I still think the tin foil does the magic!

After years of neglect, this analog era ham is willing to admit I only understand a bit about digital electronics. (Yep! Pun intended.) Well into the second week of my sabbatical leave, I have begun to plot out a course of study to get up to speed on the state of the art that I have so long neglected. Should be fun. There seems to be a good bit of open source help online these days and I have my trusty ARRL Handbook, Extra Class study guide, Antenna Handbook and assortment of other aids.

Any suggestions from the veteran techies out there will be greatly appreciated.

I am a learn by doing/hands-on sort of guy and find deep theory puts me into a semi-catatonic state after a few minutes.  For me, it’s a whole lot more fun to take a stab at things and find out if they smoke, and it also makes a lot more sense when I can dink and tweak and see what that actually does. But since that is a bit expensive, perhaps I should learn how to use software like spice to do simulations? Any recommendations for how to learn this software?

Another area of toe dipping will be learning to do antenna modeling. For years I’ve looked at those charts and made little sense out of them. HA… I like to throw wire out and see what happens, but in the summer heat, maybe it is wiser to do a bit of modeling from my air conditioned den?

Thanks WX7S-- Your site looks AWESOME for learning this stuff!

I’ll try to share some of the learning curve, but would love to hear from some of you that have gone before. Shortcuts are nice. WX7S your site looks like a great place for me to start! Thanks for the effort it takes to do that.

This weekend (Sat 14 Aug 2010) the Central Florida QRP Group will gather for breakfast at 0730 (Denny’s in Sanford, FL) and off to Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford, FL at 0900 EDT to operate. If you like cw and qrp or are just plain curious… come join us!

What is it about low power operators that binds us together? I’ve been reflecting on that a bit lately.

As a student of anthropology and culture, I see a bit of a tribal influence among the amateur radio ops of the world. We tend to cluster into tribes based upon our modes of operation and other specialized pursuits like contesting, fox hunting, award seekers, etc. Each tribe has its own special characteristics, culture, jargon and social structure.

What I enjoy most about the QRP tribe is that the Elmer spirit is still very much alive and well. Although we all are a bit competitive and like to think we have a line on the best way to do QRP, there is a healthy amount of sharing of information, expertise and even hardware. Groups like Adventure Radio Society, NAQCC, Flying Pigs, Polar Bears, AZ Scorpions, NE QRP, North Georgia, 4 States, etc breed healthy competition and provide us with sources of information and expert assistance when needed. I sure am enjoying getting to know, both on air and in person, some of the people that make these groups work.

My recent connection with Diz W8DIZ while operating the FOBB, prompted me to go back and read the history of the Flying Pigs and to read through the archives of the Bacon Bits Newsletter. There is real gold and a wealth of interesting info that’s been recorded and made available freely. Other clubs have the same heritage. I say a BIG THANK YOU to all the QRP groups for sharing their experience and stories. It makes me feel proud to be part of the tribe!

What about you? What do you enjoy about QRP? Leave a comment and share your thoughts and story.

Had a good day in the park with Jim K4AHO and Wally KG4LAL. Spent a good bit of time testing a couple tuners for End Fed Half Wave antennas using Jim’s AIM 4170. Wow is that thing a great tool for tweaking antennas! Info overload!

I built an antenna tuner based on AA5TB’s design for an end fed half wave antenna. I am using a 3 ft or so counterpoise on the ground as Steve suggests. On the analyzer in a test lashup it was a bit touchy to hand capacitance but tuned well even up to 21Mhz. Since I am not thinking of backpack size I used a pretty good sized enclosure for it. I am using an air variable 6-160pf cap instead of a polyvaricon like Steve used since space is not a big issue. I also used a T68-6 toroid instead of the T50-2 Steve used.

When I mounted it in a plastic box the sensitivity seemed to increase. I have not put a LED SWR bridge in the box yet, as I was waiting to see how it worked before adding more variables. Today I was able to put an AIM 4170 analyzer on it and it did tune the antenna… seems that the air variable I used is perhaps a tad small. It is almost fully meshed on 40m cw and on 20m it acts like even at minimum capacitance the sweet spot is very narrow and hard to tune.

Here's the innards

My question(s) are:
1) Is the hand/body capacitance normal? If not, what might cause it to
be so touchy?
2) Would my parts layout be part of the issue?
3) Does the DPDT switch (mini toggle) I added for later use with the SWR
bridge add significant capacitance to the circuit? I was able to match a
21Mhz load on the raw test setup, but not once it is in the box.
4) I have a small bus wire for a ground, do I need to increase that?
5) Is the plastic box the problem? Would it be better in a metal enclosure?
6) Am I asking too many questions? Sorry, this is how I learn. Build,
test, ask…

SWR bridge I want to use

Thanks for your wisdom and experience on this one.

72,
Kelly K4UPG

My favorite QRP group is the Polar Bear QRP gang! We have a good time and enjoy outdoors activities and trying to connect with one another at least once a month with some kind of activity. To escape some of the heat, I got an early start on the day. I wanted to try out a new mini-bac antenna configuration and knew it would take some time to get it up into the trees. BOY WAS THAT AN UNDERSTATEMENT! It was 110 ft doublet with a 40 ft feedline that was setup as a ladder line. Not an easy one to get up single-handed. Thanks to some tall trees, was able to get it up about 40-45 feet in the pine trees. It loaded great on 40m, but was disappointing on 20m so I ended up setting up my W3EDP in an L from my 20 ft Jackite pole to a nearby cedar tree at about 35 feet.  The sun chased me into the treeline where I settled in to chase bears.

Abandoned mini-back doublet feedline hangs in foreground

My xyl Connie took a picture that shows the mini-back feedline hanging in the breeze after I shifted positions and setup the W3EDP in the shade. Grrrrr!

Osprey perched right above my head...cell phone picture

Was able to work a couple of the Polar Bears, Mike W3MC in MD and Guy N7UN up in the mountains on a trail(?) in NJ. I heard VA2SG but he was at ESP level briefly then faded away. I did hear a few others working him though. WA8REI was working Guy but I could not hear him at all and ended up tail ending their QSO to connect with N7UN.

Got to work a few others through the QSB and poor signal strength on 20m including Pastor Les, K4NK in SC, KE5SBZ, Ed in TX, N1FJ in MA, and Phil W3HZZ in Atlanta so it was a nice way to spend a few hours outdoors in the heat.

Connie brought me a picnic lunch and we enjoyed the osprey and bald eagle show as they fished Lake Fredrica.

Had to drink extra coffee to copy speedy W3MC's signal

This is the life... outdoors and ham radio...making QSO's...PTL!

Many work responsibilities have kept me off the air more than I’d like lately.

But we did manage to break away for a few days with family in Tennessee over Memorial Day. It was great to have an opportunity to get together with Chuck, AF4O the Hillybilly Bear and fellow Polar Bear QRP group member. We had an opportunity to work a bit of QRP portable in the Chickasaw State Forest in West Tennessee. It is a very natural and beautiful location and Chuck took me to his special spot in a very old and interesting cemetary set deep in the very tall hickory tree forest. Wow! I believe the latest date on the grave markers was 1927 and there were many from the early and mid 1800′s. It is a lovely and isolated spot.

K4UPG running a 30m EFHW sloper from the edge of the forest cemetary

Chuck said to bring along a screen shelter and I sure was glad I did! This was also a great spot for deer flies, hornets and other interesting biting bugs!

He had a nice setup and was running a random wire on 20m which he launched by throwing an antique glass insulator from an old telephone pole over a tree branch. He has a better arm than I do… think that heavy insulator would have broken my arm!

Back at the in-laws home in Jackson, I had some time to operate deck portable and was ably assisted by my niece Chloe. Conditions were horrible, but it was fun to be outside and hearing some sweet dits and dahs for a bit.

Now I am gearing up for the next outing of the Central Florida QRP group. The weather is HOT and the summer thunderstorms are back, but life and radio must go on… cu on the air!

72,

K4UPG

AF40 downs a Mountain Dew and doesn't miss a character of CW

Chloe gives me advice on copying cw through the QRN

Great weather, great site, and despite so-so band conditions but we made over 25 contacts to be able to submit our qualification of Hontoon Island, Deland, Florida as an official island to be listed and activated as a US Island On the Air.

The main picnic area near the ferry landing

The team consisted of Wally Crew, KG4LAL, Jim Diggs, K4AHO and Kelly, K4UPG. We used the special event callsign K4T on operated on 20m cw and ssb, 30m cw and a few unsuccessful attempts at 40m & 15m cw. Jim was our secret weapon on 20m with his good cw, K-1 and a Par End Fed antenna in vertical configuration on a 33 ft MFJ telescoping mast. Without his contribution we would not have been successful! So a big thank you Jim for your good operating skills and equipment that made it happen in less than 8 hours at QRP levels.

FL481 is ready for future activations!

Thanks to the Polar Bear QRP group, QRP-L members, 4 States QRP Group, GORC,  QRP Spots, US Islands organization and HF Packers that helped out by listening and attempting to connect with our effort on Hontoon Island. It was fun to work as a team!

[View with PicLens]

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Look out Hontoon Island the Polar Bear of Florida is coming your way! Good Friday, 2 April 2010 Polar Bear QRP member #173 (aka K4UPG) will attempt to qualify Hontoon Island as a US Island on the Air by making 25 contacts including at least 2 DXCC entities.

Hontoon Island is a beautiful place for some QRP Portable Ops

Activity will start about 1400Z after the ferry ride over to the island. Plan is to use special callsign K4T for recognition.

Look for us on 30m cw (10.106-10.116 MHz) and 20m cw 14.050-14.070 MHz and on the hour we will check 15m 21.060-21.070. If anyone shows up to assist, will also attempt ssb on 14.250-14.260 MHz island corridor. All ops will be QRP so we’ll need your help to pull us out!

***************************************************************************************

Fishing is good!

If things go well, our Central Florida QRP group may consider this as a new operating site! If you are in the area, come on and check it out with us.

Hontoon Island closes when the sun goes down!

Thanks to Florida State Parks for the fine pictures!

P.S. We did it 4.2.2010!  Over 30 QSO’s update coming! I am TIRED!

A fitting end to this season of PBMME … Saturday the weather was finally decent here in Orlando and with 80F temperature and lots of sun, I certainly earned my red neck for the season! I set up my portable station near the tall pine trees in our neighborhood park on Lake Fredrica. A few curious neighbors came by to find out what the crazy guy with the wires in the tree was doing!

I am really liking the latest antenna launching combo shown in the photo below. I have been using a slingshot taped to a shelf bracket and equipped with a spincast reel, but have been considering other alternatives. The monofilament fishing line is prone to wind knots and tangles and does not always slip through the branches as well as I’d like. I found an old post by Russ Carpenter, AA7QU, a co-founder of Adventure Radio Society, which described using an archery reel and super slick braided line. Sure is nice to learn from those that have gone before! The bright yellow line is very easy to see though very thin, 3x stronger than monofilament and flies through both air and branches with ease! KEEPER!  Think I will do away with the spincast reel and save it for the grandkids!

Antenna Launching options

Here's my site for the event

Great trees for antenna wire hanging!

If you look closely, you can see the 30m half wave going up to the tree on the left. Nearly vertical for 46 feet and is spooled on a Coleman Camping clothes line and used with a 3 ft counterpoise.

To the right is my 20ft Jackite pole and a W3EDP 84 ft antenna with a 17 ft parallel feed with 3/16 inch PET pipe spacers about every 2.5 ft. it tunes 80-15m with my BLT+ tuner.

The Polar Bear QRP Group is a great bunch of guys… (no yl’s or xyl’s that I’ve heard yet) and our monthly outings are something I look forward to each month. The Yahoo Group is a good source of information and laughs as we swap stories and share our adventures. If you like QRP and portable operation, this is the group to join.

These last two Polar Bear adventure radio sprints in January and February was quite an experience operating QRP (5 watts or less) outside in the snow. I never thought I would never do anything like this in freezing weather. There I was knee deep in snow; with a wind chill around 15 degrees, under an open air shelter at Cobus Creek Park, located in the northwest corner of Elkhart County in January. I was invited by Bob, KB9IVA, who said it would be fun. So I got my portable gear and winter parka and headed out to the site. When I arrived Bob wasn’t there. I got out of the warm car and looked over the snow covered picnic table. The bright sun reflected off the stone on the side of the building helped warm things up a bit.

First one gets the warmest spot!

Then the sun disappeared and it became colder.  The heated outhouse was open so I warmed up for a few minutes.

QRP in the parking lot!

It was too cold for me to set up outside so I operated in my mobile on 40 meters.  Bob arrived in a snowmobile outfit with a bag full of tools, and his ICOM-703 and MP-1 portable all band vertical antenna.

The antenna would not tune properly so I ran 25 feet of RG-59U coax from my mobile antenna to the picnic table.  Then the portable battery pack ran out of juice.  So I took my emergency car starter battery and hay wired a connection to the ICOM-703 and we were back on the air.  When it’s cold radios and batteries don’t work properly.  Wires become stiff, batteries quickly discharge, and the straight key was difficult to use.  Not to mention your exposed fingers feel frostbitten.  I had forgotten my gloves but you couldn’t send CW with them on anyway.

Our vertical in the park!

Cold stiff hands on a very cold key! YIKES!

I was more prepared for the February sprint but didn’t count on blowing snow.  Participating in this sprint was, Bob, WA9S Keith, and Steve KB9ZVJ and I Ni9Y.  Keith arrived late and operated inside his Jeep.  I Made a half-dozen contacts from Utah to Colorado to the East coast with my HB1-A 4 watt transceiver using a 50’ end-fed wire only 27 inches high.  Then the wires snapped off my battery pack.  So we quickly repaired the pack with a new connector and we were back in business again.

2 Cold QRP Guys operate in the Feb 2010 PBMME

Bob had his IC-703.  His headphone band cracked in two in the cold.  Bob’s straight key was almost brittle and hard to use with gloves on.  Steve operated SSB with his Yaesu rig, powered by a riding mower battery, feeding a sloping 20 meter dipole about 5 feet high.

A snow proof antenna for 20m

Last man sending!

It was getting too cold for me so I packed up and left as the snow began to really come down. Steve saw me packing so he packed up and so did Bob.  Keith stayed behind moving to the picnic table and made more contacts in a small blizzard.  Then Park Ranger paid a surprise visit to find out what in the world was going on.  The ranger was satisfied that we weren’t suspicious characters after Keith explained the situation.  The ranger failed to notice Keith had wrapped his antenna rope around the door handle on women’s entrance to the outhouse. There was no way anyone could open that door.   The ranger probably thought we were a bunch of nuts playing radio in the snow.  It was fun and we probably will do it again next season.  Only next time I will be more prepared for polar bear weather.  Oh yes I forgot to say this was the POLAR BEAR MOONLIGHT MADNESS event.  You can read all about on their website http://www.n3epa.org/Pages/PolarBear.htm.  Polar Bears all over the country and in Europe participated in the madness.  The final polar bear event was held March 20th but I took a pass on that one because all the snow is gone so it wouldn’t be as much fun operating in warm spring weather!!!

The MEN OF ADVENTURE will soon take off again.  Barry, WD4MSM says “QRP To The Field” has just been announced for 2010.   He recalled that we took part in the 2009 version that had as its theme “The Great Depression.”  We operated from the WPA site of Monkey Island in Mishawaka (the bridge to Monkey Island was built by the WPA).

This looks as if it might be an ideal outing for us.  Saturday, April 24, 2010
Spicer Lake Nature Preserve http://www.sjcparks.org/spicer.html
Small picnic shelter available; Trees for antenna support if needed;
Restrooms (heated and immaculate) just steps away; Ample parking for hundreds!
Just minutes from South Bend; Plenty to do for family members and visitors (trails, grills, visitor center, two lakes, etc.); Handicap accessible trails and parking immediately next to the suggested operating position.

You to can join the MEN OF ADVENTURE even if you don’t have a QRP rig.  Just show up to learn about portable operation and how to put up antennas where they don’t belong.  Who knows maybe you to will be just as nuts as the other members of the group are?  Present company accepted.

That’s it for this edition.

73’s Dan, email DAN

p.s. Consider operating the special event KØS Strange Antenna Challenge Special Event — May 29-31, 2010.
Start Date & Time: Saturday, May 29, 2010, 1000Z
End Date & Time: Monday, May 31, 2010 at midnight (local time zones)
This is not a serious event.   We are all out here for fun!  K0S will employ out-of-the-ordinary antennas to promote Amateur Radio and making do with what might be available during an emergency.  Individuals and clubs may participate as “satellite stations” by using anything but wire or pipe for a radiating element and adding “/K0S” to their call signs. Details are on the KØS, Strange Antenna Challenge Web site. Strange antennas used in past events, dating back to 2002, have included folding chairs, paint easels, ladders, tape measures, dog kennels, fences, cots and chicken fencing with a trampoline as a ground plane. “More people share in the fun each year,” says Erik Weaver, N0EW, a Strange Antenna Challenge founder. “I hope you give me a call this year with your very own strange antenna. Now let’s play radio!”

After a couple days of HEAVY rain, it was good to see the sun again. Following a great breakfast and heavy discussions of antenna theory, propagation, politics and diets, we hit the field next door. The wind was very strong gusting in the mid 20′s most of the day. This made launching antennas a bit complicated, but it did help dry out the ground.

Tiny Loop goes into action

Bart AI4NF brought his new MFJ 936B Loop tuner and setup very quickly. It seems to hear very well and soon the sound of cw was in the air. 20m was pretty active and eventually a signal was even heard on 10m! What a blessing! We did learn that the antenna was coupling to the metal frame of the card table and made it difficult to tune. After putting it on the small cooler it tuned more normally, with a very sharp and obvious peak when in resonance. Later we put the cooler on top of the table and that solved most of the problem and eliminated some of the ground coupling and loss.

I got to test my clone of Nick WA5BDU’s End Fed Halfwave Matching Device. It worked great and I was able to tune sloping half wave antennas on 40 and 30 meters. This tuner is unique in that it is simply a toroid and does not use a capacitor at all! On the bench it tunes 3-12Mhz at 1:1-3 to 1 half wave antennas. Next outing I hope to test the 80m halfwave and see it theory and practice agree.

Great day to be out at the lake even if it was windy!

K4UPG on 30m lakeside in SE Orlando, FL