Finally.
It took me sooooooo long to achieve this award. This wasn't my favourite band.
- no contest qso's possible
- no ssb, only cw and digital
- no directional antenna
FT8 changed a lot to achieve this next goal. 8B-DXCC sounds good.
After 1400 Q's on FT8, I can return to contest modus, finally !
In June, the 30m antenna will be changed to a 40m dipole.
The coming month I'll be active as OT70RSX on 30m CW, and if FT8 allows (but I have doubts how this special call will be handled by receiving stations), also in this new mode.
Now it's time for new goals :
- work KH7 and Z19 (strange, never got confirmed this zone) on 40m
- work last 5 States for 40m WAS
- work as many zones/WAS as possible on 80m
- increase the number of DXCC on 160m (now only 50 confirmed countries)
It's also time for new work in the garden :
- make an underground coaxial connection between main tower and 80m structure.
- prepare beverages on ground
This is also fun :
I encountered also many comments on FT8.
This new mode divides the opinions on our hobby.
It seems that the most controversial point is how the operator handles the information sent to the transceiver.
Discussions are always about the low frequency part. SSB and CW are "better" than a predefined package of computer data. It is (too ?) easy to let the PC making the contact in FT8.
What about CW skimming, voice recorders, ESM modus, digital voices, etc... ?
Sure FT8 is easy, but it's also easy to make a contact with a high-end sophisticated transceiver and a commercial antenna.
50 years ago, the guys that are complaining now about FT8 should have complained on commercial equipment. Too easy to make contacts with roofing filters and DSP.
For me, there is no importance what LF information is sent, and how it is sent.
The game is to let this information fly around the world and to receive an answer.
My hobby is about high frequencies and propagation. About antennas and station setup. About not blowing up equipment. About avoiding neighbour complaints. About receiving the most weakest signals.
Certainly not about what LF information is transported from and to my transceiver.
maandag 16 april 2018
maandag 5 maart 2018
FT8 is a game changer
600 qso, 59 countries from all continents.
Some hours of playing on a 30m dipole only at 15m with FT8 shows a huge world wide activity in this mode.
Sure, it is a new hype, and for sure data players want to test this new mode, but it goes further than rtty or psk.
It delivers a number of advantages that other modes do not have. It is not a low power mode like psk, but a weak signal mode. It's not a chatting mode like rtty, but a strictly defined process.
With room for further improvement.
Not everyone needs a gridsquare and a RRR message and a 73s message.
The basic progress stream is now :
CQ OT1A JO10
OT1A W1ABC FN05
W1ABC OT1A -10
OT1A W1ABC R01
W1ABC OT1A RRR
OT1A W1ABC 73
This takes 1min 30 sec if all goes fine. A die hard CW op makes 9 QSO in that timestamp.
On the air, in practice, there is allready a shorter QSO flow
CQ OT1A JO10
OT1A W1ABC -10
W1ABC OT1A R01
OT1A W1ABC RR73
1 minute. 6 times slower than a full speed cw op.
Repeating something in CW takes seconds, in FT8 at least half a minute.
But :
- 100W is allready high power. I used 180W (dxcc hunting) putting 15W into the Acom1000, and taking care of the alc.
- sensitivity is far under the CW limit, -20dB is workable to make a qso
- allmost full automatic, no errors in copying
There is improvement for DXpeditions allowing up to 500 Q/hr to be deliverable for the Baker Isl exp. later this year.
It smells also like a new mode for contesting will be born, needing only 50Hz of bandwidth per station.
What if... this process can be 100% automated, putting eg. a robot on Heard Island ?
Is it the end of costly DXpeditions ?
Is it the end of huge crazy high power pileups with qrm and policemen ?
Is this mode opening the path for non qualified operators buying just a black box and play ?
There is certainly not a waaaw effect when looking on a pc, clicking on a screen. I can imagine that this is not the most attractive demo for new potential hams.
The waaw effect is on the propagation level. Making contacts with so less power and difficult conditions is quite amazing.
I can not look into the future, but I'm sure this kind of mode is a game changer (repeating the JT65 miracle on EME operations).
80 DXCc confirmed on 30m, 12 worked to be confirmed, 8 new ones needed.
Looking forward to see what this does on topband DXing...
And until now, CW rules !
Some hours of playing on a 30m dipole only at 15m with FT8 shows a huge world wide activity in this mode.
Sure, it is a new hype, and for sure data players want to test this new mode, but it goes further than rtty or psk.
It delivers a number of advantages that other modes do not have. It is not a low power mode like psk, but a weak signal mode. It's not a chatting mode like rtty, but a strictly defined process.
With room for further improvement.
Not everyone needs a gridsquare and a RRR message and a 73s message.
The basic progress stream is now :
CQ OT1A JO10
OT1A W1ABC FN05
W1ABC OT1A -10
OT1A W1ABC R01
W1ABC OT1A RRR
OT1A W1ABC 73
This takes 1min 30 sec if all goes fine. A die hard CW op makes 9 QSO in that timestamp.
On the air, in practice, there is allready a shorter QSO flow
CQ OT1A JO10
OT1A W1ABC -10
W1ABC OT1A R01
OT1A W1ABC RR73
1 minute. 6 times slower than a full speed cw op.
Repeating something in CW takes seconds, in FT8 at least half a minute.
But :
- 100W is allready high power. I used 180W (dxcc hunting) putting 15W into the Acom1000, and taking care of the alc.
- sensitivity is far under the CW limit, -20dB is workable to make a qso
- allmost full automatic, no errors in copying
There is improvement for DXpeditions allowing up to 500 Q/hr to be deliverable for the Baker Isl exp. later this year.
It smells also like a new mode for contesting will be born, needing only 50Hz of bandwidth per station.
What if... this process can be 100% automated, putting eg. a robot on Heard Island ?
Is it the end of costly DXpeditions ?
Is it the end of huge crazy high power pileups with qrm and policemen ?
Is this mode opening the path for non qualified operators buying just a black box and play ?
There is certainly not a waaaw effect when looking on a pc, clicking on a screen. I can imagine that this is not the most attractive demo for new potential hams.
The waaw effect is on the propagation level. Making contacts with so less power and difficult conditions is quite amazing.
I can not look into the future, but I'm sure this kind of mode is a game changer (repeating the JT65 miracle on EME operations).
80 DXCc confirmed on 30m, 12 worked to be confirmed, 8 new ones needed.
Looking forward to see what this does on topband DXing...
And until now, CW rules !
maandag 19 februari 2018
FT8 on the air - finally - Yaesu FT1000MP MKV problems with rear signal injection
Problem :
- WSJT-x uses USB and not LSB
- Yaesu receives the outgoing PC signal via the packet port at the rear of the TX.
- If the working mode is USB, Yaesu automatically takes the microphone signal, which is not connected
- If mode is PKT, Yaesu allways switches to LSB.
Stupid design, known problem described on the internet, but no clear solution.
I've found out this :
Step 1 : menu 8-6 -> "easy setting" with right VFO, "PSK-U" with left VFO -> ENT
Step 2 : press PKT
Step 3 : re-press PKT and hold 1 second
Even if the TX stays in LSB, something has changed.
And it works : I made about 50 QSO's on 30m using FT8 with 80W. 2x VK, 2x JA and 9 new countries on 30m.
FT8 seems the new Holy Grail.
I've read many comments about this mode.
It's not the warm ssb qso , it's not cw, it's all automatic, it's the end of the hobby, it opens ports for non qualified operators, etc...
For me it's just a way to make 2 way qso's around the globe, giving opportunities that were not available before.
I don't see the difference between a 40wpm 599 and a grid square received by the computer.
I don't see the difference between OT1A fiveninefifteen and OT1A R73 on the screen.
Using 100 W with the same results as using 2KW (I'm not sure that this is a true comparison at this moment, certainly not in a pile-up situation) gives advantages :
I can make QSO's without disturbing neighbours, in a silent mode while the kids are sleeping and more important, I can finally construct my receive system for 160m avoiding high power radiating into my receive antenna.
Next step : go on with FT8 on 30m (70 DXCC cfd, 8 wkd but not yet cfd) until DXCC100.
Then play on 160m as much as possible with two beverages on ground.
The future looks bright :-)
- WSJT-x uses USB and not LSB
- Yaesu receives the outgoing PC signal via the packet port at the rear of the TX.
- If the working mode is USB, Yaesu automatically takes the microphone signal, which is not connected
- If mode is PKT, Yaesu allways switches to LSB.
Stupid design, known problem described on the internet, but no clear solution.
I've found out this :
Step 1 : menu 8-6 -> "easy setting" with right VFO, "PSK-U" with left VFO -> ENT
Step 2 : press PKT
Step 3 : re-press PKT and hold 1 second
Even if the TX stays in LSB, something has changed.
And it works : I made about 50 QSO's on 30m using FT8 with 80W. 2x VK, 2x JA and 9 new countries on 30m.
FT8 seems the new Holy Grail.
I've read many comments about this mode.
It's not the warm ssb qso , it's not cw, it's all automatic, it's the end of the hobby, it opens ports for non qualified operators, etc...
For me it's just a way to make 2 way qso's around the globe, giving opportunities that were not available before.
I don't see the difference between a 40wpm 599 and a grid square received by the computer.
I don't see the difference between OT1A fiveninefifteen and OT1A R73 on the screen.
Using 100 W with the same results as using 2KW (I'm not sure that this is a true comparison at this moment, certainly not in a pile-up situation) gives advantages :
I can make QSO's without disturbing neighbours, in a silent mode while the kids are sleeping and more important, I can finally construct my receive system for 160m avoiding high power radiating into my receive antenna.
Next step : go on with FT8 on 30m (70 DXCC cfd, 8 wkd but not yet cfd) until DXCC100.
Then play on 160m as much as possible with two beverages on ground.
The future looks bright :-)
zondag 16 juli 2017
Back from far away
Back in ham-radio universe after a sabatical of many months.
New Top Band project to be launched in the coming weeks...
zaterdag 8 augustus 2015
new 80m full size vertical
Finally ! One year after the installation of the basic structure, fantastic home-made work by Franki on5zo, the 80m has been constructed.
I'll never dare to post in detail why we needed a normal car, a small tractor, a 4x4 Jeep and a big tractor to place a piece of iron in the garden, but it has something to do with bad ground quality and a bad judgement of the terrain owner...
Back to the antenna.
In fact it exists of 3 parts : the 9,8m recuperated KT34XA boom, a spiderbeam fiber mast and some pieces to keep the wire (I use a wire for the radiation part in stead of the alu of the boom) away from metallic structures.
One day of testing learned me a lot of things : first with 8 radials laying on the ground I could cut the antenna to a resonant frequency on 3.550 Mhz with an impedance of 53 Ohm.
Second test was to put 8 the radials higher (between 1m and 3m above the ground). A expected, the resistance came down to 36,6 Ohm, but the resonance point went up to 3795 Khz. Perfect for SSB DX, but not really foreseen. This is i.m.o. due to the extra capacitive loading of the hanging radials.
Third test : everthing again on the ground, but 16 radials in stead of 8. This time resistance showed 46 Ohm (as predicted in ON4UN's low band dxing book) and the resonance point went down to 3524 Khz.
I kept the config like that.
In the middle of the night I went up to test the antenna.
80m band was completely closed, I was the only station.
After a few minutes of CQing, I looked up reversebeacon.net were my signal reports appeared.
I was heard in PJ3, 9K and had a good signal in VE3. Best signals came from DL, F en SM, but it was only around 23h30 UTC.
Anyway; this looks good for the future.
For the first time I could use 1,3KW power in stead of the normal 800W delivered by the Acom1000.
Not one single Watt of power return.
Next step : go to at least 32 radials and maybe foresee 60 radials on ground.
QRM was heavy, so I need to continue with the receiving part of the game.
A first good test seems the Worked all Asian contest in September on Friday night and Sunday evening (because of the SSB fieldday in the same mode/band on Saturday/Sunday).
21m is high, very high, even in a big garden. I used 2x3 ropes to protect the fiber against wind.
The testing setup with an 2KW unun and Wago clamps to keep radials together.
I'll never dare to post in detail why we needed a normal car, a small tractor, a 4x4 Jeep and a big tractor to place a piece of iron in the garden, but it has something to do with bad ground quality and a bad judgement of the terrain owner...
Back to the antenna.
In fact it exists of 3 parts : the 9,8m recuperated KT34XA boom, a spiderbeam fiber mast and some pieces to keep the wire (I use a wire for the radiation part in stead of the alu of the boom) away from metallic structures.
One day of testing learned me a lot of things : first with 8 radials laying on the ground I could cut the antenna to a resonant frequency on 3.550 Mhz with an impedance of 53 Ohm.
Second test was to put 8 the radials higher (between 1m and 3m above the ground). A expected, the resistance came down to 36,6 Ohm, but the resonance point went up to 3795 Khz. Perfect for SSB DX, but not really foreseen. This is i.m.o. due to the extra capacitive loading of the hanging radials.
Third test : everthing again on the ground, but 16 radials in stead of 8. This time resistance showed 46 Ohm (as predicted in ON4UN's low band dxing book) and the resonance point went down to 3524 Khz.
I kept the config like that.
In the middle of the night I went up to test the antenna.
80m band was completely closed, I was the only station.
After a few minutes of CQing, I looked up reversebeacon.net were my signal reports appeared.
I was heard in PJ3, 9K and had a good signal in VE3. Best signals came from DL, F en SM, but it was only around 23h30 UTC.
Anyway; this looks good for the future.
For the first time I could use 1,3KW power in stead of the normal 800W delivered by the Acom1000.
Not one single Watt of power return.
Next step : go to at least 32 radials and maybe foresee 60 radials on ground.
QRM was heavy, so I need to continue with the receiving part of the game.
A first good test seems the Worked all Asian contest in September on Friday night and Sunday evening (because of the SSB fieldday in the same mode/band on Saturday/Sunday).
21m is high, very high, even in a big garden. I used 2x3 ropes to protect the fiber against wind.
The testing setup with an 2KW unun and Wago clamps to keep radials together.
dinsdag 28 juli 2015
Finally a blog update
It has been very long time ago that I added a new item to the blog.
To be short some things has been done in order to prepare the next coming years of low sun activity.
- Franki, on5zo, made a metal structure that will be the base for a 80m vertical
- the 2 el 40m is waiting to be installed, but I need my 30m DXCC first
- the 30m dipole has been repaired last week, and since a few days I'm hard chasing new countries. The counter went from a poor 45 dxcc on 30m last Saturday to 54 this evening
- baluns have been made for 2 beverage on ground antennas to be tested in the coming months. I bought also a new 4 position remote switch powered over coax to connect the receiving antennas.
And a new rigexpert analyser is also available for the construction of the 80/160m verticals.
- I added a 4th passive 50Mhz element to the Steppir, but I only have 5W (ft817) on 6 meter
- The CW fieldday restricted 40/80/160m co-operating with on5zo was a success : 1st place
- the last 12 months I worked all new countries available on air. DXCC mixed shows 309, with TN still to be confirmed.
First goal is now 30m dxcc to be earned asap ..
To be short some things has been done in order to prepare the next coming years of low sun activity.
- Franki, on5zo, made a metal structure that will be the base for a 80m vertical
- the 2 el 40m is waiting to be installed, but I need my 30m DXCC first
- the 30m dipole has been repaired last week, and since a few days I'm hard chasing new countries. The counter went from a poor 45 dxcc on 30m last Saturday to 54 this evening
- baluns have been made for 2 beverage on ground antennas to be tested in the coming months. I bought also a new 4 position remote switch powered over coax to connect the receiving antennas.
And a new rigexpert analyser is also available for the construction of the 80/160m verticals.
- I added a 4th passive 50Mhz element to the Steppir, but I only have 5W (ft817) on 6 meter
- The CW fieldday restricted 40/80/160m co-operating with on5zo was a success : 1st place
- the last 12 months I worked all new countries available on air. DXCC mixed shows 309, with TN still to be confirmed.
First goal is now 30m dxcc to be earned asap ..
vrijdag 10 april 2015
OJ0V QSL status April 2015
Hi Folks,
All QSL (buro, clublog, direct and OQRS) received until April 1st 2015 are finally handled.
A huge amount of buro cards have been delivered to the UBA national QSL manager, so they will arrive shortly to your club.
Average return of direct cards is within 2 days.
All QSL (buro, clublog, direct and OQRS) received until April 1st 2015 are finally handled.
A huge amount of buro cards have been delivered to the UBA national QSL manager, so they will arrive shortly to your club.
Average return of direct cards is within 2 days.
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