Fighting QRM

This summer I had the pleasure of visiting G4ILOs shack, not the website but the physical one! I was amazed to see how good Julian was able to cancel noise with a MFJ-1026 Noise canceler and a pa0rdt-Mini-Whip active broadband RX antenna. I suffer from a lot of noise myself (S7 - S9) so I have decided to test the same setup here. The MFJ-1026 has already arrived and tonight I have ordered parts to build the pa0rdt-Mini-Whip.

The pa0rdt-Mini-Whip
MFJ-1026

LA1TPA/M

After reading about Steve's project, last night I finally found time and energy to reinstall my trusty FT-857 in the car. I have been QRT for a while after finding a blown fuse on the wires from the battery to the boot where the radio used to be installed. It turned out that the insulation on the wire was destroyed. I have now reinstalled the radio and put the new wires inside a protective rubber sleeve I got from a school mate that used to work in a workshop.

I'm now able to work both HF and VHF/UHF with an ATAS-100 screwdriver antenna and a short 2m/70cm whip from MFJ called MFJ-1724B. And just for the record; my FT-857 is always turned down to 5w on HF...

New weekend for SAC SSB 2010!

According to www.sactest.net the Scandinavian Activity Contest SSB 2010 is moved to the second full weekend of October. I will participate in the Single Operator - All Band - QRP class

The new dates and times are:

SSB: 2010 October 9, 1200 UTC to 2010 October 10, 1200 UTC

"RUSSIAN FIELD" - QRP contest

Valery RW3AI kindly sent me the rules of the Russian Field Contest:

"RUSSIAN FIELD" - QRP contest-game
Founder: RU-QRP Club

Starts: On July, 17th, 2010 at 07:00 UTC
Ends: On July, 17th, 2010 at 11:00 UTC

The purpose of this contest-game is increase of interest to work QRP in field conditions on self-made equipment, and also joint rest with a family.

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 RF".

Entry Categories:

- Single Operator QRP
- Multi-Operators QRP

Subgroups:
-  FIELD
-  HOME

Operator changing his position from the "field" to "home" or vice versa,
considered a party to the subgroup "Field".
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for field station used alternative power supplies (battery, solar, wind etc)
 and from AC.
"Field" temporary position organised by the operator out of door is considered.

Exchange:

Real RST(RS, RSQ),membership number RU-QRP,(not members of the Club, send NM);
Plus one letter from word F.I.E.L.D.
"HOME" Subgroups stations (and returned back home from "FIELD" position)
send always only one letter "D"
"FIELD" stations - The exchange letter is changed at every tenth QSO using the letters F I E L consecutively. The letter D is reserved only for fixed stations.
So QSOs #1-10 use the letter "F",
QSOs #11-20 the letter "I"
QSOs #21-30 the letter "E"
QSOs #31-40 the letter "L"

So from QSO #41 then goes back to F again. etc.

Example: UR5LAM de RK4FB ur 579/086/i.
Or RK4FB de RX3ALL ur RST 579 my RUQRP nr 79/E

During QSO it is possible to exchange and other information (a name, QTH, working conditions and etc)
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 LETTER.
The fact that the letter been changed, you can inform by CQ call (CQ RF/i)
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 Points:

- 1 point per QSO. The Contest Manager will add 1 point plus if the QSO will confirmed in participants logs.
- For each qso with RU-QRP club member extra 5 points.
- For each complete set of letters F.I.E.L.D. additional 20 points.

During the game, missing letter in a series set F.I.E.L.D
can use  one letter from own a series on 10 QSO, provided it meets
missing letter .

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.:: RESULT CALCULATION::.

The final result is declared by: total points for QSO + points for RU-QRP members qso  + points for the collected sets F.I.E.L.D.

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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.

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.


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

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REPORTS
Reports in the format Cabrillo  by e-mail

Comments, stories, photo reports are required.

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Logs Submission:
E-mail: ru-qrp-club (at) mail.ru

Home page: http://qrp.ru
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Deadline:
 17 august 2010
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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

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.

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