November 1st, 2023

The DARC in Germany offers its members to form interest groups independent from their membership in the local clubs (OVs). Hams can gather in these groups for e.g., discussions, exchange of information and lectures. The club offers an own internet platform called TREFF.DARC. So the following information is of interest for DARC members only and held in German.

Mit der Einführung der HAMgroups im DARC kam schnell die Idee auf, eine solche für die UKW-Enthusiasten ins Leben zu rufen. Da bisher noch niemand die Initiative ergriffen hat, möchte ich das tun und lade am 21. November um 20:00 MEZ (19:00 UTC) zu einem Kurzvortrag zum Thema Moonbounce ein. DARC-Mitglieder loggen sich bitte über diesen Link ein. Wer kein Mitglied im DARC ist und trotzdem teilnehmen möchte, kann über einen Gastlink dazu kommen.

Wenn nichts dazwischenkommt (Wetter, technische Probleme, etc.) stehen im Anschluss daran mit DL7APV und PI9CAM zwei der größten EME-Stationen der Welt bereit, um auf 70 cm mit „normal“ ausgerüsteten Stationen EME-Tests durchzuführen.

Wer an den Tests teilnehmen möchte, sollte sich im Vorfeld insofern vorbereiten, dass er mit WSJT oder anderer Software seine 70-cm-Station in digitalen Modi wie JT65 oder Q65 betreiben kann. Eine kleine Yagi und Leistung im 2-stelligen Bereich sollten zur Verfügung stehen. Auf jeden Fall sollte man in der Lage sein, seine Antenne auch bei bewölktem Himmel auf den dann nicht sichtbaren Mond auszurichten. Eine Azimut/Elevation-Montierung auf einem Stativ reicht aus. Die Richtungen kann man z.B. in WSJT ablesen und die Antenne mit Hilfe von Kompass und Winkelmesser ausrichten. Die weitere Koordinierung von Tests sollte dann nicht mehr im TREFF.DARC-Raum stattfinden, sondern auf den HB9Q-Logger verlagert werden. Dazu sollten sich Interessierte bereits im Vorfeld dort registrieren.

Im Raum selbst würde ich im Anschluß dann gern mit Interessierten die Gründung der HAMgroup “UKW Schmalband” besprechen. Ob der vorgeschlagene Name Bestand haben wird, sei dahingestellt 😉

Wichtig ist es, innerhalb des DARC eine Plattform zu schaffen, auf der sich Gleichgesinnte zu allen Fragen austauschen können, die der Funkbetrieb in SSB, CW oder digitalen Sendearten und Ausbreitungsarten wie EME, Meteor Scatter, Tropo, Sporadic E, Aircraft Scatter und viele mehr so mit sich bringen. Dass es so in Zukunft eine greifbare Gruppe von Funkamateuren im DARC gäbe, in der sich Ansprechpartner für am Thema Interessierte einerseits und Interessenvertreter aus dem Club andererseits fänden, wäre ein nicht zu unterschätzender Nebeneffekt.

Addendum 2023-11-21

Danke an die große Zuhörerschaft dieses Abends, es hat viel Spaß gemacht!
Speziellen Dank auch an Jan, PA3FXB an PI9CAM und Bernd, DL7APV für die Live-Vorführung eines EME-SSB-QSOs!
Download the Handout here.

June 8th, 2023

It seemed, last weeks openings, brought to us by high pressure area Wiola, had been coming to an end, but at least it was back again.

After finding a simple fault in my IC-9700 I was able to receive as usual and worked stations from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark. I heard SM7DTT calling CQ and working some stations from UK, but he didn´t copy me. Around midnight it calmed down and PA2M on 70 cm was the last QSO.

The early morning started with Germany again and Sweden was there as well and could be worked even on 70 cm. ODX on 2 m was SM6LPF in JO78CK over 1555 km, on 70 cm SM6VTZ, JO58IJ, over 1412 km followed by SM6CEN, JO67AJ over 1409 km. But the fulminant final was brought to me by Kjeld, OZ1FF, with a QSO on 23 cm. It took a lot of patience, but at least we did it.
Thank you Kjeld!

As in the previous openings I kept an eye on 144.300 MHz, called there a couple of times in SSB, but no sign of live in analogous modes. So all QSOs were done in FT8.

NB: QSOs on 2 m in green, on 70 cm in blue and on 23 cm in red.

Addendum:
Tonight Brian, OZ7SKY, requested a FT8 sked for 70 cm in the ON4KST chat. I was pretty sure, the condx were completely gone here in the west of Ireland. But I am used to give even the crazy things a chance and as the computer is doing the job, I agreed and could decode hin at once. During the first twenty minutes we had no more, than an nice chat on KST and me telling him the level I received him. The deep QSB on his signal was between -20 and -06, when he got my report and another 15 minutes later the relief: My RRRs.

While I am writing this, my PC decodes signals of OZ2OE and OZ4VW at low levels on 70 cm. As some CQs on 2 m, after working two GMs, didn´t find any takers, I closed down the station now.

Conclusions:
Never say no to a sked request
and
NEVER BLAME A HIGH PRESSURE AREA WITH A FEMALE NAME!

February 6th, 2023

Phil, FR5DN, is running an experimental beacon on 144.245 MHz beaming to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the island of Reunion in LG78qs. The antenna is a 13 dB yagi, horizontal polarized at 7 m above ground, running 80 W. He will operate it in CW, when he is at home, mainly from 16:00 to 18:30 UTC.
The operation will be announced on DX Summit and in the ON4KST chat. As he transmits continuously, feedback may be sent in the chat or via his email address on QRZ.com.

He already tried years ago, but got inspired by the TEP events that happened recently in South America and hopes for monitors in Europe to gather some experience in this propagation mode.

August 2nd, 2022

As the Hepburn Tropo Index predicted some ducting over northern Germany and the Baltic Sea for todays morning, I checked the beacons on 23 cm. DB0VC, JO54if, 509 km, was strong on 23 cm as well as on 13 cm, but nothing on 3 cm. I went on with the OZ and LA beacons and found OZ5SHF, JO45vx, 685 km and LB2SHF, JO48ad,917 km, with booming signals. Unfortunately there was no one QRV in Scandinavia.

Then I called in FT8 on 2 m and got some response from Denmark and Northern Germany. Surprisingly I got called by UA2FBW, KO04ir, 1002 km and much more surprised I have been, when I saw in the DX cluster, that EA5GJ, JM97jw, spottet me as well at the time, I worked Igor. Might have received me by some Es or MS, while beaming northeast.

With the rising sun the beacon signals on 23 cm became weaker and weaker and disappereared at least. The same happened to the DX stations on 2 m.

QSOs on 2 m in green, all in FT8. Received beacons on 23 cm shown in red.

June 4th, 2022

When going to Ireland in May, I went with a trailer and could take a pneumatic mast and some antenna stuff with me. So I setup a 2 x 7 elemt yagi for 2 m, a 15 element yagi for 70 cm and a 67 element yagi for 23 cm. The rotator is a Spid BIG-RAS/HR, so elevation is possible as well. There are SHF-Electronic LNAs at each antenna and Gemini linears with 200 to 300 W driven by an IC-9700.

On 2 m I could log a couple of QSOs in FT8 (blue) and SSB (green) so far and have been lucky to use some tropo to France on May 27th and 28th (F6DBI, IN88ij, 716 km and F8BON, IN86wv, 903 km) and Spain on May 28th (EC2BBS, IN93bi, 1262 km).

February 7th, 2022

Today I had a talk about Aircraft Scatter with Michael, OE1CMW, who recorded it to produce a podcast for his series “ON AIR – Amateurfunk D-A-CH“. As it´s in german language, I keep this post in german.

Heute habe ich mit Michael, OE1CMW, über Aircraft Scatter gesprochen. Michael hat das Gespräch für seine Podcast-Reihe “ON AIR – Amateurfunk D-A-CH” aufgezeichnet.

In meinem Blog finden sich viele Beispiele zu QSOs und Bakenbeobachtungen als Anregung für eigene Aktivitäten. Unter dem Menü-Punkt “Aircraft Scatter” habe ich die QSO-Prozedur ausführlich beschrieben. Das Programm AirScout von Frank, DL2ALF, gibt es als Download für das Betriebssystem Windows.

Wenn man Baken beobachten will, sollte man WideGraph von WSJT-X mitlaufen lassen, dann kann man auch schwächste Signalspuren sichtbar machen und auch die Doppler-Verschiebung sehr gut visualisieren.

F5ZBM in Sendeart F1

January 14th, 2022

F5ZNI on 13 cm in JN19BQ, 440 km away, is a good indicator for troposheric duting to the west. Drifting up and down, it is transmitting just a little below GPS locked DB0UX in JN48FX, just 105 km to the south.

This is, how it usually looks, when I monitor F5ZNI on about 2320.899 MHz. DB0UX to the right with space 800 Hz lower. F5ZNI about 1250 Hz lower with space 500 Hz up.

Tonight DB0UX appeared a little different, somehow screwing through the waterfall display.

What happened?

Well, there is a windmill in 500 m from my QTH a little north of the path to F5ZNI and the wind raised to blow with 6 km/h from NE ……