A-1 Official

A-1 Operator Certificate

Recently the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) honored their members of the American Radio Relay League's (ARRL) A-1 Operators during the April Weekend Sprintathon (WES). I sadly was not able to participate due to weekend conflicts but it got me to thinking about my nomination and entry into this prestigious club. I remember receiving a few congratulatory emails and saw my name on the A-1 Operators list but never received anything "official". I dropped a note to the ARRL and inquired about the certificate. My email was answered in short order and after receiving a response, 48 hours later our postal carrier hand delivered this certificate. I feel very honored that a few of my now fellow A-1 operators, felt I was worthy of nomination and award. 

I have always tried to be the best operator possible, from casual operating to contesting. I think good operators are products of good Elmer's. Even though I've been a ham radio operator for over 26 years now, I'm still learning! And the beauty of ham radio and the internet, you don't have to physically be in someones shack to learn to be a better operator. I learned so much from the Alaska Contest Group and a few, I never even personally met. Group emails, forums, blogs, simple research, Youtube and magazines, there are so many great resources to educate any ham on all aspects of our great hobby. Just because a person does not have this certificate does not mean that they are not a good operator. My plan is to pay it forward and nominate those who I feel should be on the list, those who's callsign are not currently there. 

For me, the pressure is even greater now to continue to live up to the standards set forth by the A-1 Operators Club. Will that be a hard thing to do? Nope, as long as I continue to do what I have been doing. Continue to learn, educate others, run clean equipment, by only using the minimum power necessary for the QSO, helping other hams where and when I possibly can and finally, learning from my mistakes. I think the most important aspect of this hobby is to have fun! Being an A-1 Operator is not attached necessarily to a callsign as much as it's attached to the person behind the callsign. Even though I have changed my call since my nominations and entry and now live in at a new QTH, my values remain the same. For any ham radio operator, the DX Code Of Conduct is a great foundation to build upon. I dedicate this award to all those who have helped me in this great hobby over the last 26 years. This speaks more highly of them as I'm only operating as I've been taught. I hope they are as proud of this achievement as I am.     

ARRL DX CW Contest - 2013

ARRL DX Contest 2013

I received what I would consider a participation certificate from my 2013 ARRL DX CW Contest effort. In reading my old 3830 post, it was a rough weekend due to a solar flare but things apparently did not go any better as the weekend progressed. 

As the wallpaper trickles in, there should not be much left from my Alaska operation. It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year that we left the 49th in our rear view mirror. It was a sad day for sure. We do plan on returning in the future but until then, I have many fond memories of our life in the 49th. A career is like a river, it will flow via the path of lease resistance. I've done very little radio since landing in MA but I don't have a shack to draw me in either. Here, life is much faster than it was last year and with temperatures already in upper 60's and low 70's, we are drawn outdoors enjoying what is for us, a much earlier spring than we are used to. My 3830 post from the contesting archives from the contest. 

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SOSB/15 LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 13h 1m
Location: Other North America

Summary:   Compare Scores
Band	QSOs	Mults
160:
80:
40:
20:
15:	568	53
10:
Total:	568	53	Total Score	90,312

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:     [email]     2013-02-18 11:46:26

Decided to do a 15 meter SO/SB entry on this rather than my continued 20 meter SO/SB from previous years. The solar flare put the damper on any great numbers for Sunday. Saturday started out slow but picked up later in the day nicely. When it came to Sunday, my longest CQ between QSO's was 27 minutes! Rough to say the least. SOAPBOX A little more than annoyed at what seems to be more folks just landing on a frequency and calling CQ without as much as a "QRL" or ?? to see if the frequency was in use. I was chased off my run frequency on more occasions by this poor, what seems to be, growing practice. OFF SOAPBOX Lots of great friends encountered and lots of great DX heard that I obviously could not work, being DX myself. Saturday picked up in the afternoon and 15 meters sounded like a typical contest weekend, wall to wall signals, stretching pretty high up the band. I missed DC, WV, SD for lower 48 and as normal, I only got a handful of VE sections missing, NS, NF, LB, QC, NT, YT and NU. I was extremely excited to have W3MLK (DE), VY2OX (PEI) and N7NG (WY) call in for final stretch mults! If they were all easy, it wouldn't be contesting! Thanks for the QSO's! 73, Phil KL8DX Denali National Park, Alaska Office: http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm Website: http://www.livingindenali.net/ Blog: http://kl8dx.blogspot.com/

2012 ARRL 10 Meter Contest Result

2012 ARRL 10 Meter Contest Certificate 

It's pretty obvious that our friends at the League are working overtime in getting wallpaper in the mail. Here is one in which I received today. 

Of all the bands, I would say that 10 meters is my most favorite. It's so unpredictable and can be so darn exciting. I remember the Alaska contest group talking about nearly all night 10 meter openings and I could not wait to experience some great 10 meter propagation! It took a few years but things started to warm up as the solar cycle began to peak. It was not long before 10 meter contacts became a solid foundation on any weekend contest score. I'm just thankful I got to experience some great 10 meter DX before I had to pull the plug.

In looking back at my 3830 submission, it's apparent that I lost a few points but I'm darn happy with this score. Not a Golden Log but I'll take it. I always enjoy re-reading my overviews of the contest and going back to this blog and reading the good and bad about any of my past contest submissions. And as you can see, I try to help those who are doing mixed by moving up to SSB when it works. I sure won't leave a pile-up if I'm running stations but if the opportunity is there, I will sure give it my best. 

As you can read between the lines, I knew that our departure from Alaska was looming as our jobs appeared to be taking us back to the lower 48. I truly miss my contesting station and operating from Alaska. Even though it was an average station, your typical single beam at 40 foot accented with a few wire antennas, I was able to really have a ball and work some great stuff! Contests can be intimidating to anyone new to the fast paced world wide weekend craziness. But like driving a car, to get better, you just got to get behind the wheel and do it!  



   ARRL 10-Meter Contest

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 10h14m

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  CW:  375    63
  SSB:    3    5
-------------------
Total:  375    63  Total Score = 94,500

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

This will be a CW only submission but I did work a few
that asked me to QSY to SSB. I had to work late on Friday
so I also started out with NIL until Saturday morning.
My first contest QSO came at 1828z and last fell into
the log at 2342z, Saturday. Saturday was tough but that's
contesting. Saturday was even a bit harder due to QRN
as a direct result of 40 mph wind gusts that day. I 
watched our temperature go from -21F to +20F in a matter
of a few hours thanks to the arrival of the SE wind flow.

The last four hours of Sunday showed my best rates all
weekend. I had higher hopes for the last big contest of
2012, as I didn't even hit the 50% mark from what I was 
able to accomplished last year. 

I think the most notable points with this contest was
the crazy propagation and QSB. The QSB was intense at 
times and stations would call and then disappear. I was
low power so like many, I had multipliers CQ in my face
to no avail. I missed more than I care to list.

Happy Holidays to all and I hope to find my way into a 
few logs as this contest season continues into 2013. I
have no valid complaints about this contest as 378 QSO's
are better than none, which was the case only a few years
ago. I predict that 2013 will be the year of change for this
station. But for now, it's time to enjoy the holiday season
and from our shack to yours, on behalf of KL8SU and myself,
Seasons Greetings from Alaska! May many new multipliers and
entities fall easily into your logbooks in 2013. 

Sincerely,

Phil - KL8DX
Suann - KL8SU
Dempsey (The Wonder Beagle)
Luna (The Grandcat)

Denali National Park, Alaska
Office: http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm
Personal Website: http://www.livingindenali.net/
Blog: http://kl8dx.blogspot.com/

My ARRL RTTY Roundup 2013 Results for KL8DX

2013 ARRL RTTY Roundup Result for KL8DX

Very nice to see this wallpaper show up in today's mailbox. Also glad to see that it followed me here to MA from AK. 

I must say, the redesign on the new ARRL certificates are outstanding! I love everything about them. This certificate caught me by surprise as I've boxed up all of my accomplishments and have not kept track of what, if any, I had yet to receive. This certificate will be placed in a frame and be boxed away with my other from my Alaska operation. I'm not sure when they will be able to be posted on a wall again but I'm hopeful that someday that I can have my Alaska wall showing the fruits of my contesting efforts.

In looking at what I submitted to 3830, I apparently had a few calls pulled as my submitted and final score were off a bit. I will always strive for that golden log but I'm happy with the outcome all the same. There is no paper like wallpaper, of the award variety of course.

My submission to 3830;

webform@b41h.net

To 3830@contesting.com

Jan 7, 2013

                    ARRL RTTY Roundup

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 21h11M

Summary:
Band  QSOs
------------
  80:    0
  40:  24
  20:  316
  15:  438
  10:  124
------------
Total:  912  State/Prov = 54  Countries = 48  Total Score = 93,024

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

No real complaints and the bands ended strong. Very nice
to have propagation into Europe on Sunday morning! That
made a big difference in the ol contest score. Lots of
regular friends encountered and always great to print and
log RTTY heavy hitters AA5AU and GU0SUP!

First contest using the "logthenpop" macro, so I apologize
to those that received extra jibberish from me. Tweaked as
I went and by the end, the planets aligned back up and life
was good.

Happy New Year from balmy Alaska! I uploaded a more detailed
overview of this contest to my blog site.

73,
Phil KL8DX
Denali National Park, AK
Blog - http://kl8dx.blogspot.com/
Website - http://www.livingindenali.net/
Office - http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

Equipment:
Rig: Icom 756PRO @ 100 watts
Antenna: Mosley TA-34-XL & Wires
Interface: Rigblaster Plus
Software: N1MM Logger V9.9.6

ARS KL8DX AR SK

The USS Constitution at Sunset

The photo to the left is one that I took shortly after arriving to Boston from Denali. The photo represents my final blog post with KL8DX as my callsign. The ship represents my current new life and the sunset represents the wonderful adventures I left behind, all west of here. I made so many great friends in my nearly 10 years of operating in Alaska. What a thrill it was both from casual operating to contesting. Anyone who has followed my blog for awhile knows I very much enjoy contesting. I've had many great accomplishments but then again, fewer contesters allow for great opportunities for wallpaper. 

Upon arriving to Boston, knowing my ham license would expire at the 10 year mark (November), I continued to think about changing my callsign. I did not want to get on the air during a contest and have other contesters think I was still in Alaska. I also saw that having to send /W1 after my call would also be confusing to some. Since I had to pay for round two of my Vanity Callsign issuance, I decided to just go ahead and change my call. Living in 1land, I probably should have chased a 1 callsign but I opted for (knowing pretty much from that start what I wanted) for AK2MA. It meant obviously Alaska to Massachusetts. I had a bit over 5,000 road miles to brainstorm on what a new call could be. Also, in doing a bit of research, it's a callsign that I don't believe has been issued before. I have yet to send it on the air but it seemed like a pretty good CW callsign. I'm looking forward to trying it out both on the keyer and with the straight key not to mention on the digital modes.

So, with a new callsign, I decided to start a new blog. I can't thank all those that have taken the time to read my ramblings over the last several years. I'm afraid my ham radio life will not be nearly as interesting as it has been. I hope to do more portable operating here in the lower 48. Something tells me that propagation will be a bit more user friendly here than it was at 63 degrees. Either way, I'm hopeful that my ramblings will continue to be of some interest and worth reading. 

My new blog can be found at  http://ak2ma.blogspot.com/

I'm sure I will be returning to this blog to travel down memory lane and how knows, maybe, just maybe, I will be operating from Alaska again someday. 

Retired the DX

One of the toughest decisions I've had to make was what to do with my callsign when I relocated. I knew that when I ventured back into contesting, my current callsign would just not work down here. So, with my 10 year license issuance of KL8DX soon to expire, I knew my Vanity Callsign fee would come due when I renewed it. I decided that it was probably better to pay the fee once, so I needed to decide what my new callsign would be.

My original Novice callsign (KB8DVT) was issued by the FCC as the next in line. My Ohio Advanced callsign was the same, issued by the FCC as next in line. I liked KE8RO as it kinda reminded me of W6RO, or the Queen Mary. It flowed well on the key and it was easy to recognize on CW. When I upgraded to Extra class, I decided to hang onto my Advanced callsign.

When I moved to Alaska, being an avid DX'er with over 300 countries (entities) confirmed and approved, and being from 8land, it was simple in my callsign selection. KL8DX just seemed to work so I applied and received it. The 8 caught many off guard when I first got on and up until my last day of operating in Alaska, it continued to be a topic of coversation. It was sure nice to have in WPX contests being one of the most active KL8 stations.

A Vanity callsign is personal and normally has some sort of meaning. People like their initials in their callsign or it represents something to them. I've worked many "neat" callsigns over the years, some almost as long as my arm.

Anyhow, after giving it some thought and running it past my ham spouse and my close friends KL1SF and N1TX, I decided to apply for my new callsign. Ii submitted my application on September 18th, 2013. With the government shutdown, things were delayed a bit but as of today, I found my callsign of KL8DX had been cancelled. I searched my new callsign and there it was, brand spanking new! 

So, now the real work begins. Changing my callsign with all the clubs and organizations I belong to. Heck, I just changed my address in the last month, too. But, it's all part of the transition. Now my new life in ham radio begins with a new callsign to memorize and get used to sending on the key. In the end, I'm sure all will understand why I chose the callsign that I did. It's representative of the next level in the winding road of my ham radio career. With that, I will say my last 73 with the callsign of KL8DX and I hope to catch you on the bands with my new callsign.

73!
Phil
AK2MA
 





SKCC Weekend Sprintathon From Our Deck

BBQ Back Deck Portable

With the retrieval of my portable antenna and other equipment, I was bound and determined to hear a bit of CW this weekend. Saturday, I assembled my portable station on the rear deck of our house. I was also playing grill master as I had promised my wife burgers on the grill. I assembled my Buddipole antenna and then pulled my Icom and Yaesu out of mothballs. I opted to use the Yaesu so I could have a bit more power. I tuned 20 meters and heard a few CW signals along with a few familiar callsigns working the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon. My addiction for getting on the air with my key is stronger than my addiction for dark chocolate. And, I LOVE chocolate. Hearing the CQ's, I could not resist and I threw my callsign out. It was not long before I managed four QSO's with the longest distance being with Bert, F6HKA. I've worked Bert many a time from my QTH in Alaska, so it was a pleasure to work Bert from my new QTH.

Dialing In

One of the things I wanted to do was to pin point my latitude and longitude. I also wanted to double check my grid square. I fired up my Garmin GPS III and once it settled out, I had the information I was looking for. I went from being the most active station in my grid square in Alaska to a very active grid square here in MA. 

After working my four stations, I shut down for the evening. As we are still unpacking and getting organized, my ham radio adventures will be spotty at best for a bit. I don't expect to have any type of good antenna up anytime soon. I left the Buddipole assembled in the backyard for Sunday. When I finally got the chance to set up my back deck portable station on Sunday, I found very little favorable propagation. I heard a few weak stations and that was it. No future contacts logged but there will be another day. At least I was able to hear the sweet sound of CW once again and log a few QSO's. 

As you can see, I changed the name of my blog. I will continue to write about my operation, which will continue to be more portable and low profile for awhile. I would love to get my Hex Beam in the air before the snow arrives but we shall see. I would also like to get my vertical back in operation. We are starting to see the leaves beginning to change here, so I'm looking forward to fall. It will be nice having a fall that's longer than a few weeks. This winter will be very different for us. I miss many things about Alaska but the aurora overheard will be one I miss greatly this winter. 

Follow-up

I have received several comments regarding my blog. Thanks very much for the kind comments. Obviously, my Alaska activities will no longer be a topic until I return. I do expect a few more blogs here as I'm hopeful on receiving a bit more wallpaper from my Alaska operating. It was suggested to just rename this current blog and I may just do that. I did not realize I had such a few dedicated followers, all of who I appreciate that take time to read my ramblings. Anyhow, thanks for the emails, twitter and facebook suggestions. I will keep ya posted on  our winding road. 

73, 
Phil KL8DX

Conclusion - The End? No, Just The Beginning of Something New

Thawing out in MA

As I continue to unpack ham radio items from our move, it was great to see the tower laying in the sun here in MA. I'm still far from being fully settled but hopefully, I will be able to hear the sweet sound of CW once again in the coming months. I will have a very small station so nothing competitive. My competitive days are over for a long while unless I hook up with a group of contesters who need a hand on a weekend or two. We have been so busy in getting settled (still are) that we have not had much of a chance to think of anything but unpacking boxes and wondering where we accumulated all of our stuff.

I started this blog just to document my adventures from Alaska, as many people I would talk to on the radio were always curious as to what it was like to operate in the 49th. Since my adventures have now taken me across the country and I will be settled here for awhile, I've decided to conclude my Alaska blog with this final post. I've enjoyed writing and sharing my photos, challenges and adventures over the last several years. Are my blogging days over? I would guess not, but it will have a different theme. I will someday operate from Alaska again but for now, any and all of my operating will be from MA or nearby. 

To all those who have followed or read my blog over the years, thanks! I will revisit my blog site here from time to time as a wonderful reminder of what ham radio was like for an average ham living in an awesome location. I've always enjoyed each and every comment and thankfully, this blog has led me to other fellow bloggers. There is so much great information out there if you take the time to look. 

What's in my future? A new callsign? Maybe. A new rig? Maybe. This move has been overwhelming in so many ways. But, we are much closer to family and friends so we will be interacting with them on a regular basis. I've not had much time to think radio but I do miss heading to the shack and turning on the rig looking for stations abroad. It was always a rush to give someone their first Alaska QSO. This hobby has led me to friendships that I would not have had otherwise. So many fond memories and I'm looking forward to many more. So, as one chapter of my life closes, another opens. But one things for sure, I will never be far from a radio. 73! AR SK

The Eagle Has Landed

Boston has a visitor this weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle. I recently was able to participate in a short tour of this beautiful ship. It was also informative speaking with many of the cadets on board and learning the history of the ship and her equipment. As much as the city is overwhelming to me, it's also very neat to experience the ships that are docked right out in front of our offices. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity and it helps ease the transition to a much faster paced

lifestyle. As most hams would, it made me think about the communications room and how neat it would be to operate radio from such a historic vessel out in the middle of the ocean. One of my coworkers accompanied me on the tour of this ship and he himself is a history buff. I learned lots about this ship from him as well. And not only about this ship, but many aspects of navigation on the water, too. If you research the flags that fly on these ships, it would hit close to home for any CW operator

as it's yet another way that ships communicate. Living temporarily here in the city has given us many an opportunity to experience so much of the deep history that's here with a surprise or two. 

A weekend or so ago, we had another visitor, however it was not as historic. The HMCS Athabaskan was in dock for a few days. I thought it ironic having personally arrived from Alaska, to see the "Athabaskan" in port. The Athabaskan culture was a large part of encountered Alaskan culture in our several years living in the 49th. Just made me miss home a bit more.

Living in the Interior of Alaska for all those years, we enjoyed our trips to the ocean during the summer months. Living right here on the ocean is exciting but I miss the "back country" lifestyle. Thankfully, we recently acquired a home in the country (or, as close as you can get to country here) and we are excited about our new 2 acre home. No power lines to tangle with this time and it's a nice balance of open yard surrounded by trees, which are much taller than we had in

Alaska. So, as we transition from the city to the country in a few weeks, I will have nearly the perfect situation here in Massachusetts. Working in the city next to the ocean and living in the country. I'm hopeful that a minimal station will be in my future and the goal is having it on the air before the snow arrives. I've already had a conversation with a local ham and have been informed of a local group of contesters of which I'm looking forward to meeting and maybe lending a hand at any multi contesting efforts. I'm also excited about being able to attend a hamfest or two. Our new location is served by UPS and Fed Ex! Many laugh at me when I mention it will be neat to see the UPS or Fed Ex delivery person walking up to the front door with my next ham radio related purchase. And getting once again, free ground shipping! Oh the thought...

Great Italian Eyeball QSO and Finally, LOBSTER!

Alaska Exit

Dealing with the local heat and humidity here in Boston sure has me missing the less humid temperatures and most of the time, cooler temperatures of the Denali area. It's hard to believe that just over a month ago, we started our trek across the country.

We are getting used to life in the city but the hunt still continues for the next QTH outside of Boston. Dealing with sensory overload with all that is going on in the city, my first introduction to QTH hunting is extreme sticker shock. Houses in or very near to Boston, are extremely expensive! Place it next to or near the ocean and add even more. For my wife and I, it's been a tough hunt trying to find a place to call home. The dog wants a yard and I would have to agree, although the yard request is for two very different reasons. I was hoping to avoid being an apartment dweller. But living where we are, I feel like I'm on a DXpedition and my equipment has yet to arrive. Our hotel is very nice but I gotta hand it to those who travel frequently, it gets old quick!

Trattoria Di Monica

And speaking of those who travel frequently, I had the privilege of meeting a great ham / contester this week! I was excited to get a message on Twitter from Glenn, K3PP. Glenn was going to be in Boston and he wanted to meet up for dinner. Glenn picked out a nice quaint Italian restaurant not far from the hotel we call home. Glenn found this restaurant online and I have to say, he can sure pick em!  My wife and I met with Glenn and had a wonderful dinner and of course, part of the table conversation was radio related. I've worked Glenn many a time from our old QTH in Alaska, and he always had a great signal into Denali. It was nice to finally put another face with a callsign. I believe Glenn finds his way back to this area on a regular basis, so I'm looking forward to seeing him many more times! Glenn, thanks so much for dinner and hanging out with KL8SU and myself! I'm hopeful we can operate a contest together someday!

I recently spoke with my CW Elmer, Ed K8QWY, on the phone. Ed had his rig on during our phone conversation and I could hear his HF rig and the sweet sound of CW in the background. Made me realize more than ever that I'm still going through withdrawal not having my HF rig and key nearby. Well, that's not totally true, it's nearby but my portable antenna is back in Ohio, with the travel trailer. Not a shining moment in my portable world of ham radio forgetting my portable antenna system.

So, as we settle in and continue our quest of finding our next QTH (north or west of Boston) I will keep my fingers crossed that it will be a place that will be QRN free. I'm looking forward to hearing some propagation from this end of the country and even more excited to hearing activity on 6 meters. Being next to the ocean, I'm sure enjoying fresh seafood and was recently excited when I walked into a local grocery here and found a live lobster tank at the seafood and meat counter. They even steamed it for free! Needless to say, I had my lobster fix, times three. Gotta love Lobstah!

Final Approach & Landing

Boston APRS Activity for KL8DX

The final leg of our journey happened today. I have to say, it will take me a while to get used to the city life but I'm happy that it's here in Boston. This area is saturated with history and my wife and I are extremely excited to begin learning what this beautiful city has to offer.  Eleven days and over 5,500 miles brought us to our new home from Denali. The vacation is over and it's now time to get acquainted with our new surroundings, new jobs and make new friends. As a ham, passing two awesome contest stations, W0SD in South Dakota and K3LR in Pennsylvania, put a smile on my face. My wife even commented when seeing both stations. Running APRS, I got to see those around me who also use it. I was impressed with some of the weather warning messages that we received via APRS while driving though and near some strong storms. 

Over the next several weeks, we hope to go from temporary housing to permanent, which hopefully will offer the opportunity to put a small station on the air. I miss the sound of CW and working the digital modes. But as I have written before, that's the beauty of this hobby. It will be there when you get the chance to turn on the rig once again. As I program some local repeaters into the VHF rig, I will enjoy listening to some local traffic. I've had fun operating in several great locations and I'm looking forward to adding yet another to my list. 

Wrapping Things Up de KL8DX/M, KL8DX/VY1, KL8DX/VE7, KL8DX/VE6...

Wrapping Up

To keep a ham happy, you pamper their tower, right? Well, our moving company did just that. Handled my shack like it was their own equipment and even wrapped my tower sections in thick wrapping paper. Overkill? Maybe but I was a happy ham! It was tough tearing down everything once again and boxing it all up. But like many a ham, I have all original boxes to my equipment and I made sure I had everything boxed up from the shack and ready for the moving company upon their arrival. We had nearly four days set aside for our packing up but this company accomplished it in two days! It was not long before our

Truck Scene

house was empty and there was an echo where there was once none. But, all is safely boxed and wrapped and making it's way to Boston. We had work obligations and things to finish on our house so we stuck around for an additional week. It was time for us to leave on vacation prior to our new assignment back east. We finished packing the remaining items in our travel trailer and truck that we needed to take along and hit the road ourselves. It was a sad day to lock the house for the very last time as we departed what I truly called home. Alaska is all that I had hoped and more. I'm looking forward to returning once again. 

NaviCat

Our travels have taken us through many a remote places along the Alaskan Highway (ALCAN). Anyone who has traveled this road knows that it takes planning and preparation. I do the driving and my girls take care of the navigation. Here you see the family feline, Luna, enjoying the map of Canada and helping us figure out the correct path as we made our way to the lower 48. I have to admit, the girls (cat & dog) have traveled extremely well and I guess at their age, the excitement of what goes by the window is less important than sleep.  I was expecting there to be many more interruptions but so far, so good!

A made mention to some friends that I feel somewhat like a fish out of water. Being back in the lower 48, I see, hear and smell things I had all but forgotten about. As we made our way through the Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta Canada, I realized that there are many beautiful places just like Alaska. I was (am) running APRS as we make our way across many miles of pavement and unpaved roads. I was surprised at some of the coverage in some of the remote places of the Yukon, BC and Alberta! We entered back into the lower 48 through Montana and I felt like I was home again in Alaska. I would not have enough memory cards to capture all of the beautiful landscapes we have encountered on our vacation. Simply breathtaking and so much so, I nearly forgot about playing radio!

Mount Rushmore

We are running on a very tight schedule so there were many places we passed by that we wanted to stop but couldn't. We decided that of all our sister parks we were going to be near, Mount Rushmore was the one we wanted to stop and see. It was well worth the stop and we only wished we had a bit more time to explore more of the area. I, like I'm sure many, was just astonished at the workmanship and likeness to the real photos of our late Presidents. The weather was beautiful and we have no complaints as our travels have gone on smooth and without incident (for the most part). Makes on become very thankful of our freedoms and to those who have made it possible!

Okay, back on track. The things I've forgotten about was fields of cows! Something I did not see in my neck of the woods in Alaska. Also, realizing how polluted our roadsides are with advertising. Thankfully, you don't see that in Alaska as you can actually enjoy the landscape advertising free (almost). Traffic, lots of people and traffic and actually stopping at truck stops. Paying less than $4.00 a gallon for diesel fuel. I did however pay $1.88 per liter for diesel fuel in one location in Canada which cost me $234.02! So that was the most I've ever paid for a tank of fuel! 

Our Ford truck has had the ability to receive Sirius satellite radio but it never worked in Alaska except in a few rare locations. When we hit Montana, I decided to sign up and I might add, listening to the same station across three states is pretty nice! Modern technology is a wonder. 

I write this on the road from our campsite here in Salem, South Dakota. Seeing a big contest station just before our exit had me missing the hobby and realizing how much I will miss contesting from my home QTH. I was pretty lucky to have a nice path to the lower 48 and Europe. But now, it will be a different location and different propagation. I'm not ready for the city life but I will adjust, hopefully. In the mean time, I'm remembering how life was when we used to live down here. We have been treated to the aroma of an excited skunk now twice. And, it's strange to have it dark when it's warm outside. Right now, we would be experiencing the midnight sun in Alaska, 24 hours of daylight. It's strange to experience this again.

As we continue our road travels, I will ponder about my next station location and watch for ham antennas and other hams that I may pass on the road. I've only heard a bit of radio traffic on 146.520 and that was shortly after we arrived in Montana from Canada. But, APRS has been fun and I think our coworkers are enjoying our progress more than we are. 

May 25th, 2013. Unplugged...

WPX CW 2013

This past weekend was extremely beautiful here in Alaska! The weather was outstanding for a holiday weekend here in the US. We saw temps in the 60's and 70's, which caused extreme melting of the snow and ice resulting in lots of flooding. Rivers are still running crazy as the snow melt continues. We were in the upper 70's yesterday so if ever there was a doubt that summer has arrived, well no more! 

This was a morning view of our QTH on Saturday morning, May 25th, 2013. I had hoped to make a few hundred contacts in the CQ World Wide WPX Contest but the solar conditions decided otherwise. Another weekend of turning on the radio and hearing none, or very few stations. I managed a handful before I officially pulled the plug Saturday morning.

Split Ends

With the bad band conditions, it was not hard to unplug from the rest of the world. It was time to begin the dismantling of our station. Fourteen QSO's was not my goal for the weekend but it was what it was. My first HF QSO when moving here was with Ed, K8QWY on November 28th, 2003. I had a 2 meter SSB QSO, which was officially my very first QSO, with long time friend Sean, KL1SF on November 27th, 2003. And here it was, May 25th, 2013 and 52,937 + QSO's later, my Mosley once again finds itself being packed up, awaiting another installation at another location. Closer inspection of the beam found it still in wonderful shape. Penetrox continued to keep the elements looking new. I only found a small amount of moisture in one location, and oddly enough, it was in one half of the boom. Penetrox had the water beading like wax but still, there was no sign of oxidation. Good stuff for sure. The beam and tower have taken an arctic beating here and have withstood all that was thrown at it. I'm sold on Mosley for that very reason. 

Laying Down the Tower

Once the beam was off the tower, I removed the mast and rotor from the Hazer and then lowered the Hazer to just above the crank. It was time to lower the Rohn 25 for disassembly. The tower made it safely horizontal (thanks to Polaris) and the scene around the house took on a more non-ham profile. It felt extremely...well, ham naked! Once the Hazer was off the tower, we worked at removing the top section. That was the toughest section of all and understandably so. The top section was where the Hazer and beam were mostly parked and it took the worst beating when the weather turned bad especially if I had not lowered the antenna to a weather safe height. Once the top section was removed, the remaining sections nearly pulled apart with ease.

Once Section Left (Non Multiplier)

I'm letting the sun warm the ground around the last section of our second tower before digging it up. The smaller tower was the home to my 6 meter beam and 2m/440 vertical for several years. I had dropped the 6 meter beam and had intentions of putting my Hex Beam up on that tower, but it never made it from assembly to elevation. It is now disassembled with my other antenna's and looking forward to being used at our next location. My vertical (Hustler 5BTV) was unburied from the snow bank and it too was disassembled and packed up ready to operate another day. All the antenna's and tower are now in one organized pile awaiting the day the moving van arrives.

As camping season is upon us, I'm looking forward to operating KL8DX/P, as I've done in previous years. The camper is nearly ready and my portable equipment is once again out of mothballs and ready for use. But for now, the Mosley has once again entered into hibernation at 1930z, on the 25th of May, and getting a well deserved break. I have many of what I call, "Mosley Memories" to keep me smiling for many months to come. 

Like a Sponge

Absorption of DX signals according to HAARP

I enjoy reading several radio related blogs and one in that batch is by John, N8ZYA. John's blog details his chasing DX using QRP (low power). John's at the 122 days of DX worked now and I applaud his determination. John's use of QRP and indoor antenna's is something I may be doing myself, depending on where we choose to live in 1'land. If we are apartment dwellers, that will surely be the case but if we are lucky enough to land a house with a bit of property, hopefully I can throw something minimal up on the rental property. Maybe, just maybe, I can catch John on 40 meters or one of the other bands once we get settled. Sadly, I have not worked John from my Alaskan QTH, but he did hear me on one occasion and tried to unsuccessfully work me. I was hoping to work John from here someday but it appears I will be 4,600 miles closer when I finally snag a QSO with him.

I'm envious of John today as from the HAARP Riometer graph above, I simply hear absolutely nothing on the bands this morning. Not one signal! The radiation storm has rendered the ham bands useless here. Even if I could send 1,495 more watts than John through my coax and out my 4 element beam at 43 feet, I'm not working anyone. You simply can't work what you don't hear. Well, excluding some of the weak signal digital stuff now-a-days. :0)

Propagation here in Alaska (like many northern latitudes) can be extremely challenging. I had high hopes for some low power contest QSO's this weekend in the WPX contest. If this spaceweather continues, there will be few, if any. But on a positive note, our local weather has taken a turn for the better! The weather at our house is currently 40 degrees! The holiday weekend local forecast appears promising. Needless to say, it will be another busy weekend here and thankfully, the outdoor activities will not be hampered by rain or gusting winds.

I can't predict what the bands will be like tomorrow afternoon for the start of the WPX contest but at least I can safely predict our grill will be used a few times this weekend. This weekend will be the culmination of my ham radio activities from BP53lu. My remaining QSO's with my Mosley HF beam are now on the horizon. As the DXing sun sets for me this weekend, it will rise once again many miles east of here in the coming weeks/months. This is the weekend that I normally close the shack for the summer. This weekend is no different. It's camping season and we are now being bathed in sunlight nearly 24 hours a day. Lack of propagation, depressing? Yes!  All I have to do is step outdoors and it's all forgotten. 

In The Zone - New 1

KL8DX 2012 CQ World Wide DX CW Contest Result

A large white envelope was located in our mailbox today and the content of that envelope was my certificate from the 2012 CQ World Wide DX CW Contest. I obviously busted a few callsigns as my submitted score was reduced over my final score. Anytime you can have a contest weekend blessed with good propagation, it's a great experience. Having a golden log would make that great experience an awesome experience. I will always continue to do my best with each and every contest and this score reflects that best that I could of done. Each time I operate I try to "out do" my previous years score. Of course, often times propagation here in Alaska is my biggest hurdle. I might have big plans for any given contest weekend but in the end, space weather and propagation will determine my effort or score. 

My 3830 post regarding this contest is listed below. As summer approaches, it won't be long before the shack falls silent and any operating will be from a portable perspective.  We recently received an additional 4-5 inches of fresh snow so winter keeps haunting us. Once again, temperatures are supposed to be on the rise and hopefully we have seen the last snow flakes of this spring. It won't be long now before we take up residence in our travel trailer following the road map eastward. I've updated my NUVI with the latest maps and like the DX Cluster, it will help me find what I'm looking for. 

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 30h52m

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    0    0        0
  80:  11    5        5
  40:  30    8        8
  20:  728    19      58
  15:  911    20      38
  10:  199    18      20
------------------------------
Total: 1879    70      129  Total Score = 831,820

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

Another crazy contest weekend! I was sure disappointed in
10 meters this year. I'm okay with that as long as we have
good propagation in a few weeks for that band specific
contest! 

My numbers on the low bands are low but I have very poor
antennas for those bands. Kudos to those that logged me on
both 40 & 80! Your station did 99% of the work and for that,
I'm grateful! My noise is horrible on both of those bands.

The CME created some nice viewing Aurora here for the weekend
but it sure made things a bit tough for the contest. We are
still losing daylight fast and it won't be long now before
we only have 4-5 hours of daylight. Blessing is, that by 
next month at this time, we will start gaining daylight as
the sun slowly begins to move northward.

Thanks for the contest QSO's! I have a detailed review on my
blog site along with photos from this weekend. You can sure
tell when ya get spotted as so many call at once! I continue
to hone my pile-up management skills so thanks for your
patience! Looking forward to the 10 meter contest and hope
to see ya then! If only I had an antenna for 160 meters...

73!
Phil KL8DX
Denali National Park, AK
Rig: Icom 756PRO @ 100 watts
Antenna: Mosley TA-34-XL @ 43 feet
Low bands: Inverted V's for 40 & 80
Logging: Win-test