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- Written by: Richard G0LFF
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This year I concentrated on 50MHz with 96 DXCC worked and 70MHz with 39 DXCC worked to date.
My antenna system is a 3 element short boom (1m) dual band Yagi fixed East South East (photo below) and a single wire loop for North/South.
The E layer produces very strong reflections from a few hundred miles to as far as the Northern Territories, Australia on 6m. Now whether these ultra-long DX are via purely E layer reflections or a mixture of Es and high altitude ducting is an ongoing debate.
Working with indoor antennas is a challenge as the angle of radiation is higher than external antennas at least a quarter wave above ground. On many occasions I have sat here watching stations all around working excellent DX while I have nothing, but when the radiation angle changes I am away and in the mix. My 96 DXCC contacts on 6m is over five continents and on 4m over three continents.
My main modes of use are FT4 and FT8 as these are so much more efficient than analogue modes. I have worked with the Joe Taylor (K1JT) suite of modes from the beginning. Many others came and went over the years and the FT modes are now considered a standard. These were originally for 6m long haul DX only, but the HF fraternity picked up on them and FT8 on HF is now a victim of its own success.
Long haul 6m DX can at times be very short openings and as the footprint is much smaller than HF it can move rapidly.
No new DXCC on 4m this year tho it was good to see Italy back on the band in August after an absence of two years, with limited frequencies.
6m was a different kettle of fish with five All Time New Ones (ATNO) for six meters. All five ATNOs were in Africa on the single wire loop. This years ODX was LU1FAM in FF97 at 6869 miles, again on the wire loop. Maybe I should abandon the 3 el Yagi!
My all time ODX on 2M is 4Z4DX SSB at 2196 miles (3434k) (1989)
My all time ODX on 4M is 9K2YM FT8 2871 miles (4620k) (2021)
My all time ODX on 6M is VK8ZLX SSB 9350 miles (15047k) (1989)
G0LFF
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- Written by: Maintenance Guy
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The first half of our events calendar for next year has now been uploaded.
You'll note that there is no NFD on the calendar for 2024, so if you want to see the club continue its long tradition of actually having outdoor radio events, then please make sure you keep the Mills weekend free in May.
Also, please give some thought as to whether you can support the Burgess Hill Summer Fayre event in June. It would be a shame to see this go the way of National Field Day.
Berni M0XYF
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- Written by: Maintenance Guy
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Having worked lots of stations from around the world, many amateurs like to show their achievements by displaying certificates, plaques and cups that are available. Just taking your word for the contact is not enough these days so confirmation is usually needed for each contact claimed.
There are several routes to achieve this. The first and most traditional one is to ask the other guy to send a QSL card to you. Using the bureau is one way or simply ask for one at the end of the QSO. You can also use an internet site such as Club Log where you can check the validity of a contact and claim a card.
There are several electronic sites that are open to all to use, however not all are recognised as secure enough. The American ARRL Logbook Of The World (LOTW) is one that is recognised and can be accessed via Club Log for ease. Obtaining plaques and cups usually requires activity in contests or programmes such as Islands On The Air (IOTA).
So on to this month’s activity. Fairly quiet as I have not been too good for much of the time, however I did put out lots of calls to the DX stations that have been operating. A surprise success was TO8FH on Mayotte island in the Indian Ocean. AF-027 for IOTA. For me a 5th band and on CW this time.
30 Metres produced an FT8 contact with Kenya and a 'bucket full' of eastern US states. The project to work as much of Europe as possible on 5 Meg FT8 is progressing with unworked squares becoming rarer and rarer. During this month I managed to get a particularly rare one, IN79, which is mostly sea but just includes the Lizard point in Cornwall. I still need one square to complete all England, and six to complete Scotland and its islands.
I sometimes check for activity just before bed and that has bought in lots of USA contacts and some far-east Russians as well.
As I write this I am 'recovering' from a session using 1 watt AM, broadcasting (with music) to the Mid-Sussex area. Something different, and more of this next month!
Good DXing
Chris, G4ZCS
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- Written by: Maintenance Guy
- Category: News
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John Berry GM8JBJ explains just how we can fit all of our data communications traffic into such tiny slivers of the radio spectrum, and why we can send it around the globe so effectively.
John has kindly edited and polished the video from his wonderful talk last month and uploaded the final result to YouTube for anyone who missed it on the night. The link is available on our Videos page.
Many thanks to John who always puts so much effort into producing these very professional talks, and to Stella who is currently standing-in as MSARS Programme Secretary and organises these events for us.
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- Written by: Chris G4ZCS
- Category: News
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As promised last month I’ll explain a bit about grid squares and their usefulness.
Using USB to communicate is all well and good, however try to answer an Arabic speaker in response to a request for your QTH if you live in the Anglesey village of Llanphwlg…. or whatever that is! Phonetics only make this worse, but using 'IO73vf' is a lot easier.
The world-wide system can locate any station within a mile or so using the 6 digits. In August I worked three Icelandic stations in quick succession each with a different square. This indicated a likely F2 reflection out to 1,200 miles at 330° making the F2 reflection somewhere over Stornoway. Now with over 300 squares worked on 60M FT8 some patterns are appearing. I can even predict a path to the Southern Andes area at 11 PM local time!
Mid-evening of the 5th held a big surprise. I saw a ZL4 station decoding on 5Meg’, thinking it was a pirate I checked the details on QRZ and sent the guy an e-mail. To my surprise he confirmed it was him but no confirmed contact. Better luck next time, however, it proves that long distance propagation is available on this band from time to time. Toward the end of the month I managed to 'bag' the Uganda DXpedition and a VR2 station in Hong Kong. His QTH is the 39th floor of a block sited on what was a swamp when I was there. Some development!
Sometimes. I venture up to 30 Metres to see if there is any DX. I have managed to work quite a number of US stations and one evening I worked half a dozen in quick succession, it was a day later I was checking the State and County of these when I discovered I had worked Brookings County in South Dakota, whoopie my last State, I’ve worked all 50 after 20 years of trying!
Another nice thing that arrived on the doormat this month, a card confirming two contacts with the UN HQ in New York. I remember our late, lunch-time net, friend Bob, VE3UUH was hoping to make this one as his all time last one needed for a 'Full House'. I’m still trying to get to the magic 300 DXCCs out of the current 340 total. I also received a card confirming a Mexican island, this gives me zone 6, Mexico, and Island NA-135. Another good one that!
Next month I’ll describe how to get confirmations, if you need them.
Good DXing
Chris, G4ZCS
