Good Openings on 20M Most Evenings
Greetings Ham Radio People, thank you Nash and Tomas for the recent Comments they are always appreciated.
The past couple of months have been busy for Me at my workplace which as some of you know already it is a College . This time of year is when we have to make sure everything has been covered and our students will achieve their qualifications. So you can imagine theirs lots to do, I've also just about completed my first year on a part time University course. Which once completed next summer I will have a full Teaching licence and be able to continue practicing teaching in FE. So I have found myself getting in front of my HF Rig a bit later in the evening when usually 20M has closed.
Over the last couple of weeks I have been fortunate to find some good openings on 20M in the evening into the early hours of the following day.
Using the Hustler 6BTV and the Delta Loop I made some great QSOs with big signals exchanged both ways.
On the Hustler 6BTV I worked 5N8NDP(NIGERIA), W1AW(USA), CN8ZG(MOROCCO) PY6RT(BRAZIL) & YV5OHM(VENEZUELA).
On the home brew Delta Loop I worked CO6LC(CUBA), YV5MSG, YV5HNJ(VENEZUELA), LW4EU(ARGENTINA), 9Y4LDK(TRINIDAD & TOBAGO), N8OO(USA) & HC2FN(ECUADOR).
All contacts were made on 20M between 16.15 and 23.00 UTC, the majority after 21.30 UTC from my home station.
I used the Yaesu FT767GX and about 50W of output power, I received some good audio reports and comments about the Heil Goldline Mic I was running. The Home QTH has been back to normal regarding QRN, as noise levels have dropped back to Zero on 20M and around S-5 on 80M. The WX has been good so I believe the noisy conditions previously were down to a particular Wet Moor Land Earth I endured over the winter. Accompanied the rest of us Northerners, at last improved WX and Band conditions!
10 Meters has also been open around 18.00 UTC, with strong QSB and some big signals out of Europe. I havent heard anything Exotic as yet on 10M, but after 25 years of 11M before I got my Licence which was feb 2004, I know from experience there is a real good chance I will hear some distant stations coming through like a few VKs and ZLs.
10 Meters is a truly great band when it is open and I have had some good DX Contacts on QRP equipment in the past so I am looking forward to the Cycle getting some more momentum.
Well that's about it for now, I haven't been /Mobile for the last couple of weeks as the Kawasaki 750cc has been my Iron Horse on most of my journeys. The Mobile station is working well as mentioned in the lat couple of posts, so whilst the sun is shining, and the price of fuel is soaring, I shall be /Motor Cycle for as long as possible h.i.
Hope to catch you guys who are hams on air sometime soon, once again thanks to All for passing by Ham radio Blogspot.Com.
73 Listen out for me /Mobile and Home Base sometime soon on 20M.
de 2E0HTS Simon
The past couple of months have been busy for Me at my workplace which as some of you know already it is a College . This time of year is when we have to make sure everything has been covered and our students will achieve their qualifications. So you can imagine theirs lots to do, I've also just about completed my first year on a part time University course. Which once completed next summer I will have a full Teaching licence and be able to continue practicing teaching in FE. So I have found myself getting in front of my HF Rig a bit later in the evening when usually 20M has closed.
Over the last couple of weeks I have been fortunate to find some good openings on 20M in the evening into the early hours of the following day.
Using the Hustler 6BTV and the Delta Loop I made some great QSOs with big signals exchanged both ways.
On the Hustler 6BTV I worked 5N8NDP(NIGERIA), W1AW(USA), CN8ZG(MOROCCO) PY6RT(BRAZIL) & YV5OHM(VENEZUELA).
On the home brew Delta Loop I worked CO6LC(CUBA), YV5MSG, YV5HNJ(VENEZUELA), LW4EU(ARGENTINA), 9Y4LDK(TRINIDAD & TOBAGO), N8OO(USA) & HC2FN(ECUADOR).
All contacts were made on 20M between 16.15 and 23.00 UTC, the majority after 21.30 UTC from my home station.
I used the Yaesu FT767GX and about 50W of output power, I received some good audio reports and comments about the Heil Goldline Mic I was running. The Home QTH has been back to normal regarding QRN, as noise levels have dropped back to Zero on 20M and around S-5 on 80M. The WX has been good so I believe the noisy conditions previously were down to a particular Wet Moor Land Earth I endured over the winter. Accompanied the rest of us Northerners, at last improved WX and Band conditions!
10 Meters has also been open around 18.00 UTC, with strong QSB and some big signals out of Europe. I havent heard anything Exotic as yet on 10M, but after 25 years of 11M before I got my Licence which was feb 2004, I know from experience there is a real good chance I will hear some distant stations coming through like a few VKs and ZLs.
10 Meters is a truly great band when it is open and I have had some good DX Contacts on QRP equipment in the past so I am looking forward to the Cycle getting some more momentum.
Well that's about it for now, I haven't been /Mobile for the last couple of weeks as the Kawasaki 750cc has been my Iron Horse on most of my journeys. The Mobile station is working well as mentioned in the lat couple of posts, so whilst the sun is shining, and the price of fuel is soaring, I shall be /Motor Cycle for as long as possible h.i.
Hope to catch you guys who are hams on air sometime soon, once again thanks to All for passing by Ham radio Blogspot.Com.
73 Listen out for me /Mobile and Home Base sometime soon on 20M.
de 2E0HTS Simon
Comments
Got myself another radio.
catch you on localy (145.500)tell you all about it . have been doing a little psk on 20 going make that loop as soon as I get the wire together.
got lots to talk about
73 for now
M1PAC
It should be good when you get a Delta Loop, I wonder what Rig your running?
I'll Listen out for you on 145.500 but not been on during usual run due to Riding the Kwacker 750.
73 Good DX with the PSK
Si
In last 2 weekends I made zd8, vq9 on rtty and tr8, 3a, 9h ssb on 17m with vertical and homebrewed moxon rectangle antenna.
Hope to meet you on the band on the band, Simon.
73 Tomas
I will have to try spending more time listening to 17M.
The Moxan antenna sounds interesting? I have heard of them but dont know much about these antennas.
Hope to bump into you on Air soon!
73 Good Dx Simon
Father and I constructed moxon antenna during one day, just experiment. We used 4 fishing rods 3m (without last part), wooden base. It worked immediately without extra tunning and special instructions. I downloaded from web utility for antenna calculation only. Claimed gain is 5.5dbi, unfortunatelly I could not compared it with another antenna(s)..
I like 17m, there is not so big trafic and chance to call/work dx stations is much bigger than on 20m ..
BTW in one of your video you worked sv9 station same day and similiar time as me, I think, we were close ;-)
73! Tomas
I think that maybe we work on the bands at the same time regularly, but have not yet found each other. I always have my ears tuned for you and Nash ;-)
The other day I heard an Oscar Kilo station also called Tomas, I rushed to the mic but it was a different Tomas! h.i
It will be no problem copying you on most of the HF bands, hopefully we will get the timing correct for both of us.
Best regards to you, your Father and the rest of your family.
73, thank you for each interesting link and the lovely comments.
Hope to hear you soon de Simon