Reflections from D64K

A while back, I saw a posting on the D64K - DX expedition to Comoros Islands web site. It was obvious that they were very well equipped for 6m. They had a serious antenna; low loss feed lines and some power to boot. The plan was to operate EME at their moon rise and moon set, some TEP/F2 work and possibly MS work into Africa.

I determined that the distance was 2,247 km from my QTH. After speaking to some of the local VHF doyens my initial excitement was a bit dampened. They thought that it was just a bit too far and my expectations were unrealistic.

Yesterday I saw on the reflector that they were beaming towards Africa using FSK441. Due to some confusion it turned out we were all transmitting in the same period. After 30 minutes, I stopped transmission and decoded a ping from them. Only after the sked did I realize that the 140 ms long ping contained the full call and grid locator. See screen shot below. I immediately arranged for a further sked.

We have just completed another marathon session of 1 hour and 20 minutes. I received absolutely nothing from them this morning. After we quit, I received a message from them stating that they decoded 4 pings from me, the longest being 2 seconds long. This was incredibly good news!

I believe we have a real chance at completing a MS QSO, we just need patience and a few rocks from the Perseids meteor shower……

After looking at the South African VHF records, I now understand why the doyens were skeptical. The record distance via meteor scatter is only 1,929 km

Good thing I did not see this before……

ZS6A - D64K 6m MS 2,247 km

“CQ DX4U EU up”

The DX stations often in an attempt to control the size of a pileup by using directional call e.g. “NA up” for example. The problem is the ‘wall’ created by Europe or the Americas or Asia can be substantial, so it is quite understandable that the DX operator will make use of the directional call system.

There is however a problem with this system. The operators very seldom if ever will call “AF”. That means we here in Africa have no option, but to ignore the directional call and each and every time we stand the chance of a rebuttal or worse a NIL log entry.

I managed to work 9M4SLL Spratley Island a few moments ago on 20m CW, the operator was extremely slick and was working and using the directional call system. He did respond to me during “NA”, but I distinctly got the feeling I was on thin ice……

I would like to know from others what we are to do. Do we disobey the directional call or do we call regardless?

 

I see CY9M Saint Paul Island has uploaded their logs to LoTW. That is a shining example of how it should be done. Because of this I have already made a small financial donation. I do not believe the QSL system should be used to extort funds.

73, Pierre ZS6A

Frustrations with LID’s, QRM and other nastiness….

You might be wondering what I am rambling on about again.

For a change I am in control of all of the above and yet I choose to live with it, and why?

Well I have been playing with the brilliant piece of software “Morse Runner” I had downloaded this software some years ago and never really thought it was worth much. I was wrong; this is a brilliant tool to sharpen CW contest skills. It is so incredibly realistic that one soon forgets that it is only a virtual contest. All the normal issues of: QRM, QRN, Flutter, chirp, poor operating technique and other LID like behavior is present. Even the ‘fists’ and character spacing is accurately replicated.

I have no doubt that if I had the discipline to use this tool for 30 minutes a day that my CW skills would improve in no time to a point where I would be more comfortable with ‘running’ in contests.

I believe, Alex Shovkoplyas VE3NE has done the amateur radio a huge favour by making this fantastic software available for free. I am sure thankful.

http://www.dxatlas.com/MorseRunner/

We have no excuse we can be contest ready at all times, regardless of the band conditions and or work schedules etc…..

Morse Runner 31 July 2012

Another DXCC entity bites the dust….

I am over the moon with working Saint Paul Island CY9M today on 10m.

I have been trying for days without any success. They were workable on 40 and 30m, especially 30m, but the wall was just too big and I had no chance of a QSO.

Today at 12:30z I was lucky enough to be one of the first to see them being spotted as being active on 10m CW. I was there in a flash. The VOCAP predictions did not show any chance of propagation between us so I was a bit negative, but I was extremely pleased to see them romping in with a S7 signal. One single call and the deed was done……

Once again I must say I have huge respect for the very capable DX expeditions. This CW operator was most capable and efficient.

This QSO should give me my DXCC on 10m with 100 confirmed entities.

73, Pierre ZS6A

IARU contest 2012 feedback

Well that was Fun!

I volunteered to operate as one of the ZS9HQ CW operators. I don’t have effective gain antennas and volunteered to help mainly on 10m knowing full well that conditions most likely would be very poor at best, thus leaving the prime bands 15, 20 and lower bands to the more capable stations.

I am pleased to report I was wrong; once again it was evident that a contest can open a band regardless of the fancy solar numbers and supposed doom and gloom of a CME wiping out all HF communications.

I used “Log Checker” to create the pretty graphic below. I am fairly pleased with my performance, all things considered. Pity the program does not have the associated file to do the statistics for this contest.

The 10m band did open nicely in the last hour and it gave me the opportunity to “run” Truth be told I still get very intimidated by this and I need much more practice and skills dealing with poor manners in pileups. I will get there……

I am looking forward to see the logs of the other ZS9HQ CW operators, but I am sure it will be much more impressive than my effort.

73

ZS6A - ZS9HQ - contest 2012

LoTW works

I am extremely pleased to see the high success rate I am achieving on getting QSOs confirmed via LoTW. Many of these are truly rare DX stations that could easily have chosen the more lucrative Dollar collecting route, but they choose to support the LoTW system.  I think it is becoming very clear who the real amateurs are as opposed to the ones with ulterior motives?

I operate a small pistol station with very basic antennas on HF, yet I am very close to obtaining a DXCC on 10m primarily using CW in about a year. I have also had good results on 6m from working mainly European stations. In many cases, I received a LoTW confirmation and a paper QSL card for the 6m QSOs.

This is almost without any effort.  This was achieved mainly due to the effectiveness of LoTW and the radio amateurs that choose to support the LoTW program.

Thank You!!

Pierre ZS6A

LoTW Jun 2012

Back to basics, minimalist QRP

I have many great memories of taking part in numerous local QRP contests and events where I normally would use my trusty self built Elecraft K2 transceiver or the tiny commercial HB-1A CW only transceiver.

The K2 is a full blooded super radio and it almost feels like cheating when I use it. The receiver rates amongst the very best of commercial receivers. The transmitter is superb on CW with it silent break-in switch over.

On the other hand using the diminutive HB-1A, powered by a few AA sized batteries, especially when used outdoors, sitting under one or other tree has a certain sense of magic about it. The entire station hardly the size of a paperback and it weighs next to nothing.

I am now thinking of taking this a step further. It might be great fun building simple crystal controlled QRP transmitter and using that instead of the K2 or HB-1A. It will almost like my early days, with separate transmitter and receivers with a manual T/R switch. We are so spoilt now with semi break-in and full blown QSK, that it is hard to imagine that we used to throw a switch to change from receive to transmit and vice versa.

It would be even more fun, if other locals did the same. It would be interesting to see how we deal with being rockbound; we have become very spoilt with our ultra stable and accurate VFO’s.

There was a time when one could call CQ on say 7020 and get a reply from some station on 7030. We actually used that big knob on the receiver. I know it is weird, but true……

 

I now must look for simple reliable circuits I can use. Something like the Tuna Tin or the NS-40

73 de Pierre ZS6A