Well, the Hamfest has come and gone. Lots of activity around our table last Saturday. It was good to see some of the out of town members that stopped by for a chat. And there was a lot of chatting going on. At one time there were 15 people talking about QRP. Some were talking about the rigs we had on the table, some were talking to members on the other side of the table.

We signed up one new member.

The Seminar that Craig AA0ZZ and Bruce, AA0ED put on was great. The books did not sell as well as expected. Craig received only 11 Data Books and they will go to club members already signed up.

The Elmer 101 book and the NorCal 2N2/40 book are still available for $10.00 each. I will be bringing them to the meeting. If you want to buy one or both you can.

Next up is the monthly meeting. As always it will be next Saturday, at 1:30 at the Minnetonka Comm. Center.

See you there!

73

I've been reading a little about near vertical incidental skywave NVIS propagation and it sounds like a good way to get local CW contacts with QRP power levels while experimenting with some simple antenna ideas.

Matching this with an often-expressed desire by some members to improve their CW skills and speed. I propose a local CW net in the 80meter Novice band for the purpose of CW Practice using NVIS antennas.

The power levels necessary are QRP, in fact high power is counterproductive. The antennas range from double inverted V's, to long wires to dipoles. The trick is to mount them close to the ground so the signal is forced pretty much straight up. For the technical types, I know that's not particularly scientific but a lot of fun can be had by those who want to try it anyway.

It will be a challenge to configure the wire to fit in most suburban back yards but it still sounds feasible and worth trying. I will bring some antenna ideas to next weekend's meeting and gather feedback about finding a good operating time.

I've never acted as a net control anything and my code speed is slow but I'll be glad to give it a try if there is interest.

The weekend of October 21 - 24 brought our family to Superior Shores Resort in Two Harbors. This is an annual trip with my wife's parents that has been consistent over the past 10 years. The deal was, if my wife could bring along her quilting project, including the sewing machine, I could bring up the QRP rig, etc.. No way was I going to pass that up! The rig is an Index Labs all band transceiver capable of SSB and CW. Since CW is my mode of choice,(PSK close behind), this radio serves it's purpose well.

Arriving Thursday afternoon, we were unpacked by supper time giving me ample time to set up the rig and antenna, a 40 meter Hamstick dipole, and a couple of hours of operating time. I called the first CQ I heard and was "connected" on the first try. About 20 minutes of CW chat took place and as we signed, I was called by another station interested in QRP so that started another 30-minute chat. Worked a couple more stations before retiring for the evening. Friday, band conditions were not the greatest during the day so I spent most of the daylight hours taking walks, a drive into town to look around, and throwing bread to the sea gulls.

Friday evening 40 meters opened up so I once again spent a couple of hours "pounding the brass" working everything from Wisconsin to the east coast and south to Texas. My signal reports were not killers but conditions were good enough to hold conversations without any interference.

Saturday morning the bands were still open so I worked a couple before breakfast and spent the rest of the day with the family hitting the "High Spots" and taking on some of our favorite trails. After the evening meal, I sat down only to discover the QRP Contest was in full gear. My second contact was Jim, N0UR! I was excited and worked the contest for two more hours for the purpose of handing out points. I racked up 32 contacts before I called it quits. I worked every station I heard. My only disappointment was that I was limited to 40 meters for this trip. I plan to remedy that for future outings!

Sunday morning I got up early and worked the contest for an hour before it was time to start packing up to head home. What a great time I had all on one 7-amphour battery! It still has voltage to spare. More "ham" outings are being planned for next year. I love this stuff! My wife was happy, I was happy, what more could you ask for! It doesn't get any better then this..

73's

Wanted: Soundblaster sound card and a CDrom drive -- contact KAØOSC

Wanted: Anybody have one of those little displays that is suitable for the pic-based CW encoder? -- contact KAØOSC

For Sale or Trade: I have some extra Metal Detecting Equipment I am willing to part with for cash or even better ... trade for some qrp goodies. For those of you who have never tried it Metal Detecting is a great activity. It gets you outdoors and limber and some of us have found some truly valuable, rare, expensive and historical stuff.

This stuff isn't cheap $500-$900 new and still worth $300-$500 so I'd like anything in trade to be of similar value. Mike Smith N0WDM 612-937-9171 I work evenings so please call and leave a message. Demonstrations and metal detecting elmering available.