QRP – Never Again !

By TF4M On December 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio, The Arctic

The Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge 2011 is over.

My raw Score was 81 QSOs giving 469 points , multiplied by 3 for a claimed QRP score of 1407 points.

Due to health issues, I decided to take part in the Stew Perry with a casual
QRP effort.

5 thunderous watts from my K3 into 700 meters of coax going to the Arctic King,
complemented with 8 Beverages and 30dB of preamplification.

The Arctic King

Conditions seemed poor, despite promising conditions in the days leading up to the
contest, band was very noisy, not a signal anywhere stronger than a 579 during
the entire period.

Despite bombarding some of the stronger stations with my massive signal, I had
to give up on many of them…not even a ? in return. Some stations seemed to
have their keyers on without any break for listening, impossible to even send
my call sideways – perhaps they had actually fallen asleep on their keyboard – I almost succumbed
myself at 0300 AM.

Other stations would answer on the first call. Seems that there is some lack of
respect for the Top Band.

Top Band is all about reception, not only transmit power. This is why I like
the Stew Perry event, it rewards those able to make the longest DX contacts.

Highlight of the event was being called by Jack, VE1ZZ.

Listen to our QSO:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I just received this email from Jeff, K1ZM who was operating QRP – 5W only from his super station in Prince Edward Island.

you worked me also Thor with my MASSIVE 5w signal.

Happy Holidays from Prince Edward Island in Maritime Canada.

I heard you MANY TIMES and called off and on when I heard you – eventually
I managed to get your attention.

http://www.vy2zm.com

73 JEFF VY2ZM

Listen to our QSO at the end of this audio recording of a small run I had in a fit of optimism.

The first QSO in the recording is with EI7BA, followed by OE1TKW, GM4ZUK, VY2ZM and GM4AFF.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Real Radio at it´s finest !

If my calculations are correct, this QSO was worth 84 points! (7 basic points x3 x4=84points – a record perhaps?), a distance of 3186 km.

Heard KH7X and ST2AR and several JA stations.

I look forward to taking part in the next event – this time with HIGH Power.

QRP – Never Again…

I think I may have a chance for winning a plaque in

the following categories.

Top Score – QRP Single-Op
Longest distance QSO with QRP transmitter
Aurora Borealis Award
Golden Log
TBD by the BARC Log Checkers (Greatest Optimist?, Strongest QRP Signal… :- ) )

Read the reports on the 3830 Score Rumors list.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge

By TF4M On December 16, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

The Stew Perry Top Band Distance Challenge will be held this weekend.

If conditions are good, I may enter the contest QRP (5 W), since I am not able to take part seriously due to health reasons.

The rules are written in a manner which favors low power stations and more points are given for each QSO for both parties.

Today, I received my plaque for last year´s event, where I qualified for three plaques:

1: Aurora Borealis Award - Top Score, > 60 Deg N Geomagnetic Latitude

2: Top Score, Europe

3: Longest QSO, High Power

The rules state : Only one plaque can be won by any station for a specific contest. BARC will make decisions about which plaque you will win in cases where you qualify for more than one.

As a former sports competitor, I think that a station should be able to collect more than one award, personally – receiving an award for first place in any event, knowing that I was in second place would not give me much satisfaction.

I am of course very pleased that I won the plaque for Longest QSO ( even though I had to sponsor the award myself…) – the most prestigious award in the contest in my humble view – this event is all about distance.

TF4M and ZL4AS worked a 17,774 km path for the longest QSO. Cliff, ZL4AS lives in the very south east of the South Island of New Zealand, looking at a Great Circle Map, his location appears to be the furthest possible on the planet from TF4M – an amazing DX Contact.

The other plaques were therefore given to the runners up as decided by the BARC committee.

I look forward to taking part in the best event in Amateur Radio with my thundering 5 W signal emanating from the Arctic King!

YOU WILL HEAR ME !

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

See the King.

By TF4M On December 16, 2011 · 1 Comment · In Amateur Radio, The Arctic

This photo of the Arctic King designed by TF3DX was taken during a blizzard last winter. The Arctic King 160 Meter antenna is 27 meters tall and the pole weighs upwards of 3 tonnes. Each insulator is approximately 70 cm long and weighs around 30 kilos. The antenna wires themselves are CopperWeld with a breaking strength of nearly two tonnes. The pole is set 2.5 meters into solid rock and guyed approximately every 120°. One of the guy wire attachments is submerged on high tide, since the antenna is right on the edge of Salt Water.

It took two years to design, gather materials and build the antenna which is fed by 700 meters of 1-5/8″ Hardline Coax.

This cable has a total calculated 0.6dB loss at 160 meters and is rated at 315 kW.

The radiation resistance of a top loaded short vertical is 12 ohms – The Arctic King measures 14 ohms, which makes the antenna 85% efficient. This efficiency is thanks to the great conductivity of the Salt Water adjacent to the antenna.

The Arctic King

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Arctic Ecstasy – First Ever QSO DU/TF !!

By TF4M On December 15, 2011 · 2 Comments · In Amateur Radio

I have been monitoring the 160 Meter band closely in preparation for the Stew Perry Long Distance Challenge, and conditions have been steadily improving.

A Historic First Ever QSO between the Philippines and Iceland took place on 160 Meters.

The Arctic King showed his power yet again.

Listen to my QSO with Hiro, DU1/JJ5GMJ on 160 Meters.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This was followed by a nice pile up, where the band was open to North America, Japan and Europe at the same time.

My country totals now stand at 174 Countries Worked – 168 Countries Confirmed on Top Band.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Arctic Frustration

By TF4M On December 13, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio, The Arctic

Conditions on 160 Meters are rather frustrating these days.

My receive ability on 160 Meters outperforms my transmit ability by a large margin, i.e. I can hear more than I can work even though I have the ability to run high power when needed.

I have been trying to work DU1IST for a long time and I am now hearing him with workable signals, but not even a “?” in return to my calls.

Such a QSO would be a historic first ever between the Philippines and Iceland on 160 Meters.

The reason DU1IST can not hear me, is most likely because of a higher noise level in the Philippines.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Last night I worked DU1IST easily on 30 Meters:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I hope conditions improve, this season may be the last opportunity we have in my life time.

Urban Animal Advocates

By TF4M On December 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In The Arctic

In February, I received the following message from a Canadian artist.

Hi!
I’m an artist working on a charity project for a wildlife center here in Montreal and my project is to create a website for the shelter. I was looking for a great background for the pages of the site and went on a search online for a beautiful sky – I found your photographs to be amazing and was hoping I could have your permission to use an image from your northern lights photos for the website. I/we would greatly appreciate your donation of one of your great images. Please let me know, thanks!

Jesse Allarie

I was very pleased that somebody liked my photos and permission was immediately granted.

The site is now live and may be viewed at Urban Animal Advocates – my photo was used as the background for the site. It certainly looks beautiful.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Alexey, VE2XAA – Silent Key (SK)

By TF4M On December 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio, Visitors at TF4M

Alexey, VE2XAA became a Silent Key on August 21, 2011 from a heart attack, only a few weeks after his visit to Otradalur, where he operated TF4X in the IARU Contest 2011.

From Hávamál :

Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one’s self;
But a noble name will never die,
If good renown one gets.

It was a pleasure to meet Alexey and we already talked about his next visit to Otradalur.

VE2XAA de TF4M SK ——————————-

Outside of the contest, Alexey operated from my station using the call sign TF/VE2XAA.

Our last QSO was on the 14th of May, 2011 on 20m CW.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Here is an album of photos I took of Alexey during his visit.

VE2XAA @ TF4X

Alexey, VE2XAA piloted TF4X in the IARU HF Contest 2011.

63 Photos

During his stay, Alexey suggested some improvements to my engineering - I have already begun to implement some of his suggestions.

Alexey had prepared to work the contest on SSB and had recorded his contest exchanges into the voice keyer of the radio. However, he decided to do a CW only effort. The recording was discovered by chance recently.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I believe Alexey was very pleased with his visit. He wrote in my station Guest Book:

…unic place in the planet, unic landscape with real Elves and unic antenna farm. ….In 10-20 years one more forest will cover the place where it was never before. And on top of the trees the Arctic King with Arctic Quinne will rule their Otradalur Kingdome!

The result of the contest IARU 2011:

total: 1876 QSO, 770400 points, beside contest 2200 QSO. Total for 3 days ~ 4000 QSO.

Main station impression: usually you do not hear the stations calling you. This problem does not exist in Otradalur farm. You hear even 160 m band with full daylight days in July! ”White nights” – is not a problem for Arctic King!

73! Alexey, VE2XAA

Most of Alexey´s TF4X operation was recorded as follows:

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 01

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 02

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 03

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 04

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 05

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 06

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 07

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 08

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 09

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 10

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 11

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 12

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 13

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 14

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

VE2XAA@TF4X recording 15

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Top Band conditions improving

By TF4M On December 10, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In Amateur Radio

Yesterday – 9th of December, I heard BU2AQ, in Taipei, Taiwan on 160M.

Despite numerous attempts, I was not able to raise him to give him a quick report, – we have worked twice before on Top Band.

Listen to his contact with SP3DOI

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Upon checking my records, I found that I have never received a QSL card from BU2AQ, although I have worked and confirmed another station from Taiwan – BU2AI.

My cards for both contacts with BU2AQ will be posted on Monday.

This bodes well for the winter DX season, I am still missing several Asian countries – including China…