Author: Andrew

Former President of Cumberland Amateur Radio Club. Currently Newsletter Editor, Website Author, and Administrator.

Why Play Radio?

Posted on by Andrew

Why Play Radio… 

 

For about 50 years or so, rail fans have used radio scanners to listen to the railroad frequencies in the land mobile FM portion of the 137-174 MHz band.  The railroad frequencies are right below the National Weather Service 162 MHz frequencies and can be found in the 159 to 161 MHz range.

Because the land mobile band is close to the Amateur Radio two-meter band, and many amateur radio transceivers can receive the Weather Service band, those transceivers are capable of listening in on the land mobile frequencies.  You cannot transmit, but you can listen.

 

The other evening I was at local rail fan spot waiting on a Norfolk Southern heritage unit.   Some other fans arrived.  I have noticed this before, but it was especially obvious that evening.  One of them was using a cell phone and a scanning app.  I do not know which one, but Broadcastify is a common app.  They have receivers and capture the radio traffic and put it on the internet where it can be accessed via an app or website.   There is a time lag as all this happens.  My amateur radio receiver, set to 160.980 MHz FM, would pick up something.  About a minute later the nearby cell phones would begin making noise and we’d hear the same conversation again. 

 

I have spent well over 30 years in pursuit of the perfect “scanner”.  I think I have almost found it…and used it for many years now.  But I am still slightly amused when I see someone rolling in and they sort of look down on this “old guy clinging to his outdated technology”.  Then they are amazed when I hear stuff they have not heard yet.

 

Radio is cool!

 

For more articles on two-meters amateur radio, railroad frequency lists, and related topics follow the trail to

 

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

Explore the content behind the GENERAL INTEREST TOPICS heading.

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

“… I am still slightly amused when I see someone rolling in and they sort of look down on this “old guy clinging to his outdated technology”.  Then they are amazed when I hear stuff they have not heard yet.”

Photograph (headshot) of ham radio operator KB3PQT.

Frank, KB3PQT

Rail Fan and
Amateur Radio Operator

 

The new DXers Handbook — Third Edition

Posted on by Andrew

It is my pleasure to promote this man’s book.  I learned about promoting books and movies by watching The Tonight Show, Starring Johnny Carson.
He did a great job.  I can only hope to do a fraction of a job.
AF3I

Immediately Available for FREE DOWNLOAD

Visit the K7UA Website

 

Author’s Comments — Bryce K. Anderson, K7UA

This is the second time that I have rewritten the handbook since its
inauguration in 2010. It remains my intention to give new DXers something
that will be easy to understand, yet quickly teach them the basic skills of
successful DXing. Those skills took me years to discover on my own. Now in
hindsight it all seems so simple.

To my pleasant surprise this handbook has gained an international readership
and is now available in several languages! That has been a great honor and I
give my thanks to the many translators who have done that labor.

…

Wherever you are, I hope that you will enjoy this handbook and that it will help
you gain some new skills. I truly hope that it will give a running start to those
new to our ranks. Nothing would please me more than to learn that I have
helped a new generation of young DXers get started.

Please feel free to email me your feedback or questions. My email address is
listed on QRZ.com.

Best regards,
Bryce Anderson, K7UA

 

Portable On The Porch

Posted on by Andrew

Notes From The Shack…

Sometimes you just have to go play outside.  But there is life… so what do you do? 

Operate portable from the porch?

Or, get a good look this crowded setup…

 

Yeah, this little folding tray table is kinda full.  And it was Plan C after Plan A and Plan B did not do the job.

 

But with this table and a 1/4 wave Two-Meter mag-mount antenna stuck on the car, we passed message traffic between KB3PQT and AF3I on two-meters FM Simplex using Domino EX and BPSK31.  

That’s 12-15 miles as the crow flies.

 

For more articles on two-meters, digital modes and portable operations, please follow the trail below:

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

I took a Vacation from the 80 Meter Band

Posted on by Andrew

 

Fun with N3FJP software – An Update!

A few months ago, I shared some data that I had extracted from my N3FJP Amateur Call Log.

At that time about 41% of my lifetime QSOs were on 80 meters. 

In an effort to use more of the amateur radio spectrum, and to explore some of the other amateur bands, I tried a new approach — “Anything but 80”.

 

How did that go?

 

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

(Number of QSOs by Band)

Band     CW       Phone          Dig         Total          %

——-       —-        ——-             —-          ——            —

   160          0                9           25             34            1

     80          0        1,279         186        1,465         39

     40          0           209         223           432         11

     30          0                0           82             82            2

     20          0             55         110           165            4

     17          0                8              6             14            0

     15          0                4           24             28            1

     12          0                1              0                1            0

     10          0           103              2           105            3

        6          0                2              0                2            0

        2          0        1,454              5        1,459         39

——- —   —–              —         —–              —

Total          0        3,124         659        3,787       100

 

  • Total QSOs went up about 400 since last October (2020).
  • 80 meters has slid to 39% of the total.
  • Thanks to robust activity on the Sunday Night 2 Meter net (146.490 MHz FM simplex), 2 meters went up to 39%.
  • 40 meters actually lost 2%.  If this was the Electoral College, 40M gained contacts, but not as fast as 2M, so 2M gets more votes.
  • I think my next goal is to get over 100 QSOs on 30 meters and over 200 QSOs on 20 meters.
  • 17 meters has been “okay” lately, and for some reason I prefer 17 and 30 meters to 20 meters. Not sure why, but I do. 
  • 10, 12 and 15 meters will probably have to wait for improved propagation over the next couple of years.

 

If you would enjoy reading more articles like this please follow the trail below:

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

Digital Landscape

Posted on by Andrew

 

• Do you have an interest in DMR radios?

 

• Perhaps you are hesitant to wade into digital radio communications because it seems as if there are so many different “standards”.

• D-STAR, WIRES, FUSION, C4FM — Where do I start?.

• Are you just itching to learn more about a new mode that has revolutionized the Plain-Jane HT?

 

• Have you been put off by new buzz words like CODE PLUGS and TALK GROUPS? 

 

Watch this space!

Do these questions sound familiar?

If so, we have some articles in place that take a 10,000 foot view of the digital landscape.

 

And, over the new few months, the digital world explorers at CARC expect to produce new material about digital amateur radio.

 

For more articles please follow the trail below:

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

Radio Frequency Exposure Rules

Posted on by Andrew

Notes from the shack…

 From the ARRL Newsletter

 Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3, 2021

The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order (R&O) governing RF exposure standards go into effect on May 3, 2021. The new rules do not change existing RF exposure (RFE) limits but do require that stations in all services, including amateur radio, be evaluated against existing limits, unless they are exempted.  For stations already in place, that evaluation must be completed by May 3, 2023.  After May 3 of this year, any new station, or any existing station modified in a way that’s likely to change its RFE profile — such as different antennas or placement, or greater power — will need to conduct an evaluation by the date of activation or change.

 

 

The full text of the ARRL Newsletter article
is available here, as a PDF:   Click to read…

Hey Guys… Watch This !

Posted on by Andrew

Achievement Test…  A+ Results

The Cumberland Amateur Radio Club is proud to recognize one of its members for producing A+ results in a recent Achievement Test.

Congratulations to Doug Stenger, KC3CPT for hitting the books, studying, and passing the FCC General Class License Exam.

As a follow-up, the other day Doug got on 20 Meters to exercise his newly earned privileges.  He was rewarded with a nice DX QSO with OS8A located in Belgium.  Doug worked Didier on the first call,  Impressive.

If you look to the left you will see a snapshot of Didier’s Club Log screen showing KC3CPT on the second line from the top. 

Ninety-eight more countries and we will have a DXCC Party for Doug.  

#####

 

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)

Posted on by Andrew

Amateur radio on the international space station

20th Anniversary Celebration

SSTV Image reception

from space

is within your reach !

The 20th anniversary of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station event is going on through December 31, 2020.  The astronauts and cosmonauts on-board the ISS are transmitting a series of Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) images periodically.  There are at least 8 different images.

The transmissions are freely accessible to those who have suitable radio reception equipment and PC sound card image decoding software. 

The equipment that will do the job is something many ham radio operators already have in their radio stations. 

As part of our How Do I…? series we posted a step-by-step article earlier this year when a similar event took place.  The link to that article is https://www.radioclub-carc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ARISS-SSTV-Presentation.pdf 

 

To be recognized for your accomplishment, and to receive an award certificate, upload one of your received images to https://www.spaceflightsoftware.com/ARISS_SSTV/index.php 

 

To be eligible for a certificate please complete your upload by January 3, 2021.

The ISS is transmitting on 145.800 MHz FM Simplex and using SSTV mode PD-120. 

 

See  ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

Image shows school children participating in an event promoting Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)

 

Montana Outreach

Posted on by Andrew

Ham Radio on Kate’s Ag

A little birdie told me I should spend a few minutes watching one of the newest YouTube videos on the Kate’s Ag channel.  The title is:
A BLAST FROM THE PAST – PART 1

As I watched I learned a lot about farming in Montana.  Kate and her father took me on a tour of the farm while explaining several of the retired farm machines.

One of the last scenes shows Kate opening the mail she received at her Post Office Box.  What a surprise to see her with an ARRL Ham Radio License Manual in her hand and on- camera.

Publicity such as this is priceless.

Thank you to CARC Vice-President Frank Mellott, KB3PQT, for his far-reaching promotion of Ham Radio.

#####

 

 

Screen snapshot of Kate, host of a popular farming-related YouTube Channel, holding a copy of a ham radio license study-guide that was sent to her by a viewer.

 

 

 

Learning Is Always Good !

Posted on by Andrew

 

Learning new stuff is always good!

My dad’s cousin is 86.  She was a math teacher and has been interested in computers since the late 1970s.   She studied and earned her amateur radio license around the same time and became an ARRL Life Member.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cut back on her activities and her friends and family use ZOOM for video calls.  This weekend she decided she wanted to join the fun.  She has successfully completed setting up ZOOM and was able to log in to her first meeting.

CARC uses ZOOM for the monthly meetings and in conjunction  with the 10 meter net on Wednesdays.

If you are a CARC Member, the Zoom Meeting ID and Passcode can be found on our website in the password protected MEMBER AREA > MEMBER LINKS. 

If you are not yet a CARC Member, and someone who would like to attend one of our meetings, please eMail our Club President AF3I (AF3I@RadioClub-CARC.com), introduce yourself, and express your interest in attending either or both of the meetings.  He will send you the Zoom Meeting information you need.

 

Please note:  There are two separate Zoom Meeting Invitations. 

  • One invitation for the Monthly Meeting that takes place on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m..
  • A separate invitation for the 10 Meter Net that takes place on all the remaining Wednesday’s of the month at 8:00 p.m.

 

For useful articles on amateur radio, computers, technology and other fun stuff follow the trail to:

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT

#####

Take a Break. Play Radio Outdoors.

Posted on by Andrew

Take a break from radio…

…or play radio outdoors !

 

Amateur radio is a fun hobby!  It is amazing to receive a Slow-Scan Television (SSTV) image from the International Space Station, or realize the FT8 digital contact you just completed put a new state or grid square in your logbook.

 

But sometimes you just need to take a break, or play elsewhere.  Fall is a beautiful time of the year.  Whether it’s wandering off to Leidigh Park to sit by the creek and fish, watch birds, or photograph trains as they cross the nearly 100 year old railroad bridge, take a ham radio along!

 

That Hand-Held Transceiver (HT) you routinely use for accessing the nearby repeater can make a great scanner for listening to railroad communication, or with a handheld yagi antenna and a lot of luck, you could make a QSO with another ham operator via earth-orbiting satellite. 

 

You might enjoy putting a mobile HF rig in your car or truck.  Some of your fellow ham radio operators might be in need of a two-way radio contact from one of the rare counties.  Consider combining a sight-seeing trip with some ham radio activity.  If you give out rare contacts be prepared to send QSL cards to the lucky men and women on the other end of the contact.  They will appreciate your efforts.

 

Follow the trail below to find more articles on radio, SSTV, rail-fanning and other stuff:

https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

Photograph of ham radio operator W3VRE operating his ham radio transceiver.

 

N3FJP Software Fun

Posted on by Andrew

Part of the Notes From The Shack…
series.

Scott Davis, N3FJP and his fine team at Affirmatech have created a constellation of software logging packages.  His AC Call Log is one of the more popular software loggers, and there are dozens of computer assisted logging programs.  Not only does his software do the usual logging, easy uploads to e-QSL and Logbook of the World, address labels, but under the VIEW tab I found some interesting statistics. 

A screen snapshot taken from my log:

Total Contacts by Band and Mode:

 Band       CW   Phone     Dig   Total       %
 —-           —      —–         —     —–       —

  160        0       9      25      34       1

   80        0   1,192     178   1,370      41

   40        0     208     210     418      13

   30        0       0      70      70       2

   20        0      55      81     136       4

   17        0       8       2      10       0

   15        0       4      20      24       1

   12        0       1       0       1       0

   10        0      96       2      98       3

    6        0       1       0       1       0

    2        0   1,137       5   1,142      35

            —   —–     —   —–     —

 Total       0   2,711     593   3,304     100

 

A few months ago, 80m made up 43% of my total contacts, and 2m made up 33%.  This Summer and Fall I made a deliberate effort to make contacts on “anything but 80m”.  That has not gone so well, as the shift from 80m to 2m shows, but I made more contacts on 30m (a fun band!) as well as 20m and 40m.  I am always amazed at how, while my perception is that most of my radio time is spent on digital modes, phone is the mode on which the bulk of my contacts have been made.

The N3FJP statistics also show the ARRL sections (usually obtained from contest loggers and imported into AC Call Log afterwards), states, countries, etc. The item I wish it tracked was mode by type:  RTTY; PSK31, FT8 etc.

 

Total Contacts by State \ Prov:

 State       Total     %
 —–         —–    —

 PA          1,283    39

 VA          1,016    31

 NC            189     6

 (blank)      98     3

 MD            63     2

 FL              47     1

 

This screen snapshot shows my top five states (plus the ever popular “blank”). 

I am not sure which surprised me more: that 70% of all my contacts were made with two states, or that NC ranks third, or that MD ranks fifth.

 

Follow the trail below to the Know-How Resources Tab to read more about computers and amateur radio,   https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

RTTY Software and Contesting

Posted on by Andrew

RTTY Software and Contesting

 

RTTY – radio teletype – is a fun digital mode.  I became active in the hobby when I learned about FLDIGI software and PSK31 and Domino.  Andy AF3I suggested I’d like RTTY and gave it a try.  I think I actually have more RTTY contacts in the log than PSK31 contacts.  RTTY unfortunately seems to be used more often as a contesting mode and less often for casual conversations.

 

The ARRL promotes a few RTTY contests each year as does CQ magazine.  The last full weekend in September is the CQ World Wide RTTY contest.  That was September 26 and 27, 2020.  I normally have other things to do, but I played around in the contest a bit.  Band conditions were horrible, and while I saw a few stations I suspect were running a lot of power making QSOs, my 100 watt station didn’t do so well.  I also found it interesting that most of the US call signs I saw were 1×2 and 2×1 (K3FM and AF3I would be examples). Not sure why that was. 

 

Not sure I passed this tip along, but FT8 can be a good predictor of the band conditions.  I am finding if there is a lot of FT8 activity and the noise levels are conducive to FT8, other modes may work.  But if FT8 is essentially dead, or all you are seeing are -15 and worse reports, other modes like RTTY, and Olivia will not do so well.  PSK31 is a toss-up.

 

I spent most of the time comparing RTTY software packages.  For more information follow the trail below to the Know-How Resources tab to read the full article. https://www.radioclub-carc.com/resources/

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

Eight year old enjoys Ham Radio

Posted on by Andrew

Not just for grown-ups!

 

Faye KN4WDF recently was the Virginia Fone Net  Net Control Station and reported that she had talked to a newly licensed ham on another net she runs.  The new ham is an 8 year old girl.  Unfortunately I do not know the young lady’s call sign.

Faye is an enthusiastic supporter of the ham radio hobby.  While has not been licensed very many years herself, Faye seems to be very good at drawing people into the hobby.  She has expressed several times she wishes she had gotten into ham radio decades ago instead of waiting until after she retired.

How enthusiastic is Faye?  She was still getting her 50 required check-ins in order to become a VFN member when she said she was willing to be a net control on Saturdays, a day when the net can get 50 or more check-ins.  That’s enthusiastic!

 

The Virginia Fone Net meets on 3.947 MHz, at 1630 and 1930 Eastern time daily.

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

#####

Practice Makes Perfect — Part II and Part III

Posted on by Andrew

Upcoming State QSO Parties — Ohio and Hawai`i

Cumberland Amateur Radio Club has a goal of building its bench strength in preparation for a big showing in Field Day 2021.

Part of our preparation strategy calls for placing greater emphasis on the many State QSO Parties and using them as a development opportunity.  Many of the skills that an operator needs for Field Day are the same skills as she or he would use when operating in a State QSO Party.

Our approach begins by reviewing the QSO Party Rules looking for areas that can be standardized and simplified for the beginning contester entering as a single operator station. 

So, here we are at the end of July 2020 making our plans and drumming up interest. 

To our south, the bordering state of Maryland has the Maryland-DC QSO Party on the horizon with an August 8 date.  

To our west, the bordering state of Ohio has the Ohio QSO Party around the corner with an August 22 date.
And, if there is someplace I would love to have on my Bucket List it is the 50th State with its Hawaii QSO Party, also with an August 22 date.

Go back a few days in the News Blog and you will find a link to the MDC QSO Party summary that was written as a starter.

Once you have the Maryland-DC QSO Party under your belt please set your sights on Ohio and Hawaii.
Here are a couple of links that will take you to our content.

Aloha.

I am so ready to learn about the OHIO QSO Party. Take me to the PDF.

I can handle two QSO parties at the same time. Take me to the Hawaii QSO Party PDF.

#####

Pennsylvania Statewide WIRES-X Net –and– EPA DMR Talkgroup

Posted on by Andrew

 

New Weekly Statewide WIRES-X C4FM Net and Eastern PA DMR Talkgroup

Earlier today ARRL Members in the EPA Section received information from Jay Silber, ARRL Public Information Coordinator for the Eastern Pennsylvania Section, describing new weekly digital nets.

Jay’s announcement appears in the PDF shown below. 

If this topic is of interest to you please follow the link to the full text of his announcement. 

Link to announcement:   Notes From The Shack New Statewide Talk Group [PDF]

73,
Andy Forsyth AF3I and Frank Mellott KB3PQT

 

Contesting — Practice Makes Perfect

Posted on by Andrew

Practice Makes Perfect.

With a special focus on the Maryland — DC QSO Party
Scheduled for August 8, 2020

 

Cumberland Amateur Radio Club recently recapped its performance in the ARRL 2020 Field Day Operating Event.  The short version is that we believe the event will be more enjoyable if we take steps to sharpen our skills.

One way of sharpening skills is to practice regularly.  Almost every weekend provides an opportunity to practice those Field Day operating skills by operating in one of the on-air Radio Sport contests.

With that in mind, the purpose of this post is to share a few thoughts about the upcoming Maryland – DC QSO Party.  CARC Club Members and other ham radio operators may enjoy spending quality time on-the-air as they develop their skills and share contest points with colleagues.

 

[ There is a lot of good information in the accompanying PDF which rounds-out and completes the introductions shown above.  Click the button and the file will download right before your eyes.]

I want to read. Take me to the PDF

 

#####

 

Field Day Tips

Posted on by Andrew

Field Day, Contesting and Random Operating Thoughts

After Field Day 2020 was in the books a group of us from the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club K3IEC Field Day crew discussed what worked, what didn’t work, and what we can do to improve.  Some of our thoughts may well apply to your radio shack.

  1. Know thy radio! Sure, you have a brand new super duper KenIYea1000 with every bell and whistle you could possibly want.  But do you really know how to use it?  Or every time you want to adjust something you need to get the manual out?  Doesn’t have to be a new radio, just new to you or maybe an old favorite that doesn’t get used much.  The point is if you are spending more time looking at the book than operating, maybe you need more practice!
  1. What should you expect to achieve? If your antenna works best on 80 meters, you may have a less than satisfactory QSO rate in the early hours of Field Day, but wait until dark and it could be your time to shine!  If you are able to cover multiple bands, either with one or several antennas, you can hopefully make contacts regardless of what band is “open”.  Starting on 20 or 40 meters (or even 10 or 15 meters) then gradually moving up (or is that “moving down”) to 80 meters may net you more contacts and increase the fun level!
  1. On Field Day a “clean sweep” – working every ARRL section – is an awesome accomplishment. But if you cannot sit still for a long time, have family or household responsibilities and know you can operate for only a few hours, you may need to lower your expectations.  The point is to have fun, not generate stress!

 

What you just read is the first three of ten proven techniques that will help improve your operating results — whether it be the Field Day Operating Event, or any one of the many Radio Sport Contests that fill the airwaves most weekends. 

To read the entire group of ten proven techniques, please follow this link which will bring you directly to the PDF file.  How Do I Field Day Tips [PDF]

Or, you may wish to visit our Know-How Resources tab to see the many different subjects and topics our authors have written about.  It is a treasure trove.

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

CARC Two-Meter Net Invitation

Posted on by Andrew

Newly Licensed Hams…

Welcome to the CARC Two-Meter Net

Editor’s Note:  This information was first posted over a year ago.  The content remains an important part of our Club approach to encouraging involvement and participation in ham radio events.  I am re-posting the content with minor revisions as needed due to the COVID-19 situation.

 

A good friend of Ham Radio shared with me a story.  The story involved a newly licensed Amateur Radio Operator who set out to make some radio contacts after receiving his license from the FCC.  His call sign and his on-the-air techniques revealed that he was a newcomer to ham radio.

To make the story short — this newly licensed ham received a somewhat chilly reception to his on-the-air communications attempts and may have been turned-off by the whole experience.  How sad.

The Cumberland Amateur Radio Club would like to warmly welcome newly licensed hams. 

We stand ready to provide assistance enabling you to get on the air and to make contacts with other hams who appreciate the hard-work you put into studying and passing the Licensing Exam.

First, we invite you to attend our Club Meetings.  Details are in the THINGS TO-DO/CARC EVENTS page of this website.  We have a special FREE MEMBERSHIP OFFER for newly licensed hams.  How can you beat that?  If you are looking for help selecting and setting up your first radio station this is a good place to begin.

Second, if you already have ham radio equipment we invite you to participate in our weekly Two-Meter Net.  CARC Members and guests gather each Sunday Night at 7 p.m. local time on 146.490 MHz, FM Simplex in the Two-Meter Band.  No Repeater Offset, No PL Access Tones.  Simply tune your transceiver to 146.490, listen for the Net Control Station to announce the net.   Frank, KB3PQT, usually is our Net Control Station.  He is a friendly guy and a great supporter of the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club and ham radio in general.

When it is time, key your microphone, say your call sign, release your mike, and wait to be acknowledged by the NCS.  The Net Control Station will say a few words welcoming the people who checked into the net, and then give each person his or her opportunity to speak by saying that person’s call sign.  Tell us your name, your location, and perhaps let us know if you have questions.  After you have said what is on your mind, simply say “This is [your call sign], Back To Net Control.” and release your mike.  It is that simple.  No worries, No pressure, No cold shoulders.  

If you experience any difficulty when trying to participate in the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club Two-Meter Net please email me your name, call sign, location, and a few words about your radio and antenna.  We will try to perk-up our ears and listen more carefully for you the next week.   eMail:  Andrew Forsyth  AF3I@RadioClub-CARC.com

 

• Author:  Andrew Forsyth AF3I

#####

Cover of ARRL License Manual book

 

 

 

FT8 Addiction?

Posted on by Andrew

FT8 addiction?

With some help from our friends at WSJTX@groups.io.com

FT8 is one of the many digital modes in the WSJT-X  software suite from Joe Taylor, K1JT and his team of collaborators.  The basic software covers everything from weak signal HF to earth-moon-earth and meteor scatter transmissions on 2 meters and 70 centimeters in the VHF and UHF bands.   WSJT–X really took off about 4 years ago with the introduction of JT65 and since the introduction of FT8 in spring of 2018, FT8 has become one of, if not the most popular HF digital mode.  Please see the Know How Resources Tab for additional articles about the WSTJ-X suite, other digital suites and various digital modes.

Are there any psychologists out there, professional, amateur or wannabe, who have some theories about why FT8, its sibling FT4, and even its older cousins, JT65 and JT9, are so addictive?
73,
Ken, AB1J

Some replies:

Yes…

FT8, it’s all the fun of Ham Radio – without the jibber-jabber!

For me, since I have hearing loss & tinnitus, I enjoy being able to turn the volume to zero & avoid the noise. And you can certainly multi task in that environment, have a meal, conduct a transaction, pay a bill, even watch a favorite TV show, etc. 

In other words, having a life AND playing radio using FT8 are totally compatible – enjoy!

73 – John – N7GHZ

 

It’s addictive because it works well in crappy conditions, you can quickly and easily see where prop is going, and you can surf the web while operating.

Scott N7JI

Or clean up the shack. I use WSJT-X software because they make QSOs that I can’t make on CW, the mode I enjoy most.
73, Jim K9YC

 

I could tell you, but right now I am in a 15 second continuous, never ending, loop … 🙂 
Marion  K4GOK

 

from another poster:

Hook up GridTracker and use a Mario Coin sound when it successfully uploads a grid to LOTW and it’s  like a video game!

 

That is a major advantage. One can work stations all over the world even in the horrible current band conditions. Since starting with JT65 and moving to FT8 (a little FT4), it got my digital DXCC and have credit for 100 countries confirmed digital on QRZ and eQSL. I just need a confirmation from an Alaskan station I worked a few days ago on 10M (that was a surprise) and a QSO and QSL from Maine (Hello, any amateurs there — almost never see a balloon.) to complete my 10M digital WAS. I have confirmed all states digitally on 15M, 17M, 20M, 30M and 40M. Due to high SWR on my DX-88 vertical, I don’t work 80M much at all.
John, WB9VGJ

 

It “does exactly what it says on the tin”

And, you don’t need a big all singing station to get heard, just a few watts will work the world!

Ken.. G0ORH

 

Whether you love it, or hate it, FT8 seems to be here to stay for a while.  Will it be around over 150 years from now like Morse Code (CW)-the original digital mode?  or fade away to become about as commonly used as the Telex-Over-Radio  (TOR) modes like TOR, PACTOR and other variants of those that were common in the 1980s and 1990s but are rarely heard today?   Either way, for now, it has given a lot of Technician class licensees the incentive to upgrade to General and sold a lot of radios.

See ‘ya down the log!

Frank KB3PQT

#####

A Bit of Morse Code Telegraphy History

Posted on by Andrew

Morse Code Telegraphy History

A ham radio friend shared this information with me via email.  While reading, I found the original source of several morse code shortcuts that are commonly used by ham radio operators.  Hams call these shortcuts “prosigns”.

The information seems to have originated from the winfldigi group.io forum.  Those are the people who should be credited with providing and sharing the knowledge reproduced below.

First, let’s look at the history of the prosign “AA” (di-dah-di-dah).  Those above a certain age may recall when it was common practice to place a comma after each line of an address, or so it was taught in many one-room school houses.  This practice, of course, long ago fell by the wayside.  

When the nascent telegraph industry began developing standards for transmitting telegrams, they imported this then standard practice.  It had the added benefit of acting as a prosign indicating where the address or signature line ended.  Because the telegraph industry in North America used the original American Morse Code, the American Morse Code comma was used for this purpose (di-dah-di-dah).  

When wireless telegraphy first emerged, American Morse was commonly used for radio communications.  As a matter of fact, for the first decade of the 20th century, American Morse Code was the standard on the Great Lakes and for many coastal steamship companies.  The reasons are obvious; there were plenty of well trained telegraph operators around. all of whom were proficient in the American Morse Code.  Of course, eventually, the Continental Code (International Morse) was adopted as standard for maritime communications due to it’s international nature, issues of safety of life at sea, and so on.  However, many of the earlier telegraph procedures were imported into commercial wireless telegraphy and Amateur Radio.  Here are some prosign examples:

 

AR (di-dah-di-dah-dit) is actually “FN” in American Morse Code representing “FINISHED.”  This was sent at the end of a telegram, and it continues to be used at the end of ham radio transmissions, which are essentially telegrams themselves which are just part of a conversation or group of message exchanges.

 

SK (di-di-di-dah-di-dah) is actually “30” in American Morse Code.  In the Western Union wire codes, “30” represented “close of work.” It was commonly sent at the end of press stories, at the conclusion of transmitting a file of telegrams, or similar practices.  Hams today use it to indicate the conclusion of a QSO in much the same way.

 

ES (dit di-di-dit) is actually the ampersand (&) in American Morse Code.  Like many American Morse characters, it has an internal space, which is slightly shorter in timing than that used between individual characters.  In this respect, it shares this characteristic with other Morse characters having internal spaces, such as C, R, Y, Z and O.

 

One still occasionally hears hams use the Morse letter “C” (di-di  dit) to ask if a frequency is in use or to indicate it’s in use.  

 

…..and so on.  

 

So, when radio amateurs began handling message traffic, they simply imported the techniques of commercial operators and adopted the “AA” prosign, or American Morse comma to indicate the end of a line in an address.  

#####

 

Are You an Active Ham

Posted on by Andrew

Are you an active ham?

Good day!

The United States leads the world in having the greatest number of licensed amateur radio operators.  There are about 763,000 among all US License Classes.  About 8,000 of those have Novice licenses, 387,000 have Technician Licenses, 179,000 General, 38,000 Advanced and 150,000 Extra Class.  About 160,000 people, not all licensed, are members of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). 

The US is 4th place (behind Japan, China and Thailand) in the percentage of the total population holding an amateur radio license.  It’s about 0.23%.  A tiny number.  And, for those looking for comparisons, more Americans have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus in 2020 than the number of Americans who have a ham radio license. 

Pennsylvania has about 24,000 licensed amateurs.    That’s about 0.19% of the state population, so PA trails the national average.  California not only has the greatest number of licensed hams among all US states at over 106,000, and also has the greatest percentage of the state population licensed at 0.27%.  Texas has over 53,000 and 0.24% of the population licensed.  Alabama has barely 12,000 but 0.25% licensed and Virginia has over 20,000 and 0.24% licensed.

How many of these licensed ham radio operators are active?  No one really knows.  Some are Silent Keys (ham radio jargon for deceased) whose licenses have not yet expired or cancelled.  Many students got a ham radio license for extra credit in high school Physics class, and never really had much intention to ever getting a radio station on the air.  Some started out with great intentions, then either left the hobby or put it on hold as life interrupted.  Many of today’s “new hams” were licensed 20 or 30 years ago, left the hobby, and as they become “empty nesters” or look for a retirement hobby they return.

If you are an active ham, what are you doing to encourage others to become more active?  If you are an inactive ham, is it involuntary, or have you simply not found the time? 

If it is the later, What is required to get you back on the air?  Stealth antennas?  Portable operations?  Satellite activity?

Even if you don’t have a ham radio station or antenna you can enjoy some aspects of the hobby by using EchoLink.  EchoLink is PC-based software which uses the Internet in conjunction with traditional ham radio.

Our own club – the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club – conducts some of its activities using the Zoom Web Meeting application.  If you would like to familiarize yourself with the type of activities that are of interest to today’s ham radio operators I invite you to connect into one of our Wednesday evening 8:00 p.m. get-togethers.

eMail AF3I@RadioClub-CARC.com  to tell us what is on your mind and to request a meeting invitation with ID and Password.  We are glad to help and will welcome you.

Check out our Know-How Resources tab for some ideas and more information!

 

See ya down the log!

Frank KB3PQT

Memory Aids for Call Signs

Posted on by Andrew

Memory Aids for Ham Radio Call Signs

Photograph of air horn trumpets as one might find on a train locomotive or eighteen-wheeler truck.What on earth is this doing here? 
                                                                               It will make sense after you read the story.

Some people find memorizing things is easier if they associate it with something else. This is how a lot of acronyms come in existence and how “memory experts” sell their tips. 

Their memorization techniques generally don’t work for me.  If your name is Karen, your chosen career is a Nurse, and I cannot remember something as simple as that how does thinking of Karen as “Carin” as in A Nurse Cares For Someone help?   The steel sieve leaks enough! 

The other night I was happily working FT8 (A popular digital mode.  See the Know-How Resources tab for more articles on that topic).  A call from a grid square I don”t have confirmed popped up.  I looked at the call and did a double take — K3LA.  I had to work that one!.  

Why?  I am a train enthusiast.  The Nathan K3LA air horn is one of the most common and widely used locomotive horns in the USA.  The Nathan K5LA, with 5 trumpets, is less common but even more impressive.  The ham radio call sign K3LA belongs to Chester located in Sharon, PA.  His QRZ page gives no biography info, so I have no clue if his call sign was an available 1×2 call, or perhaps Chester really likes Nathan air horns, or trains in general. 

I was watching some other interesting call signs. 

W0BLE.   is that “Wobble”? “Wobbly”?  or W0 Bessemer [&] Lake Erie [RR]?

M0WIT.   “Mow it”? or “Mo Wit”? 

K3GPS, a member of our own ham radio club and now a Silent Key, was famous for his love of technology.  The call sign fit him perfectly.

What interesting calls have you seen?

 

See “ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

#####

 

 

Helpful Hint for FM Repeater Users

Posted on by Andrew

Helpful Hint for FM Repeater Users

I was listening to a conversation on the Frederick, Maryland W3ICF 146.730 MHz repeater this morning.  The gentlemen I heard shared a helpful hint for those, like me, who were listening.  The hint follows….

There are hams who use the SCAN function of their VHF/UHF transceiver to monitor several repeater frequencies.   Sometimes the ham is in front of the transceiver.  Sometimes the ham is nearby, within hearing distance of the transceiver.

The gentleman I heard on the air mentioned that some hams configure their transceivers to resume scanning a few seconds after the frequency goes quiet.  If you key the repeater and announce yourself, saying something such as:   “This is AF3I, Listening” the other ham, who was out of the room at the time, probably has no idea on which of the several repeater channels you were speaking.

His suggestion:   If you key the repeater and announce that you are listening you may wish to include a few additional words to convey on which repeater or on which frequency it is that you are listening.  For example:   “This is AF3I, Listening on the 146.730 Repeater.”

Sounds good to me.  Give it a try.

#####

 

 

Share The Airwaves

Posted on by Andrew

Photograph of green plastic Army Men toys used to illustrate the post topic.

Share The Airwaves

 

It’s OK to just want to play radio! 

This weekend, as I was watching an email thread unravel on a ham radio reflector, I was reminded of one of my nephews.  He was about 4 years old, maybe he just turned 5.  I will call him Younger Precocious Nephew, or YPN for short.  YPN was at his older brother’s Little League game.  YPN was bored and was playing quietly under the bleachers with his little green army men. 

Another little boy, about 3 years old, came over and looked enviously at YPN.  YPN generously offered to let the boy, NK for short, play.  But YPN had a serious question that needed answered first. He asked NK:  “Do you want to play World War I, Waterloo, or the American Revolution?”.  NK had no clue.  So YPN tried again and NK still had no idea. He just wanted to play with the toy soldiers.

YPN was becoming frustrated when his mother intervened and explained that NK had no clue what the question was and YPN should just pick one and move on.  YPN reluctantly did that. 

 

What does that have to do with radio?  The thread I was watching with someone making a very reasonable request to attempt to practice their emergency communications (emcomm) skills outside of the weekly emcomm net.  That’s all.  As the thread played out, one poster replied that rather than do simplex messaging (station to station) they should learn how to relay messages from one station to another to get to the final destination. Then when they mastered that technique worry about simplex.  And you guessed, that poster didn’t offer to set a sked (schedule) to help the newbie emcomm operator do that.

 

I don’t know how many times I have heard some variation of don’t… 

  • I don’t make QSOs with QRP stations (low power). 
  • I don’t talk to anyone who I do not have perfect armchair copy on. 
  • If you are less than 59, I cannot {won’t) hear you. 

And so on.

Really?  Have we become that unfriendly?  Then we whine the air waves are dead. 

Come on folks!  This is a hobby.  Sometimes we don’t share common interests:  CW, EMCOMM, moonbounce, SSTV, all have niches.  But ‘ya know what?  At the end of the day, it’s all about Amateur Radio.

So share the airwaves!  You just might learn something too.

 

See ‘ya down the log.

Frank KB3PQT

 

WSJT-X and JTAlert — Guest Author: N6DBF

Posted on by Andrew

So, what’s this all about?  

Stock Photo of a tropical island sandy beach with blue ocean water in the distance.

  • A female voice is saying “Calling You”
  • and then a male voice says “Wanted DX”. 
  • While in the background, 
  • the Stereo is playing some of that good old time rock and roll.

Stock Photo of an attractive luau-style meal set out on a dining table.

  • Let’s Party…..
  • Fiesta…..
  • All Night Long…..
  • oh  yeah…oh yeah…..
  • all night long…..

Stock Photo of a glass of beer being poured from a bottle.

  • We zoom back, taking this all in,
  • we see the OM with an ice cold cerveza in one hand
  • and the mouse in the other. 
  • He clicks on Log QSO, 
  • then on Enable Tx.

WSJT-X and JTAlert

Today’s Guest Author:  John N6DBF

 

I use WSJT-X and JTAlert (AL) for running FT8.

 

My computer is a home made Windows 10 machine with plug-in sound card and it also has a headphone jack.  

My interface is a Yaesu SCU-17.  

WSJT-X is setup to use the audio input and output from the SCU-17.  

JTAlert has the sound card set to the computer headphone jack.  

JTAlert is also loaded with both male and female voices.

My computer is setup with two sets of speakers. One set is plugged into the headphone jack and the other (3.1 Stereo Main Speakers) plugs into the stereo output jack of my computer sound card.  

So, what’s this all about?  

Well, JTAlert now announces some Alerts with a female voice and the others with a male voice.  I have “Spotify.com” loaded and running on the 3.1 Stereo Speakers.  All this while running WSJT-X, JTAlert, HRD LogBook, Ham Radio Spots, and PSK Reporter.  I make use of Windows Task View. WSJT-X, JTAlert, and HRD LogBook go on the first Desktop, Ham Radio Spots, PSK Reporter go on the next Desktop, then “Spotify” and Volume Mixer go on the third Desktop. You may add more or less to your taste.  

As our cameras move in, we see N6DBF in the Ham Shack. The radio equipment is on.  The 24″ computer monitor is displaying WSJT-X, JTAlert and HRD Logbook, we’re on 40m in FT8 mode.  

A female voice is saying “Calling You” and then a male voice says “Wanted DX”. While in the background, the Stereo is playing some of that good old time rock and roll. 

We zoom back, taking this all in, we see the OM with an ice cold cerveza in one hand and the mouse in the other. He clicks on Log QSO, then on Enable Tx.  

CQ N6DBF DM13……….New Prefix……….New Grid……….
Let’s Party….. Fiesta….. All Night Long…..oh yeah…oh yeah…..all night long…

Who says the bands are closed???  

John Wisniowski n6dbf

Memory Lane

Posted on by Andrew

The Beginning of Amateur Radio License Plates in Pennsylvania

 

Royal Kramer, W3ZIF, shares with us this amusing story about one of the first Ham Radio Operators to receive a call sign license plate for his automobile. 

Photograph of a Pennsylvania Amateur Radio license plate bearing call sign K3HLN.

The year was 1956, the year I got married, and the first year that ham radio license plates were officially permitted on our vehicles after many years of battling the powers-to-be in Harrisburg to pass a law regarding their use on our vehicles.
It was also the first year that I was working in the design drafting department at PPL in Allentown. Another draftsman who worked with me was Paul Fritsch, W3HHC. He was my “Elmer” in many ways as he gave me code practice sessions together with many other technical problems that I had encountered over the years despite the fact that he was 15 years older than me. Paul got his license back in 1938 I believe and was a 1st LT. in the Army Signal Corp during WWII serving in the South Pacific. 
From time to time, Paul and his wife Anna would travel to Anna’s family who lived in the small community of Muir, Pa which is located west of Pottsville and Tower City.
One Saturday, as they were driving out the Route 22 thruway, between Allentown and Hamburg heading for Route 61 and long before I-78 was built, Paul noticed a flashing red light about a mile behind him and not being a fast driver, sort of slowed down to let this car pass him which was a PA. state trooper. However, the state trooper’s vehicle did not speed up to pass him but kept a steady speed behind him. Paul figured he may be following him so he pulled over to the side of the road and the state trooper pulled up behind him. Both Paul and Anna wondered why they were stopped but as the state trooper came up to his car, he wanted to see his license and registration as they normally want to do and Paul responded that he didn’t think he was driving over the speed limit and the state cop responded saying that he didn’t stop him for speeding but because he had an illegal license plate on his car. He asked Paul where he got the license and he told him at the same place everyone else gets their license from, the Department of Revenue. Paul asked him why his plate was illegal and the cop said that license plates that begin with the letters W,X,Y, and Z are reserved strictly for tractor trailer trucks and since he was driving a four door sedan, his license was illegal. Paul said that he could explain that since he had a “special plate” on his car with his call letters on; W3HHC. He pulled out his FCC license and showed it to the cop. The cop looked at it and had a weird look on his face. He asked when the Department of Revenue came up with this law and he told him it was that particular year, 1956. The cop responded wondering why the DOR never let the state troopers know about it as this was the first license plate he saw that started with a W. Paul told him that he will see many more license plates similar to his that start with the letter W as many ham operators had applied for this “special plate.”  The cop, somewhat embarrassed,  appreciated this information and apologized to Paul for detaining him and left him go with no citation or fine issued.
Saying all this, these “special plates” were the first ones issued by the state but we were all charged an extra $3.00 to have this kind of plate displayed on our vehicles. After several years of paying this extra $3.00, that cost was dropped and today, we pay the same amount as any other person would pay for a regular license plate. Today they are called “vanity plates” but I don’t know if people have to pay extra for that plate or not. 
Back in Allentown, practically every member of the Lehigh Valley Amateur Radio Club had their call letters displayed on their license plate. However, as the years passed, many of these hams became Silent Keys and it seems that the younger hams in the club never bothered to apply for this “special plate.”
I can honestly say that when I bought my first car in 1959 soon after getting out of the Army, I applied for this plate and after owning eight vehicles so far in my life, my license has always had W3ZIF on its plate. I’m proud of my W3 call.
73 to you and your family and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Roy Kramer, W3ZIF 
#####

Wavelengths and Frequency Bands

Posted on by Andrew

It was a dark and stormy night.

We’ve all heard that opening line at one time or another.  Here is the Summertime-In-Central-Pennsylvania version of the same concept:   

It was a hot and humid afternoon.

One of the creative writers, who is a vertebrae in the backbone of our club, spent this hot and humid July afternoon writing an article for our Resources page.  The article describes how Ham Radio Operators use the terms WAVELENGTH and FREQUENCY BAND to describe the location of their radio signals.  I hope you will read and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Here is a link to the article called:  Waves and Bands

Regards,

Andrew Forsyth,  AF3I

#####

What’s Old is New

Posted on by Andrew

It is a great day to learn something new, even if that something happens to be 50 years old… perhaps older.

A new article (in PDF format) has been posted on the Resources page, associated with the sub-heading OPERATING YOUR STATION.  The title of the article is Slow Scan Television.  Hams frequently abbreviate that name to SSTV.

Slow Scan Television is a technology that enables the transmission of images using shortwave radio.  There are some similarities between SSTV and FAX.  Slow Scan Television was created in the 1960s.  At that time there was a tremendous dependency on using cathode ray tubes with very long phosphorescence to display the images.   The more modern version of SSTV leverages the power of the Personal Computer and its Sound Card to create and preserve the images.

You may wish to read the article. Here is a link to the file SSTV.PDF.

We have at least three club members who have taken the bait and tried their hands at sending or receiving SSTV images.  If you have questions on the topic perhaps we can get you connected with one of the three and share their knowledge.

73, Andrew Forsyth   AF3I

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