I am gloating tonight about my latest contact, 6200 miles to Russia with the Weber MTR. Low on batteries (9.9V, eight AA cells), maybe 3.5W into my PAR end-fed. Not bad for a radio the size of a pack of cigarettes! Usually when I hit Eastern Europe, it ends up being around 5000/5200 miles.. This time I went a bit further. I heard him very strong in the lower CW section of 40m. He barely heard me but contact was made.

Gil.

Every time I hear this, I get a rash  :o
Another one of these week-ends  >:(
Just venting...

Gil.

No, I'm not going to the clinic to lose weight!  :o

I decided to try Lipo chemistry batteries for my MTR and K1. So I ordered a charger and three 3S 1050mA/H battery packs from http://hobbyking.com, as well as some connectors. About $47; more than I anticipated, but with these and my AA cells, I should have enough power storage for a month of daily use! The charger uses 12V input so I might be able to use my solar panel with it, or any 12V battery for that matter.

Anybody else using Lipo batteries? I am curious as to how well they will perform and will post an update after I test them.

Stay tuned  ;)

Gil.

National Geographic is at it again. They did a good job making preppers look like fools in "Doomsday Preppers." Some were of course, but others had good plans. Now they have a family building a medieval style castle! I am not quite sure what to think... National Geographic used to be a reputable, even prestigious organization. Now it's a dog-and-pony show producer. Maybe it will get more people thinking about planning, but the way they present the subject has not been flattering or serious. It isn't a documentary, it's entertainment. Oh well, at least the patriarch has two great-looking daughters ::) The format is very much like "Doomsday Preppers." They probably found them casting for that show and decided that they were original enough for their own. Have you guys seen the previews? Are you going to watch it? What do you think?

Gil.

It has been almost a year since I started using Morse code. I went from 7wpm to 15wpm with the Koch method, but I still need to write down each letter. I am starting to visualize some words, mostly short or commonly used ones. The threshold for head-copy is at about 13wpm. Rings a bell? Yep, that was the speed used for the General license when the requirement still existed. At 15wpm or faster, writing becomes difficult, for me at least. Not only that, but losing my notepad on a camping trip would make radio contacts quite difficult. So, how do you practice head-copy?

Head-copy is not a code related issue. By the time you reach that threshold, you know all the characters well. The problem is short-term memory. Our short term memory, for most people, can only hold four to six separate characters. Longer words are a problem because by the time you hear the last letters, you have forgotten the first ones.. Sometimes four of five letters is enough to guess a word in context. I often confirm the guessed word by checking the last letter. I haven't looked into exercises to increase short term memory yet, but I started to listen every day to faster code than I can copy. It works...

A great app to do this, if you have an iPod, iPhone or iPad is Ham Morse: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ham-morse/id315980140?mt=8
I used it to learn code by the Koch method, but it has a great feature for head-copy practice. You can use the "News" mode to download and play news briefs in code! I set it to 20wpm. The more I use it, the more words I get. Once I copy 100% at 20wpm, I will increase speed to 25wpm.

BTW, Increasing your short term memory capacity will also undoubtedly be useful in other areas...

My advise to anyone stuck at 15wpm is: Don't stop there! You are already well on your way... If you don't know Morse code, well, what are you waiting for?  ;)

Gil.

Had to say it! Tonight I decided to play with my magnetic loop.. Plugged in my "Tenna Dipper" (Weber design) to tune the loop.. Then turned on my Weber MTR. I had to move aside my DC20B (Weber design) to make space.. That's when I realized  :o Three Weber designs on the table, including my favorite radio! Not that I try to buy his kits; it just happens, and they all work great. So, thank you Mr Weber! I can't wait for the new MTR to come out. Presumably it will have three bands (20/30/40), an LCD display and maybe a touch keyer and touch buttons. I am so glad people like Steve Weber, Dave Benson, Elecraft and a few others produce such great kits.

Gil.

Hello,

Mobile device users will be glad to hear that Tapatalk has been updated on the Radiopreppers server. You can now receive push notifications from the site, and who knows what else  :o ...

If you don't have Tapatalk yet, there are apps available for iOS, Android and Windows mobile devices.

See: http://tapatalk.com

Gil.

First, let me start by stating that encryption is currently illegal on the Ham bands and that I urge everyone not to break the law.

But what possible Ham could come from it? Bad guys are not going to start sending encrypted nefarious messages on the air. There are much easier ways to send private messages, using email or plain old snail mail. Not that bad guys respect FCC regulations anyway..

Some say that it would allow messages not appropriate to amateur radio to be sent. Not appropriate as in "offensive?" How can you be offended by something you can't decode?

Commercial encrypted messages? Who would do that? Using the phone is much easier for business. Encryption is the antithesis of advertisement. I don't think anyone would process credit cards on the air either, given the unreliable nature of radio communications.

I really can't think of any reason not to allow it. Can you?

Gil.

Here is my new stress relief tool...

Gil.

http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/06/13/first-continous-message-beacon-to-find-and-say-hello-to-an-extraterrestrial-civilization/

Am I the only one thinking that this might not be a good idea?

Gil.

Hello,

So, I just received my SignaLink USB interface and I am trying to start a session in RMSExpress. I use Windows 7. Now, I'm a Unix guy, not used to this system... When using FLdigi, everything works fine, and the radio does go into transmit when sending. With RMSExpress however, the audio output goes to the laptop speakers, not the SignaLink box.. Even though the USB device is selected.

How do I get RMSExpress to send to the SignaLink? It seems to receive properly...

Gil.

I really like Pelican cases. Looking for the smallest one that would fit my KX3, I settled on the model 1150. It does fit, barely. The problem is that the BNC antenna plug does touch the hard side of the case. A good shock would undoubtedly damage it if the case was dropped on it's right side. This negates the usefulness of the foam insert. So, I decided to use the 1150 for my MTR and to get the model 1200 for my KX3. I glued the removed foam back into the case, and will pluck out what needs to be removed to accomodate my whole MTR station after it cures, including transceiver, key, antenna, batteries, earphones and mini speaker.

I have a model 1400 for my K1, but I need to downsize to another model 1200. Pelican does sell spare foam inserts for their cases. I might need one for the 1150, and certainly one for the 1400.

I don't think you can find stronger waterproof cases on the market, and fortunately, in the smaller sizes (1200 and smaller), they do not cost too much.

Gil.

?

If all goes well, I should be putting my radio preps to the test this coming week. I say ?if all goes well? because of some current health concerns, and a myriad of other variables that could prevent me from going on a one week camping trip at a semi-remote location. That said, I am getting ready and will be sharing the ?adventure.? I can hardly call it such, but it will be a good test to figure out what works and what doesn't. I will be available for skeds from ?the boonies? on 20 and 40m CW. Ray will be my liaison to the outside world. I am not sure if there is cell phone reception there or not, but even if there is, my battery won't last a week anyway. If I get cell reception I will keep it charged for emergencies and probably check messages once a day.

This trip won't really simulate a bug-out, but might point out some deficiencies in my thinking...

I am sure you guys would be interested in what I am taking with me, so there it is:

RADIO:

• Weber MTR radio, 40 & 20m CW: http://radiopreppers.com/index.php/topic,391.0.html
• American Morse DCP paddle: http://www.americanmorse.com/dcp.htm
• BetterQRP EFHW Tuner: http://betterqrp.com
• LNR Precision Trail End-Fed wire & choke: http://www.lnrprecision.com/endfedz/
• Goal Zero Nomad 7 & Guide 10 solar kit: http://www.goalzero.com/guide10.html
• AA rechargeable NiMH cells.
• Slingshot, fishing weight and line.
• 25' of RG-174 coax.
• Veho360 mini speaker.
• Earphones.
• Rock-Mite 20 for backup.

I just received the LNR Precision trail-friendly end-fed wire and choke (see attached photo), it is very small and weighs just about nothing. I decided to use it without the LNR matchbox because I needed an SWR indicator to use with the MTR. For tuning, I will use a 9V battery for reduced power. Besides, I already have their 40/20/10 regular end-fed, so I can use that match box as well. The good thing about the BetterQRP end-fed tuner is that it can be used with any half-wave wire from 15 to 40m. I am very grateful to Larry at LNR Precision for selling me the wire & choke assembly separately. I just tested the combination and could get a 1:1 SWR on both 20 and 40m without having to trim the wire. I expect excellent results with this combo.

I might take my KX3 with me if my pack doesn't end-up being too heavy, but I have the sinking feeling that it probably will. It would be fine without food and water, but both are pretty heavy. What the KX3 would give me is short-wave reception, as well as 15, 17 and 30m on top of 20 and 40. No big deal, but SWL would be nice. If the zombies attack I am sure Ray would let me know via CW before they get to him.  ::) An excellent alternate option that does provide SWL would have been a KX1...

Here is a list of some camping gear I got for the trip (subject to change):

• Bag: Eberlestock X3 LoDrag: http://www.eberlestock.com/X3%20Lodrag%20Pack.htm
• Tent: ICS from ORC (found on Ebay): http://orcind.com/webstore/proddetail.asp?prod=16932
• Sleeping bag from Walmart, surprisingly good...
• Stove: Trangia 28-T: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LN7HUC/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i05?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• Pad: Therm-A-Rest Trail Lite: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00452YYEW/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• Camp pillow with compression sack (Walmart).
• Opinel knife for eating: http://www.opinel-usa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Opinel-knives-No-10-carbon-steel-folding-knife
• Cold Steel Master Tanto: http://www.coldsteel.com/Product/TANTO.20_SERIES/TANTO_SERIES.aspx
• Insect repellent!
• First-aid kit.

This is just the main stuff of course, I am also packing a number of other items not worth mentioning. I was not going to use my Eberlestock backpack but could simply not afford a bigger pack. I'll just have to strap a bunch of gear on the outside. If you think I am forgetting anything, please let me know.

For food, I got help from a hippie friend who is used to Rainbow Gatherings and camping.. Without her, I would not have included fresh vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes), chia seeds, mixed nuts and dried fruits.. I got tea, protein bars and will get eggs and canned meat on Monday. Oh, and of course some port and liquor  :) I leave on Tuesday afternoon. Again, any suggestion would be welcome.

This will also be an excellent opportunity for me to practice Morse code without the help of a computer as a backup. I am starting to head-copy, but I still miss many words. At about 12 to 15wpm (on a good day), I can copy without much trouble. Faster than that and my brain refuses to cooperate, yet... I think the small CW rig and end-fed will prove to be the ultimate in camping / SHTF applications. It has taken me a while to slim down my portable station and try different options, but with the MTR and the KX3, I think I am now all set.

Stay tuned for more...

Gil.

I just received the Goal Zero Nomad 7 and Guide-10 Solar Power Kit.. Nice little panel. Smaller than I thought for 7W. It was missing a cable but I emailed GoalZero and they said they were sending me one right away, no questions asked.. I did order from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XVBIL6/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i04?ie=UTF8&psc=1, but the price is the same on the GoalZero site: http://www.goalzero.com, so you might want to order directly from them. In case of problem, it is easier to get help from the manufacturer as opposed to a third party. Make sure you mention Radio Preppers sent you!  ;) So, it will charge AA or AAA NiMH cells, USB devices, and there is a 12V output plug, but only 200mA max. It seems rugged enough.. The panel is foldable in two but is of the rigid type, which I do not see being a problem due to it's small size. Paracord loops are placed all around, which is a nice practical touch. Actually my radio and key could fit in the pouch as well!

Here is a photo with four AA cells in the Guide-10 battery pack, for size:



There is a nifty little pouch in the back where you can put the Guide-10 for charging while the panel hangs on a backpack or wherever:



This panel won't charge a large SLA battery. I think it would charge my small 2.9AH SLA, but it would take some time... I have not tried it yet. Output voltage at the 12V outlet is 15V unregulated, even in indirect sunlight. I plugged-in my tiny mini speaker in the USB port and the charging LED came on. The batteries I bought were all pre-charged, so I need to empty them before I can test the panel. Since I have been playing with my MTR (DX to Estonia, Germany & Belarus!), it shouldn't be long. Though, those 2850mAH batteries should last a while.

All my radios (K1, KX3, MTR, Rock-Mites, DC20B, FT-270R) will work with eight AA cells (10.9V). This strongly influenced me to buy the Nomad7/Guide-10 kit. My small CW rigs only burn 60mAH. This is one of the reasons I am so adamant about CW/Morse. Everything is reduced in size: Small radio, small antenna, small betteries, small solar panel, you get the picture. Small is light and light is sometimes the only way to go. Great thing is, the performances are really astonishing.

I could put my MTR in my shirt pocket, wrap an end-fed wire antenna around my waist, my key in my from jeans pocket and tuck the solar panel in my pants, batteries in my back pockets, and you would be hard pressed to tell I was carryint a global-range dual-band HF station! I could even send in PSK31 with a computer!

My philosophy is to be "bugoutable." The only way to get practical power on the move is a solar panel.. I waited way too long before getting one. Remember, when the power goes out, it's too late...

Gil.

I love end-fed antennas. My first one was a PAR 40/20/10, and is has become my permanent antenna at home. I have reached 5200 miles on 1.3W and 830 miles with 100mW with it! And numerous other such contacts. I also have a tunable 6-40m I built, and am getting a 15-40m end-fed tuner kit in the mail this week. Why end-feds? Because they work, really well. They are easy to deploy in the field and weigh very little. LNR Precision (bought PAR) has a new trail model by the way: http://www.lnrprecision.com. But this is about building your own 80m version. I wanted something rugged and simple. An end-fed is simple by design, though the theory isn't so simple. It is an impedance transformer. Here is the schematic I found online (http://www.spirat.com.au/vk5zvs/pic54.htm):



Not much to it really... Let's see with all the components in the box:



The box is a Hammond cast aluminum. The capacitor is a 100pF 3500V doorknob type. I could have used a cheaper ceramic disk type, but you know me by now.. The resistor you see there (black) goes to an isolated ground plug for use with a weather balloon or kite (1.5M 3W). When connected to the earth, it bleeds static electricity to the ground to avoid frying the radio (thousands of volts).

And the finished product:



I though about connecting grounds together via wires, but the box does that well.. The optional counterpoise (we'll see about "optional" later.. (0.05 WL, about 13ft)) binding post (black) is electrically connected to the box, while the antenna wire post (red) of course is isolated. The magnet wire is 18ga. Opinions?

After testing I will pot it with liquid rubber... I did some preliminary testing with a 135ft wire strung around the house and got a 3:1 SWR; just enough to send my call sign and "testing" in CW of course. I very rarely use a microphone.. Higher up the band the SWR goes up, so the antenna is a bit too long. Having many turns at weird angles and a house with all it's wiring around it of course doesn't help. Once stretched outside I expect it to work great. I will post an update.

Now I'll be able to check in CW nets on 80m!

Gil.

How much can you fit in an Altoids tin? Not much, as far as radios are concerned. There is of course the proverbial Rock-Mite, a single-frequency crystal driven transceiver we all have learned to love. But times are changing, and surface-mount components are replacing through-hole ones, giving us really tiny devices. It probably won't be long before I can't even see the darn things. Soldering them isn't that hard mind you, just very precise work with a good magnifying lens and a fine-tip iron.

Enter Steve Weber KD1JV with his A.T. Sprint series. The latest of his realeases is the MTR, or "Mountain Top Radio," a two-bander with full coverage, digital VFO, message memories, built-in keyer, one-digit display and Morse frequency feedback. Amazingly it does fit in an Altoids box! Not only that, but power output is a hefty 5W! Talk about QRO! It will even work down to 5.5V (12V max). It also does PSK31, with a computer. Unbelievable!

These kits are only available to members of the AT Sprint Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AT_Sprint/. They are rarely available. 150 kits were made and 149 offered on Thursday, early morning. I believe they were sold out by noon! Quite a few people who did not check their email early enough missed it. They were gone within hours. At only $120, that isn't surprising. The kit would sell for twice that price. So, my hat is off to Mr. Weber.

Guess who got one?

Hehehe, I'm still giggling... Order #124, yep, barely made it. I should get it some time this week.

I will post my building process with photos.

I am planning a one-week QRP camping trip soon, and the MTR will ride along, with my trusty PAR End-Fed. I bought an ICS (Improved Combat Shelter) one-man tent made by ORC Industries for the military. I will also be testing a newly acquired Thermarest pad and a couple other pieces of camping gear. The MTR will be powered by eight AA cells, which I hope to recharge with a flexible solar panel. I will probably have one radio session on 20m in the morning, and one at night on 40m, CW of course!

Stay tuned for more  :D

Gil.

http://www.radiofreeredoubt.com/2013/03/15/voice-of-america-mixes-with-digital-communications/#comment-361

http://voaradiogram.net/post/45846389802/official-launch-of-voa-radiogram-teaching-old

Gil.

It took me more than six months! Six months to be able to copy the alphabet, numbers and a few other punctuation codes and prosigns at a puny 12wpm. The military used to teach Morse code in a matter of weeks. I don't think I could have passed that class, at least not without a serious headache every night! Let's face it, it's not easy. I don't want to discourage anyone though, CW is the most efficient mode there is. I could have done it faster had I not made a few mistakes in my approach. This is why I am going to tell you what in my opinion is the best way to learn Morse code today.

The first step is to commit to months of study and frustration. That said, some people have a knack for it and breeze through the whole process without breaking a sweat. I didn't. The reward is a lifelong skill few peole possess that will allow you to do much with very small and simple equipment. So, decide now that you will see it through and not give up. It is just a matter of time. You need to oultlast your opponent basically  ::) Progress is slow but each plateau you conquer is very rewarding.

The second step is learning the characters. I suggest three softwares and one web site to do this:

• Windows: G4FON Morse Trainer http://www.g4fon.net
• Mac: Koch Trainer (in the App Store).
• iOS (iPod, iPad, iPhone): Ham Morse https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ham-morse/id315980140?mt=8

I highly recommend Ham Morse because it allows you to listen to current news in Morse code. It is well worth the $4.99.

Do not make the same mistake I made and slow down to any less than 15wpm. I went down to 7wpm to finish the alphabet and numbers. Some characters I knew by sound, others as dots and dashes. Do not visualize dots and dashes! I am still struggling to get rid of this bad habbit. If you do so, you will have two translation steps to perform for each letter instead of one. You can be twice as fast if you associate characters directly to sounds.

In parallel with the software of your choice, depending on your platform, I also suggest that you open an account on http://lcwo.net. Use "Morse Machine" to practice character recognition. Each lesson will give you one more character to indentify.

The next step is to work on your speed. On Windows I use RufZXP: http://www.rufzxp.net. It is free and works great. the program sends you call signs and adjusts speed depending on your performance. It keeps track of your score and maximum speed attained. It is an excellent tool to build speed.

On Linux, similar to RufZXP, is QRQ: http://fkurz.net/ham/qrq.html. Not as goos as RufZXP, but close. You can also run it on the Mac.

Practice every day, twenty to thirty minutes. I did not stick to a daily schedule and it took me much longer than anticipated.

The last step is head-copy. The best way to achieve this is to listen to code on your radio (or news on Ham Morse). I like to leave my radio on in the background on a popular calling frequency, mostly 7030KHz. Once in a while you will recognize a word without really trying to copy or write anything down. This will happen more often as time goes. I read that it is good to listen to code much faster than you can copy. Head-copy is highly dependent on short-term memory. A good way to "increase you buffer size" is to ask a friend or significant other to spell words to you while you put the letters together in your head. Just simple letters, not in Morse code. This way you will be able to put together longer words with a bit of practice. Most of the time you will recognize a word half way through.

Most importantly, as soon as you can copy all the characters, get on the air! Do not care how you sound. Nothing bad will happen if you mess-up a QSO. There is nothing to be nervous about. Call CQ at a speed you can copy, even if it is 5wpm. You should get an answer at the same speed. Try to have a least one long QSO per day while you build up your speed, not just a signal report. If you only practice contest or DX type of contacts, you will miss most of the enjoyment of CW and won't be able to copy regular words reliably.

When listening to code and writing it down, do not dwell on missed characters. Just leave a blank or underscore and keep right on going. Otherwise, you will lose many more characters. By not getting attached to one missed letter you will miss only one, and can fill it in later from the context.

Sending is easier. Grab a book you like and open it on a random page. Send as you read.. Just keep doing it until your code flows freely. Mind your timing. Leave the correct spacing between letters and words. A good way to test your sending is to use a Morse decoder like Fldigi: http://www.w1hkj.com/Fldigi.html. If the text you send is translated by the software, you are doing well! I also use Fldigi as a backup during QSOs, when I am home that is. Outside, I just use a pad and pencil, which forces me to be more attentive. I do stall once in a while though and lose a word or two. Sending, while easier, is also very important. I have heard many operators at a speed I could have copied, had they not been very messy with their sending. Send as fast as you can do so reliably with good timing. Speed will come later. It is more important to be understood. You won't be faster by having to repeat yourself often!

I should also mention CWOps, which is a free class that also helped me by mainly providing feedback from a qualified instructor: http://www.cwops.org. The class meets thwice a week online for about an hour. It is great for anyone who doesn't have a radio yet. In any case, it is a good complement to your personal efforts and forces you to "show-up" for scheduled lessons.

Good luck, have fun, and don't give up!

Gil.