Spokane DX Association

Bob N7AU and his new plaque

The Plaque!

We met at the Plante’s Ferry Park in the Spokane Valley for our annual Summer Picnic. As I drove in, an official asked for $5 for parking. It actually was for the soccer tournament parking so we got in free to our designated area for the picnic. But there was no where to park! I drove around a couple of times including out of the park to see if there was street parking areas – there were none. I went back in to the park and the nice lady parking agent took a “do not park here” cone away from a close parking space to the picnic area and gave it to us. Thanks! Here are some pictures from the event.

SDXA Secretary Jay WA0WWW, SDXA President Chris WX7B, and 2017 SDXA Convention Chairman Randy K7TQ

President Chris chats with the group

David won the plaque in 2016 and that was his second time doing it. It’s for the highest digital score. He recently sent a picture of the new plaque and says thanks!
Here is a picture of him with his 2015 plaque too.

I worked AP2MQ Mansoor Qureshi in Pakistan in March of 1979. I was using a Swan TB4H (4 element tribander) at 85 feet with my Drake 4A line from my Spokane Valley home. Pakistan, being a rare DX for me then (and even now), I sent him a QSL card and probably $2 for return postage, but never heard from him. Many years later in 2002, when I went from manual logging to a computer logging program called WIN-EQF, I started to put my manually logged contacts into the new logging program, but in reverse order from 2002 backwards. I went through all my hand written logs and found that I had never received a card in return from AP2MQ and I needed that entity for my DXCC. There was a Japanese QSL manager listed for him so I sent another card and another $$ to him with no results.

On August 5 of this year (2016), I received a letter addressed from Mansoor Qureshi in Overland Park, KS with two QSL cards for the original contact. Wow! His QRZ.com information still shows he is in Pakistan, so I do not know any more details. Incidentally, the card confirms Pakistan both for SSB and Ten Meters which I need!!! I worked another Pakistan on CW later in life to give me that country for general DXCC purposes.

Have you got a story like this?

Steve K7AWB

The crew

Randy W7TJ points to a flying antenna

The owner of WA7LT Lamar Ray, one of the original founders of the SDXA and long time DXer

It was an all day event on Tuesday, July 26 at Lamar’s QTH located South of the city. The project consisted of three towers (two Rohn 25 and one Rohn 45) and lots of antennas.

Everything including the inside station equipment is for sale as Lamar retires to an assisted living QTH in Spokane Valley. Jim Fenstermaker K9JF is handing the sale and should be contacted if you are interested in any of the items. Reach him at jfenster@pacifier.com

This tower came down as one piece using the 120 foot crane.

Tower climber Jeremiah Puhek KD7DMP, owner and engineer of JP Telecomm

He spoke at a recent SDXA meeting and welcomes solicitations from hams that need a professional climber to complete their antenna/ tower installations or removals. He can be reached at Jeremiah@jptelecomm.com

Attention ground crew: stand by. . . !

This is NOT a case of one person screwing in the light bulb and the rest holding the ladder! It’s a case of the mast preventing the antenna from reaching the ground.

Jim Fenstermaker K9JF and Lamar Ray WA7LT in 2012 at a convention

-ORCA DX AND CONTEST CLUB WINS CHALLENGE CUP TROPHY AGAIN
-2017 CONVENTION IN SPOKANE IN AUGUST

SDXA Secretary Jay WA0WWW and past President Randy K7TQ occupy their time between presentations at the convention

Randy K7TQ, Chairperson for the next PNW DX convention in Spokane, welcomes convention members to attend the Spokane convention in August 2017, the third one that the SDXA will have sponsored

The ORCA DX and Contest Club from British Columbia won the Challenge Cup trophy again. The 10-contest event starts again for the 2016-2017 season with the CQ WW DX RTTY Contest on September 24-25.

How did each of the clubs do in the 2015-2016 season? go to this LINK.

The dates of the 2017 Spokane-based convention are August 4, 5, and 6 at the Red Lion at the Park Hotel in downtown Spokane. The convention website is at 2017 CONVENTION SITE and will be updated as more information is available.

pictures courtesy of Michael Dinkelman N7WA

These members delegate which rare DXpeditions get donations from the SDXA. Present are: Mike K6MW, Stephen W7VI, Jay WA0WWW, Chris WX7B, and Randy W7TJ.

Geoff published an article in the July/August National Contest Journal (NCJ)
titled PJ2T’s “Year of the Shack” Project – Part 1

Geoff W0CG & PJ2DX

Geoff gave a presentation to the SDXA in April, 2016 on the same subject.

We will look forward for Part 2 soon in NCJ.

Incidentally, NCJ is a publication of the ARRL and is available by subscription. Here is a LINK to the ARRL NCJ page.

There is a series of annual DX conventions in the Pacific Northwest that rotate between major cities: Seattle, Portland, Spokane, and Vancouver, BC. The SDXA sponsors one every four years and ours is in 2017. In order for us to have a good turnout from the other clubs’ membership, other clubs putting on their conventions expect a serious turnout to their conventions from us – yes, SDXA members. In turn, we can expect many of those other club members to visit ours in 2017. Our first attempt for the PNW DX convention trail was 2009 and set the highest attendance record up to that date. This year’s 61st convention is in Clackamas, OR near Portland.

2005 Portland: “Solid State KW Amplifiers – Present And (Near) Future” presentation

2012 Portland: Attendees ARRL EWA Section Manager Mark KB7HDX and former SDXA President Wayne WA1PMA
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Here is the schedule for the speakers and technical sessions at the convention.

Bernie McClenny, W3UR: A synopsis of a DX editor’s experiences and the work involved in creating a daily, weekly and monthly DX publication.
Adam Blackmer, K7EDX and Rob Fanfant, N7QT: DXpedition to Willis Island VK9WA
Paula Keezer, NX1P: NX1P DXpedition IT
Bob Heil, K9EID: Improving your Receive Audio
Bernie McClenny, W3UR: Most Wanted Entities – a trip down the top 20 or 25 most wanted list
Dave Patton, NN1N: ARRL Forum with Dave Patton NN1N
Paul Ewing, N6PSE (Saturday banquet speaker): VP8STI & VP8SGI A Harrowing Journey in the Southern Atlantic
Craig Thompson, K9CT (Sunday breakfast speaker: DXpedition to Palmyra Island K5P

and the annual presentation of the Traveling Trophy for the club that has the highest total score for the designated ten contests (last one on July 9-10 – see more below).

Here is the link to the convention site:

http://pacificnwdxconvention.com . Registration is now open. Here are the dates and location:

2016 Pacific Northwest Convention
August 5-7, 2016
Monarch Hotel, Portland, OR

WE CELEBRATED ITS 14TH BIRTHDAY AT OUR MAY 5 MEETING AT THE ROUND TABLE PIZZA

That place was the original site of the organizational meeting dated march 16, 2002 starting the organization.

Thanks to one of the original founders, Lamar Ray WA7LT, who left us wIth an article called SDXA Beginnings. Here is a LINK to that article. Here is a LINK to the original April 2002 Minutes which lists the members of the first official, regular SDXA meeting.

Geoff W0CG & PJ2DX & PJ2T, Diane & Bob N7AU from Ephrata, and Dave AC7MV in the background

Randy K7TQ and Mel N7GCO

Gary K7OX, Doug W3AS, Gary AD7XG (on the left, front to back) & Jay WA0WWW, Randy K7TQ, Gary K7GS (white shirt, hidden) and spouse Cille (on the right, front to back)

HELD MAY 7-8, 2016
605 logs submitted
N7AM WINS SDXA-SPONSORED PLAQUE AGAIN

Here are some 7QP links to get to individual pages:

PLAQUE WINNERS LINK
ALL SCORES LINK
K4XU SUMMARY LINK
7QP RULES
K7TQ & WA0WWW 7QP LINK

Idaho state Co-captain Randy K7TQ and driver Jay WA0WWW had a fabulous mobile entry again covering 21 counties. They entered the mobile, multi-single, low power, CW category. Unfortunately, their score put them in the Goldlocks zone where it was not too high and not too low, but just right in the middle of the five entries.

Other SDXA members who entered various categories were Chuck KI7DG (single-op, high power, mixed mode), Gary K7GS (single-op, low power, CW), and Gary AD7XG (single-op, low power, CW).

The SDXA-sponsored plaque for highest Digital score from 7-land was again won by David Wells N7AM of Pima, AZ. Congratulations for two plaques on the wall now.

Force 12 MAG620 6-element 20-meter yagi at QTH of Steve K7AWB

Geoff Howard W0CG/PJ2DX discussed his contest station PJ2T in Curacao, calling it “The Year of the Shack at PJ2T – A Total Interior Station Rebuild.” It consisted of new flooring, new operating desks, new wiring, automating the antenna selections, and a lot of “where can I put this so I can work on this other thing?” Thanks Geoff for sharing your love of life.

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Here is a LINK to the ARRL rules for the Triple Play WAS. Robert got #1768 dated March 10, 2016. Congratulations, Robert!