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Post by Mark O on Mar 4, 2013 11:26:01 GMT 9
For contests they have very specific rules that include what is called the "exchange." For this contest if you were a "DX" station, or outside of Canada, or the 48 continuous states you would give a signal report ("59"), and your transmitting power. For the big boys the power was always "1 kilowatt." For stations in the US, or Canada we would say our signal report, and state or province abbreviation. A station would call, you would answer with your callsign, he would give his report, and you would give yours. No more, no less. If you don't get a complete report you cannot count the contact for points. It would go something like this... Station calling - "JA3YBK contest" (A real Japanese station I talked to at 1704Z today.) Me - "KF5SPP"Station calling - "KF5SPP 59 1 Kilo"
Me - "QSL 59 TX"
Station calling - "QSL Texas JA3YBK QRZ"The station calling just went on to the next guy. No chit-chat permitted during a contest! Of course we use phonetics for our callsigns. ("Kilo Foxtrot Five Sierra Papa Papa", and so forth. Honestly most of the time I say "Fox" instead of "Foxtrot", and "Sugar" instead of "Sierra" because it's just a hair quicker. Everyone knows what it means.) During contests EVERYONE is a "Five-Nine" (Readabilty-Signal Strength) to save time even if they can barely hear you. It's just the way it is. QSL means, "I understand", or "I got it", and "1 Kilo" means he was using one kilowatt (or more) of power. The lowest power guy I got this weekend was an "88" in Aruba! I used 100 watts all the time, but didn't have to say that because I was in the states. QRZ means "Who is calling me", but in this case it just means "next." As far as what bands I use, I am pretty much restricted to 20, 17, and 15 meters strictly based on the antenna I have set up. 17 meters is what they classify as a "WARC Band", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WARC_bands , and are not permitted to use during contests. The entire US band spectrum is in the link below. Since I hold only a "General" class license from the FCC I can only use the frequencies in each band labeled "G" in the chart below. The antenna my brother sent me will allow me 160, 80, and 40 meter access. Yes, the FCC can take your license, and fine you for operating out of your band privileges. BTW, I am expecting the study guide for my upgrade to Amateur Extra this week, and hope to test for it within a month, or so. We'll see. www.arrl.org/files/file/Hambands_color.pdfAs far as just regular contacts they have everything from nets that meet regularly (old guys that meet on the same frequency every day at the same time, check in, and talk about the weather, and their most recent surgery!), public service stuff, and plain old "ragchewers." (Folks just shoot the breeze, but mostly tell each other how tall their antennas are, and how much power their amplifiers put out!) Then there are guys who only like one, or two bands, folks that like to use low power ("QRP", or under 5 watts), folks that are "county chasers" (there are 3,077 counties in the United States, and they want them all), mobile folks, you name it. Check out www.arrl.org/ for more info. And no, I am not exagerating when I talk about what several guys talk about! (Not everyone, of course!) I admit I ragchew every once in awhile, but I really like the contests. There are those that are just the opposite, but that's what makes the world go around! From the few contests I've been in since last November I would say the contesters definitely outnumber the ragchewers. Geez, I could go on, and on! Better git!
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Post by Jim on Mar 4, 2013 23:19:00 GMT 9
Mark,I told you it was addictive..........
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Post by ma1marv on Mar 5, 2013 1:05:25 GMT 9
I have a friend - I won't mention whom or where - that is totally ingrained to the use of "Vacuum Tubes" and low wattage transmitters - to the point of almost aggrivation with me! But he keeps trying to see just how far he can get a signal out and reply from - by utilizing the smallest wattage and least components possible! Clint has used a 30 micro-watt transmitter with morse key and had success with a fellow HAM from distances of over 3000 miles! That is impressive to me! By the way - the last I had heard of a small wattage transmitter being used was on the Voyager spacecraft that is currently well-well - WELL - beyond our solar syatem. The last info I had was that a "NANOWATT" TRANSMITTER WAS BEING USED AND THE TRAVEL TIME FOR THE ROUND TRIP COMMUNICATION WAS OVER 18 HOURS! NASA has a special band for this with one special comm channel set aside - Very restricted! My TEMPEST equipment could receive it but we did not have a directional antenna capable of picking it out of the sky! "Aint Electronics Wunnerful!!!" MArv
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Post by Mark O on Mar 5, 2013 6:18:27 GMT 9
That's great MArv!! Check this one out. 13 million miles per watt!! (Not "exactly", but technically correct.) www.eham.net/articles/9982It's from 2005, and there are several comments, but the first one is all I read. I started laughing too hard!!
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Post by Mark O on Mar 5, 2013 8:11:05 GMT 9
Went to the post office today to mail off a bunch of QSL cards. Fortunately many of the guys that were in the Caribbean this past weekend were on vacation there so they have US addresses, and brought their radios with them (many have vacation homes, or are there very frequently anyway), and many use "QSL Managers" here in the states to send your cards to. I did send a couple directly to Europe however, and the clerk at the P.O. put this stamp on the letters. They are $1.10 each (which I knew was the cost after looking up the price charts) but didn't know they had a specific stamp for international first class. I have never seen a round stamp! I thought that was pretty cool! More info below... about.usps.com/mailpro/2013/janfeb/back.htm
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Post by ma1marv on Mar 5, 2013 13:50:26 GMT 9
Just a little tid bit! With my TEMPEST receiver I could duplicate that measurement and with certain receivers even beat it! Most of the newer spectrum Analyzers can do "Signal Averaging" and come very close all by their lonesome! Measuring the actual signal was the tough part - What you had was what you received - I was interested in what the signal strength was at the source! THAT took a little bit of "Creative" scope work! Marv
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Post by Mark O on Mar 10, 2013 11:30:38 GMT 9
Off to get some QSOs for the Idaho QSO Party! Starts at 1900Z. (That's 1300 local time in Texas, 1:00 p.m. for the Guard guys, and when the big hand is on 12, and the little hand is on 1 for everyone else!) 10 QSO's with 8 guys (had 2 guys on two different bands - 15 & 20) for a total of 8 Idaho counties. I got a guy in Hungary as well when it was slow, and tried to get the USS Wisconsin (BB-64) in Norfolk, and USS Midway (CV-41) in San Diego, but couldn't get through the pileups. (Several "museum ships" have working ham radio shacks set up in the actual, old radio rooms of the ships! I talked to a ham on the USS North Carolina (BB-55) last month!) Better than I thought only working two bands. 15 was best this afternoon, then 20 opened up (it was never really bad), but both are about shot for me given my antenna situation. Of course Idaho really isn't a hotbed of ham operators. Last year they only had 64 folks in the state submit logs. They probably had more logs from out of state participants than in-state! Gonna try for some more in Idaho in the morning since I can't get the traditional night bands (40, 75/80, 160) at night worth a damn. Wisconsin is holding their QSO party tomorrow as well, so that should open up a few more contact opportunities. Oklahoma and Virginia are next weekend.
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