432 MHz AND ABOVE EME NEWS
MAY 1999 VOL 27 #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
SKEDS CORD & DIRECTORY: DL4EBY/DK0TU, KLAUS TIEDEMANN,
HALSKESTR.35, D-12167 BERLIN, (49-30-7955467), E-Mail:
Klaus Tiedemann.
EME WEB DIRECTORY by DL4EBY
***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
70 cm activity was good, but conditions were mixed for the 2nd
part of the DUBUS/REF Contest. Faraday was better than Feb, but still
pretty uncooperative. Signal quality made copy difficult producing many
QRZs. Good CW paid off under these conditions – well spaced characters and
the right speed, not too slow, but not too fast either. The differences
between stations were very noticeable. The turnout on 13 cm and above was
up, but mainly consisted of the “regulars”, and was no better than the 1st
Microwave Contest, whose results appear at the end of this NL. This seems
to argue for a separate microwave where everyone can concentrate on the
higher bands. 23 cm was still alive and also produced a number of QSOs. Now
that the contest season is over the main attraction of the summer months
will be dxpeditions – see KA0RYT’s report if you are interested in activity
from ND.
DF9CY
Chris is returning to the Moon after several years of absence -- I
am ready for 23 cm receive with a 1.4 m dish, but do not yet have a PA for
1296. I want to see what such a small dish can hear. The EME system for 144
and 432 MHz are still down. 2 of the 4 yagis on 432 MHz broke in a
windstorm. Instead I have a monster-antenna for 28 MHz. I am looking for a
way of putting myself back on for 70 cm, but I have no final idea yet.
DL4MEA
Guenter writes -- Before the contest I worked on improving my
antenna. I switched to parallel wire feed line and tried to make the driver
for my GS35b PA more stable. It took much work and virtually all my free
time, but the result seems worth the effort. The station now consists of a
2 x TP3069 driver, GS35b final, 1.8 dB TX cable loss (next improvement), 6
x 33 el BV-OPT yagis, parallel wire feed, ATF35076 in DJ9BV style preamp
and HAMVIEW for display and filtering. A test run on Tuesday before the
contest showed everything to be working well. I had good echoes and got an
e-mail SWL report indicated that my signals were the best ever. But at the
beginning of contest, one could hear me saying "#$*@! the contest!" When
switching on the HV power supply, all fuses were blown. A spike must have
come on the line and damaged my tracking computer. After one hour of
fruitless effort, I decided to work manually, that means that the azimuth
reading is very inaccurate, and my elevation reading is from a laptop
connected to the RS232 of a smartlevel. Nevertheless, I was QRV ... but
again had something to repair! During beginning of the contest, on
Saturday, there must have been large Faraday rotation, so I had no echoes
and only rarely worked stations. It became better and better. The same
pattern was observed on Sunday. Activity was good on Saturday, but poor on
Sunday. I made 27 QSOs on Saturday and only 6 on Sunday. Worked (in
alphabetical order) were
DF3RU, DK3BU, DK3WG, DL9KR, DL9NDD, EA3DXU, F5AQC,
G4ERG, HA1YA, IK5QLO initial (#), JA2TY #, JA4BLC, JA5OVU, JH4JLV, K4QI #,
K5JL, K5WXN, LX1DB, N2IQU, OE3JPC #, OE5EYM, OE5JFL, ON4KNG, OZ6OL #,
PA3CSG, S57RA, SM2CEW, UR5LX, VE1ALQ, W7CNK and W7HAH.
Heard with good
signals were SV1BTR (best Sun when Faraday high?), UT0RZ? working DL9NDD,
WA9FWD, ON5OF and N0RZ. Sometimes stations gave up too early, before I was
able to find the right filtering. I may not have had the pointing right
because of my manual tracking, or it may have been my CW - I am not one of
those having the best skills in reading CW. Special thanks to all who
helped with the antenna project, especially to CT1DMK, G3SEK and DL6WU. I
don't want to forget DG4MNI and DC1MJK who helped with the installation.
For more info and photos.
DL7APV
Bern report a poor SW -- I had some health problems, so I was only
QRV a short time. Nil in all 4 skeds with W7BBM, YP2IS, F5KDK and HP3XUG. I
worked only
K4QI on random for an initial. Many others were heard. Condx
seemed not so good. I couldn't hear my echoes very often. I have my 2 x
7650 PA back for 3 dB more punch, but its drifting to much. I hope to get
it running properly for the next SW.
DL8OBU
Juergen writes -- Yesterday I dismounted my old 4 x 22 el yagis
array and put up a new array of 4 x 33 el (10 WL) yagis. This should give
me nearly 2 dB more gain than before. I am still using my YL1050 final. On
23 cm I have no antenna for EME anymore. After 4 EME QSOs (TM8EME, OZ4MM,
OE9XXI and OE9ERC) I decided to put down the 4 x 67 el yagis as too small
for serious EME. I plan to return sometime in the future, maybe with a
small 3 m dish. During the last SW, I worked on 70cm on 27 March
DK3BU for
initial #95, DF3RU, JA5OVU, SM2CEW, EA6ADW #96 and K4QI, and on 28 March
JH4JLV #97, SM2CEW, OE5EYM and G4ERG - all
on random except EA6ADW.
DL9KR
Jan was only able to operate in the REF/DUBUS Contest for a limited
time, but worked 44 stations and 4 initials. The initials were
RW1AW
(KP50), VE6TA (DO33), OE3JPC (JN87) and G4ERP
to bring him to initial #714.
DL9NDD
Ginther found condx fair and activity good on 432 during the SW. He
worked only 62 Station plus RW1AW in sked. He had initials with
WW2R (on
random - nil on their sked), F5AQC, OE3JPC and VE6TA
(from new QTH).
G3LQR
Simon says -- I finally got my 13 cm EME system going. Power is 60 W
in shack from 2 VE4MA amps with hybrids, NE325 preamp to MA feed and my old
4.2 m dish. Lots still to do, but I can TX on 2320 and listen 2304 or 2424
MHz as well 2320. I May try to move the TX to 2424, if it will tune. This
should be easier for JA stations. I have restricted window to JA and need
as late a window as possible to clear all the clutter of other antennas. I
am not getting enough power from my GS90/GI7B PA. It works, but puts out
only 50 W so far. Has somebody come up with details on how to get more
power from them. I worked 5 stations on 13 cm:
G3LTF, OE9ERC, OE9XXI,
ZS6AXT and HB9SV, and heard LX1DB, F1ANH,
OH2AHX and OZ4MM. It is very
difficult to work crossband without a sked, but ZS6AXT and HB9SV were
worked on random that way. On 23 cm, the weekend before the SW, my sked
with K3HZO was ok, but copy was difficult both ways. I still need more
power on 23 cm as well. I cannot work 13 cm without a visible Moon. I am
using a small cheap video camera for tracking with manual control from the
shack.
G3LTF
Peter writes -- I was active on 2320 and 432 during the March SW,
but missed my sked with WA9OUU on Sunday evening. I just couldn’t keep
awake, my apologies. On 2320, I worked on 27 March
G3LQR for initial #15
(and the 1st G/G EME on 13 cm!!), ZS6AXT and OE9ERC.
I also exchanged RST
reports with OZ4MM but didn't get his final Rs. CWNR were WA8WZG (the only
W heard here), HB9SV, F1ANH and LX1DB. I didn’t operate on the 2nd Moon
pass on 13 cm. I think there should be a special bonus for working cross
band on 13 cm. It really is difficult. No one comes up on the frequency as
expected, as most people use 2 separate LO chains, so calls will be 25 or
30 kHz away from the 16 MHz difference you are expecting. On 432 I worked
on 27 March DL9NDD, K4QI, KA0RYT, G4ERG, DK3BU,
EA3DXU, K2UYH and VK4AFL
for initial #338 - very readable signal for 4 yagis, and on 28 March VE6TA
#339. WL7U and I both heard nil from each other.
[There was a mistake in
reporting Peter's score in the SSB Contest. It should have read (6x2)x2=24
not 12, which would have brought him higher in the listing. My apology for
this error.]
G4ERG
Peter reports nice activity in the DUBUS/REF Contest -- I worked on
70 cm K5JL, W0KJY, W7CNK, KA0RYT, K4QI, URLX, K1FO, DL9NDD, G3LTF, F1ANH,
DK3BU, DL9KR, DL4MEA, F5AQC, DF3RU, ON5OF, KB4CNI for initial #135, KB8RQ
#136, DK3WG, OE5EYM, N2IQU, OE3JPC, OE5JFL, ON4KNG, WA9FWD, JA5OVU, 7M2PDT,
JH4JLV, YO2IS, HA1YA, DL8OBU and LX1DB.
This gave me a total of 32x19 for
60,800 points. Also heard were S51ZO, EA3DXU, IK5QLO, W7HAH, UT3LL, VE1ALQ,
N9AB, KL7HFQ, SV1BTR and EA6ADW.
G4RGK
Dave reports on the SW – I was on 432 for a few hours on Saturday
evening. I found condx patchy with short periods where signals peaked up.
Lots of time was spent locked out of the Eur yagi stations. I only had
fleeting glimpses of my own echoes. Nice clear skies, no wind and warm
temps made tracking easy for a change. Stations worked were
DL9KR, JA5OVU,
F5AQC, SM2CEW, UR5LX, K5JL, N2IQU, DL9NDD, K4QI, DK3BU, OE5EYM, DF3RU and
OE5JFL. Heard or CWNR were F5FLN, SV1BTR, S57RA, HG1YA, ON4KNG, ON5OF,
WA9FWD and 7M2PDT. The station is still
8 x 27 el yagis fed with open wire
line, MGF1302 LNA and K2RIW final.
HA5SHF
Csaba (HA5BGL) group's March SW results on 1296 follow: 1626
W2UHI
(559/O), 1712 K3HZO (M/O) for initial #49 and WAS 8 and 1748 EA6ADW
(559/O), on 27 March at 1953 GW3XYW (O/O) #50 and DXCC 21 and 2219 W2UHI
(559/439), and on 28 March at 0005 N6BQ (559/O) #51 and WAS 9 and 0032 W6HD
(559/339) #52. They are completing a system for
2300 and ran their 1st RX
tests on 13 cm with good results. Csaba sends thanks to OE9ERC for his
effort on their behalf. A TH6885 PA is under construction. They hope to be
QRV this summer on 13 cm.
IK5QLO
Andrea's March report for the NL -- I was quite pleased to find a
high activity level during the '99 EU contest. I feel that 70 cm activity
is now in a positive trend with more activity compared to 2-3 years ago. I
was especially happy because I reached initial #50 with only 2 yagis during
the contest, and for sure still more can be done! I QSO'd on 21 March
SV1BTR (O/M) for initial #47, on 26 March nil W5ZN, on 27 March UR5LX,
K4QI, OE5EYM, K5JL, K1FO, DK3BU #48 and F1ANH #49, and on 28 March N2IQU,
PA3CSG, DL4MEA #50, DF3RU and DL9NDD. HRD/CWNR were WA9FWD, N9AB, W7QX,
WA4NJP (on sked (O/-)) and JA5OVU. The rig is 2 x 28 el 9 WL M2 yagis and
8877 PA.
JA4BLC
Yoshiro's EME report for March -- During the Eur/DUBUS Contest
weekend in March, I worked W4HHK, OZ4MM,
ZS6AXT, OE9ERC, OE9XXI and OH2AXH
on 2304/2424. Heard on 2304 were OK1CA and HB9SV. On 432 I worked
K5JL,
JH1XUJ, KB4CNI for initial #249, JH4JLV, DL9NDD, DF3RU, EA3DXU, G3HUL,
DL4MEA, HA1YA, K5WXN and DK3WG. Back in Feb,
I made some modifications to
OE9PMJ cavities for 2424 MHz. Parts of these cavities were provided some
years ago by Peter, OE9PMJ. All of three cavities are working successfully
with more than 100 W output for 10 W drive. The tubes used are YD1302 and
YD1304. The YD1300s were provided by Doug, G4DZU and work well. These
cavities were sent by friends. I plan to see that they come to good use
soon on 13 cm EME - thanks to Peter and Doug.
K4QI
Russ' March Activity -- I got back on 432 after being on 1296 since
the ARRL contest. I QSO'd on 24 March
KB4CNI, K5JL, VE6TA, and W7CNK. I was
on for the contest weekend during most of the Eur windows. Conditions
seemed very good and polarization was hor for both TX and RX, which made it
nice for the hor yagi stations on both ends. I worked on 27 March
DL9NDD,
F1ANH, IK5QLO, G4ERG, OZ6OL, OE5EYM, DK3BU, S51ZO, G3LTF, EA3DXU, OE3JPC,
KL7HFQ, K5JL, DF3RU, W7HAH, KA0RYT, W7CNK, K6MYC, W1ZX, UR5LX, F5AQC,
DK3WG, S57RA, DL8OBU, VE1ALQ, K2UYH, G4RGK, F5KDK, ON4KNG, F5FLN, K5WXZ,
OK1DFC, W7CNK dup, N9AB, DL4MEA, DJ3FI and DL1YMK, and on 28 March W9FWD,
S52CW, ON5OF, WA4NJP, OE5JFL, DL7APV, WW2R, VE6TA, WB0GGM, W3XS, K0RZ,
DL9KR and WE2Y. Heard but missed were K1FO, KB4CNI, N2IQU, G3HUL, KB8RQ and
W7BBM.
K6MYC
Mike is QRV again on 432 with a new system consisting of 8 x 14
lambda yagis. He says he is not hearing well, but receiving good reports.
He QSO'd 7 stations the 1st night of the SW, and heard several before he
lost a preamp in the JA window.
K7XQ
Jeff in CM97QI (Atwater, CA), x-KO6RD, is now QRV on 432 and
interested in skeds. He has 2 x 9 wl yagis and 400 W. His antenna has full
elevation. He can be reached by e-mail at: K7XQ
and has a Webpage at:
K7XQ
KA0RYT
Ron is making plans for possible 70 cm EME operation from ND (DN98
or EN08). The planned weekend is 07/08 Aug. He wonders if there is
interest? There is also a possibility of 23 cm activity. [Please let Ron
know you are interested. I am, especially in 23 cm, but will also be on for
432. Ron will not go if there is no interest.] During the SW on 70 cm, he
found condx ranged from poor to excellent with lots of CWNRs. He worked 8x7
the 1st night.
0E5EYM, K5JL and K4QI were the loudest.
LU6DW
Marc writes -- We have been doing a lot of work on the new 6 m dish.
The reflector is finished as well as the azimuth and elevation motors. We
still have to tune the feed (already built), mount it, and position it for
maximum efficiency. As soon as this is done, we will be ready for
schedules. This job could have been finished by now, but in summer time
it's too hot to work out in the sun! We have some pictures in our web site at:
LU6DW
We are also purchasing a
4 tube PA from KB2AH, so we should have a much bigger signal when we return
to the Moon. My e-mail is: LU6DW
N6BQ
Hoppy's March 23 cm EME Activity Report follows -- On 26 March Sun
noise was 13.25 dB with Solar Flux of 104 and 3.7 m dish. I worked on 27
March VE1ZJ, W7SZ, WA9FWD, W6HD, W7CS, K9BCT and JA6CZD, and on 28 March
HA5SHF for initial #134 and DXCC 31, KD4LT, WD5AGO, W7CS, W2UHI and KD5FZX
#135. All stations were worked on random except HA5SHF.
Alex, KN6DD,
visited over the weekend and helped operate. The 5 m dish project is
progressing well. The reflector was assembled this weekend and reflector
panel alignment is underway. The dish should be mounted in 2 weeks.
N7LQ
Shawn announces the temporary end of his 432 EME operations from
DM09dp in NV -- I am disassembling the 432 array in order to setup and test
the 1296/2304 terrestrial arrays for the upcoming N7LQ June VHF QSO Party
station. Also as Moon conditions will be poor at best for EME activity
during the June Contest there will be no activity from DN01fa this year
either. I hope to have the array back in operation by sometime in late July
to early Aug. I will make an effort to get all the pending cards out soon!
OE5EYM
Ernst has successfully added 23 cm to his 13 m dish. He is using an
FHX35 preamp and a 8 x 2C39 PA at 500 W (300 W at the feed). He will change
to a better 2nd stage for overriding (long) cable loss and converter noise.
On 70 cm he uses a YL1050 with good power and an MGF1302.
OE5JFL
Hannes writes -- I made about 20 QSOs in the DUBUS contest on 70
cm, and the same number as earlier on 23 cm, including some initials. In a
big windstorm last Oct I nearly had lost my dish (tower bent, several ribs
broken...), but all repairs are completed now with the exception that I
cannot make more than 55 deg elevation. Another reason for my lower
activity in the past months is that I now have QRL on Saturday. Checking
the rest of the system while making the repairs, I found that birds must
have nested in the 23 cm feedhorn before I put a cover on. They had left
some special sort of resistance just at the RX port to ground. This
explains my the reduction in receive performance on 23 cm. (I had thought
the reason was the loss of shape of the reflector over the years.) Anyway,
cleaning the horn improved Sun noise immediately by 1.5 dB. Now I have 4 dB
more Sun noise on 23 cm compared to 70 cm, before the difference was 2.5 dB
only. I also have a new e-mail address at: OE5JFL
and homepage at:
OE5JFL WEB Page
OK1CA
Franta sends his March SW activity report -- On 27 March, I was QRV
on 2.3 GHz for about 3 hours. I worked
OZ4MM (O/O) and ZS6AXT (O/M). My rig
consists of a 10 m dish, Cassegrain feed horn with septum polarizer,
ATF36077 preamps (W5LUA design) and 2C39BA PA with about 20 W at the feed.
I plan to improve my premp and PA. I will be QRV again during the June SW
on 2.3 GHz.
OK1DFC
Zdenek reports on his Moon activity -- During the March SW I was
active on 432 MHz. This is very funny, because I was using only a 3.8 m
dish with F2TU rotatable feed. I listened on both polarizations. N2IQU was
best with V pol at all time. DL9KR with Hor up to 45 deg for maximum
signal. The temperature was +10 deg C, nice spring weather. The 1st day
activity was low although my echoes were loud and clear. The next moon trek
produced higher activity and I made 4 initials. QSOs on 27/28 March were
SM2CEW (559/539), K5JL (559/539) for initial #22, N2IQU (579/549), K4QI
(559/439), OE5JFL (579/449), DK3BU (559/459) #23, JA5OVU (559/449), DL9KR
(559/439), OE5EYM (559/O) #24, DL4MEA (559/549) #25 and DF3RU (O/O) #26.
Worked during the earlier part of the DUBUS/REF Contest, on 23 cm, on 27
Feb at 0018 K4QI (559/549), 0025 VE1ZJ (O/O), 0034 HB9SV (599/559), 0039
N2IQU (559/549), 0045 W6HD (559/549)for initial #76, 0052 F6CGJ (559/559),
0059 W2UHI (549/539), 0103 F2TU (549/549), 0112 N6BQ (539/529), 0125 OE9ERC
(559/559), 0143 K5JL (559/549), 0159 KD4LT (559/549), 1644 OH2DG (O/O),
1654 OH2AXH (559/559), 1929 ZS6AXT (559/569), 1945 ON5RR (449/529), 2157
OE9XXI (559/559), 2215 DH9FAG (O/O), 2222 SM3AKW (549/549), 2236 OK1KIR
(549/549), 2241 HB9BBD (579/569), 2254 VE1ALQ (559/559), 2304 OE5EYM
(569/559), 2315 OZ4MM (569/559), 2322 F5PAU (559/559) and 2357 CT1DMK
(O/O), and on 28 Feb at 0001 IK3GHY (O/O) #77, 0032 VE6TA (O/O), 0212 W7GBI
(559/559) #78, 0230 OZ6OL (O/O), 0303 K2UYH (559/549), 0313 K2DH (559/559),
1752 JH5LUZ (559/559), 1814 F1AHN (559/559), 1916 SM2CEW (559/559), 1924
JF3HUC (O/559) #79, 1945 HB9BHU (O/539), 2238 DF4PV (549/439) and 2302
LX1DB (579/559), and on 7 March at 0300 PY5ZBU (O/529) #80, 28 DXCC and the
last continent for WAC! [Zdenek asks why he was not listed in the 1296 SSB
Contest scores. I must have lost or not received his contest log. I am
sorry for this error. Looking at his report in the March NL, it is not
absolutely clear which QSOs were contest contacts. He appears to have made
11 SSB QSOs in 6 sectors for a score of (11x2)x6 or 132 points, which would
have positioned him in the top half.]
ON4KNG
Peter's 70 cm EME DUBUS/REF Contest results -- On 27/28 March the
WX was fine all weekend compared to what we had most of time last year. It
was a pleasure to make the following contacts with:
JA5OU, DL9KR, SM2CW,
F3RU, OE5YM, DL9NDD, K5JL, K4QI, WA9FWD, K5WXN, KA0RYT, G4ERG, 7M2PDT,
DL4MEA, ON5OF, DK3WG, OZ6OL for initial #132, W7CNK #133, UR5LX, N9AB #134
and WW2R #135. I had to repair the open tubing phasing lines. After that, I
understood why I received some stations so weak, Faraday rotation was also
noticeable. Heard were ON7SS/A (ON5RR?), PA3CSG, HA1YA, SV1BTR, KB8RQ and
VE1ALQ. The result was 21x15. I have a new e- mail address at
ON4KNG
and on the WEB at:
ON4KNG WEB Page
ON5OF
Dirk was active on 70 cm in the DUBUS/REF Contest and QSO'd on 27
March OE5EYM, SM2CEW, G4ERG, DL9NDD, K5JL, N2IQU
and DF3RU, and on 28 March
K4QI, WA9FWD, JH4JLV, JA5OVU, ON4KNG and N9AB
for a total of 13x11 or
14,300 points. My station information is 600 W PA, TX cable loss 1 dB, 16
steel wire Flexa yagis (23 el, gain per yagi 15.8 dB, estimated stacking
gain (coax + 5 power splitters 1->4) 10 dB) total gain +-26 dBd estimated.
Please visit my website at:
ON5OF
The Antenna
OZ4MM
Stig reports -- At the last minute, I decided to concentrate on 2304
rather than spend time on 432, in hope of promoting more activity there. It
was mainly the regular stations who showed up this weekend. I worked 12
stations during the contest weekend. One highlight was Franta,
OK1CA who
showed up on 2304 with a good signal. Stations worked were JA4BLC
(549/559), HB9SV (529/559), OH2AXH (559/549), OE9ERC (569/569), ZS6AXT
(549/569), OE9XXI (559/559), F1ANH (549/559), G3LTF (429/559)?, W4HHK
(559/O), WA8WZG (449/559) and LX1DB (569/569).
Prior to the weekend, I got
the actuator for elevation repaired with great help from Tom, WA8WZG. It
worked great during the weekend. On the table, I have a new 13 cm preamp,
just needs to be tuned and replace my old one.
RW1AW
Alex in KP50eb is now QRV on 70 cm. He is using 12 x 15 el BV yagis
and a 125 W TX (soon to be 1 kW). He has worked
DL9KR, DL9NDD, K5JL and
UR5LX, and is interested in skeds.
S57UUU
Marko reports on his 3 cm activity -- On Friday and Saturday it
rained all day, and I almost gave up the DUBUS Contest. The WX finally
cleared somewhat about 20 h local on Saturday, so I was able to do a little
10 GHz EME. I worked F6KSX (O/O) and WA7CJO (599/579).
Heard were DL2LAC
(O) and IW4BTW?, VE4MA, OH2AXH? (M). On Sunday afternoon, rain started soon
after moonrise, therefore no EME for me. I have set up a homepage at
. For now it contains only my old papers
from the EME conferences, but I plan to put more technical stuff there
(mostly things that I have developed for my own EME station).
SM2CEW
Peter's NL report -- I did not put full time in to the contest,
just a few hours both days. Conditions were not good. Faraday was never
aligned. My own echoes were always shifted at least 45 deg, but activity
was up and operating was fun! I worked the following stations:
UR5LX,
JH1XUJ, ON4KNG, EA3DXU, DL9KR, YO2IS, F5FLN, S57RA for initial #356, F5KDK
#357, DL9NDD, DF3RU, OE3JPC, G4RGK, SM3BYA, DL4MEA, ON5OF, OZ6OL, F5AQC,
OK1DFC, K5JL, JA5OVU, EA3DXU, HA1YA, OE5EYM, DL8OBU, G4ALH, DJ3FI, S52CW
and EA6ADW. Heard but not worked was G4ERP with good signals, also SV1BTR
was loud. I arranged a sked on 23 cm with W7SZ who had a good signal
despite the fact that his dish was shaded when we started. I also worked
K2DH and W2UHI on 23 cm. I plan to be active on both 70 and 23 the next SW.
SV1BTR
Jimmy is going QRT on 70 cm EME -- I will take the antennas down
this weekend. I will be QRT for the next 3 years until I change QTH because
of high noise. The present environment totally prevents me from seeing cold
sky. With the help and encouragement of many of you, I kept on going and
trying to improve the system, but I was never able to beat the noise
problem. After 15 months I have to face the facts that this QTH is not at
all suitable for any kind of EME activity especially on 432 MHz. I worked
#64 initials and 26 DXCC in this 15 month period. In March I worked
K5JL
and new ones IK5QLO, YO2IS and EA6ADW.
During the DUBUS test with S7 QRN, I
worked only DL9KR and DF3RU on random and EA6ADW
in sked. Last year with a
1.5 dB higher NF I had worked 7 stations. All Eur stations were coming in V
pol. I would like to apologize to all who were calling me on random or in
skeds during the contest and in the past, but I could not get their call
out of the noise! I hope you understand the situation. I would appreciate
receiving missing QSLs from: K4QI, N2IQU, SM2CEW, 9M2BV, ON5OF, K5GW,
WA4NJP and HP3XUG. I would also like to thank all those people that helped
me so much with the QRM problems and other stuff (especially PA3CSG and
VE7BQH) and to name a few more LZ2US, DL9KR, DL4MEA, KA0RYT, W7CNK, DL4EBY,
K1OR, K1RQG, I5TDJ, IK5QLO, F/G8MBI and others. It has been fun and a great
learning experience. I am going back on 2 m EME after 3.5 years of absence.
UR5LX
Sergey was active in the DUBUS Contest. He completed 54 QSOs and had
initials with OE3JPC, DL9EBF, VE6TA, WW2R and W3XS
to bring his initial
total to #366. Sergey will not be QRV for 24/25 April SW.
W1ZX
Willie was on 70 cm and worked on 27 March at 0112 KB4CNI (559/559)
for initial #297, 0148 K1FO, 0208 K5JL, 0230 sked W7EME nil, 0258 W7HAH,
0312 K4QI, 0330 F1FNH, 2200 sked UT3LL nil, 2230 sked
OZ6OL nil and 2248
UR5LX, on 28 March at 0011 OE5EYM #298, 0035 WA9FWD, 0056
DL9NND, 0100 sked
CT1WB nil, 0130 W7ALW sked nil, 0145 WA4NJP, 0230 WL7U sked nil and 2330
sked GD4IOM nil, and on 29 March at 0011
KA0RYT and 0045 W7CNK. Willie is
still working on his 1296 4 tube amplifier with water pump and power
supply. He has it working. Now Willie has to find 77' of 1 5/8” hard line
to complete the project. Willie will see you on 1296 MHz off the Moon soon.
W4HHK
Paul on 27/28 March worked on 13 cm EME
JA4BLC, HB9SV, OZ4MM and
ZS6AXT. He heard but missed OE9ERC with a huge (579) sig. Paul had
intermittent RX trouble... water in coax or loose or broken coax connector,
yet on 27 March Sun noise on 13 cm was 14 dB for a flux slightly above 100.
W7HAH
Shep found 432 conditions for the DUBUS Contest on 27 March fair to
good, but on the 28th poor. On both days very few US stations were heard or
worked. He worked on the 27th K1FO, UR5LX, DL9NDD,
DK3BU, F1ANH for initial
#201, EA3DXU, K4QI, K5JL, W1ZX, VE6TA #202, K2UYH, JA5OVU and 7M2PDT, and
on 28 March OE5EYM #203, DF3RU, OE5JFL and DL4MEA
for a total of 17. Shep
is always open for skeds.
W7KK
Dave's 70 cm activity report from CM88vc for recent months follows --
I worked on 30 Jan at 0341 NC1I (559/539) - Frank had an outstanding signal
as usual, 0400 G3LTF (O/O) for initial #24 and 0500 W7HAH (O/O) #25. I
heard nil in my skeds with DL7APV and DL9NDD and just (T) copy towards the
end of my sked with WA4NJP. I QSO'd on 31 Jan at 0422
K1FO (539/439), on
27 Feb at 0400 W1ZX (O/O) #26, but missed my earlier skeds with DK3WG and
SV1BTR due to a combination of bad WX and getting stuck in traffic - sorry.
I heard nil in a later sked with WA4NJP. K6MYC hosted a get- together at
his M2 antenna plant in Feb and I ended up getting 4 new 432-9WL's to
replace my 4 weathered and beat up FO-22's which have gone on too any
mountain-topping trips. I also have some new LMR-400 phasing line to
replace the CQ-106. These improvements along with my KA0RYT cavity preamp
will hopefully let me finally hear my own echoes and start completing with
more stations. My experiment using 2 of the 9WL's vertically didn't work
too well in the March SW and I didn't work anyone. I will not be QRV in
April, but should be back on in May with all 4 new yagis.
WA8WZG
Tom was active on Saturday night of the DUBUS/REF Contest on 13 cm.
He worked one initial F1AHN plus ZS6AXT, OZ4MM,
HB9SV and OE9ERC. Heard
were G3LTF and JA4BLC, but no contacts due to equipment problems on his
end.
WW2R
Dave reports 70 cm QSOs during the SW with PA3CSG (O/O)
- by e- mail
sked, nil from DL9NDD in another e-mail sked, K5JL, partial K4QI (O/549)
and partial K2UYH (559/QRZ). Dave notes that he will not be available for
432 EME QSOs until further notice, (probably for the ARRL EME Contest). He
is going to concentrate on a microwave EME and will let everyone know when
he is ready for these bands. Dave still needs a QSL from OH2PO.
ZS6AXT
Ivo reports -- Conditions on 13 cm during the REF/DUBUS Contest
were good. Also WX here was ideal with very little wind and virtually no
clouds so that my CCTV camera did great service. The equipment also ran
without problems. The mechanical "bias" on my AZ drive proved to be very
useful and I am very happy with this idea from LA8LF. Despite that nice
surprise from OK1CA and G3LQR, only one F station and no DLs were worked,
which was not very good! I worked on 27 March
JA4BLC, OK1CA for initial
#28, HB9SV, OE9ERC, OZ4MM, OH2AXH, OE9XXI, F1ANH, HB9SV (dup), G3LQR #29,
LX1DB, G3LTF and WA8WZG - CWNR were IK2RTI and W4HHK, and on 28 March
IK2RTI, OE9ERC (dup) and W4HHK for a score of 14x12.
More QSOs than last
year, but less than in the Microwave Contest. Most of the stations came to
my CQ. This time I had some QRM from microwave ovens in the 2424 band. Not
a problem for copying the station, but a problem when searching for one. My
6 cm tests the previous weekend with OE9ERC and CT1DMK were unsuccessful,
but I think I heard one of them, this is only after I heard some recordings
from Luis of how the signals are rough. I was not prepared for this.
Rechecking the equipment, I will try again soon.
K2UYH
I blew it sked wise. I did not realize Klaus had set up 1296 skeds
for me for the presked weekend and thus missed all of these. On top of this
I could not make any of my skeds on 28 March because of a family conflict.
I tried to notify all the stations involved, but could not find e-mail or
telephone information for several of these stations - my apologies if they
were looking for me. I operated 432 on 27 March and QSO'd at 0146
OE5EYM
(559/559), 0207 G3LTF (559/559), 0217 S51ZO (559/559), 0223 F1ANH
(559/559), 0228 DK3BU (569/569), 0233 KA0RYT (559/559), 0240 KB4CNI
(559/559), 0258 W7CNK (559/559), 0305 WB0GGM (549/559), 0320 W7HAH
(559/569), 0335 VE6TA (459/549) for initial #614, 0345 KB8RQ (559/O), 0357
K6MYC (559/429), 0407 K5JL (569/569),
0425 partial WW2R (449/-) - sent
QRZs, but by the time I realized who was calling he had given up, 0528
JA5OVU (559/559), 0551 7M2PDT (O/O), 0657 JH4LJV (O/O), 2216 UR5LX
(559/559), 2229 F5AQC (549/549), 2234 DL9NDD (559/569), 2254 K4QI (559/559)
and 2259 DF3RU (559/539). Faraday was better than in Feb, but copy was
difficult. I also arranged a make-up 23 cm sked with JF3HUC - TNX to
JA4BLC, and QSO'd on 28 March at 0700 JF3HUC (559/559)
for initial #167 -
Yoshitaka's signal was excellent. Paul, S57RA had arranged a 70 cm sked by
e-mail for the 29th, but cancelled because of system problems.
WEB NEWS FROM W6/PA0ZN: Rein writes -- As some have noticed, the moon
tracking applet on the Newsletter WEB page is not always working. My
apologies for this. Recently I have had sometime and have found the reasons
for most of this. It is the combination of the Browser and Java versions.
This applet has been compiled with ver. 1,02 and the newer browsers are
designed for ver 1.1 ( sort of ). I am in the process of re-writing the
applet with 1.1 and when finished, the gadget should work with Netscape
4.51. This will take some time as the newer JAVA versions are quite different
from ver 1.02. I have always used my favorite NC 3,03 for checking
things.This browser though is getting out of date for some of the newer
applications.
The differences between 1.x and 1.1x are in particular in the
"Time/Date" routines, which happen to form the basic routines in moon
tracking. There is lot to this and you are welcome to contact me for more
details. Why is this message here? I believe that the WEB, applets and JAVA
will play a roll in amateur radio and even in weak signal work in the
future, as it is also harming amateur radio. (Personal opinion)
NETNEWS
G4RGK, DAVID DIBLEY
DL0SHF's QSLs go directly to Per Dudek DK7LJ, Wolbloeken 3, D24145 Kiel,
Germany. Per made a number of contacts on SSB in the DUBUS test. See:
For more details.
CT1WB had PA problems and did not make his March skeds. Ceasar had to
replace all capacitors in his power supply.
HB9BBD has established a homepage
with 65 tone files of EME signals at:
HB9BBD with EME recordings
I5TDJ: has a new e-mail address, (all lower-case letters).
WA6PY (x-SM0PYP) has a new e-mail address: I5TDJ
OK1KIR had to cancel all their skeds for the last SW due to illness. Next
time all should be OK.
KD4LT, Scotty worked F1ANH and DF4PV on 23 cm.
W4TJ,
W4TJ, Bill's 10 GHz transmitter is now producing 37 W. He is looking
forward to getting back on EME.
W2UHI is making progress on 10 GHz. On 23 cm he worked DF4PV, F1ANH and
VE6TA.
VE6TA, Grant was on 23 cm during the SW and worked 3 new ones to bring him
to #33. QSO'd were W2UHI, F1ANH - with pronounced aurora, DF4PV, EA6ADW and
K3HZO.
KB4CNI did some work on his phasing lines, changed to 7/8" hardline. His
Sun noise is now 16 dB. JA5OVU was worked after the improvements.
VE4MA worked on 10 GHz G3WDG, G4KGC and F6KSX in the contest. He was called
by S57UUUand heard nil from OK1KIR due to a freq error. Barry is looking
for 10 GHz skeds. He is also working on 24 GHz EME.
N2IQU is now listening on 10 GHz. Mark is seeing S5 Sun noise and some Moon
noise.
WE2Y during the SW on 432 QSO'd 5 stations and heard K1FO with a
tremendous signal for around 15 minutes.
K3HZO contacted on 1296 during March G3LQR, HA5SHF, KD5FZX - great signal,
VE6TA, GW3XYW, W7SZ and partial WA9FWD. All were QSOs initials. Harry is
looking for info on mesh covering for a 5 m dish.
KL7HFQ plans to take his array down to repair damaged yagis. He now has his
truck back after his moose collision - neither won, but the truck is back
on the road and the moose is still dead.
W4AD now has 225 W output from his 2 x 7289 1296 PA. He is waiting for the
WX to improve to get his antenna up.
KB8RQ is up and running on 432 again. He says the horizontal part of his
cross array is not quite right yet. He worked K1FO, K5JL, OE5EYM, K2UYH,
K5JL, K1FO and DK3BU during the contest.
WA9FWD has the 2300 feed working in his dish and is seeing 12 dB of Sun
noise on 13 cm. John is not yet ready for TX. On 1296 he lost his dish
elevation while working WA4NJP on 23 cm. On 432 John worked 5 initials
during the contest. Despite his higher band activity, he will try to stay
active on 70 cm.
W7CS is back on 23 cm after traveling for a few weeks. In March he worked
N6BQ and heard K9BCT and JA6CZD.
W7SZ worked DJ9YW and EA6ADW for 2 initials on 23 cm in March.
AL7OB is QRV from Anchorage (BP51dc) on 70 cm with 16 x NBS 222 yagis and
about 800 W. His tel is 907-345-6999 and e-mail: AL7OB
W7CI was away for a while and had problems upon his return. His azimuth
prop pitch jammed up.
W7SZ was QRV on 1296 during the SW and had 7 contacts and 4 initials with
his 3 m dish and 175 W in the shack.
WD5AGO will be putting up a dish with a better surface. His 18' dish is for
sale.
K2DH worked DL6YDH and KD5FSX during the SW.
WB0GGM is back on 70 cm and is looking forward to also becoming active on
23 cm. During the contest he heard 12 stations and worked 8.
K5WXN worked 10 stations on 432 during the contest including an initial
with DL4MEA.
DK3WG reports he is now QSL manager for RW1AW. Jurgen is still looking for
QSLs from N2HLT, KB4CNI and WW2R
PA3CSG worked 5 initials (WW2R, OE3JPC, N2HLT, S57RA, F5AQC and F1ANH) on
70 cm during the contest.
S57RA is in grid JN75ap and F5AQC is in JN05pu.
FOR SALE
VK3ZQV, at: Michael is
is looking for info on 70 cm
cavity amplifier design.
W1ZX has for sale an
MFJ- 784 Super DSP filter
$US145 +shipping (s), HP
415E SWR Meter- brown unit (later build unit) $US85+s,
Bird 43 wattmeter
$US185 with a new meter movement, (2) Bird 43 wattmeter,
fair condition
(cracked/broken meter face-needs paint job) $US130 or best offer +
shipping, Noise Com Noise Diodes NC305, glass package $US33+s,
flat package
$US42+s. Call Willie at 301 645 5584 between 2000- 2300 EST, FAX 301 645
6853, 24 hrs, e-mail at W1ZX
WD5AGO has
for sale my 5.5 m dish (Specs:
0.5 f/d, 0.5" steel mesh). It can
be broken down to the 9 foot ribs. Pick up only. $US650 with CP-IMU 23 cm
horn. (After taken down, he will be back up with a 4.5 m dish good to 6
GHz.) Tommy also has an extra new 4CX1600U tube available, a 7213 of
unknown condition, a 7031 HyGain (70cm) ant, and 100' plus of 1 5/8" coax
w/conn.
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
at
KB2AH WEB Pages ,
for more details
and pricing info e-mail at Tom per email
or phone 908-223-5067, FAX 908-
223-0901 (24 hrs) or voice 908-223-8124.
ARRL CONTEST DATES: 30/31 Oct and 27/28 Nov have been proposed by the ARRL
as the contest dates, but as usual there appears to be some controversy.
The following are comments from Lionel, VE7BQH The age
old question is on us again: What dates for the ARRL EME contest? As with
last year, we have the same problems. The 2 meter stations in the northern
part of Europe and to some degree in the NE USA and Canada (and I would
assume 70 CM stations) do not like the contest in late November or early
December due to high winds and particularly ice. However, last year at the
STRONG request of the Europeans we moved the EME contest away from an
earlier weekend in November to get away from a major terrestrial contest in
Europe. The weather was particularly bad on the December weekend and many
northern Europeans complained "how come the ARRL picked such a silly time?"
I took several 2 meter stations to task for their comments on E Mail in
December when they were complaining and making comments re the ARRL that
were absolutely not true! This year Ian, G3SEK states it is a UHF
terrestrial contest being held on Oct 2/3 meaning if we stay away from this
weekend, then the only choice is Oct 30/31 and Nov 27/28.
Ian's comments: Oct 2/3 clashes with the IARU Region 1 UHF/Microwave
contest (1400 UTC Sat to 1400 Sun, 432 and up). For some people there might
be a conflict of interest because they can't operate the tropo contest and
the EME contest at the same time. Even so, that still might not rule the
weekend out for the EME contest, because: 1. There are unlikely to be QRM
problems at the bottom end of the bands, because the activity is centred on
xxxx.200MHz. 2. On Saturday the moon sets at about the time the tropo
contest begins, and rises again at about 0000UTC on Sunday. Therefore the
actual overlap of moon time with the tropo contest is only about 14 hours,
not the whole 24. We need to get this issue resolved at the earliest
possible time. Can you prompt your group for some feedback and resolution.
Maybe Ian's MOON-NET message will drive out all the feedback that is
required.
BRAZIL 2000: Don, PY5ZBU writes -- We have now started to seriously examine
and study the various aspects of our forthcoming Brazil 2000 EME Conference
to be held in Rio de Janeiro on 19/20 Aug next year. One of the most
important and difficult tasks is to identify within a tolerance band of 15
percent the number of people who will attend being a "one year in advance
type of forecast". However, we need these numbers in order to reserve hotel
accommodation in a city where tourism is all year round. If you have
interest in attending our conference would you kindly let me know as soon
as you possibly can. Indicate how many persons will attend. We already have
60 firm registrations, but then this response is understandable because the
event will be held in beautiful Rio de Janeiro!! Let me hear from you by
fax or e-mail: Fax to 55-41-341-1504 / e-mail is
Brazil 2000
FINAL: I believe the main issues concerning the EME Directory have been
settled during the past month. Inputs to the EME Directory should be sent
to Klaus, DL4EBY – see the NL masthead. There will probably be more on
plans for distribution of the directory in next month's NL.
? The Aug EME Symposium being organized by N2IQU is looking for additional
presenters. Contact N2IQU for additional details.
? More technical material is still needed. Please keep sending in your
ideas and circuits – they are needed, and reports too! CU off the Moon.
73, Al - K2UYH
OZ6OL, 5m Dish with W2IMU feed for 23cm and NBS feed for 70cm.
OZ6OL, closeup of dual band feed.
JA6CZD, 7m Dish, F/D = 0.6, 16 mm mesh for surface.
JA6CZD, Dual 70/23 cm Feed. Band switching by rotating feed around center of Dish.
Feed layout of JA6CZD dual band feed.
MICROWAVE EME CONTEST
The first ARRL sponsored Microwave EME weekend was a great success.
The event took place on November 7 and 8th and concentrated on EME
activity at 2300 MHz and higher. Entries indicated that about 30
stations from 15 countries participated in the event. 20 stations
were active on 13 cm, 11 on 6 cm and 8 on 3 cm. Two stations were
active on 9 cm but no two-way QSOs were recorded. Two days is not
enough time to operate 4 microwave amateur bands on EME!
Stations that participated included CT1DMK, F1ANH, F2TU, G3LTF, HB9SV,
I6PNN, IK2RTI, JA4BLC, JA8IAD, JA7BMB, NU7Z, OE9ERC, OE9PMJ, OE9XXI,
OE9YTV, OH2AXH, OH2DG, OK1KIR, OZ4MM, S57UUU, SM3AKW, SM4DHN, VE4MA,
VE7CLD, W4HHK, W5LUA, WA7CJO, WA8WZG, WD5AGO(SWL Report), and ZS6AXT
The first/second/third place single band single operator entries on
each band are as follows: on 13 cm, OE9ERC/ZS6AXT/W5LUA, on 6 cm,
OE9PMJ/OE9ERC/W5LUA and on 3 cm, WA7CJO/W5LUA/VE4MA. OK1KIR was on
top as the only multi-operator entry. First/second/third place multi
band entries went to W5LUA/OE9ERC/VE4MA.
Report submitted by W5ZN, WA8WZG, and W5LUA. Awards and certificates
sponsored by KD4LT and WA8WZG. Thanks to W5ZN for compiling the
results.
Call 2.3 GHz 3.4 GHz 5.7 GHz 10 GHz Multi-Band
CT1DMK x x 1,500 400 3,500
F1ANH 4,900 x x x x
F2TU 5,600 x x x x
G3LTF 1,600 x x x x
HB9SV 4,900 x x x x
I6PNN x x 900 x x
IK2RTI 100 x 900 x 900
JA4BLC 3,000 x x x x
JA8IAD 100 x x x x
JA7BMB 900 x 400 x 1,600
NU7Z 100 x x x x
OE9ERC 18,200 x 7,200 x 48,300
OE9PMJ x x 9,000 x x
OE9XXI 900 x x x x
OE9YTV x x 100 x x
OH2AXH 400 x x x x
OH2DG 100 x x x x
OK1KIR x x 1,200 900 4,200
OZ4MM 13,200 x x x x
S57UUU x x x 100 x
SM3AKW 1,600 x x x x
SM4DHN x x 400 200 900
VE4MA 2,500 x 900 400 10,000
VE7CLD x x x 200 x
W4HHK 900 x x x x
W5LUA 18,000 Echoes 3,000 1,600 52,500
WA7CJO x x x 4,900 x
WA8WZG 3,600 x x x x
WD5AGO (swl) x x x x x
ZS6AXT 18,000 x x x x
Stations 20 1 11 8 7
This information was obtained from: Scott, KD4LT
Return
Top Page
Rein, W6/PA0ZN
19981226
