Author: KN4RTK

Chuck Gertulla W7CRG

When I was in the Army we had the phrase “We fight as we train”. Thus we emphasized to make training and practice as real as possible and yet keeping it as safe as possible. Just as our muscles have “memory” that allows them to perform the same task with the same speed and accuracy each time we put them to the task; so does our brain function. Remember learning the “times tables” in the 4^th or 5^th grade? Even today, many years later, the answer immediately comes to mind. OK, I’ll admit that lately I may be fudging a little on the “immediately comes to mind” part of that.

But the things that were repeatedly beat into my psyche by my parents are still very strong in me today. I always walk on the traffic side of the sidewalk when walking on the sidewalk with a woman. I open doors for others. I feel guilty when I use certain words. My brain repeats the mantra “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all” (my brain also ignores certain cautions and I usually pay for ignoring). I respect my elders but I have found that I am now one of those “elders” so it can be confusing. 

Without beating this to death, the phrase practice makes perfect has a lot of truthiness to it.

As stated I think hams could practice better operating skills. I know I sure can use improvement. The first thing that comes to mind is the phonetic alphabet. It was created to meet a number of criteria. The words should easily be recognized and should not conflict with international languages. The word should be short. The word should be easily pronounced by users of all languages. For instance, if the suffix of your call sign is “ILC”, identifying as “I Like Chevrolets” might be cute and indicate your vehicle preference but it is neither short nor easily pronounced by all languages. “India Lima Charlie” is recognized, pronounceable in most languages and short.

The Phonetic Alphabet is also created so during poor band conditions an operator might not clearly hear the entire phonetic but will be able to determine the proper letter as “Lima” after hearing only “ima”. That doesn’t work with “Bacon Lettuce and Tomato” or “Itseey Bitsee Teenyweeny” call sign suffixes I have heard on the air.

I never realized how many amateurs were named Roger. I hear “roger Roger all the time. So there must be a lot of hams named Roger. I understand that some things are old habits and combined with a desire to have a longer response but which takes longer to say, “Yes” or “QSL”? I also understand that QSL can mean “I acknowledge receipt”. These Q codes were meant to speed up and shorten CW contacts and have slipped over to phone use but why say “Hi Hi” when the actual sound of laughter will carry over the airwaves?

We have some phrases and phrasing that has been with amateur radio since its very early years and are still in use throughout the ham community. I never thought much about using “YL” and “XYL” until one of the female class members commented that she didn’t think of herself as a “Young Lady” and that these terms were archaic and come from an age that she does not identify with. I didn’t have a good response for her. The ham community is predominately male and older. Most of us have never thought about time and phrasing evolving. If we want new members we might adjust to the times … says the guy who still uses tubes in some of his radios.

I’ve realized that to some the weather bone is connected to the amateur bone. (I had to really concentrate not to write ham bone there) One operator in a round table wanted to know why hams are so interested in the weather at each others location. As one of the hams replied “the weather gives me a subject that is not controversial and somewhat universal to start my conversation with another operator. I can then easily transition to other more meaningful topics like radios, antennas and SWR. But everybody has weather. Not everybody has digital or uses CW or is knowledgeable on a multitude of other ham topics. Weather is a safe opener.”

I realize this blog will not change many, if any, operators. I hope I have not insulted any of my friends as the intent was to get readers to think about some of their on-the-air habits. QSL? Hi Hi Hi!

Have a good beginning of the year. Let’s work to make it the year of the Ham!! Pick up that microphone and get on the air!

Chuck Gerttula W7CRG, 73.

Chuck Gerttula W7CRG

I assembled my low power station (QRP and yes it is Chinese, an RS-918) and hooked up the loop antenna. I was ready to begin a little adventure in chasing stations with low power … even if the adventure was from the back deck on our house. Log book, pencil and cup of coffee, what more could I need? Check connections and push the power switch … nothing happens. The nifty little digital meter hooked to the battery terminals reads low. My lithium iron phosphate battery I got specifically for this type of operation was in need of charging (I got it because of low weight, good power and decent operating time). OK, OK, the low weight wasn’t so important as I only had to carry it from my workshop to the back deck … but that did involve a flight of 14 stairs.

I’m sure this sort of thing happens to all of us but I’ve noticed that it is more recurring in the years past my 70^th year on this rock. Yes, I forget things more often now. As a matter of fact, sometimes I forget that I’ve forgotten. Thus setting up a station with a battery I was going to charge.

Charging batteries, as well as changing batteries, is an on-going problem no matter what your age. The Fire Departments have campaigned to tie checking the batteries in smoke detectors to the changing of clocks from Standard to Daylight Savings as many fatality or injury fires they respond to have a dead battery in the detector. 

Amateur radio has had an increasing dependence on batteries. We have handhelds (often times more than one), laptops, instruments (how corroded is the battery in your Volt Ohm Meter?), clocks, calculators and many other items. Don’t forget the batteries for your “Go Kit”. Part of the supplies in my “Go Box” is a zip lock baggie of AA and AAA batteries. When I need one in the shack I go to the baggie and grab it and when I get a fresh supply of batteries I replace the batteries in the baggie.

Try to determine a “trigger” for you to think about the various batteries you need to maintain. The Fire Departments use the clock change. I know of one ham who uses a clipboard with the various batteries and other items he needs to check on listed with a monthly space to check-off. That works for him but is far too much for me. But, whatever works for you, try it.

The batteries I have the most trouble with are those for my various HT s as it seems the manufacturers make almost every battery different and the charger has a different configuration. Many have the same voltage and so forth but the charger has a very different connector or plug. So if you don’t use the radio on a regular basis, when you want to use it, it is often with a low charge. 

Now I know I had another item to discuss … but I forgot it. Oh, now I remember, manuals. We as hams collect a wide range of radios and equipment. Some of you may remember all the aspects of said equipment. Which button to push to do various tasks. I do not. My philosophy was always I don’t want to clutter my meager number of brain cells with large amounts of information. I just need to know where to find that information when I need it. But as Hamlet said, “Aye there’s the rub.” Sometimes that can be problematic unless one plans ahead when they get the material. By that, I mean right after the “Wow this is great! Look what I can do with it!” I put the information which tells me what it can do and how to make it do that, into a clearly labeled file. A brief bit of organization now saves so much frustration later. And, over time it becomes a habit rather than a task.

“Cheat Sheets” such as the Nifty Mini Manuals are a great help. I’ve found they were more helpful a number of years ago when my eyesight was better and could read that teeny tiny print but they provide a huge amount of operational information. I saw one ham who made a small pocket from clear wide tape and had the Nifty on the back of his handheld. I guess he had a pocket for each battery. The hams who respond with him probably have either adopted his pocket Idea or know where he is to borrow his Nifty trifold when they forget which button to push.

I think in previous blogs or blog I mentioned how one can find themselves in a circle of need (read frustration). By that I mean I set off to fix the “whatchamacallit” and find I need tool A to do it. I search for and find tool A but it needs work/calibration/the manual. I search for and find the necessary work/calibration/manual but find that to accomplish said task I need item B. You can see where this is going, can’t you? If I am lucky the circle quickly closes and I actually fix the “whatchamacallit”. Other times I set it aside and move on to another problem which hopefully doesn’t have a “circle of need”.

Over time I have come to realize that if I fix the item when I first discover it, I save myself hours of frustration and work. I have come to the realization but that doesn’t mean I’ve conquered a bad habit. But it does mean that more and more often I go to use tool A and I can both find tool A and tool A works as it should! (Read smile smugly.)

Another kind of “forgetting” is what I consider re-learning. To set the stage, I’m going out for the afternoon and I grab my trusty Yaesu FT 60. I have programmed a multitude of repeaters and as well as the simplex frequencies on the little hand held. But … I don’t use the radio often enough to remember the number for Otter Crest repeater nor the number for the simplex channel. So I go through each channel looking for what I seek. To make things more complicated, I didn’t enter a name for each channel when I did the programming I “relearned” all right. I reprogrammed when I got home and made the listings useful for the “forgetful” one, me.

Hopefully this has been useful, amusing and provided some ideas to make your ham life better. If it hasn’t, sorry about wasting your reading time but have a happy hammy New Year!

Chuck Gerttula

W7CRG