AmateurRadio.com

Two for two Thursday, let’s call it!

Second day back to lunchtime QRP operating, and another good day.  The higher bands were alive again. This time I worked Russia R2014ME (I had worked R2014E yesterday), Belarus EW8O and Mexico XE2I.  And …. for the heck of it, I wanted to see if I could break the monstrous pileup that was foisting itself upon W1AW/5 in New Mexico. 15 Meters was hot and the band was long. The amount of European stations calling W1AW/5 was huge and LOUD!  Would it be possible for a QRP station, powered at 5 Watts to break that melee?

Not only was is possible, but it happened.  I made it into the log.  But it took some listening and some figuring. The W1AW/5 station set up a pattern. He was working split, and was announcing “U”, which of course meant that he was listening up.  But he was listening “in an race track pattern” as it were. By carefully listening for a while, I was able to determine a pattern:

1) W1AW/5 works a station
2) W1AW/5 moves the listening frequency up a few Hertz
3) W1AW/5 works the next station
4) W1AW/5 moves the listening frequency up a few Hertz
5) W1AW/5 works the next station

But he did this only to a point. Once he reached a point known only to him, he reversed the procedure.  He would work a station and then listen a few Hertz DOWN from the last station he worked. He kept doing this until he reached a “lower UP frequency” that he determined and then started the whole business over again.  

If I didn’t make myself clear (sometimes I have a problem doing that), what he was doing was changing his listening frequency in a circular pattern, even though he was always listening “UP”.  For example – W1AW/5 was on, let’s say 21.030 MHZ – he was working stations between 21.031 and 21.034 MHz.  And he was ping-ponging between the two. He would start listening up at 21.031 Hz and would keep moving his listening frequency until he hit 21.034 and then work back down to 21.031 and then back up to 21.034 and so on and so on and so on.

After determining what he was doing, I adjusted my transmit frequency to “get in his way”. After about three or four minutes of trying, I was able to make myself heard. Now I suppose that if I didn’t listen as much as I did, I might have made it into the log anyway, just by sheer dumb luck. But by determining what he was doing, I shortened the time (considerably, I think) that it took to get into his log. And during these lunchtime QRP sessions, time is a precious commodity, so saving time is a very good thing.

As I’ve stated before, I’m not going out of my way to take the pains to work all 50 W1AW stations.  However, today I sensed a challenge that I felt like taking on.  It’s good practice for the Fox hunts and those pesky DXpedition pileups.

Speaking of the QRP Fox hunts, I am one of the two 80 Meter Foxes tonight. This is my last stint of the 2013/2014 season.  It’s been fun and I hope to hand out a lot of pelts tonight.  As a Hound, this has been a particularly exhilarating season!  According to the last tally – I have worked 25 out of 32 Foxes on 40 Meters (78%). On 80 Meters, I have worked 24 out of 30 Foxes (80%).  This has been my best season – ever! The season ends in just a few weeks, and I hope to continue with a strong finish. Wait a second, I probably just went and jinxed myself!  Then again, I guess I can’t really jinx myself as I owe all my success to the extraordinary ears and antennas of the Foxes.

One last note.  If you get a chance, take a gander at the February 2014 edition of CQ magazine, if you can get your hands on one.  There’s an article on my lunchtime QRP sessions that was written and submitted by yours truly. Rich W2VU felt it was worth including – hopefully by accepting my article, he’s not scraping the bottom of the barrel too hard!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

You have probably noticed my lack of activity on the blog for the past little while.  It’s been a hectic, topsy-turvy couple of months.  Let me explain.

On New Year’s Eve, my co-worker left work early, telling me that he “might be back” in a few hours.  Turns out that he was having some medical difficulties and checked himself into a hospital.  Fortunately, he healed and got better.  Unfortunately, he decided not to return to work, at least not where we work anyway.. So, since the beginning of the year, I have been alone at work, and have been busier than the proverbial “one armed wallpaper hanger”. One man doing the work of two made the possibility of leaving my desk for the car during lunch just a wistful desire.  Add to that, numerous snows, a colder than normal January and February, and I’m not so sure I would have headed out there, even if I could have!

A replacement co-worker was hired and started yesterday. So today, even though it’s overcast, it is warm (comparatively). It was 40F (4C) at lunchtime and I took advantage of not being alone anymore and headed out to the car for some lunchtime QRP for the first time since last December.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but boy howdy, did it turn out to be great!

It seemed liked all the higher bands were just jumping with activity – 10, 12 and 15 Meters were alive with signals and I worked someone on each band.  I worked  CO6RD and R2014E on 15 meters. I worked HA9RT and OH4MDY on 12 Meters, and OK1DMZ on 10 Meters. I wish I had more time as it seemed like there were people from just about everywhere on the bands!

Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin’ to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again  

 And it feels so good!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

And that seems to be my story regarding FT5ZM, and I’m sticking to it. Last night, I heard them well and couldn’t work them. Tonight, I’ve gone back to not being able to hear them. According to the DXCluster, they are active on 14.023 MHz. They might as well be on the other side of Jupiter, for all that I can hear. I’m not hearing any activity on 30 Meters, either.

Ironically, tomorrow is their last full day of activity before going QRT. And tomorrow is the day my KXPA100 kit is due to arrive from Elecraft. What a coincidence, eh?

I am fairly confident that if I had 100 Watts last night, I would have been able to break through the pileup. There’s no way that I can be 100% certain of that, but you can’t be in this hobby for 35 years without building up an innate sense of these things.

No use crying over spilled milk. Keep your ears open on the bands every day this coming week, QRPers. Next weekend is the big ARRL DX Contest, CW portion. I am already hearing some familiar calls in some familiar places as folks set up and gear up for the big event. Working these stations as they get ready, and then working the contest itself is a great way to earn yourself a QRP DXCC Certificate.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Addendum: I went back to the basement to find that FT5ZM came up nicely on 20 Meters. I heard them work my buddy, Bob W3BBO, and fellow blogger and QRPer, Chris KQ2RP. Still no joy for W2LJ, though. I guess tomorrow night will be my last shot, if they’re even on the air at that point.

When giving the video tour of my latest QRP pack I was asked by a few fellow KX3 owners what case it was that I was using.

Ive created another YouTube clip that shows off the Think Tank Strobe Stuff Pouch. Which was recommend to me by G4ILO on his blog.

Wow!  I received two of the best e-mails of the young year today!

The first was from Bruna Begali telling me that my Simplex Mono would be shipping within the next few days.  From the e-mail, it became apparent that they keep a stockpile of keys located somewhere in the US, in order to keep delivery times down. Also, she asked me which aluminum finger pieces I would like as she would be sending those from Italy.  I didn’t even realize that I was entitled to those!  Unexpected bonus!

The second e-mail came this afternoon and it was “the” e-mail from Elecraft. My KXPA100 kit (with autotuner) is ready to ship within the next 1-5 business days.  A pdf of my order was attached to review and confirm.  I did that faster than you could say “Jack Robinson”. Wow, if I can get that next week, and then build it next weekend, I just might be able to have it up and running should I have to resort to QRO power to get FT5ZM in the log.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s truly my problem, or if I just have too many irons in the fire.  I don’t LIKE to put things off – it’s just that sometimes I am forced to because something else comes up that has to be dealt with NOW. Then I lose my place and that’s how things go by the wayside for me. Maybe I need to take courses in multi-tasking – do they offer those?  😉

Another thing that I did today (besides finish printing the Skeeter certificates) was to finally do something with my Christmas present.  That’s right – I haven’t written about my Christmas present, have I?

Marianne had no idea what to get me, so I made it simple for her. I made it super simple for her!  I ordered a set of SideKX cover plates for my “portable” KX3, the one I take to work with me everyday, and I had them sent here to the house to her attention. I installed them today (super easy!) and instead of sticking my KX3 inside a ziploc bag inside my LowePro bag, it is now protected by the SideKX.

The KX3 before surgery:

And the KX3 after surgery – now fully protected:

The silkscreening on the SideKX plates is virtually identical to the silkscreening on the original Elecraft side plates.  It would take an expert with a lot keener eye than mine to be able to see any differences.  The price was very reasonale for the extra protection that you get. Of course, I had to put the radio on the air after its operation, just to make sure I didn’t screw anything up.  A couple of quick NAQP contacts on 20 Meters confirmed that I hadn’t!

Oh, one other thing that I got to see today.  At this morning’s VE session that I attended and helped at, fellow Volunteer Examiner Bob KB2VMG brought along his KXPA100 that had just arrived yesterday.  He ordered his as a pre-built unit in June.  I ordered mine as a kit in October.  I was hoping to have mine by the end of January, but if Bob just got his, which he ordered four months earlier than I did, I am now hoping to see mine by Easter.  Anyway, I got to see one live and up close and personal and got to drool for a little while!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!