Good news and bad news
Here’s the good news:
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 19, 2007 — The ARRL has learned that the FCC’s Report and Order (R&O) in the “Morse code proceeding,” WT Docket 05-235, is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register Wednesday, January 24. Assuming that occurs, the new Part 97 rules deleting any Morse code examination requirement for Amateur Radio license applicants would go into effect Friday, February 23, 2007. The League cautions that this date is tentative, pending official confirmation and publication.
And now the bad news:
SEATTLE, WA, Jan 19, 2007 — Average daily sunspot numbers for the week were down 16 points from the previous week to 27.4.
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/01/19/100/?nc=1 (K7RA Solar Update)
DOH! 
I’ll give 10 meters a try on the day the R&O takes effect one way or another, but I just think it’s interesting we’re getting HF privileges at what seems to be the worst possible end of a solar cycle. (I’m not complaining, mind you.)
The Federal Register, by the way, is available online at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
February 2nd, 2007 08:10
I am excited about the new batch of HF operaters. I do not use CW because of a slight handicap but can read it. Digital modes are exciting and fun, especially on 10 meters. Why not become a 10-10er and monitor 28.120 PSK31 maybe we can get a local net going. Even in these bad propagation times I can get the 10 meter beacon from Madison. BTW: You do not really need a 10-10 number, it just makes it more fun.
February 2nd, 2007 15:08
Other than playing around with RTTY a little, I haven’t had much experience with the other amateur digital modes. The same software I’m using for RTTY does speak PSK31, though, so I’ll take your suggestion and play with it a bit.
Getting a local net going is a possibility as well. I’ll let you know once I’ve got PSK31 working, and we’ll see what we can come up with.
February 3rd, 2007 19:59
OK! I look forward to it. PSK31 is a lot easier than RTTY, just not as fast. When you get on email me at kc9foa@tosat.com and we will set up a time. Might have to QSY a bit if there is a busy band…hi, just dreaming. I am excited about this. I am also going to invest in vhf/uhf, really have no experience in upper bands.
February 3rd, 2007 21:58
I’ll do that. I’m thinking I should be able to reach you pretty easily from here (east side of Madison) on 10, but we’ll see. I will likely be running low power, just because of the possibility for interference in my apartment building.
Is it 2/23/2007 yet?
February 4th, 2007 08:41
Normal porew for PSK is 20 watts or less. I am in a campground for now but will be moving to an apartment and used QRP for PSK with good sucess. I do have a great 10 meter antenna here which I will miss after the move. It’s a 1/2 wave vertical dipole with the bottom at 30 feet. I did live in an apartment before the campground and had a dipole in the attic. I used a low pass filter and beads on everthing including coax chokes at the antenna feeds, and could run 100 watts on most bands without TVI. BTW: my feed line was an old 75 ohm tv rg59 cable that was put in the walls durnig construction 25 years ago. It was no longer used and the landlord gave me permission to use it. I never had a complaint. Also my current antennas are less than 20 feet away from my tv antenna and no tvi, again low pass filters and beads, chokes with a ground. Only trouble I had in the apartment was noise from the electric meters, had I stayed there longer I would have got a noise eliminator gadget from MFJ.
2-23 is just a few days away! 73 de Ken/KC9FOA
February 10th, 2007 00:17
A low pass filter is a good idea; I’m going to go ahead and get one. I may also go ahead and hack together a dipole for 10, and maybe another for one of the other bands. I do have some (limited) room to hang wires outside my apartment. Right now my antenna is the rain gutter downspout, which makes a pretty decent SWL antenna, but I think it’s a little too long for 10.
Regardless, it’s too cold outside right now for antenna work. 20+ degrees isn’t so bad, but single digits is a bit chilly.
February 14th, 2007 08:13
Well I just got notified I have the apartment. It’s on the second floor SE corner. There is a patio that has an ungrounded steel railing and the building is sided wtih that plasticlap siding. SO I think I will be able to get a 10 meter dipole under the siding and a screwdriver ought to work well on the patio. The only problem is getting the feed lines in. A VHF/UHF slim jim behind the curtin ought to hit the repeater which I can actually see. All I need is a dual band radio. Now I’m getting excited again. I think I’ll get a QTH web page and post my adventures. I;m sure others will find a little info they will be able to use. BTW: I have an old drake low pass filter so if you will reimburse me for shipping you can have it, just send me your address.
73 de Ken/KC9FOA
February 19th, 2007 21:41
I’ll definitely take that low pass filter off your hands; I’ll send you my address. Whatever it costs for shipping is fine with me.
300 ohm twinlead will actually close between the frame and a patio door, which will get one feedline outside, but it tends to need to be replaced after a while if you open and close the door often. Sometimes the runners (tracks?) the door slides in can be lifted enough to slide twinlead through as well. Right now, I just have a random wire closed in the door leading outside.
I’ve been having good luck with a telescoping antenna on my 2m ht inside my apartment. If all else fails and I need more range, I just pull the car outside and operate with the mobile antenna. (Or, I fire up Echolink. Which is kinda cheating, in a way, but it works… hehe.)
February 23rd, 2007 20:06
I used echolink quite a bit in the past and think I will be back on again. Did you read the article in the new QST about 300 ohm twin lead antenna? I made a 2 meter that worked great. Just hung it on the curtain rod in our old bottom floor apartment. I’ll send the filter out as soon as you get your address to me. kc9foa@toast.net. I’ll let you reimburse me when you get it. Works fine! Just an extra.
February 28th, 2007 21:46
I haven’t joined ARRL, so I don’t get QST… but I have a few web pages bookmarked that talk about making j-pole 2m antennas from twinlead, and I’ve played with it in the past. It works pretty well, as long as you keep the transmit power pretty low.
Once you’re up on VHF let me know. We should be able to get in contact through one of the Baraboo 2m repeaters.
Also, I sent my mailing address direct. Thanks again!