Rare second post
Another year, another vacation coming to an end. This morning we left a deposit on our cabin for the same time next year. Unfortunately, that's 52 weeks away. Lord willing, we'll make it back up here. Who knows, maybe this time next year I'll actually be retired and won't quite dread returning home so much. Mind you, it's not home that I dread returning to. It's work. After 46 continuous years of work days, I've had just about enough.
Right now, the lawn maintenance people are busy outside, cutting grass and trimming. Once they are finished, I'll set up one last time to give out some contacts from US-2001. It's not quite so hot today as it has been, but I'll probably drape a white towel over the KX3 to reflect some of the sun's rays away.
The weekend forecast for home shows a flash flood watch has been issued for today and tomorrow. Sunday is the Sussex ARC Hamfest, probably ranked as the biggest, or at least one of the top two biggest Hamfests in New Jersey. That's a good hour's ride from home. After driving home tomorrow, and then going to pick up Harold from my sister, I doubt I'll be in a driving mood come Sunday morning. I'm not in the market for any gear, but it's always nice to run into familiar faces.
On a side note, I did not bring the laptop with me. I've been doing all the computer stuff that I need to do with a (very) old Samsung Galaxy tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard. It has worked out pretty well, above comic notwithstanding.Β The tablet was originally mine, but I gave it to Marianne when hers gave up the ghost. After a few years of her using it, I bought her a new one last Christmas. This one has a few cracks in its glass and the processor is notably, and sometimes maddeningly slow, but it does what I need it to do, eventually. I have been able to keep up with Skeeter Hunt number requests ..... we're up to 123 now, and I've been able to add my POTA QSOs to their database. I've also been able to keep up with the Ham Radio blogs that I read and of course, my daily needed dose of comic strips. You know, the important stuff!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Another 10 stations in the log.Β I have to be upfront about this. This isn't a POTA vacation like some of the real die-hards do. This is a time to be away with family and just to enjoy each other and our down time together. Nonetheless, they do respect my love for Amateur Radio and afford me some solo time for my favorite pasttime.
The set up of the crappie pole and PAR ENDFEDZ went like a hot knife through butter. Easier, and it went up even more quickly than expected. Literally in a matter of minutes, the antenna was up and ready to go. Hindsight being 20/20, the Jackite pole would have been the better option, giving me an additional 10 feet in height. That's on my mental list for next year. Tear down and stowaway went just as smoothly.
This is going to be a long post. In our last episode, I was telling you all about the musings and thoughts I have had about the original W2LJ ...... who he was and what he was like.Β The experience I have had over the past couple of days has just been amazing and more than I could ever have hoped for.
In my Google search, I had mentioned that Ed and Norma had a daughter. I also saw in the Google results that his daughter has a Facebook page. Not totally sure that I would be addressing the right person, I decided to send a Facebook message, anyway. I introduced myself and explained why I was contacting her. After all, I didn't want her to think that some creepy stranger from out of left field was contacting her for nefarious reasons. Lord, knows, we have enough of that, these days. Between scams, phishing and other evil intentions, I wanted his daughter to know this was harmless.
I didn't know what to expect, or even if I would ever get a reply. What happened next was one of the most gracious and kind exchanges from Carmen, Ted's (as he preferred to be known) daughter, and his grandson, Jon. Two of the most remarkable people who I am so glad to know, and will be eternally grateful to.
Carmen answered me via e-mail. (I have their permission to post - I would never do that without their consent):
Hi!
Yes, I am the daughter (and only child) of Edward (Ted) Roscoe Swoffer who was a ham radio operator since adolescence.Β He was born and brought up in Walnut Grove, Minnesota one of eight children. He signed up for duty in World War !! And served on submarine duty (Peto and the Albacore).Β The Albacore was torpedoed shortly after he got off to marry my mom.Β He studied Electrical Engineering at Penn State and worked for Singer Link in Binghamton for many years.Β He and my mom (Norma) were amazing grandparents to my three children and I am so grateful.
My father was very quiet and humble, never boasting of his many accomplishments.Β Β He was not very social, although well liked by all.Β I am not sure what all those letters mean concerning his equipment etc.Β Β I do have many of his postcards from far and near and would be glad to send you one.Β Let me know if you have further questions and let me know your address if you want one of his postcards from other ham operators.Β I donated a Morse Code machine and some other stuff to a local museum called Tech Works.
I look forward to your response!
Carmen
Wow! I was floored! I was hoping for some kind of response and was so glad to receive such a warm and welcoming one!
I had cross posted to the AmateurRadio.com site hoping that other folks who might have known Ted would offer some tid bits about him. His grandson Jon replied there:
Hi Larry β Thanks so much for your post and your curiosity. Ted Swoffer (βPappyβ to his grandkids) was my grandfather. He was a great one. So much I could share with you about him. He started building radios as a kid in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, had multiple tours of duty in the pacific theater in WWII as a radio/sonar guy aboard two USN submarines (USS Albacore and USS Peto), and after the war graduated from Penn State with an engineering degree. Joined Singer Link in Binghamton, NY as an aeronautical engineer, working on flight simulators for several warbirds. While I spent much of my childhood being fascinated with his many hobbies, he was a quiet man. And amateur radio remained something that he did by himself. Perhaps thatβs why nobody else in the family continued the craft. I think he would be so pleased to know that his call sign lives on through you.
And Jon also sent me an e-mail:
Hi Larry - attached is a wartime photo of Ted Swoffer. Β Also attached is a picture of a collage of post cards to W2LJ from all over the world that I made a few years ago.Β Β
Iβll look through other things to see if I have any other W2LJ stuff I could send you
And also from Jon:
Larry - thanks for sharing! Β Very cool to see the W2LJ license plate. Β
And here's the photos that both Carmen and Jon sent.
Ted, the original W2LJ was an amazing man! And to borrow a radio term, I found some resonance between him and my own Dad. Both faithfully and bravely served in the Armed Forces during WWII. While Ted was a Navy sonarman, my Dad's first assignment with the Signal Corp was a detachment to the joint British/American team that was developing enhancements to radar. Unlike Ted, my Dad never went on to getting an Amateur Radio license. Perhaps that skipped a generation and was my destiny.
I often wonder about Edward Swoffer. He was the original W2LJ before I took on the call sign. Ed lived in Binghamton, NY and other than that, I know not much about him.
Was he an SSB guy? Was he a CW devotee like I am? Was he into DX? Traffic Handling? Or maybe he was just an inveterate rag chewer? By some oddball chance, could he have been a QRPer? What clubs, if any, did he belong to? Did he participate in Field Day with his Ham buddies? What kind of station did he have? What was his antenna farm like? A search on Google maps shows their address (which is public info) has a decent sized back yard with lots of trees. I'm betting he was a wire antenna guy.
He was an Amateur Extra, so I have to believe that, at least for a while, he was more than just a casual operator.Β
Doing a Google search on W2LJ doesn't lead to anything other than stuff about me. By doing some digging on the name Edward Swoffer AND Binghamton, NY I was able to find out that Ed was born in 1919 and died in 1993. That makes him two years older than my Dad.Β He was married to Norma Thompson who passed away in October 2009, They had a daughter who earned a degree in Philosophy. Other than that, zip.
Why the fascination? No reason, really. It's just that it would be neat to sit down and talk with him and find out if we have anything else in common besides being W2LJ. Or, for that matter, a family member who could tell me more about him.
What would be the icing on the cake would be to somehow acquire one of his QSL cards. THAT would be a treasure!
History was my favorite subject in school. As a kid, I loved reading biographies and still do. I have an appreciation for things from the past. It would be fun to know more about the original W2LJ.
72 de Larry (the current W2LJ)
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Logbook of the World seems to be back. I was able to log on and see my QSOs - which reminds me, I haven't done an upload in a while. I'll make sure to do that over the long holiday weekend. I also checked to see if our July 13th VE Session was removed from the calendar. It wasn't, even though I had sent an e-mail to the ARRL requesting that be done. I received a reply informing me that they still could not access that server. I'll be away that day and rather than put the onus on someone else to act as "Liaison for the Day", I decided to cancel.
Our annual trip to Lake George will be happening soon.Β This year, in addition to the AlexLoop and the AX1, I'm going to bring along the PAR ENDFEDZ 40-20-10 as well as my drive on mast base and my 20 foot crappie pole. I'd like to bring the Jackite, but it doesn't slip into the mast holder - it's too wide/thick. Usually, each time we go up to the Lake, I take some time to head up to Mt. Prospect (which is not a SOTA peak) and set up in the parking lot that is near the summit. There's a solitary picnic table there (in the parking lot!) and in the past I've parked the car some 20-30 feet away and have used the end fed as a sloper. There are other picnics tables in a wooded grassy area off to the side, but those are usually occupied by picnickers. Who wants to picnic in a parking lot, right? I usually have that table to myself. I can do a POTA activation as it's part of the Adirondack State Park - US-2001.
We had a CERT meeting in town last night and Marv K2VHW and I were asked to do some kind of licensing class for the CERT members in town. The two words I hate to hear the most were bandied about - "Ham Cram".Β I know Marv feels the same way I do. But what I'm thinking is maybe to have a period of reading the licensing manual beforehand with some Zoom meetings interspersed where we can answer questions and explain more "difficult" topics culminating in a day of review - the "cram" - followed by the exam session.
Looking at the QRP Labs website, I'm calculating that based on the number of built kits that leave the factory every month, I may see my QMX sometime in August. It would be neat to have it for the Skeeter Hunt. I was smitten by that HB-1B that I was given the opportunity to play with. I'm looking forward to adding the QMX to my small herd of radios.
Finally, I signed up and am Bumble Bee # 57 for this year's FOBB. The Heinz Bee - LOL! I will probably head over to Cotton Street Park for the event, although if I decide to head up to Washington Rock State Park it would be a two-fer ...... FOBB and a POTA activation.
Thirteen Colonies started Sunday night, I guess. I've no interest in participating in that at all, for reasons which I will not go into here. The best I can say about it is that it generates a lot of activity on the bands. I'll leave it at that.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Β Spartan Sprint QRP CW EventΒ
The monthly Spartan Sprint QRP CW event will be this coming Monday evening.Β (This is UTC Tuesday from 0000z-0200z).
No membership required - theΒ Spartan Sprint is open to all.
If you have never tried running 5 watt QRP CW, here is a chance to try it. Most modern rigs can be turned down to 5 watts.
During QRP CW events everyone is listening for weaker signals - you will be surprised to find out what 5 watts CW can do.
More information can be found at :Β Β https://ars-qrp.comΒ
73,
Jody - K3JZD
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BTW, NJ POTA folks. Today starts the new fiscal year for New Jersey. The "holiday" for free entry into NJ State parks has ended. For a lot of them (but not all), there is now a $5 entry fee. Seniors can continue to get in for free by applying for a special permitΒ https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/getinvolved/stateparkpass.html
I filled mine out, I have to get it in the mail.
And lest I forget ......
Happy Canada Day to all our brother and sister Amateur Radio ops north of the border!
72 de Larry W2LJΒ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Β 2024 Flight of the Bumblebees
The annual Flight of the Bumblebees will be held on Sunday, July 28, 2024.
The eventΒ will be in a four hour daytime window, from 1700 to 2100 UTC.
This casual QRP CW event consists of 'Bumblebees' who are operating portable stations at outdoor locations, and 'Home Stations' who try to work as many of these 'Bumblebees' as possible.
This event is open to all operators.Β Anywhere.Β Being at the top of the sunspot cycle, this year'sΒ event has the potential to be very interesting.
Operators who want to go out and setup a portable station at some outdoor location, and be a highly sought after 'Bumblebee', need to obtain a "Bumblebee Number".Β
The window for obtaining your 2024 'Bumblebee Number' is now Open.
The https://ars-qrp.com web site will explain the whole process.
I'll be out there as a 'Bumblebee' - hoping to work you during the event.
72,
Jody - K3JZD - 4SQRP 1196
ββ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TheΒ VE Session at the W2QW Raritan Valley Radio Club Hamfest was a mixed bag. We ended up with 8 candidates. One gentleman was an Amateur Extra who let his license lapse. He successfully passed the Element 2 Technician exam and will get his Extra privileges reinstated.
Two other General Class Hams upgraded to Amateur Extra in advance of that question pool changing at Midnight tonight, and we gained one new Technician. Unfortunately, four candidates walked away empty handed.
A bit of a rant. I send each candidate who contacts me in advance with an e-mail that contains EVERYTHING they need to know about the exam session - date, time, location, and all they need to bring with them. I also include links to the proper places to get an FRN and where they can fill out a 605 form.
Everyone showed up at 8:30 and we started exams promptly at 9:00 AM. A little after 9:30, a candidate showed up to whom I had sent that e-mail several months ago. He had no FRN, no Form 605 and was totally unprepared. Normally, I would have tried to accomodate, but helping him get started from scratch would have been disruptive to the rest of the group. I asked him to come to our next regular session.
I just don't understand how someone can come so late and so unprepared when such pains are taken to make sure they have as smooth and problem free an experience as possible. If only he had followed instructions!!! Argh! I hate it when stuff like that happens.
After the exam session ended, I had intended to walk the flea market, but there were other chores to accomplish. I really didn't need anything, but it would have been nice to hook up with friends. Maybe at the Sussex Hamfest in about two weeks.
72 de Larry W2LJΒ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
For many? Yes.Β For W2LJ? Not quite.
I will be conducting a VE Session at the W2QW Raritan Valley Radio Club Hamfest at the Piscataway High School parking lot at 9:00 AM.
But for the rest of you:
Contests:
None this weekend. Hmmmmm .... I guess everyone is still in "Recovery Mode" from Field Day.
Special Events:
06/29/2024 | 83d Annual National Speleological Society (NSS) Convention
Jun 29-Jul 6, 1700Z-2200Z, N4V, Sewanee, TN. National Speleological Society K7NSS. 7.050 7.195 14.050 14.285. QSL. Sam Rowe KG9NG, 2749 Commercial Ave, Madison, WI 53704. N4V@NSSCES.ORG
06/30/2024 | Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Special Event Station
Jun 30-Jul 1, 1500Z-0300Z, N7GMH, Prescott, AZ. Yavapai Amateur Radio Club. 14.319 Β±QRM 7.219 Β±QRM 21.319 Β± QRM 18.119 Β±QRM. Certificate. Mike Belanger, W1DGL, 219 W Leroux St, Apt. 202, Prescott, AZ 86303. This event is open to the public. More details, including QSL information is at http://www.qrz,com.db/n7gmh https://www.w7yrc.org/granite-mountain-hotshots
I have an ETS of NJ Club meeting tonight, where I will return to Dave W2OIL his HB-1B transceiver and accessories. I hope the meeting doesn't go long as I have to be up at 4:00 AM on Saturday. In addition to conducting the VE Session, I also help the RVRC by directing vendors to their parking spots. They're supposed to arrive at 6:00 AM, but many start coming as soon as 5:00 AM.
I'm hoping that after the VE Session, I can walk the Hamfest. I really don't need too much of anything, but could always use some power connectors (3.5mm and 2.5mm - NOT Powerpoles - I don't like them) and the like. But, you never know what may hit your eye. Maybe a new HT antenna or a unique project box or something like that.
I'm also hoping Sunday will be "don't do too much of anything" kind of day. The forecast for Sunday is scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, so there might not be much radio for W2LJ.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
During the middle of the night on Saturday/Sunday, I got a low battery voltage warning on the KX3. That struck me as odd, as I had recently charged up my 12V 10 Ah battery. I was expecting it to last the entirety of Field Day.Β But in the heat of battle you really don't think twice about it, so I took it off line and hastily replaced with a recently purchased 12v 5 Ah battery that I had gotten about two weeks ago. THAT battery lasted the second half of Field Day without a whimper.
When I got home from work on Monday, I put the 10 Ah battery on my charger and was getting a battery failure indication. It was reading at a level of 10V and 0% capacity and would not accept a charge, I was wondering how can this be? It was purchased new and I haven't put it through nearly enough cycles to have exhausted it. I figured it must be a battery charger fault, so I hooked up the 5 Ah battery to the charger to see what it said. The 5 Ah (which was in use for roughly the same amount of time, if not more) was down to only 11.8 Volts and had 89% capacity left in it! And the charger's fan started running as soon as I hooked it up.
No charger fault - I got a bad 12V 10 Ah battery. Dang!
I don't remember where I purchased it, whether it was from eBay or Amazon, but it doesn't matter. Its not like you can return a battery some 11 months after you've bought it online. I had purchased it after the 2023 Skeeter Hunt when my last deep cycle battery gave up the ghost. I don't want to be scrambling for electrons during the Hunt this year, so I went on eBay and found an economically (cheaply) priced 12V 10 Ah Deep Cycle Gel Cell battery.
I know, you guys are probably thinking, why didn't he go lithium?Β Price mainly, but also because I don't feel like purchasing a dedicated lithium battery charger. I once ruined a small lithium battery by not using the correct charger on it and I don't want to relive that escapade. I learned that lesson well. However, should this battery not last longer than a cycle or two, I guess I'll bite the bullet. Maybe spending a little more right now would be the right thing to do in the long run, but I guess I'm too frugal to have reached that point yet.
It should be at my house in about a week - long before it's needed for the Skeeter Hunt on August 18th - which, by the way, we've had 93 sign ups so far and the 1st Day of Summer was only 6 days ago!
And looky see what came in the mail yesterday!
Not an ATNO, but an ATNC - All Time New Confirmation. I've worked Easter Island before, but never got a QSL card.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Just some quick thoughts.
Someone mentioned on Facebook that these worked great for them.
We were overrun by beetles during the overnight. I thought they were Japanese beetles as that's what they looked like to me, but I was told they were not. But whatever type of beetle they were, they were pesky little varmints. And they were getting into everything! A few flew into my hair, a couple more down my shirt. Ugh. If you were drinking anything from an open cup, you always had to take a look before taking a sip. Yuck.
Maybe spraying the area with one of those commercial yard foggers before we set up might help, too. The heavy rain we experienced kept the mosquitoes at bay, but the beetles were something else, again.Β I had forgotten about those little devils from previous Field Days. They made a nuisance of themselves at Putnam Park, too.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Before I begin, some sights from SPARC Field Day 2024, I provided some sounds on the previous post: