VERY SLOW CW NET - Sunday 4pm est or 21:00 utc 14.045 - AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening: 1900Z-2030Z, Feb 18

     2026  WHY CW    ...  IT's the BEST

******************************************************************************

******************************************************************************

           listen for my WSPR beacon on   28.126.100

        

           please  try to LISTEN TO 146.52 (simplex) more  often

Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x6x_6mDV

need a  CW  qso -   www.qsofinder.com

skcc=17052T

Phone Weekly Test: 0230Z-0300Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	North America
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	SSB
	Bands:	160, 80, 40, 20, 15m
	Classes:	Single Op
	Max power:	100 watts
	Exchange:	NA: Name + (state/province/country) non-NA: Name
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	NA station: 1 point per QSO non-NA station: 1 point per QSO with an NA station
	Multipliers:	Each US state (including KH6/KL7) once per band Each VE province/territory once per band Each North American country (except W/VE) once per band
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	0300Z February 20, 2026
	E-mail logs to:	(none)
	Post log summary at:	http://www.3830scores.com
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	http://www.perluma.com/Phone_Fray_Contest_Rules.pdf
A1Club AWT: 1145Z-1300Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	Member: RST + Name
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	February 23, 2026
	Post log summary at:	http://www.3830scores.com
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://a1club.org/contest/awt/
CWops Test (CWT): 1300Z-1400Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Awards:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	Member: Name + Member No./"CWA" non-Member: Name + (state/province/country)
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	0800Z February 21, 2026
	Post log summary at:	http://www.3830scores.com
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/
VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest: 1700Z-2100Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Europe
	Participation:	Europe
	Mode:	FT8/4
	Bands:	1.2G
	Classes:	Single Op (Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >LP limit LP: 2m: 100 watts, 70cm: 75 watts, 23cm: 10 watts
	Exchange:	4-character grid square
	QSO Points:	1 point per unique call sign
	Multipliers:	Each grid square
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	2359Z February 23, 2026
	E-mail logs to:	(none)
	Upload log at:	http://www.ft8activity.eu/index.php/en/upload-log
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	http://www.ft8activity.eu/index.php/en/
Mini-Test 40: 1700Z-1759Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	40m Only
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	RST + Serial No.
	Work stations:	Once per 10 minute period
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	February 20, 2026
	Upload log at:	https://ua9qcq.com/hf-logs.php
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	http://minitest.narod.ru/
Mini-Test 80: 1800Z-1859Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	80m Only
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	RST + Serial No.
	Work stations:	Once per 10 minute period
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	February 20, 2026
	Upload log at:	https://ua9qcq.com/hf-logs.php
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	http://minitest.narod.ru/
AGCW Semi-Automatic Key Evening: 1900Z-2030Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	80, 40m
	Classes:	(none)
	Exchange:	RST + Serial No. + "/" + 2-digit year first used a bug
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	(none)
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points
	Submit logs by:	March 3, 2026
	E-mail logs to:	(none)
	Upload log at:	https://www.agcw.de/contest/sta/
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://www.agcw.de/contest/sta/
CWops Test (CWT): 1900Z-2000Z, Feb 18
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Awards:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	Member: Name + Member No./"CWA" non-Member: Name + (state/province/country)
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	0800Z February 21, 2026
	Post log summary at:	http://www.3830scores.com
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/
Walk for the Bacon QRP Contest: 0000Z-0100Z, Feb 19 and 0200Z-0300Z, Feb 20
	Geographic Focus:	North America
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	20m Only
	Classes:	Single Op
	Max power:	5 watts
	Exchange:	Maximum 13 wpm RST + (state/province/country) + Name + (Member No./power)
	Work stations:	Once per day
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO with non-member 3 points per QSO with member on same continent 5 points per QSO with member on different continent
	Multipliers:	(none)
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points
	Submit logs by:	February 26, 2026
	E-mail logs to:	(none)
	Upload log at:	https://qrpcontest.com/pigwalk20/autolog.php
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://qrpcontest.com/pigwalk20/
CWops Test (CWT): 0300Z-0400Z, Feb 19
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Awards:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	Member: Name + Member No./"CWA" non-Member: Name + (state/province/country)
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	0800Z February 21, 2026
	Post log summary at:	http://www.3830scores.com
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/
CWops Test (CWT): 0700Z-0800Z, Feb 19
	Geographic Focus:	Worldwide
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Awards:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
	Classes:	Single Op (QRP/Low/High)
	Max power:	HP: >100 watts LP: 100 watts QRP: 5 watts
	Exchange:	Member: Name + Member No./"CWA" non-Member: Name + (state/province/country)
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	1 point per QSO
	Multipliers:	Each call once
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points x total mults
	Submit logs by:	0800Z February 21, 2026
	Post log summary at:	http://www.3830scores.com
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://cwops.org/cwops-tests/
NTC QSO Party: 1900Z-2000Z, Feb 19
	Geographic Focus:	The Netherlands
	Participation:	Worldwide
	Mode:	CW
	Bands:	80, 40, 20m
	Classes:	Electronic Keyer Mechanical Keyer
	Exchange:	NTC Member: RST + Member No. non-Member: RST + "NM" Less than 25 wpm
	Work stations:	Once per band
	QSO Points:	3 points per QSO with PI4NTC, PF6NTC or PG6NTC 2 points per QSO with NTC member 1 point per QSO with non-member
	Multipliers:	(none)
	Score Calculation:	Total score = total QSO points
	Submit logs by:	February 23, 2026
	E-mail logs to:	(none)
	Upload log at:	https://pi4ntc.nl/ntcqp/
	Mail logs to:	(none)
	Find rules at:	https://pi4ntc.nl/ntcqp/

Thanks to WA7BNM

Transition from Windows to Linux for Ham Radio

NTS: National Traffic System - you can send a msg to a ham anywhere in the world

 here is the    NTS  pdf  form you can use  to   send a  message  to any ham in the  world

     via a  NTS net.  contact  your  local  NTS net                 NTS radiogram form

here is the  ARRL link to more  NTS information   arrl.org/nts

 

RADIOGRAM-2011.pdf (arrl.org)

good luck

Niece

Where are the latest DX peditions

 

WHERE TO FIND YLs - Amateur Radio Operators

This is where the YLs in the KNOW are!

1. Wednesday mornings  8:30 am    3.912     all yls
2. Facebook  yl ham radio operators lots and lots of yls from all over the world  on 24/7
friend  me  and   I will add you      Niece  KAONEULN
3. YL net wednesday  14.288  (YL  frequency)   wednesday   at  01:00 utc   wb1aru  runs   the   net
4. YL op net   thursday  night  00:01 utc  8 pm  est  www.echolink.org come to ALARA conference  node
5. Check out     ka1uln.blogspot.com    <    for  all  amateurs    but  focused  for   yls 6. the master YL net list is at www.ylharmonics.org

Known YL nets YL Nets2.xlsx (ylrl.net)




7. www.YLRL.org

8. DMR WWYL talkgroup tg 955 saturday morning 10:00 am est

9. DOYL Day of the YL's contest May 24 & 25
see the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/746304389193363/about/
or
http://ka1uln.blogspot.com/p/the-day-of-yls.html

in memory of Carine F5ISY


iF I have forgot anything please forward it to me and i will insert it with your credit and callsign

When attending any Amateur Radio Ham fest please LOOK for the YL table.

always give YLs priority on all the bands.

tell em Niece (knee-see sent ya)

DOYL - Copyright © 2018 KA1ULN and M0HZT

LogBook of the World Available to all hams / very instructive

KA1ULN

New User Guide- New User Guide

Submit qrz qso to LOTW - QRZ to LOTW

more on arrl lotw go to WWW.ARRL.ORG/LOTW

SLOW CW 5wpm or less Sunday 8PM EST 7.045 and higher speed 13-20 at 23:30 utc & MORE nets

hello let's increase our CW skills before field day JUN 24, 2021


*Maine Slow Speed Net Training 3.585.00 1800 2300Z Daily W1QU

* ka1uln slow CW code 5wpm or less 7.045 8 pm est
download  netlogger
* ka1uln higher speed  cw net   13-20 wpm  sunday  23:30 for  30 min  7.045


YOU MUST CLICK ON AIM WINDOW

here are some other CW links

www.morsetoad.com
www.hamwhisperer.com
http://www.arrl.org/5-wpm-code-archive
http://ad4dx.com/gtn/indexCWSN.htm <<<<<<<< lots of slow speed cw nets
http://naqcc.info/cw_nets.html <<<<<<<< more cw nets

please add www.clublog.org and register with your callsign and then add ylrl as one of your groups

original posted 7/1/2017
updated 12/26/2018
updated 03/20/2019
updated 07/10/2020
updated 08/19/2020

YL Amateur Radio - NEW 1869-1886 YL doing CW

<div>
Miss Sadie Ireton, Telephone and Telegraph Operator.   Willard Asylum, 1869 - 1886.  Willard  NY

A friend of mine  was feeling  historical and    went  to  Willard   Insane  Asylum and found a    book.  He  saw  this  YL  doinf  CW and  thought   of  me  first  thing.... "Niece  would love  to see a  YL doing  CW"
Thanx   so much  Hank  (AB2XG) for thinking  of me.   I appreciate this  information and  picture.  I wish  she  had a  callsign .. I wish we  could find  it....


</div>



I challenge anyone (especially YL's) to have one qso with a YL from every state WAS-YL?

here are the details

http://ylrl.org/index.php/ylrl-certificates

YLRLs Have Wonderful Certificates
For questions, information and submission on the following certificates:
Worked All States YL (WAS-YL) Worked All Continents YL (WAC-YL) YL Century Club (YLCC) DX YL YL-DXCC YL-Digital Modes
Contact the YLRL Certificate Manager:
Val Lemko VE5AQ
1125 Iroquois St. W.
Moose Jaw, Sask. Canada S6H 5C1
ve5aq@sasktel.net



Worked All States YL (WAS-YL)
1. Available to any licensed Amateur in the world.
2. Contact must be made with a duly licensed YL in each of the 50 states in the U.S.
3. The District of Columbia may be counted for Maryland.
4. There are no time or band limitations.
5. In qualifying for this certificate, it is possible to work the SAME YL in each of the 50 states.
6. The list of contacts must be arranged alphabetically



Worked All Continents YL (WAC-YL)
1. Available to any licensed Amateur in the world.
2. Two-way communications must be established on the amateur radio bands with YLs on the six
continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania (which includes Australia and New Zealand).
3. Any and all authorized Amateur Radio bands may be used.
4. Cross-band contacts are permitted.
5. Contacts may have been made over any period of time.
6. Contacts with all six continents must be made with duly licensed women operators.
7. It is not necessary for each contact to be a different YL.
8. Submit a list of claimed contacts alphabetically arranged by continent.



YL Century Club (YLCC)
1. Available to any licensed Amateur in the world.
2. Two-way communications must be established on authorized Amateur bands, with stations, mobile or fixed, operated by 100 different licensed women Amateurs.
3. The same YL using different call letters will NOT count.
4. Any and all amateur bands may be used.
5. Contacts with YLs anywhere in the world are recognized, provided that confirmations clearly indicate the stations were operated by duly licensed women Amateur Radio operators.
6. List of claimed contacts must be arranged alphabetically by call sign.
7. Endorsements: Confirmations of contacts accompanied by an alphabetical list, as described above, from stations operated by additional YLs may be submitted for credit each time 50 additional confirmations are available. Endorsements will be made to the original certificate when application is approved.
8. Gold stickers will be awarded to applicants who have worked their additional contacts from the same country; otherwise, silver stickers will be awarded. Please indicate whether you are applying for a gold or silver sticker when submitting your application.



DX YL
1. Available to licensed YL operators only, for working 25 DIFFERENT licensed women operators outside your own country, on or after April 1, 1958.
2. USA and possessions are counted as separate countries, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.
3. Any and all amateur bands may be used.
4. Contacts do not have to be with 25 different countries, just 25 different DX YLs.
5. The log must be arranged alphabetically by call sign.
6. Endorsements: Stickers will be awarded for each 10 additional DX YLs, subject to the same confirmation as above.



YL-DXCCL
1. Available to any licensed Amateur in the world.
2. Two-way communications must be established on authorized Amateur bands with stations (fixed or mobile), operated by licensed YLs from 100 countries on the current ARRL list of countries.
3. Any band or mode (except cross-band contacts) maybe used.
4. The log must be arranged alphabetically by country.
5. Endorsements: After receiving the certificate, a silver sticker will be awarded for contacts with YLs in 25 additional DX countries. List requirements are the same as for the original application.



YL-Digital Mode
1. Available to any licensed Amateur in the world.
2. Two-way communications must be established on authorized Amateur bands with stations (fixed or mobile), operated by licensed YLs using digital modes only.
3. Contact must be made with 25 YLs using a digital mode (PSK31, RTTY, CW, SSTV, etc.) All contacts must be made using the same mode.
4. The log must be arranged alphabetically by call sign.
5. Endorsements: After receiving the first certificate, a sticker may be awarded for each additional digital mode in which 25 YL contacts are made. (i.e. If the first 25 contacts were made using PSK31, an endorsement may be earned for making 25 contacts with YLs using RTTY. An additional endorsement after that may be earned for CW contacts, SSTV contacts, or Hellschreiber contacts, etc.)



Continuous Membership Certificate
This certificate is available ONLY to YLRL members. It is awarded automatically to any YL who has been a member, continuously for five years. Diamond-shaped stickers are awarded for each additional five years of continuous membership.
For questions, information on the Continuous Membership Certificate, please contact the current Continuous Membership Chair:
Lois Gutshall WB3EFQ
wb3efq@verizon.net


Basic Rules Applicable To All YLRL Certificates

1. Contacts made through repeater devices or any other power relay method cannot be used for any YLRL certificate confirmation.
2. All contacts must be made FROM the same country.
3. Mail or e-mail your list of contacts only. DO NOT SEND QSL CARDS TO THE Manager! Two (2) other Amateurs must sign the list of contacts verifying that the QSL cards are in the possession of the applicant. In the case of lists submitted by e-mail, the name, callsign, and email address of two Amateurs who verified the list must be submitted with the list (signatures are not required).
4. No charge is made for certificates sent out by e-mail attachment. However, if the applicant would like a printed certificate mailed to them, they MUST send sufficient postage for first class mail or a stamped self-addressed legal-size envelope to cover the cost of mailing the certificate.
5. All certificate applications must include the date, time, callsign, YLs first name, QTH, mode, band, RST given, and RST received. Additional information may be listed in each certificate's rules, as well as the order for the contacts.
6. All inquiries should be addressed to the certificate manager.
7. Decisions of the manager regarding interpretations of the rules as here stated or later amended shall be final.
8. The certificate manager's address and e-mail address is listed in each issue of the YL Harmonics.
9. Each application must include ONLY the amount of contacts needed to receive the certificate or seal. No list containing less than the required contacts will be accepted, and any extra contacts listed will be discarded, but can be resubmitted as part of the correct number of contacts for an endorsement.
10. Each certificate may be applied for by e-mail or postal mail to the certificate manager.
11. E-mail applicants will receive their certificates as an attachment to an e-mail. The certificate will be sent in .pdf format and can be viewed and printed out using the free Adobe Reader program available for download from http://www.adobe.com
12. Endorsement stickers must be applied for by mail only.


good luck

ka1uln

******************************************************************

YL:


*********************************************************************

a Large even for Amateur Radio Operators to take part in Science experiment

www.HAMSCI.org


*********************************************************************
All YLs - Please join us on Echolink for YL Ham Echolink Net every
Thursday evening at 8pm Eastern Time

(Friday 01:00UTC Winter/Friday 00:00UTC Summer)!

All YLs welcomed to participate (OMs encouraged to listen if you like)!
Look for us on Echolink ALARA Conference Node 286905.
*********************************************************************

mac logging program >> http://www.dl2rum.de/rumsoft/RUMLog.html
log4om robust logging program

also the equivalent to echolink is echomac


to upgrade one option is www.HAMTESTING.com free study guide

everyone is waiting to have a qso with YOU .. being a YL.

last but not least PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LOG & CONFIRM YOUR QSO'S
***********************************************************************
STEM UPDATE

****************

OM:
Here is YOUR chance to hear YL's on the ham bands.
YL numbers are growing like a tsunami (not a wave).
WE are out there.

when you are calling CQ please take a minute and specifically ask for YL's only -
you will be very surprised when you have a pileup of YL's

Everyone:
when you have contacted one YL in each and every state you will receive
a WAS-YL certificate. there is only a few who has completed this....
so this is my challenge to you.

**************************************************
if YOU know of a YL who needs help....
help her out or refer her to me KA1ULN at arrl.net

if you know of a YL who has let her license expire
refer her to me KA1ULN at arrl.net
*************************************************


if you want to know where YL's hang out try 14.288

#yearylhamradioop #hamchicksrule (thanx Katie WY7YL)
#makewhatsnext

BTW: some people do not know what YL or 33 is
YL = Young Lady (female)
33 = is hello or good-bye for a YL.


*******************************************************************
Interesting YL links on the Internet
























please add www.clublog.org to one of your yl loggers.. also add YLRL to see where you come in compared to other yl's
********************************************************************

here is another Blog by a YL


***********************************************************************

http://weeklynet.org/ylntx


***********************************************************************

updated 5/28/2020

goal for all hams in next 12 months - recruit/elmer 1 youth

I challenge each and every ham in the next 12 months to recruit/elmer 1 youth.

here are some suggestions to recruit 1 young person Male or Female:
In order to work with people you can get a local temple,church, hall to do this task

1. work with boy scouts
2. work with girl scouts
3. work with your local grade/junior/high school
4. work with a youth center
4. work with your local YMCA
5. put in paper about teaching some youths ( ages )21 and under
6. do an online recruitment to teach
7. talk to parents first
8. setup a station in a very public location (take note of interested young people)


if you have any other ideas/suggestions please add them here.. or send me email

ka1uln@arrl.net

BUDDY-UP project by KA1ULN and YOU

who is your YL buddy? 

what projects have you worked on together?
which Contests have you worked together?

do you need a YL Buddy?


Buddy-up YL's
33
________________________________________

This BUDDY-UP project is created to spark more
YL's to push their PTT button, YL's work together,

and/or

to get more YL (Young Ladies) involved in Amateur radio. (again)

here is more about my BUDDY-UP project:
GOAL: is to become a better operator with the help of a YL BUDDY

When working contests your buddy can hear you and give you feedback on how she is heard
in the pile up (this might help when trying for a successful 59 QSO by the operating station)
Can help with things like mike gain and other details like this that you the operator
cannot hear. PLEASE comment below on who is your buddy
This works on all bands.

When you hear a YL on the air please give her priority!
check out YLRL.org

if you have more ideas on this YL BUDDY-UP project please send them to me

KA1ULN@ARRL.NET

Thanx so much and BUDDY-UP (with one or more YL BUDDIES.)

check this blog everyday for more updates.

ka1uln (reminder: LOG and CONFIRM all Your QSO's)
33

Amateur Radio Digital Modes

So you are getting bored with CW, SSB and listening to people on the radio.

here is a Challenge: get into HF or UHF or VHF digital modes

PSK31, RTTY, JT65, FT8,  FT4 and many more (these are the more popular ones.)


here is a list of digital modes and what each mode sounds like.
SOUND SAMPLES OF DIGITAL MODES

all digital modes use USB (uppersideband even 160,60,80,40,30)

FLDIGI supports CW, FELD HELL, PSK31, olivia, rtty, sstv and lots more

WSJTX supports JT65, JT9, WSPR, FT8, FT4 and others


Dimension4 or NetTime  is what sync's your computer to everyone else on the frequency

***************************************************************
it is the easy thing you have done since you got your license
all you need is the following:

1. radio hf/uhf/vhf
2 computer if no soundcard then $3.00 usb thumbdrive soundcard works
3. antenna
4. FREE software: FLDIGI, WSJTX
5. FREE software: time sync,   dimension4 or  nettime
6. (sound card interface-TNC) this converts audio to digital and back digital to audio
soundcard interface/TNC = Rigblaster or Microham or Signalink or if already in newer SDR radios


***************************************************************
so download both pieces of software and check them out
and install them for your setup
even if you do not have all pieces stated above
just listen to 14.070 for  PSK31   or  14.074 for  FT8  and get a feel for what the software looks like
and what it is trying to do.



it just takes persistence!

make sure your ALC meter stays on 0 (if it is moving then there is something wrong!)

power out must be below 20 watts ( i use 5 watts most of the time)

a few handy websites:

http://hamspots.net/FT8/
http://hamspots.net/jt65/

www.pskreporter.info   shows digimode automatic propagaton reporter


if you use Ham Radio deluxe or DxLab it works with those also.

you are more than welcome to peruse everything and comment about all or any of the items.

5/7/20 List of ham radio software FREE https://nl9222.home.xs4all.nl/digisoft.htm


**********************************************************************
so download both pieces of software and check them out
and install them for your setup YOU MUST KNOW YOUR COM PORTS
even if you do not have all pieces stated above.

just listen to 14.070 or  14.074  and get a feel for what the software looks like
and what it is trying to do.

FLDIGI AND FLRIG www.w1hkj.com
**********************************************************************

ka1uln@arrl.net

73

when running amateur radio digital modes all computers must be synced together
in order to have a qso. these are the 2 most popular apps to do the job.


http://dimension-4.en.softonic.com/ dimension 4 

http://www.timesynctool.com/ timesync
http://www.maniaradio.it/en/bkttimesync.html mania timesync

73 ka1uln

**********************************************************************************
Want to learn  Digital mode  for  Amateur Radio?  FT8 or FT4

the best write up was done by the  author and  creator of the mode K1JT

it is  well written and  easy to follow:  make sure you know your COM PORTS.

link  FT8 and  FT4  by  K1JT  >>>  link for wsjtx FT8 and FT4
_________________________________________________________________________________

Want to to learn a Digital mode for AMATEUR RADIO? BPSK31

First of all what is PSK:
What is PSK?
– PSK is an acronym for Phase Shift Keying. Information is transmitted
through patterns of polarity-reversals (180 degree phase shifts), hence the
name.
– Narrow-band, low-power, soundcard-generated radioteletype mode for
keyboard chat.
– Three data rates, 31, 63 and 125 baud. Bandwidth increases with rate.
– PSK31 is the most commonly used, its data rate is close to the speed of the
average typist.
– PSK is resistant to interference but has no error control, so it's not suitable
for transfer of data files. © 2013 Eric Fowler / WV3E – All rights reserved.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED:

Fldigi is a computer program intended for Amateur Radio Digital Modes operation using a PC (Personal Computer). Fldigi operates (as does most similar software) in conjunction with a conventional HF SSB radio transceiver, and uses the PC sound card as the main means of input from the radio, and output to the radio. These are audio-frequency signals. The software also controls the radio by means of another connection, typically a serial port.

Fldigi is multi-mode, which means that it is able to operate many popular digital modes without switching programs, so you only have one program to learn. Fldigi includes all the popular modes, such as DominoEX, MFSK16, PSK31, and RTTY.

Unusually, Fldigi is available for multiple computer operating systems; FreeBSD™; Linux™, OS X™ and Windows™.
(taken from w1hjk.com)


how to recognize the bpsk31:

Recognising the different modes comes with experience. It is a matter of listening to the signal, and observing the appearance of the signal on the tuning display. You can also practise transmitting with the transceiver disconnected, listening to the sound of the signals coming from the computer. There is also (see later paragraph) an automatic tuning option which can recognise and tune in most modes for you.

The software provides a tuning display which shows the radio signals that are receivable within the transceiver passband. Using a point and click technique with the mouse, you can click on the centre of a signal to select it, and the software will tune it in for you. Some modes require more care than others, and of course you need to have the software set for the correct mode first — not always so easy!

The RSID (automatic mode detection and tuning) feature uses a special sequence of tones transmitted at the beginning of each transmission to identify and tune in the signals received. For this feature to work, not only do you need to enable the feature in the receiver, but in addition the stations you are wishing to tune in need to have this feature enabled on transmission. Other programs also offer this RSID feature as an option.


PSK31 Frequencies In MHz,

1.838
3.580
7.040 to 7.060 for region 1 and region 3, and 7.070 for region 2 *
10.140
14.070
18.100
21.080 (although most activity can be found 10 kHz lower)
24.920
28.120

psk link  of all the  psk frequencies >>psk frequencies

for more information on  psk31 check

http://nharc.org/links/OperatingPSK.pdf

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33/73

Antennas, Grounding, Counterpoise, etc HOW TO

This is where all information about Antennas, grounding, Counterpoises reside

this is what I refer to as the main section of the antenna.    check yours and reply here to let me know what state your coax is in?  it is wet, touching the trees, is it bent?   did you solder it perfect?

I always use the arrl antenna book when i am soldering coax.     check it out.

ps: check out   facebook.com/ylrl

33

got picture from http://www.jpole-antenna.com  thank you

this is a dipole I am planning on making.... (made it  and  it  worked  VERY GOOD) 1:1

Vertical Dipole for 15 Meters and would love to make one also for 10 meters.

feet = 468/28.390 = 16.50 feet 10 meters

feet = 468/21.325 = 22 feet 15 meters

I have 10 gauge shielded wire (good stuff) for verticals

ka1uln

here are the notes from the May 21 presentation

session May 21, 2015 echolink 8 pm Yl NFarl-r



Grounding (RODS and Ribbons)
May 21, 2015 YLRL echolink net

An effective ground system is necessary for every amateur station.
The mission of the ground system is twofold. FIRST, it reduces the possibility of electrical shocks if something in a piece of equipment should fail and the chassis or cabinet become “HOT.” If connected properly, three-wire electrical systems ground the chassis. A ground system to prevent shock hazard is generally referred to as “DC GROUND.”

The second job the ground system must perform is to provide a low-impedance path to ground for any stray RF current inside the station. Stray RF can cause equipment to malfunction and contributes to RFI problems. This low-impedance path is usually called “RF GROUND.”

The first step in building a ground system is to bound together the chassis of all equipment in your station. Ordinary hookup wire will do for a dc ground, but for a good RF ground you need a low-impedance conductor, COPPER STRAP sold as 'flashing copper,” is excellent for this application, it maybe hard to find. Braid for coaxial cable is popular choice; it is readily available, makes a low-impedance conductor, and is flexible. You see this on roofs in south and west.

Grounding straps can be run from equipment chassis to equipment chassis.1/2 copper water pipe runs entire length of operating bench. A thick braid from RG-8 cable runs from each piece of equipment to a clamp on the pipe.

After equipment is bonded to common ground bus the ground bus must be wired to a good earth ground. This run should be with heavy conductor (braid – I CALL RIBBON) should be short and direct as possible.

Drive one or more grounds rods into earth where conductor leaves the house. Ground rods-8 to 10 feet can be acquired from electrical supply house (home depot or lowe's or the like) steel with heavy copper plating.

Once rod is in ground clamp the conductor from the station ground bus to it with a clamp that can be tightened securely and will NOT RUST. Copper-plated clamps made specifically for this purpose can be found and electrical supply stores. If possible solder the connection.

ANOTHER popular station ground is the COLD (not hot) water pipe system in the building.
Length of of ground wire should be multiple of ¼ wave.

Ground noise:
Noise in ground systems can affect sensitive radio equipment. It is usually related to one of three problems:
1. Insufficient ground conductor wire
2. Loose ground connections or
3. Ground loops

liberal use lock washer and star washers is highly recommended
Ground noise can affect receive and transmitted signals

The antennas that we mount are affected by the presence of ground. At times, the ground is a reflector and at other times, it is an absorber.
The ground around the base of a quarter wave vertical antenna needs considerable help in the form of radials, if this type of antenna is to perform well.
When an antenna that is a near ground radiates, some of the energy will strike the ground and some of the energy will be reflected. The reflected energy will bounce back to the antenna and effect the pattern of current distribution in the radiator, and thus effect the pattern and the feedpoint impedance of the antenna.



After antennas, station grounding is probably the most discussed subject in amateur radio and it is also the one replete with the most misconceptions. The first thing to know is that there are three functions served by grounding in ham shacks: 1. Electrical Safety 2. Stray RF Suppression (or simply RF Grounding) 3. Lightning Protection. Each has it's own set of requirements, but not all station setups need every kind of ground. In fact, some setups don't use a ground at all! The articles on this page will help clear up some of the myths and mystery surrounding this popular topic.

Grounds fulfill three distinct functions. The best ground for one function isn't necessarily the best for another. The three are:
a. Safety ground. This protects you from a shock hazard if one of the mains or high voltage power supply wires contacts the chassis due to some kind of fault. The requirements for this ground are spelled out in your state's electrical code. I believe that most states adopt the National Electrical Code (NEC). The safety ground conductor in your wall sockets should be connected to ground according to this code, and your rig's chassis should be connected to the safety ground.

b. Lightning ground. The requirements for a ground for lightning protection are much more stringent than for a safety ground. The topic has been discussed in this group many times, and there are numerous resources available for learning how to make a ground system for lightning protection. (See the TIS Page on Lightning Protection)

c. RF ground. This is required only for certain types of antennas-- ones which require current flow to ground to complete the antenna circuit. An example is a quarter-wave vertical. One wire of the feedline connects to the base of the antenna, and the other connects to ground. The connection to ground has to have a low RF resistance, or you'll expend too much of your power heating the ground. A few radial wires will provide a moderately low loss connection. A ground rod will help a little, but the RF resistance will be high, resulting in quite a bit of loss. Chapter 8 of the ARRL Antenna Book shows the approximate trade between resistance and number of radials. If your antenna is much shorter than ¼ wavelength, you'll need many, many radials to get reasonable efficiency. If it's longer, you can get by with fewer. A ½ wavelength base-fed vertical needs only a very modest ground, and a ground rod is adequate. The requirements for various other end-fed antennas depend on their length. If you use a "complete" antenna like a dipole or a ground plane (that is, one that doesn't require your feedline to connect to ground), you don't need a RF ground, as long as you keep common-mode currents off your feedline. A "current" or "choke" balun is most commonly used for this.

Radials:

Counterpoises:


Rods:

Besides one lead from inside the shack, the others go to several other well spaced ground rods, a lead to the tower base (which has it's own ground system), and finally, the power company ground, which is only about a foot away.

73
K9WN Jake
picture is taken from k9wn


Youtube video showing how to drive a 10 foot ground rod into the ground with water.
link>

Ribbons:

Is Your Radio Equipment REALLY Grounded?

You may believe your radio equipment, antenna and tower are well-grounded. After all, you drove the ground rods into the earth yourself and connected the ground wire to the rods with heavy-duty clamps.

With an ohmmeter, I measured an open circuit from the ground wire to its grounding clamp! This was true for both the equipment ground outside my radio room and for the ground at the base of my beam antenna.

I do understand that contact points oxidize and their resistance increases. But the ohmmeter's needle didn't move even on the instrument's X 1000 range! I had no grounds that worked!

military handbook on grounding, bonding and shielding: A PDF download

any questions contact ag4yl or KA1ULN

Grounding:

what kind of grounding do you have for your station?

Do you know what grounding is used for?

Please add your comments below about YOUR ground installation.


on May 21, at 8:00 EST come hear a understand Antennas part 3
GROUNDING: radials, counterpoises, rods and ribbons
FEATURING: ag4yl

Hope all of you can make it this week! We’ll be back on Echolink Node 560686 NF4GA-R repeater or locally on 145.47MHz PL100Hz (-) offset. It’s going to be a fun and exciting net! We are looking forward to everyone participating in the fun! Here’s how

thank you

here is some great information on dipoles thanx to KK4obi

Bent Dipoles link

there is more if you click on the link


This web site is devoted primarily as a resource for amateur radio operators
to see what happens if they bend a half-wave dipole.

The performance of a dipole is highest when it is not bent. When a half-wave or full-wave dipole is bent: the gain goes down; the resonant length gets shorter; the frequency goes higher; the impedance decreases. Only when the length is three or more half-wavelengths can bending increase gain as you transition into gull-wing, half-rhombic V and rhombic antennas.

To help understand what happens to a bent dipole, you will see graphs showing the changes in Gain, Resonant Length, SWR, etc. as well as polar charts of far field radiation patterns and 3D flyover views as a bend point is moved or angle of bend changes.

1. We start with bending the ends of an ordinary center-fed dipole limited by an attic, garden, wall, etc. or to reduce turning radius. We than look at bending a dipole in the middle... up and down, side to side... to form V or L-type configurations.
See illustrations of all eleven studies at: Center-fed Dipoles.

2. The second phase looks the same set of configurations but by feeding a dipole off-center, (OCF). This an outgrowth of antenna/coax matching because of the low impedance of dipoles in the V or L-form, not for multi-band application. However, as part of this, there is a study related to feed points up to the 6th harmonic.

3. The third phase deals with slow wave antennas for size reduction- primarily for cell phones, routers, printers, remote control, as well as radio frequency identification (RFID) for merchandise or toll/parking collection- but applied to amateur radio antennas. These studies include meander, zig-zag and catenary curve methods.

4. The information presented is derived from a mixture of practical antenna prototyping and wire antenna modeling used to find out what is going on and "what happens if...". The software used is 4NEC2, a Windows compatible program based on an NEC-2/ NEC-4 core (Numeric Electromagnetics Code). It is used to create, view and check antenna designs and generate displays of radiation patterns. Of particular importance for the studies reported here is its optimizer function which automatically adjusts antenna variables to find the best Gain, Resonance, Standing Wave Ratio (SWR), Efficiency, Front-to-Back ratio or combination thereof. Its sweep function then graphs Far Field Radiation Pattern and 3D view plus Reflection Coefficient, Reactance, Impedance and Phase over the range of frequencies of interest.

here is some more information on beverage antennas w8ji thanx

beverage antennas link

My History With Beverages

I originally began experimenting with long, low, wire antennas in the 1960's. Even though I had a working mostly homebrew station, I now realize I had only a small idea what I was doing, and almost no understanding of what made antennas work.

My entry into Ham radio was from modified broadcast radios, and the very active 160-meter mobile group in Toledo, Ohio. I always thought the longer the antenna, the better the "pickup". was fascinated by the distant AM broadcast, lower shortwave, and 160-meter signals heard with long antennas. My early antennas were nothing more than hundreds or thousands of feet of very thin magnet wire, strung over tree limbs and along telephone poles (which had steel climbing pegs), all through a typical crowded 1950's suburban neighborhood. Unfortunately my early experiments were hampered by lack of room. Thin magnet wire, unwound from early-radio speaker field magnets, strung in the middle of the night through a crowded suburban neighborhood across neighbor's small lots, doesn't stay up long.

In the early 1970's, I moved to a house with several acres of woods. The soil was a very wet, sandy, black loam. A neighbor just north of me, W8FPU (Parker) was actually working a couple of VK's on 160-meters, something very rare at the time. Using information from a series of engineering lectures by John "Jack" Kuecken (now SK) and correspondence with Stew W1BB, I installed my first "real" Beverage antenna. I was delighted to find a large improvement in weak-signal reception from very simple, inexpensive, easy-to-install wire antennas. Eventually, that system evolved from a few long single wires to a two-wire reversible system. The two-wire system used two Beverages, oriented 90 degrees from each other. This gave four direction coverage. That system, with the addition of an in-phase and out-of-phase combiner, evolved into a forced-null system using just two reversible antennas. This was before binocular cores were available, and ferrite beads were just appearing. At the early date, I used a series of 73-mix beads to make my transformers, even publishing a few articles in small newsletters.

I continued to improve or refine my Beverage antennas over the years. Virtually all of my Beverage antennas now are arrays of multiple Beverages, not just single wires. While my large circle arrays of verticals, or broadside endfire arrays of verticals, are about even with two long phased Beverages, the Beverage arrays are simpler systems. Arrays of broadside Beverages remain my primary DX receiving antennas for the lowest bands. There isn't any other receiving antenna that is as simple, as easy to construct and maintain, and as foolproof as a Beverage! The only significant Beverage disadvantage is the long physical length required, and maintenance of a very long antenna. If we want significant directivity, Beverages (like all long wire arrays) require a great deal of space .

Testing and Comparing Antennas

I work a little different than many or most people when experimenting, always A-B testing and comparing antennas over time. This is partly because a newer, bigger, or better looking antenna always feels better. Even before something is used, especially if the "something new" involved effort or expense, we can "like" it and become emotionally invested in it. We want something new to work better, so we look for everything "good".

I credit a 7th and 8th grade science teacher for educating students about this phenomena. Early in school, a science teacher at Olney middle school in Northwood, Ohio demonstrated how easily and often false conclusions are reached, based on feelings about results or past performance memory. One year of science with Mr. Kohler, when I was 12 or 13 years old, changed how I look at many things in life. Because of Mr. Kohler, I almost always retain a reference or control, try to use direct measurements of what I actually want to know, and use multiple methods when possible. Mr. Kohler demonstrated how easy it was to reach false conclusions, unless we use valid measurements.

Most antenna myths and misconceptions, many making it into print in articles, come from repeating feelings or unsubstantiated claims, or are based on improper measurements or models. I've seen comparisons years apart, going on memory of how signals were on some other antenna that was long gone!

I presently have a great deal of room, with wiring in place to install multiple antennas, and reasonably good test equipment. This allows installation of multiple antenna systems at the same time, which allows direct comparisons over time, as well as measurements. I constantly refine antenna systems by comparing systems against each other for extended periods of time, usually more than a year.

there are more pictures and documents please go to link above

***************************************************************************

I found a great video which guides you through making a 10 meter dipole.
it really is excellent... easy to understand. and easy to do..

here is the link to the video:how to build a 10 meter dipole


if you like it please let me know....
if you hate it and know of a better one please let me know via the comments
just below this post.

thank you so much