It’s not Ham Radio but an Interesting Tidbit of Maritime History

The U. S. S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), as a combat vessel, carried 48,600 gallons of fresh water for her crew of 475 officers and men. This amount of water was sufficient to last six months of sustained operations at sea. She carried no evaporators (i.e. fresh water distillers).

However, let it be noted that according to her ship’s log, “On July 27, 1798, the U.S.S. Constitution sailed from Boston with a full complement of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of fresh water, 7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder and 79,400 gallons of rum.”

Her mission: “To destroy and harass English shipping.” Making Jamaica on 6 October, she took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum.

Then she headed for the Azores , arriving there 12 November. She provisioned with 550 pounds of beef and 64,300 gallons of Portuguese wine.

U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides)

On 18 November, she set sail for England . In the ensuing days she defeated five British men-of-war and captured and scuttled 12 English merchant ships, salvaging only the rum aboard each.

By 26 January, her powder and shot were exhausted. Nevertheless, although unarmed she made a night raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland .

Her landing party of Marines, captured a whisky distillery and transferred 40,000 gallons of single malt Scotch aboard by dawn. Then she headed home.

The U. S. S. Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799, with no cannon shot, no food, no powder, no rum, no wine, no whisky, and 38,600 gallons of water.

GO NAVY!

Stuart Makes His First Contact (Story By KB6NU)

I was cruising the Web this morning while filling my ears with CW on 40 meters. It’s really great having my HF rig back from the shop. By the way, if you are in need of an equipment repair, I might suggest you contact Burghardt in South Dakota.

It’s been over 3 months since I have had my TS450S making really good noises (CW notes) in my shack. As it turned out, there was a leaky cap spewing out corrosive materials   on to one of the PC boards.  At this point I am just glad that I caught up to the problem before the radio ended up in the closet acting as a dust magnet.

After throwing down a few quick Tweets (I have learned those are what posts to Twitter are called) about our latest club project, I somehow stumbled across KB6NU’s blog.

Dan’s story about Stuart and his mom got my attention.  I thought of it as an inspirational article for Hams that take part in Field Day and Elmering the younger generation.   Apparently  Stuart was quite an interesting little fellow.  Since my writing skills will never be in the same league as Dan’s, it would be much better to take a few minutes to read Dan’s post directly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Feedback

Has anyone had a similar Field Day Story to share with the readers?

Are there any quick comments  out there about Dan’s story?

ILLW – What Is It and How Is This Related To Ham Radio?

Way back in the 90′s two ham radio operators, Mke Dalrymple (GM4SUC) and K2JXW of the ARLHS organization formed the ILLW. Back then, it was a single day event.

Fire Island Lighthouse

Today, August 1st through August 9th is officially called the International Lighthouse and Lightship Week.

The ARLHS (Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society) based out of Merchantville, New Jersey,  have an extensive Web site dedicated to the connection between Amateur Radio and Lighthouses.

“Congress designated National Lighthouse Day on Aug. 7, 1989, marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Lighthouse Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse in the United States. The purpose was to  provide recognition for the important role which lighthouses played in the history of our country, and the values of safety, heroism, and American ingenuity which they represent, as well as honoring and encouraging continued restoration efforts for existing lighthouses, many of which had fallen into disrepair.”

ILLW was created to to raise public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and to publicize the historical nature of light keepers and their dedication to maritime safety.”

Raising public awareness and the need to preserve lighthouses as historical monuments, promoting the spirit of amateur radio and fostering International good will is what ILLW is really all about.

ILLW, along with other organizations sponsor August’s week of operating radio from Lighthouses and Lightships from around the world. For those who may be interested, becoming an ILLW member is 100% free.

There are two ways you can participate in ILLW.

The Special Event:

The special event is not a contest. As a result, there are no operating restrictions. The purpose of the special event is to have fun and to take the time to work the young ham, slower paced operators, and QRP stations. On the air activities do not have to take place on Lighthouse grounds but have to be in visual contact with an approved lighthouse to keep with the spirit of the event.

The ILLW QSO Party:

The QSO party has rules and restrictions but also offers a way for  active ham radio clubs and groups to compete for fun and prizes. Check out all of the contest details here.

With so many lighthouses on Long Island, it’s an event some members of my club, SCRC, now plan to be part of this year.

Other Lighthouse sites to visit:

The Lighthouse Directory

Legendary Lighthouses

U.S. Lighthouses

LighthouseFriends.com

Q&A:

Have you participated with an ILLW event in the past?

What is you opinion about preserving historical lighthouses?

Have you visited a lighthouse or light ship and what was your experience?

Amateur Radio News – July 2009

Radio operators test state disaster preparedness Cape Gazette – Lewes,DE,USA “In the event of a catastrophe, not only would the police and military be on alert, but amateur radio operators would play a crucial role,” said amateur … See all stories on this topic

Radio club has a ‘Field Day’ in Jackson Amador Ledger-Dispatch – Jackson,CA,USA Like a MySpace or Facebook of the airwaves, amateur radio, also known as ham radio, connects people and brings them together. It also serves another, … See all stories on this topic

Google Blogs Alert for: amateur radio

Large dishes for amateur radio interferometer. – Satellite TV … By AleX’G Well i know this may seem a bit unusual for you guys but I am a very keen amateur astronomer based in scotland. I have plans to do basic experiments. Satellite TV support forum &… – http://www.satellites.co.uk/satellite/

Amateur Radio: Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven By 9M2AU 9M2AU: Getting interested in Amateur Radio since 1978. Started SWL with an old junk receiver RCA AR88. After got my ticket in 1986. My first HF Transceiver was a Yaesu FTDX-400. This transceiver was very hot running on valves..have to … Amateur Radio – http://advanced-skynet.blogspot.com/

Motorola Minitor II Tone Reeds – The RadioReference.com Forums By scannerpro The RadioReference.com Forums > Commercial and Professional Radio > Motorola Forum. Motorola Minitor II Tone Reeds … Amateur Radio Op.- Inactive at this time. Location: Near Benson,North Carolina, USA … The RadioReference.com Forums – http://forums.radioreference.com/

more saturn problems By romakdaddy this radio is a dog for sure.no echo or freq counter working.now i discovered its only keying 4 swinging 5 watts.i tried turning the vrs listed in. … Worldwide DX Amateur Radio Forums – Ham – CB – HF – VHF – UHF … Worldwide DX Amateur Radio Forums… – http://www.worldwidedx.com/

TAMPA FLORIDA USA municipal government – News & Notices The Tampa Amateur Radio Club in cooperation with Hillsborough County Emergency Management is holding 2 separate classes on the same 2 Saturdays, July 25th and Aug. 1st from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Hillsborough County EOC (2711 E. … City of Tampa News & Public Notices – http://www.tampagov.net/appl_tampa_announcements/default.asp?numResults=10&VF=0&typeID=ALL

Amateur radio volunteers test emergency communication skills

By Matt McKinley | July 01, 2009

When disaster strikes, amateur radio operators are often the first to provide information and observations to responders. Sometimes, they are the only line of communication in a crisis during electric failures.

On June 27-28, volunteer members of the Lake Monroe Amateur Society (LMARS) tested their radio emergency communication skills using only generators and batteries as part of a 24-hour nationwide emergency preparedness exercise.

LMARS was stationed at Central Winds Park in Winter Springs for the event, which ran from 2 p.m., Saturday, to 2 p.m., Sunday. The club used its new Mobile Communications Command Trailer, and members operated on six different modes of communication, including phone, satellite, digital communications, slow scan TV (sending pictures through airwaves), a GOTA (allows visitors to “get on the air”) and even Morse Code.

Calling out the club’s call letters (N4EH), “November-Four-Echo-Hotel, November-Four Echo Hotel,” members operating the 10- and 15-meter repeaters, or voice radios, made contact in states in the northeast like New York.

“At dusk, they can make contact with as far as Japan and Australia,” said Norm Lauterette, public information officer for LMARS.

Click Here For The Full Story

First It Was CW – Now It’s The Question Pool

I heard that KL4NGN recently submitted a petition to the FCC requesting that the number of questions in the question pool be increased by a factor of 50. The reason behind the requested increase is due to the claim that the knowledge held by the operator does not match the license class.

The author of the article I read (k3ng) states that he admits using an online question pool to pass his Extra class license around 10 years ago. But he also states that most of his knowledge came from electronics knowledge, professional training and interaction with other club members over his years in the hobby.

Reducing the questions in the pool is now called the “Dumbing Down” of Amateur Radio. Remember when CW was the ultimate deterrent and how that battle about removing that requirement raged on for years? When I read this article I began to think,  here we go again!

k3ng finds “dumbing down” to be an insulting term. The 100% hard core CW ops might say, if you haven’t passed  a code test you have dumbed down the hobby. Dxers think it may be those operators who can’t figure out how to work “split” are dumbing it. Others may think of dumbers (is this really a word?) as those who rag chew in the middle of a contest! For some reason the term “LID” comes to mind. Isn’t that what it used to be called?

Back in the 50’s,  the general public thought of Amateur Radio as a “service” and those who were licensed were available to provide nationwide emergency communications. Back then, the hobby was also viewed as a place where technological growth took place.  Being a Ham back in those days held a certain prestige. Today it’s  viewed as another hobbyist having fun.

Technology has surely passed Amateur Radio by. We are no longer living in the 1940’s, a time when people were getting introduced to television. Today the technical advances of this world are both astounding and rather frightening.

For example, I recently watched a presentation by Apple about the 3.0 version of the iPhone O/S. Here is a prime example of astounding technology. In just over a year since the iPhone (and iPod Touch) was introduced,  Apple has sold over 12 million units in 80 countries. The iPhone (and iPod Touch) have over 2,500 applications available by download via iTunes (many are free and others range from .99 to about 4.99) and those apps have been downloaded over 800 million times. The new 3.0 release will allow hundreds of new API’s to produce untold types of software designs.

I know I am getting sidetracked here but just have to say that there were too many  enhancements to even begin to mention. One of the engineering presentations within the 1.2 hour long presentation depicts how medical devices may now be coupled to the iPhone via Bluetooth technology.

By this summer the iPhone will be ready to track diabetic glucose results, chart that information and based on many factors including specifics about the iPhone’s owner, the software will define the dosage of insulin needed before a meal is taken.

The presentation went on to talk about a 15 year old girl who must test her blood glucose level 6 times a day. Before the availability of this diabetic management tool, the young lady would have to calculate her dosage of her insulin shot with pen and paper. There was no electronic medium to store her daily levels or the long term trending of her information. Now, this young lady can manage her healthcare with a device which fits into her lifestyle. Forwarding charts and other historical information to the healthcare professional is as easy as sending a message over the 3G network.

Getting back to a less exciting but important topic, k3ng goes on to talk about how the FCC rejected the argument in it’s “matter-of-fact” style stating that the ‘dumbing down” argument is merely a way of determining if the applicant is qualified to run a station. Other than allowable frequencies for example, does an Extra class and a Tech class operator differ in the way they operate a station? Is more technical knowledge required to operate on the first 25kc’s of 40 meters? No exam will provide that difference or other factors of station operation.

k3ng goes on to state: “If we look at some of the biggest jerks and idiots on the air and in the amateur radio world on the Internet, some of them have outstanding technical qualifications. I can think of one infamous amateur (who I won’t name here) who has his PhD in Physics and holds several patents. The guy is the lowest life form on the planet when on Internet forums and as far as I am concerned is a useless to amateur radio. But he can pass any technical test you can throw at him”.

I’d have to agree that the above paragraph provides a proof to the absurdity of the “dumbing down” claim by some hams.  If you reflect back for a second to my iPhone nformation it is evident that the bright young minds of today’s world are not focusing on radio communications at frequencies below 30 MHz. As an old time Ham friend of mine said to me many years ago, “you guys today… are really nothing more than appliance operators”.  And sadly, there is much truth in that statement.

You don’t have to build anything today to operate a station. There are no spark gap transmitters in my shack and I don’t “load up” the switched off power line between the house and the cow barn as my antenna! ( I actually received a QSL card from a Ham many years ago [then in his 80's] who had done just that as a child). Having specific knowledge or college degrees cannot in itself make a better station operator.

I am wondering if this incident is  going to be a revival of the code argument that raged on for years. I’d have to agree with k3ng that the term “dumbing down” is inflammatory. Those hung up on the suggested change to testing criteria simply appear to have a strong desire to re-create the “class system” around the alleged skills of station operators.

What is your opinion?

Kit Fun and the Thrill Of A1A

The Weekly “Rag Chew’” Net:

My radio club has a weekly 2 meter “Rag Chew” Net where we BS about anything and everything related to Ham Radio and Emergency Communication. During the past few Wednesday nights, two topics have come up in conversation which are of particular interest to me.

Through The Years:

Over the years as a true Ham (whatever that means), among other Hamming adventures, I have messed around building antennas, ran a TCP/IP (over ax25) packet node and had a blast working CW/QRP/M. There’s another article somewhere on my blog which goes into a bit more detail about the CW/QRP/M adventures.

A1A – Know What It Is?

Working CW (A1A) has always been special to me. I just find it to be an amazing way to communicate using very simple gear. Build or buy an inexpensive 40 meter radio, roll up some wire, grab a straight key, virtually throw the wire out of the window or drive to a quiet spot, connect the radio up to the cigarette lighter, throw the wire into a tree and presto! You are on the air.

Soldering For Fun:

Another aspect of the hobby which is close to my heart is kit building. Unfortunately, I just missed the days when getting a complete “mail order” radio kit (Heathkit) was possible. It must have been a fun challenge to learn radio fundamentals (a home science lab of sorts) while in the construction phase. Finally you end up with the finished product and something that you could proudly use each time you tuned it up and called CQ. There aren’t too many hobbies where you can build your own equipment and then use it to communicate with people that you will most likely never meet.

The Thrill Of Victory:

When it comes to kits, I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination (either yours or mine) but have built a few low cost QRP kits and receivers. Winding toroids by hand and learning how to solder parts together without causing a meltdown was a bit challenging at first. I do have to admit, the end result really justifies the means (what?). Think about it for a second, you take a bunch of parts that someone came up with, remove them from their plastic bags and carefully put them into some “logical order”. Then comes the moment of truth! Time to fire it up (a big 9 volt battery whoa!) and hammer away on the straight key calling CQ, I don’t know about you but when that other station comes back with a 5X9… WOW! Readability 5 and tone 9 (who cares what the signal value is) hey, at that moment  it  really all comes together.

Surfing For Great Ideas:

While surfing this morning, I ran across a very interesting transmitter kit.  No I have not built it. Why is it interesting and different? Because there are no toroids to wind. This guy built them into the PC board. That’s especially good for those who may be squeamish about winding toroids during the construction of  their first kit.

The article goes on to talk about how that is unique to an HF design. Visit the Web page for more information about the amazing NS-40.

General Description

“The NS-40 Transmitter is an upgraded version of the overall winner in the FDIM 2008 Homebrew Contest. It is a truly unique QRP transmitter design. NS stands for No Simpler, so this is the No Simpler 40 Meter Transmitter. Why is it called the No Simpler? Because there are only 14 electronic components, and NO TOROIDS or COILS of any kind to wind – NONE! All inductors are incorporated directly on the PC board as etched spirals. This is an ideal first kit for budding homebrewers and will also appeal to the seasoned QRP’r due to it’s innovative design.”

More QRP Stuff:

Wilderness SST, NorCal-40, Sierra and EleCraft K2 “Stack”

The Famous NORCAL Kits: http://www.w0ch.net/nc40a/nc40a.htm

Wantit all? Build an Elecraft Kit: http://www.elecraft.com/

Ten Tec 1254 Kit Receiver Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R25VI3NqY_k

MFJ 9040 (not in kit form):  http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-9040

Comments Questions Criticisms:

I always ask for feedback but rarely get any but here goes.

Which kits have you built?

What was your experience?

Why not write a review and have it posted here?

Podcasts For Amateur Radio?

With the ever increasing numbers of iPhone and iPod units out on the street, people “like myself” have begun to take a greater interest in creating and listening to Podcasts, the “new broadcasting format”.

Apple sold a record 22.7 million iPods and 4.3 million iPhones during the Q4 of 2008.  Rather stunning numbers I’d say. I read somewhere that iPod devices now account for 24% of Apple’s revenue.

From the Website “Digital Strategy – Government of New Zealand”:

“Podcasting, a portmanteau (a word created or made from parts of other words) of Apple’s “iPod” and “broadcasting”, is a method of publishing files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a ‘feed’ and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost.”

Traveling Around:

So in my travels around the Internet, I ran into a Ham Radio site where the owner actually has the time and equipment for making and distributing his own Podcasts. Meet the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast.

Enter KD0BIK:

The site is owned and operated by Jerry (kd0bik) and Jerry has recently produced his 15th Podcast. Podcast #15 discusses the importance of emergency preparedness. Past topics include upgrading your license class, the origins of the QSL card and multi-part Podcasts about operating Amateur Radio equipment.

Jerry’s Website also included a number of links to other interesting Amateur Radio Podcast sites. For those that are interested, I expanded the Podcast links on the right sidebar for your listening pleasure.

Comments and Discussions:

Do you listen to Podcasts of any kind?

Do you regularly download Podcasts related to Ham Radio?

What is your opinion of Podcasts in general?

Do you …. eQSL?

eQSL – A New Discovery

The folks over at eQSL.cc contacted our ehamstore.com via email the other day.  eASL.cc wants to become a part of the ehamstore.com banner exchange program.  I had never heard of eQSL.cc but became  curious about it and wanted to see what they had to offer. As it turns out, their site does include additional features beyond their electronic QSL.

From The eQSL.cc ‘About Us’  Page

“eQSL.cc is the first and only global electronic QSL card exchange for amateur radio operators and SWLs. It is designed to be the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to exchange QSO confirmations, eliminating the cost and time that regular QSL cards have required for the past half century.”

Basic Membership

Once you go through the free sign up process and get your basic membership established,  the next step is to update your profile. The information in your profile is used to fill out your  eQSL cards as they are created. Other than the customary QSL information, it can be extended to include a couple of lines of personal comments, grid square,  ITU,  10-10 and a few more locators.

eQSL Cards

As a basic member there are limited QSL card designs to choose from. Here’s a sample that I threw together in a few seconds to see what the outcome would be.

Paid Memberships

As you may have already guessed, the more elaborate designs require a paid membership. But think about it for a second. Sure it may cost you a few bucks for the membership but think of the money you will save over using the traditional QSL process! With a paid membership you can also upload custom graphics to include on your eQSL.

Acceptance By Organizations

Many organizations and DXexpedition groups around the world accept eQSL cards as a legitimate way of exchanging contacts. You can see the extensive list of accepting organizations here.

DXCC And The ARRL

As you may have already anticipated, the exception to the rule is the ARRL. For those who are DXCC chasers and are locked into the ARRL’s archaic way of exchanging QSLs, you can read more about the efforts put forward by the eQSL folks and their frustrations with the ARRL.

Additional eQSL Features

Additional features of eQSL.cc include awards, printing your eQSLs for delivery on paper and the usual forums and chat rooms associated with most interactive Web sites today.

Have you used eQSL.cc? If so what is your opinion of the service?
If not, why not sign up and look over its features and decide for yourself.

QRP – The Fun (and Challenges) of Low Power Operation

N8ZYA’s recent Blog post about working QRP and making a 2000+ mile contact brought back great memories of the last solar cycle and the fun time I had when I worked a lot of  CW / QRP / M.  You can find the link to N8ZYA’s Blog on the sidebar.

It was always a lot of fun and a real challenge to make contacts into Europe and many other places on my old Ten-Tec Argosy 525 while driving down the highway at 55+ MPH with the 40 Meter Hamstick flapping around.  I made so many contacts with this rugged old timer that I do miss it from time to time. One of it’s best features was the fact that it could be easily switched from 5 to 50 watts when band conditions began to deteriorate. Hey! Got one for sale? Contact me, I’d be interested. I am still kicking myself today for being dumb enough to part with this little gem.

Some years ago, a friend of mine was going to take a trip to central New Jersey to pick up some Collins gear. He was also a CW / QRP / M nut like myself.  I had some free time that day and took the ride. We were just getting onto the Belt Parkway and I was tuning around on his HW9 when I heard an OM3 calling from Western Slovakia. He was blasting in. Yep, we worked him and got a 539 signal report. Talk about ways to become hooked on a hobby. WOW!

My Ham friend in East Moriches was always the “bah humbug type” when it came to CW and he thought QRP was a total joke.  One day I went over for a visit and brought my MFJ 9040 with me. He just “happened to have” a Tri-Band beam up about 20 feet in his back yard. He lived so close to the Atlantic Ocean that he didn’t need much height on the antenna. I asked him if I could connect the 9040 to his beam. With all that hardware in front of this peanut rig, I knew it would be a blast. It reminded me of David and Goliath. Anyway, I remember making a bunch of contacts without having to call CQ over and over and good signal reports were of course real easy to get. All of a sudden I got a guy from PA coming back to me. Man, he was hammering the front end of that toy radio. We got into a QSO and he gave me a 599 report. I asked him what I was actually showing on his meter and he told me it was 20 over. My friend and I were both laughing so hard our sides were splitting. I then told the op in PA that I was running 5 watts. There was dead silence for a moment. Then he proceeded to go on and on about my signal from the little old 9040. (I never told him that I was operating through the beam antenna!) I bet he will always remember that contact.

Yesterday I was tuning my Ten-Tec Triton IV Model 544 and heard a guy (not QRP) calling CQ  around 7010 from his mobile in Alabama. He worked a GB4 station (Special Event – Isle of Man). That did it, it gave me  the bug again! Now I want to start pulling more mobile stuff out of storage. ( I guess I am too easy to encourage!)

There seems to be some signs of life in the low bands again. It appears that the low bands are coming around for more DXing fun. After hearing that QSO I am getting the itch to pick up some more QRP gear and start banging the paddles again from the mobile.

However, I am older (any maybe a little wiser now) and will park my butt before starting a QSO.  Copying a QSO in my head at 55+ is best left to someone younger and more daring than I care to be these days. After hearing news stories about young men and women dying behind the wheel due to  text messaging, becoming a statistic is not what I have in mind. There is no DX in the great beyond!

Ever worked CW or SSB / QRP/ M?
If so, why not comment on your best contact or a challenging contact?
Not into CW? Why not  comment about your SSB mobile experiences.