Understanding My Propagation and Work'n a Few QRP

PSK Reporter Map for AK2MA

My personal schedule has been pretty busy over the last few weekends but I wanted to get on and play a bit this weekend. My goal was to get back on JT65 and work a few stations. Saturday was out of the question but I was bound and determined to get the indoor Buddipole hooked up to the IC-703+ on Sunday. I actually did get things hooked up late Saturday night and just let JT65 send reception reports to the internet while being parked on 20 meters.

Alaska

One of the great uses of weak signal software like JT65HF of WSPR (just to name a few), it allows you to study propagation patterns to and from your QTH. This is a great tool when you are looking for a certain section of the globe that has evaded your logbook. I have to think back to the days when there was no internet and to work a new one, you either monitored the local packet cluster via AX25 Packet, received a phone call from a fellow ham or just happened to stumble across that new one. How did we survive? Call me crazy but I actually miss those days. 

Japan

Using PSK Reporter, I was able to determine what I was hearing and when. Doing a bit of homework will pay off if you study how propagation works. Of course, there is a bit more to it, but understanding when a certain part of the globe might be heard from your QTH is a great start. I recently read a blog entry from KL2R that hit this subject directly. Larry outlined some great advice. Not that each and every ham needs to be a propagational expert (I'm far from being one) but it pays off when doing your homework. It's extremely helpful to know what you might hear when surfing Grey Line Propagaton or simply which band might be the best to use during a certain time of day or night. Beacons are another great tool. NW7US writes many articles explaining propagation and routinely writes predictions for upcoming major contests. It's extremely easy to drop an email and ask for a sked but you might be surprised what you can work if you put in a little bit of research. Of course, there are many factors that effect modern day communications but the more you understand, the better your chances of success.

JT65A & 15 Meters on Sunday, March 16th, 2014

And in speaking of success, I knew that 15 meters should yield some good propagation across the pond for my compromised setup. My setup is far different than what I had in Alaska. I'm currently running (on pretty much a regular basis) my Icom IC-703Plus at 5 watts or less to my Buddipole Deluxe set up in our upstairs hallway. Because I'm running QRP and using an indoor antenna, it can be a struggle to find my next new DXCC entity or that new state. I'm currently working on QRP DXCC both on the CW and digital modes. It's tough at times but easily attainable. Running QRP requires lots of patience and I'll be the first to admit, I lack in that arena. But as mentioned earlier, homework and persistence will pay off so I know I'll be successful.

Indoor Buddipole Setup      

I've had a few inquiries in regards to my indoor buddipole configuration. The picture to the left gives a view of my Buddipole Deluxe as I routinely set it up in the upstairs hallway. Running QRP, it's crucial that the SWR is as low as possible as I want as many of those few watts to make it to the antenna as I can get. It also helps that the antenna is on the second story so it's approximately 20-25 feet above the ground. Still far from anything great but as you can see, you don't need much to get on the air. As I've mentioned before, after running beam antenna's and power over several years, this has been a humbling experience for me. I set up the Buddipole using the suggested configuration (depending on band) and normally it will get me in the ballpark, even indoors. 

For now, this is my station but I'm thankful to be able to get on the air. I'm not sure when and if I will ever have a full station with exterior hardware on the air but as hams have proven over the years, where there is a will, there is a way. In the mean time, I'll continue to surf the propagational wave of DX in hopes of landing that next new one bringing me closer to that very meaningful certificate I hope to collect. Just like the lottery, you can't win unless you play.   

2013 Year In Review

2013 KL8DX Total QSO's as reported by Clublog

It's hard to believe that we have entered yet another year. Leaving 2013 behind is bittersweet. I very much miss operating from Alaska however, it's nice to be closer to friends and family here in the lower 48. My wife and I spent Christmas with many of those important to us but most importantly, we spent our first Christmas with our grandchildren. We are looking forward to spending many more holidays and long weekends in Ohio, where most of our family live. The only ham radio excitement I had while back in Northern Ohio was hooking up with my CW Elmer Ed, K8QWY on a local repeater! It had been ages since I have talked with Ed on VHF. Even though I did not get to see him and many of my other ham friends personally, it is my plan to touch base with them on future trips to the Buckeye. I ran APRS for most of the trip and was pleased with much of the coverage. In many cases, I had better APRS coverage than I had cell phone coverage. 

2013 was the year of change for this ham. From leaving Alaska to changing my callsign, this was change in the extreme. If departing remote Alaska and arriving to busy Boston was not enough, having to learn a new callsign and change all of my information kept me pretty busy. We are still unpacking boxes and sorting through the years of accumulation with a goal of downsizing by at least 50%. It's also an adjustment going from a 4 element tri-bander at 43 feet with an Icom IC-756PRO to a Yaesu FT-857D with 100 watts or less to an indoor Buddipole. I went from finding a clear frequency calling CQ and dealing with contest pile-ups and running stations for hours to 100% Search & Pounce.  

On a personal note, we went from living nearly tax free to tax overload here in Massachusetts. I've not sat down and compared apples to apples as it really doesn't matter as we are here. It's not all bad as we live next to New Hampshire and like many folks who reside here, we can shop north of the border saving some of that tax burden. So many cities and stores within 25 miles of our home and we have been enjoying the selection. And when it comes to radio, it's very different here. The biggest change is propagation. I'm no longer under the aurora curtain so there is normally something on the radio 24/7. I sure enjoyed the ARRL 10 Meter Contest and to date, I've worked a whopping 47 entities with my low power indoor antenna set-up. I had to create my submission log for the ARRL 10 Meter Contest manually, so after returning home from our holiday travels, I managed to finish up my log and submit it. Gives one a new appreciation of contest software that does all that paperwork for ya. I have plans of upgrading my shack computer so once I'm done with that task, I can hopefully get back to using Win-test. I have a few more computers to recycle and it will be time to get working on the shack computer upgrade. 

Anyhow, the photo at the top of the page is from Clublog of my 2013 activity as KL8DX. Only worked a bit over 2,400 QSO's with most being contest related from Alaska. I was not chasing DX, as I had while living in Ohio but my total while living in Alaska is also reflected by the Clublog DXCC overview. 

KL8DX DXCC Alaska 

Clublog is a great program and as long as it's available, I will support it and continue to upload my logs. It has actually caught several issues that my logging program either misidentified as a wrong DXCC Entity or simply helped me realize I busted a callsign. Just this afternoon, I created my AK2MA log and uploaded all of the contacts I've made since residing here in MA. But I'm happy with my 212 worked while operating from Alaska. Most were worked during contests but I did chase a few DXpeditions. 

I started working on my next QSL card prior to the holiday's but now that we are settled back into the new year grind, I will be continue working on my next design. I've already received a few QSL card requests so for those that might be reading my blog and sent a card, I hope to have some new cards printed soon. I also have two huge bureau drops for KL8DX to deal with as well. I'm hoping that since we are entering the coldest months of the year, I will have a bit more time for the ham radio administrative side of things. I've had visions of GlobalQSL and it is certainly worth consideration. From those I've heard that use it claim it puts more fun in ham radio as you're spending less time on QSL duties.

AK2MA Clublog Overview

So with only a bit over a few hundred QSO's in the ol logbook here at AK2MA, I have plans of some casual winter operating. As I write this, I'm watching the DX spots scrolling across a vintage version of Ham Radio Deluxe via KL7G, spotting many of the RTTY stations including a few of my old Alaskan neighbors in this weekends contest. I still very much enjoy RTTY in this age when there are so many digital modes available. Like Morse Code, it has that vintage feel to it (it that's possible while using a modern day computer with software and a soundcard). 

I have no plans or milestones set for 2014. I hope to do more portable operating and we will be on the hunt for out of the way places to camp and break away from the general public. If you had been following my KL8DX blog you will know that my Ameritron Amplifier has been out of service for the last few years. Carl, WL7BDO came down to my house while we lived in Alaska and helped me troubleshoot and diagnose my case of Ampluenza. I hope to send that off for repair and then as mentioned earlier, get my shack computer upgraded and rebuilt. I also need to start thinking of a new affordable (keyword) HF rig. I will hang onto my Icom IC-756PRO until there are no parts available but my goal is to set it up for digital contesting. I would like a main CW rig, that being a Elecraft K3, Icom or Yaesu HF rig. I'm not even sure when I will have a tower up again (won't be one at this QTH) but when I do, I want to have the station ready. In the mean time, I have my Icom 703Plus, Icom 706MIIG and my Yaesu FT-857D to play radio with. Unless I'm participating in a mult-operator setting at another QTH, my operating here will likely be casual and more Search & Pounce than anything. Once I find my data cable for my Icom's, I'm looking forward to getting back on digital. 

Now that we have entered into a new year, I'm hopeful that my adventures both on and off the radio continue. I'm sure 2014 will continue with some changes but I'm hopeful it will be less dramatic than 2013. I think my theme for this year will be less. I plan on much more QRP operating as conditions here are more conducive to low power operating. Not that Alaska wasn't a QRP contesting hotspot but many times even 100 watts would hardly make it across the state border. Both KL7AC and KL2R have posted some pretty nice numbers while operating QRP from the 49th. My station however lacked the exterior metal work that would help that 5 watt signal make it much beyond the neighbors house. Even though I no longer have my tower up since moving, ham radio is very much alive in our house. With the feedline running from the rig on our kitchen table, through our kitchen and living room, up the stairs and connecting to the antenna in the hallway during the weekends, there is no doubt ham radio is happening around here, just on a much smaller scale.