![]() | NAQCC News |
September 12, 2009 | NAQCC Web Site | Issue #102 |
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In this issue: 1. September Sprint. 2. August Challenge Results 3. General Club News 4. Featured Award of the Month 5. The NAQCC Elmer Project 6. CW Cartoon of the Month 7. News Items and Articles by Our Members |
1. SPRINT: Our sprint is this Wednesday evening, September 16 8:30-10:30 PM EDT (Thursday 0030-0230Z). Our special award certificate for this sprint goes to the winner of a drawing among the following: The one making the highest score in each division and using a homebrew key or bug they made themselves. Note that you must have made it all by yourself from scratch. It can't have been made by someone else. If you are entering one of our sprints for the first time, we welcome you and hope you will be a regular participant from now on. Last month we welcomed VE4AEO(nm), K8CN(nm), WA9ZES, AA7EE, KC0GIO, WB3DSJ as first time participants and/or log submitters. (nm=non member) Remember this is only a very brief overview of the coming sprint. Be sure to read and understand the full general sprint rules and any specific rules for this month's sprint here. ![]() 2. AUGUST CHALLENGE RESULTS: The 5X5 challenge designed by Tom WY3H seemed a bit difficult for some, but very easy for others. At this point in the sunspot cycle, using 5 different bands and making at least 5 QSO's on each one can be difficult unless you are into contesting. A couple members finished the challenge in the North American QSO Party on August 1st/2nd. Others had more of a struggle as you can read in the soapbox comments. Six members mastered the challenge, five using simple wire antennas and one using a combination of SWA and GAIN antennas. They were: SWA - K3WWP, W2JEK, N8XMS, K3OXG, KE7LKW, SWA/GAIN - KU4A. All will get a certificate for their accomplishments. As always, full challenge info and results can be found here. ![]() 3. GENERAL CLUB NEWS: - For those who may have missed out, and especially those of you out of range of a 40 meters signal from CT in the daytime, Dennis N1IMW is going to put W1AW on the air again on Thursday September 17 at 1:30 PM (1730Z) on 20 meters around 14060 kHz. All of us at the NAQCC thank Dennis for his consideration and efforts to make a QSO with W1AW a little easier for our members. It was entirely his idea to do so. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 4. FEATURED AWARD OF THE MONTH: - Our 30-30 award grew out of a monthly challenge we had some time ago. We challenged our members to make 30 QSO's on 30 meters during that month. The award is issued for making 30 QSO's on 30 meters during any month of your choosing. For those who consider that too easy, the 30-30 Magnum award is issued for making 30 QSO's on 30 meters during 3 different months of your choosing. If you work toward this award, you are doing something very important for ham radio besides earning an attractive certificate. You are contributing to the currently sparse activity on a fascinating little band. We need that activity to help preserve this as a phone-free band. It is an excellent band that has some of the characteristics of 40 and 20 meters. It can be open for good solid short distance rag chew QSO's, and also provide some very easy to work DX, often at the same time or within a small time frame. So far we've issued 30-30's to KD2MX, K3WWP, K4PBY, and NU7T. 30-30 Magnums have gone to KD2MX, K3WWP, K4UK, GW0VSW, and NU7T. We'd love to add your call to that list soon. As always, read and be familiar with the complete rules before embarking on earning this or any award. Full NAQCC Awards info here. ![]() 5. THE NAQCC ELMER PROJECT - FROM K5DUZ and N3IJR: - The Elmer project is completely co-ordinated by Ron and Karl. If you are interested in helping out or need help with any CW and/or QRP matters contact: K5DUZ - ![]() N3IJR - ![]() The NAQCC QRS Net convenes each Monday at 0030Z (Sunday evening here in the USA) on 7122.5 kHz. Everyone is invited to check in for some hands-on CW teaching and learning. QRO is permitted for this one NAQCC activity since learning CW is so important. Also see Elmer Project on the web site. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 7. NEWS ITEMS AND ARTICLES BY OUR MEMBERS: This section is a forum for you to tell other members what you've been up to on the ham bands or to submit an article dealing with some aspect of CW and QRP operation or equipment. Send your news items and articles to our news editor Paul KD2MX at ![]() (disclaimer) Any views expressed here are those of the member submitting them, and may not be in agreement with those of the NAQCC. ![]() ![]() We headed to the park around noon and took about 20 minutes or so getting set up which included getting an inverted vee antenna for 40 and 20 up into a nearby tree. I managed to get Don's golf ball on a string over a good branch on the first throw. While I was doing that, Don set up his K-1, then helped me with the antenna. The final step was hooking up my Bencher paddle to the K-1 and then we were ready to go at 1630Z as we planned. Here are me (left) and Don 'hard at work' making contacts. ![]() We started out quickly on 40 meters and made several QSO's during the first hour, then switched to 20 meters for our second and last hour. We didn't do quite as well on 20 as there was a lot of activity around 14060 and it seemed even when we found a clear spot, someone would show up and jump right on top of or right next to us. So we wound up instead trying to chase some DX, but despite excellent signals mainly from Europe, they just weren't hearing us, mainly due to everyone seemingly being very popular with the attendant big pile-ups of QRO stations. You can read a bit more about the portable operation on my web site (http://k3wwp.com/) in my diary there. We have sent a picture QSL designed and printed by Don to each person we worked. |
The publication of our next newsletter will be announced via email to all members for whom we have a valid email address unless they specifically have unsubscribed from the email. Unless otherwise credited, all items are written by K3WWP. If you came directly to this newsletter, we invite you now to browse the NAQCC Web Site. |