70cm activity contest

Just now (belatedly) I submitted my entry for the 70cm activity contest. 

Because of my poor voice and rubbish set-up (10W and a 2m big-wheel omni antenna) I do not stop on very long. 

If I had stopped longer I would have worked far more than the 2 shown on the map. Usually I work over 100km.

70cm in the early days

This transverter has been on before, but we forget just how much things have changed in 50 years. I built a version of it to get me active on 70cm. It produced about 100mW AM.   It was used with either a 4el or 8el beam made from PCB material.  Best DX was 160km.

Back then 70cm was almost a frontier band with little commercial gear, so if you wanted something you probably had to build it rather than buy it. Most people (like me!) were fixed on a crystal frequency and people tuned across the band to get a contact. In those days, activity was higher , so you had a much better chance of a QSO. Most contacts were AM.  

70cm SSB? Never heard of it back then!

70cm activity contest

Once a month I go on the 70cm activity contest (UKAC) organised by the RSGB. 

Because of my poor voice I usually stay on for only the first 30 minutes.

I only use 10W pep and a 144MHz big-wheel omni. Despite these limitations I still manage to work over 100km away most times. No doubt the antenna at the other end helps!

70cm FT8 activity contest (Wednesday)

This evening is the 70cm FT8 activity contest organised by the RSGB. I think the contest in Europe starts earlier.

UPDATE 1813z: Already spotted 8 stations with the furthest PA2WDR (280km). My antenna is just the 144MHz big-wheel omni.

UPDATE  1946z:  29 stations spotted with the most distant EI8KD (518km). See map,

UPDATE 2047z: 9 stations spotted my 10W 70cm FT8 with the furthest PI4VPO (337km). Not bad for a 144MHz omni antenna!

2m and 70cm antenna

Many years ago a local amateur G0LRD very kindly erected my big-wheel omni antenna which I use on 70cm SSB/FT8 and 2m SSB/FT8. Although a 2m antenna it seems to work really well on 70cm although I have no idea about polar plot on 70cm,

The big-wheel is a horizontally polarised antenna with some gain. It is an array of half-waves, suitably matched.

It is ideal for this and regularly gets a long way even with my QRP.

70cm activity contest last Tuesday

Every second Tuesday in the month I go (briefly) on 70cm SSB with 10W and my 2m omni antenna in the UKAC activity contest. Usually I work a few stations then stop because of my poor voice. Last Tuesday I worked 7 stations including one in Wales. See map.

70cm FT8 (Wednesday)

This evening is the FT8 activity contest (UKAC) on 70cm organised by the RSGB. The frequency used in Europe is 432.174MHz. 

Later I shall try TX with 5W although at the moment I am RX only. My antenna is my 144MHz big-wheel omni.

UPDATE 1528z:  Already, well before the contest, my signal has reached France, the   Netherlands, N.Ireland, Cornwall and northern England despite 5W and a 2m omni antenna! Currently gone back to RX only.

UPDATE 1620z: No RSGB 70cm UKAC contest this evening. I was wrong!

70cm UKAC last evening

Last night was the 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. 

I can only run 10W to a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna, but I still worked as far as Wales. 

There was a station in N.Ireland, but I could not stay on long enough to work him because of my poor voice. 

In all, 7 stations were worked in about 45 minutes before I stopped.

70cm 5W FT8 (Sunday)

After lunch I may try 70cm FT8 with my 2m big-wheel omni antenna. In contests I usually spot plenty of stations in the Netherlands, but I don't recall trying 70cm FT8 at other times. I guess my problems will be (1) distance, (2)  lack of monitors, (3) power and antenna.

My theory is some quite remarkable distances are being spanned by some sort of scatter.

UPDATE 1115z:  Turned on.

UPDATE 1215z:   No spots. QRT. on 70cm. Moving to 10m FT8.

More 70cm FT8

 As mentioned yesterday, 70cm never fails a surprise me. It is like a switch being turned on when there is a contest with the band coming alive. 

With 10W SSB I consistently work over 100km despite just using my 2m big-wheel omni antenna and on 70cm FT8 RX the same antenna enables me to receive stations at great distances irrespective of conditions.

Last night in the FT8 UKAC stations right across Western Europe were copied on 70cm FT8 RX again. 

Stations spotted on 70cm FT8 last evening 

As mentioned before, it does not seem to depend on conditions and is almost like some kind of scatter mode. As it happens at almost any time, I do not think it is aircraft.

“Times they are a changing".  

Years ago people went on 70cm FM simplex just for a chat!! These days most people only come on for contests.

70cm FT8 activity contest (UKAC) - Wednesday

Mostly I go on RX, maybe also on TX giving a few points away. 

It never fails to amaze me how far away I can copy stations with just my 144 MHz big-wheel omni antenna. The RSGB contest has not even started yet I have already spotted stations in the Netherlands and France out to 347km on 70cm. Also spotted the Isle of Man and DK1VC (503km) in Germany.

I have often wondered if I can receive that far by some kind of scatter.

70cm UKAC (May 13th)

 

Although I often come way down, I put an entry in just now. The map shows the 3 contacts before I stopped after about 30 minutes.

70cm FT8

Last evening was the 70cm activity contest. It never fails to amaze me what I can spot with just a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna. 

The map shows the stations received here last evening.

70cm QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

Although the activity contest does not start until 2000z, I think there is a European 70cm FT8 contest earlier. I put my IC-705 on 5W FT8 at about 1900z. Already my station has been copied as far away as 150km has spotted me and I have spotted 2 stations on RX in Germany at 479km.  All this was with just a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna!

UPDATE 2025z: My signal has been copied in Holland by PI4VPO (263km).

70cm activity contest (UKAC)

 

Every month I put an entry in for this contest. Because of my poor voice, I usually stop on for about 30mins. Even this is hard with 10W and a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna. I am always surprised to work anyone at all. 

If my voice was better and I stayed on longer I am sure a lot more stations would be worked. 

The map shows the stations worked.

Nearly forgot! - 70cms activity contest (February)

Usually I submit my (pathetic!) entry for this activity contest the next day.  My score is always near the bottom as I run low power to a 2m omni antenna and only stop on for about 30 minutes because of my poor voice. I remembered just now. 

I get the feeling interest is waning. 

The map shows the stations worked - all two of them!

70cm activity contest yesterday

Last evening I took part for about 20 minutes in the 70cm activity contest (UKAC). 

As usual, I was running 10W to my 144MHz big-wheel omni. 

3 stations were worked, with the furthermost a portable in Wales.

ARRL VHF Manual

Yesterday, when my old work colleague visited he brought out a copy of this ARRL book that had my name with the date December 1971 inside. I must have given it away sometime in the 1970s. 

I spent some time last night trying to find an article about a very old 70cm AM portable super regen transceiver. It was not there, so must have been in an earlier edition.

If anyone knows what I am talking about I would not mind a photocopy of the article by email for old times sake. 

Many trying to build it could have been being very disappointed unless it was exactly copied. From bitter experience at 70cm inductors and capacitors can be very different from their marked values and RF grounding can be critical.

70cm activity contest

It is a dead certainty that I have never even come close to winning the AL section of this contest! Why? 10W to a 2m big-wheel omni antenna and well less than an hour of operating.

The results were published earlier and I remain 51st out of 92 stations in the low power (AL) section. I am certain that if my voice allowed me to stop on longer, a much better score would be possible. I only really take part because of the activity. It is also good for my voice.

70cm activity contest (UKAC)

 This evening is the November 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. I go on briefly with my 10W SSB and the 2m omni big-wheel.

UPDATE 2019z:  2 stations worked, then I gave up! Furthermost was G4CLA (105km).