For the past several weeks, I have not been able to get on the air. Every time I try to tune in one of the HF bands, I would have really high SWR readings. Seemed to me that it happened when we got our first snowfall, but I know now that the snow had nothing to do with it.
After doing a lot of research on the Internet and asking around the members of my club, no one could figure it out. Then I found a troubleshooting checklist from Firestick (they make CB antennas) that I started working through.
I disconnected the coax from the mount and checked the continuity with an ohm meter. Antenna checked out normal, so I disconnected the coax from the radio and checked to see if I had continuity on the coax. Center conductor was fine, but I had no connection on the shield side. Since my coax consists of a 6-foot jumper from the radio to the connector coming from the mount, I separated the jumper and just checked the one from the mount. No continuity. Scratched a little insulation from the shield at a few places and checked and finally found that the shield was not connected right at the top of the PL-259 connector. Further checking revealed that the shield was completely corroded away from the PL-259 connector. I have it somewhat patched for now, but I will have to order a new cable to go from the mount into the truck.
By the way, I think this is what was causing me to have problems tuning in any band other than 40m during the contest as I can now tune in 80m and 20m just fine now.
Feels good to get the problem solved. Feels even better knowing that I found the problem and fixed it myself. Looks like I will be working some of those high frequencies again in the near future.
73's
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
CQ Contest, CQ Contest.
Now, had I have known (or even realized the importance of this) that this weekend was a big contest, I would have requested the whole weekend off and probably Monday also (to recover and submit logs). Yes, it is that big.
What is it that I am talking about? The ARRL November Sweepstakes, of course. This contest is second only to Field Day in the severity of it. Rest assured that it is WOW big and important.
Because I had to work and had other husbandly duties (like take the XYL to see the new Harry Potter movie), I was really limited as to the amount of time I was able to devote to the contest. I was fortunate enough to make 19 QSO's though, so I am grateful for that. At least I got my feet wet and had some fun at it.
Another limiting factor is that I am still new at working with this radio and antenna combination. I guess you can say that I am still in the learning curve of it, but I am working at it.
There was one major hurdle that I had to overcome and actually took all of my time Sunday. The alternator in the truck went out and so here I was, in rural Iowa with no way to start the truck, a dead battery and dead alternator. Thank God, I still had a cell phone. The repairs were just over $300.00 and I was back on the road. Too bad it had to happen this weekend.
73's to the QSO's I did make and to all the stations out there that participated. Hope to see you next year.
What is it that I am talking about? The ARRL November Sweepstakes, of course. This contest is second only to Field Day in the severity of it. Rest assured that it is WOW big and important.
Because I had to work and had other husbandly duties (like take the XYL to see the new Harry Potter movie), I was really limited as to the amount of time I was able to devote to the contest. I was fortunate enough to make 19 QSO's though, so I am grateful for that. At least I got my feet wet and had some fun at it.
Another limiting factor is that I am still new at working with this radio and antenna combination. I guess you can say that I am still in the learning curve of it, but I am working at it.
There was one major hurdle that I had to overcome and actually took all of my time Sunday. The alternator in the truck went out and so here I was, in rural Iowa with no way to start the truck, a dead battery and dead alternator. Thank God, I still had a cell phone. The repairs were just over $300.00 and I was back on the road. Too bad it had to happen this weekend.
73's to the QSO's I did make and to all the stations out there that participated. Hope to see you next year.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
BINGO!
Well, last night was fun. Listening to stations come in from all over the Southeast US then one DX comes in and I started hearing stations from all over the lower 48 come out of the woodwork. Tonight, I had to listen again and try to capture my first QSO.
Listening on 40m, I was again excited to hear a station in Queen Creek, AZ pop up calling CQ. I tried for about 15 minutes to pull him in, but it was not to be. Then I scanned around some more and heard stations in FL, GA, SC, OH and TN all coming in pretty strong, but again I could not get through.
I decided to de-tune the antenna and head on up to 80m to see what I could get there. I heard a lot of net traffic coming through loud and clear, but I would again be snookered. Because I am tuning the antenna by ear (and not a lot of practice at it), I was thinking that maybe I was doing it wrong. Well, lets head back down to 40m.
Arriving at 40m., I re-tuned the antenna to get the most noise, then found someone that was doing a little rag chewing. I tuned for the best sound and dropped to 7.175MHz where it was quiet. Changing modes to AM and lowering power to the lowest setting, I checked SWRs and I was pulling a 1:1 - perfect.
Scanning through 40m and I hear a station calling CQ. Now is my chance. I shoot my call sign out there and that I am mobile in Iowa, and he answers back that he has two of us doubling up - he takes me first. I reply with my call and that I am indeed mobile. I give my grid square (EN42 pm) and give his signal report - 5/9. He comes back and tells me my signal to him, that he is in GA. I announce to him and the whole world that he is my first QSO and about that time, my brain is gone - I cannot remember what to do next, because I was so elated that I had finally made my first HF QSO!
Somewhere in the process of him calling CQ and me losing my marbles, the phone rang. It was my wife and all I could do was hit send on the phone and set it down. She was able to listen in on it and was pretty happy that I got it.
So, now I am totally hooked on the HF bands. I am also at a little delima - how long is it going to take me to get my WAS award? I only have to work 48 more states. :)
Listening on 40m, I was again excited to hear a station in Queen Creek, AZ pop up calling CQ. I tried for about 15 minutes to pull him in, but it was not to be. Then I scanned around some more and heard stations in FL, GA, SC, OH and TN all coming in pretty strong, but again I could not get through.
I decided to de-tune the antenna and head on up to 80m to see what I could get there. I heard a lot of net traffic coming through loud and clear, but I would again be snookered. Because I am tuning the antenna by ear (and not a lot of practice at it), I was thinking that maybe I was doing it wrong. Well, lets head back down to 40m.
Arriving at 40m., I re-tuned the antenna to get the most noise, then found someone that was doing a little rag chewing. I tuned for the best sound and dropped to 7.175MHz where it was quiet. Changing modes to AM and lowering power to the lowest setting, I checked SWRs and I was pulling a 1:1 - perfect.
Scanning through 40m and I hear a station calling CQ. Now is my chance. I shoot my call sign out there and that I am mobile in Iowa, and he answers back that he has two of us doubling up - he takes me first. I reply with my call and that I am indeed mobile. I give my grid square (EN42 pm) and give his signal report - 5/9. He comes back and tells me my signal to him, that he is in GA. I announce to him and the whole world that he is my first QSO and about that time, my brain is gone - I cannot remember what to do next, because I was so elated that I had finally made my first HF QSO!
Somewhere in the process of him calling CQ and me losing my marbles, the phone rang. It was my wife and all I could do was hit send on the phone and set it down. She was able to listen in on it and was pretty happy that I got it.
So, now I am totally hooked on the HF bands. I am also at a little delima - how long is it going to take me to get my WAS award? I only have to work 48 more states. :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
My First Experience On HF
Getting my Tech license was a thrill and earning my General was awesome, but nothing beats actually getting on the HF bands and living what amateur radio is all about - well, there is one thing better (so far as I have witnessed), but I will hit that point in a few moments.
Dropping down below 2 meters (144MHz) is pretty neat. You hear stations from all over talking about this and that. This morning, on my way to work, I heard a station in Oklahoma doing a little rag-chewing with a station in Missouri. The signals were so strong and so clear that if I hadn't known that I was on 40 meters (7MHz), I would have sworn they were on our local 2 meter repeater. Had there have been a break in their conversation, I would have called out there to them and tried to get my first QSO. As it was, I was getting pretty close to being late, so I had to shut down the rig and go into the office.
When I got off of work tonight, I immediately headed up to a higher point than where my work is. Work sits in a valley, but there are plenty of hills around here. Finding one that has a farm road on it and no buildings close is a bit difficult, but not impossible, so I headed up north of work to a more hilly area, found a spot to safely pull off of the road and started tuning the dial around 20 meters.
I was listening to strong stations in FL, SC, TX, and GA coming in loud and clear - a good S9. As I was tuning around, I heard a station that, honestly, caused me to get pretty excited and I witnessed my first non-contesting pileup - one station answering and 30+ stations calling. Everyone was trying to get a QSO with station J7WTA on the Dominica Island - a rare.
J7WTA was coming in about 5/7 and so I thought I would try and make my first QSO even more special. After trying my luck to reach out to this Caribbean nation for nearly 30 minutes, I gave up. He was just about the same signal as the QRM (noise) and fading. Missed my first foreign QSO but it was fun trying to get it and listening to all the stations that were likewise trying to make contact. There are some happy hams as far away as Los Angeles and Phoenix that were able to eek out enough power to get over the top and catch a rare QSO.
So, I will get back to trying to get my first HF QSO. Who knows where the other station will be? Here in the States? Canada? or will I be lucky enough to have a QSO with a small foreign country somewhere out there?
73's
Dropping down below 2 meters (144MHz) is pretty neat. You hear stations from all over talking about this and that. This morning, on my way to work, I heard a station in Oklahoma doing a little rag-chewing with a station in Missouri. The signals were so strong and so clear that if I hadn't known that I was on 40 meters (7MHz), I would have sworn they were on our local 2 meter repeater. Had there have been a break in their conversation, I would have called out there to them and tried to get my first QSO. As it was, I was getting pretty close to being late, so I had to shut down the rig and go into the office.
When I got off of work tonight, I immediately headed up to a higher point than where my work is. Work sits in a valley, but there are plenty of hills around here. Finding one that has a farm road on it and no buildings close is a bit difficult, but not impossible, so I headed up north of work to a more hilly area, found a spot to safely pull off of the road and started tuning the dial around 20 meters.
I was listening to strong stations in FL, SC, TX, and GA coming in loud and clear - a good S9. As I was tuning around, I heard a station that, honestly, caused me to get pretty excited and I witnessed my first non-contesting pileup - one station answering and 30+ stations calling. Everyone was trying to get a QSO with station J7WTA on the Dominica Island - a rare.
J7WTA was coming in about 5/7 and so I thought I would try and make my first QSO even more special. After trying my luck to reach out to this Caribbean nation for nearly 30 minutes, I gave up. He was just about the same signal as the QRM (noise) and fading. Missed my first foreign QSO but it was fun trying to get it and listening to all the stations that were likewise trying to make contact. There are some happy hams as far away as Los Angeles and Phoenix that were able to eek out enough power to get over the top and catch a rare QSO.
So, I will get back to trying to get my first HF QSO. Who knows where the other station will be? Here in the States? Canada? or will I be lucky enough to have a QSO with a small foreign country somewhere out there?
73's
Monday, October 4, 2010
Question from the Hinterlands: "Hey, Where Have You Been"
It has been weeks since I posted last to this blog and I am sure there are some that are wondering - "Where the heck is he?"
The answer is that I have been spending every free moment studying for my General Class License. Sure, I went to a couple Hamfests along the way, but my primary focus has been on passing this test. The mathematics is something that I am just not good at anymore and especially memorizing all the different formulas.
I mentioned that I went to a few hamfests along the way. So far, I attended the Cedar Valley Hamfest in Cedar Rapids, the Peoria Superfest in Peoria, Illinois and the Southeast Iowa Hamfest in West Liberty. All were fun and exciting to get to, but I was looking forward to getting to West Liberty to take the test. Yes, 3OCT2010 was the day I was both looking forward to and dreading.
I rarely get to have a free Saturday that I am not working, but this Saturday (10/2) I was surprised that I didn't have to work. I needed to have another good look at the test for real, so the wife and I loaded up early in the morning and made a trip to Madison, WI for my second attempt at the test. As fate would have it, I failed the test miserably, but I did get a good look at it and got the chance to see where I really needed to focus my study for the next day.
I really didn't get to do a lot of studying as the wife and I did some shopping and sightseeing in Madison. Because of that, we didn't get back home until late in the evening and I cracked open the book only to fall fast asleep. When I awoke this morning, I was in a rush to get on the road and so didn't get to study at all. I guess I will just have to pray really hard. When I arrived at the fairgrounds in West Liberty, I paid admission, parked and thumbed through the answers that I had highlighted in the book, then it was off to find the restroom and test site.
There were quite a few people there to take the test, as was expected with this being the Iowa Convention Hamfest. I went up to the table where the three VE's were sitting, paid my fee, filled out paper work and was handed my test. Butterflies went into overtime in my guts and I thought I was going to explode - and I hadn't even found a seat yet. Once I found my seat, I said a little prayer and cracked open the test. I was shocked to see the first question was one I was totally familiar with and answered without even thinking.
The part of the test that I was most worried about made up 10 of the 35 questions. I can only miss 9 so I have to hope that I get at least one of the tough ones right and ace the rest of the test. As I finished the test, I looked it over one more time, closed the book and stood up to turn in my test. Now the butterflies were really active and I needed to go to the bathroom again.
I am not a very patient person when it comes to tests. I want to know now how I did and lets get the agony out of the way so I can go out to the truck, crack open the book and study for an hour before coming back to re-take the test. There were five to grade before mine and each one was being graded painstakingly slowly. Could I make it through this part. All I could do was sit with my head low, eyes closed and pray that I could tolerate the battle of my guts while waiting. As each test was finished being grading, the VE would call the name of the candidate. I heard one name after another, then I heard, "David?"
There was no answer. I was busy with my praying that I almost missed it. "KDØMCV? David?" Hey, that is me. Up I went to the VE, totally ready to hear the bad news - I failed by missing 12 questions yesterday and so I was ready to go out and study again. If I hurry, I can get about 30 minutes in before I have to be back in here...
"Congratulations, you passed, you missed 7 and were allowed to miss 9." I was flabbergasted. I didn't know what to do. I shook hands with the VE and went to fill out one final paper before I received my CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination).
I immediately sought out a ham I new from here in Dubuque (WØSAT is that fatherly figure of a ham that I am honored to know). I found him and showed him my CSCE. He and his wife were so happy to see me holding that paper with hands shaking. I don't know what was bigger, the weight off of my shoulders for finally passing the test or the smile on my face that couldn't be broken.
Now, on to find some HF equipment so I can use the license.
The answer is that I have been spending every free moment studying for my General Class License. Sure, I went to a couple Hamfests along the way, but my primary focus has been on passing this test. The mathematics is something that I am just not good at anymore and especially memorizing all the different formulas.
I mentioned that I went to a few hamfests along the way. So far, I attended the Cedar Valley Hamfest in Cedar Rapids, the Peoria Superfest in Peoria, Illinois and the Southeast Iowa Hamfest in West Liberty. All were fun and exciting to get to, but I was looking forward to getting to West Liberty to take the test. Yes, 3OCT2010 was the day I was both looking forward to and dreading.
I rarely get to have a free Saturday that I am not working, but this Saturday (10/2) I was surprised that I didn't have to work. I needed to have another good look at the test for real, so the wife and I loaded up early in the morning and made a trip to Madison, WI for my second attempt at the test. As fate would have it, I failed the test miserably, but I did get a good look at it and got the chance to see where I really needed to focus my study for the next day.
I really didn't get to do a lot of studying as the wife and I did some shopping and sightseeing in Madison. Because of that, we didn't get back home until late in the evening and I cracked open the book only to fall fast asleep. When I awoke this morning, I was in a rush to get on the road and so didn't get to study at all. I guess I will just have to pray really hard. When I arrived at the fairgrounds in West Liberty, I paid admission, parked and thumbed through the answers that I had highlighted in the book, then it was off to find the restroom and test site.
There were quite a few people there to take the test, as was expected with this being the Iowa Convention Hamfest. I went up to the table where the three VE's were sitting, paid my fee, filled out paper work and was handed my test. Butterflies went into overtime in my guts and I thought I was going to explode - and I hadn't even found a seat yet. Once I found my seat, I said a little prayer and cracked open the test. I was shocked to see the first question was one I was totally familiar with and answered without even thinking.
The part of the test that I was most worried about made up 10 of the 35 questions. I can only miss 9 so I have to hope that I get at least one of the tough ones right and ace the rest of the test. As I finished the test, I looked it over one more time, closed the book and stood up to turn in my test. Now the butterflies were really active and I needed to go to the bathroom again.
I am not a very patient person when it comes to tests. I want to know now how I did and lets get the agony out of the way so I can go out to the truck, crack open the book and study for an hour before coming back to re-take the test. There were five to grade before mine and each one was being graded painstakingly slowly. Could I make it through this part. All I could do was sit with my head low, eyes closed and pray that I could tolerate the battle of my guts while waiting. As each test was finished being grading, the VE would call the name of the candidate. I heard one name after another, then I heard, "David?"
There was no answer. I was busy with my praying that I almost missed it. "KDØMCV? David?" Hey, that is me. Up I went to the VE, totally ready to hear the bad news - I failed by missing 12 questions yesterday and so I was ready to go out and study again. If I hurry, I can get about 30 minutes in before I have to be back in here...
"Congratulations, you passed, you missed 7 and were allowed to miss 9." I was flabbergasted. I didn't know what to do. I shook hands with the VE and went to fill out one final paper before I received my CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination).
I immediately sought out a ham I new from here in Dubuque (WØSAT is that fatherly figure of a ham that I am honored to know). I found him and showed him my CSCE. He and his wife were so happy to see me holding that paper with hands shaking. I don't know what was bigger, the weight off of my shoulders for finally passing the test or the smile on my face that couldn't be broken.
Now, on to find some HF equipment so I can use the license.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
My First Ham Fest
Went to my first Ham Fest today. Had one heck of a good time, even though Mama Bear didn't go with. I overspent what I had planned, but came away with some good deals.
I also joined the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) today. I have been interested in joining and even received an invitation to join yesterday, but I figured that there was no time better than the present to sign up, so my first purchase made today was for the ARRL.
Some of the stuff I bought today were Skywarn stickers for the truck, Skywarn license plate frame, call sign hat and name badge, Skywarn hat pin, used Kenwood TM-732A, dual-band antenna with NMO mount, duplexer and the study guide for the General License. Also ended up walking out with a Log book (getting ready for those HF bands early), a Repeater Directory and the FCC rules.
I was like as wide-eyed as a kid in a candy store, but I think next time I will take cash only and leave the wallet in the truck. :o
I really want to thank the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club in Cedar Rapids for the wonderful experience at Summerfest. They were awesome hosts and I look forward to next year.
I also joined the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) today. I have been interested in joining and even received an invitation to join yesterday, but I figured that there was no time better than the present to sign up, so my first purchase made today was for the ARRL.
Some of the stuff I bought today were Skywarn stickers for the truck, Skywarn license plate frame, call sign hat and name badge, Skywarn hat pin, used Kenwood TM-732A, dual-band antenna with NMO mount, duplexer and the study guide for the General License. Also ended up walking out with a Log book (getting ready for those HF bands early), a Repeater Directory and the FCC rules.
I was like as wide-eyed as a kid in a candy store, but I think next time I will take cash only and leave the wallet in the truck. :o
I really want to thank the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club in Cedar Rapids for the wonderful experience at Summerfest. They were awesome hosts and I look forward to next year.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
WOOO - I am taken
Well, I have been for quite some time now, but my pic was recently taken.
Here I am logging contacts for Field Day as WBØWSE works 15- and 20-meters.
Again, thanks all for the fun during Field Day. I am looking forward to next year.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
OH NO!
Everything was shaping up to be a great week and weekend. The wife and I were planning on going up to Durango, IA with some friends to watch fireworks on the 2nd and then our annual trek to Bellevue on the 4th to watch some more.
I noticed on 6/27 that when the volume on my rig was turned up above 50%, I got a strange hum with sound. This I attributed to the speaker being old and possibly torn. As the week progressed, it got worse and soon became if the volume was turned up above 25% I would get the hum.
Friday fireworks were awesome and the food was great. Saturday, I cleaned up the truck and installed a speaker inside the headliner, above the driver seat. I ran a few other cables for future (web cam USB cable to inside rear view mirror for storm chasing and USB within the dash for my GPS dongle), buttoned up the cab of the truck and powered up the 2m...
No light, no display, no sound. What did I do? Retraced my steps and still nothing, so took out the multimeter, found voltage at the radio and decided that it was within the radio. Back to W0SAT to have him look at the radio.
On Sunday, I met up with W0SAT and we benched the radio. Me with my laptop loaded with the service manual and Jerry with his multimeter and we traced down a transistor that was bad. Because of how late in the day it was and obligations with our respective spouses, it was decided that Jerry would replace the transistor later that evening or the next day and I would then get it back in the truck on Monday.
Reinstalled, the radio seems to be working great. The speaker placement within the headliner does need a little adjustment to it's location, but works for the most part. I am still looking for a more permanent install point for the radio, but for now it works where it is, so that is where it will ride. At least until I get my multibander and figure the location to install it.
Anyone want to donate an IComm IC-7000 for a long-term ride in my truck? :)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Field Day - 2010
We had a good time and logged over 300 contacts, many of whom were also operating on battery power.
A special treat for me, was when I opened up my mail on Saturday and discovered a prized possession within - my hard copy license from the FCC. I took the unopened envelope to our operation site and allowed all that were there to share with me in seeing it for the first time.
Monday, June 21, 2010
My Journey to Amateur Radio
It has finally come to fruition - I am officially an amateur radio operator. A Ham.
How this all began is a long story that begins with listening to my folks talk on the CB radio, eventually having my own CB, learning and studying for my Amateur Radio License, failing multiple times and finally giving up on it. Every time that I took the test for the first license, I would pass the written part, but inevitably fail the CW (Morse Code) part of the test. It was frustrating, to say the least.
There have been some changes in the past few years with the licensing structure and, at first, licenses were offered that did not require the operator to pass a CW test. Last year, the rules were changed again and CW was dropped as a requirement for all classes. Dropping the CW requirement initially caused a rift within the community, but I think that has waned. Sure, there are a few that see those of us that do not know code as overrated CB enthusiasts, but the amateur community as a whole, has really gone to great lengths to remove barriers that would otherwise hinder the growth of the hobby.
So, on June 19, 2010, I traveled to Rockford, IL to take the test to finally become a Ham Operator. I took the the Technician test as well as the General test. While I passed the Tech, I missed the General and so (for now) I just have the basic license. I have a lot of frequencies that I can use, but the most important thing is that I am finally a Ham.
How this all began is a long story that begins with listening to my folks talk on the CB radio, eventually having my own CB, learning and studying for my Amateur Radio License, failing multiple times and finally giving up on it. Every time that I took the test for the first license, I would pass the written part, but inevitably fail the CW (Morse Code) part of the test. It was frustrating, to say the least.
There have been some changes in the past few years with the licensing structure and, at first, licenses were offered that did not require the operator to pass a CW test. Last year, the rules were changed again and CW was dropped as a requirement for all classes. Dropping the CW requirement initially caused a rift within the community, but I think that has waned. Sure, there are a few that see those of us that do not know code as overrated CB enthusiasts, but the amateur community as a whole, has really gone to great lengths to remove barriers that would otherwise hinder the growth of the hobby.
So, on June 19, 2010, I traveled to Rockford, IL to take the test to finally become a Ham Operator. I took the the Technician test as well as the General test. While I passed the Tech, I missed the General and so (for now) I just have the basic license. I have a lot of frequencies that I can use, but the most important thing is that I am finally a Ham.
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