News
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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: Chris G4ZCS
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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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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
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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
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- Written by: Chris G3YTU
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Introduction
The GB0BR Railways On The Air (ROTA) amateur radio Special Event at Horsted Keynes Bluebell Railway Station took place on Saturday 23rd September 2023, with operators from the Downlands Radio Group Gavin G6DGK, Kevin G4XBG, Chris G4TZA, Aharon 2E1ALC & Chris G3YTU with Phil M5BTB assisting with the logging. It was good to welcome Bob G0BUX who helped with the setting up of the mast and antenna in the morning.
It was good to see Berni M0XYF, Chris M7VJE and Kim G7AIE who were welcome visitors during the day from the Mid Sussex Amateur Radio Society (MSARS). The mobile phone and data signals at the top of the field above the car park have very poor coverage and help from Chris M7VJE with accessing the QRZ.COM website to check callsigns and station details was most welcome.
Radio equipment and antenna
The half size Doublet (66ft - i.e. cut for 40m) was used with the apex at about 15ft a.g.l. supported by a mast made from NATO glass reinforced fibreglass interlocking poles. The ends of the antenna wire were raised up to about 8ft a.g.l. using two fibreglass and aluminium decorators’ poles.
The TFA Battery Digital Clock worked this time with three spare batteries just in case and was readable even in the sunlight. The Icom IC-7000 transceiver worked well with the MFJ-974HB balanced line tuner. There was a loose connection at one time between the radio transceiver and the tuner which resulted in a very low transmitter output. This was discovered quickly and the UHF PL-259 connector on the tuner tightened and full transmitter power was restored.
Railways On The Air stations contacted
A total of 112 contacts were made of which there were 19 ROTA Stations on 40m with signal strengths being quite good most of the time although there was some QSB (fading) and continental interference later in the afternoon.
Logsheets & ADIF
The GB0BR log sheets have been typed into an Excel spreadsheet and imported into the DX Shell ADIF Master program and saved as an ADIF file. This has been uploaded to eQSL so that anyone who contacted us can download a QSL card automatically for contacts that have been made.
Chris G3YTU
Thanks
MSARS members were congenially invited to attend the station by the Downland Radio Group, for which we are are very grateful. It was a magnificent day out, and the weather treated us all very well. This is one of my favourite events of the year, and it didn't disappoint in 2023. The beautifully constructed antenna (by Chris G3YTU) performed really well all day. If you want a lesson in quality wire antenna construction, you won't find better than G3YTU's creations.
No tent required this year, as the breeze on top of the hill was mild, and the temperatures were quite pleasant in the sun, if a little chilly in the shade early on. Chris must have been boiling hot in his arctic survival suit.
Hope you enjoy the photos, and thanks to Aharon 2E1ALC for the top one.
It was great to see everybody, and the MSARS folks were made very welcome. Let's hope that between us, we can organise many more events such as these, as it would be a great shame if such Special Event Stations don't get the support they need to carry on into the future.
Berni M0XYF
