W6EOD's Amateur Radio Adventures

T6SH

2011-06-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

T6SH is now QRV. Active on 40 & 20 Meter CW. QSL via K1BV. See you on the air!

72,
Steve

November

2011-04-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

I'm headed out tomorrow and will return in the fall. I'm taking gear with me and will keep an ear open for you. I will be unable to transmit so I will be a SWL only HAM for the duration. See you in November!

72,
Steve

W6EOD Maritime Mobile

2011-03-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I borrowed a friend's canoe. I thought it would be fun to take the kids out and enjoy some time together on the water. I also thought it would be neat to take my VX-8R with me and see if I could get one of my beacons to hit the digipeater.

The kids and I drove up to Stella, NC and launched the canoe on the White Oak River. The goal was to give canoeing a try. None of us have ever been on a canoe before so it was a new experience for us. Just getting the three of us in the canoe was interesting. With the kids situated up front it was my turn to climb in. In the process the canoe pitched and rolled and Tyler was none to happy about it. While we didn't turn over it was an interesting few seconds there.

While underway we talked and pointed out interesting things to look at. The weather was nice so paddling was an easy job. The kids especially liked going under the bridge and all of the noises it makes when a car passed overheard.

Paddling the canoe and keeping the kids still was more time consuming than I had anticipated. Mostly keeping the kids still...I had the radio on but didn't pay much attention to it. There wasn't much activity and I didn't hear the VX-8R sound the note that it had received its position beacon back from another station.

Last stop on the way back to the boat launch was a quick stop at a marshy island for the kids to walk and use the restroom. As we were getting close to the shore Tyler starting shouting "Land Ho!" I had a little pirate on board and didn't know it.

We had a good time but I'm not sure that canoeing is for us just yet. The kids didn't like the pitch and roll that a canoe has and I didn't like the idea of us taking a swim. Maybe in a couple years we'll be more sea worthy.

72,
Steve

Antenna For My PFR-3 & KX 1

2011-03-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have been asked a few times over the past week about the antenna I use for my portable ops. I use alot of different antennas while portable, but for the purpose of this writing I will limit it to my PFR-3 and KX-1 and the antenna I use with them.

Each portable op has been a lesson for me in gear load out, power sources, antennas etc. I have tried to streamline my load out to facilitate ease of setup. I have learned that a good understanding of antennas is a must to give you an idea of the options available to you both at home and in the field. Conversely, there is a big difference between ideal and compromise. Typically the more requirements you place on a particular antenna the less ideal and more of a compromise it becomes. Weight, size (bulk), Disassemble/Assemble (Dis/Ass) time and multi-band operation are all factors that can cause a compromise to your antenna. I don't know a portable operator that doesn't factor all of these things into their equation.

My antenna is based primarily on it's single greatest attribute. Speed of dis/ass. It is nothing more than two wires fed directly at the TRX. The radiator is 34' and I deploy it as vertical as possible. The counterpoise is 31' and I lay it on the ground at a 90 degree angle or as close to that angle as possible to the radiator. The two ends that connect to the TRX have male banana plugs from Radio Shack that I soldered to the wire. The wire is from The Wireman. I don't remember the size or name, but it is 24 or 26 gauge and very strong. The insulators are nothing more than tape bridals made out of electrical tape.

To erect the antenna I use cheap, light weight rope on a flat spool. I use a plastic water bottle with a slip knot around the neck and the Armstrong Method to launch the rope over a tree branch. Once the bottle is chest level I take it off and connect the antenna. I then raise the antenna, wind the excess rope and stash the spool out of the way near the tree. Setup and on the air is less than 5 minutes.

This particular antenna fits my needs and consistently yields good results for the three bands I operate portable. 40, 30 and 20 meters. Keep in mind that both of these transceivers have a built in ATU. SWR for each band after tuning with both transceivers are as follows.

40: 1:1
30: 1:1
20: 1:2

This leads me to my final point which is that I get good reports and lots of questions about the antenna. I am not naive in that I know that I did not "create" this antenna. I used openly available information from the Internet and ARRL books to help me build my antenna. There are many antennas that are much more "ideal" but they do not offer the ease and simplicity that I needed. Who says compromise isn't a good thing?

All of my gear minus the rope and water bottle fits in a Pelican case. Model 1120 for the KX-1 and 1150 for the PFR-3. These are small cases if you have not seen them before. Not too shabby considering the load out is a TRX, paddle, head phone (ear buds), log, pencil, antenna and spare batteries.

I hope this information is beneficial and helps you in your portable operations. Best of luck and hope to work you soon.

72,
Steve

Beautiful Evening & QRP

2011-03-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

I took my KX 1 out on the front porch this evening to see how the bands were and was treated to two great qso's. The first was with Mike AA1TJ from Roxbury, VT. Mike was calling CQ on 20m. I threw my call sign back and the QSO was on. Both of us were QRP with myself running 2 watts. We talked the usual until the band faded out.

With 20m gone I moved down to 30m. The second QSO was with Dave K1DCT from Preston, CT. Dave was running an Icom at 5 watts. His signal was a solid 579. Dave sent me a 559 back which I was very happy with. After all my antenna consisted of an end fed wire with counterpoise. I have never been to CT so Dave and I talked about the differences between there and NC. I got a good laugh when Dave said he wished he lived south of the Mason Dixon because the weather was to cold during the winter and the food and drink are better here. I told him that we get the worst of each season, hi.

It is evenings like tonight with a nice sunset, great weather and great QSO's that make me love this hobby. Too bad I've got the bug to be back on the air again so close to leaving.

My report on the TX trip with APRS is forthcoming. I have to load my pictures up and don't remember how...

72,
Steve

Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

2011-03-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

The time is flying by for me and the family right now. I am getting close to leaving for an extended amount of time and there is so much to do. If you've ever been in the military you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Reba, Ann, Tyler and I are headed to Texas this weekend to welcome home my little brother from Marine Corps Recruit Training. It should be a lot of fun teasing the new Marine in the family although I am very proud of him.

I will be running the VX-8R on 146.520 simplex and 144.390 APRS for the duration of the trip. You can follow us at http://aprs.fi/ and http://www.openaprs.net/ . The latter of the two allows you to send an APRS message via internet to me if you would like to. My callsign/designator for APRS operations is W6EOD-7. I would love to hear from you if you get the chance. It will help break up the monotony of the drive.

I plan on taking the PFR-3 with me and a couple of wire antennas. I'm not sure if I'll have the time to get on the air but if I do keep an ear open for W6EOD/p on 20, 30 and 40M. Ops will center around the QRP calling frequencies.

On a side note I sent my Yaesu FT-817ND off to Yaesu for the second time today. Previously a couple of diodes went bad which caused the receive on 20m to be stone cold deaf. The rig was under warrenty at the time and was fixed with no charge. The problem now is that the PA/Finals are blown. To make matters worse the rig is no longer under warranty. I hope that Yaesu doesn't charge too much but I'm not expecting it to be cheap... The good news with it though is that my father in law Mike K7ELI will be using it this summer on his hiking and camping trips in the scenic Pacific NW. Make sure to keep an ear open for K7ELI Portable!

I'm taking the camera with me and a post of our adventures will follow when we get home. Looking forward to a QSO (digital or CW) with you and best of luck.

72,
Steve

D.C. & APRS

2011-03-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

The family and I went back to the Washington D.C. area this weekend to visit my best friend John KJ4KRU. John is recovering from injuries sustained in Afghanistan at the National Naval Medical Center.

The trip is 6 hours one way but with the family and 2M APRS it goes by quickly. I have used my VX-8R many times to send out my position information. The rig works well at 5W. I am still learning about APRS and how the system works. It is a very intersting system. I do like the weather reports I get from stations along the route.

I did not receive any APRS messages which I hoped for this trip. I am curious about how the process works and would like to see how well the radio performs in that capacity. Maybe the next trip I can score a couple of messages and try sending a message back.

72,
Steve

To D.C. With APRS Onboard

2011-03-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

I am headed to Washington D.C. tonight, and will be headed back to Swansboro on Sunday. I will have the VX-8R running 146.520 and APRS on 144.390. Please check my progress if you get the chance at http://www.openaprs.net/ . I would like to see how well I am able to send and receive messages so if you get an opportunity shoot me a line. My designator is W6EOD-7. I will post a report with pictures on Sunday to show my results.

72,
Steve

February 2011 PBMME

2011-02-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a LONG time since my last post. Almost the same amount of time since I was last on HF!

First and foremost, all is well here. We are settled in to our new home in Swansboro, NC. The kids have done well with the move and adjusted much better than expected. I am busy with work and will be headed to far off lands here in the near future.

With that being said I decided to join in the Polar Bear QRP group's Feb. event. I didn't put a ton of effort into the cause, but I did have fun and make some contacts.

I kept it simple and used my PFR-3 with a random wire & counterpoise. My location was the very scenic front porch of my house. I wasn't expecting much, but by my results speak for themselves.

Prior to getting on the air I performed a mod to my PFR-3. I never really liked the play and sloppines in my paddles so I shortened them. The difference was exactly what I was looking for. Less paddle travel and better response.

My first QSO was with my friend Aaron N9SKN in Illinois. As always Aaron's signal was good. I sent him a 589 and got a 579 in return. I wasn't expecting a decent report back considering my antenna selection. We had a few minutes to chat which was great. I will apologize to Aaron now for my fist and copy ability. I AM VERY RUSTY! QRM from another station forced us to end our QSO but it ended with a smile on my face.

My second QSO was a quick one but impressive nonetheless. I heard 9A5W calling CQ in some contest. I didn't know what contest or what country he was from. I threw my call out and he came right back. One quick exchange and he was back on his way. It wasn't until I sat down on the computer that I looked him up and saw that he was in Croatia. Not too shabby.

Thanks to all my friends and family who follow the blog. I will try to get on the air a few more times before I head out. So many people to talk to and so little time...

72,
Steve

The Move Is Here

2010-06-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

I am moving this week from Florida to Hubert, NC. I will be busy setting up a home but rest assured that I will be on the air soon. I've got the bug to get on the air with Field Day right around the corner. I hope to operate portable somewhere in coastal North Carolina for the event itself. Will keep you updated.

Steve

Hello ???

2010-03-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm still here. This winter has been miserable. We have been bombarded with freezing weather this year in Florida. This, needless to say has kept me from outdoor ham radio activities.

I've got an upcoming move to North Carolina in June. I will do my best to get out and go portable before the move. I want to operate from the beach before I go. Of course a full report will follow. Will keep you updated.

Steve

Rusty

2010-01-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

I decided that today was the day to get my gear back on the air. I have not been on HF in over 2 months. I found my Sierra and hooked it up to my doublet here at the house. After a few minutes of fumbling around with the coax and tuner I got everything setup.

I figured that 20m was the place to go to start scrubbing the rust off of my CW decoder (brain). I was not disappointed. Plenty of activity to go around. One problem though. The rust is caked on pretty thick right now. I'm running as fast as I can to keep up and I'm being left in the dust!

No worries though. I've got all the gear up and running, and I'll get all this rust cleaned up in no time. Looking forward to a QSO with you soon. 72!

Steve

Happy Holidays

2009-12-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

I have not been active on the bands lately. I hope to fix all of that after the start of the new year.

Until then have a safe and happy holiday season. Best wishes to you and your's.

72 and talk to you soon!

Steve

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

Best wishes to you and yours. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Steve

November PBMME

2009-11-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

I will not be able to operate in the Polar Bear event today. My Marine Corps turned 234 years old on November 10th and we are celebrating tonight. The birthday ball is a time honored tradition amongst Marines and is ALWAYS a good time!

So while I toast one (or more) to the Marine Corps tonight, I will make sure to sneak one in for all of you guys out on the ice shelf. Best of luck and 72!

Steve

Hurricane Ida Postmortem

2009-11-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

All is well in Baker, FL. We had minimal wind and maximum rain! No damage to report. Hope to be QRP/p soon. Will keep you updated. 72!

Steve

Hurricane Ida

2009-11-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

Hurricane Ida is due to hit some time tonight. My house is in the area of the Northeast quadrant of the storm. I don't believe that it will be too bad but never the less.

I will have my Sierra setup in the garage. I have a 40M dipole in the attic for this specific purpose. She does not run much power and the antenna is not the greatest but it is something.

I do not have a 2M rig in the house so in the event that power/phones go out I will be using that setup as my communication means. Please consider monitoring 7.040+/- because this is where I will be in the event of any emergency communication needs.

Best of luck and see you when the dust settles.

Steve

AC/DC THIS FRIDAY!!!

2009-10-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm headed to Jacksonville, FL this Friday to see my all time favorite band, AC/DC. Will catch up with you when I get back.

Steve

Snakes, Family & Ham Radio

2009-10-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

Quick update with interesting pictures from the river this past Sunday. With the PA QSO Party going it was no suprise that all of my contacts were from PA. The following stations are listed in my log book. All contacts were made on 20m CW.

KC3M - PA QSOP
KA3BMV - PA QSOP
K3QIA - PA QSOP
N3BNA - PA QSOP

K3CHR - John from Philadelphia & fellow QRPer. John was using a FT-817. It sounded good John and keep up the good work!

Conditions were good. The PA stations were like shooting fish in a barrel!

Ann, Tyler & Sand Castle

On the way home from the river we ran into a very ornery fellow. When we pulled up he wouldn't look at us. When I asked him how he was doing he gave me a "come any closer and you're dead" look. So I gave him plenty of space.

He was an Eastern Diamondback. He was about 3' long (small) and had aproximately 4 rattles. I have mentioned before on this blog how much I like snakes. My opinon hasn't changed.

Hope you enjoy and 72!

Steve

October PBMME

2009-10-04T06:04:00.001-07:00

We made it to our spot on the river and had a heck of a good time. Since the kid's return from Oregon & Washington we have not been able to get to the river. Starting in July we have had lots of rain that has kept the river high. I won't let the kids swim in the river when it is high for obvious reasons.

Our drive in was eventful. I have mentioned before that to get to the spot on the river you have to drive through the bottoms to get there. There are a few bumpy, muddy, deep etc holes to pass to get there. They are not anywhere close to the worst roads I have driven but yesterday they made their case for it.

We worked our way in like always. 4WD High for a couple of the holes and 4Low for the bad one.

The last one was deep! Usually there is not much water in it or it is fairly hard bottomed. Not anymore. This hole has been rutted up and the mud is really thick. You drive up and then immediatly down to get through it. The "down" is at a steep angle and with nasty mud waiting for you it requires a bit of speed vs creeping through it. We heard a thud as we passed through the hole. Reba shot me a dirty look!

From there it is easy sailing. We arrived and setup all of our gear. Before I can think about the radio I have to get the chairs, umbrellas, cooler and shovels setup. If I were to reverse these steps I would be in deep Kim Chee!

The kids were thrilled to be back at the river and they wasted no time jumping in. The went to their favorite log and started doing their "1,2,3...JUMP!!!" game that they play.

Meanwhile I made it over to my operating position and got started on my setup. Reba had the camera and snapped the pictures of the setup.

Setting up my antenna launcher. Setup consists of a water bottle, rope and the "Armstrong Method".

Antenna launcher in action.

Once the rope was in the trees all I had to do was tie off and pull the antenna up. The antenna for the day was 44' doublet fed with Radio Shack twin lead.

After I finished the setup I tuned up on 20M. I couldn't believe how much activity was centered around 14.060mhz. CQP was all I could hear. I did not check the contest calender prior to leaving the house so I had no idea what was going on. For all I knew these guys were looking for Portable Operaters. Either way there wasn't a whole lot of room for us PB's.

I was about to change bands when I heard a "CQ CQ CQ PB". THIS WAS GREAT! It was Martin VA3SIE/VE2 PB#20. I replyed and he came right back to me. He sent me a 559 RST and I sent him the same. Martin's KX-1 was sounding great! We had an great ragchew. Martin mentioned that it was 17C, hot and sunny. I got a chuckle because I guess in Canada in October that is a bit warm. This was the best PB QSO I've had to date. QSB was not terrible and it was not a generic conversation. Thank you for the QSO Martin.

By this point the kids were really starting to get loud in their log jumping game. I decided to run full speed in and join them. The weather has been freezing lately. 85F highs during the day and 50's at night. Well I forgot all about that during my run into the water. I was reminded instantly. The water was cold! I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin! For some reason Ann & Ty thought this was really funny.

Once I had my fill of cold water I got out. I decided a cold beer and more PBMME was what I needed. I sat down and tuned up on 30M this time to avoid the mad house of CQPers. I found some room on 10.115.5mhz and gave a couple of "CQ CQ CQ PB PB". Just like clockwork Aaron N9SKN PB #126 replyed back. I really enjoy a QSO with Aaron. I sent him a 559 RST and received the same. We had a great chance to talk about the weather, antennas and our radios. Aaron knew where I was and asked how the family was doing. It was about that time that the skeeters showed up in full force. I was trying to work my keyer and kill mosquitos at the same time. I am certain that my CW reflected my inability to do two things at the same time. Thanks for hanging in there with me Aaron.

In QSO with N9SKN wishing the skeeters would leave me alone.

It was starting to get on in the day so I made it a point to play with the kids some more. I didn't want the radio to eat up all of my time. We played in the sand, and I punished myself by jumping back in the freezing Blackwater River. With the sun falling below the tops of the trees I decided to get out of the water and start to pack it up.

After the pack up we headed out. When we arrived back to the bad mud hole I noticed something in the road. It was a black plastic piece.

I got out to see what it was. After all I did hear a "thud" on our way in.

Oh great! The front license plate had come off!

Ann, Tyler and I thought it was pretty funny. Reba didn't. We made it home with no problems. Everyone was tired so the mission was accomplished! I was really happy to get out with the family and do some QRP/p ops.

The bands were in good shape here in Florida. I didn't hear near as many PB's as I had hoped but I got two great ragchew QSO's with two really cool PB's. Equipment today was:

Rig: PFR-3
Ant: 44' Doublet w/twin lead feeder
Key: PFR key from Hendricks

Hope to hear you next time and 72!

Steve

River Ops This Weekend

2009-09-28T17:26:00.001-07:00

The plan is to be on the river this weekend with the family. As long as the weather cooperates I do not foresee anything changing the plan. I plan on making a QSO with Kelly K4UPG. Kelly is a fellow QRP guy and his website is http://k4upg.com/ . We both have Wilderness Sierra QRP rigs http://www.fix.net/~jparker/wilderness/sierra.htm . The goal is to get a Sierra to Sierra QSO. I'll also have the PFR-3 out with me. I hope to hear you on the air and of course a full report will be posted after we get back. 72!

Steve

Oregon/Washington Trip

2009-08-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

What a great 10 days back home! I flew out of New Orleans on August 12th bound for Portland, OR and returned to Florida on August 23rd. The main purpose of the trip was to pick up the kids and bring them home from their summer up in Oregon. I love getting back to my home. The weather, people and scenery can't be beat! The weather was perfect. I also took the kids along with lots of my family to some of the best places in western Oregon and Washington.

I arrived late on Wed the 12th. My Dad picked me up from the airport. I was amazed at how much cooler the weather was than in Florida. This summer has been a hot one in NW Florida. I had to get my fleece out of my luggage to keep from freezing to death. The temp was around 58f that night! As soon as we got to my parent's place I went to bed. I was tired from traveling.

The next morning my Dad dropped me off at Ham Radio Outlet in Portland, OR. I was waiting for my father in law to pick me up. He is a recently licensed ham. He is Mike KF7EFU from Eugene, OR. I had a good time looking around the store while waiting for him to arrive. I took the oppurtunity to show the guys my PFR-3 which they liked. Once Mike showed up we walked around the store and I explained everything to him. From there we loaded up and went to Eugene where the XYL's family lives.

I spent the next few days with the kids running around the Oregon coast and Willamette Valley. I always make it a point to head over to Florence, OR to see the beaches and beautiful coast line. The huge trees, hills and sheer cliffs above the ocean are an amazing sight. Ann has been hounding us to death for a couple of years to take her to the Sea Lion Caves. I finally gave in and took her. We also went to Bob Creek. This is a spot on the beach north of Florence, OR that has some great tide pools for the kids to explore.

Ann taking a moment to pose at the Sea Lion Caves.

Neat picture of the inside of the cave.

Heceta Head Lighthouse from inside the caves.

Bob Creek

Tyler and Daddy at the tide pools.

Ann posing again.

From Oregon the kids and I went back to Washington where my family lives. We spent the next two days in Woodland, WA on the Columbia River in their RV. The RV site was very nice and it was located right on the river. I was able to get on the air twice while there. While the conditions were tough the following pictures will show you how much fun it was to get on the air.

Tyler and Daddy making contacts on the Columbia River.

Sunset on the Columbia River

During the two days that we were in Woodland my Dad and I took the kids to the Johnston Observatory at Mount St. Helens. More info is located here http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/NatMonument/PointsInterest/johnston_ridge.html . What a truly amazing place! We also took Ann & Tyler to the Portland Zoo. The kids had a great time and Tyler had a chance to see his favorite animal of them all. The elephant.

Mt St. Helens from the Johnston Observatory

Elephants at the Portland Zoo.

Tyler on the train at the zoo.

From Woodland we went up to Forks, WA. Forks sits way up on the NW side of the Olympic Penninsula. If you like rain, rivers, trees and everything green then this is the place for you. It is truly an amazing place. My Dad and I took the kids to Rialto Beach and The Hoh Rainforest while we were there. More information on the Olympic Penninsula can be found here http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm and here http://www.olympicpeninsula.org/ .

Driving through Aberdeen, WA.

Me and the Welcome to Forks sign.
]

Main St. Forks, WA

Ann & Tyler in front of the truck used in the movie "Twilight"

Pictures of Rialto Beach.

Ann posing on a HUGE piece of driftwood.

Ann showing off her driftwood house.

Tyler enjoying the driftwood.

W6EOD at Rialto Beach.

Sunset at Rialto.

My Dad and Tyler the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center sign.

Hoh River

Tyler trying to climb a 200' spruce tree.

Phone booth at the Hoh Rainforest visitor center. Remember that this place gets 100+ inches of rain every year!

Pictures of us on the Hall of Mosses trail.

This trip was definitely about being with family and having a good time. I did enjoy the small amount of time I spent on my PFR-3. I managed a few contacts into Texas and the midwest. One thing that really supprised me about making contacts up in the NW is how much quieter the bands are than back home in Florida. I know that the Pacific NW doesn't have nearly the amount of hams as 4 land, but I never expected there to be that little activity.

Awesome trip back to my home state. It was also a great opportunity to spend the time with my family that I don't get very often. Hope you enjoy the read and hope to work you soon. 72!

Steve

Flight of The Bumblebees 2009

2009-07-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

I participated in the Adventure Radio Society's (http://adventure-radio.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page) Flight of The Bumblebees 2009 today. I registered for the event three or four weeks ago and was given Bumblebee # 72. I thought that was a great number considering how I use 72 vs 73 whenever I am QRP.

I left out of the house at 1115 CST headed for the Blackwater. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go this time. I tried to go to Karick Lake (http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/blackwater_river_more_info.html#karicklake) but when I got there it seemed like all of NW Florida was there already. I bagged that idea and headed for my spot on the river. I arrived 1215 CST, 15 minutes after the start and wasn't happy with myself for being late. My plan was was to be setup and ready to rock at the start of the event.

Upon arrival I setup my 20m ground plane and hooked it up to my PFR-3. Everything checked out ok. There were plenty of BB's hanging around 14.060mhz but making contacts was easier said than done. QSB was ever present. A few of the stations would be 599+ ,then gone all in the span of 10 seconds. Oh well, such is life. Equipment was as follows:

Rig: PFR-3 (http://www.qrpkits.com/pfr3.html_)
Paddles: PFR-3 Paddles
Antenna: Hombrew wire GP antenna for 20m & 120ft center fed doublet
Batteries: (7) Energizer Lithium Ion AA's (internal to the PFR-3)
Head Phones: KOSS earbuds

Periodically during the event I noticed I was sweating profusely. I remedied that by running full speed into the river. I would dive in and suddenly, I wasn't hot anymore. Gosh I love the Blackwater River! On a side note, the last time we were at the river we (the family & I) saw a snake in the water. I kept thinking to myself each time I jumped in today that a snake was going to get me. It doesn't help that I wear glasses and didn't have them on when I would jump in. Everything looked like a snake! Turns out that without my glasses on, every stick in the water looks like the most ferocious snake you ever saw in your life!

I made 9 contacts, eight of which were fellow Bumblebees. I proudly list the following bees in the log:

W4ZV #223
W2KJ #4
NK9G #84
WD9F #29
KX0R #155
K9ESE #118
VE3OBU #177
N6GA #36

The following station was my token QSO who was not operating /BB:

N3XRV

I switched antennas at 1500CST. I went from my GP to a wire center fed (twin lead) antenna. I was happy because my BLT in the PFR-3 made a good match on 20m. That wasn’t the case on 40m. I tried but never got the null that I was looking for. I will continue my search for the perfect length of wire for my PFR-3. If I crack the code I will post my results here. After my antenna switch, I got back on 20m and didn’t hear one single Bumblebee. What a bummer. As if on cue, Mother Nature sent a good size, Deep South Thunderhead my way. I raced to get everything put away. I had just loaded up the last of the gear when the rain started. Talk about good timing!

This was my first Flight of The Bumblebees and it will not be my last. I had a great time in spite of the tough conditions, miserable heat and the ever present QSB. Nice scenery, cool river water and ice cold beer have a way of making the bad into good. 72 for now and hope to work you soon!

Steve

CW Paddles

2009-07-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have accumulated a few paddles over the last year and wanted to share a little bit about each of them. It can be hit or miss when you are searching the internet for good reviews, pictures or specs on them. My intent is to provide a picture and a short review on the piece of gear.

Below listed is a picture of the paddles (and one key) that I'll be talking about. I will follow up with a post on the individual paddle. Hope you enjoy.

72 for now and hope to work you soon.

Steve

Field Day Report

2009-07-18T19:37:00.001-07:00

I had a great time at Field Day this year. I participated with two clubs this year and it was a blast.

I made my way up to Opp, AL on Saturday Night (Sat June 27th) to join in with the South Alabama Radio Club (http://www.wc4m.net/). I planned on operating all night on either 40 or 80m. Once I arrived Bob W5RE got me all setup at the radio and gave me a quick class on its functions, keyer memories etc. I also made a cheat sheat that showed our exchange. WC4M 3A AL. From there it was on. I worked up and down 40m from 2300 CST till 0345 and 0545 to 0730 on Sunday morning. I had a long day before I got up there. Reba and I had gone to a murder mystery dinner. It was great but I would not include it in Field Day prep again!

There were plenty of contacts to be made and I had little trouble working the stations I heard. I operated from 7.026 and up as I only have a General class license. It was wall to wall CW! Having good filters in your rig is a big plus. The filter I was using was 500hz and it was not tight enough to handle all of the people making contacts. As the night wore on I had more trouble getting the exchanges. I noticed that I was not the only one on the band that was having the same troubles. I was tired! I felt like I was copying CW drunk. That's when I knew it was time to crawl in the truck and get some sleep.

Once I woke up I got a drink of water and jumped back on. By 0730 I was done and needed to wrap it up. I needed to get home and also wanted to stop by my home club NOARC (www.w4aaz.org) and visit with the guys. I had a quick bite to eat and snapped a couple of pictures before I went. In total I made 83 contacts. My contact rate was not as good as It should have been, but I was nearly out of gas before I even started. Oh well, maybe next year.

After leaving Opp I made my way back to the NOARC club. I enjoyed the ride back because there were not many people on the road and it was a nice morning. I also took the time to listen to my new AC/DC album, Black Ice. I'm just a little bit of a fan of AC/DC!!!

I arrived at the Dorcas Fire Station ready to visit with people, but Bob N4CU escorted me straight to the radio. I jumped on 20m CW and made 35 contacts in an hour. While I didn't spend a lot of time operating, it was great. Everyone was in good spirits and enjoying themselves. Here is a link to the photos of the clubs pictures of Field Day 2009. http://www.w4aaz.org/main/page_photo_album.html

In summary Field Day went really well this year. I had a great time, got to visit with good people and eat some awesome food. I'm looking forward to next year wherever I end up going.

Steve

Technical Difficulties

2009-07-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am unable to get my photos off of the digital camera. I have 3 great reports awaiting photos. More to follow once I get this camera issue resolved.

Steve

Family Fun on The Blackwater River

2009-06-25T15:25:00.001-07:00

I finally had a chance to get out with the family and get some QRP/p operations today. I took a day of leave to hang out around the house and enjoy the day with my crew.

We started off the morning by sleeping in. The kids even joined in on this! Then we got up and went to our favorite restraunt for breakfast, Waffle House. After a good meal we made our way over to the grocery store to pick up some water and lettuce. Our plan was to make BLT's for our trip to the river today. Once we got home we went through the house and cleaned. I hate coming home from vacation or a family outing to a dirty house.

We loaded up the chairs, umbrellas, buckets, shovels and a ton of other stuff. Once everybody was ready we took off. I had to make a quick pit stop at Mickey's Pit Stop just north of Baker, Fl to get some trot line string, fishing hooks & bobbers and worms. The plan was to try some cane pole fishing while we were there today. After our detour we made our way up to "our spot". We call it our spot because it's a great location that I found one night while coon huntin. We have yet to have company at this location. The down side is that is is not the most accesible. While its not terrible, the road in is muddy with over hanging tree limbs. Even without rain the road is still a sloppy mess because its smack dab in the middle of the river bottom.

Once we arrived at our spot we started our setup and I took a quick oppurtunity to take a picture of Reba's truck. She hates when I we I get it muddied up!

My goal was to spend as much time as I could in and out of the water with the kids today and not on the radio. I wanted to make a few contacts if possible but not lose site of the fact that I was there to play in the water with the kids. We tried fishing but it was a bust. I don't think that Tyler came out of the water once (which may explain why we didn't catch any fish)!

Ann played hard the entire time. As she gets older she has become more aware of the camera, but I did manage to get a smile out of her.

As the afternoon wore on and the heat kicked it up a notch (97f & 42% humidity) everybody started to slow down. This was my chance to hook up my PFR-3 to the antenna (center fed 44' wire w/twin lead). As I was doing this I noticed that Ann had climbed in to the truck and was taking a nap. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

By the time I got on the air it was terrible hot. I managed one QSO and it was a tough one at that! Thanks to Barry WD4MSM in South Bend, IN for hanging in there with me! Here are some pathetic pictures of me operating. Forwarning, I dressed for the weather & river!

In the end I had a couple of "almost" QSO's with K3JK & N9EVP but my 5w signal was just not enough to get through to them. They both heard me and K3JK even sent a "barely cpy u". Oh well, I'll get them next time. What a great day to spend at the river with my family, and even get some QRP/p time in. Hope you enjoy, best of luck and 72!

Steve

101F & 81% Humidity!!!

2009-06-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

The title of the post says it all! I have not had the desire to get out and do any QRP/p operations. The weather has been crazy hot with no relief in sight. It's odd even for NW Florida because we don't have this type of weather until late July time frame.

Field Day is this Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it. I will be joining the South Alabama Radio Club http://www.wc4m.net/. As of right now I will be the only CW operator. I plan on taking the night shift on Saturday night. This will allow for a nice and quiet time to operate. Plus I'll be able to hit 40 & 80 hard! One of the other benefits is that it won't be nearly as hot as during the daylight hours. I will have pictures and a full report to post once I get home on Sunday.

Both Mike KJ4LZD & John KJ4KRU are on the air! It's been great helping them setup their gear and hearing them enjoying the local repeaters. I have three other friends that I work with that are looking to take their exams here shortly. Furthermore my farther in law is almost ready to test! He lives in Oregon and I know from experience that some of the best repeater activity in the States is in the Willamette Valley, which is where is is located. 70-90 mile repeater contacts are normal in that area. I'll have a full report once we get him licensed.

Keep those radios one the air and hope to work you soon. 72

Steve

Rain...

2009-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

I had planned on getting out and operating portable this weekend but it is raining. Not just a little but typical Florida rain. I had hoped to set up on Postal Point this weekend. PP is a park on base that has a swimming area, playground, horeshoe pit etc. The best part is that the water is salty which means a lot of fun with QRP and vertical antennas. Whenever the weather cooperates I'll head down there and try to make a few contacts.

Mike KJ4LZD is setting up his station this weekend. He will be using a Kenwood 2m tx and a copper J pole antenna. I hope to hear him on the local repeaters today.

Not much else to say right now, because not much is going on. Best of luck and 72.

Steve

Weekend Update

2009-05-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to the PARC (Ft. Walton Beach, FL) test session this past Saturday. Mike is a good friend of mine and a fellow Marine. I have talked to him about becoming an Amateur Radio Operator for a few months. About 3 weeks ago I gave him a testing date and study material and told him to get ready.

We met up at 0730 at the Waffle House to eat breakfast and drink some coffee. It was a good chance for him to ask any last minute questions that he had. We also had a great oppurtunity to talk about how crazy the last couple of weeks at work had been.

At 0830 Mike sat down and took his Technician exam. I took the oppurtunity to stand outside and B.S. with some of the Hams that I knew. About an hour later Mike came out of the exam smiling. Mike said he did well and that he passed.

Fast forward to yesterday. Mike and I looked him up in the database and sure enough there was his name and brand new call sign. KJ4LZD. I made a joke that I would now be calling him KJ4LZD "The Lizard". He got a chuckle out of that.

If you are in NW Florida keep your ear open for our newest ham. Good job Mike and now its time to get after learning the code!

Steve

Busy Part II

2009-05-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been crazy. All I can say is that I am glad it's over. Between all of the prep that went into the memorial and the working groups this week I have not had anytime for HAM radio. I hope to put a stop to that ASAP.

If I'm not mistaken, Dayton is coming up shortly. I would love go and with a little luck I might be able to put something together. What an experience that would be.

I have not QA'd my PFR-3's BLT yet. I hope to get a chance to work on it this weekend. There may not be anything wrong, but my gut tells me that I did something wrong during the construction. The transmitter and receiver are working perfect which I am very happy about. I'll post more info shortly along with the test QSO's that I made with it on 20, 30 and 40m.

Tomorrow morning I am taking a friend of mine to the local test session. His name is Mike and with any luck he'll be a licensed ham tomorrow.

72 for now.

Steve

PFR-3 Complete!!!

2009-04-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

I completed my PFR-3 last night. I will post some pictures and a report once I get the receiver aligned. I'm planning on doing it this evening. More to come...

Pictures below.

Steve

PFR-3 Build

2009-04-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Slow & steady is the best way to describe my build of the PFR-3 (http://www.qrpkits.com/pfr3.html). I am making good progress and am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I completed Group 3 (to include the Smoke Test) and half of Group 4 this evening. To finish up Group 4 I have 7 toroids to wind, tin and solder to the board.

Winding toroids does not scare me but, but it is tedious work. I use the Sierra build method of tinning the toroid leads. It is a different in that instead of scraping and tinning, you burn the enamel and then solder to the board. I have not ran into a problem with "improper leads" or cold solder joints so I will continue with the status quo. If you know of a better method, please do not hesitate to let me know!

I am really excited about finishing up with the project and getting it on the air. I hope to use it for Field Day in the Single Op, Single station, QRP w/alternative power category. I don't know what the official name of that is but I've still got time to research prior to the start.

I hope all is well with you and your's and look forward to working you soon! Best of luck and 72!

Steve

Busy...

2009-04-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Work has been really busy as of late. We are coming into the home stretch on our preparation for the annual EOD memorial. It is a very nice ceremony that celebrates the life of our fallen EOD warriors. More info can be found here http://www.eodmemorial.org/.

I have been working my way through the PFR-3 build. I have completed all steps through the Smoke Test 2. I have not conducted the Smoke Test 2 yet, so results will be forthcoming. I can't wait to get this rig on the air!

A good friend of mine recently tested for his Amateur Radio license. He passed it on the first try. His name is John KJ4KRU. Look for him on the air as he is most interested in CW. I am helping him to learn the code and hopefully will have him on 40m soon.

I've got 3 other guys that I work with that are going to take their test on May 9th at the Playground ARC in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. With any luck they'll make it without any problems. More info on the exam session can be found at http://www.w4zbb.org/. I'll post a report on how the exam session went.

I'm going to try and get out this weekend with the kids. We have had a lot of rain lately. If the rivers have dropped I will probably take them to the Blackwater. Of course I'll take along a radio and try to make a few contacts.

72
Steve

Smoky Mountain Spring Break 2009

2009-03-31T14:59:00.001-07:00

We returned today from our trip to Townsend, TN. Let me start this by saying that we had a WONDERFUL time!!! The kids got out of school on Thursday afternoon for their annual spring break vacation. The XYL and I decided that this year we would go up to the Smoky Mountains and see what it was all about.

We left out early Friday morning. The trip was just shy of 500 miles. With two kids we knew that Mapquest's estimate of 8 hours would be more like 9+. Our drive up went very smooth until we got to Birmingham, AL. We noticed that the front left tire of the truck was very low. I pulled over on the side of the interstate and got the air compressor out to fill it up. My gut said that there was a slow leak and that everything would be fine as long as I was mindful of it. As were were working our way from Birmingham to Gadsden, AL I decided to call a friend who is from Gadsden to ask him where to get the tire fixed. He gave us directions and sent us to Bingham Tire.

The guys at Binghams took great care of us. It turns out that there was not a leak in the tire, rather a bad valve stem. Before we left I had to get a picture of me with their sign. I thought it was really funny!

As our drive continued the scenery became quite beautiful. The hills, rivers and mountains are such a nice change from our home in Florida. Driving over the Tellico Dam was a sight to see. As we hit the home stretch of the drive we came through a town called Maryville, TN. Rebecca and I really enjoyed this city. It seems like it is a really nice place to visit or live. We hope to return there soon. More info can be found here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryville,_Tennessee

The last 20 miles of the drive were really great. At this point you begin your trek into the Smoky Mountains. Being from Washington state, mountains aren't neccesarily the most amazing thing to me, but after living in flat, pine covered Florida, it was a welcomed sight. Upon our arrival at the cabin we moved into "unload the truck mode". After 9 1/2 hrs in the truck we were all ready to get out. The kids took off exploring and Reba and I got to work. Here's a picture of the cabin we stayed at.

Once everything was setup, and everyone in place I decided to setup my station. I brought along the Sierra, TE NE KEY, ZM-2 and doublet antenna. I forgot one key piece of gear and that was my PL-259 to BNC adapter. NOT GOOD...I searched, looked and scrounged to no avail. Off to the local store in Townsend and luck would have it that they carried aligator clips. Out of the clips and wire that I already had, I "jumped" the connection. It worked but not that great. Here are some pictures of me operating.

Terrible view huh? My antenna was 30ft agl on the north side and 300ft agl on the south side!!!

Here's a picture of me frustrated at the fact that I forgot my adapter. A picture is worth 1,000 words...

Sunset from the porch.

As the trip went on we hit all sort of great places. We went to the Smoky Mountains National Park. Our destination was Cades Cove http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm. Cades Cove painted the picture needed to go along with all the stories I had read as a kid about mountain life in the 1800's. What a neat place. If you ever get the chance, go!

We also went to Dollywood which is Dolly Parton's theme park. The kids had a blast on all of the rides. We also got to see circus/acrobat type of show. I never thought I would see a lady on a unicylce on top of a giant ball, but I did. The weather turned cold while we were at Dollywood. By 1600 we were ready to go back to the cabin. Lots of fun and the kids are still talking about it.

The next day we went in to Sevierville and Gatlinburg. No trip to Sevierville is complete without stopping by Ten Tec. I have a 1340 tx and really like it. I know it will be a few more years before I can buy any of their nice radios, but it was still fun to look and operate their radios in their ham shack. In the end I bought a small coax jumper, Ten Tec ball cap and you guessed it, a 259 to BNC adapter!

Me sporting my new Ten Tec cap.

Onward we march. Gatlinburg next destination. Let me start by saying that this place is really pretty but it is CRAZY! There were people everywhere. It is a tourist hotspot. We decided to head up the aerial tram to the top of Mt. Harrison and see the view. To our suprise at the top is a vast assortment of things to do at the ski lodge. We rode the ski lifts, alpine slide, and Blue Cyclone Raft ride. On our way up to the peak of Mt. Harrison I made my first ever "Ski Lift Portable" qso with Jerry KG4NPH.

What a fun day on top of Mt. Harrison and I am truly amazed at how your antenna height can really get your signal out!

During our stay in the Smoky Mountains I had great QSO's with folks to the east and south of me, all on 40m. Notable QSO's were Tom KC0GT in Melbourne, FL and Rob KD4LRP in Fairfax, VA. I also got to work Bob WA6VVA and Bob N4CU both members of my club NOARC in Crestview, Florida. Everyone commented that my Sierra's 3watts were putting out an honest 599 (with my new adapter of course). I guess my antenna being 300ft up really makes a difference. More info on the club can be found at http://www.w4aaz.org/.

I had two gripes with the radio while there. The first was that lately I feel that the SSB mode is slowly working its way down into prime CW territory. It seems like 7.030-7.050 in the evenings is now a SSB haven for foreign operators. Finding a frequency not in use is becoming very tough. It sure makes it hard for us QRP guys as the listed calling frequencies are 7.030 and 7.040 respectively. I know that I don't own the frequency nor do I want to, but I'll get down off of my soap box now.

The second gripe came during an emergency call to the WB4GBI repeater in Knoxville, TN that I had to make. There was an accident on the road we were traveling on from Townsend to Pigeon Forge. A car decided to push on through a hair pin turn while an 18 wheeler was already negotiating the turn. Of course the trailer ran over the car! In this location there was no cell phone service so I jumped on my trusty IC-28A and found a repeater that had people talking. "Break, break, break" rendered no response even though I know it was heard. The ragchew about our President and guns continued. When the two main stations in QSO broke for a second, a third ham called for me the breaking station to try again (proving that I had in fact been heard). I responded with my call sign and that I needed to report an accident, and the response back from the first two stunned me. "Breaking station, you're weak into the repeater. QSY to another repeater closer to you and if you have an emergency call 911." The XYL and I sat looking at each other, stunned...Back to guns and the President the QSO went. I couldn't believe it. After a minute or so the owner/sponser of the repeater Tim WB4GBI got on and shut everyone up and reminded everyone about what exactly needed to happen when someone called "break, break, break". It took a couple of tries but the required information was passed. State & county law enforcement were dispatched.

I sat there thinking about what happened, when the hams on frequency started an excuse session about why they couldn't/wouldn't hear me, or not help out etc. Tim WB4GBI jumped back on and reminded the entire group of the purpose of Amateur Radio during emergencies and the fact that it may take more than 1 listen to a weak signal requesting help to get the message through. Furthermore he made it a point for everyone to take a "lesson learned" away from the event. As many of you know my job does not allow for this kind of excuse making and I was glad to see that Tim had "pulled their punk cards" as we say in the Marines. Bravo Zulu Tim!!!

All in all the trip was a family memory that I will never forget. The kids were great and we truly fell in love with east TN. We're looking forward to our next trip back to the mountains of Tennessee and maybe I'll get a chance to work you. Best of luck and 72.

Steve

SITREP

2009-03-25T03:17:00.000-07:00

I have been working long hours lately. We have had a schedule change at work. My position usually requires me to be the first one in and the last one out. In spite of the change I have been steadily chipping away at my PFR-3. I have built up to and passed the Smoke Test-1. My display is working and I am looking forward to getting to the next smoke test.

My hope is to take the kids to the beach this weekend or next. Of course I'll pack a rig with me and do my best to make a few contacts. I am really looking forward to the chance to use vertical antennas with the salt water as my counterpoise!

That's all for now, 72 and hope to work you soon.

Steve

The W5RE "Junkyard Dog" Paddle

2009-03-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have not made it to many club meetings as of late but this past Thursday was different. I was excited to go because it had been 4 months since I had been to a club meeting (http://www.w4aaz.org ) It was good to see the guys and the class on "DSP Fundamentals" by N4CU was informative. Bob W5RE gave a show and tell on a paddle that he had made. In Dec 2007 he challenged all of the club members to build something. Didn't matter what, but build it and bring it to the club and show the members.

A little background: Bob N4CU and Bob W5RE are my mentors in this HAM radio hobby. W5RE is the man I have to thank for giving me the motivation and drive to learn Morse code. Without it I would have never discovered my passion for QRP/p operations.

Back to the story: Out of the box came a set of CW paddles that Bob hombrewed from materials around his house. The paddles were made of stuff described by Bob as "from a bunch of junk in my shack". Based on Bob's description I chuckled to myself and came up with the name The "Junkyard Dog" Paddle in my head.

After his description and demonstration Bob spoke briefly about a ham that he was proud of. A guy that took on the challenge of the code and was now "running 30wpm with the DX stations". He then turned to me and presented the "JYD" Paddle to me. I didn't know what to say! "Thank you" and "Don't listen to Bob, I'm nowhere near 30wpm" was all I could say.

As the meeting ended the guys all came over and had a go at the "JYD" and we talked CW. What a meeting! Thank you very much Bob W5RE for the nice words and great little paddle. Here are a few more pictures of the "Junkyard Dog". I am enjoying the paddles very much. Bob did state that this paddle is the test version. I can't wait to see his final version in action.

72
Steve

March PBMME at Britton Hill

2009-03-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jerry N8PXE and myself traveled up to Lakewood Park just outside of Paxton, FL today to participate in the March PBMME. There were multiple events on the bands today so the chance of making plenty of contacts seemed to be good.

It was cloudy with on and off rain when we met up at the CVS pharmacy in Crestview, FL. This is where we parked my truck and jumped into Jerry's. He has a nice Chevy pickup with alot more room than my Nissan Hardbody! Once we had everything loaded up, off we went. Its took about 35 minutes to reach our destination. The drive is nice with farmland being the norm along the way.

Lakewood Park is the name given by Walton County where Britton Hill is located. At a whopping 345ft it is named after a Post Mistress that lived in the area. What is funny about Florida's highest point is that it is by far the lowest of the 50 states. It is not even close. DEAD LAST! More information can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britton_Hill.

With the weather being not so good I was reassured to see the pavillion waiting for us when we arrived.

It was time to spring into action and get our stations and antennas up and working. Jerry and I put up a 20m GP and 40m dipole.

Jerry put up his G5RV using a fiberglass mast as the center support.

Once the chairs, food and antennas were setup up it was time to break out our stations. I was using my Wilderness Sierra, ZM-2, Te-Ne-Key while Jerry was using his FT-857D and LDG Auto Tuner.

My setup:

Jerry's setup:

Now it was time for the fun part. I fired up the Sierra on 20m and Jerry hit 40m. There were tons of stations on and I was really excited. Once tuned up I started hunting for PB's. Almost immediatly I heard Jed AD7KG in UT with a HUGE signal!!! I was excited. Great things had to be coming my way to hear CQ PB this quick. I set the keyer to 18wpm and answered back. No reply. I answered again. No reply. I was stumped. For Jed to have this big of a signal I was certain that he would be able to hear me. "Never fear, I'll move on and come back to him" I thought. So I worked up and down +/- 14.060. No shortage of activity with the Elecraft QSO Party but I was unable to get anyone. I returned to where Jed had been but I did not hear him. I was starting to get frustrated so I decided to move to 40m. Once I had removed the 20m coax from the ZM-2 and placed the 40m coax on I noticed an error. Not a rig or tuner error but, an OPERATOR error. I had never put the switch on the tuner from the "tune" postion to the "operate" position. No wonder nobody heard me. I was replying to everyone into a 50ohm dummy load! Bonehead Award goes to me!

On 40m Bob K3KKA quickly answered my CQ. Bob's QTH is near Daytona, FL. He gave me a 589 RST which I was happy about. Bob told me an interesting story about the antenna he was using. He said it was a long wire with his swimming pool as the counterpoise. I chuckled because thats the first time I had heard of a pool and HAM radio being combined! It was a great QSO and Bob enjoyed the fact that he had just worked Floridas highest point. Thank you for the QSO Bob.

Meanwhile Jerry was hunting and pouncing on stations. He was working people from the Pacific Northwest all the way across to the East Coast. If there was an award on the number of QSO's, then Jerry took that trophy home with NO contest!

Jerry taking a break:

About this point I got hungry so I broke out my peanut butter & jelly sandwich that Ann had made us before I left. About that time Jerry's and my good friend Phil N6COP showed up. What an unexpected suprise. While Jerry and I ate our sandwiches Phil jumped onto Jerry's setup and got into the action.

During the little break I got my GPS out to see what grid we were in and how far off the elevation was. To my suprise the elevation said 350ft! Not bad considering that a GPS' elevation is usually much further off in my experience.

It was around 1500cst that the rain and wind really got bad. The temp had been 65 degrees all day but it was now starting to drop. I decided to jump onto 20m again before it was too late and this time I remembered to put the tuner into the correct position. I called CQ a couple of times and Ed K1GDH answered. His QTH was Webster, MA. He was running 5w while I was running 1.7w. We had a great QSO going when the Elecraft guys jumped right on top of us. I lost him completly! I was angry but I won't jump on that soap box. RST received from Ed was 539. Thanks for the QSO Ed.

As the temp kept dropping Jerry and I both knew that it was time to wrap it up. Once all of our gear was packed up I took a quick second to run over to the granit marker at ground zero and take a picture.

As we were leaving I saw something that I had not seen when we arrived. We were in such a hurry to setup that I had not looked at the view that Britton Hill provided. It is not the most beautiful sight I have ever seen but it was nice enough.

And what is a trip to any state's highest point without a picture of the crew? Thank you Phil for taking the picture!

In summary it was a great day. I had a blast. Jerry and I talk most mornings on the Eglin AFB repeater. This was our first chance to get out and operate together. This won't be the last of the N8PXE & W6EOD crew. 2 great ragchew QSO's for me and a boatload for Jerry! Look for us the next time we're at Britton Hill!!!

72
Steve

Baker Park

2009-03-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

I had big plans this past weekend to get the kids outside. I was hoping for clear skies and more of the 75+ degree weather that we have been having. Mother Nature had other plans. A big thunderstorm rolled in on Friday night with off and on rain. The rain continued through Saturday morning and the kids were wanting to get out. What to do? I decided to load them up along with the gear, with the intent to scout new areas for this upcoming summer. We drove around and came up with a big fat goose egg! We checked out a few places on the Yellow River but gators and mesquitos look like they are ferocious during th summer at those spots! Around 1300cst there was a break in the rain so I decided to take the kids to the park in Baker.

I setup my Sierra, ZM-2 and TE NE KE to a 33' wire radiator and 33' counterpoise. I set my gear up on a table that allowed for me to operate on 40m and watch the kids at the same time.

I have noticed that with this particular setup I get an awful amount of impulse noise into the receiver of my Sierra. The first time I used this particular type of antenna in the backyard at my house, this was not a problem. I thought that this antenna would work well and solve the problem of the long diss & ass asociated with a doublet or GP. I have tried it with my FT-817 and Sierra and the noise is terrible on both.

I have two thoughts on the problem. Either my ZM-2 is the root cause and I need to check it for problems. Or the power line noise is amplified with this type of antenna. This has never been an issue with the doublet & GP. If you have any suggestions please send them my way!

The kids had a great time. Ann gave a thumbs up for QRP/p and quality time at the park!

Tyler was just glad to be out of the house and the truck.

I made one contact before the noise became irritating. I did not want my bad attitude to affect the kids time at the playground and another wave of rain was inbound to our location. I shut it down and we loaded up and went back home after 1 hour at the park. Thanks to Ray WQ5L in Gulfport, MS for the QSO!

Sunday was no good for being outdoors as the weather turned cold. When I got up on Sunday morning it was 29 degrees and the wind was blowing at 20+mph. Oh well, maybe next weekend. Until next time 72 and hope to work you soon.

Steve

14 March Britton Hill

2009-02-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

It is official. Rex N4FPW and myself will be operating in the March 14 PBMME "The Full Worm Moon" event. This should be a lot of fun. Britton Hill is the highest point in the state of Florida and not very far from my house. We will be operating from 1600-2200utc on bands 40-20m at the least. We stand a good chance of another operator joining us. His name is Terry K4KJP. Keep an ear out for us. It's not everyday that a state's highest point is on the air (even if its only 345ft)!!! Check out the Polar Bear QRP group. Great group of people!

Steve

ABX relocation

2009-02-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well I completed my relocation of the ABX filter on my Wilderness Sierra. It was previously located on the PCB. When I ordered my 30m module from Bob I also ordered a 10k pot and knob. This allows me to adjust from 1200-150hz without taking the top off of the radio and having to use a flat head screwdriver.

I had a hard time getting the old resistor out and I've done better solder work, but I made it work.

During the job I took the liberty of getting myself a cold beer. When I came back I noticed that Tyler had drawn a special picture for Daddy on the top of my Sierra!!! I was not happy. It took me a few minutes to cool down because nobody wants a pink drawing on the top of their Sierra. Oh well...I looked at it a couple of minutes ago and laughed about it. Guess it could be worse.

Here's a picture of the final product.

If you notice the VFO says 119.5. I made a QSO with Phil V31RW in Belize right out of the gate. I was happy that my 2.1watts got me a 559 into Belize with my new 30m module and panel mounted ABX control! Thanks for the QSO Phil.

72 till next time.

Steve

Sierra 30m Module Build

2009-02-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today I built a 30m module for my Wilderness Sierra. This was my first kit build that went well. Previously I built a Tenna Dipper. That build did not quite go so well. I will talk more about that project once I have fixed it and have it working properly.

I started the project at 1200cst. The total build took me about 3 hours. Winding the toroids is what took the biggest bulk of time. First item of buisness as per the owner's manual was to inventory the parts.

Once that was complete I had to figure out just exactly what Bob from Wilderness Radio was trying to tell me with the note that he sent with the kit.

I finnaly figured out that the variable capacitors from the original run of module were different than the new ones. Although the function is the same the part does not layout to the board which caused me to think I had big problem! Turns out I didn't and a second look at his drawing made a lot of sense. Instead of three leads there are only two now.

Fixed capacitors in place.

Variable capacitors and the 18.000mhz crystal in place.

Here's the final product with all components in place to include the toroids.

From there it was time to move into the adjustment phase of the module (and time to see if my project worked). Thankfully the radio and module DID NOT go up in smoke when I powered up the rig.

A little tweaking of the Frequency Trimmer, PMO BPF, XMIT PBF and RCV BPF's. So far so good.

At this point and time I'm measuring 2.1watts out. I feel like I'm still a bit low but I want a break and need to research further what options I have. In the end you have one happy camper!

So thats all great you say, but how does it work? Well one reply to a CQ from Fred N4FG in Annandale, VA yeilded me a 539 and "FB ur 2w Steve". Thank you very much for the QSO Fred.

Lessons learned were 1. Toroids are NOT that bad! 2. Take your time. When something seems to be so mind blowing that you are convinced the end is near, take a break because it's not.

Hope you enjoy, 72 and hope to work you soon (on 30m of course)!!!

Steve

Britton Hill

2009-02-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

Here soon I am planning on a QRP/p operation from Britton Hill near Lakewood, FL. Britton Hill is is the highest point in Florida, all 345ft of it! I don't have a firm date as of yet as I am still in the planning stage. I might do it as soon as this upcoming weekend or as late as a month from now. With the Orlando Hamfest this weekend, my mentor and QA specialist will be gone so I will not be constructing the PFR-3 this weekend. Will post more info shortly. If there is enough interest generated it might open the door for future operations there along with a special QSL that I will make up.

Steve

FYBO 2009

2009-02-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ann, Tyler and myself made our way up to the Blackwater yesterday to have a fun afternoon in the great outdoors. The XYL had lots of studying to do and the best way for us to give her the peace and quiet that she needs is to go somewhere else.

As far as fun goes, we had a blast! As far as stations logged, well we didn't do so hot. I managed one PB. I heard plenty of stations but this being the first trip to the river this year, the kids were not interested in Daddy being on the radio. More about the radio in a minute.

We left the house at 1400cst headed north. Temps were in the mid 70's with clear skies. The kids were excited. They love being up in the Blackwater. The Blackwater State Forest is where we do most of our outdoor activities. It is over 200,000 acres of longleaf pine and hardwood bottoms. There is lots of space, pretty rivers and room to run. Even better, the kids can yell and scream and there is nobody around to get upset! More info can be found here http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/blackwater_river.html.

Ann & Ty ready to go.

W6EOD

Here is a picture of one of the service roads in the forest on our way to "our" spot on the river.

Once we arrived off the kids went. Ty hit the river just to come right out because it was "cold!!!"

Ann decided that she wanted to bury herself (and some help from Tyler) in the sand.

Meanwhile I got my station setup. Station consisted of a Wilderness Sierra, Emtech ZM-2, Te Ne Ke, and GP for 20m.

Overall I made one contact on 20m. Station was wq0rp in MN. I heard lots of CQ FYBO but everytime I'd get ready to go, one of the kids would find a bug, or need some help lifting a log up etc... I don't mind though. Being outdoors with the kids is first and QRP/p is second. I never QSY'd to 40m so I never erected the antenna needed for it.

WQ0RP, 559, MN, Larry, 5w, 41f

In summary it was a great day. I will be looking forward to next years Freeze Your Buns Off event. 72 and hope to work you soon!

PBMME FYBO 2009

2009-02-04T19:20:00.001-08:00

This weekend (090207) from 1600z-2000z I will be operating my Wilderness Sierra on 40M & 20M in the Freeze Your Butt Off QRP Sprint. If you hear me please give me a call. This is a great group of QRP/p operators that get together during the winter months and enjoy QRP in the field. I will be running 3w and 2.25w respectively so don't count on a huge signal from me. I plan on taking the kids with me to the river for the outing. History shows that I won't spend the entire time on the radio but its a great chance to get outdoors with the family and enjoy QRP at the same time. See you in the trenches...Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Steve

PFR-3 Pt. II

2009-01-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well I'm full of excuses but I did not start on my PFR-3. One thing after another this weekend prevented it's construction. Most of the weekend was taken up by changing the U-Joints and center link on my pickup. Will update as progress is made.

Steve

PFR-3

2009-01-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

I am excited about this upcoming weekend. I received my PFR-3 in the mail from the folks at qrpkits.com. My plan is to build this trx over the course of the weekend. This will be my first trx kit build. I'm a bit nervous about it but thankfully I will have my mentor there to help me. His name is Bob N4CU and he is a retired Electrical Engineer. I will post some pictures as I make progress through the kit and hopefully a video once complete. 72 for now!

Steve

Welcome

2009-01-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all. I sincerely hope that your new year has started off well. Please stop in from time to time and check up on my blog. I intend to post pictures and videos of the amateur radio activities that I'm involved with. Once again welcome and don't be a stranger!

Steve W6EOD