CQ WW CW 2010

CQ WW CW Contest Summary

 Band    QSOs    Pts  Cty   ZN
   3.5      43     117   29   10
     7     161     455   74   19
    14     161     457   69   21
    21      88     248   53   15
    28      17      47   12    8
 Total     470    1324  237   73
Score: 410,440

Big DX pedition for the Fall Contest season was ZL8X to Kermadec.

1st link is 'expedition homepage

2nd is charter boat co which provided transport to the island.  The ClaymoreII offers a nice 32 hour trip to Pitcairn Island which would be a fun vacation trip.

http://www.kermadec.de/index.php

http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/visitpitcairn.html


Made it into the log during the contest for 40M CW.  Woke up early to work it on the 'grey line'

HW-9

This is the HW-9 set ready for cleaning ad testing.n

National Electronics Mueseum

On the way back from Northern VA yesterday I took a quick side trip over to the National Electronics Museum .  The Museum is Free and is located in the hotel complex at BWI Airport.  Saw many familiar items in the ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) exhibits.  

Communications Display including W3HEM in the background

Sunday Dinner in Lovettsville

Aunt Julie, Cora, Evan, Heather, Lilly

Dan, Lilly

Lilly learning to walk!

Lilly with 1st real shoes!

WAS on LOTW

Worked on States confirmed by Logbook of the World

WAS Map by Call Areas

As a result of the recent CWSS I picked up the last few states to have WAS by 'electronic confirmation'  This is 'mixed', 49 are confirmed on SSB and 49 on CW.  I have never been issued a WAS certificate and I may not ask for one now either.  CW DXCC count is now at 100 and 120 'mixed'  Also the Triple Play WAS is quite close as well.  Not something I really strive for but it is interesting to see the 'electronic confirmations'.  The eQSL confirmations though are much more fun to look at because many users have custom designed graphics with pix of something interesting.  The ARRL system is quite boring and most find it cumbersome at best.  

Entity Basic Alabama K4HAL Alaska KL8DX Arizona K7SID Arkansas KD5J California WN6K Colorado W0KIT Connecticut WA1EHK Delaware AA1K Florida K4SN Georgia KJ0R Hawaii KH6LC Idaho NX7TT Illinois N9LAH Indiana AJ9C Iowa N0NI Kansas WD0BWM Kentucky N4QS Louisiana AA5AU Maine KA1C Maryland W3DQN Massachusetts K6ND Michigan WW8Q Minnesota WA0LPV Mississippi KK5OQ Missouri N0KMA Montana KB7Q Nebraska WN0L Nevada K7SFN New Hampshire K1FWE New Jersey KI2P New Mexico WA5ZUP New York W2TB North Carolina N3CZ North Dakota W0TUP Ohio WA8LBZ Oklahoma NX5O Oregon N7MQ Pennsylvania NE3H Rhode Island KI1G South Carolina W4UK South Dakota WA0JH Tennessee K4RO Texas AA5VU Utah W7CT Vermont KE1FO Virginia N3JT Washington W7MRC West Virginia N4ZR Wisconsin K0TG Wyoming WY7LL

CW Sweepstakes 2010

New Logo by CT2IRY

The CW contests especially SS with it more complex exchange is much more fun (read easier) for me with the use of the computer.  The logging and reporting is really simplified with a good logger software and N1MM is the current winner for sure.  Their recent logo contest winner is shown above and is by CT2IRY.  Nice Job Julio!  One thing I find that works reasonably well for me is to use the HRD CW reader in the background to 'help' copy the exchanges.  This works reasonably well for me.  Load the N1MM 1st then start DM780 ONLY in the 'normal' NOT Winker mode and then adjust your windows so you can see a bit of the DM780 screen.  The water fall is very helpful for spotting and to check what is going on with the audio passband filters and some limited panoramic type display.  

Using the 'APF'  filter on the FT-1000MP MK V and watching the results on the waterfall of the DM780 was an eye opener for me.  The APF works quite well and requires no adjustment other than selection of the desired bandwidth.  The 240 hz worked most of the time once or twice there may have been some advantage to going a bit narrower.  

CWSS is a good opportunity to get on and do some fast CW with a bit more of a 'message' than 599 whatever.  With the Section,  Precedent (power/class), and Check (yr of 1st license)  you get a good amount of practice copying longer strings of code 'in your head'.  

Highlights for the contest for me were the good conditions on 80M on Sat. night.  Nice quiet conditions enabled me the opportunity to pick up a number of sections using the 40M with a long (close to 1 Wavelength on 80M) feedline.  Using the Alpha 78 that was acquired from Vince Thompson K5VT (sk).  Using the logging program also enables me to easily report the score so that my local club, PVRC gets to count my score. The K1EL keyer and software interface in N1MM works great.  Hearing the QRP stations with good  loud signals.  One station in the QRP class gave me a S/N of 809 on Sunday PM and several Q stations were successfully 'running' on prime frequencies near the low end of the band.  OK so they were not 40 over but they were S8 and had great ops with probably great antenna systems.  Working KA3DRR my 'twitter' buddy, not sure where he was but he was doing great!  Also worked fellow bloggers W4KAZ and AE5X.

Areas for improvement will be to continue to develop better 'running' skills and increase score by spending more time 'running'.  Antennas will need to be improved too.

A new Chinese Amp will probably be in the works soon for many hams see the video. http://www.56.com/u40/v_NTYxNjg5MzM.html

K3PG CWSS Summary
 Band    QSOs    Pts  Sec
   3.5      98     196   31
     7     121     242   14
    14     108     216   31
    21      15      30    1
 Total     342     684   77
Score: 52,668

CW/PSK Reader by KD1JV

Today I had some time to work on the OK1IAK /KD1JV Morse and PSK31 reader kit.  This was my 1st attempt at hand soldering SMT (surface mount technology) parts.  The new (used) Hakko 936 Iron was also used for the 1st time.  All the parts are now mounted except one resistor which could not be located.

Front of reader showing LCD display

Back of reader 

Hakko 936

My only other SMT soldering has been on the still untested Soft Rock 40 ver. 6.22 where I used solder paste , candle warmer (from craft store) and my wifes 'hot air embossing' gun which flows all the solder at once. If you go to Amateur Logic TV # 15 you can d/l a video of this technique  The hand soldering is not too hard if you have a steady hand.  I used my smallest jewelers screwdriver to hold the part down and set the Hakko Iron to about 800 degrees.  Just wet the tip (very small pointed tip) with solder, a drop is way too much and solder one side while holding the part down with the screw driver.  

Zombies and the CQWW SSB

Friday Nite Zombies

I always look forward to the announcement of the Zombie Shuffle.  My Friday night even included TWO actual QRP CW contacts this year.

Heard a fair number of stations but just worked two:

AC5JM     in OK
WA5BDF  an 'Elvis' station

At one time I had an actual Zombie # but I am now using my Area Code.

Sat we had to work but Sun I woke up early and got on the CQWW SSB test.  Phone contests are usually not my favorite but I am finding them more enjoyable with the use of HRD.  Once the voice keyer is loaded up with some wave files (made on Audacity usually) it possible to make many contacts without using the mic so much.  After about 6 hours I had to leave on the motorcycle to go to Northern VA and then WV to attend and family B'day Party for my sister Amy.  On the way home stopped in Harpers Ferry to check on my son's well that quit working.  The leaves were about at their peak crossing the Appalachian Mountains and the electric vest and heavier gloves were needed on the two hour ride home to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.



 Band    QSOs    Pts  Cty   ZN
     7       4            8       4      3
    14      28          77    21   10
    21      83         236   48   12
    28       5           15      4     3
 Total     120        336   77   28
Score: 35,280