Saturday, January 26, 2013

Propagation Goes Away But The Sun Slowly Returns

Very Brief View of the Sun
I saw something today I had not seen for many weeks and that was a brief encounter with the sun! We are in the shadow of Mount Healy (at the right side of this photo) so this time of year, any direct sunlight is short lived. But, in just a few more weeks, the sun will be high enough to shine down on us for at least half of the afternoon. Winters are long and dark here in Alaska, but seeing this does the body good! I snapped this photograph from our front deck looking south east. We are experiencing the coldest temperatures of 2013 as our low last night was around -32.6F. As of this writing, it has warmed up to -26.5F, but tonight was supposed to be the coldest of the weekend. 

This past Thursday night (Friday morning) I pointed the beam to Europe and was able to work about 45 stations prior to pulling the plug. It was great to catch David, A92GE again. I'm very appreciative of all those who yelled my way as I had a small pile-up going. Sadly, an early rise for work the following morning had me pull the plug long before the pile-up had dwindled down. I was hoping to do the same over the weekend but our solar wind increase put the kibosh to that idea. But on a positive note, I did manage to work Carl, 9X0PY for a new entity this weekend! 

HAARP Magnetometer 
I reference HAARP on a daily basis just to get an idea of what I may expect propagationally. When a solar wind struck the earths magnetic field this weekend, it sent shock waves through the ionosphere and the propagation headed south. Pretty obvious from the HAARP Magnetometer graph to the right that we received a pretty healthy solar slap from our sun. I have not heard much of anything on the bands this weekend and this is the very reason. It's great having these websites only a mouse click away. Saves me a cold stroll outdoors checking connections and antennas as I wonder why I'm not hearing a ham on a band!

HAARP Riometer
When it comes to propagation, absorption is our enemy. The HAARP Riometer graph to the left shows heavy absorption therefore, any radio waves overhead are not bouncing but being absorbed. As I've mentioned before, "Red = Dead" when it comes to this graph. And oddly enough, these events normally happen on contest weekends. I can't imagine this did any favors to anyone in a northern latitude operating the ARRL 160 Meter Contest this weekend. I don't have an antenna for that band so you won't find me in that contest. I would love to operate that band someday so, it's on my bucket list. 

Another highlight for me this past weekend was contacting Walt, LW3EX who gave me my final SKCC K3Y DX station contact. I had been missing only South America and Walt had his usual great signal into Alaska which allowed me to wrap up my Grand Sweep. Sadly, January has been an exceptionally busy month for me so I have not been able to operate much as K3Y/KL7. But, WL7WH and KL7IDA are doing a great job sending Alaska QSO's to those in need. 

As February fast approaches, I can't help but get excited about two fun contests that month. CQ WPX RTTY Contest is first and I think I've recovered enough from the last RTTY contest to diddle again. The following weekend will be the ARRL CW DX Contest. Another one of my all time favorites for sure. So, I'm hoping the sun settles down during the month of February as not to ruin either of those contest weekends. With any luck, my low power signal will make it out of the 49th and be heard around the globe! 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

DXCC Application

ARRL LOTW
This morning I decided to go ahead and apply for my DXCC using those countries confirmed on LOTW. I've been considering my application for well over a year now but since my DXCC number seems to have been pretty static for the last several months, (not really chasing DX either) I decided to go ahead and submit. I submitted for my DXCC Mixed Award only at this point. I have DXCC with CW (Morse Code) and also Digital with most of my digital QSO's confirmed with RTTY (Radio Teletype). I previously applied for my Worked All States (WAS) awards in the same manner. Simply select and submit (and of course payment is a must). This will be my second DXCC award as I have one from my days of operating from Northern Ohio. I had 306 countries approved with that award but my effort from Alaska won't even be close to that.

My application consisted of the country (entity) list below; 

LoTW Application # 32571
Status Sent
Timestamp 2013-01-19 16:52:58
ARRL Member Look up
Diamond Club/Maxim no
Applying for Mixed
Call Sign KL8DX
Address Denali National Park AK 99755  USA
# LoTW QSO Credits Sent 177
Payment by Mail No
Fees:
Application Fee $10.00
LoTW Payment Credit Fee $21.24
Certificates Fee $14.00
Total $45.24

QSL JA1CQK - JAPAN - 30M CW (CW) [DXCC-30,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL VE6YR - CANADA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL UA3TCJ - EUROPEAN RUSSIA - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL OH3UU - FINLAND - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 4U1ITU - ITU HQ - 30M CW (CW) [DXCC-30,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL I2DMI - ITALY - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL EY8MM - TAJIKISTAN - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL ZP6CW - PARAGUAY - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL ZL6QH - NEW ZEALAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL SM6CNN - SWEDEN - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL D4B - CAPE VERDE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 5W0DL - SAMOA - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 9Y4/AJ9C - TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL DF0CG - FED REP OF GERMANY - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL KL7DX - ALASKA - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL XE2K - MEXICO - 20M PHONE (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL PJ2T - BONAIRE,CURACAO (NETH ANTILLES) (DELETED) - 20M PHONE (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL HC8N - GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL WP2Z - US VIRGIN ISLANDS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL 8P5A - BARBADOS - 20M PHONE (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL VP5/N0VD - TURKS & CAICOS ISL - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL GB5HQ - ENGLAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL PS2T - BRAZIL - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL TF3YH - ICELAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL K7C - KURE ISLAND - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL RU0SN - ASIATIC RUSSIA - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL KH6FI - HAWAII - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL LY9A - LITHUANIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL ZF1A - CAYMAN ISLANDS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL VK1AA/4 - AUSTRALIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL SN2B - POLAND - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL OX3DB - GREENLAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL 9A8A - CROATIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL EU1PA - BELARUS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL JW/G7VJR - SVALBARD - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 4O6T - MONTENEGRO - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL J39BS - GRENADA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL YV5AAX - VENEZUELA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL ZS2EZ - REP OF SOUTH AFRICA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL OZ5NJ - DENMARK - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL BX5AA - TAIWAN - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL LV5V - ARGENTINA - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL KP4ED - PUERTO RICO - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL OQ5A - BELGIUM - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL HL3AMO - REPUBLIC OF KOREA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL HI3T - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL H40MY - TEMOTU PROVINCE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL VR2C - HONG KONG - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL HQ2A - HONDURAS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL F6HRP - FRANCE - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL HA7TM - HUNGARY - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL V73RY - MARSHALL ISLANDS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL PD0LGG - NETHERLANDS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL N8S - SWAINS ISLAND - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL MI0LLL - NORTHERN IRELAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL SV1DPI - GREECE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL FG5FI - GUADELOUPE - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL OH0Z - ALAND ISLAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL YO8WW - ROMANIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL HB9BZA - SWITZERLAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL YT2U - SERBIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL OK3C - CZECH REPUBLIC - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL LZ8A - BULGARIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL EC2AFI - SPAIN - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL BA4RF - CHINA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL VP6DX - DUCIE ISLAND - 15M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL YL5T - LATVIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL LA6CF - NORWAY - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL GM7V - SCOTLAND - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL MD0CCE - ISLE OF MAN - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL OE2S - AUSTRIA - 20M PHONE (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL OM5TX - SLOVAK REPUBLIC - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL GW3JXN - WALES - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL LX1EA - LUXEMBOURG - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL TK5IH - CORSICA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL UT7UW - UKRAINE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL SV9GPV - CRETE - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL CE1VCZ - CHILE - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL GU0SUP - GUERNSEY - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL HZ1PS - SAUDI ARABIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL KG6DX - GUAM - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL CT1IZW - PORTUGAL - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL S52QM - SLOVENIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 9K2HN - KUWAIT - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL IS0GQX - SARDINIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL EI6IZ - IRELAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL P40L - ARUBA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL H7/K9GY - NICARAGUA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL TX5C - CLIPPERTON ISLAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL WB2KSK - UNITED STATES - 20M DATA (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL HK3O - COLOMBIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL ZC4LI - U K BASES ON CYPRUS - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL VP2MRM - MONTSERRAT - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL VP9/IK2RZP - BERMUDA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL T32YA - EASTERN KIRIBATI - 30M CW (CW) [DXCC-30,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 4U1UN - UNITED NATIONS HQ - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL KG4SS - GUANTANAMO BAY - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL CQ3T - MADEIRA ISLANDS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL 4X0V - ISRAEL - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL V26B - ANTIGUA & BARBUDA - 15M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL CN3A - MOROCCO - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL 9V1YC - SINGAPORE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL JT1CD - MONGOLIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL CW7T - URUGUAY - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL TG9/IV3IYH - GUATEMALA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL OA4SS - PERU - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 3X5A - GUINEA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL UN7GCE - KAZAKHSTAN - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL VK9DWX - WILLIS ISLAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 9M6XRO - EAST MALAYSIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL V8FEO - BRUNEI - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL R1FJT - FRANZ JOSEF LAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL DV1JM - PHILIPPINES - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL V31TB - BELIZE - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL EA8OM - CANARY ISLANDS - 15M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL 9H1SP - MALTA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL VK9GMW - MELLISH REEF - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL CU2JT - AZORES - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL C6DX - BAHAMAS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL A92GE - BAHRAIN - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL ZK2V - NIUE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL H44MY - SOLOMON ISLANDS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL PY0FF - FERNANDO DE NORONHA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL FY5KE - FRENCH GUIANA - 15M PHONE (PHONE) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL J5UAP - GUINEA-BISSAU - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL ER5DX - MOLDOVA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL P33W - CYPRUS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL E21YDP - THAILAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL FM5CD - MARTINIQUE - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL K4M - MIDWAY ISLAND - 80M CW (CW) [DXCC-80,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL HC2SA - ECUADOR - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL 4L8A - GEORGIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL EA6IB - BALEARIC ISLAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL HB0CC - LIECHTENSTEIN - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL 9L5A - SIERRA LEONE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL VP2E - ANGUILLA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL K5D - DESECHEO ISLAND - 30M CW (CW) [DXCC-30,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL J6/N7UN - SAINT LUCIA - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL DP1POL - ANTARCTICA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL TX5SPA - AUSTRAL ISLAND - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL TX5SPM - MARQUESAS ISLAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL CE0Y/SM6CUK - EASTER ISLAND - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL FO8RZ - FRENCH POLYNESIA - 30M CW (CW) [DXCC-30,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL ES5RW - ESTONIA - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL ZK3YA - TOKELAU ISLANDS - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL E51XIW - SOUTH COOK ISLANDS - 80M CW (CW) [DXCC-80,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL T77C - SAN MARINO - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL FW5RE - WALLIS & FUTUNA ISLAND - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL TI2JCY - COSTA RICA - 15M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL VP8NO - FALKLAND ISLANDS - 10M CW (CW) [DXCC-10,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL OJ0B - MARKET REEF - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL ZL8X - KERMADEC ISLAND - 10M CW (CW) [DXCC-10,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL A65BR - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - 40M JT65 (DATA) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL AH0BT - MARIANA ISLANDS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL PJ2T - CURACAO - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL T31A - CENTRAL KIRIBATI - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL E77DX - BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL V48M - SAINT KITTS & NEVIS - 15M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL CP1FF - BOLIVIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL YJ0ABP - VANUATU - 17M CW (CW) [DXCC-17,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 6V7Q - SENEGAL - 10M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-10,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL V55A - NAMIBIA - 10M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-10,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL ZD8F - ASCENSION ISLAND - 15M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL VP8ORK - SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS - 20M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL YB0ECT - INDONESIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL Z37M - MACEDONIA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL PJ4LS - BONAIRE - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL YS1GR - EL SALVADOR - 10M CW (CW) [DXCC-10,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL C37N - ANDORRA - 10M SSB (PHONE) [DXCC-10,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-PH]
QSL E51MAN - NORTH COOK ISLANDS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL KH8/K6SRZ - AMERICAN SAMOA - 40M CW (CW) [DXCC-40,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL VP6T - PITCAIRN ISLAND - 15M CW (CW) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL 6Y1X - JAMAICA - 15M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL 3D2ZW - FIJI ISLANDS - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL CO2VE - CUBA - 20M RTTY (DATA) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-M,DXCC-RTTY]
QSL 5N6/YL2SW - NIGERIA - 20M CW (CW) [DXCC-20,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]
QSL EL2A - LIBERIA - 15M CW (CW) [DXCC-15,DXCC-CHAL,DXCC-CW,DXCC-M]

Sunday, January 13, 2013

From K3Y to NAQP & One Week Antenna

ARS KL8DX
This turned out being a short weekend for me but some radio fun was had anyways. Once again, we have been experiencing winds from one weather system after another coming up from the Gulf of Alaska. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know the wind is our biggest challenge next to our deep bitter cold temperatures. South wind gusts just down the road from us peaked on January 10th, at over 80 mph. I'm thankful for our QTH being shadowed somewhat from Mount Healy. This keeps the wind gusts we experience here a bit more manageable. We will see 65 to 70 mph wind gusts here but it's not the 90+ that is experienced at Antler Creek and the area we call the "Windy Bridge" a few miles to our south. Needless to say, the weekend weather once again effected my operating. We only had gusts in the mid 50 mph range, so I did not crank down the beam. Thankfully the Mosley once again showed me why I personally feel it's the best built beam I've ever owned. 

My operating this short weekend was going to focus on the North America QSO Party (NAQP) CW contest and the Straight Key Century Club's Weekend Sprintathon.  I had also signed up to operate as K3Y/KL7 for SKCC's annual January celebration in which they (club members) operate with the callsign K3Y for the month of January. SKCC is what really got me started with my love of using the straight key. My first CW contacts 25 years ago were with a straight key but I did not grow back into using a straight key until about 6 years or so ago. I have four straight keys at my finger tips and they out number my iambic keys of which, I have three. 

My operating in the NAQP was short lived and I was on and off the air as I've been working on a home project and a few other things. My effort is outlined 
to the right. Not really anything to write home about but the Alaska Contest Group was out so not many should have missed Alaska, which was a state in this contest and NOT DX by the way!
My minimal NAQP effort

My main challenge was dealing with the gusting winds and the QRN (Interference) that it was creating. With several wind related systems over the last few weeks, it's pretty obvious that some power lines have been effected and are arching. The noise was enough to effect my effort in hearing weaker stations. It also made it a bit tough to manage with strong stations along side as I had to use my Noise Blanker. So it lead to many repeats asked for and just made the weekend contesting experience much less enjoyable. Probably not a bad thing as I had several other things going on this weekend. Either way, I did make a handful of QSO's and encountered many a friend. I was asked to QSY to the other bands and most were successful. You can tell by the numbers reflected above on where I spent the majority of my time.

Recognize that Spectrum Scope Signature?
I enjoyed chasing SKCC WES stations as well, both during and after the NAQP. I also signed up to operate four hours as K3Y/KL7. The first few hours went well but the solar wind increased and knocked the bands someplace else. With only being able to hear strong stations which had the usual flutter associated with them, my noise made it nearly impossible to work or hear any stations at all. The last two hours of my scheduled effort was pretty uneventful. I had high hopes of working at least 100 stations but I only ended up working a 3rd of that by the time it was all said and done. Once again, the effects of living in a northern latitude made radio'n nearly impossible. But like the NAQP, I'm glad of the contacts I was able to make and hopefully I was able to send a multiplier to a few folks. 

You're probably wondering about my apparent miss use of "Week" in my subject line. Actually, I meant to use "Week" rather than "Weak" but either one would probably work. Just a bit over a week ago I pulled a new antenna from our chilly travel trailer that I had purchased last year. The antenna was one I purchased for portable use while camping. It was a purchased G5RV Jr from W8AMZ. My 80 meter wire antenna began to give me problems after a few years of arctic abuse so I threw this antenna up to use temporarily. I also threw up a second portable antenna, a Par EndFedz 17 meter wire. It took just two storms blowing at over 50 mph to end the life of the G5RV. The end fed is still hanging strong. The G5RV lost an element when the wire broke near the apex! Yes, I can fix it and I plan to. I'm not here to bash this antenna but like a few others I purchased that were made commercially or by someone else, it failed to stand up to one of our typical weather events. It heard pretty well and tuned easily, so it will be worth fixing after "beefing" up a bit. I will be honest, I did not expect it to fail so quickly, especially being brand new and used for the very first time. I'm thinking of a few more Par EndFedz when I can afford them. So far, I'm pretty impressed with em. I gifted a Par EndFedz to my close and personal friend KL1SF, and he has reported it being a successful antenna as well.

So that's my short weekend in a nutshell. I hate to brag (and I actually don't care for this weather) but our temperatures peaked at 44 degrees above zero this weekend! As I write this, it's still 38 degrees above zero! These wind events from the south (Chinook) bring the warm air with them and our temperatures can increase dramatically in just a matter of hours. Much of our snow is melting and areas around the state have experienced flooding from rain and roads have been ice in many of areas south of here. Crazy to think locations in the lower 48 are colder than Alaska in January! 

January is lining up to be a pretty busy month so my operating will occur during small windows of opportunity. That's the beauty of this great hobby, it's always here when I have time, patiently awaiting my return. 

      

Monday, January 7, 2013

2013 ARRL RTTY Roundup Overview

Spectrum Scope after RTTY Contest Sleep Deprivation %-)
This past weekend was the annual ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest. This is a 30 hour long contest (operators can operate no more than 24 hours) and in my opinion, the perfect length. Locally, that started the contest at 9 AM Alaska time on Saturday and ended up at 3 PM Alaska time on Sunday. It's one of those "Everyone Can Work Everyone" kinda contests, which is awesome as well. And, the other neat part about this contest is, multipliers only get worked credit once, regardless of band. So now we fall into even more strategy especially if a multi-band assault is on hand. When I did a bit of research on my previous year efforts, I realized I had not officially submitted a score for this contest since 2009. I did however make several contacts in 2010, a handful in 2011 and none in 2012. 


KL8DX RTTY - Keyboarding On The Move
One of the things I wanted to do differently this year was in setting up N1MM a bit differently. I was going to take the plunge and utilize the "Logthenpop" macro. I waited to just hours before the contest to take this plunge (yeah, I know) and I watched THIS great video by Larry, K8UT. Now mind you, I'm in contests to have fun as I don't have a station that is truly competitive. For that, I need many more antennas and much more height, and a little extra horsepower would not hurt either. I send my callsign after every QSO and my run macro has the callsign of the station I'm going back to listed twice. The exchange or my report is sent 2-3 times, depending on band conditions. Often times (IMHO) it wastes less time sending an exchange one more time rather than a full exchange a second time. I adjust this on band conditions. I also send "TU" and maybe a 73 before calling CQ once again. But anyhow, I wanted to be able to stack callsigns using the "Logthenpop" macro. More on that experience in a bit. 


KL8DX N1MM Macros from the ARRL RTTY Contest
I squeeze my run and S&P macros in the first twelve F-key assignments. Macros are always a controversial subject and I'm not going to hit that bees nest. I made several mistakes getting used to the Enter Sends Message (ESM) mode with N1MM. I've been an F-key abuser for years but now I need to retrain myself to use the Enter key and trust the software. As I found out, Enter does in fact send the message but at times, not the message I wanted it to send! I set up the program but what I failed to realize was that if I started to stack calls, what was the best way to clear a call from the stack and move on to an awaiting callsign? This is what caused me to send KT6D and K7TQ (sorry, as it's a perfect example of operator error on my part) a macro (my F8 which is shown above cleared out) that sent something to the effect, "Alaska is DX in this contest but if you want it, my state is Alaska." I had this macro because some people don't read the contest rules prior to the start of a contest. Alaska is not considered a state in this contest but a DX country! And for that very reason, our report includes a serial number and not "AK" for Alaska. I was getting asked enough that I created a macro to address that very question. 

Anyhow, I experimented on the fly with call stacking and for the most part, it was successful. I have more reading to do before the next contest to see how I need to handle changes to my call stack as I previously mentioned. The other issue I discovered is that call stacking is a great feature but you need callsigns to stack! Not that I'm anything special, but I can normally get a few people calling me at the same time when I'm running stations. The issue with RTTY is, when everyone calls, they call at the same time and unless they purposefully call off frequency a bit, you end up with a jumbled mass of letters and numbers that don't mean squat! At the very best, you might get a partial callsign. So, the problem I had, when I decided to wait an extra few seconds in an attempt to decode another station to "stack", others would get impatient and start calling and I'm back to square one. But, when I was able to decode more than one callsign, I found this hugely efficient at keeping rate. I'm sold on it's use, I just need to perfect it.


CBS Stats for ARS KL8DX
There were many highlights during this contest and I'm pretty happy with my result. I'm not sure how the other Alaskan stations did outside of our local contesting group here. I know my Alaska low power effort beat the  previous Alaska low power effort held by AL7BB from 2002. I also know that this year, Rich, KL7RA beat AL7BB's high power effort, which he held from way back in 1999. My effort is far from plaque worthy but some of that new ARRL redesigned wallpaper would make a nice addition to my shack! I know there were several Alaskan stations operating so I just will have to wait and find out. I'll let you know in about 12 months, hopefully less. 

What really helped my score was the good conditions into Europe on 20 meters during Sunday morning. Our beagle had me up a few hours earlier than expected (I had the alarm set for 0500 local but I ended up at 0300 local) and that worked to my advantage for those juicy European multipliers! I snagged my first EU contact at 1201z and I worked Europe steady until shortly after 1700z. No rate to speak of, just some good steady contacts that inflated my log by 100 QSO's and 15k points or so. Well worth dragging my butt out of bed early and that's all part of the strategy. Taking advantage of propagation and the bands when they yield the best potential for contacts to certain parts of the world. 

Just a few notes from this contest. It was great getting the RTTY heavy hitters in the log, Don, AA5AU and Phil, GU0SUP! Anyone who has been researching anything about RTTY has seen these callsigns before! I had several people sending my callsign before they sent theirs, when I was running stations. This takes up lots of time and I had one station send his callsign at least 5 times before stopping. I had a zero station work me twice on 15 meters and then tell me I was a dupe when I called him on 20. For the record, I work dupes! He now lost one QSO (not that it will or will not break the bank). I had one station even send, with his callsign, his grid square and state when calling me after my CQ. But you know what, in the end, I appreciate every QSO so I really don't care how you call me, just call me. It would be nice if a few would streamline their macros though. I'm saying this after I had such a macro challenged weekend, which I'm sorry to the handful of stations I sent extra bandwidth to. Oh, and one pet peeve I will admit to, are those stations who call me when I'm running and then ask me for my callsign before sending me their information! Excuse me, but why call me if you don't know who I am? It's almost as if they joined the pile-up and were hoping to find out who I was before they were called but managed me on the first call. 

Conditions were above average and other than some horrible QSB, the bands ended strong. 15 & 20 meters reminded me of stadium bathrooms during the halftime show. Standing room only and everyone was to close for comfort. I could not image running AFSK with such crowded bands! 20 meters alone was full from just above the PSK31 frequencies to 14.140!! 15 meters, just as bad! 10 meters never produced the many Central & South American contacts that it's known for up here. But, I managed a few for sure. And oddly enough, I managed a few last minute state multipliers on 10 that I could find anywhere else!


KL8DX's Score Summary for ARRL RTTY RU 2013
In the end I was still missing North Dakota for my Worked All States in this contest. Of course, I always get skunked on the Canadian Provinces. A clean sweep is just out of my reach with my station. After medication and therapy, I've come to terms with that. "Small tower, low power leaves my contesting fate in the hands of a higher power."

Our weather has been unseasonably warm due to wind so I experienced yet again more QRN which made the weak (599 :0) signals harder to copy at times. 

I had fun chatting on Twitter (as I will normally due during slower portions of contests without breaking any self spotting contest rules, etc) with many friends and several of those went from my timeline to my contest log, by chance.  Also, congratulations to Sean, VA5LF for his potential VE5 SO/HP new record! 

I also enjoy (and do not promote) listening to music while I'm working a RTTY contest! I love music and have a pretty broad playlist. My play list from this past weekend consisted of the following bands (this from a guy who is still stuck in the 80's);

  • Daughtry
  • Fireflight
  • Halestorm
  • Nickelback
  • Sick Puppies
  • Theory Of A Deadman
  • Skillet


KL8DX's Tweet After Surviving Another Year
So the ARRL RTTY Roundup ushers in a new year and the current contest season is about half over. I'm excited to see what 2013 brings and I myself, am suffering from acute cabin fever. I'm looking forward to camping and the return of the midnight sun! I want to wish all of those reading here a very healthy and DX filled new year! I hope DX falls easily into your logbooks and you achieve all you want to achieve this year. Like I mentioned before, I think this will be a year of change for me and my family. We welcomed a new grand daughter in 2012 as our grandson turned 1. Thanks for reading and for those following, I appreciate it. I'm just a small station living the BIG dream in Alaska, which I enjoy sharing with friends and family. You won't find an Alaskan reality TV show with me in it but you will find me on the bands enjoying one of the greatest hobbies in the world!