Halloween

No radio today, today we have a Halloween Party. Friends of us do have a puppet theater, and they give a performance in 'De keukenhof'. Yesterday we went to 'De Efteling' an amusement park, with my eldest daughter and husband and kids. And the XYL and my youngest kids of course. Have a nice weekend!

Half an hour for PSK31 on 80 m

I had a half an hour time for PSK-ing on 80 meter tonight. I worked DO1FCB (see photo taken from qrz.com), DB4EZ Marianne (YL), SQ9IWS and PAØATG.

50 milliwatt WSPR on 40 m

I started at 16.40 UTC I received a lot, but after 1 hour I received less stations and was less reported. Good conditions in the grey zone. Maximum distance was 2146 km with 50 milliwatt.

Is the TS 590S a K3 killer?

I did hear that the TS 590S has a great receiver. The most important part of a transceiver. The price in the Netherlands: between 1700 and 1800 euro. My budget doesn't allow a purchase, so I watch videos and read reviews. I hope that it is possible to lower the power output of the TS 590S.

Tuna Tin 2

I like this video, a very small 500 milliwatt 40 meter TX. This week the kids are having holidays, so a lot of time is spend with the kids and family this week. Maybe so now and then I do some WSPR. That's all.

Values in Ham Radio

I read a interesting posting on Larry's blog about manners in ham radio. New words for me too. Now I know about the Wouff Hong and the Rettysnitch. Have a nice Sunday. (Rain and wind here...)

Still amazed

It was early, 7.34 UTC Saturday morning, I worked RA6BU (see photo taken from qrz.com) with 0,5 watt JT65A mode. That is 5364 km/watt. Also worked IZ7DMT with JT65A. I am still amazed what can be achieved with QRP. Last night I was monitoring 500 KHz WSPR and I heard Roger G3XBM with 2 milliwatt. (see screen shot below)

Everything has rhythm

I worked on 15 meter N4BP from Florida (see photo taken from qrz.com) and CO8LY from Cuba both with CW.

Web SDR radio

You want a quick view on conditions on HF? And don't feel like to put up first the rig, antenna tuners, antenna switches, power supply? Then Web SDR is a fine tool. On this page you can listen to and control a short-wave receiver located at the amateur radio club ETGD at the University of Twente. In contrast to other web-controlled receivers, this receiver can be tuned by multiple users simultaneously, thanks to the use of Software-Defined Radio. You can also monitor your own QRSS signal, or others signals depending on band, distance and conditions. The SDR has a good antenna: 80 meter end fed wire. That's something I don't have. On the video you can see that I am logged in as SWL NL-1008. I was a SWL before I got my license.

This morning I worked on 40 meter with BPSK31 (5 watt) CT1BWI, F5SAZ/QRP and 9A3IJ.

With JT65A I worked OE1DXA and 9A8W with 50 milliwatt on 20 meter band.

QRPpp

My router output is the same as my WSPR signal this afternoon. My mobile phone has four times the power. With 50 milliwatt on 20 meter I was reported in Japan JF3MKC. That is 114748 MPW or 184660 km/w. It's really amazing. And conditions are not really good on 20 meter or higher. With CW I worked OK2BDR on 14060 KHz.

Testing QRSS on 20 meter

I am testing QRSS on 14.0989 KHz with 50 milliwatts. If you hear me, please send a report to pc4t@multiweb.nl
Thanks.

QRP WSPR and JT65

After a busy weekend and some RTTY contest activities, I was QRP-ing with WSPR and 0,05 watt on 20 meter. Maximum distance was Italy 1733 km. That means 21525 MPW (Miles per watt) With JT65 I made a qso with LY2BCE (see photo from qrz.com) on 20 meter and 50 milliwatt. Good for 16349 Miles per watt.

Something else

Fast-growing sunspot 1112 is crackling with solar flares. SDO movies show the three strongest of the past 24 hours: an M3-flare @ 1910 UT on Oct. 16th, a C1-flare @ 0900 UT and another C1-flare @ 1740 UT on Oct. 17th. So far, none of the blasts has hurled a substantial CME toward Earth.

Activity on 10 meter

Surprise! A lot of activity on 10 meter. I have WSPR running on 10 meter.

QRP vs QRO

This picture (click on picture to enlarge) was taken from the site of PA1B a very nice site about QRPp. What makes you think you can't be heard with QRP? The difference between 500 milliwatt and 100 watt is only 4 S-points. When someone with 100 watt is S9 or S9+ you must be able to work him with QRP. Avoid huge pile ups, because that will be hard. I do not say it's impossible. It's a little bit harder to come through. I am not only QRV on the QRP frequencies. I just wander around on the entire CW band. Even I am not always mention that I am working QRP. If they hear me is OK for me. When the opposite station is very weak, then it would be difficult to be heard. But also not IMPOSSIBLE! Sometimes they hear me with 5 watt, even when that station is weak and almost in the noise. Just try, you never know.

Latest activities.

QRPp

This is Zdeno OM3WZM (photo qrz.com) from Slovak Republic, I worked him before breakfast with 5 watt BPSK31 on 80 meter band. He said: good signal for 5 watt. That means I should work with less power. I managed an attenuator (-10 db) for my FT817, so I can work QRPp with 50 milliwatt on HF. Mainly for QRSS, WSPR and JT65A. Maybe even CW. PA3GNZ Tjeerd gave me this idea. With PE4BAS earlier this year we managed a QSO after we lowered the power with BPSK on 80 meter to 1 watt successfully. New goal: chasing DXCC with 50 milliwatt on 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meter band. Why? Because 5 watt is relatively spoken QRO. ;-) This week I was reported in VK and ZL again. I need a new challenge.

WSPR with 5 watt on 20 meter. Nice catch was Greenland OX3XR.

The Junker straight key

New in the shack is the second hand Junker straight key. I sold the old key many years ago, now I am happy that the key is back again. The feel is very good, much better than the new Bencher straight key I bought last year. Unfortunately I cannot longer than a half an hour working with a straight key. With the years I grow older I have osteoarthritis of the hands and shoulder joints. It end up with a painful joint. My maximum speed with a straight key is 16 wpm. A electronic key is much more better for me. Only I will give so now and then a dot or dash too much or less. Fine speed is 24 wpm with the electronic key with a minimum of errors. Another method I use is keyboard keying. No problem to send out any speed necessary without errors. Sometimes I use macros to send out CW when I do CW contesting or DX. I use FLdigi to do so. As you see there are different methods to do CW. I always use my ears to decode CW. I can’t do without it because I need to hear CW myself. In the background I use CW Skimmer for decoding. I tried different decoding software and for me CW Skimmer is the best. It's not free, you'll have to pay for it, but it's worth the money. CW Skimmer can be very helpful sometimes especially to monitor 14060 KHz band because it decodes many stations at one time so I can see which station is QRV. Picture gallery of my shack

This morning I worked YU7AE/QRP on 14060 KHz after he worked F/N2UGB Dick. Unfortunately I didn't hear Dick. I made a screen shot of the qso between YU7AE and F/N2UGB.

It comes to an end

This wonderful tropospheric conditions on 2 meter will come to an end. The weather is slowly changing. The high pressure area above west Europe will make place for an western wind with low pressure.

But I could work the repeater in Antwerp Belgium (ONØAN) this morning and spoke to ON8NP/M Nicolas. I am for three days hanging around on 2 meter. Worked 4 DXCC with my humble station and antenna.

I bought a Junker straight keyer and I will receive it this week. It was my first straight key, and I want it back again.

JT65 on 20 meter

For 7 minutes I was calling CQ with JT65A on 20 meter, I made one qso with EA3FHP and I was reported for instance by YV4GJN, VK3JWC (16.372 km) and W2GHD. I was running 5 watts.

On 2 meter tonight I received the voice repeater GB3CF from Leicester with good signals. Very strong signals from the UK on the simplex channels. I heard MØMST/P with 59+ and M3CNG Gareth also 59+ and we made a QSO. I was 57 to 59 with my 5 watt and quarter wave vertical. This is the first time ever I made a simplex QSO to the UK. On 145.600 (repeater GB3WR from Somerset UK) I worked GWØPLJ Ian from Cardiff, Wales.

England again

Still there are conditions on 2 meter. I worked this morning G7RAU Dave from the Isle of Wight with 5 watt CW. The only mode with more chance for a qso on 2 meter with qrp and a small vertical. All voice repeater channels are busy with repeaters from the Netherlands, Belgium and England. No chance for a qso because when I hear a far away repeater, the moment I push the mike button I activate a nearby repeater. But it is nice to listen to a crowded 2 meter. When the conditions are over the band will be silent again. You can check for tropospheric conditions here. Then I realized that I could turn off the sub audio tone.

Now I worked via DBØOBK in Osnabruck, Germany DO6NP Nils. Distance 228 km. First time I worked Germany on 2 meter. Via repeater ONØLB I worked PE1B/P Ruud from Maastricht (206 km).

England on 2 meter

For the first time I worked England on 2 meter with CW. It was a pleasure that GØFVV Dave (see photo from qrz.com) from Mansfield (402 km) came back for me. I worked only with my quarter wave vertical and 5 watt. I got a 549 report. He was 599 here.

Nice distance for a small antenna and QRP. With SSB I heard M1PAC, G3YDY, GØNED and G4ERO. With CW: MØKIS, GØTPH and G7RAU. I heard the PI7CIS and GB3VHF beacons. It was something else to work on 2 meter instead of HF.

2 meter activity

Ik hoorde op de 2 meter repeater van Wormerveer PA3ØRCK. Deze speciale call is vanwege het dertig jarig bestaan van Radio Club Kennemerland. Eind jaren zeventig kwam ik nog wel eens bij deze club omdat ik toen in IJmuiden woonde.

On 2 meter were good tropo conditions. I heard MØODV from Hull with my quarter wave vertical and some repeaters from Germany and Belgium. On the repeater channels was some chaos because of tropo conditions. I listen for a hour to all activity on 2 meter. [watch the video]

On 20 meter I heard on 14060 KHz 8N5A from Japan with good signals here. He was calling CQ Contest. I gave a call but he didn't hear me

How dark is your sky?

“When you live in a city, it's easy to forget that we are surrounded by the greatest show in the Universe: The Universe itself. This sky comparison chart is the sad proof of that.” (More)

“There are plenty of amazing time lapse videos. This is one. But when you see it paired with Hans Zimmer's "Dream is collapsing"—from Inception's soundtrack—it goes from amazing to holy-fuck-the-Universe-is-about-to-collapse-and-we-are-all-gonna-die amazing. Play the HD full screen. Use headphones.” (More) (watch the video)


I was reported in a new country: Vietnam. XV4TUJ on 20 meter with 5 watt WSPR.

Straight Key

Nice video of a straight key. Looks like an old Junker.

WSPR and JT65

This early morning I was WSPR-ing on 80 and 40 meter. On 8o meter I was reported from the east coast USA. Also with JT65. On 40 meter (see above) I was reported from a lot of stations from the USA and from New Zealand. (ZL1JA and ZL3UYJ distance 18.649 km) with 5 watt output. Not bad when there are no sunspots and A and K indices are not low. But with dawn there are nice propagations possible on 40 meter. Only one strange thing: I didn't receive any stations on 40 meter with WSPR. Can anyone explain how that is possible?

Hello Peter...!

Today I saw Peter G4NKX on my screen with WSPR on 40 meter. Always funny to see a fellow radio amateur who I know only from blogging.

From 11.57 UTC I switched to my FT817 and 0,5 watt and my indoor Miracle Whip. I also received Peter as well with this antenna. So his antenna works very well. I think my inverted dipole could perform better but one part is too close to the house, maybe the radiation angle of my dipole is unfavourable for Peter.

Finally Peter reported me too... with 5 watt and inv v dipole (and I disabled the antenna tuner which is not necessary on 40 meter because the dipole is resonant on 40)

I received DL6NL who was running only 50 milliwatt on 40 meter. Distance 475 km.

Reverse beacons

I like to live on Iceland. Not too hot there and a nice scenery when there is northern lights / aurora. (more photo's)

I was calling CQ with PSK31 and JT65, see results here. Enough reporters but no qso.

Ham (radio)

Yesterday I worked RX6AKA with JT65 on 20 meter, UR7ZO on 17 meter with CW and DL2BMH with PSK31 on 40 meter.

2012

This is probably really the reason the world is going to end in 2012.

SSTV #2

This morning I was listen, sorry, looking at SSTV on 14230 KHz. Unfortunately, not really TV, but pictures with text. Though funny to see. I tried to make a qso but not yet succeeded. I put up the Miracle Whip from the dust to set up for indoor WSPR on the lower bands. QRP with 500 milliwatt on 80 and 160 meter. On 80 meter I was reported by OY1OF. Distance 1250 km. Can I say 2500 km /watt? 0,5 watt with a indoor antenna in the living room. Have a nice day, and a good weekend. (Pretty busy this weekend, hardly time for playing with the radio) At 12.43 UTC I worked OH3HTR with CW on 14060 KHz. Later this afternoon: UR3UP, EA5AHN and IØFSP (with HB1A 4 watt) with CW on 14060 KHz. Also RD9CX Sergei from Ekaterinburg, Russia (3527 km) both 5 watt CW.