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.

Selling my Elecraft K1

For some years I've had the Elecraft K1 transceiver that I made. It covers 40, 30, 20 and 15m with a built-in auto ATU.  This is a nice little CW radio, but I rarely use it, preferring to use home designed kit on MF and 10m these days. It has always been used at home and is in as-new condition.

This afternoon I fired it up, using the coax feeder to my 10m halo as a vertical and tuned this against my central heating ground using the internal ATU. It is a far from optimum antenna and suffers from QRM from my central heating controller's SMPSU right next to the feeder on RX.

RBN spots with my K1 today (intermittent operation)

Conditions were not great but several reports were seen on the Reverse Beacon Network (see above) and half a dozen QSOs are in the logbook on 7MHz and 10MHz (in DL, I, EI and LX) in not a lot of actual operating time: we had neighbours around for Christmas nibbles and drinks most of the day!

I really ought to think about selling the K1 as I don't use it enough to justify keeping it.  Ahead of my move next year I should be doing more de-cluttering as well, HI.

Good review of the Argonaut VI by K4SWL

Although I was critical of the price of the Ten-Tec Argonaut VI QRP transceiver at $995, I see it has received a rave review on the QRPer blog today from K4SWL who was one of the beta testers.  In his opinion it is better than an Elecraft K2 with a receiver that is likely to be highly rated in the Sherwood tests.

The Argonaut VI image on the QRPer.com website

As he points out, this is not really a "trail-friendly" radio. Rather, it is a small radio designed mainly for home use where its excellent performance, size (a bit smaller than the K2) and good ergonomics make it ideal. He praises the simple uncluttered controls and ease of use and the nice flywheel tuning knob. But, overall he rates it and likens it to a miniature Ten-Tec Eagle with superb DSP performance and RX dynamic range.

The lack of 60m and 12m and an auto-ATU disappoint me, as does that high price tag, but it does look like this is a very capable little radio. It is just such a pity that it is so expensive. It will be very interesting to see a side-by-side comparison against the KX3 in the coming months.

See also the eHam.net review at http://www.eham.net/reviews/review/115480.

Now if only Father Christmas would bring me either a KX3 or an Argonaut VI, HI.

472kHz WSPRing (now QRT)

It is now clear that the issue of my NoV for today's date was an error, either with OFCOM or the RSGB and that there was, sadly, no intention of releasing the band earlier than Jan 1st 2013. So, I have now gone QRT on the band again until the new year. I question why an NoV should be needed at all: why not just release the new band in the UK to all full licence holders and save the time wasting and paperwork chasing!

In the few hours of operation with my antenna very wet and lossy, so the ERP was around 10-20mW only at best, results achieved were very promising.

472kHz WSPR TX results today (10-20mW ERP)

Reports of my WSPR signal were received from 4 countries with the best DX being from Germany and the far NW of Eire.

I'm now back on 500kHz WSPR for the rest of the evening.

472-479kHz NoV received

Today I received my 472-479kHz NoV via the RSGB website. The NoV for 5W eirp (about 20dB more than I can run!) seems to indicate that the new band may be used by NoV holders immediately judging by the date of issue.

There is some confusion as the OFCOM website says:
"However, as a result of the World Radio Conference, under Agenda Item 1.23 amateur radio has been given an alternative allocation, on a secondary basis, of 472 479 kHz. We propose that Full Licensees should be able to to apply for an NoV to operate in this band from 1st January 2013. Application can be made online at http://www.rsgb.org/operating/novapp/nov-472-479-khz.php" 

My official OFCOM NoV says applicable from Dec 20th start date so I am allowed to operate from today unless told otherwise later by email or phone from OFCOM. This may be pedantic, but they should have checked before sending out the form.

My first WSPR reports have been received from PA3ABK/47 at around -24dB S/N with my ERP currently around 10mW only (too much wet on the antenna). Also received a report from G8HUH (250km) and PA3FNY (360km).

It now seems that the official 472kHz NoVs issued this afternoon (mine was this morning)  now state a Jan 1st 2013 start date.  So, am I legally operating I wonder? If the world ends tomorrow, at least I've got a few 472kHz reports in the log, HI.

10m WSPR today

Today my 200mW from WISPY beacon was not enough on 10m to get any reports. So, I went up to 5W with the FT817 and managed a few reports this afternoon. Conditions were not good. Nonetheless reports came in from North and South America and from Germany.

10m WSPR reports today with 5W and halo

The ISWL

Many here will not be aware of the International Short Wave League (ISWL) but at one time this was THE club to belong to if you were interested in shortwave amateur and broadcast listening and transmitting. At one time it had a great number of members from all over the world.

Today the ISWL is still going strong, albeit not as large as it once was, but they produce a good A5 full colour magazine packed with articles and news every month called Monitor. Unlike most amateur magazines, this has good coverage of shortwave broadcast news and reports as well as lots for SWLs and radio amateurs with monthly RX and SWL reports. The ISWL offers a number of other benefits to its members and you may like to consider membership. The magazine has few adverts and is a real amateur/SWL magazine, rather than a shamateur magazine for those with deep pockets. Like the GQRP club, the ISWL is run totally by volunteers. I like its ethos.
 
Membership is £18 a year for the paper magazine version but just £12 if you take the magazine electronically.

First QSL cards at G3XBM

Earlier this evening I was thinking about QSL cards. I send out very few paper cards these days (although hope to send out more after I move next year and have the chance of putting a nice windmill on the card!) but was trying to remember the very first QSL cards I ever received back in my SWL days in the early 1960s.

If my memory serves me right, the first ever QSL card came from Radio Nederland like the one on the left which had a flamingo and a windmill on it.  It was for reception on my shortwave crystal set. Subsequently I got several more cards using the crystal set and it became quite a challenge to see how many countries I could confirm with QSLs using the crystal set.  Although I heard stations worldwide - genuinely worldwide, not via relays - such as Radio Australia, All India Radio and Radio Havana, I don't think I ever managed any cards for crystal set reception beyond Europe.  My first ever amateur card was from a station in London that I copied on 28MHz in South Devon. I cannot remember the callsign sadly, but probably still have the card somewhere.The first card for a 2-way QSO was from my mentor G4PJ who had a shack right on the water's edge in Salcombe. His earth rod when straight from the shack into the salt water, so his signal was excellent even on my crystal set at 4 miles.

I still enjoy getting cards from the bureau and the quality of some cards these days is remarkably good and a far cry from the thin paper cards from the USSR when I was first licenced, although these were just as prized.