So far this year I have worked 3 new DXCC entities on 144MHz EME, bringing my total to 102. Once I’ve received the confirmations I’ll make an application to the ARRL for 2m DXCC.
CY0S ZB2BU ZA/S59A QSL cards from CY0S and ZB2BU
On my 2m EME array the dipoles on the DG7YBN design GTV 2-12n XPOL Yagis are fed via quarter wave balancing lines made up from Andrew Heliax LDF4-50A. These lines are constructed using similar methods described on the DG7YBN web site - A serious QRO Quarterwave Line and have been in use since July 2020.
Over the last 3 years I’ve had a couple of instances where pigtails soldered to the coax cores have worked loose, probably due to mechnical vibrations, resulting in an intermittent connection for one Yagi.
I recently worked KS but still need the following states to complete WAS on 144MHz EME - NV, OK and VT. If you're active in any of these states, or know of anyone who has 2m EME capability please contact me via the email address on my QRZ.COM page to arrange a sked.
Having been involved in software development for most of my career I wanted to use a toolchain that that was lightweight and low cost to build my own website. After some research I chose Hugo as the static site generator, Amazon S3 as the hosting service and GitHub as the repository for site customisations and content.
I spent a couple of hours getting Hugo, Amazon S3 and GitHub setup using the comprehensive documentation and examples found on their respective websites.
During 2022 I worked 5 new DXCC entities on 144MHz EME, bringing my total to 99. Just need a couple more confirmations to make my DXCC application.
PJ4MM 0J0DX D2TX J28MD ZC4RH QSL cards from J28MD and D2TX
There are many internet resources that cover digital signal processing (DSP) and software defined radio (SDR), but I’ve only found a few that provide a good introduction along with practical examples. Software Defined Radio for the Radio Amateur by AC2CZ (G0KLA) is an excellent set of SDR tutorials which I found particularly useful. The sample code is written in Java, but it was fairly straightforward to rewrite the parts that I wanted in C++ using Qt.
In 2020 I took up CW again after many years and successfully completed the CWOps CW Academy Basic Course in March 2021.
In May 2021 I successfully completed the CWA Intermediate Course and now enjoy making regular CW QSO’s. You will hear me mainly on 40m and I occasionally take part in the K1USN SST and CWops Tests (CWT). I am also a member of the Long Island CW Club, a club dedicated to teaching Morse Code to beginners and helping to improve the skills of intermediate and advanced operators.
Background In May 2017 I built a simple RF Power Meter using a AD8313 rf power detector module from SV1AFN, an Arduino Nano and a LCD module. The meter was battery powered and it was calibrated for use at 144MHz using the output of my HF to 2m transverter via some variable attenuators. The meter worked well, either with an external attenuator or a directional coupler.
In November 2020 I started experimenting with a ADL5519 dual channel module, also from SV1AFN, so that I could measure forward and reflected power simulataneously.
Background Elecraft announced the K4 transceiver in May 2019 and I saw the radio at Ham Radio, Friedrichshafen in June 2019. I placed an order for a K4D (with an optional K4HD should I need it), in July 2019. Units started shipping in November 2020, maybe delivery will be Q1 2021?
Elecraft K4D The K4D is a dual receive, direct sampling software defined radio (SDR) covering 100 kHz - 54 MHz.
I recently installed a second-hand Radio Structures BM10T lattice mast for my 2m EME array. The BM10T is similar to a Versatower but has a simpler luffing arrangement with the wire attached to the bottom of the lattice section and running through two pulleys either side of the base post and up to the winch. The pulleys simply act as guides for the wire and provide no mechanical advantage. This makes luffing hard work with the antennas installed.
