Technet

21 Tech Net: 2024-12-01

Posted on 2024-12-01

I used N3KZ 440 repeater in York from Lancaster
- always surprised on their range.
- thought UHF didn’t go far.
I built an Allstar node from a PI 4 and a USB-C radio dongle to reach a fringe repeater.
I’m looking forward to FT challenge
I stumbled into and recognized some Olivia-8/250 on 20M, and some SSTV
I’ve been hearing lots of ISS repeater traffic at convenient times on my good ol’ 1/4 wave antenna in the tree.
I got the radio blog up-to-date with all my adventures.

145.010 packet repeater
K3EA, Greg:
- No contests this past weekend
- Next weekend:
  - ARRL 160m CW at night
  - FT challenge - normal exchanges
- December 14-15
  - 10m contest, phone/CW, 48 hrs, should be great.
- https://contestcalendar.com
- Propagation should be normal and above normal
WB3LNY, George:
- Working on ISS access.
KA3TKW, Tom:
- ARISS mission 1622UTC, 145.800
- New satellite on Nov 4, AO-123, ASRTU, FM, 4-day pass
- Easy satellites
  - ISS: 145.800FM, 145.825 packet, 437.800FM downlink
  - AO-123, 435.400FM down
  - SO-50, 437.795FM down
K3DMM, Denny:
- Travel and simplex contacts
K3AQ, Kenny:
- New laptop from Best Buy to run fldigi, etc.
KB3MIJ:
- Some fldigi on HF
- Some repeater work at reesers.
W3MW, Don:
- Most bands on a vertical antenna.
- Mounting some antennas on the roof with a contractor.
- Built some more receive pre-amps.

VE3HOH, Pete
- Rohn 25 sections + brackets
- 8 yagis for 432.
- Kushcraft yagi for 2 meters
KA3TKW, Tom:
- Cheap UHF radios
- CMD-1550
- Shortwave receivers

21 net technet ka3tkw

Posted on 2024-09-22

Last weekend was POTA weekend: 4 setups and 5 activations in 2 days around Michaux State Forest area
Morsle to practice copying CW
My first 2 CW contacts hunting POTA
- 40m
- X6100
- 71-foot EFRW
- 3D-printed Iambic paddles
- Fell apart pretty quickly, but got into their logs.
Testing the footprint of the KA3TKW VHF/UHF repeaters to high on a hill. near Wrightsville with my trusty Quansheng at the SPARC picnic
New house
- Extending my meshtastic network with a minimal external antenna
- Strong enough into 21 at 5 watts
- Flagpole mast with a tape measure yagi to try to get back east to Parkesburg.
I was up way too late redesigning an antenna winder for the smaller balun I like.
- I need to get the 3d printer and software going again since the move
Xiegu x6100 has another dangerous firmware update that I’ll try in the near future.
- The last firmware stopped all TX, so we’ll see what happens this time.

21 technet net ka3tkw

Posted on 2024-06-30

outside wire broke and rehung a couple times
- avoiding tension on it
- cheap throwing weight from big sockets from Habitat Restore
my first summer of HF: May not be as exciting as past Winter/Spring
tape measure yagi for direction-finding/tx
- Quansheng shows dB and S-level of the signal, so going to work nicely for direction-finding
- found a direction-finding map application for my phone to help with triangulation: SigTrax
- may go chasing a curious source noises in my area
- local club is gearing up for a tx hunt
POTA / Field Day on the National Mall in DC
- GRA-1900t whip with coil with jumper
  - noted resonant frequencies at each jumper fully extended, so lookup, jumper, then shorten to tune.
- ran out all the batteries, but got the park activated
POTA around York/Lancaster
- oops, tick bite and lyme disease
sorting all the gear for radio, electronics, other hobbies.

packet radio
- 145.010 FM 12db digipacket
- 28.105 USB 300bd digipacket
13 colonies activity this week
Firecracker Hamfest this weekend
- Triangle Communication will have lots of gear to unload
satellites
- ISS
  - 145.800mhz
  - 145.825 digipeater packet
  - 437.800 fm repeater
  - Monday morning
  - Tuesday morning
  - Wednesday morning
- AO-91
  - Monday
  - Wed
  - Thurs
- SO-50
  - Tues 7pm
  - etc

21 ka3tkw technet net

Posted on 2024-01-21

ARRL/FCC meeting
- setup at 10:30
- lunch at 11:00
- meeting at 11:00
ka3tkw - tom
- ft8 on 10m on quansheng
kc3wry
kc3den
kc3wwc
- there for the meeting
- rehabilitated project j-pole
  - 450 ohm ladder line
  - tuned it with the nanovna
  - resoldered it
  - west to harrisburg
  - east to parkesburg
  - Quansheng uvk5
- had uvk5 randomly pick up ISS repeater at 2am or so
- xlr mic cable, untested, available for ARRL meeting
- always repacking and organizing my bags for optimal carry
k3ea
- DX opportunities
  - good propagation for 10m/12m
  - Clipperton / fox and hound
  - Saint Helena
winter field day
- Harrisburg people are hitting some parks
- 97 repeater in York

21 technet net ka3tkw