maandag 4 maart 2024

Beverage on ground (BOG) poor performance on soily ground

I already mentioned it in a post a few weeks back, but now I have also found confirmation of my findings: a Beverage On Ground (BOG) loses its performance when it lies on soily ground.

In an article (https://rudys.typepad.com/files/qexjul-aug-2016-bog.pdf) written by N6LF and published in QEX, this conclusion is also drawn : " Initially the BOG and the loop were clearly superior to the vertical, and throughout the 18 months the loop performance was very consistent. The BOG worked well at first. However, over time and especially during the two intervening winter wet seasons,I noticed the BOG signal amplitudes dropping off significantly (-15 dB) and the S/N improvement dropped to no better than the vertical."

This aligns exactly with my findings. When the BOG is installed at the end of October, when the ground is still dry, I notice an advantage in terms of reception. From the moment everything is wet, the vertical performs better.



zaterdag 2 maart 2024

DXCC 320 : H40WA Temotu Province

Never expected a QSO with this H40WA expedition because of the lack of higher band antennas.

Worked H40WA on 21Mhz FT8 with my 160/80m inverted L + MFJ shack-tuner and using 200W.

He received me at -21dB, I did at -18dB.  This is at the limit of FT8 and should never have been a contact in CW nor SSB.  So happy that he picked me out of the huge pile-up.










Result of the CQWW CW 2023 contest

Happy with it !  

4th place worldwide without a convenient receiving system.  My home-made inverted L is clearly a good antenna.







dinsdag 30 januari 2024

CQ160m CW

As weak as my result in the UBA SSB contest was, my signal was strong in the CQWW 160m contest. With "only" 750W - a calculated safety margin for the current balun and the unun - I felt like I was being heard well everywhere. Conversely, it was more challenging.

For the second year in a row, I notice the following: during the CQ WW DX contest at the end of November, the receiving antennas always do their job, and there is sometimes an advantage over the inverted L. From the moment the ground is saturated with water, it seems I no longer have an advantage with K9AY and BOG, and the vertical is better. As a result, I know that I missed some beautiful American contacts; it often came down to a fraction, but I can't hear them well enough. Fearful of losing points, it's sometimes difficult to take a gamble on the right call.

Despite everything, I made 730 QSOs, including my first 160m CW QSO with South America (PP5JR) and being called by P40AA, which is a new one on 160m. It remains a challenge to divide the sleeping hours well. Due to not resting on Friday, having to listen to TX5S on Saturday morning, and stopping on Sunday afternoon, I missed many hours. Next year, more focus on this beautiful contest.




UBA SSB contest with limited antennas

On January 8th, I was still praising my all-band capabilities of the inverted V on 80/160m. Because I need to collect points for the RRDXA T-shirt, my idea was to be active for a few hours in the UBA SSB contest with low power. The antenna that seemed so good with only 30W in FT8 was anything but that with 100W in SSB. What a difference between a yagi antenna with high power and this setup. It's time for the Steppir to go back up in the air.

Very limited covered area during my uba ssb contest...




TX5S Clipperton on the low bands

Expeditions and planning, it will always remain a challenging combination.

Plan: contests during the weekend and on Monday morning, work TX5S on 160m. Quod non!

For the umpteenth time, an expedition is prematurely stopped - it had already started with a delay - so my plan does not proceed. As a result, I have adjusted my weekend contest planning (CQWW160 and UBA SSB) to be able to listen to TX5S on Saturday morning. 160m was not an option due to the contest QRM, but on 80m CW, they came in very strong. The pile-up was, as always during the weekend, enormous. Luck was on my side, and a German operator picked up my call from the crowd.

TX5S on 80m, check!

maandag 15 januari 2024

problem with connection between Microham DXP and N1MM logger

I am having serious issues connecting N1MM-logger to my FT1000MKV via the Microham DXP.

No matter what I try, the frequency is not being read, and the CAT is not working.

It is not related to hardware faults because when I connect WSJT-X in this way, everything works immediately.

I suspect a problem with the DTR and RTS settings, but all combinations yield the same result: no connection. Tried with another laptop: same result.

I've found nothing on the internet describing this problem. To be continued...