Monday, December 29, 2008

2009 Louisiana Memorial Scholarship

Louisiana Memorial Membership,

There have been no applications to date for the 2009 Louisiana Memorial
Scholarship.

If you know a deserving licensed college student or a beginning
freshman who could benefit from $500 in financial aid, please advise
them apply. Go to http://www.arrlf.org/contact/contact for information
on requirements and how to apply.

73
Gary K5GLS

Thursday, December 18, 2008

a very kewel Holiday wish by VE2SB that I wish to pass on

Daniel VE2SB

to writelog
show details 7:38 PM (13 hours ago)
Reply

In the life of a ham radio operator, there is the joy of finding friends on the airwaves, the joy of laughter, the pleasure of exchanging thoughts, ideas and good old memories (QSO's).

In the life of a ham radio operator, there is also the joy of communicating secrets about our antennas, our pleasures and strategies in a contest, exchanging the dreams of owning a giant tower, a Big Gun antenna and the future projects of our shacks.

But the greatest joy in the life of a ham radio operator is the magic of making the prettiest smile appear on the faces of the people that we cherish.

Make the most of these festive times with your friends and families.

Be sure to remember that it is greatly appreciated to have a QSO with you rather than. hearing a silent key for you. Be safe when traveling from family to friends.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year 2009.
God bless you and your family all the next year.

I hope to meet you many time in contest in 2009.

Aurevoir.

73
Daniel VE2SB

just announced by our ARRL Section manager.....

Talbert Tipton KD5EJB of Shreveport has been appointed Assistant Section
Manager for the Louisiana Section with special duties of Handiham
coordination.

We are looking forward to working with Talbert in developing a path
forward for his work.

A team of sitting ASMs evaluated the nominees and made the
recommendation for this appointment. We very much appreciate their
work.

Please join me in congratulating Talbert.

73
Gary K5GLS
LA SM

Friday, December 12, 2008

Most DX's know this but we all start some where...

PL-259 Connector
Want a good video on installing a Pl-259 Connector?
This is a six minute video that can be shown at a club meeting.
Installing a PL-259 on RG-213
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nabA6yMoI

Thursday, December 11, 2008

WriteLog Friend File

Here is a nifty little app that allows WL users to
have notes POP-up when a Callsign of a friend shows up in the logging window

WLFriend.zip

Instructions are here

Thanks to N4GG for bringing mention of this neat little application back to life
It was originally hoisted on OE8CIQ's web server but those links are now dead
So right click on the links here and download to a saved place on your hard drive

I offer no tech support on this application, comments and fed back are welcome here and should also be addressed on the WriteLog Reflector !


more info.......................

a friend file looks like this................
(edit it with a text editor like Notepad not a word processor and save it with the ini extension)


[HI]
kr5d=Tom
k5sl=Randy
k8ki=Bob
n0ax=Ward

save it as Friend.ini in the directory where programs, writelog, programs exists
when you launch friend application (after you launch WL)
right click on the blue area of that WLFriend program window and tell it where that friend file is

yes it is a simple and neat app......

I remember a lot of discussion (about three years ago) about huge friend files for cw and voice macros that most decided use of macros just slowed our rates down too much so after further thought I think this simple pop up window makes more since

Of course we could use the traditional Friend file as the big file and a MyFriend.ini file as the true my "select' friends if we instruct wl and the wlfriend programs to look for the data in the right places !

73
steve
KG5VK

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Ve7cc Setting of Filters a simple step by step

KD4K published this step by step how to of setting the filters with VE7CC user software
it is much simpler following these steps than reading the "instructions"
steve

First off you must be connected to a "CC" Cluster such as VE7CC-1.
Click on the "Country" tab.
Click the "NA" bullet.
In the "Band" section click the "ALL" bullet.
Click the "Spotter Country" bullet.
Click the "Clear" button.
Put a check in the "K" and the "VE" check boxes.
Click the "Tell Cluster" Button.
You should now only receive spots from US and VE stations.

73 de Tony, KD4K
My Weather page
http://kd4k.com
My Ham Radio Page
http://kd4k.com/radio.html

Contest Keyboard Overlays from WA4PGM

http://www.wa4pgm.us/keyboard_templates.htm

Friday, November 07, 2008

While preparing for this year I look back at what happened in last year's ARRL SS Phone Contest

Last year we had a false start with some equipment problems that kept us off the air for the first hour.

The First hour or two are always the most intense in a contest and very true in Sweepstakes.
Rick AE5T and His Son N5OZB beat us out of first place in the state as well as our ARRL Division by just over one hundred Q's (106 q's to be exact)

So we were right on their heels !
A good hour and a half with a Q rate of 90 or more an hour and we could have maintained our status in First place in State and Division

Things were a bit more competitive for the region box...........

Foremost we still maintained showing in this Box
however we fell from 2006 fourth place to fifth , still a respectable finish

Again look at how close this race was !!!

KA1ARB 219,840 M (1374 QSO's)
AE5T (N5OZB, op) 182,560 M (1141 QSO's)
W5JJ 174,880 M (1093 QSO's)
W8JI 166,058 M (1051 QSO's)
KG5VK 165,440 M (1034 QSO's)

Sweepstakes Multi-op style is always fun for me
of course like most that enter contest we love to place high in the finish
This Year I believe the competition will even be tougher
with our founding members of the Louisiana Contest Club challenging
all of us for a place in that Region, Division and State places.

And of course this is the 75th year of ARRL SS
and there will be more activity than there has in recent years, possible more OPS on than ever before.
Providing even higher Q counts for everyone.
In the past our target QSO count for finish was often 1500, this year we need to shoot even higher !

ARRL SS Phone is the week-end of 15 November
The contest starts at 1500 local time that Saturday

73
steve
KG5VK


3AE5T (N5OZB, op)182,5601,14180MLA8924
7847053756

(+ packet)
4W5JJ174,8801,09380MAR9722
41921341843

(+ K5DB)
5KG5VK165,4401,03480MLA7224
3907654226
Shreveport ARA(+ KA5M, KF5XV, N5VU, N5FH, N5SH, K5SL)

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

The newest Issue of the NCJ should be in your hands by now......

The cover is adorned by a group photo of the founding members of The Louisiana Contest Club

This organization is long in coming and we are thrilled to see fellow Ham Radio ops in our state with like interests in contesting

I recently met most of these fellow contest minded ops at the Plain Ville Hamfest a few weeks ago
and while the overall turn out for the HamFest was small, it was great to sit and chat about challenges we contest ops face

As of this post Mark Ka5m, Tom K5UIC and myself are the only local hams that are current members of The L.C.C.
If you have any interests in contesting why not take a close look at the LCC
here is the link

73
steve
KG5VK

PS I will be giving a presentation at the SARA membership meeting this Thursday
the topic is Tools for Plotting your own Beam patterns
with Plotter software and a some hardware.

KG5VK is forming a L.C.C. Team for the ARRL Phone SS contest

Current LCC (Louisiana Contest Club) members on the KG5VK team are

1.KG5VK Steve
2. KA5M Marsh
3. K5UIC Tom

You are welcome to join us !!!!!!!!

Click here to go to the LCC site

73
steve
KG5VK

Thursday, October 30, 2008

A plot of my 3 el 40m Telrex beam which is at 90 feet above the ground


This real world plt was made using the LP-100A vector graphic watt meter and Polar Plot
I know it is a pretty poor scan of the print out
but it shows a nice dip on the backside of the beam
that depicts aprox 18db front to back

Steve

Friday, October 10, 2008

Is attendance at a contest operation worth your time ?

Even if your not an HF op

There is a lot that non HF ops can do during the contest
but the most important thing is to come and have fun !

Things to do during an HF contest if you either do not want to operate or are just not sure if your fast enough or a proficient HF op......

Monitor the bands on The Multi-Op finder rig
looking for band openings and needed multipliers
In sweepstakes there are 80 multipliers available and the team is eligible for the prestigious Sweepstakes mugs once we work all of those multipliers
(In SS The multipliers are ARRL and Canadian Sections for example many states are divided into several ARRL sections) A couple of the hardest sections to work over recent years has been Alaska and North West Terittory (in Canada)

There will also be periods where the contact rate falls way below 60 -90 QSO's per hour !
and even ops that are not fast or real proficient get to work the rigs alongside a more experienced contester (many dedicated contesters including myself started by watching and learning this way)

Several ops show up just for a few hours to watch us dedicated contesters run the rate count whay up over 100 conteacts per hour, visit the antenna farm and tour the shack just before the contest starts or simply enjoy the wide range of "Contest Ala Gourmier Food" we have on hand

One word of caution......
Contesting is an addictive sport !

73
steve
KG5VK

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Mark your Calendar Now !!!!!!!

The 75th year of the ARRL Sweepstakes contest is this year

I will again hoist a team effort during the Phone contest week-end
Mark those calendars for

November 15 - 17
ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone)

This week-end I am heading to The Paris Texas Hamfest where I will purchase a few more items to complete the build of my new 75 meter Bi-Square antenna

I will have a Shack familiarization open house early either late this month or a week before the Phone week-end

If you have not yet played in this great contest and are interested in joining our team simply send me an email !

73
Steve
KG5VK

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Paris Texas Hamfest

Woo Hoo!!!!

Time is getting short!!!

The 4th annual Paris Texas Hamfest will be here before you know it.

When: October 10 and 11

Where: 570 e center st.

Paris Tx. 75460

Costs: $2.00 admission, $15 tables, $10 unlimited tailgate space

This year will be a two day EVENT !!

Friday: Big Fun!!

  • Dealers, campers and outdoor vendors setup at noon.
  • Doors will open to the public at 5:00 pm
  • HamJam 08 !! J.D. Moss and the Texas Highwaymen will take the outdoor stage for a live Concert at 7:00pm (bring your lawn chairs)
  • Doors to the main hall close to the public at 8:00
  • Overnight camping, tent or RV will be permitted. Hook ups $15
  • Overnight security will be provided inside of the building by Phred ‘08
  • Concert will be over around 10:00pm.
  • Lots of local restaurants will be open.
  • Staying over night? Call the Paris Holiday Inn direct at 903-785-9510 and be sure to mention Hamfest for the special rate!!!

Saturday:More Fun!!

  • Dealer setup at 6:00 am
  • Doors open to the public at 8:00am
  • New dealer guests this year will include Austin Amateur Radio Supply, Clear signal Products, GLA Systems (Texas Bugcatcher) , HF Projects and more
  • Well over 150 door prizes will be given away starting at 8:30am from sponsors such as Yaesu, Comet antennas, Pro-cuts Paris, Electric Radio, ARRL, Cable X-perts, Borden Radio, N3FJP software, Nifty Accessories, Michael Todd Computers and communications, H. Ward Silver N0AX, Radio Daze, Cheapqsls.com, QRZ.COM, HI-Q Antennas, Sirloin Stockade Paris, SteppIR, Oreilly’s Auto Parts, ABC auto parts, DX engineering, World Radio Magazine, CQ magazine, Phred ‘08, A & A Engineering, Softrock, The Paris Texas Radio Group and more!!!
  • Live music by the band "14th Street Reunion" and "Crosstown Connection"
  • Contests This year include Global Mobile II, and 80 meter Shoot Out and a 2 meter shout out with cash and Trophies awarded for all 3 contests.
  • VE testing
  • The Best BBQ you have ever had will be served around 10:00am
  • Grand prize awarded around noon!!

As you can see there will be lots going on and we would love to have you here!!!!

If you need more information please go to www.paristexasradio.com/hamfest or call Richard 903-783-0968 or ki5dx@yahoo.com

Tables and vendor space will sell out , book now!!

We are still looking for volunteers, door prize sponsors, event sponsors , a group or club that would like to come up and sponsor a foxhunt and more.

Thanks to The Paris Texas Radio Group, K95.5 FM , The Paris Texas / Lamar County Chamber of commerce, The Red River Valley Fair Assoc, The ARRL , QTH.COM, EHAM.COM , Pitcock’s Wrecker Service, Ted Randall and the QSO radio show, Lamar county Electric Co-op and many others for making this event possible.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

use of a second rcvr with a buffer amp between it and the RCVR Input of the FT-1000MP

Click here for more info

From SoftRocks to other SDR receivers
several ops are using these to enrich operation of the FT-1000MP
thru creation of a Band Scope

73
steve

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Marsh KA5M sent me these great links of the FT-1000MP

click here to see a set of movies located on U Tube that maximizes your performance from the FT-1000MP

There are a total of three of these movies !

Marsh thanks for the tip !

Mean while I found this little tip site click here

73
steve
KG5VK

Monday, August 18, 2008

I might try and play in this one......

I might try and play (for a limited time) in this one..........

Steve
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coming up next on the contest calendar is the Ohio QSO Party, this coming
Saturday, August 23, from 1600z to 0400z August 24 (noon to midnight EDT). OQP
is sponsored by the Mad River Radio Club.

With there being five weekends in August this year, we are blessed with a
weekend largely to ourselves, sharing only with the Hawaii QSO Party. Not RTTY
contests, no European contests, no VHF contests. Those come the following
weekend.

For you skimmer fans out there, here is your opportunity to test things
under real contest conditions. OQP already allows packet for single ops, so
adding a skimmer into the mix is no problem. 20 KHz of bandwidth will cover 99%
of the CW activity, so there will be less of a processing requirement. See
how well you (or your skimmer) can find those usually weak mobiles stations as
they move from county to county.

A note for the left coasters: we now award a plaque to the top station in
the Mountain or Pacific time zones. So being out of range for the daytime 40
meter activity will not leave you out in the cold for one of our beautiful
plaques.

Visitors to Ohio are welcome! If you are anywhere close by, drive on over
and do a mobile or rover effort.

Full info is available at www.oqp.us


See you Saturday!


73 - Jim K8MR
OQP Chairman

It's is good to be home

We are now home from our ten day trip to Atlanta (to photograph Pools for Blue Haven Pools) and Huntsville where we attended one of The Best Ham Fest www.Hamfest.org

I am now sitting in front of Two Ft-1000MP's and feel like I am in Ham Radio Operator Heaven
but of course I will now need to add more filters to my old friend (the Ft-1000MP which I have owned for some time before adding the newest one) is not as populated with filters as the new one is !

Had a ton of fun in Huntsville and am already making plans to go back next year.

I will be spending more time on cw, playing with Skimmer tools
of which Rick K4TD did an excellent presentation on at Huntsville
His presentation went beyond just what the tool (skimmer) is
but how to manage all that data without being overloaded and unable to make good choices with it (the data given to us during a contest from Skimmer)

73
steve

Saturday, August 16, 2008

down hill slide from Huntsville to Home (Louisiana)

It's Saturday night
Not that late, it's only 2145 local
I am beat but so thrilled to have made the journey to the Huntsville Ham Festivities
This evening we had a good dinner and great company
We all got to listen to Ann Santos WA1S
she is a talented and competitive young lady
I also got to learn about Faros software (yes where have I been, as Faros has been around awhile)
Any way, I have the knowledge of a few more tools to implement before ARRL SS this year
And Skimmer will have me in there for the CW portion of the contest as well
It has been a fun trip and I am looking forward to the last few hours of the Hamfest before we head west and home.

73
steve
kg5vk

Friday, August 15, 2008

K8KI in Huntsville, Alabama



Bob K8KI
my host in Huntsville, Alabama
for the big Huntsville HamFest
73
Steve
KG5VK

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Contesting this week........

his week, we'll use the real North American QSO Party rules for the
Thursday and Friday practices,
AUG. 14, 15 local date in North America; Aug. 14, 15 UTC.

Test out your loggers, VOICE KEYERS and station, practice the SSB NAQP rules.

30 minutes starting at 0230Z, and all bands, 160 thru 10m, SSB!
-- Start 0230Z (1930 PDT, 2030 MDT, 2130 CDT 2230 EDT)

NAQP RULES: (NO DUPES on the same band)-- SSB only, 100 watts,
mults count on each band.
BANDS: 10 thru 160m: -- 28500, 21300, 14250, 7225, 3830 +/-
50; 1845; +/-10.
(Practice moving mults to 10/15m). In the summer there can be strange
openings on the high bands, plus ground wave.

The SLOW SPEED CW NS practice continues: 02-0215Z on Thursday only,
20, 40, 80m CW, dupes ok.

The schedule of Thursday (sometimes Friday also) events through
October is now posted on the NEXT NS page at:
http://www.ncccsprint.com/next_ns.htm

General rules and further info at: http://www.ncccsprint.com/

-- Report scores near 3610 LSB after the practice, at 0300Z (8 PM PDT) on
the weekly NCCC contest net), or send your score directly to the 3830
reflector.
Thanks to WA7BNM and N7WA for their posting service.

Next week, Aug. 22, NS rules, SINGLE BAND-20M CW, DUPES 0K, 30
minutes (0230-0300Z).

CU, N6RO

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

www.LouisianaContestClub.org

LOUISIANA CONTEST CLUB FORMALLY ORGANIZED



Leesville, LA, Saturday, August 9, 2008



The Louisiana Contest Club was formally organized at the Leesville, LA
hamfest. Present at the organizational meeting and signing of the club
constitution and by-laws were the charter members Charlie Morrison, KI5XP;
Roland Guidry, NA5Q; Pat Sonnier, W5WMU; Mark Ketchell, K5ER; and Scott
Dickson, W5WZ. Also present were Louisiana Section Manager Gary Stratton
K5GLS; and Louisiana Affiliated Club Coordinator Jim Bookner, N5NVP.



The Louisiana Contest Club is a special purpose amateur radio club devoted
to the pursuit of operating and technical excellence. Our goals are simple:

--To promote the fun, satisfaction and competitive thrill of radio
contesting

--To assist our members in the development of their operating and technical
skills

--To foster increased friendly competition and sportsmanship

--To become a competitive force in club competition of amateur radio
contests



The newly elected officers are: President- Mark Ketchell K5ER;
Vice-President- Charlie Morrison KI5XP; Secretary/Treasurer- Scott Dickson
W5WZ; Director- Pat Sonnier W5WMU; and Director- Roland Guidry NA5Q.



The idea of organizing a contest club originated at the 2008 Dayton
Hamvention in the contest super suite over pizza. The original founders of
LCC felt that an organization was needed in Louisiana to educate, promote
and encourage contesting. Further, they recognized that Louisiana had never
been represented by a statewide contest club. Among Louisiana hams, there
are many recognized and skilled Amateur Radio operators, some who have won
many national and world contesting awards. Through the LCC, we will provide
a vehicle for its membership to further develop contesting skills and
strategies, while allowing members to share collective knowledge and
experience through mentoring.



The LCC has chosen to mark the center of its circle near Marksville, LA at
coordinates N31.226894 Latitude and W91.944580 Longitude. This circle
INCLUDES ALL of Louisiana except the very tip of the Mississipi River delta.
It will also include the following population centers in neighboring states:

Beaumont TX

Lufkin TX

Greenville MS

Vicksburg MS

Natchez MS

Jackson MS

Hattiesburg MS

Eldorado AR

Magnolia AR



All persons interested in amateur radio contesting shall be eligible to
submit an application for membership. Membership shall be by application and
dues payment of $20 annually.



Please visit our website at www.LouisianaContestClub.org or contact us via
e-mail; info@LouisianaContestClub.org



As our mascot Chomps Boo-TAY states, "laissez lez Contest roulez!" (Let the
Contest roll!)



--Scott Dickson, W5WZ

--LCC Sectretary/Treasurer

--info@LouisianaContestClub.
org

W1AW/4 this saturday

W1AW/4 will be operating from the hamfest floor during exhibit hours. This includes a few hours on Saturday during the NAQP. We’ll be set up for phone, CW, and (if I remember everything) RTTY. Come on by and operate!

Hmmmm do I work a couple of hours in the NAQP from W1AW/4 or the Albama Contest Group station set up just outside the hamfest ??

watch for the distinct kg5vk Voice and find out

on another exciting subject just got the ups tracking number for my new (Used but new to me)
Ft-1000MP

73
steve
KG5VK



Friday, August 01, 2008

Skimmer if you have no idea what it is sit up and take note....

Click here
for the article on Radio-Sport about skimmer
Think of it as the New Dx cluster for contesting but with always live data

steve

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Watch for Randy from Cayman Isl as ZF1SI

Look for K5SL on vacation in Cayman Islands on Aug 9 thru 15 as ZF1SI Randy K5SL

North American QSO Party, CW: 1800Z, Aug 2 to 0600Z, Aug 3

North American QSO Party, CW: 1800Z, Aug 2 to 0600Z, Aug 3
That is tomorrow (This Friday 1 August local time)
31 July 2008
Steve

Not just another Watt Meter !!!!!


Just one of the many great graphics available for a Vector watt Meter


http://www.telepostinc.com/lp100.html

Not only will this thing provide low and high power readings with 1% accuracy
it will make your antenna analyzer something you rarely if ever use !
Need to know the true resonance of your antenna or want to Plot the beam width and gain of another antenna, use the field strength tools to make accurate plots
The possibilities with this test equipment make calling it a watt meter slanderous !

The world of vector based watt meters is not really that new if you have been paying attention (which I was not) within the last few years
But this one leads the pack !!!

73
steve
KG5VK

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ea4/DH1TW sdr presentation

click here and find the pdf file

I really like the multiple rcvr (with soft rocks) at different beverages
all streamed to one computer and visual board
This would be one awesome "multiplier hunter" esp when paired with skimmer on cw

73
steve
kg5vk

1st Annual Sunny South Contest Hospitality Suite

To all contest enthusiast in the South East:

Aug 15th Friday evening the ACG, SECC and TCG will be sponsoring the " 1st Annual Sunny South Contest Hospitality Suite" at the downtown Huntsville, AL Holiday Inn in the MIlltown Room from 7:00 -11:00 PM. Cash bar, snacks , pile-up competition (CW and SSB) and few demonstrations are currently on the evening's agenda. There are prizes for the top pile-up ops also. Drop by to swap some lies, bend an elbow and hobb-nob for a while.

This event is kicking off the annual Huntsville Hamfest which starts it's activities on Sat the 16th at the Von Braun Convention center across from the Holiday Inn and the Embassy Suites hotels in downtown Huntsville (both within one block of the VBC).

During Saturdays Hamfest events there will be a contest forum held from 10:00 AM till 4:30 PM. This is the 2nd Annual Contest Forum sponsored by the Alabama Contest Group (ACG). The Hamfest website has the program listed under forums. That's www.hamfest.org by the way.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

NAQP

North American QSO Party, SSB1800Z, Aug 16 to 0600Z, Aug 17

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Alabama Contest Group

click here to go to their website

They are kick starting a decent line up of Topics for the Huntsville Hamfest
(August 16th and 17th, 2008)

steve

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Paris Texas HamFest this October

Please help us get the word out and forward this to all you ham friends, post it on club websites, and announce on area nets...This will be the best Paris hamfest yet!!

The Paris Texas Radio Group proudly presents

The 4th Annual Paris Texas Hamfest!!!

DATE: Saturday, October 10-11, 2008

LOCATION: Coliseum @ Red River Valley Fairgrounds..570 East Center St Paris, TX

HIGHLIGHTS: New Radio Vendors, VE Testing, Indoor Flea Market, Contests,

Outside Tailgate, Live Music, Door Prizes, Talk in Frequency 147.040+PL 100.0, Food, Drinks and FUN!!

ADMISSION: ONLY $2.00 (pay on Friday…get in FREE on Saturday)

VENDOR FEES: Flea Market Tables $15.00 each

Tailgate $10.00 (unlimited space)

CONTEST FEES: Global Mobile $5.00

80 Meter Shootout $5.00

2 Meter Shootout $5.00

FRIDAY SCHEDULE:

NOON: Dealer Set-Up

5PM: Doors Open

7PM: Live Music from J.D. Moss & The Texas Highwaymen

9PM: Indoor Flea Market Closes to public

SATURDAY SCHEDULE:

6AM: Dealer Set-Up

8AM: Doors Open

9AM: 80 Meter Shoot Out

10AM: 2 Meter FM Shoot Out

11AM: Global Mobile Judging

****Door prizes given away ALL DAY****

Come to the Paris Texas Hamfest for HAM RADIO FUN!! Bring the whole family!!

Electricity is available for anyone wishing to camp out. Hook-ups available for $15.00.

Special rates available at the Holiday Inn of Paris…call direct and ask for the Paris Hamfe

Thursday, July 10, 2008

I am very sad to report that NZ5S is a Silent Key

Richard Lea
know to his Ham Radio friends as NZ5S
Passed away early this afternoon July 10, 2008

He was a consummate professional photographer, a dear friend,
and one that gave to all he met

He played drums at many churches using music as a method to reach youngsters in need of some guidance

He loved the challenge of DX and Contesting too
he worked several sweepstakes contests with the group
he was always light hearted and enjoyed the chase as well as the camaraderie

He served as our ARRL Emergency Coordinator
and worked with anyone regardless of club or affiliation

He spent a lot of time attempting to help me mend fences between local Ham clubs

He will be missed by many !

I know in my heart he is now with God
but our community has lost one great person
He was 38 years old.

Prayers to his family

Steve Lott

Friday, July 04, 2008

Radio Sport HF Contest one of the short ones that are way too fun

HF Contesting usually hits a dry spell during the summer months, but the
weekend of July 12-13 brings a summer bright spot for HF contesters --
the IARU HF World Championship.

According to ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, the IARU
contest is a little different from most major HF contests. "For
starters, it's only 24 hours long (instead of the normal 48). This
leaves you plenty of time over the weekend to have fun in the contest
and participate in other activities. Another difference is that you can
combine modes. While most HF contests are either CW or SSB, IARU allows
you to operate CW, SSB or a mixture of both. Lastly, the IARU contest
exchange is a signal report and your ITU zone." ITU zones are different
than CQ zones, Kutzko said. For a map of ITU zones, you can visit the
IARU Web site <http://www.iaru.org/ituzonesc.gif>.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

News from Gary Stratton our SCM in the LA news sumary....

Maybe not really news but a Great tip on using POI (Points of Intrests) files with your automotive GPS device

I never realized there were customizable POI file for my Garmin until I read the most recent ARRL section report News from Gary

Gary has updated all our state repeater info in this POI file
so if your traveling across the state you can now have your gps let you know which repeater your near

This is a great feature built-in to most GPS units
more info from http://www.poi-factory.com/

The following is direct clip from Gary...................
For those with Garmin GPS's, I've updated the Louisiana Repeater
information in accordance with the LA Council's list, in the POI (Point
of Interest) files available on http://www.poi-factory.com. This site
is free and the file is free to download. It allows you to upload the
POI file into a Garmin GPS, and will notify you of the repeaters in the
area based on you current location. It gives the callsign, frequency
and PL tone of each repeater near you. I've edited the original file,
corrected callsigns, frequencies and tones, and removed those not
listed in the LCARC database.

Additionally, for those users with Kenwood TM-V71A and TM-D710's, I've
taken that file and converted into the Kenwood HMK file format for
uploading into the radio. Information about that is available from
Kenwood's site, and the file is located on the Kenwood Yahoo Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TM-D710_TM-V71/ Its also a free file,
available to anyone who joins the Kenwood group.

K5GLS

end quote

Gary Thanks again
steve
KG5VK

Saturday, June 21, 2008

ARRL Field Day June 28-29, 2008

ARRL Field Day is June 28-29, 2008. Come join in the fun with SARA and the Sundown DX Association at the boat launch on the Bossier Parkway.

73,
Marsh

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Overall we had 105 Qs deducted from our ARRL SS Phone 2007 effort

Bottom line is we did really well, although not first in State or Section
We did maintain placement in the region box by 5 place.
We did acquire and keep our Sweep !
We had a whole lot of fun !

Many thanks to all of you that operated at KG5VK as well as everyone that worked us
A special thanks to all that just dropped in to see what all the fuss was about in contesting, with the exception of Murphy, yeap we had an early visit from Murphy's Law
Killing our first hour of operating !

73
steve
KG5VK

Errors found in the other logs "They busted our Call"

These do not incur us any loss of q's or penalties
However they may offer insight as to better choices for us in phonetics, maybe
Of course there were only 61 of these busted exchanges recorded in other logs.

The following information shows contacts you made that were removed from the
other station's log. These are not deducted from your score. They are listed
for your information only.

AA6G: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 490.
AC7JY: KD5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
AE4CJ: KG4VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
AE6RF: QSO #103: QSO not found in log of KG5VK
AF7K: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
K0BEE: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 110.
K0GAS: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
K1RH: KJ5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
K2AV: QSO #280: Received QSO# 127 should be 1072 KG5VK
K3OIO: KG4VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
K3WI: QSO #399: Received QSO# 195 should be 795 KG5VK
K4AMC: QSO #532: Received QSO# 1015 should be 1050 KG5VK
K4CZ: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 725.
K5EEE: JG5VJ is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
K7JE: QSO #80 KG5VK : M 62 La should be M 72 La
K7SAM: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
K8THU: QSO #72 KG5VK : M 72 Lax should be M 72 La
KC4D: QSO #71 KG5VK : M 75 La should be M 72 La
KC8PKY: QSO #166: QSO not found in log of KG5VK
KD4HXT: QSO #182: Received QSO# 968 should be 966 KG5VK
KE8UM: KB5BK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
KK4LH: QSO #1: Received QSO# 196 should be 192 KG5VK
KL1WE: QSO #100: Received QSO# 735 should be 733 KG5VK
KT7G: QSO #161 KG5VK : M 67 La should be M 72 La
N0GF: KC5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
N0IM: QSO #38 KG5VK : M 46 La should be M 72 La
N1BCL: KC5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
N1DM: KC5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
N2MF: KG5VQ is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
N3GVL: QSO #5: Received QSO# 5 should be 525 KG5VK
N3JT: KG6VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
N5II: QSO #94 KG5VK : M 71 La should be M 72 La
N6NZ: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 945.
N6RA: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 93.
N8II: KG5VJ is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
N8VW: KG5BK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
ND0C: QSO #232: Received QSO# 1139 should be 1137 KG5VK
NG1I: QSO #267 KG5VK : M 72 Il should be M 72 La
NK6A: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
NP3D: QSO #270: Received QSO# 1146 should be 1144 KG5VK
NS1O: K5GVK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
VA7CPC: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
VE6AO: KC5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
W1RPG: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 16.
W2OX: QSO #6: Received QSO# 109 should be 19 KG5VK
W3EKT: KG6BK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
W3IZ: QSO #183 KG5VK : M 75 La should be M 72 La
W4NJK: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
W5GA: QSO #5 KG5VK : M 75 La should be M 72 La
W7QF: KC5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
W7QF: KJ5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
W9WJ: QSO #54: Received QSO# 572 should be 527 KG5VK
WA0DYJ: QSO #13 KG5VK : M 52 La should be M 72 La
WA2ALY: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 76.
WA2MCR: KC5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
WB0N: KG5VK is a dupe or invalid - QSO # 323.
WB5PDW: KG5VE is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
WB7QBO: KT5VK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.
WC6A: QSO #56: QSO not found in log of KG5VK
WV2ZOW: QSO #50 KG5VK : A 72 La should be M 72 La
WX5LAW: KG5UK is a busted call. The correct call is KG5VK.

Number busts found in other logs = 61 (0.0%)

Log Cross Check results from ARRL SS phone 2007 for KG5VK

We lost 20 Qso's from these errors.........

CROSS CHECK RESULTS
-------------------
QSO #19: Received QSO# 3 should be 6 W2OX
QSO #35: Received QSO# 23 should be 3 WB2KHE
QSO #152: Received QSO# 1 should be 81 N4UK
QSO #189: Received QSO# 45 should be 245 K4PV
QSO #269: Received QSO# 85 should be 88 K9OZ
QSO #292: Received QSO# 66 should be 56 K1ZW
QSO #293: Received QSO# 26 should be 28 WA4VJC
QSO #303: QSO not found in log of AA0BA
QSO #331: QSO not found in log of N0PKX
QSO #341: Received QSO# 149 should be 129 KQ8RP
QSO #461: Received QSO# 73 should be 736 K6XX
QSO #527: Received QSO# 52 should be 54 W9WJ
QSO #627: Received QSO# 69 should be 1069 WB1GQR
QSO #668: Received QSO# 23 should be 28 VE2DWA
QSO #883: Received QSO# 112 should be 1121 KT0R
QSO #981: Received QSO# 38 should be 88 WB7QBO
QSO #1078: Received QSO# 275 should be 68 KK4R
QSO #1100: Received QSO# 19 should be 219 N0RU

67.7% of your remaining good QSOs were cross checked.

There were 18 bad cross check QSOs removed.
You had 2 NILs. A penalty of 2 QSOs will be assessed.

Busted Exchanges KG5VK ARRL 2007 ss Phone

more from the ARRL LCR (log checking reports)
this time it's exchange errors.....

Bottom Line 37 Qso's were deleted from our entry for wrong exchange copied

EXCHANGE CHECK RESULTS
----------------------
QSO #2 WP3R : B 06 Pr should be B 65 Pr
QSO #21 W1KQ : A 81 Em should be U 81 Em
QSO #40 WN3N : M 90 NNj should be M 90 Mdc
QSO #45 N0IM : A 83 Mdc should be A 83 Mn
QSO #61 N4EUQ : B 07 Va should be B 04 Va
QSO #115 N6NKN : B 87 Org should be B 86 Org
QSO #120 N6BU : M 50 Scv should be M 50 Sjv
QSO #135 W6SC : U 61 Sc should be U 61 Scv
QSO #177 N1RL : B 92 WMa should be A 58 WMa
QSO #212 WA4OSD : A 53 Tn should be A 63 Tn
QSO #222 N5AU : U 63 NTx should be B 63 NTx
QSO #344 K5MA : A 58 Em should be A 56 Em
QSO #417 K1TH : U 66 Em should be U 65 Em
QSO #461 NN5K : A 62 Nm should be A 68 Nm
QSO #609 N2MUN : A 91 NLi should be B 91 NLi
QSO #706 N4KK : U 72 NFl should be U 72 SFl
QSO #762 AA6DX : A 61 Sf should be A 64 Sf
QSO #774 K6KR : B 58 WWa should be U 58 WWa
QSO #780 WB7S : A 70 Wy should be A 79 Wy
QSO #818 AA6G : U 70 Scv should be U 70 Sjv
QSO #859 KB2SXT : B 94 NNj should be A 94 NNj
QSO #896 KC2KTZ : A 02 WNy should be A 03 WNy
QSO #902 KB2IUA : U 89 NLi should be B 89 NLi
QSO #930 W7XRX : A 68 Or should be A 58 Or
QSO #951 NG2C : A 57 NNy should be A 67 NNy
QSO #964 W6AQ : A 51 Or should be B 51 Lax
QSO #966 KD4HXT : Q 91 Sv should be Q 91 Sjv
QSO #974 K6KWB : A 07 Sjv should be A 07 Scv
QSO #977 K6EP : U 72 Scv should be U 92 Scv
QSO #984 AF7K : A 60 Sjv should be A 60 Sv
QSO #1003 KI6FNZ : A 06 Or should be A 06 Org
QSO #1080 N0UR : Q 77 Ia should be Q 67 Mn
QSO #1107 W8QGP : B 64 Mi should be B 54 Mi
QSO #1111 W8CG : A 58 Sd should be A 53 Sd
QSO #1152 W1YK : A 16 WMa should be S 16 WMa
QSO #1158 NK8Q : Q 62 Ep should be Q 82 Ep
QSO #1165 W5KK : B 65 Ok should be B 68 Ms

99.1% of your non dupe QSOs had their exchanges checked.

There were 37 exchange errors found. These QSOs will be removed from your
score with no penalties.

Busted Calls during ARRL SS Phone 2007

Marsh and I were talking the other day and he was interested in our "Busted Calls" report from Sweepstakes last year (2007)

So here it is...........
(by the way our Unique percentage was only .04)

The bottom line is we lost 48 qso's to busted calls
(24 busted calls and 24 good q's removed as a penalty)
It was a close race between us and the Saffel Team

"The moral of the story is speed is good but only with precision"
CALLSIGN CHECK RESULTS
----------------------
N8IKW is a busted call. The correct call is K8IKW.

N3KRZ is a busted call. The correct call is N3KRX.

W9KH is a busted call. The correct call is W9KHH.

N3JW114 is a busted call. The correct call is N3JW.

KR4FT is a busted call. The correct call is KR4F.

AK4R is a busted call. The correct call is KK4R.

W0CIM is a busted call. The correct call is KB0CIM.

K5WL/DU9 is a unique call. Received QSO# = 1.

VA2RRQ is a unique call. Received QSO# = 1.

WA2RP is a busted call. The correct call is W2ARP.

WA3RG is a busted call. The correct call is WA3RGH.

KB1NZ is a busted call. The correct call is KB1HNZ.

K4TZ is a busted call. The correct call is K4CZ.

K2QMF1 is a busted call. The correct call is K2QMF.

N6CP is a busted call. The correct call is W3CP.

KC8PLN is a unique call. Received QSO# = 166.
Calls with same check/section: KC8PKY AB8OJ KC8PCJ N8ZU KC8URI

W6LRC is a busted call. The correct call is W3LRC.

KB2KHP is a busted call. The correct call is KB2SHP.

W8LYJ is a unique call. Received QSO# = 1.
Calls with same check/section: WN3R K1HTV W3BW W3LJ W3CCI

K3ST is a busted call. The correct call is K3STX.

W7CA is a busted call. The correct call is W7CAR.

AJ6F is a busted call. The correct call is AF6F.

VE7AO is a busted call. The correct call is VE6AO.

K7OWL is a busted call. The correct call is K6OWL.

W8NWS is a busted call. The correct call is W6NWS.

N9NXP is a busted call. The correct call is N9XP.

W9XN110 is a busted call. The correct call is W9XN.

NK0C is a unique call. Received QSO# = 232.
Calls with same check/section: KC0DMF

K1WY is a busted call. The correct call is K1RY.

You had 29 calls in your log which were not found in the database of good
callsigns. 24 of them have been judged to be incorrect. These will be
removed from your score - along with an additional penalty of one QSO per
per busted callsign.
Unique percentage = 0.4

Thursday, May 22, 2008

The ARRL Contest Branch now has their own Blog

click here to see it

It is a step in the right direction,
in fact a big step !

I would however like to see it changed to encourage feedback, but maybe they (the contest branch of the ARRL) feel that feedback is best handled via email and comments and critique are best placed in eham or qrz.com

73
steve
KG5VK

LA Special Olympics Event This week-end

How would you like a chance to check out your emergency response gear?

How about a 'no pressure' test of your emergency communications
skills?

What about the opportunity to demonstrate ham radio to hundreds of
appreciative
folks and get to feel good about it?

Well, here is the chance to do all three!!

This weekend in on the Southeastern Louisiana University campus in
Hammond, we
could use some ham radio volunteers to assist with the 'health and
welfare' of
the many athletes from all across the state. You are welcome to
volunteer for
any part of the day, or all day, or all three days if you can on May
23, 24 &
25.

The schedule begins Friday morning at 7:30am and continues through the
afternoon. Saturday events will run from 7:30am until around 5:30pm;
and Sunday
events will be in the morning only (7:30am until noon or 1:00pm).

Just send a REPLY back to me if you would like to participate and I
will pass
your name and preferred time(s) on to Harris Miller, KB5BFK. Non-ham
members of
your family or friends are also welcome to participate in a non-amateur
radio
role, so pass the word around!

TNX & 73,
Bob WB5FBS
Bob Priez [wb5fbs@arrl.net]

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

ITU Chief Links Contesting, Emergency Communications

The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says contesting is among '”the best training for all of us” in emergency communications, in an article in the June 2008 issue of CQ Magazine. In an interview with International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Secretary Dave Summer, K1ZZ, ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun I. Toure', HB9EHT, says "participation in radioamateur contests, field days or any amateur service exercises and activities are the best training for all of us, and during non-disaster periods it's also a great fun and sport competition -- part of our hobby." See the May 2008 issue of QST for the full interview.

Also, those at the 2008 Dayton Hamvention Contest Dinner, Saturday night, May 17, heard FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, make similar comments. He praised contests as an effective training activity for emergency communications operators.

73, Marsh, KA5M

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Contest Error Rates a look at ours in ARRL SS over the past five years...

I went to the ARRL website and downloaded the error rates for our ARRL SS Phone contest logs submitted. The highest error rate we ever had was 8.5% in 2003
The lowest was in 2007 (last year) with 6.9%
But the effect of even a 6.9% error cost us 105 QSO's and we only needed another 108 Q's to be in first place
My point, while I know we will never have zero errors if we are working on higher rates of Q's
we must work to keep the errors down.
Accuracy counts !

Here are the stats.....


2007

SCORE SUMMARY

-------------
    Raw QSOs = 1166
       Dupes = 27
 Busted QSOs = 79
Penalty QSOs = 26
Time Expired = 0
  Final QSOs = 1034   Band Breakdown (160-10):     0  390   76  542   26    0
  QSO Points = 2068
  Multiplier = 80
--------------------------
 Final score = 165440
  Error rate =  6.9% (100 X (Busted QSOs / Duped QSO total))

We missed attaining 1st place in Division and state by 108 QSO’s !

We lost a total of 105 Q’s to busted calls.

We fell to Third place in Division and second in our state.

2006

SCORE SUMMARY

-------------
    Raw QSOs = 1177
       Dupes = 21
 Busted QSOs = 82
Penalty QSOs = 28
Time Expired = 0
  Final QSOs = 1046   Band Breakdown (160-10):     0   80  449  418   99    0
  QSO Points = 2092
  Multiplier = 79
--------------------------
 Final score = 165268
  Error rate =  7.1% (100 X (Busted QSOs / Duped QSO total))

Even though we busted the sweep, we rcvd first place division this year.

First State and Division, Fourth place in our region (Southeast Region)


2005

SCORE SUMMARY

-------------
    Raw QSOs = 1173
Time Expired = 0
       Dupes = 22
 Busted QSOs = 91
  Valid QSOs = 1060    0   98  415  344  176    0
Penalty QSOs = 27
  QSO Points = 2066
  Multiplier = 80
 
--------------------------
 Final score = 165280
  Error rate =  7.9% (100 X (Busted QSOs / Duped QSO total))
Fifth place in our region, Second in Division and first place State


2004

SCORE SUMMARY

-------------
    Raw QSOs = 1352
Time Expired = 0
       Dupes = 34
 Busted QSOs = 109
  Valid QSOs = 1209    0   10  387  513  278    0
Penalty QSOs = 21
  QSO Points = 2376
  Multiplier = 79
--------------------------
 Final score = 187704
  Error rate =  8.3% (100 X (Busted QSOs / Duped QSO total))

Fifth place Division, second place state


2003

SCORE SUMMARY
-------------
    Raw QSOs = 993
Time Expired = 0
       Dupes = 35
 Busted QSOs = 81
  Valid QSOs = 877    0  196   44  314  302    0
Penalty QSOs = 21
  QSO Points = 1712
  Multiplier = 78
--------------------------
 Final score = 133536
  Error rate =  8.5% (100 X (Busted QSOs / Duped QSO total))

We managed 856 Q’s Made the sweep and first place in state, Second in Delta division

Bottom line is we always manage to have fun, and that shall continue
but lets be a bit more precise in our copy of the exchange.

73
steve
KG5VK

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Eddy Shell is now a silent key

just in case you missed it in the paper Eddy Shell is now a Silent Key
he passed away Friday
from Cancer

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000108951042X

He served at BPCC (Bossier Parish Community College) since 1967 and was a member of SARA as well as PPLA (Professional Photographers of America) and even a past president of PPLA
he was a fellow Ham radio operator and a friend.

73
steve

Friday, May 02, 2008

congrats to AE5T and N5OZB for 1st place Delta and Louisiana in ARRL SS phone

#CallScoreQSOsMultClassSectionCheckHours1608040201510ClubOps
1AE5T (N5OZB, op)182,5601,14180MLA8924 7847053756 (+ packet)
2W5JJ174,8801,09380MAR9722 41921341843 (+ K5DB)
3KG5VK165,4401,03480MLA7224 3907654226 Shreveport ARA(+ KA5M, KF5XV, N5VU, N5FH, N5SH, K5SL)
4AB5GG112,97071579MAR9122 29315325118 (+ WF5X)
5NW5U106,40066580MAR9218 33912215945 (+ NW8U, KC0NLQ)

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

This said news from Wx0B about W4RNL is now SK

LB Cebik, W4RNL a great friend of mine and Array Solutions has passed away last week.

I just learned this from some mutual friends and the ARRL website, and have found it hard to believe.

He was a major contributor to the ham radio community with his awesome and tireless work on his website. And personally I will miss working with him. He and I had worked together on several professional antenna jobs where he did awesome work on the NEC-4 models.

His wife Jean, passed away several years earlier and LB now joins her. He was only 68.

RIP Mr. Cebik

Jay Terleski
Array Solutions
972 203 2008
Military Communications Systems, Phased Arrays, RF Switches, Antennas & Towers
http://www.arraysolutions.com

His key may be silent but albeit he is having a blast with all kinds of software and antenna tools in the big sky here in after

steve

Saturday, April 12, 2008

no it's not Dx but it is kewel......

Yes I have embraced D Star
I now have two D star radios
my first was the Icom 2200H adding the d star chip to it about a year ago

Most recently I bought an Icom 91AD and I love this new radio !

Most D star systems are converting to G2 software
if you have not registered on g2 do so now !!!!!!!!
D Star

Monday, February 18, 2008

Field Day 2008 New Rules.......

2008 Rules Changes

GOTA (Get on the Air) stations are those stations set aside by Field Day teams designed to get non-hams or newly licensed hams on the air. Unlike in past years where GOTA stations were limited to only the HF bands, the 2008 rules state that these stations may operate on any authorized HF or VHF Field Day band. Keep in mind that only one signal may be transmitted from the GOTA station at any time.

Henderson said the eligibility for operating the GOTA station has changed slightly: Anyone who has been licensed since Field Day 2007 is eligible to operate the GOTA station, regardless of license class.

For 2008, the Demonstration Mode Bonus category has been eliminated and replaced by an Educational Activity Bonus worth 100 points. "This bonus is intended to encourage clubs and groups to do some more formal educational activity during their Field Day operation," Henderson said. If you have any questions concerning what activities might be appropriate for this bonus, Henderson said you should submit them via e-mail.

Be sure to read the Field Day rules and FAQs in the 2008 Field Day Packet for details of these changes. There are also numerous small changes in the FAQs and support materials in the packet that should help groups and individuals as they plan their Field Day activities, Henderson said.

Get the Word Out!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

new stuff for copy of stations sending code.....

It's Called Skimmer
and there exist already a great debate on legality of use in contesting as in is it un sportsman like to us it, yes it is that powerful !
http://www.pvrc.org/~n4zr/Articles/Skimmer.pdf
It can copy every single code stations call sign on the band at one time !!!
Tell you the call and the operating frequency !!!
Talk about a new edge to cw contesting
Packet spotting has nothing over this tool !

Thursday, February 14, 2008

VP6DX

DUCIE ISLAND, VP6. A group of operators are QRV as VP6DX until the
end of February. Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB and
RTTY with 7 stations active simultaneously 24 hours a day. QSL
direct to DL6LAU.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

VP6DX

Hello World,
>
> I got the information that all members and equipment is loaded and that the Braveheart is on its way
> to Ducie Island (thanks WA6ZVP). Maybe you can hear them when they work with /MM. Reports are always
> welcome.
>
> We would be delighted if DX editors would publish this information as widely as possible and DXers
> bring it to the attention of their clubs and fellow DXers.
>
> An update of the website follows this evening (Germany).
>
> Best 73s
>
> Chris DL1MGB
> Webmaster VP6DX

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

iCal (a Google On-Line Contest Calendar)

click here

also a note from the original creator/maintainer of this calendar........

Greetings!

I have had a number of enquiries recently about the whereabouts of the
iCal contest calendar I was maintaining. I say 'was', because a number
of things have conspired to prevent me from providing and updating the
calendar as I used to. Firstly. for a number of reasons, I decided not
to renew the .Mac account where the calendar lived, so the previously
posted link to it no longer works. Secondly, and more detrimentally (for
the calendar, at least!), I have a young and active family and no longer
have even the relatively small amount of time it takes to keep the
calendar up to date.

What I have done is transfer the calendar to Google Calendars where it
can be maintained by more than one person for the benefit of all. If you
have a Google account and would be willing to assist with keeping the
calendar up to date, please let me know off list and I'll set you up.

The calendar is at
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=2ma3qii1ef1u59sec4pf19epnc%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Vancouver

and an iCal version is at
http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/2ma3qii1ef1u59sec4pf19epnc%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

I really hope that we can keep this thing going as a group - I know a
lot of people find it useful.

73 de Anthony VA7IRL
______________________________