My first QSL Cards!

I've designed and ordered my very first QSL cards! I have 1000 coming in the mail soon! If you want one be sure to contact me on the air soon!

Really looking forward to getting my QSL card collection going, still waiting to receive my first one! Will it be yours??

52nd Hoosier Hills Hamfest

                                

I went to my first Hamfest this weekend! I woke up at 5:30 am so that I could make the two hour drive down just south of Bedford, Indiana. I wanted to arrive right on time.

Well I don't know what I had imagined I would experience when I got there but let me say it was a huge disappointment. I was able to walk through the inside area as well as the tailgating area and see everything in less than 15 minutes.

It was really just a whole lot of junk. Not to mention there was just a lot of non Ham related stuff, old computers and electronics, do I really need a used telephone answering machine from the 70s? A lot of it looked like it had been scavenged from dumpsters. There were a few things that might of been worth buying but nothing I couldn't just order online and save 5 hours of my life. 

Some of the people that I spoke with said they had been coming here for years and years and it has really deteriorated in the past few years. There is NO WAY they should have been charging people even as little as $5 for this event. It was really just a very bad flea market.

I won't let this experience keep me from the next one though, a friend recommended one in Ft.Wayne, so I will go give it a look next time, but I wont be going back to Bedford that is for sure. I just hope there aren't any other new hams out there that went to this as their first time at a "Hamfest" because I imagine it might be very discouraging.

They did have a VE license testing session so that was very nice if anyone wanted to take the test. Speaking of tests I'd better sign off and get studying for that General ticket!!!

W9SMH Granted!

This morning the FCC ULS website showed that KC9ZNK has been cancelled and my new call sign W9SMH was granted!

This was great news as it seems it just slipped in under the wire before the FCC shut down their entire website this afternoon!

I'm not sure now if I will have to wait for the Government shutdown to be over before the databases are all updated to reflect my new Call Sign or not, but currently the ARRL is only showing actions through Sept 29, 2013

My first DX contact!

It was very exciting tonight to make my first DX contact with KP4BI in Puerto Rico!

The contact was on 10 meters and now I know my set up will get out there!

I'm looking forward to getting my General and opening up my DX possibilities even more!

General Exam Study

I started studying this week for my General ticket. It is a whole lot harder than the Technician that is for sure.

I'm really wishing now that I would have paid a little better attention in math class 35 or 40 years ago!

But I'm learning lots of new very interesting stuff, so it's only a matter of time now before I'm ready to take the test.

I can't wait!

ADT false alarms when transmitting.

Had an interesting problem when I keyed up on 10 meters after getting my radio set up Tuessday. After 15-19 seconds of transmission my ADT alarm system smoke detectors tripped the alarm!

Well today the installer came out and located which of the smoke detectors was causing the problem, it was the one closest to the antenna, he pulled it down and replaced it with a new one and now all seems well.

After a bit of research this seems like quite a common problem especially with 2nd floor shacks and attic antennas, which I have both.

Hopefully the problem was with just this one unit and won't have any trouble going forward!

W9SMH

I applied for the call sign W9SMH

Now I just have to sit back and wait eighteen days and see if it goes through.

Yaesu FT-897D on the air!

Today was a great day. Got my antennas and Yaesu FT-897D set up and on the air. Thanks to my awesome friend Rick Garrett N9GSU for helping me get it all together!

First time transmitting!

Tonight I made my first check in during the Marrion County ARES information Net, it was very exciting especially after checking in and having them acknowledge me when they read my call sign back.

This is a neat event hosted on the Indianapolis Repeater Association every Wednesday evening.

Looking forward to becoming involved with the local ARES group!

KC9ZNK

After a very long week of checking and rechecking the ARRL site I tried the FCC site this afternoon and there I was listed and have been assigned my call sign!

I used the Ham Test Online program to study for my Technicians license and it worked great. I will now begin studying for my General license.

It was awesome and nerve wracking taking the test and then the long wait, but today I am KC9ZNK!!!

It is my intention to keep this blog as a journal of all my Amateur Radio Operator adventures so please stop by now and then to check in and enjoy!