Coming soon
Another pile up on 17-meters in the late afternoon, after 17.00 local, 21.00 GMT. That is the nature of DX. I could not hear the DX station, but I could hear the stations calling, piling up. I did not have propagation to the DX station, only to the callers. A few minutes later the frequency went dead. I suspect that the DX station went QRT. Recently I have heard many DX stations going QRT because the XYL had called them for supper. That is very good in times like these. I guess that many of us wish that we had an XYL to call us away from the radio because it was suppertime. It is a cultural thing.
I know that some of us in times past had supper, and other meals and snacks served in the shack while we were on the radio. We only ate when we got a break, when the propagation changed, and allowed us to take a bite. Those were the days when we dried out the list, we worked everyone who could hear us. The callers did not know when the next opportunity to work V4 would come, and you could hear it in their voice. After a while hams in the DX zone would help out by taking a list on their side of the pond, and assisting stations, by keeping the frequency clear from rude callers. It must be stated that the European hams were always respectful and orderly, and we wished that all ham radio operators would be like them.
Sometimes we did not know when we were going to be on the frequency again, and have similar propagation, so we worked them all. This calls for a unique skill and technique developed by the ham radio operator. These days with everyone using logging software, it is easier on the operators. Once ago we had to write everything down, legibly, because the law state that the Telecommunications Officer can drop into you shack at any time and inspect your logs, and if you were in violation, it could be off to jail for you. Of course the Telecommunication Officer never dropped in, but we always complied with the law.
Things have changed over the years, but we still need to follow the rules and regulations, no matter how obsolete they may appear to us. They are there to keep order. It is unfortunate that we, amateur radio operators, will abide by the laws of the lad, and uphold them at all cost, but other entities that encroach and impinge upon our legal territory, wantonly violates the laws of the land with impunity and we suffer seriously as as a result of this. It is my hope that in the future when all this willful ABUSE is resolved, that the issue of compensation to the amateur radio operators is seriously considered. For five [5] years the amateur radio operators have been deprived the use of the HF frequencies which they are duly authorized to use legally.
In lieu of hard cash I suspect that amateur radio operators could live with a DUTY and TAX FREE CONCESSION on ALL amateur radio products. From radio equipment to antennas and antenna parts to all radio accessories to parts and components. I for one could live with this, but some may feel that is too much for our people, and a cash settlement should be given. A million dollars for each affected ham radio operator jumps out at me, but some may feel that is to much for the ham radio operators who suffered immensely over the last five [5] years. The duty and tax free concession for ALL amateur radio operators is the cheaper option. If this issue cannot be resolved amicably, then this matter should be taken to the Supreme Court for resolution.
In the meantime we need to make the best use of what we have. Use of the bands unaffected by the illegal RF interference. Make contacts where we can on the interference free amateur radio bands. Some days are better than others. I understand that there is also another interference situation, that caused by the Chinese LED lamps. They generate RF interference, but I do not have any details and reports on the range of noise generated. This is something that we need to deal with as well. The FREE LED LAMPS was an initiative to help reduce the cost of electricity to all residents in Saint Kitts.
In the meantime we need to to make the best use of what we have and to improve upon it. Every amateur radio station can be improved, inside and outside. If we are not satisfied with what we are getting, it behooves us to go after what we need, update the microphone, headphones, headset, the coax cable, the antenna, antenna position, antenna height, the radio, anything that would take our amateur radio operation to the next level. Most times our investment is small but the results are fantastic.
Just yesterday someone posed a question in an email group about headphones. Some people recommended Heil and some suggested a Koss alternative. I have Heil headsets and was contemplating another Heil, the PS-6, but the Koss seems to be a good buy so I ordered one.
It helps to ask questions of people, and conduct research in this amateur radio hobby.
This is a new year and we should all decide to take our amateur radio and our amateur radio station to another level as soon as we can. We need to help each another to become the best ham radio operator that we can be. The sunspot cycle peaks in a couple years, let us all ensure that we make the most DX contacts that we can. The bands are picking up, encourage each other to be active, and help the brother and sister ham radio operator if and where possible. We are all in this amateur radio hobby together.
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