Author Archives: robert

Don’t forget the Boxborough MA Hamfest this weekend

Posted on August 23, 2012 by robert

This weekend, August 24/25/26, is the Boxboro Hamfest and ARRL New England Convention (which is only held every other year). See the website for details:  www.boxboro.org  

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DXCC CW #13,267

Posted on August 14, 2012 by robert

I can remember back in the day when getting a DXCC certificate involved shipping QSL cards to ARRL Headquarters, waiting many weeks to have them checked, then waiting many more weeks to get the certificate.  I received my DXCC CW … Continue reading →

Posted in DX, From the OM | 2 Comments

Please Consider Supporting SolarHam.com

Posted on August 11, 2012 by robert

There is a fantastic website that contains pretty much everything you could possibly want to know about solar activity and it is put together with the needs of ham radio operators in mind.  The site is SolarHam.com Solarham is the … Continue reading →

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Little KX3 gains top spot in Rob Sherwood’s Receiver Performance Test

Posted on August 10, 2012 by robert

I’d say unbelievable except I’ve been using the KX3 for many months and continue to be wowed by its performance. http://www.sherweng.com/table.html The tiny KX3 is occupying the #1 position in Rob Sherwood’s Receiver Performance Test.  Way to go Elecraft!!

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Welcome to WB4SON.COM

Posted on August 10, 2012 by robert

After a year+ of free hosting at wordpress.com, I decided to setup a dedicated domain and server for the WB4SON Blog.  I have redirected the wb4son.wordpress.com blog to here. Welcome to WB4SON.COM

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DXCC CW

Posted on August 7, 2012 by robert

I had enough confirmed entries in LotW on March 19, 2012, to apply for DXCC Mixed.  Today, with the addition of a LotW confirmation for CY9M (Saint Paul Island), I had enough CW confirmations for a new DXCC CW certificate … Continue reading →

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Using solar power for Field Day

Posted on August 7, 2012 by robert

The ARRL Field Day includes a 100 point bonus if at least 5 contacts are made using “Alternative Power”.  For the QRP folks, this is an easy bonus, and in fact those folks often times run the entire event off … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Power, From the OM | 2 Comments

Extending Your Honda Generator Run Time

Posted on August 6, 2012 by robert

Outside of raising an antenna tower, probably the most dangerous activity during Field Day is refueling the generator.   A few clubs have back-up generators that they can quickly switch over.  Other clubs have battery backup that allows the rigs to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Power, From the OM, Gear | 1 Comment

A dedicated 240V line better for the KPA500

Posted on July 23, 2012 by robert

When I purchased my KPA500 at the end of last year, I didn’t have a 240V outlet in the ham shack, so I was forced to run off of a 120V feed.  Unfortunately, the ham shack is about 75 feet … Continue reading →

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Diamond DXCC

Posted on July 22, 2012 by robert

The ARRL has a special DXCC award in celebration of the 75th (Diamond) anniversary of the DXCC program, which began in September of 1937 with a list of just over 200 eligible countries.  The purpose of the DDXCC award is … Continue reading →

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