September - Mobile Amateur Radio Awards Club
Contents
1. and the Dangerous Duo hey that s what they call themselves who am I to argue of Jerry WOGXQ and Mike NFON in North Dakota I also got some goodies and let me tell you I really like goodies for the MARAC Museum a MARAC Annual Report and B amp B Shop County Hunter Directory from Jim W6OUL a surprise box full of neat historical stuff that I m still sorting through from Frank W9WOC and a couple of data files from Jeff W9MSE expedited by my District Director Kerry W4SIG containing CW Contest Results over the past several decades Many thanks to all Please feel free to check out the current collection of pictures and information by visiting the CH History Archive website at the following Internet address http www CHarchive com Unfortunately County Hunting experienced a couple more SK s in August John Thompson K60HM passed away at age 76 His life included involvement in the Boy Scouts US Marines CBS TV Disneyland Disney World and HRO sales John had 4 stars and Bingo Erwin Bishop WB7ATT passed away at age 78 from colon cancer He and Jim W8FNW had been good friends since 1967 and often ran counties together ROADRUNNER Page 7 MARAC Voting Information if you are a new member or are REJOINING following a lapse in membership you are NOT eligible to submit nominations or vote in an election until the first day of the month following receipt of the payment of dues and valid membership a2. 1674 244 31 2 I58 w9suaQ Jam F 0 0 SOIWAGEEZ Leslie F 4137 3077 2055 814 299 I60 WA4UNSIDoug F 40 9 p F 0 WA6OCV Susan M F 328 3077 130 25 1 62IWAZETH Ed fr 1 211 1925 3 El WA7JHQ Sterling F meet ee 2014 2013 2014 2013 O IN Ja po O IN Ww lun oo S 30 2012 Ka uw I 00 N z da 6085 10 3 2013 3207 4795 14 2024 10 31 201 55 6300 2 2014 10 3865 2385 28 2013 24 2014 S 2 Nilo lo e N 0 0 e IWD4OIN Jack F 1150 3077 3070 1161 8252 53 6 8 20 2014 15 5 EI WBOM Jeff pp j 0 0 EI 0 0 3077 3065 7360 7 29 2014 How To Get Your 5 Mode Statistics Updated Several past Digital Happenings articles have given detailed instructions on a new and easy way to update your digital statistics for Table 3 by using a small program called Digital Report Utility This new program ROADRUNNER Page 25 will create a report for you showing your progress for both the USA Digital and the 5 Mode Awards and email it to WONAC Instead of repeating these instructions every month I have included them in a Microsoft Word document that you can download by clicking on the following link https dl dropboxusercontent com u 26171574 Happenings 5 20Mode 20Update doc Other possible topics for future months include in no particular order More Lesser Well Known Features of Fldigi Ho
3. Volume XLIV September 2014 Number 9 Riding the County Lion Dave KE3VV he Big Green Dragon says that this is Labor Day weekend so I d better get to work and put together my Roadrunner column for the next issue Lots of housekeeping issues including a call for volunteers or nominees to serve in two seats on the MARAC Board and some thoughts on where we go next with awards during the transition from Logger to Logger II now that some top o the heap county hunters have achieved the lofty goal of Mobile Diamond The County Lion thinks we should have an award for transmitting from all counties with a lion in the right front seat but I do not sense a great deal of enthusiasm for that among the membership We have two vacant seats on the MARAC Board of Directors one for the Northeast District which includes Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire New Jersey New York Rhode Island Vermont Canadian Call Areas VE1 VE2 VE9 VY2 and all of Europe and the South Central District which includes Arkansas Colorado Kansas Louisiana Missouri New Mexico Oklahoma Texas and all of the countries in Central and South America The Board will fill these seats by appointment until the next election The term of the Northeast seat ends in 2016 so the next election will fill it for the remainder of that term and the term of the South Central ends in 2015 so the election will fill that seat for the following full three year term until
4. KU4MP Sep 05 WD9HAW Sep 05 WA3LVH Sep 05 W900 Sep 06 KN4S Sep 06 N7MPS Sep 06 KESJA Sep 06 W9LMT Sep 07 W5DAM Sep 07 Birthdays Roadrunner SE NSNAA SE 07 WA2BEG Sep 07 07 WX7E Sep 08 N9AC Sep 08 NSAAE Sep 08 W1ATV Sep 08 N8STF Sep 09 KJ7PO Sep 09 KN5H Sep 09 K4SL Sep 09 KG9HC Sep 09 N7WL Sep 09 KG7Q Sep 09 W5XFM Sep 09 NW10 Sep 10 K8XF Sep 10 KB5FU Sep 10 NXOV Sep 10 W3RWJ Sep 10 WOOWY Sep 11 K9WA Sep 11 KB7ZTI Sep 11 N8MBW ep 12 N5DUQ Sep 12 W5SM Sep 12 WG9A Sep 12 N9PC Sep 12 NOSTL Sep 12 WOMU Sep 12 KD6WW Sep 13 N8RYD Sep 13 WU7R Sep 13 K4NK Sep 14 WASOPO Sep 14 Roadrunner Read Call Birthday Date Date WB2QMY ECN 14 KF4PHW Sep 15 15 KG5IZ Sep 15 NESY Sep 15 N7CYQ Sep 15 KJ4KX Sep 15 W3IQ Sep 16 KF2GP Sep 16 K8NI Sep 16 VK7BA Sep 16 WAOLRQ Sep 16 WOCTA Sep 16 KOXT Sep 17 WJ9S Sep 17 W9DP Sep 17 WM3T Sep 17 AK6H Sep 17 WAACUU Sep 17 WOIM Sep 17 KG5RJ Sep 17 KB9AIT Sep 17 AD7QN Sep 17 KE3NR Sep 18 N4PJ Sep 18 NX4P Sep 18 N8MYC Sep 18 W6QE Sep 18 N5QQ Sep 19 KOHN Sep 19 K5KDG Sep 19 NB7B Sep 20 WB3JDC Sep 20 KC7OD Sep 20 KN4CQ Sep 21 Page 10 Roadrunner Birthdays Call AC4SW WONS WB7PMZ Sep 21 VE2MAM Sep 21 KA1OCL NNGAA WT6P N9IHZ KL7IFP K1CGI
5. Paul K1TKL Ron K2RP Connie KSCM Bob K7TM Lowell KBOBA Don N5XG and Jim NOJF Jeff NY4N and Page 4 ROADRUNNER Ray WBOPYF There are two remote stations Donna AG6V and John WA2MUA What is a remote station A remote station allows you operate from where you ain t Gator ignores me I noisily slurp my latte Wow Gator the twenty mobile turnout exceeds the CQP by 100 percent and about even with the FQP You sound biased Tam Do you think MARAC will sponsor this tradition next year The turnout is comparable to attendees at the conventions T hope so it is good publicity and shows that MARAC cares for its QSO party tradition and contest operating members What do you think of moving the CW contest to the month of May Fine for fixed stations but having several State QSO parties on the same date makes the operating space crowded for mobiles Gator is keyboarding the computer Dude I see you worked the North American CW QSO party I shake my head yes Check it out the log is on the memory stick Gator s fingers dance across the keyboard Not a bad QSO count for a ten hour contest You made 270 contacts spread out on six bands I wave my hand Gator check out 10 meters for possible new counties I had a great run on ten meters on Saturday Gator sips his latte Not a big success for new counties on ten but you did get three new counties on 80
6. driver I use the front edge of the computer tray 6 If not yet done remove the SignaLink from its case and install the jumper module or configure the internal jumpers Carefully double check everything before closing the case Reading the Signalink instructions is crucial for successfully completing this step 7 Connect the SignaLink provided USB cable to the SignaLink box and to a USB port on your computer 8 Plug the SignaLink provided transceiver cable into the rear of the SignaLink box and the other end into the appropriate connector socket on your transceiver Note For some transceivers you may need to connect two cables if the transceiver has a separate Push To Talk connector Again read your SignaLink instructions carefully and cross check against your transceiver manual 9 Using a Stereo male to Mono female adapter on one end of a shielded Mono audio cable plug the adapter into your Vehicle AUX input jack Plug the other end into the Speaker jack on the rear of the IC 7000 Note If your vehicle doesn t have an AUX connector for the audio system you will probably need to mount and connect a small speaker to the speaker jack on your transceiver ROADRUNNER Page 17 10 Lastly run a short heavy ground strap from the IC 7000 ground point on right end of rear panel to a nearby grounding point on the vehicle body sometimes seat rail hold down bolts can be used effectively How To C
7. install Fldigi You should also PRINT out all the manuals for use when you have no internet connection How To Connect Your Hardware Here is a simple diagram for the new mobile installation I am using for an example Vehicle Main Batters Renn To 107000 Remote Head Main Buds T 1 I TI MT aOR k 20 14 073 ES 2 3 R el Laptop PWR Computer Tray i Laptop Not Shown Car Radio RJ 4s Coupler Lighted i Power Switch Trunk Lip Hamstick Antenna 20M Page 16 ROADRUNNER After you have ALL the hardware you need and have physically mounted attached the major items to your vehicle follow the steps below to connect everything If you already have an existing fixed or mobile station and just need to modify your setup skip or modify any steps that don t apply 1 Install the Comet Antenna Mount on the left side ofthe trunk lid making sure that the pointed set screws make firm contact with bare metal Nowis also a good time to use short battery cables to electrically bypass both trunk lid hinges to the vehicle body In most cases you can place the cable lugs under the existing hinge bolts but if not use your ingenuity Route the coax to your transceiver antenna connector but try to form a 3 or 4 turn coil about 4 to 6 inches in diameter near the antenna mount using excess coax Clamp 2 or 3 Radio Shack RF chokes with all turns of the coax passing through the choke windows Space the chokes evenl
8. is OFF or set very low Then slowly turn up the RX control on the SignaLink box You should see noise begin to appear on the waterfall in addition to signals from casual PSK 31 contacts Tune to a signal by clicking on top of its trace on the waterfall and you should see their conversation start to decode in the receive window 8 Setting digital signal output level is next First adjust the RF Power Output level control to 100 Full up and leave it there Tune your radio dial to about 14 074 MHz and tune to a clear spot on the waterfall If available set your radio to show both Power Out and ALC action 9 Click on the Fldigi Tune button upper right on Fldigi screen and check that both the red SignaLink PTT light comes on and that the transmit light on your transceiver is ON 10 Slowly turn up the TX control on the SignaLink box and watch your transceiver for an increase in RF power out Keep increasing the TX control until you just start showing a little ALC action or 40 W power output is reached whichever comes first If any ALC action is showing back the TX control down a bit until the ALC indication just disappears 11 Click again on the Fldigi Tune button to toggle the radio back to Receive Mode Your rig will now be set for the maximum undistorted digital signal you can expect out of a 100W PEP transceiver From this point on use only the SignaLink TX control to adjust RF power output Re configure Fldigi amp Load Macr
9. runners While we re at it what shall we call the next new award Should we eliminate the current Roadrunner award that no one wants and use that nifty name on the new one Golden Roadrunner Master Roadrunner What do you think The Big Green Dragon wants to call it the Fire Breathin Dragon Award of course and the County Lion has suggested that we name it the Lay It On the County Line Award I am sure you have much much better ideas The mind expands and boggles Remember the SE Mini in Charleston is coming soon the 6th 8th of October which gets us the Mon Wed non weekend rates for those of us counting our gas money dollars and Charleston has lots to do and enjoy I hope to see you there the SE Mini is always great fun especially the group dinner at the Fat Hen on John s Island The 2015 National web site for the July confab in the Villages in Florida is also up and running and can be accessed from the Events tab on the MARAC web site The County Lion has just reminded me that we need to start packing the truck for our next mobile adventure to New England for a wedding on the Vineyard so until we hear you on the airwaves or see you in Charleston 73 88 travel safe and as always Live Well and Be Happy Dateline CW Ed KN4Y Which I have earned with the operation of my radio have the pedal to the metal at maximum Jerry speed and headed towards the radio shack but first a required stop to pick up a couple d
10. 14 8 9 2014 USA CW Call Combo 1x3 BINGO 136 14 357 NA8W 8 2 2014 USA CA WAC First Time 1246 K800K N5MLP K7REL 7 29 2014 8 19 2014 8 2 2014 Worked all Counties 3rd Time Worked all Counties 4th Time Worked all Counties 8th Time 242 163 H 16 K5GE 7 30 2014 Worked all Counties 8th Time Roadrunner Issued For August 2014 Cal pate Award Number AA9JJ 8 9 2014 Last County Count 950 9 N8KIE 8 2 2014 Last County Count 925 10 K7SEN 8 2 2014 Last County Count 50 347 AB7NK 8 2 2014 Last County Count 175 138 W8GEJ 8 9 2014 Last County Count 25 Was NACH 8 25 2014 Last County Count 2425 1 N9JF 8 25 2014 Last County Count 325 60 KB6UF 8 2 2014 Last County Count 1225 4 NASW 8 25 2014 Last County Count 25 517 KJ5PQ 18 17 2014 Last County Count 700 21 NUOQ 8 17 2014 Last County Count 25 4516 N9QPQ 8 25 2014 Last County Count 1225 lit 5 15 ROADRUNNER Page 9 Roadrunner Birthdays Call W1VA Sep 01 KK5LC Sep 01 WE8D Sep 01 OZ8X Sep 01 KJ P Sep 01 W1QK Sep 01 W3GQJ Sep 01 KQ4KI Sep 01 AD4IA Sep 01 K6CRA Sep 02 K1BS Sep 02 AC4GO Sep 02 WA6GQY Sep 03 N5ZF Sep 03 KAY Sep 03 WB2GFE Sep 03 W6ZQ Sep 04 NN9K Sep 04 NOPM Sep 04 N3RM Sep 04 KB7RE Sep 04 W6RK Sep 04 W9GUY Sep 04 KAOW Sep 05 W3UJT Sep 05
11. 14074 1 KHz set your radio dial to 14 0730 MHz and look for the mobile s signal near 1100 Hz offset on your waterfall 5 Fine tune on the waterfall trace until the mobiles transmissions are decoding as cleanly as possible 6 When you see the mobiles call sign properly decoded and not imbedded in garbage double click on it and Fldigi will place their call sign into the lt Call gt buffer If you can t see their call clearly on the screen but you know who it is you can click in the Call box near top left of the Fldigi main screen and type their call N6PDB M in manually 7 After the mobile has sent out a CQ County Hunters call or when they have completed their current contact press function key F 9 to send your call sign This macro will automatically turn on your transmitter send your call sign 3 times then switch your transmitter back OFF ROADRUNNER Page 21 8 Ifthe mobile decodes your call they will send back something similar to WONAC UR RST IS 599 BTU 9 You will then press function key F 10 which will automatically reply with the message N6PDB M DE WONAC UR ALSO 599 IN Douglas CO TU 10 They will acknowledge their report something like this WONAC TU FOR MY 599 BK OTHER CALLS PSE KN 11 At this point the contact is valid so log it 12 Each time the mobile changes to the next mode just use the Fldigi macro buttons to change your own mode to match and repeat steps 7 11 abov
12. 2018 The terms of office begin and end in July on the date of the National MARAC convention more Riding the County Lion SE Mini Treasurer s Report WONAC OLUNTEERS NEEDED Awards Awards Manager s Report Birthdays Calendar Dateline CW Digital Happenings History Happens MARAC Silent Keys MARAC Voting Information ew Members OTE Page 2 ROADRUNNER So if you live in one of the states or countries listed for either District and are interested in serving your fellow county hunters and helping keep MARAC headed down the road antenna side up please send me an email expressing your interest and why you want to join the Board The Board will fill the seats by appointment until the next election which occurs in the May June part of 2015 so you will have an opportunity to decide whether to run for the follow on term Salary and benefits are incredible and too numerous to list here you would actually get the same compensation and perks that are lavished on me and all the other officers and BOD members The next issue that could use some input from loyal readers of the Roadrunner is new awards Recommendations for awards come to the Board from the Awards Committee and the Awards Committee has actually received a number of ideas for new awards But for the last few years all new awards have been in queue until they can be programmed into Logger Until an award is added to Logger the program will not keep track of counties comple
13. KOPVW N9BAE K2UF W3CR KA6RAT NOGUR AA4AK N4MIC NM1G KG4FJC K7SEN KR40E K3VQO KA1SF KD5YN NOXYL N7WO AJOC NOUF KBSWY W5HV WBOJYB W7KFA W8EB Sep 27 Birthday Date Sep 21 Sep 21 Sep 21 Sep 21 Sep 22 Sep 22 Sep 22 Sep 22 Sep 22 Sep 22 Sep 23 Sep 23 Sep 23 Sep 23 Sep 23 Sep 24 Sep 24 Sep 24 Sep 24 Sep 25 Sep 25 Sep 25 Sep 25 Sep 25 Sep 25 Sep 26 Sep 26 Sep 26 Sep 26 Sep 27 Sep 27 ROADRUNNER Roadrunner Birthdays Call AE2Z N2DP KO4EA NK8P W7FGD K7GA K9FP N4NX N5VT KD4RKJ W1IBS N5KB N4RNR WA60TV KOBXF KC3X WA2CNJ WA1ZIC Sep 27 Sep 27 Sep 27 Sep 28 Sep 28 Sep 28 Sep 28 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 29 Sep 30 ROADRUNNER Page 11 Digital Happenings DIGITAL HAPPENINGS 25 August 2014 By WONAC Matt I ve heard comments from at least two county hunters that some of my technical topics have gone way over their heads After thinking about this a bit I feel that their comments are valid So this month I m going to do my best to avoid theory and just try to explain in the simplest way possible how you can acquire set up and get on the air with a simple fixed and or mobile digital rig My goal is to motivate any of
14. MLP_ Ron M F 391 3077 409 54 32 9 3586 33 NePDB Dennis M F 1093 3077 2990 1293 974 3811 oa I34 Nac Dick Jr 9893 3077 3049 ser 515 387 7915 I35 neHAM jim F o 307 0 o 0 3077 I36 N9WNN Steve F oo 28 o o o o 2180 37 NASW Dal F M 699 3064 980 481 266 135 4926 I38INFON Mike F 900 3077 3077 109 283 127 7655 49 8 39INNSK Pete F 816 307 859 78 1 0 4015 26 1 I40INT2A Gene ITT 00 mme RAE E gt E gt gt EE Jj INW6S Jim Jr 1 784 307 3077 805 114 79 7152 465 5 6 2014 43 NXaW lloyd M F 1228 3077 1365 554 39 162 5554 36 1 8 26 2014 WONAC Matt M F 1862 3077 2856 2034 1180 542 9689 630 8 31 2014 AS w3DLM Don F 359 1 3077 2390 298 101 355 5921 38 5 10 12 2013 Ia6 w3zuH Dick F 5 3077 208 unu 2 o0 5138 334 12 4 2013 WAIHI E AO TE Ee O j 0 A A 148 WAsiG CA AO AA AAA AA AAA _ j AAA VEO OA A AAA a9l wavpy Dave F 1 1115 3077 3077 1258 624 414 8450 54 9 8 27 2014 5olwsap Rick M F 669 3077 2846 746 404 334 7407 481 8 20 2014 fro JE E gt ij 0 E 0 0 W6RLL_ oe jr J _ j 0 0 3 39 6 AIW7IN barry fF 0 0 I55 w700 Bil IME J J 0 0 56fW8RCW Rich M F 38 2422 565 131 55 20 8 57 W9JR_ rich fr 1 90 3077
15. Site Fixed Expenses 0 00 Spotting Site Recurring Expenses New Web Site 371 87 Logger II Fixed Expenses 0 00 Logger II Recurring Expenses 0 00 July Other Expenses Awards Manager Expenses 441 05 Office Expenses Postage Etc 0 00 K9DCJ Club Call Renewal 21 10 Reimbursed 2014 Convention Seed Monies 1 942 97 Total Expenses 1 108 95 July Net Income Less Expenses 2 277 69 New Total Balance ALL Accounts 39 967 16 Checking Account Balance 8 911 34 Money Market Account Balance 31 055 82 Total All Accounts 39 967 16 Note The following monies are not included in the account balances above Awards Manager s Funds 1 500 00 Includes July Transactions through 8 18 2014 From a balance sheet perspective MARAC Total Funds at the end of July should be discounted by 7 413 50 This amount is a Deferred Liability of award fees pre paid by members carried on the Award Manager s books which have been consistently included as current income in all previous Awards Manager Reports The Awards Manager will continue reporting as in the past except will now include the total amount of pre paid fees in his monthly report ROADRUNNER Page 29 Awards Manager s Report August 31 2014 Funds Balance July31 2014 1 500 00 Income 929 50 929 50 Expenses Office supplies 0 29 Plaque Suppliers 632 50 Postage 185 32 817 82 Sent to Treasurer 929 50 Reimbursement received from Treasurer 817 82 Funds Bal
16. Team 02 m f ts Reading 1302 bytes fro Read B records in 0 00 You will still need to make a few configuration changes like call sign and rig control but in general these new settings should work well for you Also if you wish to go back to your previous settings at any time all you need do is re name the file fldigi def old ml back to its original file name fldigi_def xml When you have arrived at this point in the process you are pretty well ready to go digital county hunting The only other thing you need to do is learn how to use all your new toys under real life conditions Hopefully these last two examples will help How A Typical Fixed Station Would Work A Digital Mobile For this example we will assume that you are the fixed station and that the mobile s call sign is N6PDB M 1 Have your Logger spots up and running or be monitoring 14 075 MH very closely so that you know when a mobile is out there 2 Have your rig all tuned up and ready to go on 20M digital 3 Set your Fldigi mode to match theirs mobiles usually start their runs on PSK 64 4 Set your radio dial to the next even KHz below the mobiles frequency that will require an offset of 500 Hz or more For example if the mobile is spotted on a true frequency of 14074 8 KHz set your radio dial to 14 0740 MHz and look for the mobile s signal trace near 800 Hz offset on your waterfall If they are spotted on a true frequency of
17. ance July 31 2014 1500 00 Members Funds on Hand June 30 2014 7413 50 Income Funds deposited 466 50 Total Funds on Hand for Members 7800 00 NOTE YOUR AWARDS MANAGER WILL BE OUT OF POCKET FROM AUGUST 29TH THROUGH SEPTEMBER 10TH Page 30 ROADRUNNER Calendar ROADRUNNER Page 31 Awards Committee These MARAC members are serving on the Awards Committee Awards Manager Bob Devine KC6AWX Phil Yasson AB7RW Dave Splitt KE3VV Kent Reinke KV7N Ed Palagyi KN4Y Matt Matthew WONAC David Pyle KW1DX Ron Clift NSMLP The County Line Roadrunner MARAC Secretary 2690 Bohicket Rd Johns Island SC 29455 A Road Runner Is A Very Fast Bird Monthly Deadline for Articles is the 25 Board of Directors President David Splitt KE3 VV 6111 Utah Ave NW Washing ton DC 20015 301 300 2818 davidsplitt erols com Vice President David Pyle KW1DX 26 Van Dyke Rd Hollis NH 03049 603 589 1830 kw I dx Qtangaroan com Secretary Jim Grandinetti KZ2P 2690 Bohicket Rd Johns Island SC 29455 843 323 8385 k2 g comcast net Treasurer Matt Matthew WONAC 17525 Wilde Ave Unit 108 Parker CO 80134 303 941 0867 wOnac comcast net Great Lakes Director Dan Mulford KM9X 5225 N Co Rd 100E Osgood IN 47037 812 498 6702 km9x frontier com North Central Director Tony Mazzocco WA9DLB 275 E County Line RD Barrington IL 60010 224 678 5265 wa9dlb hotmail com Northeast Director Vacan
18. both radios are identical you can use the same SignaLink configuration and cable for both locations but still have the inconvenience of physically moving the hardware back and forth You also lose the ability of operating both stations at the same time Computer For base station use almost any computer will work fine even ifitis old However if you also need to use this computer for other tasks in addition to digital operations you may want a more up to date computer with lots of storage and a faster CPU In any event I recommend that you use a computer with Windows 7 or Windows 8 1 installed Microsoft recently terminated all support for Windows XP and prior versions Even though a Windows XP computer may work OK for now Microsoft no longer provides any security updates This means that you may become more vulnerable to security threats malware as time moves on Also hardware drivers and other 3 4 party software may suffer increasing compatibility and availability issues Ifyou want to put out counties using digital modes while mobile heaven knows we need a lot more digital mobiles having a computer in your car is mandatory I have no specific brand or model recommendation but when available space is considered you will probably end up with a small notebook or netbook computer You will want the largest and brightest screen you can safely fitinto your vehicle Other things you need to check out before buying are a Does the co
19. but only got six new counties on 15 meters four no star a last N prefix and two natural Bingo I give Gator a thumbs up I moved up and down the bands on CW tracking the ten mobiles and several fixed stations using 1x1 calls It was a moving experience Gator is not impressed You got one new county on 15 meters in the Ohio QSO party and only made eight QSO s in the Hawaii QSO party Yes Gator I went up and down the band working whoever I heard It was fun and now run my Colorado QSO party log The tranquility is shattered as Gator s cell phone ding a lings Got to run Dude there is a truck on the loading ramp waiting to load elixir and two loaders are home sick Put Colorado on the back burner He is gone like a religious experience and I think I heard him yell You think that a woman who is out of ROADRUNNER Page 5 your league bowls on a different night I hear the printer start and stop it is a list of the mobiles heard on the CW county hunter s frequencies during August I read AB4YZ AFSCC J3 AISP 9Y4 AIS5P KOFG K2HVN K3IMC K4XU K4YFH K4ZGB KA4RRU KB6UF KE3 VV KN4Y KO7X KS5A KW1DX N4AAT N4CD N7IV N9AC NOJE NC2Y NFON NG7Z NM2L NN9K NT2A NUOQ WOGXQ W3DQT W3DYA W4SIG W7FEN W8GEJ W8UE W9MSE and WBOPYF The month of September is here already where has the summer gone I get older and it seems time passes more quickly what happened to the 60 second minute Septembe
20. d that you order your unit direct from Tigertronics by phone 1 800 822 9722 or 541 474 6700 In addition to the unit itself you will also need the correct cable to connect to your model transceiver Also for a small additional cost I recommend that you order the Plug amp Play Jumper Module for your radio This module will save loads of time and avoid errors when doing manual jumper connections When using some radios there are as many as 3 different connection ports you can use For example most ICOM radios have both a13 pin and an 8 pin Accessory jack on the rear panel as well as an 8 pin round microphone jack on the front Any of these can be used but each has their own advantages disadvantages The Tigertronics sales people are very familiar with the in s and out s for connecting to your model radio and can advise you on which choice is right for your situation 4 5 ROADRUNNER Page 13 However if you have a choice I recommend that you opt to use the data connection If you wish to use this interface for both your fixed station radio and your mobile rig I recommend that you buy two units with each configured for its own radio Ifthis is too expensive itis possible to use a single interface for both radios However ifthe 2 radios are different you will probably need to reconfigure the SignaLink box take it apart and also change cables each time you move the interface This is doable but very inconvenient If
21. e Changing modes in Fldigi is very easy All you need do is either click on the macro button for the new mode or hold down the lt Shift gt key before you press the corresponding macro function key For example to change to the mode RTTY 75N either click on the 6 macro button from the left top row labeled RTTY 75N or hold the lt SHIFT gt key down as you press function key F 6 If you forget all this just hover your mouse cursor over any macro key and the actions you need to execute or edit that key will pop up Also if you need to send a message that is not contained in any macro press function key F 12 to toggle your transmitter ON then manually type your message ending with function key F 12 again to toggle your transmitter back OFF If you are a slow typist you can also compose it first using the keyboard and it will be sent at full speed the next time the transmitter is activated by a macro key Your manual text will be sent first Then any text associated with the macro will be sent next For example if you use function key F 12 only your manually typed text will be sent How A Typical Mobile Team Digital Would Put Out A County Line For this example we will assume that the mobile team s call signs are KJ5PQ KG5UZ M Except for only using a single call sign putting out counties as a single operator is very similar Also many of the details in the previous example remain the same so the
22. e KOBG web site http www kObg com will provide you with essentially all the information you need on these devices and where to get them Note as a general rule place RF chokes at both ends of all cables and wires winding 3 4 turns through the window The one exception to this rule is that both ends of the heavy leads connecting to the main vehicle battery need not be suppressed Also there is a Radio Shack Snap Together Toroid Choke Core Catalog 273 104 that I have used with good results in the past for RF suppression You can get it at your local Radio Shack store or order it online at http www radioshack com Here is what it looks like The reasons that I recommend using this part are that it has proved to be very effective at HF frequencies and that the large snap together window allows you to wrap multiple turns of large wire audio cables and even RG 8X size coax for maximum RF suppression Its design also allows you to wrap multiple turns while the wire cable is still connected at both ends Pretty neat How To Obtain Needed Digital Software For your digital software I strongly recommend that you use Fldigi Fast Light DIGItal modem application Most of the digital software programs out there were compared in Digital Happenings 14 However even though this article was written almost a year ago I still recommend Fldigi software for both mobile and fixed station use for the following reasons a It covers more di
23. entire new configuration is saved in the file fldigi_def xm1 This file is located in the C users lt Your Name gt fldigi files folder Please follow the steps below if you wish to take advantage of these short cuts 1 Insure that the Fldigi program is NOT running 2 Download the file WONAC Macro Set zip using this link https dl dropboxusercontent com u 26171574 Fldigi o20Macros WONAC 20Macro 20Set zip and move and unzip it in the C users lt Your Name gt fldigi files macros folder After doing this you will find 7 new macros for you to modify and play with their names pretty much describe what each macro would be used for 3 Browse to the folder C users lt Your Name gt fldigi files and rename the file fldigi_def xml to fldigi_def old ml 4 Download the new file fldigi def xml into the C users lt Your Name gt fldigi files folder using the link https dl dropboxusercontent com u 26171574 Fldigi 20Config 20Files fldigi_def xml 5 Start the Fldigi program and select File Macros Open from the main menu If you find that you are not already there browse to the C Users lt Your Name gt fldigi files Macros folder While in this folder select and open the file CountyHunter Mobile Team 02 mdf Your main Fldigi opening screen should now look very similar to the following Page 20 ROADRUNNER Macros C Users MATT fldigi files macros Countylunter Mobile
24. ervations early Hotel Notes There is a 2 night minimum stay and a one night deposit is required Cancellations must be done 2 weeks in advance and all but 25 of your deposit will be refunded Cancellations within 2 weeks will be charged for 2 nights Parking Ample FREE parking with no overhangs to eat antennas Activities Dinner at the Fat Hen and walking the bridge are planned Other area attractions include Historic Charleston tours shopping dining golfing plantations Patriot s Point The Hunley amp Fort Sumter Dinner Buffet Style Dinner 28 per person Registration 10 per person Website More information including online registration is available at http www semini org Send registration and fees to John M Hoyt WSUGD 118 Halifax Rd Easley SC 29642 Email wSugd homelandsecureit com for additional information ROADRUNNER Page 27 2014 SE Mini Registration Callsign Name to be put on badge Address USA CA Additional Names Calls USA CA Numbers Basic Registration 10 00 Additional Registrations x 10 00 Banquet Tickets x 28 00 Total Page 28 ROADRUNNER Treasurer s Report WONAC July 2014 Beginning Account Balances July 18 2014 37 689 47 July Income Money Market Interest 2 72 Awards Manager Income 603 00 Membership Income 518 02 Logger distribution 45 00 Total Income 1 168 74 July New Spotting Site Logger II Expenses Spotting
25. etup above is only one solution from hundreds offered by ham suppliers and certainly not the most efficient For example many county hunters use Hustler parts to assemble a short 8 feet or so vertical antenna with multiple resonators at the top end Many different mountings are also used For excellent detailed information on antennas and antenna mounts I refer you to the KOBG site which can be reached at this link http www k0bg com The articles on this site are packed with sage advice and a wealth of other topics covered in detail Ultimately the decision on what to use is up to you Just remember almost any antenna will work for digital operations It s just a matter of how well they work for the price and convenience when changing bands frequencies 3 NY Interface Again possible choices here are many Although it is a bit dated now I covered most interface choices in detail in Digital Happenings 11 If you don t already have an interface on hand that you wish to use I still recommend that you buy a SignaLink USB interface manufactured by Tigertronics My reasons for recommending the SignaLink USB box were covered in detail in Digital Happenings 11 if you wish to review them but everyone I know who have used the SignaLink have been pleased Itis simple small good for mobile use inexpensive requires no special power source powered through USB connection and is very easy to setup and connect I recommen
26. gital modes and sub modes than any other single program b Even though free it has excellent support and is updated frequently c It has a plethora of features but operates beautifully with easy to set up default settings d For the most part it is very reliable software and any bugs that do crop up are fixed in a timely manner e It has a clean easy to use interface f It has versions that will run on almost any PC running Windows Linux OS X Macs or Puppy Pet a compact version of Linux ROADRUNNER Page 15 You can obtain the latest setup exe for Fldigi from the following site http www w1hkj com download html The Windows setup file can be downloaded by clicking on the first link in the Windows Setup column with the name fldigi 3 21 83 setup The Fldigi User s Manual 3 21 PDF can be downloaded from the same site by clicking on the fldigi Help PDF link under the Help column Other useful downloads can be found at the following a Beginners Guide to Fldigi W1HKJ Software www w1hkj com beginners html b Windows 7 8 Setup Instructions and General Information http www tigertronics com windows7 htm Note I recommend that you initially set up your mobile computer at a fixed location with a fast internet connection You will need to be connected to the internet for any of the links in this article to work I further recommend that you download ALL of the files listed above for later use when you
27. ing a Page 12 ROADRUNNER single radio and its digital interface back and forth between your mobile and fixed stations Doing this would require a lot ofingenuity and be inconvenient but it would certainly save a lot of money 2 Antenna For digital operations any antenna that works well on the lower portion ofthe 20M band 14 000 14 150 MHz will cover 90 of your needs Having 17M 30M and 40M capability will probably cover 99 of the rest Also if you wish to operate SSB and CW in addition to digital most do this will also affect your choices and costs For mobile digital use you will probably end up with a electrically shortened A vertical mono pole of some kind If you are starting from scratch I recommend that you consider using a 20M Hamstick MFJ 1620T mounted with a Breedlove Quick Disconnect Model 032 on a Comet Model HD5 3 8 24 Trunk Lip Mount If you wish to add Hamsticks for other bands you will need additional Breedlove Antenna Packs Model 032 for each one you add plus a single Breedlove Quick Disconnect Cap Model 031 All the Breedlove parts can be ordered online from https breedlovemounts com All the other parts are available online from Ham Radio Outlet at Http www hamradio com Using these parts for a single band 20M antenna will cost about 125 Adding Hamsticks and parts for two additional bands would bring your total cost up to a total near 200 The recommended antenna s
28. meters I nod my heard Yes in this QSO party I tend to work the same stations every year Gator sips his latte as he mouse s around I see you stayed up late Friday night to work the Worked All Europe CW contest I shake my head yes My goal was to make 100 contacts which I worked by noon Saturday I wanted to work the Maryland DC QSO party Gator gives me the zip my lip sign as he checks the memory stick index I do not see where you worked such a QSO party what happened I listened and listened on CW and I think the WAE CW contest intimidated the Maryland CW operators and they stayed on sideband Gator shakes his head What a bummer Gator turns around and out of the blue says Scottie was running in South Georgia I wonder what he was doing down this way Most likely he was checking on the Florida Carniverous Bladderwort Really Not really probably just got lost Which reminds me the SE Mini will be held in Mount Pleasant SC October 6th 7th amp 8th Gator starts laughing What a sequent Are you going Yes I plan to go Did you send in your registration No not yet I sip my latte I hand Gator a memory stick Stop yapping and check out my Kansas Ohio and Hawaii QSO parties Gator fakes a hurt look he inserts the memory stick into the USB I finish off my latte just as Gator motions to me Well Dude in the Kansas QSO party you made 171 QSO s
29. mputer have at least 2 more is better USB ports b Is the screen readable in bright sunlight c Do the function keys act as function keys by default highly desired or do you have to press a second key in combination very awkward when using Fldigi macros d Do either of the computer s AC to DC or DC to DC power supplies generate any spurious harmonics within the ham bands you will be using Many do If so you may have to choose a different model or run the AC power supply from a DC to AC inverter Incidentally many DC to AC inverters especially those with non sinusoidal output are also noisy If you go this route I recommend that you do a Google search using the key words RF quiet inverters for more complete help in choosing one with true sinusoidal output e Can you see the keyboard at night An indirectly lighted keyboard can solve this problem Wiring mounting I could write a book on this topic alone But instead of re inventing the wheel I refer you to an outstanding web site by KOBG You can find excellent instructions on Wiring amp Grounding by clicking on the following link http www k0bg com wiring html The only thing I can add is that radio installation shops like Car Toys are a convenient source for heavy duty flexible wire large in line fuse holders and such If you talk nice they may also do custom wiring of mobile equipment to your specifications This custom work is expensive but their experti
30. n the Call box and then send their report by pressing function key F 2 This macro will then send the following message KC3X KC3X UR RSTIS 599 599 BTU 11 KC3X will then acknowledge his report by returning a message similar to this KJ5PQ KG5UZ M DE KC3X UR BOTH ALSO 599 599 TU Hi 12 You will then acknowledge your report by using function key F 3 to send the following KC3X TU FOR OUR 599 BK OTHER CALLS PSE KN This contact with KC3X is now complete so the logger can log it 13 Immediately start looking and listening for other calls When you can pick out a new call sign repeat steps 9 13 until no more calls are seen 14 At this point you might put out one last CQ to make sure you have given everyone a chance to work you on this mode ROADRUNNER Page 23 15 When you see no one else calling manually use function key F 12 announce your next mode something like this NADA HEARD NOW RTTY 75N RTTY 75N BK Then change Fldigi to the new mode and go back to step 4 and repeat 16 If this was your last mode announce your next county similar to this and then go back to step 4 and repeat NADA HEARD NEXT WILL BE Pueblo El Paso CO IN 45 MINUTES KJ5PQ KG5UZ M CLEAR 17 If you are finished for the day manually announce that fact with a message similar to this and QRT THAT WILL BE ALL FOR TODAY CU TOMORROW AT 1400Z 73 S KJ5PQ KG5UZ M CLEAR The updated Table 3 is gi
31. onfigure Your Hardware amp Software Before you initiate a Smoke Test make sure that all equipment power switches are in the OFF position Then insert both 50A fuses in the in line fuse holders near the main battery lead first If nothing smokes verify that 12VDC battery voltage with correct polarity is present at the power junction point Power Pole strip Then perform the following steps 1 Disconnect the Antenna feed line at the radio and connect the feed line to an antenna analyzer of some kind MFJ 259 etc Mount your 20M Hamstick and adjust its stinger for resonance minimum SWR at 14 075 MHz Note We are optimizing the antenna for digital and CW use If you also wish to use your rig on 20M SSB net frequency 14 336 MZ you may need to compromise by tuning it to 14 200 MHz and accept higher SWR at both desired frequencies Or you could buy two 20M Hamsticks and optimize each for one of the two desired frequencies and switch antennas as needed After tuning your antenna re connect the feed line to the IC 7000 and check for proper RF power output 2 Turn the computer power supply ON and boot up your computer to a normal desktop l am assuming that you have configured your computer exactly the way you want it earlier and that all Microsoft updates are current 3 Turn all controls on your SignaLink fully CCW Then turn its power switch ON and verify by checking the green LED ON You should see Wind
32. os For County Hunting Ops Almost all county hunter digital operations require the use of macros Also even though the default settings for Fldigi usually work just fine you will probably need to customize them to suite your personal situation Once again your Fldigi manual is the final authority on both macros and Fldigi configuration but I offer two short cuts that you may wish to consider using The first short cut will install a base set of Fldigi macros in your computer that are nearly identical to what Sharon and l use for both mobile and fixed operations both as a team and just a single operator Naturally you will need to modify or even ignore some ofthese ROADRUNNER Page 19 macros to fit your own circumstances The second shortcut will quickly set your Fldigi software configuration to match what we use Both of these short cuts may save you a lot of time and effort compared to starting from scratch Fldigi stores macros with an mdf file extension in the following default folder C users lt Your Name gt fldigi files macros When you first install Fldigi there will only be one macro file in this folder macros mdf As you edit and add new macro files they are saved in this same macros folder with different file names but all will have an mdf file extension How to create and use macros was previously covered in Digital Happenings 4 so I won t go into more detail here As you modify Fldigi settings your
33. ouble lattes I am back on the road and soon I turn into the designated driveway and notice Gator s truck parked by the recycled railroad tie I notice two successful kamikaze squirrels I park grab the lattes and head for the door and as I enter the shack Gator gives me the high sign It is about time you arrived I set the lattes on the desk and ask What are you doing here so early He finishes his vitamin drink I could not sleep not knowing how you did in the improvised County Hunters CW contest so I came over and entered your hand written log into the Writelog program I asked that contest question How did I do Gator grabs one of the hot double lattes Gator sips the latte I am very impressed that Texas Dude Norm within a short time frame rallied the CW county hunters for an action paced weekend in the County Hunters CW contest I counted eleven different mobiles that you worked I sip my latte Who are the mobiles Gator hands me a list Jerry KSYAA Mark KO1U Pete KT1B Barry NOK V Bob N4CD Bill NUOQ Jerry WOGXQ Norm the coordinator W3DYA Jim WSJR Jeff W9MSE Van WC5D and with you mobile it is a dozen Gator is reading an email Wait that Norm Dude just listed the mobiles that operated in the county hunters contest Great who is on the list that missed the thrill of a lifetime by not working Me Gator laughs so hard that latte squirts from his nose and he reads Phil AB7RW
34. ove the offset up or down as necessary to avoid interfering with others Limit your offset changes to 500 Hz on the low side and 1500 Hz on the high side This will keep you in the sweet spot for your sound card Ifyou need to move more than 500 Hz change your radio dial setting up or down by 001 MHz Note True frequencies above 14 0755 MHz will probably encroach on JT 65 operations so move down from 14 0750 MHz if you must move 7 After you are set on a clear frequency Lock it by clicking on the Lk button on the lower right portion of your Fldigi main screen This will allow you to fine tune your receive frequency without changing your transmit frequency Remember you will need to re lock your transmit frequency after each mode change 8 Press function key F 1 to send out your first CQ If you are using my macros it will look like this CQ CQ COUNTYHUNTERS DE KJ5PQ KG5UZ M IN Custer Fremont CO WHO NEEDS PSE KN Repeat CQ calls as necessary until you see hear someone calling you with their call sign 9 When you see a calling station s call sign properly decoded and not imbedded in garbage double click on it and Fldigi will place their call sign into the lt Call gt buffer Ifyou can t see a call clearly on the screen but you know who it is you can click in the Call box near top left of the Fldigi main screen and type their call KC3X in manually 10 Check that the call sign you wish to work shows i
35. ows automatically install the SignaLink hardware driver Go to Device Manager and verify that the Sound video and game controllers item lists a USB Audio CODEC device and that itis working properly Return to your desktop 4 Install Fldigi by executing the setup exe file downloaded earlier you do NOT need to install flarq when asked After installation a Wizard will guide you through the initial default setup Either fill in the requested information like call sign etc or accept the suggested default settings Again read the Fldigi install instructions before doing the install 5 After finishing the Fldigi install menu down to Configure Sound Card Audio Devices screen and check that your Fldigi configuration screen matches the one below exactly and Save it Page 18 ROADRUNNER Operator Ut Waterfall Modems Rig Audio TD Mac Web Autostart Devices Settings Right chasse Wav Capture Microphone TB Audio CODEC Playback Speakers 98 Aro CODEC Restore defaults 6 Run through the complete Windows 7 8 Setup Instructions This file is one that you downloaded and printed out earlier but is also available on this link https dl dropboxusercontent com u 26171574 Fldigi 20Manuals 20 26 20Files Windows 207 20Setup 20Instructions htm 7 With everything ON Tune your radio to 14 070 MHz USB Mode on the dial Set the Fldigi OpMode to BPSK 31 and check that the Squelch
36. pplication by the MARAC Secretary Those individuals maintaining uninterrupted membership status are not restricted from nominating or voting in the current month BALLOT RECOGNITION I would like to congratulate the following stations for receiving recognition from their peers in the Ist quarter award voting no particular order Only stations receiving 3 points or more are listed I received 40 electronic ballots and no paper ballots NET CONTROL SSB WYS8I KC3X KZ2P NSUZW AB7NK NSMLP KA1JPR N4AAT NET CONTROL CW N4CD NM2L KODEQ WOGXQ BEST MOBILE SSB N9QS W4SIG AA9JJ N4CD KSGE AB7NK K4YFH N8KIE KB6UF K2HVN BEST MOBILE CW K4YFH N4CD W4SIG WOGXQ KSYAA W5QP BEST TEAM N6PDB WA6OCV NOKV NODXE W8FNW W4ENW KBOBA NOXYL AA9JJ N9QPQ AB7NK K7SEN WONAC NOLXJ Kent Reinke KV7N MARAC Election Coordinator 1826 East 4500 North Buhl Idaho 83316 The Board has two vacancies the Northeast District Director and the South Central District Director our help is needed Volunteer now See page one for details Page 8 Awards AC9GK 7 29 2014 ROADRUNNER Awards Issued For August 2014 Cea ome JD Award Cliff Corne Jr K9EAB Memorial Number 144 USA CA Holders AC9GK WE6TPC 7 29 2014 8 11 2014 Gemini Jack Scroggins WOSJE Master s Gold 87 2nd Time Holders 63 KBOBA 8 1 2014 Master s Gold 62 AB4YZ W3CR W3DLM 8 10 2014 8 11 20
37. r is a fun month having six State QSO parties with 525 counties up for grabs The State QSO party sequence is Tennessee 95 counties and Arkansas 75 counties South Carolina 46 counties and the Washington State salmon run 39 counties and finishing off the month is Maine 16 counties and Texas 254 counties There are fifteen CW only contests so limber up the paddle and have a dit Do you need counties on six meters for your top list Operate in the ARRL VHF contest Maybe you would like to work a park ranger Try the Ohio and Indiana Parks on the Air activity Nap time When the rust of death silenced the key of Gene WITEE A great county hunter the counties ran mobile are listed in logbooks forever RIP my mentor New Members MARAC Number Callsign Name R4563 K6HP Ed Parsons MARAC Silent Keys Callsign Silent Key Date WB7ATT August 16 2014 Page 6 ROADRUNNER History Happens Gary K4EXT M AB7NK and Neil K7SEN sent me a picture of the Kimball Nebraska county line sign and that finished the state of Nebraska for the County Sign project That makes 15 states that have been finished thus far wow Other recent submissions included Lee KC7QOP in Oregon Michigan and Pennsylvania President Dave KE3VV in Virginia Ed KSQWY in Ohio Bob N4CD in New Mexico and West Virginia Fred KOFG in Missouri Gene KSGE in Texas Chuck NM1G in New Hampshire Tom KD6HWD with XYL Vicki KD6MCM in Texas
38. rogress manually so we are looking at a manual logging option to track the award MARAC Secretary Jim KZ2P has an Excel spreadsheet he uses for logging USA CA contacts one log entry for each county that can be adapted for multiple county contacts such as a requirement for two different bands or other multiple contacts such as one for transmit and one for worked I am sure that someone with lots of time on their hands can figure out how to adopt the spreadsheet or make a new program that will track a single award Of course there is always the tried and true method that I and other county hunters used for many years paper logs and checklists The logging bottom line was well stated by the County Lion it is better to have a new award than to have the whole logging package wrapped up before the start date I agree I think we will be able to get a recommendation from the Awards Committee and Board approval for a follow on award pretty soon and let folks who want to get started on it as long as they don t mind tracking it manually If you have any ideas for a new award please send them along to me or the Awards Manager The only requirement that seems to be set in stone is that any new award must have a significant transmitted counties component because the main idea is to foster and reward putting out counties And some of the great CHrs that have achieved Mobile Diamond are among the most prolific ROADRUNNER Page 3 road
39. se is often worth the cost especially when you need to penetrate the vehicle firewall with heavy power cables and avoid airbags etc One caution however Auto sound installers will almost always try to have you let them use the vehicle body for the negative power return Don t let them Insist on using a cable same size as the positive power lead for the negative power return Also fuse both cables near where they connect to the main vehicle battery It is best if you can avoid using any of the vehicle wiring for powering any Ham equipment This includes not using the 12V accessory sockets Page 14 ROADRUNNER For convenience and safety I recommend that when mobile you mount your laptop netbook computer as opposed to just setting it loose on the passenger side seat or passenger s lap Hams have shown their ingenuity through the years by designing many custom computer mounts but if you are fresh out of good ideas check out the following web sites for possible solutions a http www rammount com Products LaptopMounts tabid 1510 Default aspx b http www bracketron com universal vehicle laptop mount c http www mobiledesk com There are many other sites available if you Google mobile laptop computer mounts 6 Miscellaneous Parts Among the extra parts you will need are various RF chokes also called split beads to suppress common mode RF from radiating from wires cables and coax in your vehicle Again th
40. se won t be repeated 1 Getting spotted is crucial for success If you have wide area internet data coverage try to spot yourselves on your favorite spotting site or ask for spotting help off frequency after completing a SSB run on the net You can also monitor Logger spots for your own needs If you have no internet data capability at all you will have to rely on other fixed stations monitoring 14 075 MHz to spot you but a published trip plan can also help a lot 2 For maximum efficiency plan on running county lines when possible Although two operators may be able to put out counties on the fly using digital modes it is very difficult to do safely For a single operator driver I consider it impossible Even though it reduces the total miles you can cover in a reasonable day I recommend that all your digital runs be made while parked 3 Especially for your first run review in your mind which macros you may use during the run what Page 22 ROADRUNNER they do and which function key activates them 4 Re configure Fldigi to reflect your new QTH county line 5 Have your rig all tuned up and ready to go on 20M digital 6 Set your radio dial to the next even KHz below the nominal frequency on which you will operate For example if you are setting up to run on the normal county hunter frequency of 14075 0 KHz then set your radio dial to 14 0740 MHz and your waterfall offset to 1000 Hz Check that this frequency is clear and m
41. t South Central Director Vacant Pacific Director Robert T Devine KC6AWX 407 Alameda Del Prado Novato CA 94949 6302 415 883 8980 kc6awx marac org Southeast Director Kerry Long W4SIG 1385 Auburn Woods Dr Collierville TN 38017 901 331 1881 kerrylong comcast net Immediate Past President Joyce Boothe WB9NUL 21175 FM2556 Santa Rosa TX 78593 1 956 202 3373 joycenul aol com Awards Manager Robert T Devine KC6AWX 407 Alam eda Del Prado Novato CA 94949 6302 1 415 883 8980 kc6awx marac org Appointees Historian Gary Beam K4EXT 195 Nanny Goat Hill Rd Elizabethton TN 37643 ch2 k4ext com Newsletter Editor Dave Hyatt KU4YM 159 Schoo ner Bend Ave Summerville SC 29483 843 442 8666 dhhyatt ieee org Sunshine Coordinator Pat Reiner KM6QF 16931 Aldon Rd Encino CA 91436 213 999 0100 lovedoxies aol com Webmaster Mike Fatchett WOMU PO Box 3500 Parker CO 80134 303 790 4611 wOmu w0mu com Custodian Club Call K9DCJ Joyce Boothe WB9NUL 21175 FM2556 Santa Rosa TX 78593 1 956 202 3373 joycenul aol com Election Coordinator Kent Reinke KV7N 1826 East 4500 North Buhl ID 83316 208 543 6083 kr gci net MARAC General Counsel David Splitt KE3 VV 6111 Utah Avenue NW Washington D C 20015 2461 1 202 362 3355 ke3vv marac org Computer Data Manager Gene A Olig Sr KD9ZP W 4325 4th St Rd Fond du Lac WI 54937 920 923 0130 kd9zp att net Dues with an Electronic copy of the Newsletter cop
42. ted and overall progress toward the award At this point the MARAC Board has approved funding and support for the development of Logger II which is proceeding apace and is on track to be completed by the team of dedicated volunteers sometime in late 2015 or thereabouts In the interim programming new awards into the legacy Logger program has been suspended by the Logger Team while work is focused on the new program In the short time since the first Mobile Diamond Awards have been issued our hard working Awards Manager Bob KC6AWX and I have been discussing how we can best approach this problem so we can focus on one of the several recommendations for a follow on award and get something finalized It seems like a rather simple task and it might be if this were the KE3VV Mobile Radio Awards Club but we need to consider all ideas inputs and recommendations and there are already quite a few Bob and I are going to move the process forward in good order but we also need to keep in mind that it is a process toward agreement on the way to go Because we cannot add new awards to Logger at this time we have been thinking about a tracking alternative for any follow on awards until Logger II is ready Although anyone working on a new award can log their contacts in Logger just like any other contacts Logger will not track counties completed and remaining needs for the new award those county hunters working on the new award will have to track p
43. uals I use with links that you can use to download them Almost inevitably you will need to adapt or just ignore many of these steps to fit your own particular situation This will be especially true if you need to use existing hardware transceiver or interface that is different from what I recommend here If you ever reach a point where you are truly stuck just contact me and I will be happy to help you out My email address is wOnac comcast net and my home phone number is 303 799 3658 How To Obtain Needed Hardware 1 Basic Transceiver Even though this article assumes use of the ICOM IC 7000 transceiver in a new mobile installation almost any brand of transceiver can be adapted for digital use so your existing fixed or mobile rig station transceiver will very likely work just fine All you need to do is have the correct cable s and a properly configured interface s on hand If you currently have both a fixed rig and a mobile setup it will be easier if both transceivers are the same model but even if they are different this situation can be handled For a mobile rig transceiver size and weight become important considerations The following models immediately come to mind ICOM IC 706 MKII ICOM IC 7000 and YAESU 857 All of these radios are small and have remoteable control heads This How To assumes use of the IC 7000 but any of the other two will work just fine If funds are limited you might even consider mov
44. ven below Page 24 ROADRUNNER Table 3 Active Digital County Hunters Award Status USA DIGITAL FIVE MODE COUNTIES COUNTIES 5 Mode LAST CALL of 3077 1 MODE 3 MODES TOTAL Completed UPDATED LLIAASR Randy F 41344 3077 3077 1461 576 203 8394 546 5 24 2014 12 Jacob TO Je J 20 J J j LC 00 12 10 2012 El ne AEE A O A O AEE IKODEQ Bill W o J 0m s orG Fred fr 188 3077 30133 187 20 6 f 60 41 0 4 14 2014 6 Ikopvw Rob F T J 7 kow jou fF 8 fkappx mm fr 270 28 255 107 75 34 T 3453 L lkeert Gene F 1 26 188 55 8 2476 MOJK5SF pik F l 11 kswAF Bill fF 59 3044 gt 3044 iO iO o E 0 0 22 4 16 1 0 0 19 8 0 09 0 0 0 0 47 3 2 3 47 8 32 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 40 6 0 0 19 7 44 2 27 3 58 2 48 9 49 3 50 5 23 3 59 4 51 4 20 0 14 2 32 0 23 2014 26 2013 2 2013 7273 64 53 2 4 fF 351 F 42 3077 3077 450 36 351 E 7351 E 1 40 3077 1592 264 59 14 f 5006 E Ee rr mer er sen 15 1154 Greg Jr 730 3050 2138 672 6248 FP A AA 14 4 3037 F 1 na 307 2936 64 6795 M F 68 1 307 51 65 50 4207 389 99 f 8960 Sharon M F 1406 3077 2295 1279 561 7519 IW ff 882 3077 29 82 596 474 E 758 131 N4yT Jim mr 913 1 3077 3067 919 47 20 Zoe 32IN5
45. w to Log Your Digital Contacts in Logger Macros Revisited New Digital Awards Digital Software Installation Revisited If anyone has a story or tip that you wish to contribute I will certainly try to include it Short stories describing your experiences joys frustrations in getting started in digital ops would be especially welcome Summaries of any digital trips you make or have made in the past would also be good I look forward to hearing from you Don t be shy Please email me with your comments suggestions at wOnac comcast net and don t forget to send your updated status for the USA Digital and 5 Mode Awards so I can update the Active Digital County Hunters Award Status list again next month 73 s and we hope to see you on our waterfall again real soon Matt WONAC Page 26 ROADRUNNER 1n1 2014 SE Mini Location Quality Inn amp Suites Mount Pleasant SC Dates October 6 7 amp 8 2014 Directions Follow 1 26 East until it ends and take exit 220 Follow signs to Mt Pleasant Hwy 17 North Cross Cooper River Bridge and take Coleman Blvd Hwy 703 exit On Coleman Blvd Hwy 703 turn right at first traffic light Hotel is on the right More details will be posted at http www SEMINI org Room Rate 99 99 per night plus tax Call the hotel directly for reservations and mention amateur radio The phone number is 800 704 4480 The rate is valid only through September 12 Make your res
46. y are 14 00 per year check or money order 14 75 via PayPal
47. y around the coil and use cable ties to get everything out of the way 2 Route and connect the Remote Head cable to the Remote Head and the transceiver main body 3 Route heavy 8 minimum Red amp Black cables through the engine firewall Many times you can use existing firewall grommets but avoid all sharp metal edges that could cause a short circuit if they cut into the cables Connect one end of both cables directly to the main battery with in line fuses 50 A in both leads located near the battery leave the fuses out for now Route the power leads inside the vehicle to a junction point near your transceiver body where you can attach the radio and computer power supply cables If you really want to do things right use a Power Pole junction strip get a strip with extra connections so you can power new devices in the future and connect everything up using Power Pole connectors 4 Connect the fused transceiver power leads to the power junction shortening them as much as practical 5 With your computer and its DC DC power supply mounted connect the power supply to your computer Then attach the appropriate connector to the 12 VDC power leads and connect to your power distribution strip Note You will need to wire a lighted power switch into this cable to turn the power supply off when not in use because the junction point it connects to will be hot at all times Mount this switch where it is easily see by the
48. you that have thought about going digital but are feeling a little overwhelmed by the technical challenges involved to move out and join the fun Naturally the other usual topics will also appear If I succeed in motivating any of you to get off the fence I would really like to hear from you by phone email text or any other way of communication How To Set Up amp Operate A New Digital Rig Comments Assumptions Following are lists of steps you would need to take when you are setting up a brand new digital rig for mobile operations in a vehicle that has never had any ham gear installed before However I have also attempted to make this useable for simpler situations like modifying an existing fixed or mobile station for digital ops by just ignoring unneeded steps or modifying them I have included only the bare minimum of essential information because many of these topics have been covered in more detail in previous articles a complete set of Digital Happenings 1 through 24 can be downloaded by clicking on the following link https dl dropboxusercontent com u 26171574 Happenings DIGITAL 20HAPPENINGS 20 231 24 zip Then of course there are always the various manuals which real hams never read that you can consult if you get stuck In writing this How To article I trust that you will have all the relevant manuals at hand maybe printed out Further into this article I will provide a list of the man
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