QRO Again

Well...its at least 8 W!

73 de Rob

J97WW/J97WWW, Dave and Gay- Good on ya!

I had the pleasure of working Dave today in midst of a pile up, a well managed pile up I might add, where he and later Gay worked the wolf pack by the numbers and held them off for the pissweaker crowd. A lesson I'll remember if I ever get a zaggy prefix.

73 de Rob

Pissweaker in a Pile-Up

This was a good one, Saul was at 10W and I at 8W. I'd like to say I broke thru a pile up but no-caught him at the "CQDX." (Man's got gall-calling CQDX with just 10W). But as 10Watter in a 100Watt+ world pileups can be an exercise in frustration, this morning I listened to a Welsh ham work 6's and 7's hearing S-9 both ways and never gettting a nibbble. But getting thru happens; JH4UYB, UY2UA, PT7CB bound my world so far-now if only a ZL or VK....

Some advice I've heard has panned out-listen to the DX and get a feel for how they listen and listen for a pattern of gaps in the pack's howling. Other has not. Probably the most misleading was if the DX station is not S-9 or better don't bother. I've had satisfactory QSOs with DX stations when the best was S-4. While it is true with Q-code a QSO can be managed with a non-english speaker and many DX ops know some english, the ability to give a signal report and introduce yourself in another language helps ( now up to four)you break thru-my longest 6M contact was completed because I could give a report and grid reference in Spanish-Some ops seem to suffer from the colonial delusion-speak English long enough and loud enough and the natives will understand you-What you do is piss them off. Just don't forget; This is supposed to be fun! 73 es gud dx Rob

Cheap Tuner

This is the cheap tuner I told you about-back plate for a cheap SWR meter, variable cap from a yard sale radio, junque box toroid and some wire-all held together with hot-glue. Ain't pretty but it works. Gator clips for the antenna lead to the stator lug and to the frame for the counterpoise.

73 es gud dx

What its all about

I was originally going to post about some QSOs with hams with zaggy prefixes but today I rode along with the Salvation Army net for the Hati quake. Even did a relay.

In this day of instantanious digital communications a bunch of hams using techniques worked out almost a hundred years ago with spark-gaps and crystal detectors are still carrying the mail.

Give to the Sally, till it hurts-http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf


73 es gud dx Rob