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Blame the cat…

Have you ever noticed that a lot of hams are cat lovers (or pets in general)? I have two cats who love to bug me when I’m operating. Walking over the keyboard, bumping the paddles. I came across this silly cat story in the ARRL Newsletter about a ‘ditter’. Apparently some station was sending a continuous string of dits on 40m from time to time. To make a long story short: the local hams gathered a small team to find the station sending the dits. In the end they found a station with no one at home but still transmitting.

Here’s the link to the newsletter: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/08/1031/ Now the bottom line (quote from the ARRL Newsletter 10/31/2008):

With help from the neighbor, Swain contacted the ham at work and
explained the situation. The ham told the neighbor how to get in the
house and where they would find the transmitter. "We went in, found the
transmitter in operation and turned it off," Swain said. "I noticed the
ham had a large cat lounging near the transmitter and assumed the cat
could have leaned up against the keyer paddle and started the
transmitter. No other explanation could be possible without the owner
hearing the transmit relay clicking."

I wonder if the operator leaves his house with the rig on? Or does his cat know how to flip switches? Every time I leave my shack for a snack or a whiz I put the amp in ‘stand by’ and route the rig to the dummy load. When I leave the house the house all my stuff is switched off and the 230V supply is cut with a master switch on the outlet (à la this one). My cats are pretty clever in opening doors and flushing the toilet but I don’t see them activating my station…

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Could it be?

Today yet another certificate in the mail: "First Place Multioperator Belgium" for the 2007 edition of the ARRL 10m contest. I didn’t even remember entering that one. I checked my log: twenty five contacts (25). In other words: showing up and submitting a log suffice to receive wallpaper when you’re in ON. The ‘multi op’ thing just means I was ‘assisted’. The ARRL counts DX cluster as a second operator. I learned that the hard way (link).

I like the 10m contest a lot. But now is not the time for 10m. Last week I was talking to Franky ON7RU. He feels that very slowly propagation is creeping out of the valley. Skeptical me replied that I did not have that impression. The next day I worked VU7SJ on 10m CW. I was amazed. Not just a weak signal popping out of the noise for a few minutes, but S7-S8 for quite a long time. Strike the iron while it’s hot so I CQ’ed and worked some loud EU’s and got called by Z29KM. Turning the beam to him made him S7 too. On 10m… And also 15m seemed to be better than it has been over the last year. Maybe it’s just my imagination but could it really be that we’re getting out of the minimum?

Right now my best DX band is still 30m. In a few weeks probably the W6/7-path on my sunset will be there again. It was there last winter so I hope it’ll be there again. I worked a lot of JA last week just after my sunrise which is about their sunset. The problem with copying them was not the weakness but the echo. On both mornings the signals were quite loud but hard to copy. Is there a Q-code for echo? I still don’t know, and I’ve been wondering for almost a year now (link). Anyone?

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Questionable modulation in WW SSB

With great interest I read Randy K5ZD’s post on 3830: http://lists.contesting.com/_3830/2008-10/msg01338.html

Quote: <<We need to decide on a strategy as a group for how to handle the stations that splatter. They are going to ruin the fun of contesting for everyone if we don’t find a way to make it just as painful for them to splatter as it is for us to hear it. I am not suggesting we interfere with them, but peer pressure needs to be applied in real-time.>>

I replied to Randy that I agreed. Like always I made various notes during the contest (SB20 HP) and this time I noted a dozen of calls whose modulation was just too wide. I didn’t care about the ‘slightly over the top’ but only noted the ridiculously overdriven signals. The worst were of course the ‘local’ EU signals but I encountered some pretty harsh signals from the USA so I guess it would have been terrible for neighboring operators with skip distance.

Randy suggested that I’d disclose this list on the CQ Contest Reflector to get the message through. I’ve been thinking this over for a couple of days and decided that blowing a whistle is one thing but calling names is another. I wouldn’t really want to see my call on a sort of blacklist either. And we should give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe these stations don’t know how to do better?

I understand and accept that CQ WW SSB is THE event and everyone gets on the bands. I understand and accept that the world’s biggest and strongest signals compete for the best scores. I understand and accept that given the propagation above 20m, everyone settles on 14 MHz and signals boom in from all over the planet. But I have a problem with huge chunks of spectrum being eaten by stations who take 3 to 4 times the bandwidth they’re supposed to occupy. Maybe more if you’d analyze with real equipment in stead of an S-meter.

I think it’s just a matter of good operating practices that we try to keep our signals clean. I spent the good part of a Saturday adjusting the modulation on my K3 that was put to use in SSB for the first time. I solicited comments on my audio and kept tweaking until it was confirmed as “excellent” by various DX stations. Not only the sound but also if the signal was within acceptable bandwidth after adjusting gain and compression. Believe me, it wasn’t at first and I got some pretty bad news on my signal but I didn’t settle for any less. This went through my mind when I heard guys occupying 12 kHz (6 kHz on either side) before I could copy another call that had to be S9++ to get through the splattering. Why didn’t these guys check their modulation? Why don’t they care?

Randy proposed real time peer pressure. I think the language barrier can be a problem sometimes. I tried to point out to one station that he took a lot of spectrum and he replied that (quote) “his ALC was working fine and he couldn’t do anything about it now”. So there you are… Maybe someone ought to write a small article on how to adjust your rig for good modulation? Then again I’m sure this has all been said and written before. But a short item, nothing technical but very to the point, should be fine. I am thinking N0AX here, and his delightful Contest Ratesheet. Oh right – they changed to name to The ARRL Contest Update Newsletter. Then again, probably the target audience are no subscribers. Then again: why bother? We know the problem, but who knows the solution?

I started typing this as a posting to the CQ Contest Reflector. Twelve hours later, I decide to bail out and just post this here.

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Top (10) Gun

Yesterday I wrote: I wonder what I’m going to do for WW CW. SOAB(A) would be fun but I don’t think I can focus 48h… Maybe in a couple of weeks I’m so hyped that I do?

In today’s mail: the certificate for CQ WW CW 2007. I was SOAB (A) HP. As usual Country Winner for Belgium but the certificate also says: #10 Europe. I never climbed so high up the the ladder. So right now I’m already pretty hyped about WW CW. I’m not sure about SOAB because I have been thinking to do some SB effort. But in CW "All Band" is more fun. I’ve got 4 weeks to decide and to prepare…

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CQ WW SSB 2008

Although not planned 2008 has turned into a contesting sabbatical. I’ve been on here and there but not like in 2007 where I entered almost each and every contest – big and small. This contest was the first contest where I actually tried to be serious. Not to put together a top score which is impossible from ON with my setup, but to do at least was well as the previous years. For the fourth year in a row: SB20. No chance on 15m let alone 10m yet and I don’t like the mode enough for a Low Band endeavor on phone.

Here’s how I did compared to last year’s CLAIMED score. Target was 1300 QSO and 450k points. Deep down I hoped for 1500 QSO. Silly me.

Year QSO Zone DXCC Score Setup
2005 1256 30 90 324230 KLM KT34XA + 500W, TS-850
2006 1507 35 114 420031 KLM KT34XA + 1 kW, TS-850
2007 1360 32 107 378219 OB11-3 + 1kW, TS-850
2008 1224 31 104 378405 OB11-3 + 1kW, K3

Preparation started the weekend before The Weekend. I’ve got a K3 since half June and this would be the first time I’d put it to use in SSB. With a lot of parameters to tweak, or at least more than on my TS-850, I solicited some audio reports. I learned that the modulation sucked… big time! After trying to adjust all sorts of parameters and still getting bad audio reports I decided to send a message to the Elecraft reflector. As usual it rained prompt replies suggesting some values for the parameters. Then I sounded like a 747 taking off on a simple PTT. I didn’t even talk into the mic yet. To make a long story short: microHAM USA’s W4TV told me to cut a ground wire in the interface cable and there you go: pristine audio and great reports. Last Friday before the contest I received a private and direct email from Eric @ Elecraft (one of the company’s kingpins) to check wether my problem got solved in the end. Elecraft customer care to the max!

I got home on Friday around noon and I cranked up the tower. An OB11-3 tribander at 21m high and with the audio supposedly great now I fired away on 20m. That was fun. I worked all across the USA from East to West and everything in between and made some more elaborate QSO’s "rag chew style". Great comments on my signal strength and the audio. This promised a lot of good for the contest. Propagation seemed to cooperate too.

I started on Saturday morning and pretty soon I grabbed my pen and started making notes about whose modulation is as wide as a barn door and who nests too close to yours truly. I made 17 notes in total and as usual after the dust has settled, I don’t do anything with it. I just file the notes in a little book. I try to be friendly and not make enemies so I never disclose this. Although in the heat of the battle I plan to. This time a couple of calls returned on my list two or three times over these two days.

I had a constant S9+20 QRM level. Everyone was on 20m all the time which caused a lot of trouble. I could have worked a lot more DX with a clear frequency. I think some multipliers called in (or at least 3 pointers) but I couldn’t hear them with the QRM and splatter. I missed a couple of multipliers. No KH6, no YB, no 9M, no XE and not too much SA mults. The lack of YB and 9M stunned me. It seems they are more active in CW, no? I heard a weak TG9 on Saturday but the band was almost closed so I didn’t work him. And I didn’t hear him back on Sunday.

Unassisted. Hunting for mults myself. Mostly I do SOAB(A) so I am not a mult finding machine. Even worse: I hate S&P and love to run. Boss Springsteen even made a song about that. So every time I took a break I ended my run with a S&P sweep and before trying to find a running frequency, I moved up and down the band once more. Finding weak DX mults under all the QRM seemed impossible at times. A better way was to look for a bunch of rude and impatient callers, stop there and try to find the weak DX they’re calling. That implies swinging the beam over a 270° span.

I found a couple of goodies like that. ZS9X for instance. And 3DA0DJ. The latter was completely covered in Italian splatter so I needed to RX for a while to see what the pile up was about. TK9R sat there too for another mult. All too close to each other though. 3DA is in line with Italy from here. I think I worked him but the timing with the running Italian was so unfortunate that each time 3DA0DJ came back, the Italian hit F1. So I went back half an hour later and called again. I got the QSO and a duplicate notice from the DX. Sorry but I can’t afford to miss a mult. Can you?

QRZ? QRZ? QRZ? QRZ? QRZ? One EU contester aiming for a WRTC seat worked 5 QSO’s before signing his call. Not that there was a pile up, he just said "QRZ" until someone answered. I think the QRZ phenomenon was less than last year though…

One station from the UN DXCC had modulation as wide as 10 kHz. I mean that I needed to move away 5 to 6 kHz to hear something else than him – while he still slipped through 20dB over 9… He topped the bill but there sure were some ugly signals out there!

One African contest station did something I don’t understand. He called for JA JA JA. They called but obviously no calls stood out. So he pulled them out with partials one at the time and this killed his rate. After 10-15 minutes he went back to working EU. I can understand that you do this in an every day DX pile up. EU QRX – PSE JA. But in a contest where EU is worth as much as JA (3pt) and EU has way more zone and DXCC mults than JA, I’d just run EU like crazy. Only my opinion…

Saturday night, band closed. CU2X a/k/a CU2A a/k/a OH2UA came in S9+60dB. Maybe more but the S-meter scale ends there. I needed the mult but I couldn’t work him. I called for half an hour since the band was closed but he was running USA at some crazy rates. Didn’t he hear me at all? It must be great to operate a place like that. I worked him on Sunday morning for the mult.

It was fun but I really prefer CW. I wonder what I’m going to do for WW CW. SOAB(A) would be fun but I don’t think I can focus 48h… Maybe in a couple of weeks I’m so hyped that I do?

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More DX

DX 1: VK9DWX and 9L1X: worked some more last weekend. And worked some more USA on 30m too. Fun!

DX 2: JIDX CW 2008: results are already out (link). Country winner yet again. No I wasn’t the only ON one to submit a log this year. Yet another nice certificate…

DX 3: CQ WW DX SSB. For the fourth year in a row SB20. I don’t like SSB enough for a 48hr all band effort. I’ve had it with 20m but what to do with current propagation? SB40 in SSB? Thanks but no thanks! I hope propagation on 14 MHz will offer some nice openings. A modest JA pile up and a few long lasting +100/hr rates into USA would certainly be welcome. Probably it’ll be a drag once again with no real openings and no high rates.

Here’s how I did in the previous years (CLAIMED score from my log):

Year QSO Zone DXCC Score Setup
2005 1256 30 90 324230 KLM KT34XA + 500W
2006 1507 35 114 420031 KLM KT34XA + 1 kW
2007 1360 32 107 378219 OB11-3 + 1kW
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DX IS!

Yes I work DX too and no I am not ill – thanks for asking though. I hope this will stop the flooding of MSN messages and emails wondering why I don’t show up in the DX logs.

dxlog

Just kidding. Cheers to my friends ON4BHQ and ON4CCP for getting me into the shack with their messages. I hope to work some more this weekend.

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Finally some fun on the bands!

Last weekend my plan was to spend some time in the shack and have some fun again. Mission accomplished. It looked promising on Friday late in the afternoon. See my previous post below. The low A/K values helped to work some DX on 17m. On Saturday I wanted to do better so I cranked up the tower. Too bad by then A rose to 27. Still I worked a few JA’s on 17m. At the same time a pair of PY slipped through too.

In the morning during the Oceania DX Contest I worked a few stations from Down Under or thereabout (VK, ZL, 9M, YB)… on 15m! With signals not even too weak. Great! Two weeks ago I received a nice certificate for the 2007 edition. I worked a handful Oceanians on 40/80m then and qualified for ON Country Winner. Maybe I will again?

By 15.00 utc I was brave / desperate enough to call CQ on 12m. Some EU and to my surprise a UA9. Cherry on top was being called by ZS6EU there. Woohoo! Early in the evening I worked a bunch of W3 calls in the PA QSO Party on 20m. I expected more of that but 14 MHz was dying. Later on I made about 30 QSO in EU Sprint on 40m and two QSY’s to 20m when asked. I didn’t want to participate ‘for real’ because I am not in a competitive mood. I like EU Sprint a lot but I always end up low. To make this thing fun EU should participate massively. 40m wasn’t easy: there was an RTTY contest going on taking more spectrum than the digimodes normally do. And VK9DWX took a big chunk by listening too far from his own QRG. The remainder of the evening was spent on 30m. I worked USA and VK there but the signals were weak and not too many activity there so I went to bed at around 23.00 utc.

In the morning 30m was dead (or no one around?) and nothing happened on 20m. I managed to work NH7O on 40m though which I believe is my first KH6 on 7 MHz. Then on to work some more VK/ZL on 40m. No strong signals but they sure drew a EU crowd. Lots of bad manners there too. Around that time an announcement on the cluster mentioned Paolo I2UIY SK. Unfortunately this got confirmed later. So now the guy who imported the Sprint from NA to EU is no longer with us. I have never met Paolo in person but we exchanged a few emails in the past on various topics. Too bad I can’t find his writings about EU Sprint anymore. For years he maintained the EU Sprint pages on his own web site but those pages seem to be no longer online. EDIT: They are now on the EU Sprint pages: http://www.eusprint.com/index.php?page=111&lang=g and http://www.eusprint.com/index.php?page=112&lang=g.

This past weekend there were two expeditions active: VK9DWX and 9L1X. I tried to work both a few times but I didn’t persevere and moved on fast. It’s not my style to criticize a DX operator’s practice PUBLICLY so I won’t go there this time either. What bothered me way more is the behavior of the *beep* *beeping* *beepholes* on the pile up side. Some guys just DO NOT listen. They send their call 4 or 5 times in a row. During that time the DX worked a station and was already listening for another. And what about RTFM’ing for the ‘split’ button? It was a crying shame. Since my plan for the weekend was to have fun I didn’t bother and parked myself somewhere else and called CQ. Guess what? It was good to work some DX again!

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Blowing the dust off

This weekend it’ll be 6 weeks since my last QSO. This weekend it’ll be 6 weeks since my butt last touched the shack’s chair. In between I only let the amp run dry for a few hours to keep things going. So I vowed that this weekend, I’ll make a few contacts.

The first thing to do after such a period is let the PC do its updates both for the operating system as for anti-virus. Then I installed the latest N1MMLogger and K5ZD’s SCP. Finally it was time to make the move from V5 to V7 for my microHAM MK2R+ ‘s USB routing software. This went unexpectedly smooth. No glitches, no settings lost, no problems to get things going after the upgrade. Great stuff from microHAM! Then on to get my K3’s firmware up to date. Last time (and the first time I did that) wasn’t exactly a big success (see link). Guess what? Same issue again. Same solution to the problem. And now I remembered to set the baudrate to 4800 again!

Finally time for some action. TT8JT was firing away on 20m. I think I worked him. He sent what I assumed to be my call but I was not sure due to "simplex rude manners" so I replied ‘QRM DE OQ5M OQ5M 579 PSE CFM’ to which he replied ‘TU TT8JT UP’. So I did not get a confirmation and I simply did not log the contact. I don’t care about DXCC or work – not work a DX. I want a decent QSO which is at least a proper confirmation of my call to see if the DX has it straight.

I didn’t bother to call again and moved up to 17m. SFI=69 and A was 0. So I did what I like most: park myself and call CQ (in CW of course) and see what happens. After a couple of CQ’s WA6NHD answered. His loud signal lead me to believe he was an Eastcoaster. But not so: he sent ‘CA’! My first QSO in 6 weeks and there you go. I continued for a while and worked some more W5+6+7 and a W0. California, Texas, Nevada, Colorado and Pennsylvania too. I like working USA regardless the band. Then I got a "Dinner Is Served" call so I called it a day. My weekend’s vows are met.

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Less is more!

You get less yet you pay more. Welcome to the 2008 purchasing power dip.

I try to keep the non-ham stuff here limited to a strict minimum but radio activities @ ON5ZO are reported to be at an all time low. No further research is needed about correlation with sunspots. There is a proven link. However I wanted to vent something that has been on my mind for a few days.

We moved in here half 2003 after a few months of cleaning up the house and giving it a 21st century look inside. Since then our "two head family" (don’t count the paws, too many pets) succeeded in consuming less electrical energy year after year. For 5 years in a row the annual graph to document our power supplier’s invoice shows less kWh year after year. We replaced appliances with new versions that consume less energy. We replaced all lights with compact fluorescent light bulbs and (credit goes to XYL) we don’t waste power. Mild winters helped too since we didn’t need to fire up some auxiliary electrical heating in office rooms and the shack.

So despite the fact that during the September 2007 to September 2008 time span we consumed LESS kWh than ever before, our annual invoice has gone up with ALMOST 200 Euro. I must admit that this number is a rough calculation that I need to redo next year when I can make the difference between the sum of the monthly deposits and the balance with the measured consumption per kWH-meter but still I am not amused. That is a relative increase of over 20%. Last time I checked our salaries didn’t grow this much in a year.

On the other hand bringing our fuel stove to the scrap yard (scrap metal pays 300 Euro per metric ton these days) seems to have been a good deal. We bought a pellet stove last winter. We’re very happy with that as a first indication shows that annual heating costs are half of what gasoline ("mazout" as we say here) would have cost us. But it gets better. I asked a price quote for the pellets last week and… the price has dropped with about 15% since last year. Sceptics warned us that the price of the pellets would rise with demand but until now it seems that its increasing popularity does not affect the price. By all means the price of pellets is not susceptible to international geopolitical circumstances, unlike fossil fuels.

I hope to heat the shack with about 1 kW of RF power this winter. More on ham radio later (contest certificates, upgrading my software tools, Belgium’s biggest ham fair…) after I finish an URGENT project for my boss (the one at work, not the one at home).