Amateur Radio Station WD4ELG

What is luck? With DX, luck is HUGE!

2012-01-21T18:59:00.001-08:00

80 meter CW, not for the faint of heart or timid. HK0NA, day 1, 0300 UTC, darkness covers EU and NA, SA and AF. EVERYONE is calling HK0NA. The operator running the pileup is obviously skilled at keeping control, and the poor operators are few (thankfully). But the sheer SIZE of the pileup is immense. I don't remember anything quite like this on CW.

You can see in the picture that I am hearing HUNDREDS of stations calling HK0NA on my inverted L. I can pick out calls from US, SA, and EU...all VERY STRONG. The CW Skimmer is actually unable to decode most of the calls due to the overlap.

I got some AMAZING luck. I saw HK0NA work two stations +3 KHz. I saw a gap +2.85 kHz with noone calling, so I parked it there. After five attempts (about 3 min), he returned my call. LUCK! 250 watts to an inverted L. I need to make an offering to the DX gods, some sort of indication of my gratitude. Some coax in the field or something.

73 and good DX!

Off to a good start this year, DX-wise

2012-01-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

12 Jan - 4W0VB, Timor-Liste (UA4WHX, Vlad Boyko)
21 Jan - HK0NA, Malpelo DXpedition
21 Jan - VK0TH, Macquerie Island (thanks to Trevor, VK8TH)

That's 293 worked. Checking the log, I had 14 new ones last year. If I can keep pace, I will break 300 this year. Fingers crossed. The Tokyo High Power amp sure helps, and the Flex Radio 3000 is outstanding.

I also learned how to optimize the SSB audio with the Flex 3000. Like other high end rigs (Yaesu FTDX5000), the operator can configure the TX equalizer for maximum "DX punch" without overload/splatter.

I first read about this in W9KNI's "A Year of DX" but since I am not on SSB that often, I never bothered with it. But I wanted to get a headset, and started asking questions on the Flex Radio owners forum.

The CM-500 from Yamaha is a moderately inexpensive headset with boom microphone. An op recommended it. I tried the Heil Proset Elite first, but the earphones rest ON the ears...not over them. Very uncomfortable for me. So I ordered the CM-500 and the adapter for the Flex, hooked it up, and listened to my audio on a separate receiver (no antenna connected). HOLY COW! What a difference the TX equalizer makes when I follow instructions for optimization. I was only getting half the "punch" before with default settings. And with the optimized levels, many stations have commented on the strength and quality of the audio.

I am really lucky to have a Flex radio. It's making SSB more interesting and fun than ever before!

73 and good DX

High speed meteor scatter communications - what a rush!

2011-12-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

I posted back in 2009 about HSMS on VHF. Check out my QSO with Sebastian, W4AS, down in south FL. This is a beautiful meteor burn at my sunset (a little early, but I will take it!) Thanks, Sebastian!

A side-note to my JH0INP post

2011-12-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

I worked Hiro using 5 watts to the hex beam. This is country #49 for my QRP DXCC. That's some pretty good conditions, 5 watts covering a 6500 mile path. I'll take it!

73 and good DX
Mark Lunday, WD4ELG

The magical gray line

2011-12-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

One of the wonderful mysteries of propagation occurse at sunrise and sunset. Those times are when some amazing things happen in terms of propagation. I have written earlier about some events I have observed, and the accomplishments by others are quite remarkable. This is often referred to as grey line propagation.

Tonight at my sunset, I heard JH0INP on 17 meters CW, 599. This was at his sunrise. Hiro had an echo to his signal, which implies multi-path.

Now, was this Short Path and Long Path? Or bent path? Well, on the lower bands (which are attenuated by sunlight), a bent path through darkness would make sense. In this case, it seems unlikely that this would occur on 17 meters. You can see the short path (A, in red), the long path (B, in blue) and the bent path (perpendicular to the gray line, a common path of gray line propagation).

All stations working Hiro were in US along the gray line (MS, ID, IN, and KP4). No EU, no California.

I was using a hex beam pointed short-path. When I switched to the dipole and vertical, I could hear the LP signal much better. It was weaker on the hex beam (as expected).

For more great info on propagation paths, get ON4UN's book.

73 and good DX!

If you can't hear it, you can't work it

2011-12-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

One thing my first Elmer, Ed Reddington W4ZM (SK), taught me was to listen, listen, listen. That applies to human interactions, not just ham radio...but I was 13 at the time and did not understand the prophetic power of Ed's statement.

As it applies to our hobby, an obvious but often overlooked element is that the signal must be heard at a copyable level if the station is going to be worked. There are many barriers to effective reception: noise (on the air and from the barking dog in my shack), fading, directivity, and other propagation elements.

As I became more interested in 160 meters after arriving at this new QTH in 2009, I wondered how to combat the horrific static and man-made noise that I heard. I did a LOT of reading (and discussed it on this blog) on beverages and other receive-only antennas. Over the past year I have put up some shortened beverages and had some success with them; they certainly are less noisy than the transmitting antenna on 160 meters...my inverted L. I also recently acquired a small magentic loop for 80 and 160. Finally, I placed my 80-10 meter off-center-fed dipole at a lower height and am using it for receive only for the times when signals are coming in at high angles.

I went through (several times) ON4UN's book on low-band DXing. It is worth its weight in gold. Also read (several times) the sections on receiving antennas in the ARRL Antenna handbook.

The desired result is better reception and therefore more DX worked. I already have a fantastic rig in the Flex 3000. Let's see where this gets me. Stay tuned!

73 and good DX
WD4ELG

2011-11-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, conditions are either really good or I am really lucky.

8Q7EJ, first call on 20 SSB.
YB1ALL, first call on 30 CW.
UN8GV, first call on 30 CW.
ZD8ZZ, first call on 30 CW.

It DOES help to have a great rig like the Flex 3000. Speaking of, you must take a look at their notching software video. AMAZING. I love this rig. Best money ever spent.

In other news....antennas.

Some hunters came up behind our house while hunting deer, and intentionally cut my two beverage antennas. I can't complain, the antennas were on their property. Also, the bevs were short (250 feet) so they worked OK on 40 and 30, but not much use on 160 where I really need them. Maybe I need to go vertical rather than horizontal for better receiving antennas. I just don't have enough room for a good beverage antenna for receive. I like them because they are cheap, but it takes a lot of real estate. Here's a good intro, if you are interested in reading more. I am using shortened Beverages, so there is a compromise involved. I have less room on-property, but I will try to use the 150 foot lengths...since the hunters have rifles and I do not!

Also, my inverted L broke in a windstorm last week. This is my primary antenna for 160 and works very well on 30, so I put it back up quickly yesterday, with the help of this device! Tested it out today, and worked YB1 and UN8 listed above, first call, so it's working fine. Now I just need to see what I can work on 160.

Conditions are excellent, and lots of folks are on the air. Big CQ WW CW DX contest in 2 weeks, my favorite.

73 and good DX!

A funny (ha ha) thing happened to me this evening, DX-wise

2011-10-15T20:53:00.001-07:00

It was a gorgeous fall evening in central North Carolina. Temp about 72F, low humidity, light breeze, sun low on the horizon, no clouds. I joined the wife on the back porch, where she (a talented painter) was doing some artwork of the back garden. I hooked up my FT817ND QRP swiss army knife rig on the back deck (which I hardly ever do, but I wanted to watch the wife do some of her lovely art work).

No sooner had I fired up the 817 and hooked it to the hex beam than I heard the bands ALIVE. I tuned to 12 meters and heard T32C working split on CW. Second call, in the log! Not a new QSO with T32C, but 5 watts from US East Coast is not too bad!

Then I heard a watery, fluttery signal 1 kHz down. The FT817ND CW, unfiltered is wide as a barn door (which is no problem for me, I can do the signal processing and filtering in my head if needed!). I tuned down and heard the callsign 9M6XRO! Wow, new DX, never heard this one before. I called once with the 817, unsuccessfully (no pileup yet, he was working simplex). So I ran tearing and yelling through the house, upstairs to the shack, fired up the amp, and turned on the Flex 3000. By this time he was working split, so I moved the TX up one and got him on the first call! Number 287 in the log!!!

Kinda neat that I heard him on the 817 on the hex, then ran up to work him on the Flex. I really love those 817 rigs, so versatile and capable. You can do a lot with 5 watts. And thank the DX gods for 9M6!

73 and good DX!

Always remember, it's a hobby....there is more to life than ham radio

2011-10-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah, right! Do as I say, not as I do
I need to follow my own advice.

One way to do that is to get another hobby which is guaranteed to make me take a break from ham radio. What would that be? How about rescuing Golden Retrievers! Exercise, entertainment, and a bunch of fun.

The pic here is of Raj, Maggie, and Boomer. All three are rescued, pure bred Golden Retrievers (many shapes and sizes). We adopted them through Triad Golden Retriever Rescue of North Carolina. No puppy stage, a known quantity in terms of behavior, and each is grateful for being rescued!

A Bing search turns up lots of results, so consider adopting a Golden Retriever. You will be happy you did!

73 and Good DX! And lots of Golden Retriever hugs!

Conditions improving!

2011-10-14T13:48:00.001-07:00

I was looking at my logbook for 2011, and I have added ten new DXCC countries this year. Some have never even been heard at my QTH before!

XV (Vietnam) - I remember during and after the Vietnam war, I got my novice ticket in 1977 (age 13). I never thought the day would come when I would work Vietnam! Lots of activity in recent years, but over-the-pole is always a challenge.

AP (Pakistan), T6 (Afghanistan) - ahh South Asia. The most intriguing DX there is for me. The Steppes and mountains of Asia from Kazakhstant to Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, nothing is more exciting than hearing these countries. Working both of these in the fall of 2011 was a highlight of the year.

XU (Cambodia) - another mind-blowing DX contact, who ever thought Cambodia would be on the air? Another over-the-pole DX contact, always a challenge from here.

SU (Egypt) - right before Mubarak fell. Should be fairly easy, but I always seem to miss this one (until now).

P29 (Papau New- Guinea) - first time I have ever heard this one also. Big time luck to catch him alone on SSB.

Other good ones: C2, JD1/O, T31, VP8/O.

Here's a snapshot of progress of countries worked to date. Currently at 286. I really became serious in 2004 and started computer logging (DX4WIN softwware).

One thing I have observed....each time I reach a plateau, I have to step it up a notch.

It was fairly easy getting to 100 DXCC with 100 watts and wires on 15, 20, and 40.Getting to 150 required me to step it up a notch, and get on all available bands including WARC. I also started studying propagation and learning about predictions and patterns. Finally, I bought DX4Win software to help me track my progress.

Getting to 200 was another challenge, so I started participating in DX contests, reading bulletins, and learning the tricks of the trade. I also got a 2 element hex beam for 20 meters which helped.

Getting to 225 was another challenge, which I tackled by putting in even more time on the air listening and learning about propagation. I also started using software (DX Monitor, SpotCollector) to monitor DX station patterns and operating times.

The 250 point was another hurdle, and I tackled it by getting a 5 band 2 element hex beam for 20-10.

Getting to 275 and higher required me to add another arsenal...I finally broke down and purchased a Tokyo High Power 750 watt amp.

The next factor in my favor to (hopefully) get me over 300 is the improving sunspot cycle. Once I get past 300, it's all luck and depends upon somebody going to those rare, uninhabited archipelagos and isolated rocks...or daring to go into a war zone (Yemen) or a totalitarian police state (North Korea) and activate it.

According to the graph, I should hit 300 in the next 18 months. From there onward the chase is littered with the ruined dreams of thousands of DXers who pursued the Honor Roll but languished between 300 and 310 and finally gave up from despair, old age, boredom, or death. I don't plan to be one of those who fails to reach the summit...I intend to achieve Honor Roll status! Why? Because DX IS!

73 and good DX!

Here and there...

2011-07-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Looking at the logbook, I can see a gradual increase in my progress towards DXCC honor roll.

The sunspot cycle is improving, also reflected in my log.

In the past six weeks, I worked C21 and JX5 for all-time new ones. Also worked several new ones on the higher bands. This was while I was doing extensive travel for work, so the on-air time was very limited on the weekends...in between honey-do tasks. (I'm not complaining, I have the most awesome wife ever...she has unending patience for my hobby and I am the luckiest ham ever!) So there are always tasks to complete on the weekends...house maintenance, walking the dogs, working with the horse. It's probably a good thing; with my obsessive personality I would probably spend all day every day in front of the ham radio gear!

Speaking of gear, my THP 1.2Kfx HF amp makes the difference with 500 watts out. It's the difference between QSO and no QSO in several instances.

73 and good DX!

Thanks, Mr. Postman

2011-07-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

Just received a batch of QSL cards today from the US incoming QSL bureau in Sterling VA.

With the increase in postal rates, more folks are using ARRL Logbook of the World (LotW). This is an electronic, secure method of confirming QSO's and receiving DX credit. It is an awesome setup and takes just a few minutes to get started. It increases the chance of getting a confirmation, with the dramatic availability of the internet throughout the globe.

Still, in my 34 years of hamming I have never lost the excitement of receiving in my postal box, a 5x7 brown envelope with the latest "hard copy" QSL cards. This time was no different. I finally received a QSL card from my first QSO with China during the 2008 summer olympics. Also received several band/mode confirmations. About 90 QSL cards in all, including some for my QSL manager duties for 5X1RI.

So even with the increase in postage, lots of hams still send true QSL cards. It's a nice aspect of the hobby, and I am glad to see that it has not gone away.

Now, I have a lot of QSL cards to reply to. Good thing I have a software logging program to handle the printing of it...DX4WIN.

OK, back to hamming.

DX IS!

73 and good DX

Tajikistan on RTTY

2011-05-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

No surprise to anyone, Flex filters in digial mode are simply second-to-none.

Last night (local) on RTTY, I worked EY7AD for a new one on RTTY. There as polar flutter that was a challenge but I still did get a decode. Only my 2nd Tajik QSO ever (last one was in 1990!) And I did not have any interference from nearby signals. Just set the SDR DIGI-U filter width to 300 Hz. No sweat. Call him, and he's IN THE LOG.

My best guess is over the pole (if not true, then certainly magnetic!). I have two hex-beams, one pointed 350 and one pointed 070, both at 40 feet high. The signal was much stronger on the hex pointing north...from here in NC that's 023 degrees true...I presume that if the path were bent then it would have not had as much flutter and would have been stronger on the E pointing hex.

I heard EY7AD on RTTY 2 weeks ago but had to QRT before I could work him. The interesting thing is that after I worked EY7AD, I had a UA4 calling me on the EY7 frequency. I QSY'd up and worked him, and then worked several very strong UA3 stations as well.

At first I thought it might be that the EY7 signal was bent path along the UA3 route. But after I worked EY7AD, I did not hear anyone calling him. Not even the UA stations. So I am guessing that he was not audible to UA3. Certainly, Tajikistan is uncommon on any mode and esp RTTY, and I feel certain that if they could hear him they would have called him.

73 and good DX!

Memorial Day weekend - remembering the heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice

2011-05-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to remember those Americans who gave their lives in armed conflict throughout our history. May we always remember their sacrifice and never take it for granted.

73 and DX!

The THRILL of VICTORY, and the AGONY of DEFEAT

2011-04-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Who can forget Jim McKay on ABC's Wide World of Sports, using that famous line for the intro on Saturdays.

Well, last weekend was the T31A DXPedition, a new DXCC that I needed. I turned my hex beam at 40 feet to the west, fired up the 500W amp, and started listening on Saturday 23 Apr. Not much going on at the time at 1600 UTC. So I took a break. I came back online at 2300 UTC, saw a spot on 17 meters SSB, and listened on frequency. I saw he was working 5 up. I heard him say QRZ and fired my callsign twice. (Sometimes I get excited and yell into the microphone, so I always keep the gain low to prevent splatter). He IMMEDIATELY came back to me with a 59! I gave him a 55. IN THE LOG! Talk about dumb luck and timing! The stations were only on the air for 24 hours and I got through from the East Coast on SSB, with a modest setup! The THRILL OF VICTORY!

I was using the FLEX 3000 SDR, PSDR 2.2 software, THP 1.2 KFX amp (500 watts), Traffie Hex Beam at 40 feet, and a Yaesu hand-mic that came with my FT817. This has served me quite well in pileups, without anything else in the mix.

I was pretty pleased with myself, and that night worked a new one, Egypt, on 30M CW.

On Sunday evening, before starting a week of travel for work, I worked Egypt on 20 meters also. And I saw a spot for T31A on CW on 15 meters. I got greedy and decided I wanted to get a CW contact in the log also. Again with the hex beam and amp, this time with some fast CW at 27 WPM, the same speed as the op (he was keeping a good QSO rate going). Signals marginal at 449 on my end, but with the FLEX 3000 and DSP software with brick-wall filters, no problems with copying him.

I called for about an hour. The op was following a pattern and I was in the right spot but not the only one who had figured out the pattern. West Coast stations kept beating me to the predicted location that the DX was listening. (For more ideas on this technique, I recommend the books by AC6V and W9KNI). I was about to give up, but decided to try for another 10 minutes. It was now 2300 local and I needed to get some sleep for travel the next day. 5 minutes later he came back to me. But he copied my call as WD4LEG. I replied as WD4ELG and sent 55N. He came back and said RRR 73 WB4ELG TU. I tried to resend "WD4 WD4", but he had already moved on. THE AGONY OF DEFEAT!

I wrote to the stateside coordination station and asked for special consideration. He said I should write to the station control operator and ask for special consideration with the QSL card. I will do that, hope for the best, and make a special offering to the DX gods. Maybe put 1000 foot of beverage wire up, or plant some trees for a future DXer.

Meanwhile, I went to VE1DX's page and read some humorous stories and decided to not worry about the T31A CW QSO.

DX IS!

73 DE WD4ELG

The Sun is alive and well

2011-04-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

Who says this sunspot cycle will be a bust? Some folks predicted another Maunder Minimum. Well, after getting off to a slow start, cycle 24 is going gangbusters. The prediction curve may need to be revised.

The bands are ALIVE. Here's a sampling of DX worked from my location (FM06be) using a 2 element 5-band hex beam (thanks, Mike Traffie, for getting me into the serious DX game).

All over the north pole: BY, 9M2, XV, BX, 4S7 (First time I ever heard 9M2 or XV)

Also, I was working these stations at 2200 local time on 15 meters, 2.5 hours after sunset!

On 10 meters, I can hear EU and AF with sunrise, and I can hear and work VK at least an hour after sunset. That's amazing, I have not done that since 2001.

On 20 meters at midnight local I can hear JA, A6, VK, and ZS.

Also, I busted a bunch of pileups to Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Bragging here: total DXCC count is up to 276 worked/263 confirmed. Closing in on 5BDXCC, 9BDXCC, and eventually Honor Roll.

I have added a couple of logs to the fire of the signal with an amplifier from Tokyo High Power. Talk about an outstanding piece of gear. It gives me 400-500 watts out, which is all I need for the extra "punch."

Hope to hear you on the bands in the pileups!

73 and good DX!
WD4ELG

A new antenna for HF

2010-04-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

Finally broke down and got the Traffie Hex Beam 5 bander for 20-10 meters. Love it! Put it up on the 32 foot mast on 31 March ( the mast was empty because the 20 meter monobander is suspended between trees at 56 foot height).

Worked the YI9PSE DXpedition through the EU pileup on 17 meters SSB, FIRST CALL with 100 watts and the Flex 3000. NICE! Also worked T32CI on 17 meters, and 5H1S at midnight local on what sounded like a dead band (except for his strong signal!)

73 and good DX!

The value of persistence

2010-03-27T22:09:00.001-07:00

OK, on Thursday of this week, 25 March, I raised the 20 meter hex beam 2 element yagi to 64 feet. Did I put in a new tower? No, I simply supported the 10 pound antenna between two trees! It's permanently pointed north, but so what? That's where all my needed DX is located, and the beam-width is wide enough to accommodate NW or NE as well. For anything to the south, I have wires (inverted L for 160) that work fine on 20.

So how does it work? Well, UA0 is a louder (expected). And I easily work into EU through pileups (5B4AII was 10 over S9 and I got through on the second call with a huge US and EU pileup). Also, getting into Pacific is not too hard either. Most interesting is that I worked S79GM, only second time ever and his signal was very strong. Also heard (but did not work) AP2, XV2, 9M6. I have never heard these countries before, so this is looking promising!

Why persistence? Because I am NEVER satisfied with my current antenna setup, and I am always looking for ways to improve it.

If you are ever in doubt about the antenna being the MOST important part of the non-human part of the station, take a look at WG5G. DXCC Honor Roll with 5 watts and a killer antenna. There's a LOT to be learned from WG5G.

FYI, I also updated my static website, but I need some more pics of the antennas. Ordered a 5 band hex beam from Mike Traffie last Monday, so I should REALLY be racking up the countries on 17-10 soon! Why from Mike and not K4KIO or DX Engineering (cheaper)? I trust Mike Traffie, he is as honest as the summer day is long, and he makes a terrific product. I also like him, and I feel like I am buying from a friend. It's like going to your local family-owned hardware store instead of Home Depot or Lowes - I like the feeling I get when I buy from Traffie. Give him a call and see if you are not as happy as I am.

73 and good DX!

Loooong time no post!

2010-03-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, work has really really kept me busy. But I am back in the saddle, so to speak, of my hobby.

So let us take a look at 3B9WR, Rodriguez Island. I worked him on the second call. There was a huge pileup of EU and US. I did it with 100 watts and a vertical. What was the difference? SDR and Flex 3000, of course.

Take a look at this image.

The pileup is massive and wide. I saw him working the pileup effectively, and once I saw him responding to stations at the lower end....I looked for a clear frequency. BAM! Got him right away after second call. The Flex mad all the difference because I can SEE where noone else is, and that is where I make my call.

3B9 was not new DX, but it was new on 40 meters. And I LOVE busting pileups!

73 and good DX

The low bands are on FIRE again

2010-01-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

In spite of the class M solar flare last week (that was very weird for so early in the sunspot cycle, I wonder what other surprises are in store!), the low bands have never sounded better!

Using my 160 meter inverted L on 160, 80, and 40 meters with 100 watts, I worked the following in just an hour or two of casual operating:

160: SP, SM, HA, PA, YL, OK, G - all on first call
80: 5N, first call
40: 7P8, 3rd call with big pileup

I also heard EY8MM on 80 calling CQ, and nobody was answering him. Unfortunately he did not hear me. This is the second time I have heard Asia on 80 meters on the inverted L (here is some good analysis from N0HR). Before this antenna, I never heard anything rare like that. Seems that I never had a real antenna for 80 or 160. Amazing what a 133 feet of wire, a 64 foot oak, and a remote antenna coupler with a few radials will do!

This is my first inverted L antenna. It's not quiet like a Beverage antenna for receive, but it does work.

I was scouting out the land behind my house today, and saw that I have plenty of room for Beverage-type receiving antennas. This will be my next project after the weather begins to warm up (it has been very cold this winter). DX Engineering makes the parts (I don't have time to) for the antenna, all I need to do is figure out how to run the coax in stealth mode.

Always planning for bigger and better things. Life is too short to chase DX with the status quo!

73 and good DX!

Getting the fever for 160

2010-01-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

I put up an inverted L, 64 feet vertical and 64 feet horizontal. With 100 watts and a couple of radials, it is no pileup buster but it DOES work and it WILL get me to DXCC on 160. What a blast that band is.

Work has kept me busy since the start of the New Year, and it has been too cold outside (unusual) for me to do any antenna work. Here's hoping for more ham time and less work, and a spring thaw!

73 and good DX!

More fireworks on 40, and a new antenna

2009-12-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

Heard JT1BH at sunset local time on 40 CW. I have only heard JT1CO, and it was on 20 meters in the summer. Wow.

I put up an inverted L for 160 with 3 radials. Let's see how that plays on 160. I need to get cranking on the "top band" in order to get my 9BDXCC

73 and good DX

Getting even better on the bands!

2009-12-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

40 meters is WHITE HOT.

Heard HS0CZY/4 and 4S7NE tonight. HS0 was buried under EU, I did not want to get into a pileup on simplex frequency for 4S7NE, esp since I already have a card from Nelson on 17 meters.

Seems like 40 is almost always offering some sort of DX! Makes me want to rethink my antenna situation, possibly put up something with more gain on 40. I had been looking at 160 for a basic antenna, and trying to get my hex beam up higher. Maybe I am focused on the wrong bands!

Christmas gifts from Santa included an Arrow Antennas 4 element yagi for 6 meters, a 6 meter handbook, a 6 meter pre-amp. So look out Meteor-Scatter fans, and when those sporadic-E clouds starting forming in April I will be all over that!

73, happy holidays, and good DX!

Things are getting better on the bands

2009-12-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

1. I heard HS0CZY/4 on 30 meter CW, Q5 copy on the flex. This was with my Par end-fed half have, oriented all vertical. This operator really knows how to run a pileup. Unfortunately, I did not break through the wall of EU stations (just after their dinner time).

2. I copied VR4VBI on 20 meters JT65A, using the Zero-Five vertical.

Both of these events represent something significant. For the first time in MANY years, I am hearing Asia for real. Not just JA, but further out beyond that. This bodes well for my quest into Asia for additional DX.

Also, put up my 6 meter hex yagi into the attic. Will try for some meteor scatter in the coming mornings.

73 and good DX!

Life is good!

2009-12-21T22:29:00.000-08:00

UPS truck delvired my newly repaired Flex 3000 to me today.

Tinkered with it all afternoon, FINALLY set it up so I can send CW using the MixW interface/keyboard...and CW Skimmer works!!! Also using DX4Win to pounce on spots.

Here's what it looks like

A busy screen! SDR for controlling the radio is on the left, CW Skimmer to the right, then Bandmaster. MixW is on the bottom center, with DX4Win on the left side.

My favorite programs, all placed properly on the screen.

Now, the other computer with the screen on the left is my digital/satellite station. It has satellite tracker, WSJT software, web browser, BandMaster and DX Atlas, HamRadioDeluxe sat tracker, and two radios: TS570 for HF, and TS480 for 6 meter CW/SSB and meteor scatter.

This is fun, now that I finally got everything working together!

6 meter yagi arrives on Wednesday for the attic. Still trying to decide what I want to do for Earth-Moon-Earth comms...something in the attic, or rover operations with better access to the horizon. Decisions decisions! What an awesome hobby!

Happy holidays!

73 and good DX!

What is that sound? Could it be....Asia? YES

2009-12-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

Last night, at 0100 local, I worked Martti Lane, OH2BH, on 80 meter SSB. No big deal, but it was a real thrill for me. Martti is a DXer of legend, lore, AND fact. He's like Danny Weil, Lloyd and Iris Colvin of the last century...a guy who expemplifies everything that is good in the hobby, has done so much international goodwill with his selfless time and endless energy.

Making a QSO with Martti is an honor and a thrill for me, a junior DXer who hopes one day to reach the honor roll of DXCC. I have worked him on CW before, but never on SSB. It was a medium-sized pileup, and I broke through on the second try only because Martti was (as usual) following a very consistent pattern to the pileup. He waited for the chaos to die down after 3 seconds, then picked the first call he heard. I guessed right and made it through with 100 wats and my dipole at 44 feet! This QSO, combined with the one with John Devoldere ON4UN of Low Band DXing fame, will be two that I will remember for my lifetime.

Anyway...it's 0100 local now Saturday night/Sunday morning, and I am on 40 CW, MINUS MY BELOVED F3K (no worries, the folks at Flex ALREADY have it repaired! Back in the mail this week, AWESOME customer service!). I can see some interesting spots for South Cook (E51), but nothing new. I have the Zero-Five 43 foot vertical online, after replacing the remote CG-3000 antenna tuner earlier today (I think water permeated it, but that's a separate story). Suddenly, I see a spot for JA. Probably from Europe, since they are both about on the gray line this time of year. I check it out, and it's from a W4. So I tune there, hear a watery signal RST 529, copy JA7DLE, call him twice, he gets my call, BAM he is in the log. I have ONE JA QSO on 80, and this is my SECOND EVER on 40 (the other is JM7OLW, have worked him several times on 20 and once on 40). The vertical is WORKING! What is neat about this is that it happens while I can hear EU stations 599 AND South Cook Islands 559. So I am copying Pacific, JA, AND Europe at the same time. ANd still an hour until sunset for JA. WOW, 40 meters is impressive.

That is quite a NEAT situation. I can remember doing that on 20 meters late at night in 1990, when I lived in Georgia, during the solar peak of cycle 22. But that is to be expected on 20, especially at the peak of the solar cycle.

But on 40 meters? With a vertical antenna? Never would have guessed it could happen to me!

So WHAT IS THAT SOUND? It's a JA station...I am working Asia, my intended target for DX!

73 and good DX!

Me without my Flex 3000 is like Linus without his blanket

2009-12-03T19:25:00.001-08:00

Apologies to Charles Schulz the great cartoonist of Peanuts, but like Linus van Pelt without his security blanket, I am going crazy without my Flex 3000!

I sent it in for repairs (pre-amp chip failed) and for the warranty fix for the pre-amp overall.

Wow, using my TS-570 is such a travel back in time. I can only use my ears and not my eyes with this rig. I know Flex will take good care and do the fixes right, but I sure hope the rig is back in time for my holiday break! Fingers crossed.

I put up more antennas today: Par End-Fedz models for 40 and 30 meters. These are stealthy, half-wave wire antennas for single-band operation. The models I have are designed for 100 watts. They work quite well, especially on 40 and 30 meters. High efficiency, no ground field needed like a quarter wave. How is the impedance matched at the end of a half wave, for a 50 ohm coax feed? I am GLAD you asked! Here's an excellent article on performance, matching networks, and more details.

http://www.aa5tb.com/efha.html

The antennas are efficient. Overall performance depends upon the properties of the ground. Some folks claim that common-mode currents are induced in the coax, since the outer braid is serving as the counterpoise. Well, a couple of turns of coax into a lazy man's 1:1 current balun fixes that.

So how did the end-fed antenna work? Well, I worked CE0Y/SM6CUK on the first call tonight. That's not a scientific test, but it does prove that I AM radiating a signal.

73 and good DX!

Around the world in milli-seconds

2009-11-27T08:16:00.001-08:00

Today, I was listening to ST2AR (Sudan) on 17 meters at 1600 UTC, working a nice pileup.

Something was weird about his signal, though. At first I thought it was flutter, but that's ridiculous - the path is 080 short path. Then I thought someone was intentionally interfering. But it was simultaneous; started as son as he started, and ended immediately after he ended. Fast CW, no way it was intentional interferece...too closely timed.

Then it hit me; I was receiving short path AND long path AT THE SAME TIME! Never would happen with a directional antenna, but I was using the off-center-fed dipole at 64 feet. I was hearing BOTH signals at the same time, the long-path one just barely delayed and sounding like interference!

5798 miles short path, long pah 15782 miles. I listened for a few minutes and was fascinated! I had never heard this before, at least not that I could recall!

At about 1615 UTC, the short path took over and the interfering long path signal decreased quickly until it was gone.

Using some quick calculations, the time to trave short path is 31.2 msec. Long path is 84.5 msec. That would explain the noticeable overlap.

Wow, propagation never ceases to amaze me.

73 and good DX!

Let's go to the instant replay tape!

2009-11-26T21:02:00.001-08:00

I have been hamming a lot since the last post.

On Saturday night, I put up the 43 foot vertical.

On Tuesday, I put up a 160-10 off-center-fed dipole from Buckmaster up at 64 feet, beaming 330/150 broadsied. I used a secret weapon to put up the antenna. Whoa, this thing is a DREAM! Worth every penny!

Today (Thursday), I put up the 20 meter hex beam...only at 32 feet for now...need to have it up for the CQ WW CW contest this weekend.

I took down the 80-10 off-center-fed Buckmaster, I will re-orient it next week on an East/West heading.

So, what results have I achieved so far?

Well, the new QTH continues to be VERY quiet. On 20 CW, I heard JA1NUT 579, VR2MY 539. Did not have time to try and break the pileup.

What have I worked, that is interesting?

12 meters: ZL1BYz, CE0/SM6CUK
15 meters: A25NW, ZP6CW
17 meters: V51AS, A25WN (CW - 10 min; SSB, huge pileup, 30 min of attempts), 9L1NH
20 meters: 9G5TT, A25NW
30 meters: CE0/SM6CUK, A25NW
40 meters: 3B8CF, RW0CN
80 meters: 4L6AA
160 meters: PJ2/K8ND (easy), need to get some EU DX to work towards 9BDXCC

Kudos to Tom, K9NW, down on Botswana with the A25NW call. What a fantastic op. The SSB pileup on 17 meters was a real zoo, but he kept it moving and never lost his cool.

Conclusions:

1. The 43 foot vertical is working well with 10 radials down, each 50 feet in length. I need to add another 10 radials. The remote tuner is, as always, essential

2. The total coax run is about 250 feet to each antenna. I need some lower-loss coax, I suspect, althouth the RG-213 is not hurting me all that much.

3. The Buckmaster at 64 feet has the ends drooped, to form a two-element broadside phased vertical pattern.

4. The 20 meter hex beam is BACK ON LINE.

I am ready for the contest! Hope to work at least three new ones.

Next steps:

Get the remote antenna switch in place.
Get the 80-10 Buckmaster up and running.
Get the satellite station back online.

73 and GOOD DX!

Location, location, location

2009-11-21T03:35:00.001-08:00

What a difference 80 km can make! My new QTH has provided some very interesting results in terms of what I can hear on the bands.

I have been very busy with work since the move on Oct 29, and this morning was my first opportunity to listen during gray-line propagation in the morning. This time of year, there are no thunderstorms about and the nighttime is more favorable for 40 and 80 meter propagation to my intended target - ASIA!

So far, the only antenna I have up is the off-center-fed dipole with the ends vertical. This acts as two 1/4 wave verticals in phase with a broadside pattern. It's my favorite basic antenna, and has served me quite well over the years.

It works surprisingly well at 1/4 wave height on 40...of course, a LOT better than a straight dipole at that height. I had some challenges getting it up in the trees (hammer throwing is not the most efficient way to raise an antenna, and it damages the shoulder, but it's quick and it gets the job done...as long as the hammer does not get caught in the branches! That's another post, though)

Anyway, I have the antenna oriented for maximum radiation towards about 330 degrees, direct towards SE Asia. At the old QTH, I really struggled to hear in that direction. Regardless of the antenna, it was ALWAYS a challenge...even to work and hear JA. I always suspected some sort of natural terrain was reflecting/deflecting the signal, but the terrain seemed favorable. It was NOT a problem with the antennas - Africa and South Pacific and VK/ZL were easy to reach on all bands - even 80 with my much-maligned 43 foot vertical. But I never could hear Guam, Phillipines, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, etc. Only once did I work Taiwan and China...and only on 20 meters with the 2 element hex beam. JA was very infrequent.

So I had high hopes that things would get better after the relocation to the new QTH.

After working 3B8CF (Jacky always has a strong signal), I knew that the antenna was fundamentally working fine.

So this morning, after taking out the dog, I sat down at 0600 local and flipped on the rig.

Mongolian DX contest in progress: I heard JT1CO on 40 CW. I worked him twice over the years on 20 CW. Weak at this time, but NO BACKGROUND NOISE! Great band conditions! Called him for 10 min, but he never heard me. But....this is the first time I ever heard Mongolia on 40. Also heard several JA.

Tuned around and heard RWoCN (Mikhail) in PN87, definitely in the desired target area just above Korea. About 10 stations calling, pileup in progress, nabbed him on the 4th call. SWEET!

Tuned around some more, and I heard DU/OH1RX working a medium-sized pileup, simplex (West Coast and South America, but he was mostly working JA). But I had Q5 copy for the entire time. Unlikely to break through; he was already well-spoted on the DX cluster. But I could copy him 100%! NEVER had that happen before!!

Tuned around some more on 40, and could just barely copy P29CW. That's a new one for me. Not going to try and work him, big pileup in progress, but nice to know I can hear him.

And the icing on the cake, heard WH2D on CW on 40, and KH2L on 40 SSB. Now all I need is to get some directional antennas in the air and point them that way!

I decided to see what was going on for 80 meters CW. Already past sunrise at 0730 local, I heard TX3A working a huge pileup, he was Q5 copy. Tuned around and heard some JA stations as well - weak but Q5 copy. AMAZING - I NEVER heard that at the old QTH! Not bad for a dipole at 32 feet!!!

I think I am going to be VERY happy with the DX from this QTH. I hope to get more antennas in the air over the coming Thanksgiving weekend, and see what I can do for enw DX in the CQ WW DX Contest.

73 and good DX!

Putting together a new station

2009-11-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, I forgot how painful it is to move. My aching back! Lifting all those boxes AFTER the movers drop them off. Well, that's what Motrin is for...pain relief.

Also, work has kept me on the road for the past two weeks.

I did put together the shack on the weekends, all I need to do now is put up the antennas.

The shack has the TS570 for digital/search and pounce/backup, with the Flex F3K as primary CW/SSB.

The two FT817ND rigs are in place for satellite.

I will put up the 2 meter FM rig also, for weather monitoring and any 2 meter repeaters in the area.

I have the TS480SAT in the car, although I don't expect a lot of driving...mostly air travel.

The priority for my antennas:

(1) get the coax in place - 200 foot run of a single coax
(2) get an all-band wire up to begin with. This will be the Buckmaster off-center-fed dipole for 80-10.
(3) get the HF yagi up - this will be the hex beam for 20 meters on the 32 foot mast
(4) get the antenna switch out there so I can run multiple antennas
(5) get a second run of coax, and a second antenna switch
(6) get the 160 meter wire antenna up (in time for the 160 meter contest)
(7) get the 43 foot vertical up and put down radials (getting colder, maybe wait until spring!)

That's enought to keep me busy over the holiday break!

73 and good DX

Going QRT for a few days

2009-10-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

I took the last remaining antennas down today: the 43 foot vertical and the off-center-fed dipole. It has been a wonderful eight years at this QTH.

Some of the highlights (not in order):

Finally collected enough QSL's for DXCC
Worked 100 countries on 80 meters
Did some working on 160 meters
Put up my first directional antenna, a hex beam for 20 meters, WOW
Started working ham satellites, very cool
Upgraded my main HF rig, from TS520S to TS570
Added mobile HF with TS480SAT
Did some serious remote operation while on the road
Started weak signal work with WSJT software
Started 6 meter work with meteor scatter and sporadic E, with a hex 6 meter antenna
Started really analyzing antennas with EZNEC, and understanding what is going on
Leveraged the power of the PC in the shack: DX4WIN, Ionoprobe, Bandmaster, DX Atlas, and a bunch of other programs
Jumped into digital modes with MixW
Put up some good antennas for low bands: Cushcraft MA8040V, Zero-Five muli-band vertical
Reached total worked DX at 260
Put up a home page and a blog related to ham radio
Jumped into Software Defined Radio with a Flex 3000
Participated in several Field Days at the local club
Put together quite a diverse antenna farm
Did some work as a QSL manager for a DX station
Made a lot of friends around the world
Learned a LOT about antennas, propagation, and operating procedures

I thought I knew a couple of things with my Amateur Extra class licenses and 27 years of hamming when we moved in back in 2001.

Eight years later I realize how much I do NOT know and how much more I need to learn.

It has been an amazing journey at this QTH. I am excited about starting at the new QTH. Look for me on the air soon!

73 and good DX!

LP or SP - YOU make the call

2009-10-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Back in the 1970's era on American Television, there were commercials about American football that said presented an actual scenario during a game, and asked the viewer to guess at the actual outcome. The announcer would say something like:

Time has expired, the quarterback throws a long pass and the receiver jumps to catch it. The defensive safety interferes and a penalty flag is thrown. Time has run out. IS THE GAME OVER OR IS THERE A REPLAY? YOU MAKE THE CALL"

This would be followed by some advert for shaving cream or beer or some such rubbish, followed by a return to the scenario and an answer which the viewer had awaited through the useless advert.

So, it's 2020 UTC, I worked UA0FAI on Sakhalin Island near Japan. SHORT PATH OR LONG PATH PROPO? YOU MAKE THE CALL!

Before we break for a silly advert, let's look at the facts.

1. We know there is a well-established LP in fall and winter to JA from East Coast USA (I just worked this path on 17 meters two weeks ago). This happened on 18072 kHz, same band.

2. Does my antenna give any clues? It was the low (32 foot high) off-center-fed dipole. What is the pattern for the antenna? What does EZNEC tell us?

3. What about propagation? Well, the DX was IN the gray zone, and I was getting close to the gray zone.

4. The signal was fairly strong with no apparent polar flutter. However, we know from the great guidance given by an OT in my previous post, that this is not always a good indicator.

5. Look at it holistically. Who else worked him? http://www.dxsummit.fi/Search.aspx reveals two other spots: W5 and W8. Inconclusive.

So, YOU MAKE THE CALL! LP or SP! Inquiring minds want to know.

73 and good DX

Propagation "words of wisdom" from an Old Timer

2009-10-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Old Timer does not necessarily refer to the age of a person, although it can. It normally refers to the person's experience.

I have 32 years in the hobby, some would refer to me as an Old Timer (OT) even though I am only 45 years old. (Such a reference to me would be a compliment, OT hams are looked up to with respect and deference as those who have "been there, done that")

Anyway, I have had an excellent exchange with an Old Timer, Jim W9VNE, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jim and I worked each other last year on the ham radio satellites (a future post on this is coming from me). Well, after I worked TX5SPM, I saw Jim spot the DX and added the comment "long path" on the DX Cluster network.

Since I worked TX5SPM on my vertical, I wondered how Jim could tell it was long path. My confusion is taht I thought the DX (Marquesas Island) was not too far from Hawaii, so it had to be a daylight propagation path. What did the path look like at that time?

So I was confused. I did not think that my signal from my vertical could be travelling LP! I have worked Laura, 3A2MD, via LP because she has mountains to her west headed from Monaco to US. We did this when my Hex Beam was up, back on 1 January 2008 in the morning local time.

I decided to ask Jim, W9VNE, for his thoughts on this. Jim has been in the hobby for more than 50 years and he is on the DXCC Honor Roll at #1, so he knows what he is talking about!

Jim provided me some GREAT information, and with his permission I am posting his thoughts here, bceause I find this fascinating:

How do I know that the path was long path (LP) ? That is a good question. Two ways of knowing. First is turning your beam and peaking them. If LP then you will not hear them SP. While that sounds simple it is not intuitive. Sometimes a station will be both SP and LP. You can tell that too without much trouble (to the educated ear). The signal will have a flutter or echo on it. One signal coming from different directions will be out of phase since one is going 5,000 miles from Eastern Europe to USA and the other signal from the same station is going close to 20,000 miles. The 15,000 mile difference divided by the speed of sound 186,000 miles will give you that delay in the fraction of a second.

There are patterns (long established) about LP and SP. From the Eastern USA short path (SP) to the Pacific Islands occurs on 20 meters late in our evening from around midnight until it gets daylight. Since this QSO that I made occurred around 3 PM Eastern time it would not be short path. It was over South Africa. Other well known LP paths are into Europe from Midwest and Western states in dead of winter (late Dec into Feb) when it is getting dark in Eastern Europe 3 to 4 pm it is 9:30 or a little later in the morning. Turning the beam to Europe and you do not hear them and beaming to the South West you will hear them. Early sunset for EU but late sunrise for USA.

A good DX station; 3A2MD (a YL) is active on 20 cw. Her location in Monaco prevents her 2 element beam from doing much good as she is beaming directly into the high hills of Monaco City. She turns her beam about 10 AM my time and beams the long way around and I hear her out of the South West.

So how do you tell. Turn the beam. If no beam, become familiar with the times when this phenomena does occur. The Western Pac into NA is well known about 3:30 PM. I work many VK stations then on LP. I have worked Japan LP on Ten Meters about 9:30 AM when it was 9:30 PM in JA land. Beam is over Africa. You would not hear a thing if beam was on JA SP. Often you can work South East Asia in the morning by beaming into the South East. Stuff like HS and 9V1 9M2 can be heard on LP but not SP.

I look at the Terminator (grey line where the sun is just starting to shine or just starting to set. There is always a grey line around the globe. When you are in it (the grey line) you should look for stations on the other end of the grey line. The path will always be LP. I used to work JA on forty meters about 4:30 PM on forty meters and that would be 4:30 AM in JA land. It is dependent upon frequency as much as time of day. LP propagation is most prevalent on 40, 30 and 20 meters. As I noted I have experienced it on 10 meters but that is very rare.

I akso asked Jim to comment on my earlier post on this blog regarding my JA long path QSO on 17 meters. Jim kindly responded with some more TERRIFIC analysis:

I did a cursory view of your blog. Working LP on 40 and 30 in the late afternoon is fairly routine. It is LP. Because it does NOT have flutter does not mean it is not LP. You can go over the pole(s) and not have flutter too. Flutter does occur on polar paths but not always. Depends on the amount of magnetic activity then and there.

A SKEWED path is something that is used to refer to an anomaly i.e., neither LP or SP. I have seen that with extreme magnetic activity. The signals from EU or AS can start off and then be DEFLECTED from their routine paths. An example is to receive EU from a direction of 70 degrees when it normally is 40 degrees. The signals peak at 70 and fall way off at normal 40 degrees. All of that occurs with high sun spots and high solar activity. Same occurs from JA.

So the term SKEWED should not be used as you used it. It was LP for sure at that time of day YB and 9V come in on 30 and 40 from the SOUTH EAST at that time of day.

So there you have it, excellent words of wisdom from an Old Timer. Thanks, Jim!

73 and good DX

And the hits just keep on coming...

2009-10-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have been trying for two weeks to work TX5SPA/TX5SPM with no luck. The hex beam is still down, so I have the 43 foot vertical and the low off-center-fed dipole.

No luck on 17, 20, 30, or 40. Never heard him on 80 or the other bands. Pileups usually too intense for me to get through.

But TODAY! Saw TX5SPM on Marquesas on 20 CW and worked him on the second call. 100 watts to the vertical. Not new DX (I have FO/M on 40 confirmed), but new on 20.

The Flex DSP helped with making him copyable, and I could clearly see the stations he was answering in the split, so it was like shooting fish in a barrel to work him.

My only challenge is being heard now, and with 100 watts that is not going to change. So I just need more patience.

One week until the move. Cannot wait to get the antennas up!

73 and good DX!

Obsession with Asia, and the long way to get there

2009-10-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Why the obsession with Asia in Amateur Radio? It took me 31 years for my first QSO with People's Republic of China. And 32 years for my first QSO with Taiwan. I am in need of countries in Asia the most, and these are the hardest for me to get.

I don't often hear Japan, which is amazing because there are so many thousands of active hams there. When I do hear them, it is normally over the polar path and the signal;s are weak and fluttery. (I notice the same with China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, etc).

There are exceptions: I worked Indonesia on 15 meter SSB at 8 AM local, but that was back in early 2002 just after the solar sunspot peak. And I did work Indonesia again on 40 meter CW in 2005, Dec 31st, late in the afternoon. That was pretty amazing and unique, strong signals and a huge pileup. Must have been unique because I was running 100 watts into a Cushcraft vertical. Clearly, that signal was NOT polar. It must have been skew, or more likely long-path because the time was late afternoon for me and there path of darkness for 40 meter prop was long path (40 meter signals don't propagate very well in sunlight, that's another story). Here's a pic of the solar position as it was on Dec 31.

With a strong non-fluttery signal, it did NOT come over the pole. But I have never had that happen again, so it probably was a one-time thing.

Back to today - I heard JA1LZR, Joe in Tokyo, on 17 meters, coming in really strong at 5 PM local time. NO POLAR FLUTTER. Wow, I thought, this is not a common occurrence. And he was a LOT stronger on the off-center-fed dipole than the vertical.

17 meter signals DO propagate better in sunlight. If they propagate (remember the solar conditions are pretty poor). I have tried to work JA on 17 meters before, with very limited success.

What is the position of the sun today?

What did JA1LZR look like today? Strong!

And it was not point-to-point just to me like my VK QSO three weeks ago. JA1LZR worked KP4, W9, W8, and another W4 after me.

What other data points would indicate that this was long path and not over the pole? Take a look at the radiation pattern of the off-center-fed dipole. It has a lobe in the long-path direction (although also in SP direction).

What other facts support the long-path hypothesis, besides strong signal with no polar flutter? Look again at the picture above in the lower left, of the PATH! The long-path signal travels almost along the sun line. This is also known as the grey-line, a special region with enhanced propagation signals.

More proof? Joe was running 800 watts to a 4 element SteppIR yagi. His signal never varied in intensity in the 20 minutes I listened. If he had gone the short path, the signal should have increased in strength as the sunlight over the direct path improved.

About 5:45 PM, his signal was suddenly no longer there. Gone. He had just been in a QSO shortly before then, and other stations were calling him. If the sunlight was increasing over Japan and I still had daylight, how could the path just disappear? It didn't. What disappeared (or changed) was the long path via the gray-line!

Now it could have been a skewed path, not direct long or short but indirect. No way to confirm or refute this, but normally skewed paths are (I believe) point-to-point like what happened with my 5 watt VK4 QSO on the dipole several weeks ago on 20 meters CW. NOONE ELSE HEARD HIM, HE WAS S9 HERE, THEN HE WAS GONE. That was a skew path.

This is not that circumstance.

So, I worked JA on 17 meters this afternoon, first call, on the dipole. He was strong. I am happy. Even the blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally!

73 and good DX

Spend twice as much on the antenna as the radio

2009-10-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

This nugget is some advice from many old-timers with a lot of DX experience, and I think it is very valid. As you can see from my previous posts, I am certainly putting in a lot of time into the antenna design at my new QTH.

Well, I am obsessed like a labrador retriever and his tennis ball; even though we are moving in just over two weeks, I am still improving on my current antenna situation. The chase for DX never ends.

I put my off-center-fed Buckmaster dipole BACK UP in at 32 feet, with the ends in vertical fashion to provide some gain and directivity on 40 (yes, even at 1/4 wavelength in height, this thing DOES work DX because the ends act like two quarter-wave radiators separated by a half wavelength, giving some broadside directivity).

So I have my 43 foot vertical and the Buckmaster (NOT Buxcomm) OCF dipole. This gives me options on all bands.

With challenging conditions, I'm still getting through with 100 watts. Oh, it takes longer and I have to listen a LOT more. I never did hear FT5GA or 3D20CR (FT5GA would have been an all-time new one). But yesterday I worked E51NOU on 17 meters CW on the OCF, and the evening before (my time) I worked E51NOU on 40 CW on the vertical.

Today I finally heard TX5SPA and was able to work him on the vertical after repeating my call several times, on 20 CW. (Oh how I miss my 2 element Hex yagi, never knew how much until I took it down to prepare for the move!)

Now let's take a look at how marginal the signals are with my setup now. Here's a shot of the TX5SPA signal on my Flex 3000 panadapter.

The blue window is the CW filter in very narrow mode. Notice the signal that is stronger just to the left, and the background noise that, although quiet, is not much below TX5SPA. (With the Flex 3000, I cannot even tell that the other signal is nearby, and the audio processing lets the signal "pop out" into my headphones.

Let's conclude two things: (1) TX5SPA is an excellent CW operator to hear me, and (2) my Flex 3000 technology gives me a great advantage to hear HIM in very marginal conditions. I will say the same for Bill, N7OU. From both ZL7/N7OU and E51NOU the conditions were not all that great. It sure helps when the DXer is an FB operator.

On my end, I have been DXing on CW for 32 years. But the technology does help me to hear the signal above the noise.

73 and good DX

It is HIGH, it is FAR...it is GONE!

2009-09-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

My favorite sportscaster John Sterling, who calls for the New York Yankees. Tune in to 880 WCBS any evening in the summer and fall (esp during MLB playoffs). Real entertainment.

If John had been in the ham shack this morning, making the play-by-play call while I worked DX #260, ZL7/N7OU Chatham Island at my sunrise on 40 CW, he would have uttered those words!

Yes, I did it with 100 watts and my 43 foot vertical antenna.

Of course, it helps that N7OU is a SUPERB operator with terrific hearing.

But give me some credit; the only reason I was able to see his signal and copy him was because of my FlexRadio 3000. How sweet it is/was. Not a lot of folks calling him, and the 43 foot antenna is really superb on 40 meters.

OK, so what DX is next? Bring it, Southeast Asia! 9V1, 9M2, and DU - you are next.

73 and good DX

If one is good, two must be TWICE as good

2009-09-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Readers are able to discern my obsessions with antennas and DX. It's my drug of choice, thank you very much. No booze, no drugs, no tobacco. Just antennas and DX. I can't ever be satisfied. Just like Michelle Pfeiffer said in her role as Elivra Hancock in the move SCARFACE, "Nothing exeeds like excess." Here's another blogger who captures my thougths well.

Back to my obsession: antennas and DX. When I get to the new QTH, I will be cooking with gas! I plan to bust up some serious pileups after October with my plans.

I did some more simulations for the new QTH for 20 meters, since sunspots are not going to improve soon enough to get me to where I need to be on 15 and 10 for long haul DX.

Here's what I have concluded for 20 meters at the new QTH:

I will put up two 20 meter hex yagis - one at 32 feet and one at 64 feet

I will feed the two yagis in phase

Instead of using a tower, I will use a rope suspension system. I will raise the two antennas and suspend them from a cross-rope at 70 feet. The ropes will use a pulley to connect them at the T junction.

I will use a pneumatic tennis ball launcher to set up the ropes

Take a look at the NEC pattern here: blue is what I had at the old QTH for a single hex at 32 feet, green is what I had planned with a single hex at 64 feet, and black is the two hexes fed in phase. YOWZA!

In the meantime, here at the old QTH, I heard 9M2CNC on 20 CW on the bobtail antenna. Q3 copy. I was not able to work him. But this is important: it's the first time I have EVER heard a 9M station in my 30+ years of hamming. And it's the first time in a long time that I heard SE Asia. Granted it is prime propagation time with the autumnal equinox cycle, but with our conditions in the doldrums this is a reflection upon the effectiveness of the bobtail. Not quite enough to get INTO SE Asia, but a LOT better than my other antennas.

73 and good DX

The sounds of DX

2009-09-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

Autumnal equinox, DX fans. Symmetrical arrangement of the sun, north versus south of the equator. Happens twice a year. Good time for DX.

To borrow from Robert Duvall as Colonel Kilgore from Apocalypse Now and his quote,

"I love the sound of signals coming in long-path or with polar flutter in the morning. It reminds me of...DX IS"

So back to my dilemma of achieving low angle radiation in the direction of SE Asia, I am experimenting with a Bobtail antenna. It's an arrangement of wire that acts as if there are three vertical quarter-wave antennas in phase. Radiation direction maximum is broadside, at low angles (19 degrees).

MFJ has an explanation on their website with some interesting guidance on additional performance enhancements, although the gain claims are (in my opinion) exaggerated.

K3KY has an excellent discussion around the design and considerations for ground.

N8FSC, on his website, has an excellent description of the antenna:

The antenna system of Fig 62 uses the principles of cophased verticals to produce a broadside, bi-directional pattern providing approximately 5.8 dB of gain over a single element. The antenna performs as three in-phase top-fed vertical radiators approximately 1/4 wavelength in height and spaced approximately 1/2 wavelength. It is most effective for low angel signals and makes an excellent long-distance antenna for either 3.5 or 7 MHz.

The three vertical sections are the actual radiating components, but only the center element is fed directly. The two horizontal parts A, act as phasing lines and contribute very little to the radiation pattern. Because the current in the center element must be divided between the end sections, the current distribution approaches a binomial 1:2:1 ration.

The vertical elements should be as vertical as possible. The height for the horizontal portion should be slightly greater than B, as shown in Fig 62. The tuning network is resonant at the operating frequency. The L/C ration should be fairly low to provide good loading characteristics. As a starting point, a maximum capacitor value of 75 to 150 pF is recommended, and the inductor value is determined by C and the operating frequency. The network is first turned to resonance and then the tap point is adjusted for the best match. A slight readjustment of C may be necessary. A link coil consisting of a few turns can also be used to feed the antenna.

In the picture above, the antenna is fed at the base of the center vertical section. It presents a high impedance...well above 50 ohms. This can be addressed with the components as shown, or a remote coupler like those made by CG corporation or SGC. I already have the CG-3000 on my 43 foot vertical, but don't want to move it over to the Bobtail AND lay down another radial field.

Fortunately, there is another option: the Bobtail can be fed at the top corner of one of the end vertical elements. The impedance here is on the order of 120 ohms with some reactance, easily matched with a tuner in the shack. With low-loss coax like RG-213, even longer runs (like 200 feet of coax in my case), the calculated losses due to SWR on the line are 2.2 dB (I measured my SWR as 2:7 to 1 on my instance). This means 100 watts into the system results in 60+ watts provided to the antenna.

I picked up one of these from K4TR, since my free time is very limited for building antennas. I wanted to experiment on 20, since my trusty Hex beam is stowed in anticipation of the upcoming move. If things work well, I would like to try something like this on 40 and 80. Also, this would fill in the radiation gaps at very low angles on the 20 meter band at the new QTH.

The antenna arrived last Saturday, and I put it up quickly on Saturday night with the tails hanging 6 feet off the ground. SWR as I mentioned above for the corner feed was 2.7 to 1. Not ideal, but I am experimenting here.

So how did it do in the first 24 hours? I pointed it WSW/ENE so that the broadside was towards SE Asia and S Africa. Here's the email I fired off to K4TR on results. Beside the fact that his product is sturdy and super-stealthy, I was pleasantly surprised:

0745 local, UA9MC booming in 589. Can’t hear the US stations that he is in QSO with, but I work him on first call. Nice. Looking at the log I see very few QSO with UA9/UA0 except on the hex beam. And normally after sunset my time. I only see one or two QSO’s with UA9/UA0 at this time of day. One in January of this year on the vertical, noting a very strong UA9. Granted, I am normally not on the air in the morning but if I am…I would always try to work Asia.

0750 local, I can just barely hear FS/W6IZT (as it should be – right direction but short skip), LZ1FM heard 599

Unable to hear UK8WFF as spotted, he is spotted by EU only

0810 local, P41USA worked 599+ (short skip, but correct direction SSW). Got a 599 back from him as well. I can barely hear some EU working him

1428 local, worked KH6MB 559 exchanged both ways (interesting broadside to the pattern, although weak. I was able to hear him because the ANTENNA is very quiet compared to my vertical)

1550 local, heard 5N/LZ1QK, UA6CVE 339 (as expected)

1551 local, heard LU5BE, 459; WG7E 569, Z30GV 559

1556 local, worked 9A4WY sent 569 rcvd 559

2020 local, heard LU6CAT 579 (hardly ever heard on the hex)

2022 local, heard JT1BE 579 YESSSS! This is why I bought the antenna!!! Louder than I heard him on my hex beam last fall!

2023 local, heard DS5USH 549 YESSS! The thing works! Have not heard him on my hex beam

Since lat Sunday, I have repeatedly heard JT1BE. I have not been able to work him, but maybe I need more power. Conditions not all that great, but I am hearing him consistently.

CONCLUSIONS:

The design works. Although quickly discarded for 20 meters by most folks, I have a specific need and this can fill that need.
On 40, this could be a real addition for getting into SE Asia. The 43 footer is great on that band, but omni-directional.
On 80, if I can get the antenna up 64 feet high (should be do-able at the new QTH), I need to find 256 feet of straight run (a challenge). But this would be a killer improvement on 80.
I recognize the reductions in performance provided by corner-feeding the Bobtail. Perhaps I will try feeding the bottom of the center leg with a remote tuner. This will require ground screen of some sort. It's something I will look into after the move is complete.

73 and good DX!

The much maligned (and commended) 43 foot vertical

2009-09-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, there's a lot of debate on this device. I see competition heating up. Zero-Five, DX Engineering, MFJ.

A 43 foot piece of aluminum tubing. Big deal. Why all the hype and criticism? It's all about perception versus reality, facts versus fiction, knowledge versus hype.

One old timer: The vertical radiates poorly in all directions.
One new ham: I can tune it for 1:1 SWR, so it works great!
Another old timer: You can't get a good signal without a bazillion radials laid down.
Another new ham: I can work everything I hear, so this is a KILLER antenna (5/5 eham.net review)

STOP! Let's clear some of this up right now.

Misconception: Low SWR means a good neasure of antenna performance.
Truth: Wrong, Chief. SWR simply indicates the match (or mismatch) between the transmission source and the antenna (with some impact from the feedline, in some instances). Some antennas (ladderline fed doublet for all bands) run at very high SWR. The key factor is the LOSS incurred by the feed line. Some coax is very lossy at high SWR, and some ladder line is very lossless. It all depends.

Misconception: the vertical antenna hears better
Truth: Incorrect, Batman. Answer is that it depends. In general, human-generated noise is vertically polarized, so the vertical antenna will generally be noisier than a dipole in the same situation. But not always.

Misconception: The vertical antenna is better than a dipole.
Truth: I don't think so, Jackson. It depends! Are you trying to work a low angle of DX? What angle is the signal coming from? Is the signal broadside to the dipole? How well-situated is the vertical? The dipole? It's not a simple answer. Verticals have lower angles of radiation in general. But verticals are normally not as efficient as a horizontal resonant dipole. Here's a good theoretical analysis of the 43 foot vertical:

http://www.eham.net/articles/21272

Misconception: My rig tunes the vertical antenna just fine, so it's working.
Truth: NOT SO FAST, Tonto! What is the SWR on your feedline? You could be losing a lot of signal due to the SWR in the coax.

This is the main reason why I went with a remote tuner - I want every bit of RF energy going TO THE ANTENNA and NOT being lost in the coax.

http://www.cgantenna.be/cg3000.html

For me, I don't see why anyone would tinker with a 4:1 un-un. But that's just me.

Misconception: If I can hear 'em, I can work 'em.
Truth: No way, Jose. What you cannot hear is what you're missing!

So let's look at this antenna in a different light.

Take a look at my review on the antenna, and keep in mind why I bought the thing:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/review/74121

Now, take a look at my results. Remember I am trying to work new DX with 100 watts (or new DX on a particular band): Look at these callsigns...omnidirectional/all directions.

Some noteworthy results: VQ9LA and A25/DL7DF on 80. ALso my first JA on 80 and my first ZL and VK on 80.

Interesting DX (some of it new): LX1DL, IS0AFM, EA5/UT2XD, YT7WM, TA3D, CE4ETZ, LU5XM, 6W1SJ, E51NOU, NH7O, J28JA, D2NX, ZL1BYZ, 9L1X, FO/DJ7RJ, 9J2BO, VQ9RD, 9H3YL, 4L0A, PY7ZY, A73A, EL2DX, RW0CN, 9K2MU, FW5RE, EL2DX, PS0F, YK1BA, UP7A, 5N0OCH.

Did the vertical outperform the dipole? It appears so. I increased my country count on 80 and 40 (and even on 17 and 15!). But my dipoles are low on 80 and 40 are low, so I expect this to happen (it is why I bought the 43 footer).

Did the vertical outperform my directional hex beam on 20? Not in a million years, EXCEPT for a few times when I could not hear the station off the back of the hex, and the vertical helped out.

Is my antenna efficient? Verticals are inherently LESS efficient than a resonant dipole or direcetional yagi. But so what? I have a good radial field, and I am increasing my country count with 100 watts. Objective achieved.

Do I have a 1:1 SWR antenna? Who cares? I let the remote tuner do the work so I don't lose any significant RF in the feedline

Is it worth the price? For me, yes. The thing is sturdy, stealthy (wrapped in black electrical tape), simple, and easy to put up and take down. Plus I have learned a LOT of information just using the thing and reading about it.

So remember to understand the facts, and use your brain cells to separate hype and fiction from fact and reality. Don't expect what cannot happen, and make sure you have goals that can be met by the antenna(s) you put up.

73 and good DX!

Signal takeoff angles for long-distance DX, revisited

2009-09-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Some more simulations from EZNEC, again pursuing maximum radiated signal at 10 degrees WITHOUT regard for the impact at higher angles.

Our goal is to outperform the half wavelength dipole at a half wavelength in heigh for a takeoff angle of 10 degrees.

Here's the azimuth pattern for that dipole over real ground.

The number to beat at 10 degrees take-off angle is 1.49 dBi. Remember this number, we will revisit it.

20 meters

Let's look at some plots for 20 meters. First, we see for the Buckmaster off-center-fed dipole oriented N/S and flat at 64 feet, we have a good radiation pattern at 10 degrees takeoff NW and NE (SE Asia and SW Asia for low angles of arrival, which is what we want) COMPARED TO THE DIPOLE. In fact, we have multiple lobes in directions all around the compass at 10 degrees takeoff angle. 7.31 dBi at 55 degrees azimuth for 10 degree takeoff angle. NO WAY will we get that from a half wavelength dipole at 32 feet! (Remember 1.49 dBi) So it looks like this is our answer for the low angles of radiation.

When combined with the hex beam at 32 feet, which covers the patters around 30 degrees (thanks to W1GQL http://www.midcoast.com/~w1gql/hex/hwp10020.gif) - looking at the leftmost pattern for the hex beam at 30 feet...

40 meters

Let's take a look at a simple elevated vertical with two radials, a quarter wave in length and placed with the base a quarter wave in height.

Slightly worse than an isotropic radiator at 10 degrees takeoff angle, and it does not exceed the 1.49 dBi threshold of the dipole. So we're still better with the dipole on 40 at a have wavelength high. (NOTE: On 80 meters, this would NOT be the case at all! No way can I get a dipole that high...128 feet. So the elevated vertical WOULD be better).

Back to 40 meters. What about the Buckmaster flat at 64 feet?

Looks like 2.34 dBi, which just beats out the half wave dipole (and this makes sense, since the off center fed dipole/Buckmaster is at the same height as the half wave but is twice as long).

Let's revisit the Buckmaster at 32 feet with the ends vertical to make like phased vertical pair.

The result? 3.02 dBi, 1.5 dB better than the dipole reference. Imagine that! We get better results at the low angle with an antenna that is raised at HALF the height! Pretty neat.

Summary

Back to the previous post on this blog, my plans now look like 20 meters will include the Buckmaster at 64 feet and the hex beam at 32 feet.

40 meters will have a second Buckmaster at 32 feet with the ends vertical.

I will also put up the 43 foot vertical as a second antenna for both bands. Always good to have options!

The remaining question here is: IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE PATH? With the sunspots still in the doldrums, and me with 100 watts, can I get through with these antennas? I have increased my chances, but I don't want to have a situation where I double the chance and the original chance was ZERO, so TWO multiplied by ZERO is still ZERO.

Only one way to find out...put 'em up and get on the air. I can hardly wait for the end of October when we move!!

DX, relocation, and antenna plans

2009-09-04T23:42:00.001-07:00

I am moving locations! The new QTH as of the end of October (just in time for CQ WW SSB!) will be about 70 km West of my current location. We are moving due to wife's job, so that her commute is reduced from an hour to just 15 minutes (the GOLDEN RULE of marriage: if Momma is happy, everybody is happy!)

Looks like more land to play with for antennas, a LOT more trees, and nobody behind me at the back end of the property.

I still have some CC&R to deal with, but stealth antennas have always been my standard.

So what to do in terms of antenna design? As the sunspots continue to disappoint, my primary bands are 20 and 40 meters (I do get on 30 occasionally, but just to work a new DXCC entity).

In my antenna portfolio, I have the following:

1. Zero-Five 43 foot vertical with remote tuner
2. Buckmaster 135 foot off-center-fed dipole (Not the BuxComm antenna)
3. Hex-beam 2 element yagi for 20 meters
4. Center-fed half-wave dipoles for 20 and 40 meters

So, when analyzing the problem as an engineer the first question I ask is "What is it that I am trying to achieve?" If you look at my home page, you can see that I have just over 250 DXCC worked and just under that number confirmed. Not bad, but not honor-roll worthy. Since I only have 100 watts to play with (for now), I need the best radiators that I can get.

What determines best? Looking at my DXCC tally, I see a lack of long-distance DX into Southeast Asia. This is confirmed by looking at my log books. For whatever reason, my current QTH does not measure up on the SE Asia path. What to do?

Well, I should be able to work them, but I suspect a hill to the North is reflecting much of my signal. The new QTH won't have that problem. But what about the right antennas for the job?

With the mix I have listed above, I can add another twist. If I drop to vertical position the last 32 feet of each end on the off-center-fed dipole, I will add an equivalent of two quarter-wave active elements on 40 meters that are spaced a half-wavelength apart. BINGO! That will give me some gain broadside on 40, if the antenna is at 32 feet. A nice and simple mod, especially considering that the flat version of the antenna at 32 feet is basically NVIS/radiating at high angles.

Back to the task at hand. What do I need to reach SE Asia? Let's look at some ARRL data for angle-of-arrival statistics. The graphs below show the percentage of time that the RF signal arrives at a particular angle, for all hours and days over the entire 11 year sunspot cycle. The graphs show for both 20 and 40 meters:

What can we conclude from these graphs? How low can we go, is the real question. The angles of arrival are VERY low. The radiation pattern needs to be below 30 degrees to work DX, as a general rule of thumb. These graphs show that the angle of radiation needs to be below 10 degrees to realistically get into SE Asia. That's a real challenge. I cannot put a yagi at 100 feet, so I will need to get creative. And I don't want to lose my 30 degree radiation arrival angles for EU (not shown here).

I did some calcs with EZNEC, used real ground reflection coefficients, and came up with the following table. The values to beat as the standard are shown in gree, the baseline half wave dipole at a half wavelength in height. The values in the table are in dBi.

Conclusions:

The off-center-fed dipole at 64 feet would give me that radiation at the lower angles for 20 meters. (What I am not showing here is the azimuthal pattern which is for the next post). Suffice it to say that 7.67 dbi at 10 degrees is pretty darn good for what I am trying to achieve. It comes with a cost, though - a HUGE null at 30 degrees. I can compensate that by using the hex beam at 32 feet to fill in that hole.

For 40 meters, it looks like the off-center-fed dipole at 32 feet, with the vertical legs for the last 32 feet, still beats out everything else for RF at 10 degrees elevation. The vertical is close second.

So, it looks like I will be putting up the off-center-fed Buckmaster at 64 feet, the hex beam at 32 feet, and another Buckmaster at 32 feet with the vertical "tails" option. Finally, I will put up the Zero-Five vertical with a good radial field All I need to do is figure out what direction to orient the off-center fed dipoles by looking at their azimuth pattern, and get a pneumatic tennis ball launcher/antenna raising device for the higher trees.

Like Anthony Michael Hall said in the 1984 flick "16 Candles"

"This...is getting good."

2009-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today, let's discuss a very hot topic in radio, SDR. So what exactly is Software Defined Radio (SDR)? Think of it as 6th generation radio.

Here's my analysis:

First generation radio was Marconi and the spark gap. Below 200 meters, huge antennas. Pre WW-2.

Second generation is exemplified by continuous wave and amplitude modulation. Spurred on by the Second World War, the technology leapfrogged with tubes and manufacturing which made radio gear smaller and more efficient (although hams could not operate during the war).

Third generation is represented by the introduction of Single Side Band, the transistor, and smaller rigs of the 60's. This also included economic boom-times which led to dramatic growth in our hobby.

Fourth generation (where I come in, licensed in 1977 as a teenager) is the late 70's to mid 80's. Smaller gear with much more transistor implementation, CW and SSB filtering using mechanical devices. Handheld VHF. Also, AMSAT (separate post for a future date).

Fifth generation is the 90's and early in this century, which included signal processing implementation and further miniaturization. Also, we saw the emergence of computers providing audio input to rigs for widepsread digital communications (PSK, for example).

At this point, you see that each generation builds upon the previous one; however, the differences and advances are becoming less and less from each previous generation. We're improving the way we do things, but we're not really CHANGING it. Roofing filters, high end rigs, second receivers.

This is all an improvement on how we LISTEN to the radio and TUNE the dial. Even if we use a computer to tune the radio or operate over the internet, it is still the same fundamental concept: listen, tune, listen. Tweak. Listen, tune, listen.

Now comes 6th generation radio. SDR. Mr Gerald Youngblood (K5SDR) in Austin Texas gets an idea and develops a prototype transceiver in 2004. It catches fire. Why? Partly timing, and let's give credit where it is due to genius on his part. But hams are looking to take operating to the NEXT level. DXCC? Got it, they say. Honor roll? Lot of them have it. Digital, CW, satellite, meteor scatter, earth-moon-earth. What's left? A PARADIGM SHIFT. (Side note, programs like MixW can give you a small taste of 6th generation when operating digital, but only with the spectrum available from the receiver...a couple of kHz. You can already hear what you can see, so it's neat but not really 6th gen).

Instead of LISTENING to a single frequency, imagine being able to SEE the entire spectrum. You could use PANADAPTER view to see everything. Here we see ALL signals from 6995 kHz to 7025 kHz SIMULTANEOUSLY! We are listening to a sub-segment which is indicated by the green vertical stripe, nut we can shift to any signal we want in a single mouse click.

You could use the WATERFALL view to see signals over time (time is vertical, frequency is horizontal. If you have never seen a waterfall view of frequency spectrum, it is 6th generation implementation!).

Here we see 60 seconds of history for the frequency segment 6995 kHz to 7025 kHz. The vertical green lines represent signals. The horizontal green lines represent jumps in the noise floor across the spectrum (there were thunderstorms coming in when this image was taken).

Notice how you can observe past history of station transmissions on the waterfall display. This is very helpful...you can tell if the band is open even if you don't hear anyone on your frequency, because you have a displayed record of the spectrum for 60 seconds! Also, yo can SEE where a station was transmitting even if you were not listening on that frequency at the time of the transmission. Maybe you missed a CQ. You can watch for the station to transmit again (this is a HUGE advantage in pileups, more on that in another post). You can also monitor beacons on 10 and 6 meters to see if the band is open, while simultaneously calling CQ or looking for other stations during brief openings!

You can combine them (I like this one best). While the panadaptor on the top may not show a signal instantaneously, there is a RECORD of it in the waterfall. Also, by watching the panadapter levels, you may see a signal pop up for just an instant and it does not display a differentiating color in the waterfall. These are the signals which DXers need to focus on...weak, in and out, the rare and distant DX who has not yet been pounced upon with a huge pileup.

This is just a brief sampling (pun intended, DSP lingo) of what 6th generation radio has to offer. Think about it for a minute. Tradtionally, you listen, tune the dial, listen some more. Maybe you get more efficient with DX clusters. But you're still using your ears in the traditional way. Why not use another part of your brain, ENGAGE it for the expansion of fun for your hobby?

SDR uses your EYES AND YOUR EARS! Now relying upon TWO sensory inputs. And the information from the eyes can augment what you hear. Or even show you that a signal is there when you cannot hear it (which means you tweak the receiver so you CAN hear it).

73!

Welcome to WD4ELG

2009-07-06T20:59:00.001-07:00

First posting on this blog. I was inspired by Lee W9Oy, who has a superb blog regarding the Flex-Radio technology.

I decided to branch out beyond just SDR, because there are so many more interesting things about the hobby that I want to share.

After doing this for 30+ years, and the hobby having a major impact on every aspect of my life (career, education, hobby), I figure there may be some interesting tidbits out there for you blog readers.