DXCC 317 Crozet Island

 This was a hard one.  Finally worked FT8WW on 20m FT8.

I worked him a few days ago, received my report but not the RR73.  I wasn't in the log.  A hard moment.
Afterwards I detected a problem with the yagi.  Again the director failed on 20m.

I can solve this with a retract of all elements, but for sure there is something wrong with my good old Steppir.

Yesterday evening was bingo time.  A well working yagi at 22m, 1500 W (!!) in FT8, and a lucky moment.   And of course, 70 km/h stormy wind.   The first time I pull out the tower at full height, and just on that day so a heavy wind.

This is a hard expedition on FT8.  Many people are sending without listening.  Robots are in the air for hours and hours, sending out stupid reports.  

Yesterday, ON7USB was the absolute LID-champion.  For many hours his robot was sending... in the wrong period.  This caused QRM,  DXcluster frustration and absolutely no result.   

What does an 'amateur' like this think ?  I have to go to work, but I put on my computer, and hopely when I arrive at home this evening FT8WW will be in my log.   Just crazy !

Funny to see other hams trying to confuse his robot and making it believe that there is a valid qso.  All effort just to stop the QRM.

FT8WW also seems to cause problems : in stead of using F/H in WSJT, he uses other software.  First days, he was sending on odd periods, now on even periods.  This makes a hard expedition even harder.

But bravo for all effort he does, as most wanted man of the ham-world.

Next step : put my Optibeam 30m dipole above the yagi and work him in CW

QSLs 2022 printed and sent via buro

 All QSL requests received via Clublog in 2022 are now printed and handled by QDURE.

First big steps on 160m

 It isn't easy.  160m looks like a separate world (as it is on the 6m magic band).

I'm still in my experimental era, testing the TX antenna and learning how to work with separate RX antennas.

First positive conclusions :

1. My TX antenna works fine.  

During the WW contest I was able to work 66 countries; E2A (Thailand) and PJ2T (Carribean) found me while I was running CW.

Even better was a good copy (-18 dB) by a VK3 station of my FT8 signal transmitted with 350W and also detected by a ZS station.

2. A windom antenna can be used as a RX antenna.
The pattern looks omnidirectional, I didn't remark any difference between this one and the inverted L, although signals arrived more qrm-less.  Only one station felt into the windom that I couldn't copy on the vertical : WA7NB, Arizona, arrived with a nice signal and passed away few minutes later.

This is what is mentioned in literature : sometimes DX stations arrive unexpected on a low dipole antenna.

3. A BOG works !  I have installed a Beverage On Ground, 60m long, and it works.  But, I need the preamplifier of the transceiver.  It has also directivity and a nil on the backside.  Installed SW to NE, RA stations entered very well, but EA was practically unhearable.

On FT8 I did a test listening to callers to a 5R DX station.  A my inverted L 5 callers were detected.  On the BOG 33 (!) callers appeared on the screen.  

First negative conclusions :

1. I need more directional receive capacity.  No only to hear better the DX, but to eliminate European QRM of callers who don't listen.  This is really a problem.  Due to this, I missed a lot of Carribean multipliers.  

I can install 4 BOGs on my own property, and I'll do someday because it is almost invisible an easy to do, but...

2. I'm not sure that a BOG is able to perform well on long-distance DX.  Imo a normal beverage will do this job much better.

For that reason I ordered the necessary beverage stuff with preamplifier (DC over coax),  at the antenna.  Only to install in case of an expedition (read : Bouvet)

Listening is not cheap at all.  Today, 100m of Ecoflex-10, the coax I normally use for all antennas, costs 555 €.  For RX purposes on 160/80m I prefer RG213 for price reasons...