VHF/UHF beacons PI7CIS Holland

Although I can copy the VHF beacon PI7CIS (144.416MHz) almost 100% of the time on my small 3el VHF beam (callsign clear but S-meter does not move on FT817) I have still to copy the co-sited UHF beacon with the same callsign.  On UHF (432.416MHz) I have the same low loss coax (Westflex) and a co-located 5el beam on the very same beam heading. I know this beacon is not GPS locked, so it may drift, but I am surprised not to have yet detected it at all, even allowing for the additional losses in the feeder (maybe a few dB?).

Indications are this 75W, coastally located (Scheveningen) beacon, is operational, unless anyone knows better? The antenna is reported to be a dipole aiming 90/270 degrees which would be poor in my direction.

Anyone know the PI7CIS UHF beacon's current status please?

The next solar cycle?

Many are suggesting the next solar cycle (cycle 25) will have a very small peak and that we may even be entering a period with very few sunspots, not unlike the Maunder Minimum of the late 1600s. Truth is no-one can be sure. If it happens, the best propagation on 10m will be summertime Es - no bad thing. We will have to use 10m mainly for local traffic - it is a big band and a good choice for this.

Beacon hunting

Maybe tomorrow evening I need to do a good search for 70cm beacons in range under (near) flat conditions. There is a distinct lack of UK 70cm beacons, with even the very good GB3BSL beacon near Bristol now QRT. This would have been copied, I feel sure, at this QTH.  Some of the nearer European ones may be  receivable.  PI7CIS (on 70cm) is probably my best hope. I can copy the co-sited 2m beacon.

10m WSPR - April 29th 2014

Nothing spectacular so far today. Sunspot count 79 with 20-30MHz forecast to be "normal" whatever that means. So far, since turning on at about 1020z, just a couple of spots from 4X1RF (3519km) in Israel.

10m WSPR this morning - very quiet so far.

I have doubts the 10m band will be open to the USA and Canada today, although openings to South America would not surprise me.

Bottom rig on 28.1246MHz WSPR, top one on 2m beacons

UPDATE 1250z:     CX2ABP (11127km), in GF15wc square, spotted my 2W WSPR at 1136z, so the band has opened to South America albeit briefly here.

UPDATE 1720z:  No stateside spots here,  given or received,  today. Others may have been luckier.

UPDATE 1836z:  Just about to switch to MF when I see I've just spotted the 5W from LU8ENU (11208km) in GF05rl square (Buenos Aires) on 10m WSPR. At 1840z he spotted my 2W.

UPDATE 2000z:    Stateside was being worked from GM, UA6 and EA5 but not from here.

UPDATE 2100z:  A few Europeans but little else (Es?).

UPDATE 2114z:  Well, well, stateside at last! AK4T (6733km), EM74vb square,was spotted running 500mW.   I was just about to turn everything off but will leave a bit longer now.  At 2122z his drift was -4Hz suggesting moving F layers.   I suspect spread-F and reflections from near the equator?

UPDATE 2135z:  A most interesting day on this fascinating band.  4 continents after all.  Time for bed!

Moonraker saga - the end?

Today I wrote to Moonraker telling them of my other issues (other end of 20m Westflex patch cable intermittent and one element on the antenna loose) and they were very apologetic, offering me a full refund if I returned the goods. When I explained I was returning nothing as my colleague had soldered good connectors on and glued the antenna it was as if they no longer wanted to know: no more apologies, nothing.

Correspondence just stopped.

Moonraker will never benefit from further business from me unless they can demonstrate their quality control has been smartened up. I was totally disappointed by the goods received and the poor follow-up response.

Sorry, but in my limited experience this is a company that deserves to fail: so little is needed to sort out their shortcomings - get on and fix the issues! In my opinion they showed me a perfect example of how not to conduct a business!

In the end, all my issues have been sorted despite Moonraker rather than by Moonraker. Sorry, but you come over as a greedy care less outfit who need to sharpen up fast.

Super simple FM TX - try on 2m?

See http://makezine.com/projects/super-simple-fm-transmitter/ .

This is a super simple TX for Band II FM using readily available parts.  With a smaller coil (1 turn less) and C4 smaller (and made tunable) I think it could be used experimentally on 2m FM, but stability is likely to be poor, so really only of use for short range and short durations.  From here, I'd expect this to be detectable at least 3km away (next village) even if the power is at uW or low mW levels. A few uW go a LONG way if connected to a reasonable antenna like my V2000 or 3el beam. There is no harmonic filtering either: a small low pass filter is advisable really.

With lower modulation levels (adjust) it should be fine with NBFM. The 2N3904 is a ubiquitous transistor available for just a few pence from many sources. The other parts are just pence.

Image at http://makezineblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/kogawa_simplest_transmitter.png?w=620&h=354

My thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News for finding this before me.

All systems go

With the 3/5el VHF/UHF beam erected and the Par HF end-fed up again I feel I am "all systems go" again here. Reports from 4 countries on 40m WSPR, a report from WB2TQE (7097km) on 10m, reports exchanged with 4X1RF and received from DK6UG on 10m, the HF system is working fine.

On VHF, the Kent and Dutch 2m beacons were received well this morning thanks to the new small beam.

I now feel I have a decent little QRP station for the bands I'm interested in. Just need to improve the earth-electrode baseline on 630m.

UPDATE 1625z:   Most reports this afternoon are of and from 4X1RF, with just one stateside report on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1755z:   4X1RF and now 4X1DA and M0ITF (170km).  Stateside absent more or less apart from WB2TQE  just once reporting my 2W WSPR at 1228z.

3 el/5el beam

VHF/UHF beam with V2000, 2m halo and HF Par antenna behind

The dual band 2m/70cm beam is erected and is working now the useless Moonraker crimped coax connectors at both ends of the low loss Westflex coax have been replaced by decent soldered connectors. Andrew G6ALB also restrung my Par 10/20/40m end fed back up so I am now operational as follows:

630m Earth-electrode 15m baseline

40m Par end-fed
20m Par end-fed
10m Par end-fed

The Par also matches on 60m and 30m via the auto-ATU.

6m V2000 vertical
2m 3el horizontal and halo
2m V2000 vertical
70cm 5 el horizontal
70cm V2000 vertical

This means I am decently equipped for the bands I am mainly interested in. The dual band yagi is small and cannot easily be seen from the front of the house. The most I run is 5W pep, although I use 2W mostly and just 5mW ERP on 472kHz. 2W is more than enough to be copied all around the planet on 40m, 20m and 10m.

VHF beacons

With Andrew G6ALB's superb and kind help, my manually turned, Moonraker supplied, dual band 2m/70cm antenna is up and working, no thanks to the rubbish patch lead from Moonraker which had 2 dodgy crimped connectors! The N connector at the mast end has had to be replaced and at the shack end the SMA crimp is intermittent. Andrew is going to replace this with a PL259 plug shortly.

With the patch  lead working (by wiggling!) I can copy the following VHF beacons at any time: GB3VHF  Kent (144.430MHz), GB3NGI N.Ireland (144.482MHz) and PI7CIS Holland  (144.415MHz). There may be others too but I have yet to have a good look. The Cornish beacon seems too far to copy, at least so far. I have yet to check 70cm beacons. On the halo PI7CIS on VHF was just nudging the noise floor, so the 2m beam is certainly helping.

The manual antenna rotation method (out of the guest bedroom window) seems to work fine: I can reach the pole OK and can peak beacons by listening on the shack loudspeaker.

When the shack end PL259 is added, the Westflex cable should no longer be intermittent. The Moonraker crimped connectors will then have all been replaced. Says a lot for Moonraker's quality control doesn't it?  Don't think they can ever check crimped patch coaxes, which I assume they buy-in. A simple sampled ratio pull test is called for. If any fail reject the batch.

Now looking forward to Tuesday evening UKAC sessions to try the beam in contests on 2m and 70cm.

Letter to Moonraker

Sent this morning, no reply today:

"Sirs,

I recently purchased a dual band 2m/70cm yagi, some mast brackets and patch coax cables with attached plugs. Recently I had a stroke and a local ham has kindly offered to do the erection for me because of my poor health.

Unfortunately the installation has had to be postponed because the 20m long Westflex patch lead is rubbish! The N connector end just fell apart in my hands as the crimping is so poor. I would return the lead and ask for a replacement but have little confidence the replacement will be any better. The current plan is for the local ham to replace the N connector with a proper plug, if he can.

Just want to tell you how disappointed I am. In days gone by, I'd have bought the cable and fitted my own connectors but buying the patch leads was meant to save time and effort being disabled. The patch leads were almost as much as the antenna! I was expecting better quality from a good supplier.

As an absolute minimum, please improve your quality control. Expect to hear from me again shortly.

In the meantime, if I have to return anything (for free replacement under Sale of Goods Act) how do I go about this please?

73s
Roger (Lapthorn) G3XBM"

If Moonraker was really interested in satisfied customers I would have expected a  reply by return. I think the company does business on Saturdays, but I shall wait until Monday before ringing them. I am honestly deeply disappointed in their patch leads and apparent indifference to their customers. I may be doing them a disservice, so must wait until next week.

Is it really too much to ask that patch leads are reliably made? After Andrew G6ALB fitted a proper N connector for the antenna end I have found the crimp joint at the shack end is intermittent. This patch lead really is a heap of rubbish. Even one of the Allen nuts on one of the 70cm elements is stripped.

Moonraker? Sorry I am NOT impressed one bit. I cannot see myself ever doing business with you ever again.