Author: Admim
-
A few quick measurements of solar panel output.
A few weeks ago I was reading a guest post over at QRPer in which the writer observed that his solar panels’ output was noticeably less than expected. This was perfectly in line with my own observations in the past, but if I ever tried to quantify it the data has been lost, and I…
-
Winter Field Day is coming!
Scroll down to see the updates! Next weekend, in fact, January 28th – 29th, 1900 UTC to 1859 UTC. Right now, I am planning on operating from Wildcat Mountain State Park 1900 to 2200 UTC Saturday and 1400 to 1859 on Sunday. This park is also K-1480, I’m hoping the WFD rules will allow me…
-
No more antenna in the tree
Back in June when I had just received the X6100, as soon as I had charged the internal battery I improvised a quick random wire antenna off the deck: a small round rock carried some mason’s line over a convenient limb of the northernmost pine tree, which served to hoist up a lightweight insulator and…
-
CW practice continues
I am using just about every device I own that is capable of sending Morse these days, toward my goal of being a competent CW operator by Spring. Wherever I am, if I have a few moments to spare I have some way of practicing sending and/or receiving. There’s the KD1JV Morse Trainer, a W1REX…
-
I can’t believe I missed Straight Key Night !
Well, make that “I don’t want to believe … “ and it’s not like the universe didn’t give me every opportunity, either ! There was an email from the League on the 31st; (“Celebrate Morse code heritage with Straight Key Night“) that I opened, read, and promptly forgot in the press of other matters like…
-
Carrying liquids in the field
Over the winter is a great time to noodle about and work on the equipment we use in the field in the milder months, so this is the first in a series of posts about, well, things and stuff. This morning I was washing out all of my bottles and figured it was…
-
Shaking down for winter ops; part 1
So a couple of weekends ago I went up to Wildcat Mountain State Park on a misty, chilly morning to try out the back-of-the-minivan setup that I had assembled. Few QSOs resulted, but it was a great learning experience. Very early in the morning I posted my proposed activation on the POTA site and made…
-
The KD1JV Code Trainer
It’s been obvious to me for some time that if I want to be a successful QRP operator I need to improve my CW skills! If there is a single thing on the Things You Don’t Want To Do If You’re Going To Learn Morse list that I missed, I am not aware of it. …
-
A quick paddle base
A month or two ago I spotted this little paddle on Amazon and bought one, just because I like straight keys and paddles and I’m always willing to add another one to the collection. Only real issue was the 3 little magnets that were used for feet; on any surface other than steel it…
-
Tooling up for winter ops
Wisconsin doesn’t have the mildest (or the worst) winter weather, so right now I am organizing my elderly minivan into a mobile shack for doing parking-lot-POTA for the next few months. The one jump seat that we have left in the back is conveniently located by windows which will open, and has both heater outlets…
-
Hello world!
Welcome to Driftless QRP! Still working on all the nuance of a full WordPress site, taking lots of pictures for future posts ! Winter is slowing down outdoor operation. actual content coming Real Soon Now!