Sixty years ago this month, the June 1959 issue of Electronics World carried a good basic introduction to marine direction finding (DF). The cover image shows a number of commercially made DF units, and the article explains how they work.
While the technology looks archaic, it actually still works quite well, and will continue to do so as long as there are AM radio stations on the air. While commercial direction finders are no longer readily available, virtually any AM radio will work well, as long as the antenna is directional. And if the radio has an internal loop antenna, it will be directional.
For example, the inexpensive portable shown at the right will perform very well. (It’s available at Amazon at this link, but any other inexpensive portable will work just as well.) You simply rotate the radio until the signal is the weakest. At that point, the internal antenna (usually in parallel with the top of the radio) is in a straight line with a station. You place a ruler on the map over that station’s location, and draw a line in that direction. You repeat the process with a second station, and where the lines meet is your location. You’ll need to orient the map, so if you don’t know what way is North, it’s a good idea to have an inexpensive compass. And you don’t really need a ruler. You place the map on a table oriented with the Earth–the top of the map facing North–and then use the top of the radio as your ruler.
This method is surprisingly accurate. It’s very easy to find your location within a mile, and with some practice, you’ll be able to narrow it down even more. It’s not quite as accurate as GPS, but if GPS ever becomes unavailable for any reason, this is an excellent backup method. The example shown at the left is typical. By knowing the exact location of radio stations in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Benton Harbor, MI, the boat can find its location within a few hundred yards.
Radio station locations are shown on maritime and aeronautical charts. You can also find the exact locations of AM radio stations from the FCC database.
Starting in about 2011, residents of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, reporting hearing what came to be called the “Windsor Hum.” The mysterious and annoying sound comes and goes, but it is a low-pitched sound of about 30-35 Hz with an apparent range of several miles. It’s often described as being similar to a truck idling nearby.
Long suspected as the source of the sound is Zug Island, an artificial island in the Detroit River, on the U.S. side of the international border.
Named after an early owner, Samuel Zug, the island was formed from a natural peninsula where he originally intended to build a luxurious estate. The swampy character of the land led him to abandon the idea, and he instead used it for industrial purposes. In 1888, he allowed a small canal to be cut, turning the peninsula into an island, and this canal was enlarged by Henry Ford in the 1920s for easier river access to the River Rouge Ford plant.
The island became a site of iron making as early as 1901, and the entire island is currently part of United States Steel Corporation’s Great Lakes Works. The portion of the plant on the island produces iron, which is processed into steel at facilities in Ecorse, MI, a couple of miles south. The island facility includes three blast vessels, which are believed by many to be the source of the sound.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources concluded in 2011 that Zug Island was the source of the mystery sound. A 2014 report by researchers at the University of Windsor also concluded that the blast furnace operations on Zug Island were the likely source. However, because the intermittent sound was not present on days when some of the research equipment was deployed, the report found that “conclusive evidence of the source was not achieved.”
Interestingly, Zug Island also bears the distinction of being the scheduled destination of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on her last voyage in 1975. Contrary to the artistic license taken by the song, she wasn’t “fully loaded for Cleveland.”
According to one published report (QST for May 2019), Zug Island is “governed by Homeland Security,” although I’ve found no evidence of this. As with any industrial plant, access is not granted to non-employees to come in and take a look around. Therefore, it’s understandable that the two bridges to the plant are “heavily guarded” as the article claims. The “governed by Homeland Security” claim probably arises from the fact that some of the “No Trespassing” signs posted by U.S. Steel, in an apparent attempt to add emphasis, include language that “under Homeland Security, any individual within 100′ of a docked ship must possess a TWIC card.” Since ships obviously dock on the island to load and unload cargo, this Homeland Security regulation comes into play, as it would at any maritime facility.
The existence of the hum has given rise to a certain amount of citizen science to collaborate in the identification and elimination of the hum. Much of this is carried out in a Facebook group created in response to official inaction.
If you want to hear the hum yourself, it is available at the following video, posted by the Facebook group’s founder . To listen, however, you will need a speaker system or headphones with very good bass response, in order to reproduce the 30-35 Hz. With typical computer speakers or headphones, you will not be able to hear the sound.
Conspiracy buffs might be disappointed, but while the source of the hum has not been pinned down with absolute precision, the likely source has been identified.
Author’s Note: This post is obviously a bit off-topic, since we normally discuss radio history at this blog. (However, we’re prone to branch off into seemingly unrelated topics, so this isn’t the first time we’ve done so.)
The reason why I posted this article is because QST, the membership journal of the American Radio Relay League, published in its May 2019 issue a similar article. I had a number of criticisms of the article, to the point where I thought that I could do a better job myself. So rather than simply criticize, I decided to go ahead and write my own article. The original QST article is probably more polished, as the result of better editing. But even though I wrote it in a day based upon online research, I think mine is better. Here are my concerns with the QST article:
First and foremost, every issue of QST carries on its masthead the words “devoted entirely to amateur radio.” This article, while perhaps interesting, really has nothing whatsoever to do with Amateur Radio. Notably, the author is not a ham, and probably not an ARRL member. Yet three valuable pages of the membership journal were devoted to this off-topic information (and one of those pages consisted of a stock photo). While the article might have covered a topic that was interesting to some members (including myself), it seems like a poor use of such valuable real estate. After all, most members are paying almost $50 per year for membership, and a good portion of that amount is earmarked for the magazine. It might have been a good choice to go on the ARRL website, but putting it in print seems to me to be poor use of membership resources. The editors appear to have noticed this, as they did interview a local ham, who reported that the hum hadn’t affected his radio operations, and that he didn’t know of any other hams who were affected in any way.
More importantly, Amateur Radio is a technical hobby, and if members are interested in this topic, then it stands to reason that they are probably interested in the technological aspects. On this point, the article really lets them down. It uses vaguely “conspiracy theory” oriented language rather than any technical facts. A few trappings of science are included. For example, it includes a graph purporting to show the sound wave. But no explanation is given of the waveform, much less any explanation of how the graph was produced. It’s undoubtedly an oscillograph of a waveform picked up by microphone, but the article doesn’t explain where, when, or how. In fact, the illustration inexplicably shows two copies of the same graph, one on top of the other. Significantly, the article lacked any footnotes or references where the reader might learn more.
And as noted in my article, the article makes the claim that the island is “governed by Homeland Security.” Then, in conspiracy-theory tradition, it goes on to pose questions as to why Homeland Security would be involved, but doesn’t answer those questions.
Also, my first reading of the article left me confused as to whether Zug Island was located in the United States or in Canada. When I started reading, I assumed that the article was talking about a Canadian island. After reading to the end, I correctly guessed that the island was actually on the U.S. side of the border. But I didn’t know for sure until I did independent research.
Other than being written by the producer of a “popular podcast,” I have no idea why this article appeared in QST. I don’t mind the occasional foray into off-topic material. In fact, I enjoy the “Eclectic Technology” column which usually covers non-radio technology that is still of interest to hams. The reason why that column works is because the author knows that readers will be interested in scientific and technical topics.
An article about the Windsor Hum would be at home in a magazine with a broad audience such as Popular Science. But even the editors of such a general-interest magazine would pay more attention to accurately reporting facts, rather than merely hinting at conspiracy theories. And QST readers certainly deserve better.
If you have a shortwave receiver (or even if you don’t), here are some frequencies you can keep in mind for tuning in to information about Hurricane Florence. Modern news media do an admirable job of getting the information out, but there’s something to be said for being able to tune in first-hand reports directly.
The best option is the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), a group of amateur radio operators who will be on the air more or less continuously during the storm, taking reports from stations in the affected areas. Since most hams are able to get on the air without commercial power, this is often the first source of reports from damaged areas.
HWN formed informally during Hurricane Betsy in 1965, and now becomes active any time a hurricane approaches populated areas.
You can tune in to HWN on 14.325 MHz Upper Sideband (USB). An alternate frequency, which will be more active during the evening hours, is 7.268 MHz, Lower Sideband (LSB). Conditions on 20 Meters (14 MHz) have been poor in recent days, so it’s likely that there will be more reliance on the 7.268 MHz frequency.
If you have a shortwave receiver, you’ll want to tune to these frequencies for live updates. Even if you don’t own a receiver, there are many connected to the web, and you can listen online. Simply go WebSDR.org, find a receiver in North America, and tune to these frequencies.
For updated information about amateur radio involvement in the hurricane response, please check the ARRL news page.
You can also listen to live streams of many NOAA weather stations at this link.
The ARRL recently made a Petition for Rulemaking with the FCC. The request boils down to giving Technician class licensees some phone and digital privileges on 80, 40, and 15 meters.
I think this is long overdue, since it will allow Technicians, holders of what is now the entry-level license in Amateur Radio, some minimal but meaningful privileges on HF, similar to what I had as a beginner over 40 years ago.
The Entry-Level License in 1974
When I was first licensed, the entry level license was the Novice class. I had to pass a simple multiple-choice test, as well as a simple 5 WPM code test. When I did so at the age of 12, I was allowed meaningful HF privileges. And in my case, it wasn’t until I actually received the privileges that I realized how meaningful they were.
Before I got the license, I realized conceptually that hams could communicate around the world. But I didn’t really believe it. I assumed, incorrectly it turns out, that to really get out, you needed a lot of power and/or a big antenna. I assumed, incorrectly it turns out, that with 75 watts and a wire antenna, I would be able to get out locally, and maybe with good conditions, I might make occasional contacts with the next state. But I didn’t really believe that I would be able to communicate around the country and around the world on a regular basis.
Nobody told me this. In fact, I was told the opposite. But I didn’t quite believe it. I didn’t believe it until I actually got on the air. When I did get on the air, I was soon filling up my log with contacts from all over the United States. Eventually, when I discovered 15 meters, I was getting out all over the world, all with 75 watts and some wire in the air.
What got me licensed in the first place was a somewhat undefined interest in radio and electronics. What got me hooked was the realization of how much fun it was to bounce my radio waves off the ionosphere whenever I wanted. New licensees need the same thing to get hooked today, but it’s not readily available.
The Entry-Level License Today
New hams today don’t have this same opportunity. The entry-level license is now the Technician license, with privileges mostly on VHF. As a practical matter, this means that most of them get an inexpensive handheld such as the Baofeng UV-5R shown here.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this radio. In fact, for the price, it’s amazing what it will do, and I’ve written about it previously. But this is the opposite of how I got started. I started on HF, and was able to bounce signals off the ionosphere, an activity that greatly exceeded my expectations. From the very first day I was licensed, I was able to interfere with Radio Moscow, and I did! Only after I had upgraded, to either General or Technician, was I able to get on VHF. At the time, that was something of an incentive, because there was a great deal of local repeater activity. Long before the age of cell phones, I was able to communicate with a handheld device, and even make phone calls. But an HT such as this really doesn’t have much capability beyond that of even the cheapest cell phone. It’s hardly an upgrade. In fact, in many areas, 2 meter FM is practically vacant. Repeaters are still up and running, but there are generally only the same handful of local operators day in and day out.
Technicians are also currently allowed to use SSB and data on 10 meters. This is somewhat of an improvement, since this band occasionally opens up to worldwide communications. Unfortunately, it’s not open most of the time. This is very different from my experience as a novice. With just one band, 40 meters, I could talk to someone almost any hour of the day or night. During the day, it would be 500 miles or so. At night, it would be over most of the continent.
Current technicians are also currently allowed to use CW (Morse code) on 80, 40, and 15 meters, and I think they should take advantage of this opportunity. But unfortunately, unlike when I was first licensed, there aren’t too many people willing or able to teach them the code and help them get on the air. And there’s also the question of price, since the cost of a radio for CW (or SSB) is often considerably more than the cost of a digital radio.
Digital Modes for New Licensees
The ARRL’s proposal will allow new licensees to do exactly what I did over 40 years ago: With inexpensive equipment, they would be able to get on the air immediately with digital signals on the lower HF bands. They would be immediately bouncing signals off the ionosphere, just like I did 40 years ago.
This can currently be done with equipment that costs about $125, assuming that they already own a computer, tablet, or smartphone. If there was a demand for the product, there would be other models available, probably at a lower price, and it would also be possible for them to make it in a group-build of a kit project.
UT5JCW Digital Transceiver.
Currently, the only standalone digital rig available are a set of transceivers produced by UT5JCW in Ukraine. They plug directly into a computer, and can be used for all digital modes, including JT65, FT8, and PSK31. They require only a simple antenna, which could be as simple as a quarter-wave piece of wire strung in the backyard. For 40 meters, the band I would recommend for a beginner, this would be 33 feet long.
With a radio such as this one, a new ham could be on the air almost immediately, making meaningful contacts all around the country. It would be a much more meaningful introduction to ham radio than simply talking with the same handful of locals on a 2 meter repeater.
And the cost could be very comparable. As noted above, the only radio currently on the market costs $125 shipped from Ukraine. But this hasn’t always been the case. Until several years ago, a kit called the PSK Warbler was available in kit form for about $40. With guidance (perhaps as part of a licensing class), construction of such a kit was within the expertise of even a beginner.
I think that there could be a very meaningful introduction to ham radio if beginners were able to get their license and start out right away with a radio such as this one. It would be more or less the functional equivalent of how I got started on 40 meter CW 40 years ago.
Is Today’s Test Really Easier?
One argument against changing the rules is that the test has allegedly been “dumbed down” over the years, and that beginners should not be given HF privileges until they have taken a test that is sufficiently difficult.
However, this argument is based on a false premise. When I took the test for the entry-level test in early 1974 at the age of 12, it was much easier than the current Technician exam. I had to take a 20 question multiple choice test. That test was very easy: I had to memorize the meaning of some new vocabulary words (such as “pecuniary”). I had to learn some pieces of trivia. For example, I had to know that transistors were made out of silicone and geranium. (Actually, it turns out that it’s silicon and germanium, but that was close enough.)
I had to memorize a few equations, such as Ohm’s law. I didn’t need to understand what was going on. I needed to know, for example, that if the question included the words “Volts” and “Ohms”, then I needed to divide Volts by Ohms, and that was the right answer. I also had to memorize the formula for the length of a dipole antenna, 468/f.
I was well aware that there was going to be one complicated word problem on the test. This appears as question number 46 below, which called for me to calculate the input power to a final amplifier stage. I knew to an absolute certainty that this question was going to be on the test, and it was there, more or less verbatim. The only thing that changed was the actual numbers. I had to ignore the filament numbers. Like any word problem, irrelevant information was included. I had to multiply screen voltage and screen current, and then multiply plate voltage times plate current. Then, I added up those numbers, and also added drive power. And sure enough, when I did this, even if I didn’t really understand what was going on, that number was one of the multiple-choice answers.
To give some idea of how easy the novice test was, I scanned the novice questions and answers from the 1975 license manual. By simply reading these six pages, and making sure that some critical facts were memorized, it was almost certain that anyone attempting the test could pass with flying colors, even if, like me, they didn’t really understand most of the material.
Here are those six pages from the 1975 license manual. These questions might have changed slightly from when I took it in 1974, but they are almost identical. (To download these pages to your computer as a PDF file, use this link.)
As you can see, there are a couple of questions in the study guide asking you to draw a particular circuit. However, the exam was strictly multiple choice, and it was known in advance that it was multiple choice. So there might have been a question with the drawing asking to name a part, or identify a missing part. But I didn’t have to draw any diagrams, and I knew going in that I wouldn’t have to.
Basically, just about anyone could have passed the Novice license test 40 years ago after reading these six pages. I’m the author of a study guide for the current Technician exam, and I use 160 pages to explain the material. Yes, I probably go into a bit more detail than the License Manual did 40 years ago, but I didn’t include much excess details. Based upon my familiarity with both exams, I would say that the test I took was a lot easier, yet it gave me the opportunity to interfere with Radio Moscow.
In other words, it’s simply not true that the entry-level license test today is easier than it was 40 years ago. It’s not much more difficult, but I was never required to take a difficult test before getting on HF. There’s no reason why the same thing shouldn’t be true today.
While looking for something else, I discovered this product which I suspect will be of interest to many readers. It is a kit for a pocket AM-FM radio that looks like a real consumer product, albeit a very cheap version of a consumer product. It bears the impressive Paeansonic brand name. When the radio is complete, it won’t look like a kit. It will look just like it rolled off the Paeansonic assembly line in China!
The best part is that you can get the kit direct from China for just over $5, including shipping. It is available from Fasttech, a distributor in Hong Kong of electronic devices, parts, and a wide variety of other goods. I’ve ordered from them many times in the past, and have always had a good experience. Amazingly, shipping all the way from China is usually free. Occasionally, when I check out, I’ll need to pay a dollar or two in shipping, but on most orders, there is no added cost for shipping. Orders generally arrive in 2-3 weeks by registered mail, having been deposited in the mail in Singapore. Payment is by PayPal, although I believe you can use a credit card if you don’t have a PayPal account. Despite my original trepidation of buying direct from China, all of my experiences have been good.
This radio kit sells for $5.25 (and an additional 10% off coupon code is explained below), and it’s obviously more of a novelty than a high-quality radio. I have not ordered one yet, but there are a number of videos and websites showing how to put it together, and that it works after assembly. It appears to work about as well as you would expect a $5 radio to work, but it does seem to pull in both AM and FM stations.
Despite the apparent simplicity of this kit, it does not appear to be something for the first-time kit builder. The parts are very small, and it includes a surface-mount IC that requires a delicate touch to get it soldered in place. It also requires a bit of alignment, which might not be intuitive to someone with no prior experience. If you’re new to electronics, or buying a kit for someone who is, then I would recommend one of the other kits shown at the bottom of this page.
But if you want a cheap kit to put together, that looks like a real (albeit cheap) product, this seems to fit the bill. And if it doesn’t work when you’re done, you’re only out $5!
Fasttech also offers this model for $7.50, shown at left. It appears to offer slightly more circuitry, and in theory might pull in a few more stations than the cheaper model. However, it lacks the trusted Paeansonic brand name. Instead, most of the markings are in Chinese. It does have one nice touch in that the FM dial is reportedly calibrated in “kMHz”.
The instructions are in Chinese, but this website has an excellent set of instructions for assembling and aligning the kit. This page also has some pointers. To get some idea of what you’re getting yourself into, the following videos will be helpful:
As noted above, this kit probably isn’t for beginners. On the other hand, it’s only $5, so if you want something to practice on, you don’t have much to lose. But if you’re looking for something for a beginner in electronics, there are better options.
For an absolute beginner, you can’t go wrong with a kit like the one shown here, which is available on Amazon. This one does require soldering, but it’s well within the capabilities of any beginner, and there’s very little that can go wrong with the completed circuit. It will do a reasonably good job of pulling in FM stations.
If you don’t own a soldering iron, this FM radio kit comes complete with a soldering iron and the other tools you’ll need to put it together.
And if you want something really simple that even the youngest kid can put together, then I recommend the Snap Circuit FM radio kit shown at the right. As the name implies, the parts just snap together, and it’s foolproof.
If you’re interested in the kind of radio from the early days of radio, which is still a solid performer, then you might consider the two-tube regenerative receiver kit shown at left, which will pull in both AM and shortwave stations at a reasonable price.
And of course, this site contains many plans for simple receivers, both crystal sets and powered radios. You can find them by browsing my radio history pages. For ideas on where to get the parts, see my crystal set parts page.
If you’re interested in the Paeansonic kit, I’ll probably have a few available for sale at Ozarkcon in April. However, the price will probably be $10. So if you want it cheaper and faster, I encourage you to get yours direct from China!
Fasttech is currently on its holiday schedule due to the Chinese New Year and will reopen on February 22. Orders will be taken during that time and shipping will start on February 22. During this time, Fasttech is offering a coupon for 15% off orders of $150 or more, or 10% off for all orders. Orders must be placed by February 20, and you must use the coupon code KUNGHEI.
(Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that we get a small advertising fee if you purchase after clicking on the links.)
One of the trademark events at Ozarkcon is the Wacky Key Contest, an event designed to encourage non-traditional Morse code keys made out of things such as toasters. For inspiration, we offer this design from Joe Binko, who sent it in to Radio Craft magazine in February 1943.
We’re not sure if it’s wacky enough for first place, but we’re sure Binko’s design would have been in the running had OzarkCon been in existence in 1943. He converted a phone jack (presumably, a quarter-inch model) into a key by carefully cutting it apart, mounting it to a base, and extending one of the contacts. You should get the general idea from the diagram.
Update (Feb. 18): When we checked today, all single rooms at the Stone Castle were fully booked. (After I posted this, someone else posted that some rooms were still available. So it’s probably worth a phone call. See the OzarkCon hotel page for information.) We will be staying at the nearby
Branson Surrey Inn. When we booked, rooms were only $42 per night, and it is located within walking distance of Ozarkcon.
After a few pages of introduction to shortwave radio, the book jumps right into a description of the circuit. As the title of the book promises, the receiver is simple but elegant. It uses a 6Н9М dual triode (that’s Cyrillic text, so you would read it as 6N9M), one half being used as regenerative detector, with the other half as audio amplifier. The set employed plug-in coils, and was designed to tune the 40 and 20 meter ham bands. (For those wishing to duplicate the set with Western parts, the tube appears to be equivalent to a 6SL7.)
The neatly constructed final product is shown below:
If the book were published in the West, it would probably end there, along with a reminder that you needed to go to your friendly radio dealer or even drug store to buy a B battery for the plate voltage, and an A battery to light the filament. But in the Soviet Union, it probably wasn’t a sure thing that you could find the battery. So the book describes four methods to get the power.
The first two methods are power supplies that the reader could build, both of which are more complex than the receiver itself. Both rely mostly on factory-made parts, but the second set of plans includes instructions for winding the filament transformer at home, with the B+ being rectified directly from the AC line:
But even if the aspiring young Soviet radio fan wound his own transformer, getting the rectifier tube could be problematic. Therefore, the third method of powering the receiver could be very attractive. Chances are, the home was already equipped with a broadcast radio, and the broadcast radio had a perfectly good power supply inside. So the third method involves simply tapping into it by unplugging one of the tubes, and powering the shortwave set right from the socket. The young SWL just needed to locate the 6Ф6 tube in the family radio, remove the tube, plug his radio into the socket, and his radio would come to life! Presumably, the other family members would be supportive of the SWL’s new hobby, and forego listening to the broadcast radio as he tuned the short waves.
The fourth method recognizes that some builders might have enough connections so that they can simply go out and buy the battery. In this case, a БАС-80 battery is required.
After recommending an antenna of 25-30 meters in length, the book jumps into some discussion of how to tune the amateur bands. It notes, for example, that the 40 meter band can be expected to yield stations about 900-1000 kilometers away, with 20 meters pulling in stations more than 1000 km distant. It explains some of what the listener will hear. For example, in addition to listing some foreign call sign prefixes, it notes that UA call signs are in the RSFSR, UB calls are from Ukraine, and so forth.
It mentions some example SWL call signs, and even shows a reproduction of an SWL card from an SWL in Belarus, with the call sign of UC-2-2002, complete with the familiar address of Box 88 Moscow. Presumably, the text explains exactly how the young listener goes about getting such a call sign and getting his SWL cards printed, but I’m unable to read the text.
The book concludes with a table showing common Q-signals, common CW abbreviations, and the following listing of Soviet and European call sign prefixes.
The UA-UR prefixes for the various Soviet republics are listed at the left, with the right column showing the prefixes of Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, France, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Italy, Britain, Sweden, Holland, Norway, and Germany.
The SWL card shown above is for reception of UA3AB, and a search for that call sign reveals that it was held by the author of the book, V.A. Egorov.
You can read more about this receiver at this link at the site of VA3ZNW (ex-UA3ZNW, ex-UA3-117-386). He has a fascinating story of building this set in the 1970’s at the age of 13, and using it to tune in the Voice of America and Radio Liberty. Even though the Soviets extensively jammed those stations, they didn’t bother jamming them on 16 and 13 meters, since Soviet receivers didn’t tune those bands. But with the little one-tube homebrew set, they came in loud and clear.
As I previously posted, during 2018, the ARRL is conducting an Amateur Radio event known as the International Grid Chase. The event is a friendly competition to see who can work the most grid squares on any band or mode.
A grid square is a division of the earth into sectors one degree latitude by two degrees longitude. Each one is designated by a four character identifier. For example, I live in EN34
After I wrote my previous post, the official rules for the event were announced. And contrary to my initial interpretation, it is important to work grids on as many bands and modes as possible, since points are awarded for each grid on a new band or mode.
With my modest station, I’m certainly not in the big leagues. But with a very modest effort, I now have 100 grids confirmed, as shown on the map above. And because I have some of them confirmed on more than one band or mode, I have a total of 162 points, placing me in about 1953rd place out of 17287. That places me in about the top 11%, which I consider to be respectable given a modest station and limited time.
Interestingly, on a later update of the Leader Board shortly after writing this, I see that I am now tied with W1AW for 1928th place. Strangely enough, this is the second time I’ve been tied with the ARRL’s Headquarters station:
Points are awarded as the contact is confirmed on Logbook of the World (LOTW). Since confirmations continue to filter in, this score will continue to rise.
Most of my contacts so far came from two contests, the CW and SSB weekends of the North American QSO Party. A majority of contesters seem to participate in LOTW. Therefore, by making as many contacts as possible, the score continues to rise. As you can see from the map above, most of my contacts are from the United States, with a smattering of contacts from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The handful of European contacts I’ve made so far have not yet confirmed on LOTW.
So far, I have no digital contacts. So at the very least, I’ll need to get set up for PSK31, which requires only very minimal hardware between the computer and radio. Every contact I make will be worth one point, since I have yet to work any grids in a digital mode.
Two upcoming contests are worthy of note. Next weekend is the Minnesota QSO Party, which has participation in all or most Minnesota counties. It will be a good opportunity to get the 26 grids which lie completely or partially in Minnesota. Other state QSO parties later in the year will provide similar opportunities.
And the ARRL DX Contest (CW in February and SSB in March) will provide a lot of new grids, since almost everything outside the U.S. will be new for me.
To follow your own progress, a good tool is the N1KDO Grid Mapper, which was used to generate the map at the top of the page. When I started as a Novice, one common activity for new novices was to color in a “Worked All States Map,” which was nothing more than an outline map of the United States. The process of coloring in a map can be addictive, and I often find myself refreshing the map to see if other confirmations have come in, with another square turned red.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for Amateur Radio in the United States, announced last week a year-long operating activity for 2018. During 2018, participating hams will be trying to contact as many “grid squares” as possible. The event is called the ARRL International Grid Chase, and will run from January 1 through December 31, 2018.
The main requirement is that for the contact to count, both stations must upload the contact to Logbook Of The World (LOTW). If you’re a ham and don’t yet have one, I encourage you to set up a LOTW account. The process is relatively straightforward. There’s sometimes criticism, perhaps justified, that the process is too complicated. But if you can follow instructions, it’s quite easy to create your account. And once you have it set up, the process of actually uploading QSO’s is even simpler. You do not need to be an ARRL member to set up your LOTW account or participate in the Grid Chase.
The earth is divided up into 32,400 Maidenhead grid squares. Each of these is assigned a unique code consisting of two letters and two digits, and each measures two degrees longitude by one degree latitude. For example, I live in grid EN34. Since my house is less than a mile away from one of the boundary lines, the 45th parallel north, this means that I live right next door to grid EN35. Other neighboring grids, such as EN33, EN44, and EN24, are all within a hundred miles. In the continental united states, each square measures about 100 miles east to west, and 70 miles north to south. As you move closer the equator, the squares get slightly larger and more “square.” As you move closer to the poles, the squares get smaller and more triangular, with the 18 northernmost and 18 southernmost squares actually being triangles, with their points touching at the pole.
The easiest way to find your grid square is the website qthlocator.free.fr. You simply find your location on the Google map, click on it, and you will instantly see your own grid. You can also enter a grid and the map will center on that location.
First Thoughts About Strategy
Unless someone out there has a well-equipped boat, and someone else is prepared to operate from isolated arctic or mountainous areas, it’s impossible to work all of the grids, or even most of them. After all, most of the earth consists of water (but even some of those grids will see some activations by sea or air). It’s unlikely that any grids in North Korea will be activated, although as far as I can tell, there are no grids located entirely within the Hermit Kingdom. PN30 extends a tiny bit into China, PN31, PN41, and PN42 include larger portions of China, and PN52 staddles North Korea, Russia, and China. As far as I can tell, all of the other North Korean grids include either international (but not necessarily friendly) waters, or South Korean soil. It’s unlikely that any of those grids will see much activation, but it’s not an absolute impossibility.
But as a practical matter, it’s safe to say that nobody is going to work all 32,400 grids. In fact, it’s safe to say that even the most successful operators will only work a small percentage of that amount. But there will be some that work a few thousand. I doubt if I’ll be in that category, but I think it can be done by most hams by employing some strategy.
To be at the top of the leader boards, I think will require concentrating on three things, and I want to share my preliminary thoughts on how to accomplish them. I think the following things will be required:
Work all or most of the “easy” grids in North America
Work all or most of the “easy” grids worldwide
Work all of most of the inevitable “grid-peditions” that will take place later in the year.
Working the Easy Grids in North America
Shown here is a map of the grids I worked during 2016. The vast majority of the grids shown here were worked during the National Parks On The Air event. I wasn’t making any particular effort to chase grids, but I did make thousands of contacts, and this is how they were distributed. Some of these grids (like the ones clustered around Yellowstone National Park) were because I worked someone activating a park. But most of them were stations at home who worked me while I was at a park. They are a more or less random sampling of hams, and the ones that I worked were probably the easiest ones to work, because there are more hams there. (You can create your own map for any date range at N1KDO’s site.)
The ones I didn’t work come in two categories. First of all, there is a big gap in places like Iowa, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. This is partly because some of these areas are sparsely populated. But it also shows that I was using 20 meters for most of my activations, and stations in these areas were just too close for me to work. If I had spent some time concentrating on closer states, I probably would have worked many of these grids as well.
But some grids are rare because there are few active hams there. These will be the “rare” grids that will get more attention later in the year. But I think the first order of business will be to work the easy grids first. These will be grids like the one where I live, with thousands of resident hams. I’m sure most active chasers will have EN34 crossed off their list within the first few days.
To get a good start on the event, it will be important to take care of the easy grids as soon as possible. This is important for a few reasons. First of all, it might not be readily apparent which grids are the rare ones. Some might have few hams overall, but they might be very active. So it’s best to figure out as soon as possible what category they are in. Also, they might start out as common, but become rare later in the year. If a grid has just a few active hams, it’s possible that one of them will become inactive, or perhaps move to another part of the country during the year. If you miss them when they are still “easy,” you’ll be behind everyone else, and you’ll need to get them when they are “rare.”
This happened a few times during NPOTA. For example, in April, I worked Kalaupapa National Historical Park in Hawaii. It was a relatively easy contact. But it was also a one-time opportunity, since the park was never activated again later in the year. Another example was Touro Synagogue in Rhode Island. It was a relatively easy contact, but it was only available a couple of times, early in the year. It was easy for me, but it was impossible for someone who got a late start.
And the way to ensure that the “easy” grids get in your log early in the year is through contests. When the ARRL Triple Play Award was announced in 2008, then-ARRL CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, correctly predicted that many participants would get a head start, and possibly complete the award, with three January contest weekends, ARRL RTTY Roundup and the North American QSO Party (CW and Phone).
Contesters happily handing out grid squares. Wikipedia photo by Kenneth E. Harker WM5R, 2001, and is released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Since the mode is not as important for the International Grid Chase, it probably won’t be necessary to compete in all three contests. But it seems that starting the year with one or more of these contests is a good way to get the “easy” grids out of the way. It is important to work multiple bands. As you can see from my 2016 grid map, I’m missing many easy grids within a few hundred miles of home. I’ll need to work the lower bands to get the close-in grids, and the higher bands to get the ones further away. In fact, to ensure that I have the close-in states taken care of, it will probably be worthwhile to actively participate in the CQ 160 Meter Contest in January and February.
As Triple Play Award participants discovered in 2009, most contest stations upload their logs to LOTW promptly, and most of them include their grid square. So by participating in a few contests and working the major stations, the bulk of your stateside grids will be taken care of easily.
Working the Easy Grids Worldwide
I’m not a big “DX” operator–in other words, I don’t concentrate exclusively on getting rare countries confirmed on every possible band and mode. But I also recognize that only 488 of the 32,400 grid squares are located in the Continental United States. Even if I work every last one of those 488 (which might be a personal goal), I won’t be even close to the top of the leader board. To do well in this event, it will be necessary to work some DX.
But just like with the United States, there are plenty of “easy” grids to work. There are thousands of hams in places like Japan, Europe, and Latin America, and it will be easy to color in those parts of the world. And once again, the easiest way to do this is with contests. And probably the best way to get off to a good start will be to include the ARRL International DX contest, which runs two weekends in February (CW) and March (Phone).
Chasing and Activating the Rare Grids
After these “easy” grids are out of the way, it will be important to remain active on the air and watch cluster spots for unworked grids. When you look at a map such as mine above, there’s a natural tendency to color in the empty boxes. There will still be some “easy” ones remaining, and it will be important to keep working them. During NPOTA, there was a very active Facebook group providing encouragement and spots of stations as they showed up on the air. The International Grid Chase has its own Facebook group, and it’s likely that the leaders will take full advantage of it.
Operating from grid EN12 Iowa, October 2016.
I think that within a few weeks, it will start to become obvious where the rare grids are. There are many parts of the country with few active hams. As the year goes on, and maps like mine have blank spots on them, two things will happen. First of all, local hams will be encouraged to get on the air and make contacts. Being on the receiving end of a pileup can be exhilarating, and many hams will get the chance.
I also predict that there will be “grid-
Activating grid EN00, Nebraska, Aug. 21, 2017.
peditions.” Grid chasing is already a popular pastime for VHF and satellite operators. And there are a few grids with no resident hams. One of these is CM79, the vast majority of which lies in the Pacific Ocean. But a tiny piece of the California coast is within the grid, and can be accessed over rugged terrain. The video below shows KB5WIA doing a satellite activation after a long hike:
There are many hams who are active in Summits On The Air, an activity in which hams operate from mountaintop locations using portable gear. The equipment required for an HF activation is much less than shown in KB5WIA’s video. I predict that we’ll see many such activations this year.
Many rare grids, however, don’t require this much exertion. Many grids, while sparsely populated, are easily accessible. There should be many opportunities for hams wishing to do a mobile activation and generate big pileups. For example, there are a number of grids in Minnesota that I have never worked, and are within a few hours’ drive.
One particularly intriguing one for me is EN67, shown here. It lies mostly in the waters of Lake Superior, but also includes the town of Copper Harbor, Michigan, population 108. There does appear to be one active ham in town, but I suspect another station operating portable there will do well later in the year.
There are many other such grids in the U.S. and Canada, that are located mostly in the water, but with a piece of land from which a portable station can be operated. For hams living near the coast or the Great Lakes, there is probably an opportunity like this waiting for you.
Of course, many roads run through sparsely populated areas. So if you are traveling at any time during 2018, it will be worthwhile to keep track of your grid, and try to get on the air as you pass through. And even if you don’t have HF mobile capability, simplex contacts on VHF and UHF count. If there’s another ham in the area, and you can encourage him or her to upload the contact to LOTW, you might wind up with having an almost unique one in the log. And if you have more than one ham in the family, there’s no reason why you can’t get out your handhelds and work each other. As long as you both log the contact, you will have credit for the grid. (If you don’t have other hams in the family, this would be a good opportunity to get them licensed. If they read my Technician Study Guide, they’ll pass the 35-question test with little difficulty. If they don’t have a radio, you can set them up with a Baofeng for practically nothing, and they can work you on 2 meters or 70 cm.)
Interestingly, this happened at least once during NPOTA. National Park of American Samoa had a grand total of 6 QSO’s, made by two hams who were there on vacation with their handhelds. They were the only ones to get credit for the park, which was well within the rules. There’s no reason why family groups can’t take advantage of the same rule to bolster their count. Of course, if others want to work you, then you should give them the opportunity. But if you’re the only two within range, then you should get credit for the contact.
The total solar eclipse was awesome, and well worth the trip to Hastings, Nebraska!
Travel Report
We left Minnesota on Saturday and drove to Fremont, Nebraska. The traffic was noticeably heavy on both Interstate 35 and Interstate 80. Many of the vehicles we saw were obviously eclipse chasers, with cars packed full of camping gear. The heavy traffic was very apparent when we turned off onto I-680 to get to our hotel room in Fremont. That highway was deserted, which appeared all the more eerie after witnessing the extremely heavy traffic directly on the route to the path of totality. On Sunday, traffic was heavier still as we moved back onto the interstate, but was still moving at posted speeds.
We were in position by Monday, so we didn’t experience traffic the day of the eclipse. It was reported to be heavy, but with no major delays. The only eclipse-related traffic issue was an announcement on the radio that the Nebraska Highway Patrol had closed both I-80 rest areas near Grand Island for safety reasons. Gasoline and other supplies were readily available at normal prices.
According to reports, traffic was heaviest after the eclipse as hundreds of thousands of visitors headed home. Still, no major issues were reported, and traffic, while somewhat slower than normal, was moving along well. We drove home Tuesday. While traffic appeared normal by the time we were on the road, many cars were obviously those of other eclipse chasers, as evidenced by the camping gear filling many of them.
On Monday morning, we set up in American Legion Park in Hastings, a small city park just across the street from our hotel. Other viewing areas were packed, but we shared the park with only about a dozen other visitors, mostly from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. There were street lights on the neighboring road, but we stayed clear of them and they didn’t present any obstacle to our viewing.
We didn’t bother trying to take photos of the eclipse. We only had two minutes, so rather than fiddling with cameras during that time, we simply enjoyed the spectacle and left the photography to professionals.
The best representation I’ve seen so far of what we experienced is from NBC Nebraska at this link. if you click on Part 3 of the video at that link, and then advance to the 4:00 minute mark, you’ll see a live report from a Middle School in Grand Island, about 20 miles north of where we were. The video does a good job of capturing the darkness of the sky, as well as the reaction of those present. The video doesn’t do justice to the corona itself, but all of the other elements reflect very well what we witnessed.
It’s also evident from the video what I kept saying before the eclipse: The eclipse was something that kids needed to see! The reaction of the middle school kids in this video was overwhelming, and the eclipse is something that they will never forget. It’s a shame that some schools locked their kids inside rather than taking them to see it. There are now undoubtedly many future astronomers and scientists among the kids in Grand Island and other places where enlightened educators made it a unique learning experience. The kids who were left inside for the eclipse did not get that inspiration, and any school administrators who took that approach should be ashamed of themselves.
In Hastings, there were thin scattered clouds throughout the morning. However, with the cooling caused by the eclipse, the sky was clear during totality, the clouds not reappearing until about 10 minutes later. It was noticeably cooler starting a few minutes before totality. Even though the surroundings were not noticeably dimmer to the human eye until just before totality, the direct sunlight didn’t feel warm as it had in the morning.
We saw the diamond ring both before and after totality. I did not see Bailey’s Beads, nor did I see any shadow bands. The horizon in all directions had the orange glow of sunset. Venus was plainly visible. I didn’t notice it before totality, but it persisted for a couple of minutes after the sun returned.
Radio Experiments
As shown here, I was doing my part for science by operating in the HamSci Solar Eclipse QSO Party. Along with other amateur radio operators, I was operating in this event to generate data which researchers will use to understand the ionosphere and how it was affected by the eclipse. Radio signals are reflected by the ionosphere, and the effect varies depending on frequency, and depending on the amount of solar energy hitting the ionosphere. The eclipse gave a rare opportunity to show the effects when the amount of solar energy varies over small areas, such as the path of totality. I concentrated mainly on making short transmissions to be picked up by remote receivers. Some of these receivers are connected in real time to the Reverse Beacon Network, which displays received signals almost immediately on the Internet. Unfortunately, my signals were not picked up by these stations, but other software-defined receivers were continuously recording the radio spectrum, and it’s likely that my transmissions were recorded and will be available at a later date.
I didn’t spend much time trying to make two-way radio contacts, but I did make three contacts, which are shown on this map:
All three of these contacts were made before totality. I was operating on the 40 meter band (7 MHz) with only 5 watts of power, and the distances of these contacts does seem much greater than would normally be expected that time of day. The most distant contact was with WA1FCN in Cordova, Alabama, 776 miles from my location in Hastings, Nebraska. We made this contact at 12:29 PM local time, about 30 minutes before totality. It seems likely that this contact was possible only because of the eclipse. The contact with N5AW in Burnet, Texas, 680 miles away, was made at 12:10 local time, and the contact with W0ECC in St. Charles, Missouri, 438 miles away, was made at 11:08 local time. In all three cases, the partial eclipse was underway at both locations when we made our contacts.
The HamSci researchers at Virginia Tech will have a lot of data to analyze, but I think it’s clear that the eclipse was having an effect on propagation. The 40 meter band is generally limited to shorter distances during the day, and the path lengths here seem more consistent with the type of propagation normally seen in the evening.
For those who are interested in the details, my station consisted of my 5 watt Yaesu FT-817 powered by a 12 volt fish finder battery. The antenna was a 40 meter inverted vee with its peak about 15 feet off the ground, supported by my golf ball retriever. The two ends of the antenna were supported by tent stakes in the ground. The station was similar to what I used in 2016 for many of my National Parks On The Air activations. The antenna was running north-south in an effort to have its maximum signal along the east-west path of totality. Since the antenna had an acceptable match on 15 and 6 meters, I also made a few test transmissions on those bands, although I concentrated on 40 meters.
Nebraska and the Eclipse
The State of Nebraska, the City of Hastings, and all of the other towns we encountered along the way, did an excellent job of planning for the eclipse and accommodating all of the visitors. While traffic was very heavy, there were no real problems. The staff of our hotel, the C3 Hotel & Convention Center, was extremely well prepared for what was probably the hotel’s busiest night ever. The accommodations were excellent!
Since virtually all of the hotel rooms in the state were filled, dozens of temporary campgrounds sprung up, and visitors were able to find safe campsites at a reasonable price as homeowners, farmers, and ranchers opened their land for camping.
The only traffic-related problem that I’m aware of was the closure of two highway rest areas shortly before totality. Unrelated to the eclipse, the City of Seward, Nebraska, experienced an ill-timed water main leak, leaving the city without drinking water during the eclipse. We did see units of the Nebraska National Guard on the road, but as far as I know, other than to distribute drinking water in Seward, their services were not needed during the eclipse.
The entire state deserves high marks for its preparations in making the eclipse an unforgettable event for the hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Sixty years ago this month, the June 1959 issue of Electronics World carried a good basic introduction to marine direction finding (DF). The cover image shows a number of commercially made DF units, and the article explains how they work.
You can also listen to live streams of many NOAA weather stations at 
The 
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Basically, just about anyone could have passed the Novice license test 40 years ago after reading these six pages. I’m the author of a 
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