M0PCZ Amateur Radio Station

Penny Red: Panic on the streets of London.

2011-08-09T22:34:00.000+01:00

Penny Red: Panic on the streets of London.: "I’m huddled in the front room with some shell-shocked friends, watching my city burn. The BBC is interchanging footage of blazing cars and..."

RSGB issuing 'G' callsigns..

2011-07-13T11:13:00.000+01:00

A candidate who had just passed his Advanced exam has discovered that the Ofcom licensing website will issue old, unused amateur radio callsigns, in his case a G6.

Paul 2E0EAN tried selecting various permutations of Advanced (Full) call from the Ofcom website as he recalled reading somewhere that they were running out of M0's and would start using up the gaps in the system. After several tries the system offered him the distinctive G6FAX which he immediately took.

The G6 call block was originally issued in the early 1980's. It is not known which other callsigns blocks are available from the Ofcom system but half of the G2 call sign block was never issued so may be available as well.

Very interesting, so is this a good or bad thing ?

CW, QRS.

2011-07-03T05:33:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's coming on slowly, very.

I have downloaded a program that uses the Koch method, whereby you start by learning two letters at a speed of 12 WPM or greater, once you have gained an accuracy of >90% over a 5 minute copy, you can add another letter, and so on.

So that's M and K sorted out then !

http://www.justlearnmorsecode.com/

Nothing much else to blog at the moment, the bands have been very quiet this way, don't know how everyone else has been finding it ?

Czech Army key.

2011-06-02T12:49:00.000+01:00

Whilst I wait for the shiny iambic key to make it's way across the Atlantic, a search on the internet found this website - http://www.czechmorsekeys.co.uk/.

The key was made in the early 1950's for the Czech armed forces, and I have to say, though this is as a complete novice, it feels like a very nice key, quite solid with a pleasant action.

A pal of mine, Ken, G3SDW has one, and he highly recommended this key to me, who am I to argue with someone who has been using CW since well...let's just say a long time !

The price of these keys are 20GBP including UK postage, I think that it a real bargain, I can only assume whoever is selling these has bought quite a job lot !

The key on my desk, note the CQ crib sheet !

Close up of the key.

Note the lettering, I think this translates as 'receive' as there is an arrow pointing upwards !

http://www.czechmorsekeys.co.uk/index.html

I'm surprised no one has asked..

2011-05-24T03:30:00.003+01:00

what is that picture all about, at the top ?

Johnny Depp and Alan Wyatt with their Advanced RCF exam pass sheets.

Perhaps I decided that rather than being outed on Twitter, it was better to save my money and come clean, yes my other love is AMATEUR RADIO...there I feel better now.

Enjoy the cartoon, you've probably seen it before, still makes me chuckle.

Finding the incentive.

2011-05-23T04:23:00.001+01:00

Even though a fellow blogger friend of mine recently said that the secret to working the rare DX for the <100 w station was morse code, I, and I suspect most of us (and especially the die-hard phone users like myself) begrudgingly already know this.

Radio wise I have been stuck in a little bit of a rut recently, stuck on 91 DXCC, with 49 confirmed on eQSL, so I'm one off being able to print the next certificate off, I have been busy though, sending QSL cards off, however radio activity has been mostly working special event stations and any stations of interest, like when I worked F/HB9LCP, Sandro, on holiday 100 Km from Bordeaux, on the N. Atlantic coast, great QRZ.com page showing his camper vans.

Anyway back on subject, a pal of mine has recently taken up the code, and is slowly and surely catching me up DXCC wise, well I cant have that, so what better incentive is there to learning than by actually having your own morse key, so this is on it's way from the US of A.

It's an Iambic paddle from Vibroflex, I saw it and fell in love with it..

Seeing that on my desk will be the incentive learn the code.

Or become an expensive and shiny doorstop.

http://vibroplex.com/IAMBIC.html

New blog on the block..

2011-05-08T19:36:00.000+01:00

I've not blogged for a couple of weeks, I suppose there hasn't been much happening for me on the radio, however one of my radio friends on the facebook has started blogging, I think she could definitely be worth following..

So take a look at http://ei9gsb.blogspot.com/, she wont bite..!

International Marconi Day/Royal Wedding.

2011-04-26T09:40:00.005+01:00

A few of us from the Watcombe Radio Club here in Torquay are off to Dartmoor on Saturday to work the bands !

G(R)2DXU and myself, with the help of Martin, M0IME, Dave, G4OTU and Keith, M0PAW will be running two stations working on HF and 2m from around 1030 UTC through to around 1600 UTC.

With our new NoV callsigns we will be celebrating the Royal marriage and also International Marconi Day, we are having some special QSL cards for the event.

Look forward to hopefully speaking to some of my fellow blog friends on the bands !

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/

http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/

QRZ.com page.

http://www.qrz.com/db/MR0PCZ/?1303760706

Our location for the day.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=207126741449597881736.0004a1bce60bc88a3a4f5

G2DXU: Dartmoor DXpedition Recce

2011-04-23T10:45:00.000+01:00

G2DXU: Dartmoor DXpedition Recce: "Good Friday 2011 It was a good way to start the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. A trip to Dartmoor with M0PCZ and his XYL, SWL 'SXM' to find..."

NoV 'R' Royal Wedding..

2011-04-23T10:40:00.001+01:00

Just received this email earlier, so check your inboxes !

Royal Wedding Nov: M0PCZ : APPROVED by Ofcom

Greetings.

We are pleased to inform you that Ofcom has APPROVED your application for a Notice of Variation which will allow you to use a special temporary callsign in order to commemorate the marriage of H.R.H. Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton.

Attached is a PDF document of your NoV; please use Acrobat Reader or similar to view and/or print this document.

Should you have questions or concerns, please address these only to EMail address:-

RoyalWedding@etcc.rsgb.org

New 'notes' page on QRZ.com

2011-04-14T19:07:00.000+01:00

Just noticed this new feature on arguably the most popular Ham radio site, whereby you can post notes to other users, a bit like sending a PM to someone's inbox.

http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?292896-Note-Board-A-new-QRZ-Database-Feature

Further tests to the homebrew 2m band Moxon Rectangle..

2011-04-13T00:48:00.000+01:00

It turns out that I do have an SWR meter suitable in a Zetagi meter that I bought for HF, I checked the specs, and it's good for up to 200 Mhz !

In the shack I use a colinear antenna for 2m, this is up in the loft, the shack being in the front upstairs box room, so I tuned around to find activity on the Plymouth 2m repeater, around 30 miles away, signals were coming in around an S5.

I plugged in the moxon and could receive the same signals around an S7, turning the antenna made a noticeable difference, as did turning it horizontal, it was fun making the signal come and go at will, having only ever used dipoles and verticals.

Upon checking the SWR, I got the following readings -

144000 - 1.6
145000 - 1.5
146000 - 1.9

This was with the antenna hanging vertically from the top of the shack door !

I did some extra checks and have concluded that the antenna has a bandwidth for a 2.0:1 SWR of about 5Mhz !

Homebrew 2m Moxon.

2011-04-12T02:33:00.003+01:00

Thoughts have turned (no pun intended) to directional antenna's, having looked at the Yagi and Quad antenna designs, I then stumbled across the Moxon Rectangle, this 2 element antenna offers similar gain figures to a 3 element Yagi, with better F/B ratio's.

I am quite active on the 2m band, but mostly on FM, you know chatting with your radio club pals etc, however in the vehicle I have the Icom 706, which has 2m SSB, I have made a few calls, but with little success, knowing that most use horizontal polarisation, myself using a dual band Watson 2m/70cm vertical.

For the Moxon I used two 3/4" 'tee' piece's and some scrap plastic pipe, along with some bare wire found at work, an SO239 socket and some cable ties, the most useful item ever.

Following dimensions found in the internet (link at the bottom) with use of a hacksaw, side cutters and tape measure, knocked it up in about 1/2 an hour.

I am unable to check the SWR properly, as I don't possess a VHF meter, and for some reason the 706's meter shows 1.2 even with no antenna connected, I did try it with an old cb twin meter, swr meter, checking on the cars vertical first for a 'sanity check' reading, against that it showed an SWR of around 2.5:1, so some adjustment required.

Initial test's showed it has directional properties, it opened a repeater 11 miles away, then did not when I turned the antenna around, I also found a continuous signal around 145.000 which I could alter the level of signal with the moxon, managed to find the direction and the signal was also better with the antenna in the horizontal.

The signal was an S9+ 10dB on Moxon horizontal, in the vertical position it was S9 with little noise, the Watson 5/8 vertical was then tried, S9 again, but slightly noisier.

Further tests to follow..

Typical radiation pattern.

http://www.moxonantennaproject.com/wb5cxc/wb5cxc.htm

http://www.radiowymsey.org/mox.htm?

10m FM..

2011-04-11T01:53:00.002+01:00

My blog posting is a bit like buses, nothing for a while, then two at once, yesterdays opening on 6m was too good not to blog, and then the day got even better..

I use the Kenwood TS-480, as shown on my blog page, this radio has some up/down buttons for changing bands, so starting on top band, you can click up the bands, when you get to 10m mine then shows 28500 USB, then 29600 FM, then 6m, 50150 USB.

As mentioned there was a lift on 6m, and being a big fan of 10m, you can imagine these up/down arrows get a lot of use, so earlier I flicked from 10m USB and normally on the 10m FM portion hear nothing, well not today, for booming in at 5/9+ on 29600.0 was WP3UX.

I was fairly sure this was a station from Puerto Rico, as I've worked there before on 10m SSB, mindful of the way FM propagates I didn't want to waste time, but still I needed to be sure, so a flurry of fingers on the keyboard (well two actually) on QRZ.com confirmed my suspicions.

A few calls was all it took to receive a 5/9 report back, though the QSB was pretty bad, next came EC8ADS in the Canary Isl's.

Finally, and this took some working, as he had quite a pile-up, was PY2WC, from Sao Paulo, he was at times 5/9 +30dB, though again subject to heavy fading.

This is my farthest FM contact at 5735m, it took me back to a time when as a cb'er I worked into New York on the local FM calling channel.

10-4 !

The antenna array at PY2WC.

eQSL from Willem, WP3UX..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10-meter_band

http://www.kenwood.com/i/products/info/amateur/ts_480/

First 6m opening of the year.

2011-04-10T14:51:00.000+01:00

I have a routine when I get in the shack, main pc on the internet, load up qrz.com, dx sherlock and the dx cluster pages, switch on the radio then load up HRD on the laptop for the cat control.

Have a listen around the bands whilst checking the cluster, I use the cluster primarily as a tool for propagation, (as often by the time good dx has been spotted, the pile up has started), and so this morning at around 1130z, it was nice to see lots of spots for 6m.

What may of helped was that there was a contest on, so managed to work some inter 'g' along with a new square IO81, thanks to G4JFK/p, however the band started to open to the south, with two new squares, IM87 and IM86, with EA7RZ being my best and farthest south DX at 944 miles.

I have found that the ZS6BKW to be around 4-5 's' points up from the Sirio 827 I used for 6m last year, the 827 being resonant for 10/12m, though it tunes for 6m, the ZS6 offers in excess of 6 dBd gain, with a multi lobe pattern, so looking forward to some fun on the 'magic band' this year.

http://www.vhfdx.info/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=50&ML=M&Map=EU&DXC=N&HF=N&GL=N

http://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/ZS6BKW-2.pdf

Much on telly tonight ?

2011-03-31T16:31:00.000+01:00

I have been trying some television broadcast today, well actually slow scan television on 15m, as that band has been open across the Atlantic most afternoons.

Here is the result of the only contact I managed, using the SSTV program that comes with DM780, which is part of Ham Radio Deluxe, this software is used also to control the CAT functions on the radio.

The first picture is a cheesy one of the Good lady, with myself trying to smile..

VE3RNG first transmission back to me.

I had the auto slant options enabled, but didn't quite sync properly, you can just see in the bottom left my transmission that he received.

This is by far my farthest SSTV transmission at 3650 miles, using 85 watts, into the ZS6BKW.

http://www.ham-radio-deluxe.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow-scan_television

More than one way to skin a rabbit..

2011-03-23T21:17:00.001Z

Or bag a new DXCC, one of the many that I have never heard, but have wanted to work.

I am talking about Paraguay, now Brazil and Argentina I hear quite a lot, especially now that 10m is opening up, also Chile and Venezuela, Paraguay however I have never heard, so when I chanced upon ZP5DBC at 5/7 with QSB on 10, well it has to be worth a shout.

After a few calls and getting nowhere, I heard my pal, G0VQY get through on his second call, I was even more determined to get through, I wont however shout and shout, instead timing single and full calls when he called QRZ, still no luck though.

Sometimes you just now it's not going to happen, so I decided that maybe the data modes would offer an opportunity, so down to 28120 and PSK31, I think it was fate as the cursor on the waterfall was exactly on the trace of ZP8AE, he was a little outside the AF passband at 2700 Hz, so I adjusted the vfo up 1 Khz to bring him in at 1700 Hz.

Of course it wasn't easy, it took 5 calls, with him calling back other stations, and finally I saw him call M0PCZ !

Two new DXCC close to home.

2011-03-22T18:25:00.000Z

Last night was Radio Club night, and what better way to start the evening than by working some new DXCC on 2m.

I heard a station on 145.500 FM, G0VHS, Terry in Weymouth, Dorset which is about 45 miles from my qth, this got me thinking, is there a lift on, anyway before I had a chance to call back, my local pal, Alan, G2DXU has done so, and I follow up to listen.

As soon as I heard Mike, GU3WHN, from Guernsey (distance 84 miles) break in I knew we were onto something, so Alan brought me in and we worked them both, with reports of 5/3 both ways.

As we said 73 to go off to the club I heard Ian, GJ7DNJ from Jersey, (distance 106 miles) so I decided to call him from the mobile, so I switched the amp on which gives 100 watts out, and gave him a call, and was delighted to receive a 5/9 +60dB report !

From our club location, I switched the amp off and wound the power down to a watt. and still received a 5/3 report, I suspect we had some very nice tropo ducting !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-meter_band

Remote radio operation.

2011-02-28T02:51:00.002Z

I have dabbled with using my station remotely, using a remote desktop application, this allows you to control the 'base' or shack computer, as my TS-480 is connected to a laptop and can be used fully via Ham Radio Deluxe.

Sound duties are taken care of by using the existing hardware set-up used for data modes, the software used is Skype, freely available, and free to use between skype to skype accounts, one set up on each laptop, base and remote.

This does work, though I find that the connection is quite laggy, and the desktop image shown is not the clearest, also the audio on receive can be somewhat choppy at times.

Earlier this week I had a long and interesting qso with NZ5E, Terry, in Arkansas, he is using the same radio as me, but remotely, we talked a lot about a beach buggy he and his son have restored, it wasn't until after we said 73, that I realised that I hadn't asked him exactly how he was running his remote station.

Well today I happened across two local friends of mine on the air, G0VQY, Penn, in Brixham, and my radio club pal, G2DXU, Alan, in Torquay, they had been working some Stateside on 17m, and so I joined them, well by chance Terry, NZ5E returned Penn's CQ, and I was fortunate to get to ask Terry exactly what he was using to remotely control his station.

He was using the Microbit RRC-1258 system.

No computer connection is required, I think the next picture explains..

I am hoping as there is no 'video' connection, only audio and radio command that the bandwidth demand on the internet connection will less.

Also my thoughts are you could then use your home station when truly on the move, for example in the car ?!

http://www.hamradio.co.uk/rrc-1258.shtml

HRD LOG.net

2011-02-25T01:26:00.002Z

I have always used Ham Radio Deluxe - http://www.ham-radio-deluxe.com/HRDv5.aspx to control the TS-480 , along with DM780 for the data modes, and finally the integrated log book, which also allows you to automatically upload to eQSL.cc and finally to HRDlog.net.

Here http://www.hrdlog.net/Default2.aspx you can view your log, edit any incorrect entries you may have made in HRD logbook, you can also do the usual things, search for callsigns, view DXCC worked etc, but more interestingly perhaps, you can view a qso map in google maps.

Just click on 'qso map' from there you will see 'open with google maps', this brings up another page, which is in Italian, if you don't 'parlare italiano', then you can have the page translated.

Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

Facebook HAM friends.

2011-02-13T15:07:00.000Z

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few years, you will have undoubtedly have heard of Facebook, well I'm not going to and start a debate on it's pros and cons, however I will say that is works for me personally.

For example I have a friend Adriano, IZ3SVI, from Venice, Italy who likes to work portable of a weekend, so he'll put a post up on an Amateur Radio page advertising his event, then assuming there is enough signal for his phone, post updates as to what frequency he is working.

However today he had no signal up on Pizzock Mountain, but luckily I managed to find him on 20m, not easy when he is in qso with his pal in Venice, and I barely speak tourist Italian !

As we have only become friends through Facebook and have never actually spoken to each other, it was a real pleasure to finally be able to, Ady was a 5/7 though faded badly with the qsb, and finally recovered back to a 5/3 or so, with the 100 watts and vertical fishing pole antenna !

Here is a pic of Adriano, doing what he loves best !

And here is my facebook page link - go on poke me !

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=633535950

Many hands make light work..

2011-02-04T11:33:00.000Z

Yes, so they may, but when it comes to radio, 'many ears make light work...of the DX'.

This week I have been off work, but instead of lying in I have been up around 0800 and on the radio, and with the help of fellow club Ham, M0PAW, Keith, who also lives in Torquay, we have been working together to work the DX, and I would like to say, we haven't done too bad.

Using 145.5375 FM as a contact frequency, we scanned the bands, 40m and 20m, and also using the DX cluster, would tell each other of any good dx, and so far this week have bagged the following.

I worked -
31/1/11 - 08:14 VK7GK, Gerry, in Tasmania on 40m.
03/02/11 - 08.10 ZL4IV, Rex on South island, New Zealand, on 40m.

With Keith and I working together -

03/02/11 - 09:10 PY6RT, Rob in Brazil on 20m
03/02/11 - 09:40 C5YK, Andre, in The Gambia, on 20m.
and today.. VK2GHK, Henk, just north of Sydney, also on 20m.

All the contacts were SSB with 100 watts into the ZS6BKW, with Keith using a rotatable dipole by Comet.

I have now worked VK on 2 bands with a bit of wire, which due to the high winds here last night now has a thick telephone cable resting on it, will call British Telecom later to report.

Lastly, Henk (VK2GHK) has a website whereby if you have worked him, you can print out your QSL card, and here it is !

VK7GK worked on 40m.

2011-01-31T09:33:00.000Z

Worked Gerry, VK7GK on 7134 LSB around 0900 GMT this morning, with solid 5/5 signals both ways !

I have never even heard VK on 40m, let alone worked, and yes this was my first VK contact since becoming an Amateur, Gerry was using 300 watts into a 2 element quad, with myself using the ZS6BKW and 100 watts.

Propogation is such a fickle thing, I was trying to work a contest station over the weekend on 40m in Romania, he was a 5/5, could I work him, no chance, and he was calling back UK stations, then I work Gerry after just one call, and we spoke for around 10 mins, good signals with very little fading.

G4ILO Echolink node.

2011-01-24T20:47:00.003Z

I expect that most of my blog followers also follow the blog of Julian, G4ILO - http://blog.g4ilo.com/ - However publicity usually is always good, so when I read about Julian getting his application for an echolink node approved, I thought I would see if I could access his node via my iPod with the echolink app I downloaded.

At first it said the node was busy, so I left it, I tried again later, even though it was still saying busy, anyway it connected and Julian answered !

Julian's audio was very good, with no distortion, I have to admit that I am an 'RF man', however it was good fun and has now encouraged me to try the echolink on the iphone a little more often, as I don't have a radio on me all the time !

G4ILO-L is EchoLink node number 3098.

http://www.echolink.org/
http://itunes.apple.com/app/echolink/id350688562?mt=8

License to ragchew..

2011-01-13T19:18:00.000Z

Since I have put up the ZS6BKW antenna I have found that I am actually putting out a half decent signal on 40 and 80m, so the types of QSO have been changing, now instead of the 5/9 73, I am spending perhaps 30 mins talking to just one station, and you know what I love it !

It's not doing my DXCC score a lot of good though !

Still the odd foray onto 17m for the DX though, I cant help myself.

Having said that, 17m is a relaxed band, and I am finding that the improved antenna and the ability to use some more RF is helping me to make some longer trans-atlantic contacts.

HAM life is good.

G2DXU - A brief history.

2011-01-10T14:20:00.000Z

When I joined the Watcombe Amateur Radio Club around 1 year ago my basic intention was to take all three exams required to gain the full license, here in the UK, this means you would then receive an M0xxx callsign.

Another new member also joined around the same time as myself looking to take the exams, his name is Alan, our backgrounds are very different, but it mattered not as having the same goal and interests meant that we helped and encouraged each other, so we went from SWL to full callsigns in under 10 months.

Alan had a relative, a silent key, Robert lever, who sadly passed away in 2007, Bob had served in the RAF during WW2. Bob’s callsign was G2DXU. The G2DXU had originally been issued as 2DXU, an Artificial Aerial Licence, sometime between 1920 and 1939. In 1946 these licences were re-issued as Full Licences with the G prefix.

Alan spoke with Robert's wife and she kindly agreed to let Alan use the G2 call, all Alan had to do then was pass all three exams and apply to the RSGB, which he did, and now the paperwork has come through, he is the proud owner of G2DXU !

As the G2xxx call pre-dates the 2nd World War, it certainly is a rare callsign, I have only ever heard one other G2 on the air.

Good luck to you Al with the G2, that is one pile-up generating call if I ever heard one..

http://www.qrz.com/db/g2dxu

West Coast surfin' USA with NB7PX..

2011-01-06T17:30:00.000Z

Been a bit poorly the last few days with the old 'man flu' bug that's doing the rounds, anyway managed to get some cover at work and slipped away home early today and straight to bed.

Woke up a few hours later, around 1500 GMT and span around 20m only to hear a couple of West Coast, Stateside stations ragchewing, I have not managed to work this area, and it's not for the want of trying.

Whenever I am in the shack I have 3 pages on the PC screen, QRZ.com, DX Cluster and DX sherlock, which gives propogation path maps for each band, so I had a look on the cluster to see what DX is about and noticed a DX net on 14244 with NB7PX, Jerry, in Oregan, this caught my eye as these nets I have found to be the easiest way to work some DX.

He was calling for stations, only the last two letters, it took two calls and 'Charlie Zulu' was on the list !

Jerry gave me two reports over the hour I was on, initially a 5/8 and then a 5/6 as the band was starting to close.

Thanks a lot to Jerry, I feel a lot better now, nothing like a bit 'surfing USA' to banish the winter bugs !

ZS6BKW is this the multiband answer ?

2011-01-01T19:08:00.000Z

Firstly I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2011 !

This afternoon I felt the need for some air, so what better thing to do than get out in the garden and do some antennas', I like to experiment and build my own antenna's, I have been using a homebrew fan dipole with some good success, I really like the idea of balanced multi-band antennas, my next project is likely to be a cobbwebb type design, anyway for now ebay brought me for Christmas a pre-built ZS6BKW antenna.

This antenna is about 91' long with 40' of 450 ohm twin feeder, which you then attach your 50 ohm coax, the design is a computer modelled variation on the G5RV, and it gives a nice matching impedance on 5 HF bands, 40,20,17,12 and 10m, mine also tunes on 15m (it shouldn't, but does work) and also the 6m band.

With some internal ATU help it tunes on 80m, I have managed a psk contact into France, and have been reported around the UK.

On 15m earlier today (the designs non-resonant band) I managed a psk contact into east coast USA, so this band appears to be a bonus, not sure why it works though !

Interestingly I put some psk calls out on 14070, and was reported all over Northern Europe, with only one report into East coast USA, on my fan dipole it was normally all USA and no Europe.

Here is a link on what I think is a little known and so far interesting antenna.

http://www.tdars.org/library/TechTopics/tech9.html

We cant all have large beams..

2010-12-29T19:56:00.000Z

Maybe you don't have enough 'estate', the funds wont allow, or more likely the Station Manager has spoken, perhaps you don't actually want a large antenna, either way what does it matter as long as you are enjoying your radio.

I have a HAM friend local to me who uses a SteppIR 3 element yagi antenna, we quite often hook up on 20m to work Stateside, Penn, G0VQY puts out a fabulous signal, rare is his report anything less than 5/9, mine however is often 4/0 to 5/5 on my homebrew 40/20/15m dipole and 100 watts, but do I care, no not one bit, it just spurs me on to improve my station !

However on 10m with the Sporadic E running, my vertical 5/8 does start to give him a run for his money !

Advanced RAE - Passed !

2010-12-09T10:09:00.000Z

Thanks to Simon, M0TGT, who posted on the blog to say that the results were out, and to log onto the OFCOM website.

I did just this, after the usual problem with the password, why does that always happen when you are in a hurry, anyway once into my personal page, it let me register a new M0 callsign and print out the license requirements.

Hopefully a letter should be in the post to confirm.

73 de Paul, M0PCZ !

PS - I now have to change all my details, QRZ, Ham radio Deluxe, etc, at least I wont have to do it again.

A little update..

2010-12-05T13:39:00.000Z

I have not been very busy at all on the blog, in fact I was quite shocked to see when I last 'penned' something on here.

Radio wise, nothing much new has been happening, well one event of note, I took my Advanced RAE exam a couple of weeks ago, and will have to wait a least another two weeks for the result, I didn't get the chance to do much revision, however I think it went well, so we'll have to wait and see.

73 Paul.

Backscatter ?

2010-10-27T19:09:00.000+01:00

I have had two contacts in the last few days on 10m and 12m to stations in N.Wales and N.England, distances of 170 miles and 241 miles respectively.

Both of these stations, MW0ZZK, Steve, and G0SXC, Kevin, were using Yagi's pointing west and working Stateside, they both took a bit of working as my 5-2/3 signals were competing with 5/7+ Stateside.

These stations are too far way for it to be ground wave, and with no UK sporadic 'e' openings, both stations suggested it was 'backscatter'.

I have tried to google-ing 'backscatter' and have not found a lot of readable info, any thoughts or comments greatly appreciated !

73 Paul.

Better on 10m today.

2010-10-24T17:25:00.000+01:00

Managed to crack the Atlantic on 10m just now (1630 local), Roland, K3RA in Baltimore but prior to that a new DXCC with Mexico and XE2AC, Luis with 5/5 exchanged, this makes 59 DXCC now worked.

Unusual contact on 10m.

2010-10-24T14:43:00.000+01:00

10m was open yesterday afternoon into Europe and Stateside, however not for the want of trying, I could manage neither, well that's not strictly true as I did manage to contact G0SXC, Kevin in Clitheroe, Lancs.

Signal reports of 5/3-0 with qsb were exchanged and later as I did not get his full qth, I emailed Kevin as I was interested in his opinion as to what type of propogation occurred, it was too far for ground wave.

Here is the email and the replies..

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

thx paul not sporadic e its out of season and i was beaming usa had quite a lot of backscatter that direction so im sure you was too so your signal was going half way across the atlantic and then bouncing back to me dont know what antenna you were using if directiona i bet you were also beaming usa

--- On Sat, 23/10/10, Paul wrote:

From: Paul
Subject: Re: 10m contact
To: "Kevin
Date: Saturday, 23 October, 2010, 21:09

Hi Kevin, sorry, yes 2E0PCZ, located in Torquay, Devon, tell me do you think the contact was sporadic 'e', I would have thought so as I had qsb on your signal, but after reading your page, not so sure..?

From:
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 9:06 PM
To:
Subject: Re: 10m contact

paul you havent given your call sign so i do dontknow where your are was you down in torbay??
yes i use the antenna in the picture and im in clitheroe lancs

--- On Sat, 23/10/10, Paul Colyer <> wrote:

From: Paul Colyer
Subject: 10m contact
To:
Date: Saturday, 23 October, 2010, 14:23

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the brief qso a few minutes ago, it was very difficult to hear you and I never heard where your QTH is..

Was you using the big yagi I have just read about ?

I was using a 5/8 vertical, Kenwood TS-480, Heil GM5 mic and the 50 watts.

73 and thanks,
Paul.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a look at Kevins QRZ.com page at G0SXC, and here is a picture of his monster 10m yagi.

Worked into Ireland on 2m FM, then VK and the North of England !

2010-10-12T21:57:00.000+01:00

Crazy lift, heard some VK, EI and English stations talking on 145.675, so guessed it was an echolink node, then they started talking about the Cork, Ireland repeater, so a google search later revealed the repeater needed a -600 Hz offset, and no tone required.

The lift easily lasted the hour or so I was on, with signals between a 5/1 to 5/5, very steady with little QSB, I also managed to copy Paul, M6PEW who was accessing a repeater in the North of England, so not sure what was going on there !

Rock Walk, Torquay and the Heaviside Layer.

2010-10-09T15:45:00.000+01:00

Here on Torquay seafront we have a place called 'Rock Walk'. This used to be a nice scenic walk along the bottom of a steep cliff face, however nearly 3 years ago the area was deemed as dangerous due to falling tree's and small landslides, so the area was cordoned off.

Well £3 million pounds later it has been reopened to the public, and as I was away for the grand opening, and am also currently dogsitting for my Mother, we (Pepe and myself) decided to take a walk and have a look.

Basically all the tree's were removed as they were a danger, and a gentle stepped walkway now zig-zags to the top, where the views across Torbay can be enjoyed.

View towards Corbyn Head

View toward Torquay Harbour, with the Living Coasts centre top left.

Also dotted around the walk were some plaques with interesting local history, well this one caught my eye as it mentions radio and the ionosphere.

And here is the Pepe Pooch.

So there you go, so when someone mentions the Heaviside Layer, I'll know what they are talking about !

Back from holiday.

2010-10-07T21:19:00.000+01:00

And back to work, hey ho, still I managed a little bit of radio, but only just..

As I am not yet an M0, I cant transmit abroad, still I decided to take a small handie, an Icom IC-7E, this particular handheld used to put out 1.5 watts, however it has a fault and puts out probably less than 100mW, so ideal as a reciever, with it's wideband 0-999 Mhz coverage.

Anyway it nearly didnt get through customs at Bristol as they took an interest in it, taking it away to be looked at, and after about 5 minutes, they gave it back to me and sent me on my way.

It proved to be very usefull however, as we went on a cruise holiday I could monitor the ship to shore transmissions around 156.500, only issue was my very poor French, Spanish and Italian language understanding, still I did understand when I heard the Captain of our ship talking to the pilot boat in the port of Rome, asking when we could depart, only to be told that we were last and we had to wait, how rude !

Exam success.

2010-09-21T09:51:00.000+01:00

Last night was exam night at the Watcombe Amateur Radio Club, three of us M3/M6 calls were taking the Intermediate License, here in the UK it basically allows the operator to run 50 watts, up from the Foundation level of 10 watts.

Well two of us passed, Alan, M6DXU and myself, here is a pic of us with our pass sheets.

M6PCZ and M6DXU, soon to be 2E0PCZ and 2E0DXU !

It's looking a bit CHILEer now...

2010-09-17T16:39:00.000+01:00

Actually it is here in Blighty, still it is the middle of September, but I'm not going to talk about the weather, as you may have guessed.

I have two antennas for HF, the end fed long wire and the Sirio 827. The long wire does a grand job from 17m to 80m, but it's pretty rubbish on 12m and 10m, the 827 however is king on 10 and 12m.

I dont know about you guys, but when I fire up the station, I have one laptop I use just for the internet and one I use for controlling the radio, it's not that I'm flash, it's because I'm too tight to buy one decent machine, when two old lappys do the job.

The internet machine runs QRZ.com, Dx watch, PSKreporter and DX sherlock, with the latter usually on the 10m Europe page.

Anyway last night around 2100 UTC I was shocked to see lots of sporadic 'e' lines between Europe and S. America on DX Sherlock, so time to get the 827 earning it's keep, and so without too much effort, CE2WZ, David, in La Serena, Chile, was in the log with a nice 55 both ways, followed by LU7HW, Gustavo, again 55's.

Pretty much as soon as I said 73, the band closed, and I didnt hear another thing.

Here is David, pic from QRZ.com.

What was really nice is that I hadnt had a HF contact for like 10 days, not without trying, just couldnt seem to get through, yet 10m opens and two contacts that easy, I was beginning to think I had maybe some sort of audio issue, so this 'sanity check' came at just the right time.

Oh and Chile was a new DXCC for me, makes 53 now.

I love going to work at the weekend..

2010-09-05T00:02:00.000+01:00

I was at work this afternoon, OK not so good being the weekend, however as I have the place to myself and as long as the work gets done, then the rest of the time is my own, and what better way than to spend my 'lunch-hour' doing some radio from the mobile.

Switched on 20m to hear 'FIELD DAY', excellent, checked the internet, it seemed to be the RSGB contest that was on, I set myself a target of 10 contacts across the remaining time I had.

Well I worked the following -

GM5CX/P - 20m
OZ3FYN/P - 20m
RO3DX/P - 20m
DR0W/P - 20m
OZ2AR/P - 40m
ON4SNW/P - 40m
OZ2EDR/P - 10m
SX7WP/P - 20m
F0TX/P - 40m
M0GBB/P - 40m
MM0KLR/P - 40m
G2AS/P - 40m

Really chuffed to work Denmark on 3 different bands, (quite bizzare really I just kept hearing OZ calls everywhere), including 10m, very surprised as 10 has been quiet for weeks, I need to check but I think the SX contact (Greece) is a new one for me.

Overall I worked Scotland twice, England twice, France, Germany, Belguim, Greece, Russia, and Denmark.

The last contact, G2AS/P, was the Sheffield Radio Club call, in honour of the late HAM, Harold, G2AS.

Contact into West Cornwall on 17m.

2010-08-29T19:07:00.000+01:00

If you said to a non-HAM that you got a contact into West Cornwall from Torquay in South Devon on 17m, you would probably not get much of a reaction, however tell a fellow radio fan and I would think they would be quite impressed, as it's probably too short a distance for a skip contact, and too long for a groundwave contact.

However tell your unradio friend it was West Cornwall, Connecticut, USA and you might get some nice comments.

I had a smashing qso with Bert, W2QN and we had quite a joke about Devon and Cornwall, it seems he knows our counties quite well, he also asked if there were any inter-county rivalries, I said there was a little, all friendly of course.

So a contact into Cornwall be it UK or USA is good, personally I don't mind either, it's the quality of the qso that matters.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

Amatuer Radio Blogging...

2010-08-28T00:07:00.000+01:00

It's a Friday night, we have a friend staying with us, the beer and wine is flowing, as some of you may know, I am one who likes to enjoy themself...

Two of my favourite blogs have decided to call it a day - Right I am going to cut straight to it, yes blogging can be rewarding, also it can be damn frustrating, you post something which in your opinion is interesting and recieve no replies.

However you post something that you think is somewhat mediocre, and you get loads of replies.

How fickle the public is !

I'll be honest my blog is primarily for me, as a record of what I have done, not just in radio, thing is I am also cursed with a memory of places i have been to like a sieve, so the blog is good for certain things, I can look back and remember.

I will not stop blogging for the foreseable, I hope Paul and Dick do come back sometime and tell us all about their adventures, especially in life and also radio, until then I wish them all the best.

Yes, we have a date for the Intermediate exam !

2010-08-24T17:59:00.000+01:00

Here in the UK we have an Intermediate level of the Amateur radio license, as a follow on from the Foundation level, it allows the operator to run 50 watts RF output, a useful gain from the foundation 10 watts.

Well last night at our local Radio Club, I fitted a 3-pin mains plug to the club's soldering iron, why you may ask, well as part of the Intermediate assesment, the candidate has to undertake some practical work, construct a small circuit to demonstrate the understanding of voltage, current and ohm's law, and calibrate a VFO amongst other things.

For someone who used to repair televisions and video's for a living, well lets say of course it has been interesting, but also a little frustrating, still I am no better than the next person and I still have to show that I understand, so it's back to basics.

Funny thing was though I had to redo the mains plug, Ron who runs the assesments, failed me on it !!

And no I didnt get the live and neutral wires mixed up.

I didn't make the earth wire quite long enough, as in the picture it should loop around, so that if the live/neutral wires did become detached, the earth wire should at least still be connected.

Live and learn. :-)

Oh, nearly forgot, September 20th for the exam.

OX3KQ - On top of the world.

2010-08-21T16:36:00.000+01:00

I had a nice qso with Jesper, OX3KQ, in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland this afternoon on 17m.

Isnt it nice when you hear an unusual callsign, even better when they are coming in on a 5/9, and as I happened to be tuned on the frquency prior to him calling, I was one of his first contacts, all good for the QRP station and the inevitable DX spotting/big gun stations showing up !

Here are a few pics of Jesper and his club station, looks pretty cold.

Magnificent view towards the East (and Europe) as seen by the 20m-17m beam from the top of the wooden platform.

Jesper OX3KQ doing the CQWW SSB Contest

Worked another country on 2m !

2010-08-14T14:30:00.000+01:00

Yes readers, today I worked into Wales on 2m - And the best part of it was that I managed this extraordinary propogational feat on a 5w handheld.

For those of you thinking, wow how did he manage that from Torquay, and for those who are smelling a rat somewhere, well I did talk with Mike, MW3CHZ in Beddau, S.Wales, and he actually gave me a 5/9+ report, the only thing was that I was located around 800' ASL on Crooks Peak, which is in the Mendips, Somerset.

As the crow flies, the contact was about 28 miles, so still pretty good.

You can see the M5 in the first picture, there was a bad crash involving a caravan on the southbound carriageway, that we witnessed on the way up, which caused massive tailbacks.

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The google map shows the road route between Crooks Peak and Beddau, S. Wales.

Churston Steam Rally / Torbay Steam Fair.

2010-08-11T11:29:00.000+01:00

This annual event here in Torbay attracts all manner of steam traction engines, from tractors to road vehicles and everything inbetween - http://www.torbaysteamfair.com/.

Along with displays of static engines acting as water pumps and engines connected to alternators charging car batteries, the latter gave me an idea of running a club radio station next year off a steam engine...

This event is just a great day out, the sights and smells are fantastic !

Who do I think I am, Ken Bruce..?

2010-08-08T10:20:00.000+01:00

For those who dont know/can be bothered to google, Ken Bruce is a DJ on BBC Radio 2, a fine radio station here in the UK, I still occasionally listen to Radio 1, but being over 40 the law says that I am too old, but not old enough to listen to Radio 3/4, so Radio 2 it is.

I now feel like a Radio 2 DJ, with my latest purchase, used I may add, a Heil GM-5 broadcast mic, shock mount and boom arm, along with a foot switch.

It came with wiring for an Icom radio, which worked very well with another recent purchase, a near mint old-school Icom 735, I bought this in a small lot with an MFJ ATU and a rotator, I actually just wanted the rotator, the idea being to sell on the Icom and ATU.

Anyway as the TS-480 is the main shack radio, I needed to rewire the Icom lead to Kenwood, looking on the internet I found this site - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rg4wpw/date.html.

What a fantasic site, I found the diagrams for the two radio's and found that the only difference was on the PTT line, so I swapped the wires, plugged in, no PTT, then I realised that as the PTT line works to ground, this is on a different pin as well, swapping that did the trick, so I've saved myself perhaps £30 on a new lead, as this lead also plugs into my EQ deck, so has XLR and a 6.3mm jack socket.

Only problem is I now need to sort out some RF issue's on my TX audio on parts of 20m I'm getting now.

Actually I've decided I dont want to be Ken Bruce, I going to be Chris Evans, and why, well because he has more Ferrari's !

Chinese takeaway at the radio club camping weekend.

2010-07-25T11:32:00.000+01:00

Last weekend was the Watcombe Radio Club camping weekend, yours truly wasnt under canvas, but merely an evening visitor making the most of everyone else's radio, next year though I plan to do my own station, need to purchase a tent first, it does help.

Anyway I sat myself in front of Andy's (2E0OJE) radio as I know he runs a good radio and even nicer audio with the broadcast mic and EQ deck, and started tuning around 20m - The band was alive and chock-a-block with stations, lots of QRM, and in amongst the noise I heard something that well, just sounded DX, even before he said his call, you just sort of know, and no he didnt have a chinese accent at all.

His call was BD4HF, this got me asking 'where is BD' to Andy as I had never heard of it, a few shouts back and we had exchanged 5/9 both ways, his being a genuine 's' meter reading.

I then turned around to see everyone in the camp behind watching me make the contact, then run off to their own tents to try for themselves, Andy made the trip also, the others wern't so succesful as by now I suspect he had been cluster reported and there was an ever increasing 'pile-up'.

A few beers, good company and great radio, what better way to spend some time.

Myself (in the stripey fleece) writing down a callsign with alan (M6DXU) in the camo and Adrian (SWL).

Alan, M6DXU with andy, 2E0OJE in the gimp mask !

Yes I am dancing to thank the Radio Gods for my contact !!

Feld Hell fun

2010-07-14T16:58:00.000+01:00

I have recently been 'told off' for not blogging very much lately, well like most of us especially in the summer, I dont sit in front of a computer, and I haven't been sat in front of a radio much either, so nothing much to blog about.

We have also had guest's staying in the box room/radio shack, so this certainly has not helped, anyway they are all departed now, so I fired up the radio and had a listen around as you do, found some short skip on 20m, thoughts turned to 10m, so a quick look on the cb frequencies is always worth a look as 10m can sound dead, only to hear a lot of Northern England/Scottish stations on fm cb.

A quick look round 28500 and I found MM0SGQ, Steve, in Fife, there was a lot of qsb, but we managed a contact.

This picture is from Steve's QRZ.com page, showing the Forth road bridge and Forth railway bridge, separating Fife and The Lothians.

I like these sorts of pictures, I imagine my little 10 watts jumping across the water !!

You might wonder why I havent mentioned anything about Feld Hell, well my next contact was a first for me using this mode, listening around 7035 and I heard the distinctive clicky noises in amongst the psk signals.

Hopefully the next picture shows the qso I had with IZ1CRA, Piero, in Torino, Italy.

As you may be able to see I had never heard any Hellschreiber signals before, let alone had a qso, so was pretty pleased !

Interesting thing was that there were psk signals that came and went in the bandwidth we were using, these made no difference to the readability of the Hell signal.

Also for the same audio out/alc levels I was getting less RF out compared to PSK31, according to my power meter, perhaps only 1-2 watts.

http://sites.google.com/site/feldhellclub/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellschreiber

Echolink list for the UK.

2010-07-01T10:52:00.000+01:00

We are off for a weekend away to the Isle of Wight, and as ever I am always keen to fit a little radio in somewhere.

All I can take is the Maxlog UV dual 2m/70cm handie, but with 5w Rf output is proving pretty usefull, though not until a friend from the club (2E0HOO) kindly programmed it for me.

I have programmed in the local RF repeaters and now thanks to some digging around on the internet, local echolink RF nodes.

These took a bit of finding, until I stumbled across an old blog post by G4VXE fron January last year, so I cant take credit for it.

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Transmission 1 website and forum

2010-06-17T00:13:00.000+01:00

Just a little plug for a forum I lurk about on, and yes it is radio related, thank-you !

http://www.transmission1.co.uk/

A great site with lots of user reviews on equipment from PMR to Chinese handies, also a very informative forum with radio related sections including Amateur radio, short wave listening and scanning, oh and even the old chicken band !

In fairness the sites roots are CB, as are a lot of the posters, but don't dismiss the site, as most are very knowledgeable radio users.

Along with a trading section and downloadable manuals, this site's worth a look, IMO.

Behringer Eurorack UB1202 Mixer - The quest for better audio

2010-06-15T19:15:00.000+01:00

Impressed with the SSB audio of fellow club member, Andy, 2E0OJE, I happened to see on Ebay this Behringer Eurorack UB1202 Mixer with the correct leads for my Kenwood TS-480.

One click later and the item was mine, and here it is.

It's still early days, and with Andy's help we have set up the audio on-air, I was looking for a mellow bassier audio, I have also set up the custom EQ software via the Kenwood program which you can save to the User setting.

My first contact since I have used the new set-up was with GM8LFB on 10m.

Walk around the Exe Estuary.

2010-06-06T19:24:00.000+01:00

With time on our hands and the bands quiet along with the need to get some fresh air, we took a drive out along the nearby coast road via Shaldon, Teignmouth, Dawlish and Starcross, through Kenton, nearly to Exeter, but a short right to a small car park beside Exminster Marshes.

Situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty and protected by The Exe Estuary and surrounding wetlands being deemed by English Nature a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protected Area, we came across the Turf Hotel is one of the few pubs in the country that cannot be accessed by car. Walking, cycling and by boat are the means employed. There are also 2 ferries from Topsham and one that operates along the Canal from Double Locks.

We are thinking of a train trip to Exeter, bus to Topsham and then the ferry to the Turf Hotel, one or two shandies, then the train back to Torquay..

Multiple PSK signals changing frequency, opinions/explanations ???

2010-05-28T16:16:00.000+01:00

I have just witnessed the strangest thing, listening on 7160 to the WAB (Worked All Britain) net when a load of 5/9+ PSK signals just appeared on the frequency, and then a few seconds later went away.

This happened a few times, it wasnt just a rogue station, at first I thought it was someone fooling around, but no when I checked the waterfall, it was numerous signals.

Here is a screenshot of PSK reporter, hopefully you can see my call and the frequency, and the stations recieved, just click on it to enlarge.

UPDATE - This was really so strange that I ran downstairs and picked up a camera and made a video, hopefully it shows what I am trying to say, please I would dearly love some comment on this.

A day out at sea.

2010-05-25T19:26:00.000+01:00

Today the XYL had the day off, so we decided to take a boat trip to Dartmouth via Brixham, I also thought I might be able to do some 2m radio, however checking the license schedule only a full UK license holder can operate maritime mobile.

This fantastic boat was built in 1941 and used in the WW2 operating as a Rescue Motor Launch (RML) ship off Portland Bill, she has also done antisubmarine towing duties, she also served as a passenger ferry under the name of the Western lady III between 1947 and 2007, however she was recently found rotting in Poole harbour and was bought and restored by the Greenway ferry Company and now can carry up to 175 passengers and is 112' in length.

http://www.greenwayferry.co.uk/about-us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkJvS13e64Q

UK stockist for the Wouxun handheld's

2010-05-23T12:24:00.000+01:00

Martin Lynch & Sons are now the UK supplier for the Wouxun range of handhelds.

http://www.hamradio.co.uk/acatalog/Am_Handheld_Wouxun.html

I've not checked the prices against the Chinese suppliers such as 409shop http://www.409shop.com/, but if you need a radio quicker and with no chance of any import charges (in the UK), then ML&S may be worth a look.

GB6GEO geopark station at Kents Cavern, Torquay

2010-05-22T12:36:00.000+01:00

Once again the annual Geopark event is running, and here in Torquay at a local attraction called Kents Cavern http://www.kents-cavern.co.uk/ we have a special event station GB6GEO running on all HF bands and 2m - http://www.qrz.com/db/GB6GEO

To quote from the Kents Cavern site - 'Kents Cavern is a prehistoric cave and award winning visitor attraction. The site was used by Britain’s earliest ancient humans thousands of years ago and today the cave is the only underground visitor centre in the UNESCO Global Geopark, a protected national monument and an internationally renowned prehistoric show cave'.

It's been a while since I have personally visited the caves, however it's definately worth a visit if you are ever in the Torbay area, and as the oldest recognisable human dwelling in Britain, eveidence has been found in the caves dating back around 1/2 million years ago.

The station is being run in conjunction with many other geopark stions not only in the UK but worldwide as well, all promoting their own local areas of natural interest.

I managed to work GB6GEO earlier, on every band from 160m to 6m, which was interesting, if nothing else it showed the signal differences for a multi-band antenna.

And here is the QSL card to prove the contacts !

It was good as well to catch up with Nick, 2E0GDQ, and his lovely YL, Tori, (not Amos) and also to meet for the first time, Paddy, M1EIW who owns the TR repeater (!! ;-) and also M6KAR, Karol, who is from Central Europe and loves VW Golf's

PC4T where are you ???

2010-05-20T18:36:00.000+01:00

I have just tried to go on his blog at http://dutchhamradio.blogspot.com/ and received a 'blog not found' error - I hope that as Paul put it the 'summertime blues' haven't got to him ?

Hope that you are OK Paul, let us know.

73 Paul.

Not so tidy as Adam's shack..

2010-05-20T11:30:00.000+01:00

I think I am going to have to ask Adam, M6RDP to come round a give my shack a tidy-up as I dont think I was born with that particular gene, and the GL generally keeps out of that area, unless she's after a hair band, of which she has 3 draws full.

Having said that I do love my 'organised' clutter, everything works as it should.

Unusual conditions on 20m ? Opinions..

2010-05-18T18:59:00.000+01:00

Today from the mobile and with 10 watts I had contacts from my location in Paignton, Devon into N. Ireland with GI4EBS and MI5LYN/M, both were a good 5/9+20dB, with myself 5/9.

These two stations are around 320 miles away, to me this seems like a Sporadic E contact like you would get on 10m, or a typical inter'g' on 40m/80m, I've never heard any 'G' stations on skip on 20m before.

There was no fading on the signals either way.

BOGOFF

2010-05-14T19:04:00.000+01:00

BOGOFF - No I wouldnt dream of being so rude, this acronym is common here in the UK, it stands for Buy-One-Get-One-Free, so rapidly getting to the point it means I have two blog subjects today.

First is that I made my first contact on the 'magic band' 6m this afternoon to IZ5MJZ, Rolando, NW Italy. It was a pretty difficult contact with literally only my callsign confirmed, still contact was made, the antenna I used was my ex-cb Sirio 827, a 5/8 vertical, it has a low swr on 6m, but how resonant it is I have no idea, but between my long wire and the loft mounted co-linear (which is a 6m/2m/70cm) the Sirio has the better 'ears'

Secondly, a pal of mine, Nick, 2E0GDQ kindly lent me a 2m handie after a recent conversation. I already have an Icom IC-E7 which I really like, but it's only 1.5W output, and after talking to Adam, M6RDP and his experiences with his Jing Tong, I am now in possesion of a WEIREWEI V1000, it's 2m with an output of 5W.

I have to say the extra power means I can access the local repeater even from downstairs in the house, something I can't do on the Icom, in fact I keyed up by the computer here and the mouse promptly froze up along with a very loud buzz through the speakers, RF overload !

Morse code generator kit.

2010-05-08T14:55:00.000+01:00

One requirement for the Intermediate Licence 2E0xxx - (the next step on from the Foundation Licence -M6xxx) is that you have to build a small project, it's really just to show you are able to use a soldering iron correctly without damaging yourself or any components.

So I started to look on the internet as you do, I liked the idea of building a morse kit, the eventual idea being to learn the code, and what better way than on something you have built.

I found this company, Quasar Electronics, here in the UK, and here is the link to the kit I have purchased.

http://www.quasarelectronics.com/smart-kit/1123-morse-code-generator.htm

I am also gathering the bits and pieces required to build a small circuit to light a bulb, the idea here is that you know how to use a multimeter on it's various ranges including voltage and current.

Ultimately I want to take my Intermediate and Full licence around the same time, thus only requiring one lot of study.

Crazy XYL washing friendly steathly antenna

2010-05-07T15:20:00.000+01:00

You may of heard of the Cobwebb antenna - http://www.g3tpw.co.uk/, this antenna is designed to work from 10-20m inc WARC bands, I really like the design, though I'd like something that worked 40m as well, and lose 10/12m as I have a vertical thats good for those bands.

How could I build an antenna that the GL would approve of ?

Looking out of my window earlier and I spotted my neighbours garden rotary clothes airer, it got me thinking about building a multi-band rotary dipole/quad loop which you can also hang the washing on, yes the clothes would de-tune the antenna, but I dont know about you bloggers, but I like to be out and about when the weather's good doing mobile radio or whatever.

Plus when the weather is no so good and raining, it figures there would be no washing out to dry, and so the drier/antenna could be used, as I generally like to stay in and work radio from home when it's wet out.

Crazy idea ?

CW heard on 6m

2010-05-06T14:04:00.000+01:00

Well thats what I thought, until I realised it was the same call over and over again, and as I was tuned in at 50040, this is where the beacons transmit.

This is a time when I wish I knew my Morse, the speed of the code being sent was too quick to jot down, so I pressed DM780, part of ham radio Deluxe into action, and after a few attempts, it decoded...

G B 3 M C..

Google is most certainly your friend and soon I was looking at Location of GB3MBC (IO70OJ)

The distance from my QTH is 55 miles.

It turns out that this callsign is used for a number of beacons in the Cornwall area, including 4m,2m,70cm,23cm and 3cm.

I cant say I have ever heard this beacon before.

I have been REPORTED....

2010-05-05T20:22:00.000+01:00

No not to the authorities for a crime, or even OFCOM, no I promise that I have been the most upstanding of citizens....no I have been reported on DX Sherlock, a nice visual dx spot watcher/map for 28 Mhz and VHF.

This was blogged very recently, cant think who it was, but many thanks to them.

http://www.vhfdx.info/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=28&ML=M&Map=EU

I can only think I was reported because I sent a spot to http://www.dxwatch.com/dxsd1.php?f=20 after the 10m contact with CT2IVH, Paulo in anadia, Portugal, who gave me a 5/5.

The 10 metre band, music to my ears..

2010-05-02T18:51:00.000+01:00

10m is currently the most open I have heard it in a long while, this is great news for any fans of this popular band !

Just worked (1800 BST) EA8BQM for my third contact into the Canary's, also CN3A in Morroco, but best DX so far on 10m, A65BP in the United Arab Emirates for 3534 miles.

Even better is that these were all worked from the mobile at my work location, of course in my 'lunch' break !

10m open last night.

2010-04-27T16:41:00.000+01:00

Went along to the radio Club last night, and after a discussion about trying to contact a station in Central Africa on 12m, I ws asked if I've had any luck on 10m.

Weeks ago, yes, a couple of PSK31 contacts into S.America, but nothing since, in fact I said I am yet to make a voice contact on 10m, and would dearly love to having been an 11m op in my past radio life.

Anyway the club finished and I switch on the radio in the truck, to hear a very good 5/9 EA8CDI, Luiz in the Canary Islands calling CQ, not one to miss out I call back and am instantly acknowledged, despite a mini pile-up.

We continued to have a conversation as I drove home, he was never less than 5/7, with him 5/9+ at home, though gone about 15 mins later at 22.00 BST, looked like the propogation just went suddenly.

Absolutely chuffed to have made this contact.

1st Amateur radio QSL card recieved.

2010-04-24T11:51:00.000+01:00

Had a nice little surprise in the post this morning, a QSL card from IV3PTU, Valenti, from Northern Italy, for a recent 40m PSK31 QSO.

Looks like I am going to have to get some of my own cards printed, as I have only been using eQSL.

Dartmoor portable op's

2010-04-20T17:40:00.000+01:00

After our walk around Haytor on Sunday, the GL had to go to work on Monday, for me it was my final day off before going back myself today, so what better way to spend it than going back up the Moors and throwing some almost random wire up in the air.

Procured from work for such activities were some aluminium poles, these have been drilled and can be bolted together to form a length of around 20', along with the homebrew 3 band dipole and a nice quiet tourist free location around 1300' ASL after an hour's setting up I was ready to hit the bands.

20m was very open to Europe and Stateside, with 15m absolutely dead, and on 40m mostly Germany and a few inter 'G' heard.

I made no contacts on 20 or 15m, but did manage 3 inter g's on 40m with Bob, G3ITH in the Midlands, and Ian, 2E0IMT around 8 miles from Bob.

Also I made contact with another portable, this time well 'up north' with GM8UPI, Dave, in his caravan on the Isle of Skye, I was given a solid 5/5.

And here is picture of the mobile with the homebrew portable set-up.

To round off a great day I also spoke with Adam, M6RDP and Eddy, 2E0EDY, from Torquay and Exmouth respectively on 2m from Haytor Rocks, where we also tried accessing a couple of echolink nodes, no contacts though.

A couple of snags cropped up with the portable op's, one is that the pole needs a base as when I was guying one side of the dipole the pole swivelled in the scaffold bracket and crashed to the ground, resulting in lots of tangled wires.

Also with the 2 wire dipole, I need to figure out an easy way to pack and unpack it, so that I dont spend ages de-tangling wire, takes me back to my early kite-buggying days.

I did think about building a collapsable vertical, but I like the 2 wire dipole as it is truly resonant on 3 bands, a vertical would not be, two bands at best.

Working Weymouth and Walking..

2010-04-18T18:41:00.000+01:00

Last minute idea as I woke up this morning, said to the GL, lets go up on Dartmoor and do a walk, only proviso is that I get to do some radio, I was greeted with a somewhat mute reaction, as she loves walking, but does not share my love of the radio.

All did not go to plan as I could not find the keys to my 'truck' a trusty old over-tyred jacked up Vitara mobile radio shack, so also missing was the key to my other car and the house key, not good.

As I have not used either vehicle since Thursday I could not remember where I had put them, anyway after turning the house upside-down as you do, they were found in my electronics tool box in the radio room...??

So were off, stop off at the local supermarket for lunch nibbles and we are up on Haytor (457 m, 1,499 ft ASL) by around 1300.

We have several books of walks published by Bossiney Books (http://www.bossineybooks.com/) who make a lot of local walk books for Devon and Cornwall.

The walk we did today takes in Haytor Rocks, but better still the disused Haytor granite quarry, which supplied granite for many of London's buildings including the 1832 London Bridge.

There are distinctive tracks with granite kerbs around the quarry, this was part of the Haytor granite tramway built in 1820.

Here you can clearly see the old track.

Here you can see a hole in the granite - this was the hinge for the moving part of the points.

This is a 'tourist' pose of me and the Icom IC-E7 which brings me nicely to my first contact on 2m simplex to a G7 (did not have pen/paper) in Weymouth.

Shortly after a mobile on dartmoor and finally a G0, Colin in Exmouth, this was on the Torbay repeater, which I accessed easily even behind and down from Haytor.

Overall a really good afternoon, which nearly never happened, thanks to my bucket-brain.

Homebrew Dipole SUCCESS !

2010-04-17T13:05:00.000+01:00

I lengthened the 40m element (just the 'hot' side) and managed some compromise SWR readings as follows

7000 - 1.2
7100 - 1.8
7200 - 2.5

21000 - 2.5
21200 - 2.0
21400 - 1.5:1

I already had some good swr readings on 20m, so the antenna is very useable on the 3 bands, which was proved by contacts with DJ3HJ, Rudi on 40m and EA8AOC, in the Canary Islands on 15m.

UPDATE - Just worked two more stations - 4ZIUF in Isreal, on 15m and Mr New York, Mike, W2YP on 20m for a 5/7, 2nd time I have worked Mike now, he's a BIG station, illuminating Europe, you have to hear him, love it !!

Hope you aren't planning on flying anywhere ?

2010-04-16T09:29:00.000+01:00

The volcano eruption on Iceland and the consequent ash cloud has caused the suspension of all flights to and from the UK and most of Northern Europe.

All of this made me chuckle, with the recent BA strikes grabbing the headlines, here we have our planet showing who's the Boss, it's most certainly not us and definately not BA management or the Unions !

We are all of us only tenants here.

Homebrew Dipole.

2010-04-14T12:14:00.000+01:00

I have been working on a multi band dipole for 40/20m which should also be resonant on 15m, it is based on a design by GI4JTF, where wires are cut for 40/20 and 10m fed from a common point.

The idea is that when the required frequency is applied, current flow through the dipole cut for that particular band, as the other dipoles present a high impedance, like us all why do it the hard way when the easiest is well, easier.

The original design was for 40/20 and 10m, fed with twin feeder, as I only wanted 40 and 20m and to feed it with coax, I have installed a 1:1 current balun, and cut wires to around 20.5 metres for 40m band and 10.3m for the 20m band.

To keep things simple I purchased the balun and dipole centre, and used some multi strand wire I had around as you do, for the spacers I used 1" diameter pvc pipe cut into sections and 3 holes drilled in each, one for the rope, and the other 2 for the 40/20m wires.

The ends were allowed to hang down around 10cm, this allowed for trimming for a low SWR mid band, the dipole has the following swr readings according to my MFJ analyzer..

7000 - 2.5
7200 - 1.4
7500 - 2.5

I can see I need to lengthen the 7Mhz elements, so it shows around 500 Khz bandwidth for a 2.5:1 swr, easily good enough for the 40m band of 200 Khz.

With regards to 20m I got the following readings -

14000 - 2.5
14200 - 1.2
14400 - 2.5

So again very useable from 14000 to 14350, as I dont do CW I wasnt too worried about the swr at the bottom of the band or for data modes as this antenna will be used for portable and garden op's !

According to the research I have done, the diploe should also be resonant on 21 Mhz, as my analyzer only tells the swr and not the impedance etc, I cant be sure that it is or isnt, however the swr is around 4:1 on 15m, with a low swr at 22 Mhz.

No contacts as yet when tried yesterday, and much warmer indoors in the shack today !

Many thanks !

2010-04-11T18:03:00.000+01:00

To Adam, M6RDP who as promised dropped round a 1:1 balun I need for an antenna project, but also he gave me a map of the US States he found in a charity shop, Adam thought I may like it and he was right !

I have stuck some pins in showing the 5 states I have worked so far.

It's all too easy to say 'sure I'll do this or do that' and then not bother, I've had a lot of that and it really riles me, dont bother saying anything if your'e not going to do it.

So now I can crack on with a multiband dipole I am building, I wanted to feed it with coax, hence the balun requirement.

Nice PSK31 QSO and 40m groundwave propogation.

2010-04-06T10:17:00.000+01:00

I met Rob, G3XFD on the waterfall last night, Rob is the Editor of Practical Wireless, we had a really good conversation with virtually no macro's !

Here is a picture of Rob from his QRZ.com page -

And here is a copy of the QSO -

-------------------------------------------------------------------

20:08:56> Main

G3XFD G3XFD de M6PCZ M6PCZ M6PCZ pse kn
nt-ÅGOOD EVENON OM I JUSTSAW YOU CALLING AN UR5 STATION I THINK! NICE SIG 599. MY NAME IS ROB AND QTH IS BOURNEMOUTH HOW COPY? BTU K

-

zs
20:10:18> Main
G3XFD G3XFD de M6PCZ M6PCZ M6PCZ pse kn
COPYING U 599 OM TRY AGAIN UR 599 DE ROB G3XFD K

-

*e
20:11:14> Main
G3XFD de M6PCZ are you copyoing me Rob please confirm
SOLID COPY FROM UR FIRST CALL OM GA PSE K DE ROB G3XFD Ks t? r le
20:12:01> Main
G3XFD de M6PCZ Ok Rob used to all the macro confiming copy, hows Bournmouth tonight, I can see you on qrz.com....are you in the magazine I seem to recognize your picture BTU
et

Atef aiedo

NOT SURE IF YOU'VE GONE BACK TO ME OM BUT HERE WE ARE. BEEN NICE IN BMTH TODAY COOL CLEAR AND SUNNY. FIRST DAY FOR TWO WEEKS WITHOUT RAIN. NOT IN MAGAZINE OFFICE TODAY - AT HOME INSTEAD. WHAT'S YOUR QdH? runmninc an alinco dx7Øth here 5ØW BTU HOW COPY? KI

-

t oh
20:15:01> Main
G3XFD de M6PCZ Ok Rob used to all the macro confiming copy, hows Bournmouth tonight, I can see you on qrz.com....are you in the magazine I seem to recognize your picture BTU OK all understood - qth is in Torquay, I have emailed carl Harris with some HF happenings as I am a new license though been into radio for nearly 3Ø years hope you are copying my 1Ø watts BTU Rob...

et

sGOOD SIGNAL OM Crl mason will be pleaaed to hear from you. your 1ØW doing well 599. i WILL BE AT THE PLYMOUTH CLUB NEXT WEDNESDAY. YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US. 73 CUAGAN FURTHER DOWB THE LOG GL AND WELCOME TO THE BANDS. DE ROB G3XFD GL 73 AND GN K
20:17:44> Main
G3XFD de M6PCZ Ok Rob all recieved - I may well come along have to see wheat i am working, think I may be off, work shifts, thanks and enjoying the bands------OK well Rob, 73 and thanks for the qso, good to type and not auto-macro, 73 for now and hope to catch you again soo, - G3XFD de M6PCZ 73 bye bye...
oyegeo 73 LOOK FORWAERD TO MEETING YOU FACE TO FACE AND ON THE AIR GL AND GN! DE ROB G3XFD

--------------------------------------------------------------------

According to Rob there is a meet at a Plymouth radio club next week on Wednesday, have to look into that.

Also last night I hooked up with Adam M6RDP with Hugh 2E0HOO who was at Adam's QTH, Alan M6DXU and Paul 2E0XVI - We all live within a mile of each other, though talking on 40m LSB at times it was quite difficult to hear each other with 5/9 at best from any of them, quite in contrast to a qso I had just prior with a German station coming into me at a genuine 30dB over S9.

For someone who has done a lot of groundwave on the cb freq's on various modes it just didnt add up, in fairness the band was quite noisy, around 4-5 's' points, perhaps if we had worked on FM it would have been better.

Bienvenido a Argentina a la 10m

2010-04-03T19:15:00.000+01:00

Best DX to date and my first South American country was with LU4FW, Diego from Rosario, about 100m west of Uruguay.

PSK31 was the mode of transmission - I am starting to hear voices around 28500, not good enough to work yet, however some of the PSK signals are very strong to me, yes quite a lot of QSB, still a good sign of things to come for this band.

The distance was 6736.5 mi (10841.4 km), so easily my best DX so far.

I used the Sirio 827 as the long wire is around 5 's' points down.

Here is the antenna array at LU4FW, with that sort of system I could have worked him on a piece of damp string !

On google street view look for the guy in a blue t-shirt and the smart car...

2010-04-02T17:17:00.001+01:00

View Larger Map

10m band open-ish..

2010-04-01T19:22:00.000+01:00

Here at my qth I have the 130' long wire and a Sirio 827, which is a 10/11m (CB) 5/8 vertical.

Normally I use the long wire for HF as it hears better with lower noise than the vertical, however on 12/10m the vertical definately has the edge, which it should do really.

I keep hearing about 10m opening up and each time I goto the PSKy freq's, nothing until around 1630 UTC when I see some signals from the Caribbean and S.America.

This is really exciting as in a past life I have worked a lot of S.America on 11m.

I managed to contact NP4BM in Peurto Rico on 10m PSK31, then KP4ED on 12m RTTY, also in Peurto Rico.

Tried to contact the South Americans, but nothing as yet.

It was nice the use the old bird again, I had this antenna on 2 houses, so over 12 years now, it's a little bent up and it lost one of it's eight legs a few years ago.

Perhaps it will get some more use soon, hope so.

QRP - Miles /Watt

2010-03-31T20:18:00.000+01:00

Just a little something I found whilst browsing around.

http://www.qrparci.org/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,133/

Kentucky....fried chicken ?

2010-03-30T15:55:00.000+01:00

Ok, yes another eye catching blog title post thats actually only to do with the US state of Fried Chicken, no sorry, Kentucky.

The bands today again are in the doldrums, no noise on 21 Mhz either (@ PC4T's post), so perhaps the sunspots asleep, so time to fire up DM780 and get on the PeSKy mode.

Put a few calls out on 14070.150 + 1800Hz offset, nothing, try calling a few stations back, nowt, hmmm, move down to 1200 Hz and put a call out, K8MWO, Bob from Kentucky comes right back.

Here is the transcript - What I like here is the battle of the band conditions, and more importantly the conversation, what a small world we live in.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13:53:10> Main

CQ CQ de M6PCZ M6PCZ

CQ CQ de M6PCZ M6PCZ

PSE K

-

M6PCZ M6wCZ de K8MWO K8MWO K8MWO Pse K

13:53:51> Main
K8MWO de M6PCZ

Hi OM,

Report : 579 579

Name : Paul Paul qth Torquay in Devon,SW England, loc IO8ØFL IO8ØFL

Info : http://m6pcz.blogspot.com - www.qrz.com/db/M6PCZ

How copy? BTU OM, K8MWO de M6PCZ pse kn
atnR RST is .

My name is Bob Bob.

QTH is northern Kentucky Crittenden, KY Crittenden, KY

Loc EM78 EM78

Some QRM now QRM; missed your name. Plea h, your name OM? M6PCZ de K8MWO K

-

o

13:55:32> Main
K8MWO de M6PCZ

Hi Bob,

Report : 599 599

Name : Paul Paul qth Torquay in Devon,SW England, loc IO8ØFL IO8ØFL

Info : http://m6pcz.blogspot.com - www.qrz.com/db/M6PCZ

Yes bands not so good today Bob !

How copy? BTU OM, K8MWO de M6PCZ pse kn
M6PCZ de K8MWO FB Paul. Good copy that time. I was in Devon last September. Through Devon and Cornwall all the way to Land's End. Very FB journey!

K8MWO Working Conditions:

---Transceiver - Icom-756 Pro III, 3Ø watts

---Antenna - KT-36XA 6-element tri-band yagi at 52 feet

---Interface - SignaLink USB

---Software - DigiPan

OK Paul, BTU... M6PCZ de K8MWO K
13:58:03> Main
K8MWO de M6PCZ

Bob, my station

Radio : Kenwood TS-48Ø S-AT, 1Ø Watts, Home madio CAT + audio

Software : HRD + DM78Ø v5.Ø Beta

Antenna : 13Ø' End Fed long wire, 9:1 Unun

Operator : Created 1968, licenced 2Ø1Ø

Good stuff Bob, the road through Cornwall is slow takes 2 hours or more to get to Penzancee though not much at lands end

glad you enjoyed the south west !!!

My QSL is OK via eQSL.cc.

BTU K8MWO de M6PCZ kn
M6PCZ de K8MWO FB copy again Paul. Band is slowly opening here. WX today is going to be nice. Temp right now is about +7C. Age her is 64, licensed in 1958.

We came along the ~uth coast from about Brighton. Penzance. Lizard. tIusehole. Land's End. Up the north coast to Tintagel. Then back through Wells and RNAS Yeovilton to Gatwick. I am retired Naval Aviator here, so enjoyed the museum at Yeovilton.

OK etl, BTU... M6PCZ de K8MWO ee
14:01:21> Main
K8MWO de M6PCZ

excellent Bob, lovely cathedral at wells and taht moat i hope you saw it that is a favourite place of ours

D

-

p"ae M6PCZ de K8MWO Yes, it was a good time Paul. We thoroughly enjoyed Wellbr and everything elseip

Your signal disappeared Paul. I will say 73 and hope you are copying thisr Will send you a QSL... CUL. M6PCZ de oa8MWO Sti 73et ce ete o14:03:34> Main
t
K8MWO de M6PCZ 73 OM and thanks for PSK31 QSO # 29 on 2Øm.

I know qsb toda y though

bob its been a pleasure talking to you today

K8MWO de M6PCZ sk
so long Paul... de K8MWO
14:04:42> Main
73 bob

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I must excuse my spelling, what I try to do with most pesky qso's is to put an extra line or two of conversation in, however you are battling against time before the STOP command is reached.

Here is a picture of Bob in his shack, I really like it on QRZ finding these sorts of pics, I can imagine him sat there 3500 miles away from me 'talking' to me at his keyboard, nuts really isnt it.

Getting away from it all....

2010-03-28T17:06:00.000+01:00

It's good to get away..as much as I have enjoyed the contest this weekend with my 9 qso's, I am obviously no patch on the big gun contest stations, to be honest I dont want to be, I like to listen and pick out the stations I want for DXCC or IOTA or just because it's a place I may have been on holiday.

I am also finding bands like 17m and 15m seem to attract the more exotic DX, so onto 15m PSK31 and I happen across FM5AA from Martinique.

Not sure where that is so onto QRZ.com to his page which says he's 285 miles away in France..something not right here.

Anyway I manage to work him, here's the qso..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------QRZ QRZ DE FM5AA PSE K ge Steee   teo r
a t e
Q.8ao e.8CV de C
Z QRZ DE FM5AA PSE K ge Steoe   t r
= s
15:25:09> Main
FM5AA FM5AA de M6PCZ M6PCZ M6PCZ pse kn
r
M6PCZ M6PCZ de FM5AA FM5AA pse KK ereremØ(eoeono ?ì Lee r   eeet
eme
15:26:02> Main
FM5AA de M6PCZ

Hi Frantz,
Report : 599 599
Name   : Paul Paul qth Torquay in Devon,SW England, loc IO8ØFL IO8ØFL
Info   : http://m6pcz.blogspot.com - www.qrz.com/db/M6PCZ

How copy? BTU Frantz, FM5AA de M6PCZ pse kn
teet,t t     e
oe
M6PCZ M6PCZ de FM5AA FM5AA   ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY M6PCZ M6PCZ M6PCZ M6PCZ de FM5AA FM5AA pse KSrta n c ½
15:27:52> Main
FM5AA de M6PCZ

Hi Frantz,
Report : 599 599 very good signal
Name   : Paul Paul qth Torquay in Devon,SW England, loc IO8ØFL IO8ØFL
Info   : http://m6pcz.blogspot.com - www.qrz.com/db/M6PCZ

How copy? BTU Frantz, FM5AA de M6PCZ pse kn
µ xooi
SOME QRM OF STATIONS CALLING ON UR SIGNAL PAUL
M6PCZ Paul DE FM5AA
GE/GA/GM AND TKS FOR UR CALL
UR REPORT 579 579
OP: Frantz Frantz
QTH: Martinique Island
Grid Loc : FK94lo [253.6° 6,490.6km]
IOTA: NA-1Ø7
73 Paul & TKS de FM5AA kn e r e
et e    e 15:29:56> Main
et
FM5AA de M6PCZ

Hi Frantz,
all understood you are a very good signal today very happy to work you a first to Martinique for me
How copy? BTU Frantz, FM5AA de M6PCZ pse kn
-
M6PCZ THANK YOU FOR QSO Paul,
ALL THE BEST TU & YOURS
AND GOOD LUCK FOR 2Ø1Ø, & best 73's, SK S15:31:09> Main
ae
FM5AA de M6PCZ 73 Frantz and thanks for PSK31 QSO # 28 on 15m.
FM5AA de M6PCZ sk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You may have noticed I highlighted his grid/co-ordinates and also his IOTA, well off to my map on the wall and found him in the Caribbeabean, a little SE of Haiti and north of Venezuela.

Thats 2 IOTA I have worked now, the other being Rhode Island, USA which was special as we have been there.

For QRP of 10 watts the data modes allow you to work the DX very much easier than voice.

A little bit of Wiki info on Martinique -

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km² (436 sq mi). It is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic.

The French flag is the official country flag with the snake flag being the un-official flag for Martinique.

UPDATE - I dropped Frantz a line and I got a reply back -

Hi Paul,

Thank you for nice e-mail.

No problem about our qso Paul.

It has been my plaisure having a nice contact with your station.

Only a very hight level of QRM from stations calling on your msge.

I had to repeat several times that I was giving the keyboard to you.

It was an FB signal from your station on 15 mtrs last day.

Condx here was 50 watts from the IC-756 PRO III in an old

TH3-MK3 ( 40 years old ...!) at abt 45 ft hight.

Unfortunately we have more and more difficulties to operate

with QRP STNS due to a "particular operating way" of some stns from some parts

of Europe.......! it's not'it?.....

Congratulations for your operating equipment Paul.

Have a nice end of week.

73's de Frantz- fm5aa

HRD Logbook and QSO map

2010-03-27T16:05:00.000Z

I have been using Ham Radio Deluxe to control my TS-480 and my previous radio an Icom IC-735 for quite a while now, well before I recieved my license, it runs pretty well on my old serial port laptop, it sometimes gets a little slow if I have a lot of windows open, it must be a male computer as I'm rubbish at multi-tasking also.

Also in HRD is a logbook, this is very easy to use and have kept every qso to date, well I found out you can post your log online, and along with that a QSO map can be generated showing what types of contacts were made on what band, which continents, CQ zones, ITU zones and DXCC worked, all useful info.

See my log at http://www.hrdlog.net/ViewLogbook.aspx?user=M6PCZ - Currently It shows me on 21427.000 USB, where I am trying hard to work ZY7C from Brazil !!

PCZ Reporter

2010-03-24T17:45:00.000Z

I replied to a post on PC4T Pauls blog about the PSK reporter site, as you all probably know this great site can tell you where your data mode signal is being heard, well here is my version on the wall of my shack room showing all coutries I have contacted so far data and voice.

The best I have done to the west is Montana with N7AMK, Albert on 20m PSK31, for 4486 miles, going east I have worked RA1AOB, Dmitry on 40m PSK31 for 1465 miles.

To the north I had a very short and quite poor contact into Scotland on 80m LSB, and to the south I have worked TG9AHM on 20m PSK31 for 5319 miles and my best DX so far.

I have heard stations from JA and VK, though nothing from Africa or S. America as yet.

The currently very wet and sagging wire seems to be doing OK.

Home brew dipole

2010-03-22T09:48:00.000Z

Been at work over the weekend which means I can find a little time for radio from the mobile, I only have a whip for 20m, however I found a nice plastic pole kicking about, around 10' long...

As a teen on the cb bands I made a dipole of which one leg was hung out my bedroom window, as my Dad would not let me put up an outdoor antenna, so yesterday I made a dipole for 40m as an inverted vee running N/S.

Using my HF analyzer made trimming it to 7100 a breeze and I was on the bands, then I found my new ears were picking up around S9 of QRM, not so good.

I did manage one contact though, GI8SKN, David in Carrickfergus north of Belfast, for a nice 5/9 both ways, my first into N.Ireland.

Thinking later I'm puzzled, as I put the dipole up to work Europe/USA, east/west.

What contest ?

2010-03-20T23:31:00.000Z

In my 11m Dx days a contact into Stateside was always a big thing, since I have gained my HAM ticket, I have been gorging on the good ole US of A !

At home this morning I started hearing stations calling 'CQ Contest', I was not sure if I could call back as I was not registered in any contests, so I left it.

This afternoon I had to go to work and in my vehicle I have a Kenwood TS-50 and a monoband whip for 20m, the noise on 20m is like S9 and mostly Europeans heard, I decided that I fancied trying to work some stateside, contest or not and I knew that if I was patient the band should quiet down and the American stations would come through better.

So around 2100 UTC I tune around the band, and find NN3W in Vienna, N. Virginia, he gives me a number then ask's is this my first contact, I say it is, so he gets 001.

Ok so I am contesting now, my next contact is FM/P/KL7WA from New Jersey - I get # 269, he gets 002.

Next up is AI2C from Maryland, I get 304 Louden, which is the Loudoun Amateur Radio Group (http://www.k4lrg.org/) and he gets, you guessed it 003.

So I am now officially a DX contester..?

PS - Does anyone know what the contest was today, was it a Russian contest ?

Pretty pictures via SSTV.

2010-03-19T11:24:00.000Z

The BBC this is definately not, welcome to SSTV !

I made my first contact this morning on this mode with IZ1MKE, Franco from Genova, Italy.

I am getting used to PSK via DM780 and it's macro's, this is not the case with SSTV and I have only a couple of pictures set-up and as yet I dont know how to insert the other stations info into a reply picture.

I recieved two pictures back Franco, please look away if you are under 18..or if it's before 2100 hrs UTC.

After the exchange of pictures I decided to monitor Franco..funny that !

PSK is the WAY to travel.

2010-03-17T16:49:00.000Z

Well it's almost like flying, the little signal is travelling through the air, actually it is the only way to fly, at the speed of light !

Enough of that and getting to the point, PSK in 31,63 and 125 modes is proving to be a lot of fun currently, I have worked Mikhail 4Z5NF in Isreal on PSK63, also DO6BX in Germany on PSK125 and finally on PSK31, K0RDW Ron in Minnesota, a distance of 3925 miles, however I also worked for my best DX so far, K9WEY, Danny from Florida for 4229 miles.

Who needs BA when you have PSK..?

More Atlantic DX.

2010-03-15T11:28:00.000Z

Had a qso with KA9WAR last night at 20.55 UTC on 20m USB, I was a 5/7 with him a good 5/9.

This is now my longest DX at 3720 miles.

I have also had a shot at working a VK on 40m via some 'G' stations this morning, unfortunately I was not heard, I could only just hear the VK about a 4/3 in the noise.

My first 24 hours as a radio Amateur..

2010-03-12T16:20:00.000Z

I have my callsign - M6PCZ !!

WOW, what a 24 hours it's been, logged onto the OFCOM site this time yesterday, 3 days after passing the FL exam, then went upto the shack and fired up the laptop and radio.

Went onto 20m and with my first call worked S51AY in Slovenia on PSK31, then a while later YU7MK in Serbia. After that I spoke with Adam M6RDP who is local to me and a fellow member of the Radio Club, after Adam I worked again on PSK31, OE3YMB in Austria.

I then tried the handheld (Icom IC-7e) on the local club 2m net, not very good as only 1.5W output and I was indoors.

Today however in the mobile on the way home from work I managed to contact VA2PW, Peter from Quebec, Canada, whilst actually driving, I then stopped, he was 5/9 with my report 5/5.

I continued to listen to him working stations, so when I got home I answered his call again and was delighted when he called me back first call, this time I received a 5/6-5/7 report.

I am sat here writing this quite dumbstruck that my first voice DX contacts are across the pond for a and I've done them from the mobile and home QTH.

Happy is an understatement.

Foundation License PASSED !

2010-03-08T23:12:00.000Z

Yes it has finally happened, after what seems an eternity since I started going to the Radio Club...well actually it was only mid January, the exam was taken and passed with a score of 24/25, so I am pretty chuffed.

Here is a pic of the three of us who took exams, Andy on the left who passed his Intermediate, Alan in the middle who passed his FL with a 24/25 also, and yours truly on the right.

I would like to thank everyone at the club for their help and support, and especially Ron and Pete who run the License course and club.

Croeso i Gymru

2010-02-26T09:10:00.000Z

Or 'Welcome to Wales' if you dont speak Welsh.

I have just started my 11 day break from work, I work a set pattern and so my time off is pre defined, and now I am off HURRAH, it can never come quick enough.

The good lady and myself like to get away up to Shropshire at least once a year, she grew up there, and last year we walked up Mount Snowden which was great fun, so we have booked a wooden log chalet for the week from Monday at Bala, in the Snowdonia National Park, just a little west of North Shropshire.

We love to do lots of walking and wildlife watching and evenings in with nice food and a few beers, we will be taking our telescope with us, and of course a couple of radio's and the laptop and dongle, hmmm, just like being at home then !

Morse mayhem.

2010-02-23T11:47:00.000Z

Ok, well not really, I just like to have catchy titles to lure the reader in !

Last night at the Radio Club it was our 'morse exam' for the Foundation License, I say exam in quotes because it's really just a test to see if you understand what a dit or dah, or a dot and a dash is.

So Pete our tutor sends some morse to us to decode, we have morse crib sheets in front of us, we are allowed to write down the individual dots and dashes then decode with the crib sheet, Pete sent the two of us a call, something like the following -

PC4T DE M6RDP YOUR RST 599 73 ADAM

We then had to send Pete a similar 'qso' to show we could send morse.

It's really just an assesment and it went really well, to be honest I have no interest in using Morse (at the moment) Alan (the other FL student) was very keen and had been practising at home, just not for me though, I like talking too much !

Beamed here

2010-02-16T16:30:00.000Z

Well the little beam has just arrived, unpacked to find four continuosly wound fibreglass whips, a little like cb dv27's with screw thread adjusters at the ends with the aluminium beam and so-239 socket.

Initial tests at less than optimum heights show that it's resonant on 20 and 40m (not 40/80 as incorrectly posted previously), on the analyzer it shows a pretty narrow bandwidth for a <2:1 swr, understandable really given it's physical length.

I would have thought once it's up on a pole away from the ground it will behave better.

Also some more good news, Ron at the Radio Club has confirmed the date 8th March for my Foundation License exam, barring a complete b@@ls up I should at last be on the bands with my 10 watts, it really cant come soon enough.

Beam me up Scottie

2010-02-14T15:09:00.000Z

I sometimes wish I didnt have a computer and an internet connection..well actually no I dont because this fine technology allows us to search google, check the weather, and buy/sell on eBay..AGAIN !

Yes the trigger finger has been busy and we have a 'lightweight 2 element beam' advertised as for 40/80m, this beam is small so I dont expect great performance with lossy traps and small radiating elements, I am hoping it will load up on 20m with the atu.

I have searched for some more info and cant find anything much, no reviews on eham.

Fortunately it was pretty inexpensive (<£55) so if it's not so good then it'll be reebayed.

Here is a link to an Italian seller of this antenna.

http://tinyurl.com/ya92hq4

Some new wire.

2010-02-13T15:25:00.000Z

I am currently working night shift's, so am asleep in the morning, as is usual with me something always wakes me up, next doors children/dog is the usual along with the Postman, and as an avid eBayer the latter waking me up I dont mind.

I won some 'various amateur aerials', so anyway I opened the box to be greeted with lots of new wire and a feeder that I have never used, the twin open wire.

As we know this stuff has a higher impedance than coax, 300/450 ohms versus the coax's 50 odd ohms, my location and structures means an end-fed with coax is a more practical solution, but I can never resist a bargain and the opportunity to try something different.

My mind is now racing on how I can put up a centre-fed aerial, perhaps inverted-vee in the loft and bring the ladder line straight to the back of the MFJ tuner, hmmm, happy days !

UPDATE - Listening to a station LZ10ARDF on 20m, and heard him call back PC4T, Paul, who follows my blog, could not hear Paul unfortunately, this contest is great for anyone in Holland, they are very much in demand !

http://pacc.veron.nl/

A visitor to the shack..

2010-02-04T18:47:00.000Z

My new pal Adam (M6RDP) from the radio club came around on Monday, I wanted his advice on putting up a longer wire (45m) and ideas on how to get it up and over a high tree branch in the copse backing onto my garden.

Also I wanted somone 'radio' to see my shack, I'm quite proud of what I've put together, but the only people who have seen it are not radio-types and dont really appreciate what's gone into putting a station together.

I think Adam liked my station, he seemed most impresssed with the lack of noise on the bands, that could be down to the antenna though !

On it's way is a commercial wire antenna, very similar to what I am using now perhaps, but I want to see it's construction and performance as I have a little idea milling about building and selling wire ham antenna's on a well known auction site, there are only a few people doing this, and if I can build the right type of product easily and find the right target market, it could be an enjoyable and maybe profitable sideline..?

Reasons for resonance..

2010-01-29T14:59:00.000Z

Well I have been back to work this week and the blog has suffered for it,I thought it would be easy to find time, but no, always something else to do, anyway I snuck out early today and have run the errands and am now in the shack playing with my recent eBay aquisition, an MFJ HF Analyzer.

I wanted to find out where the long wire is resonant, if anywhere, it's currently only around 20 something metres long with 1/4 wave counterpoises in the loft for 80/40/20 and 10m, this is all connected to a 9:1 unun and 50 ohm RG58 coax.

Well the wire on the bands has an swr of around 4:1 to 5:1 - no good for the internal ATU on the TS-480 but well in the range of the MFJ, so I hooked up the analyzer to my antenna switching box, through the ATU and to the long wire, thus meaning I could use the tuner to log the manual settings using the analyzer set to mid band frequencies.

It didnt take long, I have sets of TX,Inductor and antenna settings on the ATU for mid point on each band, giving <2.1:1 SWR at the band edges, with around 1.2 mid band.

80m was harder to tune with a narrower bandwidth, with 160m being impossible to tune.

As an experiment I tried my CB 5/8 vertical, a Sirio 827, and could tune that down to 80m also, this was harder overall to tune with a narrower bandwidth than the wire.

I also found that altering the inductor setting one click aside of the best setting would make the swr worse, but increased the 'useable' bandwidth, I shall have to look into the theory I think.

I have seen the light...

2010-01-25T10:07:00.000Z

at the end of the tunnel, apart from one shelf to go up to house the flatscreen and freeview the back room redecoration is done.

So today being my last day off from work means I can have some me time, and that means mucking about with bits of wire, hell I know how to live the rock 'n' roll lifestyle !

I do have the car to wash as well, so it's not all excitement today, oh yes an an online tax return to do before the 31st when the IR slap a £100 fine on you.

Of course the radio will be on upstairs..and downstairs via the internet, no need to miss out is there ?

Was hoping to hear Adam M6RDP and Paul PC4T on 7125, usually they QSO on 7185 but apparently Paul SWR is high on 7185 due to the snow and ice, but I heard neither, I know that Adam wont have the same problem he lives like half a mile away and there's no snow here, weve had enough of that malarky lately thank-you.

Off to the Radio Club tonight, I believe that we are going to be using the HF rig tonight to call CQ as part of the Foundation practical assesment, should be fun.

Remotely Radio..

2010-01-22T21:28:00.000Z

Just a quick one today as I want to keep the blog momentum going as I have been busy with the back bedroom redocoration and DIY, so not much radio going on.

I was recently inspired by a HAM station I heard in Florida who was operating his station in New York over the internet, he could control just about every aspect of his station, from re-booting the wi-fi modem to rotating his antenna array.

With this in mind I just wanted the simplest way of operating, so I found this site which lets you control the desktop of the 'home' pc remotely - https://secure.logmein.com/

Then I used Skype to control the 2 way audio.

The results have been very good on local FM as you would expect, even on SSB I have got good reports locally, no DX as yet.

I will post some more in-depth info when the back room is done...hopefully soon.

Radio+decorating-XYL=Fun..

2010-01-20T15:04:00.000Z

Pay attention at the back, here is today's math lesson..

Well actually not, too old for that brain ache, but if you are looking at the formula above and thinking what is he on about, then I'll explain.

I have been off work, and the wife suggested a while back I decorate the back bedroom, in fairness to her it needed doing and as I dont get a lot of time off, this week it had to be.

Yesterday I read about a massive solar flare - http://psc.suijs.info/ - and the chances of 11m opening up, I happened to mention this to the good lady to be greeted by 'DONT SPEND ALL DAY ON THE RADIO..' As if..!

Anyway today, brush and roller in hand, busy at it, tuned into the 555 and what do I hear a station from Sweden, very quick QSO as much QSB and back to it.

Later I start hearing some Scottish voices, so rushed into the shack to work a station on FM 5/9 + 60 dB both ways, then Ireland's coming in, managed to work two stations from N. Ireland, one mobile with 5/9's both ways.

The propogation has shifted now to mainland Europe, so for now it's back to the decorating, my DX appetite fulfilled...for now !

Here endeth todays math lesson.