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The KD0BIK 2012 Challenge which is at least one QSO per day is still going strong at the half way point.  I guess technically I’m really not to the 50% mark for another day or two, but I’ve completed two full quarters or six consecutive months of a QSO each and every day and I’m dang proud of the accomplishment. 

The month of June started off with a bang with three new DXCC’s logged on 2 June 2012.  These new DXCC’s were Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.  20 meters had been incredible that evening and those three new DXCC entities just seemed to fly into the logbook.  This makes 61 DXCC for me.  I have about 56 or 57 confirmed. 

Of course, the month of June also included ARRL Field Day.  I logged 117 QSO’s just on Field Day weekend as a 1 delta station.  I hope to finish my 2012 Field Day blog update in the next few days.

Once again I’ve  mapped my QSO’s for June.  I’m using a web tool created by K2DSL called ADIF to Map to create the image below.  The first image is the QSO map for June 2012.

The second QSO map includes all QSO’s for 2012 to date (January – June 2012)

I must also add that the month of June was a very successful and productive month in working on the new basement ham shack.  I’m late on a blog update and will try to get one completed in the next week.  But essentially, the painting of the walls and ceiling is completed.  I also started on the laminate floor on 30 May.   I’m actually on vacation (or as my wife and I are calling it a staycation) the week of Independence Day (4th of July) and I plan to complete the floor and begin the trim work. 

I also expect delivery of the cabinets.  I ordered desk height cabinets to go underneath my desk and then will have wall cabinets above the operating position.  The idea is for neat and organized storage which I hope will help keep a tidy and more functional desk.

The QSO breakdown for June is as follows: 

Mode
Number QSO’s

JT65
56

SSB    
79

PSK31 
46

Additional notes of interest:

DX Stations Worked in June – 19

New DX Entities in June – 3

Total QSO’s for 2012 – 758

Total consecutive QSO days – 182

Days left in 2012 – 184

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

If you’ve listened to the news or picked up a newspaper in the past week, you’ve probably heard about the forest fires in Colorado.  There are several popping up across the state as our temperatures continue to soar and very little to no moisture is falling.  The immediate weather forecast doesn’t look promising. 

The High Park Fire is the big one which is grabbing the most media attention.  At the present time the High Park Fire has burned more than 59,500 acres, destroyed 189 homes and there has been one fatality.  The over 1800 personnel have done an outstanding job to get this fire 50% contained.  Below is a current map of the burn area.  This fire has earned the title of most destructive fire in the history of Colorado.

Many Colorado Hams are assisting to fill in communication gaps and this was recently recognized by the Denver Post.  It’s great to read about amateur radio participating in such activities. 

I’m proud to call Colorado my home.  I’ve lived here for almost 14 years and the beautiful Rocky Mountains have become my playground for all sorts of activities, even including many related to amateur radio.   We all know Mother Nature has a way of healing and in time the forest will return.  However, this destructive fire has taken a toll on those living in the area. 

The various media outlets in the Greater Denver area are advertising the following link to iGivefirst.  Through the iGivefirst website, you can donate to either the Larimer County Humane Society (currently housing over 200 animals displaced by the fire) or the Salvation Army and  American Red Cross.  This link will take you to the iGivefirst website. 

On behalf of all the residents of Colorful Colorado,  Jerry Taylor – KD0BIK thanks you for your prayers and any help you can provide.

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

I’ve had in my possession my new Elecraft KX3 for over  a month.  I’ve watched and waited and watched some more.  I’ve seen many of our fellow hams post pictures and such on the various reflectors about things that worked and things that didn’t work.  Even I speculated on how an existing case would work using a short 2×4.  I later realized I hadn’t taken into account the knobs with my 2×4 prototype.  While the bag which works fine for my 817 does work, I wanted something a little more specific for the KX3. 

My primary selection criteria was maximum protection.  I really didn’t care how many other accessories I could cram into the case….I wanted something that was crush proof and water proof.  In most circumstances, the KX3 case would always be carried inside the backpack I use for SOTA activations.  I carry a smaller pouch which will hold the microphone, power cable etc. 

While I would have gladly spent the $$ for a Pelican case, the size wasn’t right for my application.  Again, I wanted something to protect the KX3…but I didn’t want the added bulk and weight.  I also found a few, what I’ll call Pelican like models, but in the end they simply didn’t make the cut.

What I finally decided to purchase was the SIGG Aluminum Survival Kit Box.  The large size measures 9.0” x 5.7” x 3.0”.  The SIGG Aluminum Box is both durable and leak proof, so my two basic requirements are fulfilled.  The lid locks in to place with two latches on each side and has a rubber gasket to keep moisture and dust out.  Thanks to both Steve, wGØAT and Guy, N7UN for the idea.

While the inside of the box is just simply aluminum (no padding), working in the IT field does have its privileges.  I receive weekly shipments of computers, servers and other computer hardware gadgets.  I have a variety of different foam bits and pieces which will work perfectly to provide a nice comfortable nest for my KX3 to sit in. 

Right now I’m still in basement construction mode.  I start painting this weekend and there just is no time for SOTA activations.  But I’m staying busy with conducting presentations to both local clubs and via remote connections to clubs outside the area.  I’ll update once I have all the foam padding work completed in the new KX3 case.

Until then…

73 de KDØBIK

As the title reads, my 2012 Challenge of having a QSO a Day is on the way to the half way mark.  One more month and we’ll close out the second consecutive quarter, six months and 50% of the year having completed a QSO each day. 

I have admit, the fun really does continue.  I worried that either I might get bored or find it “a chore” to get down to the shack each and every day.  However, I’ve settled into a routine and it works nicely. 

I use UTC as my time and date.  During this time of year, 0000z occurs at my local 6 PM.  I usually get home from work by 5:30, we eat and then I head down to the shack usually around 6:30 PM (0030z).  I log my contact(s) then spend the rest of the evening with my wife.  We did have some nice band conditions during parts of May and I would head back down to the shack for 30 minutes or so around 0400 UTC. 

During much of the work week, I’m mainly concentrating on getting my one QSO worked and logged.  However, on the weekend (when I’m not working on the new shack) I’ve been working special event stations and having fun in the various US State QSO parties taking place on the bands.  By the way, have you listened to my new weekly PARP Plus edition podcast?  PARP Plus is released on Monday evenings (0000z).  Each episode is around 15 minutes in length and I provide a rundown of all the activities taking place in the week and weekend ahead.  The PARP Plus edition covering this week and this coming weekend is available now.

Also, the path to DXCC continues to add up.  This month I worked a total of nine DX stations with three being new DX entities.  The new DX added in May was Bulgaria, New Zealand and Turkey. 

I also decided to map my May QSO’s.  I’m using a web tool created by K2DSL called ADIF to Map to create the image below. 

Finally, May was a productive month for work in the new basement ham shack.  As I updated you all earlier in the week, the drywall work is done and the texture process is also complete.  We picked up paint and paint supplies last weekend and hope to get started next weekend.   It’s all finally starting to come together and I’m very pleased with how it looks.  It’s going to be a fantastic ham shack, home office and man-cave.

The QSO breakdown for May is as follows: 

Mode
Number QSO’s

JT65
61

SSB   
37

PSK31
1

Additional notes of interest:

DX Stations Worked in May – 9

New DX Entities in May – 3

Total QSO’s for 2012 – 577

Total consecutive QSO days – 152

Days left in 2012 – 214

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

I bet you’re thinking, “Jerry received his KX3 and the basement project has been placed on the back, back burner”.  Yes, it’s been a while since I provided a progress update on the basement project.  Yes, I did receive my KX3 as I’ve blogged about several times.  But NO, the basement project was not placed on the back, back burner…it has been progressing along nicely.  Today I have a major update to provide.

We’ve turned some major corners in the past few months with this project.  While I know many of you could certainly have done everything I’ve completed over the past 3-4 months in perhaps just a few weekends, I’ve wanted to make sure I had time for other things.  Plus I’ve never considered this to be a race.  Very early on I established a goal for completion of Labor Day weekend to be fully moved into the new space.  I’m very happy to report that we are still on-time and on budget.

On April 16th, I reported “The Shack has a Ceiling”.  My wife and I started the process of mudding the joints and all the screw holes (along with a few “oops” areas).  We taped and applied the first coat of joint compound (drywall mud), then sanded.  We repeated that process, then sanded.  Finally, last weekend I applied the third and final finish and wider coat of joint compound and we lightly sanded.  We were ready for the next phase…texture!

Of all the tasks I’ve performed for this project (framing, electrical, plumbing, A/C Vent, drywall) applying texture is the only thing I’ve never done before.  So I spent some spare time over the past week or two watching YouTube videos and reading as much as I could on the art of applying texture.  Because I will have some other future drywall projects to complete, we opted to purchase a texture sprayer/hopper gun versus rent. 

Home Depot sells the Wal-Board Texture Pro 200 hopper sprayer for $70 bucks.   While this machine might not be everything a pro would need, I figured it would work fine for my use.   Since I had used the pre-mixed joint compound for the taping and mudding phase, I decided to stick with that versus other formulas. 

Since I had never applied texture I really had no clue just how much material (joint compound) we would use.  I started out with two 5 pound buckets.  In an empty 5 gallon bucket I thinned the pre-mixed joint compound into a consistency of thick paint.  We were looking for a medium orange peel texture.  After mixing for a few minutes with my drill and mixing attachment, I filled the hopper and applied texture to the side of a cardboard box.  A little tweaking of air pressure and mixture consistency and I was ready to go. 

After texturing two of the 16’ walls, I realized I probably needed another 5 gallon bucket of pre-mix.  I kept mixing and spraying, mixing and spraying.  My wife was starting to feel sorry for me and I think she also secretively wanted to try her hand at the texture gun.  She began spraying while I continued to mix.

This teamwork actually worked out really well.  I didn’t fill the hopper as full as I would have normally done for myself and when I wasn’t mixing compound, it allowed me to move and position the drop cloth and plastic around the room as she continued to spray.  We managed to get all the walls textured in just about 3 hours. 

To celebrate, we went to Home Depot yesterday and took advantage of their Behr paint Memorial Day Savings event.    We saved $5 per gallon and $25 per 5-gallon.  A nice savings and just when we needed it. 

We will probably take this coming weekend off and resume work on the weekend of June 9-10.   The next phase is the painting phase and I suppose if we get started on 9 June, we could easily be finished in a few weekends and have the painting phase finished by July.   This leads us to the flooring phase. 

At the time of this blog posting, we are not 100% clear on just what we will do with the floor.  Tile of some type has always been the top choice.  Carpet in a basement just doesn’t work and I want the ability to zoom across the room in my chair if need be.  Decisions…Decisions…but they will be made and will be made in the very near future.

My apologies as the picture above just simply does not do the texture job any justice at all.  I took this in a hurry this morning and didn’t take time to turn on all the portable lights.  The ceiling recessed lighting is still covered.    The two bumps are tape covering electrical outlet boxes.  These will be just above the desk surface in the ham shack. 

While I hate the see the long holiday weekend come to an end, there is a part of me that is looking forward to going back to work so that I can get some rest and recharge my batteries for the next phase…PAINT!!!

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK

A new weekly audio edition of the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast, called PARP Plus is now available.  PARP Plus will feature a rundown of all the amateur radio happenings taking place on the bands for the upcoming week and weekend.  If you enjoy working special event stations, contests, dxpeditions…but just don’t have time to track down what is taking place and where, then I believe PARP Plus will help you.

If you have 15 minutes each week to listen to the podcast, I’ll run through all you need to know for all the on-air activities taking place in the week ahead.
Each weekly PARP – Plus Edition will release on Monday evening around 0000z and will cover the week/weekend ahead. Just listen and make note of the various special events, contests, dxpeditions, hamfests etc. that I discuss…then just work them.

You’ll still get your BIG PARP episode each month. PARP 56 will be available in June, just before Field Day.

I hope this new weekly format helps you. I also plan to mix in other content from time to time. So please download and listen. If you are already receiving PARP, you’ll get PARP – Plus the same way.

PARP Plus, episode 001 covering the week of May 22 through May 28 is available now at MyAmateurRadio.com. 

73 de KDØBIK

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Dayton Hamvention this year.  It was on my list of things to try to accomplish for 2012, but since I’m heading out west to Pacificon in October, I needed to save my pennies for that adventure.  The Dayton Hamvention will be moved to my “things to accomplish list” for 2013.

As you may know from my recent blogging, I do own the brand new Elecraft KX3.  I described this little rig in a recent podcast as “ultra-lite, ultra-portable, ultra-awesome” and the KX3 certainly lives up to all of these fine attributes.  While I’ve owned my Yaesu FT-817 for about 4 years, I really love the larger display of the KX3 and of course all the updated features certainly don’t hurt either.

The Yaesu FT-817 was first released in 2001 and an updated FT-817ND model was made available in 2004.  The 817 is based on the main circuit board design of its bigger and more powerful brothers, the FT-857 and FT-897. 

As I stated, I purchased my 817 back in the 2008 timeframe and used it for portable operations and carried it along with me on hiking and backpacking trips.  I became hooked on SOTA or Summits On The Air in the fall of 2011 and this became my main radio for that purpose.

While I’m perfectly happy with my KX3 and have already used it on one SOTA adventure, I was (like many) thinking, hoping, expecting, anticipating Yaesu to unveil it’s new QRP portable offering at the 2012 Dayton Hamvention.  However, the Dayton Hamvention is over and there was no announcement or news of any kind from Yaesu regarding their future QRP/Portable offering.  I’m wondering if the boat has sailed and left Yaesu high and dry? 

With Elecraft announcing the KX3 at the 2011 Dayton Hamvention and opening the KX3 up for orders in late December 2011 and beginning to ship orders in the Spring of 2012, the 2012 Dayton Hamvention would be the perfect place to announce a new QRP offering from Yaesu.  Well…that is if a new offering was planned.

Of course, Yaesu is big enough and perhaps powerful enough not to necessarily need to leverage an event like the Dayton Hamvention to announce a new QRP rig.  Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the FT-817.  While it may be over 10 years old, the old dinosaur is still kicking and screaming and loved in the QRP community.  As I stated I do own one and I plan to keep it….for now!  

So why do I even bring this up?  Well I do have an interest in QRP operations and an updated offering from Yaesu would be great news for the hobby.  However, I don’t view this as doom and gloom.  I figure Yaesu will update their aging line of 817’s, 857’s and 897’s when they feel the time is right.  However, I just wonder if that time is NOW!

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK