Monthly Archives: February 2014

More Snow on the Way

Posted on by February 28, 2014

This weekend is shaping up to be a good weekend to spend some time on the radio.

So far our winter has been one of the snowiest and coldest on record in Central Indiana.  Over the past week we had just enough of a warm spell to melt off most of the snow that had accumulated  since January.  Unfortunately, the temperatures have already dropped back into single digits.  If the return to frigid temperatures were not enough, today the National Weather Service gave us a ground hog day moment by predicting 5-8 inches of snow for this weekend. Ugh!  It is starting to feel a lot like the winters I experienced while living in Syracuse, New York where 100 to 150 inches of snow annually was typical.

Regardless of the weather, as long as the power stays on and the antennas stay up I should be able to spend some time working a little DX during the ARRL SSB DX contest this weekend.

Surprise Award

Posted on by February 25, 2014
2012 Sweepstakes 1st Place Indiana Single Op, High Power, Unlimited

2012 Sweepstakes
1st Place Indiana
Single OP, High Power, Unlimited

I was pleasantly surprised a couple of weeks ago when I received an envelope from the ARRL which contained a certificate showing that I had won 1st Place in the Indiana Section in the “Single Operator, High Power, Unlimited” category of the 2012 SSB Sweepstakes. The certificate also has a sticker confirming that I made a clean sleep which was my primary objective during the contest. Please don’t burst my bubble by telling me I was the only entrant in this category!

Regardless, I don’t participate in contests for the awards, and it’s a good thing because this is the only contest award I have ever received.  I participate in contests because I enjoy making contacts with hundreds of other Hams in a single weekend.  I find it really exciting to “work all states” or a hundred or more countries in a single weekend.  My goal in most contests is to score higher than the previous year.  I enter some contests just to try something new; like I did earlier this month when I operated RTTY for the first time during the CQ WW WPX RTTY contest.  It was a lot of fun setting up the station to work RTTY.  It was even more fun when I put my RTTY setup on the air to make a few contacts during the contest.

If your getting tired of doing the same old things with your ham station all the time, consider trying contesting.  Jump right in and give out a few contacts the next time you hear the band full of other hams calling “CQ Contest”.  You might find you actually enjoy the action. If you want to know what contests are occurring each weekend, be sure to check out WA7BNM’s Contest Calendar at:

http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/weeklycont.php. 

Bruce does an excellent job providing nearly everything you need to know about up-coming contests.

73,

Fred, KC9QQ

KX3 / KXPA100 Given First Workout in ARRL DX CW Contest

Posted on by February 23, 2014
KXPA100 with Optional Antenna Tuner

KXPA100 with Optional Antenna Tuner

I am a little late getting this posted because I have been busy setting my station up for RTTY operation (a new mode for me) for the NAQP RTTY contest.  

However, last week I received the Elecraft KXPA-100 amplifier which was backordered at the time I ordered the KX3.  The KXPA100 is a compact 100 watt amplifier designed to boost the QRP signal from the KX3 up to the 100 watt level of a standard transceiver. It is primarily designed for those wanting to use the KX3 as both a portable QRP rig and a primary home transceiver.

KX3 and KXPA100 In Operation

KX3 and KXPA100
In Operation

The KXPA100 when inter-connected to the KX3 using the CAT 5 interface cable will work seamlessly with the KX3.  Once the KX3 and KXPA100 are connected all of the functions of the KXPA100 are controlled from the KX3; including the amplifier on/off, band changes, antenna tuner and output power adjustment.  When the KX3 power is increased above 10 watts the KXPA100 kicks in.  When the power is set below 10 watts the KXPA100 is internally bypassed.  The optional internal antenna tuner (located in the  KXPA100) will automatically track and adjust with band changes.  Like most automatic antenna tuners it contains memories that remember the settings per frequency segment and antenna selected (Ant 1 or 2).  If the tuner does need to re-tune the process takes just a few seconds.  The turner is wide ranged and should be able to match any reasonable antenna.

I wanted to give the new KX3 and KPA100 a try so I decided to make a few contacts during the ARRL CW DX contest last weekend.  I had only planned to make 90 to 100 contacts but once I started, I was having so much fun with the KX3 that I found it hard to quit.

The KX3 is a marvelous CW rig.  When combined with the KXPA100 it is a near perfect CW contest rig.  I found it’s CW operation more enjoyable than my Icom 756 Pro III.  The KX3’s receiver is very quiet and does an extraordinary job separating strong signals that are copious during contest operation.  I didn’t experience any receiver de-sensing by strong adjacent signals as I sometimes do with the Icom 756 Pro III.  I’m not putting Icom 756 Pro III down because it also does a great job in crowded band conditions, the KX3 with it’s roofing filter and latest generation DSP outperformed the 756 Pro III in my hands on testing.

Here is a summary of my results:

ARRL CW DX Contest – ALL Band, Low Power, Assisted (S&P)

Band QSOs Points Countries
40m 46 138 25
20m 110 327 46
15m 94 282 43
10m 126 378 49
Total 376 1125 163

Total Score:  183,375

73,

Fred, KC9QQ

Using a Modified SignaLink™ for FSK Transmission

Posted on by February 23, 2014
KC9QQ Ready for NAQP RTTY Contest

KC9QQ
Ready for NAQP RTTY Contest

After the CQWW WPX RTTY contest I decided to modify my RTTY setup so that it could operate FSK instead of AFSK.  I wanted to do this because in the CQ WPX RTTY contest I had experienced several cases where the SSB filters (the only filters available during AFSK operation) didn’t provide the desired selectivity.  In a previous post (SignaLink™ USB Not Transmitting) I talked about the modifications made to my SignaLink™ for FSK operation.  I decided to tryout the modification in the NAQP RTTY contest on Saturday.

I didn’t have a lot of time to operate because I needed to take several hours off to attend our monthly astronomy club meeting.  However, I was able to spend enough time with the new setup to realize that being able to use the RTTY filters in the Icom 756 Pro III resulted in a substantial improvement over the SSB filters.

The RTTY filters were able to do a much better job providing error free copy of stations adjacent to other strong signals.  In a few instances, I used the Icom 756 Pro III’s  dual peaking filter to pull weak stations out of the noise.  I was impressed.  There were a couple of stations that I was only able to copy about 50% of their transmission, but after I activated the dual peaking RTTY filter I copied them error free.  I limited my use of the dual peaking filter because it did make it a little more difficult to tune in stations, but it was just a click away when I would run across a weak station that needed a little boost to be pulled out of the noise.

A Lesson Learned

I want to thank the station that took the time to tell me that I was off frequency.  I was about 50 contacts into the contest, but seemed to be having problems being heard on the first or second call.  Several stations had sent Agn? Agn? after I made my call.  After I called one very busy station at least four times he came back and told me that I was off frequency.  I looked at my radio and realized that I had left the RIT on!  I turned the RIT off and stations quit asking me to repeat my call and report!  Murphy is alive and well.  I didn’t plan on setting any records; I just wanted work a new mode, hand out a few contacts and have some fun.  All three objectives were accomplished.

Here is a summary of my results:

NAQP RTTY February 2014:  Low Power, All Band

Band QSOs Points Sections
80m 24 24 18
40m 43 43 22
20m 15 15 12
15m 30 30 13
10m 24 24 9
Total 136

Final Score:   10,200

SignaLink™ USB Not Transmitting

Posted on by February 23, 2014

If you have ever had trouble getting the SignaLink™ to go into the transmit mode perhaps  you may find this article helpful.

After I operated in the CQ WW WPX RTTY contest I decided to modify my setup so that I could run my Icom 756 Pro III in the RTTY mode, in order to take advantage of the 756 Pro III’s nice RTTY filters.  This meant I had to switch from AFSK transmission to FSK transmission.  Since the SignaLink does not support FSK output  I started searching for a different interface which that would allow me to operate FSK.  While I was searching for other interfaces I came across an article written by K7SFN describing how to modify the SignaLink™ for FSK transmission.

Here is a link to Frank’s nice modification: http://www.k7sfn.com/projects/signalink.html.

SignaLink FSK Modification for Icom 756 Pro III

SignaLink FSK Modification for Icom 756 Pro III

I made the modifications to the SignaLink™ described in Frank’s article.  I also made a serial cable to connect between my shack computer and the FSK keying jack I had installed on the back of the SignaLink.

I reconnected the SignaLink™ to my computer and radio and setup MTTY to work with the new FSK setup.  I fired up the rig and MTTY and was receiving RTTY as I expected.  I then connected my Icom 756 Pro III to a dummy load to test the FSK keying circuit I had added.  When I tried to transmit, the SignaLink™ would not go into transmit (the PTT led would not come on).  I then spent two frustrating hours trying to figure what I might have messed up making the modification.  I even fired up Fldigi to see if I could transmit PSK-31 and it would no longer transmit.  I was concerned that I might have damaged my SignaLink making the modification.

Rather than lead you through my whole trouble shooting process I’ll just cut to the chase.  I followed the troubleshooting guide in the SignalLink manual  and could not correct the problem.  I then went to their website to see if they had any other solutions.  On the website they had the following statement:

My SignaLink™ USB was working perfectly but now will no longer Transmit – This is the most common problem we hear about and it is virtually **always** due to the software volume controls being reset by Windows.  This can happen if you unplug the USB cable, change the default sound card in Windows, or accidentally mute the SignaLink’s output.  Other things can cause this to happen as well, so please check your Windows software volume controls carefully.  Note that they will most likely be reset exactly opposite of how they should be set, so they can look correct at a glance.

I then repeated Tigertronic’s audio setup procedure and the SignaLink™ started transmitting again.  I don’t have any idea why windows behaves this way, but beware if your SignaLink™ will no longer transmit, be sure to go back through the audio level setup described in the SignaLink™ manual.  Had I known this could occur I would have saved myself several hours of troubleshooting.

I can now continue to use the SignaLink™ to receive RTTY and use FSK instead of AFSK for transmitting. I plan to try out the new setup during the North American QSO Party RTTY contest this weekend.

73,

Fred, KC9QQ

My CW Progress

Posted on by February 26, 2014

During most of the time I have been a ham (other than my year as a novice) I haven’t spent much time operating CW.  After I passed the 13 wpm CW test for my General Class License, I pushed CW aside and operated SSB on the HF bands and FM on the local repeators.

This was definitely a mistake because my speed degraded over time and I missed out on the opportunity of becoming a proficient CW operator. I also lost many years of enjoyable CW operation.  Now that I am older and my ears or not as good as they once were, I have found that improving my speed and ability to copy CW has been a slow but rewarding adventure.

I have always been amazed watching or hearing other hams carrying on CW conversations at 20-25 words a minute; taking only an occasional note.  A ham I used to work with could carry on a CW conversation at 35+ wpm while also having a conversation with someone in the shack!  I found that truly amazing.  I’m sure I will probably never be able to copy 35+ words per minute while carrying on a conversation with someone in the shack, but I have at least set a goal of being able to head copy normal QSOs at 25+ words per minute.

Elecraft K2 During Assembly

Elecraft K2
During Assembly

After I retired in 2008 I put my TS-520 back on the air and spent more than a year operating SSB in contests and chasing DX.

In 2009 I decided to purchase an Elecraft K2 (10 Watt) transceiver kit; to re-experience the joy I had found building Heathkit and Knightkit kits during my early early ham years.

K2 Interior

K2 Interior

The Elecraft K2 is a marvelous kit; which was somewhat more challenging to build than the Heathkits and Knightkits I had built, but the end product turned out to be a transceiver that worked as well or better than many commercially built models. When it was finished I realized that its receiver was practically as good as my Icom 756 Pro III. Since my K2 was initially configured for only CW, I had to us CW to tryout my new masterpiece. I discovered that I really enjoyed operating CW, but my speed  and comprehension were below the 13 wpm I had mastered to get my General license.

I decided to work on improving my CW skills.  I have made significant progress from my sub-13 wpm speeds, but I’m still not copying as well as I want to.  Therefore, I continue regular practice to further improve my speed.  For my practice sessions I use three programs. They are:

  1. Morse Runner  http://www.dxatlas.com/morserunner/
  2. G4FON (Kock method Trainer)  http://www.g4fon.net/CW%20Trainer.htm
  3. RufzXP  http://www.rufzxp.net/
G4FON Kock Trainer

G4FON Kock Trainer

I started with G4FON which will send random code groups, simulated QSOs, and a list of common words using the Koch method.  In the Kock method of learning the individual letters are sent at the user selected final speed (e.x. 25 wpm) you hope to achieve but the letters are spaced out to a lower user selected speed (e.x. 15 wpm). This is done to help you learn what the letters sound like at the high speed,  but with the letters spaced out so you have a little more time to think between letters while you are learning.  Initially, I tried to copy down all of the letters, but I found that I was unable to write the letters down much faster than 20 wpm.  Therefore, I would run sessions where I would listen to complete words without trying to write them down.  This removed the pressure of trying to write down each letter and it helped me begin to form the sound of the words in my head.

Morse Runner Contest Simulator

Morse Runner
Contest Simulator

Morse Runner is contest simulator.  When you run Morse Runner you set your desired operating speed and call CQ.  Stations then call you and you have to correctly copy their call letters and exchange to receive credit for the QSO.  The program setup can be customized to provide a very realistic simulation of actual contest QSOs; including QRN, QRM, multiple callers and even LIDS.  This program has helped me to combine copying the code with keying the received code into my computer. Developing this skill is essential for CW contesting.  The neat thing about Morse Runner is that it adds and element of fun to your CW practice.  You really have the feeling your are participating in a real contest.  Since it is focused purely on contesting it doesn’t help a great deal with head copying conversations but it is very effective in helping one to simultaneously copy and type call letters and contest exchanges (serial number).

RufzXP High Speed Callsign Trainer

RufzXP
High Speed Callsign Trainer

The program I find the most challenging is RufzXP.  RufzXP sends call letters which you must accurately copy.  Each time you correctly copy a set of call letters RufzXP increases its sending speed for the next set of call letters.  Some of the sets of call letters can be very long such as: JA1ZPM/KP5/QRP.  It will send a set of 50 call signs.  You are graded on the number of correct call signs and on your maximum speed.  It is almost impossible to not make mistakes because it keeps speeding up until you do make a mistake.  However,  it is very effective at pushing you above your best speed;  which is a key factor needed to increase your speed.

So how is my CW today.  Well it is still not as good as my goal, but I am getting much better. During contests I am able to copy call letters and exchanges at 20-25 wpm.  When the call letters come at me at 30-35 wpm (especially with lots of dits! e.x. HB5HSI) I often have to listen to the call sign several times to get the correct call.  I try to operate several CW contests year, both for the enjoyment and to improve my skill.

As far as rag-chew QSOs, I can now head copy around 20+ wpm but I am still 5-10 wpm below where I would like to be.  Also sometimes a longer word will throw me and cause me to miss a couple more words just trying to get my brain back in sync!

I’ve heard a lot of hams explain how their speed was 10 wpm and after they worked Sweepstakes one weekend their speed had miraculously increased to 25 wpm.  I assume these stories are true, but I that has not been my experience.  Every gain in speed I have achieved has taken hard work and hours of practice.  I’m sure a big part of my problem is because my ears are just not as good as they used to be.  I have mild tinitus  in both ears which is probably slowing my progress.  However, even with that handicap, my speed continues to improve-albeit not as fast as I would like.  At least, now my speed is high enough that I enjoy just listening to CW QSOs.

What is the solution?  There is no doubt that the only way to get my speed above 25 wpm is continued practice and on-the-air operation.  With a little luck, I think this will be the year I achieve my goal.

73,

Fred,  KC9QQ

CQ WW WPX RTTY Contest

Posted on by February 10, 2014
Toes our Maine Coon Cat

Toes our Maine Coon Cat

I finally made my first ever RTTY contacts during the CQ Worldwide WPX RTTY contest this past weekend.  The SignaLink, N1MM and MTTY worked flawlessly during the contest. Working RTTY is certainly a lot different experience than operating CW or SSB.  RTTY signals are more challenging to tune but once correctly tuned the text magically flows across the screen.

During the contest just clicking on the various pieces of information in the MTTY receive window (callsign and exchange) automatically populates the correct fields in N1MM.  You then send your own information, wait for a TU from the other station and hit return to move on to the next contact.  This was very enjoyable.  After a while you get into the “zone” and the time just flies by.

During the contest I noticed that our Maine Coon cat is not a fan of RTTY.  Normally, “Toes” will hang around in the shack when I am operating CW.  In fact he seems to enjoy winding around my legs or laying on the bed next to my shack and observing the activity.  He didn’t come near the shack while I was operating RTTY this weekend.  Maybe the weird RTTY tones hurt his ears or perhaps cats understand CW?  I vote for the latter!  In the future I need to watch what I send, because “Toes” may be listening in.   Here is a summary of my results:

Operator Category : SINGLE-OP, All Band, High Power, RTTY

ARRL Section : IN

Club/Team : SOCIETY OF MIDWEST CONTESTERS

Band QSOs Points Prefixes
14 56 103 46
21 46 95 30
28 53 100 34
Total 145 298 110

Score:  32,780

Good Hamming but Poor Antenna Repair Weather

Posted on by February 9, 2014
Iceberg in Our Pond

Iceberg in Our Pond

The weather this winter has been good for hamming but not good for antenna work. Our winter has had one of the most sustained cold periods I can remember.

The photo at the right shows the ice in our 1/2 acre pond.  The iceberg in the middle was formed by the water falling from our floating fountain and freezing on the frozen pond surface.  This is the first time I have seen this much ice build up around the fountain.  Normally the fountain will keep an 8 to 10 foot diameter area open around the fountain.  Right now the only open area is from our air pump which is keep about 3-5 foot area open (right side of photo).

Since late December we have had a cyclic weather pattern of snow followed by sub-zero temperatures followed by warming to the mid-20’s followed by more snow and more sub-zero weather.  This weather pattern has been quite unusual for us.  Our more typical winter would be a sudden cold snap in late December or early January with one or two 6-8″ snow falls followed by a warm spell in January or February.  We would also sometimes have a snow fall sometime in March followed by a gradual warming trend until Spring arrives in April.  Of course the sustained cold is also evident in my heating bill!  I’m hoping for an early Spring because I’ve had enough winter for this year.

73,

Fred, KC9QQ

First RTTY Contacts – CQ WW WPX RTTY

Posted on by February 9, 2014

Well I finally had a chance to test my RTTY setup. I decided making a few contacts in the CQ WW WPX RTTY contest would be a good test of my RTTY hardware and software. For Hardware I’m using a Tigertronic’s SignaLink USB interfaced to my ICOM 756 Pro III.  For software I am using N1MM with MTTY and 2Tone setup in the Digital Interface.

It took a little time to determine the best arrangement of all the N1MM windows on my monitor because the MTTY and 2Tone take up quite a bit of screen space. After I had the N1MM working with MTTY and 2Tone I downloaded a key file for the CQ WW WPX RTTY contest.

I also sent out a request for pointers to fellow hams in the Society of Midwest Contesters.  Several experienced RTTY operators sent this rookie some key pointers.  I’ve summarized some of them below:

  1. Watch your ALC level
    Do not allow the ALC to activate because it can distort your RTTY signal; making it hard for others to copy.
  2. De-rate your output power
    RTTY has a 100% duty cycle when you are transmitting.  This can stress transceiver and amplifier output stages.  It is probably not a problem to operate a full power if you are doing Search and Pounce, but if you are going to try running a frequency it is best to reduce your power a bit unless you are certain your transceiver and amplifier can handle 100% duty cycle. It is advanced that you check your transceiver and amplifier manuals for their recommendations.  In my case my setup should be able to handle the 100% duty cycle, but I chose to operate at 50% power just keep the stress low on everything in case I made some sort of rookier mistake.
  3. Keep Your Macros Short
    Don’t over do the length of macros in a contest.  You can send your call twice when calling a station and send his call followed by the report twice and your call again for the exchange.  You can always re-send the information if it is missed the first time.  The default N1MM RTTY macros for the CQ WW WPX contest are reasonably short but can be tweaked a reduce them a little more.
  4. Listen for a While Before You Jump Into the Contest
    This was valuable input because when I first start tuning station during the contest it was a very confusing.  After I had spent a half hour listening to other stations operating I had a good feel for properly tuning in stations and had a better feel for the flow of the exchanges.
  5. Never Run Compression and don’t over drive the audio
    Make sure that audio compression is turned OFF.  Having it on will make it hard to make contacts.  Also make sure your microphone gain is set just high enough to provide a clean audio signal.  Keep the audio low enough that the ALC is NEVER triggered.
  6. Add a space or CR at the start and end of your macros.
    This helps to insure that your signal will be properly synchronized to the receiving end.
  7. Make Sure Your Not Operating Upside Down
    One of the most common transmit problems is transmitting inversely or up-side-down. RTTY is polarity sensitive. Transmitting inverted means you are sending a Mark when you should be sending a Space and vice versa. This can happen if you are using AFSK or FSK. With AFSK, it could mean you are using the wrong sideband. LSB is standard but USB can be used if you have the polarity correct. Yet, most stations who send inverted are using the wrong sideband. If you are set up to transmit in LSB, sending RTTY while in USB will result in your transmit being inverted.The above information was from AA5AU’s excellent article on operating RTTY which can be found here: http://www.aa5au.com/GettingStartedOnRtty.pdf

I would like to thank all of my fellow Society of Midwest Contesters for their helpful advice for this new RTTY operator.

After following through on the above advice I finally got on the air and made my first RTTY contacts last night during the CQ WW WPX contest.  I was only on about two hours and did not set any records for rate, but I did make over 30 contacts.  I plan to get on again to day and see if I can improve my skill.  I’ll let everyone know how I ended up.

73,

Fred, KC9QQ

Setting up for my First RTTY Contest

Posted on by February 23, 2014

I’m planning to make my first attempt to enter a RTTY contest during the NAQP RTTY contest later this month.  Since I have never operated RTTY  I have a lot of preparation to do before the contest.  I’ve been reading up on general RTTY operation and RTTY contesting.  I’ve decided the easiest way to get on the air will be to use AFSK (Audio Frequency Shift Keying) rather than true FSK (Frequency Shift Keying).  From what I have read, most of the serious RTTY contesters use FSK rather than AFSK because transceivers having true FSK offer better filter options than when operating AFSK using LSB mode. Since, to operate FSK I would have to setup an additional interface to my transceiver I decided to take the easy route for my first RTTY contest because I really don’t want to take the time build a FSK interface to my transceiver right now.  If I find I enjoy RTTY contesting I’ll probably go the next step and setup an FSK interface between my computer and the ICOM 756 Pro III.  I decided the quickest way to setup for AFSK is to use my the SignalLink USB interface which I have for operating PSK-31.

Tigertronics SignalLink USB

Tigertronics SignalLink USB

Last night I repeated the setup of the SignalLink USB just to make sure I have the levels correctly set on my computer.  After that I reduced the power on my transceiver and did some initial RTTY testing using a dummy load.  Everything seemed to be working OK so in the next few days I’m going to see if I can actually make a RTTY contact!  However before I do that I will spend some time tuning in RTTY signals to get the hang of quickly zeroing into the correct frequency.  I will also be watching the flow of RTTY QSOs so that I have a good feel for the proper procedures before I attempt to make my first RTTY QSO.    I plan to also read through the ARRL Operators Manual just be make sure I don’t make any stupid mistakes on my first attempt.

After I have made an RTTY contact or two I will need to setup N1MM to work with the SignalLink and MTTY.  I found an excellent website that goes through the complete setup of N1MM for RTTY contesting.

Here is a link to the website:  http://www.rttycontesting.com/n1mm/n1mm-quickstart-index.html.

As soon as I make my first RTTY contacts I’ll add a post describing my experiences.  I’ll also post my experiences setting up N1MM for RTTY.

73,

Fred, KC9QQ