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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].

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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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What it takes to make the AP510 APRS tracker useful

22 October 2016 | by Sverre LA3ZA | Leave a Comment (0)

This small VHF APRS tracker can easily be improved with some simple measures:

The 1 Watt of output power is often too little to reach the desired APRS digipeater reliably enough. It is much simpler to improve the antenna than to add an amplifier and it can be done as follows:

Use a longer telescopic antenna. In the picture I have used an antenna that can be extended from 16.5 cm to 45.2 cm. Depending on how you use the tracker, always extend the antenna as much as practically possible.
Add an external counterpoise or “tiger tail” of length a quarter of a wavelength. That’s about half a meter. In the picture it is fastened on the antenna’s BNC connector by means of an 8 mm ring terminal.

Update the firmware, if you haven’t done so already, to the version from 3 Nov 2015. I have written before about my experience with that firmware.
Get rid of the pirated USB chip in the interface cable. I did that last year and now interfacing it to the PC and updating it is so much simpler.

These simple steps have made my AP510 tracker much more useful.

The post “What it takes to make the AP510 APRS tracker useful” first appeared on the LA3ZA Radio & Electronics Blog.

Sverre Holm, LA3ZA, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Norway. Contact him at [email protected].

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What it takes to make the AP510 APRS tracker useful

22 October 2016 | by Sverre LA3ZA | Leave a Comment (0)

This small VHF APRS tracker can easily be improved with some simple measures:

The 1 Watt of output power is often too little to reach the desired APRS digipeater reliably enough. It is much simpler to improve the antenna than to add an amplifier and it can be done as follows:

Use a longer telescopic antenna. In the picture I have used an antenna that can be extended from 16.5 cm to 45.2 cm. Depending on how you use the tracker, always extend the antenna as much as practically possible.
Add an external counterpoise or “tiger tail” of length a quarter of a wavelength. That’s about half a meter. In the picture it is fastened on the antenna’s BNC connector by means of an 8 mm ring terminal.

Update the firmware, if you haven’t done so already, to the version from 3 Nov 2015. I have written before about my experience with that firmware.
Get rid of the pirated USB chip in the interface cable. I did that last year and now interfacing it to the PC and updating it is so much simpler.

These simple steps have made my AP510 tracker much more useful.

The post “What it takes to make the AP510 APRS tracker useful” first appeared on the LA3ZA Radio & Electronics Blog.

Sverre Holm, LA3ZA, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Norway. Contact him at [email protected].

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New – VE7SL Twitter Page

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

Research indicates that new brain cells are grown whenever you learn a new process or study new material. If that's the case, I've a head-full of new cells this week after deciding to set-up a Twitter account for the first time.

Setting up the account and trying to learn the ins and outs of tweets, hash tags, re-tweets, who sees what and who doesn't ... all without trying to mess things up too badly, has been fun. Although I haven't figured everything out with confidence, I'm far enough along to get going ... I think!

The link to my Twitter account is here and I will add a specific link on my blog page, at the top of the right hand sidebar.

Although I try to keep my blog's subject material related to my amateur radio interests and activities, I envision a broader range of subject commentary for Twitter ... not limited to just 'radio' but also some of my other interests and daily observations. As well, I can use it to announce my beaconing schedule and to report any interesting contacts or propagation conditions of note. Although I live on a small island, there is a lot to do here that keeps me busy ... I have many interests and activities, way too many for the number of hours in the day it seems, and some of these will be 'tweet' topic material.

In the meantime, I will begin the hunt for other Twitter users with similar interests who I would like to add to my 'follow' list and hopefully begin to build my own list of 'followers' over the months ahead. Although I can make no guarantees, I'll be trying not to end up in the naughty-corner by doing something dumb ... any and all input / advice gladly accepted!

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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Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 130

22 October 2016 | by Cale K4HCK | Leave a Comment (2)

A geosynchronous Ham Radio satellite
The satellite’s potential footprint could extend over the US from the Mid-Pacific to Africa.
AMSAT-UK

Is wind energy a good fit for you?
For the off grid Ham who wants to expand beyond solar, is wind energy the next likely step?
Off Grid Ham

Calling CQ: An email letter for amateur radio enthusiasts
The best editorial content promoting the hobby.
KE9V

Terminated inverted U antenna
I built the antenna using two 10m fishing poles spaced 5m apart.
Cross Country Wireless

Polite society on DMR
The wide area TG is kind of like meeting someone in the hallway or a noisy lobby. The “on-demand” TG’s are out the way places to go have a discussion without upsetting the hall monitors.
Digital Mobile Radio for Hams

ISS Columbus Ham Radio inoperative
The Ericsson VHF handheld transceiver in the ISS Columbus module which is used for amateur radio voice contacts on 144.800 MHz and the packet radio digipeater on 145.825 MHz is unusable.
AMSAT-UK

CW Decoder Logic
CW decoder app for Windows.
LY3H

/P fun in the sun
In total, I made 8 QSOs (all CW, at 10-watts) 6 on 40m and 2 on 20m in what were reasonable conditions.
M0PZT

A simple approach to VHF contesting
The tow bar mount is made from a few off cuts of 47mm x 100mm (or 2″ by 4″ if you prefer) and a piece of rough sawn timber.
G7KSE

Hams in India monitoring “Highly Suspicious” VHF communications
The signals were being heard in the dead of night, with participants reported to be in motion and speaking in some sort of code.
ARRL

Video

1 foot mini magnetic loop transmitting antenna
I decided to make a mini magnetic loop and see if I could be heard down on HF with a tiny antenna.
YouTube

SOTA Signals from Signal Butte
Steve/K7PX and Steve/wGOAT activate Signal Butte for Summits on the Air.
WG0AT

Amateur Radio Weekly is curated by Cale Mooth K4HCK. Sign up free to receive ham radio's most relevant news, projects, technology and events by e-mail each week at http://www.hamweekly.com.

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