Because I receive so many tips from readers here on QRPer, I wanted way to share them in a concise newsletter format. To that end, welcome to QRPer Notes, a collection of links to interesting stories and tips making waves in the world of radio!
NG2E activates 7 summits on one December day
Many thanks to Jack (NG2E) who shares this Storymap post outlining his effort to activate seven summits in one day.
Jack notes:
[…]My plan was to activate four primary peaks along the Skyline Drive. I then planned to skip over two peaks–Stony Man and Hawksbill Mtn–as I’ve previously activated these peaks. Once activating Hazeltop Mtn farther to the south, I planned to backtrack and pick up the bonus points only for Hawksbill and Stony Mtn if I had enough time and energy.[…]
Click here to view his activation map and narrative on Storymaps.
5 Watts SSB on the Beach in Kauai, Hawaii (K4OGO)
Many thanks to Tommy (N4KBM) who shares this video of K4OGO making his first QRP SSB contact on a beach in Hawaii:
Icom IC-705 Firmware upgrade
Many thanks to Markku Koskinen who writes:
New software available from Icom.
ST-4003W | Firmware / Software | Support | Icom Inc. (icomjapan.com)
The ST-4003W is Windows software, which allows you to set the radio’s time from your PC’s time by connecting the radio to the PC.
Compatible radios (as of November 2021)
IC-705
IC-7100
IC-7300
IC-7600
IC-7610
IC-7850/IC-7851
IC-9700
Use a USB cable to connect the radio to your PC.
The USB port type differs depending on the radio, so please check the radio’s port type before preparing the cable.
Before downloading this software, please thoroughly read the “ST-4003W INSTRUCTIONS” for installation details and what is required for the installation.
New Discovery TX-500 Firmware Update
Lab599 notes via Twitter:
New firmware version available v1.12.00
-
- Improved AGC algorithm
- Added beacon mode activity indicator
- Added reference frequency correction (TCXO adjustment)
You can download it from here.
Thomas,
Jack NG2E was both the Grand and Distance Champion for the 2031 Portable Operations Challenge. He scored over 6,000 km per watt on a cw contact…using 1 watt! He repeated as the POC Distance Champ from the previous year.
73,
Frank
K4FMH
Wow,
Looks like I gots to get hiking as his SOTA’s are way to close to me. Thanks for sharing.
73
Wb8yxf
Thanks for the heads-up! The clock syncing software is certainly interesting for all Icom owners but the IC-705 is the one Icom radio that doesn’t really need it. 🙂 I usually keep the GPS on at home so the clock is perfectly accurate when I turn the GPS off and pack up for the dike.
BTW, the clock drift with GPS off is maybe a second per week here and that precision puts it in the realm of marine chronometers. It usually takes only a minute to have it synced to GPS again, so resyncing it when I’m running the Icom off its battery isn’t really a problem either.