I highly recommend a little and often. I guarantee [money back, no quibbles] that you will make steady progress if you consistently devote 10-15 minutes three times a week to learning the code. [No more, because you might not stick to it].
There are plenty of Morse learning aids available nowadays, on line and apps - much better than the C60 cassette tapes of Morse I learnt with back in the day.
Focus on transcribing slow-speed Morse to paper (but preferably with a character speed of 12-15wpm so your āearā learns the unique sound of each character) for at least 3 weeks before you try sending Morse. That way, your keying will mimic the sound in your brain to get the timing correct. As a musician that should come easier to you.
If you start soon, you could be having on-air CW QSOs by the Spring. And there are plenty of CW ops who would be happy to have a 12wpm QSO with you.
Me too Brian, but it has been superceded by more modern and effective apps and methods.
Iād recommend setting up an account at http://lcwo.net these days. Chances are the initial learning method will still be based on Koch principles, but the methods and apps are many times more engaging, and progress is faster as a result.
Iāve been wondering about this challenge, and the use of FM.
Anyone else considering FM?
With my local summit being a 15min drive and 5 min stroll (G/SP-017) and using the FT-8900 quad band (10/6/2/70cm) and a simple 1/4 wave vertical would be a very simple and quite lightweight setup with 50w output.
Aye, Koch is everywhere, which is great if it works for you, but not so great if it doesnāt. The incremental random approach at the core of Koch was exactly not what my brain needed; it just took me a couple of years to realise thatā¦
Now, well past time I sorted out an antenna for 10 metres. Ideally itād be something extra-easily-deployed. My link-dipole only has links as far as 17 metres. Iāve a feeling my GP-vertical for 10 metres is in a bag under the stairs in my familyās house in Kenya, though I guess I could re-create it easily enough. A (vertical) sleeve-dipole might be worth a try, but Moxons and hexbeams would be too complicated to deploy. What other designs might fit the bill?
I have a very lightweight 12.5m-long LNR Precision EFT-10/20/40 EFHW which works well on 10m configured as an inverted L with either my 5m or 3.5m poles. Itās reasonably quick to deploy and with my KX2 pulled in east- and west-coast N/A stations a few months ago on CW.
Iāve found making single-band EFHWs pretty easy (my robust 40m version gets excellent reports used with my kite).
My LNR EFHW has been much underused because I usually play safe and take a EFHW for 30m, my favourite band because it always delivers for me. But with the 10m Challenge, itās time for me to be less risk adverse.
Iāve made and successfully used a 10m delta loop. On the recent Transatlantic event it reached into SA and NA on SSB although this was with 50W. With QRP a beam of some sort would be very helpful otherwise CW which I will try on 10m on my first activations in 2024.
The only problem with the 10m Delta loop is the 10m band is so wide a single length antenna doesnāt cover the full range. Iāve added a link in mine using bullet plugs. With the link in it covers the CW/digital end, take it out for SSB.
Snap. Mine is docile from 28.00 to 28.60 but the match deteriorates fast as you climb up. Iām not sure if itās the 75ohm line that is getting too long or the antenna is really too big. I havenāt tried it with the KX2 so the tuner should fix that issue.
Takes me back to when I lived on The Wirral. Brian G4ZRP (sk) used to use 10FM to natter to his namesake Brian G4ZQP (sk). He said they used 10FM as heād built a Shimizu SS-105 and was determined to make use of it! It also left his HF/6m rig free for 6m openings.
Yes, well a 0.64wave. Needed a matching coil at the base to add in some +j for the -j the radiator had. Feed was tapped about a turn up for CW end of the band and turn+half for SSB. I made the coil a fraction too big so there was more +j than -j and it was easier to add about 8cms of RG174 as a few pF of -j. It worked butā¦ it need my 8m pole which weighs a few tons
Andy and all,
I have built a flowerpot antenna for 10 m based on the published design of Andrew VK1AD. Itās a half wave and fits on a 7 m squid pole. All for the Challenge.
However you guys in the NT seem to have confiscated the sunspots as we are down below 50 and falling and the other indicators are sick. If I make one contact tomorrow via the ionosphere Iāll be very surprised.
So please release the sunspots. Now if you donāt mind.
Fear not, Ron. A large sunspot is about to rotate into view, or so we are told. Detecting farside sunspots by seismic activity is new to me so Iāll watch with interest. Meanwhile the low activity sector of the sun facing us, with its attendent coronal hole, will only last a few days. Until then you will have to make do with Es on ten!
Thatās good but the sunspots were very much in evidence three days ago. There has been a remarkable drop since then.
I can only conclude you have snaffled them. You might protest that they have moved off the visible disc in the normal rotation but who would believe that.
Itās 10 m or bust and bust is looking probable. I will be running 10 W.
Well Andy, having a āleague tableā or "table of Scores " or whatever else you care to call it when you have published a list then someone always wants to be first. and for sota not being a contest just listen to the operating procedures that now go on by chasers unfortunately sometimes I just switch off as I cannot be bothered with the bun fight. It can be worse than some of the big dx contests you would think the world is going to end it certainly was not like this in 2009 when I started Sota operators would wait paiently on S2S finishing and bring in weak stations they days are gone.
