KX6A

Michael's amateur radio and SOTA site.

Yaesu FT1D SOTA Trail Card

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FT1D_CardI really like my Yaesu FT1D HT. I think it has a good integration of 2m/70cm radio and APRS functions. However, every now and again I find myself forgetting where a certain feature is hidden among the rather complex Yaesu menu system. There is nothing more frustrating than spending 10 minutes trying to find some APRS messaging function you know you’ve used before only to find it is buried under some other menu system hidden away in the radio. Short of using the radio everyday, it is easy to become lost navigating some of the less used features.

A few months back I saw that Dave Ek NKØE had put together a Trail Reference (read: cheat sheet) for his VX- 8GR. I really liked Dave’s layout and using that as a starting point I set about figuring out how to make one of my own for the FT1D.  [Read more…] about Yaesu FT1D SOTA Trail Card

KX6A Amateur Radio Goals – 2016

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While I have been licensed for years, the bug never really bit me as far as radio was concerned. That changed a few months back. Since then my wife and two of my sons (14yr and 11yr) got licensed and radio has become a bit more interesting. I say this just to set the level of expectation, I am a newbie when it come to most everything radio. The good news is I have no bad habits to unlearn; everything is new for me.

Given my situation I thought outlining some goals to work on for 2016 would be appropriate. Five seemed the right number to start.

1. Earn 100 SOTA Activator Points

SOTA_small_xMy recent interest in radio was spurred when I learned about Summits on the Air (SOTA). I enjoy hiking and peak bagging so it is a perfect match. In fact, I have previously bagged many peaks that are listed as “not yet activated” in the SOTA database. That has me excited about heading back so I can get the first activation in. My only real constraint is that I am often leading groups of Boy Scouts and Scouters who might not want to sit around a mountain top while I “play radio.” I have some ideas on how to handle this and constraints aside, I’d like to achieve at least 100 Activator points this year.

[Read more…] about KX6A Amateur Radio Goals – 2016

Ham Radio and SOTA Ahead

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KX3_680Last summer my interest in ham radio had a bit of a resurgence. I have been licensed for years, but other than acquiring a good number of UHF & VHF radios, I did little with my ham license. A few months ago I stumbled across SOTA – Summits on the Air, a program aimed at those who enjoy hiking, peak bagging and radio. That did it for me, I was hooked. SOTA fits perfectly with my enthusiasm for outdoor adventures. I quickly attended a few presentations, met some extremely helpful and friendly fellow hams and then went about acquiring the equipment and knowledge to get going.

The big trick to amateur radio is that everyone assumes you come to the table with a certain amount of technical knowledge. That was the barrier for me. I have never owned a HF rig, nor did I know much of anything about antennas, QRP operations, propagation etc. I’m starting to get a handle on it now and am ready to get out there. I thought I’d use this space to share some of the lessons I learn along the way in the interest of making it a bit easier for the next SOTA newbie.

KX6A

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KX6A[Edit: I ported this post over from MWGblog.com for consistency.]

I posted a few weeks back that I had picked up my amateur radio (HAM) license. The basic license is Technician Class and I was issued the call sign KI6MDR. I felt like I needed a good personal challenge and had a some free time so I decided to see if I could get all the amateur class licenses. About two weeks after my first license I found two testing dates for the next two classes taking place within a week of each other. I figured I’d try to cram all this into a confined period of time and give it a shot. If I succeeded great! If not, at least I’d tried.

The General Class test took some studying but was not all that hard. The Amateur Extra was a whole different story! I spent a good 6 solid days studying, memorizing and constantly sorting through flash cards for that one. I have no electrical engineering background, so for me it was like trying to cram an entire semester for a college level final in just 6 days. I’ve never had so many microfarads, megaohms and intermodulation interference frequencies running through my head. Anyway, right around the one month anniversary of my initial license I passed the Amateur Extra exam.

One of the additional privileges of the Amateur Extra Class license is you can apply for some special Vanity call signs that are shorter than those allowed for the other classes. I got word this week that I am now officially: KX6A. (Thanks to Jason Niedle who helped with the graphic.)