Wrapping Things Up de KL8DX/M, KL8DX/VY1, KL8DX/VE7, KL8DX/VE6...

Wrapping Up

To keep a ham happy, you pamper their tower, right? Well, our moving company did just that. Handled my shack like it was their own equipment and even wrapped my tower sections in thick wrapping paper. Overkill? Maybe but I was a happy ham! It was tough tearing down everything once again and boxing it all up. But like many a ham, I have all original boxes to my equipment and I made sure I had everything boxed up from the shack and ready for the moving company upon their arrival. We had nearly four days set aside for our packing up but this company accomplished it in two days! It was not long before our

Truck Scene

house was empty and there was an echo where there was once none. But, all is safely boxed and wrapped and making it's way to Boston. We had work obligations and things to finish on our house so we stuck around for an additional week. It was time for us to leave on vacation prior to our new assignment back east. We finished packing the remaining items in our travel trailer and truck that we needed to take along and hit the road ourselves. It was a sad day to lock the house for the very last time as we departed what I truly called home. Alaska is all that I had hoped and more. I'm looking forward to returning once again. 

NaviCat

Our travels have taken us through many a remote places along the Alaskan Highway (ALCAN). Anyone who has traveled this road knows that it takes planning and preparation. I do the driving and my girls take care of the navigation. Here you see the family feline, Luna, enjoying the map of Canada and helping us figure out the correct path as we made our way to the lower 48. I have to admit, the girls (cat & dog) have traveled extremely well and I guess at their age, the excitement of what goes by the window is less important than sleep.  I was expecting there to be many more interruptions but so far, so good!

A made mention to some friends that I feel somewhat like a fish out of water. Being back in the lower 48, I see, hear and smell things I had all but forgotten about. As we made our way through the Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta Canada, I realized that there are many beautiful places just like Alaska. I was (am) running APRS as we make our way across many miles of pavement and unpaved roads. I was surprised at some of the coverage in some of the remote places of the Yukon, BC and Alberta! We entered back into the lower 48 through Montana and I felt like I was home again in Alaska. I would not have enough memory cards to capture all of the beautiful landscapes we have encountered on our vacation. Simply breathtaking and so much so, I nearly forgot about playing radio!

Mount Rushmore

We are running on a very tight schedule so there were many places we passed by that we wanted to stop but couldn't. We decided that of all our sister parks we were going to be near, Mount Rushmore was the one we wanted to stop and see. It was well worth the stop and we only wished we had a bit more time to explore more of the area. I, like I'm sure many, was just astonished at the workmanship and likeness to the real photos of our late Presidents. The weather was beautiful and we have no complaints as our travels have gone on smooth and without incident (for the most part). Makes on become very thankful of our freedoms and to those who have made it possible!

Okay, back on track. The things I've forgotten about was fields of cows! Something I did not see in my neck of the woods in Alaska. Also, realizing how polluted our roadsides are with advertising. Thankfully, you don't see that in Alaska as you can actually enjoy the landscape advertising free (almost). Traffic, lots of people and traffic and actually stopping at truck stops. Paying less than $4.00 a gallon for diesel fuel. I did however pay $1.88 per liter for diesel fuel in one location in Canada which cost me $234.02! So that was the most I've ever paid for a tank of fuel! 

Our Ford truck has had the ability to receive Sirius satellite radio but it never worked in Alaska except in a few rare locations. When we hit Montana, I decided to sign up and I might add, listening to the same station across three states is pretty nice! Modern technology is a wonder. 

I write this on the road from our campsite here in Salem, South Dakota. Seeing a big contest station just before our exit had me missing the hobby and realizing how much I will miss contesting from my home QTH. I was pretty lucky to have a nice path to the lower 48 and Europe. But now, it will be a different location and different propagation. I'm not ready for the city life but I will adjust, hopefully. In the mean time, I'm remembering how life was when we used to live down here. We have been treated to the aroma of an excited skunk now twice. And, it's strange to have it dark when it's warm outside. Right now, we would be experiencing the midnight sun in Alaska, 24 hours of daylight. It's strange to experience this again.

As we continue our road travels, I will ponder about my next station location and watch for ham antennas and other hams that I may pass on the road. I've only heard a bit of radio traffic on 146.520 and that was shortly after we arrived in Montana from Canada. But, APRS has been fun and I think our coworkers are enjoying our progress more than we are. 

May 25th, 2013. Unplugged...

WPX CW 2013

This past weekend was extremely beautiful here in Alaska! The weather was outstanding for a holiday weekend here in the US. We saw temps in the 60's and 70's, which caused extreme melting of the snow and ice resulting in lots of flooding. Rivers are still running crazy as the snow melt continues. We were in the upper 70's yesterday so if ever there was a doubt that summer has arrived, well no more! 

This was a morning view of our QTH on Saturday morning, May 25th, 2013. I had hoped to make a few hundred contacts in the CQ World Wide WPX Contest but the solar conditions decided otherwise. Another weekend of turning on the radio and hearing none, or very few stations. I managed a handful before I officially pulled the plug Saturday morning.

Split Ends

With the bad band conditions, it was not hard to unplug from the rest of the world. It was time to begin the dismantling of our station. Fourteen QSO's was not my goal for the weekend but it was what it was. My first HF QSO when moving here was with Ed, K8QWY on November 28th, 2003. I had a 2 meter SSB QSO, which was officially my very first QSO, with long time friend Sean, KL1SF on November 27th, 2003. And here it was, May 25th, 2013 and 52,937 + QSO's later, my Mosley once again finds itself being packed up, awaiting another installation at another location. Closer inspection of the beam found it still in wonderful shape. Penetrox continued to keep the elements looking new. I only found a small amount of moisture in one location, and oddly enough, it was in one half of the boom. Penetrox had the water beading like wax but still, there was no sign of oxidation. Good stuff for sure. The beam and tower have taken an arctic beating here and have withstood all that was thrown at it. I'm sold on Mosley for that very reason. 

Laying Down the Tower

Once the beam was off the tower, I removed the mast and rotor from the Hazer and then lowered the Hazer to just above the crank. It was time to lower the Rohn 25 for disassembly. The tower made it safely horizontal (thanks to Polaris) and the scene around the house took on a more non-ham profile. It felt extremely...well, ham naked! Once the Hazer was off the tower, we worked at removing the top section. That was the toughest section of all and understandably so. The top section was where the Hazer and beam were mostly parked and it took the worst beating when the weather turned bad especially if I had not lowered the antenna to a weather safe height. Once the top section was removed, the remaining sections nearly pulled apart with ease.

Once Section Left (Non Multiplier)

I'm letting the sun warm the ground around the last section of our second tower before digging it up. The smaller tower was the home to my 6 meter beam and 2m/440 vertical for several years. I had dropped the 6 meter beam and had intentions of putting my Hex Beam up on that tower, but it never made it from assembly to elevation. It is now disassembled with my other antenna's and looking forward to being used at our next location. My vertical (Hustler 5BTV) was unburied from the snow bank and it too was disassembled and packed up ready to operate another day. All the antenna's and tower are now in one organized pile awaiting the day the moving van arrives.

As camping season is upon us, I'm looking forward to operating KL8DX/P, as I've done in previous years. The camper is nearly ready and my portable equipment is once again out of mothballs and ready for use. But for now, the Mosley has once again entered into hibernation at 1930z, on the 25th of May, and getting a well deserved break. I have many of what I call, "Mosley Memories" to keep me smiling for many months to come. 

Like a Sponge

Absorption of DX signals according to HAARP

I enjoy reading several radio related blogs and one in that batch is by John, N8ZYA. John's blog details his chasing DX using QRP (low power). John's at the 122 days of DX worked now and I applaud his determination. John's use of QRP and indoor antenna's is something I may be doing myself, depending on where we choose to live in 1'land. If we are apartment dwellers, that will surely be the case but if we are lucky enough to land a house with a bit of property, hopefully I can throw something minimal up on the rental property. Maybe, just maybe, I can catch John on 40 meters or one of the other bands once we get settled. Sadly, I have not worked John from my Alaskan QTH, but he did hear me on one occasion and tried to unsuccessfully work me. I was hoping to work John from here someday but it appears I will be 4,600 miles closer when I finally snag a QSO with him.

I'm envious of John today as from the HAARP Riometer graph above, I simply hear absolutely nothing on the bands this morning. Not one signal! The radiation storm has rendered the ham bands useless here. Even if I could send 1,495 more watts than John through my coax and out my 4 element beam at 43 feet, I'm not working anyone. You simply can't work what you don't hear. Well, excluding some of the weak signal digital stuff now-a-days. :0)

Propagation here in Alaska (like many northern latitudes) can be extremely challenging. I had high hopes for some low power contest QSO's this weekend in the WPX contest. If this spaceweather continues, there will be few, if any. But on a positive note, our local weather has taken a turn for the better! The weather at our house is currently 40 degrees! The holiday weekend local forecast appears promising. Needless to say, it will be another busy weekend here and thankfully, the outdoor activities will not be hampered by rain or gusting winds.

I can't predict what the bands will be like tomorrow afternoon for the start of the WPX contest but at least I can safely predict our grill will be used a few times this weekend. This weekend will be the culmination of my ham radio activities from BP53lu. My remaining QSO's with my Mosley HF beam are now on the horizon. As the DXing sun sets for me this weekend, it will rise once again many miles east of here in the coming weeks/months. This is the weekend that I normally close the shack for the summer. This weekend is no different. It's camping season and we are now being bathed in sunlight nearly 24 hours a day. Lack of propagation, depressing? Yes!  All I have to do is step outdoors and it's all forgotten. 

In The Zone - New 1

KL8DX 2012 CQ World Wide DX CW Contest Result

A large white envelope was located in our mailbox today and the content of that envelope was my certificate from the 2012 CQ World Wide DX CW Contest. I obviously busted a few callsigns as my submitted score was reduced over my final score. Anytime you can have a contest weekend blessed with good propagation, it's a great experience. Having a golden log would make that great experience an awesome experience. I will always continue to do my best with each and every contest and this score reflects that best that I could of done. Each time I operate I try to "out do" my previous years score. Of course, often times propagation here in Alaska is my biggest hurdle. I might have big plans for any given contest weekend but in the end, space weather and propagation will determine my effort or score. 

My 3830 post regarding this contest is listed below. As summer approaches, it won't be long before the shack falls silent and any operating will be from a portable perspective.  We recently received an additional 4-5 inches of fresh snow so winter keeps haunting us. Once again, temperatures are supposed to be on the rise and hopefully we have seen the last snow flakes of this spring. It won't be long now before we take up residence in our travel trailer following the road map eastward. I've updated my NUVI with the latest maps and like the DX Cluster, it will help me find what I'm looking for. 

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 30h52m

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    0    0        0
  80:  11    5        5
  40:  30    8        8
  20:  728    19      58
  15:  911    20      38
  10:  199    18      20
------------------------------
Total: 1879    70      129  Total Score = 831,820

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

Another crazy contest weekend! I was sure disappointed in
10 meters this year. I'm okay with that as long as we have
good propagation in a few weeks for that band specific
contest! 

My numbers on the low bands are low but I have very poor
antennas for those bands. Kudos to those that logged me on
both 40 & 80! Your station did 99% of the work and for that,
I'm grateful! My noise is horrible on both of those bands.

The CME created some nice viewing Aurora here for the weekend
but it sure made things a bit tough for the contest. We are
still losing daylight fast and it won't be long now before
we only have 4-5 hours of daylight. Blessing is, that by 
next month at this time, we will start gaining daylight as
the sun slowly begins to move northward.

Thanks for the contest QSO's! I have a detailed review on my
blog site along with photos from this weekend. You can sure
tell when ya get spotted as so many call at once! I continue
to hone my pile-up management skills so thanks for your
patience! Looking forward to the 10 meter contest and hope
to see ya then! If only I had an antenna for 160 meters...

73!
Phil KL8DX
Denali National Park, AK
Rig: Icom 756PRO @ 100 watts
Antenna: Mosley TA-34-XL @ 43 feet
Low bands: Inverted V's for 40 & 80
Logging: Win-test

Painting to Propagation - A Colorful Weekend

Woke up to fresh snow this morning! 

I knew my weekend time for radio would be very limited. I'm still busy doing some projects at home and the paint brush and roller kept me focused on the big picture. I did however play a bit or radio. Bands still seem a bit rough these days. I had a bit of insomnia on Saturday morning and enjoyed a few European RTTY QSO's on 15 meters shortly after 1130z! My 100 watts was making it over the pond. I had spotted a European station on 15 meters and I received a twitter request from Marc, DO4DXA to try a RTTY QSO. Marc needed Alaska on 15 meters. Once I set up and was on frequency, I printed Marc with no problem! Marc and I made our contact and after Marc spotted me, a few others fell in behind him. 15 QSO's later, I headed back to bed for a few more hours of rest.

This past weekend was SKCC's Weekend Sprintathon (WES) I fired up the rig and straight key for a handful of contacts, balancing calling CQ and doing a bit of search & pounce. I found Sunday propagation to be extremely challenging so needless to say, I put much more paint on the walls of our living room than I put QSO's in my logbook. The highlight for me during the WES was being called by TF3DX who was mobile in Iceland! Villi had a great mobile signal into Alaska on 15 meters. I've operated from Iceland before and I love that country! I'm looking forward to a return trip someday. Seems I have this attraction to arctic environments. 

We woke up this morning to a fresh coating of snow. The weather has been pretty nice with some temperatures pushing 50 degrees this past weekend. Seeing snow this morning was a bit depressing as I'm hoping most of the winters accumulation melts from our yard in the next two weeks. We have lots of mud and water laying atop the ground at the moment so hopefully things will dry up soon. It's nice having nearly 24 hours of daylight right now. 

One of my recent Twitter posts

DX'ing to Drywall - It's About Where You Hang

Snow Bound @ KL8DX

I have had zero time to play on the radio lately but I have left my rig on the high bands monitoring JT65A. I'm finding that 15 & 17 meters have been producing some DX but my time has been spent doing some last minute drywall work. Finding good DX is like good drywalling, it's all about where you hang. 

Our planned move has taken a large amount of our time as has working to complete some interior projects. We have seen plenty of snow over the last month but by Sunday, the snow clouds gave way to sunshine and warmer temperatures. We begin this week in the lower 40's and the forecast looks a lot like spring, peaking near 50 by next weekend! I have plenty of snow on the north side of our home to contend with. This normally does not melt off until late June, so I will probably have to make use of the snow shovel to get to the tower and vertical. My HF vertical is buried under four feet of snow as is the base of the tower. This is created by the strong southerly winds we receive during the winter months. 

We have lots of sun these days and life is slowly returning to the Denali area. It's nice to see preparation of local businesses to once again open for the tourists with preseason beginning on May 15th. It won't be long before we will be in the full swing of summer and our only traffic light in Glitter Gulch will once again be functional. I'm excited to head out camping once we complete our current projects and do a bit of portable operating. I'm sure ready for summer as I'm sure most Alaskan's are. It won't be long now before the first skeeter and out of state RV arrive. 

Hello May!

 I woke up early and had a few extra minutes so I decided to turn on the radio to listen for any DX. It's May 1st, and I thought it would be nice to log a contact or two early, breaking in the month right. When I turned on my Icom 765PRO, all I heard was powerline noise on 20 meters, and lots of it. We recently received another 3-4 inches of fresh snow so obviously a transformer or an electrical connection somewhere is being effected by the latest accumulation. And not only that, but I found the bands to be totally silent. This led me to HAARP's website and in looking at the Magnetometer and the Riometer, it was obvious we have some solar activity that has effected propagation.

Like summer, I hope the propagation returns to Alaska. Like spaceweather and local weather, it seems to be one storm after another. But, I'm remaining optimistic that if May begins like this that maybe, just maybe, we will have excellent conditions for the CQ World Wide CW WPX Contest at the end of the month. That will be my last contest from this QTH so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can have the window open to the shack and work lots of stations on 10 meters! Wishful thinking? Maybe. But that's pretty good from a "Glass is half empty" kinda guy. 

DENA to BOST and Winter Continues

Cat Map - Luna

This past week has been busier than normal with a few unexpected turns. A medical procedure has set me behind schedule roughly 10 days and I'll be excited to return to full steam  ahead in about a week. Sadly, it will take much longer for my checkbook to recover. But, plans of our cross country trip continue to unfold as dates become more solid. Work is getting busy as well with many of our seasonal staff soon to arrive or already on board. Winter weather keeps pushing us backwards, Spring Road Opening (SRO) is underway but our temperatures are still below average and snow continues to fall. I have yet to remove the plow from my ATV as once I do, it's almost a guarantee of more snow. This is the main reason my antennas will be the last things to be disassembled (shucks).

Each of the National Parks are known internally by their four letter acronym. In talking about other Alaskan Parks, we refer to Denali National Park as DENA, Glacier Bay as GLBA, Sitka as SITK and Wrangle-St.Elias as WRST to name a few. Our next duty station will be BOST, so that is the reason for the title of this blog post. Our W1'land assignment is an exciting one to us but also very stressful. Not only do we have a 13 day trek across country (includes some VY1, VE7, VE6 and maybe some VE5 call area travels), we will need to find a place to live, get settled and become familiar with our new jobs and surroundings. This move effects everyone in our household. As you can see from the photo above, even the family cat fell asleep with the map of Boston! We have an exhausting schedule between now and our first day of work on the other side of the country so there will be no rest for many weeks. To put it into simple terms, it's kinda like going to a local Ford Dealership, picking out that loaded Ford Mustang and after signing your life away, driving it off the lot. It's all fun and you're enjoying that new car smell and life is good. Then reality sets in when the first payment comes due. Then it really sets in when you see how many payments you have left! Well, our reality set in with the "official" paperwork which arrived recently. We signed on the dotted line and it's crunch time!

With that said, I've had little to no time for radio. Often times, I will leave my rig on and monitor JT65, PSK31 or WSPR. This gives me a quick reference check on propagation should I have a few minutes to check the radio. I have plenty more contacts I want to make but obviously radio falls well below many other priorities. But I plan on making time for a few contests / QSO Parties in May. As June rolls around, things will become just to crazy to even think radio. A few weekends in May along with an evening here or there will be my extent of operating. I normally close down the shack by June anyhow as summer arrives and we begin our outdoor adventures. This year will be no different other than the fact that our shack won't reopen in Alaska for the upcoming 2013-2014 winter contest season. Unless of course another ham decides to occupy our dwelling. But for now, we focus on getting ready for our DENA to BOST journey in the coming months. Oh, and now I really have to learn how to spell Massachusetts.