Learning Morse Code After Getting My Licence

A Communicator Reprise: February 2013

It is clear to me that the use of Morse code is holding its own on the ham bands. Further, I’m meeting hams who have recently become proficient in Morse and are making QSOs on air – something that I have want to do for a long time.

In 2004, when I determined to get my ham licence (after thinking about it since 1961) I began learning Morse code.  I took the test and passed the Morse test soon afterwards (before I got my call sign). Almost immediately the Morse code requirement was dropped and it has remained as an optional method of achieving HF privileges. I did not use CW on air and soon lost my capability to copy and send.

With encouragement from John Brodie I recently began practicing again – and am now practicing up around 6-8 words per minute.  I have been using an excellent free Morse tutor created by a New Zealand ham ZL1AN which I would recommend to any ham thinking of learning morse. The link is

http://www.qsl.net/zl1an/Software/teach4software.html

Another learning tool that has been very useful is a website sponsored by AA9PW on which there are a number of options – copy text sent at a range of speeds – which I use to practice copying – and to gradually pick up my speed. The link is http://aa9pw.com/morsecode/ This is a slick resource which has changing content every day.  There is also a podcast which can be subscribed – to download the “Quote of the Day” at a range of different speeds. This allows me to copy when I have a few free moments – and with an earphone it is very private.

Several times a week I make a Skype connection with Brett Garrett or John Brodie and we each send and receive for about 10 minutes each – just allowing the computer microphone to pick up the sounds from a keyer run by a paddle. This is tougher than working with machine sent code – as humans are not as consistent and methodical – and this really puts me to the test. They are both very patient with me – and I find my speed is picking up.  Mostly my confidence is increasing – and I expect to start making local slow speed contacts on-air very soon. Maybe there will be enough interest to start a slow speed contact group?

I find that the practice is keeping my brain agile – forcing me to use brain capacity which has grown idle – and if nothing else it has slowed the effects of aging. I highly recommend learning Morse even if you never plan to use it on air – and take advantage of the free resources on the web to help you along.

~ John MacFarlane VE7AXU

You Might be Addicted to Ham Radio if:

Not sure where this originated but it was forwarded by a reader... 

1. When you look at a full moon and wonder how much antenna gain you would need.

2. When a friend gets a ride from you and remarks that you have a lot of CBs in your vehicle, it turns in to an hour long rant on how ham radio is not CB radio.

3. When someone asks for directions, you pause; wondering if long or short path would be best.

4. When you can look at a globe and be able to point to your antipode (and you know what an antipode is). Cool antipode map at http://www.antipodemap.com/

5. Your cell phone ring tone is a Morse code message of some kind

6. You have accidentally said your Amateur Radio call sign at the end of a telephone conversation.

7. Your favorite vacation spots are always on mountain tops.

8. You notice more antennas than road signs while driving your car.

9. You have driven onto the shoulder of the road while looking at an antenna.

10. Porcupines appear to be fascinated with your car.

11. If you ever tried to figure out the operating frequency of your microwave oven.

12. When you look around your bedroom of wall to wall ham gear and ask: Why am I still single?

13. The local city council doesn't like you.

14. You think towers look pretty.

15. Your family doesn't have a clue what to get you for Christmas, even after you tell them.

16. Your HF amplifier puts out more power than the local AM radio station.

17. The wife and kids are away and the first thing that goes through your head is that no one will bother you while you call "CQ DX" a few hundred times.

18. When you pull into a donut shop and the cops there on their coffee break ask if they can see your radio setup.

19. You refer to your children as your "Harmonics".

20. Your girlfriend or wife asks: "You're going to spend $XXXX on what???

21. You actually believe you got a good deal on eBay.

22. When you see a house with a metal roof and your only thought is what a great ground plane that would be.

23. You have pictures of your radio equipment as wallpaper on your computer's desktop.

24. Every family vacation includes a stop at a Ham radio store.

25. The first question you ask the new car dealer is: "What is the alternator's current output"?

26. You buy a brand new car based on the radio mounting locations and antenna mounting possibilities.

27. You have tapped out Morse code on your car's horn.

28. A lightning storm takes out a new Laptop, Plasma TV, and DVD Recorder, but all you care about is if your radios are okay.

29. Your wife has had to ride in the back seat because you had radio equipment in the front seat.

30. Your wife was excited when you were talking about achieving that critical angle, but very disappointed when you finally did.

31. During a love making session with your wife, you stop to answer a call on the radio.

32. Your wife threatens you with divorce when you tell her that you are going on a "fox" hunt.

33. Talking about male and female connectors makes you feel excited.

34. You dream of big, comfortable knobs, but not on women.

35. You always park on the top floor of the deck, just in case you might have to wait in the car later.

36. When house hunting, you look for the best room for a radio shack and scan the property for possible tower placement.

37. When house hunting, you give your realtor topographical maps showing local elevations.

38. The real estate agent scratches his head when you ask if the soil conductivity is high, medium, or low.

39. You have Ham radio magazines in the bathroom.

40. When your doorbell rings, you immediately shut down the amplifier.

41. Fermentation never enters your mind when "homebrew" is mentioned.

42. Instead of just saying no, you have said "negative".

43. You have used a person's name to indicate acknowledgement.

44. You become impatient waiting for the latest Ham Radio Outlet catalog to arrive.

45. You have found yourself whistling "CQ" using Morse code.

46. You always schedule the third weekend in June for vacation.

47. You walk carefully in your back yard to avoid being close-lined.

48. You have deep anxiety or panic attacks during high winds or heavy ice.

49. You and the FedEx/UPS men are on a first name basis.

50. You really start to miss people that you've never seen.

51. Your exercise machine is a Morse code keyer.

52. You walk through the plumbing section at the hardware store and see antenna parts.

53. Your neighbors thought you were nuts when you ripped up your lawn to bury chicken wire.

54. Your next door neighbor thinks that your wife is a widow.

55. Your wife has delivered meals to your Ham shack.

56. If you sold all your Ham radio equipment, you could pay off your mortgage.

Frequency Coordination In BC

A Communicator Reprise: November 2012

Our VHF and UHF bands are subdivided into sub-bands while the ones used for FM and digital communications are channelized. Certain sub-bands are allocated to channelized repeaters and simplex communications, resulting in a fixed number of channels in each band. This limits the number of repeaters and simplex channels available for use, but on the other hand, with coverage being generally limited to line-of-sight distance, these channels can be reused many times across the Province.

Early in the development of VHF repeaters it became evident that some form of organization needs to ensure that repeaters do not interfere with each other while the use of the available spectrum is optimized so that the greatest number of repeaters can be accommodated in the limited space available. The result was the emergence of Frequency Coordination Councils, groups of amateurs who volunteer and take it upon themselves to manage the repeater portion of the band, coordinating frequencies so as to prevent interference. Frequency Coordination is the process of choosing and recommending one or more specific frequencies for a system that will operate on fixed frequencies, such as a voice repeater, an ATV repeater, a packet system, a remote base or link, etc. 

In BC, the British Columbia Amateur Radio Coordination Council (BCARCC) was incorporated in January 1995 and is the current coordinator of VHF and UHF frequencies. It has taken its band plan from the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) band plan and modified it to dovetail with one adopted by the Western Washington coordinators. Repeater operators and clubs who sponsor repeaters work with the Council to find and establish frequencies for their repeaters. The complete list of BC repeaters can be found at their website, www.bcarcc.org. 

Coordination councils in Canada have no power of enforcement: they depend on the respect and cooperation of those they serve. Over the years, BCARCC has gained the credibility and respect of virtually all Hams and has worked with all repeater operators. Amateurs cooperate with BCARCC because this approach to the use of these bands for fixed frequency installations has proven to be a workable and effective method, for everyone's benefit. 

In November 1996, BCARCC and Pacific Region of Industry Canada (IC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish the advisory role of BCARCC versus the legislative and regulatory role of IC. Under the MOU, IC refers all applications for repeaters to BCARCC for coordination, and no longer lists specific frequencies on Amateur licenses (reflecting the fact that no Amateur is licensed to have exclusive use of a frequency). 

Coordination requires cooperation: Although our Amateur sub-bands are a finite resource, they can support a large amount of fixed-frequency activity if shared in a harmonious and cooperative manner.  Abuse can destroy the resource for everyone. BCARCC provides the resources to manage our spectrum. BCARCC has other responsibilities besides frequency coordination. For example, it is involved in mediating interference issues, band planning, working on approaches to solving technical problems, and communication and cooperation with neighbouring coordination councils as well as working with other local and national organizations.

BCARCC’s success over the long term has, in part, been the result of policies that differ significantly from those of other coordination councils: 

• Unlike other councils whose members are repeater operators, BCARCC’s members are Ham clubs. This ensures that policies are developed to benefit the Ham community, not only the interests of repeater operators.
• Coordinations are completed based strictly on technical factors: can the repeater provide the coverage on the specified frequency without causing harm to other systems? The purpose of the repeater, the number of Hams it will serve or the identity of the operator (as long as he/she has an Advanced License) have no bearing on the coordination.
• The BCARCC executive and its Board of Directors determine policy and provide direction. Coordinators are appointed for their technical competence and work independently, based on these policies. Policies are documented at www.bcarcc.org/policies
• BCARCC has area coordinators in various regions of our Province. These coordinators provide local knowledge and help those wishing to install repeaters with frequency selection and other technical issues.
• BCARCC considers itself to be an enabler that provides support for the enjoyment of the hobby, not as a regulator and not as a curb on Ham activities.
• BCARCC is fortunate to have the support and continued involvement of retired, professional, communications engineers who ensure that policies are appropriate and who work with repeater operators to resolve technical and interference issues. 

More than 450 repeaters are coordinated in BC. These repeaters are also known to coordinators in Washington State as well as Alberta and the Yukon and can therefore be protected from other users of the frequency. Over 150 simplex nodes have been registered. Simplex stations, such as Echolink, IRLP, APRS and point-to-point links are registered, meaning that their presence is published. It is hoped that Hams respect their presence although simplex stations cannot be assured of protection from other users of the frequency.

A complete list of coordinated and registered stations is available at www.bcarcc.org. These lists are in pdf format and can be printed.  Feel free to make contact regarding coordination issues.

~George Merchant VE7QH 
  ve7qh@shaw.ca

The October 2018 Communicator

Here is the latest Communicator 

Amateur Radio News from the South West corner of Canada and elsewhere. You will find Amateur Radio related articles, profiles, news, tips and how-to's. You can download it as a .PDF file directly from https://goo.gl/JmpT1u

https://goo.gl/JmpT1u

As always, thank you to our contributors, and your feedback is always welcome.  My deadline for the November edition is October 22nd. If you have news or events from your Vancouver area club or photos, stories, projects or other items of interest from elsewhere, please email them to the communicator@ve7sar.net

Keep visiting this site for regular updates and news.

~ 73,
  John VE7TI
  Communicator Editor

My Antenna Adventures - An OCF [Part 2]

A Communicator Reprise: June 2013

The RF Demons Are Finally Exorcised

I purchased the Carolina Windom 80 antenna from Radio Works with the idea of using it on 80 and 40 m to supplement my SteppIR vertical, which covers the 6m-20 bands. Being 133 ft. long, it is a full ½ wave for 80 m and advertised as usable on the higher bands.  One of its distinguishing features is a “vertical radiator”, a 22 ft. length of 50 ohm coax connected off-centre to the horizontal radiator by way of a 4:1 balun.  At the lower end of the vertical radiator is a choke balun (or “isolator”), there for the purpose of discouraging radiation from the remainder of the feedline connected to the transmitter.    Presence of the vertical radiator, it is claimed, changes the radiation pattern to give a low angle component, good for DX.  When I searched the web for comments on this antenna, virtually all indicated that the owners were happy with its performance and would recommend it to others.  I had some challenging issues when I put the Carolina Windom up at my QTH.

I have a number of tall trees on my property, but only one not-very-tall tree suitable for anchoring one end of the wire at the front of the lot.  At the rear of the lot are several taller trees, none of which is ideally situated to anchor the opposite end of the wire.  Nevertheless, I used SARC’s air cannon to fire a line through one of these trees about 50 ft up.  When we raised the antenna, both ends of the wire came close to branches, which raised the concern that they might affect the performance.  In addition, another tree near the middle of the lot had drooping branches that came very close to, and sometimes touched, the suspended wire.

I then proceeded to make some measurements using an  MFJ-269 analyzer.  The MFJ reads not only SWR but also the components of Z (impedance), which are Rs (radiation resistance) and Xs (reactance).  When I pulled the antenna up to full height into the trees, the measured SWR was above the range of the MFJ  (>31) over most bands.  Rs (which I expected to be around 50 ohms) was zero nearly everywhere. I then repeated the readings with a Comet CAA-500 analyzer with the same result: every SWR reading on every band was off-scale.   Clearly, something was wrong.   When I transmitted and put power into the antenna, sometimes I could tune it with the radio’s tuner and other times I could not.  The antenna was then taken down and all parts checked to see if there was a faulty component.  Both baluns tested OK, the coax connected to a 50 ohm dummy load appeared good, and all solder joints seemed to be sound.   I even substituted known good baluns for the ones provided but nothing changed for the better.

I then commenced my email correspondence with Jim, the Radio Works guy to explain the symptoms.  He was puzzled by the results and after several emails back and forth, suggested I return the antenna to them for checking, which I did.  I received it back within a few weeks after Radio Works had replaced the vertical radiator because of a suspected intermittent connector.  The winter months went by before I put the antenna up again, and began testing to see the results.  In the meantime, as related in the previous posting, I had acquired an AIM 4170 antenna analyzer and used the time to get familiar with its many features. I ran the AIM through some tests with my other (resonant) antenna and confirmed that the MFJ and the AIM gave almost identical results for SWR and the components of impedance (Xs and Rs).  

Now for the Windom.

Figure 1 shows the initial setup.  The antenna was about 35 ft. off the ground at one end and 50 ft at the other.  60 ft of 50 ohm RG213 transmission line connected the line isolator to a surge protector and station ground at the house entrance panel, then to an external swr meter and the transmitter. 

Figure 2 shows the results of SWR measurements across all bands from 3 to 30 MHz (note: the amateur bands are highlighted).  The SWR trace displayed dips at certain frequencies but mostly not where they should be. 

Figure 3 shows the results of several re-scans for the 80 m band, and 

Figure 4 for 20m – every re-scan gave a different pattern.  When I tried putting power into the antenna from the transmitter, it usually would not take power or, if it did, it was only momentary while the internal tuner kept searching for a match on each key-down.   The results were no better on other bands, and rainfall also made things even worse.

As I struggled to find the reason for this odd behaviour, the only change that seemed to bring improvement was disconnecting the station ground. 

Figure 5 shows the result for the 80m band under both conditions.  This was possibly an important clue.

Since I had thought that the interfering branches might be affecting resonance (as they blew in the breeze), my next move was to have the trees pruned to eliminate the offending branches. At the same time, I got the tree guy to install a rope and pulley system (made from bicycle inner tubes, shackle and pulley) around the trunk of two select trees about 40 ft. up so I could raise and lower the antenna at will.  The wire, 4:1 balun and coax were then raised using the pulley.   The spacing between the trees did not permit the wire to extend full length, so I put a drop leg on the short end of the wire and pulled it taut.  The coax connected to the “middle” tree followed the trunk vertically down to ground level, snaked in a circuitous route across the garden and up into the second floor shack.  This required double the length of coax compared with the previous arrangement.  As before, the coax outer conductor was grounded at the entrance panel surge protector but this time I added a choke balun at the entrance panel by coiling up the extra 15 ft of coax, which I connected to the transmitter by a 15 ft jumper. 

Figure 6 shows the new configuration.

Figure 7 shows the 3-30 MHz scan, and 

Figure 8 the 80 m scan after these changes were made.  

The SWR across all frequencies and especially within the amateur bands was much lower and mostly below 3;  successive re-scans of SWR, Xs and Rs gave virtually identical results.  The SWR was now acceptable on most of the 80 m band and the match to the transmitter was stable.   Other bands (except 10 m) showed SWR 2-4, higher than I would prefer, but within the range of most internal radio tuners and a definite improvement over the initial results.  Also comforting was the fact that my external SWR meter connected to the transmitter (under power) displayed the same SWR as did the AIM.

To effect this dramatic improvement, I had made a number of changes all at the same time.  So I started undoing the changes one-by-one to determine which was the critical one.   I had previously confirmed (to my surprise) that the pruning of tree branches had no discernible effect.  Lowering the centre of the antenna to its previous height did not do it.  Removing the ground at the entrance panel had no effect, nor did uncoiling the choke balun.  The only way I could recreate the original problem was when the antenna was lowered to its original height, the feedline was shortened from 120 ft. to 60 ft. and the coax was allowed to make a drooping loop from the antenna to the shack rather than falling vertically from the antenna and taking a circuitous route to the shack.  Now this does not provide a technical explanation of the problem; it only explains what had to be done to fix it.  I do believe that I had RF on the feedline initially.  What have I learned from this experience?

• Get the antenna as high as possible
• Make sure the feedline drops down vertically to the ground
• Change the length of the feedline if there appears to be a serious mismatch

There is one further puzzling footnote to this situation: Even after the aforementioned improvements, the MFJ meter consistently reads higher – by a large margin – than both the AIM and the external SWR meter. 

For example, on 80 m, an SWR of 2 on the AIM reads 8-15 on the MFJ.  Xs and Rs also disagree with the AIM, with Rs equal or close to zero on the MFJ most of the time.  I am interested in thoughts of our more knowledgeable members regarding all of the foregoing.  However, at least now I have an antenna I can use.

~ John Brodie VA7XB

My Antenna Adventures - An OCF [Part 1]

A Communicator Reprise: May 2013

I recently purchased a Carolina Windom 80 antenna and, after it was erected, immediately experienced some puzzling problems, as it would not take power from the transmitter, confirmed by high and erratic SWR measurements using a hand-held meter.  The full story will be related over a couple of postings but my first step was to acquire an antenna analyzer with more sophisticated features than the popular instruments and use it to help me with the diagnosis.  

The AIM 4170C analyzer was recommended by Jim VE7FO as a suitable instrument, so I purchased one from Array Solutions.  The AIM can do many advanced analytical chores and plot graphs, which is an advantage if you want to see results without the need to make and record a number of spot readings. It allows selection of the desired parameter for the plots from the menu, any or all of which can be displayed simultaneously. It also allows successive re-scans so that changes can be seen but retains in memory the raw data only for the most recent scan.

The initial step was to get familiar with the instrument’s many features, which I did by making some measurements on my SteppIR beam in order to document its characteristics for future reference.   I ran scans of SWR versus frequency for the SteppIR set to resonate on each of the HF amateur bands (2 curves, one with the antenna set to the low end of the band, and the other to the high end).  The resultant graphs showed, as expected, a low SWR on all bands with the minima near the SteppIR operating setpoint.  In the interest of space only the 20 m curves are shown in Figure 1, but those for other bands displayed a similar pattern.

Then, I wanted to compare the AIM measurements with two other popular analyzers – an MFJ 359 and Comet CAA-500 – to see if the readings agreed, because my measurements on the Windom with different instruments did not agree.  However, the results this time (on the SteppIR) were very comforting, as shown in the table.  The SWR agreed very closely amongst the 3 instruments, and Rs and Xs also compared favourably between the MFJ and the AIM.  The Comet does not read Xs (reactance); rather it shows SWR and Z (impedance) so only the Comet’s SWR reading is comparable with the other instruments.  These results gave me reason to believe that at least with a “well-behaved” antenna system, the readings of the 3 instruments should be trusted. 

Figure 2, which shows plots of several other parameters,
illustrates some basic antenna/transmission line relationships.  

For example, the resonant frequency of the system is the frequency at which the reactance changes sign from positive (inductive) to negative (capacitive), i.e. the point at which the net reactance is zero.  The phase angle shows the same thing, where it crosses the X-axis.  Note that there are two resonant frequencies –the first where the phase angle goes negative at 14.135 and again where it turns positive at 14.399.  However, the second one is not only at a high SWR point, but is outside the 20m ham band.  At the resonant frequency the Z curve coincides with the Rs curve because the reactive component at this point is zero.  In a system where Rs does not equal 50 ohms and reactance is present (typically because the antenna is too long or too short), the frequency of minimum SWR will likely not be the same as the resonant frequency.  In this case because the antenna is very nearly the right length, the resonant frequency and frequency of minimum SWR are very close. 

Having completed this test with satisfying results, I then tried another feature of the AIM instrument.  It has a mode called TDR (time domain reflectometry).  I do not profess to have any understanding of the theory of TDR, but the results are easy to understand.  In order to use TDR you must enter the velocity factor of the coax in question.  Now the SteppIR beam is connected to the shack by 60 ft. of what is supposed to be LMR-400, connected directly to an Alpha Delta surge protector which is connected to about 20 ft. of RG213 or RG8 coax leading to the radio.  Both feedlines are rated at 50 ohms impedance.  The velocity factor for Belden LMR-400 and RG213/RG8 are 0.85 and 0.65, respectively .  However, my LMR-400 coax is a Chinese import for which I have no specs.  Despite having two different types of coax connected together, only one value can be entered in the TDR setup.  After entering the velocity factor of 0.85, I hit “scan” and waited for the graph to plot.  

The figure shows the result –impedance of the transmission line versus distance.  Where the line turns vertical is the point at which the feedline is connected to the antenna.  Now as you can see this graph for 0.85 velocity factor says my transmission line is 110 ft. long.  I know this is not true, as the total length is around 80 ft.  So?  Change the velocity factor to 0.65 and bingo, the length now shows around 80 ft.    

I suspect my “LMR-400” has the characteristics of RG213 or RG8 and perhaps the product I purchased is not what it was claimed to be. If another type of coax with difference characteristic impedance was connected in series or there was an impedance bump from a faulty connector or break in the line, the graph would show it.  TDR looks to be a very useful feature of the AIM analyzer.  However, having completed the preliminaries now I’m ready to do some diagnostics on the Carolina Windom. 

More to follow... 

~ John Brodie VA7XB

An Invitation To Assist...

2018 Pacific Forest Rally

We have received an invitation to have our members assist at an event. Read on…

My name is Geoff Hill; I am the volunteer coordinator for the 2018 Pacific Forest Rally, the 5th round of the 2018 Canadian National Rally Championship, which is being held on September 28-30, 2018. I would like to tell you more about this event, in the hopes that you or members of your club would be interested in volunteering as Radio Operators.
Pacific Forest Rally is a sanctioned performance driving competition taking place on temporarily closed forestry roads surrounding Merritt, BC. 

The event needs amateur radio operators such as yourselves, who are crucial to the safety and success of the weekend. This is also an amazing opportunity to put your amateur radio skills & equipment in action, and see real cars, on real roads, driving real fast!

What you would be doing:

As radio operators, you would be stationed at the start and finish line of each closed road, or at blocker positions along the route itself, monitoring and controlling access at intersecting roads or high-risk areas. The primary roles of the radio operator are to help the event organizers track the progress of rally cars on the roads, to keep any civilians from entering the road during competition, and to pass along relevant information in the event of a crash or safety incident.

There will be a training and Q&A session for operators just before the event.

What we provide:

To reduce costs to our volunteers as much as possible, we try to provide free shared accommodation at the Best Western, Ramada, or Quality Inn hotels in Merritt. We also provide bag lunches during the event, and free admittance to the awards banquet and post event celebrations. When the budget allows, we do our best to provide shirts, toques, or other free swag to volunteers to show our appreciation.

What you need to bring:

Because this event takes place in late autumn conditions on dirt/gravel/muddy/snowy forest service roads, we advise proper winter or all-weather tires in good condition, a reliable vehicle with reasonable ground clearance, and reliable radio equipment that can run for multiple hours at a time on the power provided by your vehicle. It is good practice to also bring food, fluids, and anything else you might need for an extended stay outside. The event does run after dark, so headlamps and flashlights will come in handy. Finally, warm winter clothing and wilderness common sense are also important to bring along! 

Where to sign up:

The Volunteer registration page for the event can be found here:
https://www.rallywest.com/signup/volunteer/PacificForestRally 

For more information:

Introduction to Rally Volunteering (description of the radio operator role in particular can be found on page 6 of this document)
Pacific Forest Rally Website
Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) website
Canadian Association of Rallysport Youtube channel with lots of videos showing rally cars in action.

I humbly request your assistance to inform members of your amateur radio club of this opportunity. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly.

Geoff Hill
geoff@rallybc.com 
Volunteer Coordinator, Pacific Forest Rally 2018
Director at Large, RPM
Secretary, WCRA