The K5WLF Blog

It got pretty interesting here in my part of Texas last Thursday. A fast-moving cold front pushed its way into the area and conditions along the leading edge got a bit violent. Here in Stephenville (about 60 miles WSW of Fort Worth) the squall line packed some winds that blew the roof off a nursing home (no injuries), blew an HVAC unit off the roof of a bank, damaged several buildings around town, felled fences, limbs and trees, and folded 40′ of Rohn 25 down across the roof at K5IIY’s QTH.

Visiblity dropped to near zero for a few minutes as the squall line blew through and folks in smaller vehicles got moved around on the roads. There were a few short-lived power outages and area schoolkids were herded into the safe areas of their campuses. NWS called a tornado warning for the Rising Star area, but the hook echo dissipated a couple radar cycles later. Kudos to the NWS for calling the warning based on a radar scan. It’s much better to stand down from a warning for a twister that didn’t stay together than to be caught without warning. Good job, NWS Fort Worth.

After the squall line passed and the winds died down a bit, I left work for a few minutes and took a drive around my part of town. There was some minor street flooding, some limbs and fences down. All the antennas, WX station components and trees were intact at my QTH, so I headed over to K5IIY’s to see if he needed any help. A crossarm on his tower had poked a small hole in the roof, but he had that covered by the time I got there. Other than the destruction of the tower and the loss of two 13B2s and a Tram 1481, he got pretty lucky. No structural damage to the house.

When I got home that evening, the display for the “heavy weather” app for my WX station caught my eye. We actually had a heck of a wind blow through here. See below.

77.5 knots = 86.25 mph

It’s good to know that my antennae and WX station gear is solidly mounted enough to withstand an 86 mph wind gust. It’s also nice to know that the big tree near the north end of the house has been tested to that extent. I’d always kinda wondered just how much it’d take. Now I know. So, I can relax. Or can I? What if the gust just weakened it, so the next 30 mile wind will blow it over?

73,
ldb
K5WLF

No, the title of this post isn’t a weather report, although we have a 30% chance of thunderstorms tonight and a 50% chance tomorrow. “heavy weather” (their spelling) just happens to be the name of the WX logging software that came with my new LaCrosse weather station. A friend of mine, knowing of my interest in all things meteorological, sent me a weather station for Christmas. Since we had a minor ice storm over Christmas and a bout of sub-freezing WX after that, it took me until last weekend to get it installed here at the home QTH.

Pretty darn neat to be able to look up on the wall and get all the info I used to have to go to the internet for. And this is from right here at the house, while the internet report is from the airport three miles away and up on a hill. Not only that, the data from the airport could be up to 30 minutes old. My data now is never over two minutes old.

The logging software — heavy weather — don’t blame me for the spelling. Maybe they’re not capitalists <G>, I don’t know. Anyway, the logging software will keep records for as long as I have disc space to store the data and allows me to make graphs and charts with arrows and circles and a paragraph on the back of each one, telling what each one is for. (Sorry, Arlo).  There’s also a function in there somewhere that’ll let me post the data to the website. I’m working on that one. When I get it figured out, you’ll be among the first to know.

I’m really looking forward to having the benefit of timely, up-to-date WX info when storm season begins and I’m running net control from here at the house. The new station will make a great addition to the radar I use. Let’s talk about that radar for a minute. (What a great segue!)

I use GR Level 3 radar. It’s published by Gibson Research and is available for download from www.grlevelx.com/grlevel3/. There’s a 21-day free trial and if you want to keep it after that time, there’s a one-time charge of $79.95 which allows you to put the radar software on two computers. Heck of a deal.

GR Level 3 allows you to choose from any NEXRAD radar station in the US and view the data in real-time as it’s received by the station.  The raw data comes down the line (the Internet) immediately and the derived products follow as they’re calculated. It’s an excellent program with a variety of views and functions, including GIS, and provides another tool for the NCS during WX nets. I really enjoy having the accuracy to ensure that I can keep my mobile spotters “out of harm’s way”.

If you have an iPhone (as I do), RadarScope is an excellent radar app that does the same thing as GRLevel3, but on the iPhone platform. I ran a WX net one night using RadarScope on my iPhone and was able to verify the accuracy to the point that I feel comfortable using it to direct spotters. The RadarScope app sells for $9.99 on the App Store. Seems a bit pricey maybe, but it’s well worth it if you’re a serious WX spotter.

Just a quick look at some of the WX gear and software that I use. Hope it helps you.

73.
ldb
K5WLF

I’m passing this along from the AMFone forums…

ldb
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AM Transmitter Rally Feb. 6 on HF:

Nationwide operating event brings classic and modern AM to the airwaves

Building on the success of AM-specific operating events such as the Heavy Metal Rally, 1st Wednesday AM Night, and the Antique Wireless Association’s Amplitude Modulation QSO Party, organizers announce the AM Transmitter Rally taking place February 6 on 160-10m using “standard” Amplitude Modulation.

The purpose of this event is to encourage the use of Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands, and to highlight various types of AM equipment in use today. This event is open to any and all radio amateurs who are running full carrier amplitude modulation (standard AM), and any type of equipment may be used.

Although there is a “points” system to encourage friendly competition, there is also an awards incentive for categories that showcase the relaxed, satisfying nature of receiving and transmitting conversations on AM. The event runs from 6:00 AM E.S.T. Saturday morning Feb. 6, to 2:00 AM E.S.T. the following day.

Commonly used AM Frequencies:
160 Meters: 1880-1885, 1930, 1945, 1975-1995.
80 Meters: 3730-3740, 3870-3885.
40 Meters: 7160, 7280-7295.
20 Meters: 14286.
15 Meters: 21425.
10 Meters: 29000-29200.

Complete details with scoring, awards, logbook templates, and additional information is at:

http://www.classeradio.com/amtr.pdf

Mod-u-Later !

After the temp drops below freezing here in North Central Texas about 0500 tomorrow morning, we won’t see the top side of freezing until sometime Saturday. I realize that a low of 11°F doesn’t really impress folks who live in more northerly climes, but it’s pretty darn cold for us here in Texas. Add the chance of precip and we’re talking “ice storm”. A cold and nasty subject — I don’t care who you are.

Ice collects on everything, leaving a slippery and dangerous surface to walk or drive on, and adding its weight to power and phone lines, antennae, and tree limbs. Power failures are common during ice events, as are telephone failures and impassable roads due to fallen limbs or trees. It’s a great time to stay home from work and see who else is on the bands. You do have backup power for the ham gear, don’t you?

They say it’s not an emergency if you plan for it, and there are a few things that you can do to make a blast of cold, inclement weather survivable, and more comfortable.

• Make sure you have a backup source of heat. Especially if you live in an all-electric house.
• Have a 3-day supply of food and drinking water.
• Have a camp stove or other way to cook if the power and/or gas is off
• Ensure that you have backup lighting. Battery lights and flashlights are safer than candles.
• Insulate, or turn off the water to, all outdoor faucets.
• Provide shelter out of the wind and a non-frozen water source for all outdoor critters. Provide them with plenty of food.
• Ensure that you have appropriate clothing (before the event) for any required outdoor activity
• A backup generator or other source of electricity can make life a lot more comfortable.

Now, a few tips for your vehicle…

• Keep the fuel tank as full as possible at all times. Full tanks collect less atmospheric water due to condensation. Water in the fuel will freeze and keep the engine from running.
• Put a bottle of HEET™ or other anti-ice additive in the fuel tank.
• Ensure that the anti-freeze in the radiator is a good 50/50 mix.
• Top off all fluids to proper levels.
• Check battery electrolyte level and connections. Make sure battery is fully charged. A fully charged battery is more freeze-resistant.
• Carry extra clothing and/or a blanket or sleeping bag in your car.
• Carry some food and water in the vehicle at all times.
• Be sure that you have a flashlight, ice scraper, first aid kit and flares or other warning devices in your vehicle.
• A bag of kitty litter or sand is a good idea. Either material, sprinkled on ice, will improve traction.
• Carry jumper cables and a tow strap

Good luck, be safe and stay warm.

73,
ldb
K5WLF

Well, it’s that time of year again…the New Time. The time when tradition indicates that we should carefully craft a series of ‘resolutions’ to guide (and hopefully improve) our behavior through the coming year. For most folks, they simply don’t work. Maybe they’re made too late in the pre-midnight haze of New Year’s Eve; possibly they’re simply too ambitious, requiring too much of a behavioral change; or maybe nobody really takes them seriously anymore anyway. I know I gave up on making them years ago. It always seemed like more of a social obligation then a positive life-changing event.

But, this year, I got to thinking — possibly a cause for concern, I admit — about what the effect would be on our hobby, and on the bands, if all hams, every single one of us, made (and kept) the same resolutions. You’ve probably got your list, but here are some I came up with. What if we all made and kept these resolutions?

• To spend more time on the air
• To monitor 146.520 whenever possible and respond to travelers
• To homebrew at least one piece of ham gear in 2010
• To ensure that our transmitted signal is clean with no splatter or other evil artifacts
• To “Elmer” at least one new ham this year
• To make new friends for ham radio
• To avoid “tuning up” on top of an existing QSO
• To support our local Hamfests

I try, in my daily ham activities to observe the above guidelines, but there are times when, like most of us, I may fall short. I’ll try a little harder this year. Care to join me?

I’m not calling them New Year’s Resolutions, because that would probably doom them to failure, but I do have a few personal goals for my amateur radio avocation this year. Herewith, the list –

• We’ve discussed this before, but I’m still working on getting back to competence in CW.
• Get all the gear in a rack or something, so the shack doesn’t look like a plane crash. If it works good, it ought to look good.
• Get some tube gear on the air in the AM mode.
• Re-arrange the workbench so it’s fun to use and isn’t a catch-all for ‘stuff’. Then use it. Build something.

I’ve started designing the layout of the rack already. It’ll require several of my skills including; welding, panel work, painting, system design, wiring, and who-knows-what before we’re done. It’ll make the shack look better and gain about 20 square feet or more in the room. Neat! — room to bring more stuff home from the hamfests.

Happy New Year!

73,
ldb
K5WLF