Activities – Seite 32 – Adventure Radio

24. Oktober 2010

RaDAR Love

Saturday and Sunday I tried true RaDAR (Radpid Deployment Amateur Radio) activation. That means: Setup the station in 5 minutes or less and use qrp output. Yaesu says, that the internal batteries of the FT-817 produce 2.5w. I used this weekend first time the internal batteries only, the MP-1 antenna, 10m RG-58 and the PalmRadio Keyer. All very easy in the rucksack 😉

For the first activation I decided Saturday morning. That’s the easiest (subjective) time to qualify a summit. I made in 9 minutes 12 QSO. For Sunday I decided the late afternoon. Not the best time for SOTA. I stopped the time:

arrived on the summit until qrv: 4 min 14 sec
qualified the summit (4 QSO made) : 3 min 42 sec
(made 8 QSO in 8 min 1 sec)
from qrt to setdown the station and leave the summit: 3 min 41 sec

the setup could be faster … 😉

10. Oktober 2010

Activity Day DARC District Northsea

with MP1 antenna and DK7ZB 144/432 yagi on the walking stick antenna pole

On Sunday, 10.10.2010, was the DARC District Northsea (I) Activity day. I decided to look into the 28MHz and the 144MHz part. The weather was great, temp. about 16°C and windy. I heard and worked some stations on 10m and called a long period CQ in CW. But no answer. The 144MHz part should start at 1300 local, so I qsyed on 40m where I made a nice s2s QSO with HA4FY/p on Hálás-tetö (HA/KD-042) and another 27 QSO in the following 20 minutes until 1300 local. Meanwhile the summit was full of trippers. When I tuned over 2m I heard a lot of SM6s and OZs with S9 and stronger. But no chance to break the pile up with QRP. I worked some local DLs for the Activity Day and heard >S9 G-Stations. I tuned into the CW band and called „CQ CQ CQ …“. No answer again. But a selfspot on SOTAwatch brought G0BPU with 468km from JO02OB into the log.

After that QSO I wanted to go home and tuned to our local channel 145.450MHz FM. Just wanted to say Tina (XYL), DC1BF, that I will return now. But there were two SM6-stations talking – with S9++ 😉

Result from weekend activation 09./10.10.2010

6. Oktober 2010

WNA and NAC again from DM/NS-108

FT-817ND with SLAB, in the background the lights of Osnabrück

The first tuesday in a month: WNA (Westphalia North Activity Evening) and NAC (Nordic Activity Contest) on 144 MHz. After surprising QSOs to Denmark in September I decided to take part in this evening again. Uncommon warm weather for October. 21°C. As antenna mast I used this evening only a hiking stick … plus my barefoot FT-817ND (5w).

First I worked some „local“ stations within a radius of 100km, only DK5QN in telegrafy. Then I heard a lot of OZs, OZ1ALS had true S9 on the Piesberg and it was easy to work with him. 322km. OZ9KY was not so loud, but for 423km surprising easy QSO. Then I heard S9 / S7 SK7MW. Is it possible to reach this station near Malmö with 5watt and HB9CV? A lot of DLs called him. After some QSO SK7MW returned with „The DELTA CHARLY SEVEN …“ Of course in this moment the signals dropped down to S1. But the operator at SK7MW was very patient. Tack så mycket! The QSO was complete and my QRP VHF ODX from a SOTA summit.

If the wx allows – cu in November 2010.

2. Oktober 2010

Welcome Back NS-108

This year the DM/NS-108 got a new „Windpark“ (Power-Turbines) The new turbines are about 150m high. The summit was remeasured and the summit got a new shape. Official height is 196m. Later the summit will get an outlook tower on a height over 200m asl. Since yesterday is NS-108 in the SOTA program returned. That confused some chasers today who looked only on SOTAwatch (This is no longer a valid summit after 31/12/2008) and not into the Database. But I hope we will have some nice QSO in future … today I had to close the operation. Rain started and too much confusion on 40m 😉

30. September 2010

Weser Uplands Tour – Bückeberg, Mönchberg + Wülpker Egge

This was a Jointventure with Roger (F5LKW) and Robert (F5HTR). It is not necessary to say another word – watch Roger’s video

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkP99hvgX5U&fs=1&hl=de_DE&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1]

18. September 2010

SAC 2010 CW on DM/NS-108

Petra (DF5ZV) told me this afternoon via facebook, that she had a nice run in the Scandinavian Activity Contest (SAC) on 14 MHz. When sun came out in the late afternoon – Co-Operator Anton and I decided, that we will make a walk over the Piesberg. On the summit came very quickly 10 QSO into our log and we continued the walk …

Station: FT817, 5W, MP1-Antenna

12. September 2010

WAE from the Piesberg DM/NS-108

MP1 Antenna - in the background teh 150m high power-turbines

Co-OP Anton - always in the center of the station

Klaus, DO1KLI, reported this morning on 2m that 21MHz is wide open. Christian, DO7AG, confirmed that and reported, that he just made 30 QSOs. Okay – 15m is not my favorite band but Anton and me wanted to try it. In the afternoon we climbed on the Piesberg. Our RaDAR 5×5 station was qrv in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. (RaDAR = Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio, 5×5 = 5 Watts in 5 Minutes) We heard a brasilian station with 59. But no answer on several CQ calls. ALso a N4-Station

understood only „DC7CC“ instead „DC7CCC“. It was very hard with QRP/SSB/MP-1 to make QSOs. But luckily I reached 4 stations within 10 minutes. LR2F from Argentina, KD4D and K9MY from the U.S.A. and DO1KLI from my neighbor village. POINT! 4 QSO and all okay.

7. September 2010

DM/NS-108 Piesberg in DLFF-125

Today was the WNA – Westphalia North Activity-Evening (2m / 70cm). That’s every first tuesday in a month. During the walk with the dog I set up my portable station. 5 watt + HB9CV. The first QSO was surprising OZ1DLD/p without any problem. (in the NAC contest) After 10 minutes I had my needed 4 QSO in the log and could continue my walk with Anton … QTH was the new shaped 194m asl summit on the Piesberg.

Link:

Westfalen Nord Aktivitätsabend
Beschreibung WNA bei DL1OJ
General Info on Nordic Activity Contest (NAC) via LA0BY

5. September 2010

DM/NW-139 Preußischer Velmerstot in DLFF-126

On Saturday the 4th of September I climbed again on the „Preußisch Velmerstot“ At the Velmerstot ends the well known 156km long „Hermannsweg“ Hiking trail thru the Teutoburg Forest. But I only walked the last 5km (look at the GPS-track) from the car park over the Silberbach via the „Lippische Velmerstot“ (441m asl) to the „Preußisch Velmerstot“ (468m) with the Eggeturm (watchout tower).

The "Eggeturm" watchout tower, now with roof — The „Eggeturm“ watchout tower, now with roof

The tower got a new roof in the last two years, you can compare it in my „Preußisch Velmerstot Photo Gallery„.

It was nice sunny weather that day and I wanted to play around a little bit with antennas, tune over the bands, make SSB and CW, HF and VHF.

At the end of the day I had 91 QSO in the log. It was a nice day with having lunch on the summit, watching from the tower, ragchewing, observe the late summer sunny nature.

My used station on that day:

Yaesu FT-817
100w PA for 10-80m
Link Dipole for 40 / 30 / 20 / 15 + 10m
Dipole for 80m
HB9CV for 144 MHz

On 2m I heard a lot of G-Stations, but my transceiver had too low power (5w) in the contest-qrm to reach them …

Thanks all for the contacts, the many spots and first time for me: a SOTA spot from DX … special thanks to VE2JCW for the QSO and the spot.

SOTA Spot

29. August 2010

DM/NS-177 Venner Berg in DLFF-125

This is the „Home-QTH“ of DR4WFF (aprs.fi) Today my HAM friends Klaus (DO1KLI) and Christian (DO7AG) wanted to test my portable PSK station. Hardware was a eeePC with a Sound-Card-Modem from Landolt and my FT-817. Result: It doesn’t work! The soundlevel via this galavnic separated modem was too low – RX very good, TX very bad 🙁 So, I cannot recommend this PSK-modem.

Especially because one cable was wrong connected. Instead into DATA out it was connected into the PTT plug of the FT-817. But this fault I noticed before at home.

Because it was YO-DX-Contest I had quick the 4 necessary contacts in the log. Valid activation for GMA (General Mountain Award). Thanks!