Zero Bureau Cards

This week I received QSL cards from the Zero Bureau. It is a nice surprise. I had contacted the Zero Bureau last Summer and started the process of using the Bureau both for incoming cards and contacted the ARRL outgoing bureau for sending cards. I received this shipment of about 20 QSL's and I was surprised to see most were from the year 2009, with 2010 and a few from 2011. Wow-four years! I've always heard its a slow endevour and now here's the proof! I'm not complaining because to receive these cards thru snail mail separately would be very expensive and most Hams probably wouldn't even bother.
  Most of these cards also are marked for a return QSL card so I'll be sending QSL cards to the outgoing bureau soon. I've also been trying to keep track of paper QSL's sent and received by marking the QSO in Ham Radio Delux logging program.Not keeping track would be very confusing in short order. I don't forsee a huge amount of cards passing thru My shack but its great to finally see this movement!
  73---Tim

Goodbye Landline

At one time We had two telephone lines into Our house -one for voice calls and the other for Internet dial up. The picture above shows the punch down block with a two line configuration. Even though We haven't had two lines for several years, I had never taken the time to clean up the installation.We've had a DSL connection with phone service for several years and always kept the phone service part because of the many "deals" offered by the provider.Well those deals have finally expired and it was time to let the landline service go.Little lump in the throat moment-- had that number for about 20 years but We all have Cell phones and  can't justify the added expense.Also planning on cutting back on other entertainment services like Satellite Tv,Netflix,etc. Entertainment costs are just crazy! I was hoping our DSL connection speed would increase after removing all the Telephones and having just a straight wired connection to the DSL modem, but so far no increase. Must be maxed out to Us. Contract says up to 7meg-we're at 4meg which is pretty good for Our location!

   73----Tim

Snow and DXCC#93

We had another snow storm dump about 7" this weekend. I spent most of Saturday with snow removeal. It takes some time to clear around the chicken coop,side walk,driveway and clear a big enough area for our dog Bella to take care of business. I just came in from dealing with another 6" today. Luckily Our friend Steve stopped by and plowed!
  During this past weekend I did find some time to make several contacts on 17m SSB to the Cayman and Canary Islands which was fun.Conditions were very good on Saturday but Sunday after Church the propagation charts showed a very different story with a high "A & K" index.Several contesters commented on the poor band conditions!

I also just checked Logbook of the World and I've added Belguim for DXCC # 93! Ya-hoo- thanks to OQ5M ! We worked during the recent ARRL DX SSB contest on 15m voice. Closer and closer to 100!!
 73---Tim

Paraguay & Switzerland

Paraguay (ZP9MCE) I logged from the recent Dx contest and Switzerland (HB9CVQ) from a very pleasant although short QSO on Sunday for #91 and #92 towards DXCC.I'm still expecting a few more confirmations from the ARRL International Dx contest from several weekends ago. I still hope to contact a few more DXpeditions before Summer so the magical "100" is close. I think i've worked 108 DXCC's so far so the number confirmed thru LOTW is close. I've noticed alot more LOTW users every Year. I can not imagine how time consuming and expensive it was to exchange QSL cards and have them verified before LOTW simplified the process and verification. It truly is becoming a small World!
73--Tim

Chasing TX5K- Clipperton Island DXpediton

Another fun Dxpedition to chase! I've always enjoyed trying for contacts with these operations from the comfort of My basement with the snow swirling around outside and imaging what the other end is enduring to bring about a successful operation. I'm very impressed and in awe of their willingness to do these. Thanks to all who make it possible!
  The Website is very good and the online Log is excellant. You can find them at www.cordell.org
I don't remember when I first heard about this Dxpedition but when I did I was hoping to contact them on as many bands and modes as possible. I remember the last time an expedition was  there in 2006 and the frustration I felt not hearing even a whisper on my dipole. This time I'm ready with more antennas so I was hopeful and realized the big obstacle this time would be My work schedule.
 TX5K was QRV as of 0615 UTC on March 2nd which coincided with the start of the ARRL DX contest. I did hear some reports from fellow Hams about jumping from the contest to grab a TX5K QSO. In hindsight it appears they were the smart ones. I didn't start the chase till March 5th- Tuesday night and the conditions weren't good. I had no luck that evening and no chance for another try until the next night. Wednesday night 10m was the only band I could hear them on with a good signal- S5 or better and managed a confirmation on My contact- or so I thought. I didn't have the TX5K online log running during this contact so I wasn't able to see if My call was logged. After looking several times on breaks at work the next day and not seeing it- I assumed I was not logged correctly! Now it became a little more intense since I was hearing them on certain bands but not having any luck breaking the pile ups. I even tried RTTY on 30m but no luck :((  I also was watching some of the email reflectors and seeing completed QSO's on 160m but early morning.Several were even SSB and not CW! I contemplated an early wake up call but really hoped for the higher bands to pull thru after work. Eventually I was able to pull out a very nice contact on 15m and was watching the online log to see My call scroll across! Yes ,at least a contact! Then Friday night I also noticed I was now logged for My 10m contact. Not sure what happened to cause the delay but now I had two bands. I was hoping for one more chance on Saturday but the expedition was really winding down so I threw in the towel. I'm very pleased with two contacts-- another soon to be confirmed DXCC !! I did read on their blog about some Generator troubles and the need to NOT always run an amplifier so this might have been some of My trouble not hearing them as loud at times.
 I did compare antennas and I'm very pleased with My HF6V ground mounted vertical and also My 10m Yagi . My dipole and G5RV could hardly pull out a whisper of activity. My inverted "L" was able to hear them but it was very noisy. The difference in verticals was amazing to Me- this Butternut HF6V is a great antenna! Course a little QRO power would help too :)) but My 100w was still enough!
 73--Tim

 
 

Three New Ones!

I had never worked Bolivia before this contest but managed to work CP1FF who is a LOTW user for DXCC# 88

Next new DXCC is Peru . I worked OA4SS who also during the contest remarked about the large number of Minnesota stations!

and finally I worked OM1ADX of the Slovek Republic for DXCC # 90 confirmed.   I'm getting close to the magical 100. This last contest was not only fun but productive. I'm currently chasing TX5K for another new one.
73 --Tim

ARRL DX Contest 2013

A solar flare preceded the start of this contest and conditions Friday night were just terrible. A "K" index of 4 is very poor and the bands reacted because of it.Sunpots were down around 88 and even the "A" index was high.  I spent very little time fighting conditions Friday evening and had a few contacts before calling it quits for the night.
  Saturday was a fair improvement in the morning and I bounced between 10m and 15m before settling on 10m for a very good S & P operation. Ten meters actually for Me was very good from 1700 UTC and I stayed with it till the band closed before sunset. The lower bands weren't very good at this location for the rest of the contest when I was on. I managed some hard fought  contacts on 20m and 40m but none on 75m or 160m which was disappointing because I heard HK1NA on 160m at about S9 but they just CQed in My face! 100w just wasn't enough I guess. I truthfully didn't stay up late enough Saturday for any decent chance at contacts on the lower frequencies but that is typical for Me-- hard to stay awake!
  After Church Sunday morning and Lunch I was back operating but it was again not great conditions and lots of stations I had already worked.It wasn't till later I heard from several other contesters about the short but good opening to Europe on 10m while I was away! Oh well-priorities!! I had some interesting contacts such as OA4SS who commented on the number of Minnesota stations. If He only realized some of them were playing Dx at V4,VP5H and KP2 land!! All of which I had contacts with-- I guess for them zero calls are easily heard!
  I worked KP2M and 8P5A on 40,20,15 and 10m for the highest multiple band contacts. I worked 88 countries (DXCC's) and had 193 contacts for a score of 50,952. Not too shabby for a ground mounted vertical and a 10m monobander at 20 feet using only 100w!  My rotor was stuck South for My 10m Yagi till early Saturday after the sun came out and it thawed.   My CAT port on My Ft-950 is still not working so I had to be careful and switch it manually in the N1MM logging program so it would log the correct band. Its so much easier when its atomatic!
  I hope to add several more new DXCC including French Guiana who I worked on 15m. Several others are the same countries but different calls who maybe will be LOTW users. One can only hope!
73---Tim