This weekend in the USA, we celebrate Father's Day on Sunday. I've had the honor and privilege to fulfill that duty for 24 years now. I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything.
Before I get into the on-the-air happenings for the weekend - the big announcement:
Next Thursday, June 20th marks the First Day of Summer! That means that sign ups for the 2024 NJQRP Skeeter Hunt will formally commence! To sign up for a Skeeter Number you MUST send an e-mail to w2ljqrp@gmail.com. Number requests by any other means, social media, Facebook, etc will NOT be honored. You will receive a reply from me with your Skeeter number - most likely the same day or within a day or two if things are hectic for W2LJ. E-mail requests as of 0400 UTC on June 20th, midnight here in EDT will be honored. Please don't jump the gun to get to the head of the line - as always, requests will be honored in the order that they are received.
For all the rules and particulars, you can visit the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt page up above, or go to https://www.qsl.net/w2lj
So now, onto the weekend:
Contests:
West Virginia QSO Party - https://www.qsl.net/wvqp/
All Asian DX Contest, CW - https://www.jarl.org/English/4_Library/A-4-3_Contests/2024AA_rule.htm
Stew Perry Topband Challenge - http://www.kkn.net/stew/
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/
ARRL Kids Day - http://www.arrl.org/kids-day
Special Events:
06/01/2024 | Fox River Radio League 100th Anniversary
Jun 1-Jun 15, 0000Z-2359Z, W9CEQ, Batavia, IL. Fox River Radio League. 14.260 14.035 7.260 7.035. Certificate & QSL. FRRL - K9MMS, PO Box 673, Batavia, IL 60510. www.frrl.org
06/15/2024 | Audie Murphy's 99th birthday celebration
Jun 15-Jun 23, 0000Z-2359Z, W5M, Greenville, TX. Sabine Valley Amateur Radio Association. 7.235 14.280 21.400 28.450. QSL. K5GVL Sabine Valley Amateur Radio Association, PO Box 843, Greenville, TX 75403-0843. Celebrating the life of Audie Murphy, Hunt County Texas' war hero and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. We will be operating CW, FT8, SSB from locations around the county and from the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum grounds. https://k5gvl.com/audie-murphy
06/15/2024 | Streets of Coal
Jun 15, 1400Z-2100Z, W8MOP, Bluefield, WV. East River Amateur Radio Club. 14.250 7.220. QSL. East River Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 1362, Bluefield, WV 24701. www.erarc.com
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Here's what scheduled for this weekend:
Contests:
VK Shires Contest - https://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/wavks/
SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/
Portugal Day Contest - https://portugaldaycontest.rep.pt/rules.php
GACW WWSA CW DX Contest - https://www.gacw.ar/
ARRL June VHF Contest - https://www.arrl.org/june-vhf
4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf
Special Event Stations:
06/07/2024 | Greater Gardner Relay For Life
Jun 7-Jun 8, 1800Z-1300Z, N1C, Gardner, MA. Mohawk Amateur Radio Club . 14.227 7.227 3.927. QSL. Kevin Erickson, 194 Conant St, Gardner, MA 01440. Special event station recognizing the Greater Gardner Relay for Life event and raising awareness of the American Cancer Society and their quest to cure cancer.
06/08/2024 | 80th Anniversary Commemoration of the D-Day Landings - Operation Overlord
Jun 8-Jun 9, 0630Z-2200Z, various*, Totnes, UNITED KINGDOM. Torbay Amateur Radio Society. 3.744 7.144 14.144 28.344. Certificate. E-qsl to individual, SES call signs, as referenced, UNITED KINGDOM. Note: SES call signs will be listed before event www.torbayars.org
06/08/2024 | Appleton Flag Day Parade
Jun 8, 1830Z-2030Z, W9ZL, Fremont, WI. Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club. 14.246. Certificate. FCARC , PO Box 2346, Appleton, WI 54912. fcarc.club
06/08/2024 | Waco Village 175th Anniversary W5V
Jun 8-Jun 22, 1400Z-2300Z, W5V, Waco, TX. Heart Of Texas DX Society. 28.437 MHz. Certificate & QSL. Larry Merritt, 3200 Colcord Ave., Waco, TX 76707-1814. Will be operating in the General Class part of the phone bands 40M, 20M, 15M, and 10M. To receive an 8.5x11 inch SES certificate or a SES QSL card, (No SASE) is required. Simply send your QSL card with two (2) first-class stamps for a certificate and SES QSL card or your QSL card with one (1) first-class stamp for the SES QSL card only. w5dxs.tripod.com
06/09/2024 | Honoring Pioneer Women at Fort Laramie, Wyoming
Jun 9-Jun 10, 1400Z-2300Z, W7WYO, Torrington, WY. High Plains Amateur Radion Club. 28.400 21.375 14.275 7.250. Certificate & QSL. Lee Milner, K7WY, 123 Arrowhead Road, Torrington, WY 82240. We are honoring the pioneer women that traveled on the Oregon Trail between 1840 and 1890. June 10, 2024 is the 172 anniversary of the death of Mary Homsley a pioneer woman who died of Measles on June 10, 1852 and is buried near Fort Laramie, Wyoming. We will be operating from Fort Laramie National Historic Site which is a National Park. arrowhead273@gmail.com
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
I spent a little time (and money) on the Vistaprint site last night, designing an additional and special banner for SPARC's Field Day effort:
Contests:
CQ WW WPX Contest, CW - One of the biggies! - https://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm
QRP ARCI Hootowl Sprint - http://qrparci.org/contest/hoot-owl-sprint
Special Events:
05/19/2024 | National EMS Week
May 19-May 25, 0000Z-0000Z, N4E, Gainesville, FL. W.T. Loften High School Amateur Radio Club. 14.335. QSL. W.T. Loften High School ARC, 3000 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32641. www.qrz.com/db/k4wtl
05/24/2024 | Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Special Event Station
May 24-May 25, 2200Z-2200Z, K9V, Columbia City, IN. Whitley County Amateur Radio Club. 7.243 14.243 21.343 28.343; FT8 on all frequencies (10M thru 80M).. QSL. WC9AR - K9V, P.O. Box 652, Columbia City, IN 46725. www,wcarc.orgwww,wcarc.org
05/26/2024 | The Event of the Month, Day, and Year Being the Same as Our ZIP Code
May 26, 1200Z-2358Z, W0FUN, Denmark, IA. Iowa Radiosport Society. 7.054 7.235 10.121 14.235. QSL. Iowa Radiosport Society, W0FUN, P.O. Box 73, Denmark, IA 52624.
05/27/2024 | Memorial Day
May 27, 1800Z-2100Z, N3TAL, Lanham, MD. American Legion Post 275 Amateur Radio Team. 7.275 MHz (+/-) LSB. QSL. American Legion Post 275 Amateur Radio Team, 8201 Martin Luther King Jr Hwy, Lanham, MD 20706. N3TAL275@gmail.com or www.qrz.com/db/n3tal
I'm guessing any POTA CW activity may stick to the WARC bands. If I get a chance, maybe I can sneak in an activation of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail - US-4582 on Sunday afternoon.
This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend in the US, the "unofficial beginning of Summer". In my neck of the woods, the weather is forecast to be decent today (big deal, I'm working!) Saturday and Sunday, with daytime highs in the mid 80s (29C). The actual Holiday on Monday is supposed to be thunderstormy with about 3/4 of an inch or so of rain forecasted.
The "actual" Holiday was instituted to remember those brave men and women of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our citizens and our Constitution during times of conflict. It is a good thing to remember them and pray for them this weekend. We would not enjoy the freedoms we have were it not for them, and we should honor them by doing our utmost to not fritter those freedoms away. Their sacrifice should never be in vain.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Even though the big shebang is taking place in Xenia this weekend, there will still be happenings on the bands this weekend:
Contests:
NZART Sangster Shield Contest - https://www.nzart.org.nz/activities/contests/sangster-shield
His Maj. King of Spain Contest, CW - https://concursos.ure.es/en/s-m-el-rey-de-espana-cw/bases/
Arkansas QSO Party - http://www.arkqp.com/
Baltic Contest - http://www.lrsf.lt/en/
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest/W8DIZ Memorial Sprint - http://qrpcontest.com/pigrun/
Special Events:
05/04/2024 | NJ Knights of Columbus 128th State Convention
May 4-May 18, 0000Z-2359Z, K0C, Brick, NJ. NJKCARC (N2AJO). 7.225 14.240 21.350 28.340. Certificate & QSL. Art Olson, 339 18th Ave, Brick, NJ 08724. For domestic contacts: QSL card, send SASE; for QSL card and certificate, send two dollars. For DX contacts: QSL card, send two dollars; for QSL card and certificate, send five dollars. For more information, visit K0C on QRZ.com or Email: olson339@comcast.net www.qrz.com/db/K0C
05/12/2024 | National Police Week - To Honor Our Fallen Heros
May 12-May 18, 0001Z-2359Z, K3FBI/0-9, Fredericksburg, VA. FBI Amateur Radio Association. 14.275 7.060. Certificate. Jay Chamberlain - NS4J, 27 Fox Run Ln, Fredericksburg, VA 22405-3303. To honor all Law Enforcement members who have died in the line of duty. All bands and all modes. Multiple stations from around the U.S. Downloadable PDF certificate by the end of June at QRZ, https://www.qrz.com/db/K3FBI k3fbi@arrl.net
05/12/2024 | Police Services Week
May 12-May 18, 0000Z-0000Z, N4P, Gainesville, FL. W. Travis Loften High School Amateur Radio Club - K4WTL. 14.335. Certificate. Robert Lightner, 3435 NW 34th Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32605. www.qrz.com/db/k4wtl
05/18/2024 | National Maritime Day
May 18, 1300Z-2100Z, K3S, Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah ARC. 7.1 14.1 21.1 28.1. QSL. K3LU, 980 PATUXENT ROAD, Odenton, MD 21113. Single transmitter SSB and CW aboard N/S Savannah. Please check spotting networks for frequencies. Info on QRZ.com www.qrz.com/db/k3s
05/18/2024 | South Orange Amateur Radio Assoc., 50th Anniversary
May 18-May 19, 1700Z-0100Z, K6SOA, Mission Viejo, CA. South Orange Amateur Radio Assoc.-SOARA. 28.375 21.350 14.250 7.200. QSL. SOARA Special Event, P.O. Box 2545, Mission Viejo, CA 92690. To receive the QSL, send a SASE, or accept eQSL. soara.org
05/18/2024 | W6SFM Bug Roundup
May 18-May 20, 0000Z-0000Z, W6SFM, Fair Oaks, CA. Samuel F. Morse Amateur Radio Club. 3.533 7.033 14.033 28.033. QSL. Samuel F. Morse Amateur Radio Club, 4901 Minnesota Avenue, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. https://w6sfm.org/bug-roundup
05/19/2024 | National EMS Week
May 19-May 25, 0000Z-0000Z, N4E, Gainesville, FL. W.T. Loften High School Amateur Radio Club. 14.335. QSL. W.T. Loften High School ARC, 3000 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32641. www.qrz.com/db/k4wtl
On a humorous note - I came across this video during one of my meanderings across the vast prairies of YouTube:
For a humorous parody type of video - I think it was produced quite well. And make sure to watch it to the very end! And while this video is meant to be taken as humorous satire, I personally know of two instances where this happened in real life. These persons got interested in Amateur Radio, got licensed and got into DX hunting quite heavily. They had the means to be able to afford deluxe stations and very credible antenna farms. Once they earned DXCC Honor Roll, they both basically said "What's left?" and sold all their equipment and allowed their licenses to lapse. What a shame!
Today marks the last "in house production day" at MFJ - interesting that they chose the first day of Hamvention for that. And speaking of Hamvention, I along with the rest of you, wonder what new goodies will be introduced this year - not that I'll be able to afford any of them!
Have a great weekend!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least1
From the ARRL:
05/09/2024
The US Department of Defense (DOD) is hosting this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on Saturday, May 11.
For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is an interoperability exercise between amateur and government radio stations. The event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private communications.
The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111.
The annual DOD message will be transmitted via RTTY on 14.667 kHz at 1400 and 2000 UTC. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario. Military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All scheduled times will be in Zulu, and all scheduled frequencies will be upper sideband (USB), unless otherwise noted. Information on frequencies, times, and other technical information can be found at DoD MARS - Armed Forces Day.
The Battleship IOWA Amateur Radio Association (BIARA) and the ship’s Innovation, Engineering and Technology Team will activate NEPM, which was the ship’s original radio station call sign from 1942 until 1997. It was reassigned to the ship in 2015. The activation will begin at the same date and time as the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, from 1400 to 2000 UTC. All SSB operations are USB only for transmit and receive.
Assigned transmit and expected receive frequencies are:
4.0435 to 3.943 MHz USB
6.9035 to 7.295 MHz USB
9.9440 to 10.113 MHz CW
14.4635 to 14.343 MHz USB
18.2930 to 18.143 MHz US
Information for QSL cards and contact information is available at Armed Forces Day QSL request form.
I've worked this several times and have the QSL Cards hanging on the shack wall!
For the rest of the weekend:
Contests:
FISTS Saturday Sprint - https://fistsna.org/operating.html#sprints
Canadian Prairies QSO Party - https://cpqp.ve6hams.ca/ (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan)
CQ-M International DX Contest - https://cqm.srr.ru/en/rules/
SKCC Weekend Sprintathon - https://www.skccgroup.com/operating_activities/weekend_sprintathon/
4 States QRP Group Second Sunday Sprint - http://www.4sqrp.com/SSS/sss_rules.pdf
Special Events - Lots!
05/10/2024 | Golden Spike Celebration
May 10-May 11, 1500Z-2300Z, W7G, Corinne, UT. Ogden Amateur Radio Club (OARC) - W7SU. 14.255 7.235 14.040 7.040. QSL. Ogden Amateur Radio Club, - W7SU, PO Box 3353, Ogden, UT 84409. Commemorating the anniversary of the 1869 Driving of the Golden Spike completing the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah. Golden Spike National Historical Park. www.ogdenarc.org, www.nps.gov/gosp/index.htm, or w7g.org
05/11/2024 | Armed Forces Day Crossband Test 2024
May 11, 1400Z-2300Z, NEPM, San Pedro, CA. Battleship Iowa Amateur Radio Association. DOD message will be broadcast via RTTY on 14.667 at 1400 and 2000 UTC USB/J3E or CW/A1A: 7.469 14.667 18.444 21.856 21.918. QSL. Battleship Iowa ARA, Inc., c/o NEPM QSL Manager, 250 S. Harbor Blvd. Berth 87, San Pedro, CA 90731-2830. See website for complete information. The annual DOD message will be BROADCAST via RTTY on 14.667 KHz at 1400 and 2000 UTC. 7.469 KHz USB/J3E or CW/A1A listening on 7.261 KHz or 7.061 KHz. 14.667 KHz USB/J3E or CW/A1A listening on 14.261 KHz or 14.061 KHz. 18.444 KHz USB/J3E or CW/A1A listening om 18.161 KHz or 18.061 KHz. 21.856 KHz USB/J3E or CW/A1A listening on 21.361 KHz or 21.061 KHz. 21.918 KHz RTTY listening on 21.150 KHz. https://biara.org
05/11/2024 | Commemorating Armed Forces Day
May 11, 1600Z-2300Z, NI6IW, San Diego, CA. USS Midway Museum Ship. 7.250 14.320 14.070 PSK31 DSTAR on Papa system repeaters. QSL. USS Midway Museum Ship COMEDTRA, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. www.qrz.com/db/ni6iw
05/11/2024 | Jamestown Landing Day Event
May 11, 1400Z-2000Z, K4RC, Williamsburg, VA. Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club. 7.265 14.265. Certificate & QSL. QSL Manager, WAARC, PO Box 1470, Williamsburg, VA 23187. Celebrating the 417th anniversary of the founding of the first permanent English settlement in North America on Jamestown Island in Virginia in May 1607. FOR CERTIFICATE: The Virginia Historic Triangle Certificate is available for contacting the Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown Special Event Stations. You don’t need to contact these stations in the same calendar year. For a Certificate send QSO info from the three stations to qslmgr@k4rc.net. https://www.k4rc.net/events/special-event-stations
05/11/2024 | Minnesota Fishing Opener
May 11, 1400Z-2000Z, N0F, Anoka, MN. Anoka County Radio Club. 7,255 ssb 14,255 ssb 7.056 ft8 14.091 ft8. QSL. Anoka County Radio Club, PO Box 982, Anoka, MN 55303. Instead of catching fish we will be at Ham Lake Park in Ham Lake,MN making contacts and enjoying spring. We will also send out gsl cards. anokaradio.org
05/11/2024 | National Train Day
May 11, 1400Z-1930Z, W4LX, Fort Myers, FL. Fort Myers ARC. 14.050 14.240 14.070 7.240. Certificate & QSL. FMARC W4LX, PO BOX 061183, FORT MYERS, FL 33906-1183. CW, PSK31, SSB SASE for QSL/Cert Info on website. fmarc.net
05/11/2024 | National Train Day at the Hearne Depot
May 11, 1500Z-1900Z, W5BCS, Hearne, TX. Bryan Amateur Radio Club. 7.050 14.050 21.050 14.325. QSL. Bryan Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 4442, Bryan, TX 77805. National Train Day event in cooperation with the Hearne Depot Museum, Bryan Amateur Radio Club and Robertson County ARES. w5bcs.radio
05/12/2024 | National Police Week - To Honor Our Fallen Heros
May 12-May 18, 0001Z-2359Z, K3FBI/0-9, Fredericksburg, VA. FBI Amateur Radio Association. 14.275 7.060. Certificate. Jay Chamberlain - NS4J, 27 Fox Run Ln, Fredericksburg, VA 22405-3303. To honor all Law Enforcement members who have died in the line of duty. All bands and all modes. Multiple stations from around the U.S. Downloadable PDF certificate by the end of June at QRZ, https://www.qrz.com/db/K3FBI k3fbi@arrl.net
05/12/2024 | Police Services Week
May 12-May 18, 0000Z-0000Z, N4P, Gainesville, FL. W. Travis Loften High School Amateur Radio Club - K4WTL. 14.335. Certificate. Robert Lightner, 3435 NW 34th Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32605. www.qrz.com/db/k4wtl
All of the above might be for naught if the bands crap out this weekend:
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a WATCH in anticipation of a potential G4-Severe Geomagnetic Storm or greater which is expected to impact the earth May 11, 2024. The effects of a storm of this intensity may last from six hours up to a day. During periods of very high solar activity, geomagnetic storms can persist for days.
Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 45 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude.
Induced Currents - Possible widespread voltage control problems and some protective systems may mistakenly trip out key assets from the power grid. Induced pipeline currents intensify.
Spacecraft - Systems may experience surface charging; increased drag on low earth orbit satellites and tracking and orientation problems may occur.
Navigation - Satellite navigation (GPS) degraded or inoperable for hours.
Radio - HF (high frequency) radio propagation sporadic or blacked out.
Aurora - Aurora may be seen as low as Alabama and northern California
PSA: Might not be a good weekend for a POTA Activation or Rove.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least1
It's May already! Where's the time going? Here's to warmer weather, outdoor cookouts, possible POTA activations and all the other stuff associated with warm weather.
Contests this weekend:
16 State QSO Parties this weekend! A lot of states are grouped into two area QSO Parties - specifically
7th Call Area QSO Party - http://7qp.org/ (AZ, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY)
New England QSO Party - https://neqp.org/rules/ (CT, ME, MA, RI, VT, NH)
Delaware QSO Party - https://www.fsarc.org/
Indiana QSO Party - http://www.hdxcc.org/inqp/rules.html
10-10 Int. Spring Contest, CW - http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules
ARI International DX Contest - https://www.ari.it/
And Monday Night is the May 2024 ARS Spartan Sprint - http://arsqrp.blogspot.com/2009/02/so-whats-spartan-sprint-and-how-do-i.html
Special Event Stations:
05/03/2024 | 10th Annual Jiggy with the Piggy- Barbecue Cook off
May 3-May 4, 1200Z-2300Z, K4C, Concord, NC. Cabarrus Amateur Radio Society. 7.230 14.310 28.430. Certificate. Cabarrus Amateur Radio Society, P.O. Box 785, Concord, NC 28026. www.facebook.com/cabarrusars/ or www.cabarrusars.org
05/04/2024 | Blind Willie McTell Birthday Celebration
May 4, 0900Z-1600Z, W4M, Statesboro, GA. STARS/SARA. 7.250. Certificate & QSL. Douglas Hess, 108 Greenwood Ave , Statesboro, GA 30461. Will be Phone only on HF bands. Will self-spot on Dx Summit. Check club webpage or QRZ page for QSL card/certificate info and for history on Blind Willie McTell and his song he wrote "Statesboro Blues" that put the Allman Brothers on the map and Statesboro for that matter. www.qrz.com/db/W4M or https://statesboroamateurr.wixsite.com/home
05/04/2024 | Frank Conrad Sesquicentennial
May 4, 1300Z-2100Z, KD3KA, Wexford, PA. Allegheny Valley Radio Association. 7.040 7.240 14.040 14.240. QSL. Allegheny Valley Radio Association, P.O. Box 550, Wexford, PA 15090. Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Frank Conrad, engineer and technical founder of KDKA-AM Radio, Pittsburgh, PA. Please see the qrz.com page of KD3KA for details. www.alleghenyvalley.net
05/04/2024 | Homage to Josephine BAKER the voice of the Paris Olympics Games 2024!
May 4-Jul 21, 0000Z-0000Z, TM24JB, Fort Blackmore, FRANCE. F1SXC. 7.124 14.154 18.124 28.424. QSL. David, F1SXC/Radio-club de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, F6KRK, 1 bis avenue des Frênes, MONTIGNY le BTX 78180, FRANCE. Homage to Josephine BAKER the artist, militant, and member of the French resistance. https://www.qrz.com/db/TM24JB
05/04/2024 | N0T - Milwaukee Road Railroad - Newport Tower, 120th Anniversary
May 4, 1400Z-2000Z, N0T, Newport, MN. South East Metro Amateur Radio Club (SEMARC). 7.040 Mhz CW 14.035 Mhz CW 7.220 Mhz Phone 14.260 Mhz Phone. Certificate. David Blume, 8791 77th Street South, Cottage Grove, MN 55016. Questions or comments can be sent to KD0IRF@yahoo.com. Certificates will be available for download 30 days after the event. www.semarc.org
05/04/2024 | NJ Knights of Columbus 128th State Convention
May 4-May 18, 0000Z-2359Z, K0C, Brick, NJ. NJKCARC (N2AJO). 7.225 14.240 21.350 28.340. Certificate & QSL. Art Olson, 339 18th Ave, Brick, NJ 08724. For domestic contacts: QSL card, send SASE; for QSL card and certificate, send two dollars. For DX contacts: QSL card, send two dollars; for QSL card and certificate, send five dollars. For more information, visit K0C on QRZ.com or Email: olson339@comcast.net www.qrz.com/db/K0C
Looks to be a busy weekend on the airwaves!
In closing today's post, I'd like to cross-post something here that appeared on the SPARC Facebook page, from my good friend Dave KD2FSI:
Learn a New Language with just 15 Minutes Per Day!
I’ve been hearing these commercials on the radio lately for the language program Babbel and that you can learn a new language in a few weeks by studying for just 15 minutes a day.
Well, I decided to use that approach towards finally learning the Morse code well enough to use it. So, I have been practicing the code for at least 15 minutes each day for the last month or so and it might be finally starting to sink in. I still have a long way to go, but this time I am going to stick with it.
And with today being the birthday of Guglielmo Marconi, I thought it would be a very fitting day to try and make my first DX CW contact.
3G0YA, the Easter Island DXpedition was working 12-meter CW this afternoon and had a good pile-up going. But after calling at up 1K for about 15 or 20 minutes, I was more than thrilled to hear KD2FSI 5NN! However, it took seeing my call on their Clublog before I believed that I really got them.
So for today I’ll be signing off as 73, DE KD2FSI
Yesterday, on Mastodon, a fellow posted this:
W1M / AE0SB (It’s May Day!)@AE0SB
From Now until May 5, I have the special event call sign W1M in celebration of International Workers’ Day, the original Labor Day.
For more information, you can go to https://w1mayday.wordpress.com
W1M – Amateur Radio Special Event Celebrating International Workers’ Day
That got me thinking that there must be something that we all would like to celebrate, so why not request a special event call sign and operate as a special event station? For example, today’s the date that the Empire State Building opened in 1931. What if some hams requested the call sign W2E and then took some HTs up to the top of the Empire State Building and operated from there? (Having said that, I’m not sure that would be allowed, but if it was, that would be kind of fun to do, don’t you think?)
Or maybe it’s celebrating the occurrence of a significant date in the life of thousands of people…..like your college team winning the national championship. (Can you tell I live in Ann Arbor, MI?)
Another possibility might be celebrating a special anniversary of a club that you belong to. So, for example, if you’re a member of a Rotary Club or Lion’s Club that’s celebrating their 25th, 50th, or even 100th anniversary, you could request a special event call sign and operate for a week using that call sign.
Any licensed amateur radio operator in the U.S. can request the use of a special event call sign. To reserve a call sign, you simply contact any authorized Special Event Call Sign Coordinator. This may be done by regular mail, telephone, FAX, e-mail or through their Internet web page.
An easy way to do this is via the 1×1 special event call sign website. First, search their database to make sure that the call sign that you want is available for the dates that you want to operate. Once you’re sure that the call sign is available, you can request it using the request page. Within a day or two, you’ll be notified that it’s been assigned to you.
There is one caveat. You can’t request a special event call sign for more than two weeks. I wanted to request the special event call sign W8A for the entire summer a, Ann Arbor is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. When I asked the ARRL VEC about this, they were hesitant to assign me the call sign for so long. They said that the longest that they would be comfortable with was two weeks.
To really make a splash with your special event call sign, you should edit the QRZ.Com listing for that call sign. To do that, you first submit a support request. They will then send you an email describing how to edit the listing for the call sign.
In the listing, be sure to describe what you’re celebrating. If it’s historical, include as much of the history as you can. If it has some particular meaning to you personally, you can include that as well.
As far as QSLs go, you might want to design something that you can send electronically. And, if someone wants a printed card, you could take that design to a Staples and have a few printed for you.
I’ve always enjoyed working special event stations, and I think that coming up with your own personal special event would be even more fun. So, what’s your special event?
You know what that means!
Contests:
SP DX RTTY Contest - http://www.pkrvg.org/strona,spdxrttyen.html
Helvetia Contest - https://www.uska.ch/events/uska-helvetia-contest-concours-helvetia-hf/
Florida QSO Party - http://floridaqsoparty.org/rules/
BARTG Sprint 75 - http://bartg.org.uk/wp/bartg-sprint75-contests/
10-10 Int. Spring Contest, Digital - http://www.ten-ten.org/index.php/activity/2013-07-22-20-26-48/qso-party-rules
Special Events: (Lots this weekend!)
04/27/2024 | Bolivar Lighthouse
Apr 27, 1600Z-2300Z, K5S, Port Bolivar, TX. Beaumont Amateur Radio Club. 7.220 14.250 28.405 146.520. Certificate. Beaumont Amateur Radio Club , 4839 Hwy 326N, Kountze, TX 77625. w5rin.com
04/27/2024 | Celebration of the Club's 85th Anniversary at the Cox Science Center
Apr 27, 1400Z-2100Z, W4HAW, West Palm Beach, FL. West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group. 7.250 14/250 21.250 28.250. QSL. WPBARG, P.O. Box 7623, West Palm Beach, FL 33405-7623. wpbarg.org
04/27/2024 | HAMS for PanCAN
Apr 27-Apr 28, 0200Z-2300Z, N3P/PanCan, New Kensington, PA. Skyview Radio Society. 3.960. 7.172. Certificate. Skyview Radio Society, N3P, 2335 Turkey Ridge Rd., New Kensington, PA 15068. This special event's purpose is to raise awareness of the PanCAN resources for patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer. All contacts are on SSB. rybar1949@gmail.com or https://www.skyviewradio.net
04/27/2024 | International Marconi Day 2024
Apr 27, 1700Z-2300Z, W1M, Rochester, NY. ROC-HAM RADIO NETWORK. 20M/14.313 10M/28.405 Allstar2585,47620,47918,531310. QSL. W2JLD/JOHN DERYCKE, 85 AMHERST ST, APT2, Rochester, NY 14607. roc-ham.net
04/27/2024 | International Marconi Day Award Station
Apr 27, 1300Z-2100Z, K3S, Baltimore, MD. Nuclear Ship Savannah ARC. 7.1 14.1 21.1 28.1. QSL. K3LU, 980 PATUXENT ROAD, Odenton, MD 21113. Single transmitter SSB and CW aboard N/S Savannah. Please check spotting networks for frequencies. Info on QRZ.com qrz.com/db/k3s
04/27/2024 | MERT20 Special Event
Apr 27, 1200Z-2359Z, KG4NXO, Ocala, FL. Marion County Emergency Management. 14.262 7.262; D-STAR 146.790 REF-037; 3.862. Certificate & QSL. Kraig Pritts, 6637 NE 5th Lane, Ocala, FL 34470. www.mert20.org
04/27/2024 | N1D - Number One Dawgs
Apr 27-Apr 28, 1700Z-1700Z, N1D, Athens, GA. Radio Club at the University of GA. 3.925 7.250 14.200. QSL. Athens Radio Club, P.O. Box 782, Athens, GA 30603. Celebrating the National Championship University of Georgia football team. We will be operating from the Tate Center, adjacent to Sanford Stadium. https://www.athensradioclub.org
04/27/2024 | N3P/WQ3Q Bonus Station of HAMS for PanCAN
Apr 27, 0900Z-1700Z, N3P/WQ3Q, New Kensington, PA. Skyview Radio Society. 3.960. 7.172. Certificate & QSL. Skyview Radio Society - N3P/WQ3Q, 2335 Turkey Ridge Rd., Upper Burrell, PA. This special event's purpose is to raise awareness of the PanCAN resources for patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer. This bonus station is for an additional contact recognition for participants who can make contact with this remote station's location. All contacts are on SSB. rybar1949@gmail.com or https://www.skyviewradio.net
And now for some news - last night, Martin Jue K5FLU put out the following announcement;
Dear Fellow Hams and Friends,
It is with a sad heart as I write this letter.
As many of you have heard by now, MFJ is ceasing its on-site production in Starkville, Mississippi on May 17, 2024. This is also the same for our sister companies’ Ameritron, Hygain, Cushcraft, Mirage and Vectronics.
Times have changed since I started this business 52 years ago. Our product line grew and grew and prospered. Covid changed everything in businesses including ours. It was the hardest hit that we have ever had and we never fully recovered.
I turned 80 this year. I had never really considered retirement but life is so short and my time with my family is so precious.
I want to thank all of our employees who have helped build this company with me over the years. We have many employees who have made MFJ their career for 10, 20, 30, 40 and more years.
We are going to continue to sell MFJ products past May 17, 2024. We have a lot of stock on hand. We will continue to offer repair service work for out-of-warranty and in-warranty units for the foreseeable future.
Finally, a special thanks to all of our customers and our dealers who have made MFJ a worldwide name and a profitable business for so many years. You all are so much appreciated.
Sincerely Yours, 73s
Martin F. Jue, K5FLU
I've owned various MFJ products in over 40 years of operating. In fact, the antenna tuner for my Novice station back in 1979 was my first MFJ product purchase. In all the MFJ products that I have owned, I only had problems with two and both were self-fixable. An antenna switch where I had to reposition one of the contacts, and my MFJ-1982LP antenna where I had to re-solder a connection in the UNUN. Despite having to do that, the 1982LP remains my favorite "go to" antenna for portable operations (if there's enough room! Hi!) I would never call any MFJ product that I've ever owned "a lemon".
Over the past few years, my MFJ-1982LP has been THE antenna for the CW station in SPARC Field Days. Our results and our placement in the standings are in no small way due to the MFJ-1982 LP that I own and the MFJ-1982HP that Dave KD2FSI owns and deploys for the SSB station. Basically, it comes down to this - if we can hear' 'em, we can work 'em - and in the end, what more can you ask for?
If you've ever visited any Amateur Radio e-mail reflector, or visited any Amateur Radio social media site, you know that MFJ has not always received kind treatment. I've always cringed at the moniker "Mighty Fine Junk" and I often felt that a lot of the disparaging comments posted and published about MFJ were to fulfill the need for retaliation or revenge by dissatisfied customers rather than being constructive in any shape, way or form. If you search this blog for "MFJ", you'll find nary a single post in twenty years worth of posts that disparages MFJ or their products.
So far, all I've seen are condolences about the passing of MFJ. I hope it stays that way and that the nay-sayers and Negative Nancy's have the decency to keep their mouths shut and take the high road - but you and I both know that won't happen.
Personally, I'd like to thank Martin and his company for their dedication and service to the Amateur Radio community for so many years. Enjoy your retirement, Martin - you certainly deserve it!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
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