Mysterious bright object in the sky over Moscow, Idaho

On March 10th at about 0500Z I looked up into the night sky and saw a large, bright red object moving very slowly from roughly the southeast toward the tail of the Big Dipper. It was easily the brightest object in the night sky at the time. I watched for about 5 minutes move very slowly. Then, suddenly it appeared to partially burst, dropping small red fireballs from its bottom side which fell and disappeared quickly below it. Then the object itself disappeared from the sky just as it reached the end of the Dipper's handle. I have no idea what it was, but it was fantastic to watch. Later in the evening I filed a report with the American Meteor Society.

Update: Custom front panel

A few weeks ago I created a front panel for a kit I built in December 2012. The kit is a QRP Transmit/ Receive box designed by the 4-state QRP club.

Below are before and after photos of the front panel. The first photo is my attempt to drill out holes in an enclosure i purchased from Ten-Tec based on the template provided with the kit. I really lacked the proper milling tools to do the job and, needless to say, it shows.

The second photo is the front panel I designed, again based on the template provided in the kit. The software I used to design the panel layout was provided by Front Panel Express online. (the software I downloaded from Front Panel Express for my Mac work flawlessly) Using the software I positioned and specified sizes for each panel opening. In addition I specified labels for each opening.

I learned that I should have allowed a bit more room for panel openings as the position of components on the board was slightly different than my front panel specifications. I had to enlarge two of the openings using a Dremel bit to adjust for two jacks whose position was slightly off from my specifications.

In addition I learned that I should have positioned my labels a farther from the openings as the connector fasteners tended to overlap my labels somewhat.

All in all I think this was a very successful first attempt.

First attempt.

Second attempt, using Front Panel Express milled front panel.

2013 ARRL DX CW contest

This was my first ARRL DX CW contest. Propagation conditions here in North Idaho were excellent for QRP.


My 5W station and simple dipole attached to my roofline at about 20 feet and open wire twin feedline worked almost all parts of the world: from Central & South America to Europe, Africa, Asia (Russia and Japan) and New Zealand.


15 and 10 meters were really hot during daylight hours and are where I made most of contacts. 20 meters, at least for me, was dead, netting me just 1 contact. 40 meters was just OK.


I set a goal for myself to work 100 stations with the time I had available. I ended the contest just before time ran out with a contact to Guam, which was contact number 101.


My KX3 performed like a champ on a set of 8 rechargeable batteries. The rig's ability to dig weak signals out of pile-ups and sometimes marginal propagation conditions was very impressive.


My best contacts were Montserrat and Senegal which I never expected to work. Conditions were so good I worked Montserrat on multiple bands.


Looking forward to next year's contest!

Mobile operation: Pullman, WA

I returned again to a hilltop at the Palouse Ridge Golf Course for mobile afternoon operating session with the KX3 and a simple, speaker wire dipole strung between trees, its twin-lead center about 4 feet off the ground. Weather was cool and sunny with temperatures in the high 30's or so. I got the antenna in place, hooked it up to the KX3 along with my portable key and phones and fired up on 15M CW.

Within the first few minutes I responded to V73NS calling CQ, having no idea about his QTH. Turns out it was Neil Schwanitz in the Marshall Islands! What good fortune for me. As soon as I signed off there were lots of stations calling him. I must have hit it just right since I doubt my 3W would have punched through the pile-up.

From there I QSO'd with Ted in Sioux City, Nebraska, then N1WPU in Maine. I also worked Valery, UA0ZC in Russia.

For me, this is some of Ham radio at its best!

Here is a photo of my gear and antenna just prior to set-up.

This photo is my view of the hillside overlooking the Washington State Palouse. If you look carefully at the photo you can see my dipole crossing the top portion of the picture.

73 N7RCS

Keeping it clean

I've been searching for a way to keep dust off my KX3 and Bencher key. For a while I was just placing a piece of scratch paper over each unit after shutting down. Not the most elegant solution.

Then I asked my XYL, who has considerable sewing skills, whether she could make equipment covers for me.

After a brief consultation as to color, fabric and size and a trip to the local fabric store she had what she needed. One week later I had two very sharp-looking dust covers. See before and after photos below.

Operating mobile for FYBO QRP 2013 with the KX3

It was such a beautiful day today I decided to take the KX3 out and participate in Freeze Your Butt Off Winter QRP Sprint. Wx was in the mid-30s with a breeze. I decided to drive over to the Palouse Ridge Golf Golf Club at WSU and set up on a bluff overlooking the Palouse.

I loaded the KX3, my speaker wire dipole, portable key, and AA batteries in my backback, jumped in the car and headed over.

The clump of trees seen in the aerial view on this page shows where I set up for FYBO.

The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, the wind was blowing. Perfect day! I had forgotten to bring a chair and my headphones, but luckily for me, there was a bench waiting for me. It was quiet enough that I did not need my headphones. So, I tossed my dipole into the trees, leaving the center about 6 feet above the ground. Hooked up the KX3 to the antenna, plugged in the key and battery pack and started scanning for FYBO CQs.

As a started scanning on 20 meters I heard KH6MB (Hawaii) calling CQ on 14.004. I responded, only half expecting him to hear my 3W CW signal. He came right back! Wow! My first mobile contact on the KX3 was Hawaii. Nice.

I went on to notch 3 FYBO contacts in the next hour: K7TQ in Idaho, WD7Y in Nevada, and W0DTJ in California. All on 20M. Not too bad for 3W to a dipole 6 feet off the ground.

I also worked Barry, N2BJ in New Lenox, IL on 15M RTTY. Tried PSK31 but had no luck, although the KX3 did an excellent job translating PSK to text for me. A waterfall display is nice, but this rig makes it pretty easy to run PSK without it.

All in all a very productive first outing with the KX3. My plan is to set up my 32 ft. vertical next time to see how it performs at that same location.

Till next time - 73!

Custom front panels for kits

I always look forward to my monthly issue of the K9YA Telepgraph e-zine. There are always interesting articles about ham radio, from radio kits and adventure stories to fascinating stories about amateur radio's storied past. I don't know how they always put out such a fine publication, but I'm sure a lot of hard work goes into it. Thanks guys!

The lead story of the February 2013 issue is about an audio filter kit called the Hi-Per-Mite, designed by David Cripe - NM0S - and the 4SQRP Club. While the project was pretty cool itself, what caught my attention was the way the designers created the kit's front panel. They used a slick piece of freeware called Front Design provided by an online service called Front Panel Express.

What I've learned about kit building, especially when the kit provides no enclosure, is that creating the enclosure is no mean feat, especially without proper machine shop tools, like drill presses, brakes, etc. What to do? Front Panel Express offers an excellent option. Simply download their free, and quite sophisticated yet easy to use, software which enables you to design a front panel for your kit (they offer enclosures too).

But, wait, there's more. Once you're done designing the panel (actually at any point along the way) you can check pricing, which makes it a cinch to keep costs in line. Once you're set, you can place your order from right within the application. Very nice!

The front panel I designed for my kit will be made of aluminum. You specify all dimensions (metric or English) and color. You can also specify engraved labels, in choice of fonts and colors! My total cost with shipping: $38.

I placed the order this evening (January 29) and can't wait to see the finished product.

Back in December, I actually obtained enclosures in an attempt to machine my own front panel. But my results were, let's just say, disappointing.

Once I receive the custom-designed panel, I'll post photos so you can see my original work vs. the Front Panel Express product.

In the meantime, check out the K9YA Telegraph and Front Panel Express. I'm glad I did on both counts!

CabConverter 2.02

I recently purchased MacLoggerDX as my regular and contest logging application. It is a truly impressive product with myriad add-ins that make it a real Swiss Army Knife application for hams, whether you are a contester or not.

Along with your purchase of MacLoggerDX comes a working copy of CabConverter, a handy utility needed to convert MacLoggerDX ADIF exports to Cabrillo format for log submission. I failed to check whether the version of CabConverter supplied with MacLoggerDX was the most recent. It was 1.36 (2010), several versions behind. The current version is 2.02, released in January 2013.

The latest version of CabConverter is available at NE1RD's web site. Once at the site, click the Zip download button near the top of the page. Once the TAR (Tape ARchive) file downloads to your Mac, double-click it to open the set of file folders.

The program has been completely rewritten in Java, so you need to ensure you've got a current version of Java on your Mac.

The best part about Scott Andersen's new version of CabConverter, at least for me, is that hams can now create log files for contests not included in the default set of contests provided with the app. Creating a new log file for your contest is as simple as repurposing the code from an existing contest XML file. Since the files are simple XML files, all you need to edit them is a text editor program, such as TextEdit on the Mac.

Scott has provided instructions in the documentation included in the file download.

New Year, New Gear

I've been behind in in my posts since October 2012. Since then I've added some new gear to the shack. Most importantly, the KX3. What a machine! Really enjoying the features packed into this small SDR rig, especially the fact that I'm now able to do digital modes like PSK and RTTY. The KX3's ability to reliably read RTTY and PSK through its 10 character display is very impressive. Have done two RTTY contests since October.

I often run the KX3 off 8 AA rechargeable cells. They run for hours, even under pretty heavy use at 3W. The rig can put out 5W or more, but I typically run lower.

Looking forward to doing some field operating once the weather permits in spring.

I also now have a Bencher BY-1 paddle, an excellent key.

The KX3 is a powerful contesting rig and its SDR architecture does a fine job of digging weak signals out of a crowd or QRM. I worked the CQ WW CW contest in November from K7SEL and did quite well running 5W to a roof-mounted vertical up about 40 feet. Worked into Europe, S. America, Canada, Mexico and Asia.

I also now have Bose Quiet Comfort noise canceling headphones which work great to shield my ears from ambient noise near the shack. They work so well, my XYL can stand within several feet of my while I'm on the air and be speaking to me, but I can't hear a thing.

Also got my straight key back on their air again and have made a few QSOs with that as well. Really brings back memories of my novice days with a crystal controlled rig and longwire antenna. Still wish I had not gotten rid of my old Heathkit transmitter.

2011 CQ WW CW Results

I participated in the 2011 CQ WW CW contest in 2011 as single op running QRP on 20m. I really enjoyed the contest and submitted my hand-tallied scores, not really thinking much about where I might place in the final results.

I was astounded to receive in the mail last week a beautiful color certificate from CQ Magazine naming me with the the highest point total for Area 7 in the single op QRP category on 20m.

That has really motivated me to improve my effort for this year's CQ WW CW contest.

The CQ Manchester Mineira DX Contest (CQMM DX Contest)

Got on 20m last evening to see what kind of activity there was and discovered the 2012 CQ Manchester Mineira DX Contest (CQMM DX Contest) was going strong. This was my first experience with this contest and it was great to hear strong north-south propagation for the first time. I heard contesters from Colombia, Brasil, Cuba, Alaska, and the Dominican Republic all night.

Although I was on 0300Z - 0600Z operating QRP I only managed to work XE2S (Sonora, Mexico) and AL9A (Anchorage, Alaska). My tuner is out of action so I was running my OHR-100A 20 QRP rig straight off my 40 meter dipole up about 20 feet. I suspect I was putting out about 1 watt. So, considering the very low power out and marginal operating conditions of my equipment, I was happy with the result. I hope to work the contest some more this afternoon and evening.

Plan to participate in 2013 CQMM DX contest now that I know about it.

2012 World Jet Boat Races in Idaho

Volunteered for 3 days on the Communications Team in support of the 2012 World Jet Boat Races that took place across multiple venues in April. Communication conditions were very challenging as the races were run on rivers in steep canyons. Many times, at my station aboard a small river craft with a boat captain, EMT, and crew member, my 2-meter mono-bander could only receive. We used J-pole antennas for the most part. Even with extra repeaters installed around the river, communications were marginal at best. That said, no other form of communication was very effective. There was zero cell phone coverage. CB and 6 meters signals would have also been similarly ineffective in this geography. It was great seeing these speedy boats zooming around. Their top speed can be around 150 MPH. Despite the challenges all went well. The safety boat I was on was actually called into action when one of the jet boat drivers was injured and had to be taken off the course. I heard the call for assistance, informed the safety boat captain and away we went. Ham radio: when all else fails.

The NS-40 kit and custom enclosure

This was my first experience building a kit that came with a circuit board but no enclosure. I learned first-hand how challenging and time-consuming it can be to precisely machine an aluminum enclosure for a kit. In this case the kit provider only suggested a possible enclosure for use with the kit. Fine, except that the builder is left to his own devices when it comes to placement and drilling of holes to accommodate an antenna port as well as connections for power and a key.

I was stumped for a while on how best to implement antenna, power and code key connections until I remembered a Ten-Tec 1340 QRP CW kit I had built in 2010 that resulted in failure (I mistakenly applied power with the polarity reversed and fried unspecified components). Now that failure was about to help solve my challenge of how to set up connections to the circuit board.

From the Ten-Tec kit I removed the strip used to connect power and a key. I also removed the SO-238 antenna connection and at the same time realized the mini RG-174 coax was just what I needed for my antenna hook-up. However, that still left me with the challenge of how to mark the holes I needed to drill in order to mount the power and key connection strip. I decided to simply lay the Ten-Tec enclosure with its pre-drilled holes against my case, then use a marker to indicate where my holes needed to be drilled. Simple!

Once I had the markings in place for the holes I needed to drill I realized I did not have a 5/8 bit to make the hole for the chassis-mounted SO-238 connector. I decided to simply use the largest bit I had (a 1/2" bit) then use a half-round file to enlarge the hole to the dimension I needed. Buying the 5/8 bit would have cost $15-$20 bucks anyway.)

It worked pretty well. Drilling the holes accurately for the multi-port strip proved more challenging, not because my marking were imprecise but because I did not have a good jig to hold the case steady on the drill press pedestal. For a first effort it came out pretty well, although it won't win any beauty contest. One other very important thing I learned in machining this case is that this kind of work cannot be done without a good drill press. Using a simple hand drill is simply too hard because it is very difficult to hold the drill bit steady on the marking for each hold. (Hat tip to my brother-in-law, Tom, for the use of his drill press!) That said, I later learned that I should probably have been using a step drill bit.

Now for the acid test. Would the NS-40 work? To this point I had not even fired it up as I had no connections in place for power, antenna or key. So I really had no idea whether it was even going to work or whether the xtals I purchased would work based on the modification I implemented which allows me to switch xtals as needed vs. having a single xtal soldered to the board.

I hooked my 8 AA power supply up to the NS-40, connect my straight key to the rig, fired up my trusty Hallicrafters SX-130 receiver and voila! The NS-40 came through loud and clear.

Completing this project gave me a new appreciation for the skills needed to machine an enclosure for a kit. This may give me the courage to try future projects where part of the challenge is preparing an enclosure for the kit.

Exterior view of the NS-40.

Interior view of NS-40 as seen from the front of the unit.

Side interior view of NS-40.

4-State QRP Group "MagicBox" solid state Transmit/Receive System

This turned out to be a very satisfying weekend project. Although I must admit I put in several hours inventorying and organizing all components which made for a very smooth process of "stuffing" the circuit board.

There are images of the finished board
below.

Probably the more challenging part of this kit will be machining the housing for it. The template provided with the kit is not drawn to scale. So I'll need to make some careful measurements before going to the drill press.

I'm really excited about this unit because it will give me the chance to explore running a separate transmitter and receiver for the first time since my novice days back in the 1960s. Only now, instead of a manual ceramic and copper knife switch to switch between receive and transmit modes, I've got this slick solid state device that will make it appear almost as if I am running a transceiver.

Beginning work on digital T/R switch

Today I've started work on the Four State QRP "Magic Box" digital transmit/receive switch.

First photo below shows bagged components and construction manual.

Second photo shows component tracking sheet used to ensure correct picking & placing of each component.

NS-40 is completed

This was a very simple build, having just a handful of components. This is a Four State QRP transmitter designed by N0SM.

The view below shows the completed board mounted in an aluminum case which still needs some customization to give access for power and antenna connections.

NS-40 QRP transmitter status

Worked this weekend to complete the NS-40. I decided to do a modification that allows me to swap crystals instead of being limited to the one provided in the kit. The idea came from Jay - W5JAY. Now all I need to do is find a supplier with a reasonable cost.

NS-40 QRP transmitter status

Worked this weekend to complete the NS-40. I decided to do a modification that allows me to swap crystals instead of being limited to the one provided in the kit. The idea came from Jay - W5JAY. Now all I need to do is find a supplier with a reasonable cost.

Next kit project: Four State QRP Group Station

For my next QRP kit project I chose the recently introduced Four State QRP Group Station which consists of a separate superhet receiver & transmitter for 40m along with a microprocessor-based T/R switch, which has been dubbed the "Magig Box.".

I'm looking forward to building this kit and getting on the air because it will be the first time I've run a separate rcvr / xmtr since my Novice days back in the 1960's. Back then I was running a Hallicrafters SX-130 receiver and a Heathkit DX-40 transmitter. A 60w incandescent lightbulb was my dummy load and a simple copper knife switch was a T/R switch. Simple and effective. I worked a lot of stations (and even some DX) with that setup. My antenna was a longwire.

If the "Magic Box" works as well I expect I hope to build additional transmitters, especially one for 10m now that the sunspot cycle has become more active. The Magic Box effectively makes running a separate rcvr and xmtr almost like running a xcvr according to the guys at Four State QRP.

This new station ensemble first appeared at the 2010 OzarkCon held in Branson, MO.

I'm also considering running separate xmit/rcv antennas to see whether that is a more effective approach than my current dipole cut for 40m.

John Kraus - W8JK

One of the things I enjoy most about my work as a Research Librarian at an engineering company is my exposure to all kinds of technology and related books and online resources. I recently skimmed through John Kraus' classic, Antennas and, although I am not an engineer, found several sections of the book very valuable to my understanding of simple wire antennas. John himself was a ham, W8JK, who is well know for his innovative antenna designs.

While reading through the chapter on dipole antennas, I came across a Beetle Bailey cartoon which, for me, captured part of the essence and mystery of antennas. Beetle is up on the roof holding an antenna while his buddy inside is telling him when it is positioned just right for a good signal. In the next frame, Beetle slips and begins falling off the roof. In the final frame Beetle is shown hanging upside down off the roof still clutching the antenna, as his buddy shouts out, That's perfect right there!

So often, that's what happens in antenna work. You read about all the theory behind an antenna, but when it comes down to making it work, reality sets in and the concept of "free space" goes out the window. Thanks John!