VK4VCC Update as at 19 June 2009

Firstly I must apologise for not updating my blog in quite some time. Chelsea VK4FWCC and I have been very quiet on the radio front. I don't think either of us have touched the radio since the John Moyle Memorial Field Day in late March.

With regards to the John Moyle Memorial Field Day, I would like to thank the organisers for sending Chelsea a Participation Certificate for her effort.

Unfortunately, the tower is still not where it should be, pointing up. I have made my mind up on our next HF antenna. It will be a HB36C from TET-Emtron. The HB36C is a modified version of the HB35C but with 6 elements.

With work commitments of late, I wasn't able to compete in the new VK Shires Contest held in early June. This looks like it will be a great contest, not just for VK, but for the DX community as well.

That's about it for now, I'm hoping to be a bit more active especially with a couple of big contests coming up.

BARCfest 2009

The Brisbane Amateur Radio Club will be holding it's annual BARCFEST on 9th May, 2009 at the Mt. GRAVATT SHOWGROUND starting at 9:30am.

The address of the Venue is:- 1600 Logan Road, Upper Mt.Gravatt. Ample parking will be provided at the Venue.

Entry Fee: $7.00

Unable to make it this year due to work commitments.

FT 950 MW sensitivity "fix"

I received an email from David Sharp and as this would benefit a lot of people, I have included the email in its entirety.

Hello Laurie,

On one of your blogs, I remember someone making a post re: the low MW sensitivity with the FT 950. There IS a work-around for this.

Turn the radio on while simultaneously pressing the "1", "2", and "3" buttons on the keypad. This gets you into the radio's hidden menu.

Scroll through the settings, using the VFO A (main tuning) knob. You'll find the settings are alphabetically stacked: go to the "E" group. These settings control the radio's IF.

The first of the E group (I think it is E01), controls MW sensitivity. I believe the default setting is "95." Take the VFO B knob and turn it anti-clockwise. For my radio, I use a setting of "65."

Press the MENU button and hold for two seconds. The new setting is set.

You'll find that the S-to-N ratio on MW isn't as good as HF. Increasing the sensitivity also increases the band noise. However, having done this (coupled with a decent aerial) in Bourke, I can receive 2DU on 1251 from Dubbo (400 k distant) and 2VM Moree 1530 (similar distance) all day. Both are about S9. 4GR from Toowoomba is also receivable, but threshold.

My local station, 2WEB, is well over S9+60dB, but the radio seems to handle the signal okay.

Obviously, if the above scheme proves unsatisfactory, it's a simple matter to go back into the hidden menu and put the E01 setting back to factory specs.

73s

David Sharp

CQ WW WPX 2009 SSB Contest

A quick update on our plans for this weekend's contest. I still haven't got the concrete in the ground for the tower which means I haven't ordered the HB35C from TET-Emtron yet (sorry Mark).

Therefore, it leaves us with the FT-920 and SteppIR BigIR vertical with 80m loading coil. I have let a few other plans creep into this weekend so it will be a leisurely attempt at this year's contest.

Chelsea VK4FWCC - SOLPAB (does not have 160m and 20m privileges)
Laurie VK4VCC - SOLP20 (only when I can pry Chelsea away from the radio)

You might be thinking why not go Multi-One? Chelsea wants to get some DX into her log and a popular world wide contest is the best way to do this.

VK9LA - In the Log

Both Chelsea VK4FWCC and I are happy to get VK9LA into the log this afternoon on 40m. Forgot to crank the power back up to 100W but both easily got them on 10W.

Website found here.

Blog found here.

Also on Twitter.

VK4FWCC and the John Moyle Memorial Field Day

The John Moyle Memorial Field Day Contest is over for another year. I didn't compete this year but Chelsea VK4FWCC did. This was her first contest, actually it was her first day on HF using her new callsign.

In the end she had 55 qso's and 85 points. She doesn't have 20m privileges so she did a good job of getting the 55 qso's. Nothing heard on 15 or 10.

• 51 qso's on 40m
• 4 qso's on 80m

Equipment:

• Yaesu FT-920
• SteppIR BigIR Vertical with 80m Loading Coil
• Power - 10W

I'd like to thank all those people who Chelsea spoke to during the contest. All were very friendly and courteous. She was concentrating so hard so at times she may have sounded a little blunt or unsure of what to say next.

She's now looking forward to the CQ WW WPX Contest.

Also, thanks to Jan V63TO for being Chelsea's first DX station. (Not part of the contest, but we saw her on the DX Cluster).

ZL7T - Chatham Island Latest News

A team of nine ZL DXers will be activating Chatham Island in the South Pacific during the next few days. The team left for Chatham Island today, March 5 at 15:30 local (02:30z UTC), landing about 2 hours later.

As much preliminary work and preparation as possible is being done on their arrival, assembling the antennas and continuing into the dark tonight at around 08:00z. Both Yagis and the 30m vertical should be up and running by 00:00z tomorrow, with the 80m and 40m wire antennas going up in the trees later tomorrow. The 160m inverted "L" will be the last antenna to go up. ZL7T should be on the air with two stations on the higher bands sometime after 00:00z tomorrow, March 6 and will probably have activated all four stations by about 08:00z. They will be active until March 10.

Gulf to Gulf - VK4XJJ

Jeff Johnson VK4XJJ, self-confessed ‘bushie’ of no fixed abode, decided almost on a whim to walk across Australia, south to north, to raise funds for charity.

Spurred on by the memory of his deaf-blind niece, whose death was the catalyst for this extraordinary undertaking, he battled hoons, the fear of an attack by dingoes and the vastness of the interior to achieve his aim.

Surviving on what he could carry on his back, and without back-up, he walked 2500 kilometres in 151 days. This is the story of his walk, the outback characters he met along the way and, of course, the untamed grandeur of inland Australia.

Here is the link to the online version of the book. Please review it in your radio club newsletter if possible. 50% of sales profits go to DeafBlind NSW.

If you want to read the demo, you will need to download and install the (free) eBook reader for the PC. It is 5MB.

Info about the print version is here.

K5D - Desecheo 2009 - Widescreen Photo Story

Time: 3:53

Courtesy of PY2MAJ

Future Plans - Feb 2009

It's been very quiet on the amateur radio front. I have yet to lay the concrete foundation for the tower. It seems we have been getting bill after bill since Christmas and the funds for amateur radio will have to wait.

I was hoping to have the tower up and a new antenna by the time the ARRL Int'l DX SSB Contest started in early March. That's definitely not going to happen.

Chelsea VK4FWCC and I will still be competing in the 2 big contests of March, the ARRL Int'l DX SSB Contest and the CQ WPX Contest along with the John Moyle Memorial Field Day Contest in mid March. For the ARRL Int'l DX SSB Contest, it will be Chelsea doing all the operating using her new callsign running only 10W. For the field day, we will use both callsigns to give out as many QSO's as possible. For the really big one, the CQ WPX Contest, we will use my callsign running low power 100W.

After speaking to some well respected VK contesters and dx'ers, I plan on getting a HB35C 5ele tribander for the tower. I definitely expect everything to be up and running for the new VK Shire Contest in early June.

On another note, my brother Steve VK4VSP sent me an email today to say that he received in the mail a Certificate of Merit for the small effort that we put into last years CQ WPX Contest.

Chelsea VK4FWCC

A quick check of the ACMA website this morning confirmed that my oldest daughter Chelsea was issued with her foundation licence callsign VK4FWCC.

I actually noticed yesterday that she had been allocated a callsign but there was a problem........she had been issued a callsign with a 5 letter suffix (very rare in VK) VK4FACRP. In fact, VK4FCRP was her second choice after VK4FWCC but a quick phone call and a chat with Jackie at ACMA sorted everything out.

I reckon this weekend we might be spending some time in the shack getting her callsign out on the airwaves.

Well done Chelsea.

VK9LA 2009

Mar 23 to Apr 3, 2009

16 seasoned DX'ers going to Lord Howe Island

Tony IZ3ESV, San K5YY, Bob N2OO, Lance N2OZ, Stan SQ8X, Peter SQ9DIE, Victoria SV2KBS, Tex VK1TX, Luke VK3HJ, Chris VK3QB, John VK4IO, Catherine VK4VCH, Chris VK5CP, Jay W5SL, John VK5PO and Bill VK4FW will be active on all bands 160m – 6m on SSB, CW and RTTY including the CQ WPX SSB Contest.

We intend to have 7 stations on air utilizing a massive antennae system which includes 3 and 5 element monoband yagis, quarter wave verticals, top loaded verticals as well as wires slung from the huge pine trees in a 2 acre area.

ZL7T 2009

A team of nine ZL DXers will be activating Chatham Island in the South Pacific during March 2009.

The operation will commence on Thursday March 5th 2009 and end on Wednesday March 10th 2009 (both GMT).

ZL7T Website

Getting the Story Straight

If you are a regular reader of my blogs you would have been aware that a couple of months ago I had the misfortune of having the tower fall over in a freak storm.

I would like to get the story straight in that the only reason that the tower fell over was of my own stupidity and should in no way reflect badly on the manufacturer.

When the tower was first erected on my property I was informed that I would need to get some tie-down straps for each corner of the trailer. The trailer is manufactured with hooks for this very purpose. I would then need to concrete four hooks into the ground so that the tie-down straps could attach too. Conclusion: I never got around to doing this.

The manufacturer also told me that whenever I wasn't operating, to wind down the antenna to lower the wind load. Conclusion: I had been operating earlier in the day and had to go out for a couple of hours thinking "it'll be alright, I won't be long" I'll do some more operating when I get back....... I didn't wind down the antenna even though it only takes 60 seconds.

Too much trust in mother nature and it will never happen to me. Conclusion: Given that it was a very severe storm, Brisbane & surrounds have had some bad storms this summer...... I should always expect the worst and prepare accordingly.

If I had listened to the manufacturer and installed the tie-downs and hooks and also wound down the antenna, this would have never happened. I'd still be getting plenty of use out of the 4ele delta loop.

I would also like to say that the tower and trailer came out of this unscathed except for a few sheared bolts which are easily replaced. This tower will be going up again in the next couple of weeks.

Would I buy another? You bet, if the XYL let's me.

Basically, follow the manufacturers instructions and you won't have any problems.

My Contest Calendar for 2009

As it looks like my work roster may change sometime during the year, here is my list of SSB contests that I hope to partake in even for only a few hours.

ARRL Inter. DX Contest, SSB - 0000Z, Mar 7 to 2400Z, Mar 8
John Moyle Memorial Field Day - 0100Z, Mar 14 to 0059, Mar 15
CQ WW WPX Contest, SSB - 0000Z, Mar 28 to 2400Z, Mar 29
(NEW) VK Shires Contest - 0600Z, Jun 6 to 0600, June 7
IARU HF World Championship - 1200Z, Jul 11 to 1200Z, Jul 12
Remembrance Day Contest - 0800Z, Aug 15 to 0759, Aug 16
All Asian DX Contest, SSB - 0000Z, Sep 5 to 2400Z, Sep 6
WAE DX Contest, SSB - 0000Z, Sep 12 to 2359Z, Sep 13
Oceania DX Contest, SSB - 0800Z, Oct 3 to 0800Z, Oct 4
CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB - 0000Z, Oct 24 to 2400Z, Oct 25
JIDX Phone Contest - 0700Z, Nov 14 to 1300Z, Nov 15
ARRL 10-Meter Contest - 0000Z, Dec 12 to 2359Z, Dec 13

My daughter should have her foundation licence sometime in February so I am guessing that we will be participating in quite a few of the contests as multi-two.

Tower and new antenna should hopefully be up before the ARRL Int'l DX Contest in March.

New Year resolution: to upgrade to Advanced licence before the end of the year.

2009 Australian Shires Contest

Announcing the VK Shires Contest:

The 2009 Australian Shires Contest

Held the weekend prior to the second Monday of June every year.

Starts: 06.00 UTC Saturday, June 6, 2009
Ends: 06.00 UTC Sunday, June 7, 2009

Objectives: The objectives of this contest are for amateurs around the world to contact as many VK shires as possible in the contest period. ie VK amateurs are to work the world including VK, whilst the rest of the world can only work VK

A) Bands:. 80 Metres 3.500 - 3.700 MHz, 40 Metres 7.000 - 7.250 MHz, 20 Metres 14.000 - 14.300 MHz, 15 Metres 21.000 - 21.350 MHz, 10 Metres 28.000 - 28.600 MHz. Please note there is no 75m dx window permitted.

B) Modes: SSB and CW only

For more information please go the VK Shires Group

Many thanks to Trent VK4TI and Bill VK4FW for getting this new contest off the ground.

Chelsea Has Passed Her Foundation Licence Exams

My first harmonic Chelsea, at the age of 10, has just completed and passed her theory and practical exams for the amateur radio foundation licence in Australia (VK).

I'd like to thank both Ron VK4RH and Roy VK4IG of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Club (VK4WIG) for their hard work in assisting Chelsea to pass her exams on the first go. I'd also like to thank Peter VK4KTX for being the nice, polite and patient person that was on the other end of Chelsea's QSO's.

Chelsea's first option for her callsign is VK4FWCC. I don't expect to see her licence come through until mid February due to the WIA still being closed and then the papers need to be sent to ACMA.

Well done Chelsea. Now if we can get your mum to study for the exam would be great.

Poll Results - What will be your next HF transceiver?

The "What will be your next HF transceiver" poll is now completed and after 667 votes the results are;

Yaesu FT-950 - 22% or 147 votes
Elecraft K3 - 20% or 132 votes
Icom IC-7700 - 15% or 101 votes
Yaesu FT-2000 - 13% or 88 votes
Icom IC-756 Pro III - 9% or 58 votes
Other - 7% or 49 votes
Kenwood TS-2000 - 5% or 33 votes
Yaesu FT-450 - 3% or 23 votes
TenTec Omni VII - 3% or 19 votes
TenTec Orion II - 3% or 17 votes

Not surprised to see the FT-950 at the top of the list considering the Ft-950 links on my website. Surprised however, to see the Omni VII so far down the list.

Next poll - With money not an issue, what would be your dream antenna brand?