The Heathkit VF-1 VFO (Part 1) New life for an old classic History The Heathkit VF-1 VFO (variable frequency oscillator) was an essential accessory to novice class U.S. amateur radio licensees as they earned their upgrade to the coveted general class license. Starting on July 1, 1951, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created a license for beginning hams, the novice license. While this topic is far beyond the scope of this article, one of the primary limitations in novice operating privileges was the requirement that new hams use fixed-frequency crystals in narrowly defined portions of the ham radio bands. Another term for this limitation was to be "rock-bound". Novice hams could not spin the dial and make conversations, they had to communicate on frequencies for which they owned crystals. While nearly every one-time novice remembers the era fondly, they also dreamt of the day when they could spin that a and use any frequency they were entitled to use. For thi
Posts
QRPp Pota Activation? K-1001 on 900 mW
A lot of people find it hard to believe that QRP works. Of course, many assume SSB, and I'll concede that QRP SSB is a challenge. But CW (Morse code) QRP is a fairly trivial thing. I operate almost exclusively QRP, with the exceptions being my boat anchor rigs and special events where I'm sought after, as was the case in December '22 when I was one of the reindeer (Vixen) in the Christmas-themed SKCC Weekend Sprint. Okay, but how about QRPp? First, let's define things. QRP CW operations are generally agreed to be at power levels of 5 watts or less. QRPp raises (lowers) the bar to one watt or less. Does QRPp work? Sure, lots of people do it. The NAQCC even has twice-yearly mW challenges. Imagine trying to work someone when you are QRPp, but the other guy is operating at 100 watts or more. A challenge? Yes, but not nearly the same as an event where everybody is running one watt or less. It's definitely a greater challenge! Having seen at least one popular POTA CW g
Activation Report: K-1001 James "Pate" Philip State Park, Bartlett IL
12/26/2022 This activation was impromptu. I had a gap in my schedule and a new paddle begging to play! Gear: Rig: Elecraft KX2 @ 5W Key: Begali Adventure Mono Antenna: end-fed half wave inverted vee 49:1 transformer 2x14 FT140-43 65' main element 8' counterpoise Ground-fed 25' RG-174 coax Jackite 31' telescoping pole I bungied the Jackite pole to a convenient signpost and got on the air pretty quickly. It was a bit cold (21 f) so I was motivated to get back in the car. I spotted myself at 14.059 and began calling at 20:12. There were only a few others activating CW, and the calls began two minutes later. After a brief lull, the pileup started. It was super busy with lots of repeats due to doubling. By 20:35 things started to let up, affording me the opportunity to QSY to 40M (7.056). By 20:39 the calls started coming, again fast and furious. I stayed on the frequency until the next lull, signing QRT at 21:01 with 46 contacts in 47 minutes. Everything performed well.