January 12, 2020
I've started the CW Academy intermediate class and my advisors have asked us to set weekly goals and then report on them. For my first week I set a goal of 50 QSO's in the NAQP CW contest. I was able to get 79 QSOs. I found that I'm getting pretty good at copying callsigns, even the fast ones. I'm…
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December 23, 2019
I received my ARRL Volunteer Examiner credentials today. Now I can proctor the amateur radio exams the club puts on every 3rd Tuesday of the month.
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December 21, 2019
Today I received a 10 pack of QSL cards from the Zero Bureau, this is the first batch I've received since getting a '0' callsign. Also got my first Shortwave Listener(SWL) card, oddly it was from FT8, I don't quite understand why you would listen and not work me. Most of the cards were from the CW…
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December 8, 2019
While on vacation in Charleston, SC, I saw that they have an aircraft carrier museum ship, the USS Yorktown. It was very close to where we are staying. After activating the SS American Victory for Museum Ships weekend I checked to see if the Yorktown had an amateur radio station. The Charleston…
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December 6, 2019
Today we received the certificate from the Battleship New Jersey that organizes the Museum Ships day where we activated the SS American Victory docked at Channelside in Tampa, FL. Coincidentally, I have plans to visit another ship this weekend. That will be my next post.
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November 29, 2019
I'd been saving this one for a nice day off. Alafia River State Park has a great system of mountain bike trails, probably the best in Florida. I've been here once before to go riding. I tried to take some videos with my phone on my handle bar phone holder but it came out too shaky. You can see some…
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November 25, 2019
I've been working hard on my CW skills. I took the level 2 prep class in the CW Academy and we've been meeting every week in the time between sessions. I've been putting a lot of time into and it's coming together. I figured I'd try this contest without the decoder and see how I did. I was able to…
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November 23, 2019
After I ordered the Flex, I wanted a way to move the antenna when I wasn't in the shack. The are some after marker rotor controllers but they are pretty expensive and don't get the best of reviews. I considering building one out of Arduino following some plans from K3NG. It looks like a fun project…
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November 22, 2019
On the way back I stopped at K-4633 Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest. I only attempted to pronounce it once, the other ham said they can't pronounce words like that up north. This one is well north of I-75 and about 10 miles down Keri Rd, which is an unpopulated road so it was a really nice drive.…
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November 20, 2019
State Forests are my favorite type of activation. Hardly anyone around and they're massive (the two things are probably related). This one is accessed via a bridge east of Naples, FL that goes over I-75 (it's not publicly accessible from I-75). Entrance just past the I-75 overpass Another half mile…
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