Which Modes Have You Operated?

Graphic courtesy of Ham Radio School

For our local 2m net, the Net Control Station asks a Question of the Night to stimulate some discussion. Recently, the question was:

Do you have any interest in CW. If yes, Do you currently operate CW or do you plan to learn? If you have no interest in CW, what other modes besides voice do you operate on or would like to?

I am not a huge CW fan, but I do use it from time to time, especially when it comes to squeezing out difficult contacts on VHF or UHF. However, this question had me thinking about the various modes I have operated, so I made a list:

SSB - quite often on HF, VHF, UHF
CW  - not nearly as often but on HF, VHF, UHF
FM/PM - lots of VHF activity here, 2m FM is the Utility Mode
AM  - a few times, just to check it out
RTTY - I used to do this often but my interest has faded
PSK31 - I used to do this often but my interest has faded
FT8 - this one has taken over my digital operating
FT4 - a faster alternative to FT8, often better to use
Q65 - I just started using this for weak-signal VHF/UHF
MSK144 - for meteor scatter, but I haven't done that for a while
AX.25 - VHF packet radio, including APRS
DMR - the most common digital mode in Colorado
D-STAR - I used D-STAR when it first came out but lost interest
C4FM - Yaesu Fusion, I've used it a few times

Each one of these modes has a story behind it…often I was just looking for something new to try. (If you find yourself getting bored with ham radio, it might be time to try a new mode.)

This list also reminds me that I need to get back to chasing grids on the 2-meter band, using CW, SSB, FT8, MSK144, and Q65. I have a new tower up that I’ve not taken full advantage of for VHF/UHF.

That’s my list of modes used, what does your list look like?

73 Bob K0NR

The post Which Modes Have You Operated? appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.


Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Time for a little vacation.

The Grand Manan ferry coming in to dock

 

Before the winter hits we thought it would be a great idea to head off to Grand Manan Island for some rest and relaxation. The island of  Grand Manan is located right in the middle of the Bay of Fundy and at this time of year, the island is starting to slow down. The population goes from 5600 to about 2600 winter residents. The Island belongs to the province of New Brunswick but seems on a map a lot closer to the state of Maine. During the summer 2 ferries operate between Grand Manan and drop to one ferry from late fall to spring. The island has one main road from north to south and a max speed of 80km. I sold my  Elecraft KX3 (bad move on my part) or I would have something set up here for radio operations during the vacation. 


The island has a few beaches that are great for sea glass which my wife Julie loves to hunt for and we spend about 2 hours each doing while the tide is still out. There is one grocery store, a small hospital, one gas station, a volunteer fire dept, a small police detachment and tones of fishing boats as this is the main industry for the island. 

Our view from the cottage with the tide out.

 

The cottage is in a cove off the Bay of Fundy and surrounded by fishing boat docks. The only ocean wild life up to this point was a seal just off our shore. Here are a few pics. 



Our neighbor again with the tide out.




Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

The Space weather that didn’t…..

 

The forecast

This past weekend was not shaping up to be a stellar contest weekend. The sun was very active and blowing bits and bits directed toward Earth. The predictions were not looking good. On the contest groups I  follow the scuttle was "rough seas ahead" I planned to participate in the California QSO Party, last year was my first year dabbling in this contest. I was shocked at the amount of activity and I made 61 contacts the previous year. I marked it in my contest calendar as a must-do QSO party.  With the solar forecast, I was hoping to meet my previous year's score at least. 


Now that the weekend has come and gone I ended up tripling my score from last year and doubled my contacts! The poor solar weekend forecast was a flop and conditions were great. My best band was 10m  hands down followed by 15m and then 20m. The way I look at the solar forecast is just that it's a forecast and you have to wait and see.




Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

ICQ Podcast Episode 440 – UK Ham Fest 2024 Part1

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and the episode's feature is UK Ham Fest 2024 Part1

We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

  • PRESENTER OPINION : The ARRL elections this year are a sham?
  • UK, NZ Hams Mark 100 Years of Two-Way Radio Communication
  • US Lawmakers Wait to Vote on AM Radio Legislation
  • Hamsci Researcher Reports on Space-Weather Monitoring Tool
  • Dozens of Radio Stations Were Knocked Off the Air by Helene
  • Russia and Belarus eligible again for the CQ WW Contest Awards
  • RSGB Response to Ofcom Consultation concerning the 2.3GHz band
  • Chasing Cornwallis Challenge Continues
  • FCC Escalates Enforcement of Pirate Radio in Miami, NYC Metro Area

Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].

Ham College 117


Ham College episode 117 is now available for download.

Ham College 117
Technician Exam Questions Part 4.
T1D – Authorized and prohibited transmissions: communications with other countries, music, exchange of information with other services, indecent language, compensation for operating, retransmission of other amateur signals, encryption, sale of equipment, unidentified transmissions, one-way transmission.

Download
YouTube


George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].

Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 350

Amateur Radio Weekly

Helene Aftermath: Aid, community resilience, and egress/ingress
We are still using a simplex frequency (147.55 MHz) for communications in the neighborhood and another (146.52 MHz) for the Swannanoa area on the VHF calling frequency.
QRPer

Ham Radio and the aftermath of Helene
Traditional media reports are beginning to pop up, highlighting the ability for Amateur Radio to help during natural disasters.
Amateur Radio Daily

Space Station Slow Scan TV transmissions
ARISS is planning a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) experiment from the International Space Station, scheduled to start on Tuesday, October 8, and running until Monday, October 14.
AMSAT UK

Tiny4FSK – The lightweight Horus Binary Tracker
Tiny4FSK aims to be an ultra-tiny high-altitude tracking system. It runs on 1 AA battery that lasts for 10-17 hours.
New England Weather Balloon Society

Strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25
Two CMEs are now heading for Earth following consecutive X-flares.
SpaceWeather.com

Tinkering with an antenna
As this was going to be an experimental antenna, I didn’t care too much how kludgey the thing looked.
KB6NU

Making your first QSOs on 10 GHz using the Icom IC-905
KI8R, with help from the active community of microwave operators and assistance provided by rain scatter propagation, makes two QSOs on 10 GHz.
OnAllBands

Python code to generate WSPR audio tones
This works both on my Mac and on a Raspberry Pi with no modification.
marxys musing on technology

How to take backpack portable radio to the next level
Field trials – including a couple of successful POTA activations – with this arrangement verified that the backpack has sufficient stability to support a 20m quarter wave whip.
Ham Radio Outside the Box

Voice of America will get a new headquarters
For 70 years it has been based at its current location, almost in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol.
Radio World

The 1924 Martian Signal: A cosmic curiosity
The U.S. Navy imposed a nationwide radio silence for five minutes each hour to allow observatories to listen for signals from Mars.
Hackaday

Video

AWA AM QSO Party
Operating a rare Collins KW1 at the Antique Wireless Association during their annual AM QSO Party.
N2MAK

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Amateur Radio Weekly is curated by Cale Mooth K4HCK. Sign up free to receive ham radio's most relevant news, projects, technology and events by e-mail each week at http://www.hamweekly.com.

Help: Searching for a Special Teletype

Around 2000-2005 my grandfather, Carl McDaniel, W3HC (SK) (ex W3HCW) in Williamsport, PA sold his Model 15 KSR teletype to someone. I have no idea who. Below is a picture of the teletype in 1973, with me beside it.

When it was sold it was paired with a black equipment cabinet which the unit sat upon, rather than the table it is pictured on above. The cabinet contains the black panel mounted in the table shown above with a CRT for RTTY tuning in the upper left and some filler panels.

If you know where this teletype is located, please contact me at [email protected]. I would be willing to pay a good price for it, assuming its in reasonable condition. At the very least it would be nice to know who has it now as it has special value to me and my family.

This article was originally posted in Radio Artisan.


Anthony, K3NG, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com.

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