The First 100 Years Are The Hardest

 Episode 14 of Ask Dave.  Good beginners guide on how to complete a simple QSO on CW.   Includes the proper abbreviations, pro-signs, and Q-signals.  Full Video is here.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY6Q9_Qmk8Q 1. Calling CQ / Answering CQ: 2. Exchanging Signal Report, Name and QTH: 3. Brag to extend the QSO by exchanging Rig, Antenna and Weather info: 4. Completing the QSO 73 and Two Bits!

I've received the ARRL DX Century Club Award on LoTW.  The DX Century Club DXCC is Amateur Radio's premier award that hams can earn by confirming on the air contacts with 100 countries.   This is the world map with pins showing the contacts I submitted as part of the award logged at QTH EM12, with station callsign WX7V granted on 11/4/2020. All with 100 watts and a wire antenna,  no power amplifier.   This was the moment I worked 9K2OW in Kuwait, which would become my 100th confirmed DXCC on LoTW. ARRL approved my DX Century Club Award application the following morning.   Thank you Hamad! I have the DX Century Club framed in my office, right above my graduate degree from SMU.  The certificate is dated 5/10/21, but its still 59 in my logbook, and mighty FB too! From here on out I can focus on my voice and CW skills using my new Mercury IIIs Power Amplifier I built a few weeks ago.   Also RTTY,  PSK31 and of course hunting park...

I found this cool mapping tool on the FT8 Digital Mod Club Facebook Group.   Download is from QRZ Logbook.   All you need is to import your logbook to ADIF (QRZ or LoTW) to the mapping tool and add your call sign and grid locator (optional).   The QSOs in 2020 were made with my end fed half wave multi-band antenna between 25-100W.  The rest were made with my off-center-fed dipole (OCFD).  Both antennas perform well- the key change in 2021 was raising my feed point from about 20’ (under the eaves of the house) to 43’ using a fiberglass mast.   http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/ Chris de WX7V

I received my 1200 watt HF amplifier kit on Thursday and completed the build on Friday afternoon.  Start to finish was about 5 hours, with breaks, taking it slow, and a glass of wine!  Basic power on test was successful but I wasn't able to complete the first test, 1W RTTY, till Sunday, due to time constraints Friday evening. I had a few minor issues, but nothing with the build or quality of the components except for the rear case fan was dead on arrival.  Kenny had a new one shipped the next day.   The first test instructions required some additional tweaking on my end since I'm using a software defined radio.   I used FLDIGI from my PCs to generate the recommended 1W RTTY modulated signal into the Flexradio 6400M. Overall, the component quality is top notch, and Kenny does a nice job with the instructions, high resolution pictures, and assembly videos that are included with the kit on a USB drive.  The link to the full kit of parts are...

Edited 5/26.  The  ARRL has provided notice that these QSOs will not be counted towards DXCC.   Luckily I already had Fiji in my logbook.   We'll see how this pans out.  http://3z9dx-busted.com/    I've worked 3D2ZK Joanna "JK" Korczak twice now in Fiji Islands (40M and 30M) and learned of her opportunity to join the Polish Dxpedition to Bouvet Island.    Bouvet is the most remote island in the world the the #2 most wanted DXCC (after North Korea).  With 30YJ also planned in 2023 these groups will present a very rare opportunity for ham radio operators to add Bouvet to their logs! About:  Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya) is an uninhabited sub-Antarctic volcanic island that belongs to Norway . Discovered on 1 January, 1739, by Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, commander of the French ships Aigle and Marie, it was the first landmass spotted south of the 50th parallel south. 3D2ZK operating from Denarau Island (Fiji). Wh...

SHAVE AND A HAIRCUT, TWO BITS G0UPL's guide to your first steps in CW is very handy for getting on the air and making your first QSO using CW mode.    To recap - Learn Morse Code,  Get On the Air Quickly,  Learn the frequently used Q-Codes, Pro-signs and abbreviations.   Do what you can to start making contacts on CW as quickly as possible. http://qrp-labs.com/qcx/cwqso.html The LIDS CW QSO template is a VERY helpful guide so that you can just focus on listening- then transmitting - without worrying about what to say next.  I'm still new to morse code, so using CW Skimmer to help decode in realtime, and SmartSDR to transmit.  CQ call / answer RST / Name / QTH Rig / Power / Antenna / WX Thanks / QSL info / 73 73 and gud dx Chris de WX7V PS - THIS

  I have worked 103 countries and confirmed 96 on QRZ (90 on LoTW) since I starting chasing DX in November 2020.  The ARRL DX Century Club Award for Digital Modes is not far away.  The best results have been using FT8, 100 watts and a wire antenna even with these poor band conditions.    GridTracker has also been a nice tool to track everything on one screen.  Reception reports, grids worked, wanted DXCC, and the very powerful call roster filtering capabilities.  I'm building a legal limit amplifier for memorial day but I hope to close this award out before then. A word on transmit power:  Yes, most of these contacts have been with 100 watts. The argument has been made 1000 times if  FT8 was designed for low power output or for weak signal reception. Reminder that ARRL DX contest rules define lower power as 150w PEP output or less (not QRP - that's typically 5w or less).  Yes I've heard the anecdote that 1w FT8= 1000w SSB.  I've al...

This is a 5 minute watch  https://youtu.be/GzN-D0yIkGQ 1999 marked the last time a commercial Morse code message was supposedly transmitted to ships at sea. However, if you travel on the backroads to Point Reyes, Morse code is alive and well at KPH Maritime Radio Station thanks to the help of Maritime Radio Historical Society and National Park Service Here is an article written in January 2020 for those that prefer text to video. https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/18/the-last-radio-station/ 73 Chris de WX7V

W1AW is the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station is known the world over for its on air Morse code practice sessions and news bulletins. When visiting ARRL HQ, W1AW is the first place members want to see. I'm working to improve my ability to head copy by listening to the code bulletins with the help of  W1AW operating schedule .  http://www.arrl.org/code-practice-files Code Transmissions :  Frequencies are 1.8025, 3.5815, 7.0475, 14.0475, 18.0975, 21.0675, 28.0675, 50.350, and 147.555 MHz. Digital Transmissions: Frequencies are 3.5975, 7.095, 14.095, 18.1025, 21.095, 28.095, 50350 kHz, and 147.555 MHz. Digial Bulletins are sent at 45.45-baud Baudot, PSK31 and MFSK16 in a daily at 6 PM and 9 PM Eastern Time. Pacific Mtn Cent East UTC   Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 6 am 7 am 8 am 9 am 1300z     Fast Code Slow Code Fast Code Slow Code 7 - 9 am 10 am -12:45 pm 8 - 10 am 11 am -1:45 pm 9 - 11 am Noon - 2:45 pm 10 am - Noon 1 - 3:45 pm 1400z to 1600z   1700z...

 Not bad for 100 watts and a wire.  This is my personal signal propagation report captured thru GridTracker, on 4/6/2021.  Since we're at solar minimum I cannot wait to compare to solar maximum - somewhere half way thru Cycle 25!  The solar cycles are 10-11 year intervals so have to wait till 2026?

Updated February 2022: I wanted to update my original article and give a special shout out to Corrine who is working on a school project to study how a new invention or technology has changed history.   She is writing a paper about the telegraph and continuous wave and how Morse Code impacted society and changed the history of communication.  She found this timeline of the telegraph and wanted to share it with me as well. Thank you for sharing this resource Corrine!  Good luck on your 'Famous Inventors and Inventions' project for your technology class! 73  (da-da-dit-dit-dit    dit-dit-dit-da-dah) Chris de WX7V https://www.emissary.ai/telegraph-morse-code-text/ PS - March 2022:  If you're learning international Morse code I highly recommend Morse Mania for the iPhone.  For a small fee you can unlock the premium features.   Very nice application to practice sending and receiving Morse code.  Multiple levels, progress tracking, c...

 Its been a year since I got sucked down the ham radio rabbit hole.  There seems to be no end in sight.  As proof I recently bought a ZUMspot digital hostpot kit with nextion 3.5 display.  This is a Raspberry PI based MMDVM - multi-mode-digital-voice-modem.   The hotspot connects to the internet via wi-fi, and acts as a personal repeater that you can use to talk to other amateur stations all over the world with your handy-talkie.   I mostly have this set to AmericaLink (Yaesu System Fusion) but I also registered for a DMR-ID thru RadioID.Net .   Configuration was pretty straight forward, and the hotspot is fun to play with.  Open pi-star.local in a browser.  Depending on the OS (I'm using linux) you might have a different URL.  Connect to the local pstar-setup SSID on the hotspot using the default userid and password.  Also, let the pi-star run thru as many updates as needed to get to current.  I'm at v4.1....

Today I ordered these from Cheap QSLS Low Cost QSL Printing.    I confirm QSOs thru QRZ and LoTW, typically in the same day.  In addition I send QSO cards to confirm contacts made via PHONE, RTTY and PSK-31.  Usually only memorial or interesting contacts on FT8 due to the sheer volume. Reorder Details: MODEL NO.      QTY CHARGE    DESCRIPTION QT6-100 1           100       $ 20.95           QSLToon(c) Style QT6 QSLTOON https://cheapqsls.com/

 The panadapter on the FTdx3000 is fine but not great.   I'm using SDRuno with the SDRPlay RSP1A  which is a significant upgrade!   Cost was minimal since I already had a RSP1a stored in a  drawer waiting for a problem to solve.   Hardware configuration is straight forward.  On the back of the FTdx3000, connect the IF OUT (RCA connector) to antenna input on the RSP1a.  I needed a cable with RCA to SMA adapter.  Plug in USB connections from the RSP1a to the computer, and another from the FTdx3000 radio to your computer. Download and install OmniRig from dxatlas.  Omnirig provides CAT control for the Yaesu radio - allowing you to automatically tune into any frequency by clicking signal in panadapter waterfall.   Find the SiliconLabs Enhanced Comm port (use Ports in Device Manager)- you need to use the same com port and speed settings in the omnirig and sdruno configurations. Start sdruno, click on settings - the...

My QSO rate has gone up significantly since upgading my antenna in December and using GridTracker with WSJT-X in January.   Click here to see the FlexRadio/GridTracker demo working flawlessly! Originally I had an OCF/Windom for 6m-80m mounted at 20ft under the eaves on my roof.   This was not  sufficiently high enough- and it was too heavy for my spiderbeam 12M fiberglass pole without bending the pole.    I'm now using a lightweight EFHW antenna (MFJ-1982MP) raised to 32' and configured in an inverted V.  I've now got 710 qso's of which 566 confirmed.   Hawaii and Alaska were the last two states I needed for ARRL's Worked All States Award, and I've now worked (and confirmed) those two states 3 times each!   Next up:  ARRLs DXCC - DX Century Club.   I've confirmed 64 of 100 countries (er- ARRL Entities!).   I'll post more results after I complete what I hope is the final upgrade for the QTH in the Dalla...

 Reposting from the Stingy Ham for future reference: RX Tips and Techniques. http://thestingyham.blogspot.com/2019/08/yaesu-ftdx3000-receive-tips-and-tweaks.html TX Mic Setting Tips - The EQ menus are same on FTdx3000. http://thestingyham.blogspot.com/2017/10/yaesu-ft-891-mic-settings.html

I had version tqsl-2.5.5 installed on my Ubuntu 20.04 desktop, but after a few months decided to upgrade to tqsl 2.5.7 by building from source since there was no package available.   The install notes included in tqsl-2.5.7.tar.gz are good for a seasoned linux developer but not so much for the casual user like me.   Assuming you have built other projects from source you should already have build-essentials installed.  To check - type in the following commend and confirm the output is similar (per the install notes, the exact version # do not have to match, this is just the version I have installed) $sudo apt-get install build-essential Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done build-essential is already the newest version (12.8ubuntu1.1).  Next you need to satisfy all build prerequisites to create the tqtqsl library under linux. TrustedQSL requires OpenSSL, expat, zlib, LMDB, wxWidgets and curl before you ca...

 Dyer St House -  I’ve had moderate success this summer with the ‘stealthy attic’ loop antenna but almost all of my contacts have been limited to North America.  This fall I installed an OCF Windom as my permanent antenna.   The Windom is 132' long - 44' on one side; 88' on the other and easily tunes 80M-6 with my internal ATU.  I currently have it mounted 20ft high, with plans to raise it to 40ft with the Spiderbeam HD 12m fiberglass pole. Also on order is the OCF/Windom Vertical Radiator from Amateur Radio Supplies.  I expect these changes will get my signal out to Europe, Asia and South America. -  https://www.amateurradiosupplies.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=11202 -  https://www.amateurradiosupplies.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=11203 Lake House -  For temporary access to HF bands I have the end fed half wave antenna.  Permanently I will install the double bazooka from Maxcon.   I have good tree supports and wi...

On 11/3 I got the great news over email that FCC has approved my application for WX7V! I’ll have to buy a new RWK hat, and will have to update my QRZ and LOTW pages. I used the excellent website I guess I won’t need all these backup applications now. Waiting for AE7Q to update so see if the others get flipped to Not Needed prediction or if I need to manually cancel the others. I highly recommend any who wants a vanity call sign to use the excellent tools located at  \ http://www.ae7q.com/query/

 After much study this summer I successfully passed my Amateur Extra exam on 10/2.   I used Herb’s remote VE testing group which was administered by Michael, WT9V from the local Ham Radio club K5RWK.   The remote exam was completed Friday evening via zoom meeting, at the lake using my laptop and phone’s hotspot!