Mike Rodriguez

yeah the baofeng CTCSS setup tripped me up too when i first started. one thing worth checking — some repeaters use DCS codes instead of CTCSS and those are different, if the directory lists something like D023N or whatever thats a digital code not an analog tone and you gotta set it differently in the radio. probably not your issue but worth ruling out. the joining a conversation thing, id just add that if its a net or something structured you usually wait til the net control asks for check-ins or additional traffic. but just casual ragchewing yeah just toss your call in during a pause, most guys are happy to have someone new jump in

yeah flux can absolutely swing that fast, especially when you've got active regions rotating across the solar disk and then off the limb. 180 to 145 in a week isn't unusual at all during this part of the cycle. the good news is we're still riding pretty high on cycle 25 overall so even when it dips it tends to bounce back. the kp thing — actually high geomagnetic activity hits the higher bands hard too, maybe even harder in some ways depending on your path. polar paths especially get hammered. if you were working that JA via long path or near-polar short path then a kp of 5+ would explain a lot. you might have better luck on 15m during those disturbed periods since it can sometimes stay open when 10 tanks. DXMaps.com is worth bookmarking if you havent already, you can see real time spots and kind of get a feel for where the openings actually are versus just guessing from the indices.

oh man that rain thing is the worst, ive been caught out like that more than once. to answer your question though -- yeah you need the 44 QSOs for it to count as a valid activation unfortunately, so the 34 wont log as an activation on your record. BUT the contacts still count for the chasers who worked you, so dont feel bad about that, you gave out points to people even if you didnt get credit yourself. for logging i really like HAMRS, works offline and has a WWFF mode built in. some people swear by RumLog if youre on iOS. i used to do paper too and honestly its fine if your handwriting is decent but uploading to the WWFF database afterward is a pain when you have 80+ contacts to enter manually. the app just makes life easier. try to get back to that reference on a nicer day, 34 QSOs in a couple hours on 40m means the propagation was cooperating, you wouldve hit 44 easy if the weather held.

I was actually on 20m Saturday afternoon chasing and worked a few summits, wish I'd caught your CQ. The SMS spotting via APRS2SOTA is what I use when I'm somewhere with no data — you basically send a text to a specific number with your callsign, frequency, and mode and it auto-posts to the reflector. Took me a minute to set up but works great now even in pretty marginal cell areas.

so ive been using N1MM for a few years now mainly because thats what everyone told me to use when i first got into contesting and it does work great for that, no complaints really. but i find myself doing more and more random DX chasing and casual operating between contests and N1MM feels like overkill or just kinda clunky when im not actually in a contest. like i have to set up a contest profile just to log a random QSO which feels weird. somebody at the club mentioned Log4OM and i downloaded it and messed around a bit and it seems more like a general purpose logger but im not sure if it handles contests well or if id have to keep both installed and switch back and forth. also i run WSJT-X pretty regularly for FT8 and my current setup pipes the WSJT-X logs into N1MM which mostly works but occasionally drops a contact or duplicates something, never fully figured out why. does anyone actually run Log4OM as their primary and use it for contests too, or is the consensus still N1MM for anything competitive and something else for day to day. not looking to overthink this just wondering what setups people are actually running

yeah the relay board RF issue is almost certainly your wiring. those cheap sainsmart boards have no suppression on the coil side at all, you need a flyback diode across each relay coil or you get nasty transients every time the coil switches. i know everyone says just slap a 1N4007 across it and call it done but on a radio bench that noise can get everywhere depending on how your grounds are laid out. the CI-V level shifting thing is real, glad you got that figured out. i did something similar with a 7600 a few years back and ended up using an optocoupler instead of a resistor divider, way cleaner isolation especially if your ground loops are sketchy which they usually are in a shack with multiple pieces of gear. as for whether its worth it — i think it depends on how much you want to learn vs how much you just want a working switcher. if you want the latter just get a microHAM or a band decoder from Array Solutions and be done with it. if you enjoy the tinkering then yeah keep going, once you get it dialed in its satisfying as heck and you can customize it in ways the commercial boxes dont let you.

100w and a dipole is definitely workable for dx but you gotta pick your spots. The big gun stations with towers and kw are gonna have the advantage in a big pileup but try working the station when theyre just starting up or near the end of their operation when the crowds thin out. also some dx stations work by call areas so if you hear them say "west coast only" or whatever dont waste your time. timing is everything really

Working on adding panadapter capability to my trusty IC-745 using an RTL-SDR Blog V3. The 745 lacks modern serial control but supports digital modes with modifications like sound card connections and I want to add visual spectrum capability. The RTL-SDR can add panadapter capabilities to regular hardware radios but I'm struggling with the IF tap connection. Where's the best IF tap point on the IC-745 main board?What's the optimal coupling method - capacitive or transformer?Any issues with loading the IF stage?

Skip the mnemonics completely - they'll hurt you later. I learned with mnemonic phrases and it becomes crippling when speed goes above 5 WPM because phrases run through your head before letters pop out. Go straight to Koch method with high character speed from day one.

I use the RTL-SDR v4 for my 432 MHz EME station and it works fine, but you need to be careful about USB3 port selection - some ports introduce more noise than others. Also consider that CubicSDR has better waterfall persistence which helps a lot for tracking weak signals through libration fading.

Looking to upgrade my moonbounce setup and debating between the SDRplay RSPdx and the new RTL-SDR Blog v4 for 144/432 MHz EME work. Currently using an ancient RTL-SDR v3 with GQRX but the phase noise is limiting my ability to copy weak CW signals. The RSPdx specs look impressive (HDR mode, better ADC resolution) but I'm wondering about real-world performance for weak signal work. Anyone doing EME with either of these units? My preamp chain is already optimized (0.3 dB NF at 144 MHz) so I need the SDR to not add significant degradation. Software preference is GQRX or CubicSDR for simplicity, though I could learn GNU Radio if there's a compelling reason.

The General exam has more circuit analysis than Tech - brush up on Ohm's law applications and decibel calculations. I found the band plan questions easiest to miss because there are so many frequency ranges to memorize. The exam is not overly difficult for those who have studied, but it does require a deeper understanding of radio concepts compared to the Technician test.

I've been running JS8Call for about six months now, mainly for casual QSOs, but I'm trying to get into the group messaging and relay features for emergency communications training. I've got version 2.3.1 running on Ubuntu 22.04 with a SignaLink USB interface to my IC-7300. The problem: My station isn't properly responding to @ALLCALL queries or group messages directed to @EMCOMM. I've added @EMCOMM to my groups list in Settings, enabled Auto Reply, and have both Heartbeat Network and HB acknowledgments turned on. Direct messages work fine, and I can send group messages that others receive. When I watch the activity window, I see other stations successfully responding to group queries with message counts (like "MSG 3"), but my station stays silent. Has anyone encountered similar issues with group messaging setup? I'm wondering if it's a timing issue with the decode cycles or something in my audio configuration.

I'm dealing with the same issue on my truck. The paint really does interfere with grounding. If you find resistance between the mount and chassis, run a grounding wire to a grounded part of the vehicle and keep it as short as possible. Made a huge difference on my setup.

Your antenna mount needs to be properly grounded for correct function - without a solid ground, you're bound to get high SWR and extremely poor performance. Clean the roof contact area and check continuity with a multimeter from the coax shield to the vehicle chassis. Sometimes a grounding strap helps.

Great question! The ARRL has detailed band plans for US hams showing allocations within each band. I'd recommend downloading their frequency chart and keeping it handy. As you get comfortable with HF, you'll develop a feel for where different activities cluster - CW down low, phone in the middle, digital modes in their designated segments. The band edges become second nature after a while.

I just erected a new MFJ-1982 80/40/20/15/10m trap dipole at 45 feet and I'm seeing some odd behavior on my analyzer. The SWR shows 3.2:1 on 80m at the shack end of 75 feet of RG-8X, but when I move my MFJ-259C analyzer directly to the feed point, it's reading over 8:1 at the same frequency. I understand lossy coax can mask high SWR, but this seems extreme. Has anyone experienced similar issues with trap dipoles where the feedline losses are actually making the SWR look better than it really is? The antenna works on other bands with sub-2:1 readings, so the traps appear functional.

You should not set your transmit frequency exactly at the edge of an amateur band to allow for calibration error in the transmitter frequency display and so that modulation sidebands do not extend beyond the band edge. On USB modes like 15m phone, you can operate down to about 21.200 MHz, but on LSB like 40m you'd use around 7.127 MHz as your practical limit. Remember - your radio shows carrier frequency, but your actual signal extends up or down from there depending on the mode.

Just passed my Tech last month using pure memorization in about 3 weeks of studying. Got an 89% on the real exam after consistently scoring 85%+ on practice tests. The concepts will come naturally once you start operating and talking to other hams on the air.

Getting ready for my Tech exam and I'm seeing conflicting advice online. Some folks say just memorize the 426 question pool answers since they're all available, while others insist you need to really understand the electrical theory behind each question. What approach worked best for you? I've been using HamStudy.org for practice tests, but I'm wondering if I should invest time in a proper study guide like the ARRL manual or just drill the questions until I can pass. Need to take the exam in 6 weeks for our club's upcoming VE session.

If you want to join a conversation, the best approach is to call the station you're trying to reach directly. Something like "W1ABC, this is your call" during a natural break works well.

You're doing it right! Author runs mic gain at only 5% yet achieves full 100W PEP with 35% average - exactly where it should be. Peak to average ratios of 6:1 to 3:1 are normal, causing many to assume their rig isn't putting out rated power when seeing 15-35W average.

I've noticed that our local repeater sometimes gets tied up in long conversations, and I'm not sure about proper timing. I know repeaters have courtesy tones and need time to reset between transmissions, but what's considered appropriate? Should I be waiting for a specific amount of time, or just listening for the courtesy beep? Also, when is it okay to break into an ongoing conversation if I have something important to add?

Great routine! Little practice often, preferably each day, is far better than large amounts once a week - persistence is needed as it takes time and determination. I also listen to slow CW transmissions on 80m and 40m bands for real-world practice.