Category Archives: Misc

APRS

Equipment, Misc

Here’s a screen shot from APRS.fi of my APRS track from Wilmington, NC to my home QTH in Northern NJ. I use a Garmin GPS76CS connected to my Kenwood TH-D7A(G) handheld and plugged into a Mirage dual-band amplifier. I’ve used this setup a few times on this same trip when going to visit my in-laws. I have the radio station id as K2DSL-7. Here’s the map…

APRS track from Wilimington, NC to Northern NJ
APRS track from Wilimington, NC to Northern NJ

You’ll see a very large gap at the bottom portion between where the track ends and Wilmington which is shown at the bottom of the map above. It’s a APRS dead spot. I almost never get anything between that last end point and Wilmington.  Otherwise, the track is pretty accurate for the route which is primarily Rt 17 in Northern NJ to the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and then I-95 south to I-40 in North Carolina which is the ride (a few different names as it gets into Wilmington) my in-laws live off of.

I usually leave Band A on APRS with a 2 minute interval. Band B I leave on 146.52 which is the national 2-meter simplex frequency. I usually don’t hear more then 2 or 3 people on that frequency during the 650 mile trip. The map above is the route home and the map from NJ to NC from 5 days earlier is very similar. APRS.fi shows 32 stations reporting hearing me direct ranging from a few miles away from my broadcast location at the time I was heard to over 115 miles away. Most are in the 30-50 mile range from my location.

APRS.fi reports 100 packets received for today’s trip home and 127 for the trip down last Tues night/Weds morning. Without analyzing why, I’d guess the number difference it was the length of the trip down on Tues vs home on Mon.  Tues/Wednesday’s ride was very long with a lot of traffic. It took about 12.5 hours to get there (arriving just before 2am). Today it was smooth sailing and we did the trip in 9.5 hours. If I look, I see about the same gaps on the map between the 2 trips.  We need some more igates (computers connected to tranceivers that get APRS packets via RF and push them onto the Internet) along I-95 and I-40 in North Carolina.

On a completely different subject, the FCC ULS is now showing my license class as Extra. QRZ should follow in a day or two the upgrade.

73,
K2DSL

K2DSL is now an Extra class operator

Misc

I studied diligently for a month using the Gordon West Extra Class book and audio CDs and then flash cards at http://www.kb0mga.net/exams/index.php and tonight I passed the Extra exam with flying colors. It felt good to go into the exam confident and still be confident when handing the exam to the VE’s for grading.

The VE’s are from the Bergen Amateur Radio Association (BARA) club which I’m a member of. It was nice when they took the exam, put the answer sheet overlay on my test and I heard them say “This will be an easy one to grade”. They all congratulated me and I thanked them each for all the info and encouragement and their enthusiasm that is making the hobby exciting and fun. The Bergen Amateur Radio Association (BARA) in Northern NJ is a tremendous group of folks that make a terrific hobby even that much better.

So I can now breathe a little sigh of relief and relax by cruising the extra class portion of the bands. I left shortly after they handed me my CSCE because my daughter was getting her first Varsity letter as a freshman and I wanted to get there in time for that. When I left, there were 3 other folks testing and I think 2 of them passed their tech and the 3rd was finishing up his general exam and I hope he passed as well.

Now, to learn CW ;-)

73,
K2DSL/AE

LOTW QSL & DXCC Update

Misc

Before the WAE RTTY contest this past weekend my LOTW stats showed 2,400 QSOs submitted and 869 confirmed QSLs. As of this morning it shows 2,821 QSOs and 1,071 QSLs. DXCC’s confirmed in LOTW was at 65 before this past weekend and now I’m at 68 confirmed entities with Crete, Serbia and Greenland being added.

73,
David

K2DSL’s first year in review

Misc

I started putting this list together last month to note the highlights of my first year as an amateur radio operator. Here are the highlights.

Aug 2007 – Got my tech license and a dual band Kenwood TH-D7A(G) HT. I spent much over half the year just on VHF/UHF.

I attended my first club meeting with Bergen Amateur Radio Association (BARA). Other then getting my license, the smartest thing I did related to amateur radio. From the first person I met to the weekly nets, Tues night “kit nights” where everyone gets together to the monthly meetings, I look forward to each and every time I get together with the members. What I’ve learned from them in just 1 year is something I couldn’t have found anywhere else.

Sept 2007 – My first contest. The Sept VHF/UHF contest was terrific. From putting up the antennas, setting up the equipment, working station after station, my first satellite contact and just absorbing as much as I could. We ended up coming in 7th place in the US. My first bite of the contesting bug.

Oct 2007 – My first hamfest. I also took the General test and passed.

The next few months were spent on VHF playing around with Echolink, SSTV, APRS, etc.

In April 2008 I borrowed a HF radio and G5RV Jr antenna from a friend and got on HF. Since then, other then local nets or tooling around in the car, I’ve spent little time on VHF and all my on air time on HF.

I needed to return the radio to my friend just before field day so I ordered a Kenwood TS-2000. Great radio!! Speaking of field day, it too was a blast. Besides operating at the field day site, I came home for what I thought was a shower and nap, but I got on the air and started making contacts. I was really bitten by the contesting bug and now, almost every weekend, I’m looking to participate, in some way, in a contest that is going on.

QSL cards were designed and ordered and many, many, many have gone out to those that I have contacted.

I also did some smaller RTTY contests and really liked it. Participated in the CQ-WW-RTTY contest and made a good showing for my first time. Learning the terminology, what “assisted” really means, etc. Still learning every time I get on the radio.

So it’s been a heck of a first year and I’m so glad I made the decision to finally get my license. As for the next year, more contests, studying and hopefully passing the Extra exam, more toys to experiment with, CW to learn (maybe not this year), more time with the BARA folks learning and listening to stories, maybe a HF mobile setup, etc. Who knows, maybe even some sort of beam for 2m and 6m to go with my G5RV. All I know is I’m looking forward to seeing what else I learn in the coming months.

Thanks to everyone that provided me hints, tips, suggestions and guidance. And thanks to all the folks that came back to me when I put my call sign out there.

73,
K2DSL

Hamfest buys

Equipment, Misc

Saturday was my clubs Bergen Amateur Radio Association Hamfest. I knew I was going to purchase the Heil Proset 5 headphones, adapter for my Kenwood TS-2000 and the PTT hand switch so I made sure Gene from KJI Electronics had that with him for me. Well when they were setting up their table early in the morning, I decided I should get the MFJ Voice Keyer too. I’ve been watching it on eBay and figured I’d just get it from KJI. In addition, I grabbed the Gordon West audio CDs for the Extra Class exam so I could start studying.

At the hamfest I helped in administering the VE testing session. I think there were 13 testers with most passing. Since I’m a General class, I can only verify Tech class tests, so it’s yet another reason for me to upgrade to extra class.

When I got home late in the day, I pulled out the Heil headset and I noticed something isn’t right with what looks like a switch on the right ear cup. It’s just a hole and it looks like a tiny spring was sticking out. I looked for a switch or button that should go with it that might have popped off, but I didn’t find it. So I’ll call Gene at KJI on Monday and arrange to exchange it for one that has the switch.

I ripped the Gordon West Extra Class audio CDs to my computer and then loaded them up on my Blackberry so I can listen to them during my commute. There’s 6 CDs with each CD containing a bit over 1 hour of audio, so it’s a lot to listen to. But I’ll listen over and over and it will sink in and when I’m ready (some time before the spring) I will take the test.

I didn’t pull the voice keyer out of the box yet.

Oh, I also grabbed 2 line holders. They would be used to put the line that holds my G5RV up though and it holds the rope tight. Right now I have the rope wrapped around the trunk of the tree a few times, and as it slips a bit each month it isn’t very convenient to tighten it up. That will be especially true in the winter. So hopefully next weekend I can get up on the ladder and get these secured to the tree and then the line through the holder and I’ll be all set.

I also ran into someone that used to live in my town and moved a couple towns away. He has a daughter the same age as my older daughter and they used to be good friends. I didn’t know he was a ham so I looked up his call sign by using his name and it’s N2AXX. He said that his dad was a ham and he was licensed since he was a young teenager. He might even stop in for our clubs monthly meeting tonight.

73, David

Finding Grid Square Locators

Contacts, Contests, Misc

Note: I have written a page at http://www.levinecentral.com/ham/grid_square.php which does exactly what you might need. Check it out.

When I log a contact (I use HRD) I like to populate the grid square locator so that it shows the approximate distance between me and the contact. There’s a bunch of ways it can get populated and here’s what I use.

1) QRZ.com individual callsign contact data often has the grid square for a contact. If it does, HRD pulls it in. It only needs to be adjusted if the operator isn’t at his home station, such as when I operated from North Carolina.

2) In digital modes like RTTY or PSK, the contact often provides his grid square as part of the contact.

3) I use the QRZ.com GridFinder page at http://www.qrz.com/gridfinder where I have the most luck as long as I have a portion of the address. Most of the time this one site provides what is needed.

4) Next is site which is map based. http://f6fvy.free.fr/qthLocator/fullScreen.php where I can often locate, within reason, the approximate location of the contact. Also good if a contact is mobile and provides you an approximate location. You can then obtain the grid square. An example was a marine mobile station that provided his approx coords and distance off shore.  I just wish this site had a way to enter in a location like Google maps to get you close to a spot quickly.

5) A final shot is at http://www.vhfdx.net/callbook/ where you can look up by call sign and see if it’s listed along with a 6 or 4 digit grid square. I’ve used this when I didn’t have anything but the call sign and there’s not record or no relevant data on QRZ.

With the combination of the above, except in maybe 2 cases so far, I’ve been able to come up with a gris square value for the contact.

Some other references:
http://www.geocities.com/vhfdx2/gridqra.html for printable maps.
http://www.arrl.org/locate/gridinfo.html is ARRL’s reference with some maps.
http://www.g4xgt.co.uk/Grid%20locator.html is another quick responding Google map version.
http://no.nonsense.ee/qthmap/ another Google map locator.
http://ric.cqham.ru/ for looking up grid squares for Russian call signs.

If you are aware of others, post them as a comment.

73, K2DSL

Catching call signs

Misc

When I first got on the radio, picking up call signs was a bit frustrating. It felt like call signs were flying by like race cars on a track. If I picked up one or two letters from a call sign each time, in a couple passes I could usually piece the entire call sign together. I’d write down the letters on a piece of scratch paper I kept next to the radio.

Over the course of a few weeks, it started to become easier, even as folks used different phonetics for the various letters. As an example Kilo 2 Delta Sierra Lima, Kilowatt 2 Denmark Sugar London all started to meld into K2DSL with less and less thought as I spent more time on the air.  As I started to get comfortable catching them as they were called, it was still challenging to quickly repeat them back as part of the QSO. But over a few weeks, that two became easier and easier.

I remember Gordon (W2TTT) an outgoing member of the local Bergen Amateur Radio Association (BARA) club that I belong to telling me it will get easier. He was right. Like anything, the more practice you have at pulling out call signs from listening, the better you will get.  It happens quick enough if you can spend time on the air. I remember at this past field day I was sitting with a newer ham and I could pick the call signs up as she was saying “what? what?”. I felt like a pro, if for just a moment.

I’ll reach master level when I can pick up call signs out of a huge pileup as Steve (W2ML) can with what seems like hundreds of people calling all at once. To me it sounded like nothing but noise. To Steve, it was no different then if it was just 1 person  calling him. It was something spectacular to watch/listen to.

Besides call signs on the radio, I’m starting to associate individuals (specifically club members) with their call signs. I use to remember them by first name but now I refer to them by their call signs. Even hearing their voices on the local repeater is enough for me to think of their call. On HF there are voices I now recognize and think of as their call signs as well.

If you’re new, it won’t take long and it will be something you soon don’t think about.

73, David

QSLing part 2

Contacts, Misc

In my first post on QSLing I touched on the QSL card I had made and two electronic QSL services – eQSL and LOTW. Here’s some more QSL thoughts on bureaus.

Outgoing QSL Bureau
Besides spelling the word wrong every time I type it, there’s a bit to know about them. First off, at least for me, there’s 2 bureaus – an incoming QSL bureau and an outgoing QSL bureau. Since I’m an ARRL member, I can utilize the ARRL’s outgoing QSL bureau. Cost is fixed based on number or weight of cards. I haven’t done it yet (putting together the first batch now) but from what other local club members told me, out local club picks up that minimal cost for outgoing cards. So I just get the cards to one of my local club QSL managers and they take it from there. Only international cards can go through the bureau while US cards need to be sent direct (postal mail). So for me at least, the outgoing bureau is pretty straight forward and “free” as part of my annual club and ARRL memberships.

Incoming QSL Bureau
The other half of the process is the incoming QSL bureau. This is where cards from other contacts are sent, aggregated and delivered. The entire process is much like a private post office. Cards are aggregated, sorted and then sent to various locations throughout the world based on their destinations. For me, the local incoming QSL bureau is the NJ DX Association.  The NJ DX Assoc handles QSL cards for the 2nd call area – any US call sign with a 2 in the call.  From their site, they handle over half a million QSL cards a year. So cards destined for me go throught he QSL process and eventually make it to the NJ DX Assoc where they are then provided to my clubs QSL Manager and delivered to me.

The incoming bureau has a fee. It’s pretty straightforward and with PayPal pretty simple to get going. I pay for postal credits. They estimate about 5 to 7 QSL cards is the equivalent of 1 credit. So for each batch of 5 to 7 cards to be delivered to me, they deduct a credit. NJ DX Assoc allows you to bank $12 as a minimum initial purchase when using PayPal which they equate to 20 credits.  They meet once a month, so unless I’m getting in large batches of cards, that $12 will likely last about 2 years, if not longer. I think that’s pretty darn inexpensive for all the work that occurs.

Now I need to get off my rump and start writing out all the outgoing QSL cards (bureau and direct) and get the process going from my side. I’ve been told it can take 3 months to over 1 year for a card going through the bureau to get from point A to point B. Remember, I’ve made contacts last month I’m about to write out. Then I’ll bring them to my local QSL Manager in about 2 weeks at our next meeting. and then the process really starts.

73, K2DSL

Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) – excellent service

Antennas, Misc

A diversion from my continuation of posts on QSLing.  I was heading to North Carolina from NJ for a vacation at my in-laws. I didn’t think I was going to bring my radio but I decided to at the last minute. But deciding at the last minute, and not having a shack full of stuff, I was antenna-less. So I figured I’d stop on the way to NC at one of the HRO stores along the way. I purchased by TS-2000 from HRO and it shipped from the Delaware store.

There are 2 HRO stores right off I-95. One is in Delaware just over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the other is in northern VA.  Since we were leaving early in the morning, I’d be passing the Delaware store before they opened so I planned on hitting the VA store. It was a couple minutes off 95 so it’s very convenient. I parked and went in. I tried not to look around too much or I’d be there for an hour. Camden, N2CLB helped me. I told him what I wanted and was honest about the 20m Radiowavz dipole, saying it’s not the best. But I wanted something to throw up in my in-laws backyard. So I grabbed it and some coax, paid and Camden gave me his card in case I had any questions. Got out without looking at too much. It was tough!!!!

Got to my in-laws, screwed in a small screw with a closed loop into a solid golf ball and tied some string I used previously. Easily threw it over 2 trees in their back yard and used some other rope I had. Attached the coax to the balun and the ends of the ropes to the insulators on each end of the dipole. Hooked everything up and the TS-2000 wouldn’t tune which means it’s a bad SWR.  At home I have a G5RV and it tunes 10, 20, 40, 80 without issue so it shouldn’t be a problem on a 20m only dipole. I had a small piece of coax to swap out with to see if I could determine if it was the coax or the antenna. Same thing with a different piece of coax.  So I pull it down and see if there’s anything obvious that might be the cause, but without breaking it open I can’t, and if I’m going to return it, I don’t want it to be assumed the problem was because I did something to it.

So the next day I called HRO and Virginia and Camden answered. He remembered who I was and I told him what happened. I suggested I order another one to be delivered to NC and I’ll ship the defective one back when I get home. He put me on hold and when he came back he said they will ship me a replacement with a return label and I don’t need to give them any more payment. Really nice salespeople (if Camden is any indication) and terrific service. I have a local dealer at KJI Electronics, but for anything he can’t get or get quickly (and you know how impatient we can be), HRO Is my choice for terrific service and competitive pricing. I know when folks have an issue, they always post, but it’s nice when folks have a good experience that they post too.

I hope the replacement works. Even if it doesn’t, it’s not HROs fault. If there’s an issue I will write HRO and tell them they need to consider the quality of the Radiowavz product as something they’d want to stock and stand behind. But fingers crossed I’ll have a good one shipped.

73s K2DSL

Follow-up 8/13/2008: The replacement antenna arrived today via UPS. I installed it and it worked fine. Made a quick contact with Spain from NC before heading out to dinner. They also included a return label for getting the defective antenna back to them. Great job Camden and HRO!!

Ham radio items from eBay

Misc

I don’t mind using eBay to find a good deal. I’m amazed at how folks will bid on items on eBay and pay as much or even more then they could get them from a brick and mortor or other online e-tailer. But I don’t get caught up in the bidding frenzy and know what I’m willing to pay. And of course, you need to factor in the shipping and handling which is typically inflated in the total cost.

I’ve bought a bunch of ham equipment on eBay for my Kenwood TH-D7A HT and now for my TS-2000. For my HT I’ve purchased additional batteries, a mic, a Mirage BD-35 dual band amp and a decent car cup holder stand for the radio. I also purchased the True Talk G5RV I use as my HF antenna from the individual that makes them and uses eBay to sell them.

This past week I bid on and won a copy of CQ Magazine from February 2001 where they have the first article on the Kenwood TS-2000 I just purchased. Thought it would be nice to have that one issue.  You can view the CQ Magazine cover a picture of the ad for when it was released but the full pages require a subscription to view.  I also bid on and won the Nifty Mini Manual for the TS-2000 for less then 2/3 the price I could get it anywhere else including the least I found it for from a vendor at local hamfests.

Im trying to decide if I should get the Super Antenna MP-1 portable screwdriver for when I travel. It has mixed reviews, as does almost every portable antenna. On eBay, it’s about $10 less then through the manufactor or Ham Radio Outlet. I’m also keeping an eye on MFJ Voice Keyers and Heil Pro Set headsets auctions that are coming up. The voice keyers seem to be going for list price and I haven’t found an abundance of Heil headsets yet. I’m interested in the Heil Pro Set with the HC-5 element. But I can be patient.

Happy bidding!