Announcements from NE1RD
The 100 Pound DXpedition - The first 20 years
21 March 2024
The 100 Pound DXpedition - The first 20 years
A new video is available in the Resources area highlighting lessons learned in my first 20 years of lightweight DXpeditioning.
End of Life for CabConverter 2
17 January 2021
CabConverter, a utility program for the Macintosh to create contest submission files, is coming to its end of life. My announcement is on the CabConverter groups.io site, and echoed here. In short, I strongly suggest using Skookum Logger (available in the Apple App Store) for contesting on the Mac.
ARRL Triple Play
11 October 2020
The last state needed for the ARRL Triple Play award for Worked All States in Phone, CW, and Digital modes arrived today. I have submitted my QSLs for credit and now qualify for the award. I've ordered the plaque and am excited to have finally finished this effort.
Worked All States Digi on FT8
23 September 2020
I had made only two FT8 contacts before 29 August 2020 (F3FDY and YV1GIY). I wasn't sure if digital modes would interest me. But in August of this year I decided to pursue the ARRL Triple Play award for Worked All States in Phone, CW, and Digital modes. I began with zero FT8 contacts for US states on August 29th. By 23 September 2020, just 25 days later, I had worked all of the US States with FT8. I'm now only one CW contact away (Nevada) from the Triple Play award!
Cushcraft M8040 vertical added to antenna farm
13 September 2020
Since the loss of the SteppIR vertical I had wanted to have an alternative to my G5RV for 80m. I decided on the Cushcraft M8040 vertical antenna. It sits on a mount in a concrete pad and has a DX Engineering radial plate to organize the ground radials. 80m has been a lot more fun with this new antenna.
Articles and other writings added to the Resources page
6 October 2019
I've updated the Resources page to include some pieces I've written over the years. Many of them were small, just fodder for the local club's website, but others are longer. Scroll to the bottom of the Resources page to view the list.
NE1RD Website improvements
8 September 2019
I've spent some time improving the organization of this website, and to include videos, links to books I've written, and papers/handouts from talks I've done over the years. I'll be adding stuff a little at a time over the next couple of months.
NE1RD is awarded the E.T. Krenkel medal
19 June 2019
This has been an amazing year for me. I was notified in June of 2019 that I had been awarded the E.T. Krenkel medal for contributions to amateur radio. I confess I am stunned, but very, very grateful for this honor. Other recipients from North America include John Sluymer, VE3EJ, a well-known contester and DXpeditioner, Joe Spier, K6WAO, President of AMSAT, Ellen White, W1YL, for her quarter century of service to the American Radio Relay League (among other significant contributions), and Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ, founder of QRZ. I am actually speechless.
Update: 3 October 2019: the medal and the certificate arrived today. Both are beautiful, and I'm deeply humbled by this honor.
Nashua Area Radio Society named Club of the Year at Hamvention
18 May 2019
The Nashua Area Radio Society was honored at Hamvention Saturday, 18 May 2019, by DARA, the organizers of the convention. It was an amazing evening. So many members of our club have worked their tails off that I wish everyone of our 225 members could have been there to accept the award. This is certainly one of the highlights of my time in the hobby.
Left-to-right: B. Scott Andersen (NE1RD), Jamie Finchum (AC1DC), Fred Kemmerer (AB1OC), Brian McCaffrey (W1BP), Anita Kemmerer (AB1QB), Dave Merchant (K1DLM), Abby Finchum (AB1BY), Charles Dunn (W1CBD)
Website update
28 April 2019
My website update in January left something of a mess. I've cleaned up as much as I can for now. I hope to have new content after my trip to Hamvention.
Nashua Area Radio Society wins Club of the Year for 2019
13 March 2019
The Nashua Area Radio Society has been selected to be the Club of the Year by the Hamvention Awards committee. The club has grown quickly to over 200 members, and it has been very active in local schools supporting STEM activities including kit builds, high-altitude balloon launches, and a QSO with an astronaut on the International Space Station. I'll be traveling to Hamvention this year to be among other board members receiving our award.
Website reformatting
27 January 2019
I've been quite busy helping the Nashua Area Radio Society as their program chairman and I've neglected my own site. No more! As of this date I've revamped the organization and some of the material for this website and hope to add more content in the next few months.
Nashua Area Radio club talk: Antenna Modeling
20 March 2018 I will be giving a talk at the Nashua Radio Society's Tech Night on antenna modeling. First some theory, then we'll have attendees do some modeling themselves while coaches provide assistance.
Nashua Area Radio club talk: Getting on the air
14 November 2017 I will be giving a talk at the Nashua Radio Society's Tech Night on some strategies for getting on the air, especially from condos and other restrictive properties.
Website update
20 February 2017 I'd been remiss keeping the website fresh. So, I updated all the Elecraft pictures in the Building section of the website, and updated some of the prose. I've updated this awards page with the happenings over the past year. I also added the DARC Europa 300 award to my awards page. (I've had this for some time.)
Northern California DX Association
31 December 2016 I've made it to the Platinum Contributor level for the Northern California DX Foundation, a group that helps fund important DXpeditions to some of the most sought after places on Earth. They do great work, and they deserve our support.
8-band DXCC
4 July 2016 The ARRL awarded an 8-band DXCC plaque to me for speaking with at least 100 countries on each of eight different bands. It looks great next to my DXCC Challenge award!
DXCC Challenge
11 May 2016 After many years of putting QSOs in the log, I finally achieved the ARRL DXCC Challenge award. This award is granted to operators who have had conversations (QSOs) with at least 1000 band-country combinations. So, England on 20m is one, France on 40m is another, France on 30m is yet another one. It took many years to get this, and I'm very pleased to have finally made it.
Nashua Amateur Radio Club Presentation
1 March 2016 I'll be giving my talk ”Buddipole In The Field” at the Nashua Area Radio Club on the 1st of March 2016 at 7PM. Spring is just around the corner and this is a good time to start thinking about portable operations.
A PDF of the presentation is now available on the Presentations page.
NEAR-FEST Presentation
1 May 2015 12:00 PM: ” Buddipole In The Field” presented by Scott Andersen, NE1RD (Located in the Entertainment Building, see map) Portable operation is a great way to enjoy the hobby. The Buddipole antenna system is a versatile platform for deploying antenna configurations in a variety of situations. Yagis, verticals, and dipoles can be made with this system to support nearly every situation. Scott is the author of this informative book and will review using this antenna system “in the field” Nearfest will give away a copy of Scott's book to one lucky audience member and don’t forget a Buddipole antenna system is Fridays Main door prize here at NEAR-Fest! NEAR-FEST web page
UPDATE: A PDF of the presentation is now available on the Presentations page.
NE1RD wins NH Hillsboro County section for New England QSO Party (2014)
25 April 2015. I just received a very nice certificate in an email for my 2014 effort in the NEQP (SOHP). I was the only entry in that category. That helps a great deal. (In these contests it is the fun you have on-air, not your score, that matters.)
NE1RD wins NH section for ARRL DX SSB (2014)
2 March 2015. I just received a very nice certificate in the mail for my 2014 effort in the ARRL DX SSB contest (SOHP).
Navassa K1N DXpedition log for NE1RD
15 February 2015. The Navassa DXpedition has concluded. I was able to work them on all HF bands except 160m. Congratulations to the entire DXpedition team on their achievement.
Framingham Amateur Radio Association talk
5 February 2015. Many thanks to the FARA folks for having me visit and give my "Three small talks in an hour." Even though it was a very snowy night, there was still a great turnout.
Interviewed for QSO TODAY
3 January 2015. I was interviewed by Eric, 4Z1UG, today for his fantastic ham radio podcast QSO Today. You can hear the podcast by visiting the QSO Today website, subscribing on iTunes, or via Stitcher. I hope you'll give this program a listen when it is released later this month. In the mean time, there are a bunch of episodes with other very interesting people you can hear. Many thanks to Eric for the invitation. It was an honor talking with him. UPDATE: The podcast was released 24 January 2015.
Hampden County Radio Association talk
2 January 2015. The new year got off to a great start when I spoke at the Hampden County Radio Association in Holyoke, Massachusetts Friday night. It was a very good crowd (about 50 people) and my presentation "Three small talks in an hour" was well-received. Many thanks to Larry, W1AST, for the invitation.
Now an RSGB member
12 October 2014. I attended
the RSGB convention in Milton Keynes (UK). It was a great show. Sandy and I enjoyed it very much. I sat there in the last talk with Sandy whispering to me to join. I did. I should be an official RSGB member as soon as they process my application. It is a good organization, and this was overdue.
Trowbridge Amateur Radio Club (UK) talk
1 October 2014. I spoke at the Trowbridge (UK) club while on work assignment in England. There were a number of big-time DXers and DXpeditioners in the audience. Thanks to Jan, G0BBL, for the invitation.
Bath and District Amateur Radio Club (UK) talk
25 September 2014. I spoke at the Bath and District Amateur Radio Club (BADARC) while on work assignment in England. It was a very nice group and we had some interesting discussions about antennas after the presentation. Thanks to John, G4OTJ, for helping me get organized.
ARRL National Centennial Convention 2014
July 2014. I spoke at the ARRL National Convention in Hartford. A link for the slides from this talk may be found here.
NE1RD to speak at the ARRL National Centennial Convention 2014
27 November 2013. I will be speaking at the ARRL National Convention in 2014. I know there were many good proposals submitted for this event and I am honored that mine was selected. Details for the event should be posted by the ARRL soon. I plan on being there for the whole event Thursday through Saturday (17-19 July 2014). I hope to see you there!
UPDATE: My time slot for this talk is Saturday at 1 PM.
Connecticut Convention Center
Website improvements
6 October 2013. I created a table on the Contest Results page that better shows my efforts for each contesting season (October-May). I've been something of a dilettante in all this and I intend to put in more effort and focus on station improvement, propagation study, and technique. I'd like to score a million points in the "big four" contests for my club (YCCC) in the upcoming contesting season. My new shameless photo opportunity with Ward Silver at the recent club meeting might be a good omen.
NE1RD to speak to the Boston Amateur Radio Club
1 October 2013. I will be speaking to the Boston Amateur Radio Club on 17 October 2013. The topic will be lightweight DXpeditioning including my recent experiences with the 100 Pound DXpeditions to the Boston Harbor Islands.
2013 CQ WW WPX SSB Contest results
28 August 2013. I came in 3rd in the W1 call area for SOAB HP with 406K points, far behind the winner (10.8M) and second place finishers (2.3M). That said, I beat a whole string of other people so my vertical dipole farm is doing OK.
NA-148 2013 Activations
3 August 2013. I operated on Georges Island for a few hours until the threat of rain chased me home.
10 August 2013. I returned to Georges Island again, this time with better solar conditions. I made many more European contacts that day.
A video from that day has been posted to YouTube and is available on my Boston Harbor page.
1 September 2013. The last activation of the year was 30 August -1 September. I made 300+ contacts this summer. Many thanks to all who worked me.
NE1RD activated NA-148 for RSGB IOTA Contest
27 July 2013. I was active on Lovells Island for about 5 hours on Saturday, 27 July 2013 for the RSGB IOTA contest. I was only able to put 26 QSOs in the log but had a pretty good time. You can see a picture from the event on the Latest Fun Thing page.
NE1RD passes the 1000 prefix mark
9 July 2013. Though I am not on the air nearly as much as I would like to be, I have been making progress on some awards. I recently passed the 1000 prefix mark in CQ Magazine's WPX awards program. I also now have WPX for the five top contest bands (10-80m). I only need WPX for each continent to be eligible for the CQ WPX Award of Excellence.
NE1RD activated NA-148
9 July 2013. I was active on Lovells Island for about 9 hours on Saturday, 6 July 2013. Conditions were poor but I did get more QSOs than mosquito bits (barely). I have several other operations planned for these islands this summer. Hopefully conditions will be better for those. A log search for work on the NA-148 island group is now available on the Boston Harbor page.
NE1RD to activate NA-148
5 July 2013. I plan to activate NA-148 again this weekend for 24 hours from 6 July 2013 16:00Z. I will be camping on Lovells Island here. There is nothing on Lovells: no water, no electricity, and no transportation except for the 3 daily boat trips to Georges Island (and on to Boston). Camping there implies carrying everything you need in, and packing everything out when you leave. Operation will be on a KX3 at about 10 watts using batteries and solar panels for power. I can see the Boston Skyline and have (spotty) Internet access. If I can, I will use the DX spotting network to announce my operating frequency. QSL to home call. LoTW, eQSL, and ClubLog will all be updated soon after the trip.
Website updated with Latest Fun Thing
March 2013. I updated the Latest Fun Thing web page with the newest edition to my shack.
ClubLog powered online QSL system now available
My main logs (NE1RD, VP2MRD, V4/NE1RD, NE1RD/1, and KP2/NE1RD) are now available for online QSL requests using the ClubLog system. If you've not yet learned about ClubLog take a moment and click the link. The system is very powerful and popular with major DXers and DXpeditions. Many of the latest DXpeditions have been using ClubLog for log search capabilities. To obtain a card (either direct or through the QSL bureau) just fill out the form. If you are already a ClubLog member the form is filled out for you on QSOs that match in both logs. Cards sent direct mail are $2; BURO routed cards are free. Of course, the best and easiest way to get a confirmed QSO with my operations is with the ARRL service Logbook of the World.
NE1RD to activate NA-148 for RSGB IOTA Contest
The Radio Society of Great Britain Islands on the Air group is having its annual contest 28-29 July 2012. I will be operating from Lovell Island in Boston Harbor (NA-148) starting Friday afternoon (27 July) and ending Sunday morning local time. The call will be NE1RD/1 (to differentiate this operation from my home call). More information about this island group and my operations there can be found here.
UPDATE: 30 July 2012
The operation on Lovell Island was not successful. I could barely hear European stations and nobody could hear me. I worked only one QSO in the contest--Cuba. When the second Cuban station couldn't hear me I knew this was a bust. I packed up camp and took the ferry home before the rains came. I will try again next year. Let's hope we have better conditions!
Website major overhaul
The website has been given a major overhaul and reorganization. There may be some broken links or other problems. I hope to have everything polished up by the end of January 2012. Thanks for visiting!
Website updated with Latest Fun Thing
February 2012. I added a page to this website that talks about the Latest Fun Thing. For now, this is the Lantern Battery Challenge. Check it out here.
KP2/NE1RD wins SO 10 QRP category of 2011 CQ WW WPX SSB Contest
For the second year running I have won my category in the CQ WPX contest (phone). In March of 2011 I returned to the little rented villa on St. Thomas, USVI, and worked QRP. My 10m QRP entry was the top score in the world. The US Virgin Islands (KP2) did not have a 10m SOSB QRP record so I'll hold that when the contest results are released (along with the 15m SOSB QRP record I set in 2010).
QSL cards for my new home have arrived -- All QSL requests have been answered
As of today I have completely caught up on QSLing. If you have been waiting for a card from me you should expect it soon. Of course, the easiest way to QSL with me is through Logbook of the World and eQSL. You can check to see if you are in my log by using ClubLog.
I Earned Worked All States (WAS) from my new home in Pelham
I worked all 50 states from my new home in Pelham, NH. The confirmations were all through Logbook of the World. Though talking with folks in 50 states is relatively easily (I worked 49 of 50 in the ARRL SS in November 2011) getting all those QSOs confirmed is the trick. MT came through this morning giving me the last in the set. My certificate is ordered.
Presentation to PART Radio club
Rich (AB1HD) and I will give a presentation to our local club PART highlighting ham radio software for the Macintosh on Tuesday 18 October 2011.
Presentation to Quannapowitt Radio Association Banquet
I will present my 100 Pound DXpedition talk to the Quannapowitt Radio Association Annual Banquet on 17 June 2011 at the Hillview Country Club in North Reading, Massachusetts.
Presentation to Montachusset Amateur Radio Club
I will present my 100 Pound DXpedition talk to the Montachusset Amateur Radio Club on 8 June 2011 at the Lunenburg, Massachusetts Public Library.
Presentation to PART Radio Club in Westford, Massachusetts
I will present my 100 Pound DXpedition talk to the PART of Westford radio club on 17 May 2011 in the Westford, Massachusetts police station training room.
I earned Worked all States (WAS) from KP2!
I had 48 states confirmed via Logbook of the World (LoTW) from the 2010 trip (all on 15m) and was short just two states (ND and WY) coming into the 2011 trip. I was able to snag ND in the 2011 CQ WPX SSB contest but still lacked WY with just days left on my vacation. Thankfully, Rich (AB1HD) pointed me to the K3UK LoTW Sked Page which offers a bulletin board for coordinating scheduled QSOs. After only a couple of posts
KP2/NE1RD SOSB 10 QRP in 2011 CQ WW WPX SSB Contest
I had a (claimed) score of 135,540 from 364 QSOs and 180 prefix/multipliers. The actual score will be computed by the contest sponsor CQ Magazine and published in their January 2012 issue. The US Virgin Islands (KP2) did not have a 10m SOSB QRP record so I'll hold that when the contest results are released (along with the 15m SOSB QRP record I set last year). This year's score was only good enough to put me in the top 20 all-time for North America. (Last year I set the record for North America!)
KP2/NE1RD to be SO 10 QRP for 2011 CQ WW WPX SSB Contest
I returned to the Virgin Islands for the 2011 CQ WW WPX SSB contest. Sunspots permitting I will be SOSB 10M QRP for the contest operating from the same location as last year.
KP2/NE1RD wins SO 15 QRP category of 2010 CQ WW WPX SSB Contest
My efforts from the US Virgin Islands paid off. I had the highest QRP single operator score in the contest with 639,086 points [778 QSOs and 382 prefixes]. This is a new North American record and puts me 3rd all-time for this band-mode-power category.
Presentation to Hampden County Radio Association
I presented my 100 Pound DXpedition talk to the Hampden County Radio Association on 7 January 2011. This fine group of hams had a club kit building project where the group built a bunch of RockMite transceivers using the manual I had written a couple of years ago. It was a snowy night but lots of good folks came out for the show!
Presentation to the North Shore Radio Association in Peabody, MA.
I presented my 100 Pound DXpedition talk to the North Shore Radio Association on 18 October 2010. We had a nice pre-talk dinner at a restaurant I had not visited since 1991! The food was still great! The turnout was one of the biggest club meetings I've seen in a while. This is a very active club!
Presentation to the Candlewood ARA in Bethel, CT.
I presented my 100 Pound DXpedition talk to the Candlewood ARA on 12 November 2010. This was a great group that really treated me right: dinner, a place to sleep, and even a new fancy CARA T-shirt. They're looking to celebrate their 80th anniversary next year. Woot! Congratulations!
Presentation to the Framingham ARA in Framingham, MA
I will be presenting to FARA on 4 November 2010 about the Joy of QRP. This isn't a formal presentation; it is just a fun review of a collection of QRP rigs and accessories along with some stories about the joy of operating a very low power.
Make Magazine video from the Massachusetts QRP Convention
I added an embedded YouTube video from Diana Eng of Make Magazine to the Gallery page. MassCon sure was fun!
QSL cards for the recent St. Thomas trip have arrived!
15 April 2010. I have just opened the box and the cards look gorgeous! I will respond to all QSL card direct requests this weekend and probably do a big BURO drop within the week. Look for your card soon!
Log searching is now provided by Club Log
You can now search my logs using the Club Log web site. Additional details may be found on my QSL information page.
2011 CQ WW WPX SSB Contest plan
We had such a great time on St. Thomas that we have reserved the Seabright Villa again for 2011's contest! My current thinking is to do a single band QRP effort on 10m. We will see if conditions permit it.
CQ WW WPX SSB Contest after-contest report
I was 15m single band in the CQ WPX contest and had a great time. I also turned in a great score! We'll see if I survive contest adjudication after they ding me for dups and goofs but I sent in a claimed score of 676,039--which is over 100K points higher than the current North American record for this category! Final results are to be published in the January issue of CQ Magazine.
Buddipole in the FIeld is published! [updated]
A book written by me entitled Buddipole in the Field was published at Masscon. The book is available under a very generous Creative Commons license as a download and as a paperback book from Buddipole, Inc. The book is intended as a field guide for Buddipole antenna system users and has antenna configurations, modeling results, analysis, and a set of "cookbook" instructions that should help everyone with a Buddipole get the most out of that fantastic product. You can find the free PDF version of the book on the Buddipole. Documentation webpage, or you can purchase a paperback copy of the book for $15 from the Buddipole Accessories page.
100 Pound DXpedition blog now available in PDF book form
My 100 Pound DXpedition blog was suspended after about 400 entries. I have rendered it as a single PDF file for convenient download and perusal. You can find it in my public download area under the name 100_Pound_DXpedition_Blog.pdf (select that file and then click the "Download" button). There are a couple of lost images and a couple of places where the formatting is ugly. But, it is as complete a view as you'll get of these entries that were posted from June 2006 to November 2007. It is free (of course)!
The Massachusetts QRP Convention is over
The Massachusetts QRP Convention (Masscon) is now just a scribble in the history books. A couple of photos from the event are available in the gallery here.
RSGB IOTA Contest DXpedition to Lovells Island (NA-148) July 2010
I will set up camp on Lovells Island outside Boston Harbor for the RSGB IOTA Contest 24-25 July 2010. Lovells Island is little more than a sandy spot in the Atlantic with no fresh water, no electricity, and limited ferry service. I'll have only what I can carry including food, water, shelters, radios, antennas, batteries, solar panels, and other personal gear. This will be a QRP effort (12 hour category).
NE1RD to travel to St. Thomas, USVI (NA-106) for CQ WW WPX SSB Contest.
The deadlines that scuttled my J6 DXpedition should be well behind me by late March 2010. As a reward, Sandy and I will travel to the beautiful island of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for a week of fun in the sun, and the CQ WW WPX SSB Contest. Additional details can be found on the USVI DXpedition page.
NE1RD drops out of Caribbean Buddies Buddipole DXpedition to St. Lucia (J6).
It is with deep regret that I must drop out of the Buddipole DXpedition to St. Lucia. The other eight fellows are going and I'm hoping they'll get great propagation and lots of QSOs in the log. 73 and GUD DX to the entire team!
Colonial Wireless Association, Concord (Massachusetts) 27 January 2010.
I spoke to the CWA on the Joy of QRP. It was a show-and-tell session where I will passed around a bunch of great gizmos and talked about MassCon.
Tickets now on sale for the Massachusetts QRP Convention.
Tickets are on sale for the Massachusetts QRP Convention. PayPal or any major credit card is accepted. Follow the link below for more information!
Four Days in May (FDIM) 2010
I have just accepted an invitation to speak at Four Days in May (FDIM) in 2010. FDIM is the QRP convention held in conjunction with the national convention in Dayton, Ohio. The event is run by the QRP Amateur Radio Club International (QRP ARCI) and usually draws about 300 for its Thursday seminars. My presentation will be a variant of my 100 Pound DXpedition talk, obviously adjusted slightly to emphasize the low/QRP power and portable aspects. QRP ARCI is a terrific organization and I'm honored to be a part of next year's event.
Algonquin Amateur Radio Club - November 12, 2009
I gave my 100 Pound DXpedition talk at the Algonquin Amateur Radio Club meeting in Marlborough, MA on November 12, 2009 at 7:30 PM. This is a great group! My talk covered the latest planned DXpedition to St. Lucia (J6).
Massachusetts QRP Convention - March 2010
This is going to be huge! The first ever Massachusetts QRP Convention will be held March 12-13, 2010 at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center in Westford, Massachusetts. I am the Principal Organizer--though I am getting lots of help from my friends! We have an amazing slate of speakers scheduled to appear including three members of the QRP Hall of Fame and one Nobel Prize winner. If you love ham radio, if you are interested in the technical aspects of the hobby, if you just love to hear interesting people who are passionate about their interests, then I believe you'll have a wonderful time at MassCon. Click on the link to learn more.
Hawaii 2008 DXpedition recap - December 2008
The DXpedition to Hawaii in November 2008 was really a great family vacation. I only played with the radio a little bit, but I had a great time. I also got to meet NH7Y and his wife, and W6TWA and his wife while on Kauai. Bonus!
New audio and video added to the DXpedition area
I have added some audio and video to the DXpedition pages. A movie, hosted on YouTube, now appears on the Montserrat page. Audio has been added to the Boston Harbor Islands and St. Kitts page.
New DXpedition resources page added to the web site
A new page has been added to the DXpeditions area to provide a home for resources like white papers and URLs helpful for anyone planning a lightweight DXpedition. The white paper Antennas for 100 Pound DXpeditions Volume 1 and the accompanying ZIP file full of EZNEC models is now available. To just take a glimpse, you can still find the paper on issuu.
