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.

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.

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?  :)

Field Day - 2010

Each year, Hams get together on air for what is called "Field Day." This is a chance for all of us to get together on air and work stations from around the continent. Clubs, such as the one here in Dubuque, operate totally on alternative power as if we were actually operating from a command post during an emergency. Field Day is always held the fourth full weekend in June and runs both Saturday and Sunday.


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.

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.