Morning Grind, Scraping, and Games

Morning Grind uses NetLogger to log, and it has an API I can use to scrape check-ins:

The question of the day was: What games do you play? Lots of good discussion ensued. I offered Morsle, and W3EO offered free42, hp42 emulator.

HamVOIP vs AllStarLink

I was curious about the different implementations for building an AllStar node.

HamVOIP is closed source, and has more DTMF commands by default. It’s only built on RaspberryPI. The 985 group has been circulating some new tutorials based on HamVOIP.

AllStarLink is open-source, and some DTMF codes need to be added. It can be deployed on RaspberryPI or a computer. AllStarLink makes the most sense to me for my values.

RFI in the Car

I was out mobile, but I couldn’t check-in to the 985 Workbench. I had a weak signal, and I got a boost in interference when car powered off. It was mostly through the mobile antenna/coax, and it was enough to drown out W3GMS. I confirmed with spectrum analyzer on UV-K5.

I also had my AllStar 3 node but it wouldn’t connect either. The node connected to my phone hotspot fine, and it got an IP and all that. I could use the web interface or DTMF, but DTMF was flaky/slow. While debugging, I connected to the parrot node (55553) fine, but I only got “connection failed” from W3GMS (53085). I connected to W3GMS fine from home network the next morning.

Tornado Warnings

I took down the YAGI flag pole during a tornado warning. While I had it down, I attached the paracord that turns it with zip ties to make positioning reliable and less slippery. I shifted the paracord that secures it to avoid wear, and I straightened some elements.

yagi  home  tornado 

985 Workbench: 2025-05-26

my week in radio

I did some FT8 at 1W while camping and activating some POTA. I compared a 41-ft EFRW with a 17-ft vertical whip. The resonant vertical was booming.

I also read that lots of CW contesters are using computers to send that fast.

Others

  • W8CRW, CR:
    • helped take down an antenna
    • local nets
  • AB3AP, Mike:
    • some CW contacts
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • PM/AM pre-net and net
    • taking down that tower with CR, Joe, and gang.
    • reclaiming some of the antenna hardware
    • working on Joe’s tower
      • assemble to find the problems
      • very close
  • KC3OOK, Bill:
    • helped with Joe’s tower
    • break from the simplex net
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • finding 15m and 17m open
      • Germany, Alaska, Florida, etc
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • intermod sounds like a spaceship
    • considered doing WPX and a QRP sprint, but missed them.
  • W1RC, Mike:
    • configuring a new AllStar node
      • got a node number
      • downloaded the pi image
      • written to a card
      • named it allstar.local, but can’t get the browser to it.
  • KD3AIS, Tim:
    • learning about noise on the waterfall from harvey
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • testing sessions coming up
    • upcoming fox hunt
  • W3JAM, Jeff:
    • assembling some spare masts for an OCF dipole
    • simplex net
  • KC3YTD, Steve:
    • new Yaesu 991, working well for first HF

Questions

  • AB3AP, Mike:
    • Is anyone successful running trustedqsl (tqsl) on Ubuntu 25?
    • contact Dylan, K3DCN, for help
    • KC3WWC, John:
      • I have it working on debian unstable, from the standard repo.
    • AB3AP, Mike:
      • got it working!
      • using the wrong name: trustedsql instead of qsl
  • W1RC, Mike:
    • getting AllStar node booting, but can’t access it by its name, allstar.local.
    • W8CRW, CR:
      • mobaxterm, like putty, to setup through text, instead of web interface
    • KC3WWC, John:
      • I often don’t see .local network work either
      • try IP addresses near your computer
      • login to the configuration of your router to see the list of nodes

Broken EFHW

The home antenna wire comes down every once in a while. I soldered and re-hung it, and it looks good. It seems to need a little power put through it, and then the SWR looks good. I wonder if some static accumulated, and that is causing higher SWR for a moment.

efhw  hf 

AllStar on Cellular Hotspot

I confirmed that my AllStar Node is connecting to my Android hotspot when away from home. The node got a crazy unfamiliar 10.x IP, so I had no hope of remembering it. I still have trouble remembering the DTMF codes that I setup.

US-4361 King's Gap

The activation at King’s Gap Environmental Education Center, US-4361 was tough-going, even though I was at the top of the mountain. I used the GRA vertical whip with tapped coil. Internet access flaked early, so successfully spotted myself on APRS with APSPOT.

pota  hf  x6100  aprs 

1W on 40m

Today I had some success operating 1W on 40m.

At 1330UTC, I made a handful of contacts, and got a strong -05 report. I even got a POTA in FL.

40m  FT8  POTA  QRP  Radio