C21MB – New DXCC (#184) in the log!

Posted on February 6, 2020 by admin

New great DX-pedition of Kay, JH3AZS together with Taka, JP3EXR. This time to Nauru (IOTA OC-031). Call sign C21MB. Equipment the same, as theirs previous expeditions.
They successfully  started on 5th of February. And I started to monitor QRG from my Moon rise. After my Moon rise, I started to see C21MB’s trace on the screen and shortly, after SP4KM, UR3EE and SM3GVF we completed QSO.  

Next two pictures are the courtesy of the C21MB Team, which were copied and pasted from the site http://mmmonvhf.de/latest.php
Very simple, portable and effective  system! Congrats, Team, and thanks for a new DXCC.
Good luck in DX-pedition!

 

 

Posted in DX-peditions | Leave a comment

Year 2019 statistic

Posted on January 4, 2020 by admin

Total 1453 QSO on HF and VHF bands.
560 QSO on HF and 893 QSO on VHF and up.
A bit bigger than last year. Less CW, but more digital QSO.
Why? Because if you want to find new stations, you should find themes on FT8, unfortunately… Very often, seems, no propagation and band is totally empty on CW and SSB segments. But FT8 frequency is always alive!

dish

But, for sure, the most important year’s event was my start on 23 cm EME.
3 meter solid dish with VE4MA feed + G4DDK LNA. Separate TX/RX lines. TX line is a 16 meters of 7/8″ coaxial + 3 meter 1/2″ flexible jumper.
I started with 500W SSPA in the shack, but for an unexplained reason 2 of 4 transistors were burned after first 2 QSOs. I replaced damaged PA by MKU-13200-A and was surprised, that even stations with 4 long yagis can hear me! Now I successfully using this setup during last 5 months. And looking for possibility to repair burned PA.
All results of my VHF and UP activity are here.

 

 

Posted in No heading | Leave a comment

The Meteor Shower Gemenids 2019

Posted on December 15, 2019 by admin

Strong shower and many MS initials in this year!
Worked totally 53 QSO, 19 DXCC, 41 grid squares.
Best ODX 2018 km with F1NZC. Interesting that this time were many MSK144  mode participants referring to the last year 2018.  I did not participated in BCC. Was looking mainly for MS  initials. and DXCC. Thus, 34 initials from 53 worked stations. Not bad! 

 

Posted in Propagation | Leave a comment

EME QSO with 18 meter dish on on 23 cm

Posted on December 7, 2019 by admin

Info from Paul Andrews (W2HRO) on Facebook (Eart Moon Earth (EME) Radio Communications group):
“On Friday, Dec 6, 2019, I’m going to the (www.n2mo.org) EME Site (https://www.projectdiana-eme.com/) to help activate the 18m dish on 1296 MHz. This is my first visit and I’m bringing equipment to run WSJT JT65C. We hope to be QRV soon after local moonrise (3 pm ET) in Belmar, NJ. This should be fun. We will also have CW and SSB”.
Of course it was interesting to hear signal from 18 meter diameter dish and tried QSO. And it was easy! Just wait, than some “Very Big Guns” completed QSO with Dan (K2QM). Interesting story regarding to DIANA Project can be read on links above.

The dish is beautiful!

Posted in No heading | Leave a comment

Meteor shower Perseids, August 2019

Posted on August 25, 2019 by admin

I was more or less active during one of the most powerful meteor streams of the air. Statistic  says, I was in the air 5 hours and 33 minutes from 8th to 12th of August.
The summary: 36 QSO, 29 squares and 12 countries. Best ODX – 2270 km (EI9E).

Posted in No heading | Leave a comment

The Baltic Way Award

Posted on August 22, 2019 by admin

This memorial award is announced by Eesti Raadioamatööride Ühing (ERAÜ), Latvijas Radio Amatieru Līga (LRAL) and Lietuvos Radijo Mėgėjų Draugija (LRMD) to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Baltic Way – a peaceful protest against the Molotov – Ribbentrop pact signed on 23rd of August 1939, dividing the independent countries of Eastern Europe in spheres of influence between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. On the same date in 1989 more than 2 million people across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined hands to form a 675 km long human chain – the Baltic Way, showing their fight for independence.

Posted in No heading | Leave a comment

NAC 1296 MHz, August, 2019

Posted on August 21, 2019 by admin

Not the best conditions, weak tropo. 17 QSO, 11 grid squares, 6 countries. May be the first time I did not worked with LY stations. No success with RA2FGG, although we tried 3 times. Best ODX 583 km (SM7LCB). But interesting QSO with YL2GD: he was QRP – only 8 watts! ODX 237 km.

 

Posted in Contests | Leave a comment

Andorra (C37NL) – DXCC #181

Posted on August 19, 2019 by admin

MS expedition to the one of the most wanted DXCC and grids (JN02SK) was made by Unio de Radioaficionats Andorrans team from 8 to 13th of August. During the Perseids meteor shower. Operators J. Jackes ON7EQ – Jackes ON5OO. Great deal, but…

Picture courtesy of C37MS Team.…for me it is not real to make a Meteor scatter QSO on 144 MHz with C37MS, because of the big distance (over 2500 km). Another thing – they promised to QRV via EME on 13th of August after the can get the Moon above the mountings. They are used call sign C37NL for EME operation. The most exited thing: they have no elevation on theirs 2 x 9 LFA antenna array. So they are tilted whole mast to Moon direction on the sky! And it worked! The picture above (courtesy of C37MS) shows, how they did that. We were waited over 2 hours, starting from the appointed time (2000 utc). The first lucky man was John, G4SWX, than Franco (I2FAK)… I do not remember my number, but they got my callsign after next allightment of antenna. Sure, I was happy! And they did made only 8 EME QSO …
Thanks Team!!

Posted in DX-peditions | Leave a comment

Starting EME on 23 cm.

Posted on August 5, 2019 by admin

My current setup:

– Transceiver FT-736
– DB6NT SSPA 250W (in the shack),
-12 m of 7/8″ + 2m of 1/2″ coaxial TX line
– 15 m of Flex-2000 coaxial RX line,
– G4DDK LNA
– VE4MA feed
– 3 m diameter solid dish

The 1st of August, 2019 I will celebrate, as the first day of my regular Moon Bounce operation on 23 cm. There were several attempts before with a temporary installation of LNA, PA and controller. Always I’ve got some serious issues, but finally all working nearly well now. Although, one more I must to do: my SSPA need to be installed as close, as possible to the dish feed. Now it in the shack and 12 meters of 7/8″ coaxial between PA and the VE4MA feed. Plus 2 meters of 1/2″ jumper. But, any way, all is working. I hear all and all hear me!
So, in 4 days I made 41 QSO with 23 DXCC and 35 grid squares! WAC Award 23 cm during the weekend. Not bad!

Link to my 1296 MHz EME Log is here.

 

Posted in No heading, Propagation | Leave a comment

UHF/SHF DX-pedition to Zone #2

Posted on July 2, 2019 by admin

All of us knows, how hard to get Zone Nr.2 for WAZ Award. Even on HF bands. And this is absolutely rare Zone and grid square for VHF and UP bands.
So, Peter (VA3ELE) together with Rene (VE2TWO) made a great EME expedition to the Zone #2 on 432 and 1296 MHz from 39 of June to 7th of July.
I was very happy to work with VE2TWO (grid FO60TE) on 1st of July. Firstly on 23 cm and later on 70 cm. They used 1.8 diameter dish and SSPA on 23 cm and 2×28 V-pol. antenna/350W PA on 70 cm. Condition on these days are not the best for EME/ Because of the Sun and the Moon are very close to each other (new Moon on 2nd July). Peter sent the picture to HB9Q EME chat to show his antenna position. But, by the way, we all have had the same problems with sun noise.

VE2TWO 70 antenna (courtesy of VA3ELE)

Any way, I worked on both bands. Easy on 23 cm and hard on 70 cm. So Zone Nr.2 and rare grid on my log now.
Thanks to Peter and Rene!

Posted in DX-peditions | Leave a comment