I was up and out the door pretty early (for me) today, as I wanted to get back home before lunch to help my wife....and I accomplished that mission with no problem.
The propagation, as I started my activation, was: SFI=225, SN=171, A Index=8, and the K Index=1. The QSB was hellish, stations were S9 one minute and completely gone in an instant. It was a 2fer I was after today, Lemoine Point and the Waterfront Trail together, and I managed to get 16 contacts in the log in a little over 40 minutes, which was slow for me, but given the state of the bands I was happy with it.
As usual I was using my KX3 set at 10w, into a hamstick on the roof of my truck. SSB only today, CW will have to wait until tomorrow.
Starting on 40m as I usually do, it didn't take too long to get 8 contacts in the log. Β Then the band dried up, I called and called with no response, so I moved to 15m. Β This band switch got me another 8 contacts, including a solid S8 contact with F4ILH in Ecuras, France....which made my day.
Sixteen was all I could pull out of the hat today, the band seemed to be getting worse, even though it was supposed to be improving. Β Well, it turns out we had a surprise G3 solar storm that hit about 15 minutes before I switched everything off.....no wonder I couldn't get contacts.
Here's todays contact map:
You can clearly see the ring of 40m contacts vice the 15m contacts on this map.
A Miniature VSWR Meter for QRP, CQ Zone, ITU Zone and Maidenhead Locator to your leaflet maps, A Four Element Six Metre Yagi Antenna, How to Program FT5DR on LINUX, Ham it Up: A Beginner's Look at DXing, Online Coil Inductance Calculator, Repairing Yaesu FT-817 Fail TX on 144 MHz, Station Radioamateur FO5MD - Tahiti, Coastal Ham Radio, N4NJJ Repeaters,
Dass Γ€ltere VHF/UHF-Transceiver neben der angezeigten Frequenz sind, kommt oft vor. Viele haben nicht einmal einen TCXO als Referenzoszillator eingebaut. Oder der OM hat die Kosten fΓΌr diese Option gescheut. Es ist auch nicht jedermanns Sache, das GerΓ€t zu ΓΆffnen, den richtigen Trimmer zu finden und die Frequenz einzustellen.Β
Doch bei neuen GerΓ€ten wie dem Icom IC-9700 bin ich oft erstaunt, dass diese neben der QRG funken. Im 2m Band und in FM kann man noch darΓΌber hinweg sehen. Doch auf dem 70cm Band verdreifacht sich die Frequenzabweichung bereits und auf 23cm ist man dann schon um ein Neunfaches daneben. Eine einfache Abhilfe wΓΌrde der Anschluss eines GPS-Referenz Oszillators bringen. Doch manch einer sagt sich wohl: "Wegen ein bisschen daneben, gebe ich kein Geld aus. DafΓΌr hat die Gegenstation einen RIT an der Kiste."
Doch die eigene "Kiste" wandert und mit der Zeit liegt man immer mehr neben der Sollfrequenz. Auch wenn man keinen GPS-Oszi vermag, ein einfacher Trick hilft, den IC-9700 wieder auf Linie zu bringen:
Dazu sucht man sich einen guten Bakensender. Die, die etwas auf sich halten, sind heutzutage GPS gesteuert und die Frequenz ist aufs Hertz genau. Hier in der Region ist es zum Beispiel die Bake in Bern auf 144.426 MHz. Die Wasserfallanzeige des IC-9700 wird dann auf "Center" gestellt und der "Span" aufs Minimum. Damit hat man ein Wasserfall-Fenster von +/- 2.5kHz. Die Skala zeigt zwar nur 500Hz Schritte, aber wenn man mit dem RIT die Bake auf Null stellt, kann man auf der RIT-Anzeige im Display immerhin auf 10Hz genau ablesen, wie weit man neben der richtigen Frequenz liegt.
Korrigieren kann man den internen Referenzoszillator des IC-9700 ΓΌber das Menu "Set" > "Function" und "Ref Adjust". Dort gibt es einen Grob- und einen Feinregler fΓΌr die interne Referenz. Da muss man dann halt etwas hin und her probieren, bis man die Bake auf Null hat, da man den Wasserfall nicht gleichzeitig beobachten kann. Doch kaputt machen kann man an dem teuren GerΓ€t nichts.
So, jetzt seid auch ihr wieder auf der richtigen Frequenz, sofern die Bake in eurer NΓ€he genau ist.Β
Sonst gibt es zurzeit wenig zu berichten - es herrscht Sommerflaute. Doch einige interessante Meldungen habe ich noch:
- Wisst ihr, dass auch der Mars eine IonosphΓ€re besitzt? Die NASA hat ein Propagation Handbook geschrieben fΓΌr die Kommunikation auf der MarsoberflΓ€che.
N1EA relays news that Schurr Morse Keys is now Bergsiek Morse Keys. Stefan Bergsiek has taken over Schurr Morse keys from Gerhard Schurr and continues to produce the keys in small series.
Tomorrow (Sunday) is the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt. Here are all the details. Skeeter numbers will be handed out right up until Midnight Saturday/Sunday EDT. After that, the roster is closed.
The Summer 2024 issue of the INDEXA Newsletter (Issue #142) is available for download.
Everything still looks good for the August 26 - September 5, 2024 St Paul Island CY9C DXpedition.
A new version of MacLoggerDX (v6.52) is now available. See the notes for additional details.
No one enjoys reading the manual, but many would do well to read the WSJT-X User Guide available online. This document should always be the first source for help. Use your browser's search facility to find a keyword or topic.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of Japanese radio amateurs currently stands at 353,411.
Despite the glowing reports (perhaps misleading) from the ARRL our hobby is in decline. So how would you fix that?
YLs in Bikini's Riding Bulls ~ An Absurdity!
As the photo above suggests it is an absurdity to think of the subject matter and it is the same absurdity regarding the current lack of growth in our beloved hobby?
But first let us look at some data on worldwide ham licenses. But there is a Caveat here as station licenses do not translate to licensees. Many station licenses (which are in the count) are for clubs and groups and may have users who hold their own personal calls. So real behind the microphone nose counts are smaller numbers.
I found some data on licenses by country. Don't know the date of the review but the data appears in the range. No surprise -- Japan sits at the top of the pole.
Some of us have seen the bizarre solutions to address the lack of growth in the hobby from the "Nerds of Newington" like Incentive Licensing, Code Free examinations, the learn the answers to 20 questions and you are an Extra. Or the best promoting very expensive radios so that will attract offshore advertising and more hams.Β
Our hobby is a technical hobby whether it is scratch building a radio transceiver inside of a match box or programming an FPGA on the kitchen table -- it is technically based relying on creativity, the quest for the better mousetrap or just plain challenging one's own grey matter. It is not about contests or operating from a state park screaming CQ POTA into the microphone!
Our licensing system is broken, and we need to start there. We have an Olympic games analogy. Nowhere is there a competition where you run 20 feet in less than 5 seconds, and you get a Gold Medal! Well, that is essentially the Extra class license today.
A suggestion is to look at other countries and what do they do.
These countries seem to start with a foundational type of license where you actually have to know something before jumping to a higher-class license. In the US, thanks to the ARRL you can know nothing and be an instant Extra Class.
I am in favor of reducing the number of license classes to three. The first is a Foundational, the second is an Intermediate and the last is the Extra. No more technician class -- you get a license, and you can operate anywhere. You also must pass through each class before advancing to the next class. Sure, that will weed out many, but holding a driver's license does not qualify you as a NASCAR driver. The same with ham radio.
Our hobby will grow and prosper when there are challenge goals and an opportunity to be in a group that is recognized for their technical skills. Getting a ham license is more than filling out a box top as it now seems to be.
The current US ham population are typically older so in a short time horizon there will be a natural diminution of the ranks. Time is ripe to make this change, and it has to be an organization other than the ARRL leading the charge.Β
With 10m in such good shape, perhaps it is time to remind readers of my very simple receiver for 10m FT8. It works remarkably well and could be built and cased for the cost a few coffees out. It frees up "the big rig" for something else. It was in RadCom not long ago.
At the moment my wife and I are lucky. As far as we know (!) , we have nothing much wrong with us. I still have a few things that are longer term after effects from my 2013 stroke, but compared with many I have been lucky I know. Most of me still works!
As we age, several of our friends have died or now have serious illnesses. My interest in sex has dropped off and the death of others no longer seems so odd. I recall a doctor once asking me (probably 10 years ago) "if it was all too much" and I retorted "no". If he asked me now I am less sure.
Although I find so much to be interested in, I get exhausted more easily and I am tired of being giddy most of the time. Life is harder than it was.
by Teri (KO4WFP) I woke on day four (Wednesday, July 17) of my North Carolina camping and POTA trip, determined for it to be a better day. The three unsuccessful activations were actually a good thing. It put me on notice that I had fallen into my past habit of scheduling to the max. Sometimes β¦ Continue reading Things Pick Back Up for the POTA Babe β Day 4β
Just crossed 55,000 logged at QRZ.com: Confirmed at QRZ.com is 71.6% A new country, if evenly spaced out, would be one out of every 256 QSOs (every 233 QSOs if the 21 unconfirmed DX Countries were confirmed at QRZ.com) Domestic QSOs account for 75.6% (so DX contacts average just under one-fourth) 73 Steve K9ZW
So far, we have had a nice warm and sunny August on the whole. Up to very recently it was very dull and wet and we were beginning to think this summer was a wash-out.Β
My wife puts a tick on the kitchen calendar when we have had a decent day. So far we have had 9 ticks, which is pretty good. Our grass is just starting to turn brown and will look bad in about a week unless we have a good downpour.
Conditions were rough but Iβve managed to get 16 stations into my log, including two from the Azores. It was great to sit on a dyke, watch people kite and enjoy the view of the sea while talking to stations all over Europe.
My rig was the usual: Xiegu G90 and a 5.4m long telescopic vertical antenna with four 5m radials.