How do you get yours up? Antenna that is...
Total Voters: 37
13 March 2010— Central Florida QRP Group outing. Breakfast and operating in the Lake Nona area of Orlando, FL. email K4UPG for details.
24 April 2010 QRPTTF just announced it will continue this event. Website will be updated soon… here’s the LINK.
Stay tuned for more details.
Grrrrrr!
Tuff day on the ice floes in Central Florida. I was not able to use my target location because of rain and wind direction, so I operated from the back porch of our condo with my Sierra and SST working through my Buddistick up about 15 ft on a painter’s pole. Temp hovered in mid to upper 40’s but with the wind and dampness it felt colder at times.
Band condx were poor with brief bright spots when the QSB let up and signals sounded fairly decent. I started on 30m but it was pretty quiet so I tweaked the antenna in the rain for 20m and found it even quieter… Back to 30m after checking 40m which also was noisy and almost no signals heard.
First QSO was K9DP Dan in Smithville, TN… He was 569 until QSB hit hard but we had a 25minute ragchew that was nice. He gave me a 599 and a couple others did later making me wonder why they could hear me better than I was hearing them? Then read the mail for a bit on a few other stations but didn’t get a rise when I tried to connect. Tried to connect with K9QB but after a few weak QRZ’s we both moved on for better luck.
Finally heard a PB on 20m, WD4MSM, Barry in Indiana working someone else. When they finished the QSO I called Barry and we had a short QSO although the QSB was up and down and made copy tough at times. It was good to be able to Grrrrowllll. Tried to find others and even using the QRP Spots and K3UK spotting pages could not connect. Then I called CQ and Guy rose out of the Band N7UN was in the log… Good to connect with another Bear but the copy deteriorated quickly so we kept it very short. Thanks Guy for digging my signal out. Next was Frank,, KB3AAG to finish my day. His signal totally got lost in the noise and so it was a short QSO to end the day.
Whew… many antenna changes, tweaks and lots of tuning, listening, trying to hear today. I think the bands were pretty void of activity except for us QRP types. Not often that happens, eh?
Thanks to all who went out and gave it a go. Missed talking to our Canadian and West Coast guys this time… let’s keep trying. Also quiet without Ken Bear raising a ruckus from MI and no Alpha Bear on the AT… See ya in March… Grrrr!!!!
72, Kelly K4UPG PB #173
45F a bit of sun and a lot of wind! Today I escaped being selected for jury duty so opted to get the oil changed in my car! I called and my shop was not too busy and said, “come on down!” So I packed my 30m SST, BLT+ tuner and accessories and took off. Instead of sitting in the waiting area and reading out of date magazines and watching silly game shows, I walked out to the parking lot and threw some wire into a couple small trees. I only got the main 46 feet wire up about 15 feet on one end and sloped it through another small tree and out to my camping table. I ran a counterpoise of 23 feet to the same small tree and hooked up my trusty BLT+ tuner.
My Oil Change Parking Lot QTH for 30m
A quick tune found a couple week signals. I tuned the antenna a bit, called CQ with no luck, then heard a decent 579 signal calling CQ. Bill, NG3O in Columbia, MD replied and although I wasn’t strong (539) he thought he could copy me. He sure did a great job and we enjoyed a nice QSO for almost 30 minutes. Sure is pleasant to work a good fist without any QRM. He said I was his first Oil Change Parking Lot QSO.
A few minutes later, I connected with Rudy, W8RJW in Columbia, SC. He was a strong 589 and gave me a 559. We had a nice qso for several minutes too. It was a fun way to pass the time while I waited on my car maintenance to be done.
The band got pretty quiet afterwards and though I heard a few more stations, it was time to pull the plug, take down the wire and go home. I think I have figured out a new way to pass time when the opportunity is present. Hope you will give it a try too!
72,
Kelly K4UPG
We enjoyed decent weather, though cold for us southern types at 60F. The bands were in pretty good shape too but we had a good bit of competition in the QRP section of the bands with several state QSO parties on the air at the same time.
Setup started a bit before 9 am local time.
KJ4BR K3RLL KG4LAL setting up 40m SSB Station
Wally calling CQ on 40m SSB
Jim K4AHO is ready to go on 20m CW
Jim's got one for the log!
Don K3RLL (ex-WA3ZBJ) working 20m on Kelly's Sierra
Kelly K4UPG working 20m CW
We spent more time talking than operating, but this was a fun event for us and none of us thinks we are heavy duty contesters! We love to make qso’s and shoot the breeze about our antennas and homebrew gear. In between conversations and coffee breaks we did work a few stations.
Final Score 29 QSO’s X 22 SPC = 638 X Temp Multi (x2) = 1276 x Field (x4) = 5104 X (alt pwr dna) = 5104 + WQ7RP (+100) = 5204 measly points
We moved to the larger pavillion of picnic area A at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford and had more trees and space to hang wire and put up verticals. This spot seems to be a winner for us and we are planning to hold GatorCon 10 there in July. We’ll be recruiting more active QRP ops for that one. Stay tuned!
GatorCon Mascot
WANTED: QRP Ops fer CW or SSB
This Saturday 6 Feb 2010 1400 -2400 UTC
Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford, FL
PLS RSVP if you can make it!
The WX guesser’s are predicting a very nice day for our annual FYBO Event (Freeze Your Buns Off!). RULES HERE
Some of the gang will meet at 0700 for breakfast at the Sanford Cracker Barrel (I-4 & SR 46 on the NE corner)
We could use some operators to fill time slots and loggers to help us keep up with the logging chores. If you like Field Day, you’ll like this event. (it’s just more fun!)
Shifts are available… PLEASE let us know if you can attend and help us in our first Multi-Station Multi-Operator event. The NM QRP guys are offering a PRIZE to the QRP Multi-Multi challengers with the best score.
The GatorCon guys need your help to put us over the top.
Leave a comment or send an email and let us know if you will be attending!
Thanks and 73,
Kelly K4UPG Jim K4AHO Don K3RLL (ex WA3ZBJ)
Wally KG4LAL Larry KJ4BR Matt W1MDG
on behalf of The Central FL QRP Group (aka the GatorCon guys!)
GatorCon Guys Luv QRP! How about you?
Today was Polar Bear Moonlight Madness Event! I wore my new Polar Bear hat and it brought me luck. I setup in the 3 story prayer tower at Pioneers, my ministry headquarters. That kept me out of the weather and got me up in the air a bit which helped my W3EDP antenna do its thing.
Pioneers Headquarters Prayer Tower on left
Bands were pretty good and there were a lot of QRP signals out there as well as SKCC and FIST ops. I worked a few of my fellow Polar Bears:
Then I worked a few non-PB’s and had some good QSO’s with SKCC members.
Next weekend is the FYBO and the Central FL QRP Group will be operating its first multi station- multi operator event at Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford, FL. If you’ll are down this way look us up. If not, give a listen for K4AHO which is the call sign we will be using.
Here’s to many good QSO’s. Thanks to all the good ops with good ears that heard my peanut whistle 2 watts today.
One thing a QRP operator must have is confidence. To make contacts with a pipsqueak signal takes patience and persistence to be sure. It doesn’t hurt to have good ears and a decent fist either.
Back in the days when bass tournament fishing was my religion, we competitors used to talk about our go-to lure. That was the one bait that we knew we could use to catch a fish, even on days when they seemed to have lock jaw. We recognized confidence was an important part of being a successful catcher of fish.
As a recycled ham, just getting back into my amateur radio hobby after many years of other activities, I feel the same way about my QRP rig. I’m still experimenting, listening to others, but so far, my Wilderness Sierra and Buddistick antenna are my go-to rig!
Ok, now it is your turn. Share with us your go-to setup. When the bands stink and you really want to make a contact, what would you use? Or if you could only use one QRP rig & antenna setup, what would it be?
Leave a comment and share your thoughts with us! I am all ears…
Yahoo! My teammate, Frank, who lives in Alaska sent me a Grrrrrrrr8 new polar bear hat! Being a new PB (#173) member of the Polar Bear QRP Group, I just had to show it off to my fellow bears… Grrrrr! Bound to make more BSO’s when I am wearing this fine hat!
Most awesome Polar Bear Hat! Thanks Frank!
The Central Florida QRP group is hitting the park this Saturday, 23 Jan 2010. If you are interested meet us at Sylvan Lake Park, Sanford, FL around 0900 in picnic pavillion A or B.
Ya’ll come, hear?
The last few days our local news was full of stories about the cold weather that gripped Orlando. I signed up for a shift to operate special station K3Y/4 for the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) as part of the celebration of the 4th year anniversary of our group. That meant going outside and setting up antennas and sitting out in the sleet and cold rain that was falling. YIKES!
Tough sending even with fingerless gloves
Good thing I have lived in cold weather before. I had to dig a bit, but found my long johns, thermal tee shirt and other cold weather gear. My favorite bear coat, Purdue stocking cap and fingerless gloves finished off my official Polar Bear outfit. I did my duty but nary an answer to my endless CQ’s on 20m, then 40m and eventually 30m! Two hours of calling and zip to show for it. I’ll be back… ya’ cannot discourage a POLAR BEAR QRP Op that easily!
Kelly demonstrates the strong arm method (aka sore arm)
Today a post by an unnamed fellow Polar Bear QRP op (and antenna tweaker) inspired me. His post about multiple sockets and yellow string hanging in the tree in his back yard generated a good bit of fun as others reminisced and told their own funny story about the perils of getting wire up into a tree.
So, in a followup to the favorite antenna poll of the last two weeks, I decided to open a poll to determine the QRP portable operator’s favorite method of getting your portable antenna up in the tree.
Most of us have a sore arm or other memory as we learned our own preferred method… so here’s your chance. Vote for your favorite and leave a comment and share your antenna launching story. Come on now… let it out!
