#naqcc

[n2qfd]

First sprint in years. Remembered why I don't like my Alinco HF. It's power settings are 100/10/1-W and for all the bells and whistles my TenTec is just a nicer radio with 4-W out and a smooth full break in.

[kq2rp]

Episode #3 - Sweat Through It!

Chris Del Plato, KQ2RP, is a very prolific CW operator and all around good guy. He's very active in numerous online amateur radio groups and posts regularly to his own website. He has accomplished QRP DXCC on 8 bands using simple wire antennas. Chris shares a lot of great insights and advice a

The dulcet tones of yours truly. Thanks to host Bruce Pea N9WKE!

https://www.ditdit.fm/shows/episode-3-sweat-through-the-mistakes

https://www.ditdit.fm/shows/episode-3-sweat-through-the-mistakes

[kq2rp]

DitDit.fm is a podcast celebrating morse code, the CW operating mode and amateur radio. The show is hosted by Bruce Pea, N9WKE, and features conversations with interesting CW operators, offers useful CW operating tips, and encourages amateur radio operators at all levels to get on the air, have fun and enjoy operating CW! Why dit dit... ?? At the very end of a CW contact you may hear the two stations sending dits at each other, this derives from the old expression, "shave and a haircut, two bits". It sounds like dit dit-dit dit dit, dit-dit. The first station will send the dit dit-dit dit dit and wait for the second station to send dit-dit in return. This was more popular on CW years ago, but you will still hear it today. A lot of times it will be shortened by just sending the final dit-dit, as in "73 K9IEK de N9WKE SK dit-dit". https://www.ditdit.fm/

[n2qfd]

NAQCC mW sprint was Tuesday nite. Wish I could have really worked the event but bedtime comes too early when you get up at 0430.

So, not a lot of bug operators in the flea power event. In amateur radio we generally break up stations by power class. .0001 - 1 Watt is a QRPp station, 1-5 watts is QRP (low power) and 6-100 watts QRO is normal operating power range. Then people do get amplifiers and run up to 500 watts. There’s no Q sign I know to describe this above normal power range.

The event was a 1 watt or less Sprint. The idea being that club members try to make as many contacts in the allotted time (2 hrs) as they can, preferably with other club members. NAQCC is the North American QRP CW Club so low power Morse Code across the northern quadrant of the western hemisphere. Exchange signal info (RST) state, and member number or wattage if non member.

I caught a guy in Illinois with 500 mW or half a watt on 40m (7mHz) and it was the first time running low power setting. My radio is a low power set by design and puts out 5 watts max! So when I saw low was 10% max I thought, let’s do this! I’ve made better than 1000 miles to the watt contacts. Well he was 560 some miles away so by ratio we did it again!

[n2qfd]

Been 15 years since I was a Net Control Station… and I don’t ever think I ran a CW net.

There’s some fear out there of being an NCS and I get it. It’s not like there aren’t nerves here too when I’m in the hot seat. But don’t ever think it’s an extraordinary thing you can’t do. If you’ve been checking into a net for a while you know the routines. It’s not hard to fill in and call the net now and again. Take the leap, your fellows will help you along and you’ll find there is even more to our hobby than you thought.

When you look around waiting for the thing you want to happen, don’t ask who’s gonna do it, ask for check ins (QNI,) take it slow, but do it.

[n2qfd]

Feel free to stop by the NAQCC sanctioned Slow Code Net, East Coast Net. It’s Thursday evenings 1930 Eastern time. 7.030+ as needed (often 7.030.8) 10wpm is the NCS set speed. You don’t need to be QRP to do the net.

KE4CR will call CQ ECN QNI and he’s looking for your call and name. Then we’ll run through the check ins in order. He’ll call you and ask for QRU that’s your turn to say hi to Craig the Net Control and the Net. Give him a signal report, send a one liner like how the day went or the weather. Nothing special just a sentence and then K, KN, or AR to let us know your thru and he’ll thank you send 73 and QRX to say your free to leave if you like.

It’s friendly, there’s no mistakes just CW heads getting used to doing a net and looking forward to hearing old calls from the weeks before or welcoming new calls to the roster. It runs about a half hour then he’ll ask again Last call QNI and if no more he’ll close the net QNF and when he signs we all (who stayed around to copy) send dit dit

[n2qfd]

I’ve had better sprints than last nights milliwatt sprint.

I copied today's #Morsle at 35 WPM! https://morsle.fun

Morsle - the daily Morse code challenge

[n2qfd]

I copied today's #Morsle at 35 WPM! https://morsle.fun

NAQCC mw sprint tonite 00:30z 20:30EDT

Morsle - the daily Morse code challenge