[600MRG] Please consider getting active on 630m in 2015!

Sat Jan 3 16:42:47 CST 2015

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for the response and the interest.   The first thing I tell guys is to start out by listening either for aural or digital signals.  Given your hearing challenges, digital might be the best way to start.  There is a very established group of RX and TX stations on wspr (wsprnet.org) and most of us leave that running when we are not trying to make QSO's...  WSPR is a 4-FSK mode that is transmitted in 2-minute time slots at a selectable TX %.  The biggest thing to remember is that time synchronization is very important and often times internet time syncing of a higher quality than that provided by Windows Internet Time is necessary.  Fortunately there are a number of free utilities that do a good job with this.  WSPR has a strong following and fortunately Laurence, KL7L / WE2XPQ, is quite good about letting his WSPR run, in addition to some CW beaconing.

As far as equipment for RX, why not try what you have for now - HF rig with whatever lowband antenna you might have available.  We have had many guys exhibit some really good success using 40 and 80m dipoles that are unmatched and certainly non-resonant.  We even had one guy last season that was using his A3S triband yagi on a 50 foot tower with remarkable success.  From there you can evaluate better RX antenna options, perhaps directional loops or short vertical arrays...This is a marathon not a sprint, so get your feet wet and see where it takes you.  if you decide that you want to file for your own grant and build a station to transmit, there is a lot of information available that we can provide.  Alaska has its own unique challenges that I am sure Laurence, KL7L, can expound upon.

Finally, you asked about why we do this.  Well, I suppose everyone will give you a different answer.   I enjoy the challenge of building the station, putting it on the air, and making CW QSO's or being heard in far off places that defy conventional wisdom because of the very low power and small antennas in use on both ends.  For me, only a very small part of it is nostalgia.  472-479  kHz is a very servicable segment of spectrum and everytime we put a signal on the air or get a report, we learn something new about how the band behaves.  I also like that fact that nothing is ever a sure thing on this band.  You cast your line and hook and maybe you dredge something up, maybe you don't.  When you do make that connection, it makes it even more special. 

Hopefully others will share why they do what they do...

73 and please let us know how we can help!

John XIQ

________________________________
 From: Patrick Brown <pbrown5 at yahoo.com>
To: John Langridge <jlangridge at sbcglobal.net>; "600mrg at w7ekb.com" <600mrg at w7ekb.com>; "kb5njd at arrl.net" <kb5njd at arrl.net> 
Sent: Saturday, January 3, 2015 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: [600MRG] Please consider getting active on 630m in 2015!

January 3, 2015

JOHN D
LANGRIDGE
827
MIDDLE RUN CT
DUNCANVILLE,
TX 75137
kb5njd at arrl.net

John:

My name is Pat KL3DB in Homer Alaska. I am
blind but have adaptive devices to assist me. I also have hearing challenges
and find it difficult to listen on headphones with static and varying levels of
sounds.

I am fascinated with these frequencies and activities
on 630 meters and the below 9 kHz crowd. But I admit I am lost in all the
details.

I am asking if you would be patient, to help
me get on some of this digital activity and especially these frequencies. Here
in Alaska I have about 3 acres of land to utilize so I can run long wires just
need to be high enough to not clip moose antlers, which get pretty high up
there!

My wife Shanley KL5AJK is real active on
contesting and contacting. Together we do ham training classes. Our club recently
restarted after 20 years SPARC, (South Peninsula Amateur Radio Club).

I have a background in radio broadcasting including
being on the air in Chicago. I am not as technical as you when it comes to
radio although I am CSO for a satellite project, another story another time.

Sometimes it is difficult to navigate on the web.
I will review the site suggested in your bio on QRZ.

I would need to understand what we are trying
to accomplish on 630m and need to consider equipment and antenna. We are
located SW of Anchorage and since I am retired I have time and energy available
and would love to help out the team from Alaska. One goal this year is digital on ham and learning Morse code again.

Respectfully,
Patrick Brown KL3DB Extra Class
40996 Woodman Lane
Homer Alaska 99603
Phone 907.775.4638
Email: KL3DB at ARRL.net 

>________________________________
> From: John Langridge <jlangridge at sbcglobal.net>
>To: "600mrg at w7ekb.com" <600mrg at w7ekb.com> 
>Sent: Saturday, January 3, 2015 11:16 AM
>Subject: [600MRG] Please consider getting active on 630m in 2015!
> 
>
>There have been a lot of grants awarded in the last year or so...  Activity has been pretty good in spite of the poor-ish condx that we have seen this winter.  There is always room for more and this "630m thing" has always been about what we, the operators (both RX AND TX!), make of it.
>
>If you have a grant and have not been active or have not been on the air yet at all, consider what you might do to make that happen in 2015.  If you are having problems getting things going, there are so many resources and on-air experience within this group to help you make that happen.  You just have to ask.
>
>One of my radio resolutions for 2015 is to lose a little more sleep and make a few  more QSO's.  Compared to my previous two years on 630m, I have been a less active operator, relying more on WSPR reports and the wow factor and marketing potential that is generated for would-be new applicants and potential operators.  I've blamed perceived propagation for the most part but I think having enough guys on the air to populate the band can make some of those perceptions disappear.  Its been very cool to listen to the EU guys (via  http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ ) making random CW QSO's (not skeds - literally random Q's) during their evening.  Also the special event we did in late October / early November was awesome and condx were even pretty good (funny how condx seem to be pretty good when we get on!).  There is plenty of great potential out there if ops will take advantage.
>
>
>My hope would also be that a few of the former stalwarts from the experimental group would figure out how to get active again.  Its great to have XSH/15 QRV again!  We have holes from the gulf coast and rio grand all the way to the canadian border in the central part of the country...If you can get on or want to file for your own grant, please give it some serious thought!  We also have holes in the south east.  Surprisingly the west and southwest have had very healthy growth and there is always room for more...
>
>
>73 and happy new year,
>
>John KB5NJD / WG2XIQ
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