[3830] NAQP RTTY VE7FO M/2 LP

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North American QSO Party, RTTY - July

Call: VE7FO
Operator(s): VA7NF VE7FO
Station: VE7FO

Class: M/2 LP
QTH: Vancouver
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   80:   17     8
   40:   46    30
   20:   95    40
   15:    8     6
   10:    7     5
-------------------
Total:  173    89  Total Score = 15,397

Club: Orca DX and Contest Club

Team: 

Comments:

NAQP RTTY SUMMER 17
                              
At last, the first appearance of VE7FO as an honest to goodness M/2.  All you
guys with 27 towers watch out.

Recently bought a set of 4O3A filters and triplexer.  Have had them installed
for a week or two but connections were made with coax I've had lying around for
decades.  So, time to get serious.  

MONDAY, Jul 10   
Found the roll of LMR 400 coax which has been waiting patiently for me to put
it to proper use (it was $800 per 1,000 ft then) and started to make up the 3
jumpers between the 20, 15 and 10 filters and the triplexer.  I even had the
right connectors for LMR 400.  Well, try as I might, I couldn't get the
strippers to work properly.  While the strippers say 213 on them I had been
assured that they would work fine on my coax.  

TUESDAY, Jul 11
You don't want to know

WEDNESDAY, Jul 12
Off to the coax distributor (not the one who sold me the strippers - an
industrial distributor) to get him to show me how to do this properly.  He was
VERY helpful.  To start with, he agreed that my strippers just won't work.  I
asked him to sell me a pair which would work.  Oddly, they don't stock them. 
They will have one I can try in a few days for only $150 CAD.  While all this
probably doesn't meet anyone's idea of "helpful", the Tech showed me
how to retract all the blades except the one that cuts the dielectric and then
run the stripper backwards.  Leaves you with a lot of braid which has to be
trimmed back.  A real pain.  Still, you CAN get it done better than with a
utility knife.  He was adamant that if I were to forget or not understand
anything which transpired I should phone him.

THURSDAY, Jul 13
The BPFs are finally connected to the triplexer after 4 days of buggering
around.  Ran out of time to replace all the other coax as I now have to clean
out about half the ham shack to make room for op position #2 (Radio B) and the
N1MM Master computer, install radio B, computer, etc, set up the radio
configuration and get the network functioning with the radios A and B and the
master computer.  (I need a new house.  This one's full.)  Starting to think
may not have time to have B working when the contest starts so decide to
concentrate on the network and make sure it is funtioning properly and
distributing time and spots.  It isn't.  Also, N1MM keeps telling me that one
of the computers is claiming to be some one else.  Reminds me of the 60's when
a common phrase was, "Wow, that's something else" used to describe
something unusual.  In my efforts to be "hip" and "with it"
I said about another person, "Wow, that guy's someone else," causing a
member of the foresome I was golfing with to say, "Well, who is he
then?"

FRIDAY, Jul 14
The N1MM network status window lists the IP addresses of each computer on the
network, including its own.  I happened to notice that on one computer the list
was different from the others.  (Well, duhh..., didn't you notice N1MM trying to
tell you that?)  OK, just find the computer address table and change the
offending address.  Hmm... they're all blank.  Must mean they're set some other
way.  Wait a minute, isn't there something called DHCP with the D meaning
"dynamic"?  And, further, don't these addresses get assigned at boot
time?  HAAH.  Reboot the computer and problem vanishes.

I'm very proud of myself for having being able to sort this network stuff out
while tired and crabby.  A tribute to N1MM.

So, all 3 computers have stopped nattering at me, a Q made at one position
shows up in every computer's log, spots are doing what they should, I think
we'll be ready with a functioning network at the opening gun.

SATURDAY, Jul 15, Show Time
Turns out the B computer doesn't have MMTTY installed and the uHam MK II keyer
configuration is all messed up (and so am I - mind has turned to mush).  I
conclude that as I perform the various configuration steps I should document
them, the idea being to end up with detailed info on the configuration of each
of the 3 positions as opposed to thrashing around until it all works and not
knowing what I did.  Didn't complete this before the contest ended.  (It's
actually a pretty big job.  With everything else that's going on in my life
I'll be pretty happy if I've got a total station configuration book complete by
Xmas.)

In the meantime, VA7NF is making Qs on A while bitching about the wall wart RFI
snarling back and forth on the K3 panadaptor like a chinese ceremonial dragon.

SATURDAY, Aug 5, NAQP CW
VE7FO vows to have M/2 working before the contest starts.  Stay tuned for all
the imaginative excuses.

73, Jim  VE7FO


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