Old "DX News" messages
AEGEAN VHF CONTEST 2011
28-06-2011
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
We are sending you our greetings from Greece and the Aegean Sea.
The Aegean DX Group with great joy, informs you that in 2 & 3 of July 2011 the 10th AEGEAN UHF/VHF & 6m Contest will take place.
Many station with special callsigns will operate from all over Greece (J4x, SXx, SZ, SV 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7), as well as from all the Greek Islands (J4x, SXx, SZ, SV 5, 8, 9) and from all Greek Locators and of course in every mode CW, SSB, FM, RTTY, SSTV, PSK etc...
It will be a great opportunity for every radioamateur to get QSL cards from Greek stations on VHF for their VHF Awards or to simply to confirm Greece on VHF & 6m.
The Contest will be held according to the IARU Band Plan of Region-1 on 50, 144, 432 ΜΗΖ. There will be not any QSOs in FM modulation on 50 ΜΗΖ because it is restricted by the Greek authorities.
For any information please send email to SV2DCD Leonida Fiska, contest manager: sv2dcd [at] yahoo [dot] com or a letter to the following address:
AEGEAN DX GROUP
P.O. ΒΟΧ 4
Samos Isl GR83100
HELLAS
Further information and contest rules at http://www.5-9report.gr/aegean.htm.
New 50 MHz Contest
19-05-2011
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
This new contest is created by www.rasedx.com and the rules are very easy: only 4 hours of transmission in three sundays this spring and summer.
This is a world wide contest on 50 MHz and if the propagation is good it good be great fun on 50MHz.
For the contest rules please see http://www.rasedx.com/documentos/50raseing.pdf
For the contest rules please see http://www.rasedx.com/documentos/50raseing.pdf
First QSO CU8-ON
17-05-2011
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
Dears,
This makes a distance of 2986km and a first ON-CU on that band.
Click here to hear a recording of the CU8DUB/B beacon (144.420) and CU8AO calling CQ.
Gaëtan
ON4KHG
I'm proud and happy to report a (actually 2) QSO on May 16th with CU8AO (HM49KL) on 144MHz via (mostly) sea tropo.
- 21:53 CU8AO 51 51 HM49KL
- 22:02 CU8AO 52 52 HM49KL
- CU8DUB/B up to 549 as from 21:00
This makes a distance of 2986km and a first ON-CU on that band.
Click here to hear a recording of the CU8DUB/B beacon (144.420) and CU8AO calling CQ.
Gaëtan
ON4KHG
ArisSat
13-02-2011
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
ARISSat-1 is scheduled for deployment from the ISS next Wednesday Feb 16th.
It has a composite VHF downlink that will easily fit into the FUNcube Dongle receive spectrum. The telemetry is 1 kbit BPSK and can, of course, also be received with a normal SSB 2 metre receiver.
The expected signal levels from ARISSat should be similar to those we expect from FUNcube itself (and also eventually from UKube) and the team are keen to discover what will be the minimum and best type of antennas for schools to use with a FCD. Therefore user experience with the ARISSat signals will be very valuable in making this determination.
To encourage everyone to receive ARISSat signals we are offering a FUN reward for listeners!
There are a number of categories for this challenge –they include:
Please submit your "entries", including your location, station details (including FCD serial number where applicable), postal address and reports to g0auk [at] amsat [dot] org.
Good luck,
It has a composite VHF downlink that will easily fit into the FUNcube Dongle receive spectrum. The telemetry is 1 kbit BPSK and can, of course, also be received with a normal SSB 2 metre receiver.
The expected signal levels from ARISSat should be similar to those we expect from FUNcube itself (and also eventually from UKube) and the team are keen to discover what will be the minimum and best type of antennas for schools to use with a FCD. Therefore user experience with the ARISSat signals will be very valuable in making this determination.
To encourage everyone to receive ARISSat signals we are offering a FUN reward for listeners!
There are a number of categories for this challenge –they include:
- The first FCD user, from each continent, who can post a spectrum recording of the received signal together with evidence of decoding the data using the ARISSat software and of sending it to the ARISSat data warehouse.
- The first non-FCD user, from each continent, who can provide evidence of having decoded the signals and of sending it to the ARISSat data warehouse.
- The listener, using a FCD or not, who can demonstrate satisfactory reception of the telemetry in the same ways as described above, using the "smallest" possible receive antenna. The actual closing date for this part of the challenge will be announced later.
Please submit your "entries", including your location, station details (including FCD serial number where applicable), postal address and reports to g0auk [at] amsat [dot] org.
Good luck,
New satellite website
14-01-2011
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
Our friend ON8PM, has made a new satellite website with a lot of information.
Go and visit Satellite Activity.
Go and visit Satellite Activity.
70 MHz in Iceland
27-12-2010
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
The national association of Icelandic Radio Amateurs, Í.R.A., is pleased to announce that as of December 13, 2010 continued access for Icelandic licensees has been secured on the 500 kHz, 5 MHz and 70 MHz bands. In a letter from the Icelandic Post and Telecom administration dated December 13, 2010 access to the 500 kHz and 70 MHz bands previously granted on February 19, 2010, and to the 5 MHz band, previously granted on January 1, 2008 – all due to expire on December 31, was extended for two years, to December 31, 2012.
Privileges and access to 500 kHz and 70 MHz remains unchanged (see below). Nevertheless, Í.R.A. is delighted to report that we have been granted 150 kHz in the 5360-5410 kHz band, as a replacement for eight fixed channels, previously permissible. Maximum power allowed on 5 MHz was though reduced from 200W to 100W (20 dBW).
THE 4 mETER allocation. Frequency span: 70.000-70.200 MHz. Access is granted on secondary basis. Maximum bandwidth is 16 kHz and power limit is 100W. Licensees need to apply to the PTA for a special license. The experimental license is open to both “N” and “G” license classes.
Dutch Amateur Contest (DAC)
16-10-2010
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
I am very pleased to inform you that the VERON VHF commission has decided to approve my proposal to introduce the Dutch Amateur Contest (DAC).
The first contest will be Tuesday January 4 in line with the NAC and the UKAC. The bands and dates are exact copies of the NAC.
50 MHz in Oman
13-08-2010
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
In a letter dated 4 August 2010, Brgd. Abdulrazak Alshahwarzi, A41JT, the Secretary General of the Royal Omani Amateur Radio Society, informs that the 6 metre band (50 – 52 MHz) has been allocated for the Amateur Radio and Amateur Radio usage by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the Sultanate of Oman, on a secondary basis, effective June 2010.
Radio amateurs in the Sultanate of Oman hope to work you on the "Magic Band."
QRP moonbounce on 5.7 GHz
14-07-2010
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
Hi all,
Good activity on 5,7 GHz EME was expected during the second week-end of july, thanks to the coordination of G3LTF.
I decided to have a try, using my 2,3 m offset dish and the system used normally for tropo and rain scatter.
This system consists of a transverter kit from DB6NT and a modified surplus 6 GHz amplifier, giving about 8 W output.
Noise figure of the system is around 1 dB.
The 5,7 GHz transverter has an output on 144 MHz and is followed by another transverter 144 to 28 MHz.
There are various 28 MHz outputs. One output goes to a yaesu FT840 HF transceiver.
Another output goes to an SDR, and another one to a calibrated 28 MHz receiver, allowing precise measure of sun noise and moon noise.
During operation, permanent reading of moon noise allows perfect aiming of the dish and confirms that the system is working alright.
Most EME stations use circular polarization, so a "septum feed" was built following a description by OK1DFC.
Dimensions were adapted in order to illuminate correctly the offset dish.
After optimizing carefully the position of the feed, I could measure 0,5 to 0,6 dB of moon noise versus cold sky. Sun noise was a good 10,5 dB, meaning that the receiving side was working correctly. The feed has some sidelobes and is far from perfect, but efficiency seems to be quite good.
Now the results: during the week-end, 13 stations from Europe, USA and Japan were heard.
To my great surprise, some of them were even able to decode my QRP signal and 3 good QSOs resulted !!!
Conclusion: this band offers very interesting possibilities for the experimenter.
Tropospheric propagation and rain-scatter allow surprisingly good distances even with very small set-ups.
The above results also shows that EME contacts are possible with very low power, thanks to the amazing receiving capability of some stations.
73
Eric
ON5TA
Good activity on 5,7 GHz EME was expected during the second week-end of july, thanks to the coordination of G3LTF.
I decided to have a try, using my 2,3 m offset dish and the system used normally for tropo and rain scatter.
This system consists of a transverter kit from DB6NT and a modified surplus 6 GHz amplifier, giving about 8 W output.
Noise figure of the system is around 1 dB.
The 5,7 GHz transverter has an output on 144 MHz and is followed by another transverter 144 to 28 MHz.
There are various 28 MHz outputs. One output goes to a yaesu FT840 HF transceiver.
Another output goes to an SDR, and another one to a calibrated 28 MHz receiver, allowing precise measure of sun noise and moon noise.
During operation, permanent reading of moon noise allows perfect aiming of the dish and confirms that the system is working alright.
Most EME stations use circular polarization, so a "septum feed" was built following a description by OK1DFC.
Dimensions were adapted in order to illuminate correctly the offset dish.
After optimizing carefully the position of the feed, I could measure 0,5 to 0,6 dB of moon noise versus cold sky. Sun noise was a good 10,5 dB, meaning that the receiving side was working correctly. The feed has some sidelobes and is far from perfect, but efficiency seems to be quite good.
Now the results: during the week-end, 13 stations from Europe, USA and Japan were heard.
To my great surprise, some of them were even able to decode my QRP signal and 3 good QSOs resulted !!!
Conclusion: this band offers very interesting possibilities for the experimenter.
Tropospheric propagation and rain-scatter allow surprisingly good distances even with very small set-ups.
The above results also shows that EME contacts are possible with very low power, thanks to the amazing receiving capability of some stations.
73
Eric
ON5TA
Croatian 50/70 MHz Contest
13-05-2010
Submitted by: ON4AVJ
Croatian Amateur Radio Association invites you to participate in the third Croatian 50/70MHz contest on Saturday, May 15th 2010 from 12.00-17.00 UTC.
Contest rules can be found at: http://www.hrvhf.net/upload/croatian_50_70mhz_rules.pdf
Prizes: The first three stations in each category PLAQUES
Logs you can put by yourself on our VHF contest robot www.hrvhf.net Contest tab > upload EDI.
It's very simple.
73
Mate 9A4M
Croatian VHF/UHF/mw manager
