Author Archive
28MHz mobile
January 8th, 2012 | 
Author: After getting the Sirio 10m antenna on the car last autumn, I’ve been switching the FT8900 over from the VHF/UHF aerial to use 10m, particularly at weekends as I’ve been driving around. On the FT8900 I’m restricted to FM of course, so I’d been thinking about getting the Anytone AT-5555 in the car to give me SSB capability.
It was just a case of getting the bits together to do it, which in reality was just sorting out the power. I assumed that fixing would be easy, but actually as ever, there’s less room in small cars than you think. And the Anytone is actually quite a big rig! In the end, I managed to fix it securely to the left hand side of the centre console. It seems quite easy to operate and doesn’t impede driving.
On a test drive across to the next village, I listened and heard some activity; UA9XL and an EA8 on SSB as well as a UN9 down on CW. SWR of the antenna seems fine in the lower portion of the band.
Hopefully I shall be able to make some contacts in the coming weeks. 12W or so is quite low power for SSB but I am sure something will be possible and in any case, it’s always interesting to listen.
One thing I have already tried – whilst parked – is tuning the rig to 28.120 to receive PSK and decoding it on my iPhone with the ‘Multimode’ application. In theory, a QSO may be possible by ‘miking’ the output of the iPhone to the rig.
I’m looking forward to seeing what can be done
Listening to the International Space Station
It’s always exciting to hear an astronaut from the International Space Station active on 145MHz. Over the last few days I’ve heard activity a couple of times and the second time, I had my iPhone handy and I shot a quick video, which I hope you might find interesting.
What I love about PSK Reporter and the RBN Network
This morning, because I had to pop into the garage on the way to the station, I left the house a little later than normal on a work day. To fill the time (!), I popped onto 3.5MHz JT65 at greyline – just as the sun was rising. To my slight disappointment, although I heard several stations, I didn’t make any contacts.
However, this evening, I checked the PSK Reporter website to see where I was heard. I was delighted that although I didn’t make any contacts, my 25W JT65A signal was getting quite a long way into the USA
My amateur radio aims for 2012
1. VHF JT65
As you know by now, I have become a great fan of JT65 on HF. I want to start using the mode on VHF. In particular the JT6M mode for 50MHz looks interesting. Would it be viable with 100W and a vertical? Maybe! I have to try it. If not, no doubt a simple low dipole would work for meteor scatter.
The challenge is the interface with the FT847 which I have struggled with in the past. Looks like I have various options which I hope to pursue soon.
2. 70MHz
Need to improve the performance of the 70MHz receiver and probably up the power a bit. I have a plan …. Not too worried about tropo on the band but would like to be more competitive for Es and meteor scatter.
3. 1.8MHz JT65
I wonder what could be done on 160m from a ‘small garden’ using JT65?
4. 144MHz EME
I would love to try and work some EME. Probably my old 13el on a stepladder in the back garden then. Need that interface for the FT847!
5. 28MHz mobile
I’m planning to install the Anytone AT-5555 in the car now I have the more efficient 10m antenna.
Hope I can do at least some of these.
70Mhz and 500khz allocations for the Netherlands
I just saw a tweet from OY3JE containing a link to the IARU Region 1 website noting that the Netherlands will have allocations at 70MHz and 500khz from January 1st 2012.
Personally, I’m particularly pleased with the opportunities at 70MHz, though I suspect I will be lucky to work into the Netherlands with my current 70MHz setup.
See the Region 1 article here
My amateur radio highlights of the year
1. JT65
If you’ve seen my posts recently you’ll see that I have been very active on JT65 on HF using the W6CQZ JT65-HF software. It’s excellent for working DX with low power. And actually I get just as much satisfaction from working a station using something like a loft dipole, knowing that on any other mode, I would struggle to make the contact. It’s a very relaxing mode too, also ideal for those late night contacts without keeping other occupants of the house awake.
Having seen how effective JT65 is on HF, I really want to try it on VHF. But that’s something for 2012.
2. The 50/144/432MHz collinear
The aerial was installed in April and it has given me a new perspective on 144 and 433MHz in particular. There have been plenty of surprises about how much variation there is on a day-to-day basis in terms of propagation. There have been some exceptional contacts and loggings too; a repeater from Norway completely out of the blue on 144MHz as well as more recently a 144MHz FM contact to the South of France.
On 50MHz during this year’s Es season, the antenna worked out well with many contacts being made.
3. 28MHz
During the summer the new Anytone AT5555 proved great fun with low power with the Es propagation. And earlier in the year, my bike ride portable operations with the FT817 and a simple antenna were always interesting.
In the autumn it was a real surprise and pleasure to find the band so good for worldwide DX again.
4. Practical Wireless
Being part of the team and writing for PW is great fun and I’ve enjoyed every column and review in different ways. It’s been great to engage with the contributors and find out what interests them. Thanks to Rob, Tex and the team in Poole for making it such a great experience.
5. Memorable contacts
Hard to single them out as there’s always something interesting in each contact. But a few contacts of different types spring to mind quickly:
The contacts that come out of apparently nowhere! Being fascinated by radio propagation, it’s magical to me how signals can come up out of noise and then fade back down again (hopefully having been worked in between); 9H1BT on 50Mhz late one May evening, EA1FDI on 144MHz in August, HB10K on 144MHz on a September evening, F4FGB worked on 144MHz FM via a repeater in the South of France and F5ICN on 144MHz SSB from the South of France more recently. Earlier this week, working Rene DL6NAA on 144 and 432MHz was really pleasing.
JT65 has been quite a mind shift for me. Working W7YES from the west coast with just a few watts on 28MHz as well as KP4ED on 3.5MHz JT65 on a noisy winter’s evening were QSOs that I know I would have struggled to make on other modes.
Of course it was good to work some real DX; my friends at T32C on the other side of the world did a wonderful job and it was great to work them with no hassle on 10 and 24MHz CW. In September, I realised that 28MHz was back in business when I worked NE0X with a huge signal on CW early one evening.
It’s no longer all about DX for me though. Working Larry G4OXY on 70MHz FM via the Tring parrot was great. We used to work on 50MHz when Larry was in Portishead and I was in Cheltenham back in the mid 1980s, so there was much to catch up on! Likewise with Mattias DH3NAN who I worked recently on 144MHz SSB – we remembered QSOs from the SquareBashers 1985 expedition to IN79 square GB2XJ.
I always enjoy radio contacts with my Twitter friends, so it was really good to chat with Jerry KD0BIK from Denver on D-STAR. Rob M0VFC persuaded me onto 18MHz SSB for the first time in many a year when the Camb-Hams were operating from St Pierre et Miquelon – that was a fun QSO.
D-STAR provides the ability to make some nice QSOs across the world or closer to home and I particularly enjoyed a lovely QSO one August morning with Rod G3TXA on the Isle of Wight and another QSO with old friend Gordon G8PNN in Northumberland.
All in all, an enjoyable year on the radio. Always something new and interesting to try and fascinating people to talk to. 2012 will mark the start of my 30th year on the air. Short compared to some – but a hobby has to be good to keep you keen after 30 years, doesn’t it?
Boxing Day holiday tropo
I remember a couple of years ago, VHF/UHF tropo conditions were good around Boxing Day. Well, although today wasn’t Boxing Day, it was our Boxing Day Bank holiday.
This morning as I was dealing with some e-mails, I had the VHF FM rig running on 145.500 and heard a selection of stations from G6XOR up in Derby to others in the Midlands. Sadly, I wasn’t able to respond at the time. However, I did later work John M6CTI near Heathrow, who was running 5W.
After Julie and I had come back from a walk this afternoon and the Christmas Cumulatives had ended, I checked the bands anyway. The GB3VHF beacon was loud and PI7CIS and ON0VHF on 144MHz above average. Oddly, PI7CIS on 432MHz was inaudible with me. I was just about to close when I heard DL6NAA from JO50 call 2E0NEY on 144MHz.
Happily, Rene, DL6NAA called CQ and after a couple of calls I was able to work him with good signals. He runs 750W to a good antenna system so I was not sure he would hear my little station. I listened for a while and heard him move to 432MHz. I was pleased to find I could hear him there too. Something of a pileup developed so I decided to drop my call in on CW, which seemed to work and I was delighted to work him.
Check out the DL0AR website to see pictures of the antenna system that DL6NAA uses. You’ll see why he’s so loud. Thanks for the contacts Rene!
