This weekend is the first of the three winter NCJ North American QSO Party events. The three are:
I plan to put in a part-time effort this weekend using my new KX3 and operating QRP. I’m anxious to see how well the KX3 performs in crowded band conditions.
I Hope to hear many of you on the bands this weekend.
73,
Fred, KC9QQ
The temperature finally moved above zero (degF) this afternoon. The temperature made it up all the way to 10 degF. The temperature is supposed to make it all the way up to the low 30s over the next few days. I still think it will probably be a week or more before the snow melts off enough to repair my broken 80m doublet but at least the trend is in the right direction.
73,
Fred, KC9QQ
KX3 next to my 756 Pro III
Now that the family Christmas celebrations are all done, I have finally been able to spend a little time with my new KX3. I was very surprised that such a well performing transceiver could come in such a small package. After connecting an antenna and applying power I was surprised by how quiet the receiver was. Initial A/B comparisons with my Icom 756 Pro III demonstrated that the KX3’s receiver was certainly on par with the 756 Pro III, but with a somewhat lower noise level.
My next step was to make some contacts. I connected a key and tuned across the 12m band and found PJ5/K6NAO (St. Eustatius) calling CQ. I listened to him work a couple of stations before I gave him a call. I was surprised when he returned my call on the first try. I was impressed that I had gotten through the pile-up running only 8 watts (not true QRP, but still impressive).
Over the next couple of days I’ve worked Panama, the Virgin Islands, Antarctica, New Zealand, Alaska, Cuba, Bolivia, Finland and Belgium. Two of the contacts were even SSB. I also had a nice SSB QSO with a New Mexico station who gave me a 58 signal report. This evening I even worked two stations in Japan.
My first few days with the KX3 have been very enjoyable. I’m planning to use the KX3 in the NAQP CW Contest this weekend. Hope to hear all of you.
73,
Fred, KC9QQ
Cube Sats being Launched from ISS
I don’t know how many of you saw this photo on the today’s Astronomy Photo of the day, so I am showing it hear in case you missed it. The cube-sats are near and dear to we hams since they often carry Ham Radio beacons or repeaters.
This photo shows three cube-sats being released from the International Space Station last November.
73,
Fred, KC9QQ
Heavy Snow and Frigid Weather at the QTH
Well the snow has finally stopped, but the temperatures have been sitting -8 to -10 F all day. The temperatures are supposed to fall as low as -17 F tonight. The storm that passed through yesterday and last night dumped a little over 12 inches of snow at my QTH. The first 8 inches of snow was very wet and heavy. The snow built up on the trees and brought a quite a few limbs down.
Limb that Brought Down Doublet (the broken wire can be seen to the left of the limb)
Unfortunately, one of the limbs brought down my 80M doublet. This snow is going to have to melt off before I can make repairs to the doublet because I need to get up on my roof to retrieve the center insulator. This is only the second time the doublet has come down in 5 years–both times it was hit by falling tree limbs!
During the worst part of the snow storm my log periodic accumulated close to an inch of very wet snow on the elements and boom. The 55′ element tips were drooping almost 4 feet at the worst point. Fortunately, as the wind picked up yesterday afternoon, most of the snow was blown off the elements. The Orion rotor is not having any problem moving the 10-30LP8 and XM-240. I have been trying to rotate that beam every few hours just to keep things from getting frozen.
I hope to work some of you during the NAQP CW contest this weekend. Of course I won’t being working anyone on 80M this weekend!
73,
Fred, KC9QQ
Radar Image 5 Jan 2014 at 15:35Z
The weather forecast for today is for 10-12″ of snow. Once the snow stops the temperatures are expected to drop to -8 F to -15F tonight. This will be the coldest weather we have had in nearly 15 years. The snow started this morning around 7:00 am (12:00 Z) and has been increasing in the past hour. We already have 2 inches new snow on top of the 6″ that was already on the ground. The regional radar shows the heaviest snow falling in our area.
Unfortunately, I can’t avoid going out into the harsh weather because we live in the country on a small farm with llamas that will need to be cared for. Normally, they tolerate cold weather pretty well, but when the temperatures drop 10-15 below zero (with wind chills even lower) they will need the protection of the barn to stay warm. Once they are all fed and tucked in, perhaps I will be able to spend a little time on the new KX3.
The KX3 has been a lot of fun so far. The receiver is quite amazing. Of course getting heard through the DX pile-ups is a little more work with only 10 watts, but the dual watch receiver makes it easier to pick the right spot to call.
Well I just noticed the snow is falling even harder, so I need to quit and head to the barn.
73 for now,
Fred, KC9QQ
3W1T QSL Card
I have been trying for the past several months to work Vietnam. For some reason it has been alluding me. The signal strength of the Vietnamese stations I have heard have typically been barely above the noise level. Yesterday, I saw that someone had worked 3W1T on long-path on 10 meters. I tuned to his frequency and rotated my 8 element log period to the South and was amazed to hear 3W1T’s S9 signal. I tuned across the pile up until I found the station he was currently working. Fortunately, he was having great difficulty getting the correct call of the station so they went back and fourth several times before they completed the QSO. I tuned about 500 Hz above that stations transmit frequency and gave a call after 3W1T thanked the other station.
He picked me up on the first try, but we also went back and forth a couple of times before he got my call correct. What a nice feeling to hear your call from a rare (to me) DX station! The next step will be to get a card. Hopefully, this will be pretty straight forward since he has a QSL Manager.
Now it is on to the next ATNO (All Time New One). The one advantage of not having worked the entire DXCC list is that I still have 60 or so DXCC entities to still work. I am not a rabid DXer, but I do enjoy working new entities as they come along.
73,
Fred, KC9QQ
Chinese Rover Yutu on Moons Surface
China has greatly advanced their space program by soft-landing a spacecraft and rover on the moon. This is a significant step towards placing men on the moon for the first time since the USA abandoned its Apollo moon exploration program in the 1970’s the result of financial pressures created by the Vietnam war and the War-on-Poverty.
I don’t know about you, but I find the news of a Chinese moon landing to be bittersweet. I am pleased that the Chinese are inspired to develop the technology to put men on the moon, but I’m am disappointed that we (the US) have placed our space exploration aspirations on the back burner and now find ourselves in the position of having to pay Russia to transport our astronauts to the International Space Station with a replacement for the Space Shuttle still years away.
During the 1960s, the America’s space program was my inspiration to study engineering. From the the 8th grade on, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. I graduated from high school in 1966 and started my engineering studies at Purdue University that fall. While I was studying Mechanical Engineering at Purdue several of my professors had worked on various aspects of the Gemini and Apollo programs. Some of our homework assignments even dealt with design aspects of the Apollo program.
Unfortunately, by the time I received my mechanical engineering in 1970 the US was drastically scaling back spending on space exploration. Therefore, I didn’t get a chance to work on the space program when I graduated. By the time NASA received the funding to move forward with the Space Shuttle and International Space Station I was already well entrenched in my career at Carrier Corporation (a Division of United Technologies).
I know I was not the only engineering or science student at Purdue that had been inspired by the US space program. The same thing that inspired me and tens of thousands of others to pursue degrees in science and engineering is now happening in China. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese school children will one day graduate with engineering or science degrees because they were galvanized by seeing their Lunar Rover, Yutu, exploring the surface of the moon.
What is our country doing to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineer? I fear we are not doing enough. Have we lost our ability to dream? Are we doing an injustice to our children and grand children by not having a realistic strategic plan for space exploration? It seems that NASA funding moves up and down with the whims of the politically elite in Washington. They seem more focused on spending tax dollars to buy votes than they are on maintaining our technological leadership. A couple of bright spots in our current space program are the Hubble space telescope and the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity, both which were planned over a decade ago, but I don’t believe we are doing enough now to capture the imaginations of our young people.
We need to find some way to get our kids and grand kids away from their video games, text messaging, cell phones and the non-redeeming entertainment from Hollywood and motivate them to dream, explore and design new things.
Perhaps a legitimate NASA space program could help to capture the imaginations of the next generation of US scientists and engineers. Otherwise, I fear that in the near future we will just become the consumers of technology generated by China, India and other developing countries which understand that their future depends on motivating their young people to pursue technical degrees which ultimately benefit their entire population. All one has to do is visit China to see the significant impact this approach has been having on their country over the last two decades.
Just my thoughts,
Fred, KC9QQ
Elecraft KX3
As Delivered
Well yesterday, UPS delivered a small box clearly marked as a factory assembled KX3. After I signed for it, my wife commented: “You’re not going to open that before Christmas are you?”. Pack your bags, we’re going on a guilt trip!
Now I have a brand new KX3 still in its sealed box sitting under the tree calling–“open me, open me!”.
The un-boxing and initial perceptions will have to be delayed until Christmas. Until then, I’m still reading all the write-ups I can find on the KX3. I have also found a lot of good YouTube videos describing how to operate and configure the KX3. Hopefully, I can hit the ground running on Christmas day.
Fred, KC9QQ
It was nice to spend a little time on 10M this weekend. I couldn’t put a lot of time in because I had a Christmas Party and other distractions but at least I was able to make some contacts and work one ATNO, All Time New One (Monaco). It was also an opportunity to practice my CW. I am noticing some improvement, but I’m still not as skilled as many of the other contesters. I still have not tried to RUN stations because I don’t yet have the confidence that I can copy call signs coming back at me at 30 to 35 words per minute.. Therefore my contesting activity is primarily Search and Pounce.