This past Saturday, August 8 was the 2009 edition of ZO Fest in Bloomington, Illinois. ZO Fest is the annual gathering of the Society of Midwest Contesters, a group of dedicated contesters and DXers in Illinois and neighboring states.
As usual a god time was had by all. Ralph Bellas K9ZO is the chief instigator and every year he and the other line up some of the best contesters, DXers, and DXpeditioners in the Midwest to share stories, experiences, and tips with the group.
I've had a day to rest up now and I'm already looking forward to 2010!
73,
Tim, N9PUZ
Showing posts with label ham radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ham radio. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
It's Field Day Time!
It's the eve of Field Day. Saturday and Sunday many, many ham radio operators will switch their radios to battery power or haul entire stations into the field. There they will operate for up to 24 hours trying to rack up as many points as possible in the ARRL's annual non-contest.
Do you participate in Field Day? How? Some people operate from home. Others participate with a group. Some are serious about racking up points, others use Field Day as more of a party with friends.
My plans are to participate in two Field Day events. Our local club, Sangamon Valley Radio Club tends towards low key operating and a big Saturday evening cookout with all the families, etc. The local ARES group, Capitol Area Amateur Radio Emergency Response Team has a smaller more serious effort. Both groups seem to have a lot of fun.
It's going to be very hot here in central Illinois. Whatever you do, if it's outside drink lots of water, have fun, and stay safe.
73,
Tim
Do you participate in Field Day? How? Some people operate from home. Others participate with a group. Some are serious about racking up points, others use Field Day as more of a party with friends.
My plans are to participate in two Field Day events. Our local club, Sangamon Valley Radio Club tends towards low key operating and a big Saturday evening cookout with all the families, etc. The local ARES group, Capitol Area Amateur Radio Emergency Response Team has a smaller more serious effort. Both groups seem to have a lot of fun.
It's going to be very hot here in central Illinois. Whatever you do, if it's outside drink lots of water, have fun, and stay safe.
73,
Tim
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
New Rig at ARS N9PUZ
After several years of great service from my Icom IC-718 I've replaced it with a shiny new Icom IC-7200. I really liked the IC-718. I had added the W4RT dual filters to mine and that made for a nice HF rig that had great performance in a compact, easy to use package. I always said the only way Icom could have improved the IC-718 was to replace the audio chain DSP with a nice IF chain DSP like they have in thier higher end rigs like the the "Pro" series. Perhaps they heard me.
The "Big Brown Truck" brought the IC-7200 yesterday. After only one evening I've decided I really like this radio. The variable DSP filtering simply blows away the mechanical filters I had in the IC-718. You can adjust the bandwidth for CW and USB modes in 50 Hz increments. The radio remembers the "wide", "medium", and "narrow" selections you make for each mode. The display is nice and crisp although a little smaller than the old radio. It is very easy to read.
I'll be writing more as I gain experience. I was able to try this radio and a Yaesu FT-450 and this one seems like the clear choice to me. If you are in the market for a $1,000 class HF rig this one bears close consideration.
The old IC-718? Fear not, I didn't put it out to pasture and it's not gathering dust. A Ham down South bought it and I've already had a note from him that it works great and he's enjoying it.
73,
Tim, N9PUZ
Monday, February 16, 2009
The RF Gain Control - Unsung Hero of Your HF Rig
A lot of times when I talk to Hams that are new to HF operation they mention how bad noise (QRN) and interference (QRM) can be. They often wonder whether adding an external DSP or internal crystal filters will eliminate the problem. Well, these accessories can help but new operators, and perhaps you as well, may already have one of the most effective tools in combating interference and noise.
The RF Gain control on your transceiver is the unsung hero of HF operation. It provides a variable means to reduce the strength of all of the signals coming in to your receiver. Used properly it can very useful in picking out just the signal you want. Here are the basics...
First off, if the band is just generally noisy like 40 and 80 meters so often can be, use the RF Gain control to reduce the static and noise levels you hear when you are not tuned to a signal until the noise is just barely audible. Then starting scanning for stations to work. If you're not trying to snag some rare DX station or pass an emergency message then there's no reason to make your rag chew tedious by hearing all that noise. As long as you can hear the other station does it really matter if the meter indicates S9 or S2?
Next, lets say you find a station to work but there is some QRM or QRN making it tough to hear them in spite of the adjustment you made earlier. Try this: Turn the RF gain control to minimum. You may hear nothing at this point. Then, turn the volume control up very high. You still may not hear anything. Now, use the RF Gain control (not the volume control) to control the volume of the station you want to hear. A lot of times this will make the easy to copy while drastically reducing the junk you don't want to hear.
Remember to turn down the volume control before you increase the RF Gain when you move on to the next QSO or things will get VERY loud! Once you practice this a little and get used to it you'll wonder how you ever got along before.
The RF Gain control on your transceiver is the unsung hero of HF operation. It provides a variable means to reduce the strength of all of the signals coming in to your receiver. Used properly it can very useful in picking out just the signal you want. Here are the basics...First off, if the band is just generally noisy like 40 and 80 meters so often can be, use the RF Gain control to reduce the static and noise levels you hear when you are not tuned to a signal until the noise is just barely audible. Then starting scanning for stations to work. If you're not trying to snag some rare DX station or pass an emergency message then there's no reason to make your rag chew tedious by hearing all that noise. As long as you can hear the other station does it really matter if the meter indicates S9 or S2?
Next, lets say you find a station to work but there is some QRM or QRN making it tough to hear them in spite of the adjustment you made earlier. Try this: Turn the RF gain control to minimum. You may hear nothing at this point. Then, turn the volume control up very high. You still may not hear anything. Now, use the RF Gain control (not the volume control) to control the volume of the station you want to hear. A lot of times this will make the easy to copy while drastically reducing the junk you don't want to hear.
Remember to turn down the volume control before you increase the RF Gain when you move on to the next QSO or things will get VERY loud! Once you practice this a little and get used to it you'll wonder how you ever got along before.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Go SMC!
This past weekend Ralph K9ZO hosted a little bash for the Society of Midwest Contesters. SMC is a contesting club located in the "Black Hole" of locations--the center of the United States.
"ZOfest", as it was called was probably the best club meeting I've ever attended. There was of course the obligatory business meeting where the club's performance in contests over the past few years was discussed along with super secret, "if I told you, I'd have to kill you" plans for the years ahead. There were also some first rate presentations by various members on topics that included:
Every group should have an event like this periodically. It'll keep your spirits up during the bottom of the solar cycle and you'll just plain have a bunch of fun!
73,
Tim N9PUZ
"ZOfest", as it was called was probably the best club meeting I've ever attended. There was of course the obligatory business meeting where the club's performance in contests over the past few years was discussed along with super secret, "if I told you, I'd have to kill you" plans for the years ahead. There were also some first rate presentations by various members on topics that included:
- What goes on "off air" before, during, and after a DXpedition
- Antenna Modeling
- Old radio collecting and restoration
- "Turn-key" vs. "carry it all yourself" DXpedition contesting
- Test equipment and troubleshooting your station
Every group should have an event like this periodically. It'll keep your spirits up during the bottom of the solar cycle and you'll just plain have a bunch of fun!
73,
Tim N9PUZ
Monday, May 05, 2008
Old Time Hamfests
This past Sunday Jimmie WX9DX and Bill K9KKL sponsored a small old time hamfest at Lake Springfield's Center Park (Springfield, IL.) We had a great time looking over everyone's treasures, and sitting and swapping stories about goofs we've all pulled at one time or another, tales of working that rare DX, or things we could do to improve our EMCOMM support.
Noon time featured a huge potluck meal with plenty of fried chicken, baked beans, and deserts. Certainly much better than the typical hamfest faire of hot dogs and chips.
If you need a good low stress, local activity for your group or club I highly encourage you to try a small, old time hamfest at the park. It'll remind you of all that's good about Amateur Radio.
Tim, N9PUZ
Noon time featured a huge potluck meal with plenty of fried chicken, baked beans, and deserts. Certainly much better than the typical hamfest faire of hot dogs and chips.
If you need a good low stress, local activity for your group or club I highly encourage you to try a small, old time hamfest at the park. It'll remind you of all that's good about Amateur Radio.
Tim, N9PUZ
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Welcome New Generals!
Welcome to all of the new General (and Extra) class licensees that have appeared on the HF bands since February 23rd when the Morse proficiency requirement officially went away. It's good to hear so many new operators who by and large are doing a great job.
I hope we also hear a lot of Technician and General OPs in the CW portions of the ham bands. With the testing requirement gone you can learn and experiment with CW at a more relaxed pace. Heck, even if you still need a cheat sheet for some of the characters give it a try even if your first efforts are at just a few words a minute. Even if you're not a great CW operator--I'm certainly not compared to many others--it's a lot of fun and can net you some contacts that are unobtainable otherwise.
Tim, N9PUZ
I hope we also hear a lot of Technician and General OPs in the CW portions of the ham bands. With the testing requirement gone you can learn and experiment with CW at a more relaxed pace. Heck, even if you still need a cheat sheet for some of the characters give it a try even if your first efforts are at just a few words a minute. Even if you're not a great CW operator--I'm certainly not compared to many others--it's a lot of fun and can net you some contacts that are unobtainable otherwise.
Tim, N9PUZ
Monday, January 08, 2007
Classes Are Good. Don't Forget To Elmer
[Note: In Amateur Radio circles, an Elmer is a mentor who takes a less experienced Ham under his or her wing and teaches them a lot of the good stuff you don't learn while studying for your license.]
These days when you read the posts on QRZ.com or your favorite email list there's a lot of talk about the declining quality of the people coming into ham radio. I'm not sure that I agree that's true. After all, there have been lids as long as I can remember. If it is true perhaps those of us who've been around a while should shoulder some of the blame.
A lot of us devote time each year to helping out with Techician classes, etc. at the local club. This is a good thing but don't let it stop there. I think a lot of times a new Techician earns his or her ticket and that's practically the last time they ever hear from a Ham in their area. Once they have a license the real teaching needs to begin if we want to create good operators instead of just statistics.
In the Fall of 2006 my local club, the Sangamon Valley Radio Club and the nearby Macoupin County Amateur Radio Club co-sponsored a Technician class that produced around 20 new Hams. We didn't let the teaching and the fun end at the VE exam session.
Shortly after the class ended several club members had new Hams over to their shacks so see equipment in operation and to let the new folks be guest operators to check into the local VHF nets, etc. This sort of activity provides an introduction to the local community and gets the new people interacting on a more personal level.
Shortly after the new year, we held a "no host" Technician Class Reunion at a local restaraunt that featured a buffet style breakfast. We invited all of the people from the class plus spent a couple of weeks making sure as many area hams as possible knew about the event. The result was a 50/50 mix of old hands and newcommers that spent the morning talking, eating, and making new friends. As we adjourned from breakfast there was even a mobile antenna installation going on in the parking lot!
So, by all means keep teaching those Technician, General, and Extra courses. Just don't forget to keep Elmering!
73,
Tim, N9PUZ
These days when you read the posts on QRZ.com or your favorite email list there's a lot of talk about the declining quality of the people coming into ham radio. I'm not sure that I agree that's true. After all, there have been lids as long as I can remember. If it is true perhaps those of us who've been around a while should shoulder some of the blame.
A lot of us devote time each year to helping out with Techician classes, etc. at the local club. This is a good thing but don't let it stop there. I think a lot of times a new Techician earns his or her ticket and that's practically the last time they ever hear from a Ham in their area. Once they have a license the real teaching needs to begin if we want to create good operators instead of just statistics.
In the Fall of 2006 my local club, the Sangamon Valley Radio Club and the nearby Macoupin County Amateur Radio Club co-sponsored a Technician class that produced around 20 new Hams. We didn't let the teaching and the fun end at the VE exam session.
Shortly after the class ended several club members had new Hams over to their shacks so see equipment in operation and to let the new folks be guest operators to check into the local VHF nets, etc. This sort of activity provides an introduction to the local community and gets the new people interacting on a more personal level.
Shortly after the new year, we held a "no host" Technician Class Reunion at a local restaraunt that featured a buffet style breakfast. We invited all of the people from the class plus spent a couple of weeks making sure as many area hams as possible knew about the event. The result was a 50/50 mix of old hands and newcommers that spent the morning talking, eating, and making new friends. As we adjourned from breakfast there was even a mobile antenna installation going on in the parking lot!
So, by all means keep teaching those Technician, General, and Extra courses. Just don't forget to keep Elmering!
73,
Tim, N9PUZ
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The End of CW Exams in the US
The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will shortly publish a Report and Order in the Federal Register that will eliminate the requirement that General and Extra class Hams pass a 5 WPM Morse Code proficiency test. There are those who think this is a good thing and others who think it will be the end of Ham Radio.
Regardless of whether or not you were for the change, against the change, or just didn't care one way or another the debate is over. That ship has sailed and sometime early in 2007 the rule will be that no demonstration of CW proficiency is required to obtain any of the three US Amateur Radio licenses.
The important thing is that current licensees accept those who come after the new rules go into effect as "real Hams." They will have met every legal requirement needed to become licensed. Our job is to Elmer the newcomers, expose them to as much of the good stuff as we are able, and hold them and ourselves to high standards by setting good examples of operating skill, technical accomplishment, and fellowship between Hams.
73,
Tim, N9PUZ
Regardless of whether or not you were for the change, against the change, or just didn't care one way or another the debate is over. That ship has sailed and sometime early in 2007 the rule will be that no demonstration of CW proficiency is required to obtain any of the three US Amateur Radio licenses.
The important thing is that current licensees accept those who come after the new rules go into effect as "real Hams." They will have met every legal requirement needed to become licensed. Our job is to Elmer the newcomers, expose them to as much of the good stuff as we are able, and hold them and ourselves to high standards by setting good examples of operating skill, technical accomplishment, and fellowship between Hams.
73,
Tim, N9PUZ
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