Flea Market this Saturday
Hi All,
I am thinking about going down to De Anza College for the Flea Market this Saturday. Is anybody interested in meeting there or hitching a ride? Maybe we can get an op session going in the afternoon.
Neal has a portable beam that he needs some help testing and erecting. Neal are you available this weekend?
I have been working on a Tony Parks SDR receiver kit that I have had for more than a year. It has been an interesting experience working on surface mount components. You need to use a good liquid flux or you get cold solder joints! I need to wind a couple of toroids to complete the band select filters and I will give the thing a listen.
73, Dave W6VYC
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Dear Mr. Kierans,
?
We are a small group of amateur radio operators in the Bay Area. We wonder if the KFS anatenna site in Palo Alto's Baylands?may possibly be available for our experimatations. We don't know if the antenna is currently?in use?or?to whom it belongs.?
?
Any information would be appreciated.
?
Sincerely,
?
Hiroki Kato, AH6CY |
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Dear Gang:
Apparently the KFS site in palo alto is still active, owned by Globe Wireless.?
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
Wow! ?It sure looks abandoned! ?Do you know what freq/mode they use?
They use the proprietary Globe Wireless modulation scheme. ?Frequencies are listed
at:which also still shows the transmit location to be Palo Alto.RD=================================Richard DillmanChief Operator, Coast Station KSMMaritime Radio Historical Society=================================
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Re: Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
Hiroki, et al:
?
I believe you are referring to the old KFS ship-to-shore CW transmitter site out there just south of the Palo Alto Baylands.? When I was a college student at SJSU, one of the members of our club station was a night watchman at the KFS site.? One night at midnight he got a bunch of us inside the building.? There were 1930s transmitters, huge crystal ovens, it was AMAZING.? Most of the feeds were open-wire line, and they all went by flourescent tubes that would glow with the CW so engineers could tell which antennas were hot.? This would have been in the 70s, when the big rhombics were still up and the death of maritime CW was?decades away.? ?
?
I rode my bicycle out there a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised to see that many of the wires are still up (my old eyes couldn't see that from the street).??I'm not sure the city of Palo Alto owns that land, it may be federal.? At any rate, the guy to contact for info would be:
?
Richard Dillman, W6AWO
Chief Operator, Coast Station KSM
Maritime Radio Historical Society
?
The callsign KFS is still used on the anniversary of marine radiotelegraphy going off the air for an event called "The Night of Nights."? There is a Yahoo group for?the MRHS.? KSM? is easily heard on my 31' vertical and K3.? As a final note, KFS was my first introduction to CW when I was a little kid.? I would tune my father;s enormous Telefunken shortwave radio and (it had no BFO) I would hear this monster thumping?of?"KFS"? We lived about?3 miles from the transmitter at the time, and of course no antema was?necessary!? I can still hear that thumping of the KFS letters, and it was not machine-sent CW, it had swing to it.? I didn't know it then, but this was called "the wheel" where the coast station sends its callsign, the calls of ships it has traffic for, wx, etc.?? Check out the MRHS website.? ?
?
73,
?
Eric? WD6DBM?
From: Hiroki Kato
To: QRPops@...
Sent: Fri, May 28, 2010 8:58:02 AM
Subject: Re: [QRPops] Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
?
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Folks,
?
I will join you guys on Sunday.
Speaking of abondoned sites, the antenna field in the marsh?in Palo Alto (near the Bay Shore preserve, visibile from Hwy 101) would be a candidate to activate for HFers. I ran into a ham at AmTech a while ago,?whose name and call I don't recall, who mentioned that perhaps the city of Palo Alto would be agreeable to let hams do something. I think it would be worthwhile to look into and I would like to try when I have the time this fall. Anyone knows anythinhg about it?
?
CUL ES 73 de AH6CY
?
--- On Fri, 5/28/10, Tim Dolan wrote:
From: Tim Dolan
Subject: Re: [QRPops] Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: QRPops@yahoogroups. com
Date: Friday, May 28, 2010, 7:57 AM
?
| Hi guys,
Hope to see a few of us on Sunday. That site looks like a good one.
That is one interesting website Dave F. There seems to be no end to what the internet can provide in terms of information.
Everyone enjoy the long weekend!
Tim --- On Thu, 5/27/10, David W Crocker wrote:
From: David W Crocker
Subject: [QRPops] Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "QRPops" <QRPops@yahoogroups. com>
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 8:12 PM
?
Dave,
Tim has suggested that we post to QRPops so that everybody can see all this good stuff. It was my fault for not posting my original e-mail.
Dave W6VYC
--- On Thu, 5/27/10, Dave Flack <daveflack@comcast. net> wrote:
From: Dave Flack
Subject: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "'Nick Garner'" , "'David W Crocker'" , "'Neil'" , "'Hiroki Kato'"
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 7:43 AM
If I were more hip I suppose I would tweet stuff like this, but anyway...
?
Just on a lark I searched for abandoned radio stations which led me to:
?
From here I got to: http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/? If you follow the sub links you get to >>States >>California? Some interesting places to string up curtain antennas, long wires, etc.?
?
Low power doesn't mean low gain!? Road trips rule!? (OK, I'll settle down now.)
?
Dave
Howdy Folks,
It's been a while. ?I don't think I'll be able to make it out this weekend either. ?The baby is jus around the corner and I've plans to put together the baby's stuff and clean out the garage. ?I have a backpacking trip next weekend, my last before stopping the outdoors stuff. ?Have fun this weekend and Happy Memorial Day!
Nick
On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 9:38 PM, David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com> wrote:
Tim and All,
Looks like an interesting spot. Maybe we can meet there this Saturday or Sunday. Weather should be good. If we plan to get together I will post a message on QRPops.
I got a pair of W4RT Collins filters (500, 2300 Hz) for the 703 and installed them today. Really makes a difference particularly the CW filter. Watch out all you diddy boppers here I come....
Dave
--- On Wed, 5/26/10, Tim Dolan <cyclist@sbcglobal. net> wrote:
From: Tim Dolan <cyclist@sbcglobal. net>
Subject: Re: Ravenswood Park E. Palo Alto
To: "David W Crocker" <dwcae@yahoo. com>
Cc: "Dave Flack" <daveflack@comcast. net>, "Neil" <neil@ghostdog. com>
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 6:07 PM
| Just got off the phone with Patrick and he is very familiar with the end of Bay Road. Apparently, it is a popular spot for nature lovers and walkers and would be fine for our purposes.
FYI, Cathy and I enjoyed Neil's flank steak special tonight....hmm good!
Tim --- On Sun, 5/23/10, David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com> wrote:
From: David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com>
Subject: Ravenswood Park E. Palo Alto
To: "Tim Dolan" <cyclist@sbcglobal. net>
Cc: "Dave Flack" <daveflack@comcast. net>, "Neil" <neil@ghostdog. com>
Date: Sunday, May 23, 2010, 4:09 PM
Tim,
Dave F. and I were looking for a venue along the bay for a possible outing next weekend (Memorial Day). We were looking at the end of Bay Road (south end of Ravenswood Park). There appears to be an abandon building on a small peninsula that extends into the bay with a parking lot nearby. The best I can tell the area is not gated. Tim, could you check with your son to see if we could setup some antennas out there. I will also call the Mid Peninsula Open Space (650 691-1220) to see if they are in charge of the area.
Dave
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|
|
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|
|
Re: Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
Folks,
?
I will join you guys on Sunday.
Speaking of abondoned sites, the antenna field in the marsh?in Palo Alto (near the Bay Shore preserve, visibile from Hwy 101) would be a candidate to activate for HFers. I ran into a ham at AmTech a while ago,?whose name and call I don't recall, who mentioned that perhaps the city of Palo Alto would be agreeable to let hams do something. I think it would be worthwhile to look into and I would like to try when I have the time this fall. Anyone knows anythinhg about it?
?
CUL ES 73 de AH6CY
?
|
--- On Fri, 5/28/10, Tim Dolan wrote:
From: Tim Dolan
Subject: Re: [QRPops] Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: QRPops@...
Date: Friday, May 28, 2010, 7:57 AM
?
| Hi guys,
Hope to see a few of us on Sunday. That site looks like a good one.
That is one interesting website Dave F. There seems to be no end to what the internet can provide in terms of information.
Everyone enjoy the long weekend!
Tim --- On Thu, 5/27/10, David W Crocker wrote:
From: David W Crocker
Subject: [QRPops] Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "QRPops"
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 8:12 PM
?
Dave,
Tim has suggested that we post to QRPops so that everybody can see all this good stuff. It was my fault for not posting my original e-mail.
Dave W6VYC
--- On Thu, 5/27/10, Dave Flack wrote:
From: Dave Flack
Subject: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "'Nick Garner'" , "'David W Crocker'" , "'Tim Dolan'" , "'Neil'" , "'Hiroki Kato'"
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 7:43 AM
If I were more hip I suppose I would tweet stuff like this, but anyway...
?
Just on a lark I searched for abandoned radio stations which led me to:
?
From here I got to: ? If you follow the sub links you get to >>States >>California? Some interesting places to string up curtain antennas, long wires, etc.?
?
Low power doesn't mean low gain!? Road trips rule!? (OK, I'll settle down now.)
?
Dave
Howdy Folks,
It's been a while. ?I don't think I'll be able to make it out this weekend either. ?The baby is jus around the corner and I've plans to put together the baby's stuff and clean out the garage. ?I have a backpacking trip next weekend, my last before stopping the outdoors stuff. ?Have fun this weekend and Happy Memorial Day!
Nick
On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 9:38 PM, David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com> wrote:
Tim and All,
Looks like an interesting spot. Maybe we can meet there this Saturday or Sunday. Weather should be good. If we plan to get together I will post a message on QRPops.
I got a pair of W4RT Collins filters (500, 2300 Hz) for the 703 and installed them today. Really makes a difference particularly the CW filter. Watch out all you diddy boppers here I come....
Dave
--- On Wed, 5/26/10, Tim Dolan <cyclist@sbcglobal. net> wrote:
From: Tim Dolan <cyclist@sbcglobal. net>
Subject: Re: Ravenswood Park E. Palo Alto
To: "David W Crocker" <dwcae@yahoo. com>
Cc: "Dave Flack" <daveflack@comcast. net>, "Neil" <neil@ghostdog. com>
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 6:07 PM
| Just got off the phone with Patrick and he is very familiar with the end of Bay Road. Apparently, it is a popular spot for nature lovers and walkers and would be fine for our purposes.
FYI, Cathy and I enjoyed Neil's flank steak special tonight....hmm good!
Tim --- On Sun, 5/23/10, David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com> wrote:
From: David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com>
Subject: Ravenswood Park E. Palo Alto
To: "Tim Dolan" <cyclist@sbcglobal. net>
Cc: "Dave Flack" <daveflack@comcast. net>, "Neil" <neil@ghostdog. com>
Date: Sunday, May 23, 2010, 4:09 PM
Tim,
Dave F. and I were looking for a venue along the bay for a possible outing next weekend (Memorial Day). We were looking at the end of Bay Road (south end of Ravenswood Park). There appears to be an abandon building on a small peninsula that extends into the bay with a parking lot nearby. The best I can tell the area is not gated. Tim, could you check with your son to see if we could setup some antennas out there. I will also call the Mid Peninsula Open Space (650 691-1220) to see if they are in charge of the area.
Dave
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
| Hi guys,
Hope to see a few of us on Sunday. That site looks like a good one.
That is one interesting website Dave F. There seems to be no end to what the internet can provide in terms of information.
Everyone enjoy the long weekend!
Tim
|
--- On Thu, 5/27/10, David W Crocker wrote:
From: David W Crocker Subject: [QRPops] Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "QRPops"
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 8:12 PM
?
Dave,
Tim has suggested that we post to QRPops so that everybody can see all this good stuff. It was my fault for not posting my original e-mail.
Dave W6VYC
--- On Thu, 5/27/10, Dave Flack wrote:
From: Dave Flack
Subject: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "'Nick Garner'" , "'David W Crocker'" , "'Tim Dolan'" , "'Neil'" , "'Hiroki Kato'"
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 7:43 AM
If I were more hip I suppose I would tweet stuff like
this, but anyway...
?
Just on a lark I searched for abandoned radio stations
which led me to:
?
From here I got to: ?
If you follow the sub links you get to >>States >>California?
Some interesting places to string up curtain antennas, long wires, etc.?
?
Low power doesn't mean low gain!? Road trips
rule!? (OK, I'll settle down now.)
?
Dave
Howdy Folks,
It's been a while. ?I don't think I'll be able to make it out this
weekend either. ?The baby is jus around the corner and I've plans to put
together the baby's stuff and clean out the garage. ?I have a backpacking
trip next weekend, my last before stopping the outdoors stuff. ?Have fun
this weekend and Happy Memorial Day!
Nick
On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 9:38 PM, David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com>
wrote:
Tim and All,
Looks like an interesting spot. Maybe
we can meet there this Saturday or Sunday. Weather should be good. If we
plan to get together I will post a message on QRPops.
I got a
pair of W4RT Collins filters (500, 2300 Hz) for the 703 and installed
them today. Really makes a difference particularly the CW filter. Watch
out all you diddy boppers here I come....
Dave
--- On
Wed, 5/26/10, Tim Dolan <cyclist@sbcglobal. net> wrote:
From:
Tim Dolan <cyclist@sbcglobal. net>
Subject: Re: Ravenswood
Park E. Palo Alto
To: "David W Crocker" <dwcae@yahoo. com>
Cc: "Dave Flack" <daveflack@comcast. net>, "Neil" <neil@ghostdog. com>
Date: Wednesday, May 26,
2010, 6:07 PM
| Just got off the phone with Patrick and he is
very familiar with the end of Bay Road. Apparently, it is a
popular spot for nature lovers and walkers and would be fine for
our purposes.
FYI, Cathy and I enjoyed Neil's flank steak special
tonight....hmm good!
Tim --- On Sun, 5/23/10, David W Crocker
<dwcae@yahoo. com> wrote:
From:
David W Crocker <dwcae@yahoo. com>
Subject: Ravenswood
Park E. Palo Alto
To: "Tim Dolan" <cyclist@sbcglobal. net>
Cc: "Dave
Flack" <daveflack@comcast. net>, "Neil" <neil@ghostdog. com>
Date: Sunday, May
23, 2010, 4:09 PM
Tim,
Dave F. and I were looking
for a venue along the bay for a possible outing next
weekend (Memorial Day). We were looking at the end of
Bay Road (south end of Ravenswood Park). There appears
to be an abandon building on a small peninsula that
extends into the bay with a parking lot nearby. The best
I can tell the area is not gated. Tim, could you check
with your son to see if we could setup some antennas out
there. I will also call the Mid Peninsula Open Space
(650 691-1220) to see if they are in charge of the
area.
Dave
|
|
|
|
|
Fw: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
Dave,
Tim has suggested that we post to QRPops so that everybody can see all this good stuff. It was my fault for not posting my original e-mail.
Dave W6VYC
|
--- On Thu, 5/27/10, Dave Flack wrote:
From: Dave Flack
Subject: road trips, abandoned sites, etc.
To: "'Nick Garner'" , "'David W Crocker'" , "'Tim Dolan'" , "'Neil'" , "'Hiroki Kato'"
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 7:43 AM
If I were more hip I suppose I would tweet stuff like
this, but anyway...
?
Just on a lark I searched for abandoned radio stations
which led me to:
?
From here I got to: ?
If you follow the sub links you get to >>States >>California?
Some interesting places to string up curtain antennas, long wires, etc.?
?
Low power doesn't mean low gain!? Road trips
rule!? (OK, I'll settle down now.)
?
Dave
Howdy Folks,
It's been a while. ?I don't think I'll be able to make it out this
weekend either. ?The baby is jus around the corner and I've plans to put
together the baby's stuff and clean out the garage. ?I have a backpacking
trip next weekend, my last before stopping the outdoors stuff. ?Have fun
this weekend and Happy Memorial Day!
Nick
On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 9:38 PM, David W Crocker <dwcae@...>
wrote:
Tim and All,
Looks like an interesting spot. Maybe
we can meet there this Saturday or Sunday. Weather should be good. If we
plan to get together I will post a message on QRPops.
I got a
pair of W4RT Collins filters (500, 2300 Hz) for the 703 and installed
them today. Really makes a difference particularly the CW filter. Watch
out all you diddy boppers here I come....
Dave
--- On
Wed, 5/26/10, Tim Dolan <cyclist@...> wrote:
From:
Tim Dolan <cyclist@...>
Subject: Re: Ravenswood
Park E. Palo Alto
To: "David W Crocker" <dwcae@...>
Cc: "Dave Flack" <daveflack@...>, "Neil" <neil@...>
Date: Wednesday, May 26,
2010, 6:07 PM
| Just got off the phone with Patrick and he is
very familiar with the end of Bay Road. Apparently, it is a
popular spot for nature lovers and walkers and would be fine for
our purposes.
FYI, Cathy and I enjoyed Neil's flank steak special
tonight....hmm good!
Tim --- On Sun, 5/23/10, David W Crocker
<dwcae@...> wrote:
From:
David W Crocker <dwcae@...>
Subject: Ravenswood
Park E. Palo Alto
To: "Tim Dolan" <cyclist@...>
Cc: "Dave
Flack" <daveflack@...>, "Neil" <neil@...>
Date: Sunday, May
23, 2010, 4:09 PM
Tim,
Dave F. and I were looking
for a venue along the bay for a possible outing next
weekend (Memorial Day). We were looking at the end of
Bay Road (south end of Ravenswood Park). There appears
to be an abandon building on a small peninsula that
extends into the bay with a parking lot nearby. The best
I can tell the area is not gated. Tim, could you check
with your son to see if we could setup some antennas out
there. I will also call the Mid Peninsula Open Space
(650 691-1220) to see if they are in charge of the
area.
Dave
|
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|
Ravenswood Open Space, Sunday 1PM
Hi All and Vic,
We plan to meet at the parking lot of Ravenswood Open Space at the end of Bay Road in East Palo Alto at 1PM this Sunday, 30 May. We will be there until at least 5 PM. We have not operated here in the past but it looks like there is a lot of space to setup antennas right on the edge of the bay (QRPers really like salt water, Hi Hi).
Here is how to get there:
North Peninsula
-Exit 101 East at Willow Rd.
-Turn Right at Newbridge St.
-Merge Left at Bay Rd., continue to end
South Peninsula
- Exit 101 East at University Ave.
-Turn Right at Bay Road, continue to end
73, Dave W6VYC
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Dave et al,
?
Thanks for the reminder. I have almost forgotten about the date for the Faire. I am back in the Bay Area and will try to make it today.? I?don't know what time I will get there but I plan to stay thru lunch, so if anyone need company for the meal call me on my cell 415 713 0369.
?
CUL.
Hiroki AH6CY
?
?
?
?
?
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--- On Thu, 5/20/10, David W Crocker wrote:
From: David W Crocker <dwcae@...>
Subject: [QRPops] Maker's Faire
To: "QRPops" <QRPops@...>
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010, 2:22 PM
?
|
Hi All,
Tim, Neil and I plan to attend the Maker's Faire this Saturday at 10 AM. We are going to meet at the front entrance between 10 and 10:15 Saturday. Hope to see you there.
Dave W6VYC
We have kind of taken a break from the weekend operations. Some of us have been out of town and our main man Tim K6OM is practicing to become a one arm bandit after getting his shoulder rebuilt. I was up in San Anselmo house sitting with my wife and managed to get on the top of a hill and made a couple of contacts in Japan and here in the states. It was pretty windy during that time and my loop antenna took a flying leap off of their deck and landed 30 feet down the hill. It is now a diamond shaped instead of square. I am going to build another one based on a design that Dave Flack sent me that uses 6 inch wide aluminum flashing to make the loop and a variable tuning capacitor. Here is a pdf showing the
details:
http://midnightdesi gnsolutions. com/MidnightLoop /Midnight% 20Loop%20% 28Mar%2011a% 29.pdf
Dave
|
|
Hi All,
Tim, Neil and I plan to attend the Maker's Faire this Saturday at 10 AM. We are going to meet at the front entrance between 10 and 10:15 Saturday. Hope to see you there.
Dave W6VYC
We have kind of taken a break from the weekend operations. Some of us have been out of town and our main man Tim K6OM is practicing to become a one arm bandit after getting his shoulder rebuilt. I was up in San Anselmo house sitting with my wife and managed to get on the top of a hill and made a couple of contacts in Japan and here in the states. It was pretty windy during that time and my loop antenna took a flying leap off of their deck and landed 30 feet down the hill. It is now a diamond shaped instead of square. I am going to build another one based on a design that Dave Flack sent me that uses 6 inch wide aluminum flashing to
make the loop and a variable tuning capacitor. Here is a pdf showing the details:
http://midnightdesignsolutions.com/MidnightLoop/Midnight%20Loop%20%28Mar%2011a%29.pdf
Dave
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Re: 12 volt laptop power supply
Dave,
I have a computer variable DC to DC converter that I was going to setup for recharging the Netbook in Death Valley, maybe even build a smart charger circuit for recharging a GelCell.
Dave W6VYC
|
--- On Thu, 5/6/10, w6dlf wrote:
From: w6dlf <daveflack@...>
Subject: [QRPops] 12 volt laptop power supply
To: QRPops@...
Date: Thursday, May 6, 2010, 9:20 AM
?
I was buying a replacement laptop AC supply from Central Computer and asked if they had a DC to DC supply--sure enough they did.? It's both an AC to DC and DC to DC supply for $49!? (The AC only supply is $39.)? It's 90 watts and has plugs for any laptop and adjustable output voltages.? It's called a Stiger 3 in 1 Universal Adapter.? (Fry's wants $90 for a DC only).
I know, I wouldn't need a computer if I used SSB or CW.
73,
Dave, W6DLF
|
12 volt laptop power supply
I was buying a replacement laptop AC supply from Central Computer and asked if they had a DC to DC supply--sure enough they did.? It's both an AC to DC and DC to DC supply for $49!? (The AC only supply is $39.)? It's 90 watts and has plugs for any laptop and adjustable output voltages.? It's called a Stiger 3 in 1 Universal Adapter.? (Fry's wants $90 for a DC only). I know, I wouldn't need a computer if I used SSB or CW. 73, Dave, W6DLF
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West Coast Military Radio Collectors Group conference
| Hello everyone,
Hope all is well with you and everyone is having a productive spring. Dave Flack and I went to San Luis Obispo in his camper to attend the MRCG meeting over the weekend. We did some field operating, too, Dave on his usual PSK31 and I on 17/20 SSB with 2.5 watts, with decent results. (A guy in Hartford, CT, gave me 59 but he must have been in a hurry or worse). It was a lot of fun, esp. for me as I haven't done camping for over 30 years. Moreover, it was some experience staying overnight on a military base. We saw many old equipments and demonstrations, of course. One guy was running a mechanical (oil dripping, real kind) WWII era RTTY machine, ?receiving
?a simulated message about dropping the second A-bomb on Nagasaki. My favorite was a single tube (I believe it was 12SK7) clandestine
regenerative receiver built in a water canteen (both heater and B-voltage used 12v DC). One guy was selling a Chinese ?Military transceiver with an inscription of Mao's exhortation; it had to be a late 1960's piece.??I took some pictures, but I am having a problem downloading from my camera right now. If you are interested in what was going on in the conference, I refer you to:
I bought a few items (the flea market there was really nothing but military radio stuff, no computer s...), including a fairly unmolested BC-348Q. I fired it up in Dave's camper on the site but it didn't turn on at all. Well, (Dave doesn't know this yet) I couldn't resist working on it as soon as I came home Sunday afternoon, and it became operational after installing an AC switch with a fuse and replacing 3 electrolytic capacitors. There is nothing like listening to a 40m CW signal received by a 65 year old radio and hearing it on a 600 ohm WWII vintage headphone (which was another purchase of mine at the
MRCG).?
73, Hiroki AH6CY
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Backyard Portable Op Arecibo Radio Telescope on 432 MHz
Dear Gangue:
For the past few days some hams have been at Arecibo using the telescope for moonbounce experiments on 432MHz.
Yesterday I set up my 10-ft 432 Yagi on some lawn chairs in the back yard, with a Mirage D1010N amp running off a marine battery.? I used my trusty FT-817, and did actually hear some CW off the moon from Arecibo.? It was very weak, and I could only copy it?less than?20% of the time.? The noise figure on the 817 is probably 10-15 db at 432, and it really needed a preamp which I don't have (yet).? But I was encouraged that portable EME using the 817 will be possible with a preamp, especially using WSJT instead of CW.? I'll need a power-miser laptop for this, the one I have now doubles as a heater.?
Today I used the same antenna but listened on my K3/XV-432 and the results were much better.? I was listening on WSJT mode, and copied Arecibo for more than an hour.? I'm attaching a pic of the WSJT screen.? I could easily hear them through the speaker.?
73,
Eric WD6DBM
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Everyone,
?
Hope you are all?having good spring days, including some RF outings.
I went to the MIT flea market this morning, which was held in one of the MIT parking structures.
The scale was about the same as our DeAnza scene, but far less stuff on ham?related area?but more on computer and instrument side, not surprisingly. There was a guy demonstrating and selling some real antique Enigma encoding and decoding stuff. The only thing I bought is an old book on the Atlantic cable laying of the late 1800's. It was not for me but for my son who is with a venture to develop a data center in Iceland and lay? optic cables between Iceland and Europe. They charged me $5 just to get in, not for parking as I was a walk-in, taking the T (i.e., Boston's subway) from my apartment. What an insult! The WX here continues to stink, though I am hearing a lot of EU stations on 17, 20, 30 and 40. I only worked one W4 on SSB yesterday afternoon on 20.
73,
Hiroki AH6CY
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? |
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Extreme Portable Ops -- Not
Dear Gang:
I recently went cross-country skiing, and decided, of course, to bring along some ham gear and try some operating.?
First I had to decide which rig to bring.? I thought about bringing one of my herd of Rockmites because they are tiny, light, and rugged, but 1/2 watt into a comprimise antenna didn't seem like a good idea.? The physical ruggedness of the 817, combined with its 2800mAh internal battery pack was tempting, but I really do not find it very easy to use and there would be extra setup time?with my external T1 tuner, etc, etc.? The K2 is too big.? The K1 is good, but I settled on the KX1 using an external 12V AA?lithium pack that would give me almost 4 watts out and last for hours with the KX1's tiny current consumption.? Plus I had the 6 internal AA?Lithiums for extended operation at 2 watts--6db above a RockMite.? ?
For the antenna I was going to bring an MP-1.? I built a crash-proof carrying case out of 4" ABS pipe with a plug on one end and a screw top on the other.? This was one of those projects that looked good in my mind's eye but after I built it I could only wonder what the hell I was thinking.? It was way too big, heavy, and bulky.?
I ultimately decided to just use a simple wire thrown into a tree with the internal ATU of the KX1.? To protext the KX1 I used a Pelican 1200 case which--although it was big and bulky--could take not only my best fall but probably be run over by a?SnowCat and survive.? I put the paddles, battery pack, headphones, etc into a Pelican 1060 mini case.?
It had been a few years since I went X-C skiing, and I ended up taking way too much junk in my pack.? It weighed about 20 lbs!? I rode a ski bus (bayareaskibus.com) up to Sugar?Bowl, and skiied over to the interconnect trail that would connect me with Summit Station at Royal Gorge.?
Well, long story short, it took me a?bit longer than I anticipated to get to Royal Gorge, and I was panicked on the way back thinking I would not make it to the ski bus and they would leave without me.? I was pretty exhausted after the first 10K and got sloppy and slow.? I skiied all morning without a crash, but by the afternoon I was so tired I must have crashed a dozen times--twice while standing still!? That happens when you get really tired.? I spent about 6 hours on skiis total, skied about 18-19km, and spent 0 minutes operating!??At least the Pelicans did their job and no equipment was damaged despite direct hits from?some nasty spills.? ?
I'm still hoping to get another chance before the season ends.
73,
Eric WD6DBM
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Hi all,
?
I'm glad I let you know about Tim.
?
But the rest was not important to the group?-- I
didn't realize I'd responded to the group, and not just Tim.
?
Apologies.
?
Have a fine week, qrp'ers. Neil
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Neil Murphy
650.375.0886 wrk
650.533.2015 mobile
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Tim,
What is this? Had no idea you were having a shoulder problem. Hope
all will go well and you get speedy recovery.
Hiroki |
?
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Re: first three portable ops
Tim,
What is this? Had no idea you were having a shoulder problem. Hope all will go well and you get speedy recovery.
Hiroki
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--- On Mon, 4/12/10, Neil wrote:
From: Neil
Subject: RE: [QRPops] first three portable ops
To: QRPops@...
Date: Monday, April 12, 2010, 12:25 PM
?
Tim,
?
Nice write-up on your travels with the Daves last weekend. You went to my fav haunts, sorry to have missed it.
?
I woke up with vertigo, and after several hours of dealing with it, asked a neighbor to drive me to emergency. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't having a stroke! Turns out you need to have more symptoms than dizziness to trigger that concern. But I didn't know that.
?
Bottom line, I'm healthy as a rat and the vertigo is going away - cause unknown. Fine.
?
I wasn't going to write about all that. My intention was to wish you well on your surgery Friday. It's such a good thing to do. I sleep so much better without having to 'place' my arm throughout the night. The rehab is tedious, and you can expect to be pretty sore in the beginning, but that goes away quickly, and you will be so glad to have a new shoulder in the end.
?
Of course, once the shoulder is fixed, you can't expect to work real DX any more. Just Lodi and Orinda.
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May the Irish gods of light and health shine upon your shoulder and speed it's healing. Today is swamped with work, but I'll give you a call mid-week to cheer you on!
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Murf
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Re: first three portable ops
Tim,
?
Nice write-up on
your travels with the Daves last weekend. You went to my fav haunts, sorry to
have missed it.
?
I woke up with
vertigo, and after several hours of dealing with it, asked a neighbor to drive
me to emergency. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't having a stroke! Turns out you
need to have more symptoms than dizziness to trigger that concern. But I didn't
know that.
?
Bottom line, I'm
healthy as a rat and the vertigo is going away - cause unknown.
Fine.
?
I wasn't going to
write about all that. My intention was to wish you well on your surgery Friday.
It's such a good thing to do. I sleep so much better without having to 'place'
my arm throughout the night. The rehab is tedious, and you can expect to be
pretty sore in the beginning, but that goes away quickly, and you will be so
glad to have a new shoulder in the end.
?
Of course, once
the shoulder is fixed, you can't expect to work real DX any more. Just Lodi and
Orinda.
?
May the Irish gods
of light and health shine upon your shoulder and speed it's healing. Today is
swamped with work, but I'll give you a call mid-week to cheer you
on!
?
Murf
|
I was glad I ran into the three of you at the park (Tim, Dave and Dave).
Thanks for sharing the wealth of knowledge you have. I learned a lot and you answered many of the radio questions I have.
BTW, I stayed for another hour after you left. As predicted, my ham friends in Russia were a solid 599 on 14.070 PSK31 as the sun was going down.
Dave W6DLF, I looked at my QSO log from last year. You are the one who contacted me on the radio and added me to the old email list.
W6RSL
Michael
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--- In QRPops@..., "cyclist@..." <cyclist@...> wrote:
Hi Guys,
Yesterday was really an enjoyable day. Dave Crocker (aka Northern Dave) picked me up and we drove to the De Anza swap meet where we hooked up with Dave Flack (aka Southern Dave). I picked up a few needed items, including a new roof mount tripod for the 2 element Yagi I took down several months ago. After lunch, Dave and I visited HSC, Frys, and Weird Stuff, all great candy stores.
Then we met Dave at Baylands Park who drove his RV with all his PSK gear. We found a rather empty section of the park, which was otherwise quite packed. Southern Dave put up his loop and Northern Dave erected his 31' Jackite on 20m, and I later set up the MP-1 on 15m. Bands were good and a JA contest made 20m and 15m cw a lot of fun. Everyone got out well.
Shortly after we arrived, a fellow walked up to our site and introduced himself. He turned out to be Michael Patton, W6RSL, who used to be on the email list we had before using this Yahoo Group. Michael is now a member of our group again. He has a FT-757 and and a FT-817, but used the 757 hooked up to a Mp-1 vertical. Later on, Nick and his wife dropped by to say hi. Won't be long before they are parents. Nick and I took turns giving out Qs to the JA contesters. Everyone had a good time and a chance to get caught up on things. We never did hear Hiro, but one of these days it will happen.
Dave and I headed back to my place, where my wife greeted us with BBQ Ribs and all the fixings.
I will eventually post photos of this and other Ops.
Tim
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David W Crocker