Thursday, August 27, 2009

FCC to Utilities: Don't Look to Hams to Pay for Your Testing

FCC to Utilities: Don't Look to Hams to Pay for Your Testing: "In a case that goes back at more than 10 years, the FCC has told a Pennsylvania utility that the utility is responsible for paying for "efforts to locate and correct instances of [power line] noise." At least one amateur has been complaining to the FCC since 2000 regarding harmful radio interference possibly caused by power line equipment that is maintained by Pittsburgh's Duquesne Light Company (DLC)."

Station on Fort Worden's Artillery Hill Refurbished; Hams Have Celebration:

Station on Fort Worden's Artillery Hill Refurbished; Hams Have Celebration:: "The radio station atop Artillery Hill at Fort Worden State Park is the site of a special event celebrating the 100th anniversary of this communications site. The celebration takes place from 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30. The public is invited to stop by during the park's open hours: 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Using call sign W7R, members of the local Jefferson County and Port Ludlow Amateur Radio clubs will be on the air for the full 32 hours in the original brick building, completed in 1909, which is located on the fort's Artillery Hill, surrounded by the original gun batteries. In the early 1900s, this station, using call sign FX, was used by the U.S. Army to communicate with Alaska, supporting the Klondike Gold Rush, using a spark-gap transmitter. In the early 1930s, communication was by voice, code and Teletype, using an SCR radio set with a 300-foot wire antenna with a center tap supported by two 150-foot fir poles. During this weekend's event, radio "hams" will be operating off-grid, on single side band, CW (Morse code), and digital PSK & RTTY modes. Radio frequencies include 14.265 and 7.255 MHz. Volunteers from the radio clubs have been working to clean up the station, which has been victimized over the years by nature and by vandals. Alfred Chiswell of the Coast Artillery Museum at Fort Worden has provided much appreciated assistance during this project."

Monday, August 24, 2009

Keyboard mapping for WL

This tip from Scott K9Jy.com

Keyboard Mapping

Many SO2R contesters will re-map keys on their keyboard to support SO2R contesting. This is done to simplify the number of keystrokes and hand movements needed to perform the SO2R functions.

WriteLog in version 10.45 and up offers a Keyboard Mapping function. Accessing the dialog box from the ‘Tools’ and ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’ from the top WriteLog tool bar yields the following dialog box:

WriteLog Keyboard Shortcuts

Sunday, August 16, 2009

NAQP SSB Aug 2009 W5WMU Results

Call: W5WMU
Operator(s): W5WMU, KI5XP
Station: W5WMU
Class: M/2 LP
QTH: Lafayette, LA
Operating Time (hrs): 12
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
------------------------
160: 29 16
80: 125 30
40: 674 59
20: 1443 63
15: 189 44
10: 13 6
------------------------
Total: 2473 218 Total Score = 539,114
Club: Louisiana Contest Club

Solar numbers and other great information at an easy to view website

http://www.solarcycle24.com/

I found this site easy to read and understand more about solar cycles

steve

something new in the contesting community

A Wiki designed for Ham Radio Contesting

It allows for posts by authors and it is also like an on line forum
kind of a text book and a round table discussion area all rolled into one

A wiki offers awesome search tools, finding information in a wiki is what it is all about

So stop listening to me ramble about it and go check it out........
http://wiki.contesting.com/

Steve
KG5VK

Friday, August 14, 2009

The 2009 running of the NA QSO Party is tomorrow

This timely reminder from a buddy of mine...........

Great contest - 100 watts max, no amps - single op only, no packet spots -
easy exchange, just your name & state.

If you can't operate the entire contest, no problem, just join in and pass
out a few QSOs.

73,
Marsh, KA5M

North American QSO Party, SSB: 1800Z, Aug 15 to 0600Z, Aug 16
Mode: SSB
Bands: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
Classes: Single Op (QRP/Low)
Multi-Two (Low)
Max operating hours: Single Op: 10 hours
Multi-Two: 12 hours
Max power: LP: 100 watts
QRP: 5 watts
Exchange: NA: Name + (state/province/country)
non-NA: Name
Work stations: Once per band
QSO Points: NA station: 1 point per QSO
non-NA station: 1 point per QSO with an NA station
Multipliers: Each US state (including KH6/KL7) once per band
Each VE province/territory once per band
Each North American country (except W/VE) once per band
Score Calculation: Total score = total QSO points x total mults
Submit logs by: August 29, 2009
E-mail logs to: (see rules, web upload preferred)
Upload log at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqplogsubmit.php
Mail logs to: Bruce Horn, WA7BNM
4225 Farmdale Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604
USA
Find rules at: http://www.ncjweb.com/naqprules.php