AD7MI - spinning & grinning

Here in Kansas

2008-07-19T00:02:50Z

The pack out went as well as can be expected. Not the best I've had, but not the worst. The packers started last Tuesday (8 July) and continued on Wednesday and Thursday, although Wednesday was the only full day of packing. The moving trucked showed up Friday and loaded everything up - that took all day. We got to have dinner Friday night with Margot and Joel as well as their neighbors, Nan and Pat. I worked with Margot when I was at Fort Monroe, she has since retired. Margot and Joel looked after the XYL (Christa, KI4ODI) and Sarah while I was gone last year - having them over to dinner, babysitting Sarah (our 2 year old), and about a million other things. It was a wonderful dinner and Sarah got a bunch of presents for the road trip from her fan club (Margot and Nan). Friday night we spent on air mattresses - cat, dog, Sarah, Christa, and I all camped out by the fireplace.

Saturday morning came early - we had to load up the car and truck and do a final cleanup prior to the arrival of the landlord at 0800 for our final clearing of the Hampton house. Cleanup was quick (as the house was empty) and all the stuff we elected to take with us for the road trip fit either into the trunk of Christa's car or into the bed of my truck. A quick breakfast at McDonald's and we were off: Christa with Sarah and the constantly meowing cat (not at all enjoying the ride in his cat cage and somewhat drugged with kitty Valium and me with the dog riding in the front passenger side on the floor (without issue - the dog loves riding quietly on the floor).

Day One (Saturday): we had an nice drive to Charleston, West Virginia, arriving around 5pm. We lucked out with a bottom floor room near the side entrance. Our criteria for the hotels we stayed at on the road trip was that it had to allow pets and it had to have a pool (for Sarah). After a takeout dinner from the Texas Roadhouse (I had an appetizer of jalapeños stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, with a touch of BBQ sauce - amazing!) we hit the pool. Sarah is becoming quite the swimmer. She's not soloing yet, but she is making great progress.

Day Two (Sunday): a little bit of rain as we traveled west between West Virginia and Louisville, Kentucky. The weather cleared and we had a nice drive through Indiana and into Illinois. We stopped an hour east of St. Louis in western Illinois. This time it was a 2nd floor room, but we were able to use those wheeled baggage carriers to move are stuff upstairs (with Sarah riding aboard). We hit the pool after an early dinner and Sarah swam without her floaty vest, doing a few laps with some help.

Day Three (Monday): the truck driver told us that he'd arrive in Leavenworth between 0830 and 0930. Therefore I had to get up very early (0300) and hit the road with the dog. I was able to move quickly through St. Louis not getting tied up in commuter traffic, past the Arch , across the Missouri River and into Missouri. The local news on the radio was buzzing about the selling of Anheuser Busch (based in St. Louis) to InBev, a Belgium company. It was also the topic of conversation at the McDonald's I stopped at for breakfast around 0530. A quick fill up of my gas tank ($87... ouch) and the dog and I continued west, passing through Kansas City around 0800. By now, Christa had rounded up the cat and Sarah - making her way through the St. Louis Monday morning commute. I arrived at our rental house in Leavenworth at 0845, wondering if I'd see a big truck out front. But our cul-de-sac was empty. The driver had had mechanical issues east of Kansas City and now would not arrive until noon.

The moving truck did finally show and the unloading commenced around 1230. Who'd ever thought we'd have so much stuff - box after box... it seemed like the boxes never stopped coming off the truck. Christa arrived with a bag full of hamburgers and Cokes for everyone. This was good because (1) we were hungry and (2) Christa could direct were the boxes went in the house instead of me (up to this point, I'd been funneling most of the boxes into either the basement or the master bedroom... I don't really know why, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time). Problem: the dryer would not fit through the door into the laundry room. I set about disassembling the back in an attempt to get it through. Still wouldn't fit. We were able to swap our fridge with the existing fridge (ours has a water dispenser) and put the existing fridge in the garage. We finished with the unpackers by around 7pm, exhausted.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Unpacking, boxes, up and down stairs. The house here is two stories with an unfinished basement. Upstairs are three bedrooms (Sarah's, guest bedroom, and Christa's office). Downstairs is the master bedroom (big bath and walk in closet = happy XYL), dining room, family room, kitchen (bigger than our last), and laundry room (I did finally get the dryer in after the use of a hacksaw and some more disassembling... I still have a few extra bolts). There is a small deck off the kitchen and a small fenced yard up against the oldest cemetery in Kansas (...spooky!). The unfinished basement is huge and is where my ham radio and office stuff is. Lots of work down there to do.

Today - Sarah gets to visit her preschool, which she starts on Monday. We're continuing the unpacking... even hope to get Christa's car in the garage today. I have this next week off to continue getting the house in order before I need to show my face over at Fort Leavenworth. Saturday we'll hit the local famer's market and head into the big city (Kansas City) for some shopping. Next week our new couch and Christa's desk arrives. Lots more to do (like setting up the ham shack)... but I am looking forward to the arrival of the couch!

Packing.... boxes, boxes, boxes

2008-07-10T12:55:26Z

I don't think it is possible to make moving a pleasant experience. I have been in the Army since 1991 and this is my 10th major move. Today is the last of three days of packing and tomorrow everything gets loaded in the moving van.

Thursday is our weekly trash pickup, so last night we gathered up every bit of what we didn't want and hauled it out to the curb. All kinds of stuff. Stuff that didn't sell at the yard sale and we hadn't given to the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store. Old, deteriorating particle board shelving from the garage. A wobbly desk that had been cobbled together from two desk sets long ago. The wood dowel connections had been reinforced over the years with L brackets. A really old plywood shelf that came from my Mom's house that was made probably before I was born. Those popup shelters everyone uses (especially on Field Day) with the one support that snapped when trying to open or close it. Tons of trash... empty Sears laundry detergent box, frozen food from the fridge (to include the bag of Gino's Pizza Roles that I impulsively bought just two weeks ago at the store, thinking that it was something that I had been deprived of during my last year in Iraq and that I must, must have but never even was opened), old and expired medicine (some unused and never opened... once it was all piled together in the bag I felt like a hypochondriac), extra coffee mugs that I've carted around for almost two decades that never get used. The particle board 2-drawer filing cabinet that's missing one of four casters and top drawer that never closed correctly (and it went with another desk set that got tossed about two moves ago). An MFJ HF balcony/window antenna (used once or twice). Lots of pieces and parts for various ham projects that never quite got off the ground (the attempt to make a 2M/70cm beam for satellite ops), painter poles (plural) used in various implementations for field operations to raise up wire antennas. But before we went to bed last night, a good portion of all the stuff we hauled out to the curb had been picked through and hauled off by some of the locals, prowling the neighborhood trash piles for good finds. More power to them. I wish I knew who they were ahead of time, so I could of handed the stuff directly to them... maybe even nicely boxed. What wasn't hauled off by those folks was picked up this morning by the huge trash truck with the large iron claw. I love those guys!

I will say there is kind of a cleansing-baptismal-rejuvenational feeling of purging yourself of all that "stuff" that for some reason or another you just kept hanging onto. I guess that is one reason I enjoy the Army, the frequent moving. Although I'm not crazy about the actual process, I think the end result is a good thing. And I always catch myself making the same promises and resolutions every move - this new place will be different: I will stay better organized, I will clean more often, I will not accumulate junk. But this time I mean it. Really.

A New Beginning - Goals For The Kansas Radio Shack

2008-07-07T00:12:03Z

One advantage of the move to Kansas will be the opportunity to redesign and implement a new shack layout. I don't have a clear picture of what I want it to look like, so I am going to start with making a list of what I want to be able to accomplish in the shack. This will be a basement shack... a big basement. I've never lived in a house that had a basement and I'm looking forward to the possibilities.

What I want to accomplish in the Kansas Shack:
- HF phone and CW operation; 80m-10m
- HF digital modes (PSK-31, RTTY, PACTOR III)
- Computer logging
- 2m FM base station
- APRS weather station, interfaced with a dedicated 2m transceiver
- Online weather page, showing current weather conditions
- Seperate, organized workbench

There are a number of tall trees to the north of the house that will support some different wire antenna options. My plan is to start out with a RadioWavz 246' End Fed Zep. We'll see how that works. Maybe try a loop before winter comes. Another challenge will be getting the feedline into the basement.

Mini-Hamfest (a.k.a. - our Moving Sale)

2008-07-06T20:10:30Z

Although yesterday (5 July) was not strategically the best day for a yard sale, the XYL and I were running out of time as the movers are due to show this coming week. We've have a lot of extra "stuff" and tried to strictly enforce the rule that if it hadn't been used/touched/worn/opened/looked at since the last move in 2005 it was time to get rid of it. I'd also acquired an amazing amount of ham stuff (the XYL has a different terminology for it). I could sell it on eBay, but I didn't want to invest the time or energy... nor the trips to the Post Office. Here's what was up for sale:

Heathkit SB-220 amplifier
MFJ Versa Tuner V, MFJ-989C
Astatic D-104 microphone
ICOM AT-180, HF+50MHz Automatic Antenna Tuner (in original box, very good condition)
MFJ 6 Meter SSB Transceiver, MFJ-9406 (includes AC power supply)
MFJ 6 Meter Tuner, MFJ-906
Cushcraft 6 Meter 3 element beam (well weathered)
Ten Tec RX320 (with manual)
ICOM IC-PCR1000, Communications Receiver For Computer (with manual)
Kantronics KPC-9612 Plus (with manual)
Pakratt-232, Model PK-232 MBX (with manual)
MFJ Multi-Mode Data Controller, MFJ-1278 (with manual)
MFJ TNC 2 Packet Radio, MFJ-1274
MFJ Deluxe Code Practice Oscillator, MFJ-557
MFJ Electric Keyer Paddle with Memory, MFJ-442
Dymek DA100E, Active Receiver Antenna, 50kHz-30MHz (with manual)
Radio Shack Amplified Base Station Microphone, CAT NO 21-1173
Radio Shack SWR/Power Meter, CAT NO 21-534
MFJ-8128 VHF 114-220 MHz SWR/Wattmeter
MARS Model LE-2 Hybrid Phone Patch
Heathkit Hybrid Phone Patch, Model HD-15 (with manual)
Quad magnetic mount for antenna
Various Hamsticks and Hustler single band mobile antennas
Various amateur radio books

We did have quite a few hams show up and my prices were incredibly reasonable if not down right ludicrous. The MFJ 6 Meter SSB rig went quick, but I'm surprised no one grabbed the 3-element beam. All the three of the phone patches sold (I had two Heathkits) - that surprised me. What all surprised me was why I had three phone patches. All the Hamsticks and Hustlers went. Some of the books. Bottom line - I was able to find new homes for a lot of gear I wasn't using and got a bit of reimbursement in the process.

Anybody need an MFJ Deluxe Code Practice Oscillator?

What's amazing is the amount of gear I still have that I'm unwilling to part with and is coming with me to Kansas.

On The Road Again!

2008-07-06T16:01:34Z

It was good to get back behind the wheel of my 2005 Toyota Tundra - although can't say I am excited about paying to fuel it up. I've attempted to get a good HF install for mobile operations before experiencing limited success... with perhaps my biggest rookie mistake being an attempt to use the ICOM AT-180 autotuner along with my IC-706MKIIG.

I used Hamsticks and Hustler mono band resonators - it worked pretty well but I got tired of having to exit the vehicle every time I wanted to change bands.

My answer was to install a screwdriver antenna. I'd been planning this mobile install for some time, using lessons from my trials in the Spring of 2007 as well as a significant amount of reading and research (eHam, WorldRadio, CQ Magazine, websites). I decided on basing my mobile install around the Tarheel Model 75 "Stubby" providing continuous coverage from 3.7 to 34 MHz. The folks at Tarheel worked with me to get me going - responsive to my emails and questions.

The radio for this mobile install: my ICOM IC-706MKIIG. I'd originally purchased this radio when I arrived in Hampton back in the early Summer of 2005. The purchase was in part to motivate me to upgrade from Tech to General - which it did. That Summer I passed the written exam (Element 3) at a nearby hamfest for General. But I was not yet ready for the Morse (Element 1). It wasn't until later that Fall that I was ready for the Morse... and barely passed too. I've been very pleased with the IC-706MKIIG; it is a great radio for a beginner, easy to operate, solid performance, flexible to use either in the radio shack, portable, or mobile.

To mount the antenna to my Toyota Tundra, I really did not want to permanently mar the exterior of the truck. I'd admired K4GUN's install and thought his implementation of using the Geotool stake pocket on the bed of the truck was brilliant. I wrote Steve, K4GUN, concerning his install and he provided some great additional information concerning the challenges of the stake pocket mount. After working with Rick, WA6JKH, to ensure I was ordering the proper mount, I placed my order and Rick gave me a nice active duty military discount.

I decided to get N2VZ's Turbo Tuner for ease of operation. Operating HF while driving is already complicated enough and I wanted to make tuning the antenna as easy as possible. Bill was very responsive and also provided a military discount.

I had ordered all the equipment while in Iraq, so everything was waiting for me when I arrived home.

The install took two days. Perhaps the hardest part was mounting the IC-706MKIIG under the passenger's seat. Already installed under the seat was my ICOM IC-208H - my trusty VHF/UHF rig. I'd originally installed this rig during my circumnavigation of the continental US back in 2005. During that install, I only partially removed the passenger's seat. This time I pulled the seat completely out of the truck which greatly helped me successfully position both the IC-208H and the IC-706MKIIG in the limited space.

Routing the feedline from the rig to the stake pocket mount was fairly easy, making use of the rubber grommet directly under the passenger's seat and zip ties along the feedline's path to the rear of the truck. Soldering the connections to the stake pocket mount was straight forward but it was a bit tricky feeding the line up through the bottom of the stake pocket.

Setup of the Turbo Tuner was a snap; I followed the provided instructions step-by-step, making sure I had the DIP switches positioned properly.

Mounting the antenna onto the Geotool stake pocket mount was made easier by using the HI-Q's Giant Quick Disconnect. Payment was via PayPal and Charlie, W6HIQ, had it on my doorstep within the week. Thanks Charlie!

How does it work? So far, so good. More reports from the road are coming... and maybe a picture or two.

Home QTH

2008-07-06T11:26:22Z

My travels home was long and slow, but forward progress was consistent. After spending more time than I wanted to in Kuwait, we arrived in the US to McGuire Air Force Base, NJ and were transported over to Fort Dix were we'd remain overnight. Our bus was met by a small group of Vietnam veterans, some in wheelchairs or missing limbs, all greeting us with smiles, hearty handshakes and a "Welcome Home". The vets goal is that never again should a US soldier arrive home from war without a welcome. I was truly moved by the selflessness of these vets and although I would be completely content if the US never again has to send soldiers into harms way, I would like to return the kindness and fellowship I received that sunny afternoon. The next morning we loaded up on buses and headed to Philadelphia to take a commercial flight to Kansas City. There was a bus ready to pick us up when we arrived to Kansas City, which set the tone for the next two days in which we outprocessed at Fort Riley, KS. We completed a lot of activities in our few hours at Fort Riley: medical screening, records updating, pay adjustments, equipment turn-in, "re-integration" briefings, after action review, as well as an opportunity for me to take my team members to The Little Apple Brewing Company (Manhattan, KS) for my long-delayed promotion party. I was promoted to the rank of Major back in October 2007 and it is Army tradition for the newly promoted to throw a party (i.e. an event with beer). As I was unable to do this properly while in Iraq (US soldiers are not allowed to possess or consume alcoholic beverages in Iraq), I was glad to have the opportunity to carry out the tradition back in the states.

And then the next morning, June 6th, it was over. Our team members said their goodbyes. Some had their vehicles at Fort Riley and were driving to their next destination. Most of us headed back to Kansas City to fly home.

It was good to be home. Wife, daughter, dog, and cat - all together again.

Next on the agenda: move house and household, bag and baggage from Hampton, Virginia (where I had been stationed at Fort Monroe prior to my deployment to Iraq) to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to attend the Army's Command & Staff College.

Headed Home

2008-05-28T06:41:26Z

After a year deployment in Iraq, I am heading home.

I have not been keeping this blog up to date, but hope to make some posts here to describe my experiences operating an amateur station in Iraq (YI9MI). Other plans when I get home are to attempt a QSO with my dad (KD6EUG) - Virginia to California. My dad upgraded to General last year and we have not yet had the opportunity to have an HF QSO. I'm also going to install a Tarheel screwdriver antenna on my Toyota Tundra to enjoy some mobile HF while I am on the road this summer.

I am looking forward to getting back to the States!

On SKN He Was There

2008-01-01T20:42:15Z

On SKN He Was There

There once was a man from the city
Who didn't know how to "dah-ditty."
He said with chagrin
As he turned the low end,
"To not know the code is a pity."

So he made up his mind not to bend,
To dig out his key once again,
To grunt and to try,
And not whine and cry;
And his effort was worth it, my friend.

On SKN he was there,
Someone had answered his prayer.
His fist was real clean,
If you know what I mean,
And he smiles with a confident air.
- Hunt Turner, K0HT

New Year Resolutions For 2008
- Maximize the time I spend with my family - make that time count!
- Improve my CW skills. Learn to use my J-38 with a bit of skill.
- Build (and make a QSO with) a QRP kit HF transceiver.

... when I return to the US
- Complete remaining contacts and receive QSL cards in order to qualify for DXCC.
- Streamline amateur radio operations to achieve the following:
(1) Home operation - redesign my home station around my TS-930S. Small footprint and a ascetically pleasing setup.
(2) Mobile operation - centered around the IC-706MKIIG, AH-4 tuner, and the Icom whip antenna. A clean install with solid performance.
(3) Portable operation - rack mounted case with IC-7000.
- Sell, trade, or give away equipment I don't need..... less is more.

PILEUPS

2007-12-29T04:50:44Z

8. PILEUPS
Once bitten by the DX chasing bug, you will frequently enter PILEUPS. When a rare DX station appears on the bands he quickly will raise a large group of amateurs wanting to work him. At the end of a QSO the crowd starts calling the DX station instantaneously and all stations call on top of each other. This is called a 'pileup'.

Not only rare resident DX stations generate pileups. Quite often DXpeditions are organized to activate countries (entities) where ham radio is almost non-existent or to uninhabitated islands. The purpose of these expeditions is to contact as many hams worldwide in a short timespan. Obviously contacts with these expeditions should be AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE in order to give as many people as possible a shot at a new one. Hence, the expedition operator is not interested in your QTH, equipment or name of your dog.

What is the best way to get as quickly as possible in the log of a rare DX station or DXpedition?

LISTEN LISTEN and then LISTEN again.

And, why should I listen? Because those not listening won't be as successful.
Indeed, by careful listening an operator will have more success in breaking through a pileup and log the rare DX faster.

By listening, one gets acquainted with the behavior of the DX station and the rhythm in which he works. Also you will find out if the DX works SPLIT. During the listening period you have ample time to check and doublecheck the send and receive parts of your station:

* correct choice of antenna?
* SPLIT function activated?
* Transmitter (and amplifier) correctly tuned on a CLEAR frequency?

Often this last part is done ON the frequency of the DX station! Bad! This results in a reaction by the so called 'COPS' (see chapter 12) and spoils the pleasure of many because the DX station can't be heard anymore.

* Before making any attempt to transmit: be sure you heard the DX station's callsign correctly.

We often enter a pileup following a spot from a DX Cluster. Often the spot is incorrect! Make sure you heard the callsign of the DX correctly. This will prevent you from receiving the much feared return QSL card with the message 'NOT IN LOG', 'NON EXISTING CALL' or 'NOT ACTIVE THAT DAY'.

An experienced DX station will turn to SPLIT operation if he perceives too many stations are calling and the pileup becomes unmanageable. By working SPLIT his transmit frequency stays clear and the callers will hear him well.
A not so experienced DX station will continue working SIMPLEX and finally goes QRT because he can't control the pileup anymore.
In such a situation, you yourself can play an important role during your QSO with the DX station. Gently suggest to him the time has come to switch to SPLIT operation (of course only if there are too many callers!). The other DXers will be grateful if you manage to persuade the DX station to change to SPLIT mode!

HOW TO CALL CQ?

2007-12-27T03:07:38Z

7. HOW TO CALL CQ?
Make sure the frequency you want to use is clear. You don't do this by mere listening but also by effectively asking if that frequency is in use. For example, on SSB after having listened for a while, ask 'Is this frequency in use?', followed by your callsign. If no response, repeat this question, followed by your callsign. If again no response, the frequency is yours to call CQ.
On CW and RTTY send 'QRL?'. Some think a 'question mark' is sufficient. It is not as it can be confusing. If on a given frequency there is ongoing traffic (which you don't hear), someone else on that frequency may interpret your question mark as if you are asking for the callsign of a station on that frequency. A 'cop' scenario may arise (see chapter 12).
'QRL?' cannot be misinterpreted by anyone, it means you want to know if that frequency is clear for you to use. A question mark in this situation is meaningless and may mean several things.

On CW you get possibly one of the following answers if the frequency is in use:

* R (Received-Roger)
* Y (Yes)
* YES
* QSY

If by coincidence you landed on a 'hot frequency' (especially if used by a DXpedition or a rare DX station), chances exist you may get shouted at. Don't worry, don't react, just move to another frequency. Or figure out -by listening, not by asking- who the 'DX' is and work him.

Lots of problems can be avoided by following the first rule of operating (whether casual or DX): LISTEN. This golden rule used in combination with the magic word 'QRL?' will keep you out of trouble if you are looking for a clear frequency to call CQ.

* When calling CQ, don't do as follows: call CQ ten times, followed by your callsign twice and then listen. Better to do this: call CQ twice and give your callsign ten times (I exaggerate, four times is sufficient!).
* The most important aspect when calling is not the word CQ, but your callsign. If conditions aren't too good, it is important the station at the other side of the globe (yeah, cool!) hears your callsign rather than the word CQ. Too many times I've heard operators call CQ 15 times, give their call once, and then say 'listening for any call now'. This is senseless.

Practice makes perfect. If you are not experienced, listen for a while to others to sharpen your teeth. You will quickly develop your own stye to make successful and pleasurable QSOs.

HOW TO MAKE A QSO? WHAT CAN I TALK ABOUT?

2007-12-26T08:33:15Z

http://www.on4ww.be/OperatingPracticeEnglish.html

6. HOW TO MAKE A QSO? WHAT CAN I TALK ABOUT?
Some newcomers are astonished during their first encounters on the ham bands by the many QSOs in which only the callsigns and reports are exchanged. It doesn't have to be this way, of course. In the beginning I disliked this myself as I enjoyed long and elaborated QSOs. I was a real 'ragchewer'. There is nothing wrong with that. However, in time though I switched from long to very short QSOs. Everyone has their own preference.

Although we exercise a mainly technical hobby, our QSOs do not have to be limited to purely technical matters. A healthy balance is necessary. Radio amateurism is not intended to chit chat about groceries. Let your common sense be your guide.

Topics we must avoid include religion, politics and of course commercial advertisements. It is also forbidden to broadcast, ie. one way transmissions of either long winded announcements or music programs.

The Belgian basic license manual implements for the first time an 'Operating Practice & Procedures' chapter and explains how to make a QSO. What follows is a concise repetition and some additions:

* before commencing a transmission on a given frequency, always check thoroughly if this frequency is in use by other stations;
* if the frequency is clear, call CQ (general call -CQ possibly derives from 'I seek you'-. Pat, W5THT has the following explanation on CQ from the pre-wireless days). See Chapter 7 'How to call CQ?' which expands in detail on the proper way to CQ;
* the sequence on how to place callsigns during a contact is straightforward; first name the callsign of your counterpart, then yours. Example (you are ON4ZZZZ): 'Thanks OM, microphone back to you. ON4XXXX (de) ON4ZZZZ' (end of your transmission). An easy way to remember this: you always have to be polite.
* Always end a transmission with your callsign. If making many short transmissions during a QSO, identify with your callsign at least once every five minutes (some countries: 10 minutes);
* leave a short pause in between 'overs'. In that way, someone else can make a quick call, or intervene in the ongoing QSO. Keep in mind that one day 'you' may be the one receiving a distress call! Be ready for it.
* Do not elaborate about a zillion things during one over. Keep your transmission short and concise as to give your counterpart ample time to respond to your topics before he forgets about what you were actually talking. Remember many times you are talking to someone in a language that is not their native tongue. Give them time to comprehend what you are saying;
* on phone, say 'over' when you hand over the microphone to your counterpart. In amateur radio this is strictly not necessary, but often handy. Experience will teach you when to use 'over' and when not;
* on CW, end your transmission during a changeover with the letter K (from 'Key'). Also 'KN' can be used; this is more specific and means you only want to hear the station whose callsign you just sent to come back to you;
* on CW the end of a QSO is marked by the letter string 'SK' ('Stop Keying'). The QSO is completely finished after you sent 'SK';
* on phone a QSO is never ended with 'over and out'. Either say 'over' during a microphone handover, or say 'out' at the very end of the QSO, which is then completely finished.

Someone brought the following to my attention. As amateurs progress in their 'ham career' they seem to forget they were once newcomers themselves. Indeed, one can often hear amateurs call 'CQ DX' on the HF bands, after which they are called by a 'local' station (which is no long distance for them at that moment). Often this local operator gets a verbal beating and is left behind in disbelief or anger. This cuts both ways. The local newcomer should understand that if someone calls 'CQ DX' he shouldn't call that station at that point in time. On the other hand, the experienced ham should remember his early days when he did exactly the same because he wanted to work 'a new one', and be considerate towards the newcomer.
In such a situation I usually give a short report, log the station and tell him that I'm actually looking for DX. The newcomer usually understands the hint and will pay better attention next time, while he's still happy to have logged a new one...and that's what counts! So...give everybody a chance for a QSO and don't forget your early days!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T04:21:53Z

BE POLITE

2007-12-23T07:25:28Z

http://www.on4ww.be/OperatingPracticeEnglish.html

4. BE POLITE
This is the shortest but undoubtedly most important chapter in this document. At all times, be polite! Your transmitted signal is being heard by a lot of folks and agencies. You'll go a long way by being polite, in our little ham world or in the outside world.

AD7MI: Sometimes in the rush and excitement of chasing DX it is easy to forget the other stations out there. The first part of our Amateur's Code puts it well: Considerate... never knowingly operates in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.

CORRECT USE OF YOUR CALLSIGN

2007-12-22T16:13:15Z

http://www.on4ww.be/OperatingPracticeEnglish.html

3. CORRECT USE OF YOUR CALLSIGN
Use your callsign in a correct way. You have to take a serious exam in order to enjoy this hobby. Be proud of your callsign, it is unique. Only if you use it in a correct way are you making legal transmissions. Ever hear the callsign 4ZZZZ on VHF? As far as I'm aware of, we are dealing with a transmission from a station from Israel and not from Belgium. ON4ZZZZ is the correct callsign. A callsign comprises of a prefix AND a suffix. Even on the HF bands this reprehensible practice can be heard. For analogy, if your car has been stolen, will you report half of the alphanumerics of the number plate to the police, or the complete lot?

AD7MI: always call the DX station with your full call. Always.

LISTEN

2007-12-21T16:52:25Z

From: http://www.on4ww.be/OperatingPracticeEnglish.html

2. LISTEN
As a new ham you'd like to start transmitting as soon as possible, of course. Take it easy, take your time, stay away from that microphone, morsekey or keyboard. First get comfortable with ALL the functions of your transmitters/receivers before attempting any transmissions. The transmit part needs special attention, as it is here one can make his first 'on the air' mistakes.

Initially learn to LISTEN. Whoever listens at first, will be much more successful in making good and enjoyable contacts. The chapter PILEUPS deals in depth with this important issue.

AD7MI: I'm guilty of this one. I need to learn to slow down, take my time and listen. Listen, listen, listen.

Best Operating Practices

2007-12-20T21:05:27Z

I recently received a care package from the XYL containing recent issues of my favorite amateur radio magazines: WorldRadio, CQ, QST, as well as the FISTS newsletter. One of the QST column's mentioned ON4WW's website and his tips for good amateur radio operating practices. I'd like to highlight them - they make great sense and if everyone observed them, would make our quality radio time just that much more enjoyable.

From: http://www.on4ww.be/OperatingPracticeEnglish.html

1. HAM LANGUAGE
Know the 'Ham Language'. Get acquainted with the correct Amateur Radio Language. Don't say 'Radio four', but 'readibility four'. Master the phonetic alphabet, CW abbreviations, the Q code and the number code (73/88) as if they were a second mother language before getting on the air.
Always use the phonetic alphabet in a correct manner: A is Alfa, and not Alabama.

AD7MI: it always throws me when someone does not use the standard phonetic alphabet. But I will admit, with some DX stations where I have a hard time understanding their pronunciation, a substitution in the phonetic alphabet makes sense. I know the basic Q codes, but do need to brush up a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-24T05:04:33Z

Locked on and plugged in

2007-11-19T11:57:10Z

After a painful few weeks of being off the internet, we are now back online through a satellite internet service.

During the internet outage, MARS Winlink/Airmail worked like a champ - allowing me to stay in contact with friends and family. I am impressed with the reliability of WL2K.

Iraq to Be Back on the Air

2007-11-15T05:20:51Z

Iraq to Be Back on the Air Later This Month (Nov 13, 2007) -- Diya Sayah, YI1DZ, President of the Iraqi Amateur Radio Society (IARS), announced today that effective November 20, all Amateur Radio activity will be "back to normal" in Iraq. Sayah said, "All Amateur Radio operators in Iraq who carry a valid Iraqi license will be able to use their radios according to regulations of IARU Region 1 and the IARS." Amateur Radio activity in Iraq was suspended in March of this year, with the suspension affecting both Iraqi citizens as well as any foreigners -- including military personnel and contractors -- who have been on the air from Iraq. The request to halt all ham radio activity and the issuance of licenses in Iraq originated with a letter from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as part of a new security plan, Sayah said.

The truth hurts

2007-10-12T08:14:57Z

I enjoyed this email from the Second Class Operators' Club reflector....

To: Second Class Operators' Club
Subject: [SOC] The truth hurts

I'm still recovering from a nearby lightning strike that came up phone line to fry DSL modem, all the I/O ports on an aging 386 PC and miscellaneous pieces of ham gear. XYL and son decreed that new computer would be early Christmas present. After much consideration, decided on an iMac, also running XP with Parallels. [a separate discussion for those who care]. This has required a truly second class fumbler to learn a totally unfamiliar operating system while restoring various hardware/software items from the previous incarnation, referred to in the family as "vocabulary enrichment opportunities."

One such item is the WinKey keyer that requires DB9 serial input, not yet knowing if it is also fried. Ah, but the iMac has only USB ports. So USB-serial adapter was needed and ordered online at great saving compared to local purchase. It arrived with drivers on a 2.5 inch CD. That's a neat idea for PCs with horizontal CD drive (aka coffee cup holder), but useless on the iMac with vertical slot in side. This has led to another series of second class misadventures. Somewhere along the way, I asked guru son about identifying the port assigned when connecting serial adapter for WinKey. His classic reply repeated below.

"Lessee, you have a new Mac with latest technology so you can get away from Microsoft, but you have to run Windows on it (part time) so you can use some specific Windows-only software and you need USB-serial adapter to operate a gizmo to control a transmitter that you could otherwise turn on and off with a simple hand key using a serial binary code that's 160+ years old."

I think this is the point where I should revert to a manual digital mode and give him the finger.

The Review, Part 2: The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950: A Social History

2007-10-10T11:25:01Z

Read part 1 of the review here

This was a book I hated to finish reading. Chapters 9 - 12 are full of amateur radio's involvement in aviation, sea journeys, and the exploration of the polar regions. There is great coverage of the private schooner Yankee, which sailed around-the-world with a crew made up of college age young men and stops included the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, Pitcairn (a fascinating story there), Manga, and Tahiti. Alan Eurich, W8IGO, worked the onboard rig and was an invaluable member of the crew. Chapter 10 talks about an amazing air race between Oakland, CA and Hawaii - amateur radio played a key role in tracking the planes and providing help. Anne Morrow Lindbergh operated a rig when flying with her husband, making contacts with many amateurs. The most interesting of the Antarctica explorations involved radio operator Sidney Jeffryes who's isolation and resulting insanity jeopardized the mission... sending crazed reports back to Australia via Macquarie Island. Almost all the major polar expeditions used radio. QST covered almost all these adventures, sparking the imagination of young hams back home.

Chapter 13 covers amateur radio's involvement in supporting emergency and disaster response. Flooding, hurricanes, and fire - hams responded and used their radios to help the authorities organize their efforts as well as to pass health and welfare traffic. The forest service was also instrumental in the development of portable radio with the help of dedicated amateurs.

Chapters 14 and 15 cover the neutrality period prior to WWII, WWII itself, and the early post-war years. QST encouraged those hams enlisting in the service to bring along their FCC license and push to be placed in a signal organization to take advantage of their skills.

The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950: A Social History is a great book, well written, entertaining, and enlightening as to the roots of amateur radio in the US. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of ham radio and the individual hams who have contributed so much in the early years.

High-tech culture of Silicon Valley originally formed around radio

2007-10-04T03:45:22Z

Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, September 30, 2007

They weren't out to make history, the eight young engineers who met secretly with investor Arthur Rock 50 years ago to form Silicon Valley's ancestral chip company, Fairchild Semiconductor.

The men, among them future Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, mainly wanted to escape their brilliant but batty boss, William Shockley, who had just shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics for his role in the invention of the transistor.

Shockley, who had started a company in Mountain View in 1955 to commercialize this breakthrough, had bullied and browbeaten his young engineering staff, whose numbers included future venture capitalist Eugene Kleiner, at 32 the oldest of the bunch; the rest of the renegade group were younger than 30.

So when the Traitorous Eight, as they're sometimes called, held their hush-hush meeting in San Francisco, they had reason to fear discovery - but no way to know that by quitting safe jobs for a risky startup, they would earn a place among what Stanford University historian Leslie Berlin calls the "Founding Fathers of Silicon Valley."

But wait. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes the garage in Palo Alto where David Packard and William Hewlett started their company. Isn't that the birthplace of Silicon Valley?

And here's a hitch. Not until 1971 was "Silicon Valley" used to describe the concentration of chip-making firms in the South Bay.

So what is Silicon Valley? How and when did it arise? And most important, perhaps, what is the future of this region that has become a synonym for innovation?

"There is this myth that Silicon Valley was all orchards when the chip companies arrived, but it's not true. It had been building, building for a long time," said Christophe Lécuyer, a Stanford-trained historian who turned his dissertation into a book, "Making Silicon Valley."

Lécuyer, now an economic analyst with the University of California system, said the region's technological awakening began almost a century ago when, not long after the great quake of 1906, the Bay Area - and particularly the Peninsula - began innovating with the then-hot technology of radio.

"The San Francisco Bay Area was a natural place for interest in radio because it was a seagoing region," said Timothy Sturgeon, an industrial researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who described this radio period in a paper, "How Silicon Valley Came to Be."

Lécuyer and Sturgeon argue that, roughly 30 years before Hewlett and Packard started work in their garage, and almost 50 years before the Traitorous Eight created Fairchild, the basic culture of Silicon Valley was forming around radio: engineers who hung out in hobby clubs, brainstormed and borrowed equipment, spun new companies out of old ones, and established a meritocracy ruled by those who made electronic products cheaper, faster and better.

As Sturgeon notes, as early as 1909, Stanford graduate Cyril Elwell was acquiring patents for new radio technologies and persuading university officials, including then-President David Starr Jordan, "to finance a new company" in Palo Alto that would be called Federal Telegraph Co.

That same year in San Jose, Charles Herrold started a school for radio engineers and began broadcasting to radio hobbyists and later to a small local audience to become what a 1994 PBS documentary called "Broadcasting's Forgotten Father." Back then, the region had none of its present cachet relative to other clusters of radio activity like New York, New Jersey and Boston.

But in this rivalry with the industrial powers of the East, the future Silicon Valley would find a powerful customer with deep pockets - the U.S. military.

Sturgeon said U.S. naval officials, impressed by Federal Telegraph's technology, gave the Palo Alto firm huge contracts during World War I - the first but not the last time war would fuel the region's tech firms.

In another hint of the future, Sturgeon writes that around 1910, Peter Jensen and Edwin Pridham quit Federal Telegraph "to start a research and development firm in a garage in Napa" to improve loudspeakers. In 1917, they formed Magnavox, which built public address systems for destroyers and battleships in World War I.

The war's end took the wind out of Silicon Valley's sails. The Eastern radio powers, notably RCA, dominated the field during the 1920s and 1930s. The region's entrepreneurial fire cooled but, as history would show, didn't die.

Creation story

The next chapter in the Silicon Valley story involves the familiar tale of how Hewlett and Packard hatched the region's first technology giant in a Palo Alto garage.

Sophisticated versions of this creation epic also credit their mentor, Stanford engineering Professor Frederick Terman.

Terman, who began teaching at Stanford in the late 1920s, would spend the rest of his career formalizing the university-industry collaboration that would come to typify Silicon Valley.

But in the hardscrabble '30s, it was all Terman could do to hold together the ecosystem of tinkerers and researchers who were trying to survive the Depression.

He had help from tech pioneers such as Charles Litton Sr., who in 1932 established a machine shop that made better vacuum tube manufacturing tools. Tubes were the workhorse of electronics before transistors and - according to Lécuyer - Litton's tools allowed San Bruno vacuum-tube-maker Eitel-McCullough to build superior components - and a reputation.

Another seminal event was the 1939 invention of the klystron tube by Stanford research associates and brothers Russell and Sigurd Varian, who would later start Varian Associates. The klystron tube led to more powerful radars, helping the United States and its allies gain an advantage in World War II.

In his 1995 memoir, "The HP Way," Packard himself provides a glimpse of this ecosystem in action, telling how Terman arranged for him to work evenings at Litton's shop.

"Charlie Litton had started with the Federal Telegraph Company in Palo Alto," Packard wrote, adding, "My relationship with Charlie developed into a long and enduring friendship."

Garage-era Silicon Valley also adopted the business model of the radio age - supplying the U.S. armed forces.

"Military funding was critical for the rise of Silicon Valley from the very late 1930s to the early 1960s," Lécuyer said. For instance, he said, Eitel-McCullough had about 15 people making vacuum tubes before the war. That swelled to 4,000 employees in 1943, then contracted to 200 in 1945, when peace crippled demand for tubes.

So, by the time the Traitorous Eight started Fairchild, the recipe for Silicon Valley largely had been written. Still, the notion that they founded the valley is justified by what financier Rock brought to the party - the money to bankroll bold engineers.

"The venture capital sector really arises along with the semiconductor industry," Lécuyer said. "Once the venture capital is in place, it makes all the other things possible."

From Fairchild forward

Investment that rewards risk became the final catalyst for the Silicon Valley we know, where ideas, nourished by money, spawn startups, products, even whole industries, like biotechnology.

The first big wave of startups created by venture investment were the dozens of Fairchildren - chip companies like National Semiconductor, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel - started by engineers who traced their ancestry to the Traitorous Eight.

Intel became the largest of these Fairchildren, and Moore the best known of the eight. But the gang leader was his charismatic colleague Robert Noyce. A technical innovator - in this meritocracy he had to be - in 1961, Noyce designed the first chip that enabled two transistors to work together on a single slice of silicon. Called the "integrated circuit," it is the ancestor of today's billion-transistor chips.

In 1971, when trade press reporter Don Hoefler used "Silicon Valley" to describe the concentration of chip-making firms on the Peninsula, the name stuck. But almost from the start, it stood for more than chip-making.

"Silicon Valley created an environment that allowed ideas and money and people to combine more easily," said AnnaLee Saxenian, dean of the School of Information at UC Berkeley and an expert on the region.

The early chip industry, like the two waves of innovation before, initially depended on military expenditures, Paul Ceruzzi, a curator at the Smithsonian Institution, writes in his book "A History of Modern Computing."

Only this time, it was the Cold War that opened the government's checkbook.

The Soviet launch of Sputnik on Oct. 4, 1957, prodded the United States to modernize its missile and space program. The newfangled silicon chips were considered vital - albeit costly - components, and Ceruzzi writes that NASA and the Defense Department bought so many "that the price dropped from $1,000 a chip to between $20 and $30."

Falling chip prices fueled development of new electronics for corporate customers and eventually individual consumers. Reliance on military purchases lessened, though defense dollars remained important in spurring research. Thus, when Larry Page and Sergey Brin later dreamed up Google, a defense research grant helped support their work. And when Stanford computer scientists won a robotic car race in 2005, the prize came from the Defense Department.

By the 1970s, therefore, Silicon Valley was poised to capitalize on new civilian technologies like PCs, as exemplified by Apple Computer.

In the 1980s, excitement shifted to scientific workstations and networking devices from firms like Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems, and to software like the version of UNIX perfected at UC Berkeley.

In the 1990s, the point-and-click browser popularized by Netscape ignited the dot-com boom and, after a painful bust and slow recovery, the recent rise of Google and social networking sites such as Facebook signal another wave of entrepreneurship.

Back to the future

Today, Silicon Valley is showing signs of age. Traffic is bad. Housing is worse. And it's competing with every metropolitan region in the nation - indeed, the world.

Saxenian, the Berkeley dean, is optimistic. Her most recent book, "The New Argonauts," posits that Silicon Valley will remain a design and innovation center by partnering with lower-cost manufacturing centers overseas.

"Viewed from outside the United States, Silicon Valley is an amazing place," she said. "I'd put my bets on innovation coming out of the valley for the next 20 years."

But jobs are a concern. Tech employment hasn't yet recovered from the dot-com bust. The American Electronics Association says California had 1.2 million tech jobs in 2000. Its most recent snapshot found 280,000 fewer Californians collecting high-tech paychecks.

Is it outsourcing? Is it globalism? Is it a problem? Maybe the answer depends on whether you're looking for work or looking to hire.

And more to the point, after all this time, do we know what Silicon Valley is, or better yet, how to keep it vital?

"My biggest hope for the valley is that we continue to have the focus, creativity and capital to reinvent our future and the future of technology," said Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel Corp., the most prosperous of the Fairchildren.

"My biggest fear is that we will get complacent and allow it to happen elsewhere."

Amateur Radio Goes to Washington

2007-09-29T01:29:06Z

from The ARRL Letter, Vol 26, No 39

Army MARS Chief Stuart S. Carter, AAA9A, has invited the ARRL and Amateur Radio representatives to join a Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) demonstration outside the Capitol building in Washington, DC on October 3. Hams around the country are asked to aid in the demonstration by making HF contacts during the day. With help from Laura Abshire, Legislative Aide to Representative Mike Ross, WD5DVR (D-AR), Tricia Russell, Legislative Aide to Representative Steve Israel (D-NY), and coordination of the myriad details by "Pudge" Forrester, W4LTX, Systems Administrator for Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), the "show" is set for next Wednesday, and hams around the country can help.

ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, said, "Thanks to a MARS invitation to join in a demonstration, and excellent coordination work by Forrester, the October 3 demonstration of Amateur Radio and MARS emergency communications will be front and center in the open space between the Capitol building and the Botanic Garden in Washington, DC." Pitts went on to say that the regional MARS organization is planning to conduct an exercise demonstrating emergency communications at the Capitol, as well.

The exercise assumes a Category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Quincy, will make landfall on October 2 over the coastal areas of Delaware, Maryland, DC and Virginia. Quincy will progress northward to New Jersey and Pennsylvania and then travel inland to the south, returning to the Atlantic Ocean on October 5 via the Carolinas and Georgia. During this time, MARS resources will be challenged by ongoing events in every part of the country, including ice storms, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes.

There will be a communication trailer, tent type shelter, four HF transceivers -- voice, PSK, and Winlink -- and VHF equipment at the site. The local Voice of America (VOA) organization and MARS have local repeaters and digipeaters available. Power will come from solar panels and generators with battery backup. The emergency communications trailer, owned by the Blue Ridge Association, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, part of the Southern Baptist North American Missions Disaster Relief Ministries, will also be on hand.

Representatives from ARRL headquarters, including Pitts, will be there. They will have ARRL public relations materials as well as video that shows the negative impact of BPL if current FCC rules are not modified. In addition, there are special materials for Members of Congress and their staff advocating Amateur Radio's positions on several legislative issues, including information to solicit co-sponsorship of H.R. 462 and H.R. 2743.

While MARS will be conducting their drill on their frequencies, Amateur Radio operations are scheduled from 1400-2100 UTC. While there may be last minute changes, plans are to try to center HF voice contacts around 14.250 and 7.250 MHz, and on PSK at 14.070 MHz. "By showing Members of Congress our nationwide capabilities and potentials, we advance the Service in many ways," Pitts said.

Representatives Ross and Bartlett plan to stop by. Army MARS is sending their Chief of Operations Grant Hays from Arizona. Mike Barrett, K3MMB, of the Transportation Security Administration's Office of Security Operations is aiding with the operations and logistics.

The Review, Part 1: The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950: A Social History

2007-09-28T11:17:52Z

This is a modern telling of Clinton DeSoto's 1936 classic 200 Meters and Down story through meticulous research of the author, Richard Bartlett, and the amateur radio experiences of the his brother Forrest, W6OWP. Tracing the start of radio from Marconi through the emergence of a thriving hobby in the post WWI years, Bartlett does a wonderful job of taking the reader on a journey through the history of ham radio. It is a more vibrant story than 200 Meters, aided by hindsight and a wealth of primary sources the author pulls from. When he describes the early boy-ham experimenter, I immediately drew a parallel with the boy-"hackers" of the 1980s and 90s. Teenage boys, curious and prone to mischief with knowledge of a new technology unfamiliar to most. Ignorance easily creates fear, and these early boy-hams were often looked at as a danger and a threat.

There is good coverage of the early organizations supporting ham radio to include The Royal Order of the Wouff Hong. I'd always heard about the Wouff Hong and it was fascinating to read about it's humorous origins.

Bartlett covers many of the highlights of ham radios initial contributions: demonstrating the ability to relay messages across the country, providing a means of communications in support of disaster areas, and sending messages across the globe. It is amazing that amateur radio survived the post-WWI years - threatened by both the military and commercial broadcast interests. The hobby also created a commercial industry of amateur radio equipment suppliers - Bartlett describes the elaborate displays these businesses put on at the Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair that helped capture the imagination of the public.

The best part of the book so far is Bartlett's coverage of ham radio's support to exploration in the 1920s and 30s (Chapter 7, Amateurs as Experimenters and Adventurers). Harry Wells, W3ZD, accompanied a 1929 scientific expedition to Borneo and sent reports back to hams in the states. Bertram Sandham, W6EQF supported an automobile expedition to open up an International Pacific Highway from Fairbanks, AK to Buenos Aires. The descriptions of both these portable and mobile operations are exciting and inspiring.

I'm still working through the book, so more to come.

... part 2 of the review is here

The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950: A Social History

2007-09-20T19:23:01Z

Just started this book by Richard Bartlett, The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950: A Social History. It focuses on the early years of amateur radio and the development of radio technology. So far it is a great read. I'll write up a complete review when I'm finished.