Thursday, May 28, 2015

Kaiser Willys Jeep of the Week: 228

228: Mark Naughton’s 1951 Willys M38 Restoration
This Jeep served the Army at Fort Leavenworth Kansas during the Korean War. Since I retired from the Army at this same past in 2006, it has special meaning for my family. I intend to return it to military specifications.
Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38
Mark Naughton's 1951 Willys M38
- Mark Naughton

Friday, May 15, 2015

10m/6m Challenge 1st Day


2

  • 2Without looking at any propagation forecasts I appear to have hit a purple patch of Sporadic E ionisation during my 45 minute activation of G/TW-004 Bishop Wilton Wold this morning.
    The summit is a drive on and lies 21 miles from my home QTH by car, so I was out and back in time for morning coffee. I chose to operate my station 100m away from my car at spot height 226 grid ref SE 832551 which is my favourite operating location on the Garrowby Hill (local name) plateau.
    Transceiver: Yaesu FT-857 running 80 watts from a 5Ah14v LiFePo
    Antenna: Wire link dipole for 6m/10m/15m (15m band not used) 5m above ground
    QSOs: 18 total (10m=7 QSO 6m=11 QSO)
    QRV: 0745z - 0830z
    My first CQ SOTA on 10m CW produced Franz OE6WIG at 0745z. I made 7 contacts on 10m, including 4 G Stations (I did hear Victor GI4ONL for about 10 seconds, went back but no QSO - probably aircraft scatter).
    I moved up to 6m and found the band full of Italian stations. I worked a few of these randoms before calling CQ myself on CW, attracting several known SOTA Chasers including a few G stations in the Midlands and Yorkshire.
    My Log:

    I am now top activator in the 6m/10m Challenge, but it won't be for long as I have no plans for any further activations planned in the short term, so I'll concentrate on the Chaser side for a while...


    Thank to Andy MM0FMF for putting this together - great fun if you hit the progagation right!
    73 Phil

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Man Behind the Name “Willys” – A Brief History

John North Willys
Here is a very short history on the man that the Willys Jeep is named for and the house he lived in Toledo, Ohio. John North Willys was born in the small village Canandaigua, New York in 1873. John Willys was a business man from a very early age selling anything profitable and saving every penny he could. As a teenager he owned a laundry business with a friend and started a bicycle company around the age of 18. After turning that into a successful business John Willys turned his attention to the next big thing. Automobiles. He began by selling cars and eventually took over The Overland company in 1908.
John North Willys' House
Prior to his ownership, the Overland company located in Indianapolis, Indiana had essentially become bankrupt with laborers not paid and vehicles just sitting on the assembly lines with everything available but not being assembled. John Willys saw the opportunity in the company and brought it up to profitability in a short amount of time. In 1909 John Willys bought the Marion Motor Car Co. which was also located in Indiana and moved the operations to Toledo, Ohio in a production facility bought from the Pope Motor Car Co. John Willys changed the name of the Overland Company to Willys-Overland in 1912. While living in Toledo, this is the house that John Willys and his family shared approximately from 1910 to 1921. John Willys died in 1935 of a sudden heart attack and never saw the birth of the Willys Jeep during World War II. For more information and history of the Tillinghast Willys Bell home go to The Toledo Blade. The house is not currently for sale but is a great piece of American history.
John North Willys' HouseJohn North Willys' HouseJohn North Willys' House
John North Willys' House
To read more about John Willys, visit a few of the sources for this article: WikipediaAllpar.com, and theAutomotive Hall of Fame.org
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story 

Monday, May 11, 2015

US Amateurs - how to print out your license.

This appeared on QRP-L over the weekend, in a post by Bruce N1RX:

"Here are the steps to download an official copy of your license (authorization). Go to the FCC ULS database at:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home

Log in with your FRN number and password by clicking on the "LOG IN" button, next to "ONLINE FILING".

After logging in, click on "Download Electronic Authorizations" in the left-hand column.

Enter your callsign and click search. Your license will appear in the left box titled "My Authorizations". Click the "ADD" button, to add it to the list of Authorizations to download.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on the "DOWNLOAD" button in the lower right hand corner. Your computer should then prompt you to "open or save" the PDF file."


Following Bruce's steps will get you to the "Official Copy".  If you just go to the ULS and do a simple search on your call, you will be able to print out a "Reference Copy". The "Official Copy" should be the one you hang on the wall and carry in your wallet.

Your FRN number (if you have one, and just about all of us should have one by now) can be found at the bottom of your license.  If you've never registered online with FCC via the Universal Licensing System website, you'll be asked to set up a password.  This, of course, will allow you to log on to your account in the future.  If you've registered before, but forgot your password, you'll be asked a security question which you had previously set up. If you answer correctly, you will be allowed to reset your password.

It's not a hard process - just one more password in a virtual blizzard of passwords to remember these days. Not sure how much money this actually saves the FCC, but it is convenient and it takes away having to wait for an envelope to come through the mail. It was nice, however, to get your license on whatever color paper they happened to be using with the official FCC emblem on it in the background.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!