Last days on 500kHz

With just a few days left before the 500kHz permits are withdrawn for ever I've been doing a last gasp bit of WSPR beaconing. It is not easy to get on as we have grandchildren sleeping in the shack, but I managed to get on for a couple of hours early this evening.

Recent 500kHz WSPR reports (10mW ERP)

Reports were received from G, PA, DL and F stations. My local noise from the central heating controller prevented me copying much on the band. Before many days I shall have to erect a separate RX antenna for 472kHz.

A Happy Christmas

A very Happy Christmas to everyone who reads this blog. Today has been spent with some of the family enjoying good food, drinks and games. More of the family comes here tomorrow and yet more later in the week. We are now sitting down watching the typical Christmas TV fare in front of the roaring fire.

Quietly in the background, my WSPR beacon has been running with best DX 2-way reports with Brazil and best reception the Nambian WSPR beacon. 

One of my presents was a book of maps of the South Devon Coastal Footpath and another the second edition of QRP Basics. In a later blog I'll review the new version.

But now it is back to mince pies and a cup of tea!

5MHz NoV

A band that I have never tried before, apart from brief periods listening, is 5MHz. So, this afternoon I applied for an NoV, which was received by return email. Not sure what kit I shall use to get on the band (or when) as nothing I have covers 5MHz TX. Perhaps another transverter design is called for.

V5/DK1CE Namibia

Whilst in the shack this morning I turned on the FT817 to hear an unidentified (for nearly 10 minutes) CW station working people and giving 599 reports in the main. I called a few times and eventually got a 599 report, still not sure who the station was. Then, finally, he gave his callsign V5/DK1CE in Namibia. All the more pleased now I know that "3 blobs" on the FT817 is just 2.5W out to the halo antenna. And another DXCC entity this year.

FT817 "power blobs" question

Having owned my FT817 (original version, not ND) for nearly 12 years I am almost too embarrassed to ask this question now.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Yaesu_FT-817_(1).jpg

When checking an old Bird RF power meter today I measured the power of my FT817 on and off a PSU at all power level settings. All these years I had assumed that "3 blobs" on the screen (when on a PSU) meant that I was putting out 5W. What I measured was closer to 2.5W. This did not change when the PSU was disconnected: still 2.5W. Then I pressed the button to "no blobs" and the power went up several dB, to I assume a nominal 5W. When on batteries it was "blinking 3 blobs". having re-read the FT817 (original) manual I was none the wiser: it does not mention a "no blobs" setting.

I think all these years when I had assumed my DX was being worked with 5W I was actually using just 2.5W. It looks like I should have gone to the "no blobs" setting with a PSU to get the full 5W.

So, can someone please clarify what power the FT817 should produce at all the different "blob" settings on batteries and on a 13.8V PSU?

UPDATE: I have the answer from Pete M3KXZ

Hi Roger.

On PSU:
- no blobs, output is 5W
- 3 blobs, 2.5W
- 2 blobs, 1W
- 1 blob, 0.5W

On internal batteries, the radio will default to "L///" and output 2.5W. If you
select high power, you will get 5W with "///" blinking. The other blobs are same
as for PSU.

I always run off external battery pack and the max power setting shows no blobs,
until the voltage starts to drop a bit when it automatically goes to "///"
blinking.

Well I'll be damned!  So for 12 years nearly I've been running 3dB less than I thought.

Birthday card co-incidences

Today I celebrate my 64th birthday, although it is only 5 minutes since I was 18, so be warned: time passes very quickly and speeds up as you get older!

One strange thing today was some of the birthday cards. When in Oxford a few weeks ago my XYL bought me a card for my birthday, from the OXFAM shop, with the title, "Instructions are for wimps" showing a man operating 1920s radio gear - very apt for a radio amateur. Well, blow me down, I got the same card from 3 people! If you want one to send to your friends, they have plain insides so can be used for an occasion, they come from  www.cathtatecards.com.

Now, to my mind, the operator looks a bit like Julian G4ILO. Perhaps it was his grandfather!

Surplectronics - useful source

Steve G1KQH has just pointed me to Surplectronics who supply all manner of electronics parts at VERY reasonable prices. Several of the crystals they stock are just 25p each and 50MHz clock oscillators (packaged, complete) just 99p.

Tenbox 10m AM crystal

Although I've not finished off the Tenbox 10m AM transceiver yet- too cold in the workshop and too many Christmas preparations! -  I have been looking around for some low cost crystals that would be suitable for the transmitter. Ideally, I was looking for a low cost source of HC49 crystals on 29.05MHz but have not found any. Then I spotted that the German QRP-shop has 29.000MHz crystals at a reasonable 5.5 euros. I may order a couple so I can complete a pair of QRP 10m AM transceivers. I have used QRP-shop before and they give good service.

The Tenbox may not get finished until the New Year now as we have family here for the next 10 days more or less. When there are 4 grandchildren around, amateur radio takes a back seat, especially as my operating shack is used as a bedroom for the 3 and 5 year olds.

JT65-HF QSO

It is some while since I last tried JT65-HF mode for a QSO, so this evening I had a go on one of my difficult bands in the evenings (because of the local noise level) i.e. 80m. A short listen and reply to DK6CS resulted in a very solid QSO both ways with QRP. I must give this a go on the higher bands, although I find the 1 minute TX/RX slots rather slow, with a minute to know if your response to a CQ has been successful. Still it works with weak signals and allows me to work stations that might not otherwise be possible.

JT65-HF screen on 80m a short while ago

Countries worked this year

There is no way I would call myself a DX chaser at all, preferring to build simple kit and use it to experiment rather than "countries chase" as such. Nonetheless, I thought I'd look back through my logs to see how many countries I'd actually worked on each band during 2012 with my 5W or less QRP.  It is quite surprising to see how many countries I did NOT work and also how few QSOs I had on some of my less favourite bands. At the present time it looks like I worked 46 different DXCC countries with 1-5W SSB/CW. Most QSOs were SSB. By far the most countries were worked on 10m. This season I did not do my usual sport of seeing how many countries I could work on 6m and ended up only working 6 countries this year! Some years I'd worked almost 50. Notice also how few countries I've worked on 160m - 12m: hardly any!

Not included in this list are all the WSPR spots I have received and given around the planet. There are several stations/countries with which WSPR spots have been exchanged that have not been worked in 2-way QSOs.

There is no doubt in my mind that had I concentrated on DXCC with 5W it would have been possible to work well over 100 entities this year even with my very compromised antenna system and 5W or less. Maybe one year I'll give DX working a real blast just to see what I can work, but really I prefer to leave this to others in the main and enjoy other aspects of our wonderful hobby.