Showing posts with label 4m. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4m. Show all posts

11 Feb 2024

Fine motor skills - basically now crap

 

This morning, I came across this memory on Facebook showing a 4m transverter I designed and made some years ago. It was published in SPRAT, the magazine of the GQRP club. 

There is absolutely no way I could do this now!  My fine motor skills are basically shot and soldering anything is unbelievably hard.

Not one to be beaten, I do experiments that I can still do that do not involve building as much as possible.

21 Jun 2023

Plans for today (Wednesday)

 As long as there are no storms nearby, my plan is to go on 8m QRP FT8 and QRP 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon that does not need the PC.

Actually, I have gone off 4m: there is almost no activity that I could find outside the Es season and what is possible when there is Es is now known. I was actually expecting the band to be quite good inter-G at all times, but activity is even lower than 2m. If you are considering 4m, prepare for disappointment.

20 Jun 2023

4m FT8 (Tuesday)

Today, I have decided to concentrate on 4m FT8 with about 10W to my 8m wire dipole matched via the auto ATU in my FT-710. It is now 0814z and, so far, just 1 G near Brighton has been spotted on RX and nobody has spotted me.

UPDATE 0823z: Unchanged. Es does not look good so far.

UPDATE 0837z: Spotted by G0TSM (186km).

UPDATE 1050z:   I have been spotted by 3 stations with the furthermost 9A3TN (1481km) and I have spotted 6 stations. There is Es about.

UPDATE 1524z:  After 11 spots (some Es) I am QRT on 4m and back on 8m FT8. 

19 Jun 2023

4m FT8

Starting tomorrow, I intend to concentrate on 4m FT8. Even with my compromised antenna, matched using the auto ATU in the FT-710, much of Europe should be in range by Es. It could be fun. I shall probably run 10W, maybe less.

26 May 2023

4m FT8 (Friday)

 As I have no 4m antenna, I am using my 8m dipole, tuned via the auto ATU in the FT-710 So far just spotted today by G3SHK (200km) and no Es.

UPDATE 0935z: One G QSO with a station in the UK near Coventry - G4AEH (124km) and again a spot of me by EA6SA (1423km).

UPDATE 1030z: 3 spots of me with 2 QSOs, the furthermost being EA6SA (1423km). Several spots of Spanish stations plus ZB2GI (1848m).


UPDATE  1301z:    Spotted by 10 stations on 4m FT8 (see map). As HC02 (Portugal) was concerned by my timing (even though it should be sync'd to internet time), I have just done a re-sync.

UPDATE 2012z:
65 stations spotted my 4m FT8 today, even with my 8m wire dipole (see map)!

25 May 2023

4m FT8

 Using my 8m dipole tuned via the auto-ATU in the FT-710, I am on 70.154 MHz FT8. So far, 4 Gs have spotted me with the furthermost G4HGI (244km). No Es yet and nobody spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1905z:  At last some 4m Es, with the furthermost a spot of me by EA6SA (1423km) in the Balearics who gave me a good report. Also a station in Northern Ireland has received me. 6 stations have spotted me on 4m today (see map).

24 May 2023

4m Es

As we are now in the Es season, I shall probably try 4m FT8 from tomorrow. There are now quite a few countries on 4m, which is very different from the 1960s when really just the UK and Eire were on. I was surprised how quiet 4m was outside of the Es season.

A good website showing which countries have 4m allocations is http://www.g0che.co.uk/4m_alloc.php .

19 May 2023

4m - underused

Yesterday I went on 4m for the activity contest and on FT8.

My conclusion is 4m is underused, at least outside the Es season. If you are thinking about getting on 4m you might be disappointed. 

18 May 2023

4m FT8 (Thursday)

Whilst waiting for the 4m activity contest to start I went on 4m FT8. G3WCS (223km) spotted me pretty well. even though I was using the low 8m dipole via the auto-ATU in the rig.

After proving the rig/antenna worked OK on 4m SSB, I have returned to 4m FT8. At the moment just G3WCS is copying me.

UPDATE 1951z:  When I checked back on SSB activity later, I could copy few stations, so I went back to 4m FT8. Just G3WCS spotting me, so I QSYed to 6m FT8.

4m UKAC tonight

 As you can tell, I seem to back losers!! A reminder that the 4m activity contest is on tonight starting at 1900z (8pm UK clock time). I hope to come on and maybe work someone. 

Oh look, there goes another flying pig! 😁

6 May 2023

4m personal beacon


Jason M0NYW has a personal 4m beacon. I predict he will see lots of spots this Es season.

It is on 70.093 MHz (70.092 USB-D) sending FT8 + CW ID + dashes. It has an output of 1W to a halo. I hope I can spot it. It runs pretty much 24/7.

See www.qrz.com/db/M0NYW/b for more details.

15 Apr 2023

Saturday plans

Yesterday, I tried 12m QRP FT8 as an experiment. It was not as busy as 10m, but I was still spotted widely. More stations spotted me than I expected especially with QRP. 

Today I may give 4m FT8 another go. At some point I must install SPECTRAN on my PC and sort out the optical interface. 

1 Apr 2023

4m EI4RF beacon - 70.013 MHz

Currently I am on 70.013 MHz FT8 RX, hoping to see the EI4RF beacon, that I believe has some FT8 sequences.  I am not hopeful. They say tune to 70.012 for FT8.

See https://www.qrz.com/db/EI4RF

UPDATE 2050z:  Nothing seen. I shall try for another 20 minutes or so and then call it a night.

UPDATE 2116z:   Still nothing. QRT.

4m FT8

Perhaps I am a sucker for punishment! Once again, I am on 4m FT8 on 70.154 MHz. No spots. Last weekend I was spotted by a few stations and had a contact on 4m FT8 with a station in Wales.

UPDATE 1627z: Still no 4m FT8 spots! I find it hard to believe that days have passed and nobody, absolutely nobody, spotted. Looking on PSKreporter, there look to be very few monitors as well.

UPDATE 1757z:  Just G3SHK (200km) spotted, but he could not copy me sadly.

31 Mar 2023

4m FT8 (Friday)

 At 1140z, I turned on my 4m FT8 with my compromise antenna of the 2m big-wheel and coax tuned via the auto ATU in the FT-710 So far, no spots of me.

UPDATE 1235z:  I decided to go back to 6m FT8 as I was getting no spots on 4m. Clearly few come on 4m outside the Es season.

29 Mar 2023

4m FT8 (Wednesday)

Once again on 4m FT8. So far, no spots. 

UPDATE 1508z: After a whole day with absolutely no 4m FT8 spots (and apparently no monitors either!) I have QSYed to 6m FT8 and was immediately spotted across England. Probably I shall give 4m a miss until Es kicks in. It is unlikely I shall bother with a halo for 4m as my "ad hoc" arrangement seems to work perfectly. This will certainly get me Es contacts into Europe on 4m FT8.

28 Mar 2023

4m FT8 (Tuesday)

At about 1810z, my 4m FT8 was turned on. My compromise antenna is again the 2m big-wheel and coax tuned via the auto-ATU in the FT-710.  After about 50 minutes, no spots.

UPDATE 2000z:  No spots.

24 Mar 2023

4m FT8 (Friday)

 As HF looks to be disturbed, I am again on 4m FT8 with my makeshift antenna. At 1043z, no spots.

UPDATE 1245z:  No spots of me, but G4HGI (244km) spotted on 4m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1416z: GW8ASA (301km) has again spotted me at similar levels to yesterday.

UPDATE 1421z: Nothing outside of the UK so far on 4m FT8. Rather surprised there are not many more stations on 4m FT8. I expect this will change in the Es season.

23 Mar 2023

4m FT8

 At the moment I am again on 70.154 MHz FT8 with my big-wheel 2m omni and coax tuned via the auto-ATU in the FT-710.  At 1029z, no spots. I have yet to be spotted on 4m, although my "antenna" does not help!

UPDATE 1226z: Well, my 4m "antenna" is working with 3 stations spotted and one spotting me - G4HGI (244km). 

UPDATE  1241z: I would imagine that most propagation is one of the following: flat-band propagation, tropo enhancement, MS or scatter. As Bas says in the comments, the Es season is probably some months away still.


UPDATE 1515z: 
G3SHK (200km) has been spotted, and has spotted me, on 4m FT8 (see map).  M0RJV (91km) has spotted me.  Still to have my first FT8 QSO on 4m. The impression I am left with is this band is very under-used apart from (maybe?) during the Es season.

UPDATE 1630z:   My first ever 4m FT8 QSO has happened. GW8ASA (301km) was worked this afternoon using the 8m dipole and the internal auto ATU.


Stations spotting me
today on 4m FT8 TX

UPDATE 1907z:
   No further stations spotted.

UPDATE 2115z:   QRT.