVs – one of which I bought from a local ham. The antenna was originally purchased back in the 1980s, but unused. I used the antenna for the W4M special event station – still looked like new and worked like a champ. My current antenna is a B&W end fed inverted vee. Although it has omnidirectional properties, it has a N/S orientation. My plan is to put a Radio Works Carolina Windom 160 Special with a E/W orientation. I intend to use it as a flattop, 133′ in length. I have nice pine trees in the front and back yards, I think I can get the Window up about 50′ or more. Just waiting for my CSV17 Pneumatic Antenna Launcher!

Field Day Wrap Up

I had a good time. Putting together the Amateur Radio Station In a Box (ARSIB) was a good learning experience. I now have a functional, portable system that I can take anywhere to operate. The actual operation and contacts during field day was very enjoyable. Other than the lighthouse activations and the W4M special event station for Memorial Day, I don’t do a lot of phone. So all the phone contacts were good experience. No big DX and no new states (still missing Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming for WAS).

I wish I had tried setting up my homebrew vertical dipole to see how it did against my end fed inverted vee.

I’d also like to get one of the Heil Traveler headphone/boom mike devices that has a PTT switch. I think it would make operating easier having a boom mike than constantly picking up and setting down a hand mike. I’d also like to try to integrate some type of control software between the radio, the laptop, and the logging program. I’m going to give FT-817 Commander a try. I know there are similar applications for my IC-706MKIIG,

I need to take advantage of some of the easy way to get more points….:
– Message Origination to Section Manager: 100 bonus points for origination of a National Traffic System (NTS) style formal message to the ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator.
– Satellite QSO: 100 bonus points for successfully completing at least one QSO via an amateur radio satellite during the Field Day period.
– W1AW Bulletin: 100 bonus points for copying the special Field Day bulletin transmitted by W1AW.

For next year I would like to try and operate away from the house. Maybe combine it with a summer vacation trip.

Sunday Morning Field Day

I got up around 5am and started the generator up. Decided to try 80M. I’ve been impressed by the FT-817. I have the basic radio with no additional filters or audio upgrades/enhancements…. and it does a great job. 80M was buzzing with activity, but you could tell most of the ops had stayed up all night and were ready for some relief. Lots of contacts on 80M, there was even a 22A station. I’m trying to picture what a 22A station would look like…. probably like the V Corps Main Command Post during the ground war in Iraq….. antennas everywhere! Glows at night just from the RF.

Time for some coffee and breakfast and then back to the ham shack.