W2LJ QRP - When you care to send the very least ! : Operating, ces 90 derniers jours



mercredi 27 mars 2024

  • You know what happens when you make assumptions .....
    There are things you take for granted in life - and other things that you shouldn't. One of the things that I've taken for granted, and I guess I shouldn't have, is for the definition of what power level is QRP - amongst QRPers. I can understand varying answers from the QRO crowd. In e-mails (...)

mardi 26 mars 2024

  • Stowing the AX1
    The Elecraft AX1 comes in a cardboard shipping box, as you'd expect. Not exactly what you might have in mind for including in your backpack, tote or whatever you use to carry your portable ops equipment. To my knowledge, Elecraft doesn't offer an AX1 pouch, so I had originally put mine into a (...)

lundi 25 mars 2024

  • I love stuff like this!
    Definitely from the "Don't believe everything you see on the internet" file. In all my 67 years of living in New Jersey and in the some 45 years of paying attention to this stuff as an Amateur Radio operator, I have never seen aurora in New Jersey, ever! I think it would take an almost (...)

  • Yikes !!!
    A Coronal Mass Ejection (or other solar phenomena) has rendered the bands positively yucky today. But for the limited amount of time that I spent behind the key today, I still managed to snare six POTA stations for the log. WD8RIF at US-1994 K2EAG at US-1619 KU8T at US-1637 WI2X at US-1611 (...)

dimanche 24 mars 2024

  • A change in how you will log into CORES (PSA)
    Every Ham in the US should be registered on CORES, the FCC's COmission REgistration System. This is doorway to access your account with the FCC in the Universal Licensing System. According to the ARRL, starting next Friday, March 29th, the FCC will begin utilizing Two Factor Authorization. Here (...)

vendredi 22 mars 2024

  • It's Friyay! (No, that's NOT a typo!)
    Here's what's up for the weekend: Contest (only one): FOC QSO Party - http://g4foc.org/qsoparty/ Special Event Stations: 03/17/2024 | GERATOL NET ANNIVERSARY Mar 17-Mar 23, 0100Z-2359Z, W1G, Wheelwright, MA. Geratol WAS Net. 3.668 SSB 40 Meter SSB. QSL. Kevin Lynch, POB 124, Wheelwright, MA (...)

mercredi 20 mars 2024

  • Good to hear someone else say this stuff!
    I saw a link to this YouTube video posted on Facebook. There'a a lot of good content in this video, and while most of it is geared towards QRP Newbies - us old grizzled veterans can use a review every now and then, too. Some of it I have been preaching for years here on "W2LJ QRP - When you (...)

mardi 19 mars 2024

  • Theme for Field Day 2024
    From the ARRL website: 2024 ARRL Field Day Theme: Be Radio Active 03/15/2024 The theme for 2024 ARRL Field Day is "Be Radio Active." The event will run on June 22 - 23, and it will be one-part contest, one-part emergency communications exercise, and one-part open house -- and a great time. The (...)

lundi 18 mars 2024

  • Monday morning - ugh!
    The week is not starting off on the greatest note. I got into work, flipped the light switch on here in the storage room that they call my "office" aaaannnnnddd . nothing! All the wall outlets work, just not the overhead lights. I have the door propped open, so there's enough light from the (...)

dimanche 17 mars 2024

  • Mission Accomplished
    So, I did get the grocery purchasing done early enough yesterday. It looked like a POTA activation would be a possibility. In fact, I was done and back home by 9:30 AM. It took another half hour or so to tote everything inside from the car and put everything in its proper place. However, at (...)

vendredi 15 mars 2024

  • St. Patrick's Weekend
    What's in store - hopefully plenty of these: Oh, yeah ........Amateur Radio-wise: CONTESTS: Russian DX Contest - https://www.rdxc.org/rules_eng Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/ Virginia QSO Party - (...)

jeudi 14 mars 2024

  • New piece of gear
    I know there are a lot of Baofeng haters out there, but ......... for the limited time I spend on VHF/UHF, I'd rather put the big bucks into HF gear or accessories. I purchased this Baofeng K5 Plus after hearing glowing reports on the nightly Middlesex County Chat Group Net from two local Hams (...)

mercredi 13 mars 2024

  • Propagation is a funny thing
    When you think you have it even somewhat figured out ...... you don't. I had two VHF ARES Nets to check into last night. One for the Southern District of NNJ at 7:30 PM and then the actual NNJ Section ARES Net at 8:00 PM. Before, between and after I decided to do some POTA hunting. I worked (...)

mardi 12 mars 2024

  • Sweet dreams are made of these.
    Steve WG0AT from Facebook: Doing one of my Favorite things is sitting on a rock at 12k' working my good friends aka SOTA chasers with Morse Code! Elecraft's KH1 is really an amazing game changer HF radio! W2LJ is thinking that "Right now I'd settle for a picnic table in a park!" 72 de W2LJ (...)

lundi 11 mars 2024

  • New portable ops logger
    Saw this on Facebook this morning. There's been some contention in POTA circles lately as park designators are changing. For instance, parks in Canada have gone from VE-XXXX to CA-XXXX. If I'm not mistaken, the parks un the USA are going to be changing to US-XXXX from what I've read. (Again, I (...)

dimanche 10 mars 2024

  • Another opinion piece
    which will get me mixed, or maybe mostly negative reviews. But that's OK, it's just me cogitating. Yesterday we had our monthly VE session. We had five candidates and all were successful. Five new Technicians, one of which was a young man of about 10 -12 years of age. We also had one Tech come (...)

samedi 9 mars 2024

  • For you, or someone you know
    who might be interested. This was posted by Craig Buck on Facebook. Sounds great for the newbie or neophyte Ham: FREE ON-LINE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATING CLASS A free, weekly, 3-hour Amateur Radio Operating Class on Zoom will begin on Thursday April 4 and run through June 20 at 6:30 PM Eastern (...)

vendredi 8 mars 2024

  • The weekend is upon us, once again
    Here are some of the goings on: Contests - to either be aware of, or participate in: RSGB Commonwealth (BERU) Contest - https://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2024/rcwc.shtml SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/ AGCW QRP Contest - (...)

jeudi 7 mars 2024

  • Something ya'll may want to look out for tomorrow
    To celebrate International Women's Day - Amateur Radio style! From the ARRL website: YLRL Celebrates International Women's Day with Special Event03/01/2024 The Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) is hosting an International Women's Day YL Parks on the Air® (POTA) Party from 0000Z - 2359Z on March (...)

mercredi 6 mars 2024

  • Rejoining the Land of the Living
    I can SLOWLY feel myself coming back to myself. January and February were tough months. With the arrival of March I have felt some energy and stamina returning. I can walk farther without getting winded, I can lift a bit more weight, I feel less exhausted at the end of the day. That of course, (...)

mardi 5 mars 2024

  • The latest thing
    Amateur Radio is a hobby of niches. Not all facets of the hobby are popular with everyone. That being said, it seems to me, in my most humble opinion, that there are periods where a certain "thing" becomes all the rage. A few years ago, it seemed like you couldn't swing a dead cat in the (...)

lundi 4 mars 2024

  • That sinking feeling
    Oy! You know that sinking feeling you get when you step into the shack and you turn eveything on and something isn't right? And the last time you were in there, everything was working perfectly? That happened to me yesterday. I stepped into the shack, turned everything on and the KXPA100 sat (...)

  • A good HF day
    Yesterday was a good radio day. Not only was it a good radio day, but it was a good day weather-wise, as well. It got up to 68F (20C) in the afternoon, making the basement shack a lot warmer as well, where it was 62F (16C). Still not ideal, but a lot more comfortable than it has been and I was (...)

vendredi 1er mars 2024

  • Another biggie this weekend
    ARRL DX SSB. Except for a weekly 75 Meter net, I rarely use the microphone. Maybe there will be plenty of POTA CW this weekend! Contests: ARRL Inter. DX Contest, SSB - http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx Novice Rig Roundup - http://www.novicerigroundup.org/ Wake-Up! QRP Sprint: - (...)

jeudi 29 février 2024

  • If you don't like the weather
    in New Jersey, just wait a few hours. I guess everyone says that about their QTH, but when I went horizontal last night, the temperature outside was 59F (15C). When I woke up this morning, it was 30F (1C). If we had any thunderstorms last night, I slept through them. This burst of cold air is (...)

mercredi 28 février 2024

  • Weather and band conditions
    I worked the 40 Meter Fox Hunt last night - for the first time in a while, I actually had enough energy to stay up and do it. Added to that, the basement had warmed up to the low 60s, as we're in the midst of Spring time temperatures. The overnight low held at 54F (12C) and it was rainy. The (...)

mardi 27 février 2024

  • 5 years already?
    My thanks to KC Kerchner for posting this on Facebook: Hank Greeb, N8XX passed away on February 26, 2019. Licensed as WN∅FVD in 1951, he wrote about his TX for CQ in 1952. An active QRP operator, he enjoyed NPOTA. Hank will be missed far and (world) wide. Hank was most definitely a dedicated (...)

lundi 26 février 2024

  • On the air
    I was able to get on the air sporadically, yesterday. For a few hours at a time, over the course of a couple casual sessions, I was able to work over a dozen POTA stations, most who were located in North Carolina. The North Carolina QSO Party was going on and these ops were "double dipping", as (...)

vendredi 23 février 2024

  • Upcoming stuff
    After a short workweek, the weekend is once again upon us. Here is some stuff that will be going on: Contests: CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB (has a QRP Category) - http://www.cq160.com/rules.htm South Carolina QSO Party - http://scqso.com/ North American QSO Party, RTTY - (...)

jeudi 22 février 2024

mercredi 21 février 2024

  • VE Exam Sessions
    On February 10th, we held our monthly VE Exam session, which occurs on the second Saturday of the month. We had six candidates, and if I remember correctly, we brought in two new Technicians, and we had two upgrades to General and two upgrades to Extra. I think it was the Tuesday following the (...)

mardi 20 février 2024

  • Day late and a dollar short
    My attempt to finish DXCC on 15 Meters this past weekend came up two countries short. I needed four and got two - Aland Islands and Malta. It was hilarious in a way, because I set up the Cluster in AC Log to only show me spots for 15 Meters, and all I kept seeing was: (...)

vendredi 16 février 2024

  • The "King" is here this weekend.
    At least one of them, anyway. Perhaps, the oldest DX Contest - the ARRL WW DX CW is this weekend. Again, as long as Ol' Sol doesn't throw a fit and cough up on all of us - we're as close to the peak of the sunspot cycle as we can be. If your backside is inclined to sit for the entire event, (...)

jeudi 15 février 2024

  • If I had my "druthers".
    I'd be home working on building the plethora of kits I have collecting dust in my shack and also spending some quality time on HF. After 45 years of the daily grind of working full time, this is getting really old - and I'm getting really old, too. Hopefully, if God is good to me, I'll have one (...)

mercredi 14 février 2024

  • The rodent lied
    So much for an early Spring: Only about 5 inches in South Plainfield, but it made the commute "special" to say the least! And now the weather prognosticators are talking about another round for this coming Saturday. Ugh. 72 de Larry W2LJ QRP - When you care to send the very (...)

dimanche 11 février 2024

  • VE Session today
    The ETS of NJ VE Session was a success ! I was a bit disappointed that only six of nine candidates showed up, but a bit more on that later. The good thing was that all six candidates left with some success. We had two candidates acquire their Technician class licenses, two candidates upgraded (...)

vendredi 9 février 2024

  • The Black Sheep of the Family
    If you go on Facebook at all, it quickly becomes apparent that Baofeng HTs get very little respect. They are the Rodney Dangerfields of the HT world. I understand, in a way, as they are not really comparable in any way to units produced by Kenwood, Yaesu or Icom. They may not be as technically (...)

lundi 5 février 2024

  • Who knew - indeed!?!
    I came across the following post on Facebook - out of respect for the poster, I will not name names. "I guess it's a thing, now: amateur radio Morse code ops are now sending 72 at the end of a communication, instead of 73. Have they not perfected their 3 yet, or is there some secret club I'm (...)

vendredi 2 février 2024

  • FYBO is tomorrow
    Tomorrow is the first Saturday in February, so that means it's FYBO time! I hope to participate for a little bit - not sure if I'll be outdoors or not. Maybe I can squeeze in a POTA activation at the same time? The Washington-Rochambeau Trail K-4582 is only a stone's throw away from my house. (...)

jeudi 1er février 2024

  • Happy February!
    Is it just me - or did January fly by like the proverbial bat out of Hell? It feels like Christmas was just a couple of weeks ago! Before I bore you, a bit of Ham humor first (found on Facebook) Secondly (the boring part) - I finished customizing Ham Clock thanks to watching K2CJB's awesome (...)

mercredi 31 janvier 2024

  • Got the full screen now
    The remote came yesterday and with only two or three button pushes, I now have Ham Clock filling up the screen without bleeding over the edges.. And now, when I exit full screen mode, all the buttons are visible that I need to click on to make changes, if I so desire. I'd like to customize a (...)

mardi 30 janvier 2024

  • For those of you who may be looking
    for Jeff KE9V's blog posts. He changed his format a bit and if you clicked on the link I had provided, you got the dreaded "404 error message". I changed the link a little bit, but he is now positioned all the way down at the bottom of the blog roll. His new format is a lot like John K3WWPs. (...)

lundi 29 janvier 2024

  • Nothing is as easy as they would have you believe
    Things must be getting a bit better as I actually had enough energy to start to configure Ham Clock yesterday afternoon. And is say "start to configure" because this is turning out to be a work in progress. None of the fault lies with Inovato however. The bundle went together quite easily and (...)

vendredi 26 janvier 2024

  • 80 Meter Fox Hunt and the weekend
    Last night was my first stint as a Fox in 8 years! I went back to the QRP Fox Hunt webpage and was looking at the previous seasons. 2015 was the last time I served as a Fox. I completed applications for both the 2016 and 2017 seasons and was relegated to "Alternate" status. I gave up after (...)

lundi 22 janvier 2024

  • Brrrrrr !
    This Arctic air blast which has inundated most of the country for the past week seems to be finally losing its grip. Today is the first day in a week that it's supposed to go above freezing. We have a warm up coming for the days ahead and that's just fine by me. My Amateur Radio activity was (...)

vendredi 19 janvier 2024

  • Cutting back
    One of the things that I've think I've decided to do in 2024 is cut back a bit. Not Amateur Radio-wise, but more of the activities that I volunteer for. I think it's time to enjoy the actual hobby more and divest myself of some of the peripheral responsibilities. Recently elections were held (...)

jeudi 18 janvier 2024

  • The weekend a day early
    Not much radio going on for me this past week. I checked into the St. Max net on Sunday evening on 75 Meters, but that's been about it. I've come home from work each evening on the exhausted side and have been hitting the sack early. It feels like this final injection that I got for my prostate (...)

mardi 16 janvier 2024

  • Apollo 15
    I'm a child of the Space Age - I grew up watching the launches of Shepard, Glenn - the entire Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs are my childhood and young adulthood memories. I found this on the internet the other day. It's a film about the flight of Apollo 15 and Commander Dave Scott is one (...)

vendredi 12 janvier 2024

  • Field Day Results and other stuff
    I did not make it down to the basement for the 80 Meter Fox Hunt last night. At around 7:30 PM, I made the HUGE mistake of sitting down on the couch "for just a few minutes" and you know how that goes .......... when I finally woke up, I picked myself up and went to bed for the night. I guess (...)

mercredi 10 janvier 2024

  • Batting .500
    I went one for two last night, with a solid single in the 40 Meter Fox Hunt last night. Ed N9EP in Illinois was an easy find and I worked him at the four minute mark. Brian K0DTJ in California was another matter altogether. I found the pack of Hounds chasing him easy enough, but hearing Brian (...)

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