Just recently, I’ve been surprised by how many chasers, both HuMP and SOTA, ask if I have UHF with me when I’m operating on the VHF band and would I QSY?
Let me say, I’m as guilty as the next man for not using the band enough and the amount of activations I’ve used the band can be counted on one hand.
I’m always happy to QSY and work a chaser (especially as it’s just a push of a button when using a dual band collinear) and then inevertably someone else calls break. This is an interesting band and I’m often surprised at the distances that can be achieved. Maybe it’s a bit nostalgic for the old class B licences who were restriced to this band and above millions of years ago.
How things have changed…
I have also noticed that very often, a CQ on 433.500 will produce zilch even from 1800ft ASL! Do chasers monitor 433.500 anymore?
Maybe, I’ll do an activation only on UHF one day and see what DX is possible and how many chasers can be found.
Away in Motor Home at moment Mike,wait until I return and give me a call on 432.200 with a proper radio and horizontal arial (leave the funny mode hh at home)and a good chance we will make it,ask Gerald G4OIG how many hills he has qualified on 70cms. 73 Don.
70cms down to the South Pennines from your part of the world on my vertical would be a very good contact indeed. This may even call for the X510. Bit of a lump to carry too far though.
Just recently, I’ve been surprised by how many chasers, both HuMP and
SOTA, ask if I have UHF with me when I’m operating on the VHF band and
would I QSY?
Let me say, I’m as guilty as the next man for not using the band
enough
“the band”? We have several UHF bands as UHF runs from 300-3000MHz. Equally we have several VHF bands (30-300MHz).
I was about to say the same thing myself!! If anyone thinks 433 MHz is quiet! Then try 1297 MHz FM, if it was not for Stewart G0LGS and Graham G4FUJ, I would hardly get a QSO on 23cm!
70MHz is an excellent band here in the West Midlands, with the Wouxun HH there has never been a better time to give the band a go! Friendly people, good DX and in the summer it opens up! Working Croatia on 5 watts with a slim jim from a local high spot last year was quite novel!!
Mike I will see you on 50/70/144/433/1297 MHz soon!
In reply to G8XYJ:
You think 1297 is quiet, you should try 20m from my QTH this morning.
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Until I remembered I has disconnected the aeriels due to a thunder storm on Wednesday evening!
Yes but not yet for SOTA - just haven’t got round to being on a summit for the Tuesday evening UKAC. There are usually around 15 stations entering over the UK, with a few (3-5) going /P. A few more stations are active but don’t necessarily submit logs. I know of a good half dozen regulars in GM I have worked.
I’m still running a very limited setup though - just a few watts to a 12-ele DL6WU - which is only about 40cm long! Contacts to 100km are still easy though.
Somebody should really organise another UHF funday as I thoroughly enjoyed the last one in 2011.
So I guess that will be me then!
SOTA UHF Funday/Funweekend. to take place over the weekend of September 8th/9th 2012. Aim to activate/chase summits using 70cms/23cms and higher. (Of course other bands welcome but let’s try to be active on UHF!)
Sep 8th is NA SOTA activity day and Sep 9th is 2nd 70MHz contest. So in addition to UHF operating there’s the chance of NA S2S contacts on Saturday and 4m contacts on Sunday. Plus whatever we can achieve on UHF.
I think there was a 5 way S2S QSO taking place between GM activators at one time last year
SOTA UHF Funday/Funweekend. to take place over the weekend of September 8th/9th
2012. Aim to activate/chase summits using 70cms/23cms and higher. (Of course
other bands welcome but let’s try to be active on UHF!)
I will try to be active on 70cm that weekend.
But be careful … the Olympic Games operating restrictions will still be in force, affecting the 70cm band and also the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands. The restrictions are extremely complex. Of particular relevance: 432 - 433 MHz is subject to restrictions, and this is the part of the band that is normally used for amateur SSB operation.
The information is far from clear (!) but it does seem to indicate that, exceptionally, 70cm contest activity will be tolerated on the weekend 8 - 9 September. Make of that what you will!
I’d be delighted if my low power signals from GM were capable of causing disruption to some of the London venues! It would suggest conditions were excellent I’m not sure what Duffcom would do if there was a some serious tropo and the Olympic users were affected by legitimate use in F, ON or PA? We all know RF obeys national borders!
But to be serious, you are right. However, I think we can find the wherewithall to cope. A few reminders before the day to clarify the temporary restrictions. Of course they should have taken the spectrum used (abused?) by repeaters first. That would have had the benefit of not being missed by serious radio users and forcing repeater dwellers to have proper QSOs! (Can you tell it’s Friday yet?)
I thought I would trawl through my chaser log for 70cm contacts. I found four, in eight years of chasing! All on SSB, and to my surprise only one could be regarded as local, CE-003. The others were NW-051, WB-005 and SW-007. Set that against various times when I couldn’t raise FM operations even from my nearest Marilyn, CE-002!
My experience is that from this location (with its plethora of trees) FM on 70 is a dead loss but respectable ranges can be achieved on SSB - but only if A) somebody operates on SSB, and B) if they beam this way. There have been occasions when I have called an activation on 70 SSB and he has gone back to somebody else, swung his beam - and that is the last I have heard of him!
As a, er- venerable old G8Axx I have a soft spot for 70 cms and am prepared to have a go at working anybody prepared to go out with SSB, but when it comes to FM my time and effort can be spent more profitably on the “DC bands”!
I remember, in days of yore (well around 1969, actually), from my London QTH I quite often worked G8AAA. It was all crystal controlled AM in those days. His name was Bert and he lived in Beckenham, Kent. He had rather a high pitched voice, which made him instantly recognisable on the air! Presumably he was the first Class B licensee.
- though I can transvert FM equally well I’ve never had to. Wastes the batteries.