HAM RADIO at 33 cents per QSO!

• I AM SUSPENDING QSLing UNTIL I CAN DEAL WITH A BAD BACKLOG.
• If you are desparate for a QSL please send e-mail.
•  
• New & now principle callsign for VA7CRHas the latter is inactive, save for QSL card swapping.
• Principal callsign for Special Event callsigns of VG7QB, CJ7CRH and CF7CRH.

(pictured is Alinco 235 for 220 MHz, Elecraft K3, Panadapter P3, Alinco power supply, Yaesu external speaker, K8RA paddle.)

QSL INFO

• AS OF JUL 2011, I am extremely backed up on QSL responding. QSLs which came with US$1 have been mailed. When this message disappears you'll know the REST of the QSL cards are off to the Bureau. But there's a HUGE backlog. I am on quite a lot!
• I QSL (in response) 100%
• Prefer direct mail, but deal with the Bureau
• I really don't like QSL.CC, so that's not a good way to get a QSL from VA7QB.
• Please send the equivolent of US$1 to cover the costs of QSLing. It is Cdn$1.03 postage from Canada to the USA and Cdn$1.75 to the rest of the world. If not I send allremaining to the Bureau with the goal to answer all inbound QSLs.
• Self-addressed (not stamped) envelopes with US$1 get priority.
• Please - no Postal Coupons!

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HAM HISTORY - Wrote the Industry Canada test on Dec 29, 2003, and passed 5 WPM CW with VE7JH in Parksville, B.C., my Elmer, who is now a SK. Best CW operator I ever saw, was with the Canadian signal corps in Alert, (then NWT) and could send/read 40 WPM while holding a voice conversation with you!

Licensed by Industry Canada as VA7CRH on Jan 12, 2004. Received callsign of VA7QB on Jan 13, 2009.

• Main rig in shack - Elecraft K3 + P3 Panadapter
• First love! How this all started! - a used Icom IC-718 was purchased from Chris Nowak (WX1SVR in RI) and the SEC-1223 power supply and SCG-239 tuner arrived at the end of March 2004. That radio worked 6,523 QSO's before being sold in Feb 2007.
• Back-up & portable rig - In February 2007, purchased a Kenwood 480SAT from K5JN, Ralph Marrs, in Houston, Texas. The 480SAT is one skookum radio! It went 2,428 QSO's in the next fourteen months before being replaced by a Kenwood TS-2000 in April 2008.
• However, in June 2008 had to give up on satellites and went back to the 480SAT after 368 QSO's on the TS-2000. With the K3 coming at the end of June 2010, the 480SAT is now a "grab and go" rig kept in the car. In total to July 2010 the 480SAT has done 6,520 QSO's.
• With the main rigs each doing about 6,500 QSOs, and figuring on their prices - it turns out to be HAM RADIO AT 33 cents per QSO!

Right now the station consists of:

• HF/6M - Elecraft K3+ P3 Panadapter
• HF/6M - Kenwood TS-480SAT
• 1.25M - Alinco DR-235 for 220 MHz
• 2M/70cm - Icom 91A, VHF, UHF handheld dual band HT, not the D-Star version
• GMRS/UHF - Wouxun KG-689 dualwatch, GMRS/UHFHT
• 2M/1.25M - Kenwood TM-621A VHF/220 MHz dual bander for mobile operation
• MFJ 812B SWR/power meter for VHF and 220 MHz
• K8RA P-2 iambic paddle
• Alinco DM330MV power supply
• MFJ 914 1.8-30 MHz AutoTuner Extender
• Windom 40Plus antenna up 30 feet (9M) E-W orientation
• G5RV up 25 feet (8m) N-S orientation
• homebrew Moxon Yagi for 17M up 22 feet
• Buddistick antenna package for portable 40-10 HF operation
• MFJ 259B antenna analyser for HF and VHF
• 2M/1.25M - Wouxun KG-UVD1P dual watch, two band HT

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WAS-Worked All States - 23 Aug 2004 working W1MK/Ø in Fingare, North Dakota.

• Including DC as of Jul 1, 2012 - worked AA3MD for DC!
• WAS in CW- 3 Oct 2006 working W2ILA in RI.
• WAS in SSB - 4 Oct 2004 working KL7GKY/Ø portable in Lehr, North Dakota.
• WAS on PSK - 6 Oct 2008 working KB1PSP in NH .
• Missing MT and DE on RTTY.

Worked All Provinces/Territories -

• VYØ (Nunavut) - 3 Sep 2005, KD6WW/VYØ dxPedition, Chantry Island
• VO2 (Labrador) - 11 Nov 2011, VO2NS, Labrador City
• VO1 (Newfoundland) - 17 Dec 2005, VO1MP, Portugal Cove
• VY2 (Prince Edward Island) - 27 Dec 2007, RAC station VY2RAC, winter contest, Charlottetown

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MODES - In April 2005, purchased sound card interface so finally on PSK31 in 2005 as a ham, after years on the mode as a SWL (below). WAS on SSB, CW, and on PSK. The K3 handles PSK31 and RTTY onboard, with input to rig by CW key.

Up to 20 WPM on CW. Work PSK31, RTTY, IRLP and SSB, too.

Just recently got Olivia working. But Olivia will have to wait until the K3 gets that capability.

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SWL BACKGROUND

I got into ham after 20 years of SWLing. WAS as an SWL on PSK31, confirmed by QSL cards from some very nice hams! It's what got me involved, the character of amateurs as discovered SWLing. Yes, you ARE being listened to.

SWL RECEIVERS - Have been a SWLer for years, most recently as VE7ØØ5SWL as registered with SWARL. In 2004 sold an Icom R75 receiver with the DSP unit (coverage of 150 Khz to 60 MHz). It's what got me interested in ham.

A Yaesu VX-6R handheld replaced a Kenwood TH-F6A because of intermod problems. Never got used to the Yaesu so sold it on eBay and bought another F6A but sold it to a local ham because of intermod. (Although a triband tx, it is a decent all band Rx all the way to 1.2 GHz. Also 5 watts on the 220 MHz band is desirable given my interest in that unused band.)

The handhelds I have are an Icom 91A which brings in Aviation and Utes very well, a Wouxun KG-UVD1P handheld which also gets WX stations, and a pair of Wouxun KG-689s which does UHF and the GMRS frequencies.

Once owned a Sony 2010 one of the best portables ever made, a Yaesu FRG-8800 and a Realistic DX-302.

As an SWLer received ham-PSK31 QSL's from 50 states (missing only the District of Columbia), 7 provinces (missing VO1/Nfld, VE8/NWT, VYØ/Nunavut, VY2/PEI, VY1/Yukon and VE5/VA5/Sask) and 50 countries.

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ANTENNA HISTORY

A home built T2FD (folded dipole) for SWLing was used as an 86 foot dipole with 1:1 balun, and further reconfigured an an end-fed up about 30 feet. The T2FD was very quiet as a receiving antenna, even as much as hams pooh-pooh it as a transmitting one - hence, the tinkering.

The original transmitting antenna was an 86 foot long-wire, fed into the ICOM AH-4 tuner. However, I got a G5RV Jr. dipole from eBay for $10 and used it for a year - sometimes the AH-4 didn't want to tune the impedence mismatch; esp. on 75 metres. So purchased an MFJ 993 autotuner on eBay. (I sold the 993 with the IC-718 in Feb 2007, the Kenwood 480SAT has an on-board tuner.)

Upgraded the Antenna in June 2005 to a 150-foot loop, generally following the perimeter of the house. It's up 25 feet. In July 2005 went back to the G5RV Jr when ground problems developed with the loop. Constructed a 70-foot attic loop as a back-up antenna, since discontinued.

In February 2006 installed a Carolina Windom 40 Plus (up 28 feet) as the primary antenna and retired the G5RV. The Windom is a very good antenna.

In January 2008 constructed a 17M monoband Moxon Yagi from the Cebik webpage. It is my first high gain HF antenna and now that the sunspots are getting better, I am working some more DX. Now retired.

Portable antennae: purchased an MFJ-1664 screwdriver antenna for portable work. It can be used as an 80M antenna, ground mounted. A Buddistick is the principal portable antenna. You may be being worked by any of the antennae!

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SPECIAL EVENTS

• Operated as CF7CRH (Dec 2006 & Jan 2007) to mark the 100th anniversary of the first AM voice broadcast by Reginald Fessenden on December 24, 1906. Industry Canada allowed special event call signs for all Canadian amateurs during that period.
• Also was CJ7CRH (Oct and Nov 2008) to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Province of British Columbia.
• Also as VG7QB (Feb & Mar 2010) to celebrate the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

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DXPEDITIONS

July 2010DXPEDITION -Jul 4-10 2010 VA7QB operated as VA7QB/p or VA7QB/7 from Robert's Creek (Map), B.C., near Gibson's.

• Kenwood 480SAT
• antenna 40-10 M Buddistick
• antenna 80 M pair of hamsticks.
• This is the first test of the 480SAT forming the basis of a "grab-and-go" kit.

In July & August 2007,operated portable as VA7CRH/7 from Okanagan Lake in B.C.'s interior and from Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, B.C. Antenna was a Buddistick for from 10M to 40M.

From May 31 to June 3, 2007, operated as VA7CRH/VE3 portable on a Buddistick (below) from Lyn (Brockville), Ontario.

Had opportunity in Apr 2004 to work from Baffin Island in the high Arctic of Canada as VA7CRH/VYØ in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Thank you to VYØQL for letting me go portable with his rig. (Boy, talk about 'pile-up'! He had his antenna pointed to the eastern seaboard of the USA, and he's one of the few active HF hams in VYØ.)

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Please see my page for a listing of 220 MHZ transceivers. If you know of one not listed please be in touch by e-mail.