Category: Chuck’s Blog

It’s the middle of summer already!  At least in my mind it is the middle of summer.  I know, the first day of summer was just a few days ago; but, I am a product of the 50’s and 60’s and summer started right after school ended as far as we were concerned.  And in those days school ended a day or two before or after Memorial Day as the Taft High School band always played for the  Fleet of Flowers and we had to wear those wool uniforms and get them turned into Mr. Kelmer even though school was out.

           But alas and alack, Chuck, this is a blog for the Amateur Radio Club so get with it!  The last month has not treated me to a lot of time to play with my radios.  I have had a few highlights like learning to use the new magnetic loop antenna I acquired.  It helped me with a problem I didn’t know I had.  I was on my deck using the magnetic loop with two different transceivers, an Icom IC-706mkIIg and a software defined Resent RS-918.

          It was a Sunday afternoon and I was tuned to a 40 meter net The Western Social Net which operates on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 on 7.230Mhz.  The receptions was good and I was copying stations from British Columbia to Reno and Southern California.  I tried a number of times to log onto the Net to no avail.  What did I expect, I was only putting out 10 to 20 watts PEP on SSB.

          After an hour with no success, I went down to my ham shack and tuned up my Icom IC-746 Pro putting out 100 watts or if I kicked on the amplifier I would generate 500 watts.  I could barely hear the stations that had been 59 on the magnetic loop!  This did not bode well!  My finely tuned Ham Diagnostic Sense (somewhat akin to the cartoon character’s Spidey Sense) told me, “There is a problem with your station!” 

          My  diagnostic mind shifted into high gear!  Two weeks before, my son had been weed eating and suddenly my signal strength dropped to zero.  Was it interference from the noisy weed eater’s engine?  No, it was the weed eater cutting my coax thus in technical jargon preventing the signals captured by my antenna and traveling down the coax to my transceiver to get to my transceiver.  My acutely technical mind immediately came up with a solution; “you must replace the coax, Chuck!”

          That may seem like an easy fix but you must realize some important factors.  First of all I’m 78 y.o. And crawling under the house (which used to be a simple chore) now is neither simple nor safe.  I had to ask myself do you really want the embarrassment of the Fire Department extracting you from that crawl space??  Secondly will the current body type even fit through the crawl hole used by the earlier version did string the coax?

          The answer to both questions would be, probably not!  But I have multiple runs of coax as at one time I had multiple antennas.  “Substitute W7CRG … substitute!”  So I picked the LMR 400 cable which had run out to a vertical antenna.  It was the newest and would conduct a signal the best.  The connection had been on the ground but I carefully “waterproofed” the coax connector with antenna tape.

          To get to the point, the expensive tape job didn’t work.  Water had seeped up the dielectric and caused all sorts of bad things from corroding the shielding to creating a resistance between the shielding and the center conductor.  I substituted another coax and wow!  I had signals getting to my radio!

          Putting up antennas and stringing coax is not an easy task.  Therefore, when we get it done we tend to leave it alone and “not fix  what ain’t broken” …. until it is broken.

          Lesson to be learned, no matter how much precaution we take … things break and deteriorate.  If things change at your station, there is usually a reason and it is better to fix it as soon as you can.

          So, get on the air!  If you need help or advise, ask for it!  Enjoy your summer and tr y to include Ham Radio!  July 1^st starts the 13 Original Colonies special event.  Check the web page for info!   

          Happy 4^th of July!  73  Chuck Gerttula W7CRG

Curiosity seems to be a trait of many Hams.  We are curious about how something works or functions.  We are curious about new and innovative things and processes.  We are curious about how we might use, change and improve various things that come into our hobby and, for that matter, our lives.

          That trait has been good for our hobby and good for our minds.  We grow when we exercise our minds and experiences.  This hobby has grown from spark gap CW to modulated speech; AM, FM, SSB; to specialized communication modes such as RTTY (Radio Teletype), SSTV (Slow Scan TV), Satellite and bouncing signals off the Moon’s surface (EME), digital modes such as PSK31 and FT8.  Those are just a few of the technologies hams have come up with and there are many more developing using UHF and microwave technologies.

          Hams are also looking for challenges.  We try to accumulate the highest number of something.  For some that is equipment … “How many radios do you really need??”  “Just one more …”  For others it is contacts, they collect the number of contacts they make for countries around the world, the various states within our country, the counties within each state, contacts from Grid Squares, Parks (County, State, National), SOTA (Summits on the Air), lighthouses, islands, you name it.

          One ham I met was so proud of the QSL cards he had collected that all of the walls of his ham shack were covered with them.  An impressive array which took years to accumulate and probably weeks to organize and place on the walls.

          Part of this blog is about curiosity and part of this blog is about diversity.   Hams are individuals who have some group interests and traits but also hold a wide variety of interests and abilities.  For instance, not all hams have the ability or desire to build, modify or repair electronic equipment.  Not all hams have the patience to tune up and down the bands listening for a call sign from a faraway place (DX).  Not every ham finds the challenges of accumulating the most points during a contest fascinating.  Not every ham wants to train to provide communication during emergencies but the satisfaction of public service and being there “When All Else Fails” is a lure to many in our midst.   Some like maximum power and some get pleasure from contacts on the least power (QRP).

          To me, after nearly 30 years of Army service, the phrase “Be All You Can Be” is more than a recruiting slogan.  I find satisfaction in becoming an Extra class operator.  Not that it provides me any sense of status; but, rather it  was one more challenge to meet and allowed me to provide certain things like testing as a VE for all levels of license.  Many of the things I do as an amateur radio operator are simply for my own satisfaction.  Isn’t that  one of the reasons we humans have hobbies?

          So, I challenge those of you who might read this blog, stretch yourself, don’t be afraid to try something new and different.  Obtaining a higher class license may not make a significant difference in your ham activities but perhaps it will give you self-satisfaction.  CW is something that has been a difficult skill for me.  Perhaps I’m too old to become really proficient but I’m exploring developing some CW skills to satisfy my personal bucket list.  Is it easy?  No, it is very frustrating and I have started and stopped more times than Wile E. Coyote has tried to catch the Roadrunner and with about the same success rate.  But the challenge is still there and maybe one day ….

          Remember Field Day is coming up this June and will be held in the parking lot of Oregon Coast Community College in South Beach.  Hope to see you there and as always hope to hear you on the air!  73!

Chuck  W7CRG

Just sitting here and monitoring the 20 meter band and a thought
came to me about Go Bags. I have put together a few of these and I’ve
never been satisfied with the final result.

As I see it there are three basic types of “Go Bags”. A very small one
you can carry with you all the time, grab it going out the door or keep
it in the car. Next would be a larger one, perhaps a backpack or some
kind of briefcase/pilot’s map case. Finally the big one that you are
moving a major amount of ham radio gear out the door with you.
For my “big one” I used a carpenter’s tool box about the size of a
medium suitcase on wheels. I have this baby loaded with a power
supply, batteries, HF radio, VHF radio, computer, antennas, antenna
tuning unit, parts and tools to put the parts into whatever is broken (I
know that was the king of run-on sentences!). The only thing missing
is a donkey to pull the thing to the set up position. Once I replaced the
lead-acid batteries with LiFePo batteries I found I could substitute a
St. Bernard for the donkey as the new batteries totaled only 5 to 6
pounds for two 12 v 10Ah batteries.

The backpack version has been used more often. Not surprising as I
could actually get it out of the house. The backpack was the result of
winning the raffle at the ham club meeting years ago. It is light
durable and has more zippers that a pair of parachute pants. I counted
once and I think I came up with ten pockets or compartments
including one on the shoulder straps. It is the product of Dell so I can
only imagine some computer guy of long-ago hauling everything from
his huge laptop to the modem and boxes of floppy disks, CDs and all
kinds of jumper cables.

I have loaded this with enough to last me a day or so and still be able
to carry it out the door. I soon found that my memory as to what I had
and which of the ten compartments contained the item was a real
problem. I had to embarrass myself as I searched for the multi-tool
pliers as I pulled item after item out of the bag (thank God there was
no dirty laundry in there) looking for that elusive item. There on the
grass before me lay: an ACS shirt; a bright yellow vest; water; MRE;

First- Aid kit; ACS ID; pens and pencils; multiple coax adapters; a
VHF ground-plane antenna, VHF/UHF HT, ziploc bag of batteries;
flashlight; shortwave/broadcast band receiver; notebook; matches;
candles; heat source tabs (not C-4 as in the Army days); handi wipes;
poncho; para cord; Swiss Army knife; carabiner; whistle and finally
that multi-tool!

To prevent a recurrence of such an event I taped lists to each
compartment. It helps but sometimes numerous items need to come
out so the desired item can be accessed. I also learned that due to the
load of items, buttons could be depressed which were not meant to be
depressed thereby turning on items like radios and flashlights. This
can cause two major problems. The first is that radio or flashlight is
not working when you need it. The second is that when the batteries
are depleted they begin to corrode themselves and everything around
them. So, even if you have replacement batteries the radio will not
function until and unless you can clean the battery compartment. It is
a pain but I have learned to remove the batteries and install them when
I need to use the radio or flashlight.

Another hint, the list states flashlight. I have found those great little
lights you strap to your head are a great improvement. Nothing like
having both hands free to do whatever the emergency dictates and the
light is pointed where ever you are looking!

Perhaps we should have a “Bring your Go-Bag to the meeting” night.
We could share all kinds of good ideas as to what to do and what to
NOT do. It might inspire those “bagless” hams to put one together or
provide ideas as how to improve their bag for those with a “Go-Bag”.
The “Go-Bag” is useful for things other than an earthquake or tidal
wave (I would have used Tsunami but I couldn’t spell it). Activities
like POTA (Parks On The Air), SOTA (Summits On The Air), support
of special events such as the Barrel to Keg or Gravel Classic might
find having that “bag” with you very handy.

73 Chuck W7CRG

          I come from a time when books and magazines were the primary sources for up-to-date information.  Whatever interest I started to cultivate,  as it became serious I would find a magazine on the subject and start reading.  I helped bring technology to Lincoln County Schools so I have been around browsers and the internet  from the beginning but old habits still linger and I still enjoy getting information from the printed page.

          However this is an effort to share some sources you may or may not be familiar with.  I’m always open to new sources and I’ve found that some I’ve heard of, but discounted, were in fact worthy of my attention.  With that in mind, I am providing a listing of information sources for the ham radio enthusiast that I have found interesting or to my liking.

          Google any subject and you will find Youtube and web sites sometimes in the hundreds.  They often times represent “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and sometimes are just wrong and incorrect.  These are sites I like and you will have to make your own decision as to your preference.  They are listed in the order that they came to mind and not in any order of preference.

1. Josh Nass, Ham Radio Crash Course is a site that gives the viewer many videos on many new subjects.  His material covers questions new hams might ask and gives his evaluation of various radios.  He covers a wide variety of methods of communication such as APRS and Digital. His videos are very well done.  He also hosts Ham Nation every two weeks on Wed evenings.  This show has a variety of moderators and during the hour presents interesting and current information about our hobby.  Presenters from the Space Weather Woman Dr. Tamitha Skov to the views of long time ham Gordon West and the Weekly Ham News Update.
2.  K7AGE produces a wide range of videos for the new and not so new ham.  Randy gives ways to try things in ham radio without investing large amounts of dollars.  For instance his video on digital that uses a headset to make the digital signal work instead of investing in a sound card.  He covers Winlink, Vara, and things like making a simple 2m ground plane antenna among his large variety of videos.  Randy has been a presenter at Sea Pac and appears on Ham Nation occasionally.  If you have an interest in ham radio Randy probably has made a video about it.
3. Ria’s Shack Radio show provides a wide variety of topics from a very knowledgeable young woman who has come to our country as a ham and very quickly qualified as a U.S. Ham.  She has also volunteered as an ARRL Director of the Hudson  Division since 2019.  Her presentations range from “How not to be a lid” to “No meters like 10 meters” to “CQ Skynet”  Ria has an interesting and informed point of view and is another passionate voice for Ham Radio.
4. Dave  Casler KE0OG has lots of informative and useful videos answering many concerns of amateur radio operators.  He has taken over a column in QST magazine which monthly answers questions from hams.  Dave is a long-time ham and has taught radio courses for years.  His site is a valuable and trusted source of information for hams new or old.

          There are many other sites and I have only offered a few I have found of value and interest.  Check these out, like them, hate them, or find they are not your cup of tea.  Ham radio is a constantly evolving hobby with more new aspects than most hobbies and the Youtube videos and Blogs are one way to understand these new innovations to our hobby.

          The March meeting will be held at the Health Education building and on Zoom.  For those who show at the “live” meeting, we will raffle off (at no expense to you, simply put your name and callsign in the bag) a HT.  This one is an Icom IC 91AD and is Dstar capable so here is your chance to get into digital mode!