N4EMG: CQ from North Carolina

Someone please do something

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 23:33:00 +0000

The other day I came across this review on eHam.net. It isn’t hard to decipher good reviews from bad, but this one takes the cake of any I’ve recently come across. Here it is (misspellings included):

Well I'm rating it a 5 out of 5 even though I don't have it up yet cause I know once its up its gonna be a 5+ rating just cause of the quality construction and reviews I already read and was told about in person regarding the Mosely constructed antennas, it's on my pool table downstairs for the time being just cause I got it used somewhat and it need a few parts that I ordered from Mosely but this spring of 2013 it will be up on the tower that's for sure, it's a 3element tribander for 10m 15m 20m it's got the bigger traps on the driven element which will be capable of a higher power rating, in my opinion I think it's better than any of the 3element multibander competitors out on the market. If you disagree that's fine to each there own but mabey you can take a quick look at the Mosely website and read a little about there history and products . 73

Let’s see. I have something, but I’ve not used it yet (it’s on my pool table, by the way). It’s better than anything else, but you’re free to form your own opinion.

If you openly admit that you’ve never used something but you’re rating it 5/5 (or anything else for that matter), shouldn’t someone be smart enough to remove such a boneheaded review?

Shame on eHam for still allowing this to be posted. Do the admins even read what’s posted there?

I've got to go WHERE and you want me to be there WHEN?

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:47:00 +0000

Unless you’re retired or independently wealthy (and I’m presently neither and probably will never be one of those), work schedules frequently get in the way of ham radio. And since ham radio doesn’t pay the bills for most of us, we sometimes have to plan ahead and adjust our commitments in order to work new ones. Case in point was when the surprise notice that Yemen was going to be activated was made public. When I looked at the dates I immediately got a sick feeling in my stomach because I knew that I would be working in Vermont for at least 80-90% of their scheduled time.

My next worry was, what if my trip got extended? That’s pretty common and that might jeopardize the remaining time that I’d have to try and work them. What if, given the instability of the political situation in Yemen the group was forced to leave early? Needless to say, I was on pins and needles as I read the DX forums on eham.net that touted how loud they were and how massive the pileups were.

My fears proved unfounded as I got home when I anticipated, maybe a half-day later, and after walking in the door (and kissing the XYL, of course), I had 7O6T in the log three times within 30 minutes and ended up with a total of 5 fairly easy QSO’s. Maybe there really is something to waiting until the pileups die down?

But what if I’d missed them entirely? I’d rather not take that gamble again, especially with one as rare as Yemen.

There’s a couple of options for working these kinds of rare stations if one is out of town. You could operate your station remotely. I have a radio that lends itself well to that. I have the software already set up. But quite frankly, I don’t think the usability is quite there for pileups operating a wide-split, at least not how mine is configured. Too much latency, too much of a delay. Since tuning after each exchange is not feasible, I would either have to camp out on a frequency and hope for the best. Not really a good approach.

I could drag a rig with me, but what about the times I fly? I have enough to bring, toting a radio with me isn’t a viable option. And the setup would be marginal at best. ~~Some~~ Most hotel rooms don’t have the means to setup an antenna, at least where I generally end up staying. And 100 watts to a low dipole from the East Coast probably won’t get many rare Pacific Islands in the log.

I could try and set the radio up in a park but that requires free time and I’d probably get arrested if I was operating by candlelight at midnight. If it rains, I’m out of luck.

Mobile. I could certainly outfit the work vehicles with a temporary mobile arrangement. It’s been proven that DXing is very possible and even highly successful under these conditions. It would dictate dragging a substantial amount of crap with me though.

I’m going to keep looking at the remote option and see if I can do anything that might give better performance. But given the usual slowness of internet connections in hotels, I’m not holding my breath.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

Whoopsie Daisy

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:11:00 +0000

Whoopsie Daisy

Yes, it's been a long time since I made an entry. I'll get to that later, probably in another post. But for those of you who have read any of my entries, you probably are aware that I'm a logbook junkie. What I mean is, I get a big kick out of trying different logging programs. To drive this point home, I maintain 4 different logbooks, keeping each up to date regularly with all of my QSO's, simply because I've not found one single program that does everything that I want it to.

You might think that something like that takes a lot of time and trouble. No, not really. I've got it down to a pretty quick science and I can update all the logs within 5 to 10 minutes. Is it overkill? Undoubtedly. Is it stupid? Absolutely.

But, hey, it's my sickness and I'm not looking for a cure. Fact is, I enjoy it.

And now that you know my dark secret, let me say that this entry isn't about me and my fetish...uh...obsession.

This is about a major error that occurred to Ham Radio Deluxe on Friday the 13th. Now, surely the new developers should've known NOT to release an update on Friday the 13th, but since they didn't heed the bad mojo, they're paying the price.

HRD has always intrigued me with its eye-candy and pretty interface. But, despite cutting my teeth on it a few years back, I quickly moved elsewhere because of some shortcomings that were show-stoppers, in my opinion. For instance, the cluster not providing the proper mode (I think this has been addressed), not showing duplicates, not showing a confirmed vs worked status readily, a resource hog, screens that required substantial real estate, and obscure menus that didn't lead where you thought they would.

Worse, every so often you'd read about how things like dates and times were modified unknowingly. You did make a backup, didn't you?

Nevertheless, every now and then, whenever a new release was issued, I would download it to see what had changed and if any of those shortcomings had been addressed or corrected. Just before Simon sold it to the new owners, a major revamp of the awards was completed and it really was a step in the right direction, I felt. I was encouraged.

Then the news that it was going to become software that you pay for. I was good with that. I've paid for a good many logging programs. No problems there.

Back to Friday the 13th. Version 5.20 was released that day. In case you don't know, check out their site, http://www.hrdsoftwarellc.com/ The opening screen says it all, although they've toned it down a bit last time I checked, but feel free to read the online forum posts.

Apparently this release was a total disaster. Now my purpose is not to drag them through the coals one more time. I write software for a living myself so something like this is my worst nightmare.

The real reason that I'm bringing this to everyone's attention is a post on the HRD forum from the owners that states that they are considering monitoring and censoring posts that are "not constructive". This is in reaction to some upset users who have voiced their frustrations.

Bad move. You blow it and your next move is to throttle what people are saying? I will never pay a penny for this software if they choose to go this route. If you lay a clunker, you take your licks, you don't keep people from voicing their displeasure.

At least that's how I see it.

Why am I not surprised?

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:11:00 +0000

A couple of years ago, I subscribed to the CQ-Contest reflector list. That was back when I was trying my hand at contesting and I thought it might be a good place to glean some pointers and tidbits.

Unfortunately, I’ve been greatly disappointed because many of the threads degenerate into name calling and repetitive gripes about cheaters and what can possibly be done to run off people who aren’t contesters but want to do the unthinkable…like operate on 20 meters during CQ WW.

It also seems a lot like a closed society. Newbies are often run over.

I’ve considered pulling the plug many times but an interesting thread started up recently about using multiple direction antennas and splitters. Not that I would have the capability to ever do that, but I was curious how this might work. No harm in being curious, right?

So tonight I’m following the thread and I read this (and I give credit to the author, who I don’t know from the man in the moon) from N4OGW/5, and I quote:

“In a contest situation once such a lid has started up, it sometime also works to go narrow on the lid :) Point a gain antenna #1 at the lid during transmit, and receive on another antenna #2 pointed in a different direction. Usually antenna #1's pattern has enough leaks in other directions that you can continue to work other stations until the lid moves on.

I also use split stacks of two yagis quite a bit on 20 and 15 during stateside contests from MS (single amplifier of course). From MS the two population centers are northeast and west. If I point a beam at one of these centers, the other is precisely in the null off the end of the elements. I suppose I could use a stack of moxons or similar with a wide forward pattern, but that would sacrifice a lot of dx performance compared to the yagis.

Tor
N4OGW/5”

Finally a “real tidbit” that probably shouldn’t have been spoken out loud, don’t you think? What we’re talking about is nothing more than deliberate QRM, aren’t we? Someone gets too close to your frequency, just point towards them, blast them and run them off.

In hamspeak, the term “lid” generally refers to a poor operator. But, between us adults, let’s face it, it means someone being an ass or someone doing something stupid. I see some irony in his decision to refer to another op as a lid.

Now, I’m not naïve enough to think that this doesn’t go on all the time. I’m also not so naïve that I don’t think that people without multiple direction antennas tied to a single transmit signal are the only ones who employ this tactic. I’m sure a lot of contesters and hams in general with single antennas turn them in the direction of a someone to run them off. But I’m thinking that there’s a lot of contesters, both of the courteous and sneaky persuasion, who are probably gritting their teeth and thinking, “Hey man, just keep your trap closed about this tactic.” Is this how to maintain a run frequency?

I’ll be curious to see if anyone posts anything and addresses that.

A dash of reality

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:32:00 +0000

In roughly two years of half-way intense DXing with 100 watts, a hexbeam, a 43-foot vertical, and a G5RV, I’m at 272 countries worked. I say “half-way intense” because I rarely make myself wake up in the middle of the night to chase a country (although it has been known to happen), I’m out of town a good bit and, thus, miss a lot of opportunites, and I still put family priorities ahead of radio fun.

If I owned a 70-foot tower and had a lot of aluminum on top of it, I might think that 272 countries doesn’t look very impressive. And it isn’t about looking ‘impressive’; it’s about accomplishing a goal. Even with my very modest station I can work DXCC in one weekend. Now the going is a lot tougher. There’s fewer countries that I need and fewer opportunities to find them on the air.

So, reality has set in. If I want to make 300 countries, which I’ve set as my immediate goal, I’m probably going to have to make some changes. Not changes that involve buying a new radio, the 590 is proving to be one heck of a good choice. I need to make changes in my antenna system AND I need to put more time in. The last part I can control and change right away with not very much investment.

Here’s what isn’t going to happen. I’m not going to buy and install a tower. I’m not going to buy an amplifier. I’m confident that I can make 300 countries without either. Beyond 300, who knows?

So, I’m mostly working with what I have. For starters, with fall and winter just around the corner, I’m installing a beverage antenna. I have the space and it’s something I should’ve done last year and didn’t. That’ll help tremendously on 40 and 80, perhaps even a little bit on 30. When the leaves fall and the snakes hit the road, it’s as good as in. Next, I’m making a dedicated antenna for 30 meters. More on that in another post. Finally, I’m raising my hexbeam. For a very brief time I had it at 40 feet. That didn’t last very long, for several reasons. Bottom line, it’s been sitting at about 27 feet for a year and a half. I have the means to raise it to 45 feet but that’s on hold until my arm heals. I managed to rip my bicep muscle in my left arm and I’ve got about 4 or 5 more weeks of “non-use” following surgery to reattach it. I do, however, believe that the increased height will make a difference. Most tout that 40-45 feet is optimum for a hex. It also needs some maintenance performed when I lower it.

Also, despite the wonderful upsurge in sunspot activity lately, you’ll notice that I’m mostly concentrating on the low bands with winter approaching. I hope that proves to be a wise decision.

Here’s what many of you probably won’t understand, but some will. I don’t want to hit 300 countries right away. That’ll mean that I’ll have to come up with a whole new strategy for the next few. I also don’t want a station that I can turn on and have the DX in my log in 15 minutes (or less). Again, I know that flies in the face of many. I’m not going to explain that because you either know what I mean or you don’t. And if you don’t, you’ll never understand.

I want these next countries to mean just as much, if not more than the first 100 and the second 100 did, and I want them to require considerable effort. Because I know that I could rush out and buy all the items to make it happen really quick. Then I would have convinced myself that I really needed that amplifier and that tower to make it happen.

All bands and modes

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:27:00 +0000

I wonder what some of you think about the practice of working DXpeditions on multiple bands and modes. Since I’ve only been mostly active again over the past 2 or 3 years, I haven’t been around enough to judge for myself whether or not this is a trend that’s taken off recently or has it existed all along? I’m sure people have tried to work DXpeditions or rare DX as much as they can, but was the interest of trying to work them on all bands and modes such a popular pursuit as it appears to be now?

I’ve read some banter that indicates that some believe that the popularity of Club Log has caused this chase to explode because anyone can type in anyone else’s callsign and see how many times they’ve worked someone and on what bands and modes. In addition, there’s always a running tab of the top stations to work a popular DXpedition, further filtered by region, country, or call district. Also, as John, AE5X, pointed out in his blog recently, you can even see which operator you worked.

Do you think this is a good thing? Some seem to feel that this activity diminishes the likelihood of Mr. Average DX’er or Mr. QRP being able to work the DX, or, at the least, makes it much harder. Presumably this is due to the increased competition from heavyweight DX’ers to nab as many different QSO’s as they can. Maybe, but I don’t have a good feel for how much more congestion this might add. How many people pursue this aspect? A lot? Just a few? I don’t know.

I can see some merit to the argument, especially for DXpeditions that are short on time, those that aren’t on the air very long. On the other hand, should people who enjoy working them as much as possible be targeted as poor operators or “pig” operators? I certainly wouldn’t go that far. They have as much right as anyone to work the DX. Just like you and me.

And, again, I’m not referring to the stations who repeatedly call on the same bands to let the DX know they’re ‘59’ again tonight, just like last night and the night before that. Those fellers ought to be strung up somewhere. I’m talking about the people who do it fair and square and play by the rules. Get their QSO and move on and don’t cause QRM. I wonder, if I had a station capable of working rare or semi-rare DX all over the spectrum, would I find it fun to try and make 18 or 19 different QSO’s with the same station? Hard to say, but I’m sure the temptation would be there. For the time being that’s not a concern because I usually find time to only make one or two QSO’s. I’m happy with one (especially if it shows up in the online log), the rest are a bonus.

Those who manage to work a DXpedition on, say, 19 different slots, where in the world do they find the time? Especially if they work full-time, how on earth is this possible when 10 meters might only be open for a short time in the middle of the day? I understand that there’s easy explanations that could account for some of the contacts…they run home for lunch and get on the radio. They take the afternoon off. They set their alarm to wake up at 3 am in the morning. That’s not unusual at all for hard-core, dedicated DX’ers. But to get them on ALL bands and modes? That’s pretty fantastic. And if you look closely, it’s generally the same stations that appear at the top of these ‘most worked’ lists.

At any rate, I’m curious what others think of this practice and whether or not it is making life more difficult for average or budding DX’ers, or if it’s just another topic that’s making the rounds on eHam?

PSSSST.

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:38:00 +0000

PSSST. In case you didn't know, there's a rather big DXpedition going on.

I say that with just a hint of sarcasm because unless you've been living under a rock, everyone who is anyone in the ham radio world knows about ST0R and the DXpedition to South Sudan. And just in case that wasn't enough motivation, there's another one, albeit very overshadowed, to Lord Howe Island, VK9HR. After a summer full of radio blah's and rotten propagation, having two fine DXpeditions going on at the same time is nearly too much to stand.

In fact, there's an awful lot that's been hard to stomach. The on-the-air behavior has been atrocious. To be expected, I guess? I was not active for some of the big-time DXpeditions prior to 2008, so I don't have a real point of reference. And some of those since then, such as Desecheo and Ducie, that qualify as big time for the rest of the world have been chipshots for the US. So, what do I know? Maybe this is tame by comparison?

I've managed to work both. So for those of you with 100 watts and coathanger antennas, take heart, you'll get them. I did not post an obligatory brag spot, so I'll let this qualify.

I suppose what really irks me is listening to the other side of the pile-up, the callers. So many purported Honor Roll and Top of the Honor Roll DX'ers acting like babies. I've jotted down a few calls and looked them up. No manners whatsoever. They should be ashamed. And I can't begin to count the number of super DX'ers who apparently don't know how to work split. How can this happen? Mistakes? Sure. Repeatedly? Hmmm. Maybe it's time for the old-folks home? Some of them do appear to be getting on up there. I guess I'll be there soon enough.

But it's all part of the game and what fun would it be to get through if there wasn't a challenge? I look at some of the calls who have worked ST0R and VK9HR on several bands and modes and I wonder if they're having the same fun as I am with my one measly QSO to each? I hope so because those two quick QSO's really made it worthwhile to me. For a pipsqueak like me, my one QSO with each is enough - the pressure is off. Anything else is gravy. But for those who have band and mode slots to fill, does the pressure ever stop?

Lord knows that I'll keep trying for more, but if I don't get them, oh well.

One thing of note, after struggling for 2 or 3 days to work ST0R with the 590, I finally succumbed to realizing that having a 2nd receiver (or a bandscope) would make a huge difference. Especially trying to locate the ops who tended to jump all over creation or trying find quiet, less crowded spots to transmit. So, out of frustration, I resorted to the as yet unsold FT-1000MP and finally got through using the 2nd receiver to find a clear spot.

The 590 is staying in the shack

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:37:00 +0000

I've made my decision regarding the TS-590S. I'm going to be keeping it.

Maybe I've made a big to-do over nothing. I know a lot of guys who turn over radios the way some guys go through wives...oops...I didn't say that...I meant to say, the way some guys go through cars. They trade every year even if they find something they like, just to have that new car feeling.

I'm not like that. I struggle over big purchases. I second-guess myself. I can't begin to count the number of times that I've bought something and had that immediate feeling of regret the first time it acts up or something newer comes out. But that's my flaw, and hopefully none of you suffer from it. :)

Admittedly that's what happened here. Initially I was looking for every flaw in the 590 or expecting to be blown away. Well, neither really happened. That's kind of what made it more of a struggle, you might say. I wanted to either say, "This thing is a dog", or "My goodness, this thing is incredible".

It took a while to grow on me. In the end, I finally came to the realization that the question I really wanted to answer was, "Would I be happy with this radio or did I have to have a K3?". The K3 may end up in my shack one day, but not right now. I think the 590 give me "near K3" performance and not break the bank. Yes, I know that the K3 could be some now and more later, I don't have to fork over a mint to get it at once.

Bottom line - I'm good for now and I don't feel like I've settled for something a lot less than what I wanted.

My goal was to find a suitable replacement for an aging FT-1000MP and a K2. I feel that I've done that. And even though there are still some aspects of both of those radios that I even prefer over the 590, there's a whole lot to like about the 590. The receiver is really, really good. I've read the number on Sherwood, the ARRL, and some others. I know it is good, but more importantly, I like using it. Not to say there wasn't a learning curve.

So, that's that. It's a keeper. In the two previous postings I made about the 590 I tried to write about things that were important to me and probably a lot of other people. I didn't want to regurgitate a bunch of specs that are readily available at a hundred other places. I wanted to evaluate aspects related to actual use and not what's on paper.

I had an anonymous comment asking about comparing it specifically to the K2-100, which I can certainly do since I own both. The K2 is a great radio and I don't plan on selling it to fund the 590. It will be the 1000MP that's put up for sale. I prefer listening to CW on the K2, it's just more pleasant and despite the equalizer functions of the 590, I can't get it to sound like the K2. Mind you, it sounds good (the 590), but the K2 is simply better. Is the receiver on the 590 better? On paper it appears so, but not by much. In real-world usage, there have been times that the 590 made a station somewhat more copyable. Easier to copy. But still copyable on the K2. The DSP on the K2 is good, but it's a pain in the you-know-what to adjust on the fly. I find that you have to set it up first and then try to find a sweet spot with the right filter width. Trying to fine-tune it on the fly has never worked for me. In fact, I rarely ever kicked it in. If I had it to do over, I'd probably buy the audio filter instead.

On the other hand, the DSP on the 590 is fixed. You can adjust the width and shift it around, but the widths are fixed. I've not really found that to be a problem however.

QSK goes to the K2, hands down.

If I planned on working a lot more SSB or digital modes, then it's a no-brainer. The 590 would be my rig of choice. The K2's SSB just doesn't quite measure up and I've never used it on digital modes, but I had the 590 set up for PSK in a matter of roughly 5 minutes.

But the K2 has a special place in my heart and I doubt I'll ever part with it. I hope one day I'll feel the same about the 590.

Idiot DXing

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Idiot DXing is quickly developing into one of my favorite pastimes. Maybe it can become one of your's too?

Just what is "idiot DXing"? Idiot DXing is what I refer to when I need to work a DX station, whether it's a DXpedition, a new country, or even a new band country, and the idiots break out. What idiots am I talking about? Let's see...tuner-uppers, ops calling on the DX frequency when they're working split, traffic cops (I really love when they come out), ops calling without listening (even while the DX is trasmitting), and others that I can't really divulge right now because I'd be mentioning callsigns.

Why am I developing a soft spot for such chaos? Because when it really gets bad, a lot of ops (good and bad) will simply give up and find something else to do or tune away and look for someone else. I used to do that.

But not anymore.

See, if you're able to keep your blood from boiling, your chances of working the DX might have just increased. Sometimes substantially. For one thing, the more people who give up, the quicker the chaos subsides AND if you're in the right place at the right time, bingo, you can nab the DX when under other circumstances, you might not have had a snowball's chance in hell. What about traffic cops? Sure it's really hard to hear underneath them - sometimes virtually impossible - but it CAN be done. All it takes is a little practice and intense concentration. You're not going to copy the DX station every time when there's some lunkhead blasting away with a KW yelling "UP UP UP LID", but you can keep a rhythm going and the more you do it, the better you'll get at ignoring the cops. Use it to your advantage because I can assure you, there's a lot of people out there who aren't going to try to listen when the cops break out.

The same goes for tuner-uppers and goofs calling on the DX's frequency. Use every resource at your disposal. Have you ever touched your notch filter? Is that a knob you never really understood or figured out how to use because it just made things sound funny? Try it next time you encounter a tuner-upper. You can break out your rig's instructions if you want to, but in lieu of that, give it a spin. It just might help.

Look, it's a fact of ham radio that these clowns are going to be there. There isn't anything that you or I can do about it so why not make the best of it?

Lastly, when the idiots get really bad and you toss in some popular DX'ers who simply won't quit calling in rapid-fire succession until they work the DX and post their brag spot, stop calling, lean back, decide that it's a nice time to take a walk. Turn off the rig. Because if you're not there calling, that's one less person I have to beat out.

Crunch time

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:32:00 +0000

My evaluation of the Kenwood TS-590S continues and I feel that I need to draw some sort of conclusion fairly soon. I'm not fond of paying interest charges to Discover Card, although I'm sure they don't mind.

My goal was to see if this new transceiver is worthy of replacing an aging, but extremely well-maintained Yaesu FT-1000MP or an Elecraft K2, with the ultimate goal of potentially replacing both.

Make no mistake, this is an excellent radio and for the money, I'm not sure that there's a better offering on the market in terms of completeness and performance, especially if you're an HF guy who wants to do some contesting, DXing, and ragchewing.

I read a lot of comments that compliment the radio, yet in the same sentence they'll add "of course, it isn't a K3", or "it's a great radio for a mid-level radio", and so on. If you read further, you'll find that a lot of them are comparing it with 15 and 20 year old designs, much like I am.

The 590 absolutely holds its own against both of the comparison radios that I have. It is not a step down, despite the fact that the 1KMP cost nearly $4,000 new in the mid-90's. But wouldn't you expect a radio in 2011 to not only be the equal of a radio designed 20 years ago, but better it in many respects? If it had come out in '95 or even 2000, it might have been regarded as one of the top-5.

But where I'm slowing down in my enthusiasm for the 590 is that it isn't a quantum leap forward. In fact, I'm left wondering if it is a half-step forward. After nearly a month of using it, I can't say that it's any better than the K2 on CW. In fact, the K2 sounds more pleasant, seems to give much better copy on weak signals (with or without DSP engaged) and has much smoother QSK. On SSB, the 590 wins easily. But I'm a CW guy, so there's a dilemma. The 590 does better on CW than the 1KMP, I think. Even though I'm not crazy about the "underwater" sound that the DSP can generate, I have an easier time copying weak stuff on the 590 than I do the 1KMP.

What still stumps me from time to time is that if I have the DSP on the 590 dialed in moderately tight and I'm tuning a band, I find myself missing weak stations because I have the width shifted too far in one direction or the other. That's not good. So, I end up having to open up the passband wider and that often lets too much through. And, I'm still battling the problem that I wrote about in my last entry with managing simplex pileups and identifying the target station. There's not an easy way to tell if one station is stronger or weaker than another if the DSP is dialed down. They all sound as if they're the same strength. With the K2, I find that this is something it really excels at.

If all you do is click on spots from the cluster, then I guess that's not such a problem, but I like to tune around from time to time.

I do believe that my ears have gotten adjusted to listening with the 590, especially when you consider what a shock it was initially. But I'm still not at the point where I would describe it as "pleasant" on CW. Passable, perhaps. Again, on SSB, it sounds wonderful, as good as the 1KMP, I think. But again, I'm not a heavy user of SSB.

I also really miss the second receiver in the 1KMP. Fighting in a pileup is so much easier even if there's no filtering in the second receiver.

One thing that I will walk away with is the knowledge that I wasn't missing anything with the radios that I was using before getting the 590. Even though the 590 ranks 9th in the Sherwood ratings, I don't think there's all that much difference that I can "hear". In fact, there's not anything I can't hear with the older radios that I can hear and copy with the newer 590. That's not an issue.

So where does this leave me? Well, if I had to decide today, I think I'd probably put the 590 up for sale and turn my attention to a K3 in a few months if I still have the itch to try something new.

TS-590S

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:45:00 +0000

I'm auditioning a new radio, the Kenwood TS-590S. It's my hope that it will replace at least one of my two primary radios, perhaps both. It has some stiff competition, it is up against a Yaesu FT-1000MP and an Elecraft K2.

What's my motivation for changing at all? Well, even though I really enjoy both rigs, I know my days are limited with the Yaesu. Sure, it works perfectly now, but what about tomorrow? What about parts? What about service? It's my understanding that there's one guru in the Southeast working on them, but what if that's not an option, or affordable? Call me a pessimist but I guess I'm planning for the future (for once).

What about the K2? I love that little radio. What would be wrong with keeping it or migrating to its big brother, the K3? The answer to that question is "nothing" would be wrong with either option. Except, by the time I configure a K3 with options that mimic the FT-1000MP, I'm over 3 grand. I could do it a little at a time, but base price has risen to $1900, which is more than the TS-590S, while still missing several "options" that the 590 offers stock. As for keeping the K2, well, that's always an option. No arguments there. But after suffering a severe lightning strike (I guess there's no such thing as a "minor" lightning strike?) and discovering my K2 and associated components dead, I realized also that my troubleshooting skills are not sufficient enough to make the necessary repairs. And while Don, W3FPR was most accommodating and his prices more than reasonable, it taught me a lesson.

Plus, every now and then you have to try something new and I've been very intrigued with the 590 since it came onto the scene at the end of last year. I knew that it probably wasn't the "K3 Killer" that a few folks touted, but it sure seemed like a darn good radio for the price. And I wasn't necessarily looking for a K3 killer anyway, just a really good radio that I could consolidate to and depend on, not take a step backwards, and not leave me wanting for more.

I've also read the accounts of several respected hams who have written several positive reviews and use a 590 personally. I've contacted several of them. Hams who have used the rigs I have, as well as K3's and other top-of-the-line radios currently available. By all accounts the 590 is no slouch and offers incredible value for the price. Some have even sold their K3's and kept their 590's.

Add another person to the growing list who feels that the 590 is one heck of a radio.

The positives

Before I bought the 590 I read a lot of good comments about the radio's ergonomics. I would strongly agree with that opinion. For one, despite being compact the radio is quite heavy. It sits firmly on the operating desk and a forceful button push or an overly excited spin of the knob won't dislodge it, like happens with the K2 at times. The front panel is laid out wonderfully and after getting the radio set up, having to delve into the menu system, which is quite easy, is not necessary for me. I can easily operate the radio in low light and even in the dark, which I enjoy doing (if only I had the warm tube glow...) without fumbling around and searching for the right button or knob. I read a comment from a contester who did not own the radio that declared that the 590 was not a serious contest radio because the keying speed requires a button push and then a knob twist. I think that's an absurd statement, any serious contester uses some sort of keying interface, so adjusting the keyer speed is done how many times? None. Besides, I use an external keyer, so it's a mute point for me. The rear of the radio provides for a hand key or an external keyer input as well as a paddle input for the radio's internal keyer, which I think is pretty darn good.

The QSK, while not as smooth as the K2, is better than the FT-1000MP and much quieter. No problems there. I generally send between 25-28 WPM, I guess someone who sends a lot faster might have an issue?

The antenna tuner is fantastic, probably the best of the three rigs I'm comparing. The FT-1000MP really can take a long time to find a match and sometimes it just won't. I find that I have to move a little bit away and try again, that usually works. The K2's auto-tuner is really fast and gets a good match, but it still isn't as fast as the 590. Very impressive matching a 43-foot vertical and a G5RV. The hex needs no tuning.

The display is well laid out and you can choose between an amber background, a green background, or none at all, as well as brightness. I thought I'd be partial to the amber background but I find the green to be best for my eyes. Plenty of information. The S-meter is your typical LCD meter, nothing great but seems to be responsive. As for accuracy, I can't offer anything other than it seems to read the same as my other radios. How's that for scientific?

There's a button to select between different "setups". For instance, you might have a ragchew setup or a DX setup or a contest setup. Pressing the button will toggle between these and change the radio instantly. I have mine setup for a fairly wide width on CW and one for really aggressive, although I find myself resorting to the DSP knob 99% of the time. I guess it might be nice to set it up for QRP versus 100 watts?

Both a USB port and a serial port are built in. So far I've not even hooked up the 9-pin serial port, opting to use the USB port only. All the logging programs I've tried, except for DX4Win work fine, but you sometimes have to tinker with the settings. A few have special interfaces, such as HRD and TRX-Manager. I'm confident that if I fooled around with DX4Win that I'll get it to work (a quick note, I did finally manage to get this working through the USB interface). Logger32 works fine too.

The In-betweens

DSP. I'd read a lot of raves about how well the DSP performs on the 590. Well, for me, the jury is still out. For one thing, the DSP filter width settings are not adjustable on CW. You can go from 2.5 KHz down to 50 Hz, but the steps aren't always what you need (or, rather, what I need). I have a hard time finding a sweet spot sometimes. I usually end up around 600 Hz or 400 Hz when the stations are weak or in a simplex pileup.

I will say that I've had to have an "adjustment period" to get used to the 590 when using the DSP. I generally have only used radios with crystal filters and only resorting to DSP for really stubborn interference, or extremely weak stations, or noise reduction. Not often. Having to use it nearly 100% of the time for weak stations now is a change for me. Initially it gave me fits when trying to sort through simplex pileups. I simply could not identify who was who. The shift helps some, but there were times that I lost the target altogether it seemed. But I stuck with it and, after a few days, I became much, much more comfortable with it. It was NOT what I expected, however. My ears had to adjust and learn something new.

It isn't to say that the audio for CW on the 590 is bad, not at all. But I just wasn't used to the "in a well" sound that it produces with sharp filtering dialed in. I've heard the same comments made for the K3, and my very limited time using one seemed to support those statements.

As time passes and I learn better how to tune and adjust the DSP, I'm finding that it is very useful and I'm getting better at picking out the target stations in simplex pileups like with other radios. Just don't be surprised at the difference when you first try it. In fact, on a pileup the other night for a station from Bangladesh on 40 meters, the 590 was easily the best sounding radio of the three.

But let's acknowledge one thing. In this class of radios, there aren't any situations that you can't hear a station on one radio and you can the others. If someone claims that, they need to check if the antenna is connected. They're all three more than competent and able to copy weak stations in QRM or noise. For me it becomes a matter of personal preference.

One issue that I've not settled yet is can I listen to the 590 for extended periods of time and not feel fatigued? There are times that the FT-1KMP wears me out because of hiss, the K2 rarely ever, and so far, the 590 has not had an adverse effect. I need to operate in a contest environment, however.

Dislikes

No second receiver. But, hey, it's $1700. You don't get one for that. After using the second rcvr in the FT-1KMP, I have to admit to resorting back a few times to it while in panic mode (like when VU4PB was on) because I just couldn't find where the DX was working the split station fast enough. But that might have just been resorting to a crutch, I don't know. I expect the more I get comfortable working split on the 590, the easier it'll be. One thing I do not care for is no display of VFO-B's frequency when you're not in split mode. Also, when you first go to split, if VFO-B is on another band, the receiver is noticeably muted until you place VFO-B on the same band. I don't know if that's by design to warn you, but I use it that way and kind of like it.

No output for a PAN adapter. At least not yet.

What I'd like to see

PAN adapter output. User-specified adjustable DSP filters.

Also, I'm not a digital modes guy, but within about 15 minutes, I made a PSK-31 contact using only the USB port and DM-780 to give a fellow North Carolina on LOTW. I mimicked some settings that a kind fellow had posted online and those worked fine for me. Not much easier than that.

So, where am I in my decision making process? I'd like to think that I'm just getting started, but I know that I'm going to have to make a decision relatively soon, otherwise the bank might come knocking on my door. I can't afford to keep all three radios, as much as I'd love to. It would be awfully hard to part with the FT-1KMP, but as I mentioned at the first, I feel that I'm running on borrowed time. I could certainly live with only the K2, but I think I'd be wanting for something new after a while.

Here's the bottom line...I don't think you could go wrong with any of these radios or the K3 either. At some point I think ego starts to take over, especially if you're like me and not made of money. I can justify buying a $1700 radio if I sell two radios that will more than cover the cost. Then I can buy that Begali key I've been drooling over.

Your spots are showing

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:45:00 +0000

You can tell a lot about a person from how they post a DX spot on the cluster. If you don't believe me, follow me through my own personal examination of some spots for DT8A one evening last week. This is a little over an hour's worth of spots for DT8A that I've culled from the cluster. The bold print below some of them is my "qualified" analysis.

DX de NB4F: 14180.0 DT8A 2212Z GA

DX de W3TZ: 14180.0 VP8/DT8A 2216Z AR

DX de EA8TL: 14180.0 DT8A in simplex 2218Z EA8

DX de EA7JR: 14180.0 DT8A worked at 1st call, 100w 2221Z EA

Must be up for world's greatest DX'er award. Sorry if you'd said "5W" it would've sounded better and you'd have gotten my vote too.

DX de PY2BRA: 14180.0 DT8A 2223Z PY

DX de EA5MB: 14180.0 DT8A 59 2226Z EA

DX de KF8RU: 14190.0 DT8A/VP8 2234Z MI

DX de EA1SB: 14190.0 DT8A tnx up 10 2235Z EA

DX de W7IMU: 14180.0 DT8A UP 10 (AN-010) 2237Z WA

DX de N3DG: 14180.0 DT8A QSX 14190 2238Z PA

DX de EA7HMD:14180.0 DT8A 5/9 10 up new one 2239Z EA

Why not tell everyone it is a new one for you, we're all thrilled for you and will make a note in our own logs that you worked them too.

DX de KC8YJJ: 14180.0 DT8A 2242Z OH

DX de K4WSB: 14180.0 DT8A QSX 14190.0 AN-010 2242Z FL

How it should be done. Perfect.

DX de PY2SEI: 14180.0 DT8A 59 in São Paulo UP 10 2249Z PY

How do you get that cute little curly character in there?

DX de AA8M: 14190.0 DT8A 2250Z OH

DX de EA5FD: 14180.0 DT8A 5/5 im99tl 2251Z EA

Huh? Do we care where YOU are? But instead of a grid-square, just tell us.

DX de WD4LUR: 14180.0 DT8A Up 10 2254Z TN

DX de WV8BL: 14180.0 VP8/DT8A 5/9 Wv. UP 10 2253Z WV

He's 5/8 in VA, by the way. Any other states like to report? Tell me, what good does it do me to know that? I can either hear them or I can't.

DX de EA1EUI: 14180.0 DT8A 10 up 2255Z EA

DX de PY2OI: 14180.0 DT8A 5/9+ IN BRAZIL 2256Z PY

DX de EA4SG: 14180.0 DT8A 10 up. TNX AN-010 ! Just 100W 2259Z EA

Thanks for the 100 watt info. Since 90% of us are running 100 watts too, I'm not sure what your point is, but ok. We can calibrate our S-meters accordingly.

DX de VK6DU: 14180.0 DT8A sri 0/0 today ;-( 2302Z VK

I have no idea what this means but it's cute.

DX de EA4RL: 14180.0 DT8A 5/9 10 up 2307Z EA

DX de CT2GQL: 14180.0 DT8A up 10 tks for contact 2309Z CT

Look at me, look at me, I made a contact!!!

DX de PP2RON: 14180.0 DT8A UP 10 AN-010 2308Z PY

DX de K8HLH: 14180.0 DT8A 2309Z OH

DX de FM5DN: 14180.0 DT8A nice sig 59 hi Lee ! 2312Z FM

Just in case he didn't copy the "59" when you said it over the air, might as well repeat it here. Nice personal touch too.

DX de EC7JA: 14180.0 DT8A 5-9 in seville tnx.... 2314Z EA

DX de EA5GN: 14180.0 DT8A 5/9 73 2319Z EA

DX de KF6JOQ: 14180.0 DT8A up 10 loud 2319Z CA

Thanks for the "loud", it'll help me in case I hear a couple of signals, I'll just listen for the loudest one...

DX de K5IID: 14180.0 DT8A 2322Z TX

DX de VE3FDT: 14180.0 DT8A QSX 14190 2325Z ON

Another one who knows how to post a spot; good job.

DX de W7RRS: 14180.0 DT8A 2326Z FL

DX de KF4NEF: 14180.0 DT8A Up 10 5/9 In N C 2330Z NC

DX de VE3AXW:14180.0 DT8A TNX 4 THE 59 LISTENING UP 10 2331Z ON

The winner of the day - uses CAPS to make sure everyone notices, throws in "TNX 4 THE 59" just to make sure everyone KNOWS he worked him, and why not, he just spent 5 minutes calling on the DX frequency while everyone yelled "UP 10". Guess he thought he'd be nice and tell everyone else so they don't get yelled at too?

DX de YV5KQA: 14180.0 DT8A c d dx up 10 59 73 2338Z YV

Nice to know that he's calling CQ, otherwise I doubt we'd all be here. Yeah, why not, best regards to you too.

DX de K8JRG: 14180.0 DT8A 2344Z OH

Now, why am I so interested in this? That's a fair question. I guess because there's so much abuse and misuse of the clusters that unless people start pointing out the right way and the wrong way, no one will get the message and we'll forever have gigo - garbage in, garbage out. And these are just a short snippet on a single station. What it really boils down to is there's some folks who really like to brag and they want you, and me, and everyone else to know about it.

I'm willing to bet that some of the people who post garbage on the clusters are some of the same people who post their QRZ profiles in the third-person. You know the ones.

"Clyde McGillicutty graduated magna cum laude with a triple E from Slouch State. Clyde won the award for being the top salesman in the Southeast for Playtex Bras before launching a half dozen highly successful companies. Clyde has worked every station on every band. Blah, blah, blah."

Why on earth would you write about yourself in the third-person? Oh well. That has nothing to do with clusters, does it?

I've often felt that gaining access to post a spot on a cluster should be regulated. Whether that's a username and password, or some sort of registration process, something to restrict who can and can't post spots. Along the way, there's a lot of smart hams out there, surely someone can come up with a way to filter spots being posted - maybe by searching for keywords and phrases - and if a poster "violates" the, ahem, "ethics for proper posting" a given number of times, they're banned from posting spots for, say, 30 days or 60 days, something to that effect. Yes, some of the offending posters are surely smart people too, they'll figure out ways around it, but at least there'll be SOME deterrence in place. Maybe some won't fool with the hassle of circumventing the stopgap measures and they'll give up? There's hope, right?

And, speaking of the aforementioned "ethics for proper posting", what exactly does that mean? Well, I'm not sure, I just made that up because it sounded good. But a start could be a list of words or phrases that shouldn't be posted to clusters. Here's a few suggestions:

1. Worked 1st call - does it really matter if it was the first, second, or 200th call? For that matter, everyone could really care less if you worked them or not, just spot them.

2. 5/9 plus 20 - who cares? Didn't you already send his signal report over the air? I sure don't care what it was. Neither does anyone else. Just remove all signal reports altogether. They're lies just like the ones on the air.

3. Anyone who self-spots - does this really need an explanation?

4. Reporting the type of antenna used - again, no one cares. If you used a dipole, does that give me hope?

5. Tnx fer the QSL - or the related, $$-hound, no QSL. Many times these are posted when the spotted station isn't even on the air. Thanks for making everyone's alarms go off.

I guess I gripe a lot, don't I? I'm not really all that grouchy of a person...really. I just believe that people could use a little more common sense and have a little more courtesy. It wouldn't take much.

I'm not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but I do stay at a lot of Holiday Inn Expresses, so I assure you that I'm better qualified than your average Joe to make these critiques.

Heathkit Sixer

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:59:00 +0000

For various reasons I've never been interested in VHF and UHF ham radio. I know I'm shortchanging myself and missing out on an aspect of ham radio that's a favorite of many. And I mean no disrespect towards hams who enjoy those bands. Maybe one day I will too?

But my very first ham radio was a VHF rig that I obtained before I even had a license. Kind of ironic, isn't it? I don't remember my exact age, maybe 12, but I found it at an antique store that my parents had forced me to...I mean...had taken me to and I was shocked to see a bonafide ham radio for sale. It was a Heathkit Sixer that was for sale for the pricely sum of $10. The lady had no idea if it worked or where it came from. She seemed kind of shocked that anyone wanted it. I walked out carrying it after beating her down to $8. I guess I was cheap even back then!

The radio actually worked. I had that thing apart a dozen times, shocked the fool out of myself at least 3 times, and much to my dad's frustration, never seemed to be able to put it together again without his help. Not having any sort of an antenna, a roll of magnetic wire strung across the garage floor served as my aerial, or rather, my floorial. About a 3/4 turn of the tuning knob was all it took to scan through the entire 6 meter spectrum, which I did for hours on end. Nothing. Never heard anything.

Eventually I realized that I'd thrown away my $8, earned by mowing a month's worth of grass ($10, with $2 left over after buying the radio) and I lost interest. The radio sat gathering even more dust. Until one day when I turned it on again, twisted the knob, and realized that I'd just passed a signal. I quickly turned back but nothing was there. For an agonizingly long period of time I kept tuning back and forth about a 1/4 turn and finally, YES, a real person talking plain as day! I could hear him very well but I couldn't hear the other station he was talking to at all, but it turned out that the fellow who I could hear lived in the same subdivision. My floorial antenna worked! Sort of.

That was the only time I ever heard anyone on that radio, but that one instance of hearing someone rekindled my interest in ham radio and I began studying every night to get my novice license (which I kept renewing for the next 35 years even though I was inactive).

I visited home on leave from the Air Force in the late 80's to find out that my folks had hosted a garage sale. My Sixer was gone. "How much did you get for it?", I asked. "Ten dollars", my dad said. "Isn't that what you paid for it?", he asked.

"No, I guess I made $2 on the deal", I said. Actually I was a little ticked that they'd sold it without acking and I quickly inquired about the rest of my ham gear that had been in their attic. Fortunately it was still there, and I still have all of it today.

Maybe I'm keeping it for spite?

A day to just stay inside

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:56:00 +0000

I'd just better not operate this weekend. My beloved Vols fell to LSU on an incredible final play, and today my Titans blew it against Denver with a minute or so remaining. If I get on the air, I'm liable to blow something up, I think.

I guess, on the bright side, I got a LOTW confirmation from Togo, so that's a positive, right?

Two bads, one good, surely there's another good out there to balance things out.

But on second thought...

To top the chaos and disappointment off, I awoke to 3 inches of water upstairs recently. The other three inches had already drained downstairs and was running through the light fixtures. Needless to say, there's hardly any drywall left and the floors have been ripped up. So far the insurance company has been great, the disaster team arrived quickly and surveyed the damage and the workers started the following day. It can't go fast enough. It appears that a toilet had run all night and overflowed. In true Southern fashion, my wife said she drove home at lunch to find it sitting in the front yard. Perhaps I'll leave it there to get a rise out of the neighbors? Nah, it might just blend in if I'm not careful.

I wish I had more to say about ham radio - I have received a number of QSL cards both from the bureau and direct, a few new countries. Since completely starting over in late 2007, I'm up to 241 countries worked and exactly 200 confirmed, with 187 of those being through LOTW. Slowly getting there. Now to work on getting cards from the other 41. Seems like I'd been stuck on 230-some countries worked for about a year before getting a couple of new ones this summer. New ones are coming so much slower now. I've read several places that after you work your first 200, it will slow down considerably. Seems they knew what they were talking about.

I guess the other thing ham-related is that my shack took a bad lightning hit back in June. I've always been pretty religious about disconnecting antennas before going on a trip, but I had a trip pop up suddenly and wouldn't you know it, a terrible storm hit. It toasted my K2's 100 watt amp and blew up my new KAT-100 tuner. Receive was fine. It also blew out the comm port and video card in the ham computer and rendered the indicator on my rotor useless. I now turn my antenna by hollering upstairs, "Which direction is it pointing now?!". For some reason, my wife seems to get cranky after the 20th time. For the life of me I wonder why? It also blew up my LDG antenna switch and remote. Both are dead. Of course, they don't make them anymore.

But, while the K2 was off for repair, that gave me time to get reacquainted with my FT1000MP, which, thankfully, was spared any damage. It made me wonder, could I live with only the Yaesu? Sure I could. I actually bought the K2 before I bought the Yaesu, but I'm not sure if I would ever have given the K2 as much credit as it deserves if I didn't have the FT1000MP to compare it to. I really missed it while it was at Don's house. One evening I even took out the FT-857D and set it up. While it is a terrific Swiss Army knife rig, it isn't in the same league and after just a few minutes of use I packed it back up.

Fun on the bands

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:20:00 +0000

As the propagation index continues to tease us, I've recently been noticing more paths opening for longer periods of time. In the past week after I've been getting home from work around 6pm Eastern time, I've heard some really good openings on 17 meters into the Far East and parts of Asia that I'm not accustomed to hearing at all. I worked JT5DX the other day and he was an honest S8-S9, banging the S-meter. Then a day or so later I heard XW1B from Laos build until he was an easy copy, maybe S5-S6. I didn't make the contact, but that was encouraging. Then, finally, I nabbed him over the weekend. Took a few attempts, but he finally got the call correct and I quickly entered him in the log.

Now, I realize, if you've got a 80 foot tower and a monster beam, those may be regular happenings. But for a hexbeam about 35 feet up, located down in a hole to begin with, that's reason to celebrate!

I worked JT5DX in mid-June on 20 meters. Or so I thought. It was one of those "iffy" contacts. He came back, but had my call wrong initially. I sent a couple of corrections and he returned with a "R 5NN TU" and moved on. So I was left wondering, "Did I or didn't I?". The timing was right. Turns out, I did. Sometimes when I have those iffy contacts, I won't even log them because I'm not 100% sure. But for some reason I went ahead that time, then uploaded to LOTW. The next day I'm sure I let out a little yelp because there was my confirmation. Nice.

Speaking of which, I've noticed several stations that I've had in the log for quite a while uploading to LOTW recently and receiving their confirmations. More and more using it, that's a good thing. I know the subject of LOTW can be somewhat polarizing, but it works well for me.

I'm also starting to make more use of the DSP on the K2. For the longest time I shied away from it. I preferred the crystal filters. I kept fiddling with it, changing the settings on the beta and decay. What I needed to do was set them where it sounds comfortable and then just use the darn thing. And not be afraid to twist the main tuning knob a tad. Now, finally, I'm starting to see where it really can help.

On a sidenote, have any of you ever wondered what it takes to get a license in a certain South American country that begins with "V" and ends in "A" and sounds like a pitcher's name that played for the Dodgers in the 80's? I run across more stations from there that really seem to have no clue on how to participate in a pileup. I'm sure there's plenty of fine hams from there, too, but for some reason I encounter a lot who seem to create more QRM than anything.

For all you K3 owners

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Here's a question for all you lucky K3 owners. Given my financial situation right now - a daughter in high school, needs braces, two cars that need to be replaced soon, she'll need a car next year, a deck on the house that's about to fall down from rot, a yard that becomes a mudslide whenever it rains, and so on, my wife would pack up and hit the road if she heard me mention buying a new radio. Furthermore, she'd probably hit me over the head 4 or 5 times with a frying pan before slamming the door.

And I'd deserve it. That'd be irresponsible and us hams NEVER do anything irresponsible, right? OK, I'm exaggerating a little, I'm not in dire financial straits. If I was, I wouldn't even be concocting this hair-brained plan. Nevertheless, running out and buying a K3 is out of the question.

Or is it?

I've got two main radios that I currently use. I'm not set up as SO2R, but I can switch between the two rigs in seconds. One is an Elecraft K2 with about every option for HF they offer - 100 watt amp, 100 watt antenna tuner, SSB, Noise Blanker, 160m option, DSP, etc. I have the QRP top and tuner too. I've also got a Yaesu FT-1000MP with the TXCO option, 250 Hz Inrad CW filter, and it is in immaculate shape - not a scratch and works flawlessly. I've also got a Yaesu FT-857D that's been used about 100 hours, 500 Hz CW filter, pretty much like new. An impulse purchase when I had great aspirations of operating remotely. Never happened and isn't going to, at least not in the near future.

You know where I'm headed.

WHAT IF...

What if I sold all three of those radios, combined the take and put it towards a K3? The way I figure it, I just might have enough to get the K3 in kit...er..."assembly" form, with the 100 watt option, antenna tuner, and the second receiver. If not, I think I'd be pretty darn close. Close enough that I might just have to weather a lump or two on the head. An even Steven trade, in other words.

Now, for you K3 owners, some of you I know have moved up from K2's and 1000MP's (and other fine radios)...would it be worth it? Am I really going to be moving up enough to justify parting with both of those fine radios, or am really splitting hairs? If you've not followed my blog, I'm about 95% CW, 4% SSB, and 1% digital. I don't anticipate that changing either. I do some light contesting but my primary focus is CW DXing. Is the performance gain in "real world" usage going to justify that type of consideration? I don't need to know numbers and specs, I've read them, compared them, and I probably wouldn't understand them anymore than I already do. But I understand enough to know that the K3 blends a lot of features from both of those radios together and provides what I've perceived to be significant improvement at the same time. I'm sure that could apply to other combinations of radios too. Am I wrong about those real world gains?

So, I guess rather than a pro's and con's, if YOU had to do it over, or you were in my shoes (and it wouldn't impact your family's well-being and no knots on your head from frying pans), would you go for it?

The End

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:43:00 +0000

I have decided to pull the plug on my blog. The last posting that I made was nothing more than a bitchfest about poor customer service. The fact is, it has little to do with ham radio and when I started this blog, one of my goals was to stay on track and not let it turn into a diary of sorts or stray too far from important topics. Not become too personal, in other words. I think I was mostly failing.

I've not updated much this summer, I have always subscribed to the notion that it's better to say nothing than to write about something where it really shows that you're straining to come up with something. The weather and how hot or rainy it is, how many DX stations you've worked, your latest contest efforts, all of that is nice for a while, but it grows old. And that's the road I was headed down.

Plus, I've seen my blog disappearing from some of the blogrolls of people that I really respected and enjoyed reading. I figure if they don't enjoy reading my blog anymore to the point that they're going to remove it from their recommended list, then it's probably time to toss the towel in. I'm obviously not cutting it anymore.

Whether I leave it up or not, I've not decided. Probably not, not much point in it. I don't think there's much that would qualify as being important from a technical standpoint, it's mostly just my ramblings.

And that's where I hoped that I would be able to have enough to keep some interest, in my ramblings. But I just don't have that kind of gift, I'm not a good enough writer.

Thanks to everyone who made a comment. I can shut 'er down knowing that no one ever sent me an ugly comment and many of you that I've corresponded with I consider to be my friends. My "email friends" at least. Hopefully one day we can have an eyeball QSO too.

73 Ed

Listen to your internal voice

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:39:00 +0000

Some companies are just lousy at what they do. And while I don't put much faith in reviews at Eham - at least not until they demonstrate some legitimacy and remove reviews where the writer openly reveals that they've evaluated some piece of equipment for just one weekend - take a close look at some of the major ham manufacturers and tell me which one ends up with the worst reviews. It won't be hard.

It is a manufacturer that is routinely bashed and has earned a very unflattering nickname from its initials. You know who I'm talking about.

Take a look at their product line. Have you ever seen a more wasteful lineup? 75 different iterations of the same thing. Model 999A has an SWR meter 1-inch wide. Model 999B has an SWR meter 1-1/2 inches wide. Model 999C has an SWR meter 2 inches wide. All the way through model 999Z, which has an SWR meter 3 feet wide. It's idiotic.

Well, today they took it to a new level, at least for me. Not only are they manufacturing a bunch of cheap crap, but they're employing workers who make the sloth-like customer service at the US Post Office look like Jiffy Lube on meth.

For a couple of years I used an LDG antenna switcher. It was inexpensive, it worked, it interfaced via serial connection with my logging program. It was slick. I use the word 'was' because I was stupid enough to leave it connected during a freak lightning storm earlier this year and it got zapped. Dead. Worse, LDG no longer manufactures this model. I don't know why, but they don't. I didn't see a single one at the massive Shelby hamfest today, which must mean that folks are either holding on to them or they only manufactured three.

So, off I trek to Shelby...er...Dallas in search of a remote antenna switcher. I had done some research beforehand. I could spend gobs of money on a unit from DXEngineering that I had confidence in, but didn't figure would be at the hamfest. I was right. I could spend quite a bit less money on one from Array Solutions, but they wouldn't be there either. Or I could spend even less on one from Ameritron, which just happens to be part of the previously referenced but unmentioned company earlier.

So I arrive at their booth, which had no customers when I arrived and took a look at the offerings. I knew I either wanted the RCS-4L or the RCS-8L. The individual manning the booth saw me but made no effort to greet me or offer to assist. So finally I approached him and asked if he could help give me some information. Perhaps he was disappointed that I wasn't looking at an amplifier, but I asked him the difference between the two units. His reply? (Pointing) "This is the RCS-4 and this is the RCS-8."

That's it?

So I asked again, what's the difference? One has 4 inputs the other 5, I was told. Oooooookay...anything else? A little irritated, he asked, "What are you using it for?" What the hell? To switch antennas, you numbskull. But I politely explained that I had 3 HF antennas that I wanted to have a remote switch for. "OK, either will work."

Dumbfounded, I asked about the control method. "Doesn't one use a control cable and the other use the coax?" Without saying which one he says, "Any 5 conductor cable."

"Which one?"

"This one."

"What about lightning protection?"

"Yes."

"What is the lightning protection?"

"They both have lightning protection."

I gave up. I stepped back. While I did, another man came to the booth and asked some questions about an amplifier. I figured I'd done enough research on my own, so I decided to take the plunge. "OK, I'll take the RCS-8L."

Instead of going to get it, he turns around, grabs a stack of catalogs and begins fanning them out on the table. Checks his cell phone. Then finally goes and starts to sift through two or three large cardboard boxes.

Now, surely you've read about the poor solder joints of most of their products. Let me tell you so you'll know how it happens. As he took boxes out to read their descriptions, he tossed them onto a table. Not gently, mind you, he literally tossed them. After halfway rummaging through 2 boxes he walked back over and handed me an RCS-8. Not the RCS-8L. I took a look and said, "Does this have lightning protection?"

"No."

I handed it back to him. He put it back in the box but didn't look anymore. The third cardboard box was not searched.

He didn't even bother to come back over to me.

As I stood there like an idiot, contemplating whether to suggest he look in the third box while I squeezed my hands around his neck, my internal voice spoke up.

"Let's go."
"Why? I need this."
"No you don't. You're going to buy this, get it home, and something will be wrong with it. You know that."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"Let's go."

Listen to your internal voice and don't buy crap.

The long-suffering families of hams

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:54:00 +0000

Are you the only ham in your family? Have you ever stopped to think about how much your non-ham family members sacrifice in order for you to have fun on the radio?

Do you ever hear the yell "I'm trying to watch my show and you're messing up the tv again!", or "I've asked you to take the laundry out of the dryer ten times!", or "I don't care if your dinner gets cold again!"?

Do you find your family sitting in the car with scowls on their faces because you kept saying you'd be right there...30 minutes ago while you were chasing Glorioso?

Do you hear your wife mowing over your radial field because you kept saying you would mow the yard as soon as you work this station?

Have you ever threatened to take away your wife's credit cards if she ever runs the blender again while Ducie Island is on?

Have your kids ever missed riding the log flume because the ham radio store closes at 5?

If you're the only ham in the house, you know what I'm talking about.

But after enduring years and years of this, sometimes non-ham family members eventually come around to our way of thinking.

Have you ever gotten a call at work to tell you that your QSL came from Iraq?

Have you ever been sitting watching tv and your wife returns from the store and hands you this month's CQ?

Do you ever hear your wife yell at the kids to stop playing around the antenna?

Does your wife call you when you're out of town and tell you that she had to unplug your antenna because it came a bad storm?

Do you ever overhear your kids telling their friends about how cool your ham shack is?

Don't forget to thank those non-ham sufferers.

How NOT to use a DX Cluster

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:10:00 +0000

Are you kidding me? Something like this just makes my blood boil. I hate to call anyone out by callsign, but what I'm about to show you is a textbook example of how NOT to use a DX spotting cluster. So if I call someone out by callsign and it makes them mad, so be it.

Take a look at this screen capture of spots from DX Summit this evening.

Now take a closer look at this one spot.

What's wrong with this picture? First, most of us would consider it to be in very poor taste to post a spot bragging about a contact you made with another station. Take a look at the callsigns at the top of the Honor Roll. Do you see them posting spots about who they just worked? No, they let their record speak for itself. Second, this fellow brags about a QSO he made LAST NIGHT. 3C0C was not even on 40 meters when this person decided to post his spot AN ENTIRE DAY LATER. If anything, he should've chosen to brag about it LAST NIGHT when he actually made the contact.

But the biggest flaw in what he did was this - he managed to set everyone's spotting alarm off for 3C0C by posting a spot on a valid frequency. Some of us - probably a lot of us - have these alerts set up to go to logging programs, cell phones, pagers, Blackberrys or iPhones. So off we rush to check out 40 meters for 3C0C, only to discover that some bonehead posted a spot bragging about a QSO he made the night before.

Heck, let's say his intention wasn't to brag, but was to let everyone know to be on the lookout for 3C0C on 40 meters at such and such time...or if he was just hellbent on bragging, there's a way to do it. It's called making an announcement. OR, if he didn't know how to do that (or didn't want to take the time to learn), he could've posted his spot and used a frequency that's "out of bounds". He could've posted for 7.000 or 14.000 and bragged all he wanted. That way he wouldn't have made everyone's alarms go off.

Or look so foolish.

Poor sportsmanship

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:55:00 +0000

I know that whenever a good DXpedition comes on that it will always bring out the worst. Part of the challenge is trying to work through those clowns. In some cases, that becomes the greatest challenge.

So is the case with 3C0C.

It must be extremely frustrating to invest your time, your money, and your hard work, only to have a bunch of idiots get on the air and do everything possible to interfere with your efforts. Not to mention the investments from DX clubs, DX organizations, and manufacturers that offer their financial support, equipment, and advice. This sad spectacle reminds me of FT5GA last year and the intentional and perpetual QRM. Generally the deliberate QRM'ers gradually fade away after a few days as more people make it through. That never seemed to happen with FT5GA. And so far it doesn't seem to be easing up with 3C0C.

In fairness there seems to be a few reasons to do a bit of head-scratching. If one contrasts 3C0C's operating habits with the recent DXpedition to Palestine, E4X, you kind of wonder what their game plan is and why they're showing up where they are and when they are. Many times E4X produced a signal here that seemed almost local, quite strong. Without comparing setups in detail, I have a hunch that E4X had a firm grip on propagation and made the most of it by selecting the optimum bands and modes. I read where 3C0C does not have internet access from Annobon Island, so one must presume that they determine what paths are open by listening and not by looking at real-time information or where they're being spotted. You have to assume they're doing the best they can.

Also, it isn't fair to compare a two-man setup with a nine-man setup. Once you start running QSO's with just two guys, there isn't anyone else who can tune around or spell you while you investigate other paths that may be open.

Nevertheless, 3C0C's signal has been extremely weak here since they started and often unreadable except for very quiet moments, and the frequency cops are ensuring that there's not many of those. I hope that they are concentrating on working other parts of the world right now and intend to focus more on North America later on.

Logging program evaluation Part II...finally

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:58:00 +0000

3 weeks ago I wrote an entry describing my requirements for my ideal ham radio logging program and promised to write up my results of evaluating a few of the more popular offerings.

I had good intentions...honestly. But, work picked up at a frantic pace and my good intentions went by the wayside. Nevertheless, finally time has permitted me to get started.

The first program that I took a look at was AALog. AALog doesn't appear to be widely used in the US, but it does appear to have at least a small following. I once saw a pie-chart of the most popular logging programs (probably out-of-date) and, surprisingly, AALog has a large user-base in Europe which, if I think about it, perhaps should not come as a complete surprise, since the developers live in Europe.

AALog is available as a demo - I think it runs for 30 days - but to be fair, I decided to go ahead and purchase it. It costs a reasonable $49, but anyone interested should be cautioned that there are a number of add-ons available, both from the developers and other vendors, that could bring the cost significantly higher. In its basic form, however, it is quite competent for both casual users and power users. The version I'm using is the most recent version available for download, v3.0.

If you think that AALog is a simple program that isn't worthy of attention, you're selling yourself short. It has a wide range of features that rival any other program available, although, as mentioned before, you may need to purchase one of the add-ins to accomplish what you wish to do. Most of the add-ins seems reasonably priced. More on that later.

AALog has an interesting QSO interface that can be tailored to suit your needs. The main QSO entry page has enough fields to satisfy most users without having to tab over to other sections. But if you like to add other information, such as power, radios used, antennas, etc, there are sections available. One thing that I like about it is that each "child" window is separate. What I mean is, there isn't a main or primary window that all the other windows must fit in. This allows you to drag certain elements, like previous QSO's or the telnet window into other areas of the screen, perhaps even to another monitor.

AALog natively supports eQSL and LOTW. AALog will connect to LOTW and upload or download your confirmations without a lot of user intervention. This isn't always perfect, however. I find that if you have had the program running for a while it will download the latest confirmations but will fail when it tries to update your log. It will ask you for confirmation of each and every QSO. If you have a lot of QSO's, that's not something you want to do. If you exit, restart AALog, and go through the same process again, it will work fine. Odd and kind of aggravating.

Another quirk is that AALog doesn't seem to retain the correct setting when you change the country for a particular callsign. For instance, it always recognizes K5D as being from the 5th call zone, instead of Desecheo Island, even though I've changed this in the country file AND added it as a special callsign. That can be aggravating. It WILL correct the QSO's I've already logged for K5D, but if I enter the callsign as a new QSO, it will revert to thinking it is from the US zone 5. This shouldn't happen.

While we're on the subject of quirks, AALog uses OmniRig to interface to radios. This seems to work reasonably well with my radios, but there are times that it sets the radio a few Hz off frequency. I've tinkered with the polling rates, but can't find a solution. Not a show-stopper, but a little frustrating. Clicking the spot a second time always sets the radio to the correct frequency.

There's no way to set alerts of specific stations, at least not anyway that I could find. And when totaling your stations worked, for LOTW or DXCC or WAS, sometimes the totals shown don't agree with what's displayed in the log. But this isn't the only logger I tested that seems to have trouble with that. Still, this needs to be addressed.

Now for a potential show-stopper...

Perhaps the biggest knock on AALog is a glaring lack of help. Literally. There is no English language help file. If you check out their website, it says, "Coming Soon". But that has been posted now for nearly a year. There are help files available for other languages and I've even used Google to translate them. Unfortunately, these files are very incomplete and in all cases quite out of date. I don't have high hopes for the English help file to be...helpful. If click on "Help", nothing happens.

So, why is this only a "potential" show-stopper? Well, the program is very intuitive and you can learn it rather quickly even without a help file. In cases where you're stumped, persistence usually pays off, but I found it helpful to write down certain steps until I became comfortable with doing them. There is 'some' help available via the Yahoo groups site. The Yahoo user group seems somewhat active and I received a fairly prompt answer to a question that I posted from the developer. There's still a language barrier somewhat on some of the replies.

So what does it do really well? The program is quick and I didn't witness any pauses when adding QSO's, clicking on spots (aside from the off-frequency problem), it interfaces well with other programs, and the interface is reasonably attractive and useful.

There is a built-in QRZ feature that also includes a few other services to look up calls. It actually works pretty good and it is integrated into the main logging window.

AALog provides a useful and effective way to search or filter your log. You can search for individual callsigns or filter your log to show only QSO's based on a wide range of criteria. In fact, it may have had the best filtering method of any logger I tried. This feature is quite powerful and allows you to easily make modifications to multiple QSO's easily and quickly. And, AALog foloows standard Windows practice and allows you to select multiple QSO's by holding down the shift or control keys. Very nice.

The telnet works quite well once you figure it out. Again, the lack of help caused me some delay, but eventually I worked through it. Adding new telnet sites is easy and I like that it allows you to show spots by band. If you wish to cull spots down to a particular mode or where they're from, for instance, you can enter commands manually. You can also specify your own commands for built-in pushbuttons and label their function. Nice. If a spot is entered incorrectly, however, there's no way to delete it until it "times out", which at least you can set the time out period.

There are several add-ins that are available that complement AALog, available from and written by the same folks who created AALog. Also, there are some programs available from the fine folks at Afreet Software, the same folks who make DXAtlas. Bandmaster is a bandmap that has some really nifty features, including spotting history. Ionoprobe interfaces with AALog to show propagation. There are several others that I didn't try, including interfaces for digital modes. Almost all of these "add-ins" do have a cost associated, so if you're comparing to other programs, be sure and tally up all the extra costs for things you might be interested in. In other words, if you compare the bare offerings to, say, Ham Radio Deluxe or the DX Labs Suite, in order to reach their level of usefulness, you'll be out some cash.

When I first downloaded and tried AALog I really thought that I had found a hidden gem. It seemed to offer enough features to satisfy me, it was fast, it was reasonably priced, but the lack of help and the quirks that I noted above were enough to make me start looking elsewhere again. I'll say this, when the next version comes out, I'll check it out again, it shows that much promise. So, how did AALog measure up to my 10 requirements? All in all, it probably rated a "5" out of 10.

Logging program evaluation Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:46:00 +0000

I am forever trying out new logging programs. I think of it as my "hobby within a hobby". In some ways I think of it as a curse because just as soon as I think I've settled on one particular program, something else will come along to tempt me or I'll run into a problem with the program that I'm currently using and start wondering if another one does a better job.

But I think, honestly, I just enjoy trying new software. And, I try not to let my obsession with this take away from my actual operating time, what would be the point in having a logger that did everything and not have any QSO's to enter! Plus, I think a great logging program can make your on-air time much more enjoyable. It can really enhance the experience.

Having said that, I've spent the last few months trying out a few more logging programs and can offer these comments and insights. Hopefully someone may find my comments useful. In Part I, I will cover 10 items that are important to me when selecting a good logger. Later I will go over what I found in the programs that I tested and how they ranked in living up to my requirements. Obviously my requirements will differ from your's, but you may still find them helpful. I should say upfront that my operating habits are 95% CW, 4% SSB, and 1% digital modes. So, my prejudices will probably become evident.

My requirements are (not necessarily in order of importance):

1. LOTW compatibility. All programs have a way of tracking QSL's. Most seem to have a preference for eQSL. A lot of programs claim to offer "seamless" integration with LOTW but I beg to differ. I only found three in the group that I evaluated that come close and there's still some issues with each. In addition, I want LOTW to be tallied as part of my awards chasing. Most programs do this, but a few require some extra steps that aren't obvious. Using most loggers to submit your awards is like trying to thread a needle blindfolded...with your toes.

2. Awards tracking. About the only award that I'm presently interested in keeping track of is my DXCC count. All the programs I've tried are capable of tracking several awards, but some are far more versatile and friendly than others. What seems like a minor thing - the inability to resize the DXCC total window - can be very frustrating when trying to search through umpteen countries and locate one that's not been credited correctly. It's also nice to be able to export that information, like to Excel or a text file. Can you add or import other awards to track? How versatile is it for giving different views based upon bands, modes, worked, unworked, confirmed, etc?

3. Country recognition. I can understand when a program can't recognize a country with a special or unique callsign (K5D, for example), but the means to reassign that callsign to the correct country should be simple AND should be permanent. It shouldn't disappear with each update that's applied. How does it handle a slash in a callsign? Are there regular updates to the country database that incorporate the newest DXpedition calls?

4. DX Spots/Telnet. All the programs I tried have some sort of DX spotting. But tell me the country...I can't memorize all the prefixes, that's why I'm using a computer. And set the mode according to a bandplan that I can modify if I need to. If I click on a CW spot and then an SSB spot, change the mode of the radio accordingly. And while you're at it, set the radio to the exact frequency that's listed on the spot. Oh, and give me a way to tell you not to keep listing the same station every time it is spotted, even if I have to come up with some simple rules. Tell me where to point my antenna, short and long paths. And it's nice to know how far they are from me.

I like having a bandspread display for DX spots, especially one that will allow me to sort only by band. Better yet, let me have more than one bandspread displayed if I want to so I can keep an eye on another band. DX alerts are an added bonus, either pop-up windows, sounds, or even emails or text messages.

5. Logbook QSO editing. Why, oh why can't I edit multiple QSO's? Why can't I follow normal Windows practice, click on one item, scroll to the last item, hold down the shift key, select the last item, right-click and edit ANY field in the log? Why can't I hold down CTRL and select several different QSO's? Do I really have to learn SQL to do this? Ironically, some of the more "stripped down" loggers allow you to do this, but some of the more full-featured loggers make it extremely difficult. A few don't even allow multiple QSO editing.

6. QRZ (or other callbooks) lookup. A while back I downloaded the QRZ-CD database. It's nice to be able to point your logger at this and have it automatically look up stations, especially if you aren't able to be online. Even better when it will do this for spots without having to have the station "in the log". A huge plus when the program will get the info from QRZ (or wherever) without having a subscription or a CD.

7. Maps. A cool looking map is nice but it needs to be useful. Let me display prefixes or zones. Grayline is imperative. Show me the spots on the map. If it interfaces with something like DXAtlas that's great too. Show me the short path and long paths. Make it big enough that I can see it clearly, or let me resize it. Displaying propagation is really nice. Despite having taken World Geography, I didn't commit all the countries to memory, so label them for me.

8. Logbook. I don't really enter much additional information that's not normally transferred from the spots but I can understand how that is important to some and maybe someday I will too. It needs to be easy to enter information if I'm working a station that wasn't spotted. Simple navigation, like the tab key to jump to the next field. I'm lazy, so go ahead an pre-enter "599" or "59" into the RS(T) fields. I'll change it if I need to. Put the actual frequency and not just the band.

If you're going to give me a default of 42 entry fields give me an obvious way to select only the ones that I want or need. Don't make me drag them in a certain direction while holding down CTRL and touching my left temple with my right big toe in order to rearrange them. Better yet, give me just 12 fields and tell me how to add more if I want to.

Don't give me a half dozen tabs on top of the QSO entry so that I have to click on other windows to enter common information. Put the main items on the main entry window or let me choose what to put there. Don't force me to spent a half hour rearranging the fields by dragging them in a certain manner or removing useless fields.

9. Support. It needs to have a comprehensive help file built in to the program and not lead you to a webpage (what if you don't have internet access when you're using it) where you can't effectively search for answers. An active user's group or forum is a big plus. Another place where you can find answers and speak with people who have already encountered and hopefully solved problems you've run into. And a forum void of moderators who are sharp-tongued and rude.

Can I find updates easily, and, more importantly, can I apply them safely without fear of corrupting what I've already saved? Does each update return all my settings to default or are they carried over?

10. Rig control. Initially this was a big concern for me. I had hopes of having a remote-controlled station. But, now, I don't really have a strong interest in making that investment. Some programs weigh more heavily in this area and are usually lacking in the logging functions.

Eye candy is nice but not for the sake of occupying three-quarters of the screen. Better yet, give me that option in case I am operating remote, but let me turn it off or switch to a streamlined display when I want to.

Now, if it sounds like I'm harping on some of the shortcomings from the various programs I tried, you're right. Sometimes it's a trade-off. One program might excel in one area but be extremely weak in another.

It is hard to be overly critical of software that is written and supported by fellow hams in their spare time and who don't charge a single penny for it. There are several of these programs available and most do a great job. But it is also reasonable to expect software, whether free or at a cost, to do what it claims to do. That's even more true for software that you pay for. Nothing is worse than discovering that your log is corrupt or that the past 200 QSO's have the incorrect time zone because of a glitch, especially if those 200 included a couple of rare ones.

You may be wondering, what exactly qualifies me as an evaluator? Well, simple. I'm an end-user. We all are. And while I'd probably be in over my head if I tried to write my own logging program, I write software used in the process control industry for a living. So I have a rudimentary understanding of what it takes to accomplish certain tasks.

So there's my "requirements". Next time I'll start listing the programs I tried and how they measured up.

Tax Refund

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:31:00 +0000

My wife and I don't get an income tax refund every year. On the years that we do, we generally have it earmarked for something that we've been needing or try to pay off any outstanding debts we might have. This year, though, we decided to each take an amount and "treat" ourselves to something we've each been wanting and then place the rest in savings.

She's still deciding what she's going to buy but I took my part (plus a little extra, heh-heh) and treated myself to two things that I've been considering for a while now. One thing was to have my K2 professionally calibrated by an expert. The other was to buy and build the matching KAT100 antenna tuner.

So, since I live in North Carolina, I contacted Don, W3FPR, and inquired about his schedule and whether or not he entertains such requests. I was delighted to learn that he does calibrate Elecraft gear for those of us who are just a little unsure of themselves. By coincidence, my KAT100 had arrived just prior to sending Don my K2. The build wasn't difficult, but on the initial powerup everything was dead. I did some rudimentary troubleshooting and discovered that I didn't have 5 VDC coming from the voltage regulator. I replaced it, but no go. My eyes couldn't spot a solder bridge across one of the capacitors (frankly, I was surprised that Don only discovered one!), but he found it. Moreover, he discovered that one of the EEPROM's were bad, something that I would have not concluded, I'm sure. So while he tuned up my K2, he also replaced the EEPROM and calibrated my tuner at the same time.

I must say, his rates are very, very reasonable and I'm quite pleased with how everything turned out. I can recommend him with the utmost confidence.

As good as my K2 was before, unless I have a really short memory I have to say that it really seems to have come to life now. The antenna tuner is really a joy to use, but I was a bit taken aback by how noisy it is when it tunes. Fortunately that's a short-lived cycle and since it remembers settings by band and antenna, you don't have to retune very often at all. Compared to my LDG Z-100, which is a fine tuner as well, I have noted that it gets better matches on a few bands, but not so much better that I'd knock the LDG. The Z-100 will now become my portable tuner, if I ever get the urge to carry my FT-857D with me on trips again.

Pse QSL

noreply@blogger.com (Ed N4EMG) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 22:43:00 +0000

Anyone who chases DX has at least a handful of QSO's that prompt them to wonder every single time they open the mailbox or log onto LOTW. Will one of 'those cards' be there? Each time the mailbox contains an envelope from the bureau, will one of them be inside? For some just knowing they worked a DX station is enough. For others, it's all about the card.

For some that "handful" consists of only a couple of countries until they've confirmed them all. That wait has to be excruciating. For others, like me, the handful can still consist of relatively common DX that we just haven't been fortunate enough to snag a card or confirmation from yet.

When your total is still modest and growing, some strange patterns can develop. For instance, you can end up with several cards or confirmations from very rare entities after working a few DXpeditions, sometimes cards that even seasoned DX'ers would become a bit jealous of. Likewise, sometimes you've just been in the right place at the right time and lo and behold you end up with a confirmation. A nice surprise.

But when you sift through your total, often you can spot some glaring omissions that don't really make sense. Sometimes no matter how many times you work someone different in a country, it seems you just can't get a QSL, no matter how "common" they are.

So, with that in mind, I did a bit of high-brow, nuclear scientist-type ciphering on my own log. The number one country that I've worked the most and not managed to get a QSL from is Cuba. I've worked 52 stations in Cuba and not one darned QSL. Interestingly, there's a three-way tie for second place among Jamaica, the Azores, and Estonia. I've worked all three countries a total of 23 times each and nary a confirmation. Next are Chile and Kaliningrad, at 19 and 17 QSO's respectively...but no cards.

I assure you, it isn't from lack of trying. Or sending cards. Or uploading to LOTW.

I think what stands out is that none of these countries are remotely rare, so I feel confident that it's just a matter of time. I hope. Right?

To go a step further, I wondered which countries I've worked the most and only managed one QSL. Slovakia takes the prize with 43 QSO's and only 1 QSL. There's a steep dropoff to the number two spot, which is Macedonia with 19 QSO's and 1 QSL, followed by Uruguay with 16 QSO's and 1 QSL.

Of course, I had to know which countries were the best QSL'ers? As expected, Canada took that honor, with 75 QSL's in just 156 contacts. Germany, France, Italy, and the Ukraine rounded out the top 5. I imagine that might hold true for a lot of folks.

I should mention that whenever I list the QSO number for a country, that number can consist of the same station on different bands. Lastly, which countries did I consider to be surprises for having high QSL rates? Netherland Antilles and Aruba stuck out initially...until I thought about it for a second. Can you say "contest"? From the others, Luxembourg and Scotland both had high returns on QSL's.