AmateurRadio.com

Practical Wireless editor Rob Mannion G3XFD has been writing to radio clubs urging members to support a campaign to save analogue radio. However, the radio he wants to save is not ham radio but broadcast FM radio, which has been threatened with closure in the UK forcing users to switch over to the “new” Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) system.

The much vaunted DAB was supposed to re-invigorate the UK’s radio industry, provide a raft of new and interesting IP based services to audiences, permit the launch of new national, regional and local radio stations and generate new marketing revenue for radio stations. However, DAB is almost dead on its feet, as users have been reluctant to buy expensive new radios which in many cases offer poorer reception and fewer stations than they can get on FM. If this reminds you of something more amateur radio related you can probably guess where I am going with this.

D-Star was supposed to re-invigorate VHF radio usage, deliver a raft of new, interesting IP based services like text messaging, DPRS and file transfer to users, permit international, national, regional and local contacts and generate new revenue for Icom. However it is struggling to gain acceptance as people have been reluctant to buy expensive new radios that will provide access to fewer repeaters and fewer local contacts than they can get on FM and have been underwhelmed by the new features offered. Nevertheless the creeping D-Starization of the VHF and UHF bands continues, with the regulatory authorities now apparently refusing to allow new analogue repeater proposals whilst fast tracking D-Star applications through the system.

It does not seem to me to be beyond the bounds of possibility for the powers that be to decide at some point that there will be a ham radio digital switchover, that all analogue repeaters should be switched off and sections of the bands previously authorized for analogue FM use will be allocated to digital.

Perhaps we amateurs need our own campaign to Save Analogue Radio before it is too late. If you oppose the D-Starization of the amateur VHF and UHF bands, feel free to use the “No D-Star” logo on your website, your forum avatar and anywhere else that people might see it.

As I mentioned previously, Ed, VP9GE helped me to get a license to operate from Bermuda (VP9) for my vacation last week. Since this was all pretty last minute, the exact plans to get on the air were pretty much non-existent, but Ed suggested that I contact him on the repeater when I got down to Bermuda and work out the details that way. I decided to bring along my Icom W32a HT (a full-featured 5w transceiver) as well as my little Icom Q7a HT, which is very small, runs off two AA batteries, but only puts out 500mw (1/2 w).  I haven’t used the W32a much recently, and although I’ve tried to keep the batteries (I have 2 battery packs, one stop and one an extended capacity version) topped off, I think they may have simply reached the end of their life and don’t seem to hold a charge very well. Still, I figured that I might be able to get enough power out of them to make contact with Ed.

I didn’t mention previously that we were taking a cruise to Bermuda, and because of the location of the ship (we were docked in “Dockyard” it was very difficult to reliably hit the repeater. The first day there, we decided to take the high-speed ferry to Hamilton (the capital city) and I took the small Q7a with me, hoping that there would be good-enough coverage there. As it turns out, that did work out quite well, and I was able to contact Ed via the repeater, using my K2DBK/VP9 callsign. Ed is constantly running around (he runs some guest apartments on the island) and had a number of runs to the airport and meetings over the next couple of days, but we agreed to try to contact each other again at around noon the next day.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get in to the repeater the next day, as we were doing some sightseeing in St. Georges, and apparently the repeater doesn’t have good enough coverage there to pick up my little 1/2 watt signal. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was close enough that I could have worked Ed simplex, but I never tried.

So although I did manage to operate at least once as K2DBK/VP9, I wasn’t able to get on HF or 6 meters. Still, it was fun doing that, and if I ever get back to Bermuda, I’ll try to plan a bit more in advance and hopefully get on the lower bands.

Field Day 2010 site viewed from the CUARC tent early Sunday morning

Well it has been a week since Field Day (FD) and so it is time I gave a report on how it went.

As previously mentioned I have been involved in establishing an amateur radio club at the university where I work.  For this FD, the first one for the club, the Carleton University Amateur Radio Club (CUARC) teamed up with the Ottawa Valley Mobile Radio Club (OVMRC).  Since February there have been 14 new amateurs licensed through CUARC so here was a chance for these newcomers to gain some operational experience and to mix with some very experienced amateurs in the OVMRC.

Ernie, VE3EJJ, talking to CUARC members (copyright Ziad El-Khatibi)

The site was the very front of the grounds of the Canada Science and Technology Museum, by the lighthouse.  We ran a 4A operation as VA3RAM and the CUARC contribution was a 100W SSB station on 10m and 15m.  CUARC used two antennas, an off-centre fed dipole and two nested full-wave vertical loops for 15m and 10m.  These were built by the students, the dipole prior to FD and the loops on the day.  The antenna building was a good exercise, translating theory into practice  and the antennas had low SWRs on the required bands of 10m and 15m when checked with my Autek antenna analyzer. There was quite a lot of interest in the antennas from other amateurs and I will describe these in detail in a later post.

On Saturday 10m was open so operations started on that and it was great to see the thrill the CUARC members had when making contacts on the antennas they had built.  As the afternoon wore on there was a move to 15m.  CUARC members mixed with the OVMRC members and were given the opportunity to run the other stations.  A great report on this is given in a post on Bob’s, VA3QV, blog.

Gerry, VA3GLT, (left) and Campbell, VA3CNS, (right) working 10m (copyright Ziad El-Khatib)

Field Day is a good time to get operating experience and some of the CUARC members took this opportunity, others were a little ‘mic shy’.  One notable operator was Campbell, VA3CNS, who did an excellent  job at calling CQ on 15m and logging stations one after another.  He was almost running a pile-up for a while. Another highlight was Maria, VA3MMI, working 80m with Bob, VA3QV, and receiving some NTS for the International Space Station.  This is detailed in Bob’s blog post.  One contact that I made that pleased me was when I was manning Ernie’s, VE3EJJ, 40m station and I logged W1AW.  Nice to work a station I had heard so often on CW.

The weather was a little damp and not too hot.  Overall, not unpleasant weather which helped to make the 24 hours manageable, even on only three hours sleep.

The busy CUARC tent (copyright Ziad El-Khatib)

Overall a great FD and very enjoyable.

Special thanks to Ziad El-Khatib,VA3ZEK, for most of the photographs.

Driving home on Friday evening, Dan (whose call I’ve forgotten, sorry…2E0 from Wootton Bassett) asked me if I was going to take part in the contest. I laughed and said no, I’d retired! And to be honest, though I didn’t say so, I hadn’t really got an plans to ‘give any points away’. I did say to Dan, though, if I heard his contest station, G5FS/P, I’d give them a shout.

On Saturday we had a lovely picnic at Blenheim Palace in the sunshine. We headed back in the late afternoon and I checked Twitter. Pretty much the first tweet I saw was from a DXCluster ‘bot’ which tweeted a DX spot of my friend Allan, GM4ZUK/P being heard from Scotland in the Netherlands. I always like to work Allan, so I headed up to the shack to listen. I swung the beam around to the north ( a tricky direction for me, as the antennas are a little shielded by part of the roof). Allan was coming through at fair strength with a few calling. I tried several calls on SSB but didn’t get very far, so I decided to call on CW – Allan managed to dig me out of the noise! Thank you! Conditions weren’t great, but it was nice to make the contact.

Anyway, over the weekend I made a decent number of contacts, purely search and pounce, on 50, 70, 144 and 432MHz. I did work Dan’s contest station, G5FS/P on on 144 and 432MHz. GM4ZUK/P was the best DX on 144MHz, though F6KCP/P in JN18 was a decent distance. ON4AZW/P, EI9E/P, MM0CPS/P, MJ/PA1AW were all nice ones on 144MHz – with lots of G portables worked too. On 432MHz, PA6NL/P from JO21 was (as always) the best DX – with a great number of G portables as well. Should have beamed towards GM on 432, but I didn’t seem to.

With the high noise level on 50MHz, it’s not ideal for working tropo, but I was pleased to work G0FBB/P in JO01 as well more local portables.

On Sunday, I concentrated on 70MHz. Before the contest started, I was surprised to hear EI9E/P from IO62 coming through – and I heard them a few more times during the morning – but couldn’t raise them on the 7W and vertical – I’d have been surprised if they heard me! Best DX on tropo was G3WZT/P in IO90, but G4RFR/P from IO80 was a good one too. There was some Es around too and I worked S51DI (JN76) and 9A6R (JN83) as well.

There was some Es on 50MHz during Sunday afternoon as well – I drove down to see the bees and worked HB9HLM, 9A9AA and IW1ALW (I think!) from the mobile as I drove back and forth. SV9GLW was coming through too – presumably a double hop Es opening.

Photograph 1 taken from our second floor window.

Photograph 2 is a street level few of the 6m 2 element yagi positioned in a difficult operating location.

Photograph 3 taken a few steps upward from street level view.

Photograph 4 highlights additional radials installed yesterday afternoon. The total is thirty across three bands of operation.

Photograph 5 illustrates the cement like quality of our soil just two hundred yards from the Pacific.

Photograph 6 is an example of re-purposed, decorative lawn fencing.

73 from the busy shack relaxation zone.

Nothing like a Drill Sergeant…

Beach Boys Amateur Radio Club | 2 Alpha | Santa Barbara.

Emerito, N6ETO’s son Vinnie taking a tour of the ionosphere despite closed out conditions.

Phil, KK6PE working on the laptop prior to official start while Brian and Frank troubleshoot our rotor control box.

Phil, KK6PE is downloading N1MM Logger for use over the weekend. The club operated from the dialogue box while inputting mode, frequency, and callsign.

Fred, KI6QDH and John, KG6RFW logging Saturday afternoon 20m contacts.

Fred, KI6QDH in the pilot’s chair and a box provided screen shading otherwise it was impossible to see one’s input.

Operating our low band station. I’ve never forgotten field day in Western Pennsylvania as a novice. The low bands were always hot and fun!

Phil, KK6PE, Ricky, and John, KG6RFW manning our high band station through Saturday evening. Ricky totally dug high frequency operations.

Saturday night pumps on the low bands and I’m having a blast working both short and long skip. The evening cooled off significantly enough to warrant a North Face sleeping bag and skull cap.

Ernie, AE6ZE who hosted our first ever field day event in the pilot’s chair on Sunday morning.

Riding a few hours sleep and back in the chair on 40m early Sunday morning.

Activity shifted on Sunday as many operators went into the log as 1 Deltas and I imagine it will be an on-going, persistent trend in the forthcoming years.

KI6QDH and KI6UYB logging contacts either on 15 or 10m because 20m was not as productive as the team had hoped for through the weekend.

Kord, KI6UYB hitting his groove on the high bands mid-Sunday morning.

John, KG6RFW summed up our weekend beneath the warmth of Cycle 24 during the final hours of field day.

73 from the Beach Boys Amateur Radio Club and stay tuned for our next adventure!