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Todays DX from the UK (England)
- Thread starter RadioDaze
- Start date
Sure man. I am glad for my contact but it has provoked a question about the Gain Master. I mean really my set up is a mobile base station so hats off to the guys catching really long skip using a mobile whip antenna that is really something. Never managed to do very well with my Sirio HP4000 and mag base myself.
(as an aside 26CT331 - John a buddy of mine on the South Coast sends 73's to 2WW142 with whom he spoke yesterday. Seems he was getting 2 div so things are shaping up).
(as an aside 26CT331 - John a buddy of mine on the South Coast sends 73's to 2WW142 with whom he spoke yesterday. Seems he was getting 2 div so things are shaping up).
Good deal!! I really enjoyed speaking with quite a few of you gents from the UK on a daily basis. I believe I know 331 John as well. I'll have to check my log books. I made a lot of contacts with my mobile setup due to its height. It was a Nissan NV work van with the high top roof. It was 8ft 9in. to top of roof. Add a sirio 5000 performer and mag mount, then added 6 large magnets on the underside of the magnet on the roof as my work van was empty in the rear. It was a bit directional out the back. With the optima mk3 and a magnaforce 350hd I made a crap load of contacts all over the US and Europe. Hard to log contacts while drinks though LOL. But none the less it was a blast. Hopefully I'll have the pleasure of making a qso with you when the conditions do pick up!!
it's all about conditions.
if you have them you can talk with a wet noodle as an antenna, and that is the reason we are able to use a metal can(our vehicles) so low to the ground.
you can have a 200 foot high antenna and if you don't have conditions you aren't going to get anywhere.
if you have them you can talk with a wet noodle as an antenna, and that is the reason we are able to use a metal can(our vehicles) so low to the ground.
you can have a 200 foot high antenna and if you don't have conditions you aren't going to get anywhere.
I think it is a lot about conditions and having a set up that is capable enough to send energy at the right angle to get back to them. In a pile up situation it is not my own experience that it is a given that you will get back with an omni directional antenna when people are beaming a couple of KW ERP towards someone. You can get lost for sure.
In saying that today I spoke to people in the following places... Somerset 140 miles away line of sight, Scotland, Ayr 600 miles on some short hop sporadic E. Israel, Lombok Island, Indonesia (Bruno activation, got through to him in about 10 mins QSKing) and Russia. (I tried Bruno with my Gain Master 4.5M from the ground a few days ago near a gate and that must have destroyed the TOA's and I could not cut through at all despite trying for 30mins.) I also heard a few 43 division but could not get back today before QSB etc. I heard 43JDW - Jack Daniels Whisky calling (my first contact in 43 division in May this year) from Australia on the T5. But I could not get back I tried calling him for a QSY to no avail on this occasion.
I wanted to get the GM up 9M but there was a lot of fog at the QTH this morning and the ground was very wet and this made things slippery. So I struggled and managed just 6M high, but it still did the job.
In saying that today I spoke to people in the following places... Somerset 140 miles away line of sight, Scotland, Ayr 600 miles on some short hop sporadic E. Israel, Lombok Island, Indonesia (Bruno activation, got through to him in about 10 mins QSKing) and Russia. (I tried Bruno with my Gain Master 4.5M from the ground a few days ago near a gate and that must have destroyed the TOA's and I could not cut through at all despite trying for 30mins.) I also heard a few 43 division but could not get back today before QSB etc. I heard 43JDW - Jack Daniels Whisky calling (my first contact in 43 division in May this year) from Australia on the T5. But I could not get back I tried calling him for a QSY to no avail on this occasion.
I wanted to get the GM up 9M but there was a lot of fog at the QTH this morning and the ground was very wet and this made things slippery. So I struggled and managed just 6M high, but it still did the job.
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No DX conditions this morning really but tried MAX2000 (4 poles 20ft high no chokes or anything, lowest SWR obtainable 1.4:1, tuning rings seemed to make very little difference) and seemed to be giving locals a slightly better signal than the Gain Master which is interesting.
In fact I could speak to someone about 30 miles away (Radio report = S-8 R5) using 0.25 Watts !!!! with the MAX2000 in this set up at about 470ft ASL. The station in question does have exceptional RX capabilities though as they are have a metal boat sitting in salt water.
Not sure what to make of that exactly. No hard an fast conclusions to be made as yet.
Possibly RX hiss/noise floor might be up slightly on the MAX2000. (To clarify when I say noise I mean average hiss level, not static or other QRM/QRN just baseline receiver hiss. I operate from very low QRM places, very low electrical noise levels are typical) Not 100pct on that as yet but I felt that even with locals the noise (background hiss) seemed slightly higher. I cannot confirm this it is just a hunch I will have to make further comparisons and tests as time goes on.
In fact I could speak to someone about 30 miles away (Radio report = S-8 R5) using 0.25 Watts !!!! with the MAX2000 in this set up at about 470ft ASL. The station in question does have exceptional RX capabilities though as they are have a metal boat sitting in salt water.
Not sure what to make of that exactly. No hard an fast conclusions to be made as yet.
Possibly RX hiss/noise floor might be up slightly on the MAX2000. (To clarify when I say noise I mean average hiss level, not static or other QRM/QRN just baseline receiver hiss. I operate from very low QRM places, very low electrical noise levels are typical) Not 100pct on that as yet but I felt that even with locals the noise (background hiss) seemed slightly higher. I cannot confirm this it is just a hunch I will have to make further comparisons and tests as time goes on.
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Gain Master producing gain today, filled my boots !
9 Division station super weak so could not carry on the contact I did try though.
191AT-DX Swaziland
8-13-AT-105 Peru
59RC-DX Dodecanese
110FB015 Cyprus
173UR-AF16 Reunion Island - Indian Ocean.
26CT1685 (UK long distance 135miles)
44RAD002 Peter and S.Africa
Jay Jay 44RAD004
115KPI115 Saif Qatar
2AD007 USA Florida
3AT300 S. Paulo Brazil
2AA416 Bob Jacksonville Florida
34MW-DX Canary Islands
195JR101 Grenada St. George
50WB001 Russia
3AL Jony - S. Paulo
110CY110 Pathos Cyprus
3AD101 Sao.Paulo Brazil
2KP76 Miami
69SD010 Costa Rica
Unit 1 Maritime Florida - Dave
And a few other contacts that I could not quite work cause of QSB.
9 Division station super weak so could not carry on the contact I did try though.
191AT-DX Swaziland
8-13-AT-105 Peru
59RC-DX Dodecanese
110FB015 Cyprus
173UR-AF16 Reunion Island - Indian Ocean.
26CT1685 (UK long distance 135miles)
44RAD002 Peter and S.Africa
Jay Jay 44RAD004
115KPI115 Saif Qatar
2AD007 USA Florida
3AT300 S. Paulo Brazil
2AA416 Bob Jacksonville Florida
34MW-DX Canary Islands
195JR101 Grenada St. George
50WB001 Russia
3AL Jony - S. Paulo
110CY110 Pathos Cyprus
3AD101 Sao.Paulo Brazil
2KP76 Miami
69SD010 Costa Rica
Unit 1 Maritime Florida - Dave
And a few other contacts that I could not quite work cause of QSB.
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Today I hung around .385 LSB after a buddy 26CT331 (John) told me to get down there.... and caught the crazy wide opening to the East/S.East Coast spoke to the following numbers...
You 2 division messed my log book up ! It was all too much so details got a bit shady......
Unit 239 South East England called :
247 Pennsylvania
409 New Jersey
3 Virginia Glen
409 Todd
425
106
243
305 New Jersey - Ralph
2CT248 Connecticut
1471 Mark - New York
612 Ohio
2TB131
44 John
111 New Jersey - Joe Joe
502
016
131 Rhode Island Mr BOB
305
189 (I think Ohio Ken)
0117 Florida
Triple Nickel Mike Pennsylvania Gainsburg
088 Maryland Ron Baltimore
New Jersey Dan 151
424 Ohio
125 Michigan
548 N Carolina
2 LR171 Long Island
All quick "waves of the hand" to and fro..Radio locked at 9+ and then some power stations blowing smoke and pinning the needle to the end stops. Nice to know the Solarcon MAX2000 can send a nice big signal back home to the USA from the other side of the pond.
Great few hours on .385 LSB up and down a channel too.
Also quite a few 9 divisions
9T111 Ontario 9 division
9WR462 Jim
I just checked out Solarcon/Tencom at "Railroad Street Holland, Ohio" on Google Earth, they seem to have an IMAX on the roof of the factory (unsurprisingly)
You 2 division messed my log book up ! It was all too much so details got a bit shady......
Unit 239 South East England called :
247 Pennsylvania
409 New Jersey
3 Virginia Glen
409 Todd
425
106
243
305 New Jersey - Ralph
2CT248 Connecticut
1471 Mark - New York
612 Ohio
2TB131
44 John
111 New Jersey - Joe Joe
502
016
131 Rhode Island Mr BOB
305
189 (I think Ohio Ken)
0117 Florida
Triple Nickel Mike Pennsylvania Gainsburg
088 Maryland Ron Baltimore
New Jersey Dan 151
424 Ohio
125 Michigan
548 N Carolina
2 LR171 Long Island
All quick "waves of the hand" to and fro..Radio locked at 9+ and then some power stations blowing smoke and pinning the needle to the end stops. Nice to know the Solarcon MAX2000 can send a nice big signal back home to the USA from the other side of the pond.
Great few hours on .385 LSB up and down a channel too.
Also quite a few 9 divisions
9T111 Ontario 9 division
9WR462 Jim
I just checked out Solarcon/Tencom at "Railroad Street Holland, Ohio" on Google Earth, they seem to have an IMAX on the roof of the factory (unsurprisingly)
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I think the Sirio 4000 HP is one of the best mag mount mobile whips there is.
Decent quality and length. They work well for local and especially Sporadic E skip. I personally have not had a great deal of success with them for longer skip working but I suspect that it is a matter of conditions more than anything.
Some work 10,000 miles plus using a short squat mobile mag mount antenna so it can be done given optimal skip conditions.
I like to use a 1/2 wave or larger antenna whenever possible. Which is most of the time.
It is still a compromise antenna compared to a 1/2 wave vertical set up nicely.
Decent quality and length. They work well for local and especially Sporadic E skip. I personally have not had a great deal of success with them for longer skip working but I suspect that it is a matter of conditions more than anything.
Some work 10,000 miles plus using a short squat mobile mag mount antenna so it can be done given optimal skip conditions.
I like to use a 1/2 wave or larger antenna whenever possible. Which is most of the time.
It is still a compromise antenna compared to a 1/2 wave vertical set up nicely.
270 miles. Very impressive my friend. I was curious about your exact working conditions. I have heard of ground wave trips being long distance, but I actually didn't think that type of distance was even possible. I know when it comes to radio communications conditions would most likely have to be ideal in order to make such a trip, but I have no doubt that it can be done, obviously. Excellent job. I always enjoy making contacts to stations in the UK. Most UK operators if not all that I've contacted have been good operators and nothing less than gentleman. Once again very good my friend. Enjoy your radio time.
I was using a Gain Master at 200M asl thereabouts and decent power levels as was the RX station. Both using some height and power.
It was the most difficult contact I have ever made. I had to get the guy to repeat his call sign 4 times minimum. It was barely readable above the noise floor.
Very hard work but we did it. There was hardly any conversation other than call sign exchange and antenna. Think on the day he had an A99 on a pole on the back of a pick up or Landrover.
The reason I say there was no tropo lift was because I checked the forecast at home after and there was no conditions. Neither did I hear other stations from anywhere near that distance in that direction which is typical when there is a lift. I can never be sure of course but whenever I speak 200 miles or so on a lift normally people are coming in significantly stronger than an S0 R2 and over a day multiple contacts from that direction would be in the log.
It was the most difficult contact I have ever made. I had to get the guy to repeat his call sign 4 times minimum. It was barely readable above the noise floor.
Very hard work but we did it. There was hardly any conversation other than call sign exchange and antenna. Think on the day he had an A99 on a pole on the back of a pick up or Landrover.
The reason I say there was no tropo lift was because I checked the forecast at home after and there was no conditions. Neither did I hear other stations from anywhere near that distance in that direction which is typical when there is a lift. I can never be sure of course but whenever I speak 200 miles or so on a lift normally people are coming in significantly stronger than an S0 R2 and over a day multiple contacts from that direction would be in the log.
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Just in from a 13,000 mile (long path) DX contact on 11m Whaketane, NZ 41SD101 (Rene) from the UK woo hoo... Gain master alone no beam, the only beam is the beaming smile on my face. My first direct QSO with NZ and on my first call out on T5/QSY as well.
Also some Australian stations...
43QA447 Laurie Queensland
43ST101 QRP mobile station using a home made antenna vertical Darwin.
And also the elusive 153RT674 North Thailand. I have spoke twice now for 2 overs and then he vanishes into thin air with no reply. This happened today and last Friday (though we got lost playing the QSY for a clear channel game and he sent me to a massive QRM channel local to me with Russian taxis operating so I lost him). He does not sound like a Thai native. One day we will have an actual conversation.
Also some Australian stations...
43QA447 Laurie Queensland
43ST101 QRP mobile station using a home made antenna vertical Darwin.
And also the elusive 153RT674 North Thailand. I have spoke twice now for 2 overs and then he vanishes into thin air with no reply. This happened today and last Friday (though we got lost playing the QSY for a clear channel game and he sent me to a massive QRM channel local to me with Russian taxis operating so I lost him). He does not sound like a Thai native. One day we will have an actual conversation.