Adventure Radio – Seite 37 – DL4MFM's Amateur Radio Blog

19. Januar 2011

Where do I go next?

Android App helps to find the next Summit Reference up to 100km

Well, I played today a little bit around with the App Inventor for Android. My idea: the Android device receives the GPS position and passes the coordinates to a web application connected to my summit database. This application lists all summits up to 100km. Programming with the App Inventor is like a mixture of visual programming and puzzeling. Very funny.

Here you have an example of the display, you will get on your Android mobile if you are in Hannover, Germany

The very rudimental App (but it works!) can you download here: www.AdventureRadio.de/apk/NextSota.apk

Or use the QR-Code:

Download Next Sota App V0.0.2 25-Jan-2011

9. Januar 201111. Januar 2014

DARC 10m Contest 2011 from DM/NS-036 Dörenberg

: MP-1 Antenna on the „Hermannsturm“

Good Old Times: same location in 1985 10m Contest at -15°C. Left DC7CCC, right DL5BAD as DFØJU — Good Old Times: same location in 1985 10m Contest at -15°C. Left DL4BAH (now DC7CCC), right DL5BAD as DFØJU/p

No Conditions are Good Conditions

One of my favorite contests ever is the DARC 10m Contest. In the80’s several times per year it is reduced to only one date: The January DARC 10m Contest. Mostly there are bad conditions, two years ago I worked stations from Italy or Spain during the contest. But today the band was closed. This is a big advantage for the radio-hiker on the summit: No DX condition means, that the high-power stations with beams can work also over groundwave only.

My station today: about 20w output into my MP-1 antenna. Temperatures on the tower around 0°C, no rain or snow. So I decided to operate directly from the platform. I started 10 minutes too late, because the ascent on the „Dörenberg“ was very difficult. Crusted snow and ice-fields forced me to go very slow. A normal ascent takes 20-25 minutes, now I needed 1 hour. On the top of the summit were 30cm crusted snow, but the tower was luckily free of snow and ice.

Quick I installed the MP-1 and connected the

transceiver. Log ready, clock ready, free frequency and: CQ CONTEST DC7CCC/P CONTEST.

The first call was at 09:11 UTC and was followed by the first answer. Until 10:59 I logged 117 QSO. This year SSB only. CW is in this contest a waste of time except you are in the CW class only.

Only one group hikers visitied the tower today. After the first hour of the contest wind came up … the last 30 minutes the windchill gave me a -20°C feeling. I was glad when the contest ended and I left the tower quickly. I cancelled also the planned additional 40m SOTA operation.

Results: 117 QSO, 1 DXCC, 58 DOKs = claimed score 6903 points. I hope it won’t give too much deduction of the points. Some stations had problems with DC7CC and DL7CCC and DC7CCC 🙂

QTH: Hermanssturm, Dörenberg, JO42AE, 331m high plust 21m tower. Ref: DM/NS-036, WFF DLFF-125 (Terra Vita)

2. Januar 2011

HNY from DM/NS-026 ‚Hüggel‘

On sunday, the 2nd January 2011, I made my first activity in the new year. My station FT-817 running 5w with MP-1 antenna. It was difficult to find a free frequency because a contest (again 🙁 …) was running. A boring QRP contest qrmed all interesting HF bands for 24 hours.

Temperatures were around 0°C. So no problem to work without gloves. In spite of the heavy qrm I made 17 SOTA QSO. Thanks all stations for calling.

After the activation I had a short fonecall from my XYL Bettina. Then I packed together my station. And then I missed my cell-fone. I called Bettina several-times on our 2m „home-frequency“, but no answer. I switched to the local 2m repeater DB0OBK and asked around, whether s.o. can make a call to my mobile fone. Klaus, DG6BBL/m, returned and quickly I found my (white-colored) fone in the snow when Klaus rings my cell-fone. Many thanks to Klaus.

21. Dezember 2010

SOTA review

Vor zwei Jahren wurden etliche SOTA-Referenzen in DM (Deutsche Mittelgebirge) gestrichen. Nach der Anzahl der SOTA-Spots ist die Aktivität „gefühlt“ gesunken. Aufschluss gibt die SOTA Datenbank.

Die Aktivität in DM sank somit seit 2008 um 73,8%. Während 2008 139 registrierte DM-Aktivierer mit durchschnittlich 22 Aktivierungen qrv waren, waren es im Jahr 2010 nur 89 Aktivierer mit durchschnittlich 11 Aktivierungen.

In England (G) stieg die Zahl der Aktivierer, aber die Anzahl der Aktivierungen ist abnehmend bis konstant. In Wales (GW) fiel die Anzahl der Aktivierungen um etwa 50%, aber die Anzahl der Aktierer stieg von 15 auf 24.

2008 hatten wir insgesamt 10.510 Aktivierungen, 9.796 in 2009 und 2010 einen Rekord mit 11.135 Aktivierungen. Die Zahl der Assoziationen wurde verdoppelt: Von 25 auf 50 (100%). Die Zahl der Aktivierer stieg nur um 23% von 627 auf 810. Die durchschnittliche Anzahl der Aktivierungen pro Aktivierer fiel von 28 auf 11.

(Quelle: www.sotadata.org.uk, Stand 21-Dec-2010, alle Vergleiche zwischen 2008 und 2010)

Activations in Associations DM, DL and G	Number of Activators in DM, DL, G
Total Activations, Total Activators	Number of Associations, Average Activations per Activator

Now, 2 years after the lost of many references in Germany, is a good time to look and compare about SOTA-activity.

The activity in german Low Mountain Region dropped since 2008 by 73,8%. While 2008 139 DM-registered activators where active with 22 activations average, it were in 2010 only 89 activators with averaged 11 activations (1) .

In England (G) the number of activators raised but the count of activations is constant until decrasing. In Wales (GW) the count of activations fell about 50% but the count of activators raised from 15 to 24.

2008 we had 10510 activations, 9796 in 2009 and 2010 a record of 11135 activations. But the nummber of associations were doubled: From 25 to 50 (100%) but the number of activators raised only by 23% from 627 to 810. The average number of activations per activator fell from 28 to 11.

(Source: www.sotadata.org.uk, standing 21-DEC-2010, all comparisons between 2008 and 2010)

7. Dezember 2010

DM/NS-108 Piesberg … Activation #63 and #64

December "Westfalen Nord" Activity Evening

I continued operations from DM/NS-108 through November 2010 and continue during December 2010 … but now in snow. Last Saturday, 4th December, it was very cold. We wanted to make a handful QSO only but then a pile up started and after 30 minutes were 40 stations in the log. My first CW activation operating with gloves. ICECOLD! stn: 5w, MP-1, 7MHz only

Yesterday at WNA / SAC my ball pen failed … it was empty. I made only 5 qso, that was the maximum brain-storage yesterday 😉

20. November 2010

Summit to Summit

F5LKW/p and DC7CCC/p. I had 5w output into a MP-1 Antenna on 10MHz. Roger (F5LKW) had 10w and a MP-1, too. Here his video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XN7NxnnKGg&fs=1&hl=de_DE]

7. November 2010

Marconi VHF Contest 2010 – new ODX from DM/NS-108

This weekend was the Marconi Memorial CW Contest on 144 MHz. I wanted to take the chance to work some stations in CW on 2m this morning. I was one hour qrv during a walk over NS-108 Piesberg. It was my first participation in this contest since I am licensed (1978). I heard a lot of stations but mostly with low signals. In spite of my qrp station ( 5 wtts / HB9CV) I worked new ODX from DM/NS-108:

TM0W in JN36BP 645km
OK2M in JN69UN 501km
OK1DC in JN69JJ 465km

I heard some stations far far away like OM7W (885 km), but no chance to work them (today).

See all QSOs on the QSO-Map

This is the QSO with OK2M:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm724j9XTQ8&fs=1&hl=de_DE&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

1. November 2010

October 2010 on DM/NS-108

These are the results for 10/2010 from the Piesberg, DM/NS-108 :

28. Oktober 2010

2nd SARL RaDAR (Field day) Contest, Sat 6 Nov 2010

(RaDAR = Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio)

This contest is for everyone, at home, in your car, in the field. Any mode , CW , SSB , FM or digital modes. Any band or Satellite. Support your friends in the field, you never know, you may work a really rare grid in the process!

Time: 12:00 UTC – 18:00 UTC

Please see the „Blue book“ , SARL Forum or on www.nwinternet.za.org/zs6bne/RaDAR for contest details. Please use the logbook format available as links on the websites.

The true RaDAR station must have carried the entire station including antennas for at least 1 km prior to setting up, without relying on existing man made infrastructures i.e. antennas, masts or towers.

To be considered as a RaDAR station, the entire station; radios, batteries, mast and antennas must be easily portable and hence the need to carry the equipment for at least 1 km

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 … 😉