In memory of Andy SP8NCJ R.I.P - QRT now

Special HF/VHF dx pedition "In memory of Andy SP8NCJ" by me, Mek SP7VC and Janek SP7TOP will take place August 4-6.2017 from small village Pokinianka, nr. Biala Podlaska # KO12PD.

The goal of this square dxp is to commemorate activity and HF/VHF achievements of our friend Andy SP8NCJ, whose key gone silent August 26.2014

pic credit Henryk SM0JHF

We will use event permit with special event callsign 

SN8NCJ 

HF 80/40m, and VHF 50/70/144 MHz all possible modes.

Log for 50/70/144 contacts will be posted here, as usual will try to do it almost realtime.
Special QSL cards will be printed after dxp, QSL info: SP3RNZ, direct, buro, LOTW.

4m Log (no mode selection):
SP3OCC, OZ8ZS, DB8WK, SP2MKO, DK5EW, OK1VBN, S52OR, SP5XMU, DJ9YE, OH7TE, SP8SN, PA3ECU, PA5Y, PA0RDY, ON4PS, DK5SO, DL4WO, 9A/S51DI/P, SP2HHX, SP9HWY, OK1DIG, DD3SP, OZ1BNN, OZ1JXY, DF1AN,G3SHK, OK1MAC, ON4FI, DJ5MN, OZ1DLD, DL6BF, OZ5AGJ, PA7ES, OZ1QZ, GW4WND, EI3GYB, EI4DQ, GD3YEO, OZ1DJJ, 9A1Z, DF5VAE, DL8FBD, OZ1MFP, LA9BM, DL1SUZ, DK2BJ, OM5KM, OK2BRD, OZ2OE, S57A, ON7GB, LZ1ZP, OH1MLZ, OF5ZA.
6m Log (no mode selection):
OZ8ZS, SP3OCC, SP2HHX, OK1DIG, DF5VAE, SP8SN, SP3UR, S52OR, PA5Y, SP8SN, OK2BRD, OM5KM, YO2NAA, YO5LD, S57TW, G3YDY, DK2BJ, GI4SNA, DK5SO, ON4PS, LX1JX, ON3CF, OZ1DSD, SM5KWU,DD3SP, PA7ES, 9A/S51DI/P, ON6NL, OZ1QZ,SM5CUI, PA0JMV, SM7FJE, OZ1DJJ, 9A2DI, US5WE, UR5WA, OF5ZA, OH6KTL.
2m Log (no mode selection):
F1DRR, RX1AS, EU3AI, SQ5TF, SP5WCK, SP8WJW, DK5SO, SP3UCA, F1EBK, SP2HHX, PA0JMV, OZ1BEF, OM5KM, DJ6AG, F8DYR, PA3BIY, SM7FWZ, SN7L, SP8BRD, SP8PRZ, 9A/S51DI/P.

some KO12PD pics :

6m & 2m antenna in front of the house

What You gonna do if You're getting old? New plate mount for 4ele Yagi :-). Shit happens.

4m antenna looking West - flat horizon.

Panoramic view South West to South

Panoramic view South to North West

and rocks are here !

60m & 4m station

5UTC isn't a good time to make neat pics :-) 

HF station, Janek SP7TOP in action

6m & 2m operating position, Mek SP7VC & Janek SP7TOP

Non human visitors...

Human local visitors :-) L to R:
Kamil SQ8ISJ, Robert SP8NCL, Janek SP7TOP/8, Greg SP3RNZ/8, Mek SP7VC/8

SP3RNZ / P #JO83MR "Footprints of the past"

After 4 years from last operation in June 2013 I'll be QRV again from middle of nowhere, in JO83MR.

Working period 14-16 July, working hours - mostly evenings and early mornings, 70Mhz only, ALL modes.
RIG : IC-7300 and 4ele YU7EF EF0404s.
I will transmit always 1st period, FSK441 30s, MSK144 15sec. Other modes on demand.
QRG - 70.173 MHz, band is very clear, no any QRM... ham paradise :-)

QSO Log : SP2HHX, DJ5MN, DF5VAE, OZ1JXY, OH7RJ, S57A, DL4WO, OK2BRD, SP9HWY, DD3SP, DH8BQA, DL6BF, OZ2OE, OK1DIG, DG1VL, DL4KUG, DK5EW, GW6TEO, ON4PS, SP8SN, OH7TE, DK5YA, OF5ZA

For those who can't remember last operation, the QTH is middle of the forest, small village Przyrzecze, near city Czarne.
In XIX century it was old German farm with watermill (non existing nowadays) on the small river Czernica. 

 

Old farm in A.D. ~1898 - 1900

Farm building today.

Last time the forest ways lead me to forgotten XIX century German gravestones lying thrown in the forest,
- probably old cemetery of family living there more than century a go ...
After some renewal of the graves and cleaning the mess around maybe anyone can see something which can tell us who were they? Who was little "Inniggelibtes Tochterchen" ... ?

 What will I find this time?

CU !

DF0TEC station Woltersdorf #JO73CE

If You're keen 2m contest op, You'll probably know the team members of DF0TEC in Woltersdorf, Olli DH8BQA, Uwe DL3BQA and Heiko DG1BHA.

First sight close to QTH already making some sweet ham impressions :-) Probably every one of DX'er dreaming about QTH something like this one :-)
 

 
If You are not 2m op, I am pretty sure You will remember their Baltic 2016 VHF DX ES & LY from various grids under calls ES0UG #KO07/KO08/KO18 and LY2AAM #KO23 square on 6 and 4m.

Delivery of new club antenna was a great occassion to visit the club and meet friends known from RF waves. Unfortunately Olli DH8BQA can't be present (we've missed You Olli ), but we had a great time with Uwe DL3BQA and Heiko DG1BHA assembling the antenna and discussing ham radio stories with home made Radler beer by Uwe :-)

Heiko DG1BHA & me in the DF0TEC club room. Heiko is a master of cables, towers climbing and all hard work :-)

Uwe DL3BQA, ES0UG/LY2AAM Baltic 2016 VHF dxp team leader, and all the essential club stuff manager.


Thanks for great time guys & hope to mee you again ! 

West UN opening on 70MHz July 02.2017

Band came up suddenly with lot's of OIRT traces form East today. At about 06:30UTC waterfall was clear but 2 traces with leading 70.160 Radio Rossija and some minor 70.060MHz same publicistic programm were visible.
The clock of course is wrong :-) distinct pulses were driven by OIRT full hour clock signal at 07:00UTC

Then few minutes later suddenly out of noise 70.175 MHz Sergey UN7IT popped up with CQ between OIRT spurs, signal was varying, with some slight QSB. At 07:11UTC signal rises up to solid 559 between OIRT crashes, and QSO completed.

UN7IT AUDIO 07:15UTC and  12:20UTC
UN3M short CQ (forgot to push recording) ~07:47UTC

The band was open no doubt. At 07:47 solid CQ from Nick UN3M on 70.200MHz, when at the same time UN7IT was down in the noise, Es clouds causing vice-versa copy - few grids between  them.

Map source: maps.google.com

Clouds started to shift Westward and Sergey got his shot with DL stations, mostly around JN48/JN58 grids, some OK2, and SP8 worked him also.

After some break, conditions back again around 11UTC. Just back in shack and see again strange OIRT right on 70.200MHz appeared quite strong. Never heard it in 2016, but this Year 4th time. New one TX?
(Radio clock corrected) 

 At this time Es clouds were located like this :

Map source : vhfdx.com

Some 30-45 minutes later Sergey UN7IT started to be audible again on CW, Interesting - almost  NO OIRT QRM ! this time. Listen to his CQ up on this page.

Then QSY to JT65 and lot's of JT65decodes followed, -20 to -10dB at best.
  

 

Propagation lasted more than hour longer then cndx gone slowly... Hope not last time this Year !

 73 !

6m DX went "DIGI"

That's a fact - and we can't do anything about it. There's strong demand to work any DX on 6m and even "hard hat" community guys went QSY to JT65 also. Not all of  them, some still hesitating and throwing a thunders for all the rest who is enjoying marginal or even better openings.

After a week of silence 6m woke up again, and we had a nice Saturday morning here.

 

There was a real crowd on JTDX waterfall, EU's on even, and JA's/Asia on odd with best wave at 07:07 UTC where 32 ! unique JA's were decoded + DS4EOI :-)

Nice catch was Yoshiharu san, JP1LRT/6, which is QRV from PL24UO grid, rare one, Miyako-jima Island below Okinawa.

Mr. Yoshiharu was QRV from MOBILE ! with 50W only and 6ele Yagi !

This is what JT65 is made for ! 

Picture courtesy of JP1LRT/6, TU !

Hope Es persist and we'll have fun also tommorow, could be one of last occassions this season to have some fun on 6m.

GL!