2011 November Sweeps

Well, the ARRL November Sweeps (SSB) are officially over and I, for one, had a fun time - even though I was only able to operate for 10 hours.


So, how did I fair? Lets compare my first year (2010) and this year.


Last year, I was still learning the radio and antenna as I had only had it for about a week. I was still learning what a log was and there was a vehicle breakdown. This year a lot of things actually went better. I still had to work on Saturday and I still had husbandly duties to attend to. Other than that I made almost 100 more contacts this year than last (2010=19 Q's and 2011=116 Q's) This year, the learning curve was with the logging software that I was using for the first time.


I really like using the software to log. Last year, I did paper log and it took me a little bit to get the logs filled out, entered into the computer and then submitted. With the computer logging program, I don't get the writers' cramps and I have also submitted my log already - take that pudgy fingers! Additionally, the computer logging allows me to throw together a spreadsheet to share, as in this: 


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ajvnl1xNxjPVdFVQMm9tc2VhV3dhcWRXSkZDbHYwT0E


Yes, there it is - the extract from my Cabrillo file. If you find yourself in there, a heartfelt thanks for the Q.


Next year, my goals are as follows:
1.) Operate from the warmth and comfort of a truly fixed shack - mobile shack means getting the same exact spot if I was to leave, facilities at a distance and the (brrrrrr) elements.
2.) Computer logging is a must - no way I will return to paper logs for a contest. One entry point and instantaneous determination of whether a station is unique or a dupe.
3.) Request time off for contest - this is absolutely necessary and means more hours to operate
4.) Make 200+ Q's.


So, again, thanks to all those that I had QSO's with and I hope to see you all next year.


73 de KDØMCV

Weekly Review - 09OCT2011

I really haven't been all that fair with my posts on here so I have decided that instead of pushing myself for a daily post (and then getting frustrated with not getting first one, then a second, then on and on done, only to give up), I will post occasionally during the week, but push myself for a weekly update.

So, this week was all about anticipation.  Funny how when I earned my Tech license and then again with my General, I burned up the web checking out the FCC's ULS to see "my name in lights."  I figured that Extra would be different, but that was not to be.  I searched several times a day, every day, until I saw it posted there on Friday evening.  Like the school kid looking for that first day of class each year, I was anticipating and hoping that I would see my upgrade and elated when it came through on Friday.  Now you can only guess how many times a day I am checking the mailbox to see if the hard copy has arrived yet.

The only unfortunate part of seeing my upgrade appear on the ULS is that I did not get to work any stations as KDØMCV/AE.  I really wanted to, but time constraints with work and exhaustion didn't allow for that.  Minor detail, I guess.  What matters most is that I can use all of the frequencies now.

I did spend a bit of time listening around on the bands to see what all was out there this weekend.  I noticed that the bands were, for the most part, somewhat quiet and open.  Even 10m has been active which is a good sign.  I did work the DX-pedition station, T32C at East Kiribati on Kiritimati (Christmas) Island on 15m.  Here I am, sitting in the parking lot of the local Walmart and worked a station in the South Pacific.  Gotta love mobile ops.

I have been experimenting with different tools that are out there - tools on the internet and specifically, social media.  I have been tweeting a lot more and following some of the hams that are also on Twitter - namely @NW7US and @amatradio.  Reading on Amateurradio.com, I came across an article about having the confidence to use low power more than "defaulting" to 100W.  It fell right in with what I have been reading about QRP and so I figured I would give it a try.  That Q with T32C was made using 50W.  I was so excited when the op said my report was 5/9 that I am going to start trying to work my way down to 25W.  Mind you, I am mobile all of the time, so it is a bit harder to make those Q's as the ground plane is minimal, but I will work at it nonetheless.

Also, I cam across a station working 40m on Sunday morning that I thought was really odd sounding.  When he called out his CQ, I heard that he was AM.  Really?  I changed modes to AM (never done that before) and he was crystal clear.  I was fascinated and listened for over half an hour and I also pulled his call, WB9ECK up on QRZ.  This led to his website and all I can say is that you really have to read it for yourself.  I will tell you that he built his rig from scratch and even built his own crystals.  I am wanting to get up there and see that thing in person.  Maybe, someday soon.

When I was visiting with the Rock Island (IL) EC last Sunday, he gave me a starter kit for an NVIS antenna for working 80m and 40m.  I have started to get this project complete and am looking to get it tuned this week and  maybe use it this coming weekend to see how I did.  More on that later.

I also met a guy at the Radio Shack (buying a couple parts for another antenna I am putting together for a fellow ham up the street from me).  The kid told me that he was interested in being a ham, but that it cost too much as a hobby.  He attends a local community college here and we all know about the finances of a struggling student.  Chris' uncle is a ham and has a large station setup and naturally Chris thought that you would have to have all of that just to get into the hobby.  I really shocked him when I told him that all you need is a little time to study and the price of the test.  That got his curiosity and so (hopefully) he is studying for his Tech license.  I guess I will have to find something else to buy at Radio Shack later this week. HI HI.

Well, back to work so I can support my wonderful hobby.

73 de KDØMCV

Southeast Iowa Hamfest - My Lucky Spot

Well, I awoke at 3am on Sunday, studied for my Extra Class ticket and begged the XYL to let me head off to West Liberty, IA for the Southeast Iowa Hamfest.  Permission was granted (as long as I picked up a Sunday paper before I left), so I loaded up with two copies of my license, the original (still in the frame), directions printed out and a full tank of fuel and coffee.

West Liberty is over an hour-and-a-half drive south and west of Dubuque.  I am always aware - and a little bit fearful - of hitting a deer on the highway.  Harvest season, which we are now into, is the worst because they are getting pushed out of the corn fields and, because it is the start of the rut season for deer, the boys just aren't thinking with the larger of their brains.  :D

When I left Dubuque, the fog was thick and the eyes were peeled for deer.  Twelve miles out of Dubuque, the cruise control was set at 65, the fog had cleared and we were on our way.  Next stop - I-80 Truck Center to stretch the legs and kick the tires. 

If you are ever traveling through this part of the country on I-80, this is a must stop.  Cleanest restrooms, great food and plenty of things to lighten your wallet.  They also have some pretty neat trucks and some beautiful murals.  If you have time, check out the truck museum around back of the place.

Having filled up the coffee mug and emptied the bladder, it was time to hit the road again to finish the trip.  I was making awesome time and new I would get some study time in before the test started.  My goal was to get there when they started the test session so I could re-take if I needed.  As luck would have it, I didn't need a second chance.

I had three goals with the hamfest.  They were to pass my Extra Class, meet up with the Scott County EC, and witness a balloon launch.  This wasn't just any balloon launch, though.  This was the iHAB (Iowa High Altitude Balloon Project) and the 7th launch of their balloon with payload.  As a space nut, this really interested me.

So, I passed my Extra Class test and the first thing I did after that, was to find my Elmer - W0SAT - and let him know that I had reached the pinnacle of amateur radio.  I was so ecstatic that I had passed that I was floating on Cloud 9.  I thought nothing else could lift my spirits - how wrong I was, as two things lifted me to the heavens.

I promised myself that I would be a good boy and not bring any new radio toys back home.  Money is tight and I honestly knew I couldn't afford it.  Then I stumbled upon a Time magazine that was for sale and I couldn't pass it up.  It was the issue from my birth day.  Not just any birth day, but the one where I first learned that it's a cold, cruel world and also the one that I met the first love of my life - my mom.  Yes, it is from THE birth day.  Price was $2.00 and I couldn't pass it by.

The second thing that lifted me to unimaginable heights is the iHab balloon.  As W0OMT was filling the payload, he snapped a couple test pics with the payload camera and, you guessed it, I am in two of the shots - SCORE!!!

While my actual, physical body did not get to travel to an altitude of 82,138ft, at least my image did (and if the aliens are going to abduct anything, I would rather it be my image and not my person.)  :D

Lastly, I was honored to spend 6 hours of time with the Rock Island (IL) ARES EC discussing two very important issues for both of us - Skywarn and EmComm.  A regional utility has graciously given all the wideband radios that they no longer need (because of the mandatory narrow-band change out) to him and he is trying to distribute to other clubs.  We discussed what is needed to get a UHF repeater back up in Dubuque and discussed how he needs the skywarn reporting to come into the NWS office in Davenport.  It was a great meeting and full of a lot of information.

So, I did it - did it all in one day - and arrived back home in one piece.  Now I hope to work a lot of the frequencies that were out of reach to me just a few hours ago.

73 de KD0MCV/AE

Fall is Here and Where Am I?

Well, it is a beautiful fall day here in the Upper Midwest.  The morning was crisp and the afternoon is turning out to be warm and sunny.  So why am I sitting here in the middle of the afternoon, inside, at the computer?

Study for the Amateur Extra test is really turning my brains to mush.  According to Ham Test Online, I have completed 18:54 of the suggested 30 hours of study and I have been cramming more information in my skull than I ever thought humanly possible.  The good news is that I am actually getting some of it down.  Of the practice runs I have taken thus far, I have gotten 50% (using another study method), 64, 76, 82, 86, 85 and 74.  You have to have a minimum of 74% to pass and the 74 I got was when I directed the program to only give me hardest questions - the ones missed by most people that take the test.

The following is a full report card of where I stand currently with my study:

KDØMCV		QuQuestions	Percentage of test	Current score
Extra Class Exam (element 4) (valid 7/01/08 – 6/30/12)		50	100.0%	86.00%
Sub-element E1	Commission’s Rules	6	12.0%	92.00%
Sub-element E2	Operating Practices and Procedures	5	10.0%	91.00%
Sub-element E3	Radio Wave Propagation	3	6.0%	91.00%
Sub-element E4	Amateur Radio Technology and Measurements	5	10.0%	83.00%
Sub-element E5	Electrical Principles	4	8.0%	81.00%
Sub-element E6	Circuit Components	6	12.0%	87.00%
Sub-element E7	Practical Circuits	8	16.0%	86.00%
Sub-element E8	Signals and Emissions	4	8.0%	83.00%
Sub-element E9	Antennas and Transmission Lines	8	16.0%	84.00%
Sub-element E0	Safety	1	2.0%	89.00%

For those that think this test is easy, lets look at a couple questions from the actual pool.

E3A07 What frequency range would you normally tune to find EME stations in the 2 meter band?A. 144.000 - 144.001 MHzB. 144.000 - 144.100 MHzC. 144.100 - 144.300 MHzD. 145.000 - 145.100 MHz

E3C08 What is the name of the high-angle wave in HF propagation that travels for some distance within the F2 region?A. Oblique-angle rayB. Pedersen rayC. Ordinary rayD. Heaviside ray

E5C22 In rectangular coordinates, what is the impedance of a network comprised of a 10-microhenry inductor in series with a 40-ohm resistor at 500 MHz?A. 40 + j31,400B. 40 - j31,400C. 31,400 + j40D. 31,400 - j40

Now, I am not saying that these are impossible, but for an 'old dog" like me, I really found a lot of these to be difficult at best.  It has been way too many years since I had to do some of the complex math calculations and, quite frankly, my memory is not as sharp and keen as it was when I was a "young buck."

So, I am really being serious about this.  I set a goal that I would get my Extra Class before my anniversary and that is tomorrow.  That is when I will take the test for real - in West Liberty, Iowa at the Southeast Iowa Hamfest.

Latest Happenings

Greetings from the trenches.  This weekend was a busy one as was the week.

I finally bit the bullet and subscribed to Ham Test Online (http://hamtestonline.com) and have started studying for the Extra Class license.  The way that it teaches is to give you some info as to the how and why of a topic, then test you on it.  Questions that you pass then have a reduced repetition rate than the ones you pass.  So it is teach you something, quiz you, teach you, quiz you, etc. and quizzing you repeatedly until you have it 100%.  So far I am running a 74% on 30 questions.  My goal is the have those numbers up around 90% on the whole test and then taking the test in either Madison (WI) or Muscatine (IA) this weekend.  Other than Sunday, I have been getting in about an hour each day of study.  Math is still kicking me in the backside, but I am optimistic.

Saturday, NØRWR, W9UPK and I worked to get W9UPK's storm damaged Stepp-IR down off of the tower and on the ground.  Such a shame that the elements don't hold up.  I have see so many high raves about this antenna, but I am not so sure that there will be one in my future after seeing how one lasts in Iowa.

Band conditions have been superb!  While on the way to W9UPK's QTH, I was thumbing through 10m and thrying to break through all of the pileups.  Didn't work one until I pulled into the driveway and then worked Vienna, Austria.  5/9 reports both directions and then a happy dance that I have finally worked some DX on 10m.  Getting a 5/9 as a mobile on HF from a station nearly 5000 miles away was a bonus.

Also while at it this weekend, we looked over the Motorola equipment that was given to us from Midwest Energy via the Davenport ARC.  Time to start tearing down the model numbers, figure out what we have and get ready to program it all.  The EC there in Davenport is looking to have an established set of linked repeaters along the Mississippi River from Davenport northward to the state line.  Our local repeater is doing so well that we were asked to help on that.  I was looking more towards getting the equipment for the two local hospitals here so we can have on-site ham shacks for emergency communication should something happen.

Well, off to another fun filled week of work.  Hey, gotta pay for my hobby one way or another.

73 de Mike, KDØMCV

ARRL Rookie Roundup

Well, I did get to compete in the ARRL Rookie Roundup for SSB phone that was held on April 17, 2011. Band conditions weren't great, but at least I did get in there and have a little action - along with work and other obligations.

Before getting into the results, I should probably explain what the Rookie Roundup is and how it works.  The contest is open to those individuals that have received their first amateur radio operator license within the previous three calendar years (for 2011, it is 2009, 2010 and 2011) as "Rookies" and all the others out there as "Old-Timers" or OT's.  The primary purpose is to get us rookies behind the mic (or computer or CW key) and getting a few QSO's as well as honing our operator and contesting skills.  It is also a perfect time for OT's to get out there and "elmer" those of us that are new.

As a rookie, you get points for each QSO (2 for each rookie, one for each OT) and a multiplier for each unworked ARRL section in the US, Canada and Mexico as well as one for each DX per band.  As an OT, you get one point for each rookie you work.

Now, as I said earlier, the bands weren't all that good and I was mobile, but still made 27 QSO's (14 rookie) and had 19 unique sections.  My score was 779 a respectable 7th place in the Tenth Call District of the US.  I was one point shy of tying for 6th place and 805 points from 5th place.  I was the only rookie in Iowa.

The most important thing is that I had fun and worked some fine stations - rookie and OT alike.  

Next contest I plan to get involved in is this coming weekend (May 7th) and is the 7th Call Area QSO Party.  This one has significant meaning to me as I originally hail from the 7th Call Area (Arizona) and am hoping to make my first contact with Gila County.  It is especially important that stations try to work me because when worked, each QSO with me will count as three QSO's and three states worked as I will be operating from the Iowa/Illinois/Wisconsin state lines and the counties of Jo Davies (IL), Grant (WI) and Dubuque (IA).  This ought to be fun and the final time to hone my skills before Field Day.

73's de KDØMCV

Happy New Year - 2011

We have come to the close of 2010 and turned the pages to 2011.  So, to all my readers, Happy New Year!

The year 2010 will definitely be a memorable year with plenty of ups and downs, but one of the biggest milestones in my life would be that I became an Amateur Radio Operator (affectionately, a Ham Operator).  I was finally able to beat down the demons that kept me from getting my license years ago as well as got off of my duff and study for first, my Technician License and then my General License.

While I have barely cracked open my first log book and have only six entries, I have at least done that and started the process to go beyond where I am at now in the hobby and grow with it.  Hopefully, by the end of 2011, I will have a full log book and be ready to start my second.

I have a few goals for 2011 (I don't do 'New Years Resolutions', but believe in setting goals) that I am looking forward to accomplishing:

• Obtain my Extra License - my biggest and most important goal;
• Assemble my home shack - mobile is great, but being out of the elements is better;
• Get involved in more contests; and
• Earn my WAS (Worked All States).

Above all else, I plan on having a lot of fun with this hobby.  

73's and all the best in 2011.