My Tennessee QSO party activity (or what should've been!)

Well, I *WAS* supposed to participate mobile during the Tennessee QSO Party this past Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, the stars bounced out of alignment and a number of things conspired to prevent my quest from being fulfilled.

Just after work on Friday, I felt an "itch" in the back of my throat, which became the late summer cold I've been contending with all weekend long and still am fighting off. I was awake most every night trying to sleep, and too tired to stay awake during the day. But couldn't rest because my throat felt like it hot coals were embedded in my larynx and lying down made it worse.

Needless to say, talking hurt and not talking made the pain only more noticeable.

Fast-forward to Sunday morning. I got a text at 9am asking when I would be heading up to Morristown to meet my friend Jim to operate mobile. I texted back that I was recovering from a cold but I was getting better and wanted to get up and get mobile.

However, Jim couldn't have me around because...well...I was sick!!! The reasons are many but they made sense and I was extremely bummed out, because we'd been planning this for months. All gone to hell in a handbasket.

I eventually got out of bed and got on the radio and tried calling "CQ TNQP" on PSK31, and was met with about as much enthusiasm as a fox in a chicken coop. I finally made one contact after putting myself on the DX Cluster, basically announcing that I'm out there if anyone cared. Another station tried to reach out to me, but it was in the middle of a sneezing fit and when I finally took care of it they were gone.

I did get on voice - albeit unenthusiastic - and called CQ and worked several here and there on 40 meters, which seemed to be the main band to work on this day. But most all the bands were dead until late in the afternoon heading into the evening. Someone even put me out on the cluster and I became a hotspot right as my throat began to feel the effects of talking over several hours. Perfect timing, again!

Overall, I made just under 100 contacts. It wasn't my greatest showing. But I probably would have had way better success had I not gotten sick to begin with...

It seems I have a history of this happening when contest time appears, no matter which I want to work. One Field Day event we did at Melton Hill Dam, the day it took place, my voice was lost due to allergies, and I pinched a nerve in my shoulder blade area and moving my neck hurt tremendously. But, I had to stay because the group was using my callsign (I was the only extra class licensee at the time) and I had to stay in order to allow us to use the full allotment of bands to operate. To make matters worse, I checked into the Tennessee Phone Net to relay some bonus points (no one else apparently wanted to help!!!) and they couldn't hear me...BECAUSE I HAD NO VOICE!!! Imagine both my frustration as well as the receiving station trying to hear me, as well as all the other stations (im)patiently waiting their turn...

There's always next year, I suppose.

Tennessee QSO Party this Sunday SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!!

It's that time of year, again, the Tennessee QSO Party is about to happen, and this year I'm going to be doing it a bit different.

Most times I've operated from home during the party, however this year, I'm tagging along with a couple of friends and we're going to go mobile, operating along county lines to work stations and hopefully make a lot of contacts and points. We'll be using my callsign (K4HSM) during the event.

Jim, N4UHZ, Chuck, K4KKH, and I are going to hit the road in Jim's truck and gallivant across upper East Tennessee to make as many contacts as possible in the course of the 9 hours that the contest is active (Sunday, September 6, 2-11PM Eastern Time, or 1800z Sunday, September 6 until 0300z Monday, September 7, 2015) enjoying the views and the camaraderie as we trek across a few of the highways and by-ways of Tennessee.

I will be trying to update our progress via Twitter (@k4hsm) and I hope we'll be talking to you on the air!

The rules and such are here.

We'll try to operate from Hamblen, Grainger, Hancock, Claiborne, and Hawkins counties, and perhaps Greene, Jefferson, and Knox if there's time. We'll be mainly on voice but if we can get digital to work (PSK31) we may get that going as well. Jim's got D-Star but we're not sure how it will work, since no repeater QSO's are allowed.

Wish us luck!

SKYWARN Recognition Day this weekend!

Once again I'll be participating in SKYWARN Recognition Day, Starting officially at midnight UTC 12/1 until midnight UTC 12/2.

I'll be at station WX4MRX in Morristown TN during the "graveyard shift". I'm not sure how long I'll be there, as I have to be back home by sunrise.

I've participated in several of these from "MRX" and have enjoyed them thoroughly. Usually I end up all by my lonesome but last year a couple of guys were with me most of the time I was on station.

I'll try to post some pics of the current incarnation of the MRX station.

I'll try to update my frequency via my Twitter accounts @k4hsm and @etskywarn. 

I hope to catch you on the air!

Titanic 100th Special Event

Last year I was privileged to operate from W4S during the 99th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic. My daughter Amber (callsign pending) got a chance to operate and even earned herself a QSL card from our friend Jim, N4UHZ.

This weekend, the Titanic museums in Branson, MO and Pigeon Forge, TN will commemorate the 100th anniversary of this solemn occasion with a special radio event. W4S and W0S will be on the air this weekend to give hams the opportunity to contact the Titanic museums and receive commemorative QSLs for the contact.

I plan to be there in Pigeon Forge Saturday evening around dusk to operate one of the planned 4 stations. My family will be with me (I hope) and help operate. Everyone is welcome to attend and operate.

If you can't attend, be listening for us on the air. I plan to tweet my operating frequency so that everyone can at least try to make contact.

The frequencies planned are:

• 3.950 80 Meters
• 7.220 40 Meters
• 14.265 20 Meters
• 21.350 15 Meters
• 24.940 12 Meters
• 28.350 10 Meters

There will be CW but only during the overnight hours (I don't know why it's restricted).

Here are some other radio events planned to commemorate Titanic:

• Chatham Marconi Maritime Center - KM1CC - Thursday 8AM ET to Sunday 8PM ET
• Several operating from the UK
• Marconi Radio Club of Newfoundland - VX9MRC 507.77 kHz - 0001-0400 UTC 15 April.
• Wiregrass Amateur Radio Club - W4AVM - Friday to Monday
• EI100T 
• Titanic Historical Society - W1MGY -  1400Z - 2030Z from the 9th to the 15th
• Radio TV Museum - W3R - 8AM-8PM ET Saturday

If I find more I'll update this list this week. If you know of a special event please leave a comment.

WWV/WWVH Survey

As a ham we've all at some point heard and used WWV and WWVH for setting our clocks, guessing propagation, and getting solar info. There are even non-hams that use WWV without realizing it. They may have a self-setting clock that will listed for the time signal at least once a day and set their clock. And chances are your computer goes out to the NIST website and auto-set's your clock (if you're on XP and above, or OS X).

Right now they're conducting a survey online that might be beneficial to all of us hams out there.

Help make WWV and WWVH a little better by filling out the survey today!

CQ the Fark.com QSO party Saturday!

In addition to working the Titanic Special Event this weekend, a web site I frequent for much of my news and funny things, Fark.com, has a few hams in the group, and they're getting on the air this Saturday afternoon!

Host:	dittybopper
Description:	FARK Ham Radio QSO Party - 04/09/11 17:00 - 22:00 UTC
Date/Time:	April 9, 2011 - 01:00 - 6:00PM (Eastern time)
Party Info:	FARK QSO Party on Saturday the 9th from 17:00 UTC to 22:00 UTC. Suggested frequencies are 7.260, 14.260, 21.360, and 28.360 MHz +/- QRM. Call "CQ FARK DOT COM QSO Party". Exchange is callsign, report, and your FarkName (or Fark Account Number if your FarkName is inappropriate for over the air use). /Extra bonus points for CW contacts on 7.060, 14.060, 21.060, or 28.060

So if you're a fellow Farker like me, then get out there and let's hear ya!

BTW: My nickname is "redwing"!

Titanic Special Event Station W4S next weekend

Next Saturday and Sunday (April 9-10) there will be a special event to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Listen for call W4S on the air from Noon ET Saturday until Noon ET on Sunday, operating from the Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Having toured the museum right after it opened last year, I can tell you it's well worth the time and the price of admission to take the self-guided tour if you're ever in Pigeon Forge. The artifacts are not from the ocean floor, but either collected from people who were on the boat and disembarked in Cherbourg, France, or Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland, or from the debris during recovery.

The family and I will be up there operating during the evening hours, and I plan to try and stay overnight if possible. So listen for W4S and say hi to me!

40m long delay radio echo reported

Saw this on Spaceweather.com:

It's not uncommon for hams to hear themselves a second or two after they transmit on HF as their signal propagates around the world and then comes back on the "backside" of their antenna. It's even been reported that hams have heard their own voice come back 2, even 3 times.

But one ham in Germany recorded hearing his own CW transmissions an astonishing 46 seconds after sending them!

Peter Brogl, DK6NP, experienced this rare and little-known phenomenon (known as long-delay echo, or "LDE") on Nov. 27 on 7 MHz and managed to record the echoes.

The reasons for LDE's are unknown, although many theories exist as to their cause.

SKYWARN Recognition Day 2009

It's been a somewhat slow month for me being on the radio. After Lauren got her license things have been quiet.

I talked to her on the way home from work one evening. My friend Jason, KF4VDX jumped in and talked to her briefly, but other than that she's not had time to get on the air. She's doing homework or is at my mom's house, her friend's house, or my sister-in-law's and she's without a radio.

I'm looking to get her an HT as I promised her. I'm looking at a Yaesu or even a Chinese-made radio. I know, that whole thing with China and the economy but dammit if you can pick up a dual-bander for $95, you can't help but take it into consideration...

Another friend of mine lost his wife last month. I went to the receiving and paid my respects. I also found another friend who's been overseeing the SKYWARN activities for the NWS. His name is Ed Bradley, W4VGI. We talked (for the first time in 2+ years in person) and briefly discussed some issues that had occurred over the last 2 years. I won't go into detail, but he did invite me to the Morristown office for SKYWARN Recognition Day on December 5. I said I would look into it and asked him to let me know when he needed operators.

Fast forward to Friday, December 5.

I'm cruising my Facebook early in the evening and see someone post that they were headed to their weather service office for SKYWARN Recognition Day and I uttered a few curse words thinking (as I usually do) it was the next weekend. I got an email from him a couple of weeks before, and not surprising to me I forgot about it.

It had been 3 or 4 years since I participated (from the Morristown office, that is, although I worked a few stations from home one year) and was eager to get back up there. I called on the Morristown repeater to the ham station WX4MRX and found that Ed was there, and asked if he needed help. He eagerly accepted, and I got permission from the Mrs. and headed up to Morristown (an hour's drive from home).

When I arrived a couple of hams were on station and trying to make some contacts. It was a bit nostalgic coming back to the old place. The last time I remembered it, the actual station had 3 radios (Two 2m/440 dual-band Alincos and a 220 radio) and an APRS setup. I was pleased to see it has since been upgraded to include an HF station and additional radios on most VHF bands.

Gone are the two CRTs and in its place is one LCD with a switch to two different PCs, one for APRS, the other for internet. There are 3 Yaesu FT-8800R's for 2m/440 operation, the 220 radio (Alinco DR-235 MKIII), a Mirage B5018G amp, and Icom 718 HF rig with IT-100 Auto-tuner, and various meters and power supplies to keep the radios working. The new setup is off to the lower right, and a layout of the setup is below.

I was amazed at how much the station had changed since I last visited, but it was a pleasant surprise. Not to mention jealousy at the sophistication of the layout. The last thing I want to do is show a pic of my hamshack...

After Ed and I had a talk to catch up on the last couple of years, I got to it, trying to make contacts. I participated in the inaugural event 11 years ago and I had a very active evening, making contacts all over the US and locally. I had a great time and have worked them from Morristown off an on over the years.

Unfortunately it was not a good night on HF this time around as far as band conditions go. Everything from 10 to 20 meters was dead or dying, and 40 was noisy and polluted with the shortwave stations, and 80 was not active yet (unless you wanted to talk like a CBer on the usual outlets). I started on 20 and worked a few weather service stations, tried a few on 40, and 80 was no luck at all, even as I was wrapping up.

I only contacted about 20 stations on HF. In hindsight, I completely skipped over VHF. I could have hopped on the local repeaters and made some contacts that way (I forgot they were allowed) and completely ignored that fact.

Also, it appeared that Ed may have not submitted WX4MRX as a weather service station until it was too late, several stations were asking why we "weren't on the list".

Like Field Day, I'm thinking ahead to next year. Hopefully I'll be better prepared and I'll try to recruit some additional help for the graveyard shift. I had a couple of guys there for the first couple of hours, but they left and I was by myself until I left the weather service office at about 4am.

It's an interesting event and one I really enjoyed doing. Perhaps if I have enough time in advance I can take the family up to help participate. That would certainly bring out the hermits if they hear a female voice or even more so a kid's voice calling "CQ". Don't worry, I'll be sure to send them home before midnight.

Merry Christmas

I haven't been updating the blog because, really, there's not a lot going on at the moment. Lauren's still learning ham radio, but school took precedence and we're going to do some studying while she's on Christmas break.

Have you ever noticed that the HF bands seem to pick up on Christmas? I got on 10 meters briefly at 10PM Christmas night working a station in Kansas! 10 meters hasn't been much of anything but almost every Christmas, I get a "Christmas miracle" on HF. Two years ago, I worked 3 new countries on 20, 2 on 17, and even got a brief opening on 15. Last year, I worked 17 meters for about an hour, and even worked Australia...or was it Austria? I get those two confused...

10 meters wasn't open for long, though. I went upstairs to try and get the kids off their new Nintendo DS's (courtesy of Santa, who's now broke, mind you...) and into bed, and when I returned the band went quiet.

It seems even in the worst band conditions, the HF bands always seem to come open, even if only for a few minutes. I even heard some 2 meter sporadic E on a couple of repeaters. If I'd had my 2m sideband working I'd have given it a shot.

New Year's day the family's all going to Myrtle Beach for a few days. The last trip to Myrtle Beach, I heard the NWS...from Melbourne, FL! Hopefully I'll be able to work a station or two this time around on my HT.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays, folks.