Toyota Mobile Still Working Well On The 20M Band

My Monday morning work journey looked rather bleak for riding my motorcycle. It had been snowing over the night leaving icy patches and slippery surfaces which I prefer to avoid whilst travelling on two wheels.
So taking the easy option I proceeded to fire up the little Toyota 4 X 4 and at the same time I gave myself an opportunity to switch on my good old Yaesu FT-100 mobile radio.

Within a mile of  leaving my QTH I heard VK1GG/P2 calling CQ DX on 20 meters with a loud 5/8 signal.
 I gave Chris - VK1GG a couple of calls back and Chris heard me via the long path with a 5/4 signal. I was very pleased to make the QSO into VK2 land from my mobile at a distance of over 15000 miles.

I have worked many DX with the same FT-100 and Maldol HFC-20 mono band antenna throughout the years with excellent service and reliability not forgetting their superb performance. I first obtained this particular mobile set up back in 2004 and after today's DX performance into Canberra, Australia with Chris - VK1GG, I can say it is still doing a very nice job for me.

Ham Assistance Needed

Radio Amateurs are needed to help The Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TSNIIMASH) in Russia with some space plasma experiments taking place onboard the International Space Station (ISS) Nov 25nd - 28th and Dec 2nd -5th. The experiment will use the ISS Amateur Radio 145.825 MHz FM AX.25 1200 bps packet radio downlink.

For more information visit Amsat or find the website about the experiment here

Mexico On 10M FM

After work this evening I fired up my ham radio shack and started tuning up and down the bands.
I had heard recent reports that the 10m repeater KQ2H was coming in strong on a regular basis with lots of interesting stations working through it.

I tuned my FT1000 to 29.620MHz FM and sure enough I could hear the KQ2H repeater. KQ2H is located across the Atlantic near New York in the Catskill Mountains.

I heard lots of stations calling through to begin with, it was slightly chaotic at times but then I suddenly heard Jose - XE2YHR coming in well with a big signal.

After calling him three times Jose pulled me out of the crowd and we had a short QSO exchanging reports and location information.

It was very nice indeed getting into Mexico via a repeater in New York on 10 meters FM.
I'll be listening up on Ten FM over the weekend to see what activity might be found as well as enjoying time with the family.

73 all have a great weekend & happy DXing

Operating 10 Meters during CQWW

Over the weekend I enjoyed some of the fantastic openings up on the 10 meter band during this years WWCQ Contest.

I managed to work some excellent DX for the first time in a long time up on 28MHz. The last time I heard conditions as good as they were, was back in the 80s when I was an avid 11 Meter DXer as well as a spotty faced teenager. My old President Adams at the time brought exotic signals to my early radio days.

I still have some old chicken box kit from way back which includes a couple of 40 channel AM rigs, an original colt as well as a little president AR7. I also have a Ham International Multimode II.

This years WWCQ contest was worked mainly on 10 Meters for me using my FT1000mp MKV field and Carolina Windom antenna (CW80). I exceeded my previous total of 15 Zones by spending my time up on 10m more or less throughout the contest and working a total of 21 World wide zones. This is the best I have done since getting on the air during WWCQ and I am pleasantly surprised how well my humble station is working for me at my relatively new QTH.

I made many great contacts into 25 different DXCC during the 2011 CQWW contest and had a lot of fun doing it.

Countries I worked include:

1 The USA

2 Argentina

3 Cyprus

4 Iceland

5 Uruguay

6 Montenegro

7 France

8 Kazakhstan

9 United Arab Emirates

10 Asiatic Russia

11 European Russia

12 China

13 Japan

14 French Guiana

15 Turks & Caicos

16 Costa Rica

17 Bermuda

18 Brazil

19 Surinam

20 Dominican Republic

21 Turkey

22 Canada

23 Greece

24 Morocco

25 The Gambia

As usual I made sure that I caught some of this years WWCQ contest on video whilst working up on Ten meters. The video shows lots of fantastic signals booming in from various World wide zones.

I hope you enjoy it. 73!

Radio Equipment Rack

Whilst enjoying the half term break from work we have been getting a few household jobs done. One job I have been considering doing involved moving my radio gear from one side of the room to the other.

I made a metal racking system that has been on standby and today was the day I was going to get to use it. I began by dismantling my radio equipment carefully and then I moved one coax at a time avoiding any possible mix ups. I decided to run a new earthing wire to the outside, where I soldered it to a brass grounding spike.

I made the box section rack big enough to house all of my equipment and rigs including my PC tower.

It fits nice and snug inside a corner alcove wear I can operate the various rigs and bands nice and comfortably with ease.

The new layout is more spacious and user friendly than the previous shack set up and better still, the YL likes it!

I took a few pictures showing the new radio shack layout with my home brew rack housing my YAESU powered station.
View of the Shack in twilight operations
Close up view showing the sturdy construction of box section tube joined together using the MIG welding process.

Now that's all sorted, its time to make some coffee and QSOs. 73

VK2GWK Worked on 15M Long Path - video

Up early as usual and listening around 21.290MHz this morning, I heard a strong signal coming out of Australia. It was coming in at my station at around 5/7 to 8 from the Ham station of VK2GWK, operator - Henk.

VK2GWK - Henk was calling CQ DX so I gave Henk a quick call back making it back around the globe into Henks QTH which is nearby to Sydney, making another great DX qso.

During the contact I was running my FT1000mp MK-V hooked up to the CW-80 wire antenna. Henk was beaming long path to my QTH coming in loud and clear as seen in the video.

After our qso I checked VK2GWK on QRZ.com and found a neat link by Henk where I downloaded his QSL card for our recent QSO. Great idea Henk! Tnx & 73.

ZL2WL - New Zealand

I continued the early breakfast DX by working into New Zealand. I tried my luck on my Carolina Windom this time and got my signal heard at 5/1 when I made QSO with Wayne - ZL2WL. Once again the good old 20m band performed its magic and another good DX QSO enters my log. 73

Early Morning Long Path To VK

Another advantage of having a 7 month old baby Daughter is that I am up and awake very early. Lucky for me I can also catch up with some long path DXing on my Ham Radio Station.

This morning at 06.25 utc I was tuning around the 20m band when I heard Neil - VK2IZI coming through with a 5/9 signal out of Australia. The exact frequency where I caught up with Neil was 14.178MHz, I gave just one call using the Hustler 6BTV which was received long path by Neil 5/7. I was surprised the vertical was working so well for me, I did my usual comparison test whilst receiving Neil on my wire Carolina Windom, which was almost the same as the vertical. The wire RX the signal from VK at the same 5/7 to 5/9 strength, so I decided to stick with the vertical during our QSO.

Neil - VK2IZI is located in the Blue Mountains near by to Sydney and was running an Optibeam antenna system. The Optibeam was working very well for him. Yesterday morning I heard lots of Japanese Stations coming through up and down the HF bands, its great catching the bands so lively during the early morning openings.

Well that's it for now, guess its time to change a nappy and get get some more coffee, happy DXing catch you on the long path!

Surface pressure forecast

Strong winds have continued throughout the day so I decided to receive some forecast information from Northwood RN (London). I tuned my receiver to 4.608.09 MHz USB where I decoded a +20db signal using Radiocom 5.2 on my P.C as seen in the screenshot.


The surface pressure analysis received at my location shows tightly packed isobars across the UK indicating strong winds.
RX 2

RX 1

Happy Birthday Sputnik

It's 54 years since the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik. Launched on Oct 4, 1957 Sputnik paved the way for satellite communications which has been enjoyed by many radio amateurs around the world.

Named after the Russian word for satellite Sputnik was 22 inches in diameter and thanks to heavy batteries weighed 184 pounds. According to Wikipedia:

"The satellite had a one-watt, 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) radio transmitting unit inside, developed by V. I. Lappo from NII-885, that worked on two frequencies, 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. Signals on the first frequency were transmitted in 0.3 sec pulses (under normal temperature and pressure conditions on-board), with pauses of the same duration filled by pulses on the second frequency. Analysis of the radio signals was used to gather information about the electron density of the ionosphere."

The satellite travelled at a whopping 18,000 miles an hour. Its elliptical orbit varied from between 584 miles and 143 miles from the Earth which it circled once every hour and 36 minutes.

As well as technologically paving the way for satellite communications Sputnik heralded an important era of the Cold War, heightening tensions between the US and Russia which would take many years to thaw. Now on the ham bands Russians and Americans share many happy QSOs and rather than being a signal of suspicion and discontent Sputnik is seen as a key point in Ham Radio history.

So, Happy Birthday Sputnik! I hope to be making some satellite QSOs in your honour to celebrate!

Martinique - FM5BH on 17 Meters

I am pleased to report that conditions are again quite favourable for some evening DX as I just worked into Martinique on the 17 meter band.I was scanning the 17m band on my MARK-V Field and CW-80 antenna when I stumbled across FM5BH booming in with a 5/9 signal on 18.154MHz.
His signal sounded great as he worked through a nice pile up of callers, I got through after a couple of calls receiving a 5/9 report back.

I am spending more and more of my radio time on 17m these days and enjoying the band very much. I am pleasantly surprised how well the Carolina Windom works on that particular band especially into South America and the Caribbean. I hope to work some more DX stations soon and maybe catch a few on video. 73.

Operating The HF Night Shift

Over the last month I have been mainly active in the late evening time where I have spent my radio time mainly on the HF bands. I have managed some nice QSOs with reasonable conditions using the Ft1000MP MK-V, Carolina Windom and a mug of hot coffee.

As usual a big thanks goes out to all stations worked. I decided to list a few of my favorites including the bands that I operated on.

17m - HZ1BL Saudi Arabia & FG5DH Guadeloupe.
20m - WA1P U.S.A. & CO6LC Cuba.
40m - OJ0OUR Market Reef, LU1IV Argentina & CM8AKD Cuba,

I wonder where and who I will be getting in the September log? 73 happy DX!

First SSTV Image Received From ARISSat-1

I have been waiting for the new bird ARISSat-1 to pass by and tonight at 21.03 UTC I was in luck. Above is my first ARISSat-1 SSTV image received at my home QTH using a Yaesu FT-847 and Dual Yagi Satellite antenna array. I am looking forward to some closer passes and better reception over the next few days.

Early Start For Short Wave Listening

During the weekends and holidays the family and I have been spending plenty of time up at the old QTH (the shack on the hill) taking in the fresh Moorland air. When we bought our new family home we decided to keep our old Moorland QTH which comprises of a luxury 40ft Static Caravan up at 1000ft asl on the edge of the Pennines here in Yorkshire. Its a great place to hangout with a wonderful view!

The old shack is still working as well as ever with my trusty FT-767, FT-890, FT-2600m and VR5000. The rigs are all connected to my original antennas. The antennas are also holding up exceptionally well. I have still got my home made IO-10EL Sat beam up as well as the 20m Delta loop, Hustler 6BTV, X200 Co-linear and 10m vertical.

Our lovely baby daughter is starting to take an interest in the hobby of amateur radio, She has the makings of becoming a keen SWL.

Hope to work some of you from both of my shacks/QTH during the next couple of weeks as I enjoy my summer holidays. 73 have fun!

NOAA 18 - Image of todays weather (UK & Europe)

Whilst surfing the HF bands on a lazy Sunday afternoon I had my satellite tracking equipment on standby ready to receive and decode NOAA - 18.
Here is the received transmission from NOAA-18 received at 3.15 pm (local) at the QTH of 2E0HTS - Yorkshire, U.K.
If your intrested in recieving signals from NOAA Satellites check out NOAA SAT Status for frequencies and up to date information.