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160M 24 October 2008 – Incredible conditions

By On · 1 Comment · In Amateur Radio

I have been hearing VK9DWX in Willis Island near Australia, with fairly good signals for several afternoons.   I have called and called and it appears that the DXpedition had severe receiving problems with S9 Plus noise.
This afternoon, they were stronger than ever, a real 589 signal and I dropped my call three times and to my big surprise they came right back to me.
Unfortunately, I had not started recording at the time I worked VK9DWX, but I went on to call CQ and made 58 QSOs with JA that night.
You may listen to the recordings of the entire event.

Recording starts at approximately 18:12Z.
The following DX stations are recorded in this file:
JA7OEM, UA9KAA, RW0CR, JK1OPL, JA1MRM, JH2UVL, JA7AKQ, JA1UQP, JH1HDT, JM2RUV, JG3IWL, JE1SSE, JA4LXY, JA7BXS, JA1EOD, JA0GJJ and JA1SYY

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This recording is from 19:21Z to 20:21Z and contains QSOs with the following DX stations:

JA7KY, JA4CQS, JH1TWT, JR3GWZ, JA1CNM, JA3FYC, JA7KY, JF2KOZ, JA0RUG, JA7FUJ, UA0SR, JA2XYO, JQ2VVH, UA0BA, JR3VXR, JA2EPW, JH7PFD, JK1GKG, JA0DBQ, JR1IJV, JA6HUG, JE7JDL, JF3KON, JR6EZE, JA6BZI, JH6WMJ, JH1CHA, JR3IIR, JA3PIS, JA0MVW, 7N2KRX, JH1NYM and JF1EGO

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The last recording is from 20:21Z to 2119Z and contains the following DX QSOs.:
JA1DOF, JA3TJA, JA8FKO, JH4ADV, JA8BKM, JA3ONB, JA1FNA, JA0ED, JH3VNC, RV0AR, JA7AKH, JW7QIA, RW9WA, EY8MM and JH4IFF.

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This afternoon was one of the highest points in my life.  Can this get even better?

I believe so, when the BIG TX vertical is built near the sea, and the 9 new Beverage directions are connected it will be even better.  What a pleasure!
I received a recording made by JA3FYC of our QSO.  He was running only 100 Watts.

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160M 10. Oct. 2008

By On · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

I heard VK3LZ with reasonable signals for a while but not well enough for a QSO.

Seven JA stations made it into the log:

JN4MIV, JQ2VVH, JA7ZP, JA7QVI, JQ3DUE, JH2RMU and JA8ISU.

JJ2LPV, JH0INP, JA9KRO and JE7JDL were heard and responded to, but did not make it into the log.

This is a recording of the whole session.

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JA7QVI sent me a recording of our QSO – it is interesting to compare the recordings made in Japan and Iceland.

This is the QSO as recorded in Japan

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This is the QSO recorded in Iceland.

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This is a recording of the QSO with JA8ISU

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It seems quite clear that my reception is of world class quality, but transmit side needs improvement.

160M 9th. October 2008

By On · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

7 QSOs were made with JA this afternoon at sunrise in Japan.

QSOs were made with JA6GIJ, JA6VU, JH1GZE, JF6DSZ, JA6TMU, JA0GJJ and JA6BZI.

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First !! QSO TF/VK on 160M

By On · 1 Comment · In Amateur Radio

First QSO in history between

Australia and Iceland on 160M

 

I worked VK6GX at his sunrise on 160M CW.   This is the first time a contact is made between Australia and Iceland on Top Band.

You may listen to the QSO in this recording.

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Keying errors are due to my excitement…

JA Pileup on 160M !

By On · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

Last night was very exciting.  I called CQ on a rather noisy band around sunrise in Japan.
The result was QSOs with  JF2MBF, JA0DAI, JE6IGP, JA2FJP, JA3FYC, JA9AVA, JA3KZR, JQ2VVH in a period of 12 minutes.

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”FIRST !!” HL/TF QSO with HL3IUA

By On · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

 Last night had very good conditions and I was called by HL3IUA who answered my CQ and we made what is most likely the first ever TopBand QSO between HL and TF.

 I also made 13 QSOs with JA stations in approximately one hour.

It appears that with my beverage antenna for JA I can hear the JAs better than they can hear me.  I am also helped by the extremely low noise level at my location.

However, last night we had a snow storm with high winds and ice and my amplifier kept tripping due to high SWR at times.  This cuts out the  amplifier for two seconds and completely prevents damage to any components in the system, but is rather uncomfortable regardless.

 

Kaz JA8ISU sent me an audio recording of my QSO with JH8SRI .

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”FIRST !!” JA/TF QSO on 160M ever.

By On · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

31 December 2007:

I called CQ on 160M after a nice dinner (wild hare) and was called by JA7NI on 1822 kHz.

We exchanged 559 signal reports both ways for a solid QSO.

I believe this to be the first ever QSO between Japan and Iceland on Top Band and therefore a historical event.

JA7NI – Thank you!

I am using a KW into a YCCC Double L antenna fed with 3000 feet of open wire feeders.

Update January 02, 2008:

I repaired the feedline to my 170 meter long Beverage antenna pointing towards Japan.   Upon entering the shack, I found JL8GFB calling CQ with a nice 559 signal, he answered my second call and gave me a 599 report!

This QSO was followed by JR7VHZ we exchanged 559 both ways and I was also called by JF1IXE who was 539, but did not hear my reply this time.

JA7NI called in again with a 579 signal and was followed by JA7OEM.

I am having some problems with the balun transformer at the antenna side, and just before dark I drove out to the antenna and lengthened the top leg of the antennna in the hope of getting the SWR downwards a bit.

These are exciting times!   I did not think a TF/JA QSO was even possible over this polar path.

TF3HR pointed out that the auroral activity is unusually small, smaller than we recall having ever seen it.  Normally Iceland is covered by the yellow part of the map.  Perhaps this is the reason these QSOs have been possible.  I think this is a very rare occurrence indeed and I will do my best to make as many QSOs with JA/VK/OC as possible over the coming days.

I heard VK3ZL with a 539 signal and called him for a while, but was QRMed by stations in EU who started to call me and ruined the chance of a QSO!

Try to understand that JA and VK may be easy for EU stations, but these are stations that never before have been heard or worked in TF.

I am sure that the JAs and VKs would appreciate a QSO with TF too so EU please stand by.  I can work EU at any time and I expect to be QRV on the band a lot.

JA6GIJ, JA3EMU and JA4LKB were logged as well bringing the total of TF to JA QSOs on 160 meters to 7!

auroral oval

January 03, 2008

The excitement continues!  at 1634 I was called by JA7NI who had a whopping 599 signal,  followed by JA1EOD, JA5DQH and JA8ISU in the next 5 minutes – a PILEUP from JA on 160 meters!

Later, JA4LXY and JA3ONB made it into the log before conditions died.

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Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge 2007

By On · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

I decided to get on the air day before the contest in the hope that increased activity might result.  I easily made more than 100 QSOs in about two hours, and at times the band sounded like 20 meters. I heard stations all over the US and a couple of stations in JA and one HL3 with reasonable signals.

When the contest started I had high hopes of a good score, but 2 hours into the contest with only a single contact – TF3KX I realized that this wasn´t going to happen.

At 2330 I was up to around 140 QSOs and was bored stiff with the lack of activity.  I could hear signals everywhere, mostly weak almost none of them lifting the S meter, and it was tough to make myself heard when I called them.

I started again 0930 on Sunday morning and made only 24 QSOs more until the end of the contest at 1500.

My furthest QSO was with NP4A – 6,000km, I heard N6RO with a 519 signal and I spent an hour calling JA3YBK who did not hear me or GM4POI and a few OH stations who were also calling him.

I believe that a TF to JA QSO has never taken place yet, so this was quite exciting.

My strategy of getting on the day before the contest in the hope that those stations and their friends would show up in the contest failed miserably.

After the contest finished, I continued on 160M in the hopes of snagging a JA, I easily made another 100 QSOs all over Europe, again none of those made any effort while the contest was on.

Final score:  164 QSOs 987 points

Lesson learned :  My antennas are too small.  I will be back.

text in icelandic:

Ég hef eytt mörgum vikum, blóði og svita á tveggja ára tímabili til að koma upp almennilegu sendiloftneti fyrir 160M og tókst það að lokum degi fyrir CQ WW DX keppnina í nóvember.  Slysið sem ég varð fyrir tafði einnig  framkvæmdina.  Enn er eftir nokkur vinna við að ganga frá loftnetinu betur en það er YCCC Double L loftnet

sjá:  http://www.yccc.org/Articles/double_l.htm

með efsta part í 24 metra hæð, loftnetið er fætt með opinni fæðilínu sem er ca 800 metra löng með 12:1 balun spennum á báðum endum.  Ég notaði loftnetið bæði til sendingar og móttöku enda mjög lítið suð hér í Otradal.  Mig grunar að staðsetning loftnetsins sé misráðin hjá mér, fjöllin skyggja á stóran hluta sjóndeildarhringsins og því verði ég að koma 160M loftneti niður að sjó.

Rétt fyrir Stew Perry keppnina datt mér í hug að prófa loftnetið og etv auka við virknina í keppninni hugsaði sem svo að ef menn vissu að TF yrði í loftinu í keppninni myndu þeir eða félagar þeirra kalla í mig í keppninni.

Ég hafði auðveldlega rúmlega 100 QSO á stuttum tíma og var því vongóður um árangur í keppninni.

Heyrði m.a. í HL3 og JA um kvöldið með þokkalegum merkjum.

Fyrsta QSO í keppninni var við TF3KX sem kallaði í mig eftir næstum tveggja tíma árangurslaus CQ.

Þrátt fyrir að hafa ekki heyrt tíst fram að þessu, með viðtækið skrúfað í botn, þá kom það í tvígang fyrir að mjög sterk merki flugu flautandi framhjá  mér, slógu S mælinn í botn og voru svo horfin.  Ég veit ekki hvað þetta getur hafa verið, kannske er þetta eitthvert náttúrulegt fyrirbæri?  Hefur einhver skýringu á þessu? var síðan að til 2330 þá kominn í 140 QSO og alveg við að hætta að nenna þessu.

Byrjaði aftur klukkan 0930 morguninn eftir og náði 20 samböndum á næstu fjórum klukkustundum!

Eyddi þvínæst löngum tíma í að reyna að ná sambandi við JA3YBK sem hafði þokkalegt merki en virtist ekki vera með móttakara, því hann hunsaði bæði mig og GM4POI og nokkrar OH stöðvar sem kölluðu líka í hann í næstum klukkustund.

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