My First steps on CW
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Hello fellow Elecrafters,
I was able to finish building my KX1 with your your help! After spending much more time off the air than I planned I think I'm ready to give CW a try. For more months than I would care to admit I have been learning CW using lcwo, and my MFJ morse tutor. It took me a while to get through all 40 lessons and I'm still not that great, copying about 80% with a character rate of 13 wpm and an actual wpm of 5. I still have trouble with 'F' for what ever reason, maybe my 54yr old tin ears or rapidly advancing age or both. I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is there a similar frequency on 20m? So if you hear me out there I look forward to making my first CW contact. Thanx in advance for your patience. 73, Ed KE7HGA Forgot to mention I live close to Baltimore MD |
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Ed,
Take your time and get on the air. Get on the air. Get on the air. That is the key to getting down Morse. Lots and lots of QSOs. Even if it just name qth and signal report.. You are going to have so much fun. Do not give up. It will take some time, but in a few weeks you will see the difference.... Remember....get on the air. Lee - K0WA Ham Radio Operators: Kansas QSO Party is August 28-29, 2010. See www.ksqsoparty.org for details In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't have any Common Sense - get some Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common Sense divine? Common Sense is the image of the Creator expressing revealed truth in my mind. - J. Wolf ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by EMD
Ed,
Google: "K7QO code course" If you faithfully follow it for about 15 minutes a day, your code speed will be at least 18 wpm in about a month. Then you will really start to have fun with your KX1. Remember that your KX1 has only 3 or 4 watts output so use good QRP practices. Use the best antenna you can and send a lot of CQs. 7.060 and 14.060 are good QRP frequencies to try. (Google : "QRP") We will be listening for you. 73 de W6BK On Aug 6, 2010, at 5:28 AM, EMD wrote: > > Hello fellow Elecrafters, > > I was able to finish building my KX1 with your your help! After spending > much more time off the air than I planned I think I'm ready to give CW a > try. For more months than I would care to admit I have been learning CW > using lcwo, and my MFJ morse tutor. It took me a while to get through all > 40 lessons and I'm still not that great, copying about 80% with a character > rate of 13 wpm and an actual wpm of 5. I still have trouble with 'F' for > what ever reason, maybe my 54yr old tin ears or rapidly advancing age or > both. > > I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is there > a similar frequency on 20m? > > So if you hear me out there I look forward to making my first CW contact. > > Thanx in advance for your patience. > > 73, Ed > KE7HGA > > Forgot to mention I live close to Baltimore MD > -- > View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/My-First-steps-on-CW-tp5380378p5380378.html > Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by EMD
Excellent, Ed, and many congratulations on your KX1. You will enjoy CW
with all its advantages over other modes. Don't worry about your problems with 'F' or any other letters for that matter. Just call CQ at 12wpm and folks will return to you at a similar speed. Practice on the air is much easier than you might think and you will find your speed with increase in leaps and bounds with each QSO. I'd suggest a sked, but it might be pushing it a bit from the UK on our KX1s particularly as conditions are at present. Have fun. David G4DMP In a recent message, EMD <[hidden email]> wrote ... >Hello fellow Elecrafters, > >I was able to finish building my KX1 with your your help! After spending >much more time off the air than I planned I think I'm ready to give CW a >try. For more months than I would care to admit I have been learning CW >using lcwo, and my MFJ morse tutor. It took me a while to get through all >40 lessons and I'm still not that great, copying about 80% with a character >rate of 13 wpm and an actual wpm of 5. I still have trouble with 'F' for >what ever reason, maybe my 54yr old tin ears or rapidly advancing age or >both. > >I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is there >a similar frequency on 20m? > >So if you hear me out there I look forward to making my first CW contact. David G4DMP Leeds, England, UK ------ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by EMD
Hi Ed,
I have been following a similar path to yours, though with K1 #2799 finished last January. It took me longer than I wanted to learn CW, too, but made my first non-contest CW QSO last month (I used CodeQuick, and enjoyed it). I am getting up to the low-teens now for things like the W1AW practice, and faster with contest CW, which I find easier due to the short length and prescribed order. The NACQ CW contest is Saturday; give it a try. Perhaps I am projecting my own issues on to what you mentioned, but what is currently bothering me are pro signs (BT is very common, for example, yet causes my brain to lock up). But, more basically, what to "say"? What exactly is a CW QSO? I have been finding that the FISTS basic operating manual (google "fists cw") very helpful, and my copy of the ARRL Operating Manual is now taped together I refer to it so much. Lots of good stuff on frequencies, pro signs, and what a CW QSO is like. To your actual question, on 40m, I often find code I can copy from 7045 - 7060, and again from 7105 to 7115 (which is as high as my K1 will tune with my VFO range). 7047.5 is where W1AW does their daily code practice (very helpful) and 7058 is the FISTS calling frequency. The 40m QRP frequency is 7030 and sometimes there is slow code from 7030 to 7035, too, but usually that low on the band people are mid-20's and up. On 20m, 14045 - 14065 usually has something. 14047.5 is W1AW again, and 14060 is the 20m QRP calling frequency, which is where I have had success. The same range, roughly, on 15m often has code I can copy as well. Mostly, though, what is helping me is what Lee mentioned: get on the air. As often as possible. 73 de Byron KI6NUL K1 #2799, many mini-modules |
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In reply to this post by EMD
As others have said, on the air practice is the best way to improve your cw. I'm going to
probably irritate some people when I say this, but QRP is not the best choice for someone who is learning cw. What you need are lots of QSOs. It's much easier to get them with 100 watts than it is with QRP, especially if you don't have a better-than-average antenna. If you are 54 years old, you probably have other things to do with your time than be on the air 12 hours a day, so at least in the beginning you need to make your time count. You can get an older transceiver for a couple of hundred dollars or less, or a local ham will lend you one. If you can put up a full size horizontal antenna at a reasonable height (at least 30') that will help too. If you try to make QSOs with 3 watts and a shortened vertical you will struggle. After you become proficient at cw you can take your KX1 backpacking, throw wires into trees and have a lot of fun. On 8/6/2010 5:28 AM, EMD wrote: > > Hello fellow Elecrafters, > > I was able to finish building my KX1 with your your help! After spending > much more time off the air than I planned I think I'm ready to give CW a > try. For more months than I would care to admit I have been learning CW > using lcwo, and my MFJ morse tutor. It took me a while to get through all > 40 lessons and I'm still not that great, copying about 80% with a character > rate of 13 wpm and an actual wpm of 5. I still have trouble with 'F' for > what ever reason, maybe my 54yr old tin ears or rapidly advancing age or > both. > > I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is there > a similar frequency on 20m? > > So if you hear me out there I look forward to making my first CW contact. > > Thanx in advance for your patience. > > 73, Ed > KE7HGA > > Forgot to mention I live close to Baltimore MD -- Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by EMD
I'll second what KI6NUL said -- I find a lot of "relaxed speed" CW at
7.040-7.060. Here in southwestern CT, I think there's more in that range than up above 7.100. And, as pretty much everybody said, get on the air and have QSOs, get on the air and have QSOs, get on the air and have QSOs. In addition, there are many people who feel that listening to faster speeds helps them better learn and helps them increase their speed more rapidly. It's annoying and it's frustrating as hell, but it does make you stop counting the individual dits and dahs and instead hear the character as a whole. It's especially useful if used with a known source so that you can check your work later. I downloaded the ARRL CW practice files from the ARRL website and then listened repeatedly to those about 5wpm faster than I could handle. I truly believe that it helped me get up to speed much more quickly than I might have from just on-the-air QSOs. But, as I said, it IS frustrating and annoying to listen to faster code because there will be so much you can't get (at first). If you're going to try it, do it for short periods at first so that you don't wind up throwing your computer or your KX1 through the nearest window. Jon KB1QBZ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Byron N6NUL
>causes my brain to lock up). But, more basically, what to "say"? What
>exactly is a CW QSO? After the "essentials" are over with, good QSO starters (and commonly exchanged info) are how long you've been a ham and/or what you do for a living. These last two tidbits of info have often led to long QSOs...great for building code proficiency. Have fun & welcome to the hobby, John Harper AE5X http://www.ae5x.com/blog ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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Some other items up for discussion may include antenna design, rig optimization after design and build, latest progress with current projects including but not limited to radio, family, news, ecomm, hobbies, and upcoming events in the other stations future. Somewhere in there, you can sure toss in some of yours too. Wanna meet for a chat?
Have a great day Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: "John Harper" <[hidden email]> Sender: [hidden email] Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 12:17:33 To: Elecraft<[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My First steps on CW >causes my brain to lock up). But, more basically, what to "say"? What >exactly is a CW QSO? After the "essentials" are over with, good QSO starters (and commonly exchanged info) are how long you've been a ham and/or what you do for a living. These last two tidbits of info have often led to long QSOs...great for building code proficiency. Have fun & welcome to the hobby, John Harper AE5X http://www.ae5x.com/blog ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by EMD
You've received good advice here. The important thing about copying cw is to just do it. Listen as much as you can, and always push yourself--if you are copying everything you aren't getting any faster. The cw world is full of good, patient ops willing to do whatever it takes to help you.
73, Chuck Teague, NN7U "It took me a while to get through all 40 lessons and I'm still not that great, copying about 80% with a character rate of 13 wpm and an actual wpm of 5."
Chuck Teague
NN7U |
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In reply to this post by EMD
Hi Ed,
QRP on 40 tends to run from about 7040-7060. There will be some activity above 7100, but not a lot, I think that used to be the Novice band. Lately, it seems some digital modes have moved into the 7030-7035 range. Most DX operations are below 7030. 7047.5 is the W1AW scheduled frequency. 7058 is the FISTS calling frequency. A number of CW ops cluster "on the 8's" [7038, 7048, 7058]. Nearly all good CW ops will QRS for you, those that won't just don't get your call in their logs :-) Sort of the same on 20, 14040-14065, W1AW at 14047.5. PSK31 starts at 14070 and RTTY above it. You'll find a little CW above 14110 but not much except during major contests. Lots of automated digital stuff between 14100 and 14110. Again, you may find activity on the 8's, and I think 14058 is a FISTS hangout. Consider the SPARTAN Sprint sponsored by the Adventure Radio Society, first Monday [in North America] of every month, 0100Z-0300Z on Tue [UTC day]. Two classes, Skinny and Tubby. For tubby, you count your Q's. For skinny, you divide your number of Q's by the weight of your KX1, battery, paddle, and headphones. I power my KX1 with a very light 750 maH 11.7V Lithium Polymer battery [RC model shops], use the integral paddle and very light ear buds, and come in at around 0.64 lbs. Google [spartan sprint] for details. If you have the module for your KX1, 30m is a great place for QRP CW. In the Colonies and westward, we're limited to 200W on the band, CW and RTTY only, so the chances are higher that if you can hear them well, they will probably hear you. CW congregates at the lower end [10100-10125, RTTY above]. The band is sort of a hybrid between 40 and 20, it opens during the day for shorter skip [CO is strong in CA midday on 30m], and stays open at night. Code speeds are very flexible on 30m. Many years ago, I made up a card with subjects to talk about and posted it by my rig. I haven't needed the card in decades, but it sure helped in the "What to talk about after RST, NAME, QTH, RIG" when I was new. There are a number of free code programs that will read a text file and either send it or write the Morse to an .mp3 or .wav file. I once created a set of .mp3 files from an article I was interested in with MorseGen [Google G4ILO], burned them onto some CD's and listened to them while driving down to visit with my college roomie of 50 yrs ago. Really good practice, and the CD player in my truck lets me back up if driving interferes with copy :-) I wouldn't do this in traffic, however, the Interstates work good. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2010 Cal QSO Party 2-3 Oct 2010 - www.cqp.org EMD wrote: > I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is there > a similar frequency on 20m? ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by John Harper AE5X
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In reply to this post by EMD
Ed:
I'm close to where you are: learning CW while studing for my license while building a K2. Brian Denley Melrose MA (1 mile from the site of the old National Radio plant) http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html ----- Original Message ----- From: "EMD" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Friday, August 06, 2010 8:28 AM Subject: [Elecraft] My First steps on CW > > Hello fellow Elecrafters, > > I was able to finish building my KX1 with your your help! After spending > much more time off the air than I planned I think I'm ready to give CW a > try. For more months than I would care to admit I have been learning CW > using lcwo, and my MFJ morse tutor. It took me a while to get through all > 40 lessons and I'm still not that great, copying about 80% with a > character > rate of 13 wpm and an actual wpm of 5. I still have trouble with 'F' for > what ever reason, maybe my 54yr old tin ears or rapidly advancing age or > both. > > I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is > there > a similar frequency on 20m? > > So if you hear me out there I look forward to making my first CW contact. > > Thanx in advance for your patience. > > 73, Ed > KE7HGA > > Forgot to mention I live close to Baltimore MD > -- > View this message in context: > http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/My-First-steps-on-CW-tp5380378p5380378.html > Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by k6dgw
>QRP on 40 tends to run from about 7040-7060. There will be some >activity above 7100, but not a lot, I think that used to be the Novice >band. Try 7114 for slow CW at any power level. A good first antenna for CW would be a mono-bander dipole trimmed for the bottom of 40 meters. Paul ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by EMD
Ed; Congratulations! Yes 7114 is "guarded" as you will by many members of the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC). The SKCC suggests their members mentor new CW operators on that frequency and particularly all day Fridays. You will find many CW ops there who will work at your speed and are very patient. The SKCC general calling frequency on 20 meters is 14.050 MHz. Although not designated as an "Elmer" frequency, I feel confident any of our SKCC members will be happy to accomodate you.
For more information on SKCC go to http://www.skccgroup.com/ and peruse the website. You are hereby invited to join and begin your journey. I am a member for several months now and the activities SKCC sponsors have rejuvenated my activity. Not a night goes by that I don't fire up my K3 and chat with another member or two on or near the calling frequencies. We all use mechanical keys. 73 de K4SC Chuck Hallett SKCC Member 6669 < quote author="EMD"> Hello fellow Elecrafters, ... I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is there a similar frequency on 20m? So if you hear me out there I look forward to making my first CW contact. Thanx in advance for your patience. 73, Ed KE7HGA |
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In reply to this post by Paul-285
Gosh, I wish there were cw activity out here in KH6 land...I listen every day and at different times in the night....only hear the russian "K" and "M" beacons.
susan ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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Susan, Try 30 meters in the evening times (your time). when I tune my rig to WWV on 10.000.00 I hear HI WWV coming in at 20 over S9. Sure would like to work you some time. > Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 14:51:46 -0700 > From: [hidden email] > To: [hidden email]; [hidden email] > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My First steps on CW > > Gosh, I wish there were cw activity out here in KH6 land...I listen every day and at different times in the night....only hear the russian "K" and "M" beacons. > > susan > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by ussv dharma
On Fri, 6 Aug 2010 14:51:46 -0700 (PDT), ussv dharma wrote:
>Gosh, I wish there were cw activity out here in KH6 land...I listen every >day and at different times Don't just sit there listening, call CQ. 20, 30 and 40 are all great CW bands, and it's pretty easy to rig a simple antenna that will put out a decent signal. The club I was a member of in Chicago holds an annual QRP night, where everyone brings a rig and rigs their own antenna somehow. The last time I attended one of these sessions before I moved, I rigged a simple vertical by taping #22 wire to a DK7SQ fiberglass pole, and ran a couple of wires along the ground as a counterpoise. Most of the guys were on 40 and 20, and my K2 tore them up, even with only 5W, so I went to 30M. I made a half dozen QSOs in an hour or so, including a guy in the Carribean with a pileup. >From KH6, you should be able to work into Asia,VK/ZL, and W6/W7/VE7 with a rig like that with no problem at all. 73, Jim K9YC ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by ussv dharma
ussv dharma wrote:
> Gosh, I wish there were cw activity out here in KH6 land...I listen > every day and at different times in the night....only hear the > russian "K" and "M" beacons. The NAQP CW runs from 1800Z 7 Aug to 0600Z 8 Aug, as in tomorrow. Multipliers are the 50 states [that includes KH6 and KL7, DC is part of MD], the 13 provinces, and NA countries [generally XE down to HP, and Caribbean except P4 and maybe PJx, I'm never quite sure but your logger will know]. 160m-10m except 30, 17, and 12. Unlike many contests, multipliers count on a per-band basis. As a single op, you can operate 10 of the 12 hours, off-times have to be at least 30 min. Or you can run all 12 hours and submit a check-log. *Max power is 100W* for everyone. Exchange is your "name" and SPC. Name is in quotes because it doesn't have to be the one your Mom and Dad gave you, it can be a nickname or something you make up ... short is generally good, MONTGOMERY or MAXIMILLIAN might be a tad long. I use a nickname my combat team gave me years ago. Trust me, you will hear a LOT of stations, a few in KH6. Currently, SFI=82, A=5, K=1, SSN=54 for pretty good conditions relative to 2009, and which should more or less hold through the contest. Currently, I've got enough stations for 5.8 5-station teams for NCCC, and a few more last minute signups will likely pop up tonight. You may find a KH6 team building there that you could join. Rules at ncjweb.com/naqprules.php?page=1 It's a semi-laid back contest for many [there will be the usual rabid suspects going after the top ten], lots of fun, doesn't take the whole weekend and won't run up your electric bill too bad. You will hear a LOT of K2's and K3's. Code speeds vary from less than 20 WPM to a handful at 40 WPM. Most folks will sort of match your speed. All the common loggers support it. Logs are due 14 days later, instructions are in the rules. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2010 Cal QSO Party 2-3 Oct 2010 - www.cqp.org ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
Re: My First steps on CW
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In reply to this post by k6dgw
I would really like to second and reinforce Fred's recommendation of 30
meters CW. This is an absolutely incredible band; propagation-wise, I think it's the best DX band we have. Last night, using a low wire sloper antenna, I copied 3B8CF (Mauritius Island, Indian Ocean, ~12,000 miles) for the better part of an hour before he faded into the noise. Never got through the pile-up with such a poor antenna, but just hearing Jacky was a thrill. I couldn't believe my ears when I first copied his call. The CW DX lives almost entirely between 10,100 - 10,115 kHz. (15 kHz doesn't sound like much, but that much band space goes a long way on CW!) 10,115 - 10,125 kHz is mostly domestic QSOs -- more rag-chew type Qs to be had here. As Fred said, 10,125 up is mostly digital -- RTTY, PSK31, and a plethora of other modes. 30 meters is ham radio's best-kept HF secret. Get up some kind of an antenna that will load and radiate on this band, and try it! Bill W5WVO -------------------------------------------------- From: "Fred Jensen" <[hidden email]> Sent: Friday, August 06, 2010 18:56 To: "Elecraft Reflector" <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] My First steps on CW > Hi Ed, > > QRP on 40 tends to run from about 7040-7060. There will be some > activity above 7100, but not a lot, I think that used to be the Novice > band. Lately, it seems some digital modes have moved into the 7030-7035 > range. Most DX operations are below 7030. 7047.5 is the W1AW scheduled > frequency. 7058 is the FISTS calling frequency. A number of CW ops > cluster "on the 8's" [7038, 7048, 7058]. Nearly all good CW ops will > QRS for you, those that won't just don't get your call in their logs :-) > > Sort of the same on 20, 14040-14065, W1AW at 14047.5. PSK31 starts at > 14070 and RTTY above it. You'll find a little CW above 14110 but not > much except during major contests. Lots of automated digital stuff > between 14100 and 14110. Again, you may find activity on the 8's, and I > think 14058 is a FISTS hangout. > > Consider the SPARTAN Sprint sponsored by the Adventure Radio Society, > first Monday [in North America] of every month, 0100Z-0300Z on Tue [UTC > day]. Two classes, Skinny and Tubby. For tubby, you count your Q's. > For skinny, you divide your number of Q's by the weight of your KX1, > battery, paddle, and headphones. I power my KX1 with a very light 750 > maH 11.7V Lithium Polymer battery [RC model shops], use the integral > paddle and very light ear buds, and come in at around 0.64 lbs. Google > [spartan sprint] for details. > > If you have the module for your KX1, 30m is a great place for QRP CW. > In the Colonies and westward, we're limited to 200W on the band, CW and > RTTY only, so the chances are higher that if you can hear them well, > they will probably hear you. CW congregates at the lower end > [10100-10125, RTTY above]. The band is sort of a hybrid between 40 and > 20, it opens during the day for shorter skip [CO is strong in CA midday > on 30m], and stays open at night. Code speeds are very flexible on 30m. > > Many years ago, I made up a card with subjects to talk about and posted > it by my rig. I haven't needed the card in decades, but it sure helped > in the "What to talk about after RST, NAME, QTH, RIG" when I was new. > > There are a number of free code programs that will read a text file and > either send it or write the Morse to an .mp3 or .wav file. I once > created a set of .mp3 files from an article I was interested in with > MorseGen [Google G4ILO], burned them onto some CD's and listened to them > while driving down to visit with my college roomie of 50 yrs ago. > Really good practice, and the CD player in my truck lets me back up if > driving interferes with copy :-) I wouldn't do this in traffic, > however, the Interstates work good. > > 73, > > Fred K6DGW > - Northern California Contest Club > - CU in the 2010 Cal QSO Party 2-3 Oct 2010 > - www.cqp.org > > EMD wrote: > >> I understand on 40m a good frequency to get a patient ear is 7114. Is >> there >> a similar frequency on 20m? > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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