Beach Boys ARC | On The Edge Of A Continent

Satellite perspective of our operating latitude and longitude on rocky outcropping.

The city sign amplified our ham radio experience in the great outdoors. 

Buddipole antenna system configured for 15m CW pointing north to south.

Yaesu FT100 with power supply connected to Bencher Paddles almost ready to launch signal.

Fred, KI6QDH spinning the dial on 15m SSB with Bob, K2YAZ waiting for  Ryan, K6RQT to log a QRP contact.

Ryan, K6RQT getting ready to fire up his homebrew 1 watt, crystal controlled transceiver using matched long wire.

Beach Boys ARC participants (L) to (R) Fred, KI6QDH, Scot KA3DRR, Radio Dawg, Ryan, K6RQT, and Bob, K2YAZ.

We could not wish for a better day while experiencing ham radio in the great outdoors. The temperature did not rise above 60 degrees with sunny skies giving way to partly cloudy and no wind from any direction.

I packed earlier that morning wondering if the park would be full of visitors and locals? Everyone likes taking their dogs for a walk around 10 o'clock in the morning. I wasn't disappointed. However, not only were we going to experience ham radio in the great outdoors, this was an opportunity at acquainting our general public with wireless communication as well.

Our operating location was chosen for its rugged terrain and proximity to the ocean. I would like to credit PT0S St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks DXpedition for their inspiration. We attempted to a limited degree to approximate operating conditions. I learned that ambient noise level increased substantially at high tide. The noise of breaking waves against rocks is loud making CW copy difficult without cans.

Next time, will wear cans and need to make a box for a speaker and head set jack, when operating near the ocean. It is good practice to share the experience with our general public as well.

I can only praise the performance of the Buddipole antenna system and ease of assembly in the field. Also, for transparency, I'm not sponsored by Buddipole to promote its product line on my blog. The same can be said of DX Engineering as well, however; I'm passionate about both of these companies and want them to continue succeeding into the future.

On the other hand, I'm beginning to understand why DXpeditions spend a great deal of time preparing for their operation and the impact of not being prepared. For example, I could have tweaked the FT100 side band menu settings instead of doing this in the field, lesson learned. Also, I forgot to open the vent valve on the Honda EU2000i gas tank and it stalled about an hour into operation.

Beach Boys ARC participants successfully logged two CW contacts at 100 watts into the Buddipole. We contacted Oklahoma and Florida receiving respectable signal reports from by station operators. Ryan, K6RQT and Bob, K2YAZ called CQ on several occasions without success. However, RQT's homebrew 40m crystal controlled, one watt transceiver with matched long wire antenna will be back in the field in the near future.

In the meantime, I learned about being prepared prior to actually operating in the great outdoors and, anytime, is a good time, to take ham radio outside of the shack. Overall, Beach Boys ARC participants enjoyed a few hours under the ionosphere operating ham radio from a rocky outcropping while sharing the best hobby on the planet with the general public.

73 from the shackadelic near the beach.  

DRR Atmospherics | After Earth

Beach Boys ARC On The Edge Of A Continent

Good morning from the #hamr shackadelic zone where ham radio collides with the spirit of having fun and experiencing life in the great outdoors.

The Beach Boys ARC later this morning will set up wireless gear on the edge of a continent. Currently, beach weather is off the hook and conditions are stellar with blue skies while Cycle 24 rages above our craniums. It is the kinda of day that explains why I love living on the central coast of California.

Our gear list --

1. Yaesu FT100.
2. Paddles for Morse code.
3. Boom microphone for single sideband.
4. Buddipole antenna system.
5. Honda EU2000i generator.
6. Table.
7. Chairs.

I want to tweet a few photographs into our #hamr network, high definition video using a small Sony Cyber Shot camera with mini tripod for stabilization, and an Olympus D-550 digital camera for still photography.

Additionally, wavelength conditions and SpotCollector with Reverse Beacon Network inputs, suggest 15m and/or 20m as open toward the east and south of Shell Beach. My best guess at operating frequencies --

• 14.055 KHz plus or minus 10 KHz (CW)
• 21.055 KHz plus or minus 10 KHz (CW)
• 14.300 KHz plus or minus 10 KHz (SSB)
• 21.300 KHz plus or minus 10 KHz (SSB)

The Beach Boys ARC is looking forward to launching their signal from the edge of a continent while experiencing ham radio in the great outdoors.

73 from the shackadelic near the beach. 

2012 CQ WPX Log Check Report - Meta Analysis

Log Check Report

A brilliant morning looking out toward the Pacific Ocean with a sunny sky blazing away after two days of needed rain fall.

The meta-analysis of WPX CW 2012 with 4,000 plus logs submitted, 2.8 million QSO, and 180 participating countries was completed on the 1st of December. I'm working to understand the data for example what does 83.8% unique calls busted after 16,889 different calls were credited and 0.1% busted reverse log calls mean?

There is a total of 2.8 million QSOs with 2.4 million checked against another log and 2.3 million checked good when checked against another log. What is the total error percentage? Is my error percentage within range of the mean?

The North American QSO Party is scheduled for early January and I'm going to work at improving my skill at copying callsigns during the event. The path to a Golden Log is practice, practice, practice.

Contest on! 

DXpedition Basics By Wayne Mills, N7NG

DXpedition Basics Written By Wayne Mills, N7NG

Good morning from the #hamr shackadelic zone where I'm listening to our local repeater or in today's vernacular lurking the frequency. Also, my weather report from near the beach is overcast, cool, expecting rain, and choppy surf conditions. It is the kind of day where I'm knocking to-do objectives off my list and enjoying life.

Wayne Mills, N7NG author of DXpedition Basics suggested, "But when DXpedition organizers accept contributions and support, there is an implicit, and even maybe an explicit obligation to conform to certain operating criterion. Specifically, organizations which funnel money to DXpedition groups for the benefit of the DXing community have become more particular about whom they support. Their assistance often demands minimum standards of operating proficiency, and may depend on the track record of the group. Following a few simple rules can go far in assuring the success of a DXpedition effort." (p 2, 1994)

Mills stated, "In fact, many have said that the DXpedition operator is responsible for the conduct and outcome of an expedition, and that, indeed, the pileups in a sense mirror the DXpedition operator. The DXpedition operator must be in command, but just how is that accomplished?" (p 2, 1994)

Lastly, Mills suggested a fundamental premise for expeditions, "We will start with the premise that the overall objective of the DXpedition is for DXers around the world to simply have fun. With rare exceptions, no expeditioner ever expects to profit from his DXpeditioning activities. Rather, considerable expenses are incurred primarily in transportation costs and loss of employment income. This is a fact; chiseled in stone!" (p 3, 1994)

I'm sad to read that a highly successful year of DXpeditioning is coming to a close with a disruptive footnote attached to its banner resume for our ham radio community. It seems to me that Wayne Mills, N7NG in association with the American Radio Relay League and the International DX Association sought solutions to perplexing questions more than a decade ago.

We are fast arriving or if not have already arrived, where it is time to start this conversation anew, in lieu of significant technological and social change. Thus far, leading donor organizations remain silent in an age of unparalleled communications and intense social engagement.

I recommend downloading DXpedition Basics, print, review, then take it with you to the next gathering and renew this decade old conversation that better reflects ham radio in the 21st Century.

73 from the shackadelic near the beach.