diff --git a/blog/_posts/2023-04-22-dayton-dayton-dayton.md b/blog/_posts/2023-04-22-dayton-dayton-dayton.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..febd9dc --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/_posts/2023-04-22-dayton-dayton-dayton.md @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +--- +title: DAYTON DAYTON DAYTON +layout: post +date: 2023-04-22 17:05:45 +tags: Blog +excerpt_separator: +--- + +That's right...Dayton Hamvention is about 4 weeks away; and after planning a trip then canceling due to lack of funds +I was able to put a trip together. I will once again be attending the festivities this year. + +I'm riding down with a friend from Chicago; so I actually have to fly a whole state west in order to get here; but +there are reasons this was preferable to flying directly to Dayton or adjacent cities. AFAIK, I'll be down there +from Wednesday to Sunday. Sunday we head down to Cincinnati where I'll fly home Tuesday. + +The turnout last year was quite large...much larger than I'm used to for a hamfest; then again none of those were +Dayton Hamvention. I'm anxious to see if the numbers are even higher this year. diff --git a/blog/_posts/2023-04-22-va-qso-party.md b/blog/_posts/2023-04-22-va-qso-party.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..17ce5cb --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/_posts/2023-04-22-va-qso-party.md @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@ +--- +title: VA QSO Party +layout: post +date: 2023-04-22 17:03:26 +tags: Blog +excerpt_separator: +--- + +I really intended to write this last month, right after the contest. But I got lazy. Wrote a version...never got the photo +code inserted...mostly lost it. I go through times where I'm really horrible blog maintainer, and periods where I'm +somewhat prolific in my writings. This post is shorter and more to the point than the previous drafts...which may or may +not be a good thing. + +I waited so long...preliminary log data for submitted logs is out. How'd I do? Well...there's a story. + + + +I know I was around for VAQP. But you know who wasn't? Murphy. Not being around to enforce his laws meant my untested +operating setup gave me zero problems; and where I expected a little casual fun, it all turned in to a serious drive +for QSOs and a performance far beyond what I remotely expected. Oh, I had fun; almost a little too much of it. What I had +assumed would work against me would be not being a very serious contester, losing much of my drive and interest after day 1, +and the fact I was using a bunch of mostly untested homebrew adapters for an operating setup I hadn't done a whole lot. + +I'd had a passing interest in doing a hands-free setup with a headset and footswitch; I just didn't have the money to +buy a high-dollar headset; not that I thought I really needed one. All I really had to do was figure out how to wire +whatever headset I get up to the radio. I could build my adapters; and probably get what I really wanted. I ordered some +connectors, a cheap "gaming" headset, and started a few days before the contest. + +## The Failures +
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+ +My attempts to interface my cheap headset with the radio failed. I'd adapted electrets to work with dynamic in the past; +you just have to feed power to the element and couple it in to the rig. So I managed to cram the required components into +the Yaesu mic connector. It worked...but it wasn't very sensitive and had a lot of noise. So I figured I was doing things +wrong and decided to look this up. The PCB version is the result; using a number of OM said worked. It didn't....not work; +but it changed nothing. The output was still noisy. Well, this wasn't going to work; but there was a second solution. + +## The Alternate Solution +
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+ +The box contains no real electronics now; just two quarter-inch phone jacks to connect send PTT and Mic to the Yaesu, a +quarter-inch jack for the footswitch, and the 8-pin mic jack. With the headset itself being a no-go; I had to think of +another way of keeping hands-free. The mic I have for my Yaesu actually has a RJ-45 compatible jack on it with a cable +to an 8-pin plug. I made an Ethernet cable and used a coupler to extend the mic connection for the boom, and just shoved +the mic in the boom. + +I was worried about noise and RF using a standard Ethernet cable; but I didn't have any. The footswitch worked as intended +and I got no audio complaints. If anything I had guys complimenting my audio. It had the desired effect; I could key the +rig while keeping hands free to log. This made things so much more easier. + +## N1MM Voice Keyer + +A couple of months ago when I was building the digital interface for the Yaesu; I settled on using the DVS-2 port method +as it provided more bandwidth; but it also would allow me to use a PC based voice keyer. I wouldn't have to do anything +except press a button in N1MM. It took me a little work to get N1MM keying interfaces figured out config wise; but that +was it. Press button, play CQ. For those who don't know: the FT1000MP had an optional voice module, the DVS-S. Essentially +a standalone voice recorder; it has some control over which audio is routed to/from the rig. So it can play your voice +recordings, let you preview them without transmitting, record from the mic, or record from the rig. But the nice thing is +when transmitting from the DVS-2; it automatically mutes your microphone. I make use of this for digital; as the 6khz width +is nice. But, easily enough; the control lines are just pulled high when transmitting from the unit. So they're tied in to +the RTS line on my digital interface. + +It took me a couple of minutes to get it setup in N1MM; but once I did...it gave me no issues. I press button, rig transmits +a wav file. + +# The Basic Operating Report + +## Saturday + +I had no intention of running a frequency at first; and didn't. I kind of searched up and down the bands working guys +already running. Naturally, the QSO rate was quite low. So after finding a spot on 40m, I decided to set-up and call +CQ. Well...that's when things got serious. At a rate of about 60 an hour; the few hours before dinner resulted in some +pretty decent numbers. I jumped down to 80m after dinner and despite the QRM; I ended the day at 369 QSOs. The bands +were overall in + +## Sunday + +I spent the first hour or two running a 40m phone frequency before taking a quick break. Finding myself a new frequency, +I would spend the next six hours on that frequency, pressing button, slowly getting QSOs. The band was..okay. I was +getting in to the NE well enough some guys responded just to tell me how much over 9 or how good my audio was. A couple +of mobile ops made regular stops to my frequency after crossing county lines. It was a far slower day than Saturday, +that's for sure. But I did the grind and came up with 653 QSOs. + +Overall conditions were better than they had been in the past. I only had problems hearing the local guys...and one early +40m Oregon station. + +# Preliminary Results + +Prior to this past week I'd been relying on scores submitted to 3830 to gauge how well I did; and those results were +telling me something I didn't expect; I was actually leading a category. My 103,224 points was the highest submitted +for mixed-band low-power phone. Yeah...I don't know how I did that; but I decided to save my excitement for the final +results. A draft version of the log data came out on the 17th. Know what it said? + +I had the top score for mixed-band low-power phone. + +I carefully converted the PDF in to something I could work with; and after verifying my data filtering and sorting at +least three times; I got the same result. 29th highest score out of 620-some logs; 24th highest number of QSOs, and 1st +for mixed low phone. Far far beyond what I expected to do. + +Chances are I'll come away with a plaque; as mixed low phone is a plaque they give out. That was not a goal I was actually +reaching for; but I guess it's one of those few times you "miss the mark" and hit a better target. There were a lot of +things that should have worked against me; but everything worked for me. + +Talk About This Post [here.](https://forum.nq4t.com/viewtopic.php?t=19)