AmateurRadio.com

A few days ago, I went out to the car as I usually do, for some lunchtime QRP.  In my haste to get everything put away after I was done, I inadvertently knocked the external battery off the car seat onto the floor. The KX3 started to move, as it was still attached, but a quick hand stopped it, and all was well. Or so I thought.


Yesterday, I went out again, and this time the KX3 wouldn't turn on. No problem, I thought to myself, the battery was probably on its way out, as it has been a while since I have given it its last drink.  So last evening, while I was attending a CERT class on animal handling during declared emergencies, I had the battery plugged in at home, charging.

When I got home, around 10:00 PM, I tried reconnecting the battery to the KX3 to see if everything was OK.  Still no sign of life - my KX3 was still flat lining..  Hmmmmmm ........ could the battery have gone totally bad?

I carried the radio down to the shack 13.8V power supply.  Viola!  It turned on! 

And then immediately turned off.


My brain went into over drive. What the %(#@*#$ was going on ?!?

I dread sending stuff out for repair.  Don't know why, I just do.  I was in the professional photographic electronics repair biz for over 20 years. I have fixed studio strobes costing well over $12,000.00.  I have taken apart digital camera backs that cost more than a Mercedes Benz. I have stared down banks of charged capacitors storing up enough electrons to supply 6,400 Joules of energy in one pop - certainly I should be able to figure out a relatively minor KX3 repair? Right?

I rolled up my sleeves and got down to it.  Obviously, this was a power problem.  But why was the rig shutting down so quickly?  Internal short?  Bad connection somewhere? Then I noticed that if I wiggled the power plug a certain way, the radio would stay on.  My mind immediately flashed back to the battery falling incident from the other day.  I must have done something to the power socket.


The advantage of building the KX3 (if that's what you want to call it) is that you know how it goes together, so you're not frightened at the prospect of taking it apart.  You've seen it in all its naked glory and you lovingly put it together at least once, right?  So what's the big deal in taking it apart?

Well, when you built it roughly five years ago, some of the finer details of how it went together get muddled up in the old memory banks.  That's why it's good to never toss the build manual!  Within about 5 -7 minutes I had it apart and had the display circuit in my hand.  A little extra light and a lot of extra magnification from a magnifying glass confirmed my suspicion.

The power socket is a surface mount device, just about like everything else on that display/control circuit board. The weight of the battery tugged the socket enough to unmoor it from its assigned, tinned pads.  When I would wiggle the connector "down" towards the circuit board, everything worked.  As soon as I let downward pressure go, the connector would break contact from the circuit board again and the radio would appear dead.

I ran upstairs for a pair of scrubs and to wash my hands to prep for surgery. NO! Just kidding!


I changed my soldering station tip to the skinniest one that I have for when I work on SMD devices and I re-soldered that connector onto its pads. I took great care to add just a little "extra" solder just to make sure the connection is good, solid and won't come apart so easily in the future.

I hastily (I'll get back to that in a minute) put everything together and fired the radio up. Fixed! Problem solved! High fives and happy dances all around!

I will have to go back sometime over the weekend to remove the front plexiglass display window, though.  In my haste, I wasn't so careful about finger prints.  I'll have to go back and clean that up.  Yes, I know ...... call me anal.  I can't help it!

But as this blog post says - the patient (and more importantly, the doctor) are doing just fine! And even more importantly - no return trip to Aptos!

PROGNOSIS: Excellent!  Today's lunchtime QRP session netted the following:

N0TA - SOTA peak W0C/PR-082 (Squaw Mountain) in CO on 20 Meters.
VP5/AC0W - Turks and Caicos Islands on 20 Meters
CT9/OM3RM - Madeira Island on 20 Meters.
PJ2/NF9V - Curacao on 15 Meters.

I chased KH7Y in Hawaii who was absolutely booming into NJ on 15 Meters, but could not make myself heard. Just goes to show, you can't win them all!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

A few days ago, I went out to the car as I usually do, for some lunchtime QRP.  In my haste to get everything put away after I was done, I inadvertently knocked the external battery off the car seat onto the floor. The KX3 started to move, as it was still attached, but a quick hand stopped it, and all was well. Or so I thought.


Yesterday, I went out again, and this time the KX3 wouldn't turn on. No problem, I thought to myself, the battery was probably on its way out, as it has been a while since I have given it its last drink.  So last evening, while I was attending a CERT class on animal handling during declared emergencies, I had the battery plugged in at home, charging.

When I got home, around 10:00 PM, I tried reconnecting the battery to the KX3 to see if everything was OK.  Still no sign of life - my KX3 was still flat lining..  Hmmmmmm ........ could the battery have gone totally bad?

I carried the radio down to the shack 13.8V power supply.  Viola!  It turned on! 

And then immediately turned off.


My brain went into over drive. What the %(#@*#$ was going on ?!?

I dread sending stuff out for repair.  Don't know why, I just do.  I was in the professional photographic electronics repair biz for over 20 years. I have fixed studio strobes costing well over $12,000.00.  I have taken apart digital camera backs that cost more than a Mercedes Benz. I have stared down banks of charged capacitors storing up enough electrons to supply 6,400 Joules of energy in one pop - certainly I should be able to figure out a relatively minor KX3 repair? Right?

I rolled up my sleeves and got down to it.  Obviously, this was a power problem.  But why was the rig shutting down so quickly?  Internal short?  Bad connection somewhere? Then I noticed that if I wiggled the power plug a certain way, the radio would stay on.  My mind immediately flashed back to the battery falling incident from the other day.  I must have done something to the power socket.


The advantage of building the KX3 (if that's what you want to call it) is that you know how it goes together, so you're not frightened at the prospect of taking it apart.  You've seen it in all its naked glory and you lovingly put it together at least once, right?  So what's the big deal in taking it apart?

Well, when you built it roughly five years ago, some of the finer details of how it went together get muddled up in the old memory banks.  That's why it's good to never toss the build manual!  Within about 5 -7 minutes I had it apart and had the display circuit in my hand.  A little extra light and a lot of extra magnification from a magnifying glass confirmed my suspicion.

The power socket is a surface mount device, just about like everything else on that display/control circuit board. The weight of the battery tugged the socket enough to unmoor it from its assigned, tinned pads.  When I would wiggle the connector "down" towards the circuit board, everything worked.  As soon as I let downward pressure go, the connector would break contact from the circuit board again and the radio would appear dead.

I ran upstairs for a pair of scrubs and to wash my hands to prep for surgery. NO! Just kidding!


I changed my soldering station tip to the skinniest one that I have for when I work on SMD devices and I re-soldered that connector onto its pads. I took great care to add just a little "extra" solder just to make sure the connection is good, solid and won't come apart so easily in the future.

I hastily (I'll get back to that in a minute) put everything together and fired the radio up. Fixed! Problem solved! High fives and happy dances all around!

I will have to go back sometime over the weekend to remove the front plexiglass display window, though.  In my haste, I wasn't so careful about finger prints.  I'll have to go back and clean that up.  Yes, I know ...... call me anal.  I can't help it!

But as this blog post says - the patient (and more importantly, the doctor) are doing just fine! And even more importantly - no return trip to Aptos!

PROGNOSIS: Excellent!  Today's lunchtime QRP session netted the following:

N0TA - SOTA peak W0C/PR-082 (Squaw Mountain) in CO on 20 Meters.
VP5/AC0W - Turks and Caicos Islands on 20 Meters
CT9/OM3RM - Madeira Island on 20 Meters.
PJ2/NF9V - Curacao on 15 Meters.

I chased KH7Y in Hawaii who was absolutely booming into NJ on 15 Meters, but could not make myself heard. Just goes to show, you can't win them all!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

On February 11, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (chaired by Greg Walden W7EQI) voted to send HR 1301, the Amateur Radio Parity Act, forward to the full Energy & Commerce Committee. Yay! A major step, because if they’d voted it down, it would have been toast for this session (and maybe forever, if it got beat bad enough).

They passed it on a voice vote, and it appeared to be unanimous. Also Yay!

But hold on. There was one Committee member, Rep. Anna Eschoo from California, who has been wary of, if not opposed to the bill, based on lobbying she’s received from an association of HOAs (the CAI – Community Associations Institute). Her comments in the session, and those of Chairman Greg Walden and the bill’s Sponsor, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, all referenced the need to compromise on some amendments before the bill arrives at the parent committee, and noted that there hadn’t been time to prepare new language for this “markup session” (when a bill is voted up or down).

I don’t know who’s involved in the negotiations. They’ll certainly involve the Representatives and their staffs, and probably the ARRL and CAI.

I do have a clue about what they’ll be negotiating, though. At a January 12 hearing, both ARRL and CAI filed letters with the Subcommittee, although neither group had anyone testifying in person or answering questions. The CAI’s letter contained 7 specific amendments they requested. I marked up their document with some highlighting and comments (but didn’t change or delete any of their text), and you can see it here.

So the list of amendments had been hanging around for a month, but the Subcommittee didn’t get to them before the markup session. That’s too bad, I guess. Might have been interesting to see the points discussed or debated in the Subcommittee. Instead, the discussion won’t see a lot of sunshine until the result surfaces, possibly in the full Committee. (I will be asking some questions before then. Answers?)

Here in HamRadioNow Episode 245, I’ve got video clips of the markup vote and comments by all the principles, and clips of all the Parity Act discussion from the January hearing. And I review the CAI’s document and discuss the amendments.

73, Gary KN4AQ

Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, is the host of HamRadioNow.tv. If you enjoy this and other HamRadioNow programs, help keep them 'on the air' with a contribution. Contact him at [email protected].

CW QSO speed statistics... 

I was a kid in the 1970s when Speed Racer was a popular cartoon

So based on those calculated CW speed statistics from RBN data if I can reach the point where I am comfortable in a 25wpm ragchew I should be content (for a while)

Richard Carpenter, AA4OO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from North Carolina, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

would not start it just got hung up and I had to do a force shutdown. I tried a few things but just could not get the program to run. I then installed it on my wife’s Macbook pro laptop and it operated withouta hitch! The only thing I can figure is my Macbook is a bit older and may not be up to the task. I was on the internet to see if I could see what the issue might be but could not find anything. I am going to email the company and see what their input is. On the weekend I was not interested in troubleshooting or emailing for an answer I just wanted to get the program up and running. With the program installed on both PC’s and it was time to make the link. It is very straight forward to do, you open the program on each PC. You are given a 9 digit ID number on each PC and since I want to use my laptop to control my main PC on my laptop I enter the 9 digit ID number from my main PC and press “connect to partner”. I then enter a password (setup during program install) and in no time I have full control of

My remote PC operation

my main PC from my laptop. Note: if you want to have control of your laptop from your main PC justenter on your main PC the 9 digit ID number shown on your laptop and press “connect to partner” along with the password. After using this program several times I can honestly say it works flawlessly and very smooth. I was able to open Win4k3suite and WSJT-X and make contacts with JT-65 from my laptop. There was absolutely no latency issues, lockup or programs refusing to operate or open. One great piece of news is if you use Teamviewer for personal use the program is FREE!! If any of my readers has ever wanted to toy with remote desktop operation or you are using a program that has issue give Teamviewer a go!
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, is taking to the Internet airwaves Thursday, February 18th at 9:00 pm Eastern (02:00 UTC) with a brand new live call-in podcast. Ham Talk LIVE! will feature general interest ham radio topics and special guests with a wide range of ham radio expertise.

Unlike traditional ham radio podcasts, Rapp says he hopes to create something a little different. “I really look forward to just doing some open line shows,” he says. “I want it to be a conversation and just talk about happenings more than just disseminating information. We already have people doing a great job with that, and I enjoy watching and listening to them.”

Thursday night’s episode will discuss DXing and contesting and will feature well-known DXer Dr. Scott Wright, KØMD. Next week he’ll host popular Amateur Radio Newsline anchor Don Wilbanks, AE5DW.

To tune into the show, you can visit HamTalkLive.com. To participate, listeners can either call Skype username ‘hamtalklive’ or dial (812) 638-4261. “I don’t have a call screener. Once I answer they will be on immediately so I won’t answer until I’m ready for the caller,” Rapp says.

The show will last 30 minutes each week. If listeners miss the live show, a downloadable podcast will be available on iTunes, Spreaker, and possibly other outlets soon after each broadcast.

If the format works out well, he may extend the show longer than the allotted thirty minutes. “If people listen, I’ll definitely extend the time,” he says.

Rapp is a high school chemistry teacher and sponsors the ham radio club at his school. He was first licensed in 1976 at the age of five. He is the recipient of the 2014 Indiana Radio Club Council Amateur of the Year award, the 2003 Indiana Radio Club Council Technical Excellence Award, and the 2004 ARRL Professional Educator of the Year award.

Matt Thomas, W1MST, is the managing editor of AmateurRadio.com. Contact him at [email protected].

Hello there and welcome to the latest installment of Linux in the Ham Shack. For your listening pleasure this fortnight, we have information on politics in the ARRL, opportunities for kids to participate in ham radio and FEMA, adventures in WSPR, a lost Atari 2600 ham radio app, a quick review of SolusOS and much more. Please enjoy.

73 de The LHS Crew

Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].