The AM Forum
March 28, 2024, 09:15:56 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
 
   Home   Help Calendar Links Staff List Gallery Login Register  
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: AM Rally fun  (Read 4562 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
WD8BIL
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 4409


« on: April 03, 2017, 09:29:54 AM »

It was a busy weekend but I was able to squeeze in some radio between honey do jobs and company.

Saturday morning/afternoon on 40M was great. I heard and worked many stations I have never heard and even helped some of the "newcomers" tweak their modern rigs.

75M was hoppin' and I worked stations clear down to 3680 kHz!!

I only made a few dozen contacts but had a great time.

It was nice to hear Bob on W1AW. He worked both 40 and 80 and seemed to really enjoy himself.

Kudos to Clark N1BCG and Steve WA1QIX.

See y'all next year.
Logged
KB1VWC
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 40


« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2017, 11:22:15 AM »

  Yes it was fun. In a way, thank goodness for really foul weather in the New England area this weekend to promote a day of indoor activities; which included the AM Rally. If I look at my log, better than 80% were on some form of modern transceiver running 25 watts. A few drove linears, but most were barefoot. At least 18 first ever Am contacts. The "ola-ola" gang wasn't happy with me on 14.275, (only high school Spanish so who knows exactly what they were saying) but other than that it was really a QRM free experience.  Nice to talk to you Budley and Steve HX yesterday. Clearly not an very good contester here when we sit and chew the rag for 40 mins instead of "gathering" more points! 

 Steve

KB1VWC
Logged
n4joy
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 224



« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2017, 11:34:58 AM »

I had fun listening and really didn't attempt to make contacts--I am more of a rag chewer than contester.  The bands were sure busy with lots of carriers.  I predominantly monitored 40 meters and it was good to hear the veterans helping newcomers.  The band was quite busy from 7.295 to 7.275.  I tried to put out some calls into the night but have little patience for contesting.

Chris, N4JOY 
Logged
KL7OF
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 2313



« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2017, 11:51:38 AM »

I had fun too...  40 was good on Saturday around the western states...I heard W1AW  (PW)  I heard W2A  (PW) ..... but I didn't work further east than Texas on 40....I worked a few on 20   I have been using 14320- 14330 ...I worked the usual suspects on 75 ....Sunday about  1900Z the bands all went dead  The results of that sun flare must have reached Earth....I think I had 33 contacts...Thanks to those responsible....
Logged
Todd, KA1KAQ
Administrator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 4310


AMbassador


« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2017, 02:40:04 PM »

Here as well. Started Friday evening because I knew Sunday was out. Daughter had her first Irish dance competition so I got to spent my day there.

Steve - I worked Benton City(?) WA on Friday night with my 100 watts. Think the fellow was running a pair of 3-500Zs, can't recall, but we had a solid contact. Also worked Santa Fe NM and Topeka KS that night. Conditions were pretty iffy much of the weekend here, mainly a lot of QSB.

Chris - I don't think the event was a contest. The only person I worked who even gave a Class designation was Buddly (if we were keeping track, he said). Yet everyone I worked mentioned the event. The only short contacts I had were due to bad conditions. The rest of the time, we yammered away.

Like Buddly, I was working in the garage and doing other honey-do projects Saturday so it was nice to be able to sit and yak when the opportunity presented itself. I got in several hours Saturday and a couple on Friday night. Only made maybe 15-20 contacts but enjoyed them all very much. One guy dug out his Drake TR-4 for the event, said he hadn't used it since the mid 90s and wondered if it still worked, then thanked us for confirming that it did. Many others fired up their Yaecomwood radios on AM based solely on reading or hearing about the AM Rally.

Though the event was based on some simple class/point system, I intend to send my log in 'for the numbers only' as I'm not interested in competing via ham radio. It was much more enjoyable just to listen to all the other contacts taking place, carriers and audio galore. Only ran 40m here and was pleased to hear signals at 7.260 and lower all the way up to .295. Imagine if we could see even half that kind of activity with some regularity again.

A good time, for certain!
Logged

known as The Voice of Vermont in a previous life
Pete, WA2CWA
Moderator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 8154


CQ CQ CONTEST


WWW
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2017, 03:34:48 PM »

Why things were the way they were on the bands this past weekend:
http://www.arrl.org/news/solar-flare-activity-goes-high-order

Logged

Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
W6TOM
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 459


« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2017, 04:24:58 PM »

  I listened Friday night around 8 PDT, I heard WA1HLR and WA1QEX but weakly and some Midwest stations, I called and another CA station did too but no answer. I also heard some stations in the Pacific Northwest, they were a lot stronger, called but again no answer, this was on 80 meters. Listened on 40 but it was dead.

 Listened again on 40 but again no action on AM, Saturday night was the West Coast Military Radio Collectors Net, AM on 80 ,checked as usual. I got up at 2 AM Saturday morning to see if I could check in to the East Coast Military Net on 3885, no luck and there are broadcast stations near by too.

 Sunday morning checked into the Vintage Military radio Net, 8 AM PDT, 3985 AM, listened on 40 later in the afternoon but no AM.

 For me it was a non event, band conditions or bad timing?? Will try again next year, glad the ARRL at least recognizes us, I might even rejoin.
Logged
Steve - K4HX
Administrator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 2722



« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2017, 05:07:50 PM »

I was on 40 meters both Saturday and Sunday during the daytime. There was more activity and the band conditions were better on Saturday. Still good action on both days. At the max I heard 5 or six concurrent AM QSOs on the band. I missed the night time action on 75 meters. I'm guessing it was QUITE busy.

The Rally was surely a FB success.

Thanks to Clark, Steve and others for making it happen.
Logged
KA8WTK
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 874



« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2017, 07:55:39 PM »

I was busy with projects too but had a little while on Saturday to listen using the IC-703. I have never heard so many AM stations on 40 before.
I took a chance to see if there was any activity up on 10, there wasn't, but I heard KP2XX, Jim, from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands on 15. Gave out my call sign and he came right back to me. It is amazing what 10 watts out of the 703 can do under the right conditions.

Bill KA8WTK   
Logged

Bill KA8WTK
ka1tdq
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 1509


Red part turned in for a refund.


« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2017, 09:44:13 PM »

I listened for a while late on Sunday evening, and the band was dead.  Then, I heard KE1B calling CQ AM rally near San Francisco.  He was running a Harvey Wells T-90 Bandmaster with a linear, and said that the rally gave him a good excuse to turn it on. 

I was able to catch him on his second CQ call.  I counted... I have 7 power switches and one muffin fan to plug in to turn my transmitter on.  No warm up time though.

Anyway, it was fun!  Hopefully some new people tried AM and got the bug.

Jon
Logged

It’s not just values, it’s business.
W3GMS
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 3063



« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2017, 10:38:30 PM »

It was a great event!  Even worked W1AW on AM.  Did not have many hours to operate, but with the few hours I did it was very enjoyable.  Split my time between 40 and 75 meters. 
Thanks to all those that made it happen.  Hopefully it will occur again next year. 

Joe-GMS
Logged

Simplicity is the Elegance of Design---W3GMS
N1BCG
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 836


« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2017, 07:04:10 AM »

Hopefully it will occur again next year.

It will likely be an annual event based on the results this past weekend. Lots of cameraderie, interest from newcomers, and helpful guidance from the regulars.

Perhaps the most endearing moment was hearing an op who "...dusted off my DX-100 and got her ready a week early for the Rally. First time back on AM since 1969....".
Logged
N1BCG
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 836


« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2017, 10:43:01 AM »

Incidentally, a lot of ops participated in the AM Rally for fun, not points, and did not keep a log. It would be a huge help to count those ops in support of AM and making the AM Rally an annual event.

Please be counted and email your callsign to logs@amrally.com

Even better, include your transmitter and power information:

A) Vacuum tube / Commercially made
B) Vacuum tube / Home made
C) Solid State / Commercially made
D) Solid State / Home made
E) Hybrid / Commercially made
F) Hybrid / Home made
G) Converted AM Broadcast
H) Military
I) Software based/defined (SDR)

1) 5 Watts or less (QRP)
2) Greater than 5 up through 30 Watts
3) Greater than 30 up through 100 Watts
4) Greater than 100 up through 250 Watts
5) Greater than 250 Watts, to the FCC legal limit

A form for submitting this information is also located at www.amrally.com

Thanks for helping make this event a success!
Logged
WA2SQQ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1090


« Reply #13 on: April 05, 2017, 11:10:10 AM »

In addition to being W1AW's first contact, I also worked three locals that I never heard, They told me that the event motivated them to dust off the old radio and see if it worked!
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

AMfone - Dedicated to Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands
 AMfone © 2001-2015
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines
Page created in 0.062 seconds with 18 queries.