Regarding the FTDX10, sounds like after an hour of running at 100w, the coil has started retaining some heat which has caused the SWR to creep up. When the SWR gets too high, the Yaesu will shut down to save itself. This will be accelerated on warmer days or sunny days, especially if the coil is mounted to a magmount on a vehicle roof where the rooftop gets very warm. I would suggest lowering power for the longer activations or buy the WRC platinum which is designed to handle the higher powers (more heat) and see if either of those help. It might be the battery as well losing juice. Easiest check would be to have a second battery on hand you could switch to and see if the problem is resolved.
Regarding call signs, I agree with everything you said. I've been a Ham since 1964 and general class since 1968 - call sign WA1HYU. I kept that until 2 years ago, primarily out of neglect. Not much time for ham radio while working and raising a family. When I got active again, it was an easy decision to apply for my Dad's old call sign (W1AQP). He's been a SK since 1982, and between that and my years of inactivity, no one's around anymore who might get confused. It's an honor to hold my Dad's old call sign, as he got me and many other young folks involved in Ham Radio in the 60's and 70's. He would love to see the hobby as it exists today. Keep up the great videos!
On the Yeasu shutoff problem don't neglect to check the wire size from the battery to the rig. If too small it might cause an instantaneous voltage drop on transmit which will cause the Yeasu to momentarily shutdown.
I bought a FTM-300 a few weeks ago, and within a half hour, it would shut off randomly when I keyed the mic. BTech 30amp power supply set to fixed voltage of 13.8 Here's the weak link....I was using an aftermarket power cord that I'd been using on a less powerful radio. When I changed it out to the Yaesu power cord, the shutting down stopped. I took voltage readings with each power cable and found that the cheap power cable had substantially more voltage drop than the Yaesu cable. I'm now using the Yaesu cable and have set the variable voltage on the power supply to 14 volts. No further problems. Bob KE2BGK
He might monitor the voltage of the battery and see if it does drop off when it happens. You can also use a dummy load on the RF and eliminate any chance it is an RFI issue. Great video Mike! 73
I had the same problem with my Yaesu FT-991A shutting down when transmitting. After much exploration, I discovered that the bladed fuses in the power cable had worked loose. The connection was good enough to receive, but when I transmitted, then it powered down. Simple fix - I just pushed both fuses firmly in the sockets.
I had a similar issue with random shutting off of my rig during POTA. While I was never able to 100% isolate the problem, it appeared to be a temperature issue. The two times it happened, I was operating from inside the cab of my truck, with the rig on the dashboard, sun coming in the windshield. It happened during two different activations, which I had to cut short. I've since moved the rig to the seat of the truck, and not had it happen again. I'm in New England, so it wasn't very hot outside, but if you're in a hotter climate this *could* happen, even operating outside in direct sun.
When I get that vanity call question, it is often accompanied with “my granted call is so long, but I don’t know what to get.” In that scenario, I will suggest dropping that second letter in a vanity. Still an homage to the granted call, but works better in everyday life. Example - KN4ITA becomes K4ITA. Initials are great too!
Ref Battery: I strongly agree it's a voltage drop issue. I am running an FT891 with a Bioenno 40AH battery at 100W and it does better than I expected in terms performance and battery life.
@@nateo200 Maybe have a watch of some of Tim, G5TM's videos. He often gets asked to repeat what the last letter is or just to say again on the callsign. People expect three letters, and think they've missed something.
My IC-7000 loved to shut down on battery or even when running on a 12v power supply. A common issue to these factory power leads is insufficient contact area at the fuse holder. I can wiggle the fuse a few times and get it seated better but the problem would reoccur after time. I replaced the factory cable with a Powerwerx cable with inline automotive fuse and have no issues running it with a home built 9ah LiFePO4 battery pack at 100w transmit. I guess I'm just saying check your fuse connections too...
I've had a bad crimp on an anderson powerpole connector. I've since started crimping and soldering to make sure the wire doesn't slip out of the connector anymore. Thanks for the great video Mike!
I'm with Mike, change it before you get fond of it I thought about changing mine when I got extra, but I felt I'd miss it. Plus my wife bought me some stuff with my call sign. Haha. I'm stuck now.
I think about the cadence of the callsign too though. I’m sure we all feel this way about our own callsigns but k8mrd just rolls off the tongue. Does kj7iaz do the same for you? Just curious.
@K8MRD yes, haha. Funny story, I recently decided to start making content and realized how fast I say it. There is also the fact that I haven't been able to come up with a clever alternative phonetics for it... somehow makes it special haha.
Maybe he could put a Powerwerx Watt Meter or something similar or if he has a power box with a volt meter and temp gauge in line, at least it's a start
I was thinking the same thing...... check voltage usage and battery and cable temps. Also, what is the voltage on the battery when it starts dropping out?
The yeasu shutting off: battery voltage drop on transmit dips below the low cuttoff for the rig... my icom 7300 does the same thing... I needed to get a regulated supply to cure the issue... It is battery function... not a problem with the radio.
I have had a power reset issue with my Y891 also. Connected in my garage to a power supply plugged into the wall. I have it connected with PowerPoles. Not sure what is up. It happened more when I first started. (2 or 3 times) Then it seemed to go away. Maybe I reconnected something? Dunno.
I run the Digi rig on my 891 and I don't even bother with the USB cable and it works great. It is the bang for your money. Running it that way you have to manually tune if you change frequencies for me it's not a big deal.
I have had 3 call signs in my ham life. the first was my originally issued one, which I vanitied to my dads 1940's -50's call sign of W4GGX. Now that I am an Extra, I was able, finally, to obtain his Extra call sign of K4HJ. If it is a family member whose callsign you are going for, you will go to the front of the line. At least that is how it appears to me.
FTdX10 powering off.. started happening to me and it was my powersupply not giving enough power to the radio.. I would key and it would shut off, I started getting USB port errors. Tested it against a friends working PS and it worked fine. I had a BTECH 30a and i seems to have sporked up at some point. I now have an Astron 50a and not one bit of issue.
Hi, Mike. Very good points that you raise. I use both the MFJ-939 and the LDG Z-100 Plus tuners and they both work great. I acquired a Signalink USB that I'm configuring to use with my FT-818nd. It's very easy to set up and I was receiving FT8 transmissions in no time. The Digirig is an interesting device and I may eventually pick up one of those as well. I enjoy your videos and always learn something new. Best, Marc (N1QGM)
Thanks Mink. For the guy considering the tuner, the LDG Z-11Pro II is another possibility. In its (normal) fully automatic mode, it's as easy to use as the ones you mentioned. It also uses latching relays, so it only consumes power while finding a tune, not while actuall6y transmitting (or receiving). Probably not a big deal for a QRO activation, but if you also have, or later get, a QRP rig, it will work with that and not kill a much smaller battery, so you don't need a Sherpa to do SOTA. I don't know whether those other tuners use latching relays.
The Z11Pro is an excellent tuner. What I like about it is I an tweak it manually if there isn't a perfect match. I bought the MFJ 1:1/4:1 balun and have used antennas fed with twinlead and ladder like and both worked well. There isn't much this thing can't load up.
I have never changed my call but I feel like I won the call sign lottery. My call CW weight is lower than some 1x2 and 2x1. On the tuner for the 891, no mention of the ATAS 120A 😉That is my favorite though I do own the tuner you showed. And I think you are spot on with the FTDX-10. I have had that issue and still do with the battery from Gigaparts for some reason. Other batteries SEEM fine but I am going to look at my chargers. (No issue with the Big Geek)
I run a $8.00 USB soundcard with a Ebay cable ($30.00) for ft8 with no problems between the FT-891 and the Evolve craptop. Does Frank have a power meter between the battery and the radio, as a indicator of power?
When I tested, I wound up getting a region 2 call because HamRegistry. I've applied for a call in my region, and I was really hoping the FCC wouldn't be taken out by ransomware during my 18-day waiting period.
FTDX-10. Had the same issue when I took my FTdx-10 to Guam and it kept either restarting or refusing to transmit, was a real bummer to have all that radio and make zero qso's with it. I did have a FT-891 and that worked with the cheapest LiFePo4 I could find. Since getting back from Guam I have switched to Bioenno 12Ah's and have only seen the problem occur near the end of the batteries charge. I had Anderson Power Poles in each case. The voltage answer seems peculiar since the LiFePo4 puts out a nearly constant voltage during the discharge cycle. Can the FTdx-10 not run on a lead acid batt that loses voltage consistently?
Remember that 100W of RF power requires about 240W of DC power to generate (12V @ 20A). Thus, a 20AH battery will only last an hour at best using digital modes - most likely less as the radio will power off when the voltage drops to the 50% charge level. SSB will have a lower duty cycle than digital (FT8) so you may get more battery time with SSB.
The mfj-939y won't tune 6m, if you shold happen to need that function. I overlooked that detail when I bought mine. otherwise, it's a nice tuner, and fast.
Certain batteries can't handle the current draw for a full power HF rig. Can't remember where I read this and which Bioenno model can handle the draw. Check this.
I expect he simply ran down the battery. 100 watts for an hour of POTA likely discharged the battery. Simply put a voltmeter across the battery terminals when transmitting. If the voltage is below 12 V, it is time to quit using the battery.
Yes he should get a vanity, but only one from his home call district. I’ve had quite a few callsigns KC2BOI, KB3ITG, K3ITG vanity, W4ITG vanity, & now W2ITG vanity. I’m a firm believer your callsign should match the district you live in, although no longer required. I think they should bring it back, because it drives me nuts too look up a 1 call and find out that they live in CA or UT. It’s not fair to a person that would like to get their initials in their home district and someone in a different one has hogged it up. As far as 1X2/2X1 calls, they’re hard to get because a bunch of immature childish extras hog them up by rotating between several of them to keep them out of the callsign pool. The SCU would be a plug and play with very little adjustment required. With that said FT8/4 isn’t real ham radio. In my opinion & I’m sure there’s others as well, it’s too impersonal & boring. What do you find out about the person on the other end? My idea of ham radio isn’t 2 computers exchanging signal reports, grid squares, and 73. WSPR has its uses I suppose, but even that is a fake representation of where your signal is going to go on SSB or CW, although you have a better chance on CW.
But K5MRD is taken. It's some guy in Miami. I wouldn't change it anyway. But I take your comment with a large grain of salt because you're one of those "x" isn't real ham radio guys. It's all ham radio buddy. Just because "you" don't like it, doesn't change that fact. Maybe try adapting to change??
@@hamradiotube like I said just my opinion. That’s the great thing about the hobby, something for everyone. For me it’s not FT8. K5MRD being in Miami is my exact point.
I totally agree on callsigns matching the district you're in. I originally had 9 call, licensed in IL. I had a 9 vanity call for quite awhile but after moving to PA I decided to get a 3 call after 9 years. I wasn't that active for a time so didn't feel changing calls would lose my identity. Now that anyone can get a call from any district you see lots of calls you expect to be in an area but turn out to be somewhere else. I think it's fine to keep your call if you move but just picking a call from any district just isn't right.
My service dog’s name was Noser (I bet you could guess why😂). He passed and I found N0SR was going to be available and the day it was, I applied for it. As luck would have it, I won the call. My previous call was a 1x3 but was rather heavy for CW. I’m super happy about applying for the vanity call. The only drawback I’ve run into is that I can’t use the call for my username on ARRL (and for their email forwarding service). 73 de NØSR
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Regarding the FTDX10, sounds like after an hour of running at 100w, the coil has started retaining some heat which has caused the SWR to creep up. When the SWR gets too high, the Yaesu will shut down to save itself. This will be accelerated on warmer days or sunny days, especially if the coil is mounted to a magmount on a vehicle roof where the rooftop gets very warm.
I would suggest lowering power for the longer activations or buy the WRC platinum which is designed to handle the higher powers (more heat) and see if either of those help.
It might be the battery as well losing juice. Easiest check would be to have a second battery on hand you could switch to and see if the problem is resolved.
Regarding call signs, I agree with everything you said. I've been a Ham since 1964 and general class since 1968 - call sign WA1HYU. I kept that until 2 years ago, primarily out of neglect. Not much time for ham radio while working and raising a family. When I got active again, it was an easy decision to apply for my Dad's old call sign (W1AQP). He's been a SK since 1982, and between that and my years of inactivity, no one's around anymore who might get confused. It's an honor to hold my Dad's old call sign, as he got me and many other young folks involved in Ham Radio in the 60's and 70's. He would love to see the hobby as it exists today. Keep up the great videos!
I kept my 2x3 Novice call all the way through to Extra. My call is mostly dits, so it's easy on CW. Plan to keep it for a long time.
On the Yeasu shutoff problem don't neglect to check the wire size from the battery to the rig. If too small it might cause an instantaneous voltage drop on transmit which will cause the Yeasu to momentarily shutdown.
I bought a FTM-300 a few weeks ago, and within a half hour, it would shut off randomly when I keyed the mic.
BTech 30amp power supply set to fixed voltage of 13.8
Here's the weak link....I was using an aftermarket power cord that I'd been using on a less powerful radio. When I changed it out to the Yaesu power cord, the shutting down stopped. I took voltage readings with each power cable and found that the cheap power cable had substantially more voltage drop than the Yaesu cable.
I'm now using the Yaesu cable and have set the variable voltage on the power supply to 14 volts. No further problems.
Bob KE2BGK
He might monitor the voltage of the battery and see if it does drop off when it happens. You can also use a dummy load on the RF and eliminate any chance it is an RFI issue. Great video Mike! 73
I had the same problem with my Yaesu FT-991A shutting down when transmitting. After much exploration, I discovered that the bladed fuses in the power cable had worked loose. The connection was good enough to receive, but when I transmitted, then it powered down. Simple fix - I just pushed both fuses firmly in the sockets.
I love Digirig. They're just so good. I recently set one up with a new Evolve ham craptop, and it JustWorks™.
I had a similar issue with random shutting off of my rig during POTA. While I was never able to 100% isolate the problem, it appeared to be a temperature issue. The two times it happened, I was operating from inside the cab of my truck, with the rig on the dashboard, sun coming in the windshield. It happened during two different activations, which I had to cut short. I've since moved the rig to the seat of the truck, and not had it happen again. I'm in New England, so it wasn't very hot outside, but if you're in a hotter climate this *could* happen, even operating outside in direct sun.
^^^^ that right there ^^^^
I just posted about that. I bet that's the problem
That was my first thought.
When I get that vanity call question, it is often accompanied with “my granted call is so long, but I don’t know what to get.” In that scenario, I will suggest dropping that second letter in a vanity. Still an homage to the granted call, but works better in everyday life. Example - KN4ITA becomes K4ITA. Initials are great too!
Ref Battery: I strongly agree it's a voltage drop issue. I am running an FT891 with a Bioenno 40AH battery at 100W and it does better than I expected in terms performance and battery life.
The only issue with a 1x2 call is that people expect more. Many times in a QSO people ask me to repeat two or three times. Still it is nice. 73, K8AG
can't believe I haven't heard of this problem before. Interesting!
@@nateo200 Maybe have a watch of some of Tim, G5TM's videos. He often gets asked to repeat what the last letter is or just to say again on the callsign. People expect three letters, and think they've missed something.
My IC-7000 loved to shut down on battery or even when running on a 12v power supply. A common issue to these factory power leads is insufficient contact area at the fuse holder. I can wiggle the fuse a few times and get it seated better but the problem would reoccur after time. I replaced the factory cable with a Powerwerx cable with inline automotive fuse and have no issues running it with a home built 9ah LiFePO4 battery pack at 100w transmit. I guess I'm just saying check your fuse connections too...
$200 digital interface is very expensive. I have a Signalink - and that got me into digital modes back when PSK31 became popular. Still use it!
For the dx10, I have a few yeasu radios and if the antenna is to close to the radio then can turn off.. try getting your antenna 40-50 feet away.
You gave excellent advice on the battery. Almost for sure, it is a battery concern.
in the power shut-off issues also check thermals as a thermistor maybe an issue or there is a thermal cut-off to protect the radio
I've had a bad crimp on an anderson powerpole connector. I've since started crimping and soldering to make sure the wire doesn't slip out of the connector anymore. Thanks for the great video Mike!
RE: FTDX10. I had similar problems with sudden shut downs. Try shorter thicker wires. Maybe 12 or 14 gauge 3 ft.
DigiRig now have the new shorter cables for the Yaesu 8xx radios!
I got a vanity call because I wanted a 5 digit call. Even if (when) I go extra, I plan on keeping my 5 digit call sign.
I'm with Mike, change it before you get fond of it I thought about changing mine when I got extra, but I felt I'd miss it. Plus my wife bought me some stuff with my call sign. Haha. I'm stuck now.
I think about the cadence of the callsign too though. I’m sure we all feel this way about our own callsigns but k8mrd just rolls off the tongue. Does kj7iaz do the same for you? Just curious.
@K8MRD yes, haha. Funny story, I recently decided to start making content and realized how fast I say it.
There is also the fact that I haven't been able to come up with a clever alternative phonetics for it... somehow makes it special haha.
Had my call for 60 years. Could not ever think of changing it..
Paul K1YOU
Maybe he could put a Powerwerx Watt Meter or something similar or if he has a power box with a volt meter and temp gauge in line, at least it's a start
I was thinking the same thing...... check voltage usage and battery and cable temps.
Also, what is the voltage on the battery when it starts dropping out?
The yeasu shutting off: battery voltage drop on transmit dips below the low cuttoff for the rig... my icom 7300 does the same thing... I needed to get a regulated supply to cure the issue... It is battery function... not a problem with the radio.
I have had a power reset issue with my Y891 also. Connected in my garage to a power supply plugged into the wall. I have it connected with PowerPoles. Not sure what is up. It happened more when I first started. (2 or 3 times) Then it seemed to go away. Maybe I reconnected something? Dunno.
I run the Digi rig on my 891 and I don't even bother with the USB cable and it works great. It is the bang for your money. Running it that way you have to manually tune if you change frequencies for me it's not a big deal.
I have had 3 call signs in my ham life. the first was my originally issued one, which I vanitied to my dads 1940's -50's call sign of W4GGX. Now that I am an Extra, I was able, finally, to obtain his Extra call sign of K4HJ. If it is a family member whose callsign you are going for, you will go to the front of the line. At least that is how it appears to me.
FTdX10 powering off.. started happening to me and it was my powersupply not giving enough power to the radio.. I would key and it would shut off, I started getting USB port errors. Tested it against a friends working PS and it worked fine. I had a BTECH 30a and i seems to have sporked up at some point. I now have an Astron 50a and not one bit of issue.
Hi, Mike. Very good points that you raise. I use both the MFJ-939 and the LDG Z-100 Plus tuners and they both work great. I acquired a Signalink USB that I'm configuring to use with my FT-818nd. It's very easy to set up and I was receiving FT8 transmissions in no time. The Digirig is an interesting device and I may eventually pick up one of those as well.
I enjoy your videos and always learn something new.
Best,
Marc (N1QGM)
Thanks Mink.
For the guy considering the tuner, the LDG Z-11Pro II is another possibility. In its (normal) fully automatic mode, it's as easy to use as the ones you mentioned. It also uses latching relays, so it only consumes power while finding a tune, not while actuall6y transmitting (or receiving). Probably not a big deal for a QRO activation, but if you also have, or later get, a QRP rig, it will work with that and not kill a much smaller battery, so you don't need a Sherpa to do SOTA. I don't know whether those other tuners use latching relays.
The Z11Pro is an excellent tuner. What I like about it is I an tweak it manually if there isn't a perfect match. I bought the MFJ 1:1/4:1 balun and have used antennas fed with twinlead and ladder like and both worked well. There isn't much this thing can't load up.
The FTDX10 issue may be rf on the coax. This can make any radio act weird. Try a common mode choke. 73
I have never changed my call but I feel like I won the call sign lottery. My call CW weight is lower than some 1x2 and 2x1. On the tuner for the 891, no mention of the ATAS 120A 😉That is my favorite though I do own the tuner you showed. And I think you are spot on with the FTDX-10. I have had that issue and still do with the battery from Gigaparts for some reason. Other batteries SEEM fine but I am going to look at my chargers. (No issue with the Big Geek)
I run a $8.00 USB soundcard with a Ebay cable ($30.00) for ft8 with no problems between the FT-891 and the Evolve craptop. Does Frank have a power meter between the battery and the radio, as a indicator of power?
When I tested, I wound up getting a region 2 call because HamRegistry. I've applied for a call in my region, and I was really hoping the FCC wouldn't be taken out by ransomware during my 18-day waiting period.
FTDX-10. Had the same issue when I took my FTdx-10 to Guam and it kept either restarting or refusing to transmit, was a real bummer to have all that radio and make zero qso's with it. I did have a FT-891 and that worked with the cheapest LiFePo4 I could find. Since getting back from Guam I have switched to Bioenno 12Ah's and have only seen the problem occur near the end of the batteries charge. I had Anderson Power Poles in each case. The voltage answer seems peculiar since the LiFePo4 puts out a nearly constant voltage during the discharge cycle. Can the FTdx-10 not run on a lead acid batt that loses voltage consistently?
No link to video on FT8?
Interesting. It should pop up at around the 7:27 mark but here's a link ruclips.net/video/jy7uUQV1wRU/видео.html
@@hamradiotube didn't on my watch, thanks!
"living in a van down by the river" hahaha I got that reference :)
Remember that 100W of RF power requires about 240W of DC power to generate (12V @ 20A). Thus, a 20AH battery will only last an hour at best using digital modes - most likely less as the radio will power off when the voltage drops to the 50% charge level. SSB will have a lower duty cycle than digital (FT8) so you may get more battery time with SSB.
Great point!
Could the problem with the FT-DX10 shutting down be overheating because of sun load?
I would try connecting the Yeasu to a power supply to rule out the radio.
The LDG Z-11Pro II
Has anyone used a DigiRig for use running EchoLink?
The mfj-939y won't tune 6m, if you shold happen to need that function. I overlooked that detail when I bought mine. otherwise, it's a nice tuner, and fast.
Question: Why is there a bannana and a tortilla chip, in the floor behond you? 🤔
I would bet a dog/cat toy? I know a cat (not mine) who carries his banana all over the house :)
Change your call before you've bought personalized hats, shirts, jackets and such!
For me it's user names and email addresses, I'm N2YTA for life
Can't you still get a 2 by 1?
I have the 939 and love it. It works quick and the memories work slick. Mike AA7WI
Certain batteries can't handle the current draw for a full power HF rig. Can't remember where I read this and which Bioenno model can handle the draw. Check this.
Yeah I've discovered this on a couple of batteries and some chargers I rigged up
I expect he simply ran down the battery. 100 watts for an hour of POTA likely discharged the battery. Simply put a voltmeter across the battery terminals when transmitting. If the voltage is below 12 V, it is time to quit using the battery.
Mini DIN
Yes he should get a vanity, but only one from his home call district. I’ve had quite a few callsigns KC2BOI, KB3ITG, K3ITG vanity, W4ITG vanity, & now W2ITG vanity. I’m a firm believer your callsign should match the district you live in, although no longer required. I think they should bring it back, because it drives me nuts too look up a 1 call and find out that they live in CA or UT. It’s not fair to a person that would like to get their initials in their home district and someone in a different one has hogged it up. As far as 1X2/2X1 calls, they’re hard to get because a bunch of immature childish extras hog them up by rotating between several of them to keep them out of the callsign pool.
The SCU would be a plug and play with very little adjustment required. With that said FT8/4 isn’t real ham radio. In my opinion & I’m sure there’s others as well, it’s too impersonal & boring. What do you find out about the person on the other end? My idea of ham radio isn’t 2 computers exchanging signal reports, grid squares, and 73. WSPR has its uses I suppose, but even that is a fake representation of where your signal is going to go on SSB or CW, although you have a better chance on CW.
But K5MRD is taken. It's some guy in Miami. I wouldn't change it anyway. But I take your comment with a large grain of salt because you're one of those "x" isn't real ham radio guys. It's all ham radio buddy. Just because "you" don't like it, doesn't change that fact. Maybe try adapting to change??
@@hamradiotube like I said just my opinion. That’s the great thing about the hobby, something for everyone. For me it’s not FT8. K5MRD being in Miami is my exact point.
I totally agree on callsigns matching the district you're in. I originally had 9 call, licensed in IL. I had a 9 vanity call for quite awhile but after moving to PA I decided to get a 3 call after 9 years. I wasn't that active for a time so didn't feel changing calls would lose my identity. Now that anyone can get a call from any district you see lots of calls you expect to be in an area but turn out to be somewhere else. I think it's fine to keep your call if you move but just picking a call from any district just isn't right.
Guns & Roses was best when they had Buckethead 🎸🤘🐓
BLASPHEMY!
@@DellFargus 🤣
Embiggen, it's a perfectly cromulent word.
My service dog’s name was Noser (I bet you could guess why😂). He passed and I found N0SR was going to be available and the day it was, I applied for it. As luck would have it, I won the call. My previous call was a 1x3 but was rather heavy for CW. I’m super happy about applying for the vanity call. The only drawback I’ve run into is that I can’t use the call for my username on ARRL (and for their email forwarding service).
73 de NØSR
I kept my call sign from Novice, through Tech and General. When I get my extra I’m not changing after all and f these years. KB2GCG
I have no idea about CW, but my cal is like my name for ease of learning. KM8RTY