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What a blockhead!
August 1st, 2014 | 
Author: I totally screwed up big time in the QRP Fox hunt tonight. After corresponding with Don NK6A, I agreed to be the lower Fox. So what did I do? I set up in the upper half.
And I didn’t realize it even when someone notified me that we were both in the same half – I went up even higher!
Rookie mistake – totally my fault. My apologies to anyone I messed up.
I am going to go find a hole to crawl into, I feel like a moron.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
The Spectrum Monitor – August, 2014
Here are the featured stories from our August, 2014 issue:
The Military Auxiliary Radio System: A Partner in the Nation’s Emergency Preparedness
by David J. Trachtenberg N4WWL, AFA3TR, AFN3PL (National Planning Coordinator), AFN3NE (Northeast Division MARS Director)
In an age where anyone with a cell phone can contact anyone else halfway around the world instantaneously, we seldom think of how we would communicate if traditional means were not available. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) understands this reality. For 89 years it has authorized and sponsored a group of volunteer amateur radio operators to provide a backup communications capability for the U.S. military and other agencies in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. But, with the military relying on satellites and digital Web-based communications, is MARS still useful today?
BBG and Technology Today: The Struggle for Global Relevance
by Ken Reitz KS4ZR
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is a top-heavy, sprawling, federal bureaucracy, with an annual budget in excess of $700 million. It oversees the Voice of America, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB). But, times have changed and more listeners are tuning in via smartphone than shortwave radio. With an ever-decreasing budget, can BBG deliver its message and stay globally relevant?
Returning to the Carrier: The YE-ZB Radio System
by Rich Post KB8TAD
It was July 30, 1935. Navy Lieutenant Frank Akers had been given a unique and hazardous assignment. As the Flight Test and Project Officer for Instrument Flying Development at the Naval Air Station in San Diego, he had been told that the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley, was somewhere at sea about 150 miles from San Diego. He was to find the carrier and attempt to land on it while completely covered by a hood. This would be the ultimate test for an experimental, radio-based instrument landing system. With directional radio beacons, locating the carrier to the point of visual sighting was one thing, but a blind landing on that relatively small moving flat-top was another matter.
Putting the “Radio” in Radio Shack
by Mark Haverstock K8MSH
Radio Shack started in 1921 as a one-store retail and mail-order operation in downtown Boston run by brothers. Theodore and Milton Deutschmann. They chose the name Radio Shack, a term used to describe small wooden shelters that housed a ship’s radio equipment. By 1968 they were the “McDonalds of electronics,” the “Walmart of high tech.” When they moved into Mark Haverstock’s corner of the world—the north suburbs of Pittsburgh—opening what was to become one of more than 7,300 company and franchise stores worldwide, it didn’t matter that there was an already established Lafayette Radio store less than a mile away, or an Olson’s on the other side of town. There couldn’t be enough radio stores for him and his ham/hobbyist friends.
The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription (12 issues, beginning with the January 2014 issue) is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.
Feeling “Fox-ish”
Tonight is my turn to serve as one of the two Foxes in the 20 Meter QRP Fox hunt. If you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about – they say a picture is worth a thousand words:
The USA vs Europe
Disclaimer – this is meant to be a bit of humor – let’s not all get offended!
There are many differences between the USA and Europe:
First off, Europe would fit inside the USA.
You call it petrol, we call it gasoline.
You call them chips (or whatever), we call them fries.
You use the metric system, we’re still on standard.
You use Celsius, we use Fahrenheit.
You call it the cinema, we call it the movies.
And so on, and so on, and so on ……….
But as a Ham, I’ve noticed a big difference in the way we approach special event stations. Here in the US, for the most part but not always, we apply to the FCC through the ARRL for special 1X1 call signs. For instance, when the Piscataway Amateur Radio Club celebrated the tri-centennial of the founding of Piscataway, we applied for and used W2P.
The 13 Colonies special event used call signs such as K2I for New Jersey, K2E for Delaware and so on. The special event station that just celebrated the 45th Anniversary of Apollo 11? W4A.
But in Europe, you guys take the opposite route! Special event stations from European nations can be a mouthful. DM200TSV, SF2014ECC, E72NATO, 3E2000PC, LZ1437MGS and my all time favorite, SV2013ATGM.
What I like about these European call signs is that they try to bear some significance towards the event they are commemorating – SV2013ATGM was about Alexander the Great, E72NATO celebrated membership in NATO and so on. A lot more descriptive than 1X1 call signs, that’s for sure.
I’m just waiting to hear one some day that has all the numbers 0 through 9 and all 26 letters of the alphabet. THAT would be a special, special event call sign – a bear to copy, but special, nonetheless!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
Same callsigns?
One of the drawbacks of WSPR (currently) is you tend to get spotted, or spot, the same stations over and over again. I am even seeing the same stations being spotted on 10m and on 6m.
It would be very nice if there were a lot more active stations, so spots came from a variety of stations. I am even seeing this on JT65 and JT9-1.
Perhaps people think these “new fangled” digital modes are hard and so only a limited number of people (currently) use them. Let me say, if even I can use these modes then anyone can! All these modes are great with low power and have really opened my eyes as to how far very low powered signal can be detected.
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| 10m unique WSPR spots this afternoon (duplicates not shown) |
Overpriced KX3 options
Steve G1KQH has spotted the price of “after-market” mics on eBay. Under £5.
“The price of a Microphone:Someone is having a good laugh at stitching folk up with those KX3 Mics. The whole KX3 price is through the roof but there are plenty on the bands?”
Near miss – 11742km on 10m JT65
This evening CA3SOC (Chile) was calling CQ on 10m JT65. I called and called him – he called CQ about 14 times – but I was unable to raise him. At the start he was -16dB S/N but in the end was down to -22dB S/N. I was copied in Sweden at the same time, but that was no compensation.
Earlier in the afternoon I worked an E74 on PSK63, my first ever QSO on PSK at that speed. I am finding real-time keyboard operating in PSK modes quite “challenging”. Whenever I use the keyboard e.g to write this blog, I make lots of errors that need correcting. This is hard on PSK31 and PSK63 in real time. JT65 and JT9-1 are a lot easier. Currently I am using Digipan software which is simple and basic for PSK modes. I am using WSJTX V1.3 r3673 for JT65 and JT9-1.
