KØDXC

Hi, Internet!

Wow, it has been a super long time since my last post. I'm disappointed in myself. When I rebuilt my site, I set a goal of making somewhat frequent posts / updates, and of turning my home on the web into a popular place for people to visit. Neither one of those things has become a reality... YET!

Anyways, I just got back home to Ohio last week. One of my grandpas (not the one who is also a ham) owns 7 different McDonalds restraunts in Minnesota, so I was up there all summer working for him. I didn't really have much time for anything radio related.

Fortunately, I did make time to go to Boston and operate the K1LZ superstation for the IARU contest in July. It was fun, and I out up a good score.

You can see my contest summary and article in my 3830 post here - http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/3830/2010-July/201228.html

Well, that's about it for now. I actually typed this out on my new iPhone 4, so I didn't plan on making this update very long.

What have you guys been up to this summer? Please leave a comment on this article, and let me know what you're plans are for the radio this fall, and if you've done any radio related projects this summer. Let's see if we can get some conversation going!

Stay safe, and I hope to hear you on the air many times in the upcoming contest season!

73,

Cal, K0DXC

k0dxc@k0dxc.com

Hey, world!

It's been a while since my last post, so I just want to give a short update on what has been going on...

Going to Jamaica for ARRL DX CW was GREAT... It was an absolutely AMAZING experience, and I am very thankful that I got to go. We ended up winning #1 WORLD in the M/2 category, AND WE ALSO SET THE NEW WORLD RECORD!!! I can't believe that I'm only 15 years old, and yet I'm already part of the record books! Al, K0AD (Editor of NCJ) asked me to write a story about this record-breaking event, so there will be an article (written by me) about my experience in Jamaica in the July/August issue of NCJ this year - look for it!

At 6Y1LZ in Jamaica Mladen, YT6W and I operated the majority of the contest. We basically just ran the entire time, except for 2AM - 6AM where we got a few hours sleep... Then we got back on! Mladen is a fantastic operator, and also a CW world champion.

Team 6Y1LZ right after setting the M/2 World Record in ARRL DX CW

I'm very thankful to have met Krassy. He has provided all kinds of opportunities to me, and is a great mentor. I will be joining the K1LZ team for WPX CW 2010... And after Team K1LZ destroyed the competition in WPX SSB this year - we are looking for BIG results in the CW version!

I want to break out into the single op category, and I am planning on being SOAB HP in Jamaica at the 6Y1V / 6Y1LZ station for the IARU HF Championships this July.

I have a few different opportunities for CQWW CW, but I still haven't decided where I want to go.

I was also recently asked to speak at the 2010 Dayton Contest Forum. I'll be giving a presentation there, so I hope to see you at Dayton!

Very 73,

Cal Darula,K0DXC

k0dxc@k0dxc.com

It's been a while since my last post, so I just wanted to give everyone a quick update with what's going on...

Obviously, it's the middle of February now and after the ARRL DX contests, this year's season will be almost over. Of course, there are always contests, all year round, but the bulk of them are from October to February.

Speaking of the ARRL DX contest, I'll be at 6Y1V for the CW segment. What are your plans? (comment)

As you can see, my website hasn't changed since I re-built it in December.

I still have plans to re-build it again, but I've been extremely busy during the last month. The 1st semester of my Freshman year in high school just ended last week, so I was busy working on my grades. Baseball also just started again, so I have conditioning every day after school.

I do still plan on re-building this site again, I just don't have a time table set up anymore... Hopefully I can get things finished before summer. "Things" being:

1. Re-build K0DXC.COM (again)
2. Start the other Amateur Radio website I talk about in my video
3. Build an online community... But that just happens naturally!

By "Build an online community" I mean build up a following of people who come to my site(s) to read content, and interact with others. Like I've said before, I'm doing this to get others involved, and to have some fun. Everyone (most people) are interested in what young hams have to say. I would be more than happy to give my perspective on what's going on, and write about what's happening in my Ham Radio life.

Speaking of writing... I've been so busy recently that I even had to cancel a few articles that I planned on writing... The biggest one being a story of my experience (second time around) as a part of Team K3LR for CQWW CW 2009. It was set to debut in the March/April issue of NCJ... But I just haven't had the time to write. It's still on my to-do list. Hopefully I get it written soon.

I've even missed out on the last few contests that I originally planned on operating! Now THAT is NOT normal! First, I only had time for about 3 hours in the ARRL 160 CW, then I had to completely cancel my planned operation at K1LT for CQ 160 CW, and now... Just last week, I had to cancel a planned full-time sprint operation in the NA SPRINT CW. Woah, what's happening to me??! I did get on the air in all 3 contests, but not for much more than an hour in any of them. All operating was done from my home station (K0DXC), and I haven't even posted anything to 3830 yet.

That's it for now. The next big thing for me is ARRL DX CW (@ 6Y1V) next weekend!

73,

Cal, K0DXC

k0dxc@k0dxc.com

Here is my first video upload. If you want to watch it on a bigger screen, click on the YouTube logo in the video to watch it on YouTube.

I have a URL (http://...) picked out for my new website. I'm going to try to buy it this weekend when it becomes available. (Someone else currently owns it).

Please help by spreading the word about what I'm doing. If you want updates on my progress, please type your name and email into the "Get Updates" box on the sidebar and click "Subscribe."

73,

Cal, K0DXC

I was invited to join CWops yesterday, and it looks like a GREAT organization. Check out their website! http://cwops.org/

73,

Cal

New Club for Morse Code Enthusiasts A new club has been formed among Amateur Radio operators who are Morse Code (CW) enthusiasts.  It is called The CW Operators’ Club (CWops).  CWops encourages the use of CW in Amateur communications, and it promotes goodwill among Amateurs around the world by planned CW activities.

CWops is international in scope, membership and management.  Its focus is the use of CW, whether for contesting, DXing or ragchewing.  Moreover, it promotes every form of sending -- if it's CW, CWops supports it!

For further information, go to www.cwops.org.  There you will find everything that you might want to know about CWops, including our bylaws and articles of incorporation, our planned activities, an explanation of how to become a member, and a list of current members.

Jim Talens, N3JT Secretary, CWops

Hey, guys!

It's been a week since my last post, but I just wanted to say that I just got a Flip Ultra HD. Now, instead of just reading my posts, you'll be able to watch them!

I'll be uploading a video blog entry to this site within the next couple days. Probably tomorrow.

Today was a long, but very good day. Heck, Christmas aside, EVERY day for the next week and a half is going to be GREAT because I'm off from school! It doesn't get any better then that!

Holidays aside, I would like to thank you for coming to my website. If you've ever visited k0dxc.com before, then you've probably noticed that it isn't the same as it used to be. I did a lot of work today and I'm happy with my results.

Here's a screen-shot of what K0DXC.COM looked like this morning, before I went to work on it.

As you can see, it changed throughout the rest of the day! I apologize for the "Mainstream, A Blog About Everyday Things" title, I haven't gotten everything fixed up yet. By the way, no, this is not the design I'm going to go with in the end. Right now I'm working on another theme that I plan on putting into action very soon.

A few weeks ago I made an announcement on a couple reflectors saying that I had BIG plans for Amateur Radio on the web. For those of you who didn't hear about it, this is what I'm planning:

• Re-build K0DXC.com (Underway)
• Launch a NEW Amateur Radio website. I'm not 100% sure about exactly what will be in it, but I am going to run an online "TV" show.
• And I don't have a time-line for this last one, but I'm going to launch a personal blog (non-radio related) at CalDarula.TV. My business blog is still most likely at least a few months away from going live.

I'm probably also going to change this sites URL (web address) to K0DXC.TV instead of .COM.

I'm excited to do all of this! It will be a great thing that hopefully the rest of the online Amateur Radio community (YOU) will interact with and enjoy. I want to make this FUN, not just another average website. If you have any suggestions or ideas that you think might go well with a Ham Radio show, feel free to send me an email.

Also, I've started a "list" so if you want to know how it's going then type your email in the box that says "Get Updates From K0DXC" and I'll let you know when progress is made.

I planned on uploading a video here to explain everything, but when I tried to buy a Flip Ultra HD yesterday all the stores were out of stock... Next time you will SEE me instead of reading my boring blog post. Sorry!

I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays!

73,

Cal, K0DXC

(Comments on this post are welcome)