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.