Ham Radio and Friends

It's synonymous for me, Ham Radio and My friends are so en-twined
and here is a link to one of the famous Ham friends that was in my circle of friends during high school.

Back then it was WN0FOI or friendly old Indian, WA0DYV Bill Orgroski, Gary Novak . Bill Ames WA0WBJ, who we were all jealous of because he had Drake Twins and a Quad and Jay Portnoy

There is also Al Rosenthal (Al and I got our License together, he was wn0foj) and a few others that I have lost touch with many years ago.

Yes, indeed Ward Silver N0AX and I ran in the same circles, yes that is a bit scary if you know Ward well :)
If you don't then you are missing out on a person that is a whole lot of fun to be around !

Of course my circle has grown since those days with many new friends
like Tom KR5D, Bob K8KI and Les Diefenbach which we met during our Air Force career

Today there are many others and I consider it a privilege and honor to know each and everyone
as that is the greatest gift of all friendship.

Randy,Marsh,Floyd,Ray,Mike,Tim,Marcel,Scott,Bobby,Mark,Glenn,Hugo,Matt, Joe, John and Ted

There are a few other Hams that I need to work on rekindling our friendship
as life has just drawn us apart, such as my old buddy Brian Lewis
which a bike ride brought us to come to know that we are both amateur radio ops.

Many of you I talk to almost daily either on the radio or the phone or by email
I look forward to spending more time in 2012 with each of you, either contesting alongside you or just chatting on the radio

73 and Happy New Year everyone !

Steve
KG5VK

wow more Clublog.org features discovered

if your a user of clublog.org (if your not, then why !)

then you can use a script (html) like below (after u are logged into your clublog.org account)

http://www.clublog.org/dxccchart3.php?call=kg5vk

(substitute ur friends call on the end in place of mine, unless u just like tracking my progress)

cheers!
steve
KG5VK

see the last Ten Q's I uploaded to ClubLog

click here
This will show you the last Ten QSO's I uploaded to Club Log.org

Here are a couple of other Widgets.....

DXCC

Log

Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

listen to ur audio from GW7X

This shared with me by George K5GH....

If you worked GW7X in the recent 10m contest (or several of the other contests since 2005) you can listen to how your QSO sounded at the GW end at the website below:

http://gw4ble.dxlist.co.uk/index.php

cheers!

Steve
KG5VK

Uploading your log to ARRL LOTW

click here for a short movie on uploading your ADIF file to the ARRL LOTW server
This movie does exactly what the title says (Logbook of the World)
I plan on building more movies on LOTW features
dependent on the feedback from this one

cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

Tools that help us work what we need

ClubLog.org

Offers several great tools
Besides the obvious of being a log tool it
has a feature set that may often be over looked

DX Spots for Needed DXCCs

Using this tool, you can search the DX Cluster for spots related to DXCCs that you have not yet worked. There are 10,551,747 spots in the database up to 19th December, 2011, so the search is limited to the last 30 days or 300 results.

Did you see those key words.........

Spots related to DXCCs that you have not yet worked

Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a powerful tool
if your working towards a specific award, say DXCC on 80m
then once up upload your current log in ADIF form to club log
it will give you focus with this tool on needed countries for that band !!!

Try it out I think it will help you work more new ones within a shorter amount of time
Of course we need t verify what we hear is what someone posted on cluster
and when I copy a call diff than what someone else did and spotted I always try and repost with the correct call - also not that the spots are from all over the world, so a spot posted from an op in India may of course not be workable from our country.

Cheers !

Steve
KG5VK

She is nice and shinney & hanging out at 85 feet

4 el 40m M2 Beam
at
KG5VK

ARRL Phone Sweepstakes is this week-end and we are in South Louisiana

KN5O
Run Station

My results from 6 hours in the chair during CQWW Phone DX 2011

CallSign Used : KG5VK
Operator(s) : KG5VK

Operator Category : SINGLE-OP-ASSISTED
Band : ALL
Power : HIGH
Mode : SSB
Overlay Category :
Default Exchange : 4


Name : Steven Lott Smith

ARRL Section : LA
Club/Team : Louisiana Contest Club
Software : N1MM Logger V11.10.0

Band QSOs Pts DXC Zn
7 13 38 4 12
14 73 206 19 60
21 79 230 21 67
28 1 3 1 1
28 135 395 27 94

Total 301 872 72 234


Score : 266,832

ARRL FD 2011 SARA K5SAR operated at KG5VK's shack

2011 Field Day

Displaying entries for Section=LA

Entries 1 to 22 of 22 listed

#	Call	Score	Category	QSOs	Power Mult	GOTA Call	Section	Participants	Club
1	W5ZR	10,986	2A	2,692	2	W5RZY	LA	30	Louisiana Cane Field CC
2	W5EA	9,704	2A	3,284	2	N5LCC	LA	55	Twin City Ham Club
3	N5RD	6,560	2A	2,265	2		LA	15	Minden ARA
4	K5DF	5,636	3A	1,536	2	W5YW	LA	35	Daton Rouge ARC
5	K5SAR	5,128	4E	1,665	2		LA	15
6	K1DW	3,470	1E	1,063	2		LA	2
7	W5DDL	2,028	1A	449	2		LA	47	Acadiana ARA
8	N5II	1,952	2A	589	2		LA	7	Springhill ARC, Inc.
9	W5BII	1,828	2A	489	2	WA5LQZ	LA	33	Southwest LA AR Club
10	AC5PW	1,568	2A	239	2		LA	17	North Rapides RC

KA5M & KG5VK as seen last Oct at W5WZ's contest station

Ham Radio Deluxe HRD SOLD

while I have not confirmed this.....


Simon Brown, HB9DRV, has sold the rights to his popular Ham Radio Deluxe software package to a group consisting of Mike Carper, WA9PIE, Randy Gawtry,K0CBH and Rick Ruhl, W4PC. All three principals have more than 25 years of experience with radio data communications. Rick Ruhl is the president of W4PC Software, Inc whose products include the PakRatt , PKTerm and Radio Operations Center software suites. Randy Gawtry is the president of Timewave Technology Inc whose products include the PK and DSP families of data controllers and other commercial data products. Mike Carper is an experienced Fortune 500 technology executive, educator and f eatured speaker
in the areas of wireless technologies and IT Service Management.

cheers!
steve

Ham Radio License Frame - Amateur Radio License Frame - General Radiotelephone Operator License Frame - General Radiotelephone and Radiotelegraph License Frame

Ham Radio License Frame - Amateur Radio License Frame - General Radiotelephone Operator License Frame - General Radiotelephone and Radiotelegraph License Frame
This guy makes some really neat stuff
and he is right here in Louisiana
Made in The USA!

New RBN Aggregator Available (version 0.92b)

New RBN Aggregator Available (version 0.92b)

This from Pete Smith.......

Many CW Skimmer or Skimmer Server users are probably aware of the Reverse Beacon Network. The RBN uses a small piece of software called the Aggregator to collect spots from CW Skimmers and Skimmer Servers all over the world and forward them to the RBN's database server.

Since the inception of the RBN, we have been using an effective bare-bones version of the Aggregator written by Felipe, PY1NB, founder of the RBN. Now, thanks to the programming skills of Dick, W3OA, we have a new, Windows Aggregator in a near-final beta form, available for download and use. In addition to being much easier to configure and use, the new Aggregator has some important new features.

* It adds the option of a master.dta check to Skimmer Server (like the Paranoid validation mode in CW Skimmer).

* It also allows users to send spots to the Aggregator without first filtering them to remove the non-CQ spots. The Aggregator then forwards only those spots the RBN requests. For now, that will be CQ spots for HF and all spots for 50 MHz and up. In the near future this will allow us to experiment with spotting the NCDXA HF beacons, and probably other tricks that have not been possible up till now.

* And finally, the new Aggregator permits RBN contributors to connect locally to it with their logging programs, either taking advantage of the new filtering capability or not, as they wish.

For the full story and a download link, see the Reverse Beacon Network blog at http://reversebeacon.blogspot.com/.

--
73, Pete N4ZR

Hurricane Watch Net

Hurricane Watch Net

websdr.org

Have you ever wanted to listen to what your signal sounds like on the other side of the pond ?
Now you can !
Not only that, you can listen to what propagation is in lots of places
and all you need is a computer and internet access !
Check it out at......
websdr.org

Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

STØR - South Sudan 2011

STØR - South Sudan 2011
Use PayPal to get those Southern Sudan cards fast

STØR - South Sudan 2011

STØR - South Sudan 2011

U. S. Counties Qso Party Rules

U. S. Counties Qso Party Rules

GPS Modules

GPS Modules

HMC5883 3-Axis Compass | Modern Device

HMC5883 3-Axis Compass | Modern Device

Digital Compass Navigation Kits

Digital Compass Navigation Kits

Compass Module - HDPM01

Compass Module - HDPM01
One of the few sites where there are lots of things to use when building your own circuits
Micro controller chips (PICS) are fun my first kit is from http://Hamstack.com
They offer fantastic support and neat projects as well.

Steve
KG5VK

How to Make a Contest QSO -

This is from an old High school buddy that writes on the contest reflector for the ARRL
I had never seen this , but it arrived in a contest reflector email
and thought hmmm, I wonder how many people did not know some of this stuff
As another buddy of mine says we all have to start some where and many of us that have a few thousand Q's under our belts tend to forget
to share the basics that we take for granted.

So here is a conversation on contesting from my friend Ward N0AX
CONVERSATION

How To Have A (Contest) Conversation

After the last issue was emailed to readers, I received a most reasonable request. "This issue shows how NOT to make a Field Day QSO. How SHOULD I make a Field Day QSO?" Here is a good example of how experienced operators (i.e. - your editor) can forget that criticism without instruction is not helpful. One has to demonstrate the right technique so as to illustrate why the wrong technique is, in fact, wrong! So here goes...


First, a disclaimer. There is no One Perfect Method for efficient, effective contest operating. The "right" technique depends on band conditions, how many are (or aren't) calling, the intensity of the competition, and the skill of the operators on each end. What follows are guidelines and I am assuming that the contest is a phone contest. The reader should be able to apply the same principles to CW and digital contest operation.

To make a lot of QSOs in a fixed period - the goal of nearly every contest - you need to minimize the time you spend making each QSO. The first step in minimizing the duration of a QSO is to remove all unnecessary verbiage. In a perfect world, the only thing you should hear going back and forth during a contest is call signs and exchange information. It should sound like this:

1 - CQ Field Day KOØA

2 - [pileup]

3 - W1ABC 2 Alpha Missouri

4 - 1 Alpha Eastern Massachusetts

5 - Thanks KOØA

Not a wasted bit of transmitting exists in that exchange. Lines 1 and 5 are "bookends" in which KOØA identifies and solicits QSOs. (This style of operation is sufficient for W1ABC, as well.) This is the standard to which you should aspire on either end of the QSO. In Line 3, KOØA has pulled out a full call sign from the pileup, sent it to notify everyone who the QSO is with, given the information in the expected order and stopped transmitting. KOØA does not say, "Please copy..." or "You are..." or repeat any information or say, "Over" or "Go ahead" or any number of other things that take up time but don't add anything to the flow of the contact. In Line 4, W1ABC responds when called, gives the contest information, and stops transmitting. That's it - no extra "stuff" to slow things down. In Line 5, KOØA acknowledges that the information was complete and the call sign ends the transmission. No "QRZed" or "CQ Field Day" or "from" is required. If no stations call, then a longer CQ transmission starts the cycle again. (A nit to pick...when a station says "You are" and then describes their own configuration, shouldn't that really be "I am"?)

When should you deviate from this ideal? There are lots of reasons to do so. In Line 3, KOØA should not give out any exchange information until sure of enough of the caller's call sign that only one station is likely to respond. For example, if KOØA doesn't get the last letter of W1ABC's call..."W1AB-something 2 Alpha Missouri, what's the last letter?" W1ABC should respond with something like, "W1 Alpha Bravo Charlie, last letter is Charlie, 1 Alpha...etc" Why does W1ABC repeat the full call? To confirm that the missing letter is the last one and that the call is not W1CAB or just W1AB. Similarly, if KOØA has W1ABC's call wrong, W1ABC might simply respond with, "W1ABC". At that point, KOØA can resume with Line 3 shown above.

What about repeating your information? If not requested to do so, don't! 9 times out of 10, even a QRP station will be perfectly readable in Line 4 above. The other callers are standing by (hopefully) so KOØA is probably going to get the information on the first transmission - don't waste time with unrequested repeats! If a repeat is requested, repeat only the information requested.

Should W1ABC give KOØA's call sign in Line 4? Whenever there is any question about the intended receiving station give the call sign. It is very common under crowded contest conditions for two stations to be extremely close together or even on the same frequency if they are in each other's skip zones or have antenna nulls aimed at each other. When this happens, don't depend on timing - give the other station's call sign before sending your own information. If you don't, you take a chance that the "wrong" station will log you. The extra information often saves losing a contact (and the multiplier and the possible penalty).

What if W1ABC misses some of KOØA's information? Then W1ABC should request a repeat ("What is your section?") BEFORE proceeding with "1 Alpha Eastern Massachusetts." W1ABC should not transmit any exchange information until all of KOØA's information has been received. If W1ABC waits until after sending the category and section to ask for a repeat, KOØA will likely assume W1ABC received the information OK and will proceed with Line 5 too soon. This gets everything out of sync for everybody, including any callers waiting to contact KOØA. Yes, W1ABC could wait until KOØA's next contact to copy the information but I can tell you from personal experience - it doesn't always work out that way! Get the information you need during the contact and don't assume you can get it on subsequent contacts - that's a big waste of time for you.

Obviously, there are many more variations on the basic theme. By practicing, you'll learn the basic principles of snappy, crisp operating. To learn more about effective, efficient operating, listen to the top operators on the air while they are "running" and try to emulate them.

Learn to pull a full call sign out of a pileup whenever you can
Give your full call whenever calling in a pileup
Transmit exchange information the same way every time
Eliminate wasted syllables and words
Speak clearly without rushing or mumbling
Speech audio should be non-distorted and free of background noise

The top operators are flexible, too. When conditions require it, they will "change gears" to a faster or slower technique in order to maintain the flow of information and keep the contacts coming. Just like a long-distance runner who only lifts each foot enough to clear the ground, the top operators only transmit enough information to keep making contacts. You might not think the difference between "Thanks" and "Thank you" is worth much, but if in a 48-hour contest the goal is upwards of 5000 contacts, saying the extra "you" 5000 times is significant. This may be "cutting the tags off the teabags" as the backpackers say but work on eliminating non-essential transmissions and see if your log doesn't fill up a little quicker!

Should this be the style of operating for casual, non-contest contacts? Of course not! But it would be completely appropriate for a net control station trying to run an emcomm net with many calling to check in, pass traffic, report status, etc. When trying to handle that load "extra stuff" can really gum up the works. The habits and skills formed under contest conditions help make you an effective operator when the chips are really down - in a disaster or emergency situation when every minute counts.

73, Ward NØAX

Club Log: Amateur Radio League Tables and Most-Wanted Lists

Club Log: Amateur Radio League Tables and Most-Wanted Lists

Club Log offers some powerful tool sets !!!

You can even allow searches within your log

like I did here.....

See if your in My Log

73
steve
KG5VK

MY Presentation on SO2R as it stands now for Ham Com 2011

">click here to preview and please send me some feedback !!!

Bill N5YA's HF contest station & Marshall K5QE Vhf/UHF

One of the greatest things about Dayton is on the air plane ride home I meet a couple of guys from right here in Louisiana that have that true Ham Radio spirit
From contesting on HF to the nose bleed freqs
These two guys have it covered !

Dayton 2011

Wow I started early this year the night after attendance of a full day at Contest University

With some great Buckeye hospitality at the local Hooters

Please visit our State version of the ARRL website

I am really amazed at how little activity there is to the ARRL site for our state
and I am hoping that before the site is abandoned by the current webmaster
we can get a buzz started about the site and the tools offered there

http://www.laarrl.org/index.html
There is a survey posted there
for the usefulness of the site
and only 13 surveys have been completed

I know there are a lot more than 13 ops that are computer savy enough to benifit from tools on the site
please visit the site, do the short survey and post constructive comments

Please make the webmaster there feel their time and effort is not wasted !!!

This site has had a lot of work done to it as compared to what it was several years ago
but it looks like only a few people visit it.

Thank You and 73

Steve
KG5VK

http://www.KG5VK.com
My Ham Radio Friends

This week-end is one of the biggest contest of the year

The ARRL DX Phone contest is this week-end March 4th 2011
for those of us in the USA the contest strats this evening

Even if your a non contest get on and work a few new countries
and Have fun !

73
Steve
KG5VK

after the contest analysis tools

A very useful post-contest utility that operates on Cabrillo files is
CBS.exe by Ken Adams K5KA. It parses your file and outputs a host of
useful statistics on rate, six-band QSOs, call areas worked,
multiplier summaries, and so forth. This neat program is free and can
be downloaded from http://www.kkn.net/~k5tr/software/Cbs.exe. Thanks
to K5KA! (Also thanks to K5TR for the tip.)

Another utility that analyzes log files finds your top rate for any
continuous hour is the free MS-DOS(tm) utility called RATE.EXE that
you can download from http://www.k1ea.com/utilities/index.htm or
http://www.benlo.com/ham.html#software. RATE will parse any ASCII log
that has its data in fixed columns and a four-digit time (no colon) --
this works for Cabrillo, as well. Run the program without specifying
an input or output log (enter "RATE" at the DOS prompt) and a list of
commands will follow. You will also have to specify the column in
which the first digit of the time appears -- for Cabrillo, that's 25.
Unfortunately, the program also tells you your Minimum and Average
rates.

Innovation in Contesting tools

Tor N4OGW

Has brought us a new software tool
that embraces SDR technology in contesting

http://code.google.com/p/so2sdr/

While some ops on the CQ Contest reflector
are debating wether Tor's software may be used for SO unasssited or places the entraint into assisted

I feel it is more important to encourage further development of this software
while my contest software of choice is N1MM, I am anxious to see innovation.

Any embracement of new technology should be applauded
and let the individual contest OPS and the contest sponsors determine if the
use of software/hardware places the entrant in assisted.

Lets see more innovation in 2011 and beyond !

Steve
KG5VK