6 meter WSPR

For one day it was very hot. Yesterday afternoon the temperature was 29 C. The renovation of our garden is still going on. Today it's the last day for carry stones in the garden. It is almost finished. A good day for WSPR on 6 meter today. In the early morning I was reported by PE4BAS, PA0O and PA3MET. I will update later today, hoping for a good Es day.

Update: I was also reported by PA3GNZ and ON4PC. I hoped for more stations in Europe, but this is it. The centre of the Es cloud was more above East-Europe.

R1 Radio Blackout

A warning goes out for a R1 Radio Blackout. At the moment very poor conditions.

I received this nice eQSL card from EA8CDJ, I like this home made cards.

WSPR with 5 watt on 14 MHz.

After the storm

After the geomagnetic storm, HF traffic is back again. Best DX today was ZS1LS on 20 meter with JT65A and 15 watt. There was sporadic E on 10 and 6 meter. See my QSO´s for yesterday and today:

Over 100.000 visitors

After almost 2,5 years I had 100.000 visitors to my blog, from 166 DXCC countries. Not bad at all.

I would like to thank all of my readers for visiting my blog. The USA is number one, 25,7% and a second place for the Dutch readers 18,1%. Third place for the readers from the United Kingdom 9,1%.

There is a Major Geomagnetic Storm going on, so poor conditions on HF at the moment. Positive news: more sunspots expected. There is a Aurora for 2 meter in Europe.

Crowded 6 meter

Yesterday 6 meter was open again. The band looks like HF, splatter and very crowded with SSB and CW. A lot of Spanish stations. I worked EA7KW and SA5A. On 6 meter I crank up the power a little bit, but when I made the QSO's I saw that I was running 5 watt. The most of the stations on 6 meter want to work DX. It's strange there is no PSK31 and JT65A activity on 6 meter, it would be nice to try JT65A. I called CQ but no takers. In the early morning I worked LA/DL2LRT on 40 meter. His signal sometimes dropped in the noise. But could exchange the necessary information. On 20 meter Arkady RN4NAA/QRP came back on my CQ call. Both 5 watt.

QRP 40 meter

I had a two way qrp qso on 40 meter with DF5RE de Erik on 7030 KHz. The HyEndFed works fine on 40 meter. I had to shorten the 40 meter wire for better resonance on the band. 20 and 40 meter are the most important bands for QRP work. Because on other bands QRP activity is low. This afternoon I was running WSPR on 6 meter, but Es was suddenly gone. I was reported by PA0O and PA3MET. Now I WSPR on 30 meter. The HyEndFed is tunable for 30 meter at day time, but not at night... have someone an explanation? On 40 meter WSPR I was reported in Australia with 5 watt (VK6BN and VK6ZRY) I also received VK6BN, so the HyEndFed antenna works fine on 40 meter, and keep in mind that the Solar Flux was 80 and 23 Sunspots.

10 meter and 40 meter

Last night I worked EB5DZC and EA8ATE (Grand Canaria) on 10 meter with PSK31. On 40 meter I worked HB9ESF, F4GOH, HA1ZM and SP2DTW with PSK31. I updated my Fldigi to version 3.21.9

20 meter was a bit disappointing because of low Solar Flux.

In the late afternoon I worked on 6 meter HA8IB, IZ1OQB and IZ2DPX with SSB. Tonight I worked on 40 meter HB9MXY, GWØGHF and DF5WB with BPSK31.

HyEndFed multiband

Yesterday I received the HyEndFEd multiband antenna for 40-20-10 meter. Today I replaced the 20 meter end fed for this one. I was very pleased with the 20 meter HyEnFed. It worked pretty good. I hope this one will be the same. I can't compare it now with other antennas, so it's a trial and error case. This morning I worked IZ6UOQ on 10 meter with SSB. The rest of the day I spend with creating a video for the local soccer club. There was a weekend for the youth.

Sporadic E

It was really fun today on 6 meter. Sporadic E above Europe. I worked with SSB: ISØGQX (see photo) Yl2CA, SP2QBQ, YL3IQ, SO8FH Frits a Dutch amateur PA0F, SP9MRO, YL3B, OK2PWR, ES2S, OH5ZZ. With CW: OH3MF, YU6A, YU2MMA, YL2JZ, EA6SX, YL2QW, E73FDE and LZ1UQ. A few new DXCC today. Total DXCC on 6 meter now 17.

6 meter, here I come

Today I put up the Diamond F61 5/8 antenna for 6 meter. The SWR from 50.000 MHz up to 51.000 MHz is 1:1, so now I can explore 6 meter better then before. I think about CW, SSB, WSPR, PSK31 and JT65A. I was trying WSPR but I think there are problems with wsprnet.org I can't open their web site, the web site is down.

I receive PA3MET, and it looks like Doppler effect. There is a lot of air traffic between his and mine QTH. Echoes?
With SSB I worked EA3NG and EA3EVL on 6 meter. With CW tonight: OK2PAY, OM3DX and HAØNAR. One thing is sure, the F61 seems to work well.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Shot from the Kennedy Space Center Press Site for Universe Today. This was the final launch of NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour. See the launch and smokey plume change over time as it is tugged on by wind and casts a changing shadow on the cloud deck below. Approx 27 times fast. Replayed at 15 fps.

Distance

Last night I worked RX9WX with 10 watt JT65A on 20 meter. I was spotted by JA1KGW, VE3ODZ and ZL2VF. In the early morning today I was spotted by VK7ZL (17.032 km) and VK6BN with 5 watt WSPR on 20 meter. Strangely I am not spotted by stations in between, exception 1 OZ station and one from Norway.

63

Sorry guys, I am not giving a party. I am working in the garden. The big renovation of our garden has started.


PA3RK is testing the HyEndFed Multiband antenna for 40, 20 and 10 meter. Wire length 11,5 meter. He’s also testing a 12,5 meter wire with 1:9 UNUN balun. See the difference. The video is spoken in Dutch, hope you can understand a little bit of what he's doing. Soon I will replace my 20 meter mono band End Fed antenna for this one: a multiband end fed for 40-20-10 meter. I will replace the Falcon for a vertical for 6 meter only. Those 4 bands plus 2 meter and 70 cm is enough for me. I seldom work on 80 or 160 meter. 40 meter is a good alternative for the lower bands.

Oscar 1

In my VHF years I listen regularly to the radio amateur satellites such as Oscar 1, now 50 years old. >>> Read more

My first contact today was with UA9FCV Victor with JT65 on 20 meter. Also worked RV6AMV with JT65 on 20 meter.

6 meter WSPR

May 11, I was reported by EA4ETR (see photo of his antenna park) on 6 meter with WSPR. My first on 6 meter WSPR. I hope to get more DXCC this summer. It is always hard to choose which band I will tune. When I let WSPR run on 10 meter, the action is on 6 meter or vice versa. Do you recognize that?

Close to home I worked on 2 meter SSB PA6ARC (Eric PE7EB) with Mills on the Air weekend. And Friday PD9SW/P testing a new voice repeater on 2m/70cm from Heerhugowaard.

In the late afternoon I worked today HB9FND/QRP with BPSK31 on 17 meter.

Lesson

I learned my lesson, never change something on your computer when it's working perfectly. Some utility suggested that some of my drivers must be renewed. So I did. Aaargh... now the computer refuses to start up. And my restore function didn't work. Now the problem was serious. The retailer could fix the problem and my files are not gone. So I am very glad. It's very strange to work on HF with SSB and CW, not knowing how conditions are. Is there a geomagnetic storm? It was just like the seventies. No computer, no internet, no blog. I must admit that I am addicted to all the technologies. It's difficult without. I am glad the computer is fixed.

Computer crash

I do have a serious computer problem. My computer is in reparation, till then no updates on my blog. I am only qrv with CW and SSB.

Falcon 250B Full length

I bring the 'Falcon 250B out' back in full length. With full length the antenna works fine on 6 meter too. Now the first Es activities are showing up on 6 meter, I want to the join the party. With full length the antenna performs even on 160 meter. See WSPR results last night:

I didn't expect great results on 160 meter this time of year. But 818 km with 5 watt isn't bad at all. So the antenna does radiate on 160 meter band.

Yesterday, I worked N4RP Ross from Catlett, VA USA with JT65A on 15 meter.

And a short while on 30 meter this morning.

Youngest Ham Operator

Mikaila Williams, the youngest ham radio operator in Florida, USA. Her call sign KK4BFK. It looks like a revival for Ham Radio. "We were the first social media, and ham radio has had a three-year growth spurt in the number of new licensees, now with almost 700,000 in the U.S.," Pitts said.” No Twitter or facebook, but ham radio. That’s the right spirit. >>> Read more

This morning I was Whispering on 20 meter. Best DX Adelaide, Australia. VK5ZAG. Other DX: KD5ALJ and WA8KNE. With PSK31 I worked in the late afternoon EO66X and UT5FMA.

This is the first time I worked a GR call, GRØFVH with JT65. It must be short skip by Es, because normally I can't work UK on 20 meter.

We had a great time

We had a great time in Paris. It was our anniversary of 20 years of marriage. The weather was fine, good weather for being outside. I took my 2 meter hand held with me, but there was no FM activity on 2 meter. Isn't that strange for such a big city? I made 500 photos, above is one of them. Yesterday I was WSPR-ing on 10 meter for a short time, I was reported only by 4X1RF.

QRX

How long CQ-ing?

How long does someone call CQ? I call 3 times CQ and 3 times my call and do repeat this for 3 times. That's all. With Es on 10 or 6 meter only once. But what did I hear on 20 meter? Listen. Probably he is testing his modulation or something else, but why don't he use a dummy load? And there are morons on 2 meter and 70 cm who are bullying and teasing phone repeaters. Beside making strange noise and interfering a QSO, one is constantly giving a short carrier to open up the repeater. Listen. I don't understand this behaviour. Have a nice Sunday.