[FLWSS] July 2006 News Letter

[Walter Dail]

Happy 4th of July,
I'm trying to start a monthly or bi-monthly "newsletter" Please email me
your comments and happenings around your grid square or projects you are
working on.
Not everyone gets a chance to check into the weekly 432 SSB net especially
during the lightning prone summer months. It's getting so I have to go
outside to check the sky 
before I hook any coax up. 

Another June contest is behind us. If you haven't sent in your score please
do
it before the deadline and mention FLWSS as your club affiliation. It seems
to have turned into a 6m contest due to the good openings we had to the
north and west. I was down for a few hours due to storms moving thru the
area.  

The station automation project at K4HV is still ongoing. I finally got the
rotator remote
control running using LP-Rotor software(freeware). I'm using an Idiom Press
Rotor-EZ board
in the Hy-gain control box. It's worth getting if you don't have one, and a
lot cheaper
than the DCU-1 box Hy-gain sells. I used computer logging software for the
first time this round instead of paper logs. It took some getting used to
(in addition to the new call) but I guess you can teach an old horse new
tricks.

For those of you using the N3FJP contest software, I emailed Scott about
adding rotator control so you can click on a grid square and the rotator
automatically points. He doesn't 
have a remote controlled rotor for his station but says he will add the
feature when he gets one.

The beacons are being heard from all over. Just check the 6m DX cluster and
search the
page for 72 hours worth of postings. I normally come across a few postings
for he K4HRS beacon.

6m continues to be open nearly every day, mid-morning to early evening
hours. As I write
this I can hear DX activity on 50.110. Stateside on 50.125 is commonplace. 

Chuck, K0VXM helped me out doing a 3.4 GHz antenna comparison between the
112 element
looper from Directive Systems and my modified Andrew BBQ grill antenna.
Although signals were really down, the looper edged out the grill antenna
but barely. We tried it out just doing an A/B test around mid-morning. There
was some QSB but not enough to really screw up the measurement. An antenna
range test would be the best thing to do but this was close enough for
government work. 

Power line noise continues to be the one of the plagues of Egypt around
here. I'd rather have frogs. Call in your complaints now. When hurricanes
start hitting, you can forget about getting issues resolved for a long
time(months). The power crews will be more focused on getting power restored
than RFI complaints. I've still got one pole due north of me that I've been
fighting with FPL for some time. 10-20 over S9 noise on 2m is not fun.

The ARRL UHF Contest is coming up. Get ready.

Reminder, our next meeting will be at the QTH of Ivars, KC4PX on the 10 GHz
and Up contest weekend August 19,2006. Please bring your 10GHz and Up gear.
After the meeting we will fan out for contest points.

73 and good DX,
Walter K4HV