10 Jan 2009
QRP DXCC score box
10m QSO (winter sporadic-E)
This year my aim is 100 DXCC countries on 10m QRP, so this was number one. An hour later and I heard G0FWX about 20 miles away so gave him a call and got a 52 report.
So now 2 x DXCC countries in the log on 10m ....only 98 to go this year!
8 Jan 2009
Latest cycle 24 sunspot predictions
Having said that, we have had another extremely quiet period now for almost 6 weeks. Unless a few spots start to appear we may still be bumping along the bottom of the cycle still.
7 Jan 2009
QTH Locator with Google Maps
This site has the useful ability to show QTH locator locations using Google maps. Enter the QTH locator and the map zooms to show where square actually is. You can also use it to find QTH locators in the first place and to work out distances.
Licence-free handhelds in 70cms
QRP - 4 continents today
With the Elecraft K1 with internal ATU and the random 15m wire strung down the garden I can usually work most of the stations I hear as long as they are not buried in a huge DX pile-up. CW is a very effective mode especially if you are like me and have a simple, unobtrusive wire antenna rather than a huge beam on a large tower.
6 Jan 2009
E44M Palestine DXpedition
2 Jan 2009
Z309KNV Macedonia
31 Dec 2008
Best wishes for 2009
My very best wishes for 2009. For a change, I'd like to quote an extract from the last of T.S.Eliot's Four Quartets poems which is called Little Gidding. It reminds me that every year is part of our never ending exploration and journey.
Go quietly on your journey in 2009 and may it be a very fulfilling and joyful one."With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this
CallingWe shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one."
30 Dec 2008
70cms good conditions tonight
29 Dec 2008
Dutch on-line SDR testing new bands
28 Dec 2008
The South Hams and G5BY on 6m
There is a new book of walks in this area called The South Hams Coast by Gerry Miles (see www.devonpaint.nl/ and also available from www.amazon.co.uk). The book is beautifully illustrated with coastal walks covering many of the high spots from where some great VHF DX has been worked. These include Bolberry Down from where G5BY worked the USA on 6m back in the 1940s when the band was briefly available. Today his QTH (see old picture) is "The Port Light Hotel" a delightful place to drink a pint or have a crab sandwich on a long sunny cliff top walk.
27 Dec 2008
G4IRZ Silent key sale - items now sold
25 Dec 2008
Radio Nature
See also his excellent webpages at http://www.vlf.it/ .
24 Dec 2008
Tunnel Diodes rigs
Recently I spotted a similar tunnel diode TX and RX on AA1TJ's excellent webpages on which you can find more data and links to off-air records made at DX distances.
23 Dec 2008
G3XBM is 60 today
21 Dec 2008
Elecraft K1
Within a few minutes of connecting the end-fed wire about 15m long into the back of the rig I had 5 QSOs in the log on 40 and 15m. It is such a perfect CW rig.
More details see the Elecraft website http://www.elecraft.com
£500 silent key sale - a REAL bargain!
The whole lot is yours for £500, buyer collects from Cambridgeshire.
I believe the actual value of the kit FAR exceeds this amount but I am not in a position to spend time disposing of the items individually. If someone is willing to buy the lot from his niece she would be pleased (as would Len's XYL) and the buyer is likely to make a decent profit if the items are then resold separately. It would also make an excellent complete ham shack for anyone starting out.
Remember, £500 buys a huge LOT of decent gear for Christmas.
Dec 27th: Now all sold.
Solar data page - new URL
19 Dec 2008
29MHz FM
At one time there was a lot of activity on 29MHz FM but there is much less these days or is it just around here?
1930hrs update: successfully heard G4NUA at RS56 but he could only just detect my FM carrier (no modulation) his end. Surprised that we were unable to work each other at this distance with a pair of horizontal halos. On 2m he was 59++ and on 70cms 56. Ted was using the FT8900 4 band 50/35W FM rig covering 10m, 6m, 2m and 70cms - nice radio.
15 Dec 2008
Useful on-line distance calculator
Type in the 2 callsigns to get the QSL addresses and the distance, (in miles or kilometers), between them plus miles/watt. Thanks to KD0FNR for finding this one.
The distance of my 2007 6m QRP QSO with K1TOL works out at 5083kms.
10 Dec 2008
UK price rises - Yaesu and Icom rigs
With the falling pound I can understand margins being squeezed more than before but surely, with a VAT reduction and with Christmas coming, this must be the most stupid piece of marketing yet.
Later comment: Several people have explained to me that the yen/pound exchange has significantly worsened so there is probably little the dealers could do but pass on a major part of their price increase on goods from Japan. I also see that most dealers are now holding the old prices on goods in stock as well as offering some good trade-in deals.
8 Dec 2008
SM6BHZ on 504.5kHz - strong
4 Dec 2008
Ham gear for sale (silent key G4IRZ)
In particular, if anyone is prepared to make an reasonable offer for the whole lot I'd be happy to discuss. All I am trying to do is dispose of the equipment to someone who would make use of it at a fair price for his XYL.
Please contact me ASAP if you have an interest in this kit.
2 Dec 2008
Argo plot of OK0EMW tonight on 505kHz
1 Dec 2008
VO-52 satellite reception
The first place to check for first-time satellite SWLs is the AMSAT page which has lots of helpful info on satellites, frequencies and passes.
WSPR beacons on the 500kHz band
A family picture
30 Nov 2008
SAQ (17.2kHz) active on Dec 6th
29 Nov 2008
3X5A (Guinea) worked on 10m QRP
I called them around lunchtime but at first they struggled to hear me but a few minutes later they were stronger and a solid QSO followed. This was a new country for me on 10m QRP. This is a picture of their QSL card from last year (from their website). See the Voodoo Contest Group website.
26 Nov 2008
160m good tonight
23 Nov 2008
SK6RUD on 500kHz and "cross pond" LF reception
The better equipped stations in Europe are currently receiving some of the experimental 500kHz stations from the USA during the night hours and some have even managed to detect some of the Lowfer stations operating between 160-190kHz running less than 1W DC input. This is amazing when you think they are being received in the midst of the high power broadcast stations on this side of the pond.
21 Nov 2008
Late Swallow - faulty GPS?
See http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/snettisham/ .
19 Nov 2008
Backscatter - microwave compendium
It was fascinating to read about something called rainscatter which allows 10GHz stations to work each other by scattering signals off rain clouds/drops up to distances of 600-700kms. This mode allows narrowband uWave stations to work great distances, even from less than perfect home locations. Small 45cm dishes and about 1W RF seems all that is required at 10GHz to use this mode, which works even with NBFM. Signals sound like aurora as they get spread by the scattering process.
I can't see myself getting on 10GHz in a hurry but I can understand the fascination with such intriguing propagation modes to be explored.
Another sked with the FETer rig (unsuccessful)
I am still keen to do further local tests to see what the limit of daylight range is. At night there will be too much activity on 3560 to stand a chance.
17 Nov 2008
Miracle Whip Yahoo Group
15 Nov 2008
Talk at the Huntingdonshire Club
For those who attended and wanted copies of the presentation slides, they're now on my main www.g3xbm.co.uk website.
PS I've noticed I put up not quite the final version- I will change to the correct version when I get access to my WinXP PC.
9 Nov 2008
uu80b micro-transceiver now on main website
8 Nov 2008
uu80b 80m Micro-transceiver - measured performance figures
These are the results:
MDS -93dBm (comfortably copy 10uV signal)
TX Power out +28dBm (>600mW)
TX harmonics 2nd -6dBc, 3rd -15dBc i.e. poor without LPF!
TX/RX offset 400Hz (without 22pF cap fitted)
Overall, not bad for something this ultra simple.
However, it needs more TX/RX offset and needs a low pass filter. The RX is also too insensitive for serious use as it would not hear weak QRP stations on the same frequency. Nonetheless, it will allow some QSOs over very decent distances to stations >10uV in level. This evening it was copying stations in PA0, DL, YL, F and G without too much effort.
7 Nov 2008
Even simpler 80m micro-transceiver!
It is crystal controlled on both RX and TX and the inspiration was the Curumim rig from PY2OHH (see earlier post). TX output is 450mW. The xtal controlled regen RX seems to be quite sensitive too. Unlike my FETer, this rig is full break-in and needs no multi-way TX/RX switching. I have already seen and heard the TX part on the on-line Twente University SDR which is 150 miles away from here in Holland. The rig uses just two 2N3904 transistors and a handful of standard parts.
Currently it is on 3.579MHz but this will be moved to 3.560 as soon as I get another crystal next week. Skeds welcomed!
Isn't ultra-simple QRP construction magic!