AC0UH Callsign on QRZCQ.com

Biography

I have not found a way to upload from N3FJP Logbook live direcly into QRZCQ. I use QRZ.com as a copy of my live N3FJP Logbook. I will try to upload here at QRZCQ.com on a weekly basis. AC0UH 1/14/2024

I was first licensed when in junior high school and operated by dad's Viking II transmitted at 75 watts cw, at first with a straight key and later with a Heathkit electronic keyer. Paid for and built my own Heathkit HW 101 when I was in high school. Fell in love with music when we moved into a house previously owned by a band director who left an 'old beat-up' piano. In high school, I bought my own piano, a Balwin studio upright, which I have carted throughout our travels. I became a music teacher following a major in music education and a performance (piano) minor at Knox College, Galesburg, IL.
I was a band director for 24 years, a high school principal for 8 years, and a public-school superintendent for 9 years. On the side, I was a church organist for 20+ years. Assistant church organist first at the Bethel Presbyterian in Hamilton, IL during high and main organist in three other churches later. Received a master’s in music education from Western IL University, Macomb, IL, a master’s and a specialist’s degrees in Education Administration at Southern IL University, Carbondale, IL. I retired in 2011 and my wife, Marilyn, and I make use of our time visiting our twin sons on the east coast, our hobbies, and traveling.
When I got active in amateur radio again after a long absence, I wanted to see if I could handle the new software defined radios. I settled on the Flex 6600M as it could be operated both with the traditional 'knobs' on the front or via connected to a computer. Quickly got use to the advantages of connecting to it with my Windows PC. I can operate it both in my 'shack' or elsewhere via the Internet. Presently in the process of putting together a station on the lowest level of my split level. Spent the fall adding an outside entry panel running coax, ground, through 2" conduit inside to a closet and then the room for the 'shack'. It is nice to have lightning arrestors and a well thought-out ground system for the first time!
Enjoy FT4 and FT8 as well as WSPR. The Flex 6600M is very flexible and works great for experimentation. Presently, I am enjoying using 10 dBm 10mW on QRPpp to see how far my WSPR beacon will carry in addition to being an active spotter when my rig is free from other uses. What a great hobby amateur radio is and how technology has advanced since I was in junior high.

Worked DXCCs:

View my worked DXCCs

Equipment

Rig: Flex 6600M with optional antenna tuning package and with external satellite GPS frequency stabilization to it and my transverter, a Q Signal, 5BVUX.

Antenna: Lost one of my large trees, Used an Eagle One Vertical with eight radials for temporary antenna in backyard for several months but now have reinstalled my G5RV as a sloper. It runs from the SW of my property from a tall maple (45-50') to slope NE to my storage shed (10'). The G5RV has much better broadband capability and lower SWR than the Eagle One. I like to run three bands monitoring FT8 while I have one slice of my Flex 6600m band hopping on WSPR at 0.001 watt. I have the Flex 6600m running at its minimum setting (1 watt) and then WSJT-X power set at -20.2 dB while on the ten milliwatt setting. I also monitor this with a Monitor Sensors, Power and SWR Meter. It has four power settings, the lowest of which is 0.00 to 19.9 watts with resolution to 0.01 watt. It can also manage an SWR range from 1.00:1 to 99:1. I use it to reduce the power setting in WSJT-x to the level that gives me at or below 0.01 watt. Monitor Sensors, Australia, states that one can expect the power measurements to be better than 5% over most of the power and frequency range. I believe this does not necessarily guarantee that I am transmitting a WSPR beacon of 0.001 watt, but I do believe it gets me down to that level better than anything else I have found (at a reasonable price) to achieve my qQRP WSPR goal.

I also use a MAT-TUNER, mAT-125E, for portable operation of the Eagle One on the towing mount on my all-electric EV 2022 Ford-150 Lightning. It can tune with as low a one watt of power with a capture of only 25ms sample of the signal. When used with the automatic band hopping and tuning features of WSJT-X, it allows for changing SWR conditions in the field for WSPR use.