432 MHz MHz AND ABOVE EME NEWS
MARCH 1998 VOL 26 # 3
ALLEN KATZ, K2UYH
Editor
ENGR DEPT., THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY, TRENTON, NJ 08650-4700 (W 609-490-2817
OR H 443- 3184, FAX 609-443-1713, AND EMAIL:
Allen Katz, K2UYH
PRODUCTION ASSIST: TOM KIRK, KA2VAD (908-521-2049).
SKEDS CORD & DIRECTORY: DL4EBY/DK0TU, KLAUS TIEDEMANN,
HALSKESTR.35, D-12167 BERLIN, (49-30-7955467), E-Mail:
Klaus Tiedemann.
***E-MAIL LIST CORD: Scott KD4LT***
*** NA EME BBS: 704-284-4854 ***
EME NETS
14.345, 10 AM ET SATURDAYS, AFTER VARO NET SUNDAYS:
CONDITIONS
Much of the Feb SW activity focused around the SSB
Contest on 1296. The picture will switch in March to 432 because of the
REF/DUBUS EME Contest which is scheduled for 7/8 March on 70 cm and
the microwave bands (13 cm and above). Full rules for this contest are at the
end of this NL. You will want to read the rules carefully as there are a number
important changes. Multipliers are no longer call areas in NA, but states and
provinces in the US, Canada and Australia. The SSB Contest seemed to work
out well. Activity was definitely concentrated around the common Eur moon
window, but during this period it was great. Stations which seemed to do
particularly well were OE9XXI, LX1DB and OH2AXH.
Unfortunately I did
not specify a deadline for submission of logs, and to date I have received very
few scores. Lets set 20 March as the date for receipt of logs. The 3 highest
scoring stations will receive certificates.
CT1DMK
Luis writes -- Here it is my modest SSB Contest score, and some
comment for the NL. I worked the following on 1296 in the contest, all QSOs
were SSB/SSB unless noted: 2225
OH2AXH KP20, 2243 OZ4MM JO, 2254
OE9XXI JN45, 0013 K2DH FN (SSB/CW), 0041 K2UYH FN and 2334
HB9SV
for a score of (10+1)x5 or 55 points. It was great fun. I am just sorry
that some stations did not come on SSB after I asked them to transmit on SSB.
Even if they could not hear me at all on SSB, I was quite sure that I would
have copied them on SSB, while I could transmit on CW, for a 1 point QSO.
(As I did with K2DH). Never underestimate my RX. Its always worth a try!
G3LTF
Peter says -- I had quite a good time in the "contest." But on SSB, the
law that says ".. the strength of the other guy's signal is inversely proportional to the likelihood of him hearing you." .. (even if you can hear your own SSB echoes!) applies even stronger than on CW. This was frustrating, see the list of CWNRs later. On 432, I worked on 6 Feb SM3AKW, K4QI and RA3LE -
really nice to hear him again. I heard SV1BTR on sked, but he didn't hear me.
I also called DL4XX many times. The real activity was on 1296. I worked on
CW ZS6AXT, DD1XF, KB0PYO for initial #135, PY5ZBU #136 and
DXCC 32, but nil from PA0JCA on sked. On SSB I worked
OE9XXI JN47,
GW3XYW IO71, OH2AXH KP20, OZ4MM JO55, K2DH FN12, KB2AH
FN20, S59DCD JN76, K2UYH FN20, WD5AGO EM26, LX1DB JN39,
K5JL EM15, F2TU (CW/SSB) JN38 and DK7LJ JO54. I make that
(24+1)x7 for 175 points! CWNR on SSB were
HB9BBD, JH5LUZ (many),
KD4LT, HB9SV (many), DF3RU, ON5RR, DJ9YW
(locators were copied
from all of them) and DC6UW, plus VE1ALQ
was heard.
1296 Sun noise was
measured as 16.5 dB at a flux of 89. On 2304 my receiver failed, so couldn't
make my skeds, sorry. [Peter has offered to chair a discussion at the Paris
EME Conference on the frequency allocation issues for the 13 cm band with
the objective of perhaps finding a common frequency, and/or increasing
activity. He would like to get information and peoples views on the following:
What frequency allocation at 13 cm do you have currently? Is it exclusive or
shared? What are the power limits? What are the threats to this allocation in
your country? What do you see as the time scale of these and what portion of
the band would they affect? What are your views on crossband operation -
current operation is at 2304, 2320 and 2424. How big a problem is this? Does
it influence whether you equip for the band? Peter would particularly like to
find out about the specific frequencies and time scales of the threats such as
PCS (future personal communication systems). He welcomes inputs on the
above and related issues, and would like to receive them by email at
<10063.1656@compuserve.com> or by letter.]
G4ERG
Peter thinks his original Jan report may have gone off into
cyberspace as it was missing from the Feb NL, so he has resubmitted the
following -- I found good conditions and activity in Jan, and worked
OZ4MM, K1FO, HA1YA, HB9SUL for initial #100, NC1I, UR5LX,
W7CI #101, K5WXN #102, N2IQU, SM3AKW, DL9NDD, K7XD #103,
IK5QLO #104 and LX1DB #105. Heard were WE2Y, UA6LGH, DL8OBU,
EA3UM, DL4XX, JH4JLV, DL9KR, JA2TY, JA5OVU, JA5NNS, RA3LE,
K9BCT, OE5EYM, G4FUF and K3HZO.
Signals in Feb appeared down on
the previous month with poor results in most skeds. Nil was heard from
JA5NNS, JS3SIM, JA3IAF and DF9QX, and DL4XX (M/-) and K3HZO (O/-
). I QSO'd
RA3LE, OZ4MM, DF3RU, UR5LX, N2IQU, SV1BTR #106,
SM2CEW, JA5OVU, HA1YA, K1FO, NC1I and DK3WG.
Heard were
OK1KIR, PA3CSG, DL9NDD, K2UYH, SM3AKW, G3SEK, G3LTF,
JA9BOH, I5CTE, K0RZ, DL9KR, G4RGK, DL5FN and K5GW.
F6KSX
J-Jacques, F1EHN writes -- We (F1EHN and F6DLA) are replacing
the 23 cm station with the 3 cm one. So, F6KSX will be QRV on 10 GHz for
the 2nd part (April) of the REF/DUBUS EME Contest. The station will be a
50 w TWTA with a 3.3 m dish, 0.7 NF LNA and F1EHN tracking system.
HB9BBD
Dominique now has direct internet access. He reports on his new
dish project -- I have had delays for various reasons ... The hydraulic AZ
engine, when arrived, had a different flange size than the mounting holes. An
additional steel ring, to strengthen the 24 ribs of the dish, was produced with 4
m radius instead of 4 m diameter! Finally the dish is now finished and ready to
fly. The tower is the same. And now all that remains is the hydraulics' testing
prior to transport. On 4 Jan I had a sked with
PY5ZBUV. He came back about
2.5 kHz high to my initial call. I stayed on freq, but never got a report. I sent (429), but apparently no copy in PY. Then the winds came up and there was
no way I could keep the Moon in focus, sorry. I also has a SSB QSO with
OE9ERC
on 11 Jan (52/52). Regarding contests, I would like to say that there
can be never the same chance for all to win... Interest would disappear, if all
zones, all dish sizes, all power levels were different contest categories.
It would be no fun to be the only station in the category of 8' dishes for example!! (Or just compete with one other station - sorry G4CCH). When I see all the reports with all the different antennas, PAs, preamps, etc; this is what's exiting. It is not trilling to synthetically make us all equal. To win the contest, we all know that ZS6 is the wrong place to be, as well as W6, JA, etc. Let us do what we can with what we have to get respectable results - relative to everybody's handicaps... Regulating to make us all equal takes away from the fun of the contest.
IK5QLO
Andrea had pol problems during the Feb SW -- I received strong
signals from only Eur and NA stations with a dish or Z- mount. QSO'd were
K2UYH, K4QI and DF3RU.
Heard strong were
K1FO, NC1I (539) and
DL9NDD.
At my moonset K4QI peaked (529) continuously, and was the only
station heard. My rig is now 2 x 28 el 9wl yagis, a TS811 with HM 8877 PA
(800 w up to 1 kw with CX520 relay), MGF1302 0.4 dB NF LNA and BHY-
2 DSP filter.
JA4BLC
Yoshiro was unable to be active during Feb SW due to his mothers
after-death ceremony, which took place the same weekend. He writes -- Toshi,
JR4BRS has seceded in the reception of the lunar prospector at moonrise on
10 Feb. Toshi used his 6 m dish with the W2IMU feed connecting the
preamplifier directly to the TX port of the horn. He gets a 20 dB S/N
(according to the AF9Y DSP) of the subcarrier on 2274 MHz, and far better
on the main carrier on 2273 MHz. His RX is a modified satellite down-
converter on 2304 MHz (NF 5 dB) and a ICOM IC-PCR1000 computer-
controlled general coverage receiver on 113/114 MHz.
K0RZ
Bill was QRV on 70 cm, and QSO'd on 7 Feb V
SV1BTR (O/O) for
initial #247, W7CNK (449/449) #248, K7XD (O/O) #249, K4QI, NC1I,
W8MQW, K2UYH, K3HZO, WE2Y (O/O) #249 and ON4KNG, on 8 Feb
DF3RU, DL4XX (O/O) #250, DL5FN (O/O) #251, UA6LGH
, and on 9 Feb
K1OR (O/O) #252. All but SV1BTR and DL5FN
were random QSOs. Heard
during the SW were
K1FO, N9AB, PA3CSG, DL9NDD, UR5LX, W7QX,
K5GW, N4GJV and VE1ALQ
. Condx were fair to good on 70 cm, and
activity was good during the SW. Bill continues using fixed horiz polarity.
K1FO
Steve again found good activity and conditions during the pre-SW.
Libration fading was quite noticeable on Saturday, but much lower on Sunday.
Stations worked were on 31 Jan
G4RGK, DL4KG, OE5EYM
both CW and
SSB, IK5QLO and I5CTE,
on 01 Feb
JA5OVU, KA0RYT, JH1EFA, W7QX,
DL8OBU, DL4KG and SV1BTR
(O/O) #530, and on 02 Feb
W7CNK
(439/559) #531, WE2Y, NC1I and JA3SGR.
Steve was away on business in
Florida the week before the SW. He returned home to find that there was up to
1" (25 mm) of ice on the array. Even worse was that he left the array at only 5
deg el. With the weight of the ice loading on the rear mounted array he could
not elevate it. It was also apparent that the array mount and tower was under
quite a lot of stress from the weight of the ice. When he tried to rotate polarity
to reduce the wind load in the 40+ mph winds, the array spun around 270 deg
the wrong way in polarity. Fortunately, the next day the weather was sunny
and 40 deg F (4C). In the sunlight, it became apparent why the array spun
around. At ground level the ice was only 1/4" thick. At the bottom of the array
(85' high) the ice was almost 3/4" thick. At the top of the array, which at 107'
was 22' higher than the bottom of the array, the ice was an inch thick. The
difference in weight due to the thicker ice on one side of the array was enough
to spin the array around. The polarity rotor did not have enough torque to turn
the array back around to its correct position. By positioning the array in the
sunlight and rocking the polarity back and forth, Steve was able to get about
80% of the ice off the array by 1 PM. He then went up the tower to get the rest
of the ice off the array and fix the polarity rotor limit switches. Even with only
20% of the ice still on the array, the movement of the tower, which is normally
very low with no ice loading, was quite unnerving. He can barely imagine how
devastating the 2 to 4" of ice that accumulated in Canada and Northern New
England was. He had the array all set to be QRV at 2100 on 06 Feb, but found
out that something was apparently broke in the polarity rotor. Although he
could move the array vertical, it would immediately coast back to horizontal.
In spite of the limited polarity control, he worked on 06 Feb
DL4XX,
OZ4MM and K4QI, and on 07 Feb EA3DXU, UA6LGH (with a very bad
chirp), S52CW, W8MQW, N9AB and W7CNK.
Saturday afternoon he went
up the tower to check out the problem. It turned out to be only a stuck brake in
the polarity rotor. He worked Saturday night, after the rotor repair,
DL8OBU
and I5CTE.
Steve heard many other stations on, but he may have worked out
the band for Feb. On Sunday 08 Feb he worked
G4ERG, OE3JPC and
UR5LX. He added on 14 Feb
N2IQU on CW and a 15 min SSB rag chew,
and on 15 Feb
JA9BOH and JA5OVU. Steve wholeheartedly agrees with
Willi's (LX1DB) comments that the primary objective of any EME contest is
to promote EME activity and encourage new stations to become QRV. This
has always been Steve's objective in analyzing the Moon data and
recommending specific dates. He also notes that it is virtually impossible to
win the ARRL EME contest on 432 or 1296 from NA due to the much higher
activity in Eur. Steve has learned to live with this fact and concentrates his
efforts into getting more NA stations active on EME instead of complaining
about the contest dates or rules. He is disappointed to observe over the years
that the operators who complain the loudest over the selected contest dates
never seem to propose any specific contest dates themselves. They instead tend
to criticize the recommendations of others. 70 cm EME totals for K1FO are:
#531 initials, 49 states and 75 DXCC.
K1OR
John's 70 cm report for the Feb NL -- I QSO'd on 9 Feb
K0RZ (O/O)
and NC1I (449/449) both initials, #16 and #17, and on 15 Feb
KD4LT (O/O)
#18, but missed my sked with UR5LX. I also had a sked in Feb with
SV1BTR, who was heard but no QSO. I want to reschedule with both these
stations. The random game is fun, but progress is slow, so I need to make more
skeds. I still don't feel that I am hearing as well as I should with my 4 x FO33
array. Sun noise is generally about 11-11.5 dB. On TX I have 1.5 kw. I plan
to be active in the Dubus/REF contest in March.
K4QI
Russ writes -- I'm still limited to 432 operation, but I think my
shoulder is getting strong enough to allow change of feeds. I'm leaving on 12
Feb for a business trip to Israel and Sweden, so by the time I'm back, I should
be able to QRV on 1296. I worked on 432, on 6 Feb
EA3DXU, I5CTE,
K1FO, DL9NDD, G3LTF, G4ERG, DL4XX, K2UYH, RA3LE, UR5LX and
DF3RU, on 7 Feb NC1I, IK5QLO, S25CW, W7CNK (initial), K0RZ,
DK3WG, ON4KNG, SV1BTR
for another initial and new DXCC,
G4RGK
and UA6LGV
, and on 8 Feb
DL4KG, KA0RYT, K5GW and NC1I on SSB.
I'm against putting the EME contest on the same week end as the Sept VHF
contest. With the level of inexperienced activity around here and a lot of other
places, EME ops would go "nuts" with the QRM from tropo stations. Also, I
don't think you can be serious about both the EME contest and the VHF
contest during the same weekend, if you are a single operator. And the rules do
not allow for more than one signal per band for the multi-ops.
KA0RYT
Ron was QRV in Feb. He QSO'd during the pre-SW WE2Y and
SV1BTR (O/O) on the Tuesday before the SW in e-mail skeds, but did not
hear anything out of HA1YA. He found 432 activity sparse on Friday eve of
the SW (Saturday Z), and only had a partial with
K2UYH - [I thought we had
a QSO]. The next day he worked
K4QI and K5GW, but had no luck with Eur.
KB0PYO
Mark completed during the Feb SW with
G3LTF (O/O) and K5JL
on random. He had several stations call him on SSB, but his rig uses LSB for
CW, so cross mode does not work. If anyone knows of a way to shift the Icom
IC735 CW mode to upper side band, please let Mark know. [You could use an
audio oscillator to generate CW (through the mice input) in USB mode.]
KD4LT
Scott had a good time on 23 cm in the SSB Contest. He made
around 12 SSB contacts, and added 7 initials with
GW3XYW, F2TU,
DF3RU, PY5ZBU, W7BBM and K2UYH. He also added a new one 70 cm
with
SV1BTR. Nil was heard from 9H1ES on 23 cm. His power on 1296 is
now above 600 w. During the post SW Scott worked
K1OR and W7CNK for
initials #309 and #310.
N2IQU
Mark expresses frustration. He was all set to operate the SSB Contest
on 1296 in a big way. But Murphy made an appearance, and he worked only 6
stations... After only 25 min of operation his elevation motor crapped out!
NC1I
Frank reports conditions on 70 cm during the pre-skeds weekend were
excellent -- Unfortunately, my time was limited and I only was able to be on
for a little while. Activity seemed very good for a non-SW. The following
stations were worked: On 31 Jan at 1832
N2IQU (589/589), 1856 G4RGK
(539/539) and 1905 DL4KG (549/559), on 2 Feb at 0021
W7CNK
(559/559), 0030 WA4NJP (44/55) - Ray called me while I was demonstrating
my SSB echoes to a non ham visitor and reported that he was running just 200
w, 0201
JA5OVU (579/579), JA3SGR CWNR
- I was surprised to hear JA
activity at this time and 0248
K1FO (589/579) - the loudest I have ever heard
Steve. Conditions during the activity weekend did not seem nearly as good.
Activity appeared to be about the same as last month. I was not able to spend
as much time on as hoped. We also had to deal with another ice storm on
Thursday. Fortunately we only received about 3/8" of ice and it quickly
melted from Friday's sunshine and above freezing temperatures. JA activity
was light the 1st night (opening day of the Olympics). I did not stay on for the
Asian window the 2nd night. Contacted on 7 Feb were at 0115
DL9NDD
(569/569), 0126 W7CNK (559/449), 0138 S52CW (439/559), 0149 K4QI
(579/579), 0319 K0RZ (569/569), 0332 W8MQW (569/579), 0345 W7GBI
(579/569), 0403 N9AB 579/579), 0535 JA2TY (549/559), 0552 JH4JLV
(559/559), 1957 DL8OBU (539/549), 2009 DL9KR (589/589), 2025
ON4KNG (559/559), 2035 G4RGK (449/559), 2055 DL4XX (449/529) and
2356 UR5LX (579/579), and on 8 Feb at 0047 DL4KG (549/559), 0100
W7QX 549/449), 0109 UA6LGH (569/569), 0120 KB8ZW (559/559), 0150
DF3RU (569/579) - also had a nice SSB chat with Karl, 0208 K4QI (55/55)
on SSB, 0213 KL7HFQ (549/559), 2208 G4ERG (439/559) and 2219
OE3JPC (439/439), and on 9 Feb at 0014 UA6LGH (559/559).BBR>
I have been
checking out the PA0ZN WEB site and it's a real shame more people are not
utilizing it.
My new e-mail address is: Frank, NC1I I hope to work
everyone next month during the DUBUS/REF Contest.
OE9XXI
Peter reports - On 1296 on 5/6 Jan I contacted
DF4MAA, DF5MN
and DK5MV (549/539)V for an initial. All calls were from the same station (4
yagis and 500 w) and
DJ9YW (55/57)V on SSB. In the 1st NL 23 cm SSB
Contest I made 25 QSOs in 13 fields for a score of 624 points. My contest log
read as follows: on 7 Feb at 1518
DF3RU (44/54) JN59, 1522 JH5LUZ
(55/58) PM63, 1526 S59DCD JN76 (55/58), 1555 G4VCCH (44/55) IO,
1701 9H1ES (33/44) JM, 1718 G3LTF (54/56) IO91, 1733 ON5RR (54/58)
JO40, 1738 F2TU (55/55) JN, 1816 GW3XYW (55/54) IO71, 1845
OZ4MM (55/57) JO, 1853 CT1DMK (44/56) IN, 2257 OH2AXH (55/58)
KP30, 2301 K2UYH (55/58) FN20, 2304 K5JL (55/57) EM15, 2307
ZS6AXT (559/56) KG33, 2309 K2DH (55/57) FN, 2312 WD5AGO (55/56)
EM, 2313 W2UHI (55/57) EN73 and 2330 WA9FWD (33/55), and on 8 Feb
at 0016 LX1DB (57/57) JN39, 0039 KD4LT (55/57) EM81, 0055 HB9SV
(57/58) JN45, 0108 PY5ZBU(449/55) GG54, 0026 W0KJY (44/55) DN and
WA8ZWG (33/55) EN. On 5760, worked by V
OE9PMJ and OE9YTV back
on 12 Dec were JA7BMB (449/549) - fine signals, on 9/10 Jan V
IK2RTI
(549/529) and W5ZN (O/O)
. My standings are now on 23 cm #221 initials,
40 DXCC, 30 WAS and 32 fields; on 13 cm #50 initials, 19 DXCC, 10 WAS
and 15 fields, and on 6 cm for OE9YTV #15 initials, 11 DXCC and 3 WAS,
and for OE9PMJ #14 initials, 10 DXCC and 3 WAS.
OK1KIR
Tonda, OK1DAI, writes about Jan and Feb activity -- On 432
MHz, we worked on 6 Feb at 2210
DL4XX (O/O) and heard DF3RU,
DF5LN, DL9NDD, G3SEK, G4ERG, K0RZ, K1FO, K2UZF [K2UYH?],
KD4LT, N2IQU, OZ4MM, PA3CSG, SV1BTR, UA6LGH, UR5LX,
W0KJY, W7CI and WI7Z. In skeds we QSO'd on 10 Feb at 2201
SV1BTR
(O/O) for initial #334, the 1st SV-OK 70 cm QSO and DXCC 63, and heard
DL4MEA. On 1296 MHz, we worked on 10 Jan at 0027
W2UHI (559/559),
0035 K2UYH (559/559), 1953 G3LQR (439/449), 2007 G4CCH (O/O),
2032 IK6EIW (539/539) for initial #147 and nil in sked with PY5ZBU;
(heard in Jan were
CT1DMK, DD1XF, DF3RU, DJ9YW, F2TU, G3LTF,
GW3XYW, HB9BBD, HB9SV, JH5LUZ, K5JL, KD4LT, LA8LF,
OE9ERC, PA3CSG, S59DCD, W4OP, W7GBI, WD5AGO and ZS6AXT);
and on 8 Feb at 0232
G4CCH (O/O), 2131 W3XS (439/439) #148, 2201
K9BCT (O/O) #149, nil 9H1ES, nil PY5YBU and nil NP4B; (heard in Feb
were
DJ9YW, F2TU, G3LQR, G3LTF, HB9BBD, K2DH, K5JL, KD4LT,
PY5YBU (449) in QSO with KD4LT, S59DCD, VE1ALQ, VE6TA,
W2UHI, WA8WZG and ZS6AXT)
. On 5760 MHz we had a partial on 7 Feb
at 1530 with
JA7BMB (O/-). We used linear pol and Hiroshi used circular
pol. We plan another sked on 1 March with circular pol on both sides and in
Perigee conditions. At 2345 we heard I6PNN
CQs
and on 8 Feb at 0001 had
another partial with
IK2RTI (M/nil). In sked with W5ZN nil. We will plan to
be active during the March SW on 23 cm.
ON5RR
Marc was QRV on 1296 for the SSB Contest -- After some work on
the antenna in a rainy and ice water atmosphere, the station was back on the
air on 7 Feb at about 1700. The dish suffered little damage in the winter. We
had rather windy weather for over 1 month. Only a little re-stressing of the
dish and re- adjusting of the AZ and EL control was necessary. The following
SSB contacts were made with
OE9XXI, HB9SV and OH2AXH for a score of
6x2. On CW we worked
ZS6AXT, OZ4MM and HB9BBD. An initial was
also added to our list with CT1DMK (on CW). We heard
GW3XYW,
N2IQU, VE1ALQ, W2UHI and K2UYH - just before shutdown at 2130.
OZ4MM
Stig was active on both 70 and 23 cm in Feb -- I logged the
following QSOs this month starting on 6 Feb on 432:
DL4XX, RA3LE,
DF3RU, SV1BTR for initial #157 and DXCC 36,
K1FO, I5CTE and finally
G4ERG. On Saturday in the SSB 1296 Contest I worked ON5RR JO
(449/539) - on CW, HB9SV JN (57/55), G3LTF IO (44/54), F2TU JN
(45/44), OH2AXH KP (45/56), K2DH FN (55/55), DJ9YW JO (44/52),
S59DCD JN (44/56), LX1DB JN (56/57), ZS6AXT KG (559/569) - on CW,
K2UYH FN (55/55), K5JL EM (56/56), GW3XYW IO (45/44), CT1DMK
IN (33/54), OE9XXI JN (57/55), WB5LUA EM (45/55), KD4LT EM
(44/54), PY5ZBU GG (449/559) - on CW #132 and DXCC 34 and W2UHI
EN (44/44). This should give 16x8 or 128 points. It was a great pleasure to
work the SSB Contest. I think everybody had fun! I am looking forward to the
coming REF/DUBUS Contest weekends with great anticipation as usual.
PA3CSG
Geert writes -- I have improved my 23 cm RX system. I guess I
have to apologize, my NF was between 2.5 and 3.5 dB due to a bad relay... so
I didn't hear much. I did copy
9H1ES in that shape, HI. I worked
PY5ZBU on
23 last weekend, nil in the
4X6UJ and 9H1ES skeds. On 70 cm I worked
DL4XX, SV1BTR, K7XD on random,
DL5FN, WE2Y and W7CNK on sked.
All QSOs completed easily.
S59DCD
Silvo notes that his report in last month's NL was mistakenly listed
as being from S52CW. [It should have read S59DCD - our apology for this
error.] Only S59DCD is currently QRV on 23 cm.
SV1BTR
Dimitris (KM17vx) at:
Dimitris, SV1BTR is now QRV on
432 and reports -- Still a lot of room for improvement on my RX side due to
man-made noise - sorry to those on sked or random who called and got no
reply. My station is 4 x 11 wl BV yagis with both H/V pol, 1.3 kw PA,
MGF1302 1.3 dB NF preamp, DSP-9 Timewave filter and Kenwood TS-
790E. I QSO'd on 1 Feb DL9KR (529/559) and K1FO (O/O) for initial #5,
and on 3 Feb SM3AKW (M/M) #6 and KA0RYT (O/O) #7. After re-tunning
my preamp on 432.500, (I had no crystal available for testing at a lower
frequency), I added on 5 Feb VE1ALQ (O/O) #8 and DXCC 5, on 6 Feb
OZ4MM (529/549) #9 and DXCC 6, PA3CSG (O/O) #10 and DXCC 7,
UR5LX (O/O) #11 and DXCC 8, W7QX (O/O) #12 and KD4LT (529/549)
#13, on 7 Feb K0RZ (O/O) #14, DL9KR (559/559), G4ERG (M/M) #15 and
DXCC 9, N4GJV (529/449) #16, K4QI (539/549) #17, DL9NDD (O/O)
#18, IW5AVM (O/O) #19 and DXCC 10 and W7FN (O/O) #20, on 10 Feb
DL4MEA (M/M) #21 and OK1KIR (O/O) #22 and DXCC 11, and on 14 Feb
K2UYH (529/559) #23. Nil was heard from F1ANH, DK3WG, G3SEK,
HA1YA (no moon below 5 deg el at moonset), JA9BOH (too much QRM
below 20 deg el at moonrise), G3LTF (I could only use V pol due to problems
with my polarity relay),
EA3DXU, ZS6AXT, K1OR, K7XD and KB3PD. I
have noticed that it is impossible to copy signals below 20 deg el at my
moonset in H polarity due to QRM (state-side window). Generally speaking
from these 1st observations, I am copying the majority of US stations in V pol
and Eur stations in H pol. However, in V pol I am having QRM problems
from FM radio stations and in H pol terrible QRM problems from UHF-TV,
especially at moonrise-moonset. In April I hope to have my RX side improved
by installing a WD5AGO preamp and a bandpass filter, 20 MHz wide at the
preamp's input with an insertion loss of 0.15-0.2 dB. This filter consists of 4
quarter-wave linear resonators with aperture coupling. Since I became QRV, I
have been using a 2 stage, .9 dB NF, MGF1302 LNA with a HB highpass
filter in the input with an insertion loss of at least 0.5 dB. Unfortunately, I did some tests and found that taking the HP filter out caused the QRM to increase to 30 dB over 9. When I installed the filter after the 1st stage QRM was still extremely high. I would like fellow operators to be patient when calling me due to the existing situation and severe man-made noise problems that I encounter. Working on random is tough for me right now, at least until April.
The ability to switch between H/V pol is a great help. This along with the
suggestions/advice of DL9KR, PA3CSG, WD5AGO, JA9BOH, W7FN,
KA0RYT and others is much appreciated. Also big thanks to F/G8MBI for
patiently counseling me on so many aspects of 432 MHz EME. My mailing
address is DIMITRIS VITTORAKIS, AGIAS LAVRAS 11-13, 15773
ZOGRAFOU, ATHENS, GREECE.
UR5LX
Sergej is now up to initial #359, DXCC 59 and WAS 39. He added
initials since the ARRL Contest with
DL4XX, WE2Y, DL5FN, KN6M,
SV1BTR, JA5NNS, K7XD and K1OR.
W2UHI
Frank is regularly active on 1296. He worked on 1 Feb
OE9ERC
and DJ9YW. The SSB Contest was interesting ... sounded like 20 m on SSB...
Frank added initials with
WA9FWD and W7BBM. He worked 12 stations in
10 squares on SSB for a score of 240 points. During the post SW, Frank
QSO'd
N2IQU, K5JL, K2UYH and WD5AGO.
ZS6AXT
Ivo's report for the last SW -- During the 7/8 Feb I worked on 23
cm DL0SHF, S59DCD (CW/SSB), G3LTF, ON5RR, W2UHI, VE1ALQ,
OZ4MM, K5JL, K2DH (CW/SSB), OH2AXH (CW/SSB), OE9XXI
(CW/SSB), GW3XYW, F2TU (CW/SSB), DJ9YW, HB9SV (CW/SSB),
JH5LUZ (CW/SSB) and HB9BBD. CWNR were K2UYH (many times),
N6BQ, LX1DB and DK7LJ - (he must have a problem on receive). Heard
were JA6CZD, G4CCH and W3XS. It seemed that the SSB stations were
looking only for SSB signals! There was very poor activity on Sunday night.
Conditions were quite good, I could copy most of the time the SSB stations
well. The 6 cm report in the last NL was a bit misleading. The fact is that my
equipment is close to ready. At the moment I am battling with my 2nd LNA
which is not always stable. I am still looking for preamp suggestions. Despite
this, I am sure to be QRV for the DUBUS Contest, 2nd part, at the latest.
Since my setup will not be water proofed, (LNAs and PA installed in the feed
of the dish), I will be only able to operate in good WX and on skeds. It is quite an exercise to install the 6 cm gear as the center of my dish, which is 6 m above the ground. I plan to build scaffolding to make the feed work easier.
K2UYH
I repaired my FT726 70 cm module which had been acting up for
months, and was on 432 the 1st night of the SW, and on 1296 the 2nd for the
SSB Contest. On 432, I worked on 6 Feb at 2315
DL9NDD (559/559) and
2328 K4QI (559/559), and on 7 Feb at 0000
IK5QLO (449/449) for initial
#591, 0025 DF3RU (55/56) on SSB, 0050 W7QX (449/449), 0107
KA0RYT (559/559), 0334 N9AB (559/559), 0337 W7GBI (559/-) - lost
Charlie, 0357
K0RZ (559/569), 0704 W7CNK (O/O) #592, 0720 partial
WE2Y - thought
JA2TY was replying to me and 0728
JH4JLV (449/449), on
9 Feb at 0430 WE2Y (559/569) #593, on 13 Feb at 0500 DL4MEA
(559/569) #594, and on 14 Feb at 0530 SV1BTR (559/559) #595. On 1296 I
QSO'd on 7 Feb at 2217 OH2AXH (55/54) KP20, 2222 OZ4MM (55/55)
JO55, 2229 G3LTF (54/54) JO91, 2232 KD4LT (54/55) for initial #150,
2234 KB2AH (56/55) FN20, 2238 K2DH (55/55) FN12, 2242 GW3XYW
(55/54) IO71, 2245 WD5AGO (55/55) EM26, 2248 K5JL (55/55) EM15,
2253 LX1DB (56/56) JN29, 2300 OE9XXI (58/55) JN47, 2305 W2UHI
(549/55) EN73 CW-SSB, 2311 F2TU (54/54) JN38, 2321 W2UHI (55/53) -
repeated on 2-way SSB, 2326 VE1ALQ (54/54) FN65, 2330 nil 9H1ES and
2354 DF3RU (44/44) IN,
on 8 Feb at 0025
CT1DMK (449/44) in CW-SSB,
0041 CT1DMK (34/44)
- repeated on 2-way SSB, 0122
PY5ZBU (O/559)
#151 and DXCC 35 on CW, 0320 partial V
W7BBM (M/-) - could not pull
through, 0333 V
WA8WZG (34/44) EN, 0657 NL7F (34/44) and 0725 K5JL
(56/56) EM dup, and on 15 Feb at 0530
9H1ES (O/O) #152 and DXCC 36. I
had a great time in the SSB Contest and made 17 QSOs on SSB and one on
CW-SSB in 9 squares for 315 points. I also worked
NL7F on SSB, but could
not get him to send his grid sector. CWNR was
G4CCH. After the contest I
discovered that my 1296 preamp had degraded and was only giving me 6 dB
of gain with a .95 dB NF!
/FONT>
NETNEWS
JR4AEP has had troubles with his 432 16 yagis since last July.
As he has not repaired them, he can not accept any 432 sked requests until
further notice.
W1ZX's dish is working great.
NU7Z is looking for 3 cm skeds. During the SW he had a partial on 10 GHz with N4MW. He is awaiting 5760 QSL cards from OE9PMJ and OE9YTD. Rick is planning
operation on 903 for May SW.
WA8WZG is QRV on 5760 again.
K3HZO is seeing only 7 dB of Sun noise on 70 cm and 23 cm. He needs QSL cards
from SM4IVE and OH2PO.
F/G8MBI is QRV on a 70 cm EME system
using 4 (V/H switchable) crossed yagis and a 100 w brick.
F1CH is the new call to be used by F5SDD and his associates during the
REF/DUBUS Contest. The group is expanding to 8 x 26 el yagis. They also have 500 w on
1296.
W7CNK is QRT on 10 GHz - his receiver is ok, but his TWTA is no good.
He is QRV on 5.7 GHz with great echoes, and on 70 cm with 450 w.
EA6ADW has new e-mail address: EA6ADW
for DL.
LU4HO confirms 432 QSO with N2IQU in Oct. He heard K1FO in Feb.
DL5FN worked UR5LX in Feb. G4RGK is QRV on 70 cm again with 8 yagis. Dave
worked K1FO and NC1I.
W7BBM missed his DK3WG sked due to a bad relay.
DL9KR worked in Feb RV4AQ LN grid for a new station and grid. Jan
is looking for QSLs from K7XC and W7KK/6.
N6BQ's HPA is working well with 900 w out. Hoppie QSO'd VE1ALQ and W2UHI the 1st night of the Feb SW.
DJ7FJ will be QRV 1st weekend in March on 10 GHz and 5.7 GHz.
SM2CEW worked F/G8MBI. ON5OF's array is down.
WB0GGM worked W7BBM and DL9NDD in Feb, but hear nil on JA skeds.
VE1ALQ QSO'd W7CNK on 70 cm.
VE6TA was on 23 cm during the Feb SW. Grant had a partial with OE9XXI and worked K5JL on CW.
K7XD is up to initial #8 on 70 cm.
W7FN had a good QSO with SV1BTR, but did not hear anyone else
except SM3AKW.
W7QX worked SV1BTR, N2IQU, K2UYH, K5GW and NC1I during the SW.
KL7HFQ was on during the SW, but made no contacts. He heard some SSB and SV1BTR.
He is still limited to AZ less than 180 deg.
EI6GF is now listened on 70 cm EME. Mich heard NC1I and others. He has 8
x 15 el 4.2 lambda yagis, but is looking for designs of longer boom yagis.
LY2WR is reported to have 1 yagi and a lot of power on 70 cm.
UN7AX is a new station with 100 w and 1 yagi.
K2DH worked W7BBM on 23 cm.
WA9FWD was back on 23 cm for the Feb SW. He CWNR W4OP for quite a
while. Heard were W2UHI, K5JL, KB2AH - very well and OE9XXI - good
on SSB. John won't be on again untill the next SW.
I5TDJ worked JA5OVU on random during the SW. DK3WG added a new one, JA5NNS, on random.
S53J is a new 70 cm station with 4 yagis and 100 w, (a club station). They
plan to be only QRV on random.
HA1YA will be QRV during REF/DUBUS Contest.
DF3RU completed with WE2Y - good signals.
FOR SALE
PA3CSG has for sale a 10 GHz LNA with waveguide input, 3
stages, NF abt. 0.8 dB and gain of 30 dB with a MGF4918D 1st stage.
W7CNK is looking for
6' of Teflon coax..
K7XC is looking for
a 4CX400a from Svetlana..
KB2AH has a full line of cavity amps and 1, 2, 4 and 6 tube ring
amps, lin/circular feed horns and LNAs for 432 and 1296.. Tom also has
mounting blocks for K1FO yagis.. For full details see:
Tom's 1296 WEB page
Tom's 1296 WEB page
for more details and pricing info e-mail:
KB2AH
or phone 908-223-5067, FAX
908-223-0901 (24 hrs) or voice 908-223-8124
PARIS 1998
Registration is going well. The best way to register and get
information on the conference is by way of the conference WEB page at:
EME 1998
(A copy of the registration form is included with
this NL for those who do not have access to the WEB.) As of 15 Feb 21 people
(and 7 YLs) have registered and 11 of them have paid their 30% deposit or
more (100%). Registered are DD1XF, DJ6MB, EA3DXU, F1ANH, F3VS,
F6HYA, HB9AGE, HB9JAW, HB9JBL, I5CTE, I5TDJ, KD4LT, NC1I,
ON5RR, OK1CA, OK1DFC, OZ4MM, RW3BP, W1QA, W5LUU and
ZS6AXT. Remember that the deadline for payment of your deposit is March
31st, THIS YEAR! SHARING ROOMS: It may not well be understood that if
you are single and you chose a double room, you may want to choose who you
share with. Tell us, or we will choose for you. If you want to have a chat with
a possible partner, you can meet on our mail list. To subscribe send a message
to without any subject. The body message is then:
subscribe, your 1st name, last name, callsign. You will then receive an
acknowledgement within a short time. Another solution is to go to:
PHOTOS
We have been asking for photos of
yourself and your equipment/antennas, with some text describing what we see.
This is for the Proceedings Book and the WEB site. We only have three
photos... We suggest that you send yours (floppy disk (3.5") or photos) along
with your registration or by e-mail to:
F1EHN e-mail
Hurry up!
CONFERENCE, TECHNICAL MATTERS:
We need more conference talks.
Any ideas, any volunteers? Please send your papers as soon as possible to
Hervi F5HRY . We need time to edit and process your
article for printing and binding.
FINAL
Al, WB5LUA has contacted Steve Ford, WB8IMY at the ARRL
concerning the EME Annals list which appears in the March issue of QST. He
has obtained agreement from the ARRL to use W0KJY's list as source for their
EME Standings list. So if you are up to date with Jim, you should be correct in
the ARRL listings. Data may be sent directly to Steve by e-mail at:
Steve, WB8IMY or to:
Jim
Since this
agreement the March EME list has been published in QST, but it does not
appear that the ARRL has abided by this agreement.
Rein, W6/PA0ZN is doing a trully outstanding job on the NL WEB page. He
reports that the graphics that go with the Step Impedance LP Filter Article by
PA3CSG have been added to the Feb NL file. As there has been some
questions about graphics, pictures etc, Rein explains the following: "I get an
the newsletter text from Al (K2UYH) as soon as it is finished. This version is
transmitted over the internet and I make it one of my highest, if not the highest
priority to get it on the WEB. Al sends the actual master copy of the
newsletter by mail to my home in California. The text version can be processed away
from my home, anywhere I receive it. The graphics however, need to be scanned
in and in order to do this, I have to be at home with the pictures and a scanner.
As I happen to travel quite a bit for work, the adding of the graphics are sometimes
delayed longer than I would like them to be, but then I do still have to work... Again,
I try to get these on, as quickly as possible. TNX fer your understanding."
Please keep the info coming. We need more technical material. I hope to CU
you all off the Moon during the REF/DUBUS Contest. 73 and GL in the
contest,
73, Al - K2UYH
EME CONTEST 1998
****************
Sponsored by REF and DUBUS
Note that the 432MHz and >2.3GHz section on 7/8 MARCH !!!!!!!
144/1296MHz is on 4/5 APRIL (for lower sky noise on 144MHz,
and to reduce QRM from the European tropo contest in March).
1. Contest Dates & Periods
The contest happens during two full weekends: 144 and 1296MHz on the
APRIL weekend, and 432 MHz and all other bands on the MARCH weekend.
Each weekend of the contest begins at 00:00 UTC on Saturday and ends at
24:00 UTC on Sunday.
2. Bands and dates
First weekend: 432MHz, 2300MHz and above 7/8 March 1998
Second weekend: 144MHz and 1296MHz 4/5 April 1998
3. Categories
QRP 144MHz <100kW EIRP
432MHz <400kW EIRP
1296MHz <600kW ERP
>= 2300MHz no separate QRP/QRO categories
QRO EIRP equal to or greater than stated above.
PRO Non-amateur equipment or antenna.
PRO stations will not be ranked.
4. Exchange
Callsigns + TMO/RST + R.
5. Scoring
100 points for each random QSO completed.
10 points for each sked QSO completed on bands below 2.3GHz.
100 points for each sked QSO completed on 2.3GHz or higher bands.
6. Multipliers
Each DXCC country (except W/VE/VK), or EACH INDIVIDUAL STATE worked
in W/VE/VK. Multipliers count only if worked by RANDOM (except on 2.3GHz or above).
States and provinces can be determined after the contest using address lists in recent
Newsletters or in DUBUS.
7. Band Total: Sum of points multiplied by sum of multipliers.
8. Final score for multiband entries: (Total sum of points on all bands) * (total sum of
multipliers on all bands)
9. Classifying
Top scores define one winner per band and one multiband winner.
Multiband stations will also be classified on each separate band worked. There are no
separate multi-operator classes. Multi- operator and QRO stations will be highlighted in the
general classifications.
10. Reporting
Copy of the log for each band with details of points, multipliers and
total points.
The following information MUST also be included:
1. Output power, transmit cable loss, antenna type and gain.
2. Working category: QRO/QRP, mono/multi operator
3. Name(s) and signature(s) of all operators
4. Locator/State.
Other information is welcome: Comments, conditions, grid locator,
station details, photographs, etc...
11. Awards
A certificate will be sent to each entry. All band winners and the
multiband winner will receive a trophy.
In each section, the highest-scoring station in the southern hemisphere
will receive a special certificate < DUBUS
13. Referee
Responsible for rules and general questions is:
Ian White, G3SEK
52 Abingdon Rd.
Drayton, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4HP England
Tel.: (++44)1235-531559
E-Mail: Ian, G3SEK
EME PARIS 1998 REGISTRATION
CALLSIGN :
First Name :
Last Name :
Address :
City :
ZIP :
Country :
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Conference fees
OM YL CHILDREN TOTAL
FRIDAY .... x 180 FF .... x 180 FF .... x 90 FF ..... FF
SATURDAY .... x 550 FF .... x 550 FF .... x 275 FF ..... FF
SUNDAY .... x 350 FF .... x 350 FF .... x 175 FF ..... FF
Accommodation, per person
Single Double
FRIDAY .... x 295 FF .... x 190 FF ..... FF
SATURDAY .... x 295 FF .... x 190 FF ..... FF
Options ................................................. ..... FF
................................................. ..... FF
TOTAL ..... FF
x 0.3
First 30 % deposit ..... FF
If you're single and you choose a double room, please tell us the one
you want to share with, if planned :
If not planned, we will have to choose for you please send this registration
form to : "Jean Jacques MAINTOUX,
30 Rue de Villacoublay, 78140 VELIZY, France"
or mail it to: jjm_f1ehn@msn.com
Skeds for MAR 1
Time 432.040
1830z W7CNK -HA1YA
1900z W7QX -HA1YA
Skeds for MAR 7
Time 432.040 432.045 432.050 432.055
0130z LU4HO -DL3EAG
1400z IK0BZY-PA3CSG
1430z EA3DXU-DL3EAG
1500z DL3EAG-UT5EC PA3CSG-JJ1NNJ
1530z DK3FB -UT5EC PA3CSG-JH7PAV
1600z G4RGK -JH4JLV
2030z W5ZN -G4RGK WB2VVV-DL9NDD K1OR -PA3CSG N2HLT -DF3RU
2100z WB4BKC-K2UYH K3HZO -DL9NDD N2HLT -PA3CSG K1OR -DF3RU
2130z K1OR -K2UYH NA4N -DL9NDD WB4BKC-PA3CSG K3HZO -DF3RU
2200z WA8WZG-K2UYH K1OR -DK3WG NA4N -PA3CSG
2230z LU4HO -DK3FB W7CNK -DK3WG WB4BKC-DF3RU
2300z K3HZO -DK3WG W5ZN -HA1YA W8MQW -DF3RU
2330z K7XC -UR5LX W7CNK -HP3XUG
Skeds for MAR 8
Time 432.040 432.045 432.055
0000z W7CNK -UR5LX LU4HO -DL9NDD KA0RYT-DK3FB
0030z W7BBM -UR5LX VE6TA -DK3FB KA0RYT-DL3EAG
0100z W7BBM -DK3WG VE6TA -DL3EAG K7XC -DF3RU
0130z W7BBM -VE1ALQ LU4HO -OZ4MM W6WE -DF3RU
0530z JH1EFA-K2UYH
0600z JA5NNS-K2UYH
1930z YO2IS -SV1BTR DL4XX -G4RGK
2000z DK3WG -SV1BTR DL4MEA-G4RGK
2030z KB3PD -SV1BTR K3HZO -G4RGK
2100z G4RGK -SV1BTR
2130z W1ZX -SV1BTR KA0RYT-G4RGK
2200z KB3PD -S52CW HP3XUG-G4RGK KA0RYT-HA1YA
2230z KB3PD -HA1YA WB2VVV-G4RGK W1ZX -W5ZN
2300z KB3PD -G4FUF DL4KG -G4RGK EA3DXU-UA6LGH
2330z KB3PD -LU4HO NA4N -G4RGK EA3DXU-IK5WJD
Skeds for MAR 4
Time 1296.050
2330z WA9FWD-K2DH
Skeds for MAR 7
Time 1296.050
2100z PY5ZBU-ON5RR
2200z KB0PYO-DJ9YW
2230z VE1ZJ -DJ9YW
2300z WA9FWD-PA3CSG
2330z WA9FWD-KD4LT
Skeds for MAR 8
Time 1296.050 5760.100
0000z WA9FWD-W4OP W5ZN -OK1KIR
2100z DH9FAG-OK1KIR
2130z NP4B -OK1KIR
2200z 9H1ES -OK1KIR
2230z 9H1ES -KD4LT
2330z KB0PYO-OK1KIR
RW3BP, 10 Ghz EME, with offset feed Dish, from top of apartment building (Tnx, W5VJB)
Close Up of Feed, LNA and HPA of the RW3BP 10 GHz EME antenna.
2 * 28 el, 9 wavelength Yagi's for 432 MHz at IK5QLO
This information was obtained from: Scott, KD4LT
Top Page
For Comments or corrections: Rein, W6/PA0ZN
