EME OK2AQ

1296 MHz

After winter we went to the cottage for the first time and since Wednesday 2.4. I started EME on 23 cm. My motive was the expected increased activity around the DUBUS contest. I wasn't going to participate in the actual contest as it is a hassle with my small antenna. Of course I tried to listen to CW stations in the contest and I can confirm Zdenek's OK1DFC information that the stations were very hard to "read" this time. Finally I did CW only Marek OK2DL. On the other hand I really enjoyed the week. I managed 15 new initials OE9ERC, F5KUG, W2LPL, K3SK, AC2AC, G4KLX, IZ8GGF, BA7LOK, UA9FA, K6FOD, OE3JPC, WA3GFZ, KD2XN, JH3AZC, SP9VFD {#196} and 50 QSOs in total. It is gratifying to see how the digi traffic is cultivating. The vast majority of stations already use oscillators hung on atomic standard and therefore have accurate frequencies, understand the advantage of CFOM and can use AP or averaging. As a result, even small stations are doing each other.

My wife and I spend our summers at our cottage in JN89eu, where I also have an EME workstation. After the DUBUS contest on 10 GHz I mounted my QRP setup for 23 cm in the 1.8 m offset reflector and I was enjoying this band where there was always something going on. By mid-August I made 99 Q65 QSOs, with 19 initials: DL1AT, ZS4TX, ON5GS, LZ4FR, CT2GUR, PA1PS, E7/EA8DBM, SA6BUN, 4O/EA8DBM, VK3NFI, VK3WRE, VK4CDI, AB6A, M0FXX, UA4AAV, VE3NXK, PA3EXV, CT8/W6PQL and CT1FFU {#181}. The sun was behaving as it should at the peak of the solar cycle. The SFU values were close to 300 and the SN/CS measurements were consistent with that.

110824 13:36   SFU = 280 !!!     SN/CS ≈11 dB

June 2023 with OJ0EME

After 3 cm I rearmed to 23 cm  on June 19 and it was really alive here. There was a pile-up on OJ0EME and so there was no point with my QRP to increase the interference on their frequency. I did, however, make a number of initials. The next day the OJ0EME expedition frequency was already clear, so I called it with an offset of 1000 Hz (they were working 1500 Hz) and we immediately made a QSO {#86} DXCC 27, which made even Sebastian DG5CST happy because he knows my little setup. In total I made 26 initials and 6 new countries PY2BS, OJ0EME, LA3EQ, YB2MDU, YU1SAN and 9H1BN by June 29, see log. Some of those connections took work, but after finding the optimal configuration, they were successful, and that's the best fun. So I really enjoyed June with EME. I was also visited by Jirka OK1MWW on his electric bike, who as it turned out lives in almost a neighboring village, so there was also someone to talk to.

For interest: on waterfall there is OK1UGA signal on 1200 Hz during our EME QSO. Besides the exact frequency, we can see the perfect Doppler shift compensation during CFOM. Below around 1000 Hz is Martin's direct signal which I received due to the proximity of our QTH. It shows how the Doppler shift compensation is done (during CFOM we both compensate half of our own shift). Then at period 15:53 you can see this direct signal additionally reflected from the aircraft.

We arrived at my rural QTH on Wednesday before the REF and DUBUS 23 cm contest. On Thursday in nice weather I installed the external and internal hardware and managed to calibrate the antenna. On Friday after moonrise I made my 1st CW QSO with HB9Q followed by 15 Q65-60C contacts with initials SM6CKU, DJ7FJ, CX2SC, K5LA and K8ZR. In the DUBUS contest I made 6 CW QSOs with HB9Q, OK1KIR, DG5CST, OK2DL, OZ4MM and OK1DFC. It turned out that tuning to the opposite station during CW "blind" (I can't see my own echo) is not trivial with PLUTO. In fact, it is necessary to link the calculated value for Doppler compensation with the corresponding frequencies of the RX nf filter, TX keying tone and DF in WSJT-X. There were also a number of digi stations on the band, so we managed to extend the initials with IN3FCK, N5TM, W2ZQ and OK1USW. Especially the last contact with OK1USW is appreciated. We both use small antennas with 1.8 m diameter of aperture and 150/200 W power. I decoded Lada's CQ quite reliably, but he didn't pick me up. So we changed the mode to Q65-120D and did the reports (-27/-28) with no problem. Distinguished CW operators like to use the phrase "CW is King" and I add "Q65 is Queen". Log.

ARRL EME contest 1. leg, October 15-16 2022

Beautiful Indian summer before and after the contest and rainy weekend during the contest. On 23 cm I participated in the contest for the first time and therefore with due humility. The stations on the moon were like on "twenty meters" and the strength of some of them would bear similar comparison. It was clear to me that with such a small antenna (1.8 m offset) and power (100 W in the feed) it was like riding the "superbike" category on a moped. But it was great fun with lots of new knowledge. If anyone would like to follow me, I highly recommend it, but be very patient. Almost every station with a stronger signal has a pile-up and you have to wait until everyone else has done it and then do it too. My main goal was the new initials. In the contest I made 25 QSOs with 12 initials K3WM, DL6SH, K2UYH, PA3DZL, VK2JDS, SK0CT, DL7UDA, LZ1DX, DF3RU, OM4XA, UA5Y and ON4AOI. Since I was QRV on Thursday and Friday before the contest, I made initials G4YTL, UN6PD, SP7EXY, IK2DDR and F1RJ and on Monday after the contest IK3COJ and PE1LWT, on Tuesday G0LBK for a total of 20. For my SDTRx with the Adalm PLUTO I solved the CW elegantly, but I forgot to monitor. I tried to solve it with a second SDR, but the delay in the software defined receiver was such that telegraphing was not possible - a task for next time. The complete log is as usual.