Early operations from NA-076

At the moment I'm working on a makeover for the Cedar Key Historical Society's web site, and as I was flipping through old photos I came across this healthy dose of Hallicrafters goodness! Click the photo to enlarge it.

Back again.

I've been tuning around since Wednesday with the little rig (at 5 watts) and a short wire (poorly matched) at the ass end of the sunspot cycle. Could it get any worse? 🤔

Making a few contacts, added a couple of new ones for the QRP DXCC chase (8P9 and VP2V) bringing me up to 60 worked. But damn, it's hard to make Qs! So much easier with the KPA500...

The KX2 is an amazing radio. I'm making this my main rig until I accomplish two goals: get the Tarheel and ground radials installed, and work QRP DXCC. I don't think I'm going to get 40 new ones by the end of the year, but maybe by February and the Orlando fest. The Tarheel screwdriver, though... that would definitely help with the DXCC goal.

I've been working in WordPress for a couple of clients and loving it, so this blog may be undergoing a major redesign soon.

The Jackonaut has called dibs on my office/shack, so he's the Second Op now, relieving the Tiny Brown Kitten of those duties.

DXCC #223: VP6EU Pitcairn Island

I've been watching the VP6EU DXpedition since it began operations a couple of weeks ago, but I could barely hear them with the indoor wire so I had pretty much lost hope. Then yesterday happened. I decided to put my ass in gear and at least get the window feedthrough panel in place so I could throw the Ultimax end-fed up as a temporary solution. I took some doing finding someone was a saw to cut the panel to the proper length; I had to put a PL-259 on a short coax run using some angel-hair thin solder; and finally I needed to move my desk (with everything on it) away from the window. All done without too much trouble.

With the 31' Jackite pole I bought last year zip-tied to the front deck, the antenna zip-tied to that, and coax attached, I was in business. I'm still getting a lot more noise than I did at the last QTH, but the signals are noticeably stronger when they don't have to pass through a steel roof. It seems like the K3's ATU is getting a better match, too. Still can't run the amp, so 100 watts is what I have to work with for now.

Right off the bat I easily worked VE3VSM/HR9 Honduras (Roatan Is.) on 20m, PJ7AA  Sint Maarten on 17m, and ON4UN Belgium on 40m. Okay, all working. The hunt for VP6EU was on.

I kept my eye on the cluster until I saw VP6EU spotted on 17m just after local noon. He wasn't terribly strong but above the noise level by an S-unit or so. Dropped my call once and got him. No. 223 in the log!

Among the other current DXpeditions that I've been able to check off the list today is TX5T Austral Island on 15m. I had Austral on all bands 80-10 from the TX6G operation a few years back while I was in TX, but this is another new one for my Cedar Key QTH. Also worked 5K0N on San Andres Island on 17m this morning.

2017 ARRL International DX Contest (CW)

Total DXCC: 44
New DXCC: 0
New Band Slots: 3
Category: SOAB-L Unlimited

No outdoor antenna at the Paroda Ave. QTH, but I had the UltiMax end-fed strung around the shack for a few weeks. Prior to the contest I had limited results -- the occasional Caribbean  and Central American station here and there. So when the contest weekend rolled around I had pretty low expectations. Due to RF issues when running 500W (mouse moving around the screen on transmit, all sorts of beeping and menu openings, etc.) I kept it at 100W and had no problems, as long as I kept my hand off the mouse when transmitting; otherwise I'd get macro repeats and other weird happenings.

Wkg condx...

I started out on 40m around 0230 Saturday, immediately started working into Europe, as well as Madiera Is. and the usual Caribbean big guns (and a few little guns) Eventually got KH6LC in Hawaii, the only Pacific station worked during the test. Only put in four hours, picking through the cluster. Since I wasn't after a big score I chose not to work any country twice per band. Went to bed with 19 countries in the log.

Saturday afternoon I spent an hour and change making 5 QSOs on 15m and one on 20m before running around town. Back in the shack that evening (UTC Sunday morning) and got TA3D Turkey right off the bat, then a bunch more Europeans. Later on I tried 80m and managed to work some more Caribbeans (US V.I., Aruba, Bonaire, Turks & Caicos, and Curacao) and France.

Sunday afternoon and evening (local) between 1945 and the end of the contest was mostly spent in and out of the shack, bouncing between 10m, 15m, and 20m before ending on 40m. At this point I was pretty surprised to have made more than a handful of contacts, so I set myself a goal of working 30 countries. Then 40 countries. Then 60 QSOs. Then 10,0000 points. Then 12,000 points.

Ended the weekend with 65 QSOs for 44 Countries, 65 mults, and 12,675 points. Not bad for 100w into a 24' piece of wire inside a house with a metal roof. 😎

March 2015

DX - I was not quite as active in March as I'd been in Jan/Feb, but I ended the month with three all-time new countries and a YTD DXCC total of 164, up 13 from the end of February. Had a fine run of African DX, some easier than others. Here's the highlight reel:

• E51UFF North Cook Islands: ATNO #216. Worked op LA5UF on four bands (40/20/12/10), always weak but always in the log on first or second call. No ClubLog or LOTW. 
• E30FB Eritrea: ATNO #217 - This was tough, took a week before finally get in the log on two bands (12/20) in one day (15-Mar). Matched on ClubLog.
• A71EM Qatar: ATNO #218. Fairly easy, LOTW confirmation in three days. Tnx Juma!
• 9Q0HQ Dem. Republic of Congo: Worked on five bands (40/30/20/17/12) but the 17m QSO is missing from their online log. I'll take four. 
• 7QAA Malawi: Five bands (20/17/15/12/10), all ClubLog matched.
• 5Z4/DF5ZP Kenya: Second band (15) for the DF3FS/DF5ZP operation. No LOTW, apparently...
• 5Z4LS Kenya: ...but Nick G3RWF thankfully does use LOTW! Worked him on 12m and got LOTW the same day for DXCC Mixed #178.
• FR5DX Reunion Island: This was a nice catch! I was just tuning around the 20m phone portion and stumbled upon Erick in QSO with another op. Dropped my call after they were finished and got a 58 report back. No ClubLog/LOTW.
• V5/G3TXF: Only heard Nigel on one band (12) and got him in the log. ClubLog matched, LOTW confirmed a few days later.
• KG4HF Guantanamo Bay: Added two more bands (30/15) to the three QSOs in February (20/17/12), although the 12m QSO was busted. So this operation ended with four bands matched on ClubLog and confirmed via LOTW.
• 4Z5ML Israel: Finally found a 4X who uploads to LOTW! Thanks for DXCC Mixed #179, Alex!

Last 10 New DXCC Worked
218	QATAR	A71EM	3/27/2015
217	ERITREA	E30FB	3/15/2015
216	N. COOK ISLANDS	E51UFF	3/4/2015
215	LORD HOWE ISLAND	VK9LC	2/25/2015
214	REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN	Z81X	2/22/2015
213	KALININGRAD	UA2F	2/22/2015
212	COCOS IS.	TI9/3Z9DX	2/19/2015
211	KENYA	5Z4/DF3FS	2/19/2015
210	MAURITANIA	5T0JL	2/13/2015
209	CAMEROON	TK3SN	2/11/2015

Ground-Mounting the Tarheel Screwdriver

I have finally dispatched the tripod! The Tarheel is now mounted at ground level on a 10 ft. galvanized pipe driven about 8 feet into the ground (thankfully the ground is sand...). So now the radials extend horizontally rather than drooping down 3 or 4 feet like before. My SWR on 80m and 10m is still way out of whack -- the antenna will not tune under 1.5:1 below 5 MHz or above 26 MHz or so -- but 40m up to 12m I can tune it to 1.2:1 or better.

There was some very bad RFI on 17m the other day, getting into the upstairs stereo so loud that I could here it downstairs in the shack. This has been greatly improved, and I'm still operating without any sort of RF ground system and only 8 radials @ 9 ft. each. The next items on my To Do list are to increase the number of radials, hopefully longer than 9 ft., and to install some ground rods at each end of the coax to ground the antenna and all the equipment inside.

Shakedown

Everything works, for the most part. I've pretty much concluded that the high SWR on 40m and lower is simply an installation anomaly. While it tuned 40m just fine in Texas, it never could tune above 15m. Now 40m is an issue, but I can get it as low as 1.5:1 on 12m, thus allowing me to turn on the heater if needed.

The plan of attack is:

1. Get the antenna off that stupid tripod! A more permanent ground-mounted installation and more/better/longer radials should help.
2. Move it away from the vehicles. Currently it is sitting a few feet from the Faraway Inn E150 cargo van, which is a lot of metal. Not helping, I wouldn't think.
3. Replace the coax -- this run of RG8X is pushing 15 years, and has been outside the whole time.  When I order supplies for the low-band dipole I will add however much more I need for a good run to the Tarheel. Probably going to go with LM400.
4. Ground the hell out of everything -- radios, antennas, and anything in between. The RFI into the stereos is a problem, I'm sure the neighbors are scratching their heads.

Until I get my SWR issue resolved, I'll be spending a lot more time lurking on 12m and 10m (the latter requiring barefoot power and the K3's ATU), slowly chipping away at whatever I come across. Which is a lot, since damn near everything is needed on those bands; I'm currently sitting at 8 DXCC confirmed on 12m, 42 on 10m, so there's lots of catching up to do.

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In other news...

Kitten discovers the one warm spot in the shack -- my PS-430 12v supply.

HNY!

Hello 2015! 
The Tarheel was brought out of storage and set up, all the cables run, all the pieces of the station unboxed and connected. I'm now QRV from CKFL.

My first Cedar Key QSO at 1848 on December 31 (W100AW, 15m CW); the first of 2015 was with RI1ANR at Novo Airbase, Antarctica (20m CW @ 0330).

I'm currently operating 30m~15m. If band conditions a right I will try 12m and 10m. Hell, maybe even 6m. Just without the amp -- the analyzer shows the Tarheel tunable to SWR 1.2 or lower down to about 8.7 MHz; the upper end of the tuning range is around 22 MHz. That will have to be worked out. Made 24 contacts for 20 countries in the first seven days of 2015, including Order of Malta (1A0C) for all-time #205 worked.

The shack is going to be minimalist for a while. My new office is a lot smaller than the last so I need to keep the radios near the end of the desk in order to have better access to the rear panels of the K3 and KPA500. I'll beaving the NRD-515's and all the rest of the radios boxed. The mic is going to stay packed, too, unless and until I play in a phone contest. Or I may dig out the Heil Proset and get that working again instead. Right now I'm happy making almost every QSO with a straight key.

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Twenty-Fourteen was productive for me even though there were several months that I was QRT. The DXCC totals that I'm starting 2015 with:

DXCC Totals
12/31/2014
	Cfd	Wkd		Cfd	Wkd		Cfd	Wkd
Mixed	170	204	80m	11	26	17m	57	86
CW	149	187	40m	112	135	15m	105	135
SSB	105	133	30m	59	89	12m	6	11
Digital	60	82	20m	130	168	10m	41	52

A big +74 country gain on CW, from 75 confirmed at the beginning of the year to 149 at the end. All that key slappin' paid off! Passed 100 on CW, Phone, 40m, 20m, and 15m. And finishing off Triple Play a few days before moving to Cedar Key was a great way to end my 5-year, off-and-on operating stint in Texas.

My 2015 plans: put some wire in the air for the low bands, at least 80m and 40m; connect the Macbook Air to the K3 so I can finally put the old Dell desktop out to pasture; start chipping away at QRP-DXCC and QRP-WAS; and most importantly, install a good ground system. Like, soon.

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Latest eQSL design for Cedar Key, FL operations:

That is, I believe, the No. 16 channel marker. North Key is in the background, one of our favorite boating spots. I'd really like to operate from one of the little outlying islands here in the Cedar Keys. But when I'm actually setting foot on one of them I'm reminded that they're full of things that make me itch. Still...