Thank you Baker Island Team!

Posted on July 4, 2018 by robert

It’s been a hectic couple of months here in WB4SON land, and my operating time has been severely curtailed.  But it pained me to think that I was about to miss an opportunity for a ATNO with the KH1/KH7Z DXpedition.  I usually wait toward the end of the DXpedition to let the crowds die down a bit, but I had read conditions were so severe that they would be wrapping up a day early.  So I went downstairs yesterday right around sunset to try my luck.

I did hear Baker Island on 14.023 CW, but faintly, around S2-3.  However they didn’t appear to be real busy, calling CQ often.  So I gave a half-hearted try, and was greeted with a “WB4?”.  Clearly staffed by an A1 CW Op, their skill allowed me a quick contact.

Thanks guys!

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How much gas for a Field Day using a Honda EU2000i

Posted on June 25, 2018 by robert

My club borrowed my EU2000i generator for Field Day.  It gave me a chance to try out my new extended run tank (based on a 20L NATO gas can, with a custom cap for the generator, some J30R10 submersible fuel line, and a NATO fuel draw adapter).  Each generator ran two stations (CW and GOTA, plus SSB and VHF).  My generator consumed 2.3 gallons of gas for 27 hours of run time.  Not bad at all.  Driving up to Field Day, for the first time ever, I wasn’t able to hear generator noise at all.  I heard people a half mile away mowing their yard, birds chirping, etc, but no generator whine.

Next time I can cut down on weight by using a smaller 10L tank, and still have a gallon left over.

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Field Day 2018 Satellite Passes

Posted on June 16, 2018 by robert

I’ve put together my list of candidate orbits that are happening during daylight hours for Field Day 2018.  Orbits in green are pretty optimal.  Orbits in yellow are lower (and hence further away, or in darkness).

Satellite Passes FD 2018

Posted in AMSAT, AO-7, AO-73, AO-85, AO-91, CAS-4B, FO-29, From the OM, Satellite, SO-50, XW-2A, XW-2B, XW-2C, XW-2D, XW-2F | Leave a comment

QSO #9,000 in LotW

Posted on May 29, 2018 by robert

Silly, I suppose, but I note almost every accomplishment.  I’m happy to say that today I worked Ron, K4AKK, from Savannah, TN on 15-Meter FT-8.  He found his way into my LotW database as Contact #9,000 (since I started back on the air in Feb of 2011).  So that’s a pretty good clip, about 1,250 Qs a year.

I’m also impressed with the participation rate in LotW as that is a 68% confirmation rate.  Many of those are DX stations too.  Thank you ARRL for LotW, and for those that keep it running!

Posted in ARRL, FT8, LotW, Operating | Leave a comment

Still duking it out for the International Grid Chase

Posted on May 27, 2018 by robert

After investing most of April and May’s on-air time to the class I was teaching and the coming of spring (and all the household things that entails), I sort of dropped off the grid chase.  I have been able to get on for the past week or so, and have managed to crawl my way back to 3rd place.  But I’m sure it will be short lived.  Lots of my buds are hard at work on this too.

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Solar Cycle 25 Beginning?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by robert

Current solar cycle 24 is declining more quickly than forecast.  Will the solar minimum last longer, or does this signal that Cycle 25 is about to begin?

Some helioscientists are saying that early signs of Solar Cycle 25 are already beginning to appear.  And they are hoping the cycle will be underway by 2020.

Time will tell!

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Six Meters is Rocking

Posted on May 26, 2018 by robert

Each day that I have some time to be on the air, I start by listening to 6-meters for a few minutes.  This month, almost every time I do that, I wind up making a few contacts during a short opening.  This morning was a bit different.  The opening has been going on for more than an hour, and is covering all the mid-states from TX to IA and East.

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Happy 6000+ LotW confirmations!

Posted on May 23, 2018 by robert

Back on Jan 19, I was sitting at 5,000 LotW confirmations.  Today, with the addition of a couple of confirmations from QSOs with Iceland back in 2014, I bumped up to 6,001 confirmed in LotW.

Thanks to Odinn Thor (I LOVE that name), TF2MSN, for the confirmations.  Here’s to 7,000!

Confirmations of older QSOs are always an unexpected bonus on the day.  These put my DXCC Challenge up to 1,314.  It’s going to be a long, slow crawl up to 1,500.

Posted in DX, From the OM, LotW | Leave a comment

Thanks to Tom, AB8RL, for 12-meter WAS

Posted on May 20, 2018 by robert

FT-8 has proven its worth over and over again during this bottom part of the solar cycle.  I’ve been having fun noticing the frequent short openings on 10-meters and 12-meters the past few months.  I’m convinced that we think the bands are closed, so we don’t even try.  FT-8 and spotting programs have shown me the light.  Never assume any band is dead.

Since I got back on the air in 2011, I’ve been working toward various awards.  I think I completed WAS via JT-65 back in August of 2011, and followed up a couple of years later with the Triple Play.  In February of 2014, I completed 5BWAS, having already completed 30-meter and 17-meter WAS along the way.  All I was missing was West Virginia on 12-meters.

As the bands have been declining, so was my optimism, and I was wondering if I would complete 12-meter WAS without a big uptick in solar activity.  But each day I would get on and always check 12 out for a few minutes.  Today that paid off when I saw Tom, AB8RL, calling CQ on the waterfall.  I wasn’t able to snag him on his first call, but I did get in the next slot.  Thanks, Tom, for getting me to 8BWAS (I am lacking Hawaii and Alaska on 160-meters).

QSO with AB8RL on 12-meters captured from WSJT-X window

And Tom’s LotW confirmation:

Posted in FT8, Operating, WAS, WSJT-X | Leave a comment

Final Class for New Tech’s

Posted on May 19, 2018 by robert

I recently completed another Technician Class up in Providence RI.  It produced 11 New Techs plus a General (I’m always amazed how common it is for one or two folks to take the next level exam and pass it).

As usual it took six weeks of 2.5 hour sessions, totaling 15 hours of class time.  After six classes, on May 1st, we had a VE session.  Tomorrow, May 21st, after allowing enough time for the FCC to do their job and issue the licenses, we are having a “Handheld Radio” class.  The students who passed the exam and joined my club (Newport County Radio Club) are given a BaoFeng UV5R dual band 5 watt HT that is pre-programmed with repeaters in RI and SE New England.

This is a win-win as the students have a chance to learn on-air procedures and don’t have to worry about the fear of purchasing the wrong radio.  The club benefits from a growing number of members.

Education has been the key to positive growth for my club and has produced many side benefits.  At this point, after doing it for six years, I’ve had about 250 successful outcomes, which is more than 10% of the entire ham population for Rhode Island.

Looking forward to my next set of classes this fall.

Posted in Education, From the OM | Leave a comment