Voltage Probe Antenna - Part 2

This weekend saw a family visit (wife, grown-up children, and in-laws) trekking across the Pennines to the Sunderland Air Show, and a Jolly Good Day Out was had by all.
As with the Windermere Air Show we attended a couple of years ago, the only flying Avro Vulcan XH558 once again stole the show.  What a stunning aircraft, and what an impressive noise!

A fly-past with the bomb bay open

Today, in between watching the Hungarian Grand Prix and listening to the Second Test against India at Trent Bridge, I managed to get the prototype Voltage Probe Antenna completed and fired up for a quick test.

It certainly works, and in the brief period of time I had to test it before I packed up for the weekend, I had received amateur signals at good strength on all bands from 160m to 15m ,with the exception of 60m.

First VPA lash-up

I also had broadcast signals on Long Wave and Medium Wave at decent strength.  Next week I hope to carry out a more extensive evaluation, and naturally I will probably report back here.

This first version doesn't have the required circuitry to be powered from the output coax cable, this will follow in due course, no doubt.

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VK6DZ 5 watts Top band de MW0GOV....

Top Band WSPR from MW to VK.....

Last night's Top Band report.... from Colin, MW0GOV.

Timestamp	Call	MHz	SNR	Drift	Grid	Pwr	Reporter	RGrid	km	az
2011-07-30 19:48	MW0GOV	1.838141	-25	0	IO71ls	5	VK6DZ	OF84ux	15174	91
2011-07-30 22:14	MW0GOV	1.838141	-1	0	IO71ls	5	DK6UG	JN49cm	966	100
2011-07-30 20:06	MW0GOV	1.838142	-3	0	IO71ls	5	DL2BBO	JO42ix	942	76
2011-07-30 19:04	MW0GOV	1.838142	-24	0	IO71ls	5	PA0HCK	JO33ld	826	75
2011-07-30 22:14	MW0GOV	1.838142	0	0	IO71ls	5	PA0O	JO33hg	806	73
2011-07-30 19:04	MW0GOV	1.838142	-27	0	IO71ls	5	PE1MPX	JO32gc	794	83
2011-07-30 19:04	MW0GOV	1.838143	-6	0	IO71ls	5	F1JBB	IN95ot	732	153
2011-07-30 21:58	MW0GOV	1.838134	-11	0	IO71ls	5	PC4T	JO22io	671	78
2011-07-30 20:06	MW0GOV	1.838142	-7	0	IO71ls	5	F6CNI	JN19qb	668	114
2011-07-30 18:54	MW0GOV	1.838144	-5	0	IO71ls	5	G3YSX	IO91wg	345	97
2011-07-30 18:18	MW0GOV	1.838144	-23	0	IO71ls	5	G4CAO	IO91si	320	97
2011-07-30 20:40	MW0GOV	1.838142	+4	0	IO71ls	5	G7ELK	IO90iv	278	109
2011-07-30 18:18	MW0GOV	1.838149	-2	0	IO71ls	5	G4BOO	IO91ij	262	98
2011-07-30 20:06	MW0GOV	1.838141	+4	0	IO71ls	5	G8HUH	IO81mg	154	110

Top Band WSPR de MW0GOV

Total distance = 9438.42 miles

                                                              Miles Per Watt = 1887.68

73 de Colin MW0GOV

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Rhos Ymryson, GW/MW-035 de MW0BBU/p.

This one is the SOTA activation that I put off from last week due to good weather allowing a visit to Foel Cwmcerwyn. 

Anyway left the home QTH at around 07:20 and made my way up North over the Preseli's arriving at Rhos Ymryson at around 09:00, traffic hadn't been too bad and the place is easy enough to find. 

Quick check of the kit and this time remembering the bungees for the pole. 

Walking to the top was a pleasant affair as there is a track which leads up to the Dwr Cymru reservoir sited there. 

Weather today was not too bad, overcast and slightly humid but no rain but the grass was quite wet so the old plastic bag came useful as a seat... anyway, set the gear out with the doublet raised and strapped to the site fence and after a little chat with the farmer who was mowing hay nearby and had been curious as to what I was doing. 

On went the rig, as ever tuned easily and 40m around 7.032 seemed to be very active, this was due to HB9AFI/p SOTA  activation from HB/BE-158, waited for a gap and I managed to work S2S for the first one of the day. 

Soon the frequency was clear and I started the old CQ CQ SOTA, I guess there was a few waiting around today as it was full on from the outset..anyway, DL3HXX was first to work my CQ,s again followed by Roy, G4SSH. 

I stuck with 40m until around 08:55 utc and thought I would try the other bands as 40m was getting crowded and I have no filter in the FT817.. 

Anyway, 20m, nothing doing and same on 30m, surprising but hey that's radio, so back to 40m I went. 

Almost straight away I was answered and on this set I managed to get another S2S with LA1ENA/p who was on LA/TM-122, great stuff.... 

Also it was great to work an old friend of mine again, MW0BYS, Bill who as I have mentioned before lives near to me. 

I carried on until just after 09:50utc then called it a day. 

In all I managed a total of 48 qso,s in just under an hour and a half, all on 40m. 

After I packed away I couldn't help spending some time watching the flock of Red Kites that had come together over the mown field, I have to say personally I have never seen 15 plus Red Kites together before.. great sight. 

All in all it was a great little trip albeit a round trip of just over 100 miles and again will most likely be back there next year....

That's all for now, enjoy the hobby and take care..

 

73,s,

Steve..MW0BBU.      

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WOW loads of WSPR hits......de MW0MJB

Last night I left WSPR running for a few hours on 20 metres...

When I looked in on the results...I though WOW!!! ...loads of stations.

If  I had put them all on this blog they would have taken up a lot of page space.....

I decided instead to put on just half an hour of last nights WSPRing..

Last nights RX:

Timestamp	Call	MHz	SNR	Drift	Grid	Pwr	Reporter	RGrid	km	az

2013-07-26 20:48	DL8EDC	14.097183	-8	0	JO31le	1	MW0MJB	IO71lu	833	280
2011-07-26 20:48	DL3NDR	14.097162	-16	0	JN59no	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1162	289
2011-07-26 20:46	LA3LJA	14.097134	-13	0	JP53ej	1	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1569	222
2011-07-26 20:44	DL3NDR	14.097162	-10	0	JN59no	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1162	289
2011-07-26 20:44	DK8FT	14.097027	-22	-1	JN58pe	2	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1233	295
2011-07-26 20:42	WA3DNM	14.097136	-22	0	FM29fw	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	5390	51
2011-07-26 20:42	F6BZG	14.097124	-9	0	JN38vn	1	MW0MJB	IO71lu	982	297
2011-07-26 20:42	DH8SA/P	14.097011	-1	0	JO53bn	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1037	266
2011-07-26 20:40	ON7KB	14.097098	-1	0	JO21ei	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	652	279
2011-07-26 20:38	DL6RBQ	14.097100	-17	0	JN58nb	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1228	296
2011-07-26 20:34	DG7RJ	14.097173	-15	0	JN58th	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1249	295
2011-07-26 20:34	F6BZG	14.097124	-8	0	JN38vn	1	MW0MJB	IO71lu	982	297
2011-07-26 20:34	DK8FT	14.097027	-16	-1	JN58pe	2	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1233	295
2011-07-26 20:32	DH8SA/P	14.097011	+7	-1	JO53bn	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1037	266
2011-07-26 20:30	DL3NDR	14.097163	-7	0	JN59no	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1162	289
2011-07-26 20:28	DL3NDR	14.097164	-6	0	JN59no	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1162	289
2011-07-26 20:28	OK2SAM	14.097153	-15	0	JN99du	0.5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1646	287
2011-07-26 20:28	4X1RF	14.097032	-25	0	KM72ls	0.2	MW0MJB	IO71lu	3843	316
2011-07-26 20:24	LA3LJA	14.097134	-19	0	JP53ej	1	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1569	222
2011-07-26 20:24	F6BZG	14.097125	-5	0	JN38vn	1	MW0MJB	IO71lu	982	297
2011-07-26 20:22	DL3NDR	14.097162	-2	0	JN59no	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1162	289
2011-07-26 20:20	DL3NDR	14.097163	-1	-1	JN59no	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1162	289
2011-07-26 20:20	DK8FT	14.097027	-16	0	JN58pe	2	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1233	295
2011-07-26 20:20	DH8SA/P	14.097011	-2	-1	JO53bn	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1037	266
2011-07-26 20:18	DL6RBQ	14.097100	-26	0	JN58nb	5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1228	296
2011-07-26 20:18	F6AVP	14.097127	-23	0	JN28ux	0.2	MW0MJB	IO71lu	825	297
2011-07-26 20:18	OK2SAM	14.097153	-26	0	JN99du	0.5	MW0MJB	IO71lu	1646	287

Last nights TX:

Timestamp	Call	MHz	SNR	Drift	Grid	Pwr	Reporter	RGrid	km	az

2013-07-26 20:36	MW0MJB	14.097008	-24	0	IO71lu	0.5	F6BZG	JN38vn	982	107
2011-07-26 20:36	MW0MJB	14.097000	-22	1	IO71lu	0.5	DH8SA/P	JO53bn	1037	73
2011-07-26 20:26	MW0MJB	14.097001	-26	0	IO71lu	0.5	DH8SA/P	JO53bn	1037	73
2011-07-26 20:26	MW0MJB	14.097008	-14	0	IO71lu	0.5	F6BZG	JN38vn	982	107
2011-07-26 20:04	MW0MJB	14.097008	-26	0	IO71lu	0.5	F6BZG	JN38vn	982	107
2011-07-26 19:42	MW0MJB	14.097004	-33	0	IO71lu	0.5	I1-12387	JN44ln	1313	123
2011-07-26 19:30	MW0MJB	14.097005	-26	0	IO71lu	0.5	OH6GKW	KP13nt	2103	40
2011-07-26 19:18	MW0MJB	14.097009	-30	0	IO71lu	0.5	F6BZG	JN38vn	982	107

I'm hoping  to put up a vertical cb antenna soon, it's been a long time since I last worked those FM repeaters up on 29Mhz..... I wouldn't mind having a go, if propagation permits.

Also the cb vertical might work fairly well on the 20m band......Perhaps..!!!!.

Fingers crossed.....

73 

Happy WSPRing 

Mark  MW0MJB

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RSGB IOTA 2011

Asked by a few will I be entering? Yes is simple answer. I expect will be QRV 20m and 40m,maybe 80m SSB and CW, running win-test to FT817 and 6BTV or G5RV and an SDR RX. I will have a new audio interface this year and hope to record BOTH sides of the QSO's (only managed the audio in last year!)

The new workshop is 99% there whilst the shack is a bit of a dump right now until I fix that up so I might operate from the workshop... feeder dependant of course.

I know contests are notfor everyone but hope tosee you in the contest.

Note that the 72 QRP marathon is also on so get on the airand work some qrp.

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G-QRP Club "Summer Sizzler" de GW0LVH

The G-QRP Club will be holding its first ‘Summer Sizzler’ activation this year 27^th August to 2^ndSeptember 2011 (inclusive).

Just like Winter Sports – no points, no rules other than to call CQ QRP (on the usual frequencies) on as many bands as you like and have QRP fun. 

G-QRP Club members can send logs to G3XJS by 1^st October.

The G-QRP Club ‘Winter Sports’ is a club activation period each year, Boxing Day to New Years Day. 

It’s not a contest but an excuse to work other QRPers over the Xmas break. 

‘Summer Sizzler’ intends to do the same starting on the Saturday of the UK’s August Bank Holiday weekend.

73

Charles GW0LVH

Here's a link to the G-QRP Club : http://www.gqrp.com/

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Portable operating from Dale Airfield.....de GW0LVH.

Today I had a couple of hours spare to do some /P operating from Dale Airfield. 

Now disused... in the early 1940's the airfield was in the frontline of WW2. 

Aircraft based here defended the Atlantic convoys by mounting antisubmarine patrols. 

Today the area is uncannily quiet and the aircraft of war have given way to sheep.

Parking at the access point to the airfield overlooking West Dale Bay, I made my way about half a mile or so to set up at the edge of the taxiway, right on the cliff top overlooking the spectacular Marloes Sands – Lat 51.715 Lon -5.200. 

Unlike the forecast given twenty-four hours earlier for sunshine I was met with a fine drizzle that fortunately stopped by the time I was ready to start operating.

     

I was using the FT-817 running 5 watts from the internal batteries to a 20m half-wave end-fed vertical attached to the ubiquitous fishing pole. 

Solar flux was in the 80's again so no DX, although stations in Germany, Netherlands & Bulgaria were contacted. 

With the exception of one of the German stations worked on 40m all the others were on 20m. 

CQ calls on 17m & 30m produced no results.

All in all an enjoyable couple of hours and once I’d started at least the weather stayed dry.

73s Charles GW0LVH.

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