Record Breaking on 1296MHz
Tim Kirby GW4VXE has all the VHF and UHF news, including a new tropo record on 1296MHz (23cm).
Anew IARU Region 1 tropo record was set on July 17th when EI2FG and EA8CXN worked on 23cm during a marine ducting event. Dave G7RAU on the Lizard in Cornwall was the first to work EA8CXN on SSB using 5W into a 56-element Yagi. Tim G4LOH, also in Cornwall, completed a contact. The record-breaking contact between John Hearne EI2FG and Cesar Regalado Leon EA8CXN was over a distance of 2714km. 5/1 and 5/3 reports were exchanged on SSB, although there was deep fading on the path. Cesar EA8CXN runs 150W into a 50cm parabolic dish, with the feedpoint being a 3-element horizontally polarised PCB Yagi. EI2FG has an EME-capable system on 23cm, 200W into a 3m dish. I know for a fact that several stations in West Wales are improving their 23cm capability with a view to this path – and beyond! Many congratulations to all involved, John, Cesar, Dave and Tim, for some great contacts.
Hubnet – a Place toTalk?
Driving from West Wales to visit my mother in Gloucestershire the other day, I had the mobile rig scanning as I drove along the M4. As well as the usual repeaters the rig stopped on an Echolink gateway, MB7IHN in Swansea. This did a good job of covering much of the motorway between Port Talbot and the western side of Cardiff (congratulations to GW8LGX who provides the gateway). MB7IHN was connected to the Hubnet network and I was struck by how much activity there was on the network with people calling in from all over the country and beyond, having what I would term ‘regular’ QSOs. Certainly, a quick listen on there would convince you that people do still talk on the radio – if you ever had any doubts!
I have covered some details about Hubnet in the past, but perhaps its success can be attributed to the many options that you have to connect to it. For example, as I write this, I am listening to Hubnet using a DMR radio going through my hotspot. Other people have their own analogue gateways or connect using Echolink. If you miss having a chat on your VHF/UHF radio, then perhaps Hubnet might be something to try.
If it interests you, then do have a look at the Hubnet website (below) where you can read more about the options you have to connect up and have a chat. If you enjoy Hubnet, like many other facilities in amateur radio, it is good to send a little monetary support and you’ll find a link on the website to do just that.
Behind the scenes at GW4VXE
Back in March, Bob G0FGX and Nick 2E0FGQ from the TX Factor braved the trip to Pembrokeshire to come and chat to me about VHF/UHF. They did a wonderful job of putting the video together and you can see our chat, as well as some lovely shots of the location in Episode 26 (link below). The rumour is that you will be able to see their chat with Don G3XTT in the next episode!
The 6m Band
Kevin Hewitt ZB2GI (Gibraltar) writes,
“I continued my early morning walks up the Rock on July 2, 3, 4 & 6th to operate 6m FT8. The log included 300+ 6m FT8 QSOs working into the UK, Europe, Kuwait, Dominican Republic, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates & Japan. I worked seven stations in Japan on July 3rd. I also made 60+ 6m SSB QSOs in the afternoon on the same day. Operating on 6m from my home station, during the month I logged 250+ FT8 QSOs”.
Jef Van Raepenbusch ON8NT (Aalter) logged plenty during the month, running 10W from his Icom IC-7300 to a V-2000 vertical. The highlights were VO1HP (GN37), N1DG (FN42), AA1V (FN42), VE1PZ (FN85), WA1NPZ (FN43), K2XA (FN32), TF1A (HP94), JW7QIA (IQ78), TA1D/3 (KM39), 7X2KF (JM06), OH0/ OH1XFE, EA8DBM (IL18), ZB2GI and ZB2IF (IM76), UN9L (MO12) and LX1JX (JO30).
Phil Oakley G0BVD (Great Torrington) has had a good month working 16 new squares on the band. Highlights have been OD5KU (KM73), CN8AM (IM63), N5RP (EM57), N3MK (FM27), N4QS (EM56) and N2QT (FM07).
Dave Thorpe G4FKI (Ampthill) worked plenty during the month, using a vertical antenna. On July 25th he worked US0KW (KO30) on FT8 and next day 9A0FF (JN74), EA5BLP (JN00) and IT9VJO (JM78), all on CW.
Colin Fawcett G8YIG (Manchester)
took part in the August 50MHz UK Activity Contest and made some nice contacts, including GI4SNA (IO64), G3TXF (IO71), G4ASR (IO81), G4FZN (IO94) and G4BEE/P (IO91)
Here at GW4VXE, I’ve mostly been looking for new squares after all the excitement of the multihop openings earlier in the season. Notable contacts during the month include 4X5BR (KM71), OH0AZX (JP90), HB0WR (JN47), UN3M (LO61), CU2GI (HM77) and ZB2GI (IM76). The Perseids gave some opportunities to work some ‘awkward’ squares in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. Not all the long-haul stuff has gone though. I turned the beam to the west just before writing this (on August 15th) to work EI9JA (IO53) for a new square and while writing received WB5TUF (EL29) and three stations from Florida. Things improved further during the afternoon and I scraped a contact with K0GU (DN70) along with K4PI (EM73) and W4AS (EL95). NP4BM from Puerto Rico was also heard.
The 4m Band
Kevin ZB2GI made over 40 FT8 contacts on 4m on July 2nd and another 100 FT8 and nine SSB contacts on July 26th. Log highlights were 9A6R (JN83), DK6FX (JO30), EA8JF (IL38), EA9ACD (IM75), EB1B (IN73), EI8KN (IO62), G0JJL (IO91), GM8IEM (IO78), GW8ASA (IO81), ON7GB (JO21), PA4VHF (JO32), S52OR (JN76), S57A (JN65), S57TW (JN75), SP2FH (JO92), SV2DCD (KN00) on FT8 and PA4VHF (JO32), ON4PS (JO22), PA7MM (J023), DJ5MN (JN58), DK2PH (JO41), EA8TX (IL18), DL7ULM (JN58), DK5MV (JN58), G0JBA (JO01) on SSB
Jef ON8NT had a good month on the band, running 10W to a halo on his balcony. Highlights of his log are EA8DBM (IL18), 9H1CG (JM75), OH7TE (KP30), OH0Z (JP90), LA7DFA (JP33), LZ2HM (KN12), ZB2GI (IM76), EA9ACD (IM75), EA6XQ (JM19), EI8GG (IO52) and EA9AK (IM75).
Steve Macdonald G4AQB (Bolton) writes, “Things have been very quiet here over the last few weeks now that Sporadic E has died down. It has however given me chance to try out FM on 4m, which is something I have never done before. I remember operating AM on 70.26MHz back in the early 70s with a Low Band Pye
Vanguard. We have a local 4m FM net every morning around 11:15am. This has become more popular over the lockdown and quite a few stations are now active. I needed a 4m FM transceiver so that I could join in. There are only a couple of handhelds available for 4m but these are not easy to buy as suppliers don’t seem to stock them. Instead I started looking for a Low Band PMR. I had heard about Tait PMR transceivers, so found out more about them. A search on eBay brought loads of these Tait PMRs. Many were high band and UHF, but I came across a seller that sells fully reconditioned Low Band Tait 2015 PMRs fully programmed for all the 4m FM channels. I sent for one and I am very pleased with it. It puts out 25 watts and I have received good reports on the net with a 4m end-fed half-wave antenna that I made up. The 4m FM net is usually on 70.475MHz”. If anyone wants the details of where Steve got his transceiver, e-mail me and I’ll pass it on.
Dave G4FKI heard a Maltese station on FM on July 31st and a station from Slovenia, also on FM, on August 12th.
The 2m Band
Both Keith Watkins G8IXN (Redruth) and Richard Brooks GW1JFV (Haverfordwest) found the 2m path to D4VHF open on the morning of July 18th. Although the station was not active at the time, both of them saw D4VHF reporting their signals on the PSKReporter website. They both made a two-way QSO later on in the day. Here at GW4VXE I caught D4VHF on July 22nd and 30th – signals on the 22nd being exceptional even on my vertical antenna. The opening on the 22nd was pure marine ducting and didn’t extend very far inland, but fortunately the opening on the 30th gave many away from the coast the chance to work into Cape Verde.
It’s good to hear from Chris Colclough G1VDP (Nuneaton) who is back on VHF/ UHF after a break of some years. He is using a TS-790 to a dual-band 2m/70cm beam and is enjoying FT8 on both bands. Chris also plans some satellite activity in due course.
Jef ON8NT found some nice tropo on July 7th, working GW7SMV (IO81) and M0VXX/P (IO82).
Simon Evans G6AHX (Twyning) took part in the RSGB UK Activity Contest on August 4th, using 10W to an 8-element Yagi. Simon made 24 QSOs with the best DX being G8PNN/P (IO95).
Phil G0BVD worked GI0OTC (IO65), MM0CEZ (IO75), F8DBF (IN78) and GD3YEO (IO74) on FT8 on July 31st.
Roger Daniel G4RUW (Newbury) reflects that it’s been a funny Es season, with a good opening at the end of May, very little in June but he found a good opening on July 13th. Things started off with a contact with SM5KWU (JO89) on FT8, followed by OH1TM (KP01) and nine more OH stations. Roger worked OH1TM on FT8 and then switched to SSB, working stations in KP01, KP41, KP14 and KP02. Roger says that he has been looking for Finland on 2m for 37 years! John Hawes G8CQX (Cheltenham) told me in a QSO that in the same opening, he heard a strong signal on 144.300MHz, assuming it was a local and found it was OH5LK (KP30) who he was able to work on SSB. Here at GW4VXE I was delighted to catch the opening too, working ES1KK (KO29), ES4RM (KO49), UA1ALD (KO59) and OH2BYJ (KP10). With the 6m beam
up and the 2m beam down it was all on the V-2000 using 50W of FT8.
Andy Adams GW0KZG (Letterston) caught the Es opening on July 13th and says it’s the best he’s heard from Pembrokeshire towards Eastern Europe. Andy worked ES4RM, RM1A and OH2FQV, all on FT8. On July 17th, Andy caught the tropo to the southwest, working D4VHF, EA8CXN, EA1UR and EA1TF. On July 18th there was more tropo with GM0HBK, F6IFX, F0EYI, EC1A, EA1U and F5PHW all worked. July 29th saw D4VHF worked again as well as GM0HBK and MM0CEZ with EA8CSB and D4VHF worked again on the 30th. During the Perseids, Andy worked CT1HIX, S50L, CT7ABA, OK1UGA and HB9FAP.
The 70cm Band
At GW4VXE I was very excited to hear D4VHF (HK76) on the 70cm band on July 22nd. I had left the system monitoring 432.174MHz and they came up to workable strength for a good few minutes, on my V-2000 vertical over a 4280km path. The bad news is that I wasn’t in the shack as we had a visitor! I was able to console myself with a QSO with EA8CSB who I also worked on July 30th. I was running 50W to the V-2000 vertical.
Kevin ZB2GI writes, “EA7JNC called into the Gibraltar UHF repeater situated at the top of the Rock from the playa at Cabo de Gata in Almeria. He was able to open the repeater using a Baofeng handheld with the stock antenna. Using a 4-element Yagi stuck in the sand he was fully quieting into the repeater 412km from Gibraltar. In the morning he was unable to get into the repeater until the Levanter (sea mist) shrouding the Rock had cleared. A CT1/ M0 station called into the Gibraltar UHF repeater from Faro in Portugal using a Baofeng handheld also with the stock antenna. He was also fully quieting into the repeater 250km from Gibraltar, but his signal faded out after 10 minutes”.
Satellites
Graham Jones G3VKV (Cheltenham) has been operating DATV through the QO-100 satellite. Graham received some video from PY2RN near Sao Paulo. PY2RN is right on the edge of the footprint so the offset dish for narrow band is inverted with the feed at the top in order to beam to the 7° elevation that is needed from there. For video transmit, a 2.3m dish is used and on receive a 1.5m dish, both prime focus dishes. On the narrow band transponder, Graham enjoyed a long chat with Derek
V51DM in Swakopmund, Namibia.
Simon G6AHX has been helping Adrian G0VLG with his QO-100 uplink and has been enjoying using an AOR AR5700D receiver, which he has been loaned.
Thank you, as always, to Patrick Stoddard WD9EWK (Phoenix) who has sent his regular fascinating e-mail regarding his satellite work during the month. He writes, “July saw me get back into making a series of trips around Arizona, to operate from different grids around the state. This was also the start of the Mexican special-event station 4A15DXXE on the satellites, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the DXXE group. Others added to the activity on satellites from different locations around North America.
“Rafael XE2RV, the satellite operator for the 4A15DXXE station, said on Twitter that he was hoping 4A15DXXE could get a satellite DXCC award, for confirming contacts with at least 100 grid locators. After working 4A15DXXE from home on July 9th, I started to think about where I could go to give 4A15DXXE more grids. I didn’t wait long, as the first of my road trips went to the DM34/DM44 line north of the Phoenix area. I parked along a dirt track in a national forest, and worked 4A15DXXE on AO-91 and AO-92 passes, along with a bunch of other stations around North America.
“During the next week, I operated from grid DM32 south of the Phoenix area on July 16th, followed by the DM33/DM43 boundary in Phoenix the next day. I worked 4A15DXXE from both of these locations on SO-50 passes, bringing my contribution to that special callsign to five grids. These weren’t my last trips to help 4A15DXXE...
“On July 23rd, I drove to the DM23/DM24 line in western Arizona, operating from there for a few hours. I worked 4A15DXXE on the first SO-50 pass I attempted out there, adding two more grids. A week later, on July 30th, a trip to northern Arizona. I parked on the DM35/DM45 line along old US-66, and logged 4A15DXXE on an AO-92 pass.
“In early August, Rafael reported that 4A15DXXE had confirmed contacts with 100 grid locators in Logbook of the World. All of his operating had been from his home grid in northern Mexico, DL55. Rafael said he wanted to make one more activation of 4A15DXXE, but from grid DL56. I decided to make one more road trip, to the DM52/ DM53 grid boundary in southeastern Arizona. I worked 4A15DXXE on two AO-92 passes from out there, and Rafael’s location was close enough to his home grid DL55 so the DL56 activation could be applied to the same satellite VUCC award Rafael wanted for 4A15DXXE.
“With these road trips, I had operated from a total of 11 different grids around Arizona. It was fun to get out and operate away from home again, after so many months stuck at home earlier in 2020.
“I was part of a fun contact last weekend (August 8th). Endaf N6UTC/MW1BQO has been operating from islands around southern California, as part of the US Islands program (http://usislands.org). Endaf and I had been talking about the possibility of an island-to-island contact, but I didn’t think there would be many islands in a landlocked state like Arizona. Fortunately, the US Islands program has a more liberal definition of an island, compared to the Islands on the Air (IOTA) program, and there was an ‘island’ only a few minutes from my house.
“This ‘island’, called Sunward Island, is connected to the banks of the Salt River by bridges, between a freeway and an Indian reservation. The west side of the road that crosses the ‘island’ has a large area where I could park and operate. I drove over there, and on an AO-92 pass made the quick contact with Endaf, who was on Terminal Island near Los Angeles. Endaf and I worked other stations around the USA and Mexico, after we made our contact.
“Along with my travels around Arizona,
Mitch AD0HJ completed a long road trip through North Dakota, activating all of the grids in that state. Mitch is about to do a similar road trip through South Dakota.
“A new distance record was set on AO-7 this week. Joe KE9AJ in Colorado worked
Jerome F4DXV in France, covering a distance of 8204km. This is pushing the limits of the old satellite, which had been thought to support contacts spanning around 8000km”.
DATV
Graham G3VKV writes, “During the BATC contest on August 9th I received some TV from Dave MOYDH/P on Brown Clee, Shropshire, and Dave G4FRE/P at Dorstone near Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Signals were very strong on both 146.5MHz and 437MHz using 333kS DVB-S2 at 70km distance. Transmissions were 450kHz wide on both bands”.
That’s it for this month. Thanks to everyone who has contributed – but there’s always room for more. Remember, your experiments and results may inspire someone else to try something new. That’s what the hobby is all about!