qrp DX

Hi all,

I'll be off doing the qrp DX thing from the beach again.... C5 (The Gambia) will be
qrv 27th February to 10th March any modes that mean zero audible noise (CW or
data) more likely but will also try some /P from the beach as well so will be SSB then.

KX3 and nested vertical dipoles 10/12/15/17 & 20 and a vertical Moxon on 20m/15m (Pete M3KXZ).
40m and 80m highly unlikely.

QRSS beacon with GPS (from G0UPL) probably on 30m maybe with WSPR running.

C5/M1KTA will be call as just renewed 2012 licence and LoTW.

Holiday operating but I will be on for BERU over the whole of the final w/e.

Hope to add a few of you for a new DXCC in 2014?

72

Dom
M1KTA

The Fishing village will be just south of the QTH

I can see will have fun tracking the shade during the day.

 Beach QTH most likely and this might be one I may use.

How to know when your cat is fully recharged

Was sent this as it looks just like my cat who likes to sleep on the shack laptop.

The second photo was taken using a flash... so the eyes glow... made me laugh anyway.

The cat is sat on an iphone.

Amateur Radio in languages other than English

I have a radio project that has been on the back burner for a while but I'm going to kick it off again. Rummaging at a rally a few years back I came across a text from 1950 by DL1CU and OH2SQ, Ham's Interpreter that had many common (at the time) phrases that can be used on air or wherever you would operate radio in one language available for translation to another. A redit for radio so to speak.

I will rework it and I am also going to make it available electronically, probably in kindle, epub and pdf format (although I might sell paper copies through lulu).

To make it a bit more interesting I might look to add in some recordings in different languages. So if you see me at an event with a sound recorder you know why now.

I have a feeling that I should add some other languages that are in frequent use and there are thousands of amateurs using those as first languages and the original text ignored. Also there are some exchanges common in some modes that were simply not used 50 years ago. This is not about becoming fluent in other languages but providing the basics so that communication can happen. I am sure many others, like me have experienced on air both at home and whilst operating DX exchanges that were not in English.

If it adds the ability to make one extra qso then surely it's worth it.

I am sure this isn't a new idea....

RSGB AFS (80m) CW.... but qrp

Had a bit of fun and put in an entry (Camb-Hams).

Over w/e I put down extra 20 radials for 40m and the 6BTV vertical and I had planned on using it for 80m but it really is not good as the 80m section is not much more than a coil and short whip. So I removed the coil, added a RG58 coax trap for 40m (made it while back) and a wire section to make it into a 80m 1/4 GP and used a catapult and launched it way up into the poplar you an see in the picture. It was pretty calm (wind wise) so it worked. I also put up a temporary 40/80 dipole that I also use to rx on a 2nd kx3 the kx3 can do 10w but I keep it qrp. My K2 has the 160m and 2nd RX antenna connection and I have a 140ft long wire attched to that for RX as well but I didn't use it this time.

Anyway I had been asked to get involved if I could put a station up with a 'decent signal' so I looked at using the KX3 with a homebrew PA but the QSX was set for very fast break in so keying too slow below 25 wpm which is about my limit anyway and it sounds like non stop key clicks (tnx to G4FAL on air yesterday) so I decided to stick with qrp and turned it off, and ran with just 5w.... so yesterday was op in afs and did ok for qrp amongst the 400w boys . There was not much room between 3510 and 3560 lots of sharp elbows hihi I tried a cq but didn't get any responses. After two hours I was beginning to only see dupes so I called it a night 56 qso not a huge number but not too shabby. Tnx to all th qro ops from Scotland, England and Wales that gave a qrp guy a chance.

CREATED-BY: Win-Test 4.9.1
CONTEST: RSGB-AFS-CW
CLUB: camb-hams
CALLSIGN: M1KTA
CATEGORY: SINGLE-OP 80M QRP
CLAIMED-SCORE: 550
OPERATORS:
CLUB: cam-hams
NAME: Dominic Baines
SOAPBOX: Fun short entry in contest. I was qrp but didn't seem to matter and
SOAPBOX: able to contact stations easily
QSO:  3543 CW 2014-01-12 1403 M1KTA         599 0001   G4ZFE         599 006  
QSO:  3549 CW 2014-01-12 1404 M1KTA         599 0002   G6UW          599 006  
QSO:  3550 CW 2014-01-12 1405 M1KTA         599 0003   G3RTE         599 008  
QSO:  3551 CW 2014-01-12 1411 M1KTA         599 0004   G0HGH         599 007  
QSO:  3549 CW 2014-01-12 1412 M1KTA         599 0005   G3SJX         599 021  
QSO:  3547 CW 2014-01-12 1414 M1KTA         599 0006   G0RPM         599 013  
QSO:  3546 CW 2014-01-12 1416 M1KTA         599 0007   G3XLG         599 012  
QSO:  3545 CW 2014-01-12 1417 M1KTA         599 0008   G3SHF         599 027  
QSO:  3544 CW 2014-01-12 1418 M1KTA         599 0009   G6MC          599 025  
QSO:  3541 CW 2014-01-12 1421 M1KTA         599 0010   G3PJT         599 035  
QSO:  3539 CW 2014-01-12 1422 M1KTA         599 0011   G3UFY         599 035  
QSO:  3537 CW 2014-01-12 1423 M1KTA         599 0012   GW0AAA        599 043  
QSO:  3535 CW 2014-01-12 1424 M1KTA         599 0013   G3RXP         599 040  
QSO:  3535 CW 2014-01-12 1425 M1KTA         599 0014   G3SRC         599 034  
QSO:  3534 CW 2014-01-12 1427 M1KTA         599 0015   G3TXF         599 047  
QSO:  3533 CW 2014-01-12 1428 M1KTA         599 0016   G4ARI         599 038  
QSO:  3532 CW 2014-01-12 1433 M1KTA         599 0017   G4FON         599 063  
QSO:  3531 CW 2014-01-12 1434 M1KTA         599 0018   GW3YDD        599 061  
QSO:  3530 CW 2014-01-12 1436 M1KTA         599 0019   G3RVM         599 063  
QSO:  3529 CW 2014-01-12 1437 M1KTA         599 0020   G0SYP         599 066  
QSO:  3529 CW 2014-01-12 1439 M1KTA         599 0021   M0TRN         599 053  
QSO:  3527 CW 2014-01-12 1441 M1KTA         599 0022   G3OLB         599 080  
QSO:  3526 CW 2014-01-12 1442 M1KTA         599 0023   G4BJM         599 085  
QSO:  3526 CW 2014-01-12 1444 M1KTA         599 0024   G3TKF         599 084  
QSO:  3525 CW 2014-01-12 1445 M1KTA         599 0025   M0UNN         599 074  
QSO:  3524 CW 2014-01-12 1447 M1KTA         599 0026   G4ASR         599 072  
QSO:  3523 CW 2014-01-12 1449 M1KTA         599 0027   G3BJ          599 097  
QSO:  3523 CW 2014-01-12 1451 M1KTA         599 0028   GM4ZUK        599 059  
QSO:  3519 CW 2014-01-12 1454 M1KTA         599 0029   M0RYB         599 082  
QSO:  3518 CW 2014-01-12 1456 M1KTA         599 0030   G3ZVW         599 100  
QSO:  3516 CW 2014-01-12 1457 M1KTA         599 0031   G0DVJ         599 079  
QSO:  3514 CW 2014-01-12 1459 M1KTA         599 0032   G0ORH         599 097  
QSO:  3513 CW 2014-01-12 1459 M1KTA         599 0033   G3RSD         599 074  
QSO:  3512 CW 2014-01-12 1501 M1KTA         599 0034   G3WPH         599 100  
QSO:  3511 CW 2014-01-12 1503 M1KTA         599 0035   M0DHO         599 103  
QSO:  3510 CW 2014-01-12 1504 M1KTA         599 0036   G4PIQ         599 111  
QSO:  3510 CW 2014-01-12 1505 M1KTA         599 0037   G4FKA         599 098  
QSO:  3553 CW 2014-01-12 1508 M1KTA         599 0038   G0LZL         599 087  
QSO:  3554 CW 2014-01-12 1509 M1KTA         599 0039   G0LHZ         599 070  
QSO:  3546 CW 2014-01-12 1512 M1KTA         599 0040   M0VFC         599 079  
QSO:  3547 CW 2014-01-12 1513 M1KTA         599 0041   G3XTT         599 133  
QSO:  3547 CW 2014-01-12 1514 M1KTA         599 0042   G0RPM         599 072  
QSO:  3551 CW 2014-01-12 1519 M1KTA         599 0043   G0SAC         599 072  
QSO:  3552 CW 2014-01-12 1521 M1KTA         599 0044   G3XZG         599 073  
QSO:  3538 CW 2014-01-12 1526 M1KTA         599 0045   GW4BLE        599 095  
QSO:  3537 CW 2014-01-12 1527 M1KTA         599 0046   G3RAU         599 124  
QSO:  3533 CW 2014-01-12 1534 M1KTA         599 0047   G4DJX         599 145  
QSO:  3532 CW 2014-01-12 1537 M1KTA         599 0048   G4FSU         599 124  
QSO:  3531 CW 2014-01-12 1539 M1KTA         599 0049   G0TPH         599 134  
QSO:  3530 CW 2014-01-12 1541 M1KTA         599 0050   G3SWH         599 166  
QSO:  3529 CW 2014-01-12 1542 M1KTA         599 0051   GM4SID        599 092  
QSO:  3529 CW 2014-01-12 1543 M1KTA         599 0052   G3PDH         599 163  
QSO:  3555 CW 2014-01-12 1556 M1KTA         599 0053   GW0IRW        599 060  
QSO:  3543 CW 2014-01-12 1558 M1KTA         599 0054   G3RWF         599 153  
QSO:  3542 CW 2014-01-12 1600 M1KTA         599 0055   G3PYE         599 060  
QSO:  3542 CW 2014-01-12 1601 M1KTA         599 0056   G3SVL         599 155  
END-OF-LOG:

R1155 restoration, WX station monitors in place, New Antenna feeds

Xmas saw a fair bit of activity on the lower bands 80/60/40/30 for the GQRP Winter Sports. Didn't manage much on the higher bands although did try.

Interesting book came through from Santa...http://r1155.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/r1155-restoration-book.html Restoring an R1155, it's by a VK and only covers the A or B sets, mine is a N so will have to see if it is of use. The Transformer and choke for the power supply had arrived from Danbury a while back so will build up that power supply shortly.

My K2 has finally had some options fitted to it...  (Images from Elecraft, I'll replace them with my own shortly)

160m and 2nd RX antenna

KIO2 Computer interface

KAF2 audio filter and real time clock (cannot get that last bit to work yet)

 SSB module (no mic yet have to find a 8 pin mike plug... maybe the desk mic somewhere in storage has one on it?).

The WX station (Maplin B27NQ I think) that was bought for me a while back I finally have on the shack and it is abt 12 ft above ground in the clear.

I fitted the pressure and rain gauges lower. The wind speeds and directions are actually measuring correctly now. Not sure about the rain gauge as the 'mast' rocks a bit and I noted some spurious readings.

I bought a Diall outdoor enclosure from B&Q for the antenna feeds into the shack.

It is meant to be for electrics and came with a 4 way adapter and a timer but it will be perfect for the feeds going into the shack as it is weather proof. I'll be mounting this on the rear wall of the shack (out of sight usually) and all antenna feeds will go into it and then into the shack. Got to work out if I terminate feeds from shack to it and then connect antennas or bring the feeds right into the shack.