Adventures in Ham Radio

[Rastus]

W1AW is kewl.  I have never made a contact with them. 

LOTW being down is an issue.  They were down for a long time due to a hack but I can't remember the exact details.  Do you use a logging program or go into LOTW direct?

I'm using Ham Radio Deluxe for a logging program and submit entries from it to LOTW.  Then I will also import the logs onto QRZ.com .  I also have an eQSL account...but I can hardly remember when I used it last.

[alfsauve]

W1AW for FD operates 6 transmitters which means they've got one on each band 80-6m (no WARC). 

I don't have general purpose logging software like HRD.  I only operate FT8 and FT4 so I use Grid Tracker to update its local log and to send each contact to LoTW.  When it comes back on-line, I'll take the GT local log, delete all the contacts prior to 6/27, when LoTW went down, then do a manual upload through the tQSL app. 

I guess if I ever started doing SSB or CW to any extent I'd need HRD.

Maybe next year I might get off my duff and bring up a battery backup unit and operate on "emergency" power.

By the way, for the first time since in forever, I actually submitted my log to ARRL FD.  I claim 108 points, but they're awarding me 50 bonus, so I think my score will be 158.
On their FD web page they've got a list of submitted logs.

https://field-day.arrl.org/


Alf - W4ADS

[Rastus]

Nice.  QRZ has a logger.  You can import your LOTW (when it is working) to create a database in the QRZ logger and then you can use the QRZ logger, if you like, and have it submit to you LOTW account.  It works well for me....so if I am away from my HRD I enter into the QRZ logger.  Then I import the QRZ into the HRD to catch it up.

[alfsauve]

This was 13 Colonies weekend.  I called a couple of stations, but that was it.  Too busy with grandkids and Shooting Steel.  Also when I went to the bat cave to load out for the match an alarm was going off.  Seems the batteries died on my UPS.  The one that backs up the Internet modem, Wi-Fi and VOIP phone.  Plugged them all in direct till I can get a new battery.

[Rastus]

"bay cave"?  Replacing a battery in a UPS can be overly expensive.  I hope you do not have a model that beeps when the power goes out that you cannot silence...I had two of those which came home from the office when we shut down things.  I recently had one of them give up the ghost and I'll be doggone if I will buy a new battery...I got a whole new UPS. 

I have six UPS here now.  I don't know what your needs are but I went with a Goldenmate 1000VA& 800 watt for a recent replacement.  It has a lighter LifePO4 battery in it which will outlast the lead acid ones. It is a pure sine wave and was on sale for $160 when I got it.  They are now $190.  I did not get the 1,500 VA because that jumped the price up more double...$200.  I use it strictly to power backup for the fiber optic router so that's big enough for quite a few hours. 

If you need 1500 VA I have had great service with both of my CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1500VA/1000W which go for $240.  Cyberpower are pure sine wave.

If approximated sine wave is good enough I have a couple PC UPS 1500VA UPS Battery Backup and Surge Protector, BX1500M Backup and they run about $185.  They work well but are not pure sine wave.  Hint!  Hint!  Don not use an approximated sine wave to feed a power supply especially a power supply that has it's own short term backup...they run hot with an approximated sine wave feed.  I fed my fiber optic router which had like a 5 minute backup on it and after a couple of hours you could smell plastic getting hot. 

So if you are going to feed a UPS backup with a UPS backup make certain you feed the downstream backup with a pure sine wave or you may be sorry.

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