QRP Radio and FlyFishing de N0NBD

Nice day, no fish tho!

2012-01-29T15:53:00.000-06:00

Hello all,
The weather was nice today at 40 degrees and sunny. We picked up Les and his boat and made our way to Buffalo. We fished several brush piles where the sonar said there were fish. We even fished the dam wishing for a white bass to bite. We caught several last year about this time and water temperature. We talked to another fisherman who claimed catching several crappie at 10 feet on orange and white.... There was only 9 feet of water where he was fishing. Maybe I will get my radio tuned up later and see who is on the air. More later wish I had some pictures of fish but just us today. de Paul N0NBD

Fishing at Elsmore

2011-12-15T20:43:00.000-06:00

The weather was in the 40s and the wind was not too bad so we kicked to Elsmore for some fishing.... Richard had one bite and I had none. I lost two Rooster Tail jigs in the process but it was a nice afternoon to get some air and sun. Maybe next weekend. The long range wx says it might be nice..... de Paul

November Fishing

2011-11-13T18:24:00.004-06:00

The wx was 68 degrees and VERY little wind. Richard and I had a HUGE breakfast of BSA issue can scramble and kicked for the lake. No boat today so we thought we would fish the bridge and rocks north of the bridge. We had a few bites under the bridge and was fishing through some serious MUNG on the water. We moved north to Les's rock [Les's favorite rock to fish from... he caught a 5 lb bass off this rock]Richard caught a nice scrappy bass right on the bottom, He then contrived a birds nest in his reel and piped off the fishing for the day. I think it was payback from a couple weeks ago when I skunked him and took only pictures of his small fish..... OH well there will be a next time. A couple years ago we fished on Thanksgiving day while the turkey was cooking..... Oh the 4SQRP group is doing a certificate thing for working 25 members. I got Dale in WY and Phil in Lawrence. Only 23 to go de Paul N0NBD

Sunday Fishing at Buffalo

2011-10-30T21:05:00.001-05:00

Les was getting ready to go deer hunting this afternoon so Richard, Josh and I went to Buffalo to fish the brushpiles. The wind was in the north at 15mph and the water was 59 degrees there were fish at the piles according to the locator but we didn't catch any of them. Everyone enjoyed the the afternoon but we called it early as the sky clouded up and cooled off a bit. As it is said " a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work". Until next time de Paul N0NBD

Saturday fishing with grandson

2011-10-15T21:19:00.000-05:00

Josh showed up early for breakfast so we woke Richard up and kicked for Buffalo lake. Temperatures were in the 70s, the water was 68 degrees, crappie were in the brushpiles at 12 feet and were biting our black and green tube jigs.... It was a great afternoon with Richard and Josh.... the pictures tell the rest of the story de Paul

Weblo Scouts and Fall camping at Elsmore

2011-10-02T17:08:00.002-05:00

Finally I can write something about QRP and it is camping. My son Les took the Bull den of Pack 76 on a fall campout at Elsmore. The weather was cool and the boys had a great time. We hiked around ALL OVER! The boys got in some good fishing and caught a few small bass. I threw a WA0ITP 5/5 antenna in the trees and with my ATS III, BLT and AZ paddles worked a few.... Next time I will take a amplified speaker as I used one ear bud and the scouts took turns listening on the other. It was a livley time with 8-10 year old boys..... Man they have energy! It was reported that a "snoreasaurus" was in the camp last night and his picture is below..... the weekend was a GREAT time and I am looking forward to next month. de Paul

My Kitchen Shack

2011-09-27T18:13:00.000-05:00

Here is my kitchen shack in the bay window!

9-11-11 Buffalo Fishing

2011-09-11T14:19:00.002-05:00

Les had family obligations today so Richard and I borrowed his boat and kicked for Buffalo. We found the brush pile in the east cove and in 12 feet of water we started catching crappie. They bit kinda soft but we caught a bunch of them. Many were keepers but we let them all go. The fish were biting on blue and white jig bodies with any color jig head.
The next trip we will refine our tactics by throwing out some marker bouys then anchoring off a few feet. It was great fishing and cool weather. I am looking forward to next weekend. de Paul N0NBD

Fishing last weekend and today

2011-09-07T22:21:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Richard, Les and I fished at Buffalo and Elsmore. The lakes are down and the edge fishing is slow. We did catch a few deep. There was a guy trolling over a brushpile and catching a few. We will have to change tatics. Today I fished Buffalo over the brush and caught a small bass. I also fished the drop off on the south side and caught another small bass. There are no pictures today as I did not want to disgrace the fish by taking his picture... They were small. More later de Paul N0NBD

Late August Fishing

2011-08-27T21:14:00.000-05:00

While the east coast is getting blown away, today was another HOT August day in Kansas. Richard and I fished this morning at Buffalo. The water is down three feet and there are no weeds at the edge for the bass to hide in. Richard sunk a fly out deeper and caught a small bass. All I could get to bite were greenies from 2 inches to 8 inches.This evening I had tied up a bunch of #4 streamers and we went to the Neosho River 3 blocks west of the house. We waded and fished the snags all the way to the second sand bar. Les caught a small channel cat and Richard had a good strike and no set. Toodles jinxed me when were leaving when she said "don't fall in". I was wading waist deep, got hung up on a log and fell in. My new hat stayed dry but everything else was wet. It was a nice evening on the river. de Paul N0NBD

Fishing the Neosho

2011-08-14T21:04:00.001-05:00

Les showed up at home at 6:30 and tied some red flashaboo flies. We went the few blocks to the river and waded below the dam. We all caught fish. Richard caught a small channel cat, So did Les. I caught a 12 inch flathead catfish. I also hooked something large, I thought it was a snag until the snag swam sideways. I lost him at the turn. Les hooked and fought something big, it swam under a log. Richard went in to noodle him out but the fish tangled on the log and got off. All in all it was a great evening of fishing.

More fishing than QRP

2011-08-13T18:59:00.003-05:00

Today we went to Elsmore lake 20 miles east and fished the dam and the east cove. I caught a small bass and we caught LOTS of greenies and gills. The wind picked up and was a challenge to row the mile or so back to the truck. We will try Buffalo tomorrow.

Richard and I fished Buffalo Sunday morning. Richard caught a small bass and more greenies than we could count.

More Sunday morning fishing

2011-08-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

Les, Richard and I headed to Buffalo for some early morning fishing. Les caught the best fish at 16+ inches of bass. Richard caught the most with something over 20 fish including greenies, gills and small bass. I caught several little gills and enjoyed the day. We have 3 kick boatts and 2 sets of fins so after I got home I ordered a new set of fins for Les. They should be here in a week or so. Just in time for more weekend fishing. The weather is supposed to break a little after tomorrow so maybe some QRP radio can be done. That's all for now de Paul N0NBD

Sunday morning fishing with my sons

2011-07-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

Les, Richard and I kicked for Elsmore about 0530 this morning. The fishing was slow. There was a caddis hatch that the bluegill were feeding on. Richard caught a couple channel catfish. One while his fly was hung up on the feeder cable. We had coffee on the tailgate and a good visit. It has been a couple weeks since the Smith men had a fising trip. We all enjoyed the time and look forward to the next one.Richard got his new pack and sleeping bag ordered so he is closer to a pack outing in a few weeks. We will hike and fish the eastern end of the Elk City trail as it has good fishing along the trail.
Josh and Les spent a week at Scout camp a while back. Joshua is turning into the hard core camper and hiker like his Dad.. I am proud of him. Until next time....I wish it would cool off a little de Paul N0NBD

Fishing at Elsmore today

2011-07-29T20:00:00.000-05:00

We were at Elsmore a while before sunrise this morning. We launched at the ramp and fished the feeder. Richard and I both caught nice channels and some gills. I caught a couple weird looking gills. The heat ran us off by 8:30 but it was great to fish.

Brutus Bash Coming

2011-07-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

I do have some QRP radio to write about. The 4SQRP is assembeling at West Mineral Kansas at the Big Brutus mueseum to do a portable operation. The weekend date is set for September 10-11. the whole operation should be a blast! de Paul N0NBD

Hot WX fishing

2011-07-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Richard and I fished both Saturday and Sunday mornings. We hit the Buffalo Lake at sunrise both days and the sun proved HOT! We caught greenies and I caught a 15 inch bass. I was fumbling for my camera and lost the fish at the lip. We went to Les's but he and his family were gone to the water park in KC, I suspect. The only thing I have to show for the fish is the memory of the fight and a chewed up thumb from him floping loose.

Kansas July WX

2011-07-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

I saw on Larry W2LJ's blog the other day the temp on the speedometer. When taking a college car for service this afternoon this flashed up on the speedo..... It was a hot one today. No relief in site de Paul N0NBD

Firday fishing

2011-07-15T12:25:00.000-05:00

Elsmore lake was good to fish today. Will post the pics now and more later. The last picture is of my fishing shoes that blew out on me/ It is time for new shoes.

Another Sunday at Buffalo

2011-07-10T21:32:00.001-05:00

Les was packing for a Scout campout this week so Richard and I went to Buffalo to fish. We fished the big east cove in variable winds. Richard layed into a channel cat that fought for quite a while. Richard was using his new 3 wt. rod and did a fine job playing the fish in. He also caught a couple nice bass and a ton of greenies. I caught a couple nice bass and some 6-8 inch greenies. We saw Les and Josh off to their Scout camp and kicked for home. HOT but happy with the days fisning.

More FEESHN

2011-07-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

It has been too blamed hot to play at my kitchen station. 80 meters has been terrible for me and 40 has not been much better. When not doing 10 hr days at work, I have been chillin out in the living room where it is cooler. Also I have been getting up early and "feeshin"
Richard and I hit Buffalo lake this morning and had some fair fishing. the water is in the 80s so the bass and crappie are in the deeper water. The greenies are spawning and biting like crazy. If the fly gets by the greenies and has a moment to sink a nice bass will bite. It was a fine morning fishing and we headed home when the sun was high and HOT.

Early morning at Buffalo

2011-07-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

Les, Richard and I were on Buffalo Lake at 5:30 am this morning. We were trying to beat the heat. We fished until 8:30 and called it . The sun was out of the clouds and hot. We caught lots of greenies and Richard caught a small bass. Les was fishing but enjoying playing with his fancy trolling motor and remote control.

Slow fishing at Elsmore in the heat

2011-07-02T16:08:00.001-05:00

Richard and I kicked for Elsmore this morning thinking we would sink a few golden boys at the rock wall. We both caught fish but it was slow. Richard caught several "mad" pumpkin seeds and one greenie... I caught a minnow and a small bass but we had a good time. We will have to move our starting times up some as the heat is on.

Weekend of fishing

2011-06-08T20:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Richard and I fished Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

We went to Lawrence Saturday morning and bought some flys and hair and thread. Ronn at Yager's Flys showed us a pattern called Golden Boy tied with gold crystal flash and red thread. Ronn said he had caught all species of fish on it so I tied up some. We caught grennies Saturday evening at Buffalo and greenies, crappie, bass and a channel catfish on Sunday morning. The pattern worked great!

Saturday fishing at Elsmore

2011-05-28T16:36:00.001-05:00

Richard and I went to Elsmore this morning to fish at the southwest inlet. The fishing was pretty good as we caught several mad greenies, a rock bass and a couple large mouth bass. The toon boats worked fine again. A guy we talked to showed us a 10 lb. catfish he caught last night. It was a dandy fish. We were about starved so we called it an afternoon and went home. May have to try tomorrow.

At least we aint skunked

2011-05-22T16:27:00.001-05:00

Richard and I tried Buffalo this morning but the wind was HOWLING at 15-30 mph. We fished in the east cove but not one real bite. Richard played with a bass that he could see in 2 feet of water but the bass would not BITE the lure. He would take it but spit it right out. Our theory and we are sticking to it is either the weather has the fish messed up or there were millions of fry in the water and the fish were full. Richard took some pictures of the fry. They were tiny about one half inch long. We then packed up and went to Elsmore hoping that things would be better.
At Elsmore toward the south end the wind was bad and some fisherman said they had no luck at all. We loaded the toon boats into the truck and moved to the inlet area at the southwest end. We started catching greenies about 30 minutes ahead of a thunderstorm that came in. Having caught a few we called the day a sucess and kicked for home. de Paul

some fry here

Scout training,Borrowed[stolen] boats and good fishing

2011-05-21T13:57:00.001-05:00

Les had Scout training all weekend so Richard and I "borrowed" his boat and kicked for Buffalo lake. The wind was fierce but Richard got the motor going fine and figured out how the trolling motor worked. We caught fine bass, crappie and greenies. It was a great day! The wind was out of the south at 10-20 mph and the water was 64 degrees. The spawn is close but the fish are full of eggs still. We fished the little cove on the west side, across the dam face and the east cove at the dam. We then motored to the big east cove and fished the bass rocks. Richard caught a dandy bass and I caught a crappie. Afer the battery charges tonight we will go tomorrow too! de Paul N0NBD

New motor and GREAT fishing

2011-05-15T19:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday while I worked 12 hours at the campus surplus sale, Les and Richard went to Kansas City to get a new trolling motor at BassPro. Les bought a GPS controlled motor for his boat. That thing is amazing! It has a built in sensor for the depth finder and he just fished our favorite track along the west bank across the dam, then pushed a button and it returned us on the same path. The fish bit fast and furious. The spawn is close for bluegill and the crappie are much shallower than they have been. Here are a few pictures, We caught some really nice fish. All were released to be caught again de Paul N0NBD

Grandson Kile's pictures from Big Hill

2011-05-09T20:04:00.000-05:00

Kile sent me some of his pictures today. He was working on a photo composition for school. He did get some neet pictures.

A few pictures that Les and Richard sent

2011-05-08T19:21:00.002-05:00

Here are a few shots. I sure enjoyed the weekend..... I think I will do laundry and get ready to go back LOL

Weekend at Big Hill

2011-05-08T18:17:00.000-05:00

As soon as I get the pictures all gathered up from Les's, Kile's and my cameras I will have a photo layout from the weekend at Big Hill. The fishing was good, not much size but more than enough fish to keep it intresting. There were black and white crappie, blue gills and bass caught. Kile was fishing with a new used ultralight rig I gave him. He caught some bass and pumpkin seed gills. All in all it was a fine weekend at the lake with the family.

Addition to yesterday's report

2011-05-02T06:57:00.000-05:00

I was excited from the race off the lake and wanting to get the post up. Richard did out fish Les, but Les was busy trying to keep the boat under control... Man it was windy and when the storm came in it got WINDY QUICK!
Back to work today!
de Paul N0NBD

"The rough weather won't come for a while"

2011-05-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

The weather channel said there would be rain today. I thought it would hold off for a while. I talked Richard into going with me fishing. We rooted his brother off the computer and kicked for Buffalo. We caught the heck out of bass and bluegill. I caught one 6 inch gill and had a bass attacking it at the boat. Les hooked a bass at the boat and missed him, the flash in the water was 18" long. Richard caught some nice bass as well. We were about to the dam when the wind went from 10 mph to 30 mph and the waves were 2 feet high. We made it to the ramp but were wet and cold. It also sleeted with the rain. Great day fishing! de Paul N0NBD

Dipper build

2011-04-24T19:18:00.001-05:00

We had a GREAT Easter dinner with all of the kids and grandkids at noon today. After the visiting was done and the mess cleaned up. The kids all had other activities this afternoon. I took this time to build my DeluxeTenna Dipper Kit. The build went perfect and powered up on the first go. It should be a neat tool to use when playing with different antennas. I had built the 4SQRP Tenna Dipper kit but never got on with the tiny switches and such. This one seems to be much more user friendly but the cost was 3 times more.. Oh well here are some pictures and I am hoping for fishing weather this week de Paul N0NBD

Saturday fishing with the boys

2011-04-23T15:09:00.001-05:00

It stormed last night and Buffalo was a little stired up but we managed to catch a few fish.
Les and Richard were in Les's boat and I was in my toon boat. It was overcast and cool but we had a good time. Les caught a couple white bass, Richard caught a greenie and I caught a nice bass... it was a fun morning... Some kit building on a Delux Tenna Dipper will take place after a nap de Paul N0NBD

Tenna Dipper kit arrived

2011-04-18T21:26:00.004-05:00

In the mail today my Tenna Dipper was delivered. I inventoried the parts and they were all there... I am anxious to get started on the build. Will post more later.
We have Friday off so I think I will go to Buffalo and see if the white bass still will bite de Paul N0NBD

This is a cool kit sold by Hendricks QRP kits and designed by KD1JV

So far I have the case sanded, cleaned and 3 coats of clear on it so I will get started with the build soon. de Paul N0NBD

Saturday fishing at Buffalo

2011-04-16T15:52:00.001-05:00

This morning dawned cold and windy. Les and I kicked for Buffalo lake and were on the water by 7:30. We caught some greenies and bass. Les caught a monster wiper and I caught a dandy white bass. it was great fishing. The sun came up after while and warmed up some but the air was cool.

No Radio Tonight

2011-04-14T21:17:00.001-05:00

Man the storms whopped through here tonight with rain and wind but no damage that I can see. The storms were purple on the TV radar... I think that is pretty intense. I hope to report some QRP contacts tomorrow night and a fishing repoort on Saturday. de N0NBD

New Black Widow ready for tonights nets

2011-04-13T18:57:00.001-05:00

I have a new cord on the Black Widow paddle and it is ready to go in a few minutes... Man it is purty and feels nice de Paul N0NBD

Black Widow built

2011-04-12T22:02:00.001-05:00

I got the Black Widow done tonight. I had my OHR on 80 meters and I found John K3WWP working the NAQCC sprint. We had a quick sprint exchange and we both moved on. I will try to post a picture of the paddle tomorrow/ de Paul N0NBD

I got started on the Black Widow paddle

2011-04-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

Among other things i got the paddle parts sanded, cleaned and a couple coats of Krylon sprayed on today. I am anxious to get to use it... More later. I did bring more station down stairs today and have the OHR 400 hooked up and running. Will make some contacts tomorrow. de Paul N0NBD

Ozarkcon 2011 is history

2011-04-11T08:03:00.002-05:00

Ozarkcon 2011 was great! There were many good speakers at the sessions, the banquet food was really good. The brisket was the best I have ever had! I did enter a few projects in the home brew contest but they paled in the presence of some other work. Nick WA5BDU entered his 1929 Hartley. It was BEAUTIFUL! Herb WR9H entered a RX manhattan style that was pretty. He won the section with it. Congrats Herb. I was honored with a plaque for QRPer of the year 2011.... Man, I am still flabbergasted!... I was lucky in the prize drawing and won a W5JH Black Widow paddle.... Man that is cool. This paddle will join my AZ paddle and Baby Black Widow on my PFR 3... I am looking forward to next year... Thanks to Terry WA0ITP and the Ozarkcon crew! de Paul N0NBD ar sk..

Lookie at my ATS with REAL labels

2010-12-21T20:40:00.000-06:00

Terry, WA0ITP was visiting here a couple weeks ago and took my ATS for some proper labeling. Terry does a great job on label work... I am so proud I will show it at Ozarkcon in the spring.

This is my spy key built for me by Ed AB0LE. I will use it for SKN and the 4 SQRP PRE-SKN cu on the radio. de Paul

Zombie Shuffle

2010-10-30T17:41:00.000-05:00

I tried to work the Zombie Shuffle last night. I only worked three stations but one of then was ELVIS. It was a fun time. I worked these 3 guys on 40 meters and heard a few on 80 but could not contact anyone on 80... I sent in a summary even tho my score was poor... I did enjoy listening de Paul N0NBD ar sk..

A really GREAT camping weekend

2010-10-17T20:08:00.003-05:00

The Smith men hiked the west trail at the Elk river. We hiked about 6 miles and camped overnight about halfway. There was Kile Grills, Nighthunter, Suvivorman Josh and Les S all packing HUGE backpacks. Oh my name was and is bobcat barbeque given to me by Josh after one of my stories.. We had a great time and enjoyed the entire trip. I learned much and need to pare down my gear. I did bust the handle off my tooth brush to save weight. I am tired tonight so will get my thoughts together and make another blog. I was going to take radios but left them due to weight. Will blog more on this great trip de Paul N0NBD

Early fall camping at Big Hill

2010-10-09T12:20:00.004-05:00

Last weekend the whole family assembled at site #90 at Big Hill Lake east of Cherryvale, KS. It was a beautiful weekend with mild temperatures. The over night lows were in the high 30s wich made for cool sleeping. !
Les and I got one morning fishing in the tree cove and caught some gills and Les caught a couple bass.
Saturday night we had a campfire supper of steak, ribs, rolls and all the fixens. I even made a chocolate cherry cake in the dutch oven. MMMMM GOOOOOD!!!
Happy late Birthday Melissa!
Richard and family got there but we never got his rod out of the car so I owe him a fishing trip... I will get it paid back soon!

GREAT day fishing!!!!!

2010-09-12T18:41:00.000-05:00

This morning at Buffalo it did not matter if I was ahead or behind Les, I was able to catch bigger fish than him. He usually skunks me out but not today. We both caught tons of greenies and I caught some bass. On the row back we ran into the KWPD ranger that wanted a license check and fishing report. Back to the old salt mine tomrrow de Paul N0NBD

QSO with Terry

2010-09-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

This evening I met Terry on 3566 and had a chat. some qsb and qrn but solid copy. The rig here was ATS 3 and dipole at 3 watts. Terry was working his Tut 80. Now that it has cooled some I need to see if I can repair my Tut. I dropped it about an inch while trying to hook it up and it quit oscillating..... Hummmm I dont see anything but something came loose... I also have several kits to build now that I can sit in the shack and work. de Paul N0NBD

A Great morning fishing!

2010-09-04T13:57:00.000-05:00

Richard and I went to Elsmore lake this morning. the weather was cool at 56 degrees. The fish were hungry though. On his second cast Richard hooked a 2 inch greenie and while reeling it in a 15 inch bass swallowed the smaller fish. Richard wound up looseing the fish at the lip but he caught and saw him at the boat. I caught several 12 inch bass and a ton of greenies. The whole morning was nice. The flys used were Montanan stoneflys, brown clousers and sarges crappie candys. Fishing will happen at Buffalo lake tomorrow. Now for a nap and some qrp radio in my cooled off shack...

Richard also caught the smallest fish for the day with a 3 inch bass that had a heck of an attitude.

Another day of fishing

2010-08-29T10:47:00.000-05:00

I still had Les's toon boat from yesterdays trip. I woke him up at 6:30 and we kicked for Buffalo. The fishing was not as good today, the wind came up with the sun but we managed to catch a ton of greenies. I am not sure where the bass were today. Anyhow any day fishing is better than working.

Fishing with Richard at Buffalo

2010-08-28T15:03:00.000-05:00

Richard and I shanghied Les's drift boat and kicked for Buffalo lake. We both caught small bass and a ton of "greenies". The weather has cooled off some and the fishing is much more enjoyable. There were several boats on the lake but they were doing more fishing than catching I think. Richard did catch one nice bass but I did not get a picture of it... Sorry,,, next time. Here is one of the greenies showing his attitude.

ATS on 80

2010-08-28T14:47:00.000-05:00

No posts of radio here for a while so..... here is one. I checked into the 4SQRP net on 80 meters with my ATS 3B. I have made a few contacts the last few nights on 80. The little ATS makes 3 watts on 80 and seems to work fine. I have got good reports. The setup the last few nights has been ATS 3B ZM 2 tuner and 1/2 wave dipole at 50 ft..... Will stay camped around 3560 and up a little. de Paul N0NBD

No QRP but the fishing was great!

2010-08-22T12:15:00.000-05:00

It was foggy as can be this morning but Les and I went to Buffalo Lake to fish. On the way to the lake Les said " I think there is a big bass laying right off the launch ramp". On his first cast he hooked a bass... I should have known I was as good as skunked. I caught a bunch of greenies and a couple 12 inch bass but Les's 16 inch bass took the cake for today.
He was using his favorite summer fly, a small Betts Bug in white with black specs. The bass and bluegill just tear the water up getting to the BAD ASS BETTS BUG.....I think some qrp radio from the kitchen station is in order and a nap in the chair... Untill later, see U on the radio or at the lake de Paul N0NBD

Sounds like a broken record!

2010-08-15T14:20:00.000-05:00

I got called to the campus with a malfunctioning smoke alarm system last night. A storm had went through and the panel was showing a ground fault... It took three hours to find and fix so my fishing trip got started late this morning. Elsmore lake was rough with strong winds in the north so I fished along the SW rock bluff because it is a little protected. The lake was murky and the fish slow to bite. I caught a couple greenies and then the sun came out and promised to warm up quickly. So back home I went and will visit with my grandkids this afternoon de Paul N0NBD ar sk..

Hot Sunday morning at Elsmore

2010-08-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

Les and I left the house a little after 6 to hit Elsmore. We fished along the south end along the rock walls and the drop offs. Les caught a nice Rockbass that was a real fight on 2 wt fly gear. I caught a couple small bass and a ton of "Greenies". It was a good fishing trip with plenty of action to keep things interesting.

Radioin, Kittin and FEESHIN

2010-07-22T14:29:00.001-05:00

Terry WA0ITP was here a couple days to play radio, get me caught up on kitting the Magic Box for the 4SQRP group and to do some FEESHIN, which I have learned is IOWEGIAN for what we in Kansas, call fishing hi hi... The weather has been miserable hot but I have had a blast. We fished this morning at Elsmore Lake and Terry caught several feesh! Bass, Bluegill, some dandy green sunperch and a dandy channel cat fish. His lures were new to me as he tied on the "DEADLY TRIPLE TAIL" and the "Deadly Roostertail". The fishing was great. We caught nothing of any size but they bit often enough to be fun to stay on the water and go after. Here are a couple pictures:

Fishing at Buffalo

2010-07-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

It was hot and windy today but I had to go try Buffalo. The water was stained brown with lots of debris floating on top. The debris lines on the roads told the story of a REAL high water level a few days ago.

We fished the east cove and caught some greenies, I caught a nice crappie and this little agressive greenie. He was hooked!

It was great to fish and I did get a nice hit at the bass crack. Maybe Terry will have better luck in a few days. I hope the water clears up some soon.

TT 1054 in its new home

2010-06-13T18:21:00.001-05:00

I took a few minutes in my "hotter than hades shack" and got my TT 1054 mounted in its new oak case. It sure is purty de Paul N0NBD

Josh's Scout campout

2010-06-13T16:33:00.001-05:00

June 11-12 Les, Josh and I went to Coffeyville for Josh's Scout campout at the Coffeyville fairgrounds. We had a great time and it was a blast.The wx was terrible hot and the overnight low was 81 degrees so sleeping in the tent was warm but we all enjoyed our time. We had a good supper and a GREAT breakfast can scramble of sausage, taters and eggs..... MMMMMM GOOD. After the campout broke up we went to Big Brutus to see the 4SQRP guys that were having the Brutus Bash. The bands were bad and the guys were soaking up the shade so me and the boys toured Brutus... MAN that is one huge machine. If you ever get the chance it is worth the price to climb around inside it. The picture above is Josh late Friday night. he was about asleep in his chair.

Ten Tec case arrived

2010-06-09T18:01:00.001-05:00

After work tonight I found the UPS man had left my Oak cabinet for my ten Tec 1054 Regen receiver. The little case is a thing of beauty and well worth the price. I will still do some more alignment and then fit it in the cabinet. The case is BEAUTIFUL de Paul N0NBD

No fish caught but some radio time was good

2010-06-06T20:51:00.001-05:00

Fishing was slow today as the HEAT is on. It is way too hot to play radio in my second floor un-airconditioned shack. I have a 5 dollar/5 minute WA0ITP antenna strung out my kitchen window to a convienent pecan tree. I saw a post on QRP-L and went looking for WW2LST and found him. We had a few minutes chat and I will send for another of their cards. This was the second time I have worked the ship. I listened around and found no other ships so I did other things. This is a picture of my kitchen station. the station is a ATS III3B, a BLT tuner, a TE NE KE and a 1.2 AH battery. de Paul N0NBD

NS 40

2010-05-11T19:18:00.001-05:00

I built a 4SQRP NS-40 transmitter. It is an easy build and takes no time. I have not labeled it yet but I housed the transmitter in a tin found at Big Lots. The tin used to have NASCAR scenes on it but some sandpaper, primer and a couple coat of pretty blue paint took care of that. The little tin fit perfectly. I hope to use the little transmitter with either of my Ten Tec receivers that I built, or I could cheat and use the PFR or ATS receiver with the 4SQRP Magic box that was introduced at Ozarkcon. I am excited to get the magic box kit. I think it will be cool to play with. For a ham like me that has never used seperates the magic box should make things easy. de Paul N0NBD

Ten Tec 1054 Regen is complete

2010-05-07T21:47:00.001-05:00

Now to order the pretty oak cabinet for the radio. I did not order with the kit thinking if I don't really like this rx I would save 40 bucks. I LIKE THE RX and it deserves to live in a nice oak cabinet. I still need to tweek around some but I hear lots of SW stations and found WWV on 10 MHz. Man this is great I have a RX to go with my NS 40 now. All I need is the 4SQRP magic box and it will be cool de Paul N0NBD

Ten Tec 1054 RX kit started

2010-05-07T18:21:00.001-05:00

Here is a start on my regen kit. I an excited to use a regen and the 4SQRP Magic box with a NS 40. I think that will be a blast. I am hoping 4QRP develops a NS 30. 30 meters is my favorite band and the 1054 is supposed to receive there as well. de Paul N0NBD

A RX is complete

2010-05-07T17:59:00.001-05:00

A short while back I finished my Ten Tec 1056 DC Rx kit. My labeling is crappy but it works and I have been listening to 40 meter CW trying to log where some frequencies are so I can make dials. I hear LOTS af stations but it is fun to tune around and listen. I need to put a ground lug and wire on it to help get rid of some hum but my clip lead is working for now. I have started another Ten Tec 1054 kit , the regen model. I am excited to hear a regen work. I will post when it is complete.

4SQRP HF Test Set

2010-04-27T21:57:00.001-05:00

I got my test set finished last night and have it housed in a plaid tin from Wally World. It is a little larger than the set so there is room for some clip leads and such. I fixed a little slip in the lid to hold laminated cheet sheets for the use of the test set. This is a useful and easy project to build. The frequency readout is from my TUT 80.

TUT 80 is complete

2010-04-25T14:57:00.001-05:00

After I cooked the finals with a shorted key jack, Terry sent me some new finals and the TUT is complete. She makes 2.5 watts. I am looking forward to this evening to make some contacts. I hope. It has been a long road as my skills are suspect. Thanks to Terry WA0ITP the TUT lives. He found all the stuff I did wrong... I will post to QRPSPOTs tonight de Paul

QRPTTF a bust for me

2010-04-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

I had to work yesterday as there was an EXPO and film festival on campus. I set up my ATS III B and a 5 minute 5 dollar EFHW with a crappie pole. I tried to work the QRPTTF from the Maintenance shop. I heard only one 4 station and he was in the noise. Will try again de N0NBD

Fishing with Les

2010-04-17T12:31:00.003-05:00

At dawn we were at mann's cove at Toronto lake to see if the fish stories were true. they werent! There were 20 boats on the cove and no one has much to show for their trouble . After a couple hours we loaded up and came back to our usual HAUNT at Buffalo. Within a few minutes were were catching nice crappie, some small bass and some dandy green bluegills that liked the looks of Les's beetle spin and my black and yellow micro jig. It was great fishing and now for some chair time and to check my eyelids.

Back from Branson

2010-04-15T20:36:00.001-05:00

The trip to Branson was great! We took in the Titanic mueseum and a few other sites. The Ozarkcon was great. I did not win any prizes in the drawings but Toodles won a book on crystal radios and a SW+80 kit. She did agree for me to build the kit for her and use as well. I had a blast working guys on the dummy load and got to work the special event station K0N. My ATS III worked great on Terry's 5 min/5 dollar antenna strung around the room. The food was great and the ham musicians were great. Next year I will take my 12 string along to play. If the weather allows I will fish some this weekend.

At Ozarkcon

2010-04-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

Toodles and I are in Branson , I will post some pictures tomorrow. de Paul N0NBD

Off to Ozarkcon

2010-04-06T20:23:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we will leave for Branson Mo and the Ozarkcon. I will post some pictures here and on facebook. de Paul N0NBD

Easter Sunday fishing

2010-04-04T17:14:00.000-05:00

Les and I went to the east cove of Buffalo again today, the wind was variable but mostly East Southeast. Les caught a couple small bass and a nice crappie. I had a couple solid bites but no hookups. I was using a black over green squirmin grub and switched to a black bead head wolly bugger after Les caught a couple on a black 1/50th oz black maribu jig. the water was cool at 59-60 degrees and the winds were going about 20 mph. It was good trying anyhow.

First toonboat fishing of the year

2010-04-03T12:37:00.002-05:00

The weather cleared off nicely after morning thunderstorms so Les and I went to Buffalo and fished at the north bridge. A guy was there fishing under the bridge and had caught a few small crappie at 12 ft. I had one good bite and saw a few fish swim by on my depth finder. We moved to the deep east cove and caught a few small bass and Les caught some small bluegill. We called it quits at suppertime as neither of us could feel out legs below the knee.. The water was 61 degrees and the winds were variable from all directions. I will go try again on Sunday. Les is off Saturday morning to do some four wheeling at the Garnett trails.

Dandy Day for Rocket Launching

2010-03-28T18:23:00.001-05:00

My grandson Josh's Cub Scout rocket launch got canceled due to HEAVY rain but today it was sunny and cool with a stiff north wind. The Cubs had all built their kit rockets and were ready for them to be loaded and shot. I was shown how to ready the rockets for the kids and 4 of us were kept busy prepping rockets with wadding, motors and ignighters. It was a blast watching the rockets go. Some of the Scouts had rocket experience and were launching some really large rockets and a couple were tracked down nearly a half mile south. The afternoon was a lot of fun and it brings back great memories made with my sons in the Scouting programs... I think in a few years I will go buy that feather weight pack and sleeping bag that I could not afford when my kids were little, my pack and sleeping bag was about the size of a haybale and about as heavy.
BACK to RADIO.
I have re-wound L9 for my TUT and will solder it in. I was re-reading the directions and think I will find Q1 bad and suffering the SHOD [squealing howel of death] as per the instructions. I hope that is the problem but anyway the L9 looks better than my first try.

Too cold and snowy for anything else

2010-03-20T22:37:00.001-05:00

I started messing about putting together a Ten Tec 1056 Receiver for 40 meters. I read on the NS-40 group that several guys were using them with their NS 40s. I got it working tonight and started boxing it up. I will spend a session tomorrow with my frequency generator and try to get it aligned. Although tonight I could hear SW brodcast signals very well. A better picture will come along after I get it boxed, labeled and the knobs on. de Paul N0NBD

WOW What is with the weather !?

2010-03-20T11:09:00.001-05:00

I was sitting at my desk sweating yesterday and the temps were 70 degrees. This morning there is blowing snow and 4 inches on the ground. I thought the wx man would be wrong and I would be fishing on my drift boat at Buffalo. I thought the water would be cold on the legs but it would be great to fish the brushpiles in the deep cove. Ah well this is Kansas and I probably can go do this fishing next weekend so today I will mess with my TUT 80 to see if I can get it going and work some 30 or 40 meters on my PFR3. de Paul N0NBD

Windy day at Buffalo

2010-03-13T19:30:00.003-06:00

Les and I loaded up and went to Buffalo this morning. Les's motor we worked on yesterday started on the second pull and off we went. The day was grey and damp with winds picking up from the north. We fished the outlet pipe area and the feeder ring area. I was using my new Hummingbird watch type depth finder that Les bought me for my birthday. It worked great! The little transducer can be tied to a pole and casted out. It was neet to look at the bottom as the line was reeled in. We were going to move to the deep cove to hunt for the brush piles. The motor started conking out and got worse. Being windy and cold and a motor acting up, It seemed like a good time to pull the plug and head for home. I think a new motor is in the future.

Sunday morning fishing

2010-03-07T19:33:00.001-06:00

Les and I were at the north end of Buffalo lake this morning. We threw everything in the vest at them and no fish were having any. We called it a morning early and came home. Later in the day we re-wound the pull starter on the 15HP Evinrude. Now for some fresh gas and a trial run with the motor hanging in a trash can full of water. It is time to fish the DEEP brushpiles at Buffalo. Maybe next weekend.

TUT progress

2010-03-07T07:25:00.000-06:00

The mailman brought my order from Dan's yesterday. I was able to continue the build after I soldered some caps in wrong. All the tests have came out right and there is a pretty blue light on the board. Now for some fishing. will be leaving in a few minutes. de Paul N0NBD

As far as I can go I think!

2010-02-28T17:48:00.008-06:00

This afternoon I installed all of the resistors and caps. I am to the point in the instructions to do some voltage tests. I am waiting on 10 1000pf caps that I soldered in the wrong place and had to cut out. So I will have to wait for the caps that I have ordered to get here. de Paul N0NBD

TUT enclosure

2010-02-27T16:53:00.000-06:00

This afternoon I got my TUT enclosure punched, drilled and painted the first coat. I will let the paint cure a little, sand a couple spots and give it another coat. I used Terry WA0ITP's templates and it worked out great. I did mess up when I ordered from Ten Tec, I pushed the wrong button and got a TPC 45 instead of the 41 that most guys are using. It is a little larger but it will work fine. I can hardly wait to get things done and start making some contacts. de Paul N0NBD

Some more work on my TUT 80

2010-02-27T16:41:00.000-06:00

After fishing this afternoon I sneaked upstairs to work on my TUT board. I had soldered some caps in the wrong spots. I have new caps ordered from Dan's so I cut the caps in half, heated the legs up and pulled them out. I got all the holes clean by heating them up a little and tapping the board on the bench... It worked fine and it does not look like I damaged the pads any. I think I will skip the step where I soldered the wrong caps and go on with the build until the caps arrive in the mail. Here is a picture of the board after the caps were removed de Paul N0NBD

February fishing at Buffalo

2010-02-27T16:35:00.000-06:00

Today was sunny and 40 degrees so Richard and I went to Buffalo Lake to try our luck. The fish were not having any of what we were throwing at them. The Wildlife and Parks ranger did come by to check our lisenses. A few other people were fishing but not catching. Oh well the worst day fishing is still better than working de Paul N0NBD

TUT 80 waiting

2010-02-26T18:51:00.001-06:00

I goofed up and soldered some caps in the wrong place. Today I ordered caps from Dan's. Terry WA0ITP posted some templates on the TUT group so I will work this weekend on getting my Ten Tec enclosure drilled and ready. I also have my Ten Tec 1056 to build so may get to that while I am waiting for the caps to arrive we will see.The wx is supposed to be warm this weekend I may go fishing... de Paul N0NBD

TUT 80 and solder smoke

2010-02-20T15:11:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of the boatrd with the diodes and the 0.1 caps installed. It is a rainey day in SE Kansas so a good day to melt solder more later de Paul N0NBD

TUT 80 arrived

2010-02-17T06:59:00.000-06:00

When I got home from work last night my TUT 80 was sitting on top of the mailbox. Cool! I will dig through it today and get started this evening de Paul N0NBD

It is ordered!

2010-02-02T21:32:00.001-06:00

Tonight Terry WA0ITP and I made our ATS to ATS qso on 80 meters with 3 watts. It was great. Terry was getting clobbered so we called it quick. On the phone he reminded me that the FT80 kits were going fast. I read the posts that there were like only 20 left so with an abused credit card I got mine ordered. The comfirmation came back so all is good. I will make some posts once the kit gets here and I get started on it. de Paul N0NBD

First fishing for January 2010

2010-01-24T11:47:00.003-06:00

The ice left Buffalo lake last week and they removed the "NO FISHING FROM BRIDGE" sign. Les amd I were there at 8 this morning. The water was choppy.The wind was out of the north and was really cold. My northern friend in North Dakota calls it a "walleye chop." Fishing was slow but there were a few bites. I started off the year with a nice bass that just did not want to be pulled up from deep water but I got him. Les had several good bites and caught a "log" bass that I had to crawl down and unhook for him. A quick trip back to Wal-Mart on the way home for some black jig heads and larger dark squrimin grubs. The weather is supposed to turn bad with snow tonight and tomorrow. I think I will have to take some time off late this week and do some more fishing. Stay tuned! de Paul N0NBD

ATS III working and labeled KINDA!?

2010-01-22T21:30:00.001-06:00

Well here is a picture of the clear top tin with a label on it. It is not too professional but it is labeled. Tomorrow or Sunday I am going fishing, the ice is off the lakes so I will give it a try. It will be good to go see if I can entice a fish de Paul N0NBD

UPDATE!!!! 2

2010-01-18T22:25:00.005-06:00

I got the ATS III B installed in one of my 4SQRP clear top tins. I really messed up when trying to drill my finish tin from Terry. I drilled two other tins for practice but nothing would line up and look good. So with a new template and some tape, a sheetrock screw and determination I started in and now have an ATS in a clear tin. I will work on a cool label later. Sorry Terry I messed up the pretty label from you. I love this stuff. Now to operate some!!! I worked Edward WK6L in CA and Chris KC0GIO in MN today so it is working YIPPIEEEE!! de Paul N0NBD

UPDATE!!!!

2010-01-18T16:55:00.003-06:00

I just made my first QSO with my ATS III B. Chris KC0GIO in Cambridge, MN. answered my CQ on 7040 and we had a few minutes chat and I got a 559 signal report. The little radio seems to be working fine. Now to get it in a proper tin de Paul N0NBD

Done enough to try for some QSOs

2010-01-18T16:34:00.004-06:00

I have all of the filter boards built and tuned up except the 80 meter board. Terry is sending me some wire to wind the L3 torroid. I came up short on wire. But here is the rig all "haywired" together with jumpers to try to make a QSO. maybe later this evening I can snag one. de Paul N0NBD

Still no fishing but I am hopeful

2010-01-16T23:18:00.002-06:00

The snow is melting rapidly and the weather is supposed to be warm next week so maybe some water will open up so I can go fish. Tonight I did build the 40 meter filter board for my ATS III. It worked first time and with a little adjusting of coils made 3 watts. . My solder flux arrived a couple days ago so I finished soldering the last of the resistors on. As Terry says "I LOVE THIS RADIO STUFF" de Paul N0NBD

You gotta look at this!

2010-01-09T13:00:00.003-06:00

My ATS build is stalled a bit waiting for some new solder paste to arrive. The last I had got toward the end I could not push it from the syringe. I tried hand soldering the 103 resistor on the back of the 30 meter module but must have had too much heat and burned off the metal end. I could not get any ohms reading across the resistor. SOOOO more flux is ordered, and Steve KD1JV is sending me a new resistor. While waiting I have wound all of the toroids and prepped most of them. Today in the mail a package arrived from Terry and in it is a BEAUTIFUL yellow tin with my ATS label on it and says "built by N0NBD" I am about to bust. This is a thing of beauty. I am anxious to get things finished up and mount the rig in the tin. I have a couple tins that I will practice layout and drilling/ punching........ Thanks Terry de Paul N0NBD

First module complete

2010-01-03T20:08:00.002-06:00

This afternoon I got the 30 meter module built and did the other tests in the instructions. I have a problem with the rig being on 80 meters with a 30 meter module in. I will do more reading and a post to the group. I will get this figured out. Although it did make 3/4 watt with the dds and module not agreeing. More later de Paul N0NBD

No fishing but much progress has been made

2010-01-02T23:36:00.003-06:00

Well the high in SE Kansas was 14 degrees today so I stayed inside and worked some on my ATS IIIB. I got the last of the solder bridges cleaned up and powered it up. I hear the 8 and see most of it on the readout. I have one more leg to resolder a little and the whole 8 will light up. As Terry says... I LOVE this radio stuff de Paul N0NBD

Ready to test now!

2010-01-02T09:18:00.003-06:00

Last night I finished installing the semi conductors and the thru hole parts. Everything went fine. I did have a few solder bridges on the chips that were taken care of with solder braid. Today I will build a couple modules and start the tune up and check out. I would rather go fishing but there is no open water anywhere, at 7 degrees it will not be open for a while. More later de Paul N0NBD

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T21:04:00.003-06:00

I have had a few sessions in the COLD radio room and have managed to solder on all of the resistors and caps on the ATS III B board. Tomorrow I will work on the semiconductors. It is really neet to watch the tiny componenants snap into plasce when the heat gets right. Happy new year to all de Paul N0NBD

Small fish for Peg and Little Zie

2009-12-28T20:16:00.004-06:00

This post is for Peg and little Zie, Peg got a kick out of these little fish pictures and little Zie is nuts about Curious George. Hello Zie from Uncle Bub.