| Date | User | Challenge | Status | Toot summary & link |
|---|
| 2025-01-03 11:52:52 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 1 | Success! | For week 1 of the #hamchallenge, my goal was to create a new QSL card specifically for my #POTA contacts. This is a photo that I took at park US-1541, and while I didn't ultimately end up activating due to antenna issues (yes, with the one pictured), I still think it captures what I love about POTA.HC01SOn to next week - figuring out IARU beacons. |
| 2025-01-08 23:48:39 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 2 | Success! | Very interesting results for the #hamchallenge week two monitoring of beacons. Overall, this has been pretty fun, although the last two days I haven't been able to get on during the day. Results posted below:HC02SAll results from EN72ef:Tuesday 01/07 - times 00:55 - 01:02 UTCLU4AA on 14.100 at 100WW6WX on 14.100 at 100W4U1UN on 14.100 at 100WLU4AA on 18.110 at 100WCould not make out any other bands1/ |
| 2025-01-13 10:24:55 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 3 | Progress update... | Okay, attempt number 1 for Week 3. I've kinda been dreading this one, as I don't currently have an 80m (and definitely not a 160m) antenna up in the air.Strategy 1: see if my 41' EFLW will tune up well enough to make a contact via FT8. Here goes nothing.#hamchallenge HC03 |
| 2025-01-16 19:18:23 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 3 | Progress update... | Okay, attempt number 2 for the HC03 in progress. 80m EFHW cut - now to tromp into the snowy back woods and yeet it into a tree. Going to try to get on 80m tonight.#hamchallenge #hamradio |
| 2025-01-18 10:47:57 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 3 | Progress update... | Ug. So close. But as I never received a 73, per my own rules, I don't log this as a contact. The 80m HC03 continues onward...Red is where P40AA hears and replys back to me, but then immediately goes on to another station (that they were already trying), and I never get the 73 if they sent one.#hamchallenge #hamradio |
| 2025-01-18 14:33:41 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 3 | Progress update... | Behold, my attempt 3 for HC03 - the Franken-Vertical.Chameleon 25ft whip, on top of 2 Buddipole coils, using the Buddipole tripod as a base. 3 10 meter radials and window mesh for the ground.80m FT8 or bust!#hamchallenge #hamradio |
| 2025-01-18 14:39:42 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 3 | Progress update... | Ug. So close. But as I never received a 73, per my own rules, I don't log this as a contact. The 80m HC03 continues onward...Red is where P40AA hears and replys back to me, but then immediately goes on to another station (that they were already trying), and I never get the 73 if they sent one.#hamchallenge #hamradio |
| 2025-01-19 03:36:06 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 3 | Success! | HC03S Finally, the 80M band opened up enough to Europe that I was able to complete a contact on FT8 with CR6WWA.Got E7W just now for good measure.#hamchallenge #hamradio |
| 2025-01-26 19:50:36 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 4 | Success! | HC04S. My current, and original, callsign KC9RED was first issued to me after I took my Technician exam at the Baraboo WI Hamfest in January 2010. In September 2011, after I had passed my Extra, I changed to a Vanity callsign, NU8N, as I was about to graduate from Northwestern University (NU!).Now I know I was not the original NU8N, but neither the DLARC or the FCC database shows a y data on the original holder. If anyone knows who that was (or has a QSL), I'd love to know. |
| 2025-01-26 19:55:37 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 4 | Success! | HC04S. My current, and original, callsign KC9RED was first issued to me after I took my Technician exam at the Baraboo WI Hamfest in January 2010. In September 2011, after I had passed my Extra, I changed to a Vanity callsign, NU8N, as I was about to graduate from Northwestern University (NU!).DLARC lists the original NU8N as James Kortge, of Fenton MI, not too far from where I reside now. |
| 2025-01-26 19:59:37 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 4 | Success! | HC04S. My current, and original, callsign KC9RED was first issued to me after I took my Technician exam at the Baraboo WI Hamfest in January 2010. In September 2011, after I had passed my Extra, I changed to a Vanity callsign, NU8N, as I was about to graduate from Northwestern University (NU!).DLARC lists the original NU8N as Jim Kortge, of Fenton MI, not too far from where I reside now. Jim looks to have been an avid bicycle enthusiast, like me, as well as an QRP affictionado |
| 2025-02-01 03:20:03 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 5 | Success! | HC05S. Finally got a couple of photos up on QRZ. Given that I'm currently on a work/ski trip and on shoddy WiFi, that'll have to do for now.Tried to update my POTA profile pic, but that kept giving me an error. I intend to create a HamQTH page when I get home. |
| 2025-02-07 02:37:04 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 6 | Progress update... | HC06 Well, I at least attempted a contest, but I can't in any good faith call it a success. The only real contest that fit into my schedule was the NCCC FT4 Sprint. I got my rig all set up for FT4, which I had never run before. Even ensured I made a few contacts before the contest started.The results: absolute nada on 20m, 15, and 10m. Didn't hear anyone either on 40m (couldn't get antenna to tune up properly though).When is a contest not a contest? |
| 2025-02-07 02:38:04 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 6 | Progress update... | HC06 Well, I at least attempted a contest, but I can't in any good faith call it a success. The only real contest that fit into my schedule was the NCCC FT4 Sprint. I got my rig all set up for FT4, which I had never run before. Even ensured I made a few contacts before the contest started.The results: absolute nada on 20m, 15, and 10m. Didn't hear anyone either on 40m (couldn't get antenna to tune up properly though).When is a contest not a contest?#hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-09 22:24:36 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 6 | Success! | HC06S. I managed to decode some of the signals for the CQ WPX RTTY contest, which is really the only contest that fits into my schedule this week. I currently see W5JK calling CQ and making contacts with K2AL, N2LK, and now N8WCP.I have to be honest - this is my first time using RTTY and I don't feel comfortable enough with it to actually try making a contact without screwing someone else up. But between my failed FT4 contest earlier and this, I'll call it a success for now. |
| 2025-02-15 22:33:57 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 7 | Success! | HC07SIn addition to all of the other sources for DXpeditions listed, one source that I look it is DXnews.com. It doesn't exactly have the best calendar, but I can see that stations like HD8CW/HC8N (Galapagos), V73WW (Marshall Islands), and TY5C (Benin) should all be currently active.Myself? I just worked CQ35MD (Maderia Islands) and 7X2RF (Algeria). Both aren't particularly rare, but it's always good to get interesting DX stations.#hamchallenge #hamradio |
| 2025-02-17 10:30:29 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 8 | Success! | HC08SWell, that was easy. Right underneath the announcement post on my Mastodon timeline was someone thinking about getting their license, and I gave them some encouragement to do so.There are several people that I hope to encourage IRL this week too, so I'm already calling this a success. |
| 2025-02-28 22:11:43 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 9 | Progress update... | In my weekly #hamradio nerddom, my HC09 was a resounding dud. I definitely heard a 10m repeater identifier, but it wasn't one of the ones I had in my directory. Tried to get into the N9JHQ, KB9KRI, and WD8DPA repeaters, but heard nothing back. Did end up doing a 20m #POTA activation though, so the day wasn't a complete loss |
| 2025-04-24 11:30:34 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 17 | Success! | It's been a very hot minute since I've participated in the Ham Challenge, due to a wide variety of factors. But I can definitely call this a HC17S.The closest VHF (2 meter) repeater to me is the W8VY 00 repeater (147.000), at just over a mile away. We're also looking at moving our 220 repeater to the same tower site, but the club needs a qualified climber first. |
| 2025-08-03 15:32:46 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 31 | Success! | HC31S. Well, what a good week to get back into the Ham Challenge. I tried three new modes, although each without success of an actual QSO:SSTV: I can receive just fine, but it didn't seem like I was actually transmitting. More diagnosis is needed between my rig and QSSTV JT65: I tried calling CQ for a bit, but no answers. Thus, I couldn't tell if something was wrong, or if no one was using the modeHellschreiber: definitely want to play around with this one more 😈 |
| 2025-08-08 12:27:41 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 32 | Success! | HC32S. I managed to find Radio New Zealand Pacific, on 9700 khz. Pretty good signal on my antenna, which is basically ideal for the 30m band. |
| 2025-09-07 11:01:59 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 36 | Success! | Week 36 of the is a fairly easy HC36S for me. My entire rig is in a go box for portable operations, with a LiTime 12AH LiFePo battery and a West Mountain Radio Epic PWRGate handling power distribution. Add in a JankaPOTAmus Gateway laptop that runs on 12V, and my entire station is battery operated. |
| 2025-09-07 13:52:15 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 36 | Success! | Week 36 of the is a fairly easy HC36S for me. My entire rig is in a go box for portable operations, with a LiTime 12AH LiFePo battery and a West Mountain Radio Epic PWRGate handling power distribution. Add in a JankaPOTAmus Gateway laptop that runs on 12V, and my entire station can be battery operated. |
| 2025-09-10 01:02:24 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 37 | Success! | Got my HC37S completed early this week. Man, things are just extremely open right now!In order:Spain (20M)Benin (20<) - new DXCC for meBrazil (17M)Portugal (30M)French Guiana (30M)West Kiribati (40M) - new DXCC for meHawaii (40M)Samoa (12M)Venezuela (12M)Kenya (15M) - new DXCC for meWill post screenshots in a little bit.(didn't even have to use Canada as a DX entity) |
| 2025-09-10 01:03:24 | bgarfoot@kind.social | 37 | Success! | Got my HC37S completed early this week. Man, things are just extremely open right now!In order:Spain (20M)Benin (20M) - new DXCC for meBrazil (17M)Portugal (30M)French Guiana (30M)West Kiribati (40M) - new DXCC for meHawaii (40M)Samoa (12M)Venezuela (12M)Kenya (15M) - new DXCC for meWill post screenshots in a little bit.(didn't even have to use Canada as a DX entity)#hamchallenge #hamradio #amatuerRadio |