AmateurRadio.com

It’s been a fun ride in the amateur radio blogosphere these past few years.  I’ve had some good discussions with intelligent people and had  fun along the way.  I shared ideas, some good and some half-baked.  I had some folks believing that the LORAN network was being saved by radio amateurs, organs were going to be harvested from radio amateurs for universal healthcare, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers liked to jam on amateur radio.  I analyzed, complained, praised, and ranted, and a lot of you listened.  Several of you presented alternate points of view that provoked thought and sometimes changed my opinions.

Unfortunately, I find it increasingly difficult to write about topics that are consistent with the original intent of this blog.  As I’ve often mentioned, I wanted to do something different from the normal “I did this today” blog.  A lot of folks like to do that, and that’s OK.  A blog is what you want it to be, it’s your creation.  There’s only so much I can write about regarding what’s broken or can be improved in amateur radio, and writing about it doesn’t really do anything to fix it.  Often in this online world we amass an audience that agrees with our viewpoints and opinions, and critical topics on blogs tend to preach to the converted.  Those who really need to read such topics aren’t reading blogs.

Rather than have this blog go on a life support system with periodic and annoying “I’ve been really busy” posts as many amateur radio blogs have done, I’m retiring The K3NG Report and have launched another site entitled Radio Artisan which will focus on projects and operating events, mainly outdoors.  While technically it’s hosted with WordPress and essentially is a blog format, I’m not treating it as blog so I don’t feel an obligation to post regularly or write about the amateur radio crisis du jour.

See you over at Radio Artisan…

Thanks for reading and 73.  Dit dit.

Welcome to Radio Artisan, and a special shout out to former K3NG Report readers.  This is my new creation which will focus on projects and operating activities.  Links to projects and “sticky” articles are over on the right.  I will generally post articles when some new project page has been created or if there’s an update to an existing one.

A few of the pages are past postings from the K3NG Report.  The PIC Keyer is a project that I’ve had published for several years now.  My newest creations are the Arduino CW Keyer and the Arduino Computer Rotator Interface / Yaesu Rotator Interface Emulator.  Both are being actively developed with new features, but are fully functional.

I’m currently on an Arduino kick as you may be able to tell.  I also have in the works a frequency counter which will interface with the CW keyer, and a DDS chip controller which may become the basis for a larger project.  I also have in the works an Arduino controlled balanced antenna tuner.

If you have any interests in these projects, please be sure to drop me a line.

73

I’ve decided to take on a “new old” project and port my PIC keyer code to the Arduino platform.  I use the word “port” loosely as the Arduino offers many higher level features and libraries, and I will be programming in C rather than the PIC’s native assembly code.  I know I’m about two years late to the start of the “Arduino party”, but from what I’ve read it looks like the party is still going strong with new people joining the fun everyday.

I started writing the PIC keyer about 10 years ago, first starting with PICBasic.  It quickly became apparently that PICBasic, while easy to get started with, produced much too bulky to pack in the features I was looking for.  This is often the case with high level languages.  I went on to assembly and ended up making a full blown keyer with memories, straight key and bug modes, variable weighting, code practice mode, a frequency counter, and several other features.  I look back at the code and can’t believe some of the stuff I did.  I think my two biggest accomplishments were writing and debugging the frequency counter code and making the variable frequency sidetone output while simultaneously doing other functions without the benefit of interrupts and multitasking.  Some of this code is just pure magic and trying to figure it out today I find myself cursing the younger me who was more clever and diligent than the older me today.

The PIC will always be my first love, but I’m ready to move on.  Despite having written very modular and readable code with lots of comments, it’s a major undertaking adding new functionality to this assembly code, especially when I don’t look at the code for months at a time.  Also, I was often having to deal with memory limitations, and when porting the code to bigger chips with more memory I had to deal with memory page issues.  While I could spend the money to get a C compiler for the PIC, it just doesn’t make sense with the popularity of the Arduino platform.  And with all the modules you can get for functionality like memory cards, Ethernet interfacing and wireless networking, there’s just much more potential for growth, doing cool stuff, and reaching a larger user audience.  These days I would rather spend my time making a chip talk over TCP/IP than figuring out how to stuff more assembly code into 500 bytes of remaining memory just to do something like blink an LED.

I expect porting the main CW keyer functionality over to the Arduino will be much easier than the initial PIC development was due to the Arduino’s interrupt capabilities.  Also, the Arduino library has a sound generation library that appears to operate “in the background” while the main code is running.  This is heaven compared with what I had to go through to get sidetone output to work while not missing a beat with CW element timing on the PIC.

I’m awaiting an Arduino board to arrive in the mail; hopefully the fun will begin later this week.  I’ll be posting my progress here.

And on a somewhat related note, it never seems to get reported by “mainstream” amateur radio media, but Sunday, February 13th will be the four year anniversary of the elimination of code test in the US.  Please turn on your rig, start at the lower edge of your favorite HF band, run the VFO up through the band, and listen to all the CW (OK, ignore the RTTY this weekend).  If the spirit moves you, why not have a CW QSO?  Remember – CW is alive and well because of us, not a test.

The FCC has called a hearing to determine whether the license of K 1 M A N should be renewed.  If you’re not familar with the ongoing saga, you can read the FCC order which gives the Reader’s Digest version.  It’s both entertaining and sad at the same time, like watching angry women smack each other up on daytime TV talk shows.

Periodically this ongoing fiascocase is in the news, and it seems each time the topic of ARRL one-way transmissions (a.k.a. “broadcasting”) invariably comes up in the conversation.  Technically the term broadcasting in the FCC amateur radio rules means one-way transmissions to the general public, however most folks appear to use the term broadcasting to refer to one-way transmissions to amateurs, like ARRL’s daily transmissions.  I’ve heard arguments that what ARRL does isn’t much different than what K 1 M A N does.  They both do one-way transmissions which is allowed by the FCC, but that’s where the similarity ends.  K 1 M A N was cited by the FCC for control operator issues, interference, and broadcasting inappropriate content.  Broadcasts in previous years often included rants and just plain off-the-wall content.  The broadcasts certainly didn’t showcase the best in amateur radio.

Some radio amateurs argue against broadcasting in general (including ARRL broadcasts) because it interferes with QSOs.  This undoubtedly does happen, and reading the FCC order, this was certainly the case with K 1 M A N.  But the FCC text makes the case that interference was deliberate.  ARRL broadcasts have interfered with ongoing QSOs in the past, but ARRL broadcasts on published schedules and frequencies, and ARRL has been doing it for six decades.  Broadcasting on six or seven HF bands, it’s just not practical to have to seek a clear frequency on each band before each broadcast.

While there is nothing in the rules about the content of broadcasts, I think one also has to take into account just what is being broadcast and who, if anyone, is benefiting from it.  I copy ARRL CW bulletins once in awhile just to brush up on my CW.  The bulletins have news value and general appeal to most radio amateurs.  The same could not be said of K 1 M A N broadcasts.

Playing devil’s advocate for a moment, I can argue that amateur radio broadcasting is no longer necessary.  In the past the only way to get late-breaking amateur radio news was over the air, but today the Internet can provide news bulletins and code practice, and much more efficiently and conveniently.   While this is technical true, I think it would send the wrong message to the public who (wrongly I think) often compares amateur radio and the Internet.  Furthermore, with modes like CW, Hellschreiber, and RTTY, amateur radio is known for preserving old technical traditions.  Eliminating broadcasting in favor of newer technology ironically (and perhaps sadly) would be antithetical to amateur radio.

Overall, I think abuses of one-way broadcasting in amateur radio are few and far between and the benefits of broadcasting outweigh the interference issues.  QSOs undoubtedly will continue to occasionally get stepped on by ARRL bulletins and code practice.  I’m sure we’ll have another egomaniac abuse the one-way transmission privilege in the future, but we can deal with that when it happens.

One final note on the K 1 M A N hearing; judging by past rants and broadcasts, I expect the defendant’s closing summation will sound something like this song (make sure you get into the first 40 seconds or so)….

I’ve decided to get my QSLing in order and file for DXCC.  Call it an “ad hoc” New Year’s resolution.  I’ve been eligible for DXCC for seven or eight years now, but just haven’t had the time or inclination to do the paperwork.  Perhaps Logbook of the World had something to do with all of this.  On a whim I decided to get my LOTW up to date.  I hadn’t uploaded to it or checked on it for almost three years.  After figuring out that my certificate key thingy expired, I got a new one and managed to learn all over again the process for uploading QSOs.

I like the concept of LOTW, but I’m surprised a lot of people use it.  I’m not a computer newbie; I’ve been doing IT for almost 20 years now and I cut my teeth writing assembly on a Commodore VIC-20 when I was a teenager.   I find the process for getting LOTW going way overcomplicated.  I can’t imagine how others who can barely log in to their computer use LOTW.  But I guess where there’s a will there’s a way.  Considering that LOTW contacts can be used to file for awards and the costs for paper QSLing has skyrocketed over the years, there’s more of a motivation than ever to use Logbook of the World.

Upon updating LOTW I saw that I was eligible for WAS and Mixed, CW, and Phone DXCC with just LOTW QSOs.  That got me looking at my paper QSLs and weeding out what LOTW had.  I read the DXCC and LOTW FAQs about five times and I think I’m ready to file.  Since getting LOTW up to date, I’ve experienced a resurgence in my interest in DXing.  Recently I’ve been working DX on 40 and 80 in the evenings, watching the DX cluster and picking them off the spots.  I even cranked the power up to 100 watts from the normal five.  (Gasps from the studio audience)  I made a contact the other week and caught myself saying “Yes!” and being all giddy.  I don’t remember what country it was, but the feeling has stayed with me.  After months of questioning my interest in amateur radio it’s good to know the radio artisan spark is still there.

In physics the Theory of Everything is a scientific quest for the holy grail of theories that will pull everything together in one neat package and explain everything in the universe.  It’s unlikely that we’ll come close to the theory being realized in our lifetimes, but Jeff, KE9V, has perhaps stumbled upon a “Theory of Everything” in amateur radio, if there could be such a thing.  Jeff writes:

“I recently happened upon the home page of a fellow who was newly licensed. This fellow described what he thought ham radio was all about, and in four short sentences he captured the essence of the thing. He wrote that “the ham radio operator is like MacGyver. Bad guys put him in a tough situation, then he uses clever methods to get himself out of those tough spots. Except in ham radio, it is the radio operator who puts himself in these tough spots and then devises clever means to get himself out.”  ”

Jeff goes on to cite various MacGyver scenarios in amateur radio that we’re familiar with, such as operating QRP with little homebrew rigs in parks or on mountaintops.  The MacGyver analogy, while quite simple really sums up for me the raison d’être of amateur radio, and with every sub-hobby from DXing to QRP to homebrewing to contesting to CW, to even, yes, emcomm.

Having struggled with my interest in amateur radio recently, I realized if you lose the MacGyver instinct or curiosity, your interest in amateur radio will wane.  You have to get back in touch with your “inner MacGyver” to rekindle your interest.  That may mean going away from a part of the hobby that has become commonplace and mundane and going to new challenges that give new opportunities to put yourself in a “tough spot.”

I think the MacGyver concept can also explain the public’s perception of amateur radio.  One cannot really appreciate MacGyver’s ingenuity unless A) they benefit from it (i.e. he saves the day) or B) if they themselves are MacGyvers with the knack for doing what he does.  So the public often just doesn’t get what we do.  While other hobbies like playing an instrument such as a guitar (one of my goals for 2011) are as equally arcane or complicated as amateur radio, the general public can understand the benefits and satisfaction of playing an instrument and enjoy the results.  While it’s easier to just go buy some music on iTunes, I don’t see a similar MacGyver scenario with making music.

The MacGyver concept can also explain mode wars within amateur radio.  Anyone who’s been in amateur radio awhile knows that we have CW aficionados among us who think “real radio” must involve CW.  Some take the MacGyver quality too far and don’t see others as being worthy radio amateurs because they put themselves in less of a tough spot than CW ops choose to.  I think there is often a similar sentiment with QRP versus QRO.

One area in amateur radio that can be at odds with this MacGyver concept is emcomm.  I think the MacGyver-like motivation still applies, it’s just that the so-called “tough spot” Jeff refers to is slightly different.  Emcomm participants tend to prepare for a real tough spot by creating simulated tough spots in the form of drills.  The real tough spot rarely, if ever, happens.  To many people inside and outside of amateur radio it’s questionable whether amateur radio is in a position to save the day in these situations, and I think that’s where the trouble with amateur radio emcomm lies today.  I do think however that the MacGyver concept still applies.

I would love to go on a major DXpedition like the South Georgia or Heard Islands, but paradoxically DX chasing holds little interest for me.  Yes,  it’s the MacGyver concept at work again; working DX really doesn’t challenge me but the thought of a DXpedition does.

Perhaps I’ve beaten to death this concept, but Jeff’s article really struck a chord with me.  Keeping in mind what is at the core of our love of amateur radio can undoubtedly guide us, keep us interested and on track for years of enjoyment.

On a side note, I guess I need to give the obligatory “Happy New Year” greeting.  I’ll spare everyone the resolution list as you all probably know what’s on it and I’ll be writing much of the same list again at the end of this year.  :-)  I thank all of you, my readers and fellow radio artisans, for reading my thoughts, rants, and satire here the past year and hope you’ll stick around for another year.  Happy New Year and 73!

As 2010 comes down the final stretch, I’ve been reflecting on the past year and thinking about 2011.  This year I didn’t do as much operating as past years and I continue to struggle with keeping my interest going.  I don’t think I had a casual CW QSO all year and I haven’t homebrewed a thing.  I’m not sure why, but homebrewing just doesn’t hold the fascination it once did and it seems tedious.  But on the positive side, 6 meters was fun this year during the sporadic E season, despite a rather abrupt ending in August.  The Pennsylvania QSO Party was a blast as usual and I finally made a sweep of all 67 counties which was a new accomplishment.  I participated in the best Field Day I’ve been involved in for several years and was pleased to operate with some folks I hadn’t seen for awhile.  So perhaps while there may have been less quantity, 2010 was likely the year of higher quality.

Looking forward I’ve decided that a new activity and focus in 2011 is going to be activating summits in the Summits On the Air (SOTA) program.  Most areas of the world have SOTA associations that designate the official summits with an identification number.  You can both collect and activate summits and receive awards for both.  My interest is mainly in activating summits.  

SOTA appeals to me for several reasons.  I’ve always been interested in operating in remote and often desolate locations.  There’s some satisfaction in being far away from civilization and establishing communications with a minimal amount of equipment.  I love to combine hiking and amateur radio.  Operating from the trail gives me yet another reason to hike and gives me goals to pursue.

I’ve also had a desire for some time to go on a DXpedition, like somewhere around Antarctica.  I have just about all of the James Brooks 9V1YC DXpedition videos which have stirred up my desire for adventure.  Unfortunately I don’t have six or eight weeks for a vacation at this point in my life nor I do I have the requisite $30K to $40K needed for a trip like this.  But I can dream.  While SOTA summits aren’t like Heard Island or Bouvet, I can make my own little DXpedition adventure.

I haven’t activated a summit yet, but I’ve heard that activations can amass sizable pileups as many people are hunting for SOTA summits, especially in Europe where the program originated and it appears to be quite popular and growing.  It seems SOTA is just getting geared up here in the States, with four callsign area associations established just this past year and two others established in 2009.