The First 100 Years Are The Hardest

 I completed the ERC Version 4 USB kit from Vibroplex this week.  The kit comes with a CD for the calibration and test software, plus a PDF folder that has the kit assembly instructions and installation guidelines to mount the board inside the control box for specific rotators.    The kit was easy to build, but getting it working with my rotator took a bit more work.  Specific pin outs and solder points are not documented -  you have to determine that on your own.  The  theory of operations is discussed, and schematics for many rotators are provided, but I needed to use a voltmeter and a little of of trial and error to correctly wire the ERC board to the Yaesu G-450ADC rotator controller. In addition to USB cable, the kit also requires an external 12V power supply.  Vibroplex sells a fully assembled SMD surface mount version that uses power from the USB cable instead.  The board has test points for both 5V and 12V supplies.  Vibrop...

Update 11/23/23.  Something broke in my Log4OM/SliceMaster CAT control set up.  Log4OM kept showing OFFLINE at startup after I upgraded to v2.30.1.0.   The only way I could get it running was to install HAMLIB 4.5.5 and configure CAT to connect to an active HAMLIB instance.   All is good for now.  I'm also running the latest version of SliceMaster v0.11.0g SmartSDR 3.5.9. -----  I've been using N3FJP's Amateur Contact Log (current version 7.07) since Field Day 2021, along with the associated contest loggers.  I've tried many other loggers and all have fallen short until this year when I loaded the revamped Log4OM v2 - Next Generation logger (current version 2.26.0).    Oh, Man this logger is packed with features and the look and feel is great.  The platform is a real joy to use.  The configuration set up takes some time and effort to get the most out of the platform but I've found the time is well worth it.   A...

This Mini-PC is amazing.  For just $249,  the kit comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with Radeon Graphics , 2100MHz, 6GB RAM 500GB SSD.   The Beeline runs Windows 11 and all my Ham Radio related tools brilliantly: SmartSDR, FRStact, SliceMaster, CW Skimmer and the various loggers - ACLOG,  SKCC Logger/Skimmer, Log4OM. Beeline HARDiNFO Benchmark Beeline UNIGINE GPU Benchmark. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The stats exceed the custom  PC server build  I did just 3 years ago. AMD Ryzen 5 3400G with Radeon Vega Graphics APU, 16 GB Crucial DDR4-3200, Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2 SATA SSD Custome PC Build HardInfo Benchmark Custom PC Build UNIGINE GPU Benchmark is only slightly better.

Thank you to all the hunters and P2P who helped me activate K-3007 before it closes to the public end of this month. AG5ZU Timothy Smith was also activating the park but I wasn’t able to find him for an eyeball QSO before I left the park. Located about 90 minutes south of Dallas, the 2500 acre lake was created in 1969 when the Texas Power and Light Company constructed a dam on on Big Brown Creek to serve as a cooling reservoir for the coal fired power plant. The lake is stocked with redfish, striper, catfish, large mouth bass, and even blue tilapia, which thrived in the year around warm waters from the power plant. Fairfield Lake has been open to the public since 1976, but the property is actually owned by Vistra Energy, which leased the land to the state at no cost. The power plant was closed in 2018 and the the property has been for sale for about $110M dollars. A private developer has plans to purchase the land and turn the park into a high end residential golf community. Acc...

I had a fun park activation this evening at K-2755 William B Umstead State Park just outside of Cary, NC. The 20M band was great and I made 62 contacts in just under 45 minutes with great signal reports for all. Umstead is a neat park and just about 10 minutes from the office! No overnight camping or parking is allowed and the gates strictly close at 6pm.  Rig was Elecraft KX3 at 15 watts, fed into the MP1 Super Antenna on a mag mount on top of the car, and one radial attached to the KX3 and hung out the window. 73 Chris de WX7V +5 All reactions: 13 13

The Straight Key Month special event (aka SKM) celebrates manual Morse radiotelegraphy using straight keys, bugs and cootie keys. It runs from Jan. 2nd through 31st.    Individual operators schedule time to be the special event station K3Y for their call areas, and only one station can operate for that call area at a time (usually in 1-2 hour blocks).   Hunters chase as many K3Y stations across as many bands possible for bragging rights.    Real time updates are on the SKCC SKED page, and the group even has a SKCC SKIMMER to that monitors your local log file to keep track of who you need to work. Working all 10 US stations is your basic "SWEEP"... add in KP4, KH6, KL7, NA, SA, EU,  AF, AS and OC for the Grand Sweep.  Logs are submitted by the K3Y operators, and the results are posted ever day to track Sweeps, Station Statistics and Participant Standings.   This year more than 200 stations operated as K3Y, logging 52,695...

Wikipedia CW Rererences for Q-signals and Prosigns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QN_Signals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosigns_for_Morse_code _____________________________________________________________________________________ The SSN is a group of Radio Amateurs using Morse code have established several informal radio nets to promote the use of the sideswiper, so called "cootie" key. https://www.sideswipernet.org/ COMMON PROSIGNS AR = Means end of a transmission. It is not necessarily an invitation to transmit. AR is used after calling a station with which  contact has not already been established. AS = Wait, stand by for a short time BT = Separation, or break, between address and text; between text and signature in a radiogram. Also used between topics in a  QSO. IMI = Yes, this is a standard CW question mark. But it also can be used to ask for a repeat of difficult words as well as to indicate  a query (?). SK = The communications is concluded or clear. End of Wo...

 For Winter Field Day 2023 I decided to set up a 6M Roving Station to try out the Stressed Moxon 6M by PAR Electronics .    The moxon is a lightweight, compact beam, equivalent to a two element yagi with similar gain and F/B per the companies website.    The mast is from the fiberglass handle of an old tree saw that I broke years ago (it pays to hang on to stuff like this).  The mast sits in a 50 lb steel patio umbrella base that I bought with this purpose in mind.    Cargo straps secure the base to keep it from sliding around during transport.  With this setup in the bed of the truck,  the moxon can be raised 12 feet above the ground,  more than half a wavelength on 6M so I think it will work pretty well.  The beam can be further adjusted with the “Armstrong Rotator” as required. I know its not the traditional season for “the magic band” but if this works out today I’ll be set for Summer Field Day later this year.  I’ve h...