This is for those friends who followed Rob, both on his radio and through his online blog. Rob passed away last month after fighting cancer for five years.

His radio is silent now as is the great sound of his voice, his laughter and his joy of living. His heart was just too full for this world. Maybe somewhere, out there in the universe, someone will hear his voice from his radio calls and he will live on, his great heart echoing through time and space.

I will leave this blog here for a few weeks so that anyone who followed him might know.

Joy Mott

So, Maybe it wasn't a Fluke!

                             
                               Rodrigo, however you say "Thanks" in Portuguese ! 73 Rob

The Joystick Comes Thru

Winter storm took down the W3EDP sloper so the Joystick with its 10 ft lead has become the antenna of necessity! I know this explainable by other means but 4959 Miles at 5W with an indoor antenna is a gas. I personally have a hard time accepting it was just the 10 ft feed-line.

Gracias y 73 Esteban!


73 de Rob

Joystick Antenna

This is another entry into the Gooch's Law Sweepstakes; "RF's gotta go somewhere."  The common refutation for these high dollar-ultra compact antennas in relation to performance has been the feedline does most of the radiating. The EH, cross field antennas and the like have been the subject of a lot of on-line debate. The magnetic loop has been the exception and many commercial and home-brew examples exist.  I remember the Joystick from my pre-ham childhood as an in-room antenna but hadn't thought of it in years till the possibility limited antenna options arose and I began to look for an option to my W3EDP sloper. A random wire run around a room and a mono-band whip out the window were tried  with some utility but lower bands were not accessible with any degree of efficiency so the Joystick was remembered and a clone cobbled up. An old fiberglass cane pole was used to give a center loaded six feet length and the inductance for the loading coil was extrapolated from several on line plans (~35 micohenerys). Wire strung from each end of the coil was used instead of copper pipe (pricey!) and a ten foot lead was used to the random wire tuner. It tuned up on 10, 20, 40 and 80 meters and contacts were made in the 300 to 600 mile range on SSB and PSK with 42 to 55 reports.

OK, was it just the feed line? 16 feet of wire would not tune below 20M without reversing the transmatch leads to the low-Z configuration. The coil was at least allowing the antenna to load on the lower bands and I was making 40 and 80 meter contacts not available on the wire alone. I suspect the lead is a major radiating element but not alone. Performance was definitely not as good as the sloper.Given the cost was about five bucks I can't complain.

 73 de Rob

So, That's What I Look Like

Thanks Michael

73 Rob

Store Bought Tuner

Retired the homebrewed junque-box special after 60 DX countries, it just would not tune below 40M without a lot of tweaking and not 80M or 160M at all. The new one is as simple as a rock and gives an acceptable or better match 10M to 80M (haven't tried 60M) and I think I need more wire for 160M, or at least measured for a critical length. I have noticed folks are more prone to ragchewing on 80M which means I need to work on the typing.

73 de Rob

HELL I did it again!

Merci Didier!

73 de Rob

Well Hell(screiber that is)

Thanks to Raffaele I completed my first, and only, Hellschreiber contact. And DX at that! It's an interesting mode, dating from the 1920's and tolerant of low power, poor selectivity and less than optimal band conditions-ideal for a pissweaker, like yours truly. While there is some interest stateside, the reflector suggests more interest in Europe and Africa. I did note the day of the QSO, I had been unable to raise EU on PSK. The Op. at the other end was patient and the DX mode on Hellschreiber was useful but I couldn't even get a QRZ? on PSK31. Anyway, gonna keep trying on this mode.

Grazi Raffaele!

73 de Rob

Getting That Urge

To start chasing meteors with equipment ill suited to the task-in the 90's it was with 10 watts SSB and a cross polarized omni antenna. But I live in a valley now-not on a ridge so I may have to gin up an antenna with some gain and aimed over the ridges.

Tnx Michael

73 de Rob

Now, That's A Zaggy Prefix!

Thanks Mike, 73 de  Rob

Buy Her Book-Buy me a Tower II

The YL has a new one out there.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B007JCG9MK/ref=sib_dp_kd#reader-link




73 es tnx  Rob

Interlude

Spent the last few days chasing after and feeding copious quantities of grilled cheese sandwiches to the grandsons. When I got home had almost as much fun with my first Tasmania QSO!  Thanks Doug

73 de Rob

Nothing Like Some Confirmation

I continue to be amazed with what 5 Watts and a wire out a window can do!

Tnx guys, 73 de Rob

Well Now, Wasn't That Fun?

The big storm left us without power from 1900 Friday till 0430 Wednesday. No ham radio heroics, but the skill set allowed the ginning up of a charging station for electronics-we still had some cell service. Now I know that the rule is you are on your own for the first three days but we never saw FEMA, the National Guard nor the Red Cross. The local Volunteer Fire Department carried the load, emergency medical services, distributing food and water and trying to provide accurate information. Meanwhile NPR and other big outlets were giving infrequent bulletins that sounded like press releases. A local sports/talk radio station improvised a studio and tried to get out and receive information with call ins, local emergency officials and business that had emergency power so they could provide some services. Again no big ticket relief organizations involved. 

I'm no stranger to relief efforts, as a ham in a major flood and data infrastructure reconstruction after Andrew and the big organization and agencies can work but they are hard to get started and aren't too flexible but that was no excuse for their conspicuous absence.

I think I'll take a check to the VFD tomorrow.

Nuttin to do with Ham Radio, 73 de Rob

My Pissweaker Pacific DX Window

Not to brag, OK I'm bragging, worked JE1AAG this am at 1104Z. This has been consistent with the ZL, VK and 3D QSOs and has been accompanied by near crickets in NA. If I hear anybody in NA it is in the NE.  Monitoring the DX, they don't seem to be working any 6's or 7's and none are heard at this QTH. At least it seems there is a gap in the Great Wall of California. The set up is still 5W into a top fed vertical cut for 40m and worked on 20M. It could be the product of behavioral engineering; 1100Z is pretty early for the West Coast and it seems to be better on workdays. Of course it only may be the product of more radio time with retirement.  73 de Rob

A Flash From the Past

A little six meter qrp.

This is the QSO that got this OM a mention in QST and was the inspiration of 10 Watts, a Wire and an Attitude. Gracias Luis for uploading this to eQSL.  73 de Rob

GO FIGURE

This retirement thing has given me more morning time to operate and I just added ZL3DW/QRP to the list, thanks Andrew!, but it has me puzzled. Each time I have worked this kind of dx, VK, 3D es ZL, stateside, in fact most of NA, has been dead to me and the PSKReporter shows few if any spots in NA. By 1200-1300Z NA warms up and the waterfall is full. Maybe this is the window in the 6-land Great Wall? I am still amazed what I can do with 5 watts and a wire stuck out my window!   73 de Rob

HOT DIGGITY DAMN DAMN!

First day of my retirement I work a VK qrp, then the second day its 3D2MP Fiji! There must be something to this retirement thing. 73 Rob

HOT DIGGITY DAMN!

Made the antipodes! Tnx Mick-VK4NGW, ya made this QRPers day. About 1800 miles to the watt short path.   73 Rob

QRPp or 5400 Miles to the Watt.

Was calling CQ QRPp on 20M for a while tonight with no joy, then heard HC6EP calling CQ. A 3X3 callback and we connected for a 599/579 QSO. After the QSO I realized I hadn't upped the power back to 5W but completed with 0.5W. Must be something to this Brimstone and Treacle of a Brit wire vertical

Gracias Ernesto

73 de Rob