I accidentally stumbled across a web site called CQ Tube (www.cqtube.com)

Everyone has heard of YouTube, but so far, none of my ham friends have ever heard of CQTube, and I would like to change that right now. As you read this, you may even be hearing the sound part of the embedded movie to the right.

I'm giving them a plug here, and highly recommend that you block off an hour or so when you can sit down, turn on the speakers, and have some fun with these videos.

To quote from their About page: "This site is provided free of charge for Radio Amateurs to be able to share Video clips, sound clips and pictures. Enjoy the site and let us know if you have any questions or suggestions on how to make it better."

Hi again!

I'm back in the USA and have a few new podcasts to publish.

I would like to thank everyone for the encouraging email (and ouch! some of the bitter ones who miss my podcasts). To both groups, thank you so much for letting me know how you feel.

Here it comes.

73, and 88,
Dave
KZ1O

Hi everyone,

This blog entry doesn't exactly deal with one of the 99 Hobbies, but it does have to do with communication. And even surreptitious communication. And maybe even cloak-and-dagger stuff. Are you interested yet?

In the last few months I have been working with a site that offers some interesting means of sending email without leaving fingerprints.... that is, you can send email anonymously. Now don't think of going out and sending spam, because they won't permit that. Instead, think of sending email anonymously to your kid's principal, or to your local mechanic, or to the local paper, about something that is important to you, but you don't really want them to know who you are just yet.

Scott Andersen (NE1RD) is heading out for another DXpedition, this time to St. Kitts. Check it out here: http://dxpedition-v4.com/

My guess is that we will have an interview with him when he gets back!

73,
Dave
KZ1O

I assume many or most of you have been keeping track of the VP2M expedition to Monserrat (link at http://dxpedition-vp2m.com/). Today I had lunch with Scott (and more here) and we talked a little about what went right, and what was not-so-right. You can read a WHOLE lot of his impressions and experiences by going to his blog, 100 Pound DXPedition.

I'm planning on doing a podcast in the next few days, where I talk to Scott about this trip. I expect that this is going to be very, very, fun.

This was supposed to be a blog about working a 10-meter contest at the very bottom of the sunspot cycle.

I had gigantic fun this time. Very weak signals, lots of QSB, and what really got me going was that after only 84 contacts in two hours (I heard some DX stations having nearly 2000 QSOs), 10m is going to get better and better as we approach the next sunspot maximum. And it starts today.

This contest was difficult for me at first, but after I thought about how many people chose to get on 10 meters to do this contest, even at the worst time of the sunspot cycle, this was a lot of fun. I love 10M and 6M, and all these people chose to be here to play!

I just worked a guy on 10.107 MHz. He told me that he has not been on the air for "several months".

Are you that guy?

We had a short, but fun, QSO.

It makes me think that maybe the problem holding me back is the "radio, amp, antenna, antenna tuner, ahhh, damn, too much work."

Can you pick a daily exercise where you decide to get on the air?

"Today I will (or will not) get on the air".

I will make one five-minute QSO today.

I will get on the radio.
I will get on the radio.
I will get on the radio.

As you all probably know, Fall is (and particularly November is) a big time for contesting. This past weekend was the November Sweepstakes, which is one of my favorites. My other favorite is the North American QSO party (NAQP).

During the past week, I was getting my station all ready to operate the 30-hour contest, and I also knew that I would have to make an appearance at work on one or both days. So I checked out everything, even down to the snacks and soda water I would have on hand. I was ready.

To make a long story short, I was surprised (stunned!) to find out that the software that I was using did not support the Sweepstakes. I never thought to check that aspect. However, this same problem occurred a while back when I was getting ready to operate the NAQP and found that this also was not supported. I was disappointed. In fact, I had motivated myself to go into work, and then to execute the honey-do list in the backyard, and reward myself by being able to work the contest.

As much as I like the ARRL, now that they have posted their auction results to their news page, I decided to remove that feed from the news on this page. SITAP (Sorry If That Is A Problem).

Please go to http://www.arrl.org to see what they are up to.

My news feed is here: http://99hobbies.bushong.org/?q=aggregator and it updates all the time, and it is all about ham radio (more about amateur radio and less about $$$).

All the best, and 73,
Dave
KZ1O