ARRL DX Contest

The past weekend was the ARRL DX Contest in CW.

I also took a part in it,but just with the small power i have,just 25watts.

Sometimes it wasn't easy to get the QSO good.I was active on 20M and a small part at the 40M as well.

For 20m i can use my 3elm Tribander,FB33 from Fritzel.

For the 40M i did use just a simple 2x 10M wire dipole,just haning as inverted V.The top hangs at 5 meters and the ends at 2 meters above the ground.

This simple setup works better for me then my Fritzel FD3 windom.This one is also hanging higher,top at 9 meters and the ends at 4 meters above the ground.

Soon i will let the 2x 10m dipole in the same way as the FD3,just to test how that will work then.

Later this year,i will get a 2elm PKW up for 40M.

The first day of the Contest went very well.Got 134 QSO's logged that day.

The second day was not that well.I did found alot of OM's that i did work already the first day.

Also no propagation to the West Coast of the US,so also no Multies from that area.

Total came to 179 QSO's with 47 Multies.

These QSO's are made with only 25 watts and also by use of computer and MixW.

So alot of weak signals couldn't be worked because of this.

I'm very happy with the result and hope to work you guys again soon,in other contest.

Links: ARRL Dx Contest 2009

: MixW

K5D Desecheo 2009 DXpedition update

In the start of the expedition K5D,they where very strong here at my side.But as later the time went,the signals went also lower and lower.Sometimes not even signals that came above the noicelevel.Thursday is daytime it was the same.In whole Europe they could work K5D,but here at my radio is was all silence.

Till around 18:00 UTC,the signals came up and getting stronger and stronger.
The SSB station went up to 5/5 at the top.In the cluster i did read,that K5D was going to listen 14234 till they change operators.I went there and just had to call one time....Lucky i was....i was logged !!!

The signals where not very strong,just 5/5 on top,sometimes even lower.I just waited till the online log was update,before i did my happydance :)

K5D is a very big new DXCC for me,and many others as well.It's a DXCC that won't be active alot in the future,because it's not just a Island that is easy to acces.

In December 1976, Desecheo was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is now responsible for its management as a wildlife refuge. Desecheo has been closed to all visitors.

So special papers/permit need to be asked for to get there.

Sometimes you hear and see alot of OM's complaining about the K5D crew.I really don't understand why...Ofcourse not all members have years of experiences on expeditions.But with new operators at the Dx Expeditions,it helps to get the active expedition OM's community bigger.This way we will get more and more very nice DXCC's active in the coming years.

View of Desecheo Island - K5D

For me,and for sure many others,the K5D is already a very good expedition.Not only now because if have worked them,but before iw as as well.For many this will be a very new DXCC....for some the last on the list.

Many thanks again to the crew and sponsors for make this happen!!!!!!!

Links: http://www.kp5.us/

http://69.89.25.185/~trexsoft/t-rexsoftware.com/desecheo/about.htm

http://www.kp1-5.com/

LOtW

Not many OM's are using the system on LoTW.
It's a shame,because it's a very nice system for collecting DXCC's and also Awards.

I'm using it now for some time.All my QSO's will be uploaded via a special *.tq6 file,that will be made by a special small programm that will be used from LoTW.
This *.tq6 file will be used in the database and for your DXCC list and QSO's.

LOtW is under the wings of the ARRL.This means,that all DXCC'sconfirmed by LoTW will count for ARRL Awards.

It works like this....
If i work for example XX1XX,i will upload my log to LoTW.If XX1XX is also user of LoTW and he also uploads his log,the database on LoTW finds the match between us.It find our QSO and will show up.If something is wrong with the QSO data,for example the mode,date or so...it won't show up.
This was just a small explaining of how it works ofcourse.For more info,look at the ARRL homepage.

Here you see my results till now:

Above is my DXCC list

Above is my WAS list

ARRL: American Radio Relay League, the US national organization of Amateur Radio operators
Link: http://www.arrl.org/lotw/
Link: http://tobbe.net.au/lotw/ Dutch explaining for using LoTW by VK2GWK,Henk

K5D Desecheo 2009 DXpedition

For almost one week K5D is active on the bands.
Before they started,they asked that OM's that have already worked K5D before,not to call in the first week.But.....i think they said it to deaf OM's.
As also many try to work them on all slots...
Some are even 2 times or more in the log on one band !!!!
This way,the OM's that don't have much power or big antenna systems,aren't able to work them.It's a shame that in the HAM world,the real world reflects as well.Just think about yourself and not about your fellow HAM in this case.
There's still one week to go before K5D will stop,so still some changes to work them.

But the propagation isn't the same all days as well.Like yesterday K5D wasn't strong here at all on 20M.Most of the time not even so strong to work them.I just hope that all OM's will have a fair change to work them and to give them also the BIG new DXCC in their list.

Thanks anyway to the OM's and Sponsors that make K5D happen.It's for sure one of the nicest DXCC's that will be active in 2009.

Link: http://www.kp5.us/

PACC 2009

This past weekend was the weekend of the PACC Contest.
For us in Holland the biggest contest,but for outside not very interrested.
I am not active during the contest since 2007 and see that every year less OM's outside Holland are interrested to work us.Maybe it the setup of the contest that does this.
OM's outside Holland can only work us for points...
Maybe if the setup changes,that everyone can work everyone,with the Dutch Provinces as extra Multi's,makes it more interresting.
Just a little thought....

I did work in the Novice style,this means only 10,20 and 40 meters,with maxima of 25 Watts.
The 10 meter wasn't open,only did work a few Dutch provinces on that.
The 20 meter was open,but also closed early in the evening.....but th strange thing is,that still RTTY qso's could be made with NA/SA.So i think this is also because the PACC isn't that interresting.
The 40 meter was also not very good propagation.And a big problem with all the RTTY stations as well.How later in the evening,how higher in the band the RTTY came.

But most of all,i did enjoy it again to be a part of the PACC.
This is the most important thing,in my opinion.
And we learn as well from it.I did want to change some things,after the PACC from 2008.
But i did move in with my girlfriend and the antenna setup wasn't ready as i wanted it to be.
Something to fix before the PACC 2010 !!!

The Score of this year came to 8448 in N1MM logger.This can be changed after all logs are send in ofcourse.Here are some of my statistics:

The setup used was:

TRX : Yaesu FT847 25 watt

Antenne's: Fritzel FB33 (10-20m) , Fritzel GPA50 (10-20m) , Fritzel FD3 (10-40m) and home made 2x 10m dipole (40m)

The FB33 is at 6 meters above the ground.Soon it will be higher.The GPA50 is at the roof of the house,also the FD3 is there connected,and as Inverted V hanging down.The home made 2x 10m dipole,was hanging as Inverted V at my tower.The top at 5 meters at the gound.

I hope that the propagation will improve,until the PACC in 2010.Also that more OM's find it interresting to work all of us during this 24 hours contest.When the weather permits,and also my health,we will be changing the antenne setup here in the spring.The FB33 will be removed and in that place my old Swan TB-3HA will be put in his place.The Swan tribander has in my opinion a better f/b and is also bigger.The radials are all 1 meter longer then from the FB33.This means also a better performing.I used the Swan at my old place and am very happy with it.It's now over 30 years old and old American made.

For the 40m i will change my PKW MHF1e40 Rotary dipole,that is also still not up here,to a 2elm beam.This will for sure improve my skills on 40m.The antenne's will be up then around 10 meters above the ground.I am trying to get them higher,but need another tower for this,of must see if this tower can be changed.Our garden is only around 9m long....

So this is my story of the Dutch PACC 2009.Thanks all that did work us and hope to see/hear you again next year or in other contest.

Vertical for 40 meters

I am trying to make myself a Vertical antenna for the 40 meter band.
Till now,i am still not happy with the results.


I wanted to make the vertical,so i have other signals then on my FD3 windom from Fritzel.
But till now,the signals are almost the same.
Problem is also that i can't have radials from 10 meter long here in the garden.
I use 5 radials now.Two of them are 10 meters long,the others are 5 meters.
They aren't in one straight line as well.
Our garden is onlu 9x6 meters.The antenna is in the middle...

Here are some photo's i made today.It doesn't look very proffesional ofcourse.
The is just testing it.If i am happy with the design,i will make a better one of better materials as well.

Testing with PE4BAS

Yesterday evening Bas,PE4BAS,did ask me if we could test his PDL2 Quad on 10meters.
I turned my 3elm Tribander in to his direction,around 10 degrees,and i did hear him with 4/3 in the start.Later he came up with the signal to 5/7 by some upliving of the propagations.
It's very difficult to see any changes with this kind of propagation.
The s/r on both sides seemed to be the same as it was in the past.

We also did try our voicekeyers out,if they where still working ok without problems.
Bas did make a short recording of my testing,i have put it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnILfgV4SwA

Today Bas wants to put up his Vertical Antenna with his automatic Matcher.
The weather is good for it,hope it will all work out good.

Propagation

Today the propagation is very poor.
The coming weekend we have the big PACC coming up,so hopefully it will improve before then.

But also with this bad propagation,we have sometimes nice openings.
So did i work in the past weekend some nice DXCC's in the XE RTTY Contest.
For example in my log are:
Australia,Thailand,Japan,Venezuela,Mexico,Argentinia,Brasil and many more.
The propagation wasn't very good,and the openings where just short in that directions.

I hope that many HAMs will be trying to work all us Dutch HAMs and the Dutch PACC contest will be a big succes.

Blog

Hi all,
Today i started also a Blog.
It will be about my experience on the radio and the things surrounding it.
I'm very active making QSO's and working new DXCC prefixes,but also i like to chat with friends.

Hope you like this Blog and will come back so now and then to see my experiences.

73's
Bernard de PD7BZ
http://www.pd7bz.nl