Category: Ham radio

Ham radio goal list 2014

Continuing what I started last year, I’m going to make a list of goals for 2014. First, a review of last year’s list.

  • Get the shack up and running
  • Build the SoftRock radio kits
  • Get the OpenBeacon W2MDW gave me up and running
  • Build my own OpenBeacon
  • Earn skill levels in CW
  • Build Moxon antennas for 6 and 10m
  • Experiment with making antennas
  • Try some digital modes

As I mentioned in the October progress report, antenna building has taken a back seat to building up the workbench.

I have an OpenBeacon built for 40m now that I need to finish calibrating. I’ve acquired enough gear for the workbench now that I think I can do that.

The SoftRock Ensemble RXTX kit is still sitting in the parts bin waiting for me to get around to building it.

I’ve made some progress on the Morse code part, but not a whole lot. I need to make a routine where I sit down for 30 – 45 minutes or so at a time and really devote some effort to it.

Diving into digital modes with gusto since getting the sound card interface up and running. Having a lot of fun playing digital radio and getting familiar with the various modes.

And now for the 2014 list

  • Get the 2m radio working in the shack
  • Build the SoftRock RXTX kit
  • Craft a base for my straight key
  • Earn skill levels in CW
  • Antenna farm!
    • Build antennas for 70cm and 2m
    • Build directional antennas for 6m, and 10m
    • Build directional antennas for 70cm and 2m to use with my HT
    • Build an antenna for 80m and maybe even 160m
    • Rearrange the ZS6BKW so the legs of the dipole are straighter
  • Get on the radio more
    • Get Basic WAS
    • Get DXCC
    • 10-10 International membership
    • Work some satellites with my HT
    • Participate in more contests
  • Build more electronics stuff!
  • Try my hand at etching printed circuit boards
  • Learn to do some antenna modelling

It’s quite a bit longer than the 2013 list. Hopefully I’ll be able to check most of them off.

TN QSO Party 2013 award

Results for the 2013 Tennessee QSO Party were waiting for me in my mailbox today, along with a very nice award for the top score (760 points) from South Carolina in the Low power Phone category. My first contest award!

TN QSO Party 2013 award
TN QSO Party 2013 award

Ok, never mind that I was the only submission from SC. It will make a nice decoration for the shack. The certificate also notes that I was a first time entrant to the QSO party.

2013 ARRL 10m contest

Spent a couple hours at the radio playing in the ARRL 10m contest today. Didn’t get to play as much as I wanted to, but managed to score 28 contacts for 1176 points. I’d have played longer, but the cold I managed to catch from somewhere put a damper on things. Managed to snag SD and ND though, both of which seem to be hard to get states. The ND contact is confirmed in LoTW, so hopefully the SD contact will confirm there at the end of the contest. I should be at least a couple states closer to WAS Basic after the weekend.

CQWW 2013 raw scores

The raw scores (pre-log checking) for the 2013 CQ WW contest are now available.

My claimed score of 70716 (had someone notify me that I didn’t appear in his log…must have made a typo or something entering it) was high enough to give me a rank of 856 out of 2020 in the Single-Op Low-Power All-Band category for the world and 290 out of 651 in North America.

Seems acceptable to me. The top 46 call signs in this category scored 1M+ points and it’s not until #693 where the points drop below 100k.

If CQ WPX is any indication, I expect log checking process will take about 5-6 months and then the final scores will be released.

Ham radio goal list progress

Let’s see what I’ve managed to get done on my ham radio goal list from January

  • Get the shack up and running

Shack is up!

One of them is built, still need to get around to building the RXTX kit.

OpenBeacon is reprogrammed and works. It’s just not on the air full time.

I need to put in an order for one to build.

  • Earn skill levels in CW

Progress is slow. I need to devote more time to this.

  • Build Moxon antennas for 6 and 10m
  • Experiment with making antennas

Antenna building has kind of taken a back seat to building up the workbench, improving my soldering skills and assembling things.

  • Try some digital modes

Got to play a little more digital during the ARRL RTTY Rookie Roundup over the summer. Waiting on some new transformers to finish off the sound card interface.