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November’s 630m Activity / CW Crossband Night!

28 October 2016 | by Steve VE7SL | Leave a Comment (0)

Once again the 630m band will become a cacophony of CW and other sounds on Saturday night, November 12th! The actual motivation for the weekend event is a celebration of the November, 1906, Berlin Treaty ... making 500 kHz the International Distress Frequency for the next eighty years. It's also a great excuse for a lot of 630m diehards to get on the air and celebrate the band.

Three different groups will participate:

    U.S. Experimental Operators
    Canadian Amateurs
    Maritime Radio Historical Society

U.S. Part-5 Experimental Operators including WD2XSH stations and others will operate in the 472 – 479 kHz band. They will use CW transmissions for QSOs and beacons with special messages. There may also be some operation on 500 kHz itself.

Canadian Amateurs will be concentrating their efforts on providing two-way cross-band CW QSO's with other amateurs in the U.S.A. and Canada. They will be transmitting on specified frequencies (see below) and listening for replies to their 'CQ' on specified QSX frequencies within the 160, 80 and 40m CW bands.

The Maritime Radio Historical Society will activate its KSM/KPH transmitter at Bolinas, CA for a mini “Night of Nights” with special messages and bulletins.

Listeners are encouraged to send their reception reports to individual stations or via the LF/MF ON4KST chat page which should be very active during the event. Most experimental calls can be found via QRZ.com listings.

All amateurs are encouraged to participate in the cross-band activity by being able to listen on 630m but being able to answer on one of the specified HF bands.

So far this fall, propagation on the 630m band has been excellent and hopefully will continue well into November. Previous cross-band events have seen contacts made from coast-to-coast as well as west to Hawaii.

VE3OT QSL and coverage from previous crossband event

Confirmed Canadian stations include:

Station: VA7MM (Mark) CN89 Coquitlam, B.C.
Time: 0400Z – 0800Z (Saturday night Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 475.0 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 1801 kHz / 3574 kHz / 7062 kHz

Station: VE7BDQ (John) CN89 Delta, B.C. November 2016
Time: 0300Z – 0700Z (Saturday night Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 474.0 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 3555 kHz

Station: VE7CNF (Toby) CN89 Burnaby, B.C.
Time: 0300Z – 0800Z (Saturday night Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 476.5 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 1836 kHz / 3558 kHz / 7031 kHz

Station: VE7SL (Steve) CN88 Mayne Island, B.C.
Time: 0200Z – 0700Z (Saturday night Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 473.0 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 3566 / 7066 kHz

Station: VE7CA (Markus) CN89 North Vancouver, B.C.
Time: 0200Z – 0700Z (Saturday night Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 477.5.0 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 1820 / 3550 / 7048 kHz

Station: VO1NA (Joe) GN37 Torbay, Newfoundland
Time: 2130Z – 0130Z (Saturday night Nov 12 Z – Sunday Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 477.7 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 3562 kHz

Station: VE3OT (Mitch) EN92 London, ON.
Time: 0000Z – 0400Z (Saturday night Nov 13 Z)
TX Frequency: 477.0 kHz
RX (QSX) Frequency: 3563 kHz / 7058 kHz

Several US Experimental stations also will be in operation throughout the band, in two-way QSO mode with each other, using CW or JT9. Some stations will also use WSPR and QRSS CW beacon modes.

The success of this event largely depends upon the participation of as many amateurs as possible.

Hopefully you will be able to participate in the two-way cross-band activity by being able to listen on 630m and then able to switch over to HF to transmit. This could involve the use of a separate receiver / transmitter or can often be easily implemented via your transceiver's 'A/B' switch.

No antenna for receiving on 630m? Don't let that stop you from taking part in the fun. Surprisingly good results can often be had by using a low band wire antenna such as a dipole or inverted-L for listening on 630m ... the antenna does not necessarily need to be resonant. In fact, often times, a non-resonant receiving antenna can provide a better overall S/N ratio than one which is resonant, as these often gather more noise along with signals.

You may want to experiment before hand by listening to many of the numerous U.S. experimental stations operating nightly, mostly in the WSPR mode, between 475.6 and 475.8kHz. Most operators provide a CW identifier following their WSPR transmission but a better way to decode these signals is by installing the latest WSPR software, WSJT-X (freeware), at K1JT's website here. The software works extremely well and is easy to install and get working. If you set the software to 'upload spots', you can share your nightly catches with dozens of other listeners throughout the continent on the WSPRnet website.

courtesy: KB5NJD's 630m Daily Blog

I'll be sending out a few more reminders as the 630m activity night gets closer but please mark your calendars and make a date to participate, by either sending in your 'heard' reports or by getting on-the-air and working some of the Canadian cross-banders.

If you have further questions, please contact myself or John Langridge, KB5NJD / WG2XIQ.

Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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The ARRL has done it again!

27 October 2016 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (0)

I received my November QST and as I flipping through it I came across page 82 regarding online ARRL contest uploading. This caught my interest and as I read it became crystal clear that this was a very cool newly released feature. Don't take my word for it instead take your November QST and flip to page 82 and check it out......for those of you who are not ARRL member and do not get QST......GET IT!!! Just kidding.....in a nut shell ARRL has a website were if you participate in an ARRL contest you can upload your score and it's very slick. You are asked for your email, the ARRL contest just finished, your power, if you used spotting assistance and finally how many operated under your call. Then you add your log file which all contest software can produce. You submit it and that's it.

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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The ARRL has done it again!

27 October 2016 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (9)

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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Hunting For NDBs In CLE 212

26 October 2016 | by Steve VE7SL | Leave a Comment (1)

YPM-274 courtesy: ve3gop.com

Another NDB CLE challenge is in store this coming weekend with CLE 212. This time the frequency range is 270 - 319.9 kHz bringing it into the DGPS band, although these signals should not be reported.

A good target for this range is 25W YPM in Pikangikum, Ontario, transmitting on 274 kHz. It is widely reported throughout North America, thanks to its large antenna system, pictured here. Look for it on 274.361 kHz with your receiver in 'CW' mode. Remember that most Canadian NDBs use a ~ 400Hz tone for modulation while the U.S. ones are usually ~1020Hz on both sidebands.

'CLE's' are 'Co-ordinated Listening Events', and NDB DXers around the world focus their listening time on one small slice of the NDB spectrum ... but this time around, the range has been expanded.

From CLE coordinator Brian Keyte (G3SIA), via the Yahoo ndblist Group, comes the following reminder:

Hello all

The NDB List has really come back to life recently - you can see the effect
of the good recent propagation on the number of emails we have posted
to NDB List each month since last June:
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct (so far)
197 279 404 663 768

Our 212th co-ordinated listening event is this weekend, covering a 50 kHz
frequency range - about three times wider than usual.

Days: Friday 28 October - Monday 31 October
Times: Start and end at midday, your LOCAL time
Range: 270.0 - 319.9 kHz (NOT DGPS beacons)

We can expect very good propagation, but in part of the frequency range
it will be a bit of a challenge to tease out the NDB signals from among
the DGPS ones.
Any first-time CLE logs will be very welcome, as always.

Please log the normal NDBs you can identify that are listed in the range
(it includes 270 kHz but not 320 kHz).
Please send your CLE log to NDB List, if possible as a plain text email
and not in an attachment, with 'CLE212' at the start of its title.
Show on EVERY line of your log:

# The Date (e.g. '2016-10-28' or just '28', etc.)
# UTC (the day changes at 00:00 UTC).
# kHz - the beacon's nominal published frequency if you know it.
# The Call Ident.

Those main items can be in any order within themselves, but BEFORE any
other optional details (Location, Distance, etc.) later in the same line.
Many of us in Europe will be changing our house clocks this weekend.
UTC time continues unchanged of course, but as we finish the CLE on
Monday at LOCAL midday we may win an extra hour's listening!

As always, give details in your log of your own location and the receiver,
aerial(s), etc. that you were using.
If you send any interim logs, please also send a Final (complete) one.

You can find anything else to help you, including seeklists for your part
of the World, from the CLE page, http://www.ndblist.info/cle.htm

I will send the usual 'Any More Logs?' email at about 18:00 UTC on Tuesday so that you can check that your CLE log has been found OK. Do make sure
that your log has arrived at the very latest by 09:00 UTC next Wednesday,
2nd November. I am hoping to make all the combined results on that day.

Enjoy your listening
Brian
----------------------------------------------------------
From: Brian Keyte G3SIA ndbcle'at'gmail.com
Location: Surrey, SE England (CLE co-ordinator)
----------------------------------------------------------

(Reminder: You could use any one remote receiver for your loggings,
stating its location and owner - with their permission if required.
A remote listener may NOT also use another receiver, whether local or
remote, to obtain further loggings for the same CLE).

These listening events serve several purposes. They:

determine, worldwide, which beacons are actually in service and on-the-air so the online database can be kept up-to-date

determine, worldwide, which beacons are out-of-service or have gone silent since the last CLE covering this range

will indicate the state of propagation conditions at the various participant locations

will give you an indication of how well your LF/MF receiving system is working

give participants a fun yet challenging activity to keep their listening skills honed

Final details can be found at the NDB List website, and worldwide results, for every participant, will be posted there a few days after the event. If you are a member of the ndblist Group, results will also be e-mailed and posted there.

The very active Yahoo ndblist Group is a great place to learn more about the 'Art of NDB DXing' or to meet other listeners in your region. There is a lot of good information available there and new members are always very welcome. As well, you can follow the results of other CLE participants from night to night as propagation is always an active topic of discussion.

If you are contemplating getting started on 630m, listening for NDBs is an excellent way to test out your receive capabilities as there are several NDBs located near this part of the spectrum.

You need not be an ndblist member to participate in the CLEs and all reports, no matter how small, are of much value to the organizers. 'First-time' logs are always VERY welcome!

Reports may be sent to the ndblist or e-mailed to either myself or CLE co- ordinator, Brian Keyte (G3SIA), whose address appears above.

Please ... give the CLE a try ... then let us know what NDB's can be heard from your location! Your report can then be added to the worldwide database to help keep it up-to-date.

Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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Taking your QRP signal to the next step.

23 October 2016 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (0)

I was reading NY4G's blog a week or two ago and came across a great post that I wanted to share with my readers. I emailed him about reposted it but never heard back so here goes.......It is full of great DXing tips!

DXing Tips For Little Pistols Like Me

OK I admit it I am more often than not a little pistol. More than likely, I am trying to make a contact at 5W.

Keep in mind two things - the heavy lifting is done not by you but by the DX who is trying to dig you out

of the mud. Some are more willing than others. Of course, the second thing is your persistence. If you

don't go away after he has worked stronger stations - chances are he will try to work you.

Here are some additional tricks to slay that DXing dragon I learned from Brian Smith WO9I. Some are

verbatim and some are paraphrases. Some I omitted but most I kept. Some I added to from my own

experience. Here is the URL: http://www.ybdxc.net/2014/10/14/25-dxing-tips-for-the-little-guy/

(1) "Sharpen your sword. Never embark on a DX quest without first tuning-up your rig. Make sure

your PA is not putting out into a high SWR situation - wasting your meager power into heat as

feedline loss. Sometimes you get only one shot at a rare station before the rest of the world

catches up with you."

(2) See which bands are open before starting the hunt. Bandconditions.com is a good resource.

A reading of 100 for a band indicates that your 1 watt or 5 watt signal stands a good chance

of being heard. Yet another way to do it is to listen for the band beacons. Make sure your foray

into the ether is worth the effort. WWV (at 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz) gives propagation info at 18 minutes

past every hour. Look at the cluster and listen for on-going QSOs. See how strong the signals are in

the cluster spots - even if it is a country you don't need. If you are looking for an entity in the

Balkans - see how loud the DX are around your hunting ground.

(3) Never send “CQ DX.” Rare and even not so rare DX station seldom answer such calls, especially

when transmitted by weak signals.

(4) Use the contests. If you could operate only a few days a year, I’d pick the weekends of the major

international contests such as the CQ World-Wide, the ARRL DX Contest, CQ WPX, and so forth. I

gnore your score; the idea is to bag DX,you need for whatever - DX Marathon, DXCC, band slots.

These events are like for the little kid in the candystore - except you are truly a little kid

(or a small fry). During contests, the bands are crawling with stations, some rare and some not so

rare. If you are doing DX Maraton - you need most of if not many. The QSOs are short, and best

of all, wide dispersal of the big guns.

(5) After the contest, hang around, to see if rare stations—particulary DXpeditions—want to hang

around to see if anyone else wants to work them. The big guns are usually in their holsters by

then, which is exactly why you’re still blazing away.

(6) Peek into the DX alleys, which are usually located just inside the General band

(14.026 Mhz, etc.). On non-contest days many rare stations hang out here. However, these are also

the most congested places of all. But hey, sometimes the propagation gods smile on you.

(7) Know when to quit. Don’t spend your life trying to break pile-ups; when the band’s open,

there’s plenty of good stuff elsewhere (usually from the same region), and lots of big guys don’t

know how to root it out. How to tell good odds from bad? Good odds: the DX station is booming,

the op is working stations quickly, other station from your call area are getting through, and/or you

don’t hear much competition. Bad odds: weak DX station, slow op, propagation favours other call

areas, pile-up is loud and limitless.

(8) Nail the newcomers. Now for real guerilla tactics: Move to the slow edge of a band and,

tuning slowly accross it, listen for the sound of any station coming on the air, such as a

“tuning up” signal, “QRL?” or of course, CQ. Should one of these surface, stop immediately and

listen for an ID. (Ninty-nine times out of 100 it wont be rare DX, but trust me: that 100th time will

more than make up for it.)
Late means wait. As you’re hunting stations coming on frequency, also check for QSOs that are

about to end (“73,””TNX FER QSO,” etc.)—and wait for an ID.

(10) Develop DX ears. DX signals rarely sound like statesiders. They’re weaker and more

unstable (and those which cross over the North Pole sound “fluttery”). Teach your eardrums

the difference.

(11) Be watchful for 10 or 12 meter openings. Ten meters is the little guy’s equalizer. When the

surf’s up on 10, the DX comes in waves, and a puny signal (even a 5 watter) floats just fine.

Ten meters tend to open to a small geographic area at a time (meaning less competition); also,

signal strength can fluctuate wildly within a few minutes. If you find a new one that’s too weak to

work, lock on to it and relax. Within 15 minutes its signal may peak, giving you a clear shot.

(12) WFWL (work first worry later). If an exotic-sounding station appears, don’t look up its

QTH—pounce! I once heard a 3B8 sending CQ. “What’s a 3B8?” I wondered, but the second he

stopped transmitting, I chased him. Only after the QSO did I discover I had just worked Mauritius.
Rehearse. Rare DX stations are sometimes barely audible, or covered with QRM. A trained ear

can pull them through, but an untrained ear hears only clutter. So hone your hearing. Practice

working common DX stations (such as G’s and JA’s) with faint signals.

(13) Upgrade. Much of the delectable DX swims in the extra portion of the band. Thus reeling it

in is often a question of “How low can you go?” Remember, only 7 percent of all American

amateurs can operate in these murky depths.

(14) Rock around the clock. DX conditions vary with the time of day, so don’t just operate from

7 to 9 o’clock every evening. Vary your routine: Stay up all night on a Friday, rise before dawn

on a Sunday. Remember, sunrise and sunset can produce interesting conditions, so try

them often.
Turn lemons into lemonade. “Bad breaks” aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes they even

work to the little guy’s advantage. Example 1: While trying to work a weak ZK1

(South Cook Islands) during a contest. I was dismayed when a loud Californian began blasting

away on a nearby frequency. Then I realized that because of the W6, most people who were

casually tuning around wouldn’t hear the ZK. During brief lull I caught his “QRZ?”, jumped in,

and nailed him instantly. Example 2: A T3Ø (West Kiribati) operating SSB dodged a stateside

pile-up by QSYing to a U.S. CW-only frequency. Just one American moved with him—yours

truly, who fired up a key and worked him cross-mode.

(15) Talk the talk. Even with Q signals, all CW stations don’t sound the same. DX stations favour

expressions such as “TKS” (instead of American “TNX”) and “DR” (as in “DR OM BRIAN”).

Soviets often close with “DSW” (a Russian good-luck term). And of course, stations whose

transmissions alternate between “599 K” and “QRZ?” are often worth working. Familiarity with

international callsigns helps, too, as I learned one evening in 1988 when I tuned in Y88POL.

Just another East German, right? But wait! East German suffixes usually have only two

letters … hmmm. Moments later I worked a new one—Antartica.

(16) Less is Morse. Not only CW is less popular than SSB (decreasing your competition), but

it’s more effective in marginal conditions—a plus for weak stations.
Read the news. Serious operators learn about DXpeditions and such by subscribing to publications

such as QRZ DX? and The DX Bulletin. And for those with packet capability, lots of DX packet

clusters spot rare stations.

(17) Never assume. Once, during a Boy Scout jamboree weekend, I heard a Liberian station with

a special callsign, using scouts as ops. No one was answering its CQ, probably because

everyone believed the station was working only fellow Scouts. But when I asked, “Are you

working only Scout stations?” I was rewarded with a “No, you’re 5 by 6”—and a new one.

(18) Beat the bushes. Many people think all the primo DX hangs out on the low ends, but

that’s a fallacy. Ever work Moroco? I did—on a 10 meter Novice CW frequency! And I once

heard Zimbabwe on 21.080. Moral: Don’t just look in the clearings; rummage through the high

weeds, too.
Listen for swan songs. Normally, when sunspots are high, upper HF bands such as 10 and

15 meters close in the evening. During their final moments, however, strange conditions

sometimes occur. Try to catch each band just before it gives out (see whether any signals are

audible; if so, tune around). As the band dies, most of your competition will give up and

head south. I bagged my first CEØ (Easter Island) under such conditions.

(19) Check and double check the DX call. Don’t just scribble down a DX callsign; make

absolutely certain you heard it correctly. On CW I’ve worked lots of ops who can’t tell a “4” from

a “V” or an “H” from an “S.” Missing even one dot in a call sign can turn a prize catch

into a busted QSO.

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

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Taking your QRP signal to the next step.

23 October 2016 | by Mike VE9KK | Leave a Comment (2)

DXing Tips For Little Pistols Like Me

OK I admit it I am more often than not a little pistol. More than likely, I am trying to make a contact at 5W.

Keep in mind two things - the heavy lifting is done not by you but by the DX who is trying to dig you out

of the mud. Some are more willing than others. Of course, the second thing is your persistence. If you

don't go away after he has worked stronger stations - chances are he will try to work you.

http://ny4g.blogspot.com/2016/10/dxing-tips-for-little-pistols-like-me.html

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

» Leave a Comment (2)

The Cacophony of Digital Voice Continues (Part 1)

22 October 2016 | by Bob KØNR | Leave a Comment (3)

It wasn’t that long ago that I commented on the state of digital voice on the VHF/UHF ham bands: Digital Voice Balkanization. We have three main competing (incompatible) standards in the running: D-STAR, DMR and Yaesu System Fusion (YSF). At a high level, these three formats all do the same thing but there are significant differences in implementation (See Comparison of Amateur Radio DV by Roland Kraatz W9HPX.) All three of these are (arguably) open standards, allowing anyone to implement equipment that supports the standard. However, the reality is that D-STAR is still largely an ICOM system (with Kenwood joining the party), YSF is mostly a Yaesu system and DMR is…well, DMR is not deeply embraced by any large amateur radio equipment supplier. Instead, DMR is promoted heavily by Motorola for the commercial market via their MOTOTRBO product line. Another big factor is the availability of DMR radios from some of the low cost providers in the ham market: Connect Systems, Tytera MD-380. Baofeng has also announced a DMR radio but it has some potential shortcomings.

D-STAR has a clear head start versus the other DV standards and is well-entrenched across the US and around the world. DMR and YSF are the late comers that are quickly catching up. To put some numbers on the adoption of DV technology, I took at the digital repeater listings in the August issue of the SERA Repeater Journal. SERA is the coordinating body for Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. This is a large region that includes rural and large urban areas, so perhaps it is a good proxy for the rest of the country. I just considered the listings for D-STAR, DMR and YSF repeaters, some of which are set up as mixed-mode analog and digital repeaters.

D-STAR   161    39%
DMR      136    33%
YSF      121    29%
Total:   418   100%
SERA Repeater Journal - August 2016

I was definitely surprised at how the DMR and YSF numbers are in the ballpark with D-STAR. Of course, we don’t know for sure how many of these repeaters are actually on the air or how many users are active on each one. Still, pretty impressive numbers. (And I did not bother to count the analog FM repeaters but those numbers are way higher, of course.)

It is the repeater clubs and repeater owners that drive the deployment of infrastructure for new technology. To some extent, they are driven by what their users want but also by their own technical interests and biases. One of the positive factors for DMR is that most of these systems are Motorola MOTOTRBO. Hams involved in commercial land mobile radio are exposed to that technology and naturally port it into the amateur radio world. MOTOTRBO is actually not that expensive and it’s built for commercial use. YSF received a big boost when Yaesu offered their repeater for $500 to clubs and owners that would put them on the air. By using Yaesu’s mixed analog/digital mode, it was an easy and attractive upgrade for aging repeater equipment.

Disruption From New Players

Early on in the world of D-STAR, the DV Dongle and DV Access Point by Robin AA4RC allowed hams to access the D-STAR network without needing a local repeater. This basic idea has continued and evolved in several different directions. For example, the DV4Mini is a cute little USB stick that implements a hot spot for…wait for it…D-STAR, DMR and YSF. This is very affordable technology (darnright cheap) that lets any ham develop his or her own local infrastructure. We don’t need no stinkin’ repeater. DV MEGA is another hot spot, supporting D-STAR, DMR and YSF. I guess somebody forgot to tell these guys they have to choose one format and religiously support only that one.

dv4-mobile-transceiver — DV4 Mobile Transceiver as shown in Dayton 2016

OK, so that’s one way to solve the babel fish problem…support all three formats in one device. And that’s what the DV4 mobile radio promises to do as well: “This DV4mobile is a tri-band VHF/UHF transceiver (2m, 1.25m and 70cm) that supports DMR, D-STAR and C4FM ( or “fusion”) all in one box.” Heck, let’s throw in LTE while we are at it, it’s only software. This site says the radio will be available Q4 2016. Well, it’s Q4, so maybe it will be here soon.

Conclusions

So let’s wrap up Part 1 of this story. What can we conclude?

For the foreseeable future, we will have D-STAR, DMR and YSF technologies being used in amateur radio. I don’t see one of them dominating or any of them disappearing any time soon.
Equipment that handles all three of those DV modes will be highly desirable. It is the most obvious way to deal with the multiple formats. Software-defined radios will play a key role here.
A wild card here is DMR. It benefits from being a commercial land mobile standard, so high quality infrastructure equipment is available (both new and used gear). And DMR is being embraced by suppliers of low cost radios as well. This combination may prove to be very powerful.

The post The Cacophony of Digital Voice Continues (Part 1) appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

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