February got off to a good start as conditions seem to be improving all the time. Just for a change from working 60 metres, I spent some considerable time setting up the station for 15 metres, both voice for the lunch time net, and the FT8 segment of the band. The tuning is very sensitive but eventually I got to put 200W out on voice and 100W on FT8, all without smoke! This band is almost the opposite to the 5 Meg’ band that I have been using this last 6 months, being open during daylight hours and dying off late in the evening. My usual operating period is late afternoon to evening time.
The propagation is such that I have multiple contacts with Australia, Indonesia, China, and many Middle East stations. Southern Africa is pretty good as well. To the west, USA is very busy, for example, one evening I worked (without trying too hard) 10 DXCCs and 22 USA States. In fact, this month I worked so many US stations that my county count rocketed well above 600. Apparently, there is an award for working 500 and another for 1,000. For those who don’t’ know this, there are 3,077 US counties all together. Another target? I don’t think so. However, a quick check of the log for February showed that I had worked all but 1 of the 'Lower 48 States'. I just need Vermont. Mississippi and Nevada were a bit tricky to get - there is a guy working out of Vegas but a bit difficult to get through his pileups. One evening I was trying for Mississippi but got called by an Hawaii station instead. So only VT and Alaska for a full house, and all in a month!
Some evenings I leave the station turned on just to see if there is any activity. One day I put out a CQ on a very quiet band and was inundated with DX. Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Dominica, Colombia, and half a dozen Caribbean islands. All just before bed- time!
By the middle of the month I noticed that I had worked the magic 100 DXCCs (just behind Dick, and way behind George) so I guess my next target is to try and work 200 in the year.
Following a discussion on the lunch time net, we discovered that Bob N4XAT has been using FT8, so we arranged to watch out for each other one evening. Sure enough a success. I had just worked St Helena Island ZD7, quickly followed by a rare DX from Haywards Heath, Dick G0LFF, then about 45 minutes later I was called by N4XAT with good reports both ways.
On the technical front, the amplifier PSU started to run warm with the cooling fan cutting in occasionally. Some checks with my multi-meter showed the 'capacitor' car battery had decided to give up. Well, it was over 10 years old and 3rd hand anyway. A quick hunt around Burgess Hill produced a brand new one that has cured the problem.
For anyone reading this, it's not as complicated as it might seem to get the DX in your log, so some tips next month.
PS. As I write this Alaska has been on the band. 3 stations to work, One however was in Florida but the one I worked is in Fairbanks! Now just Vermont.
PPS. This evening I worked Vermont for a full house of USA in a month and 4 days!
There were several new African stations on, I bagged 3!
Last night it went really dead, apparently the aurora was the culprit, but today made up for it.
73's
Chris G4ZCS
