6 meter sporadic E

HF bands were terrible. So I went to 6 meter to try my luck. After I had the right counterpoise connected, my SWR was very good on 6 meter. The first one I worked was IØFHZ Ennio from Orvieto, Italy with SSB on 50.212 MHz. The following stations I worked with SSB were: IZ6FXP, Alberto from Lucoli, Italy; and IZ7JVR, Michelle from Apricena, Italy (see photo) and with CW I worked: IC8CQ from Capri Island, Italy on 50.090 MHz and it was the longest distance: 1524 km. I was very pleased because I never worked on 6 meter before. Last year I tried in August with the rubber duck, but that was not successful. Other stations I hear but not worked on 6m: IZ5ICH; IW7EAP; AND IK7IMO. Sporadic E to Italy was very good.

New solar cycle prediction

An international panel of experts has issued a new prediction for the solar cycle which takes into account the surprisingly deep solar minimum of 2008-2009. Read today's story to find out when they think solar maximum will return.
Read more >>>
The 2009 CQ World-Wide WPX Contest starts at za 00:00 - zo 24:00 UTC (48 uur)
Read more>>>
Have a nice weekend!

30 METER

Tonight I worked two stations from Sardinia on 30 meter with CW. On photo you see Simone ISØAFM from Cagliari. I worked him with 2,5 watt. An ISØGQX, Uno from Sinnai. I worked him with 1 watt.

How low is low?

With a solar flux of 67, we are at a new lowest point of conditions. How low will it get. However, I made a qrpp qso (1 watt ssb) with DLØHBS Peter from Halberstadt, Germany on 40 meter this afternoon. I thought I wouldn't make a change with such low power and phone. But so you see, things are possible when you try. Tonight I worked Bor S58X from Maribor, Slovenia on 30 meter with BPSK31. I run only 1 watt. He transmitted to me: "PA0PSY/QRP de S58X - TNX Paul for QSO - FB WITH 1W GREAT SIGNAL, NOW 599 599!!! - QSL sure - 73 GL DX - PA0PSY/QRP de S58X kn" I think the Miracle Whip and the wire are a good couple. Hi!

Portable Magnetic Loop ML-40

I bought a Portable Magnetic Loop antenna (ML-40) from Tom Brockman G4TPH. Just for fun and holidays. The indoor setting gives a good reception. Reception is comparable with my wire outside, even a little better. SWR is perfect for 40, 30 and 20 meter. I did not use it for transmission so far. With such bad conditions (SF 68) is working indoors not that good. I let you know what my results are.

This afternoon I had a cw qso with OL25LP on 20 meter, a special event call for 25th anniversary of the OK QRP Club. Active throughout May 2009.

QRP with 0,5 watt

Tonight I was turning down my power to 0,5 watt on 30 meter. I wonder what I can do with 500 milliwatt. Well, I was surprised. The first station was OM1ZL Laco from Bratislava, Slovak Republic. He gave me a 579 report. He was running 50 watts. The second station was 9A6DJM Ivo from Plovanija, Croatia. (599 report) Then I moved to 40 meter and was calling F8COJ Sébastien from Bauzemont with my 5 watts. He could barely hear my signal and gave me a 544 report. Back to 30 meter and 0,5 watt. IZ5BTF, Roberto (photo) from Basati came back for me. It is really fun to work with qrpp. 30 meter is a perfect band for QRP, I think.

Solar Flux 69

On this video you can hear a pile up for TMØM on 20 meter this morning. I tried to work him but it was impossible, because I can come through a QRO pile up and bad conditions. The solar flux is 69 now, what means that conditions are become worse. It is hard to make a QSO with QRP at the moment. Yesterday I worked ON4CV on 20 meter with CW, after calling many stations I came across. There is a lot of short skip on 20 meter. Stations I normally do not hear. Suddenly I heard a lot of Japanese stations on 20 meter. Very strange. This morning I worked with BPSK31 on 20 meter: RA1TCJ, Ivan from near Yablonowo, Russia; and YU1LC, Rade from Nis, Serbia. This afternoon I worked UN1L, Gennady from Rudny, Kazakhstan on 20 meter with BPSK31. Distance: 3819 km.

30 m with 2,5 watt

This is the shack of Jean Pierre F4EZD from Bedarrides, France. I worked him with BPSK31 on 30 meter. Tonight my output power was only 2,5 watt. After this QSO I worked on 30 meter: OE6HTG Helmut from Pöllau, Austria and EW6FW Sergej from Vitebsk, Belarus.

PSK31 and QRP

Thank heavens that there is something like PSK31, meanwhile CW and SSB are going on with calling CQ TEST. And under bad propagations of course.

PSK31 is very QRP friendly as the software (for me it is Digipan) is amazingly powerful in decoding weak signals that are just barely visible in the waterfall display. Most PSK operators are running low power and a few watts on 20 or 30 meter.

You often hear that morse (CW - Continuous Wave) is supposedly the only superior mode in terms of readability of weak signals. Not so! Many digital HF modes operate perfectly under low signal-to-noise reception conditions, thanks to their limited bandwidth.

Moreover, you save yourself the hassle of manually decoding a morse signal. (Unless you like to do this, of course.) The only inconvenience with PSK31 is the fact that you need (to carry around) a PC which also happens to consume a lot of power.

Queen of the digital HF modes is PSK31 (Phase Shift Keying) with a bandwidth of only 31Hz. In addition to a modest HF station, an old PC with a sound card, a connection box and the highly recommendable free DigiPan software, is all you need to get on air. (Source ON4AA)

Today I worked on 20 meter with BPSK31: Serge UR7UC from Ukraine; Alvio IZ2QGE from Italy; Momo Z31MM from Macedonia; IQ1NO from Novara Italy.

Have a nice weekend!

Om photo Vincenzo IT9AQR from Palermo, Sicily Island. We worked on 20 meter with BPSK31. On 30 meter I find a lot of QRP stations and that's nice. So I worked IK1ZYW Paolo from Torino, Italy, who runs only 2,5 watts. And my last qso for today was S58X Bor from Maribor, Slovenia.

DXCC no. 64

From Orel, Russia I worked UE3EPC, club station with BPSK31 on 20 meter. Also worked UX2SB Vasil from Frankivsk, Ukraine on 20 meter BPSK31.

Tonight I worked RV3WT Vlad from Kursk, Russia on 20 meter with BPSK31. After that I tried my luck on 30 meter BPSK31. I worked a new DXCC country: Las Palmas de Grand Canaria EC8AFM. Also worked 2x a two-way QRP QSO with OE6JFG/QRP Franz from Krieglach, Austria and OK1ACF/QRP Zdenek from Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic both with 5 watts. Also worked UA6YI Eugeny from Maykop, Russia.

PSK31

When the Solar Flux has dropped to 72 and the A-index is 4 conditions will be poor on the higher bands. Though with BPSK31 I can always make qso's. I took advantage of the early morning propagations on 40 meter. So I worked: OK1KM, (see photo) Karel from Kraslice; SP3SLO, Paul from Konin; 2EØRDO, Ray from Stockton on Tees; OZ3AAF, Eigil from Saeby; DL8WF, Wolf from Dessau; and EA3EOM, Pere from Els Requers, we worked for the second time.

How strong is strong?

The myth of the RST report. How reliable is the report I get or give? Do we give to easy a 5NN report? Listen to what Rick McKee KC8AON has to say: "It takes two to QRP...someone has to listen...but frankly, I doubt they have to listen very hard in most cases. In most cases it is no harder to hear a 449 than a 599. 599 is going to sound better but come on, the 449 is perfectly readable most of the time...maybe not as loud.

599 - 5= Perfectly Readable, 9= Extremely Strong Signal, 9= Perfect Tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind.

449 - 4= Readable with practically no difficulty, 4= Fair Signals, 9=Perfect tone, no trace of ripple or modulation of any kind.

Not much difference there, and I find that most folks will send a 599 on CW just so they can send it "5NN" and get it done quicker !

Very seldom these days do I actually see a signal that I would classify as a "9 - Extremely Strong Signal", even those that are running a lot of power ! I consider an extremely strong signal to be something over "10 over S9" level in good conditions, your idea of an extremely strong signal may be totally different, so the RST in my opinion is a relative thing depending on personal opinion and conditions. I for one would rather see something like "copy 100%" or "copy 90%" and I think that would be a more accurate way to go. For example, in good band conditions, a 9 rating - extremely strong signals may represent something like 30 over S9, but in poor conditions it might represent something like S7. I have had so many operators give me a 599 and then ask for several repeats, so I wonder why they give me a 599 when they are asking me to repeat so much."

That's something to think about. Today I worked E709WRC on 20 meter with CW, also SM4BZH. With BPSK31 US4IPC on 20 meter. Tonight on 40 meter DG1BVK, Werner from Schwedt, Germany with BPSK31.

HF propagation tutorial

"Sporadic E is known to be a nuisance for HF propagation. By its presence, it can RF cut off from long paths via the F-region up around 300 km and thus disrupt long-haul communications. And the reflecting properties can be so great as to not only reflect RF from the top of the HF spectrum, to the annoyance of 28 MHz DXers, but also reflects RF in the VHF portion of the amateur spectrum, to the joy of the 50 MHz and 144 MHz DXers. I should add that some contestors love sporadic E as they can go to higher bands and make many short-haul contacts on bands that would be quite dead otherwise. All that from the fact that recombination is so slow for atomic oxygen and metallic ions." More >>>

Today propagations on higher bands were dramatically bad. When I turned on my transceiver I heard on 20 meter only 2 stations, I thought something was wrong with my RX. Tonight conditions were a lot better. On 20 meter I worked UX4IJ with CW and OM8ØØAB on 30 meter with CW.

To put up a beam

To put up a beam antenna is a hell of a job. After seeing this video I am satisfied with my wire antenna. Hi. This morning I worked Pavel RA3OA on 20 meter with ssb.

What makes an engineer and/or ham radio amateur?? There is the special people on the world that contributes directly or indirectly to the technology progress... keep in mind also all the scientist.
"...the part that worries me is he used to the components to build the ham radio set."

This weekend is very busy. No ham radio for me. Today my son has a soccer competition, tomorrow is my birthday, so family and friends drop by. So I wish you all a good weekend and an lot of fun.

On photo Ray DL4MCA/P, I worked him on 40 meter ssb, he was running 80 watts into a vertical antenna. Also worked Sven DL8HCO on 40 meter ssb. On 20 meter CW I worked: UYØMM and EA4DRV.

Sunspot cycle 24

This is the situation, the last 5,5 years. We are at the bottom of the sunspot cycle. But there is hope: Scattered sunspot group 1017 materialized on May 13th from a formerly spotless active region. Its magnetic polarity identifies it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Credit: SOHO/MDI. Wow, that's good news. I can use a little bit of conditions. And a little bit of sun, because it's raining heavy here.
Today I worked: Vlad S57KV on 30 m CW; Herbert DL9GAU on 40 m ssb; and Alexander EN500I on 20m ssb. F5REF Bernard with BPSK31 on 40 meter.

On photo Vojko (and his dog) S51ZZ from Slovenia, I worked him with SSB on 20 meter. Also worked on 20 m with SSB Luciano IK5IORJ from Italy. On 40 meter I worked DL/OK2QA/P with CW. In the early evening I worked Stevan 9A2YM with CW on 20 meter.
Tonight I worked on 30 meter with CW: SV1CQN; TA3AX; SE6Y and 3Z65MC.

Yesterday I worked SP1933ANH, special call sign on 40 meter CW. The "Wind Festival" Legionowo 2009 was organized by Marek Krakowiak SP5MXJ and it gathered air sports fans. The Burzyński Balloon Cup and the Paska Paragliding Cup were accompanied by aviation and parachuting shows. The SP1933ANH special-event station was operated by the members of the SP5PSL Club. Today I worked on 20 meter CW: EW7BR, Vlad from Belarus.

Strange behaviour

On 20 meter I had a QSO with YT3AA, Zizak from Serbia with CW. Also I worked on 14.060 KHz George KZ1H with CW (5515km) at the end of the qso there was a strong qsb and signals became very weak, it's the second time we work each other. The first time on 40 meter was March 12, 2009. I heard this afternoon JA4FKZ very loud with CW on 20 meter. But there were many stations calling him. Also OY1CT Faroe Islands on 20 m, it's on my wish-list too. But what a strange behaviour when a rare station is on the air. Everybody is calling while QSO is on. He was transmitting: 'pse stop calling when I have a qso pse stop calling when I work a station.' I don't think it will help.

On photo Cheslav UR5UEY from Ukraine, I worked him on 30 meter with CW. 30 meter was very noiseless and signals were very clear to receive. A very nice band especially in the evening. I also worked on 30m with CW: Rajk S54X from Slovenia and Roman OM4KW from Slovak Republic. We worked before. In the beginning I had problems with my automatic keyer, instead of my call a name (Roman) of the QSO before was in the macro. Aargh...

I worked UY5ZZ/A from Ukraine on 20 meter with CW. There was a strong QSB on all signals on 20 meter.

Readers from 64 countries

Visitors from 64 countries visited this site since February 20 this year. I am very pleased to have so much readers. The source is Flagcounter and it is a free tool. Today we celebrate our daughters birthday (11), so no ham radio for today. Maybe this weekend somewhere, sometime.

On photo Igor RN1CR/1 - I worked him on 40 meter with CW. I also worked: Nik YU1WN and Ian S55O on 40m with CW.

30 METER

I put up a new wire antenna, so I can also work on 30 meter. I worked with RP1OAU and Bruno ISØGQX on 30 meter with CW. On 20 meter I worked Blagoj Z35F (see photo) with CW and a few Russian stations. Also worked on 20 meter: RU3HD; RP1N; RP1A; RX3FT/M; RP6AMZ (2560 km).

I saw this video by PY1AHD about his Magnetic Loop antenna. Very niced and well done. I was searching for a magnetic loop antenna, because it seems to works well as a stealth antenna. Look at the website of KR1ST, Alex Krist, previous PE1MBI about his experience with a magnetic loop and QRP.

This afternoon I worked OE7EHH, Hans from Rattenberg, Austria on 40 meter with CW.

I worked 4O6T, Hans from Montenegro this morning on 40 meter with CW. And S58MU, Milan from Gorenja Vas, Slovenia.

This morning I worked a special station EN500I, Alexander from Ukraine, celebrating 500 years Holy Mountains in Svyatogorsk. Very nice QSL card and I worked him on 20 meter with SSB. Also worked on 20 meter with SSB: IKØSXU; IR4M; USØLW; IZ8GDM; RW6AN; T7ØA; YL2BJ; and HG8C. And from all the stations I got a 59 report, isn't that funny? Hi.

I made my first contact on 15 meters SSB with S53EO, Milos from Slovenia only with my whip antenna indoors, and that's 1022 km.

Contest activities

On photo Jeff WC4E. The following contests will take place over this weekend, they could give you an opportunity to test out your antenna and also your CW skills. I used to turn the rig off when I heard a contest in full swing but then thought at least I can see what I can work and so now I put them to good use and have a bit of fun for a while. No need to work for hours, just work as many as you like and see what you can do. I like to start off calling a station with as low a power as I can and see how many calls it takes to get a reply. Surprisingly I get answers to micro watt power a lot more often than I would expect.

MARAC CW QSO Party: 0000Z, May 2 to 2400Z, May 3
Araucaria VHF Contest: 0000Z, May 2 to 1600Z, May 3
10-10 Int. Spring Contest, CW: 0001Z, May 2 to 2359Z, May 3
7th Call Area QSO Party: 1300Z, May 2 to 0700Z, May 3
Portuguese Navy Day Contest: 1500Z, May 2 to 1500Z, May 3
Indiana QSO Party: 1600Z, May 2 to 0400Z, May 3
New England QSO Party: 2000Z, May 2 to 0500Z, May 3 and 1300Z-2400Z, May 3
ARI International DX Contest: 2000Z, May 2 to 1959Z, May 3
ARS Spartan Sprint: 0100Z-0300Z, May 5

[info by G4KKI]

Today I worked: IW6ATQ on 20m; EO64L; IZ3NUL with PSK31 on 40m.
9A4D; IZ4MJA; YL3FT with SSB on 40m.

Disaster Queensday

This man killed 5 people, and hurt 16 people seriously with his car in front of the Royal Family intend to attack the Queen. It was a black day what should be a wonderful day to celebrate the queens birthday. The man himself did not survive the attack. See video.

I made a QSO earlier this day with HA9PI, Feri from Borsodnadasd, Hungary with CW on 40 meter.