My 2nd Contact in Bulgaria

(picture by Nikolay Angelou via Wikipedia)

The 20 meter band is still strong today as I tuned around the blistering ARRL DX Contest. My prize catch this morning was LZ2SO in Bulgaria. That's 5,169 miles and qualifies for another 1000 MPW award.

But I just can't take the wear and tear on the ears.

I admit it's too much for me.....

I was happy to again work G0LZL in Manchester England, and a station in France (F6NTV). I've done my best and heard stations in Sweden, Finland and many other European countries. I've worked (but can't find the info) several others. The Solar Flux has dropped a bit but the bands still hot. This gives me a taste of real DX conditions. Realistically, I don't have the rig or antenna to compete at this level. But it's been exciting to make a few great contacts.

Wall to Wall DX

The solar flux is an astounding 125 today and the 20 meter band is alive with European stations. I'm assuming there is a BIG contest, since I easily worked DL5A in Luftjensee Germany (with just a few tries) using the split mode. The band is so charged, that without filters on my rig, most of it sounds like a beehive. 

In another few minutes G0LZL in Manchester England was in the log book. Just a few minutes afterward I logged EF7S in the Canary Islands. (I can't find that one in the call book but that's what he was sending). Most of these operators were sending around 30 wpm or more. Yes....there's the possibility of me hearing it wrong. Hihi 

I'm sure that I could have worked MANY more stations but I just didn't have the patience to fight my way through the beehive. I'm happy to work these few and turn off the radio. 

This really isn't pleasant for me. At QRP power, and an 18" indoor antenna,  it's a little too much today. 

French QSL Card

Quite a signal and a fast card....and the best of all, no postage. 

If I remember right, my last $5.00 card was sent and received from a QSL manager in Moscow Russia. It was actually for a contact, in another country, but his info on QSZ specifically said "don't send cash, my postman loves US dollars". In these electronic days....these are fine with me. 

Limoges France Contact

Today, I spent the entire afternoon riding around town on the bike. My daughter and grandkids live only 10 miles from here, so I was able to drop in and observe a large Monopoly game. I made it back home, and into the radio room, at about 4 PM local time. After doing a few chores, I turned on the radio, and couldn't believe my ears when I heard a strong F6 station on 20 meters.

I guess when the solar flux reaches 107....anything in possible on the bands. Bert (F6HKA) was blasting American "east coast" stations one after another, and another, and another. He actually lives in the town of Couerassas, which is close to the transportation center in Limoge. There's a large train station there and the famous painter Renoir was born in this area. Bert was 4,084 miles from me and after only 5 attempts, I was able to work him. This made me feel "really good" because of the competition.

He was sending out his signals in the SKCC WES Contest and really "rocking the doors" with his straight key. I was astounded when he came back to me with my name and his SKCC# 6069 T. He send my RST as 559. His signal was 599 with very little fading. He thanked me for the new SKCC number and wished me good luck in the contest.

The solar forecasts predict a "black out" on the way but I'm glad it hasn't arrived yet. I've worked a French stations before but never heard one so clearly as him today. My only other French contact has been F6HFX in Labouheyre.

Today makes my 37th DX contact with my QRP station. 

Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

I worked another station in Puerto Rico this afternoon. Although I'm able to work Florida quite easily, it's unusual when I bounce a southern signal this distance. This afternoon was only the second time I've worked Puerto Rico and I was surprised at my 559 report. Alberto (WP4L) is in the central part of this territory, in an area know for it's ecology. Being in the mountains, this town is one of the coolest in Puerto Rico with an average temperature of 72 degrees.

There are large copper and gold deposits here, but the people decided the environmental damage was too great to allow heavy mining. That's just the opposite of our state where we blow off the tops of the mountains and shove them into our streams. I admire their values....

My Southern Caribbean contacts now stand at 6YIV (Jamaica), K4DKE (Puerto Rico), CO8LY (Cuba), CO6LC (Cuba) and now WP4L in Puerto Rico. I like that part of the world because the people are so resourceful and resilient. I admire simplicity and keeping life as un-complicated as possible.

Alberto's QSL card displays some very nice "paddles" but this afternoon he was using a straight key. He is SKCC member # 7568 and we exchanged club numbers.

Amelia Earhart and Radio

        

Amelia Earhart   made a landing in Anderson South Carolina many years ago. A few days ago, I worked N6LYJ who lives there. I often look up the home towns of my radio contacts as a way of learning about their lives and appreciating their heritage. I like history.

She was a courageous person, and of course, the first female to attempt flying around the world. But it ended tragically,  and no one knows the exact location of the plane. It's never been found and assumed to be at the bottom of the ocean,  in water about three miles deep. Her last radio contact was just below the 80 meter band on the frequency of 3105 KHz, and as any ham knows, that means she was a short distance from her landing spot. The 50 watt transmitter had the call sign of KHAQQ and the aircraft was using a less than efficient V antenna. 

The high-frequency antenna installed aboard the Electra in March 1937 was a “Vee” type running from the tip of each of the twin vertical stabilizers to a mast atop the fuselage. The antenna was, therefore, a total of 46 feet, doubled back onto itself. It was then, already 15% longer than optimum; but since the radio equipment had been installed by Bell Labs, it can be fairly assumed that it was tuned properly at that time.

The length of 46 feet was greater than 1/8 wavelength at 3105 KHz (approximately 38 feet) and greater than 1/4 wavelength at 6210 KHz (again, approximately 38 feet; this relationship is due to the fact that 6210 KHz is the exact second harmonic of 3105 and the wavelength at the higher frequency is half that of the lower); or, a non-resonant length at either frequency.

Maybe some day, the aircraft will be found and raised back to the surface? It had the latest technology of its time. There was a "loop antenna" mounted above the cockpit which was used for "direction finding". Of course, all that means nothing when you run out of gas.....I can only imagine her final thoughts.

The "Lockheed Model 10E Electra" was Lockheeds first "all metal plane" with twin engines. Amelias plane had the famous "double tail".  It had a special Pratt-Whitney R-1340 engine that generated 600 hp.

The Month of January

January has been a good "radio" month for me. The highlight has been the  K3Y Special Event Contest.  With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii (I've heard Alaska but couldn't work him), I've worked stations in nearly every section of the country. I like these "month long contests" because they give me the opportunity to contact other "straight key" operators.

I continue to easily work into central Texas and Oklahoma. I also made a contact with a North Dakota station who was out in his pick up truck, in 5 degree weather, on the prairie, in the blowing snow. From a follow up e-mail, he said if it snowed much more, he'd be forced to climb out his home windows in order to shovel the snow from his doorway. That's a LOT of snow, even for North Dakota....

I've worked NG7Z in Washington state three different times this month. (Paul is a little over 2,000 miles from me.) I had a nice QSO with a former DX editor of CQ Magazine. (W2DEC) and an excellent QSO with a "classic jazz" enthusiast (K0ZK) who sponsors a weekly radio program with internet streaming. BTW/ he was in the state of Maine and operating QRP!

I'm still hoping to make a contact with Alaska. The months not over yet. On average, I've worked at least one station everyday this month.

On another vein, and related to the hobby, I've purchased one of those new electronic e-books. I now have the last two month issues of "Monitoring Times" on it. It has a web browser built into it, which allows me to read my "blogs" and search a variety of ham radio information sites.  It's really nice to use this "small" device to enhance my hobby. I can't say enough good about the Kindle.......

I have all 300 stories from Mark Twain loaded on it now, and well as several other books. I've just scratched the surface on the memory. It has a month long battery life