Analysing CQ WW WPX Contest

During the CQ WW WPX SSB contest I managed 123 QSOs running 5 watt SSB. I used my Elecraft K3/10 @ 5w and a W3DZZ trap dipole and a vertical antenna. QTH was my local radio club. You can find all the details and watch my QSO map here. Please scroll to the bottom of the page to see QSO data.

phpQW Log-Analysis  is provided by DLØQW, www.AdventureRadio.de

CQ WW WPX Contest

I'm looking forward to the CQ WW WPX Contest this weekend. Unfortunately I'm also working Saturday morning and Sunday evening so this will be two busy days! I will be in the SOAB QRP category.

A couple of hours ago I was working a few stations from my car as LA1TPA/M. I used my Yaesu FT-857D at 5W and the ATAS-100 antenna and worked CT9 on 17m and two S5 stations and an E7 station on 20m.

http://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm

SSB QRP activity

After a late breakfast I brought my K3/10 to the club station again. I decided to make some calls on 15m and tuned my radio to 21.285MHz which is the QRP center of activity. There I found ZB2JK/P calling CQ with 20w and no takers! Gibraltar was a new DXCC for me and I was very happy to work him. I QSYed to 21.276MHz and started to call CQ myself and worked 11 stations (US, I, EA, 5B4 and CT1) before working another 3 stations (R7, YT and YO) on 17m. YT and YO were both new band countries for me. I also had a few contacts on 20m and 40m in the HADX contest before going QRT.

Current SSB QRP DXCC count: 81 worked /73 confirmed

QRP Foxhunt SSB success!

Last night I was not able to join the UBA HF QRP Foxhunt because the shack of the radio club was occupied. I felt really bad about it since I was the one to suggest adding SSB to the hunt. I checked the scoring list this morning and was happy to find out a lot of hunters were chasing the SSB fox, including my blog friend Bas PE4BAS.

I'll try to be QRV next Monday.

A good day for QRP

I had a day off today and after driving XYL to work I headed for the club station of our local radio club. I brought with me the Elecraft K3/10. The result of the day was two new DXCCs; HZ1PS Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 15m and A61R United Arab Emirates on 17m. I also worked 7 new band countries on 15m and 12m. All stations were worked with 5w SSB.

This brings my QRP SSB DXCC count to 80 countries worked and 73 confirmed.

UBA QRP Foxhunt

E-mail from Jos ON6WJ: 

Dear Foxes and Foxhunters,

In a few weeks time, the second (spring) foxhunt will come to an end and I would like to thank all foxes and hunters for participating. There will be a few weeks of no hunting after June 7. Time to count the bullets, clean up foxholes and service your shotguns.

But the show must go on! Starting on Monday July 5, 2010, we shall be back with a whole new game, with a digital foxhunt aside the "spark" transmissions (tnx Uli DG4SFS). For starters, the digital part will be limited to PSK31, 5 W maximum (other smallband weak signal modes like Hellschreiber may be considered later on). Full details to be published on the foxhunt website soon http://www.on5ex.be/foxhunt . By the way, Johan on5ex reports a ‘soapbox’ page will also be available by then.

Dear QRP friends , this foxhunting game can only be succesfull thanks to the participation of you gentlemen. Please feel free to QSP this message to all your (also QRP-minded) friends and invite them to participate.

73,

Jos ON6WJ

International SOTA Weekend

The upcoming weekend is the International SOTA Weekend and I plan an overnight activation of the summit Vestre Hoppefjell from Saturday afternoon. I will bring a sleeping bag and camp at the summit.

If you want to work me you could listen for me at the frequencies listed below or look for my spots at sotawatch.

21.285MHz
14.285MHz
7.125MHz
5.928.5MHz
3.660MHz

Worked C36JI in Andorra

Tonight I bagged C36JI in Andorra, a new DXCC for me. My QRP SSB DXCC count is now 73 countries worked and 67 confirmed.

http://ura30anys.blogspot.com/2010/03/presentation-of-special-qsl-diploma.html

Iraq worked with QRP SSB

Today I broke the pile up and worked the YI9PSE DXpedition in Iraq on 18MHz! I used my Elecraft K3 at 5w SSB and a 5/8 wavelength vertical antenna designed for 27MHz! This brings my QRP DXCC score to 72 DXCCs worked and 67 confirmed.

http://www.yi9pse.com

Moroz contest 2010 results

Aage LA1ENA has informed me that the results of Moroz Contest 2010 are ready. Thanks to Aage for the information and to RU-QRP club for hosting the contest.

Results

Russian Hunt

The winter season of the "Russian Hunt" is coming up. Sadly my cw is not good enough to participate yet. I have taken up the cw practice again so maybe I will be able to join the summer season in August. I have bought a SW+ 40 kit from Dave at Small Wonder Labs to put some pressure on myself!

Rules for the Russian Hunt

Moroz contest

During the Moroz QRP contest today I was only able to be active for about one hour but I still managed to work 7 stations. My QTH was a wooden shelter just outside my home town Skien. The thermometer showed -3°C. I used a Yaesu FT-817ND, an Elecraft T1 ATU and a W3EDP wire antenna. The highlight of the day was to finally talk to Adam M6RDP on 40m!

Stations worked:
20m: RK3FW, SV2AHT, LA1ENA, LA6GOA, UA3YHG and LZ2RS
40m: M6RDP

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.

QSL from South Korea!

In October I was operating portable from a local hill called Holtankollen (SOTA ref. LA/TM-049) and worked 16 stations on 20m and 40m. All of them with my trusty FT-817ND at 5w and a 88ft doublet 5m above the ground and SSB. When typing my log into Logger32 back home I found that I had worked HL4RBR from South Korea! I didn't notice during the mini pileup, I guess I mixed the HL suffix with the HG suffix of Hungary. And he was answering my CQ!

I sent him my QSL card by mail the very same day and today HL4RBRs QSL card dropped down in my letterbox, confirming the QSO! Thanks Yoon!

MOROZ (Red Nose) qrp contest

Here the other day my friend Aage LA1ENA forwarded me an e-mail from Valery RW3AI. It contained the updated rules for the MOROZ (Red Nose) qrp contest hosted by RU-QRP Club. I hope to join the contest in the SOQRP - Field - SSB category.

The updated rules:

Founder: RU-QRP Club

Starts: January 23, 2010 at 07:00 UTC
Ends: January 23, 2010 at 11:00 UTC
Power: Only QRP - 5 W CW and Digital, 10 watts SSB.
Bands: 80 meters, 40 meters, 20 meters, 15 meters, 10 meters
Types of modulation: CW, DIGITAL, SSB
Competitions are held in the QRP-frequency.
CW 3560,3577 7030 14060 21060 28060,
SSB 3690 7090 14285 21285 28360

The general call: "CQ MOROZ".

Attention! It's just amusing game for your enjoyment, not competition for survival.
Do not forget about the possibility of frostbite. Please be careful.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Entry Categories:

- Single Operator QRP 
- Multi-Operator 

Subgroups:
-  field
-  home

Operator changing his position from the "field" to "home" or vice versa,
considered a party to the subgroup "Field".
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------

for field station used alternative power supplies (battery, solar, wind etc)
 and from AC.
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------

Exchange:
  
Real RST(RS, RSQ),membership number RU-QRP,(not members of the Club, send NM);
Identifier temperatures at a working position at the time of the qso - F.R.O.S.T. according to the table:

F - below -10C
R - from  -3C to -10C
O - from  -3C to +3C
S - from  +3C to +10C
T - above +10C

* Example: * UR5LAM de RK4FB ur 579/086/T. RK4FB de RX3ALL ur RST 579 my RUQRP nr 79/F

During a QSO can be exchanged and other information (the exact t, name, QTH, working conditions, etc.).

The identifier can vary, depending on the changing conditions on the position
or positions in general.

Repeated QSO allowed on different bands and different types of modulation
and at the same band and the same type of modulation, if one station was replaced by the identifier.

The fact that the identifier been changed, you can inform by CQ call (CQ MOROZ /S)
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------

Points:

- 1 point per QSO. The Contest Manager will add 1 point plus if the QSO will confirmed in participants logs.
- For each new membership number of RU-QRP club extra 5 points, regardless of the band and mode
- For each complete set of letters F.R.O.S.T. additional 20 points.

During the game, missing letter in a series set F.R.O.S.T
can use  the letter of its working position, provided it meets
missing letter and held not less than 10 qso precisely with this letter. 
 
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Points are awarded for each QSO in accordance with the identifier on your working position:

F - below  -10C         +4 points
R - from   -3C to -10C  +3 points
O - from   -3C to +3C   +2 points
S - from   +3C to +10C  +1 point
T - above  +10C          0 points

The final result is declared by: (total points for QSO + points for members nr of RU-QRP + points for the collected sets FROST + points for the temperature at the position.

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

AWARDS.
 
All participants will receive internet certificates .

Participants in the subgroups of "field" and "home" who rank 1,2,3,4 and 5 th places are awarded special certificates.
 
Five participants - members of the RU-QRP CLUB, took five top places in the subgroup of "field", awarded prizes.

For applicants for the awards, change the Identifier temperatures and the relevant working positions should be fixed in the photostory.

Mandatory requirement for applicants for the prizes - to place at the Club or send a report the story of competition,
description of the working positions, photographs that reflect the working conditions, the use of antennas, power supply,
the temperature at the working position.

Participants actuated with 6 members of the RU-QRP Club who are working in "field" conditions, are awarded the diploma "RU-QRP CLUB".
For this purpose, attached to the report accompanying the letter, you must specify the request for the extradition of a diploma.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Candidates must send an account of the standard connections on the address
E-mail: ru-qrp-club (at) mail.ru

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

REPORTS
Reports in the format Cabrillo  by e-mail
In the line of the report SOAPBOX: specify the actual temperature of the corresponding
applicable identifiers (for example: F-19C, S +7 C).
Comments, stories, photo reports are required.

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Logs Submission: 
E-mail: ru-qrp-club (at) mail.ru
 
Home page: http://qrp.ru/modules/sections/index.php?op=viewarticle&artid=47
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Deadline:
 23 February 2010
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

COMMENTS
Attention! It's just amusing game for your enjoyment, not competition for survival. Do not forget about the possibility of frostbite. Please be careful.

QRP on 80m

Because of the cold weather I decided to visit our cabin in Tokke in the western part of Telemark to check that everything was OK. It was +4°C inside the cabin when I arrived and -23°C outside. Tonight it is -27°C outside!

 I brought my Elecraft K3 and have done some casual operating on 80m tonight. So far I have worked ON, G and ES, all of them with 5w SSB and a W3DZZ trap dipole.

National Field Day 2006

Today I received a package by mail from the Norwegian Radio Relay League that I did not expect. The large box contained a cup with the following inscription:

NRRL
NFD 2006
LA1TPA
Vinner kl. 2

I vaguely remember that I won the QRP section of NRRLs National Field Day (NFD) in 2006. I guess I was the only QRP station that bother to deliver a log...

Norwegian QRP net on 60m

The last two days I have checked in to the Norwegian QRP net on 60m at 11:00 utc. The net is controlled by Per-Olav LB1AF and the purpose of the net is to learn more about propagation on 5MHz.

Today I checked in as LA1TPA/P from Holtankollen, a local summit with SOTA reference LA/TM-049. I used my Yaesu FT-817ND, a 88ft doublet, the Elecraft T1 ATU and a switchable 4:1/1:1 balun from Elecraft.

QRG: 5.335 - 5.340 MHz

Hot Iron

The winter issue of Hot Iron, the journal of the Constructors Club dropped down in my letterbox today. Tim Walford G3PCJ of Walford Electronics releases 4 issues a year of this excellent newsletter.

You can join the construction club by sending £7 (£9 for overseas members) by PayPal to Tim with your name and address.

MFJ-1788x

Paul PC4T asked me for some info about the MFJ-1788x magnetic loop antenna and I have decided to share my opinions so far.

As some of you might know I live in a row house with no possibility for outside antennas. After reading some reviews I started to check prizes from different suppliers and found that I could save some money by importing the antenna directly from MFJ Enterprises in USA.

I do most of my operations away from home but I have had QSOs with MW, I, GM, LY, S5, OH, 9A, HG, LA and EA with the mag-loop and 5w SSB so far. All QSOs were on 20m except the EA station whom I worked on 17m. My main problem is the very high local QRM that I experience at home, most of the time it reaches S7 - S9!

The loop is located 3 - 4m above the ground in a spare upstairs bedroom I use as my shack. The antenna is mounted in a vertical configuration, currently without a rotator. As this is my only HF antenna at home I haven't had any possibilities to compare it to others but the signal reports I receive doesn't seem to bad for a QRP station with an indoor antenna.

Julian G4ILO has written an excellent review of the antenna that you can find here.