QSLs, 10m contest and N1MM Logger

Today I have spent some time printing QSL cards and QSL labels. On my old card (to the left on the photo) I print directly on the card and for the new card I print on labels. I use the new card (to the right) for QSOs made from foreign countries. The two stacks contain 220 cards.

Tonight I planned to join the NRAU 10m Activity Contest but I guess the conditions were not right for QRP as I only managed to raise one single QSO with EA7IQQ! I could hear Argentina and the Falklands but was not able to work any of them. I have e-mailed the N1MM Logger development team and asked them to add the contest to N1MM Logger and Nick NA3M replied within minutes to let me know it was on his to-do list.

Radio Activity

To bad I wasn't able to work any of you guys from the summit last weekend .

Today I finally made a 10m QSO, the first one this year, with IU3AC. I guess the Sporadic-E is about to arrive here in Norway as well.

And by the way, a QSL card from WP2Z, U.S. Virgin Islands dropped down in my letterbox today.

10m opening and computer trouble

10m was open in Europe today and I managed to work F5IEP, ON5BW, HA6NY, DF2QC, DO6SD and ON3DM from the shack of our local radio club.

I have spent some of the day rescuing data from my shack computer. The computer will no longer start due to mother board failure and is also out of warranty. This is the second time the mother board fails on this computer and I don't bother replacing it this time. I bought one of those USB 2.0 HDD trays so I could connect the SATA disk to my laptop via USB.

I managed to save most of the data but I could not find a way to rescue my LoTW certificates! I have requested a new certificate from ARRL and I will send the required documentation by mail tomorrow.

NRAU Activity Contest (NAC) on 28MHz

Last night I stopped by at the club station to check if the 10m band was open. I worked a couple of stations before M0HLT asked me if the NRAU Activity Contest was about to start. I told him that I didn't think so and that NAC is only arranged every second thursday of the month.

After finishing the qso I checked with the NRRLs webiste and found out that I was wrong. NAC is arranged the first thursday of the month. I tried to look up Andys e-mail on the web to correct the misleading info but couldn't find it. I'm terribly sorry Andy!

I joined the contest and worked 12 stations in the one hour SSB part. All with an Kenwood TS-570D turned down to 5w and a vertical CB antenna.

I could see from the DX cluster that an OHØ-station was active but the skip was to long to work him. To bad as I need Aland for my DXCC.

DXCCs: OH, DL, G, F, S5

5/8 CB antenna

Yesterday we temporarily replaced the faulty 80-10m Moonraker vertical we used to have on LA1G Club Station with an old 5/8 CB antenna. I have been testing it for some time today with good results. I worked 7 stations in an hour including DL, GW, F, LA and a 2-way QRP contact with a G-station. All stations were worked with 5 watts SSB.

NAC 10 update

This was really not a Big Hit! On the summit I erected my Extended Double Zepp antenna and did a test qso with an Italian station. He gave me a 57 report and that's a good report considering I was running 5 watts.

Very soon the wind was getting very heavy and I decided to pack my portable station away and move inside the car. I only worked two local stations even though I could hear several stations calling CQ. I did not bother to work the FM period.

Rig: Yaesu FT-857D turned down to 5w
Ant: ATAS-100 mobile antenna

NAC 10

Tonight I will be active in the NRAU Activity Contest on 10m from a local hilltop called Vealøs. This is also a SOTA summit but my activation will not qualify for SOTA as I plan to drive there by car.

I will work the SSB (28,500 ± 50 khz) and FM (29,600 ± 80 khz) periods using my Yaesu FT-817ND at 5W.

Periods:
CW: 17.00 - 18.00 UTC
SSB: 18.00 - 19.00 UTC
FM: 19.00 - 20.00 UTC
MGM/Digital: 20.00 - 21.00 UTC

Contest rules in Norwegian

More 10m contacts

Last night I also worked one F station and one MJ station on 10m. The QSOs were made from the shack of our local radio club where I am a board member and QSL manager. I used a Kenwood TS-570D turned down to 5 watts and a W3DZZ trapped dipole antenna.

10m contacts

Today I made 7 10m QSOs during my activation of SOTA LA/TM-018 Hørsfjell. The equipment I used was a Yaesu FT-817ND at 5 watts, Elecraft T1 ATU and a 20m Extended Double Zepp antenna (2*13,4m) inverted V style supported by a 6m telescopic pole. I also did some listening on 12m but could not hear any other stations.

DXCCs: OM, DL, HB9, S5, 9A, YU

Sporadic E

I have read reports of Sporadic E openings for the last days and I will try to join the NAC28 (NRAU Activity Contest on 10m) tomorrow Thursday May 7th. I will be active on a hilltop nearby with my Yaesu FT-817ND at 5W. I've not yet decided what antenna to bring.

I will work the SSB (28,500 ± 50 khz) and FM (29,600 ± 80 khz) periods.

Periods:
CW: 17.00 - 18.00 UTC
SSB: 18.00 - 19.00 UTC
FM: 19.00 - 20.00 UTC
MGM/Digital: 20.00 - 21.00 UTC

Contest rules in Norwegian