If there's anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area who'd like to do some on-air CW practice, let me know. Technicians too. If your 6m or 2m rig doesn't support CW, one can easily use FM simplex for CW practice if your rig will take a key.
I have an extra license, but I've been a ham for only two years. My top speed is only around 15-18 wpm, so I could use the practice. I'd be happy to set up a sked with someone who'd like to practice at 10 wpm or even 5 wpm.
David
K9WQ
San Francisco
I have an extra license, but I've been a ham for only two years. My top speed is only around 15-18 wpm, so I could use the practice. I'd be happy to set up a sked with someone who'd like to practice at 10 wpm or even 5 wpm.
David
K9WQ
San Francisco
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Mon, September 6, 2004 - 10:40 PMK9WQ DE AD6YU R
Hi, David--
Do you have anything going on 20M?
I have a QRP CW rig on 20. HF band conditions have
been pretty bad--high QRN. But if the skip isn't great
from the South Bay to S.F., maybe there might be
ground wave. :-)
73,
--Loren, AD6YU
San Jose -
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Tue, September 7, 2004 - 7:54 PMHi, Loren...
Band conditions have indeed been terrible. I have a Yaesu FT-920 on a homemade copper-pipe magnetic loop in my apartment window, tuned by a big vacuum capacitor. The loop is well designed (if I do say so myself) and gets out pretty well. I've had CW and RTTY QSOs with 18 or so countries on my apartment loop in the 10 months or so -- not bad for bad conditions and a compromise antenna. I'm very comfortable with quick contest-type CW QSOs, but I tire quickly doing CW rag chew. I don't get enough practice.
Seems a shame to use an HF band for a local sked, but what the heck -- QRP would be fun. Can you do 6 meters? On what bands and modes do you operate?
As for me, CW, PSK, RTTY, SSB, etc., on 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 6, 2, and 70cm; and FM on 6, 2, and 70cm. I'd like to try a sked if you're up for it...
David
K9WQ -
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Tue, September 7, 2004 - 11:06 PMHi, David--
I just checked into two 2M FM repeater nets tonight,
and when I logged the QSOs I realized that I hadn't
been on the air since mid-July! Time has a way of flying
by.
---
I live in a mobile home park, and am on 20M CW and
2M FM. The 20M rig is an MFJ QRP Cub running 2 watts
to a low, droopy dipole up 15 feet off the ground at
the ends, and only 8 feet off the ground at the center
feed point (the balun is heavy)--think of it as a lazy "Y"
dipole. The 2M rig is a Yaesu FT-2500M, which I run
at 25 watts to a J-pole antenna, up 15 feet off the ground.
---
Maybe we could ragchew on 2M FM. Are there any
high-level repeaters that you can access?
My favorite is WR6ABD on Mt. Loma Prieta, which
can cover from Oakland in the north to Greenfield
(south of Salinas) to the south. It is at 146.64 MHz
with a negative offset and PL of 162.2.
---
Hope we can work something out!
---
73,
--Loren, AD6YU -
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Tue, March 22, 2005 - 10:37 AMI do some emergency work and want to do dispatch and this seems as good a place to start as any. I'm game. Should post also in the bayareahams.tribe.net
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Tue, March 22, 2005 - 10:46 AMHey, Loren, I don't know what kind of mobile home you have, but there's a type of antenna called the Airstream Loop that might work a bit better for you--I think I have a .pdf for it somewhere.
Maybe one day we should set up a Tribe.net net, or even do a Tribe.net Field Day in the Bay Area... -
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Tue, March 22, 2005 - 11:42 PMI lucked out last weekend and had a brief 20M CW QSO with a station
in Seattle. My signal report was 559 with strong QSB. The mere fact
that my 2W sig could even be heard above the noise level (QRN) made my
day!
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Wed, March 8, 2006 - 9:09 AMstill waiting. ;) -
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Re: CW practice in Bay Area?
Thu, October 26, 2006 - 10:06 PMI wouldn't mind practicing when I get my license! :)
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