High Frequency Fun

I heard OM3CGN this morning on 40-meters in the CW portion of the band. Some from 6-land worked the station just not enough propagation for KA3DRR. The thrill of victory slipped away into the ionosphere.

Beneath Friday night shack lights, I worked --

• Fred, KT5X on 7.028 in New Mexico at 0256Z. A fun rag chew before dinner.

This afternoon as shadows lengthened --

• YN4SU on 18.072 (new one for DXCC) at 2226Z.
• UA0FAI on 18.073 (new one for DXCC) at 2234Z.
• JJ2LPV on 18.084 at 2251Z.

Currently, my DXCC tally using 40-watts into a center fed inverted-L doublet --

• 31 worked and 16 confirmed using eQSL and/or LoTW QSL services.

That's high frequency fun on a lazy, wintry Saturday afternoon near the Pacific ocean.

Contest on.

Friday Night Shack Lights

Radio Dawg is in the shack and I'm tuning 40-meters at the moment. There is something about winter and Friday night shack lights. I deployed my antenna after walking Radio Dawg to the beach. She's now in her bliss. This is exciting news, one neighbor questioned me about Japan, another asked if the Board of Directors put the kibosh on KA3DRR, and another continues encouraging my operation. It appears there is strong support for Ham Radio within three doors of the station. You know it just felt good.

On the other hand, I'm curious what this weekend of Ham Radio adventure will bring?

Aha, the sound of Morse code and Friday night shack lights, now that's Ham Radio.

John, W6ZIP Low-power, Low-profile RadioSport

John, W6ZIP and I met back in the mid-1990s at W6AB The Satellite Amateur Radio Club near Lompoc, California. We quickly established a friendship thanks to our common interest in Ham Radio. John enjoys chasing DX, rag chewing, award chasing, and RadioSport. He is an active outdoors men who likes adventure as well. W6ZIP is a low-power, low-profile Level-3 station. His antenna is a stealthy inverted-V constructed out of 18 AWG copper wire and cut at 35-feet tucked under the eave. His feedline is 450-Ohm balanced line. John currently operates 5-watts peak-envelope power. He is busy downloading the latest software such as N1MM's Contest Log and DX Lab Suite for casual operating. John likes the challenge of QRP and his long term goal is a competitive Level-3 station. I'm stoked that my buddy in southern California is getting back into Ham Radio at the bottom of the cycle! NexGen RadioSport powered by Yaesu. Contest on John.

ARRL Sweepstakes CW 2007 -- After Action Report

Bill, N6ZFO and I accomplished our primary goal of reaching 100 Kpts during Sweepstakes. We were thrilled when the N1MM score meter rolled over and gravy points followed. Our additional 17 Kpts is a built in buffer for busted calls. My Morse code proficiency is not yet 100% and more practice is the solution. The N6ZFO Multi-single (M/S) team worked 78 of the 80 available multipliers and Hawaii equated to missing a three-point kick late in the fourth quarter. It's one for the legacy. Howie, N4AF was first in the log.

I enjoyed sharing the operating chair with my coach through Sweepstakes weekend. We eventually worked a system of moving out of the chair between CQs. Likewise, feedback was immediate, as my RadioSport operating skill proportionally improved as the hours clicked off the time clock. I appreciated his words of encouragement and suggestions on how-to improve throughout. Feedback, encouragement, and support is an advantage of an M/S team effort. I took notes as well while N6ZFO operated.

Notable Quotes.

• "We're getting response during S/P."
• "Contest at the bottom of the cycle, no fun."

The team enjoyed stellar food throughout the weekend. Thanks Barbara! Bill fired up the iron skillet on Saturday evening and we dined on a classic RadioSport meal consisting of fried sausage with grilled onions, mustard, and whole wheat bread. We also enjoyed a giant breakfast of french toast, fresh fruit, bacon, and juice.

We also hiked a mammoth hill switching between roads and staircases to visit Al, K6RIM's station. I enjoyed a first-hand look at his station overlooking San Francisco and an autographed QSL card from an accomplished Northern California Contest Club member. KB!

Bill and I agreed, those ionospheric high fives when an operator passed along, "Nice signal" charged our team morale going into the Sunday late-afternoon and early-evening Sweeps slog. That is, when one's rate meter drastically falls from the previous evening and the agony of the operating chair kicks in.

M/S Sweeps Stats for N6ZFO.

• Operator (A) 407 -Qs
• Operator (B) 352 -Qs.
• Highest Rate Operator (B) 60/HR during first two hours on Sunday.
• Average Rate Operator (A) 407/12.33 equaled 34Qs/HR.
• Average Rate Operator (B) 352/11 equaled 32Qs/HR.

Lesson's Learned.

• Watch the 60/HR and 10min/HR rate meter.
• Change bands more frequently i.e. given current conditions between 20- and 40-meters to improve rate(s).
• Scot works on his code speed proficiency. Solution -- ragchewing at higher code speeds during casual operating times i.e. weekends.

We accomplished our last goal on the list and the fun meter pegged s9 plus throughout Sweeps. I was honored to share the chair with Bill, N6ZFO who is an accomplished RadioSport contester and great coach. Thanks Bill for the stellar RadioSport experience.

Contest on.

ARRL Sweepstakes CW 2007 -- Photo Finish

I snapped a few photographs at N6ZFO's QTH throughout the weekend. Our raw score is -- 755 -Qs, 78 mults, 117 Kpts -- we missed PAC and NL mults. South Florida remained elusive until late into the second day of Sweeps. A few notable moments on Sunday included working Jamie, NS3T Radio-Sport dot com on 20 meters and Keith, W4KAZ Amateur Radio from the "Cheap Seats" on 40 meters. Thanks for the Sweeps -Q's Jamie and Keith. The best moment goes to those in the Q precedent (PREC). We were thrilled each time when a QRP station called. Thanks! It would be interesting to note as a comparison if QRP participation increased against other Sweeps years? The bulk check (CK) decade, as a quick observation, fell into the 1950s. We missed my buddy John, W6ZIP who is working his way back into RadioSport as a low-power, low-profile Level-3 operator in Southern California. Next year for sure. I had a blast at the bottom, bottom of the cycle and looking forward to Sweeps in 2008, contest on.