I just happened to notice that if I was interested in doing so I could receive the eQSL WAS and eQSL DXCC awards.  I’d just have to become at least a bronze member to print out the certificates.

I upload to eQSL because it is pretty automated from my logging program and it might help others if they are using it but I really don’t use it. I think it would be great if everyone used ARRL’s LoTW for electronic QSLing but I understand some folks have issues with the ARRL or it’s a hassle for them to get it working though I don’t have issues with either.

73,
K2DSL

I’ve been a licensed op since Aug 2007 and on HF since about June 2008. I’ve heard tales of 10m contacts on a few watts from a mobile radio all around the world, but I thought they were fairy tales. Since I’ve been operating, 10m has been pretty dead.  I had noticed on Sunday late in the afternoon and early in the evening that 10m was open a bit and I was able to make a couple contacts. This has happened just a few times that I’ve noticed so it was a nice treat.

We have a weekly net on 10m – 28.375 – Monday evening at 9:00pm ET (0200z) with my local radio club and maybe 8-12 local folks participate. Well something happened last night that I’ve never heard before. We had more check-ins from the midwest in “8 land” then we had from the locals checking in. There was literally a pileup of folks from what I recall as Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, etc. Quicker then our 10m net control op (K2ZO operating as K2BAR) could write, they were putting their call out there to check in. I could hear those stations louder coming in at 57 to 59+then I could hear some of the locals at 53 to 55.  It was really marvelous!!

I don’t know how long it will last, but I hope it’s here to stay for a bit. There’s a 10m contest this weekend and it would be nice if the band remained open for it. I only have my G5RV wire antenna but it tunes up fine on 10m so maybe I can work some of that contest this weekend.

And maybe all those tall tales of 10m contacts around the world isn’t as far fetched as they previously seemed to me. Maybe, just maybe, you might be able to work 10m from a mobile rig to a far off land. One can dream.

73,
K2DSL

Check out the KH7XS superstation which is for sale. Price seems very reasonable.

http://kh7xs.qth.com/
http://kh7xs.qth.com/main/page_photo_album.html

I know my wife wouldn’t mind a tower in her back yard if the front and sides had views like this house has!

In 10 more years, this might have been a perfect buy for me!

73 and still dreaming,
K2DSL

Back in November I came across 9G5TT calling CQ and was able to make a contact.  I had sent a direct QSL card and $2 to I2YSB and this weekend I received a really nice QSL card back. It’s a folded (4 sides) QSL card covering 9G5XX and 9G5TT with a picture of the DXpedition team on a beautiful beach. It even has raised text on the front and back of the cards.

The QSL card confirms a new DXCC for me bringing my total up to 146 confirmed if I’m correctly counting.  Thanks to 9G5TT for the contact and I2YSB for a quick turnaround on the QSL.

73 and good Dx!
K2DSL

My professional career is computers and information technology (IT) but at the desktop, I’ve always been a Windows user. I’ve use linux on servers for years and have installed it on computers at home to play around, but always go back to Windows because I use the applications and not the operating system.

A major linux magazine stars amateur radio on the cover of it’s January 2010 issue.

The contents of the issue include articles on:

Linux Journal’s Ham Shack:
Come chat with us about everything Linux and amateur radio related in our Ham forum (or see forum topics below).
Listen to our podcast to hear editors Shawn Powers and Kyle Rankin discuss our Amateur Radio special issue.
Little known fact: Did you know a feature article in Linux Journal issue number one was Linux and Hams?

Linux Amateur Radio Resources:
A guide for users of Fedora amateur radio software – http://jjmcd.fedorapeople.org/amateur-radio-guide/
Hamsoft – Linux Software for the Hamradio community – http://radio.linux.org.au/
FBB Packet-radio BBS mini-HOWTO (covers the installation and use of the most popular
amateur packet-radio BBS server software “FBB”) – http://cryptnet.net/mirrors/LDP/HOWTO/text/FBB
Ham radio programs for Linux – http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Software/Linux/
A complete LiveCD for HamRadio operators by F0FAK – http://shackbox.net/

Software Packages:
Ubuntu Software Packages in “karmic”, Subsection hamradio – http://packages.ubuntu.com/karmic/hamradio/
Debian Software Packages in “lenny”, Subsection hamradio – http://packages.debian.org/stable/hamradio/

Maybe it’s time to install Ubuntu again and check out the above stuff.

73 and happy holidays,
K2DSL

I used Gordon West’s study guides and audio CDs to learn and pass all 3 tests. It was like a good teacher that I never actually met. Well that is until today. KJI Electronics is a local amateur radio store in NJ less then 30 mins from me and they were having a Customer Appreciation weekend and today’s special guest was Gordon West so I had to go!

I was in the middle of the TARA RTTY contest but I gave up a couple hours to drive there, meet him and hang out for a bit. He looks just like (better in fact) the pictures I’ve seen of him and his voice is exactly like it sounds on the audio CDs. I brought my Extra studt guide with me and he signed the inside of it. He also had some certificates with him and he filled one out for me as well. It was real nice to speak with him and hearing his voice brought back some good memories from listening to the CDs over and over on my commute.

If you have the chance to meet him at some event, by all means try to do so. It was a thrill and he’s a terrific fellow and great representative of our fun hobby! Thanks Gordo!!

73,
K2DSL

In order to take the greatest advantage of Logbook of The World (LoTW) QSLs for awards such as WAS or DXCC, the info associated with your or the other operators account needs to be complete and accurate. TQSL is the program used to “sign” your QSO info before uploading and that info is where your station location details are defined. This info isn’t mandatory when setting things up the first time, but without it, the other station can’t take advantage of all that a LoTW QSL can provide, so below are the steps that you can check/update your own or in the case of a QSL you receive from another ham that is missing the info, pass along this link.

Here are the steps:

1 – Launch TQSL off your Start / Programs menu.

2 – When TQSL is running, click on the Station menu and select Edit locations.

3 – Once the Edit Station Locations window opens, select the appropriate location (you might just have one) and with it highlighted, click the Edit button.

4 – In the Edit Station Location window for the selected station, you should specify your grid locator, your ITU zone and CQ zone. If you don’t know this info, in many cases you can get this by viewing your own call sign on QRZ.com and view the details. You can also use http://www.levinecentral.com/ham/grid_square.php and enter in your call or address to get your grid square.  After entering this info, click the Next button.

5 – In the next window, assuming you are in the United States, select your State and then County. When done, click Next.

6 – The next window that is displayed indicates your information has been saved. Click the Finish button at the bottom and it will close the window. You’ll be back at the window listing your station location(s). Click Ok to close that window. At the main TQSL window, click File / Exit and you’re done.

Since all your existing LoTW records were processed with the previous values, you need to re-process all records that should now be tagged with the complete information. If you have operated from multiple locations, you want to only re-process the records for the location you have just updated. When you do this and re-upload them to LoTW, they will overlay the existing records and any QSL matches will now have all the detail you just configured.

I hope this helps you update your own info or if you contact another operator that has missing info that they can walk through the steps to update their info. Most operators have been very receptive to doing this, as they are already going through the LoTW upload process so this only increases the value of what they are doing. If anyone has questions or corrections, please add a comment or email me and I’ll adjust the instructions.

73,
K2DSL

This past week was ARRL the CW Sweepstakes and next weekend is the SSB Sweepstakes. I wonder if we’ll see a spike in TPA submissions in the coming weeks? Hopefully those that needed a state made the contact and the ops upload their contacts to LoTW.

The LoTW page shows 324 current Triple Play Award (TPA) winners so far. The last two look like they were just completed this week and could have been a result of the CW contest. We’ll see how it jumps up a bit this month.

For those with a few left that seem impossible to snag, check out the page at http://www.obriensweb.com/sked/ and select the LoTW link at the top. You’ll be able to see others that are viewing that chat page and where they are from. Don’t be shy and ask them to try and make a contact with you in a mode you need.

Here are my Triple Play Award related posts:

LoTW Triple Play Award completed !!!
LoTW Triple Play Award #243
Triple Play Award #234 Arrives !

Good luck getting yours!
K2DSL

I wasn’t an amateur radio operator on September 11, 2001 but here’s a link to a PDF version of an article that appeared in the Nov 2001 issue of QST magazine.

9/11/01: “This is Not a Test.”

I remember the events of that day as if it was yesterday. Never forget.

73,
K2DSL

I saw a posting on one of the Blackberry feeds I monitor about an application that allows you to listen to live feeds from scanners that are streaming their audio onto the Internet. I visited the site and immediately downloaded the application to my Blackberry. It worked perfectly on my Pearl 8130 through Verizon Wireless.

The application is called BBScanner and you can access the site at http://www.bbscanner.com. The application is small and very straightforward to use. You obviouslly need an unlimited data plan with your Blackberry service or you wouldn’t want to use this program. The initial download provides a fully functional application for 14 days. But to actually register the application is… drumroll… a whole $2.99 !! I’ve already registered.

The feeds come primarily from the Radio Reference live feed site but also natively supports feeds from RailRoadRadio.net as well as some weather feeds ftom WUnderground.com. In addition, you can see if a feed from another source can be linked to from your Blackberry as a custom feed. For those outside the US, a quick look shows some feeds for Australia, Canada, Chile and New Zealand in the Browse by Area section.

The program seems to work remarkably well in the testing I did. You first launch the application and select from bookmarked feeds, feeds by area (country, state), feeds by genre (Air, Ham Amateur Radio, Public Safety, Rail or Weather) or by one of the 3 main source feed sites then by country/state, etc. Once you drill down and select a specific feed, it starts to buffer the feed and then starts to play it. It is really that straightforward and smooth.

I have poor hearing so some of the feeds are a bit low in volume for me, but that isn’t the app but the feed itself. If there’s a specific town/frequency/feed you want, you’d need to either set it up yourself or find someone that can get the audio and stream it onto the Internet and then this can pick it up. From what I read at the Radio Reference site, it’s a pretty straightforward process to get setup on your own with the specifics on their Live Audio Feed Provider form.

So if you have a Blackberry I encourage you to download and try this program out. If you’re wondering what feeds are available, the vast majority are streamed from the RR site and you can view those live feeds online. I’d bet you’d find the $2.99 registration fee a real bargain!

73,
K2DSL