Simple Ham Radio Remote, The Smith Chart, LW MW Antennas and More, KC7NYR Amateur Radio Site, Battery University, Antenna Measurements, Conventional or Inverter Generators, KX3 assembly videos 
Outdoor 80m/40m bands Magnetic loop antenna, Active 3-30 MHz Hula-Loop Antenna for Shortwave, A600 Power Amplifier Project, Chokes and Temperature changes, JRC NVA-88 Modification, NOAA Predicted Sunspot Number, Improving the audio on the ICOM IC-27, 
HF Radio Propagation Forecast, Mains RF Filter, Some secrets of Common Mode Chokes revealed, Short receiving loop antenna, Shortened 30m Dipole , FT-817 internal battery power Fix, Estimated International Sunspot Number,
Raspberry PI remote Ham Radio Server, High Performance Common-Mode Chokes, DIY Yagi Antenna, A High Performance RF Choke for the HF bands, Thunderstorm connected with Sporadic E propagation, QRZ.sh, Portable Operating Tips for Ham Radios,
Simple Ham Radio Remote, The Smith Chart, LW MW Antennas and More, KC7NYR Amateur Radio Site, Battery University, Antenna Measurements, Conventional or Inverter Generators, KX3 assembly videos 
Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Thursday , August 31, 2023 One of the reasons that I like Elecraft I'm an Elecraft fanboy . I'm not ashamed to admit it . I know that Elecraft is not everyone's cup of tea and I fully accept that . But here's one of the reasons , that I like them so much . They pay attention to their . customers A new KX2 user has been having problems with his KX2 since he recently got it . He's spent time on the phone with Customer Service and at their request , he shipped the unit back . Needless to say , the shipping costs back to Elecraft came out of his own . pocket He detailed his problems on the Elecraft io.group , hoping another KX2 user who might have had the same issues could lend some advice . He wasPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Wednesday , August 30, 2023 Battery City Progress , of . sorts I think that the little SLA that I used on Sunday is OK . I put it on my little ACME battery charger No . I did not get it from Wile . E . Coyote Sunday evening and the voltage indicator light changed from amber to green overnight . I checked the voltage again when I got home from work last night and it was still holding steady at 12.9 Volts , so I don't think it's internally discharging at any great rate . nbsp Of course the proof of the pudding will occur when I attach the KX3 to it to see how it handles a load . I'm kind of confident in this one , . though The bigger SLA has been charging for two overnights 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM now . I
The Great Lakes Division director position is up for grabs this year. Our current director, Dale Williams, WA8EFK, is not seeking re-election. There are two candidates, Michael Kalter, W8CI, and Scott Yonally, N8SY. I’m supporting Michael Kalter, W8CI. W8CI is one of the movers and shakers behind the Dayton Hamvention, and has served in many […]
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, Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Tuesday , August 29, 2023 So what does a QRPer need an amp for , anyway Good question And actually , this might surprise some , but there is an SSB eeek net on 75 Meters double eeek that I try to check into on Sunday evenings that would be the St . Maximilian Kolbe . Net The net meets each Sunday at 8:00 PM local time here on the east coast and it's a gathering of Catholic gents who also happen to be Amateur Radio ops like Fr . Max SP3RN . was Net control is Lloyd K3QNT who is located in Pennsylvania . Realistically , 5 or 10 Watts QRP is not going to make it on 75 Meter SSB unless I had a 100 foot tower with a beam atop it The KXPA100 allows me a boost up the power to about 75 Watts , which is
Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Monday , August 28, 2023 2023 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt I thought it was going to be a good day . I got everything set up relatively early , in my favorite Skeeter Hunt haunt Cotton Street Park in South Plainfield . The weather was almost perfect Sunny , not terribly hot , but the humidity was still on the high side , which was a bit uncomfortable , but not . terrible Things started out going swimmingly . I wasn't banging out contacts , but then IT happened . I was in the middle if a QSO when I got the Low Batt warning on the KX3 display . Like what I was using my Powerwerx deep cycle battery . Sure , I had depleted it during Field Day , but I charged it back up right after . nbsp When I was getting ready onPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Friday , August 25, 2023 eBay For grins and giggles , I did a search on Elecraft Not looking for anything , just want to see what's out . there It looks like plain vanilla K3 100 Watt transceivers are going for roughly 1300.00 give or take a few . hundred The K3S 100 Watt version is going for roughly 4000.00 give or take a few . hundred PX3 Panadapters can be gotten for around 1000.00 to 1200.00 although I did see one for 750.00 Windcamp travel cases for a KX3 and a battery for 250.00 to 300.00. Are you kidding me 300.00 for a case from China Someone has a package going for a KX3, PX3 and KPA100 amp for 4000.00 A KX1 for 670.00 with an enticing Bencher paddle thrown , in I think they need a new slogan
For almost exactly 16 years, I’ve been using a 66-ft. doublet antenna that I cobbled together with left-over wire wrap wire and some twisted pair for the feedline. It’s performed great over the years, and with my new telescoping mast, it works even better because I’m able to get the center up in the air […]
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Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Thursday , August 24, 2023 I've always wanted one of these But not being Mr . Deep Pockets all I've been able to afford is one of these , and it's been sitting in a box down in the shack for way too . long The problem is that I've never taken the time to learn how to use it properly . That's about to change . I've been watching some YouTube videos , especially the one by my friend and fellow QRPer , Alan W2AEW . He makes it pretty easy to understand and there are plenty other YouTube videos and articles on the Web showing how to use this thing . I just need to take the time and educate . myself A lot of times actually , more than a lot I don't give myself much credit , or have confidence in myself ,, Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Wednesday , August 23, 2023 I know , it's only Wednesday but this is more like it Maybe a few morning showers , but clearing out in plenty of time for the Skeeter festivities 72 de Larry W2LJ QRP When you care to send the very least Posted by QRP When you care to send the very least at 9:25 AM Email This BlogThis Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels : Skeeter Hunt weather No : comments Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post Comments Atom QRP Watering Holes Follow me on Facebook Follow this blog on Facebook and other QRP CW and Amateur Radio stuff https : www.facebook.com QRP-When-you-care-to-send-the-very-least-925805237575460 W2LJ By The Numbers ARRLPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Tuesday , August 22, 2023 Uh Oh Fortunately , Sunday is far enough away where the forecast can change . But even if it doesn't , I'll just hang out in the backyard instead of going out to the park , and do the Skeeter Hunt from . home There's not enough room in the backyard to put the MFJ-1982LP into service , but there it enough room to hang the PAR ENDFEDZ 40-20-10, and still count as portable or maybe the EARCHI end fed that is 40 through 10 Meters . I haven't deployed that antenna in a long time , and it would grant me access to 15 Meters . As much as I would like that , the Skeeter Hunt is important enough to me to stick with the proven PAR . I know it works well and I can count on . it Oh well ,
Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Monday , August 21, 2023 Sunday The reason for moving the Skeeter Hunt this year yesterday was spent at a retirement celebration for our Pastor , Fr . John Alvarado , who has been our Pastor for the last 23 years at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in South Plainfield , NJ . Fr . John is four years my senior , making him 70 years old . He required and underwent quadruple bypass surgery this past January . Thanks be to God , the surgery and recovery have been a success and he is doing extremely well . The responsibilities of Pastorship of close to 2,000 families have taken their toll over the years , and he once again asked to be allowed to retire and this time our Bishop decided that it wasPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Sunday , August 20, 2023 Productive day I had a good day yesterday . After I finished the grocery shopping and yardwork , I was able to grab a short catnap before my weekly Skype session with Bob . W3BBO Afterward , I went down into the shack and installed one of those new S40A1 diodes that I had ordered for my Astron RS-35A . After soldering the wire back on and installing a new fuse , I crossed my fingers and hit the switch . The fuse didn't blow , I heard that satisfying hysteresis hum and measured 13.65 Volts at the output terminals . Huzzah That inspired me to put the KXPA100 back in line . Surprisingly , I remembered how all the cable connections went and everything seemed to work fine for a fewU.S. Semiconductor Workforce Shortage Reaching Critical Stage The U.S. is on the brink of a new semiconductor manufacturing boom, leaving companies in urgent need of technicians to staff their new fabs and engineers to design the chips that these facilities will churn out. And unless things change, there soon may not be enough skilled chip […]
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Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Wednesday , August 16, 2023 This was the culprit In my Astron RS-35A power supply . The symptom Fuse blows as soon as you hit the power . switch The culprit is one on the two main S40A1 diodes . Right now the one I removed is nothing but a fancy piece of wire . When you test it with a VOM , you get a reading of a direct short in both directions . Fortunately the other one is . okay I'm going to order more than one , probably three . Not only is it good to have spares , but if I purchase just the one , the shipping costs are almost equal to the price of the diode The version I took out of the power supply was rated for 800 Volts the version I was able to find online is rated for 1200 Volts , so IPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Tuesday , August 15, 2023 Skeeter Hunt Soapbox comments and a change I was originally not going to publish soapbox comments for the 2023 Hunt on the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Webpage . I did not do that for 2021 or 2022 I just let whatever comments that were posted to the Facebook page suffice , and I provided the link on the Skeeter Hunt . webpage I've received a couple private e-mails expressing disappointment with my decision , as it would appear that there are some Skeeter Hunt participants out there who do not subscribe to Facebook , or ever care to . In fact , nbsp I have a Hunter boycotting this year in protest for this very . reason Because I care deeply about what you guys think and want , I'veLast week, Las Vegas was not on the site of DEFCON, but the American Poolplayer’s Association World Championships. And, on the Las Vegas Monorail, there were not only hackers with their cute DEFCON backpacks, but more pool players with small cases carrying their cue sticks. On the flight home Saturday, I was seated in an […]
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Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Monday , August 14, 2023 Not much done over the weekend Other than yardwork , grocery shopping and helping out at soup kitchen on Sunday , not much got done radio-wise . I did manage to change out the power cord on a 20 Amp Clegg power supply that rightfully belongs to Middlesex County . nbsp Someone had cut the power cord off of it and basically left it for trash.in the radio room at the County EOC . nbsp I told John Garmendi , N2DV our ARES RACES Bureau Chief that I could put a new cord on it , and I finally did . However I need to get one of these for : it I don't need a package 0f 10, 25, 50 or 100. I just need one . Maybe this coming weekend , I'll drive up to Greenbrook Electronics in NorthPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Saturday , August 12, 2023 By Golly it worked Thursday evening I finally bit the bullet and programmed the QYT K-8900D that I purchased from Amazon a couple of weeks ago . nbsp I now work in the IT field , so you'd think that this would be like second nature to me , but no . To me computers are still part black magic . I was dreading the . process I was expecting COM Port errors , communication errors between the radio and the laptop , all sorts of things that would make me go screaming into the night . I was pleasantly surprised when the whole process went like a hot knife through butter . nbsp I fired up CHIRP , connected the radio to the laptop using the provided cable and pressed the DownloadPages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Friday , August 11, 2023 QRP Sucks I see this in so many places , but particularly on the POTA Facebook page often uttered after failed attempts to activate a park . It's frustrating to see , but I have to keep reminding myself that it's a subjective . statement The better question is Does QRP work And the answer is yes and . no As I've stated before , QRP is a mindset . If you go into it thinking Woe is me I only have 5 stinking Watts to work with well , then you're probably going to fail . I'm probably preaching to the choir out there , but if you're a newbie to QRP , then this treatise is for you In reality , if you look at the math If 100 Watts out gives you an S9 signal on a perfectly calibrated
Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Thursday , August 10, 2023 Ham Heaven There's a lot of things in life that I care deeply about family , friends , my Faith , my community . My grandfather used to say that other than things like these , you have to have other passions in your life to make your time on Earth enjoyable . Mine of course , are Amateur Radio and baseball . nbsp Ever since I was 10 years old , when my Dad took me to Shea Stadium to watch this certain phenom rookie pitch , I have been a baseball fan . nbsp In particular a New York Mets fan , but really a baseball fan . Baseball captivates me . It's a battle between pitcher and batter . Anything can happen at any given moment . I've been known to watch Winter League baseball
, Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Wednesday , August 09, 2023 Well , you learn something new every day I got involved in a discussion on the KX3 Facebook page . A Ham who just recently received his KX3 was telling about how he was not overly enamored with the Elecraft KXPD3 paddles that attach to the transceiver . I had a pair , and I was not thrilled with the action and feel either , and said as . much I have and much prefer the QRPGuys Single Lever Paddle which I bought a while ago . In fact , I like this little paddle so much that I purchased a second , just to have in case the kit was ever retired . And sure , enough , it has . been When I purchased mine a few years back , the kit was around 25, give or take a few bucks . It's
Halifax ARC Field Day featured on community TV Teaching a new generation: Amateur radio group holds summer class The Paducah Amateur Radio Association is working toward getting the younger generation interested in ham radio operation with its new summer class. The ham radio class has met since July 8 and will last through July 29, […]
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. Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Tuesday , August 08, 2023 Obviously there's more than one way to skin a cat . I was looking at some POTA activations on Facebook and I'm amazed at some of these setups . And I've come to the conclusion that POTA-teers are definitely a diverse bunch On one hand you have the guys who come loaded for bear . They are ready for anything and their setups feature 100 Watt rigs in rack mount cases that look like a hernia in the making . Everything is included except the kitchen sink and a smoker for the brisket The table that these configurations are set upon seem to be screaming , Make it stop Then on the other hand you have the approach of the extreme minimalists These guys bring to the table wait , they
Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Monday , August 07, 2023 US National Lighthouse-Lightship Weekend How'd you do As mentioned last week , nbsp US National Lighthouse-Lightship Weekend , was this past weekend . How'd you do Did you work any Did you activate any I hate to admit it , but I did so much around the house on Saturday , that all I did yesterday was nap , and hang around , generally doing nothing . My only activity was to smoke a brisket and make some homemade potato salad for dinner . nbsp All my radio plans for Sunday vanished like a wisp of . smoke It was too late for this year , but I'm thinking this would be a great operating event for the South Plainfield Amateur Radio Club in 2024. I can think of three lighthouses notThis week, I’m headed to DEFCON, which is arguably the premiere hacking conference in the world. DEFCON hosts a a number of special interest groups they call “villages,” which organize their own sub-conferences on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to voting. One of those villages is the Ham Radio Village, and as I did last […]
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Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Saturday , August 05, 2023 Reminiscing My daughter Cara got picked for Jury Duty . That means travelling to the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick , NJ . The other evening , I drove her there to show her where the Courthouse was , where to park and all that . She's somewhat familiar with New Brunswick as she's a graduate of Rutgers University , but the College Avenue campus is on the other side of town closer to the township of Somerset . Unless she's been downtown via Rutgers Campus Bus , I doubt she's ever been downtown on her own . before I don't get into New Brunswick all that often myself , anymore . But for about 5 years , in the late 1970s and early 1980s , I was in the Hub City every
From the ARRL Letter, August 3, 2023: National Lighthouse Day is unofficially Monday, August 7, 2023, and the US National Lighthouse-Lightship Weekend (NLLW) will occur on August 5 – 6. National Lighthouse Day and NLLW celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of the United States Lighthouse Service, and they honor lighthouses, lightships, and the commitment […]
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, Pages Home Portable QRP Ops Morse Code Operating Mixed Media NJQRP Skeeter Hunt Suppliers Friday , August 04, 2023 QRP Homebrewer anyone If not , how about some lighthouses News about the fledgling attempts to revitalize the New Jersey QRP Club seems to be getting around . My blog post has been picked up and seems to be making the rounds . So much so that I received this e-mail the other : day , Larry I read with interest your post about resurrecting the New Jersey QRP Club which I leaned about from the Amateur Radio Daily blog . My name is Kay Savetz , and I curate the Digital Library of Amateur Radio Communications . DLARC is a project of the Internet Archive the not-for-profit online library best known for The Wayback Machine . DLARC is growing to be a massive online library of the