Where am I on Digital?

             What have I worked on FT8?  FIRST FT8 QSO ON 7/10/2017  -  300th COUNTRY on 11/6/2023

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Cycle 25 6m F2  11-1-2024   SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING OLD

11-2-2024: The maximum phase of Cycle 25 was officially announced by NASA and NOAA in a teleconference on October 15. The peak will be identified in coming months. After a relatively poor Es season (certainly unproductive for me), we began to look for the long-awaited F2 propagation, which I have only experienced in the early 2000s. Cycle 24 was essentially devoid of 6m F2, as I recall. W3LPL, who sends a daily propagation update to the PVRC email reflector, started his 11-1-2024 email forecast with this: "Some of the best HF and 6m F2 propagation of Cycle 25 is likely to continue for the next week". One thing is for sure, it sure started for me on November 1st. As I write this on 11-2,  we just experienced a packed band of European stations on FT8, with some activity on CW as well. FT4 was also active, with conditions easily supporting that mode as well. 

Back to November 1st. I was monitoring the band for Lance, W7GJ, who activated ZD9GJ on 6m EME and terrestrial paths in mid-September. He was worked by local 6m DXers, K1HTV, K3SX and W3IP while I was out of town, and I was hoping for a last shot as he was detained from departing at least 2 or maybe 3 weeks beyond his original schedule.  Then came "something new" as noted in the subhead above. AC4TO was working Adi, VU3WEW! Better than that, I was actually copying him!  (see #1 below). He called CQ and I scrambled to find a clear frequency and began calling, figuring that the initial CQ and two following decodes of his QSO with Ken, AC4TO, might be the end of it. After several calls (limited control over colors in dark mode with JTDX, sorry for the white text with a yellow background), he emerged with a -8 signal, calling CQ. Could it be possible he'd actually hear me?  The answer is a resounding "yes," and I worked one of my most unexpected DX QSOs on 6m since I first began operating on The Magic Band (TMB) in late 1999. My neighbor Rich, K1HTV, was next in line to work him from this area, before Adi faded out. I did not keep my BIC, and Rich, K1HTV, copied 4S7AB shortly thereafter, until local QRM captured the AGC of his K3 and pushed Kamal into the noise. The QSO with Adi was posted to LoTW almost immediately by both of us, and that confirmation will be applied when ARRL catches up after the LoTW difficulties from this last July. From QRZ, Adi is running a 3 el. yagi and has an Expert 1.3KFA with a Hermes-Lite 2 and IC-7300. I'm unsure of the radio used, but I am guessing it was the SDR. I was running an InnovAntennas 7 el. LFA at 63 ft. with a K3 driving my homebrew pair of 4CX250Bs at 400w. 

As if the day didn't have enough excitement already, this was also the end of my quest for WAS on 160-6m, all on FT8.  This includes 60m, which I know is not an "awards" band. I had completed everything but AK on 6m to fill in my own tally of 11-band W.A.S., starting with 20 states in 2017, the first partial year when FT8 was introduced. My QSO with NV on June 15, 2024 was my 49th state on 6m. Although I had watched for AK as part of the chase since 2017, I knew that conditions would need to improve to work it again on TMB. After working Les, KL7J numerous times on various bands and modes since 2009, I found that he was on the JTAlert chat most times when was operating FT8. I enjoyed several extended text chats as we operated, and began to reach out when I saw him spotted on 6m, just in case he was hearing the Mid-Atlantic states. When KL7HBK first appeared in our area, around 18:11Z, I was not in the shack, and my ALL.TXT file shows I only began to copy him at 18:31Z. My antenna was still aimed at 20 degrees to India, so he was likely readable somewhat earlier.  Les was first called at 18:35Z by locals, only to be followed by KL7SB, KL1JP, and AL7LO. When I finally returned to the shack around 20:40Z and realized what I was missing, I turned the antenna, and found Les, but changing band conditions with significant QSB. I texted him, telling him I'd probably lost my chance, but he encouraged me to try anyway, so I began calling at 20:47Z without success, and began again at 21:04Z. Five minutes later,  we completed our QSO as shown below (#4 and #5). A subsequent check showed that I worked Les, on all eleven bands on either FT4 or FT8. Thanks for going along for the long haul Les!

11-6-2024 Less than a week later, after a couple of very active days with long, busy EU openings, I was able to work another new country that I've seen spotted for months. New England has several very committed and highly capable 6m DXers. They spot things early in the openings (and early in the morning), that many days, don't ever make their way down the coast to me. I've had Patrice, 3B8FA, in my HamAlert 6m wanted list for a long while. I've worked him on 30, -10m, but had never copied him on TMB. When my chance came, I finally copied him for one cycle at 16:06Z and by 16:08:30Z, I was also able to copy Mike, 3B8HK, initially weaker than Patrice, but eventually becoming louder (at my QTH), When I began calling at 16:12Z, I chose Mike, thinking perhaps there might be fewer callers. As the minutes passed, Patrice was a bit stronger, but I left things as they were, and at 16:19Z, when he answered me with a -14 report, he was -23! He stayed with me for three cycles, and my last report to him was a -14, followed by a 73. Looking back, I see that Patrice had gotten much louder, CQing without callers! But I was in QSO with Mike and thanks to his persistence, I have another very special QSO in the log. (see below).

11-9-2024 Just 3 days later, still more great propagation ends in a special QSO to the Pacific once again. As Patrice called CQ AF, Nick, VK9DX appeared on the band. My log contains QSOs with Nick on 80m, and two Qs on 10m, including one on RTTY. But this is the most unexpected. After 24 years on the band, the last two have finally been productive working DX in the Pacific. Thanks Nick!

Cycle 25 6m Es  SOUTH COOK ISLANDS IN AND OUT, THEN IN THE LOG!

Prelude: While we wait for F2 propagation, as noted in the account below from last October, there's always hope for something special in the seasonal Es. Last year provided real fireworks, and after the Es season, put Pacific DX in my log I never expected. But it was a long dry spell in late 2023 and more than half way through 2024. DX is my prime interest, but 6m grid chasing, and FFMA in particular really fills in the gaps, and has its own "charm."Brief, "spotlight," "flashlight," and seemingly "laser"-sized spots on our side of the path are all part of the game, be it for grids or DX. It's part of the "magic" of TMB. The watching, waiting and working usually begins in early May, gets rolling in June and July, and August can also be productive. 2022 provided 117 new grids, many of them from DX QSOs, and 2023 yielded 80. New DXCC countries total for 2022 was 7, with 11 in 2023, both great years. As of June 16, I had ZERO new DXCC entities worked in 2024, and under a dozen new domestic and foreign grids.

First callers, then copy:  I saw WB9Z completing a QSO with E51EME, Bob (ZL1RS) at 18:30Z on June 12. The following day, at 19:09Z, I saw local 6m DXers calling him too, but most were in MD, and no copy here. At 19:30Z, I saw W3UR give Bob a report, but Bernie did not complete the QSO. with K3MM also calling with a -16 report.  The propagation moved west and still calls from locals went unanswered. On the 14th, I saw him for the first time at 19:17Z and began calling. He responded with a-04 report but my R-26 went unanswered. The MD crew were giving him big reports and at 19:38Z, I received him weakly once more, called, but then he was gone. On the 16th, I copied one CQ at -3, but calling for several minutes produced no results. 

October Skies on The Magic Band   THREE DAYS TO REMEMBER IN LATE OCTOBER 2023 ON 6 METERS

October 20-22, 2023  We've all been waiting for Cycle 25's SFI to climb high enough for F2 propagation. But sometimes a combination of propagation modes and the proper placement of Es patches makes some real magic occur. For all that's known about how 6m works, based on experience, data, experience, and realtime spotting data (these days), the unpredictable behavior can be the most exciting and rewarding. 

October 20: 3B9FR - In March of this year, I copied 3B9FR for a few single cycles as he was being called by W3UR, and a couple of Spanish stations. Just to copy him was pretty thrilling. But as things developed throughout the year, that was the last time I copied Robert despite multiple spots since March. Hold that thought. It comes back around.  (see #1 below for March SWLing).

On October 19, 3B9FR was spotted by NE1B, which raised hopes, but that's a long way from Virginia. On the 20th, we hit paydirt here. At 14:53Z I saw locals, N2QT and W3IP calling Robert. Although "local," I heard nothing but callers. Mark, N2QT, is 113 miles away to the SW, but Mike, W3IP's remote station on Mount Weather, W3IP, is only 28 miles away to my NNW. He worked him at 14:58Z. Still nothing decoded here. Nearly an hour later, my ship came in at 15:45Z.  Screen capture #2 shows my QSO, and #3 shows the waterfall, with his signal fading away. Last copy was at 15:51Z.                                                            

October 21-22: FK8HA, FK8CP and E51WL -  On March 3, 2023, I copied FK8CP but was unable to work him. On March 6, both FK8CP and FK8HA were copied but again, other areas had the advangage and I was unable to work either. I would never have guessed that in October, I'd get my chance again. 

On October 15, I copied FK8CP for one cycle at 01:15Z. Little did I know he'd be booming in at +26 a week later. Just copying him was worth a photo with my cellphone. 

On October 21, I worked FK8HA (sri for JTDX Dark Mode, with unreadable colors). We exchanged -05 both ways. That's pretty strong signals. Another long sought DXCC entity in the log! Thanks Patrice.

Then on October 22, the pieces fell into place again and we had an outstanding opening to the Pacific that was local to this area. After a quiet day on the band, one day on from my QSO with FK8HA, I got a phone call from my neighbor Rich, K1HTV, telling me that he'd just worked E51WL on 50.319 on FT4! Could lightning strike again in this same opening? TMB said, "Yes." I quickly ran to the shack and feverishly looked for FT4 in JTDX, the program which I generally favor for 6m. I've gotten so used to WSJT-X AL (alternate layout) that I forgot where the FT4 mode selection was. After some fumbling around, I abandoned it and fired up WSJT-X AL, pressed the prominent FT4 button, and a few calls later, Warwick, E51WL, was in the log! (I have since switched to JTDX AL, also from Uwe, DG2YCB for the more familiar layout ). 

Going back to FT8, I found both FK8CP and FK8HA there with outstanding signals, with Remi peaking here at +2.  Texts to a few other ops outside the immediate area showed that it was very particular, which is the benefit and the challenge with these openings.  You can see me calling FK8CP because of Remi's outstanding signal strength, but he was apparently working hard to complete a sked. or arranged QSO with 6Y5HN, so my QSO with FK8HA stands as my only 6m QSO with New Caledonia.

Thankfully, Warwick, E51WL, returned to FT8 and I was able to work him on that mode. Although and FT4 QSO would suffice for the band, I track FT8 as a separate tally, and this provided one more in the 6m column. You can see all three stations present, albeit with dimished signals by that time. 

October brings particular lighting with deciduous trees in bright colors and occasional dark skies with the oblique light on the trees producing a beautiful spectacle. This October's skies brought also brought memorable QSOs worth the wait. Perhaps F2 in Cycle 25 will also bring a few more. CU in the pileups.                            

The Original Magic Band (redux)   A WILD HALF-HOUR RUN INTO JAPAN ON 6 METERS

June 11, 2023 (22:37Z-23:11Z)  Back on June 18, 2020, I observed and documented (below on this webpage), the most impressive JA opening I've seen on 6m. The one pictured below fell short of the peak (27 stations on one cycle in 2020), and was briefer (about 30 minutes vs. 90). But in this case, after calling two JA stations for new grids, I was inundated with callers, as many as 23 in a single cycle. I did my best to work them this time, albeit in the midst of the ARRL June VHF QSO Party in which I was only dabbling. I did not work them for credit in the contest, as it was pretty obvious I was just "in the right place" again, and at the right time.

As a JTAlert user, I have a "chat" window available and open, and I even had a pileup on that. I did grab a few screen shots and also a cellphone picture or two, but was trying to maximize working stations, as clearly they wanted to work me. My strategy was to respond to the loudest stations just to try and insure the quickest contacts, but I did work at least one station running 200 watts (but a respectable 6 el. LFA). 

My KPA1500 was on FANS 3, which held it at 58-60C for continuous operation for the opening. Output was 1350 watts. The last 150 (to 1500) are just heat and electricity use without perceptible signal increase. 

When things finally tailed off, I had 24 stations in the log, 2 new grids, and had made some grid/state/DXCC chasers happy. 

Like hitting a good golf shot (I have limited experience, just at the driving range), or even a winning backhand in tennis, these openings are what keep me coming back to TMB (The Magic Band). CU on TMB, when the Es patches are in just the right place(s).

Below: Beginning of opening, peak callers, ending of opening, JTAlert Chat.

50+ years on, Five WAZ awards: 5BWAZ, 160 (37 zones), & Digital

6m WAZ #196 (8-2022), & RTTY WAZ #327 (7-2024)

THESE JOIN MY ARRL DXCC AWARDS: #1 (2007), 5B (1991, initial. Plus 160, 30, 17, 12 and 6m), Mixed (not shown), 

SSB, & CW Honor Roll

Thanks to LoTW, application for my WAZ awards was easy and convenient. 

Kudos to John Bergman, former CQ WAZ Awards Manager. 

Also, kudos to Jose Castillo, N4BAA, new CQ WAZ Awards Manager for new options and "sudden service!" (6m WAZ, RTTY WAZ) 

FT4 Footnote - 40M WAS  HARD TO RESIST ANOTHER CLEAN SHEET CHALLENGE 

The FT8 frequencies are often so crowded that I have trouble finding a spot to squeeze in. I've headed to less crowded bands, all the while willing to battle a crowded one for entirely new entities. So, looking for a little breathing space, on 5-3-2019 I got on 40M FT4. The WAS goal came later, probably around September, based on a cluster of U.S. stations worked on 9-1-2019. The "rapid fire" characteristic of FT4 (to a sloth, a turtle is a warp-speed traveler), drew me into dabbling with it, so I decided to set a modest goal—WAS on 40M (a 50-year favorite band, especially for the 24 years I had a 2 element yagi at 110 feet).

 May 10, 2020, after a year on FT4, I got up a little earlier than usual, to be rewarded with state #50 from Chip, KH6AP. As always, it takes two to tango. Thanks Chip!

P.S. It's Mother's Day as I write this, and my wife of 44 years and mother of our two grown sons has been to every state in the contiguous United States as well as HI (In 2005, we spent a week in Maui.). But her WAS will only be completed with a visit to AK. Someday? Maybe my WAS on 6M will be also.

And now, for something completely different...  SSTV FROM THE ISS VIA 2m FM

August 5, 2020. My experience with SSTV is limited to say the least. In the 1970s, SSTV was an exotic mode requiring specialized hardware for decoding and high-persistence phosphor cathode ray tubes. All I knew was that a company called "Robot" made this equipment, and it that it had a price tag higher than I could afford. I never explored Amateur Fast Scan TV, although I was aware of it.

I've played with SSTV in its current forms on HF by using MMSSTV. But by the time I really got involved, sending images via email and chat-based Internet apps had become so much better, faster, and easier that I've pretty much stopped fiddling with it.

So when K3TRM, Frank, shared a photo via Google Hangouts of SSTV images from the ISS that he copied on August 4, I decided to see if I could do the same on the second pass later that day. The fast passes reminded me of my only satellite operations from back in the early 1990s on RS-12. I operated SO2R and using my 4 el. 15M monobander for the uplink rig, and a 3 el. 10M monobander for the downlink rig. It was a crude affair, with Doppler shift compensated for by manual VFO tuning and antenna tracking was done by pressing switches on two Hy-Gain rotator control boxes. It was decidedly NOT the way to do things, but with my good antennas and the ability to do full duplex, I had fun.

For this foray, I downloaded, installed and ran RX-SSTV on a laptop connected to my IC-706MKIIG, aimed my 15 el. C3I K1FO yagi at the midway point of the pass, and came back after lunch to find nothing but a couple captures of noise. Clearly, something was not right. RX-SSTV is a wrapper around the MMSSTV engine, which I have some familiarity with—far more experience with MMTTY as the starting point for RTTY DXing and contesting. But, the sound devices are simply numbered in the setup of RX-SSTV and the laptop has a total of 4 devices, the microphone and speakers in the laptop, the microphone and speakers via the dock, a USB soundcard for announcements of JTAlert alerts, and a virtual cable (VB Audio) leftover from SDR experiments. After sorting out the devices by transmitting SSTV on 20M with my IC-706MKIIG, I baited the "trap" to try and capture images from the early pass on August 5, but alas, apparently Windows 10 renumbered the devices during "sleep" overnight, or I failed to save the settings properly. Again, no pix. :-(

One last pass was available for this special MAI-75 experiment prepared by the Moscow Aviation Institute. Again, I  aimed my yagi at the midpoint of the pass, set the squelch, and did not "sleep" the laptop. Returning two hours later after a trip into Warrenton, and time at a playground with my wife and granddaughter. (they played and I mostly watched), I came home to find the images which appear below. A local ham, Travis, W8BT, captured images of nearly identical quality with a Baofeng HT, and an app on his cellphone. I probably over-prepared, but used what's already in the shack (materials of convenience, as my cousin Art, W4ACM, often says when describing his homebrew yagi antennas). This does help answer the oft-asked question by visitors, "Do you need all this stuff to 'do' ham radio?" Well, sometimes I do! Events did also prove the amateur axiom, that (on VHF especially) antenna height is king. In this case, 254 miles of height.

My "Collins Corner" desk and shelves with accessories. Technics EQ for gooseneck mounted EV-638, Vibroplex Bug (thanks W2PA), Datong speech processor (blue device on EQ, thanks W4ACM), Hallicrafters HA-1 T.O. Keyer (vacuum tubes), Numechron Tymeter with Call- Ident Timer and Collins tuning knob on top (photo bomb), Heathkit SB-614 monitor scope in TX path only, Ameco preamp (to liven up the receiver) Heathkit SB-620 panadapter (connected to 75S-3B), Spectronics Digital Display DD-1C, Magnum Six RF speech processor (used with S/Line, The KWM-2A has the DX Engineering [the original one] internal speech processor), Bird 43 (thanks Dad) with peak reading board by K4DPK, EV-638 dynamic microphone for KWM-2A, and Vibroplex single-action paddles for the HA-1.

The reveal (from under the dust covers): 

Shelf: KWM-2A (1966, WE) factory plug-in relays and Teflon wiring, DX Engineering speech processor (internal), "Vietnam mod" to regulate LV B+ on the PTO tube. 

Component replacements and modifications as guided by Collins maven K6XYZ (thanks Dave). 312B-5 (RE) with "Vietnam mod". 

516F-2 (no beauty queen, under the desk). It has been recapped and the +275V regulator from Young Kim is installed.

Desktop: The RE Station - 75S-3B (1967, RE) with tap added for SB-620. Re-capped and minor tube swaps for AGC and RF amplifier. 312B-4 (RE), 32S-3 (1966, RE)

 with Magnum Six RF speech processor. 30L-1 (1970, RE) with new PS board and four Taylor 572Bs for headroom, not power. 516F-2 (RE, undated) is under the desk. 

It is a beauty queen, but I ran out of room for it topside. It also has the Young Kim +275V regulator in it.

>>>>> : : : : <<<<<

This S/Line was previously owned by K3VB, Vincent Braxton, who I had the privilege to know for the last several years of his life.

 He was one of the most humble, kind, gracious, and grateful men I have ever known. It's an honor to use this gear.

 He is missed by many inside and outside of the hobby. RIP OM.

The Original Magic Band   AN AMAZING SWL EVENING INTO JAPAN ON 6 METERS

June 18, 2020   This brief tale is about the most impressive JA opening I've seen on 6M, with a final twist. Not to be outdone by my January experience in the next item down this page, 6M showed its ability to amaze even some of the most seasoned 6M DXers (I'm not including myself in that group) in the Mid-Atlantic region with an evening opening starting at around 22:00 UTC lasting at my QTH until about 23:31 UTC. I successfully worked a couple stations, but decided to just watch the fun. I was fortunate to work three JAs in 2018.

It was wild! I snapped just a couple screenshots with my phone, since at the time of the peak, I was still trying to work folks, not capture high-quality electronic screenshots. The quality is a little sketchy, but you get the idea. Be sure to look for the yellow highlight in the third picture. Well-known superstation owner and builder, contester and DXer, Frank, W3LPL, reported working ~60 JAs during this opening. Unprecedented. (Click on each for a larger view in a new tab.)

There was no "next day repeat" like we had in 2018. My first JA QSOs on 6M were on the second day of a three day event in 2018. 6M is both magical and fickle. No wonder it's so much fun to operate. Have fun on the "Original and Best" (a la Kellogg's) Magic Band. 

The Other Magic Band   A WILD MORNING RUN INTO JAPAN ON TOPBAND

January 6, 2020  Most DXers will affirm the axiom that you need to "be there" at the right time and looking in the right direction (if a truly directional antenna is involved) to work a rare or simply needed entity. Six meters has long been known as the "Magic Band" for its fleeting openings (or sometimes long ones), highly focused propagation, and longer legs to faraway spots than is generally deemed possible. It's a band where you certainly need to be there at the right time and looking in the right direction. It's no wonder that I see many calls on 160M that I recognize from 6M.

Today's operating aids include cluster spotting, unattended receivers posting 20–30K spots a day, and even localized skimmers. Add the attendant alarm options (emails, texts, sounds, etc.), or even a phone call or call on the local repeater by a friend, and you have a pretty good chance to not miss out altogether. This assumes you can do something with that information, of course, and with remote operation of your station a real possibly, (even at the workplace these days), you can take action on that information. So, "there" means in control of the rig, even if not present (some of us operate from a tablet or cell phone, without even getting out of bed.) But sometimes, you just get up early or stay up late, and find out you're "there."

Such was my experience on January 6, when I finished breakfast and headed down to the shack about 15 minutes prior to local sunrise, to see if I could work my first JA on FT8 on topband. I have been fortunate to work JA on topband on CW 17 times over the years, with the first one in 1993. So it's a pretty infrequent thing for me. Here's where the "magic" comes in. 

The QRN was low on the NW beverage, which is about 750 feet long, but it terminates out near the road and our power/telephone poles. Years of periodic efforts have not eliminated line noise from that direction, so there's frequently some of that present. I set up the rig to receive on 1.908, turned off Split in JTDX, and manually set split on the K3, with the B VFO on 1.840. I hit tune for a second, and listened on my IC-706 on 1.908 to be sure I was really split. Then, almost immediately, I received a couple of JAs (and a US station who was still working out the whole "side split" thing in FT8). At 12:19:45, I called JA4LKB without success and decided to just CQ, and see what would happen. I was not prepared for what happened next.

Remember SSB and Ragchewing?   HAVING NEW FUN WITH A (RELATIVELY) OLD MODE

December 2019   A nearly continuous run of FT8 since summer 2017, SSB and CW DXing and some light contesting have been interrupted by some old fashioned ragchews lately. These were the mainstay of my early operating, once I upgraded from Novice in 1971. Before I had antennas good enough for DXing, and way before I could try to compete in contests, ham radio was about talking with friends on the air. In addition to checking into ECARS, and moving friends off the net frequency, "one-ringers" to save a long distance bill and get friends on the air on a pre-determined frequency, there was just calling CQ and ragchewing. 

I've kept a remnant of this with very enjoyable Saturday morning multi-hour ragchews with W2PA and W1JA, using my boatanchor-of-the-day. Lately, they are discussing the latest updates for their ANAN SDRs and some automatic antenna tuner woes, but both have some extremely nice boatanchors and join in the hollow-state fun too. They also have a similar history in length of time on the air, and the teenage years of ragchewing.

The Band is Dead    IS IT REALLY? IT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU. HERE'S A DEAD BAND TALE.

August 8, 2019   After a good summer E-skip season on 6M (4 new band countries 5T5PA, 6W1TA, C31CT, and JW7QIA), I was checking for "maybe just one more." Finding no activity, I decided to descend through the upper HF bands, checking for FT8 activity. I was surprised to see one lonely trace on 10M. Coincidentally, the yagis were aimed almost due north, including my little A3S with the 30M kit. That antenna doesn't compare with past arrays, but I've been happily surprised with its performance as "good enough" on 20-10 with 3-6 dB available through QRO. It's also been a delight on 30M, my first rotatable antenna on that band, albeit a trapped, rotary dipole. But, I digress.

The lonely FT8 trace triggered JTAlert to announce "DX!" in its male voice. I use different voices on each of my stations, so I can tell which one has a nibble. I looked at the yellow-colored alert, meaning a new band country, and thought the AP Deep decode was playing games with noise or QRM. But neither were present, just a clean decode, "CQ SA  RV0AR NO66." On the next transmit cycle it changed, but not to something entirely different, indicating a bogus decode, but rather "CQ NA RV0AR NO66." Frantically, I pressed the ON button on my old Alpha, knowing I was facing what I call, "the longest three minutes in ham radio," as the filaments warm and the standby condition clears. I began calling at 100 whiskies immediately but Pavel just CQd in my face. However, he didn't answer anyone, and the waterfall continued to increase in intensity. Three minutes later, I added 10 dB to my signal, and after two or three calls, he replied with "R-09" and we even exchanged 73 pleasantries. Within another five to seven minutes, he was gone, As the waterfall slowly dimmed. I sent the screen captures below to him, but did not receive any reply, so I began to fear that I'd worked a pirate. In the meantime, at the suggestion of my neighbor Rich, K1HTV,  I dropped a note about the QSO to Tad Cook, K7RA, who writes the weekly Solar Report which appears on the ARRL website. Happily, I received LoTW confirmation of the QSO the next day from Pavel, so it was confirmed as legit. I also received an email from WV7S (ex - KH6XT) who saw the mention in Tad's column. I had worked him 20 years ago on 10M and he recounted some details about his past 10M operating and our past QSO.  Another surprise!

The latest predictions are for a 3-cycle lull in propagation, unlike the "usual" 11-year cycles I have experienced. From 1970 when I was first licensed, until Cycle 23 I saw only a gradual decline. Then, Cycle 24 happened. With a Medicare card now in my wallet, I won't live to see those days again if it takes 33 years. So, this may be the type of thing I watch for instead. Amateur radio still retains unpredictability and challenges — lures that first brought me into this hobby. New modes and methods will continue to mine nuggets, even on a "dead" band. GUD DX.

Kitchen Counter DXing & Card Table Contesting

STAYING QRV WHILE THE SHACK WAS DISASSEMBLED FOR REMODELING 

March 2017 - Essentially five years after I reflected on "2011-Starting Over" further down this page, I am starting over again. This time, the location is the same, but the corner where my gear was first placed, is now bounded by walls. My station remained as a small island in the basement, right up until the night before the general contractor arrived to begin the remodeling. For the most part, I was QRT for the first three weeks of the studding out process, but as I watched some DXpeditions appearing on the bands, and on the horizon, I got itchy to be able to put a signal on the air. After all, with a little ingenuity to power external antenna switches and the use of barrel connectors, I could still access all my antennas. So, the question became, "Where do I put the gear, and what is the minimum configuration I'll need?" I still wanted some of the support services I've come to use and enjoy, like the spotting network, and computer logging, including an interface to the rig. With dust still flying in the work zone, I didn't want to break out my K3, and risk sawdust, concrete dust, and drywall dust ingestion. That led me to wanting a setup so simple that I could move it all from the emerging shack, upstairs to the kitchen counter.

160M Season (2015-2016)  ALWAYS A CHALLENGE, TOPBAND YIELDS NEW ONES, OTHERS MISSED

Given the limitations of my 160M antennas, it's getting harder and harder to find new, workable entities on topband each "season". Many that I need cross the hemispheres, so my "season" is NOT their season. When it's winter, and quiet here, it's summer, and noisy there. Still, there are surprises. DXpeditions add another dimension to DXing, especially on the lowbands, and topband in particular. Effective antennas are still moderately large, often fragile, and without an operator or two with a passion for low band DXing, these challenges are just too much to overcome. In the middle of all of the logistical, financial, operational, and personal demands on those who plan, go, and operate, it's understandable when the low bands (necessarily) have to take a back seat. I do my best to remember that it's their operation, and if I want to plan, finance and carry out a DXpedition (fat chance), I can prioritize things the way I see fit. Short of that, you fire up the rig, play the game, and see what happens.

So, this past winter (2015-2016), I can easily remember the DXpeditions and perennial lowband DX that I didn't work, and will not elaborate on each. Faithfully active stations not worked (yet again), HL5IVL, DU7ET, and DXpeditions missed (and well received at my QTH), 7P8C, C91B, and most recently FT4JA (three long nights of multi-hour calling, and a few recorded snippets of their signal are all I have to show for it. But that's DX!).

As we head into the nosier months in the northern hemisphere, I send a hearty thank you to the dedicated OMs who continue to operate 160M, both from their home stations, and DXpeditioners. It is a difficult, but highly satisfying place to work DX!

Tower is FINALLY up!  11-14-2015: AFTER THREE YEARS OF PLANNING, ROADBLOCKS & SLOW PROGRESS… 

After bucketing, and hand digging out the mud, we were underway again, with forms prepared, rebar bent and built into cages Gravel was put in the bottom of the holes for drainage, and to fill in some "overage" in the guy anchor holes caused by the inevitable scraping of a 3-foot backhoe bucket digging a 3-foot square hole. The operator was quite skilled, but we sill ended up with a total of seven yards of concrete in the ground, instead of the 5 actually needed to meet spec. Still, it's a professional job, with a 1 inch fall for drainage, and guy anchor points that will not be going anywhere! A single 10-foot section was put in place, used to maintain a plumb orientation for the concrete-encased short section, and the area has been mostly graded, and the concrete is cured. The first 32 feet were added in the next couple weeks (up to the foldover hinge), and the final 26-foot top was pulled up intact, and bolted at the hinge, then winched upright after adding antennas. 

Another Icom Rig in the Shack   THIS TIME, AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE. SIMPLE BUT COMPETENT! 

After getting the bug to try HF mobile, moving my Icom 706MKIIG to my compact pickup truck, left a hole in my HF "arsenal" on the desktop.I had been offered the use of friend's spare rig(s), a pair of Icom IC-765s, which had served well as CW contest radios before being replaced by a TS-950SDX and K3. Later a second K3 joined the lineup, and there has been nothing to displace them so far.I had only used the 765 very briefly during their fairly long run there, impressed by the way the C-IV sensed the VFO use on either rig, and swapped focus in CT (for DOS!). Back then, SO2R was less formalized, with support by external devices, and you only needed the logging software to grab the second rig, when it was used for transmitting. The seamless way the Icoms were supported was quite efficient and basically followed your actions at the rig, rather than being controlled by the keyboard.

As it turns out, one of the 765s had a case of deafness, and the other had a tuner problem, and, as I delved further, a transmitter feedback problem on SSB. This mode was rarely used in their years of contesting service. I started with the rig with the lively receiver, only to discover the SSB problem once I'd made room on the operating desk, so I tried the second, older rig (the one with the deaf receiver) as an SSB transmitter, and found it was fine. Opening the cabinet, I decided to pull and reseat connectors, in hopes of a quick fix for the receiver. No joy, so I moved on to the next "easy" attempt to find the problem, by slightly moving potentiometers and coils in the RF signal path, in hopes that something just needed a swish to clean it up and restore the signal path. When I tried R465, I found the problem. The pot was not dirty, but turned down, reducing the receiver gain. After stumbling on this adjustment, I looked in the Service Manual, and found that it was one of a pair of pots used to set the overall receiver gain. That encouraged me that there was a logical reason that it made the difference, even though I'd found it by blind reckoning. I tweaked the associated coils and found a couple dB or additional sensitivity, then "calibrated" the gain by setting it to yield S-meter readings approximately the same as my K3.

A 1990 QST review of the rig explained a few other behaviors, such as the IF SHIFT function (the button in particular), which also removes one of the cascaded filters, which is a big help on SSB to open up the 2.2 kHz bandwidth for daily use, and let the 2.8 kHz filter take over. This rig has cascaded

Smallest HF Rig I've Ever Owned 

 100 WATTS, LOTS OF BANDS INCLUDING VHF, AND NEW OPTIONS

Snow vs. The Ground-Mounted Rotator 

IT'S STILL EASIER THAN CLIMBING

The snowstorm on February 13, 2014, which dropped 14–16 inches of snow, left the rotator system for the Spiderbeam HD just barely visible. The counterweights and steering strings need space below them to operate, and so a little shoveling was needed to get things operational for the ARRL DX CW Contest the following weekend. 15 minutes later, with all control and coax lines still deeply buried under the snow, things were turning again. The antenna itself was safely above the snowline, so only the rotator and associated items needed the snow cleared away from them. I look forward to a no-climb tower installation in the spring of 2015, but this is still even easier to maintain. With over a foot of snow, I didn't think I could wait for natural melting in the sunny, 52F weather that followed the next day. Also, this storm started with cold temps and powdery snow, and the power stayed on for the duration. I know those south of us really suffered in this storm, with ice in NC, GA, and even snow down in AL. I also read of antenna failures due to the ice. The fact is, we're still pretty small compared to "the weather." A good reminder...

Collins 75S-3

REPLACES MY 75S-1 

Five years of enjoyable operation with a 1958/59 S-1/Line convinced me that I would be keeping a Collins station in the stable, if possible, from now on. The one-owner S/Line (W4HYB) was operationally very good, but the S-1/Line has some limitations for daily use, which were addressed in the S-3/Line. Since keeping both was not a viable option, I decided to upgrade the receiver first to gain three useful features, then the transmitter. The 75S-3 features an adjustable BFO, two AGC time constants (a feature I had added to the S-1), and rejection tuning (a notch filter, which I had available on the 75S-1 by using an external Heathkit QF-1). The BFO allows easy zero beating for transceive, and changing the tone of SSB by shifting  the signal in the mechanical filter, as well as changing the pitch of the CW signal in the stock 200-cycle crystal filter. It can also act as RIT when transceiving, without having to go split. Of lesser importance, the additional controls add two additional knobs with alumin um inserts, which brighten the front panel and create a more balanced look. The 75S-1 has an open area under the meter that is occupied by the BFO control on the 75S-3.

This receiver was an eBay purchase, at a good price, but was a bit of a diamond in the rough, dirty and neglected for many years. From what I could see in the pictures, it appeared not to be damaged in any way with scratches, dents or extra holes, and when I received it, my assessment proved largely correct. It was operational out of the box and cleaned up very nicely. The receiver included a weighted VFO knob, a bonus usually costing in excess of $100 by itself, when you can find one for sale.

There was a "gotcha" though. The permeability tuned oscillator (PTO), which I consider the heart of the receiver, had a serious mechanical flaw. It would spring backwards when turned in the clockwise direction. There was also slipping in the dial drive, as a result of the high resistance when tuning in that direction. It seemed to improve with use, but it soon became clear that I would have to remove and service the 70K-2 PTO. Many avoid this procedure, and not without cause, but with the coaching and encouragement of several on the CCA email reflector list, I decided to service it. Although sophisticated in its engineering, with reasonable care and documenting the order of assembly (digital photos are a great tool for this), I successfully disassembled, cleaned. lubricated, reassembled, and calibrated it. The final result is very satisfying. It's perfectly smooth, light, and should outlast me!

I have documented the process, not as an absolute recipe or step-by-step guide, but hopefully enough detail to encourage others to not shy away from this procedure. The link below places you within the larger album on this receiver, and as you advance forward, includes detailed close-ups and written descriptions.

Google Photos Album of PTO rebuild (subset of receiver refurbishment)

Don't be surprised if you find me using this gear especially on 17M, since I obtained crystals for that band a couple months back. I have also added crystals for 30M and 12M as well, so the pair is WARC-capable.

K4SO QTH and Antennas - Winter 2020

TOTAL PROPERTY IS 5.22 ACRES

Tower and yagis (white) were erected in the fall of 2015 in the position shown. (Antennas on tower are not to scale. See description above.) They include a Cushcraft A3S with the A-734 kit for 30M, and a stack of VHF antennas above it, with a C3I 15 el. 2M K1FO yagi, an InnovAntennas 7 el. LFA for 6M, and a Directive Systems 25 el. yagi for 432.

Beverages (orange) run NE and NW and SE (not shown). A reversible two-wire beverage was added in early 2021 with matching and switching from QRO.cz (RemoteQTH.com). Jan Sustr (OK2ZAW) has an excellent line of kits, parts, and even built units. He was incredibly helpful with the build, and highly responsive to answer questions. The new beverage is that "little bit extra" for the AF and due west Pacific DX, just as I had hoped. A new control setup in 2021 allows combining any two beverages, and splits them to either of my K3s. 

Wire antennas (turquoise) are open wire-fed dipole (125 ft. long) at 85 feet, and open wire-fed inverted vee (255 ft. long) at 85 feet. Also shown are the low 40M dipole (high angle) at 33 ft. and 40M NW/SE dipole at 75 ft. for Asia and Caribbean (the 80M open wire dipole is used as 2 half-waves in phase for NE/SW, Europe and Pacific.) A dedicated 60M inverted vee was added for anything off from the NE/SW orientation of the 80M dipole which is also used on 60M. 

Tree branch suspended antennas (yellow) are in the woods to the northeast of the house and is shown by the yellow yagi, and supports a Cushcraft A3WS for 12/17M or a Cushcraft 10-4CD 4 el. monobander for 10M, typically hung for the ARRL 10M contest. 

The 160M T vertical with folded counterpoise (FCP): (green) as designed by K2AV, this has been an outstanding performer for me overall. There is no free lunch, but the lack of an extensive radial field helps me maintain my drain field where the antenna is located. The line indicates the approximate direction and length of the top loading horizontal wire. The FCP is located in nearly the same orientation as this wire, but elevated at 10 feet above ground. The horizontal portion of the antenna is 71 feet high, with the resulting vertical portion of 61 feet. A newly constructed FCP with better spacers for the 3-wire side was added in December 2020.  More pictures of the initial configuration, testing, and FCP isolation transformer are at:

    160M T Vertical     FCP Construction and deployment with 160M T

The Radios that got my dad started in electronics, and got me started in Ham Radio