First ever QSO with Ogasawara

On December 28, 2009, in Amateur Radio, by TF4M

This morning I got up early and called CQ on Top Band.

I was called by KH6ZM in Volcano, Hawaii and we had a QSO-twice !

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and later by JD1BMH in Chichi-Jima in the Ogasawara Islands.

We were unable to complete the QSO on the first try, but I called him a bit later when conditions had improved and we made the QSO solidly.

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This is the first ever QSO between Ogasawara and Iceland on Top Band.

JD1BMH sent me his recording of the QSO.

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Thanks for a new country #133 and WAZ – Zone 27!

I now need QSOs with Zones #2, 26 and 37 to complete WAZ on Top Band.

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Ears of Steel

On December 27, 2009, in Amateur Radio, by TF4M

I operated for 14 hours in the Stew Perry Distance Challenge and made around 400 contacts.

Conditions were poor with some Auroral activity.   Despite the poor conditions, I made a few juicy DX contacts, notably CE1/K7CA for a new country and Zone 12, VK6DXI for the longest distance worked – 15.800km, and KH6LC in Hawaii.

Several QSOs were made with Japan, but the US was noticeably absent.   Only a handful of US stations were worked, despite conditions allowing contacts to be made to the West Coast.

All QSOs may be listened to on the Online Audio page.

I observe with dismay, the low quality signals that descend on 160 meters during contest weekends.  Key Clicks are rampant and several stations made it hard to operate near them due to their dirty transmitters.

Generally it is a pleasure to operate on 160 meters and I may have to reconsider my contest participation, as this is simply not enjoyable.

I am using a Yaesu FT1000MP MK V with key click modifications in place and the radio is fitted with an INRAD roofing filter and a 200Hz CW filter in the 455kHz IF cascaded with the stock 250 Hz filter in the 8MHz IF.

I receive with an array of 8 Beverage antennas, coupled through a K9AY preamplifier with excellent overload characteristics.

I used a very nice feature of the Win-Test contest logging software that is called Targets Tracking which enables real time comparison of last years rates compared with the current rates on an hourly basis.

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160m 12 December…WAS in three days.

On December 12, 2009, in Amateur Radio, by TF4M

Conditions are improving, there is less noise and signals from the west coast of USA are stronger.

WAS on 160 via LOTW is almost completed in two days of operation – only ND, UT and WA have still not confirmed via LOTW.

Update: 13 Dec 0600z   -WA confirmed on LOTW,  North Dakota and Utah not yet….:-)

I know I worked a couple of stations in UT, not sure about ND.

Update 13DEC:  W0ZTL in ND was worked on Nov21 and a second time on December 10th.  The Direct QSL cards are on the way !   Will QSL direct to the Utah contacts as well to be sure.   This means that I Worked All States on 160 meters in three (3) days !  What  a pleasure.

Update 14DEC:  Jim, N7JW informed me that we exchanged QSL cards for an earlier QSO we had in January 2006.   The card is already in hand for UTAH !!  Only ND remains to be confirmed.

There has been some discussion on the Top Band reflector about how easy it is to work WAS and some stations in the US have done so in only a few hours.   Congratulations on this, but let us not compare the difficulty of working from the Auroral Zone at 65 degrees North, with working Top Band from more southerly locations.

This was only made possible with superior transmit and receive antennas and with the cooperation of excellent propagation.

Working ZL or KH6 has never been thought even remotely possible from TF on Top Band.

Long Live the Arctic King.

If you worked me from one of those states, I would appreciate a prompt upload to LOTW – thanks!

I have uploaded all QSOs to LOTW and will be QRV tomorrow night as well to enjoy these conditions while they last.

The highlights of the session were working KH6AT in Hilo, Hawaii for the second time and working Tree, N6TR for the first time on 160meters.

Update, 13DEC:  KH7C was worked this morning for the second time and KH6AT was worked again for the third time proving that the performance of the Arctic King is no fluke !

I used N6TR´s  Contest Logging program TR Log for a while and I found it to be absolutely the best logger I have ever used.   I did give up on DOS eventually though, but I still miss the quality and precision of TR while using a Windows logging program.

I have heard N6TR numerous times but never with such tremendous  signals before.

Finally LU6QI in Argentina was added to the log as DXCC entity #129 on Top Band.

Lew,  W7AT, who also made it into the log last night says it beautifully:

“The language of 160M is CW”

I concur from the bottom of my heart.

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4 New Countries with the Arctic King

On December 10, 2009, in Amateur Radio, by TF4M

Last night the band was very noisy.  I had planned to stay up all night in case conditions were good but only stayed for a short time.

I was called by 8P9NX in Barbados for a new one and later by VU2BGS and 4S7NE for two more new countries and Zone 22.

Some notable calls were FM5CD in Martinique and UK8DAN in Uzbekistan.

The day started well, with BU2AI being logged for a first QSO between Taiwan and Iceland and  Zone 24.

You may listen to the QSOs by entering the call signs.

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JT1CO worked on Top Band

On December 9, 2009, in Amateur Radio, by TF4M

When I turned on my radio today, JT1CO in ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia was booming on 160 meters.

As I waited for the amplifier to warm up, I recorded his signals and he was worked easily for a new country and Zone 23.

I now believe it may be possible to get WAZ (Worked All Zones) from TF on 160 meters.

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It is quite likely that this is the first time Mongolia is worked on Top Band from Iceland.

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