D.C. & APRS

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

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

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

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 ???

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

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

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