The webmaster has an ongoing project of adding various links of interest to the W4HOD Links Page. If your amateur radio related organization or business would like to have a link on our page, please drop an email to the webmaster.

Call: W4HOD
Operator(s): AA4YL
Station: W4HOD

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Loachapoka, AL
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
——————————
160:
80:
40:  10      7        7
20:  31     14       29
15:  20     53       20
10:
——————————
Total:  61     30       56  Total Score = 13,244

Club: Alabama Contest Group

Comments:

My first experience with a big SSB DX contest. Great fun and
thanks for the contacts. Looking forward to more power and better antennas next year!

The recent K4M DXpedition knows a great digital interface. Look on top of the Icom transeiver. They are using a RigExpert interface. The same interface used by W4HOD with great success. By the way, no RTTY contester at W4HOD chews tobacco.

The State of Alabama is now issuing a newly designed amateur radio tag. The new tag was issued beginning in May. The design is a fairly radical departure from the former design, but I think it looks very good

To receive your amateur radio tag, just present your FCC license to your local motor vehicle license official and they will do the rest.

http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/motorvehicle/amradio.htm

On a recent visit to the Loachapoka post office to check the W4HOD mail, there were a stack of QSL cards waiting. KA4PKB and AA4YL spent a couple of hours filling out cards and stuffing envelopes. We mailed 17 DX cards though the ARRL outgoing bureau. It cost $2.50 and the postage on the envelope, not a bad deal at all.

There should be a stack of cards coming in from the CQ WW RTTY contest soon. Plus, there are two RTTY contests next weekend, the NCJ RTTY Sprint and the Makrothen. Both of them should be fun!

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY

Call: W4HOD
Operator(s): KA4PKB, AA4YL
Station: W4HOD

Class: M/S LP
QTH: Loachapoka, AL
Operating Time (hrs): 36

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Pts  State/Prov  DX   Zones
————————————————
80:       11    11       9            1     3
40:      197   317      40          40   18
20:      151   347      24          45    17
15:       65    178       4           29    14
10:
—————————————–
Total:  424  853      77      115    52  Total Score = 208,132

Club: Alabama Contest Group

Comments:

Great contest. The IC-746 Pro and MFJ 998 tuner worked flawlessly. Best score
for W4HOD yet. Lots of fun.

KA4PKB and AA4YL will be operating the CQ WW RTTY contest this weekend. We are using the club call W4HOD and operating from the QTH of KA4PKB. The R8 is up and we have a long wire for 75 meters. We are using the IC-746Pro, RigExpert Plus and logging with Writelog. Hope to see you on the bands!

The W4HOD VE team held a special testing session for the Auburn University High Altitude Balloon club on the AU campus. The session was a great success with 11 of 13 applicants passing their test. There were 10 Technicians and 1 General who passed. Congrats to all of them. Considering the study load they have at Auburn, all of them deserve it.

http://space.auburn.edu/ahab/

W4HOD received our Certificate of Affiliation from the ARRL last week. This is a very important document to us, as it shows how far this club has come in 2 years. We have pulled together as a team and achieved all we set out to do. The future does look bright!

Several members stand out for their contributions. I won’t name them here, but you know who you are. Thanks for everything you do.

KA4PKB, KA4NDY and I had breakfast as Hardees on Wire Road in Auburn this morning. We had a good breakfast and then discussed the world’s problems and solved a good many of them.

Afterwards we went to the clubhouse and started working on the 80 meter dipole that KI4KUT loaned us for the Alabma QSO Party next Saturday. W4HOD is pleased to have our newest member Darrell, K9MUG helping operate our CW station for the QSO Party.

Darrell donated an Icom-746 PRO to our club last month. We presented him with a lifetime membership in W4HOD and purchased a brick on the ARRL Terrace in Newington in his name.

The April meeting is on the 14th. The meal begins around 6:15 PM and the meeting begins at 7:00 PM. The menu this month begins the grilling season for 2009. We will have burgers, dogs, and the fixins. Tea, soft drinks, and dessert too.

Join us if you can. Meal is $5.00 per person. Please give us a heads up if you plan on attending.