AmateurRadio.com

I hiked on Shute Hill this afternoon. It’s definitely late summer. The sounds of crickets say so. The loud buzzing of bees on the goldenrod tell me fall is around the corner. I made a wonderful 2-way QRP QSO with Georgia.

The trail goes south and east from the old cemetery off the Rufus Colby Road. It goes all the way over the hill to the range road on the other side.

I walk for about 20 minutes. There are asters and goldenrod everywhere.

I set up along the trail under a beautiful oak tree. I’m using the MTR by Steve Weber, KD1JV. It’s a tiny 3-band rig powered by 8 AA cells. It gives me about 3 watts. I have hung a 20 meter dipole as a vertical from a branch and I sit on the ground with the MTR in my lap.

I hear K4JPN Steve in Georgia finishing up a QSO and I call him. He answers right away and gives me a 579. He is 599. He is running a K2 to a 3 element beam. He drops his power down to 2 watts. I still have solid copy and we chat for about 15 minutes. I’ve worked Steve about a half dozen times before. He spent lots of time in New Hampshire as a youngster and he’s as glad as I am for the contact.

Here’s my view from my operating position. At the bottom right of the photo, you will see a water bottle. It is hanging from the end of the dipole keeping the antenna taut.

It’s not a fancy place with a spectacular view. But it’s beautiful nonetheless. I pack up and hike back to the cemetery where I left my car.

I took my Class B amateur radio exam on November 25th, 1949 which was the day after Thanksgiving. In early 1950 my W2DEC license arrived in the mail, I was the happiest kid in the state of New Jersey. My pathway into operational ham radio was a home built transmitter and a purchased receiver. A generation of Novices would soon pursue this same route.

I worked the entire summer prior to getting my license saving enough money to purchase a Hallicrafter S-40A. My first transmitter was based on a QST article and contained a crystal controlled 6AQ5 driving a 6L6 amplifier I had no idea how much power I was running, who could afford a meter? My first antenna was a folded dipole constructed using 300-ohm twin lead commonly used to feed TV antennas. The antenna ran around the ceiling of a first-floor apartment. The performance of this antenna could charitably be described as abysmal.

With this rig my QSO rate was about one every third day. I did learn an important lesson, if you have a weak signal don’t waste your time calling CQ because only those skilled in clairvoyance would be attracted to answer a signal that was 90% imagination. However I could, on occasion, get someone calling CQ to respond to my reply.

My home was Hillside, NJ which is between Newark and Elizabeth. All my contacts were with the first, second and third call areas plus a couple of VEs. My best DX was a QSO with a very patient operator in Northern Maine.

After about five months using this rig, I talked two neighbors into allowing me to string my folded dipole between their clothesline poles and things started to improve dramatically. Suddenly, station in the fourth, eighth and ninth call areas were within my grasp. My best DX was Miami FL, I was on my way with flying colors.

My Elmer, Jim McGintey W2YYP, helped me set up a BC459 (WWII general use transmitter) with a power supply scrounged from parts from a discarded TV set. The difference when using when using a VFO controlled transmitter was dramatic. The transition from an indoor antenna to an outdoor antenna and from a crystal controlled to a VFO rig had taken my QSO rate from one every second or third day to frequently five, or more, Qs per day.

One evening I heard KG4AN calling CQ NYC. KG4, at the time, was exclusive Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Since I was close to NYC I called him and back he came. I was so nervous I could barely send coherent code. KG4AN was a Marine stationed on Gitmo and his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. He asked me to call his parents on Long Island to pass along the good news , I happily complied. I was now on my way to becoming a DXer with three countries, W, VE and KG4, worked and soon to be confirmed. The KG4AN QSL hung on my wall for many years; unfortunately, the card became a victim of hurricane Sandy.

Almost all of my operating was in the afternoon after school or the early evenings. I heard a few Europeans but didn’t have enough confidence to even call them. I had yet to work anyone west of the Mississippi.

One night I woke up about 2 AM with a toothache and couldn’t get back to sleep. I wondered if anyone was on the air at that hour and got up and turned on the rig. I didn’t touch a single dial and there was a W7 calling CQ. I called him and much to my surprise he came back. In those days you were located in the call area where you call indicated unless you were signing /some other call area. Sure enough, he was in Arizona. I was so excited I sent him an air mail QSL card. In 1950 postage to send a QSL card was a penny and an air mail QSL cost 4 cents. I sprang for mailing my card in an envelope which set me back 6 cents. The card from W7RA hung in a place of honor on my wall for years to come. I sometimes wonder if Mark Zuckerberg’svFacebook idea of putting important things on a wall didn’t originate with radio hams.

Taking one more look at the band before heading back to bed I hear another W7 calling CQ. Can I be lucky twice in the same session? Yes sir and Washington State was added to my growing list of states worked. That glorious night taught me two important lessons; learn about propagation and if you want different states and try operating at times you usually not on the air.

The next night the toothache was gone but I was again up a 2 AM. I worked a W6 and a couple of W0s stations. A few nights later I was tuning the band and there was a KH6 working another W2. I waited until they were done and called the KH6. Another miracle, he came back. A few nights later a ZL was added to my log and the DX hook had been firmly set. The rest, as they say, is history.
Although I worked my way up to being one country off the top of the honor roll in 1965, none of the contacts putting me at that lofty level equaled the thrill of working the first KG4, W7 and KH6. If it hadn’t been for a toothache who knows how my ham radio career would have unfolded, I may have never become a DXer.

Stories you’ll find in our September, 2016 issue:

TSM Reviews:
Elad FDM-Duo: A QRP SDR Transceiver with or without PC
By Mark Haverstock K8MSH

Elad has taken the best of their diminutive software defined receiver (SDR), the FDM-S2, added a transmitter and fit it inside a stylish, compact case. It can be used as a standalone unit by connecting to an external 13.8-volt DC power supply and antenna. It can also be controlled by your computer using the FDM-SW2 software also shared by the FDM-S2. That makes this one of the most versatile radios that can be used for as a portable, mobile, or base station. And, like many recent rigs, the Elad is upgradeable through firmware and software, which means you’ll get the benefit of future improvements as they become available. Mark put the FDM-Duo to the on-air test.

TSM Reviews: Icom IC-R6 Sport 16 All-band Hand-held Receiver
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

Readers have asked Thomas about the Icom IC-R6 Sport 16; a compact handheld receiver that covers from 100 kHz to 1309.995 MHz. What makes the IC-R6 appealing is that––at just $175 US––it is one of the least expensive wideband handhelds/scanners on the market that not only covers the shortwave bands, but also the AM broadcast, Longwave, FM broadcast, Public Service as well as NOAA weather frequencies. Thomas puts this handheld giant to a real world reception test.

The Hacking of FLTSATCOM 8
By Bob Grove W8JHD

For more than a decade, enterprising Brazilians have been making use of an aging US military satellite parked over the Atlantic Ocean to talk sports, play music and, some say, engage in legitimate and illegitimate business activities. In a country as vast as Brazil, lacking infrastructure to huge parts of the country, this satellite, once a mainstay in the Navy’s global communications network, has helped long distance truckers, families, hobbyists and possibly even criminals in their daily lives. Bob shows us how easy this is to do and why other satellites may also be vulnerable.

GMRS: The “Other” Citizen’s Band – Part 1
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is sometimes equated with Family Radio Service (FRS) because of the inexpensive, dual-use portables sold today in every discount store. And, although it is easy to find FRS radios with GMRS capabilities, they are not the same service. GMRS still requires a license and carries other restrictions, but with the license comes flexibility that’s more akin to the amateur radio service.

TSM Reviews: Sangean HD-18 AM/FM/HD-Radio Tabletop Set
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR

In recent years, radio manufacturers appear to have abandoned the concept of HD-Radio in anything except car radios. Even in the automotive environment, HD reception capability is included only in the higher end models. Now, Sangean has hit the market with a trio of HD-capable radios at three different price points. This month we take a close look at the HD-18; Sangean’s mid-priced AM/FM/HD-Radio. Now listeners all over the US have the chance to explore the multicast digital world of HD-FM at home.

Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
Enabling Interoperability; Erie (PA) and Denton (TX) Counties

Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Political Conventions Wrap Up

Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
Identifying US Military on ALE

Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
African Peacekeeping and Police Networks

HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman

Digitally Speaking
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
Controlling Influences

VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
SOTA Loop Repurposed Through Innovation

Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
The ‘Deserted Island’ HF Antenna

Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Solar Cycle 25 or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Maunder Minimum

The World of Shortwave Listening
By Jeff White, General Manager WRMI
NASB Brings Shortwave Broadcasters and Listeners Together in Music City

The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
Radio Ukraine, RFI and Radio Syria

Amateur Radio Satellites
By Keith Baker KB1SF/VA3KSF
Summer: Satellite Antenna Experimenting Time

The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Improve Your LW Antenna; a Visit from KR61SS; SAQ on the Air; Readers’ Logs

Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Restoring a Classic: The Philco 60B “Baby Grand” Cathedral

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 is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.

Playing around with DMR in Holland was fun. But back in Taiwan my brand new Tytera MD-390 would be totally useless. There is no DMR activity here (yet) and up till recently I was the first and only ham in Taiwan with a DMR ID (4661001).

Luckily there are little devices called “hotspots” and one of the most popular one right now is the DV4mini, designed by DG8FAC (Stefan Reimann), DG1HT (Torsten Schultze) and DJ0ABR (Kurt Moraw). The DV4mini is a tiny USB stick that can turn any PC into a hotspot for all the amateur digital modes: C4FM, D-Star and of course DMR. It does P25 and dPMR, too. Basically it is a router for your DMR transceiver. Ham radio purists will undoubtedly cringe at the thought of RF being routed via the internet, but this is 2016 and everything is connected to the internet, so let’s get over it.

Still in Holland Cor (PD0GHF) was again very helpful and invited me into his shack for me to check out his DV4mini setups. Yes, setups, because Cor is a man with a lot of radio equipment, especially in his trusty Volvo.For the DV4mini to work you need to hook it up to a computer, install the software, configure it and off you go. The computer can be your laptop, PC, but also one of those mini computers, like the Raspberry Pi. With a tiny 3.5 inch TFT screen you can make a very portable hotspot. Cor already made two of them.Unfortunately for me Cor didn’t want to part with one of his hotspots, but luckily I had already bought my own DV4mini. Now some of you may know I am not a big fan of the Raspberry Pi, but Cor’s setup looked very appealing. And then Dave (PD5DOF) gave me a 3.5″ TFT screen as a parting gift at the last VERON meeting I attended. So I sighed and ordered a Rpi from RS, which arrived in a couple of days. I ordered the Rpi3 because it is the first Pi with on-board WiFi, so no need to buy a separate WiFi adapter.

There are many ready-made images, with the DV4mini software already installed, available to download on the net. You burn an image on a micro SD card, insert it in the Rpi and your Pi will come alive. But of the 10+ images I tried not one worked on my Pi3, probably because they were made for the Pi2. The plain vanilla Raspbian image did work with my Pi3 and the 3.5″ TFT screen, but the DV4mini software wouldn’t work. The Ubuntu MATE image would work with the DV4mini software, but not with my 3.5″ TFT screen.

So after a week of fiddling around I took the latest Raspian image, installed the latest version of Mono (open source version of MS.NET) from scratch and then the special version of the DV4mini software for small screens. And because I did all that I can now present you with……

THE FIRST EVER DMR AMATEUR RADIO STATION IN TAIWAN…..As you can see I am connected to the reflector connecting all of Holland (4500). I can now take my MD-390, walk out of the shack, sit on the couch and be able to talk with all my fine friends back home, while being in Taiwan!

In Holland most repeaters are connected to the Brandmeister network. In fact, if you look at this map it is becoming the most popular network to connect DMR repeaters to in the world. The Brandmeister network has a dashboard at https://brandmeister.network/ and the good thing about this dashboard is that you can actually see if you connected to the network.Not only that, your most recent transmissions are also logged.Apart from QSOs with Dutch hams I have also had QSOs with the US, Sweden and Australia and they were real QSOs as well. Not much use exchanging a “59” when using DMR, is it now? For me this is most important as it allows me to break my isolation here in Taiwan by being able to have QSOs with ham friends from back home and also make new friends all over the world. I always thought that that was the essence of amateur radio. Am I right?

I went for a quick hike this morning before lunch to some remote farm fields not far from home. I worked France, Serbia, Kansas, Canary Islands and Russia. It was a beautiful, beautiful morning.

I started out on Hunkins Pond Road and hiked north up an old farm lane. Then I turned east on the old range road. This old road cuts straight through the woods for probably 8 miles. But just a short way up this road I came to David Swain’s hay fields on top of the hill. It’s a beautiful place. This view is looking east toward the Belknap Mountain range.

I set up the KX3 at the edge of the field and tossed my wire over a huge maple. I started out on 20 meters. The first station I heard was Bert F6HKA in France. He was working the Romanian DX contest. We exchanged 599s and a serial number. Next I worked a Serbian station YT1A also working the contest.

My third QSO was up the band a little with W0L. Jerry was working the Kansas QSO party and I sent 599 and NH. Then I listened around a bit to see how the other bands were doing. I finally settled on 17 meters where I heard a couple of strong DX stations.

EA8TL in the Canary Islands was calling CQ right at the bottom of the band. Jorge was very strong and we made a quick exchange. Up the band I heard Alex RK3ER also calling CQ. “Hello Jim,” he sent as he gave me a 559. He was 599 to me.

Now the sun was almost overhead and it was getting pretty hot in the field. I packed up and headed home for lunch after a final glance to the south.

Trevor Holyoak, KD7GHI, grew up in a house full of homemade gadgets that his dad made including clocks, a TV, and radios. He learned basic electronics from him, and practiced on a 150-in-one kit from Radio Shack.

“I watched him do CW and string wire antennas across the yard, and so I was aware of ham radio at a young age,” he said. “He built our first home computer, a Sinclair ZX81, from a kit and that got me started down a path that I’m still on today.”

Holyoak is a professional computer programmer and began creating Android apps on the side a few years ago.

“I got the idea to create the Ham Radio Podcasts app because I had already built a couple of other podcast apps for specific interests, and I discovered that there are a bunch of great amateur radio podcasts out there,” said Holyoak. “I put them all together in an app that makes it easy to listen to them. You can stream the episodes as you listen, or you can download them and listen to them later when you don’t have a data connection.”

A few of the twenty featured podcasts include 100 Watts and a Wire, ARRL’s The Doctor is In, Everything Ham Radio, Ham Nation, Ham Radio 2.0, Ham Radio 360, Ham Talk Live, and HamRadioNow.

Like many hams, Holyoak’s involvement in ham radio throughout his life has waxed and waned. “After a few years I became inactive, although I still kept a radio on hand in case of emergency,” he said.

It wasn’t until last year, when he was asked him to spearhead an emergency communications effort in his local area that he finally became active again. He is now very active and is currently studying for the General test. He purchased an all-band, all-mode base station and was recently elected as an officer for his local club.

“Since I’m currently a Technician, I mostly have been active on 2m and 70cm FM, although I’ve also been dabbling in SSB on 6m and trying to figure out how to reach someone on 10m with a end-fed long wire antenna,” he said. “I’m very interested in getting into digital modes on HF once I get my General license.”

Listening to the popular ham radio podcasts has been an easy way for him to get back up to speed quickly and learn about new aspects of the hobby.

“Personally, I most enjoy the podcasts that are in a particular technical subject that I’d like to learn more about,” he said. “Some of my favorites are ARRL’s The Doctor is In, Everything Ham Radio, and Ham Radio 360.”

The app is available free (ad-supported) on Google Play:
Ham Radio Podcasts

Everyone has an “Elevator Pitch” nowadays. The idea is to have something prepared to deliver in a minute or so (during an elevator ride) to a listener or reader.

Ham Radio can use elevator pitches, too, and you don’t even need an elevator!

One possibility is to use social networks or newsletters to do ham radio outreach. Your piece will be aimed at non-hams, and should catch their interest and tell them how to take action.

For example, I edit “Catalyst,” the monthly newsletter of our Oregon church. One of the perks of the job is a monthly column, “Cataclysm,” where I can write pretty much anything I like. In my experience, most community newsletters are perpetually hungry for material. If you can put together a few sentences with both subjects and verbs, you can deliver an effective elevator pitch for ham radio in a page or so. Pictures, even from a cell phone camera, are a plus in most publications.

The “Cataclysm” I wrote today is not meant to tell readers everything they need to know about ham radio or even about “Summits on the Air,” or SOTA. The aim is to give people a quick idea of what SOTA and ham radio are about, to suggest that they take action to find out more, and to tell them how to do that.

That’s not very much, but it’s a lot for one page.