My Week in Radio
- at breakfast, I showed off a USB adapter to use a CW key on the computer
to chat online or play video games to practice CW
- I’m quickly improving my score as I practice.
- helped install antennas today at field day site
- see the seasoned pros in action
- afterward, I visited Micro Center, since I was relatively close
Others
- W3MFB, Mike:
- ARRL VHF contest: 6M and 70cm SSB
- NA3CW, Chuck:
- field day site:
- cold, but not windy
- new 40M dipole for CW
- new 80M dipole for phone
- old 80M dipole tested good for CW
- flipped the TA-33 beam
- CL-33 beam has a broken element, still on the ground
- Joe’s tuner is completed and ready to test for real on his open wire line
- field day site:
- W3KZG, Scott:
- worked on the trailer a bit for field day
- 12V lines and power bank
- heat sources
- field day site
- straightened up George’s trailer
- worked on the trailer a bit for field day
- KB3ILS, Keith:
- field day conditions may be challenging: maybe 20F if we’re lucky
- zoom planning call on Thursday
- next work day is friday
- staging
- vertical antenna
- start at 11AM Eastern
- working straight key: got a station in Hawaii
- field day conditions may be challenging: maybe 20F if we’re lucky
- KB3PZY, Al:
- some 20M contacts
- field day site
- KD3BPI, Simon:
- messing with SDR
- how does an RTL-SDR work?
- one chip for radio and for USB
- can it be repackaged as a PI hat?
- looking forward to field day ops
- messing with SDR
- AF3Z, Jim:
- SKCC: coordinating K3Y operators
- he’s made 200 contacts on that callsign
- top person may have 700 contacts
- afternoon sked with friend
- SKCC: coordinating K3Y operators
- KC3OOK, Bill:
- enjoyed simplex net on saturday
- attended field day install
- WA3KFT, John:
- January VHF contest: 6M
- only 1 station found at startup
- lots of FT8
- January VHF contest: 6M
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- thanks everyone who came to the field day
- FTDX-10 does not have the CW filter
- preparing power supplies
- W3R is reserved for next year’s WFD
Questions
- W3MFB, Mike:
- Everyone checking in, sounded clear. WA3KFT, John, clicks in and out on his Anytone rig. Why?
- WA3KFT, John:
- 100W into the cable
- NA3CW, Chuck:
- WA3KFT is badly deviated, needed to turn down audio when receiving.
- AF3Z, Jim:
- As Chuck said, WA3KFT, John is loud.
- Can hear everything just fine, no cut-out, so that may be Mike’s rig.
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- Mike, do you have the ability to set narrow/wide?
- Delaware City UHF repeater exhibits clipping
- W3MFB, Mike:
- has deviation set to wide
- Yaesu hears John just fine.
- AA3LH, Leon, is always loud, but OK.
- W3KZG, Scott:
- google that radio and the problem. there are settings to adjust to mitigate it
- W3MFB, Mike:
- Does anyone have any experience working aurora on 6M? There’s a flare coming tonight.
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- a couple years ago when solar cycle was lower, he made a few contacts.
- More people should use 6M.
- AF3Z, Jim:
- Has anyone heard anything much about the effecst of solar flares today around 1pm?
- W3KZG, Scott:
- forums complaining about bands being totally dead, even up to 2M
- W3MFB, Mike:
- 10M and 40M were noisy around 4pm
- 80M has some people, and is pretty clean right now
- AF3Z, Jim:
- a K3Y operator was struggling to pull people out of noise
- one station would be clear, then another like a spark hash
- Jim heard warbling tones
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- Antennas were cut long, then installed, we tested, then adjusted. What’s the formula for determining the amount to trim?
- NA3CW, Chuck:
- SWR guesses were just good guesses.
- For adjusting the length of the dipole: “tuning your dipole, second time, every time”
- lots of things affect resonance:
- height
- quality of ground
- insulation
- wire velocity factor
- to adjust:
- measure before you put it up, while long
- install it
- measure where it resonates
- corrected length / original length = desired freq / resonant freq
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- What QSL card services do you use for custom?
- AF3Z, Jim:
- KB3IFH prints cards, name tags, etc: https://www.kb3ifhqslcards.com/qsl-pricing-ordering
- WA3KFT, John:
- Chester QSL Cards
- plain, white, glossy
- they advertise in QST
- AA3LH, Leon:
- CheapQSLs.com
- W3MFB, Mike:
- AF3Z, Jim:
- found software for designing the cards
- interface with database or CSV
- prepare all the cards at once
- found software for designing the cards
- KC3NZT, Harvey:
- cheapqsls.com had multiple designs
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- has used MS Publisher to layout cards
- W3R cards look nice: yellow on dark