the dx hog! - mississippi valley dx/contest club
TRANSCRIPT
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter
April 2019
Ham Radio Friedrichshafen 2018 by Eric Zust – WØTT
Note that Midwest Director, Rod - KØDAS also attended and has provided a write-up in the July
ARRL Midwest Division Newsletter. Rod and I were not aware that the other was attending and
were surprised to meet each other there. And since I traveled separately, on a different itinerary,
Rod asked me to document my impressions in this separate newsletter article.
My XYL Ronni and I have good friends in Germany who we met through Ham Radio and
Exchange Student programs about 20 years ago. And my good friend Jeff - DL5WM has been
inviting me to attend Ham Radio Friedrichshafen ever since. Over the years, I have
procrastinated with work and other activities getting in the way. But I retired in 2012 and my
excuses for not visiting Friedrichshafen were growing thin. Also Jeff traveled here and we met at
Hamvention 2017, so this forged my intent to travel to meet him in Europe in 2018.
Ronni agreed to accompany me to
Europe but she wanted to stay with
friends during the Ham Fair. So we flew
into Prague, Czech Republic about a
week before Ham Fair. And as we
deplaned in Prague I saw Jeff’s friendly
and familiar face, with him holding a
WØTT sign.
Prague is the capital of modern-day
Czech Republic as well as the previous
Czechoslovakia. It is a modern city with
a thriving tourist trade, but with some
remaining historical remnants from the
post WW-II Communist era, and from the
previous Imperial times.
Prague residents speak the Czech
language, with many persons speaking German as a second language. English is also spoken at
the hotels, restaurants and shops. We did have one language issue in taking a cab back to the
airport for our return flight. The cab driver spoke Czech and German, while I speak English and
Spanish. So we let Apple/iOS help, by showing the driver the departure information on my
iPhone, and then he knew to take us to the correct terminal.
Jeff - DL5WM meeting our flight
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 2
The Czech Republic still uses its own currency, the Czech Koruna or crown. They are now a
member of the European Union, but have not yet switched over to the Euro currency to become
common with most Western European countries. This made shopping a bit difficult, by having
pockets full of Czech crowns, Euros and USD coins and bills in various denominations.
Fortunately there were numerous currency exchange offices located throughout the downtown
area.
Prague’s best known tourist attraction is the
Astronomical Clock in the town square. Dating
back to the 1400’s, it has separate dials
representing the date and the movement of the
Moon around the Earth, and it marks every hour
with chimes, and life-sized statues moving across
the face of the clock. Unfortunately, the clock was
inoperative for repairs during our visit, and we
didn’t have an opportunity to see it operate.
We took the opportunity to sample local foods,
and especially the popular desert item Trdelník.
These were made in the street-side shops by
starting with an elongated pastry (like the Spanish
churro) and wrapping it around a rotating
motorized spit. Then deep frying and served filled
with ice cream or fresh fruit.
Prague's favorite treat - the Trdelník
Astronomical Clock in Prague Town Square
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 3
We also routed thru Prague on our return
trip and took a train from Germany to
Prague. I enjoyed being photographed at
the local train station under a sign listing
cities from four different DXCC countries!
DL5WM and his family live near Dresden in
eastern Germany, and Ronni and I stayed
in a hotel near the center of town. Dresden
is most famous historically for the Allied
Firebombing during WW-II where most of
the city was destroyed and many
inhabitants were killed. This was the
subject of the classic novel “Slaughterhouse-
five” by Kurt Vonnegut.
Dresden’s most notable landmark is Frauenkirche Dresden, the Lutheran Church that was
destroyed in the firebombing, but reconstructed in 2005, using some of the fire-damaged stones.
The original stones can be seen as the blackened stones on the exterior surface of the church
building.
WØTT at Prague Train Station
Inside Dresden’s historic Lutheran Church Sabine (daughter of DL5WM) and WØTT
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 4
Being part of the former German
Democratic Republic (East Germany,
deleted-DXCC prefix Y2-9), artifacts of the
old Communist GDR are occasionally seen.
One of the more notable items is the
Trabant automobile which was built in the
GDR from 1957 thru 1990. It was largely
seen as inferior in the Western world, but it
did feature a plastic body, which actually put
it well ahead of its time, since many
automotive parts are now composite or
plastic. It’s also unusual that the Trabant
has established a bit of a cult following
among US collectors. I tried to win one by
buying a $20 raffle ticket at the St. Louis
Museum of Transport, and my East German friends could not understand why I would ever want
one!
In stark contrast to the Trabant,
is the Audi that Jeff currently
drives. Seen here on the
cobblestone streets of Dresden
is his license plate DL CW 599,
and also his callsign decal on
the rear fender. I don’t believe
that Germany allows the actual
callsign as the license plate
number.
The long drive to
Friedrichshafen reminded me of
the yearly trek from St. Louis to
Dayton. Four ham friends,
talking about the treasures and
wonders that they hope to see and find. Only issue was that the other 3 guys were speaking
German most of the time, and I had to “jump-in” to the conversation in English, to get them to
switch languages.
Trabant cars in East German Museum Trabant cars in East German Museum
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 5
Germans are very proud of their high-speed
Autobahn highway network, and Jeff is not an
exception. As I looked at his speedometer I noted
the needle dancing between 170 and 180. Now
keeping in mind that German speedometers are
calibrated in kilometers per hour I wasn’t too
concerned. But when converting units after the fact,
I found that we were traveling 109 mph!
I guess this is consistent with the “Bad bad boy” title
on Jeff’s dashboard mounted playlist display.
We stayed in a local Inn near Friedrichshafen (would be called a Bed and Breakfast in the US),
which is where Jeff and his friends stay every year. And we started the day with a European
style breakfast consisting of fresh breads, deli meats & cheeses, and fresh fruit.
The exhibition hall used for Ham Radio fair has a
large, paved parking lot, and we immediately
noticed the Zeppelin factory co-located with the
Exposition hall. This is the site of the original
factory established by Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the
19th century.
Inn (Bed and Breakfast) at Friedrichshafen
Breakfast at the Inn
DL2UN, DL5WM, DL8SDC and DL5YWM
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 6
Ham radio Friedrichshafen was neat and
clean with well-kept exhibits, and an indoor
flea market area. We first covered some of
the Administrative areas with displays of
participants QSL cards, along with a world
map of where attendees were from.
Jeff’s son Daniel (DL5YWM) and I posted one
of the OA4 QSL cards that we used in our
DXpedition to Lima Peru that we conducted in
2005.
The world map display had push-pins available
for participants to identify our home QTH, and
quite understandably the map of Europe was
heavily weighted by these location pins. There
were a smaller number of pins in the US, with a
smattering on the east and west coasts. There
were fewer in our Midwest area, but one was
identified as my St. Louis colleague Sterling,
NØSSC who I later ran into at the flea market.
DL5YWM and WØTT pointing to their OA4 QSL card
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 7
Also to my surprise was running into
Midwest Director, Rod - KØDAS
and his friend Steve NUØP. It is
always nice to see familiar faces
when halfway around the world!
I found Friedrichshafen, its
exhibitors and other attendees to be
very friendly and cordial.
Oftentimes I was invited to sit down
at their booth, and share stories and
perspectives of ham radio on “the
other side of the QSO”. I was
especially welcomed by the exhibitors from Germany, Japan and Slovakia, since my XYL and I
had hosted exchange students from their countries. We immediately had common-ground to
discuss things that I had already learned about their countries, and what issues were most
important to the exchange students when they lived with us in St. Louis.
NUØP, KØDAS and WØTT
Slovakian Booth OM5RW, OG2M and well-known contester OK2PAY
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 8
WØTT with ARRL reps K5UR and KØQB
The World Radio Team Championship WRTC-2018 was held in Germany a month after
Friedrichshafen, so their organization had a large contingent of representatives. I met here with
the some of the folks from the WRTC group. When planning my European travel, I was hoping
that I could visit Ham Radio Friedrichshafen and WRTC-2018 in a single visit. Unfortunately the
timing did not work out since Friedrichshafen was in early June, and WRTC was in mid-July.
WØTT, DL6JGN, DL5YWM, DL6KVA and DL7VOG at WRTC-2018 booth
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 9
Many of the major manufacturers were present including Yaesu, Kenwood, Icom, Elecraft and
Flex. And their booths were well attended by interested hams.
Well organized indoor flea market area
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 10
One aspect of Friedrichshafen that I really enjoyed was the outdoor Beer garden. Not surprisingly
since Germans have a reputation of loving their brew, the beer garden seemed to be filled with
friends and conversation throughout the exhibition period. Here I sit with a number of German and
Swiss friends met at Friedrichshafen.
WØTT, DF8DX, DL5YWM, DL8RB and HB9SO
DX'ers from 3 different continents
WØTT, SP3HLM and DV8/KH7EA
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 11
One evening we visited the town of Friedrichshafen’s waterfront area, and I was able to take this
sunset photo of Lake Constance. Significant for DX’ers, this photo overlooks three DXCC
countries: Austria (OE), Liechtenstein (HBØ - the mountains in background), and Switzerland
(HB). And of course Germany (DL) in the foreground.
Standing in Germany (DL)
but looking into: Austria (OE), Liechtenstein (HBØ) and Switzerland (HB)
Capping-off our European trip was a side visit to Bolesławiec, Poland. It is a small town 100 miles
east of Dresden, and is most notable for production of Polish Pottery. My XYL Ronni is an
advanced Polish Pottery collector, and this was a golden opportunity for her to add to her
collection. In fact, we bought $200 of pottery and had it shipped back home. And surprisingly it
arrived undamaged a couple of months later!
We really enjoyed the European trip, and my opportunity to participate in Friedrichshafen for the
first time. If any of our readers is contemplating a trip to Europe, I would highly recommend the
Friedrichshafen Ham Radio fair. And I would also suggest scheduling extra days before and after
Ham Radio Fair, to visit the many nearby historical sites.
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 12
We traveled at a time when no visas were required (only a valid US Passport), but make sure to
double-check this before your visit, since many immigration rules are changing after Brexit.
So I now say auf Wiedersehen to all of my German friends, and farewell to the many new friends
that I met in Friedrichshafen. And hopefully will see them again on the air, or better yet, in person!
WØTT XYL Ronni looking at treasures
at Polish Pottery factory in Bolesławiec
ARRL Membership Statistics
by Rod Blocksome, K0DAS
In January I reported on our membership data for the past 4 years. Below are updated
charts reflecting data through the end of February. As you can see we haven’t yet
started to climb out of the decline since the dues increase three years ago. But it would
seem that we are seeing signs of it bottoming out. Invite a new ham to your local club
meetings and invite him/her to membership in ARRL. See you at some of the
spring/summer hamfests.
-10.0
-9.0
-8.0
-7.0
-6.0
-5.0
-4.0
-3.0
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
Jan
-15
Ap
r-1
5
Jul-
15
Oct
-15
Jan
-16
Ap
r-1
6
Jul-
16
Oct
-16
Jan
-17
Ap
r-1
7
Jul-
17
Oct
-17
Jan
-18
Ap
r-1
8
Jul-
18
Oct
-18
Jan
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Ap
r-1
9
Per
cen
tage
Ch
ange
Rel
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Jan
uar
y 2
01
5
ARRL Membership Compared to Midwest Division
Midwest
ARRL
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 13
It's LTOTA (Lunch Time On the Air)!
by Bryan Nehl, KØEMT I actually got a contact today! KXØR on 20M operating from a SOTA summit in
Colorado. Super faint. I was a bit nervous, a bit chilled from the wind and not totally
accustomed to the KX1 paddle. Probably a bit of QLF today. But we completed the
contact.
If weather cooperates I’ll try and get on for lunch tomorrow too. Why not join me LTOTA!
72 de Bryan, KØEMT
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 14
Around the Midwest Division
Here are 3 photos from the Lincoln Hamfest and 2 from my visit to Last Man Standing on
March 12th. There is a shot of me at the ham shack that is part of the show and also one
of Jet Jurgensmeyer (he plays “Boyd” on the show) along with his dad, Scott. Both
passed their Tech tests on the last day I was there. I operated FT8 in Fox/Hound mode
from the setup that is part of the show and watched them film an entire episode.
73 de Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 15
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Apr. 2019 p. 17
Midwest Division ARRL Hamfests & Conventions
04/05/2019 | OzarkCon Location: Branson, MO Type: ARRL Convention Sponsor: Four State QRP Group Website: http://www.ozarkcon.com/index.php
04/06/2019 | Heartland Hams ARC Hamfest Location: Glenwood, IA Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Heartland Hams Amateur Radio Club Website: http://www.heartlandhams.org
04/06/2019 | Spring Cleanup 2019 Location: Bellevue, NE Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Bellevue Amateur Radio Club Website: http://bellevuearc.org
04/20/2019 | Ararat Shrine Hambash Location: Kansas City, MO Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Ararat Shrine Radio Club Website: https://www.hambash.com/
04/27/2019 | DMRAA Hamfest Location: Des Moines, IA Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Des Moines Radio Amateurs Association Website: http://www.dmraa.com/hamfest
05/31/2019 | 3900 Club Hamboree 2019
Location: Boone, IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: 3900 Club
Website: http://www.3900club.com
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Mar. 2019 p. 18
06/08/2019 | SWIARA Swap Meet
Location: Creston , IA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Southwest Iowa Amateur Radio Association
07/21/2019 | Zero Beaters Hamfest
Location: Washington, MO
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Zero Beaters Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.zerobeaters.org
07/25/2019 | 53rd Annual Central States VHF Society Conference Location: Lincoln, NE Type: ARRL Convention Sponsor: Central States VHF Society Website: http://www.csvhfs.org
08/11/2019 | St Charles Amateur Radio Club Hamfest Location: O'Fallon, MO Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: St Charles Amateur Club Website: http://wb0hsi.org
09/21/2019 | Reno County Kansas Amateur Radio Club Hamfest Location: Hutchinson, KS Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Reno County Kansas Amateur Radio Club
10/05/2019 | Annual Southside ARC Hamfest Location: Belton, MO Type: ARRL Hamfest Sponsor: Southside ARC Website: http://southsidearc.net/hamfest/
10/06/2019 | Iowa State Convention (Southeast Iowa Hamfest) Location: West Liberty, IA Type: ARRL Convention Sponsor: Muscatine ARC & Washington Area ARC Website: http://www.MuscatineARC.org/se-ia-hamfest
ARRL Midwest Div. Newsletter — Mar. 2019 p. 19
Midwest Division Special Event Stations
05/04/2019 | Lewis & Clark 1804 Expedition Old Baldy ( AKA) The Tower
May 4-Oct 14, 0500Z-0500Z, N0HWJ, Lynch, NE. N0HWJ. 14.325 14.245 3.970 3.950.
QSL. Don Lallier, N0HWJ , P.O. Box 303, 610 Windom St., Orchard, NE 68764. I ran this
last year from my Cabin about 200 yards from Old Baldy next to the Missouri River in Holt
County. I am usually on during the weekends and some weekdays in the summer months.
Lewis and Clark noted The Tower in their Journal and the finding of the Black Tailed Prairie
dog that they captured and brought back alive to the president of the US.
[email protected] or www.qrz.com/db/n0hwj
05/18/2019 | 3rd Annual William Becknell Heritage Days Special Event -
Founder of the Santa Fe Trail
May 18-May 19, 1400Z-2200Z, WB0SFT/KC0VYS, Overland Park, KS. William Becknell
Santa Fe Trail Heritage Days. 21.365 14.265 7.265 3.865 1.830 SSB/CW/FT8. Certificate &
QSL. See website for, information on receiving, certificate. See website for information;
certificate and QSL available via website after the event. www.wb0sft.org
07/06/2019 | World War 1 Centennial
Jul 6-Jul 7, 1500Z-2100Z, WW1USA, Kansas City, MO. National World War 1 Museum and
Memorial. SSB: 21.250 14.250 7.200; CW: 21.057 14.057 7.057; FT8: 14.074 7.200 7.074.
Certificate & QSL. WW1USA, National World War 1 Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial
Drive, Kansas City, MO 64108. We will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of signing
of the peace treaties ending World War 1. Our operation will be on the south lawn of the
Museum. All local and visiting hams are invited to come visit. [email protected] or
https://www.theworldwar.org/amateurradio
Midwest Division News and Photos Wanted!
If you have news and photos about events or activities from the Midwest Division, email
them to Director Rod Blocksome K0DAS at [email protected].
ARRL Midwest Division Leadership
Director: Rod Blocksome K0DAS
[email protected] 319-393-8022
Vice Director: Art Zygielbaum K0AIZ
[email protected] 402-421-0839
Iowa Section Manager: Bob McCaffrey, K 0CY
Kansas Section Manager: Ron Cowan, KB0DTI
Missouri Section Manager: Cecil Higgins, AC0HA
Nebraska Section Manager: Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ
DX Advisory Committee: John Yodis, K2VV (MO)
Contest Advisory Committee: Glenn Johnson, W0GJ (IA)
Midwest Division Volunteer Counsel: Craig Long, K0CSL (IA)
Division Legislative Action Chair: Mike Edwards, WB9M (MO)
Legislative Action Coordinators: Nick Critelli, K 0PCG (IA); Bruce Frahm, K0BJ (KS &
NE); Mike Edwards, WB9M (MO).
Assistant Directors (Missouri): Paul Haefner K 0JPL, Dave Propper K2DP, Kent Trimble K9ZTV, Roger Volk K0GOB, Cecil Higgins AC0HA, John Frederick N8GOU, Eric Zust W0TT, Randy Schulze KD0HKD, and Ron Lowrance, K4SX.
Assistant Directors (Kansas): Mike Albers K 0FJ, Jim Andera K0NK, Bill Henderson K0VBU, Charlie Hett K0THN, Richard Johnson K0RCJ, Rick Tucker W0RT, and Jon Jones N0JK.
Assistant Directors (Iowa): Tim Busch N0CKR, C.W. Pantel K0IIR, and Jim Spencer W0SR
Assistant Directors (Nebraska): Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ, Joe Eisenberg K0NEB, Allen Harpham WD0DXD, and Todd LeMense KK0DX.
Midwest Division Webmaster: Steve Schmitz W0SJS email: [email protected]
Midwest Division’s website: http://www.arrlmidwest.org/