Check out my KE5UTN Station Tour!

This is my latest shack interior show and tell.  I am giving a detailed tour this time... enjoy.

FEMA, NOAA, AND the FCC to Conduct first ever Nationwide Emergency Communications Test

ARRL website is informing its readers that  on November 9th at 2:00pm EST, our government will be performing its first ever test of the national emergency Alert Service (EAS).

Citing a FEMA website, the ARRL says the test will  last only about 3 minutes.  They said it'll take 2 minutes to get the state and local broadcasters online, so the national test will take at least 3 minutes. 


The ARRL went into much more detail here than I'm going to, so if you want to read the rest of entire story, CLICK HERE. 

10 Meters is Back!!!

Thumbs up to 10 Meters

Have you tried 10 Meters lately? I have and I assure you DX has been rolling in like gang-busters!


On 100 watts, I made contacts with Alaska, Christmas Island and even Japan!


My antenna is nothing more than a vertical IMAX-2000.


These contacts were fairy easy to get, despite running into pileups.


Since I became a ham in 2008, I’ve heard stories of 10 meters being a band you can talk around the world on with 10 watts, but I found that hard to believe given that I’ve never tuned in that band and heard much of anything.


All across the frequency spectrum on 10 meters, signals could be heard. Australia, Japan, Belgium, France and Alaska, Africa and South America are a few I’ve heard.


When I come across a frequency, I’ll wait till I hear the call sign, write it down along with name and QTH. After I’ve accumulated this info, I’ll answer his/her cqdx. This way he can get the contact with me and go on to another quickly.


Occasionally I’ll ask a question or two about where the person lives.


I have to be quick though because sometimes I’ll wait to get all the info then standby for his next CQ call only to have him go QRT. So, I’ve been jumping on the DX stations a little quicker. If I don’t get the call sign just right, I’ll read back what I have and wait for the correction. This seems to work pretty well.


Some stations are really loud, and by the time I get out every syllable of my call sign (phonetically), someone else already got the call… and I hear that station when I unkey.


Another thing I do is use different phonetics to speed up how fast I can get my call sign transmitted.


It takes longer to say, “KILO ECHO 5 UNIFORM TANGO NOVEMBER than it does to say, ‘KING EDWARD 5 UNITED TEXAS NORWAY”. So, I’ll go with the second version of my call or just toss in my suffix.


If you haven’t tried 10 meters, you better get while the getting is good! There’s no telling when the sunspots will die back down leaving 10 Meters sputtering like it was a few weeks ago.

Hey Sharks, when DX-ing why not Give the Small Fish a Break?

Have you ever been a little fish in a small pond full of Great White Sharks? Figuratively speaking, I have. When I come across a pileup competing for a rare DX contact, and I hear other CONUS stations so loud my speaker rattles, I know I’m going to have to be persistent if I want the contact.


I’m probably over reacting, but occasionally I find myself wishing others would follow the golden rule.


Consider this driving situation: Suppose you are trying to turn right out of an alley onto the main drag but lots and lots of nonstop flowing traffic prevents you from getting out.


Isn’t it nice when someone slows enough to let you out?


When folks do this for you, are you more or less inclined to make this same gesture for others?


In my scenario, the 100 watt or qrp station is the car trying to get onto the thoroughfare, and the amplified stations are the cars already on the freeway streaming past.


Sure, they can see (hear) you, but they choose to zoom past keeping you buried in the alley (keeping you from getting the contact; buried in the noisy pileup).


This is where common courtesy comes in. Common courtesy requires that we put ourselves in someone else’s place.


More hams aught to ask themselves, “How would I feel if that were me?” More hams should consider the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.


I’m not going to say that the Amp folksHAVE to yield to barefoot/QRP folks every time they hear one; that would be silly.  I'm simply suggesting that amplifier using stations  keep this in mind and use their better judgement on the matter. 


There’s one thing I’ve learned about courtesy over the years: It is contagious.

When DX-ing: To Amplify or not to Amplify? That is the Question

I’ve only been a ham for around 4 years or so, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard folks say, “Life’s too short for QRP”.  


That said, there is something to be said for stations that can make the contacts while operating barefoot.


Recently I was talking with a buddy, KG4RJU (Brian) who was telling me about the wide open 10 meter conditions of late.  He said he was catching DX from France, as well as East and West Europe on his Kenwood TS-50 18-wheel mobile.  He was making these on 100 watts.

Okay, maybe that (in itself) isn’t ‘lets-break-out-the-bubbly-and-party-impressive‘, but as he pointed out he was competing for contacts, in pile ups,  with stations running .5kw to 1.5kw easy, and he was beating them out!


I’ve experienced this phenomenon myself while  utilizing some strategies that got my call sign  noticed by the DX station.


If there is a pileup, one thing I try is the wait-till-the-pileup-dies- down-trick then give my call sign.  Or, I transmit my state after my call sign.  Another thing I sometimes try is to time when he’s going to unkey; then I ’hotkey’ rapidly transmitting only my suffix. 


I kind of compare this to hunting.  Good hunters don’t ‘need’ (Some like my Dad refuse to use) high powered rifles with precision scopes because they don’t think it’s very sporting to take down a deer from a hiding spot 1000 yards away.  


Hunters like my Dad get more satisfaction from bagging his deer by utilizing tenacity, strategy, wit and experience.


I think this is the mantra of QRP and barefoot operators.  They may not make as many DX contacts as those proud folks running amplifiers, but they do feel gratified when (because of their wit, tenacity and experience) rare DX stations pick them out over the louder stations.


What is your opinion?  Amp or no Amp?

Tea Party Inclusion Cards Respond to Left's Lies

Forgive me, my fellow hams, for going political but I have to do my part in responding to the lies and misinformation that the Tea Party folks are racists: 

Purchase the cards, then leave one behind for 'just-met' persons of color to find following your friendly, amiable conversations.  

The bus, in cafeterias, libraries, schools are some examples of where you might come in contact with minorities, and when you might leave a card.


We've got to respond to the lies being spread by mainstream and let minoriies know we stand for them too.


Click on the card below to purchase a bunch from my store.  I created these so I get a royalty from each sale.

You can also help me by reposting this on your facebook and twitter accounts. Thanks in advance.


Here's the Card:

Tea Party Inclusion Card by Observations
sell your paintings online for free at Zazzle

Old U.S. Army Introduction to Morse Code Training Video

I had to take Morse Code in the Army  back in 1986.  I was at Fort Gordon, Georgia training to be a Radio Teletype Operator with the 'A4' Morse Code  qualified designation tacked onto the end of my  31C MOS.


We didn't watch this video, but our instructor used many of the same lessons.


If you never tried Morse Code (CW), but think you might be interested in being exposed to it, this video is a good introduction.
Part 1


part 2