2m activity contest last Tuesday

As usual, I go on the 2m activity contest on the first Tuesday evening in the month. As I run 2.5W and an omni big-wheel antenna and my voice is poor, I am usually on for less than an hour. Conditions seemed a bit "up" and it was quite busy.  In 37 minutes 7 contacts were had (see map). Next Tuesday is the 70cm activity contest.

2m activity contest (UKAC)

The May leg of the RSGB organised activity contest on 2m is tonight starting at 1900z. Activity levels are usually good with portables on hilltops. 

It lasts (I think) for 2.5  hours although with my QRP, omni antenna and poor voice I am usually on less than an hour. 

This really does not feel like a contest. It is more a way to stimulate activity and work squares.

2m activty contest (UKAC) last week

 Last Tuesday was the activity contest organised by the RSGB. My incredible score (I am joking!!) has just been submitted as I almost forgot. Tomorrow evening is the 70cm activity contest.

The impression I am getting is interest in this contest is waning with the FT8 contest on the following evening doing better. This is pity as it is a very "un"contest contest with people happy to see the activity levels up. I have been taking part for several years.

The stations contacted are shown on the map.

2m Fredbox QSO

This was in 2011 and shows me in QSO with the 10mW 2m AM Fredbox. Many years ago I had a cross channel QSO with it handheld. These days it is hard enough having an FM QSO on 2m!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/fredbox. 

2m activity contest (UKAC)

This evening is the first Tuesday of the month. The RSGB organised activity contest starts at 1900z. I usually go on for a little while with 2.5W and my big-wheel omni antenna. I usually make 5-10 contacts. FT8 is usually easier for me with my poor voice!

UPDATE 1936z:  After just 3 contacts, I just gave up. Some decent DX, but my voice was exhausted with too much shouting!  If I had more stamina, I am sure I would have had plenty of contacts.

2m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

For a change, I am on 2m QRP FT8. No QSOs yet, but copying G3MLO.

Watching my signal on G0LRD's grabber. This is a very useful resource if you are in the Cambridge area. A part screenshot of this is shown here.

Already 12 spots of my QRP with the furthermost F6EGD (472km) in Brittany. Not bad with the FT817ND and omni big-wheel.

UPDATE 1554z:   One thing to watch with WSJT-X V2.6 is a new feature. You can chose just to send CQs, reply to the first that calls you, or reply to the most distant. Inadvertently you can operate as just a beacon and wonder why you had no contacts!

UPDATE 1710z:   19 stations in 5 countries spotted so far with the furthermost MM0ABM (502km) and 14 spots of my 2.5W and omni.

UPDATE 1810z: 15 stations have spotted me today.

2m FT8 QRP

In my view  2m FT8 has been transformational with DX possible at any time with QRP.  Yes, SSB activity has declined, but I feel sure some sort of scatter is being tapped into. 

This is not aircraft scatter as planes are not needed. Personally I think this is troposcatter made possible by the far better sensitivity of FT8. 

The photo shows the received stations on typical day with flat conditions. This was 2019 with just an omni antenna! 

Almost forgot!

Almost as time was running out, I remembered that I had not submitted an entry for the 2m UKAC activity contest for February. With just 2 QSOs before my voice said "enough", I expect I shall be somewhere near the bottom of the low power section! 

2m UKAC

Last evening, I was briefly on 2m SSB in the monthly activity contest. After a couple of QSOs I decided to go QRT: with my poor voice it was hard work. The band seemed a bit "up" as the photo indicates.

2m QRP FT8 (Monday)

When my coffee is finished, I intend to try 2m QRP FT8. It is daytime, so some people will be at work. Hopefully, some will be on. 

On 2m FT8 I can run 2.5W to the omni big-wheel antenna. The 2m FT8 frequency is 144.174 MHz. 

Usually, I monitor the 2m FT8 RX online at G0LRD about 25km from me to make sure all is working and my signal is clean. This is very useful.

UPDATE 1159z:  My QRP FT8 was spotted by 12 unique stations and I have spotted 10 with the furthermost being F6FGQ (564km) in Brittany. On SSB I would have great difficulty spotting furthermost Brittany and Germany. Not with 2m FT8!

Stations spotted today on 2m FT8 RX
with the big wheel omni antenna

UPDATE  1645z:  57 unique stations spotted today on 2m FT8 RX. 7 countries. 2m dead? I think not!

2m activity contest this evening

Not sure about you, but I am all mixed up over the days of the week! I thought yesterday was Tuesday.  

Tonight is the first 2m activity contest organised by the RSGB. I usually stay on for less than an hour and enter the low power section with my ICOM IC-705 and big-wheel omni antenna.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?contest=2mukac .

2m FT8 RX near Cambridge

When I go on 2m FT8, a very useful resource is the monitor a G0LRD. It is situated not far from Cambridge and my signal is usually about +5dB S/N. With it, I can look at 2m FT8 activity received locally, and check my own 2.5W is clean.

An example of David's page is attached. I think David also uses a Wimo big-wheel omni antenna. It is a great local (to me) resource.

See http://g0lrd.vs.mythic-beasts.com/cap/. 

2m operation

In the last 40 years, activity on 2m has changed a great deal. When G8 stations were first permitted on 2m in the UK, the band was quite busy on FM and SSB. 

Since then, people rarely come on just for a chat. These days people can chat, with video, to anyone in the world for free without a licence, on the Internet on a PC, tablet or smartphone.  Instead, many people appear on the amateur bands  just for contests or when conditions are good. There is a lot more use of digital modes like FT8 which needs very little spectrum. FT8 is ideal for squares hunting, but not for chatting.

If we are totally honest, we do not need the spectrum we have on 2m and 70cm most of the time.  For FT8, 100 kHz would be more than enough. Even 3 kHz is enough most of the time. When there is a lift on, we may need more, but 2 MHz at 2m seems very generous. At 70cm, this is even more so, and here we have even more spectrum available to the Amateur Radio Service. Of course, this cannot be discussed with OFCOM or the FCC in case they reduce our allocations. I know the priority is to hang on to the allocations we have.

Personally, I would be in favour of more VHF/UHF bands, but slightly narrower, possibly with a lower power limit.  This would encourage research and self training. Many bands could be secondary allocations.  Would anyone really is miss 5 kHz off every VHF/UHF band? Be honest!

Without doubt I will be pushing up daisies long before then! 

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/2m-operation .

2m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

Much of the morning I was on 2m QRP FT8, 7 stations spotted my 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna and I spotted 35 stations on RX (see maps).

Stations spotted on 2m FT8 RX this morning

Stations spotting my 2.5W FT8 on 2m this morning

2m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

 Most of the day I have been on 2m QRP FT8.  

UPDATE 1741z: As PSKreporter seems not to be working at the moment, I am not sure where I have been spotted today.

UPDATE 2222: 59 stations spotted today including EA and SP. Not bad for an omni antenna.

2m QRP FT8

As my 2m antenna was already connected to the rig, I am on 2m QRP FT8 this morning with 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna. Already spotted by 5 stations with the furthermost G4RAA (333km) in Devon.

UPDATE 1139z: 6 stations spotted on RX in 4 countries. My own 2.5W has been spotted in 2 countries (6 stations with the furthermost GI6ATZ (479km) in Northern Ireland.

UPDATE 1928z:  15 stations have spotted me with the furthermost  GM0HBK (668km). See map.
.

2m MSK144 overnight

As it is the Geminids MS shower, I left the RX on 144.360 MHz overnight.  Only 4 stations spotted on MSK144 with the big-wheel omni. I think I was just too late.

2m MSK144 RX (Thursday)

 As it is the Geminids MS shower, I am on 144.360 MHz MSK144 RX using the 2m big-wheel omni antenna. I am hoping to copy some DX on 2m, probably early morning. I am told this is the best place to look.

UPDATE 2212z: DL2NBU (791km) spotted strongly.

2m FT8 activity contest

Stations on 2m FT8 RX last evening

Yesterday evening was the 2m FT8 activity contest. I worked 2 stations, but over 50 were received here including EI, GI, ON and PA (see map). 

The other map shows where I was spotted with 2.5W FT8 and the big-wheel omni antenna.

Stations spotting my 2.5W FT8 on 2m with the omni antenna

2m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

As the fog is descending and conditions might be "up", I have decided to switch from 8m FT8 to 2m FT8 with the antenna my 2m big-wheel omni. 

So far, 11 stations have spotted me at 1648z with the furthermost G7RAU (461km) in Cornwall. 

Still using 2.5W FT8 to the omni antenna.

UPDATE 1914z: 14 stations have spotted my 2.5W with the furthermost F5EGD (472km). 17 stations spotted on RX so far. 

UPDATE 2210z: 17 stations have spotted my 2.5W FT8 and I have spotted 27 here. A very useful (local) tool is the 2m FT8 grabber at http://g0lrd.vs.mythic-beasts.com/cap/ . This allows me to see if I am getting out and if the signal is clean. David's grabber is about 25km from me. The stations that spotted me at 2108z are shown on the map.