23 December

 Had an early get together with a few family members and played with my endfed antenna.  Made contact on 20 to Edmond Ok from Orange Park Fl.  I have several contacts on 80, 40, 20, 17 and 2 meters. Will focus now on 15, 12, 11(cb) and 10 now and the gulf nations as well as a contact to Wyoming from Florida.  As solar activity picks up conditions should allow it soon on my 20 wat rig.

Merry Christmas to all🤓

Thanksgiving has passed

 We now prepare for Christmas 🤓

Our tree on the table.

One of my Ham antennas over our fifth wheel.

Set up for the winter.

Putting up a third antenna.  Planning many adventures with my bride of nearly fourty years.

Back in Florida for the winter

 It is more humid this year compared to last year.  Had fun at MayPort campground on the navy base and now settling in in central Florida for the winter.  Will be seeing friends here and a visit to my brothers and more.

New dishwasher

 Got a countertop dishwasher🧐. We had one year’s ago it worked fine then.  It does force us to run it daily most days. Can’t do pots and pans or big bowls and aid fine for two retired folzks😎

This saved our power

 

Our third stay in Texas this trip.  When I plugged in the surge protector (without the power cord) I had an l1fault so I switched to our thirty amp surge, it showed a ground fault. We called it in and they gave us a new site and closed this one for repair .  

As you can see I also made my own plug to surge security lock.  Once I screwed it together I I used a chisel to damage the screw threads.  Now I leave the brass lock always connected an the red lock comes off so I can test with the surge guard by it’s self.

San Antonio for 2 weeks

 Kathy and I were both here around 79.  She was a nurse at Wilfred Hall Hospital and I was at Security Officers School Accross the street on Lackland AFB.

Now in 2020 we are back and retired camping in the area and visiting our old stomping ground. 

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San Angelo Texas

 Overnight stay on our way to San Antonio for a few weeks.  Kathy & my old stomping grounds in the 70’s & 80’s USAF👍

In Texas for a month

 In Texas for a month with first sunrise in our campground about 0728. ( out our front door)

First time on my radio in Texas aswell😎

Out Our Window

 On the move again 10/2/20 stopped to see our friends in Torrington Wyo for a few days as we move south for the winter.

Stovetop cornbread

 Stovetop corn bread from Ken Click (on YouTube) looks and taste great.  

I used powdered milk and egg substitute use it all the time now, no need for a DO or our RV oven for this now. 

Stormy Weather Ahead

Our fifth wheel to the right (above) and our e bikes are covered.

 

Getting use to our new rig

 Working 10 through 10 meters in the am in Aug.

 

Our fifth wheel

Looking for a new RV

Looking for a new RV, a little more living space.  We find that a fifth wheel thirty to thirty six feet and a 3/4 ton pick up.  This set up meets nearly all our wishes.

1.  More living space
2.  More modern electronics
3.  Can access nearly all RV parks/resorts/state & federal
4.  Can use truck stop semi fueling stations in many areas increasing our fueling options
5.

July is here

 With July comes heat in Wyoming so more early morning radio time.  I am using my 10 meter radio and a dipole, I can use fm on this unit and not on my regularHF radio.

I

 I am trying different tables and chairs to improve my comfort as well.

Solar and portable HAM

Set up in back yard on a picknic table I have a 12volt 12amp SLA charging behind the50 watt 2.5 amp solar panel than a 12volt 7amp SLA battery Hooked up to my radio.  Also on the table is a glass of water & coffee my notebook pencil and two antenna switcher.

Mobile HF

Mobile HF is working well on 10, 20 & (40 with tuning) without any counterpoise.

Here are a few photos.

Inverted V’s and NVIS

Inverted V’s and NVIS antennae’s are my gripes for the me the month or two.  Currently I have a 10, 20, and 40 inverted v’s in the yard along with an 80 meter NVIS ran along the backyard wooden fence about five feet off the ground. On 6/15 I picked up a net and could hear folks from mile city Montana, Cheyenne Wyoming.

I have the 10 meter on a 12 foot painters pole just off camera.  Here next to the picknick table I have a 23 foot painters pole do 20 and 40 meters. You can also see the wooden fence my NVIS is attached to. I am also trying a 160 meter NVIS.  One issue here are all the power lines close by but I am making som contacts.

Side note I heard folks on 10, 17, 20, 40 and 80 meters today🤓

Giving echo link a try

Down loaded EchoLink to my I phone will give it a try.  Just like DMR and fusion etc I call fall back to my analog 2 meter Or HF if the internet goes down.

160 meter NVIS antenna

Here is a shot down part of the fence I put 250 foot wire antenna on at five feet will try it for a few days all of 1.800 is below 2.0 SWR, 1900  not so much.

Setting up in Wyoming for a few months

We are back in Wyoming for our annual checkups and to see friends and family.

Below at the end of the shed is the 10, 12 & 17 meter  inverted V and a 30 foot 40 meter hamstick by the table. It feels good to be home and setup.

Current HAM bands I am using

Current Ham bands I am using are 80, 40, 20 with hamsticks.  I am trying on 10, 12, 15 and 17 with home made inverted V’s.  I am using the one I built when I got my Technician license a year ago with the President Lincoln 2+ 10 and 12 meter I bought back then. Some days I am hearing folks just have not connected and I have called CQ on 10, 12 will keep trying when I see the bands open and some times just because.

I also built a separate inverted V for use on 10 through 17 meters.  I built it for 10 then added two quick connection’s to also get 17 meters works fine with SWRs below 1.5.  A side benefit I can also lock up 12, 15 meters as well between .6 and 2.2 so added opportunity.

 Current setup with 2 hamsticks off the back ladder, I setup the radio and battery on the table under the canopy when in use outside.

 Here I have my 10 and 12 meter under my 11 meter (cb).

 My all band Xeigu G90.  Below I am trying to set up for digital mode, I am still trying to figure this one out🧐

Duel band inverted V

Here is my 10 & 20 meter inverted V SWR below 1.4.  It also covers 12, 15, 17 & 40 these have SWR’s between 1.4 and 2.

 One photo shows the top of the center pole at 15.5 feet, the other is an overview.

Broke out my old 10/12 meter radio

This was my technician license radio (10 meters only 28000-28500).  No contacts yet on 10 or 12 but will keep at it.

 Setup two inverted  V diepoles on a 12 foot painters pole.  One is resinent on 10 meters and one on 20.  This actually gives me the following usable bands 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, & 40 meters.

Setup two diepoles as inverted V’s on a 12 foot painters pole

My 1st and almost last HF (not uhf or vhf) radio.

 Above is my Baofeng ht.  I am glade I bought low cost radios to start this adventure with since by November 2019 I was ready to call it quits.  Meter analog has been Pretty dead for the past year only a few contacts in my travels.

 Here is my 10 meter on the bottom with my 2 meter liexen 898 on top.  I have a 7 amp SLA battery running them.  This past year 10 has also been very dead (bottom of solar cycle) so I was very disappointed.  I remembered my dad on his radios with alot of traffic.  So in November 2019 I had to make a decision stop with the ham radio as a lost cause or go for my General class and give it one more try.  I passed my General 7 December 2019 had a xiegu g 90 shortly thereafter.  While 2, 10, 12,  15 and 17 were dead 20, 40 and 80 where alive and semi well (as solar cycle starts to improve all will get better for about five to six years then start the decline around 2026).  Until around 2028 we will have all bands open most of the time.  As we approach the bottom of this new solar cycle we will once again start lose bands 10 - 17 till the next (11 year solar cycle starts up in around 2030).

So I am glad I stayed with it 10 through 160 are only going to improve.  Two meters will be around but I am glad I did not put much money there.  Pleas note 2 meter digital is doing well just few use analog anymore.  Some day I my buy a digital 2 meter ht but for now I will focus on 10 through 160.
I enjoy making contacts, building wire antenna’s and trying to figure out digital modes such as JS8 Call and PSK31.  I may try learning Morse code as well. 😎

President Lincoln 2+ on 10 & 12 meters

Pulled my first HF 10 meter radio.   Bought as soon as I got my Technician License so I could work the world in February 2019 “of course the band was dead”.  Here it is April 16 2020 and 10 meters is starting to wake up.

 Not able to make a contact yet with my thirty watt radio but I hear at least one side of each conversation so it is only a matter of time and some luck🤓

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all worked twenty and forty this morning had a good time🤓
Tried two meters and it is quite, to bad.  Several local hams said nearly everyone here uses d star or dmr.  I am saving for a 6-160 HF with built in tuner, then I may try err on two meters.

I am going to start working on Morse code now.  I also built a two meter antenna for the local nets on the weekends in the evenings.

Inverted V in the campground

With the virus we are not going to Kathy’s moms house any time soon so I put a 12 foot paint tree pole on top of a five foot pvc pipe so the V could be 17 feet high.  This gives a swr below 1.5.  I hope to reach Texas and part of Europe in the next few days in these poor band days.  This antenna is not as high as at Kathy’s mon but still should be better then the hamsticks for range and noise reduction😎

Below is a first attempt at a video.  Giving a very quick overview with no editing of course.

Trying digital

Still having issues setting up my radio to my net book.  Now that we are in social spacing it will take a while for me to figure it out.  But that is a big part of learning🧐
I am learning a lot about PSK Reporter. JS8 and PSK31

Below are two snapshots of psk reporter one for psk 31 and js8.  Also the map shows the day and night line around the world.  In this case it is early morning.