Operating

Dave Tipping, NZ1J, writes on the Meriden ARC Facebook Group:

Dave Colter, WA1ZCN, writes on the Twin State RC mailing list:

VHF/UHF ACTIVITY NIGHTS

6:30 PM and on. Most operators start on the standard calling frequencies, and then move another to rag chew. Six and 2-meters are the most popular.

Sunday: 6 meters: 50.525 FM, 50.120 SSB; 50.110 CW

Monday: 2 meters 146.520 FM, 144.200 SSB, 144.100 CW

Tuesday: 1.25 meters 223.500 FM, 222.100 SSB/CW

Wednesday: 70cm 446.000 FM, 432.100 SSB/CW

Thursday: 902 MHz 902.100 or 903.100 SSB/CW

                1296.100 MHz SSB/CW

                5760.100 MHz SSB/CW

                10,368.1 MHz SSB/CW

From K1USN [Radio Club, Braintree, Massachusetts] Happenings, November 19, 2020:

I want to extend my thanks to everyone who helped us make this a success. Obviously we would not be able to conduct our usual in-person activation at K1USN on November 11th due to the pandemic. We had some discussions back and forth and decided that a 31 hour operating event might just work providing we could get commitments from enough operators to get on the HF bands and give us coverage on SSB, CW and FT8/4. As things evolved we even had our first contacts on the 630 meter band using WSPR thanks to Dave – AA1A.

As I said, there were quite a few people who made this a success. We thought that a downloadable certificate commemorating Veterans Day would be a cool idea. Yes it is, but it meant that we had to create one (Tnx WA1MAD, N1VH & W1VP) and then create the ability for stations to submit an online certificate request (Tnx W1VP).

Oh, yeah, what if we make a certificate but nobody even works us? Well, we really had a good turnout of operators, some who covered multiple shifts!

Thanks to this crew of operators:

AA1A – Dave
K1EBY – Frank
K1RV – Pi
K1VUT – Dave
K1WCC – Henry
KC1G – Mike
N1DC – Rick
W1TJL – Tom
W1XD – Lou
WA1MAD – Mike

We need to give a special thanks to Rick – N1DC for the outstanding job he did compiling all our log data. This was quite a task, but the results are attached below and show the great results.

I’ve already received approximately 75 QSL requests via snail mail so far and Larry – W1VP said that we have at least 180 downloadable certificate requests so far. BTW, Randy – KB3IFH is updating our K1USN QSL card and I hope to receive our new order for 500 more cards soon.

If you managed to work K1USN during the 2020 Veterans Day event I urge you to at least submit a certificate request.

If you make contact with K1USN during Veterans Day and would like a certificate emailed to you, please fill out the request form here.

Here is Rick’s summary:

Rick Pendleton
Nov 16, 2020, 11:32 AM (4 days ago)

Hi,

Thanks to everyone that participated in this event. The K1USN team did an outstanding job this year. We had operators using CW, SSB, FT8, FT4 and WSPR. For the first time we had QSO’s on 630M using WSPR thanks to Dave AA1A.

After working through some issues with the logs, I was able to create a master log in N1MM+ that combined CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4. Thanks to Mike KC1G and Lou W1XD for the extra effort sorting out some adif issues. The WSPR log could not be imported since it wasn’t in ADIF format. However, the QSO data was included in the summary.

I will investigate WSPR log file conversions further.

There were a LOT of QSO’s completed using FT8, FT4 and WSPR providing many with QSO’s that might not have happened otherwise.

Overall results : 1,690 QSO’s , 53 DXCC countries, 20 CQ Zones
The were 500 FT8, FT4 and WSPR QSO’s accounting for 30% of the total.

In addition, there were 157 QSO’s made during the 1300, 1900 and 0300 UTC CWops CWTs by K1VUT, N1DC and K1RV. This was not actually part of the event but K1USN was on the air using “Watson” and MA as the exchange.

Attached are pdf files showing the Results and supporting details.

The Master ADIF and LOG files have been sent to Pi and Larry.

73,
Rick N1DC

Rhode Island Section Manager Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, writes:

The Providence Radio Association (PRA) has a new DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) repeater in service at its club headquarters. The repeater is operating on 447.725 MHz (-5 MHz split) from their site atop 253-foot tall  Neutaconkanut Hill. They should be heard in much of the state. For more information, visit the club’s website at http://w1op.com/. 

From gbarc.groups.io:

The [Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club] will hold a “Turkey” Fox Hunt on the 14th at 9 am.  All members and non-members are invited to attend.  The purpose of the fox hunt is to track down a hidden transmitter and find some information, then relay that information according to the instructions on a sign where the fox is located.  

This month there will be two hidden transmitters – one to get you in the neighborhood which will be 5W on a 5/8th wave antenna.  The other will be 1 watt on a stubby.

DO NOT CONGREGATE.  Please wear a mask and socially distance yourself by staying at least 6 feet away from others.   

The first person to locate the fox will be awarded 5 points for overall effort.  All other participants will receive 3 points for locating the fox and 1 point for participating.  Points will be tallied for the year, and at the end of the year prizes will be awarded to the top 3 hunters.

Recommended Starting Location:  Please meet at the Trumbull Library Parking Lot at 33 Quality Street in Trumbull.  The alternative start site is the parking lot of  Tambascios Restaurant at 1 Dodgingtown Road, Newtown.  See the map below (click for larger version).

Starting Time: 9:00 AM local 

High Power Fox Frequency:  147.485 MHz simplex

Low Power Fox Frequency:  147.585 MHz simplex

Host:   Shawn AC1KC

Check in on:  441.700 or 146.445 repeaters or by Echolink

The Newport County Radio Club has created a innovative “Get On The Air Challenge” operating event beginning January 1, 2021.

From the NCRC website:

“Your club is offering a challenge to all members to get on the air on the high frequency bands. The Challenge will start Jan 1, 2021 and is open to all members. Its primary goal is to encourage newer members and members who have not been on the air regularly to get on the air on the HF bands in SSB/phone mode. A General or Extra license is required.

A certificate will be awarded to anyone making 25 contacts during the challenge. We will also post the QSO counts on the club website. We ask for an email message from participants at the end of each month with a count of the number of HF SSB QSO’s made during that month. One does not need to submit a log.

Help is available for anyone needing assistance with an antenna, an HF radio, with understanding how to make HF contacts, logging software or any other radio issue. The Challenge is intended to be a learning exercise and club veterans are very willing to help participants.

GOTA-C communications will be via email to gota@w1sye.org.  Please send a message indicating your interest in the Challenge. We do not want to bug members who are not interested with unnecessary email messages.

Summary:

1. Send us a message that you are all in for the challenge.

2. Send us a message if you have a question or if would like assistance getting ready.

3. Starting Jan 1, 2021, record your SSB/Phone QSO’s on any HF band. Digital modes, FT4 or 8, and CW do not count. Maximum power is 100 watts.

4. At the end of January, February, and March send an email message with the count of your QSO’s.

At the end of March we will evaluate the challenge, continue it, or modify it depending feedback and experience.

In the coming weeks we will be posting tips on how to easily find a QSO opportunity on the HF bands. For example, how to use the following: Parks-on-the-Air spots, DX Summit web site, Winter Field Day, SSB contests, and more.