HTC News
HB9HC/AM on – and in – the air!
Touchdown -- the balloon has safely landed! The final RBN spot was at 0739 UTC, and the balloon landed just east of Muri, Canton AG, at roughly 0830 UTC. Thanks for all the QSOs!! We will QSL 100% and your cards will be in the mail soon.
Our club callsign will be "in the air" Tuesday the 14th of September 2021 as HB9HC/AM!
The confirmation for the start of the mission on Tuesday morning has just been announced. Here's your chance to get a really unique QSO with some of your club colleagues. The flight will last only two hours. The balloon team looks forward to making a quick QSO with you during that flight!
Our club callsign will be "in the air" Tuesday the 14th of September 2021 as HB9HC/AM!
The confirmation for the start of the mission on Tuesday morning has just been announced. Here's your chance to get a really unique QSO with some of your club colleagues. The flight will last only two hours. The balloon team looks forward to making a quick QSO with you during that flight!
Tuesday 14 Sept 2021, hot-air balloon flight between 0530 - 0900 UTC (0730 - 1100 local time).
Additional details at:
Helvetia Telegraphy Club HTC (E) - HB9HC/AM on the air 11
73, the HB9HC/AM Team
HTC-Membercard
| If you have not yet received an "HTC Membership Card" or would like to reorder one, you can request one by filling in the "Application for membership" form and mention "Only Membership card" in the comments. |
As for the format, you can select either an electronic version (PDF) OR a framed, printed card; the latter is printed at the end of each year and handed over personally only at HTC meetings. (avoiding postal fees)
EUCW Snakes & Ladders Activity
In addition to our own HB-OCWA, there is another activity that HTC members might be interested in: the EUCW Snakes & Ladders program. For full rules, click here.
It involves making a contact of at least 5 minutes with another CW station in Europe, and submitting your logs at the end of every month.
The activity is based on the well-known board game Snakes and Ladders. In our version of the game the board is made up from the map of the continent of Europe and the individual squares are the locator squares on the map. Ladders and snakes are derived from the total set of QSOs provided for a complete period of activity.
Give it a try, and good luck!
Paul HB9DST / your ECM
It involves making a contact of at least 5 minutes with another CW station in Europe, and submitting your logs at the end of every month.
The activity is based on the well-known board game Snakes and Ladders. In our version of the game the board is made up from the map of the continent of Europe and the individual squares are the locator squares on the map. Ladders and snakes are derived from the total set of QSOs provided for a complete period of activity.
Give it a try, and good luck!
Paul HB9DST / your ECM
The HTC acknowledges great achievements!
The following hams have recently earned the HTC lapel pin:
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OE3IAK Andreas Diplom+80 BpM+ 100BpM
HB9CDH Bruno Diplom, +80 BpM, Morsekurs Luzern
HB9FZA Andreas Diplom, Morsekurs Luzern
DL2AIR Felix 60 Diplom+80 +100 BpM
HB9AJY Fritz 60+80+100 BpM
HB9DXB Sven 60+80 BpM
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This achievement confirms above all that the candidate can keep up successfully with a given Morse Code speed for 4 minutes. At speeds of 80 cpm and above this is a good starting point for conducting and enjoying QSOs on the air. In order to train yourself in copying in your head, starting at 80/100 cpm we recommend memory training. For memory training, our recommended Morse Code training software, HB9HQX Morse 7.0, offers even more capabilities.
Full list of those who have earned a certificate or lapel pin.
Recommended kits
The following kits have proven popular among HTC members. Here are a few suggestions for anyone who is looking to assemble a kit during the winter months!
FA-VA5 600-MHz antenna analyzer
The ham radio magazine "Funkschau" offers the FA-VA5 vector antenna analyzer in kit form (earlier version shown below). The kit can be assembled with a bit of soldering in just 30 minutes. All the SMD components come premounted, you simply need to add a few peripheral components. If you can do basic soldering you can assemble this kit (level: beginner).
This unit is suited for use as a universal HF device. It measures the SWR in terms of +j/-j or C and L. It also serves as a frequency generator (fixed level), grid dipper, LC meter and can measure cable velocity factor. It is powered by two AA cells. Operation is quite simple. The price of roughly CHF 150 is very attractive. www.funkamateur.de
QRP Labs QCX transceiver
Monoband CW transceiver (choice from 80m to 17m), 3 - 5W output depending on power supply voltage, DDS VFO, Tayloe converter circuit similar to the Norcal 2030 und many SDR receivers, analog filter for IQ channels, built-in tuning and testing capabilities, iambic keyer, memories, CW decoder, WSRP operation, CW beacon mode, digital display, standard through-hole components, good assembly instructions. Price $49 (how is that possible!?!) Waiting list for delivery.
New mcHF QRP tranceiver (complete kit)
N0NKA Chris, well known through the mcHF Projekt, has announced a new mcHF in the form of a complete QRP kit. We have heard this from a HTC member who has already built the first version of the mcHF. All SMD devices are premounted, while through-hole components such as switches and connectors must be assembled on the board. The accompanying case is currently not yet shipping. Get further details directly from the M0NKA website.
HB9HQX Morse V7.7 is here!
Following installation, the program setup is configured so that right after starting the program, it defaults to the correct user profile (5 Wettbewerb) needed for the HTC Morse Code Fun Challenge. You can then start immediately with listening and sending exercises (at a speed of 60 cpm). The documentation provides additional info how you want to further use the program for the Fun Challenge. The words for that challenge are found in the text collection entitled 5 Buchstaben. More information can be called up from the Help menu. Here you have access to various PDF documents found in the directory HB9HQX Morse 7/Hilfe/PDF. We wish everyone lots of fun while practicing their Morse Code, and once again many thanks to Beat HB9HQX for his ideas, information and programming efforts.
The HTC welcomes its newest members!
We are pleased to welcome
HB9SW Walter Schenk #443
HB9FGU Michael Müller #442
HB9HWP Matthias von Arx #441
DO2MJ Manfred Jung #440
G4TQM Geoff Bingham #439
DK2LO Olaf Achterberg #438
DG9HI Joachim Lau #437
DO1TSW Thomas Sander #436
AE1N Layne Labaume #435
IU0AHC Fabrizio Porzio #434
as new members in our club. We of course hope that our newest members will feel at home in our club and we will meet them often at various HTC events. They can expect lots of comradery and "ham spirit" among our ranks.