IARU contest 2024

A few years ago, I bought the Flexradio 6400 with the primary goal of achieving the 6M DXCC by making contacts in FT8. 

It took a while before I dared to participate in CW contests with this 'black box.' After all, the absence of a tuning knob requires some adjustment. I had never done an SSB-contest with this transceiver before. The old faithful Yaesu FT1000MKV has never let me down, and the external voice keyer works perfectly.

And it's been quite a while since I seriously participated in this type of contest. Unlike a CW contest, this one is a noise-maker in the house. Still, I had decided to give it a try with the Flexradio in the IARU contest as a test. Although this contest is actually meant for multi-band, I created my own category: 'SOSB SSB 10M HP non-assisted.' Participating to rank in 'SOHP SSB' was excluded from the start.

These were my goals:

• Test all the possibilities and parameters of the transceiver related to voice
• Test the panadapter of N1MM+
• Try out the voice keyer within N1MM+
• Investigate whether there is an added value within non-assisted for using a spectrum scope versus the old method with the Yaesu
• At least 70 contacts for the RRDXA ranking, at least 250 contacts for an IARU award, and preferably some hundreds of QSO with some huge short pile-ups to the States/Japan.
• Test the new Optibeam yagi

Here are the results:

• Having a wide bandscope via the Flexradio is an absolute added value. By making the time-out of the contacts in N1MM extra long, new stations appear very easily. For the first time, I also noticed that I receive local QRM, probably from a solar installation a few houses away. Every 50Khz, there is a noticeable peak. Not pleasant, but workable.
  
  
                           

  Flexradio spectrum filled with own spots (no cluster connection)
  
  
  
  
  I couldn't determine extra added value of the spectrum scope of N1MM. Maybe the CQ function if the band is very busy.

 

                                     

• The voice keyer in N1MM works quite well; I still need to figure out why there is a small dead time at the start. Probably a delay setting somewhere.

• Equalizer, voice processor, bias, voice amplifier were tested and found satisfactory by the receiving ham stations.

• The Optibeam works perfectly. Directional, but still just wide enough and a nice F/B ratio.

The 10-meter band, on the other hand, was the biggest disappointment of the entire contest. I did not see this setback coming. On Saturday, the path was wide open to South America and Africa. But the USA and Japan were absent. This costs hundreds of contacts. On Sunday morning, it was like calling into the desert, and this was the case for everyone. For that reason, I had to work hard to find contacts to exceed 250, but then I stopped 4 hours before the end. Time on Sunday is too precious to call without answers. Apparently, conditions improved in the last hours, but this did not matter to me.

                              

Alone in the desert with OP0HQ, DA0HQ, GR2HQ and two QRM peaks.

Some excitement on Sunday when I heard a clubmate running a SSB pile-up with the USA on 28.414Mhz while I could only hear noise in all directions.

It took a few minutes before I realized he was on 14.207Mhz, and his 2nd harmonic was blasting through my receiver.
This is no longer for me: I use the high duty monoband 4O3A filter to reduce possible EMC problems with the neighbors and to keep other bands free from splatter.

Conclusion: 10 meter is not 15m nor 20m.  It's always a risc to go for a 10 meter single band operation. 
But I am ready for the CQWW SSB 10M. Hopefully for more better conditions at the end of October!

                                   

10m highway to South-America

Optibeam OB5-10 up and running

First weeks with the new antenna and good results.  

Worked 72 x PY, 47 x LU, 11x CE stations with 250W.

This weekend, I’ll be active in the IARU contest.

OB5-10 almost ready

 
The OB5-10 is ready for mounting. SWR looks fine, high power balun installed.

Blue arrow : rectangular boom adaptation to fix a OB2-40 element

Red arrows : mounting holes for a Steppir element

My new antenna project : integration of Optibeam and Steppir

Because I am gradually preparing to leave the city and return to the countryside—where my station is set up—I have started a new project for a more efficient antenna system.

I will keep the mast and rotor, as well as the mini-tiltplate.
This means the tiltplate can handle a maximum wind load of 1 m² and a maximum antenna weight of 35 kg, and the telescopic mast can handle an antenna load of around 1m² during heavy weather conditions.

My new plan is as follows:

1. Have a decent monoband yagi for contests.
2. Easily switch between different bands for rare expeditions.
3. Minimize the effort needed to switch between contest and expedition goals.

Therefore, I came up with the idea of installing an Optibeam5-10, a decent monobander that meets the requirements. 
This one can be converted into a 5-element yagi on 15m or a 4-element yagi on 20m. The 7,5m boom can easily be extended to about 10m to meet the 15m/20m requirements.

I use the same boom to mount the 3 motors of the SteppIR and to quickly install the 2 elements of the Optibeam2-40.

I'm still looking for a solution for the OB1-30 dipole.

In this way, I have three different antennas using the same boom, which can remain mounted. I only need to lower the mast and switch to another system in minimal time.

Technical/mechanical preparation has started with the positioning of all possible element on the boom.

To be continued...

CQ 160m contest 2024 result

After the neck-and-neck race during the 160m contest, things didn't look so good. The raw scores indicated a second place, a consequence of my early stop on Sunday.

Raw scores : 

However, after calculating the penalty points, the result turned in my favor and I secured first place. 

The 160m band is particularly sensitive to making mistakes.
More so than in other contests, deciding whether or not to log a contact is part of the contest strategy.

Final result : 

It's always nice to compete with other compatriots. It's a pity that there are so few active Belgian contesters in CW.

Impedance of the inverted L versus number of radials

Before removing the radials of the inverted L (in fact 2x inverted L for 160m and 80m, but connected to a common balun and common radial system) to restart lawn mowing, I conducted some tests to observe the effect of the number of radials on the impedance properties of the antenna. First with 10 radials, each 21m long, then with only 4 radials, and finally with a single one. It should be noted that there is a 1:2.47 balun present in this system.

I did the test for both 80m and 160m.

End of the 160m season

 The winter of 2023-2024 is definitively over, and so is my 160m season. With 17 new worked and confirmed countries added, the counter reaches 95 confirmed DXCC entities on Topband. Only my QSO with JT1CO from 2022 remains unconfirmed.

With highlights including Yemen in FT8 and East Timor in CW, I can look back satisfied at a successful season.

Just 5 countries left on the way to the 10B-DXCC and only 4 zones needed for 160m WAZ.