It finally happened! I had a radio contact with Australia!
I was participating again with the PACC contest. While searching up and down the 20m band for points to score I heard VK2YI. It really was, unbelievable. His signal was just as strong as many of the European stations I was working for the contest. When I answered his CQ he could hear me, and even gave me a 57 report! My 59 report confirmed the contact from my side and made the QSO official.
It finally happened! I had a radio contact with Australia!
I was participating again with the PACC contest. While searching up and down the 20m band for points to score I heard VK2YI. It really was, unbelievable. His signal was just as strong as many of the European stations I was working for the contest. When I answered his CQ he could hear me, and even gave me a 57 report! My 59 report confirmed the contact from my side and made the QSO official.
This year I partook in the PACC Contest. I even wrote a post about it. The final results were posted in Electron this month.
My claimed score of my submitted log was 1830 points with 61 QSOs. After the logs were checked against all other submissions it appeared I had a few wrongly logged QSOs. My end score was: 1537 points. With that score I reached place 116 in the category Single Operator SSB Low Power (<100W).
This year I cleared my schedule entirely for the second weekend of Februari so that I could partake in the Dutch PACC contest. 24 hours where all antennas of the world are pointed in my direction! This was my chance to make some QSOs.
I’m not a hard-core contester. My goal wasn’t to make as many contacts as possible. I just wanted to take advantage of being a wanted station and get the opportunity to finally contact some other stations. I have partaken in the contest a few times before. The first time by accident, a few years ago because I had some free time that weekend. This year I held off all other activities and appointments.
It finally happened! I had a radio contact with Australia!
I was participating again with the PACC contest. While searching up and down the 20m band for points to score I heard VK2YI. It really was, unbelievable. His signal was just as strong as many of the European stations I was working for the contest. When I answered his CQ he could hear me, and even gave me a 57 report! My 59 report confirmed the contact from my side and made the QSO official.
It finally happened! I had a radio contact with Australia!
I was participating again with the PACC contest. While searching up and down the 20m band for points to score I heard VK2YI. It really was, unbelievable. His signal was just as strong as many of the European stations I was working for the contest. When I answered his CQ he could hear me, and even gave me a 57 report! My 59 report confirmed the contact from my side and made the QSO official.
I am a man of many hobbies. Last summer I rekindled an old hobby.
Museum shops
It started in a museum shop in Sweden. It is one of my favorite things in a musuem to visit. I hardly ever buy anything, but I like to look at the stuff they sell there.
We were at Moderna Museet in Stockholm - Sweden. I went into the museum shop before I went into the museum itself. On one of the shelves I saw a few Lomography simple use reloadable film camera's.
I am a man of many hobbies. Last summer I rekindled an old hobby.
Museum shops
It started in a museum shop in Sweden. It is one of my favorite things in a musuem to visit. I hardly ever buy anything, but I like to look at the stuff they sell there.
We were at Moderna Museet in Stockholm - Sweden. I went into the museum shop before I went into the museum itself. On one of the shelves I saw a few Lomography simple use reloadable film camera's.
On January 12, 2024 I became a member of the Amsterdam DX Certificate
(ADXC). This is an award for contacting Amsterdam HAM operators. If
you work an ADXC amature you get one point. If you have 6 points,
you are eligible for the award.
Rules
Contact 6 ADXC-member amatures, you get the award. Since this is an
Amsterdam award, if you live in or near Amsterdam it would become
a lot easier to contact AXDC-members. Amatures in the Dutch regions
02 and 04 need to work 10 ADXC-members to get the certificate.
On January 12, 2024 I became a member of the Amsterdam DX Certificate
(ADXC). This is an award for contacting Amsterdam HAM operators. If
you work an ADXC amature you get one point. If you have 6 points,
you are eligible for the award.
Rules
Contact 6 ADXC-member amatures, you get the award. Since this is an
Amsterdam award, if you live in or near Amsterdam it would become
a lot easier to contact AXDC-members. Amatures in the Dutch regions
02 and 04 need to work 10 ADXC-members to get the certificate.
On January 12, 2024 I became a member of the Amsterdam DX Certificate
(ADXC). This is an award for contacting Amsterdam HAM operators. If
you work an ADXC amature you get one point. If you have 6 points,
you are eligible for the award.
Rules
Contact 6 ADXC-member amatures, you get the award. Since this is an
Amsterdam award, if you live in or near Amsterdam it would become
a lot easier to contact AXDC-members. Amatures in the Dutch regions
02 and 04 need to work 10 ADXC-members to get the certificate.
On January 12, 2024 I became a member of the Amsterdam DX Certificate
(ADXC). This is an award for contacting Amsterdam HAM operators. If
you work an ADXC amature you get one point. If you have 6 points,
you are eligible for the award.
Rules
Contact 6 ADXC-member amatures, you get the award. Since this is an
Amsterdam award, if you live in or near Amsterdam it would become
a lot easier to contact AXDC-members. Amatures in the Dutch regions
02 and 04 need to work 10 ADXC-members to get the certificate.
On January 12, 2024 I became a member of the Amsterdam DX Certificate
(ADXC). This is an award for contacting Amsterdam HAM operators. If
you work an ADXC amature you get one point. If you have 6 points,
you are eligible for the award.
Rules
Contact 6 ADXC-member amatures, you get the award. Since this is an
Amsterdam award, if you live in or near Amsterdam it would become
a lot easier to contact AXDC-members. Amatures in the Dutch regions
02 and 04 need to work 10 ADXC-members to get the certificate.
So I got this new radio, the Xiegu X6100. It is a nice little thing that can do a lot! It can do 5W on battery power, SSB, CW, FM, AM, and of course Digital. One of the best things is that it has a built-in sound card. This means that you can hook it up to your laptop via USB-C without the need for additional interfaces.
So I got this new radio, the Xiegu X6100. It is a nice little thing that can do a lot! It can do 5W on battery power, SSB, CW, FM, AM, and of course Digital. One of the best things is that it has a built-in sound card. This means that you can hook it up to your laptop via USB-C without the need for additional interfaces.
So I got this new radio, the Xiegu X6100. It is a nice little thing that can do a lot! It can do 5W on battery power, SSB, CW, FM, AM, and of course Digital. One of the best things is that it has a built-in sound card. This means that you can hook it up to your laptop via USB-C without the need for additional interfaces.
So I got this new radio, the Xiegu X6100. It is a nice little thing that can do a lot! It can do 5W on battery power, SSB, CW, FM, AM, and of course Digital. One of the best things is that it has a built-in sound card. This means that you can hook it up to your laptop via USB-C without the need for additional interfaces.
My latest addition to the shack is the Xiegu X6100. It is a QRP transceiver for HF and 50 MHz. It can do up to 5W on battery power, and 10W when connected to an external power source.
This radio is going to go with me on trips to the outdoors and of course on vacation. The compact form factor makes it tremendously suitable for this.
So, I have this Xiegu X6100. It is basically a GNU/Linux machine running a dedicated radio application. I wanted to connect it to my WiFi network, but I could not manage to get it to connect.
I tried some different networks, and found out that it cannot connect to the WiFi if you have a space in the password. It just doesn’t want to connect. I got it to work from the command line. Here is what I did with my Macbook Pro and the radio.
Today the Xiegu X6100 arrived on my doorstep. Of course I had to play with it and try some of the features. I was able to make a short QSO with EG3HAM.
My plan is to go outdoors with it this weekend, and see what it can do.
Since 2011 I have been running my own server. I use it to send and receive e-mail, host my website, do some programming. You know, the basic stuff.
Recently I was looking for a self-hosted calendar server and came across the awesome selfhosted Git repository. Among the calendar servers were some other nifty web applications you can host yourself.
TimeTagger
TimeTagger is an app that lets you track the time you spend on stuff. I use it mainly for work stuff where I want to keep track of how much time I spend on various aspects of my work.
When I start reading and answering e-mail, I start a TimeTagger activity. When I switch to writing some code I start a new activity. This allows me to record all my spent time during the day.
Since 2011 I have been running my own server. I use it to send and receive e-mail, host my website, do some programming. You know, the basic stuff.
Recently I was looking for a self-hosted calendar server and came across the awesome selfhosted Git repository. Among the calendar servers were some other nifty web applications you can host yourself.
TimeTagger
TimeTagger is an app that lets you track the time you spend on stuff. I use it mainly for work stuff where I want to keep track of how much time I spend on various aspects of my work.
When I start reading and answering e-mail, I start a TimeTagger activity. When I switch to writing some code I start a new activity. This allows me to record all my spent time during the day.
I have been fascinated by morse code since I first came into contact with the airwaves. After I bought my first morse key I needed something to produce the beep when pressing down the key. That is when I built my own morse beeper with the help of some family members who are more proficiant in electronics.
The build
The beeper is quite simple (it was my first real soldering project so it wasn't supposed to be too complicated). It uses a NE-555 for the tone generation.
I have been fascinated by morse code since I first came into contact with the airwaves. After I bought my first morse key I needed something to produce the beep when pressing down the key. That is when I built my own morse beeper with the help of some family members who are more proficiant in electronics.
The build
The beeper is quite simple (it was my first real soldering project so it wasn't supposed to be too complicated). It uses a NE-555 for the tone generation.
CW and Morse (or Morse Code) are often used interchangeably within the HAM community. They are related, certainly, but they are not synonyms. It bothers me when they are used as though they were.
What is CW?
CW stands for Continuous Wave. It is a method of transmitting radio signals by switching the carrier on and off in certain patterns. It uses a constant frequency and a constant amplitude.
I have been fascinated by morse code since I first came into contact with the airwaves. After I bought my first morse key I needed something to produce the beep when pressing down the key. That is when I built my own morse beeper with the help of some family members who are more proficiant in electronics.
The build
The beeper is quite simple (it was my first real soldering project so it wasn't supposed to be too complicated). It uses a NE-555 for the tone generation.
CW and Morse (or Morse Code) are often used interchangeably within the HAM community. They are related, certainly, but they are not synonyms. It bothers me when they are used as though they were.
What is CW?
CW stands for Continuous Wave. It is a method of transmitting radio signals by switching the carrier on and off in certain patterns. It uses a constant frequency and a constant amplitude.
Recently I wanted to add some repeaters to my CRT Electro UV. It is quite a cumbersome procedure.
Changing settings
Enter the menu with Fun
Use V/M and Main as up and down keys to browse through the menu
When you reach the setting, use Mon to enter the setting
Now you can use Up and Down to set the value
When all settings have been set correctly, use Fun to go back to the main screen
Storing the preset
On the mic press A/Fun and then the UP key on the mic
This puts you in "store" mode
Use Up and Down on the mic to select the memory bank you want to store
Now long press */Mon on the mic to store the preset in the memory bank
Setting repeater shift
Through the menu you can set the repeater offset. However, there is no option to set the repeater shift (+, -, off) through the menu.
You have to use A/Fun + 9/Rpt to cycle through +, -, and off.
The CRT Electro UV is my latest transceiver. It covers both the 2m and 70cm bands.
I got it to work the local and national repeaters without having to fire up my main radio, and to use it from the car when traveling.
It took me a while to figure out how the radio works, especially the menu-system. There seem to be two separate menus: the quick menu, and the detailed menu. Once in the detailed menu, it is difficult to get back to the quick menu.
Recently I wanted to add some repeaters to my CRT Electro UV. It is quite a cumbersome procedure.
Changing settings
Enter the menu with Fun
Use V/M and Main as up and down keys to browse through the menu
When you reach the setting, use Mon to enter the setting
Now you can use Up and Down to set the value
When all settings have been set correctly, use Fun to go back to the main screen
Storing the preset
On the mic press A/Fun and then the UP key on the mic
This puts you in "store" mode
Use Up and Down on the mic to select the memory bank you want to store
Now long press */Mon on the mic to store the preset in the memory bank
Setting repeater shift
Through the menu you can set the repeater offset. However, there is no option to set the repeater shift (+, -, off) through the menu.
You have to use A/Fun + 9/Rpt to cycle through +, -, and off.
The CRT Electro UV is my latest transceiver. It covers both the 2m and 70cm bands.
I got it to work the local and national repeaters without having to fire up my main radio, and to use it from the car when traveling.
It took me a while to figure out how the radio works, especially the menu-system. There seem to be two separate menus: the quick menu, and the detailed menu. Once in the detailed menu, it is difficult to get back to the quick menu.
Recently I wanted to add some repeaters to my CRT Electro UV. It is quite a cumbersome procedure.
Changing settings
Enter the menu with Fun
Use V/M and Main as up and down keys to browse through the menu
When you reach the setting, use Mon to enter the setting
Now you can use Up and Down to set the value
When all settings have been set correctly, use Fun to go back to the main screen
Storing the preset
On the mic press A/Fun and then the UP key on the mic
This puts you in "store" mode
Use Up and Down on the mic to select the memory bank you want to store
Now long press */Mon on the mic to store the preset in the memory bank
Setting repeater shift
Through the menu you can set the repeater offset. However, there is no option to set the repeater shift (+, -, off) through the menu.
You have to use A/Fun + 9/Rpt to cycle through +, -, and off.
So, I have this Xiegu X6100. It is basically a GNU/Linux machine running a dedicated radio application. I wanted to connect it to my WiFi network, but I could not manage to get it to connect.
I tried some different networks, and found out that it cannot connect to the WiFi if you have a space in the password. It just doesn’t want to connect. I got it to work from the command line. Here is what I did with my Macbook Pro and the radio.
Recently I wanted to add some repeaters to my CRT Electro UV. It is quite a cumbersome procedure.
Changing settings
Enter the menu with Fun
Use V/M and Main as up and down keys to browse through the menu
When you reach the setting, use Mon to enter the setting
Now you can use Up and Down to set the value
When all settings have been set correctly, use Fun to go back to the main screen
Storing the preset
On the mic press A/Fun and then the UP key on the mic
This puts you in "store" mode
Use Up and Down on the mic to select the memory bank you want to store
Now long press */Mon on the mic to store the preset in the memory bank
Setting repeater shift
Through the menu you can set the repeater offset. However, there is no option to set the repeater shift (+, -, off) through the menu.
You have to use A/Fun + 9/Rpt to cycle through +, -, and off.
The CRT Electro UV is my latest transceiver. It covers both the 2m and 70cm bands.
I got it to work the local and national repeaters without having to fire up my main radio, and to use it from the car when traveling.
It took me a while to figure out how the radio works, especially the menu-system. There seem to be two separate menus: the quick menu, and the detailed menu. Once in the detailed menu, it is difficult to get back to the quick menu.
My main hand held portable radio is the Baofeng UV-82. It is a simple and cheap radio.
It has two channels (A and B) where you can listen to separate frequencies. One of the nicest features is that it also has two PTT-buttons, one for channel A and one for channel B. This allows you to easily switch between the two. Just by the press of a button.
My main hand held portable radio is the Baofeng UV-82. It is a simple and cheap radio.
It has two channels (A and B) where you can listen to separate frequencies. One of the nicest features is that it also has two PTT-buttons, one for channel A and one for channel B. This allows you to easily switch between the two. Just by the press of a button.
Zaterdag 2 september 2023 was het zo ver. Eindelijk was het weer velddag. Voor mij was het de allereerste keer dat ik erbij was. Voor anderen was het alweer de zoveelste keer. Aanwezig waren leden van Veron afdeling a04 - Amsterdam. De locatie was een stukje terrein van de golfclub in Zaandam. Zo ver buiten de stad zouden we nauwelijks last moeten hebben van QRM.
We verzamelden om 10 uur om op te bouwen. Er werd een legertent opgebouwd, een drie-elements yagi in elkaar gezet, en nog diverse draadantennes opgespannen.
Zaterdag 2 september 2023 was het zo ver. Eindelijk was het weer velddag. Voor mij was het de allereerste keer dat ik erbij was. Voor anderen was het alweer de zoveelste keer. Aanwezig waren leden van Veron afdeling a04 - Amsterdam. De locatie was een stukje terrein van de golfclub in Zaandam. Zo ver buiten de stad zouden we nauwelijks last moeten hebben van QRM.
We verzamelden om 10 uur om op te bouwen. Er werd een legertent opgebouwd, een drie-elements yagi in elkaar gezet, en nog diverse draadantennes opgespannen.
This year I partook in the PACC Contest. I even wrote a post about it. The final results were posted in Electron this month.
My claimed score of my submitted log was 1830 points with 61 QSOs. After the logs were checked against all other submissions it appeared I had a few wrongly logged QSOs. My end score was: 1537 points. With that score I reached place 116 in the category Single Operator SSB Low Power (<100W).
This year I cleared my schedule entirely for the second weekend of Februari so that I could partake in the Dutch PACC contest. 24 hours where all antennas of the world are pointed in my direction! This was my chance to make some QSOs.
I’m not a hard-core contester. My goal wasn’t to make as many contacts as possible. I just wanted to take advantage of being a wanted station and get the opportunity to finally contact some other stations. I have partaken in the contest a few times before. The first time by accident, a few years ago because I had some free time that weekend. This year I held off all other activities and appointments.
The Yaesu FT-897 is my main radio. It is an all-mode, all-band transceiver, and can generate 100Watt on most bands.
The bands it supports are 160-10m, 6m, 2m, 70cm, and it can do all modes (SSB, AM, FM, CW, Digi) on all those bands.
I bought this radio second hand years ago. It still works fine. I use it most often when on HF, because the 100W output gets me heard much better than the 10W of my Xiegu.
My latest addition to the shack is the Xiegu X6100. It is a QRP transceiver for HF and 50 MHz. It can do up to 5W on battery power, and 10W when connected to an external power source.
This radio is going to go with me on trips to the outdoors and of course on vacation. The compact form factor makes it tremendously suitable for this.
So, I have this Xiegu X6100. It is basically a GNU/Linux machine running a dedicated radio application. I wanted to connect it to my WiFi network, but I could not manage to get it to connect.
I tried some different networks, and found out that it cannot connect to the WiFi if you have a space in the password. It just doesn’t want to connect. I got it to work from the command line. Here is what I did with my Macbook Pro and the radio.
Today the Xiegu X6100 arrived on my doorstep. Of course I had to play with it and try some of the features. I was able to make a short QSO with EG3HAM.
My plan is to go outdoors with it this weekend, and see what it can do.
The Yaesu FT-897 is my main radio. It is an all-mode, all-band transceiver, and can generate 100Watt on most bands.
The bands it supports are 160-10m, 6m, 2m, 70cm, and it can do all modes (SSB, AM, FM, CW, Digi) on all those bands.
I bought this radio second hand years ago. It still works fine. I use it most often when on HF, because the 100W output gets me heard much better than the 10W of my Xiegu.
This year I partook in the PACC Contest. I even wrote a post about it. The final results were posted in Electron this month.
My claimed score of my submitted log was 1830 points with 61 QSOs. After the logs were checked against all other submissions it appeared I had a few wrongly logged QSOs. My end score was: 1537 points. With that score I reached place 116 in the category Single Operator SSB Low Power (<100W).
