The Camper

The FQP was one week ago, and I’m already preparing for the next one. Once again I worked the event from the county of Okeechobee (OKE), a county that would otherwise be covered by mobiles only. A couple of years ago as I prepared for my first FQP I thought that I could be of better use to the event if I operated from a different county than I live in (Brevard). There are a couple of stations that operate from Brevard County annually, so I decided that I’d find a county that needed a station all weekend. Okeechobee is about a 2 hour drive from my home, so I decided that was the place.

The Rig

I operated from the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. It’s a nice area to set up; plenty of room to get an antenna up in the air, and it’s remote. I have a travel trailer, so operating remotely is enjoyable, albeit all the additional setup of the ham gear. While it will take me about 1 hour to get my travel trailer parked, leveled, and hooked up to electricity and water, it takes more than double that time to get my antenna(s) up in the air and my rig set up. But I enjoy it and the time goes by quickly.

Grilling the Steak

Its become tradition for me to grill up a nice steak the night before the event kicks off. Add some Pinto beans, a couple pieces of bread-n-butter and a few shakes of hot sauce on the beans and its ready to go. My mouth is watering just writing about it now.

Ready to Eat

My station was an Icom IC-7000 transceiver and LDG IT-100 tuner hooked to a homemade hex-beam and a homemade 40-meter dipole hung in an inverted V. Low power (100w), single operator, non-assisted, all SSB. I operated for about 18 of the 20 hours over the two-day event. I did much better than last year, doubling my score on Saturday than I had for the entire weekend a year earlier. Saturday’s conditions were great, especially on 20 meters (for me, anyway). Sunday rolled around and it seemed conditions dropped off considerably. While I managed over 400 contacts on Saturday, I only managed roughly 100 contacts all day Sunday.

My claimed totals are as follows:
10 meters: 5 QSO’s
15 meters: 84 QSO’s
20 meters: 400 QSO’s
40 meters: 49 QSO’s
Total QSO’s: 538
Contact Multipliers: 70
Power Multiplier: 2
Total Claimed Score: 75320

Below are a couple of photos of my antennas. You can click on any of the photos to see a larger view, and (while the photos are enlarged) you can scroll through the photos by clicking on the left or right side of the photos. 73.

Hex Beam Assembly

I stick the bottom of my hex beam in the ground then attach the spreaders.  The spreaders slide into aluminum tubes that I drilled out so the spreaders will slip inside.  One end of the aluminum tubes are epoxied on to each of the spreaders so they will stay in place.

The Hex Beam

Photo of the Hex Beam in the air.  Note that it only has 3 wires wrapped around the beam.  While I built the Hex Beam for 6 bands (6m, 10m, 12m 15m 17m and 20m), the FQP operates on 4 bands: 10m, 15m, 20m and 40m.  To save some time (and a little weight), I only strung the Hex Beam for 10m, 15m, and 20m, and used a dipole that I built for 40m.

Antenna Mount

This is a close-up of the base of the Hex Beam, mounted about 25′ in the air.  Just below the base of the Hex Beam is a plastic square.  That is the 1:1 balun (it is mounted on the plastic square, and the photo shows the back-side of the square so the balun isn’t quite visible).  Each side of the 40m dipole is attached to that balun.  Each wire is hanging straight down right now; I haven’t pulled them tight yet.

The following reminder is from our president of the Florida Contest Group regarding the Florida QSO Party this weekend:

This is the 15th running of the FQP under the sponsorship of the Florida Contest Group, so we’ve cooked up something special.  There will be 15 1×1 fixed stations whose suffixes spell out “FLORIDA QSO PARTY”.  CLICK HERE for details of the special 1×1 event.

New plaques (bringing the total to 37) are added for:

• Top Florida Mobile Multi-Two (tnx K9OM)
• Top Poland CW (tnx K3TW/SO5TW)
• Top Score Caribbean/Central/South America (tnx NX4N)
• Top Florida Mobile – Most Counties Activated (tnx K3TW)
• First Station To Work All Special FQP 1X1 Callsigns (CW & SSB) (tnx PCARS – W4MLB)

It took us a while, but we finally added a Single Op Assisted category to distinguish from Multi-Single.

15M should be better than it’s been for at least 5 years.  Despite rising gas prices, all 67 counties will again be activated multiple times thanks to many mobile efforts.  Click on the following links to track these mobile stations:

• Activated Counties (includes fixed and mobile stations, and modes operated)
• Mobile Plans for FQP-2012   Hat Tip – NO5W
• Coverage Information in PDF and Excel Formats    Hat Tip – K0RC

Click Here for the 2012 Rules                                                  Reglas en espanol

So please join the party again and help us all make 2012 an unprecedented year and even more fun!

The Florida QSO Party - April 28 – 29, 2012

Object: Everyone works Florida, Florida works Everyone

•     Activate and work ALL Florida counties
•     Have as much FUN as possible!

When:  April 28 – 29, 2012

Two ten hour operating periods, with a ten hour break:

•     Saturday, April 28   1600Z (Noon EDT) – 0159Z (9:59 PM EDT)
•     Sunday,   April 29   1200Z (8 AM EDT) – 2159Z (5:59 PM EDT)
•     20 Hours total

Exchange: RST and County (Florida stations)

•     RST and QTH (State, Province or Country for non-FL)

Where: 10, 15, 20 and 40 Meters

•     CW :  28.035, 21.035, 14.035, 7.035
•     SSB:  28.485, 21.335, 14.260, 7.195
•     (Approximate center frequencies; lots of activity spreads out from there!)

Many Mobile stations will be on and most can be found here:

•     CW:   7.025-7.035,  14.040-14.050,  21.040-21.050,  28.040-28.050 MHZ
•     SSB:  7.180-7.190,  14.265-14.275,  21.340-21.350,  28.480-28.490 MHz
•     If you are not mobile, please refrain from calling CQ in these windows.

Categories:

•     Single Op, Single Op Assisted (NEW), Multi Op, Multi-Multi, Technician, School

Fixed, Mobile

•     QRP, Low, High Power
•     CW, SSB, Mixed

Prizes: Beautiful color Certificates for top participants

•         Plaques for top finishing entrants.

Web Site: http://www.floridaqsoparty.org

•    Detailed rules, mobile routes, past results, plaques, county maps and much more!

Please submit your Cabrillo formatted log to logs@floridaqsoparty.org where our robot will pre-process it and give you e-mail feedback within a minute or two.

THANK YOU in advance for making the 2012 FQP another terrific event!

73, Dan, K1TO
President, Florida Contest Group, proud sponsors of the FQP since 1998

I’ve been preparing for the Florida QSO Party (FQP) for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve been getting my check-list in order of all the items I will need… radio: check, tuner: check, coax: check, antenna:…  hum?  Well, I do have an antenna, actually a few antennas that I can use portably and I plan on using at least one of them.  Last year I built a hex-beam antenna, and I purposely built it so it could be taken down and set back up in portable situations.   The antenna is a six-band system with the ability to operate on the following bands: 6, 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20.  I am planning on using the hex-beam for the FQP on 10, 15, and 20 meter bands.  But I still needed/wanted something for the 40 meter band.  I already have a couple of options: I have a G5RV jr. antenna that, with the help of my antenna tuner can operate on the 40 meter band.  I also have a couple of 40m ‘ham sticks’ that I could arrange in a vertical or horizontal dipole fashion.  I also have a Chameleon V1 antenna that I could set up and work 40 meters (as well as a few other bands too).  But… one of the reasons why I have all these antennas is because I LIKE antennas!  I like building them, using them, and trying to understand them.  So… as I’ve done for the past couple of years for the FQP and/or Field Day (coming up in June), I decided to build a new antenna.

What to build?  Well, since I don’t have an antenna that will ‘radiate’ on 40, (60, but that’s a whole ‘nuther beast), 80, or 160 meters, my original plan was to build a trap dipole that would ‘radiate’ on 40, 80, and 160.  I know, I know… I’ve read all about the lossy’ness of traps, etc… but here’s the thing… I’ve never built or used a trap dipole and that in itself is what is important to me.

I found a plan that used RG-58 to build ‘super-traps’, but quickly determined that I did not have enough RG-58 on hand to build those traps.  Time is running out and I want to build something with components that I have lying around.  So I changed my decision and decided on building a 40/80 trap dipole (I’ll worry about 160 meters at another time) following a plan that used RG-59 for the traps.  Ahh… no problem, I have a couple coils of RG-59 laying around…somewhere…  I used to trip over it all the time.  But as I began gathering up the items for that antenna I realized that the RG-59 is gone!  I vaguely remember tossing it out about a year ago since I hadn’t used it in more than 10 years, so I figured I’d never use it.  Argh!  Back to square one.

Ok…. FQP is one week away and I want to put something together for the weekend.  I remembered that the FQP operates only on the 10, 15, 20, 40 meter bands (no 80, 160, WARC, or VHF), and I already have the 10, 15, and 20 meters covered with the hex-beam.  So…. I’ll just build a 40 meter dipole and I’ll be all set.  And…. I KNOW I have all the parts I need for that antenna!

A few years ago when I purchased my LDG tuner, LDG was throwing in a free 1:1 or 4:1 balun.  I opted for the 1:1, so I knew I had that on hand.  I also have plenty of wire lying around from earlier antenna projects I’ve built, so I’m all set there.  And I’ve got some various pieces of plastic I can use for insulators.  So… all I need to do is put it all together.

1:1 Balun

I mounted the LDG 1:1 balun to a square piece of plastic, using a piece of rubber between the square plastic and the box so as to provide some water resistance in case it rains.  The back of the LDG balun has a cover over it, so I felt some protection was needed in that area.  I then drilled holes in the square plastic to feed the wire in-and-out so that it would draw tight and prevent the wire from slipping when the dipole is used.  After fastening the wires to the top of the balun using some wire terminals (I made certain the connection was solid in the wire terminals by both crimping them and soldering them), I cut a couple of insulators for the ends of the dipole wires out of ½” PVC pipe.  Each leg of the antenna was cut to 33.5 feet, leaving extra on each leg to I can trim them to ‘tune’ the antenna to the middle of the SSB portion of the 40 meter band.

40 Meter Dipole

Tuning will take place the weekend of the FQP since I will be hoisting the antenna up at that time anyway.  I plan on using the dipole in an Inverted V fashion, which will ultimately mean that the antenna will tune differently than if it were to be used in a flat-top fashion.

I’ll provide many more photos of my antennas and rig after the FQP.  Be sure to work me if you can.  I’ll be moving around the bands a bit, looking for the most activity and best propagation, and I’ll be operating SSB only.

73.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve begun making plans for the Florida QSO Party (FQP) and Field Day. Current plans have me operating both events from Okeechobee County (OKE), Florida. For FQP, this has been helpful in that OKE has been considered one of the ‘rarer’ counties to obtain. For Field Day, its cuts to the essence of what the event is about: remote operations. The following is an excerpt from the 2012 Field Day Information Packet:

Object: To work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter bands) and in doing so to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of Amateur Radio.

I know it’s arguable that operating from a travel-trailer isn’t exactly ‘less-than-optimal conditions’, and I would tend to agree with that, but at least I am unhooking a large portion of my gear from my home shack, packing up power supplies and portable antennas, and heading out onto the prairie, leaving behind my comfortable shack chair, where I then set up all this stuff and operate for the better part of 48 hours. After that I get to tear it all down, and drive back home. Moreover, in the past, other folks at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve have stopped by to see (and hear) what I am up to, so I’m doing my part in introducing Amateur Radio to others. So in all that I feel I’m striving to fulfill the spirit of Field Day.

Over the past two years I’ve used an Icom IC-7000 as my field radio. It has performed very well; has a nice and compact size, integrates easily with a computer for logging purposes, and I plan on having it with me again this year. But my hope is to have an additional radio this year. I’ve been eyeing the Kenwood TS-590S, and hopefully I’ll pick one up before these two events. I would really like to give it a whirl during these marathon events.

Last year I built a Hex Beam antenna just in time for Field Day 2011. I didn’t have much time to tune it, or at least perform some measurements on the antenna before I headed out for Field Day. This year I hope to get some performance measurements done, hopefully during my FQP setup. I’ll try to get those posted, along with some pictures of antenna this year.

Make sure to try to work me during one or both of these events!

New Year’s Resolution…. maintain my blogs!

In spite of my lack of updates here, I’ve been keeping busy with Amateur Radio. I’ve been competing in a few contests, performed some maintenance on the club shack, picked up a Kenwood MC-60(a) desk mic for my Kenwood TS-440S and also use it on the club shack TS-940S radio, elected treasurer of my radio club (IRARC), and have ventured off to an occasional hamfest when I can (but haven’t bought anything worth bragging about).

One of the more recent events, the ARRL 10-meter contest held Dec. 10 and 11, 2011, turned out to be a blast. Although I haven’t been a licensed ham for very long (approximately 3 years), I rarely operated on 10 meters due to what appeared to be poor propagation conditions. Additionally, many hams, far more experienced than I, have also discussed the poor conditions on the 10-meter band over the last few years. But a few months ago it seemed to have changed; conditions seemed to greatly improve on the 10-meter band. Because of the improved conditions, I decided to compete in the 10-meter contest last month. And what a great time I had.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to fully compete in the contest (I had other commitments to tend to), I still wanted to spend a few hours operating on 10 meters. Using 100 watts, I was making contacts as far off as Saudi Arabia (from Florida), a distance of approximately 7380 miles. All told we had logged 71 contacts in about 4 hours… maybe not impressive as far as contesting in concerned but since I knew I would not be able to operate the full contest period, I was a bit ‘laxed’ on making contacts, instead concentrating on unlogged zones and an occasional attempt at breaking through a pileup. I had fun working the band, working the radio, and trying out my new (old) MC-60 mic.

In the near future my plans are to work some interesting contests. I noticed that an ARRL RTTY Roundup contest is coming up this weekend (Jan. 7 & 8)… maybe I’ll try to find some time for that.

73, and Happy New Year.

Residence for 2011 FQP

It was a wonderful weekend.  Weather was nice, a bit gusty, but temperature was good and no rain.  The first day of the FQP (Florida QSO Party) went fairly well.  I had a power issue for a bit, and the wind played havoc with my G5RV jr.  I suffered from a lot of noise on 40 meters all weekend, and a lot of QRM on both 20 and 40 meters.  Reception was fairly poor for the most part.  I received some great signal reports (true reports, not contest reports) from states as far as California and Washington, but poor to nothing from states much closer.  Of course there are several reasons for this, but overall I had hoped for better conditions all weekend.  Even so, I had a great time and am already looking forward to next year.

As mentioned earlier, I strung a G5RG jr. in some trees behind the camper that I set up for the weekend in Okeechobee county (OKE identifier for the contest).  The antenna requires a tuner to use on most bands.  My radio was a Icom IC-7000 with an LDG IT-100 tuner.  My laptop was running N1MM logger for the contest.  This was my first time using N1MM, and although I had a few stumbles with it early on I finally managed to get it figured out well enough for the FQP.  It is a very good contest logger; I’ll be assuredly using it for future contest.

A G5RV jr. strung in the trees.

However I plan on coming up with a better antenna system.  I’m planning on using a push-up pole of some sort to support some better type of antenna.  I’m kicking around the idea of constructing a hex beam for 10 through 20 meter operation, and maybe an inverted Vee for 40 meters.  I like the portability of the G5RV, but really want better performance.  Plus I enjoying tinkering with antennas, so this will be a nice project.  Hopefully I’ll have something put together before Field Day to try out, then it’ll be ready to go for the next FQP (and other interesting contests as well).

I ended up helping 210 contesters put OKE in their logs for the FQP.  I only managed about 10 of the 20 hours allotted for the contest.  My final tally was:

40m – 79 QSO’s
20m – 131 QSO’s
55 Mults
Score:  23,100

It can only get better from here!

Saturday, April 30 (12:00 noon to 9:59 pm) and Sunday, May 1 (8:00 am to 5:59 pm) is the Florida QSO Party.  There will be a lot of people operating in Florida, the majority operating mobile. I will be operating a permanent station in Okeechobee County, the only station (so far) signed up to operate the entire weekend from that location. I’ll be operating SSB only, using my Icom IC-7000 with a G5RV strung as high in the trees as possible.

Here’s the write-up on the event from the Florida Contest Group web site:

We’re having a party, and you’re invited! Be sure to mark your calendar and join in the fun of the next Florida QSO Party. Visit the other pages on this Web site for rules, results, records, and more information.

Since the re-introduction of the Florida QSO Party to the contest scene in 1998, the Florida QSO Party has become one of the fastest growing and most popular State QSO Parties around today. This is due, in part, to the tremendous effort by the mobile teams to activate as many counties as they can in order to allow those participating from out-of-state, to achieve a county “Sweep” (working all 67 Florida Counties). Florida stations operating from home are also valuable, since that increases the chances that stations will work all counties!

Regardless if you are a serious or casual participant … from Florida, or from outside of Florida … the Florida QSO Party was designed to be a FUN operating event. Why not give it a try?

The link to the Florida QSO Party (FQP) is http://www.floridaqsoparty.org/

Christmas is right around the corner. And while I have a Christmas ‘wish list’ of items I’d like to have… such as (and not in any particular order):

• Kenwood TS-590S
• Elecraft K3
• FlexRadio Flex-5000 or Flex-3000
• Yaesu FT-2000 (or an FT-950)
• Icom IC-9100
• TelePost LP-500

And too many antennas/amplifiers/accessories to list here.

But what I really wish is that everyone has a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and excellent QSL’s in 2011!

73’s

Ran across an email today about the Ohio QSO Party taking place this weekend.  Its this Saturday, August 28th, from 1600z Saturday until 0400z Sunday (or noon eastern time Saturday until midnight).  I’m thinking about trying to make a few SSB contacts during the contest.  I’ve been spending as much spare weekend time I can installing slate tile on my porch floor, but I’m thinking I might need a break around noon on Saturday for… say… about 12 hours?

Check it out if you’re interested.  Click Here for information.