PA0O ham radio

Although the vertical  i use is far from optimal. It is a vertical wire hung down  about 3m in parallel with the main mast.  The top 2m is horizontally sloped away to a tree. I needs slight tuning  with the K3 tuner. I think i can improve it with a side fiber beam  on top to keep it as far as possible from the main mast.  Then it will be a full 1/4 wave vertical again. The best must be a 1/4 wave in the open  field. I do not know how to estimate the performance of this antenna. Comparing  with other WSPR  setups  with small loops only will make it look like a super antenna..   I have good results also in the CW part of 80m.  And bad result in the local PA-beker hence most power must go at low angle ..   2011-03-04 16:22   VK7DIK   3.594043   -26   0   QE28sf   5   PA0O   JO33hg   16731   307  ...

Now the bands are deep down some days Only 80m gave good DX results with VK7DIK  and  VK6ZT   With the present high solar activity  I expect a period with good propagation. Possible the coming weekend it will be good  since it is always an up and down cycle also with high solar activity. Last 24  hours only  very few  28MHz  EU decodes DK6UG JN49cm  to V53ARC   south DL  and Italy VK DX record 144MHz  2657km! 2011-03-02 18:14 VK6DZ 144.490501 -28 0 OF84ux 10 VK2KRR QF34mr 2657 99 2011-03-02 10:32 VK6DZ 144.490449 -19 -2 OF84ux 10 VK5BC PF95jj 1922 95 2011-03-02 20:50 VK5BC 144.490495 -19 3 PF95jj 20 VK6DZ OF84ux 1922 263  2011-03-02 23:04 VK6DZ 144.490582 -24 0 OF84ux 10 VK5ZK PF94jl 1911 98  2011-03-02 11:14 VK5AKK 144.490521 +1 0 PF94ix 50 VK6DZ OF84ux 1909 264  2011-03-02 11:12 VK6DZ 144.490466 -4 0 OF84ux 10 VK5AKK PF94ix 1909 96 

Maybe I am not telling you any news but this WSPR  system is a real  genius system. Easy to set up.  It needs a PC  + internet for time synchronization and logging in the WSPR database. If a Transceiver   already is used for data RTTY / PSK    it is practical ready to be a WSPR beacon. It uses the same audio  CAT connections. WSPR is a full automatic multi band beacon TX and RX system that uses very low power and very small frequency resources.  More information at:   http://wsprnet.org/drupal/ I have always been active in CW  and other  non   PC  related communication. But this WSPR  is just to good and simple  not to be used when your radio station is idle. 1W power would be enough  in a simple GP f.i.  to run a WSPR beacon that will be reported  over the Globe! I  am  running my station as WSPR beacon  when away QRL  or doing something else. I simply ...

On 500kHz   only 1 USA report from EU  ....me ;-) 2011-02-27 05:18  WD2XSH/7   0.495969   -27   0   EM31js   20   PA0O   JO33hg   7830   39 Only 1  decode  against 16 previous nights 160m yesterday evening and night   not a single DX over 3000! much later  some USA decodes I have never seen such poor propagation since i have been on with WSPR 80m the same in the top DX list   no EU  present  no VK to EU  One time i tried to make a sort of DX-index for JO33 I select 100 records descending on distance over 24hours  and  count  the DX>4000 Most time my Index is well above 50  But now it was zero on 160 and 80m until long after  midnight very unusual.   2011-02-27 06:08   PA0O   3.594140   -16   0   JO33hg   5   WB8HWF...

I like contesting but... To my opinion this type of 160m contest must be canceled. 160m is to delicate for the QRM/splatter battlefield the inevitable consequence of    Phone  EU- East-EU  QRO  contesting. Exclusive DX-DX  trafic   would be better. Contests where  DX Quality counts are a better choice. Like the Stew Perry challenge or WAE DX  Replace the useless 599 by locator (4digit) or power is what I prefer.  

M y ARRL dx  end r esult was 385 Q  130 M  had to QRT  early because of QRL travel to Belgium. Just before leaving and evening dinner managed to get some new multy's  like VE7CC BC   Utah  VE5 SK  WA NV MT AZ  on 20   15m was early closed  Much worse propagation today.  Saturday I had to miss the best time for 15m  around our dinner time... Dinner has always been very bad for DX-ing  ...   Propagation completely changed against last week. 28MHz  heard weak  east -W working AF and south-EU  Like W3LPL K1TTT  KM1W NQ4I W2FU   the big gun contest leaders. Here in JO33hg with 100W  a mission impossible  with that iono scatter signals caused by high ERP. 160m was not  good  the band did not even sound like a major contest was going on only the big guns from east W / VE  had reasonable signals.  Very good ears for EU  they could hear my ...

One more extra plus to WSPR is that it will not interfere with other users on the bands since it uses only 200Hz bandslots and low power beacons.  It was a matter of time but one day i should also receive the /7 since it was received every night by G8HUH in West U.K. But low band propagation is not going to be better coming months since we are heading towards spring. Not this morning very cold freezing wind.   Last night propagation was restored enough from the recent eruption on the Sun. For the first time i had 2 decodes of WD2XSH/7  in EM31js    now my ODX  receive is improved to 7830km WD2XSH/17 weak decoded also 5630km  /17 can be decoded almost every night  2011-02-19 04:18  WD2XSH/7   0.495970   -24   0   EM31js   20   PA0O   JO33hg   7830   39 2011-02-19 06:24   WD2XSH/17   0.495891   ...