432 MHz MHz AND ABOVE EME NEWS
MAY 1998 VOL 26 # 5
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).
NETNEWS EDITOR: G4RGK, DAVID DIBLEY.
David Dibley, G4RGK
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
1296 took the spot light for the 2nd month in a row
due to the TM8EME tests which greatly enhanced 1296 SW activity - see below.
There was also May SW activity on 903 promoted by NU7Z, see Rick's report.
All this other activity took its toll on 432 where the conditions were poor
(libration fading made copy difficult) and active stations few.
TM8EME 23CM EME TEST RESULTS:
The TM8EME Moon tests were a great success -- F1EHN reports that in all 66
QSOs in the 3 40 minutes periods (i.e. 2 hours) of activity were made. This
means better than 1 QSO every 2 minutes, which is rather unusual for EME.
Among the 66 QSOs, 8 are dups. Of the 58 different calls probably not more
than 53 different stations were worked. Our attempts to work additional weak
stations were frustrated by QRM and attempts by larger stations to work us
multiple times. We thank the big guns who were on, but did not call, and
apologize to the small stations who called for a long time with no response.
Just for fun, we arranged an FM contact with F1ANH for possibly the 1st
ever FM QSO off the Moon. [VE7BBG and I exchanged reports on FM on 1296 EME
many years ago. I believe there have been other FM exchanges as well.]
Libration oddly pulsed the signal, making the audio quite strange, but we
completed easily. We made audio and video recordings, which will be
available at the Paris EME conference, as well as QSLs. If you do not attend
the conference, please send your QSL requests to Jean Jacques MAINTOUX
(F1EHN), 30 Rue de Villacoublay, 78140 VELIZY. If you pay a visit to our
web pages:
EME98 WEB Page
you will find information about TM8EME activity, and the Nancay
Radiotelescope.
QSO'd were on 1 May on SSB exclusively at
1632 EA6ADW (55/57), 1633 W2UHI
(55/57), 1635 OZ4MM (58/59), 1636 PA3CSG (57/58), 1638 CT1DMK (56/59),
1639 HB9SV (58/59), 1640 HB9BBD (56/57), 1641 DJ9YW (54/58), 1642 F5PL
(57/58), 1643 F6CGJ (58/59), 1644 LA8LF (57/57), 1645 F1ANH (58/59),
1646 SM2CEW (57/59), 1648 DD1XF (53/58), 1648 KD4LT (55/59), 1653 G3LQR
(56/56), 1657 DL6YDH (56/57), 1658 HA5SHF (57/57), 1659 VE1ALQ (58/59),
1701 HA6ZB (57/57) - (same HA5SHF?), 1702 DH0OAH (57/57), 1703 VE1XYL (58/58)
- (same VE1ALQ?), 1705 HA5BGL (57/57) - (same HA5SHF?), 1706 HB9CW/P
(58/54), 1708 OE9XTW (59/59), 1709 HA5BIE (57/57) - (same HA5SHF?) and
1711 OH2DG (58/59), on 2 May on CW exclusively at 1723 ZS6AXT (579/599),
1723 G4CCH (549/569), 1725 ON5RR (549/569), 1727 N2IQU (589/599), 1728
DF3RU (559/579), 1730 DL8OBU (529/549), 1733 W4OP (579/589), 1735
S59DCD (569/599), 1736 OE9ERC (589/599), 1738 F5PAU (579/589), 1739
F6CGJ (599/599) dup, 1743 DJ5MN (569/559), 1746 K3HZO (559/599), 1748
OH2DG (569/579) dup, 1750 K9BCT (569/579), 1751 W2UHI 579/589 dup, 1753
KD4LT (579/599) dup, 1756 EA6ADW (569/589) dup, 1757 LA8LF (589/599) dup,
1759 WD5AGO (569/599), 1801 DK5MV (559/559) and 1803 DK0ED (569/559), and
on 3 May also on CW except for one QSO on FM, at 1811 OH2AXH (569/599),
1813 G3LTF (569/589), 1814 DF4MAA (559/559), 1815 F5AQC (589/599), 1819
SM3AKW (519/589) - on QRP, 1821 G4DZU (559/569), 1823 DL0DYW (549/559),
1825 PA3DZL (529/529), 1829 IK1MTZ (529/539), 1832 DF6NA (549/559) with 1
yagi, 1834 WA9FWD (529/559), 1836 VE4MA (569/579), 1839 IK1YWB (529/539)
- (same IK1MTZ?), 1845 DF3RU (579/599) dup, 1848 partial IK3COJ and 1852
F1ANH (49/49) on FM.
7M2PDT
Shu reports on his May results -- I worked KA0RYT and
N2IQUon 30 April and heard K1FO, JA5OVU and JA3IAF. On 2 May
conditions were nice, and I worked K7XD
for initial #116. Heard
were JA9BOH, JA5OVU, JH4JLV, K1FO, NC1I, N2IQU, W7CNK, JH0YSI and
DF3RU. I thought conditions were poor the next day, but QSO'd
SV1BTR #117.
DJ5MN
Bernhard writes: I just found out, that I have missed all
of my 23 cm skeds on 3 May because I did not know about them at
all. Sorry to all! I am interested in skeds, but I not take skeds
for the next SW because I may be in London at that time. I could
hear TM8EME (55) on SSB with my MICRO-MOON-array consisting of 2 70 el
DJ9BV yagis. My brother, DK5MV, our UHF/SHF mechanic DF4MAA and I worked
TM8EME (559/569) easily on CW using the 2 yagis with 1.5 kw at the feedpoint
on 2 May. On 3 May I disconnected one of our 2 yagis. Running a SINGLE YAGI
we worked them (559/549) using our club station, DL0DYW. Despite the reduced
power and the single yagi, we only had to call twice to come through! This
is what our group calls NANO-moonbouncing! Many many thanks to the
TM8EME-crew, who did a fantastic job!
DL4MEA
Guenter brings us up todate on his activity -- My primary interest is
working contests, and there was one which paralleled the May SW. This
limited my time, but on Sunday evening, I took a break from the contest and
listened to the Moon with hope of picking up some additional NA stations.
I just heard W7QX (529) in the QSO with DL9KR, and QSO'd DF3RU (539/539) and
DL9KR (559/559). I am interested in a sked with K4QI, who I called
repeatedly but I failed to QSO during the DUBUS contest. [Russ normally
does not take skeds.] I am also interested in some VK and SA QSOs on 70 cm.
Completing WAC this year is one of my goals. After many problems, I now have
my new GS35b amp working well. You can find a brief description on my
homepage:
DL4MEA Home Page
Many of the details are similar to my GS35b for 144 which is also worth a
look.
DL6LAU
Carsten writes -- I just moved to JO53. I bought a house of my own, and am
thinking about returning to 432 MHz EME. I would like to get ideas on an
8938 amp for 70 cm - schematics, design proposals, etc. I have 2 tubes and
a socket and could use the power supply from my 8877 2 m PA. My e-mail
address is:
Carsten, DL6AU
G3LQR
Simon has succumbed and is now on the internet at:
Simon, G3LQR
[Why not try sending your reports by e-mail.] He had WX problem during the
DUBUS/REF Contest, but was able to get on 1296 a bit in April and QSO'd
F1ANH, ZS6AXT, OZ4MM, F2TU, SM3AKW, OE9ERC, W2UHI and N6BQ. He heard G4CCH,
G4DZU, HB9SUL, G3LTF, F6CGJ, SM4DHN, LA8LF, HB9DXG, K4QI and I2FGT.
Simon
feels he is hearing reasonably well, but that he needs more TX power.
He is working on a GS90 final. He has also added a TV camera to help with
tracking when the Moon is visible. Simon is looking forward to attending the
Paris Conference.
G3LTF
Peter says he has been very busy, so not much activity -- On 2 May on 432,
I worked SV1BTR for initial #328. He had a good signal despite (?) an aurora
in progress at the time. On 1296 on 3 May I worked
TM8EME. I measured their
signal as 23 to 25 dB over noise in a 500 Hz BW. I also contacted
ZS6AXT,
G4CCH, K3HZO - on random before our sked for initial #138, HB9BBD and
OE9ERC - these last 2 on SSB.
HB9BBD
Dominique is now QRV with his big 10 m dish -- The 1st weekend with the new
station was simply the most exiting experience since hearing echoes on 23 cm
in 1993. All equipment worked FB for 3 days except the air conditioning unit
which stopped late Sunday evening. The 7 kw of TX dissipation caused the
temperature in the shack to quickly go to 35 deg C - something neither the
tubes nor the operator appreciated! I logged on 1 May F1ANH (579/569) and on
SSB (53/55), HB9SV (57/57), EA6ADW (52/55), OE9ERC (55/58), TM8EME (56/57),
SM3AKW (579/589) and LA8LF (579/never rcvd), on 2 May ON5RR (549/559),
JA6CZD (559/589) for initial #93 - unfortunately no SSB, DJ9YW (569/589),
ZS6AXT (559/589) same - no SSB, F5PAU (589/579), G3LQR (579/579), F6CGJ
(589/579) and (56/57), DD1XF (579/559) and (54/54), OH2DG (529/559) #94,
DF3RU (529/569), G4CCH (529/549), S59DCD (579/579), K3HZO (529/549) #95,
W2UHI (579/589), VE6TA (539/559), OE9ERC (599/579) and SSB (57/57), KD4LT
(549/579) #96, N6BQ (569/579) and SSB (52/53), F1ANH SSB (56/56), ON5RR
SSB (51/52), WD5AGO (539/559), OE9ERC SSB (55/55), JA6CZD (569/589),
DH0OAH (539/559) #97, LX1DB (569/579), OH2DG (539/559), LX1DB SSB (57/57),
F1ANH SSB (56/56), OE9ERC SSB (57/57), G3LQR (559/569), F6CGJ SSB (57/56),
F5PAU SSB (55/53), SM2CEW SSB (52/55), HB9/K0YT SSB (51/55) - (guess he was
HB9BHU (?), if not #98), F5AQC (579/579) and SSB (55/55), SM3AKW QRP
(539/579), VE1ALQ (579/599) and SSB (54/57), WA9FWD (519/549) #98, N2IQU
SSB (57/58), DJ2YW (559/54) and full SSB (51/54), PY5ZBU (549/55) #99,
W2UHI (579/589), G4DZU (449/559) and G3LTF (579/569) and SSB (53/54).
The extended weekend brought 7 initials to bring my total to #99. I hope
everyone had as much fun as I did.
KA0RYT
Ron had a busy weekend due to the 14 day earlier delivery of his 2nd
daughter named Gina - Congratulations -- I did give WB4BKC a phone call and
cancelled our 432 EME sked. I also want to report the relatively high amount
of activity off the moon during the ARRL's Spring Sprint Contest, and say
TNX to all there for the contacts. [Who was there?]
LU6DW
Marc reports -- LU8EDR, LU4DHD and myself finally QSO'd on
23 cm OE9ERC on 3 May (O/559). We were running only 15 w into our
3.6 m dish. Unfortunately, the window for TM8EME was not suitable
for us, as we have a new building that blocks the Moon at low
elevation angles. We are building a 60 w amplifier which combines
4 Mitsubishi hybrid amps. As soon as we have it up and running,
we will be ready for additional schedules. If there are no
changes in date, I hope to be at the Microwave Update Conference
in CO this Oct. Information on our station can be found on my WEB page:
LU6DW WEB Page
My e-mail address is: Marc, LU6DW
N6BQ
Hoppy writes -- I had 2 23 cm skeds for 3 May with 9H1ES and NP4B.
Friday evening of the SW I learned that I had to fly out on business on the
3rd. I really hated missing these schedules since I've waited so long for
them. I attempted to phone NP4B, but only got the machine so left a voice
message. I was on for about 2 hours on 2 May.
HB9BBD was "bodacious" with
his new dish. We QSO'd on CW then switched to SSB even though I was still
at 6 deg el! I then worked S59DCD, ZS6AXT, W2UHI, PY5ZBU (e-mail sked)
- "piece of cake"!! for initial #121 and DXCC #30, ON5RR, DJ9YW, and then
S59DCD once again since during our 1st QSO I was calling him HB9DCD even
though I knew who he was! Must have been an old age attack once again hi.
Others heard were F1ANH and OE9ERC with a very loud signal. I also heard
S59DCD QSO PY5ZBU after my contact. Overall conditions seemed quite good.
It was a disappointment not to have a common window with the TM8EME
operations. I guess I'll have to wait until I move to the East coast! I'm
sad to say I finally gave up in frustration with MSN. Please note my e-mail
URL has changed to: Hoppy, N6BQ
NU7Z
Rick reports a very nice QSO with WB5LUA (O/419)
on 902.1 -
- We used 902.1 because there was less in band QRN at that time
of the morning, but our tests showed we could have completed on
903.1 as well. I would be more than happy to run with any and all
who wish to try 902.1/903.1. W5LUA has some time restrictions due
to his work schedule, but I will be available until mid-May. At
which time I will put 6 cm back in the dish. I'm ready for another update
of the microwave address list. I think we are quite a ways away from having
a truly accurate list again. When my computer dumped some time ago, there
was no recovery process in place, and I lost all of the updates from my
version 4 listing. [Rick also worked K5JL
on 33 cm.]
OH2DG
Eino is QRV on EME in a big way after a 5 year silent period. He has
completed a new 8 m f/d .5 dish with 8 x 12 sq mm mesh and a weight of 400kg. The dish was designed for the local=20
Finnish conditions of snow, ice and storms. It is composed of 24
primary ribs and 24 secondary ribs. The ribs were constructed from Aluminum
and Stainless steel with steel rivets used for joints. Eino believes the
dish will be useful for frequencies up to 5 GHz. He has on 432 a dual
dipole feed and 500 w, on 1296 an IMU feed and 50 w, and on 2300 another
IMU feed and 30 w. Eino is now available for skeds just about anytime and
plans to be QRV during the SWs. Eino expresses his thanks to OZ4MM and
OE9ERC for their encouragement.
ON5OF
Dirk's DUBUS/REF Contest results for 432 follow: 2000 NC1I (O/O), 2021
OH2PO (579 549), 2052 SM2CEW (569/559), 2115 K1FO (579/449), 2141 K4QI
(549/449), 2217 VE1ALQ (O/449), 2240 G4ERG (O/O), 2305 I2COR (O/O), 0022
UR5LX (O/O), 0054 DK3WG (O/O), 1750 partial OE5EYM (569/-), 1805 OE5JFL
(569/559), 1820 OE5EYM (O/O) and 2141 N4GJV (559/449)
for 13x13 and a score
of 16,900 in the QRP class (200 kW EIRP) 500 w at feed maxi +26 dBd gain.
High winds Friday and Saturday made it impossible to raise the tower
with the 16 yagi array above roof height. Dirk has a new e-mail address:
Dirk, ON5OF
PA3DZL
Jack set up a special QRP station for the TM8EME tests to show what could
be down with a small antenna. He used a single 23 el F9FT yagis (1.75 m
boom) and about 150 w at the feed. The antenna was mounted on a table with
a small bench vice used to hold the antenna and provide elevation control.
He hear TM8EME on SSB the 1st day but did not try for a QSO with all the big
guns on. The 2nd day he missed his chance due to a bad preamp - he
can't explain why the preamp failed. On the 3rd day he was successful and
QSO, (529/529). Jack is very pleased with his "miniature EME station".
SV1BTR
Jimmy writes - I worked during the May SW on 432 G3LTF for initial #36,
ON4KNG #37 and DXCC 16, OE5EYM #38 and 7M2PDT #39. The following stations
cancelled the skeds via e-mail PY5ZBU, WA8WZG, JA5OVU and K5JL. Nil was
heard from KB3PD and JA2KRW who were on frequency. I sent e-mail to confirm
my skeds with DL4XX, WA4NJP, W7HAH and KL7HFQ but received no reply. I
heard nothing from them on frequency. I will NOT be active on 432 for the
30/31 May SW as I will be away on a 144 MHz dxpedition.
UK2BAS
Victor, now LY2BIG, who headed the 1st ever USSR EME QSO
(on 11 May, 1979 on 432 with K2UYH) spotted the NL's WEB site. He
writes -- the whole thing was a club effort (building RX, TX , Ant).
I was the one who was at the UP1BZZ controls (key) during that QSO.
We made some 7 other QSOs after that, before the antenna came down.
It was destroyed and never rebuild. I believe (but not 100% sure) those
were the only Lithuanian EME QSOs ever made. [LY has been QRV again more
recently]. I'm not active these days, but am interested in the 2.4 GHz
license free RF band. I am searching for a circuit or source for a simple
SWR meter which could be used on this band, and wonder if anyone has any
suggestions. I can be reached at tel (370-2)709-808), e-mail:
Victor, LY2BIG
or
LY2BIG WEB Page
VK4AFL
Trevor who is working on an EME station asks about filters -- Since your
mention in the NL, I got a reply from VK2ALU, whom I later met in person.
Lyle was very helpful. I still have questions about IF & AF filtering. My
IC821H has one optional cw filter. The passband width [at -6 dB] is 500 Hz
compared to 2.3 kHz for the existing one. I have not ordered this filter
as yet. Recently I borrowed a Timewave DSP-9 which will narrow the AF
passband down to 100 Hz in various steps, however after some testing
including some random CW reception this weekend off the Moon, I felt it was
better without it than with! I would appreciate comments on the direction I
should be going with regards to filtering? [This is a very controversial
area with many different opinions. I have always used a receiver with
a 2.3 kHz filter for EME reception. When I have tried filters as the DSP-9
I have not found them of no real help. (I must admit during contests when
QRM is the major problem, I can see the value of a narrower filter.) Others
have a very different view. Some could not operate EME without a good
filter.]
VK4KAZ
Allan (QG62mp) sends the 1st of what he hopes will be many EME activity
reports -- I am now QRV with 100 w (at the feed) to 4 x FO22 yagis and
MGF1302 preamp. I worked on 4 April NC1I (O/M) for initial #1, on 1 May
VE1ALQ (O/M) #2 and K1FO (O/M) #3, and on 2 May PA3CSG (O/M) #4 and
DL9KR (O/539) #5. Since then conditions have not been too good. I have had
no luck in my skeds with DL9NDD and W5ZN, having heard absolutely nothing
from either of them. I would like to thank those stations I have sked with
and apologize for my miserable signal, however we are not permitted to use
more than 120 w at the TX end of the coax, here in VK. High power permits
are not looked upon favourably in urban areas. I am keen to sked, and am
available most `EME friendly' weekends, some Fridays as well. My postal
address is(Allan Downie, 17 Leeson Street, Boondall, Queensland 4034,
AUSTRALIA), my e-mail address is:
Allan, VK4KAZ
W2WD
Warren besides his single yagi efforts on 70 cm, is about
to dip his toe in 1296 EME. He asks about the polarization sense
for a Helix antenna. [You want to TX on right hand and receive
left hand pl. However, I do not recommend Helix antennas for EME.
Besides the polarization sense reversal problem between RX and TX, on a
foot per foot basis Helix's just do not have the gain of yagi. A much
better choice would be a loop yagi, which can easily be adapted for
circular pol with switched sense.]
W6HD
Howard is just getting back into 23 cm moonbounce after a
slight hiatus - see his Sept 1963 QST article (then W6UGL) -- I
have a 6 m dish and am getting a few tenths dB Moon noise and 16
to 18 dB of Sun noise, so my receive is OK. I hear lots of
bounced signals, too. I don't really want to get back into tubes
and would like to go to power modules or FETS. I wrote JH5LUZ to
get reference on his article, but have no reply as yet. Can
anyone offer some suggestions? My e-mail address is:
Howard, W6HD
[Motorola has devices from which several hundred watts should be easily
attainable on 23 cm. K9BCT/4 developed an amplifier using these devices,
but I believe he has returned to a tube amplifier. Other stations have
combined Mitsubishi power modules (15 ~ 20 w) using Wilkinson or quadrature
couplers. This is a simple but expensive way to go. W2VVV is among those
who have worked with these modules, but Chris is currently not QRV on
1296. It is hard to beat the old 7289 as a means to get high power on 23 cm.
W7EME
Jeremy (DN14wv) expects to be QRV on 432 in the next few
weeks with 8 x M^2 432cp42ug yagis modified for 25 dBd V or H pol, 800 w
from 2 4CX250R's 800. He can receive in stereo (both H and V pol
simultaneously) via FT1000mp's, dual stage preamps and separate feeders.
Jeremy notes that he has 222 and 13 cm in the works, but that 23 cm is on
the back burner. He can be reached at (J. Alexander, 502 N. 3rd, Suite 132,
McCall, Idaho 83636). His tel is 208-634-4466.
W7GBI
Charlie has been having problems with his hi voltage and current regulator
which is an old Motorola 1566L -- I can't find any more spares
so I have had to find a way around the regulator and pass transistors
and go to a simple way with a variac. This is the way W6NLZ did it and It
works fine. I am now back on with more power than my feed line will safely
handle, so am keeping the power down around 750 w. I have not been able to
connect with W9IP on his program, so haven't got my hands on it yet. I
hope to see all of you in Paris so long as my doctor gives me the OK.
WB5LUA
Al worked AF1T on 902.125 MHz on 8 May at 0050. He was (M) copy and
my initial #9. He is using a 12' dish and 140 w. I used my 24' dish and
300 w on 902 MHz.
WE2Y
John found condx up and down but generally weak on 70 cm
during the SW. I'm not sure if the aurora had anything to do with
it. I worked K2UYH, SM2CEW, N9AB and K7XD (M/M)
on sked. He was
weak. I heard him better a few hours before. Also heard were
K1FO, HB9SV and W7CNK.
ZS6AXT
Ivo reports the TM8EME was a great operation -- I didn't
dare to call on SSB (last time it cost me a tube, HI), but made
it 1st in the pile-up on CW, quite pleased with that. I played
the recordings on our Sunday bulletin and some guys did not
believe that it was EME! My SW was quite good, with 2 random
initials. I worked on 23 cm on 1 May EA6ADW and W2UHI, on 2 May
HB9BBD (great signal), F5PAU, JA6CZD, OH2DG (very weak but later
stronger), SM2CEW, N2IQU, TM8EME, S59DCD and N6BQ, and on 3 May
LX1DB, F1ANH, PY5ZBU for initial #134, F5AQC, OE9ERC, HB9SV,
W2UHI, K3HZO #135 (a quite unstable frequency caused problems
with my 200 Hz filter) and G3LTF. To me conditions were up and
down, but not bad at all. I made some mistakes in my last report
with initials, but the above two brought me back to #135. The 6
cm rig is now completely finished. I only need to test the SSPA
and it can go up into the feed. All cables are pulled in and need
just one day of windless weather. Plus no 6 m openings, HI. As
soon as I'm ready, I will announce it on MOON-NET. Since it is
all open construction without waterproofing at this stage, I will
have only few days for operation.
K2UYH
I had to leave on a business trip on Sunday which limited
my Moon operation to the 2 May. As I had not window to TM8EME due
to my tree blockage, I decided to operate on 432. This was a
mistake as few stations were active. Signal quality was very
poor. It seemed that QRZs had to be sent to just about every
station worked before I could copy their call correctly. I QSO'd at
2110 WE2Y (449/449), at 2025 W7QX (459/449), 2053 DF3RU
(559/559), 2116 G4RGK (549/449), 2139 KL7HFQ (449/549) and 2150
SM2CEW (559/559). I want to apologize for being behind in my
QSLing. I expect to get the cards out soon.
NETNEWS
by G4RGK
IK5WJDis working on 10 GHz EME.
K1OR was away on vacation and thus not QRV for the May SW.
KU3T, Joe worked DL9KR (569) on 2 May at 2200, but heard nil from
DL9NDD on 3 May.
PA0EHG, Hans is working on 23 cm EME station consisting of a 5 m
dish with a TH-308 amplifier and a 0.4 dB NF LNA. Hans planned to
be on the moon with TM8EME using a 2.5 m dish.
VE6TA has a new e- mail address: VE6TA
K7XD, Derek made 5 initials over the SW, but heard nil from KL7HFQ and
S52CW on sked.
DL/G4FUF is QRT antennas are down, house is up for sale. Will be
in DL till July at least.
VE1ALQ is working on 5.7 GHz.
W4HHK QRV for 13 cm skeds.
W8TN is working on getting going again on 23 cm.
KB8RQ's 70 cm antennas are ready go up, waiting till WX gets better.
W5LUA visited with N2CI in NJ.
W0KJY is QRV on 70 cm with good Sun and ground noise - no echoes though.
WA9FWD is picking up new equipment - 12' dish, LA-70, TS-870,
and is working on phasing lines for 70 cm array. John is operational
on 23 cm.
WA8WZG will be on 903.1. 5760 is operational. Tom is also QRV on 70
cm, 23 cm, 13 cm, 6cm and 33 cm.
DL9KR is still looking for W6ZL.
K5JL worked K2DH on 33cm.
W2UHI worked TM8EME, DJ9YW and OE9ERC on 23 cm to bring him to initial
#108.
VE1ALQ worked VK4KAZ (4 small yagis and 300w) on 70cm for his 2nd VK.
WE2Y worked JA5OVU and heard 7M2PDT.
AF1T is now on 33 cm with a 12' dish and 300 w PA.
K3HZO is QRV on 1296 and looking for skeds. He worked 7 stations
during the SW with a 3 m dish, VE4MA feed and 200 w. He must
scratch all 70 cm skeds. He is presently not active on this band.
PA3CSG worked TM8EME on 1296 and VK4KAZ on 70 cm, he needs grid square.
W7QX finally worked UA9FAD on 70.
K9BCT/4 has got a diagonal horn up on 1296, but is not happy with
the results. It appears to be 1 dB down from his old feed.
WA6YDI is not ready for 70 cm skeds yet.
9H1ES is looking for 1296 skeds.
W7CS, Chuck is just about ready to go on 23 cm with a 5 m dish.
He also has 4 yagis for 70 cm. His e-mail address is:
Chuck, W7CS
FOR SALE
KU3T, Joe has a 3CX800A7 PA based on the Henry amp with 700 w out
(including manual) available for $800 USD including shipping in
US.=20
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:
KB2AH WEB Page
for more details and pricing info e-mail:
Tom, KB2AK
or phone 908-223-5067, FAX 908-223-0901 (24 hrs)
or voice 908-223-8124.
W4AD is looking for info on GR1216A amplifier.
LX1DB is
looking for a waveguide transfer relay for 24 GHz and a
coaxial relay for 10 GHz.
TECHNICAL
We have two pieces this month.
JA4BLC, Yoshiro has sent details of a method he uses to remove GASFETs and
HEMTs from microstrip boards without seriously damaging the pattern nor
the device. He heats a 3-4 mm brass spacer (or nut) placed around the FET,
but on the board, until the solder on the pattern melts. He then moves the
nut sideways to remove the FET, see
diagram at
the end of this NL.
G3LTF has sends info on a simple means for improving the VSWR of IMU horns.
Many stations have had difficulty achieving a good match from their IMU
horns. Peter has found that by adding a thicker diameter section (sleeve)
around the base of the probe, he has been able to improve his return loss
by 4 to 5 dB. The
dimensions that worked for him are shown at the end of this NL.
OH2DG and his new reflector
PA3DZL QRP with TM8EME
PARIS98 NEWS: Things are going quickly now. The conference is about
3 months away and there is still a lot to be done. The 1st
part of registration is now closed since the end of March. The
following have registered and paid at least 30 % of the conference
costs: AA6IW, CT1DMK, CT1FWC, DD1XF, DF6NA, DJ6MB, DJ9BV, DK3FB,
DK3WG, DL4EBY, DK4XP, DL6WU, EA3DXU, EA5GIY, F/G8MBI, F1ANH,
F1EHN, F1HDD, F2TU, F3VS, F5FLN, F5HRY, F5MZN, F5PAU, F5PL,
F6CGJ, F6DLA, F6HYA, G3LQR, G3LTF, G3SEK, G3TSA, G4ALH, G4CCH,
G4DZU, HB9AGE, HB9BBD, HB9JAW, HB9JBL, HB9WDJ, I1ANP,
I5CTE, I5TDJ, IK5WJD, K2UYH, KD4LT, NC1I, OE5JFL, OE9PMJ, ON5RR,
OK1CA, OK1DFC, ON6JY, OZ4MM, PY5ZBU, RW3BP, S50X, S54X, S57UUU,
SM2BYA, SM3AKW, SM6CKU, VE1ALQ, VE4MA, W1QA, W2WD, W5LUU, W7CS,
W7GBI, W8TN, WA7CJO and ZS6AXT...
72 OM, 28 ladies and 5 children. The organization crew thank these
people for having done
the registrations and partial payments in time. Among these
persons, 11 had not pre-registered. Among the pre-registered
people, about 30 persons have not yet registered, and THEY HAVE
NOW LOST THE BENEFIT OF THEIR PRE-REGISTRATION. But there is
still some room left. Thus, the principle is now a FIFO stack:
The 1st who asks and pays gets a place until there is no more
room left. People who registered will receive by the 1st days of
May a mail confirmation of their registration. It will include
several documents, as well as few questions. It will also specify
what is still to be paid before 15 June. We insist on this 2nd
important date for us, as we have to do some extra payments by
late June. Please remember that your articles must be sent to
F5HRY as soon as possible, and before the end of May. Don't
forget to specify what you need and how long you plan to talk!
The WEB pages have recently been updated with your photos. Please
continue to send photos (you and your antennas to F1EHN).
20 M NET: K1RQG reports that the most of the US is now on DST and
by "some" agreement?? with the 2 m net, we are expected to complete
our net by 1600 now. So for the time being, the "432 and above EME net"
hours will be 1400-1600 on Saturdays and from 1500 or the end of the
VARO net until 1600 on Sundays. This does put the "432 and above EME net"
at a disadvantage as far as prorogation is concerned, however, we will
adhere to these times until further notice. Joe reminds all that from the
time he started running the NET (circa 1984) until recently (1995),
the NET started at 1600 and finished somewhere around 1730. He notes
that we may want to consider an alternate frequency, or suggest
that the 2 m net consider another frequency so as not to interfere
with each other.
FINAL
Bad timing for the NL weekend does not seem to stop. This weekend
I went to the Dayton Hamvention - what a crowd! I met a number of you
there, but spent most of my time in the flea market looking for goodies.
Need I say that now I am back home, there is little time to get the NL out.
TNX again to G4RGK for helping with the NETNOTES. Please keep the
information coming in. I shall be looking for you off the Moon during the
coming SW.
73, Al, K2UYH
SKEDS
MAY 23
Time 432.040 432.045
1130z HP3XUG-W7CNK SV1BTR-K5JL
1200z SV1BTR-W7CNK
1230z HP3XUG-SV1BTR
MAY 30
Time 432.040 432.045 1296.050 5760.050
0000z VE6TA -KD4LT
0130z VK4KAZ-N2IQU
0200z VK4KAZ-K1FO
0230z VK4KAZ-K2UYH
0300z VK4KAZ-KD4LT JJ1NNJ-K7XD
0930z VK4KAZ-OE5JFL
1030z I6PNN -JA7BMB
1100z ON5RR -JL1ZCG
1130z ON5RR -JA6CZD
1200z 9H1ES -ON5RR
1230z OK1CA -ON5RR
1600z NP4B -ON5RR
1630z W3XS -ON5RR
1700z WA8WZG-ON5RR
1730z WA4OFS-ON5RR
1830z PY5ZBU-ON5RR
1900z K7XD -DL4MEA KU3T -PA3CSG K9BCT -ON5RR
1930z K7XD -YO2IS KU3T -K5JL WA9FWD-DJ9YW
2000z KU3T -KD4LT KB0PYO-DJ9YW
2030z K7XD -G3LTF =20
2100z K7XD -W7CI W7BBM -DJ9YW
2200z K7XC -KD4LT VE6TA -ON5RR
MAY 31
Time 432.040 432.045 1296.050
0100z HP3XUG-WE2Y =20
0130z HP3XUG-W7CNK =20
0330z VK4KAZ-W7BBM =20
1800z DJ5MN -PA3CSG
1830z 9H1ES -PA3CSG
1900z EA6ADW-DJ5MN
1930z LX1DB -DJ5MN
2000z VE1ALQ-DJ5MN
2030z KD4LT -DJ5MN
2100z K2DH -DJ5MN
2130z F1ANH -IK5QLO W2UHI -DJ5MN
This information was obtained from: Scott, KD4LT
Top Page
For Comments or corrections: Rein, W6/PA0ZN
