Amateur Radio

This year’s North Carolina QSO Party was very fun. I operated from my QTH for the duration of the contest, breaking for a 30 minute lunch and for the occasional stretch break. The propagation was better than last year, going by the numbers, Again this year, I used my Icom IC-7300 running 100W to an MFJ-986 tuner connected to ladder line and a center-fed Zepp dipole antenna. All performed well. Two days prior to contest, during good weather, I took down the dipole for inspection. I checked continuity between the feed point and each element and replaced aging zipties that were growing brittle. Maybe next year I’ll swage the ends and do away with zipties altogether. ...

WARNING: ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. DC power is one of the first problems to solve when operating portable. Your portable operation might take place near established infrastructure where AC power is plentiful. Remote locations will require the use of a battery. Some radios have internal batteries, but if you’re running 100W, an external battery is a likely necessity. AC power? Some public spaces have AC outlets available in shelters or bathrooms that can be used. These are a relative luxury since they grant you unlimited operating time at your maximum power level (or at least up to 100W). If possible, research AC power availability ahead of time. If a picnic shelter has ceiling fans, you might get lucky (looking at you Clemmons Educational State Forest). Some parks have photos that might provide hints. ...

This past weekend I participated in the IARU HF World Championship contest. I chuckle at the phrase “world championship” because I’m a casual contester, a Sunday driver. I took this opportunity to practice my CW operating, as I have in other contests recently. My goal this year was to make 250 QSOs to qualify for the fancy certificate. This goal would require me to be a run station: sit on a frequency, call “CQ”, and copy other stations callsigns and exchanges (sent via Morse code) as efficiently as possible. I also thought 250 QSOs would be a good goal considering that I didn’t expect to be at the radio for the entire 24 hour contest period. ...

Today marked the beginning of a new CW contest geared towards the intermediate CW operator. I’ll put myself in that bucket. The Medium Speed Contest is geared for operators aiming to work at speeds of 20-25 words per minute. The exchange is your name and a serial number. My goal is to use this contest for practice. That means I’m sending by hand with my Bench BY-1 paddle and I’m not using spots. I’ve been participating regularly in the K1USN Slow Speed conTest (SST), and I’ll likely add this contest to the rotation. ...

The RARS Portable Operating Group met on April 23, 2022 at Umstead State Park near Big Lake for our second outing. Attendees included a dozen hams, some experienced and some new, who came to enjoy portable radio on a very pleasant spring day. The program was on public service events and was presented by the RARS Public Service Chair, Jeremy Lindsley K2HJX. Jeremy gave an overview of different types of public service events, explained how they normally operate, and demonstrated the portable VHF/UHF station that he regularly uses to run a public service net control station. His portable station consisting of two dual-band radios, vertical antenna with collapsible mast and tripod, combined with a versatile battery power source generated a lot of interest from participants. ...