Straight - For the Key & Ice

Myself participating in SKCC's WES March 2013 

SKCC had their monthly Weekend Sprintathon (WES) this past weekend. I've participated in several of these over the last few years and find them extremely enjoyable. This WES was just a bit different as the Bonus station was the one and only, W1AW! You can read a bit more about this event on SKCC's main page. I think the neatest part of this was the fact that the team of 9 operators were going to be using Hiram Percy Maxium's Spark Key over the course of the entire weekend. This weekend was also promoting QRP operating (although I opted for QRO as band conditions were a bit tough for a large part of the weekend for me). Using a Straight Key for me is like taking a trip back in time. This is where it all began! I can envision that telegraph operator sending messages back in the days of the wild west. Or the telegraph operators relaying vital information during World War I and World War II. But to know the history behind the key that you're using and know who had used it, well that's taking manual Morse to the next level in my opinion!

I love Morse Code and it is by far my most favorite mode of communication that I use on the ham bands. It's the only "other" language that I know. When I first got into ham radio, knowing Morse Code was a requirement. To obtain the highest license level available to ham radio operators (Extra Class), you had to take a 20 Word Per Minute (WPM) Morse Code test, and pass it! Morse Code is no longer a requirement to obtain your ham radio license. This old form of communication is just as popular today as it has been for many, many years. 

My Navy Flameproof behind the keyboard

I knew my time would be somewhat limited this weekend but I also knew I was going to participate one way or another. My goal at the very least was to locate and contact W1AW. I was excited to actually work W1AW on two bands this weekend, 15 & 20 Meters. Yes, I've worked W1AW many times before and have even operated W1AW. But this weekend trumped any previous contacts I've had with W1AW due to the circumstances and of course the KEY being used at the other end. I'm not sure if Hiram's key was in fact the one that was used for our QSO but again, I thought it was a great way to promote Morse Code and the use of Straight Key's. Over the course of the short time I operated on Saturday, and what I was able to operate on Sunday, I made 96 straight key QSO's. It was great to see so many operating QRP as well. All in all, SKCC and W1AW made this past weekend one to remember.

Looking toward Sugarloaf Mountain & Mt. Dora

As mentioned earlier, Saturday was beautiful here in the Interior of Alaska. Suffering from cabin fever, my wife and I accompanied by our family beagle, headed out onto Otto Lake, the lake we live next to. We have done this now for the past few years, walking the lake from one end to the other. It was breezy but warm and the ice was still 3-4' thick, plenty safe. 

Mt. Healy

I sacrificed a few hours of operating time to enjoy the great outdoors. The sun is slowly returning to Alaska, so the longer days are very refreshing. It's been another long, dark and cold winter. Now that temperatures can rise to the 30+ above, we will open windows and doors and venture outdoors to enjoy the fresh, clean air! The photos here are ones I took from our foot trek across Otto Lake. Can you actually blame me for giving up radio time to enjoy such a beautiful afternoon? 

Looking back toward our QTH

 Even though we are far from seeing the end of winter here in Alaska, it really won't be long before the ice begins to melt and all this solid form of water returns to liquid form. In just a few months, people will be enjoying the lake again and the sounds and smell of spring will be in the air. When this seasonal change takes place, I will end up powering off the shack and spending much more time outdoors enjoying all that Alaska has to offer.

View looking NW on Otto Lake

We enjoy camping season and are very much looking forward to hooking to our travel trailer and heading out! Rest assured, I will be dragging along my portable equipment as it serves a two-fold purpose. There are many places we travel that have no cellular service so it's reassuring when you still have a means of communication. And secondly, I will be looking forward to operating /P from various camping locations once again. It's so nice to get away to remote places where there is no man made noise for miles and miles. Like using a straight key, it's nice to travel to places where there is no cellular service, no internet and experience life as it was not so long ago. 

2012 Year in Review - Out Like a Lion, In Like a...Ham?

NOAA Denali Forecast 

The weather for our part of Alaska has been pretty quiet for several weeks. Or at least, until recently. We have been effected by a Chinook system moving in from the south and it not only brings strong winds, but much warmer temperatures. The warmer temperatures are a welcome break from -20F to -40F that we have been experiencing. But as ham radio operators know, high winds are not ham friendly. That being said, my HF beam has been nested just above my roof level as we were forecasted to receive 80 mph wind gusts, as seen in the forecast listed to the left. Thankfully we did not see gusts that strong but anything above 55 mph has me lowering my antenna. The latest system is exiting but there is another system on it's heels that will bring strong winds once again for New Years day and probably into the night. Since my strongest gust today was only 45 mph, I took advantage of a snow blown roof and warm temperatures to tighten my driven element and then crank my beam back to its 43 feet normal operational level. 

Cell Photo by KL8DX

The view to the right is from the 25 foot level or so (standing on my roof getting a beams eye view) looking ENE from my QTH. As you may notice, the trees around here are not very tall. Also, just visible are the two overhead power lines that cut through the heart of where I would run many of my wire antennas, if I could. Not only do I have these lines which run to a neighbors house to contend with, I also have my own service line which is not seen in this photo. In looking back, placing my tower on the south side of the house would have been a much better choice, for various reasons.

Cell Photo by KL8DX

The view to the left here is looking south toward Mount Healy. Denali National Park has a great information page detailing Mount Healy (Unit 24) and in the top photograph on that page, you can see Otto Lake, or the reverse of what you are seeing to the left. My home is on on side of this mountain and my office is on the other. I took these photos just before noon and as you can see, there is no direct sunlight. This time of year, I can tell by the clouds the sun is there but we won't see direct sunlight here at this QTH until February. The happy thought we keep is that the sun is slowly making its way back toward Alaska and the midnight sun will once again be filling out days with warmth and funshine!

Club Log Stats for KL8DX

When looking at my 2012 statistics available to me using Club Log, I've worked 106 different entities and had a grand total of 8,184 QSO's. As you can see from the graph to the right, I'm not a big SSB operator however, I do find my microphone from time to time. As mentioned in a previous blog posting, I did hit my personal milestone of 50,000 QSO's recently operating from here in Alaska. I've accomplished DXCC but have yet to apply. I've managed to work 203 towards my 2nd ARRL DXCC Award and 177 of those Entities have wonderfully been confirmed via Log Book Of The World (LOTW). With US postage rates climbing again in January of 2013, I'm a firm believer in electronic QSL'ing with LOTW. I will always maintain hard QSL cards. I enjoy receiving them and will return QSL for those who follow my instructions on QRZ, but my days of sending direct for each new Entity worked are long gone. Especially if it requires the always rising return postage fee, typically running $3.00 USD or more nowadays, from outside the United States anyhow. I don't chase new ones like I used to either. After moving to Alaska, my focus has changed to more of a contesting perspective than DX'ing perspective. Not that you can't accomplish both of these at the same time but basically, I spend less time "on air" during the weekdays chasing, and more time on the weekends being chased. Life of a double multiplier can be stressful but fun!

Twitter QSO with Martin, W3MLK today

Bringing in the New Year like a Ham is simply getting on the air and operating and for me, Straight Key Night (SKN) is just the ticket! I love CW anyhow and I've really grown attached to my Navy Flameproof keys. And heck, my Icom 756PRO, by today's electronic standards, is nearly vintage! I don't own anything that will chirp or has tubes that give off a warm glow. But that's what I love about SKN, hearing all that manually generated Morse Code and hearing those old radios come to life. Martin, W3MLK asked me what SKN stood for as I had mentioned it in one of my previous "Tweets". This was my personal explanation to him, highlighting the festivities about to begin in a matter of hours. I had worries of missing it this year due to high winds and a 24 hour bout with the flu bug. Thankfully, it appears I will be making contacts and enjoying a fresh new year enjoying the hobby I'm still addicted to after 25 years! 

In a day of live news feeds that seem to carry mostly bad news, ham radio is a way to escape all that, for me anyhow. Sharing bandwidth with those all around the world who enjoy the same, fun through ham radio. I don't know what 2013 will bring, but it will have its ups and downs I'm sure. We can hope for more ups though, nothing wrong with hoping! I appreciate those who read my ramblings on with this blog as I sure don't do it for me. As long as someone is interested, I will continue to detail my Alaskan radio adventures as I experience them. Thanks for all the QSO's and I'm hopeful for many more in 2013. I'm not sure on a theme for 2013 yet, but I have a few hours left to think about it. Not only does the wind around these parts bring warmth, something tells me change is in the wind as well for next year. Happy New Year my friends!