Friday 27 December 2013

well, it's been a bit windy here for a few days.

and today I got a text at work from my lovely XYL telling me that my fibreglass fishing pole holding up my Windom and long wire baluns snapped and came down onto my neighbour's roof.

No way of offering advice from inside a meeting I couldn't bail from so I suggested that my 18 yearold loosen the wires and let it down.

He (and the 15 year old) struggled manfully in awful conditions to get up a ladder and loosen the U bolts to get the pole down.

its too dark to really look at it now, but the weekend is coming......

I suppose I could take it as a sign that it's time to try that open fed  horizontal loop that I have all the bits waiting for......

Thursday 19 December 2013

so, carrying on the same format as last month, the middle column is last months totals, the right is today's.

80m = 18 = 33
60m  =  3 = 4
40m  = 36 = 50
30m   = 7 = 21
20m  = 116 = 116
17m  = 55 = 55
15m = 26 = 40
12m=  44 = 51
10m=  53 = 69

total DXCC count at 134, and total slots (inc 2m & 70cm) 443

I've been concentrating on my less used bands, so avoiding 20 & 17m....

My US state count is creeping up too, with Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota & Wyoming still to get.

I've also got a new antenna.

a Carolina Windom CW80 Special.

it's an off centre fed dipole with a radiating vertical feed section so that it will tune to 80m even though it's only 66 ft long.  15m still a dead loss, and below 40m is all clogged up with QRM from Christmas lights (GRR!)

Its working well, even though i don't have it mounted in the best position, with the shorted leg coming down at 45 degrees along the eves of the house.  I INTEND to get it up horizontal when I get the chance......

new countries?

Chile
Uzbekistan
Curacao
Bahamas
Liechtenstein
Madagascar
South Sudan

Friday 8 November 2013

so in the last month.....

I've got my FT747GX back from the Dr, and as 10 & 12m have been bouncing like a puppy, I've been up there a lot. and ironically, I've been tinkering a bit on 80m too as the s9 static has finally eased (at least some of the time) so I've had a few contacts down there too.

so to give an idea how things have progressed in the last month, middle column is LAST month, right column is this month......

80m= 10 = 18
60m= 3  =  3
40m= 36 = 36
30m= 5  = 7
20m= 116 = 116
17m= 53 = 55
15m= 22 = 26
12m= 7 = 44
10m= 27 = 53

total now standing at 126 dxcc entities with 363 slots filled.

New countries recently include:
Puerto Rico 12m  RTTY,
Cape Verde 12m SSB,
Armenia 10m CW,
Uruguay 10m SSB

Monday 7 October 2013

so yesterday marked a year since I got my licence.

in that time, 3838 QSOs logged on HF
120 DXCCs
285 slots filled, spaced:

80m= 10
60m= 3
40m= 36
30m= 5
20m= 116
17m= 53
15m= 22
12m= 7
10m= 27

I've used a 1/2 sized G5RV and a long wire, attempted and abandoned a windom and a slinky spring dipole.

for HF I've used a FT101B and a FT747GX

I've made a touch key for CW and killed a PC by plugging in a home made datamode interface.

I've also made a 4 way antenna switch from a biscuit tin and a light switch.......

for 2m I've used a baofeng and a tinkered with PMR set to work the local repeater.

36 US states worked (plus DC)

AL AR AZ CT DE FL GA IA IL IN KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MT NC NE NH NJ NY
OH OK PA RI SC TN TX VA VT WI WV WDC HW

Canadian Provinces
NB NS ON PE QC SK NL

I've dallied with digimodes, and now that my FT747GX is sick, I'm back to the FT101B and a straight key for CW.

SO MUCH LEFT TO DO!!!

Thursday 29 August 2013

PSK31 on a budget.

I googled a bit and found that you need an interface to connect the PC to the rig.

so I bought a kit, and built it, and when I connected it to the PC it killed the USB circuit.

Oh Poo

so i then decided to do it the easy way.

a cable from the AF out to the sound card mic socket.

a cable from the speaker out on the soundcard to the mic plug.

a cable from a switch to the ptt socket.

download some free software, tune to the correct frequency, switch to USB and THAT's IT.

after a week,250 or so QSOs  35 DXCCS worked, mainly on 20m but a couple on 17m and one on 40m.

Monday 29 July 2013

too busy playing with the yaesu 747GX to post here!

so interesting stuff since I got it?

well, activity on all the bands under 60m....including getting the NOV to operate on 60....  only two contacts there so far EI & GI, but it's early!!

I;ve been trying for 30m but nothing there at all......

so, other interesting stuff......

June:

ZB54JKGibraltar
7T1EWD Algeria
7X4ANAlgeria
 EA9EU Cueta
 EX2F Kyrgyzstan
 V44KAI St Kitts and Nevis
 JT5DX Mongolia
 9K2/SP4R Kuwait
K1IMI USA NC
 W1/DL7SI USA
4Z5MU Israel
 TK4LS Corsica
4X1UN Israel
K4DY USA NC

July:

 JW9JKA Svalbard
 K1RM USA CT
K4WMS USA VA
 CO8LY Cuba
 N3NEP USA PA
K2TQC USA NY
 KI1U/VE9 Canada NS
CT3AS Madeira
 KG9NUSA IL
CN8KDMorocco

Saturday 15 June 2013

Converting a HP DSP-600PB server power supply to run as a 12v 47A bench supply.

I've used several ATX supplies for radio use, but my latest aquisition of a Yaesu FT747GX needs over 20A.  more than the 15A  available from the ATX.

someone on the Hamradiodeals forum suggested a server supply, so a little googleing for info, and a glance at ebay got me a HP DSP-600PB for £13 delivered.......






there is no NEED to take the top off other than to remove the locking bar with the red knob shown at the top of this pic.

I used Futaba RC plugs to access the 12 pins.  I COULD have soldered direct, but this was going to be awful fiddly, and I had a box of random Futaba bits......

so far I only want 4 of the 12 pins.

numbering them like this.....

123
456
789
101112


4 & 8 together lower the fan speed. 

6 & 10 together, and connected to the other two switch the whole thing on.

you COULD put a switch on there if you wanted.

I don't want one, so I just twisted those 4 wires together and soldered them


there are other things you can use the other pins for, so I'll keep those available, just not used now. 

connecting to the spades is a little akward so I made some pins by stripping back some insulation.....


then tinning it to make it rigid so I could push it in between the spades and then soldering it in place.

repeat for the other wire, plug it in and she's a go!

1st QSO was with OE1LZA, Laila, who gave me an all clear on audio.  6 more QSOs around Europe mean all is fine and dandy.

thanks due to:

http://www.ultimaterc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174225

and

https://sites.google.com/site/tjinguytech/my-projects/HP47A

for the info I used to make this happen.






New rig day!

OK, it's new to ME, not new from the factory.....

a Yaesu FT 747GX





its a mobile rig so it needs an external power supply.  I STARTED with my atx supply salvaged from a PC.

According to the sticker on it, it's good for 15A.  Sadly the 747 needs 20A.  

When I first fired it up with the ATX, it was able to tx on cw and SSB but the report I was getting back were poor.  if the CW drive was past 9 oclock (about 25%) ot was distorted, and if the SSB mic gain was above the same.... guess what?  distortion again.

so rather than spend £100 of a scary big power supply, someone suggested a server supply..... allegedly good for 47A at 12v.......

next post will be a stand alont tutorial on that, but for now, it's all working well and I'm a very happy bunny!!






Friday 7 June 2013

latest long DX....


K4FDP USA GA
N8FOC USA OH
ZP6CW Paraguay
LU7HF Argentina

So the top twenty distance now stands at......


ZL2IBF New Zealand 11381
LU7HF Argentina 6805
ZP6CW Paraguay 6310
PR5B Brazil 6243
PP5EG Brazil 6219
HS5NMF Thailand 6069
OA1F Peru 5971
PY2EX Brazil 5927
PY4HO Brazil 5734
JA7QVI Japan 5729
HD2A Ecuador 5699
PY4RGS Brazil 5624
PP1CZ Brazil 5566
PW7T Brazil 5214
N2PW USA AZ 4936
HK1NA Colombia 4776
PV8ADI Brazil 4705
PY7PZ Brazil 4647
YV5DTJ Venezuela 4599
PR7AR  Brazil 4582

The ~2 and 3 places were on 12 & 17m so the long wire.......

Saturday 1 June 2013

I've just got an email from Martin at the European CW Association about my entry in the QRS activity week last month.

I've only gone and won!!

my first certificate for the wall......












full results here:
http://www.eucw.org/euqrs13.html


this evening I was heading off in the car to collect one of the kids from the cinema and turned on my radio.   

I drove along chatting to MM6CTH (Shane) through the GB3NI repeater.  in front of me, stopped at a level crossing was a police patrol car. The gates lift and we drive off with me still chatting away to Shane.  At the traffic lights 1/2 a mile further on the blue lights go on and the Officer from the passenger side gets out and comes to the drivers door.

ALWAYS be polite with the good folks of the police of course

are you taxiing?  he asks..... (no taxi plates so he'd have had me there.....)

"No its Ham radio" says I, "Callsign MI0OIM, and it's legal for me to use it as I'm driving"

"are you sure" he asks, so I explained how the law on phones doesn't apply to microphones so that he could use his radio mounted on his stab vest.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the actual letter of the law off pat, but I told him that all was fine and dandy and while if I was driving dangerously as a result, then certainly I was open to prosecution, but not for simply using the mic, as it was fully legit.

I suggested that he take a record of my reg no and if I was wrong to please get in touch, but it IS right, really.

Poor guy was bewildered.  obviously there are too many laws for an officer to know them all, and in future I will have a copy of both my licence and the relevant law (below) in the glove box of the car, for back up, but he went off dubious but (for the time being anyway) happy!

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No.4) Regulations 2003 Statutory Instrument 2003 No 2695

 

Tuesday 28 May 2013

OK folks, the eagle eyed among you will have noticed the typo in the last post..... the Brazillian station was PP5EG, not GG.......

so anyway, Interesting DX since then?

EX20aruk  Kyrgyzstan
SX5KL Dodecanese Islands (Greece)
UN3M Kazakstan
WP5/W5CW Turks & Caicos Island
5B75FOC Cyprus
3a2MD Monaco
FM5FJ Martinique
4U1ITU  UN  Geneva
3v8bb Tunisia
4J6RO Azerbaijan
VP9FOC Bermuda
PJ6a Saba & St Eustacius
ZF1A Cayman
OHO/pa3ALK  Aland Island
JY5HX Jordan
CO2IR Cuba

which combined bring me over the magic century and my DXCC total now stands at a heady 102

thats 65 phone, 91 CW, and the band spacing is:

Callsign16080604030201715121064270TotalSlots
MI0OIM090190100271080041102169


Sunday 12 May 2013

An interesting weekend on the radio.

lots of ***FOC stations all over the show, celebration the First Operators club 75th anniversary.

One was Jersey, GH4FOC, which was a new DXCC,   other new DXCCs were ZB2FK, Gibraltar, T77C, San Marino, C31CT, Andorra, and A6/DL9WVM in UAE, so 5 new DXCCs in 24 hours... not bad!!

Bercause of contests I spend a bit of time on 17m with the long wire today.  quite a few contacts round europe, so that was nice, as I'm usually on 20.

High point of this evening?

Calling CQ on 20m and having GG5EP form Southern Brazil answering. 6219 miles looks good.  10,009km looks better!!

Thursday 9 May 2013

Been too busy playing radio with my new touch key to post any blog entries, so sorry for neglecting you, dear reader!

The key works really well, with just a few total foul ups. sending at 20wpm is easy, though I really got to spend some time and get my receiving improved.

under 10 wpm I can do, over that I can hear and write the dots & dashes down and then translate them later.

Ah well, some day!!

NOTABLE CONTACTS?

GB2RN  on HMS Belfast in London.  have to visit that old girl some time!
F/FK8IK/P on holiday in france from New Caledonia. OK, a SO from him at home would be more impressive, but he's my first double slash QSO!
CN2SS is a Spanish guy cycling round Morocco...

INTERESTING DX.... 4 new DXCCs.......


K3MD USA PA
KS1CC USA MA
CN2SS Morocco
TA3AX Turkey
W2EZB USA NY
W9OA USA IL
K1VC USA CT
VE3FIT Canada ON
AJ4SB USA FL
OH0/OI3V Aland Island
GP4FOC Guernsey
UN/R9DA Kazakhstan
N3BNA USA PA
W1MK USA MA
A45XR Oman
VE3DZ Canada ON 
W4VIC USA VA

Thursday 25 April 2013

touch key for CW

MK3!!

so, I decided that the keyer needed a niced enclosure than the pill bottle

as I have made a few guitars in my time I had some fret wire laying around.

I reckoned a strip where my hand rests would be an improvement on the lug......

so, some offcuts of rosewood, and ovankohl.......

as I was assembling the whole thing I managed to break a leg off a tranny, so I tried it without the darlington pair, just a single BC639 on each side. Delighted to discover it works fine!!


Tuesday 23 April 2013

Improved touch keyer:

power from a 9v battery added.  the earth terminal is on the case of the pill bottle so it's easy to always touch it when sending

so, prototype works, next step is to make it for real.....

what I'm THINKING is to have the earth spud on a panel in front of the touch plates.

I have guitar fret wire, which I could press into a slot across the front so that where ever my hand sits, a good contact will be made.

unless I'm wearing marigolds of course!!



So, I decide to move onto the Mk2 paddle, a touch keyer

I find this nice circuit recommended on a forum.

I nip into school and scrounge a handfull of transistors, and in half an hour I'm done.

soldering was simple, the cablecame from a dead set of headphones......

like this, with the soldering Iron still plugged in beside it, it worked fine.

so I wrapped all the wires to avoid shorts, switched off the soldering iron, fire up the glue gun to add some extra support where the screw eyes go through the lid of the pill box and test it again.

all good

one weird thing.  while actually applying the glue, with the glue gun in very close proximity to the pins, it triggers the electronic keyer......

anyway, assemble it into the pillbox and test again

still good.



switch off glue gun and put it away, and settle down to trying a few QSOs and.......

NOTHING!!!

after a lot of tinkering and testing, I discover that it works really well when there are (electrically)  noisy kit operating, but not if there isn't.

My Salvaged PC power supply switched on and running on the desk?

all good

touch the case of the supply?

nuffin!!

Ah well, at least i know it works (in the right circumstances!) and it's easily reversable so that if you like to send dits with your thumb, you hold it one way, dahs with the thumb, just flip it over.

and now to Mk3!!




Monday 22 April 2013

after the weekend's SA contest, there are just a few new entries in the distance chart......


ZL2IBF New Zealand 11381
PR5B Brazil 6243
HS5NMF Thailand 6069
OA1F Peru 5971
PY2EX Brazil 5927
PY4HO Brazil 5734
JA7QVI Japan 5729
HD2A Ecuador 5699
PY4RGS Brazil 5624
PP1CZ Brazil 5566
PW7T Brazil 5214
N2PW USA AZ 4936
HK1NA Colombia 4776
PV8ADI Brazil 4705
YV5DTJ Venezuela 4599
PR7AR  Brazil 4582
PJ4/SP9FIH Bonaire 4463
PJ4/SP9FIH Bonaire 4463
N9RV USA MT 4257
N9RV USA MT 4257
some DX and new countries over the weekend.

a few competitions gave me my first Israel, and a bunch of Brazilians.   I HEARD a Argentinian, ans several Australians, but didn't make contacts.


PJ4/SP9FIH Bonaire
4X4DZ Israel
K9OM USA FL
PY4RGS Brazil
PP1CZ Brazil
PV8ADI Brazil
PW7T Brazil
K8BTD USA OH
NB1N USA MA
PR7AR  Brazil
VE3CFI Canada ON
DL1DA/PVA Brazil
N3RS USA PA
K4BAI USA GA
PY2EX Brazil
PY4HO Brazil
K5EK USA NC
K3WWT USA PA


Friday 19 April 2013

so the keyer arrived in the post today and after raiding the cable box (don't ever bin a cable!!) I was able to weave together a loom of wires to connect the knife paddle to the rig.

half an hour's practice and I reckoned I could give it a go on the air.

DJ3EF was the poor guy on the other en of my feeble attempts!

so, first impressions?

a bit of practice and I'll get the hang of it, definitely less painful to use than straight key, but its a bit too springy.  and if I release the handle it can swipe across and thump the other side.

I need to damp it's travel.... maybe a little foam rubber?

I'll tinker!

for a 1st prototype, I'm very pleased, but work still to do!

I'm thinking about another direction, with a solid vertical bar with a switch on each side.  that'd loose the springiness, but the switches would need to be very free moving........

on the air yesterday and today?

OK1PGS/AM was my first aeronautical mobile contact.  just an exchange of calls and sig repts, so I don't know what he was flying, and he doesn't have an email addy on QRZ.com to ask him.....

the long distance stuff?

delighted to break a pile up and get my first into Tajikistan


K9LJN USA IL
w1pid USA NH
kb2uzy USA MA
EY7BJ Tajikistan

Thursday 18 April 2013

Making a homebrew CW paddle.

OK, my back problems are giving me pains in my arms, and overdoing the straight morse key is giving me RSI in my right wrist, so something needs to be done. 

ONE possibility is an air key, more to follow, but first, I'm going to have a go at a paddle.

as usual, budget to be kept at a bare minimum!

so, I had to get some other stuff at B&Q anyway so I threw a few other bits & pieces into the trolley.

bolts, nuts washers and 4 L brackets.  add a kiddie's knife that all our kids have outgrown and we get.......


for a base I'm not going to waste a nice piece of mahogany or cherry on a prototype, so I found a left over bit of spruce..... 

so start by drilling a hole in the knife blade.....


then mock up how things will sit......






then after checking clearances, get the screws into the wood...



which looks like this from the end.....



I reckon I have up to 5mm play in the gap, not that I'll need it.  If this all works, then I'll transfer it onto a nicer piece of wood and maybe make the brackets a little less Heath Robinson.

for those not in the know, earth goes to the centre, one wire to the left contact, one to the right, then a stereo cable to a jack plug into the electronic keyer.

now all I need is for the electronic keyer to arrive in the post from ebay land!

Updates to follow......

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Tuesday - Thursday...

a few interesting contacts......

K0TPPUSA MO
CN8YZMorocco
NS9IUSA WI
N4MWNUSA VA
UA0WWAsiatic Russia
W4KRTUSA FL
FM5BHMartinique
9K2MYKuwait

I also won a keyer on ebay, so I need to get a CW paddle.  PLANS are to build one, using a knife as the paddle.

pics to follow!















Monday 15 April 2013

Friday - Sunday?

a dirty great solar eruption knocked the bands dead, only a few signals trickling through.

Monday?

very hit and miss. 

I could HEAR several stations in New Zealand, as well as my first from Greenland and way north of Norway at Svalbard.  my best contacts?

PJ4/SP9FIH
an island in the carribean
and the other way, HS5NMF in Thailand

so the latest top 20 for distance......


ZL2IBF New Zealand 11381 CW
PR5B Brazil 6243 SSB
HS5NMF Thailand 6069 SSB
OA1F Peru 5971 CW
JA7QVI Japan 5729 CW
HD2A Ecuador 5699 CW
N2PW USA AZ 4936 CW
HK1NA Colombia 4776 SSB
YV5DTJ Venezuela 4599 CW
PJ4/SP9FIH Bonaire 4463 SSB
N9RV USA MT 4257 CW
N9RV USA MT 4257 SSB
K1AY USA FL 4179 CW
N4BP USA FL 4148 CW
KJ3X USA FL 4136 SSB
N4TB USA FL 4119 CW
W4SVO USA FL 4113 SSB
K4WI USA AL 4109 CW
K4MF USA FL 4074 CW
N6AR USA FL 4074 CW

Thursday 11 April 2013

nice day on 20m.

I HEARD Brazil, China, Bahrain, Mali, and some other interesting stuff, but didn't get back to them.

interesting contacts I DID make.....

K0TPP USA MO
EA6/DL9LBQ Ibiza
CN8YZ  Morocco
 RA9KY Asiatic Russia (repeat)
EA9UG  Ceuta and Melilla
and......
ZA/IZ4JMA a first in Albania

Wednesday 10 April 2013

so as promised, contacts of note.....

OA1F in Peru early on 5th
A71QM Qatar late in the evening of the 6th
CF3A Ottowa Canada just after
KA1EFO USA MA evening of 8th

as well as a host of Europeans.
so, repeat readers well see a change.  I've joined clublog, so rather than having the big string of callsigns, you can how look at clublog for the info.  I'll still include the new countries, new states and the extreme long distance stuff, but no more big long lists, OK?

I've finally got the Philips PRM8010 into the car. 

there were bumps along the process.....

firstly there was a nasty burning rubber smell which I tracked down to the cigartette lighter plug that I was testing it with.

then there was a lot of alternator whine coming through, so I got a supressor (good old ebay!)

so now it's in the car, and I called for a radio check and a nice friendly bloke did that for me, and then GI6LCJ who sold me the radio came on to say I was making the trip to him too, which was nice of him.  just the speaker to mount securely, and I'm sorted.


Thursday 4 April 2013

a ew late on Monday evening to add to the total...... but a few days without drifting off 20m CW.high point?

a new country is always a high point, especially if its a LOOOOONG way away!!  so early morning HD2A in Ecuador was a goodie.  I'm claiming it, even though I didn't get a full call return. he replied mi08m. I KNOW the signal made the trip, so there's a pin in the map!



F5MDM France
EA1KB Spain
SP9FKF Poland
DL1MFZ Germany
IT9QAU Italy
RW4CUO Russia
UA9MAX Russia
UT4FB Ukraine
UA1CE Russia
UA6FZ Russia
OK2BBR Czech Rep
DL2BA Germany
SP6AML Poland
OK1MIK Czech Rep
OK1ED Czech Rep
YO5CDF Romania
HD2A Ecuador
UR5PM Ukraine
OM1ADM Slovak rep
HA2NEP Hungary
IK2UEX Italy
UA3DFD Russia
IZ1DXF Italy
LZ1IT Bulgaria
OK1HWI Czech Rep
I3DBD Italy
YU1CA Serbia
OM3JS Slovak rep
UX0KR Ukraine
IS0SZU Sardinia
VE2GDI Canada QC
SV1CQN Greece
W2OKM USA NJ
OK2BEJ Czech Rep
WA2BLE USA NY
SP3FGQ Poland
YU7FL Serbia
W8PO USA KY
IZOCCD Italy
EA1BOT Spain
RU2FZ Russia
RX9WN Russia
F6EAZ France
IK1GKH Italy
UX3HX Ukraine
UA3BX Russia
UA3QIM Russia

so Equador does into the distance top 10 at #4......


ZL2IBF New Zealand 11381
PR5B Brazil 6243
JA7QVI Japan 5729
HD2A Ecuador 5699
N2PW USA AZ 4936

Monday 1 April 2013

Easter weekend.... another big contest, so rather than huff and grump I decided to play along.  as my wee protest I looked up each station on QRZ.COM so that I could say "Thanks John, Good luck"at the end of the contact......

so, from Friday evening until now, (monday afternoon) a good old time for putting pins in the map wih new contacts into Cyprus. Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, & Kosovo  A bunch of Canada & US contacts, but no new states......


UT4FB Ukraine ES9C Estonia
EU6KA Belarus RF9C Russia
OM3LL Slovak rep US1I Ukraine
DF6NW Germany S59N Slovenia
RW3WA Russia S51AF Slovenia
OK1AQW Czech Rep KC3R USA PA
RL3BZ Russia KM3T USA NH
S51UJ Slovenia VE3DZ Canada ON
SQ7IQM Poland CF3A Canada ON
KJ3X USA FL Z39A Macedonia
OL9Z Czech Rep KM3T USA NH
E7DX Bosnia & Herz WU2A USA GA
OL7M Czech Rep KK9A USA NC
WP2Z USA NJ RT4F Russia
SO2R Poland EE1W Spain
EA7KB Spain RL3A Russia
IR5X Italy II1A Italy
S53M Slovenia GJ2A Jersey
EW2A Belarus SQ7DQX Poland
RG3K Russia II9P Sicily
CN2R Morocco 9A28EU Croatia
RM3Q Russia RT4RO Russia
HG4F Hungary WX3B USA MD




P33W Cyprus NX0X USA MN
LX7I Luxembourg DL4RBI Germany
LZ4RR Bulgaria E72GF Bosnia & Herz
TM1T France Z61DX Kosovo
W3KL USA MD OE8PRK Austria
HK1NA Colombia OH6MM Finland
CR6K Portugal DL7ARH Germany
RX6AM Russia SP6QKP Poland
UP0L Kazakhstan DK3SB Germany
N9RV USA MT LA8BGA Norway
NV1N USA VT OK1US Czech Rep
RC9O Russia EA2IF Spain
PI4ZI Netherlands OK1RO Czech Rep
PR5B Brazil DK8LG Germany
VE3DZ Canada ON OH2BN Finland
8P5A Barbados DL4BBJ Germany
K3ZO USA MD DL5SVB Germany
VE9HF Canada NB HB9TPT Switzerland
VO1JNS Canada NL HB9ALO Switzerland
KD4D USA MD SP4GSW Poland
NN1N USA CT F6AUF France
9A33P Croatia

W3FV USA PA


so the top 20?

BIG Changes!


ZL2IBF New Zealand 11381
PR5B Brazil 6243
JA7QVI Japan 5729
N2PW USA AZ 4936
HK1NA Colombia 4776
YV5DTJ Venezuela 4599
N9RV USA MT 4257
N9RV USA MT 4257
K1AY USA FL 4179
N4BP USA FL 4148
KJ3X USA FL 4136
N4TB USA FL 4119
W4SVO USA FL 4113
K4WI USA AL 4109
K4MF USA FL 4074
N6AR USA FL 4074
W4DXX USA GA 4068
8P5A Barbados 4057
K0LUZ USA FL 4056
KP2MM US Virgin Islands 3987



Thursday 28 March 2013

Tuesday - Thursday....

not so many contacts, some fairly local, some a little further a field.....

J5UAP in Guinnea-Bissau  was a new country, N8II was a new US state in West Virginia


UR7UR Ukraine
OK1DDB Czech Rep
9A65S Croatia
IK1FXX Italy
OE5ESD Austria
IZ2NGH Italy
YU1DW Serbia
EA4EOC/P1 Spain
DF5WBA Germany
LZ1DQ Bulgaria
I2ZZU Italy
SP1DTQ Poland
EA3GBA Spain
J5UAP Guinnea-Bissau
YU2NZ Serbia
E71BA Bosnia & Herz
N8II USA WV
IK4RDP Italy
IK2CGH Italy
SP2DWA Poland
IV3VZR Italy


Monday 25 March 2013

sat - mon....

no new countries, no new states, but a bunch of nice QSOs including a few repeats...


SA2BRN Sweden
SN6A Poland
ES5QD Estonia
HF15UM Poland
LZ13FDAY Bulgaria
HG52FC Hungary
DL6UNF Germany
OG3077F Finland
ER4KAA Moldova
4O3A Montenegro
EM70LL Ukraine
OE3SGU Austria
VE1BAD Canada NS
YO5OHY Romania
W2FOC USA NY
SV1ENG Greece
SV2CQB Greece
SP5FCZ Poland
S57S Slovenia
OM3TGK Slovak rep
OM3CAZ Slovak rep
HA8RC Hungary
DL5NAK Germany
IK2ZJR Italy
HA2NEP Hungary
F8FKK France
W3RJ USA PA
SV2CQB Greece
EA7QQ Spain
F5GF France
EA3DD Spain
DL1GLI Germany
CN8GL Morocco
UA5C Russia
DL1ARD Germany
UX7FD Ukraine
S51DV Slovenia
RX6DK Russia
IN3XRF Italy
LY2BBF Lithuania
RX3AGD Russia

Friday 22 March 2013

Wed - Friday.....

a few points of interest.......

Ole in Finland.....OH6MM.... only QSOed him on 20m all three days!  Actually signed off today with "see you tomorrow"

Thursday had two high points.  two new countries.....

SU9VB is a Russian bloke in Egypt
and YV5DTJ in Venezuela was a new CONTINENT as well as a new country.


DL6UNF Germany
OM3CQF Slovak rep
HB9IK Switzerland
OK5JM Czech Rep
DK2VV Germany
OH6MM Finland
HB8FAI Switzerland
IK2ZJR Italy
YO8DOH Romania
DL1JGV Germany
EA2KV Spain
UX7FD Ukraine
EH5SIP Spain
Z33A Macedonia
IK6JOV Italy
9A2UW Croatia
IK1TWK Italy
SP3BEJ Poland
I3DBD Italy
SK0TM Sweden
VE1VEI Canada NS
EA1EZJ Spain
OH6MM Finland
SM4AWF Sweden
HA8WZ Hungary
OK1AL Czech Rep
SP3BQC Poland
YT1KS Serbia
SU9VB Egypt
NG2D USA NY
YV5DTJ Venezuela
I2ZZU Italy
EA4RU Spain
F2TA France
DL5DWF Germany
DL5WS Germany
DK8NM Germany
OH6MM Finland
UR3ABI Ukraine

YV5DTJ makes it to no 4 in my distance chart


ZL2IBF New Zealand
JA7QVI Japan
N2PW USA AZ
YV5DTJ Venezuela
N9RV USA MT