I am activating VK2/ST-006 on Saturday at 2300 UTC, Sunday 0900 local. I will make my first CQ SOTA calls on 14.342. Running a FT857 so can run higher power.
Are there any DX chasers around at 2300 UTC?
Andrew, VK1NAM
In reply to VK1NAM:
Are there any DX chasers around at 2300 UTC?
I’d certainly expect there to be some in North America at that time, and possibly a few in Europe, though it will be past midnight local…
Good luck with the activation.
73, Rick M0LEP
In reply to VK1NAM:
Hi Andrew, yes I will listen out for you.
Perhaps give some time to listen outside VK though 8)
Good luck.
Mike G6TUH
In reply to M0LEP:
That’s a matter of chickens and eggs to some extent;
Yes you are right about chicken and the egg, we are seeing an increasing number of VK activators using the higher bands and by having conversations like this it helps lift the awareness both here and overseas of the efforts being made.
Maybe worth considering simple multi-band options like link dipoles?
My EFHW is mutli band, I was suggesting the need for an antenna with a lower angle of radiation to improve DX performance
Cheers,
Warren.
In reply to VK1NAM:
“I am activating VK2/ST-006 on Saturday at 2300 UTC, Sunday 0900 local. I will make my first CQ SOTA calls on 14.342. Running a FT857 so can run higher power.”
Andrew…I’ll have a listen for you in Smoky Lake, Alberta at your posted time and freq! Good luck!
73 Mike VA6FUN
In reply to VA6FUN:
Thanks Mike VA6FUN and Mike G6TUH. Hope to make the contact.
WX is now looking okay with a top of 20 degrees C and light winds.
At the home QTH I use SOTA Goat (good app) always watching for SOTA DX. Unfortunately I am surrounded by S8 QRM in the suburbs of Canberra. Options are limited, one of which is to chase mobile from nearby summits.
When activating I generally take time out to monitor SOTAWatch for DX activity in the same UTC window. I have attempted numerous chaser calls to the US most around 14.3425 or the reported frequency in the spot. Anyway I will continue to try, one day I might just bag a DX SOTA station.
73
Andrew, VK1NAM
In reply to VK1NAM:
I am hearing VKs on 20 today.
In reply to K9EZ:
If you want contacts with activators, bear in mind that 0000 UTC is 10AM local time in eastern Australia. Ian 5CZ has been on the air at dawn (around 2000) but most are not. The period from 2300 to 0500 UTC is probably the “most activated time” for Eastern VK. Western Australia VK6 has not yet been brought online but work is under way.
Hearing VKs running 400w (legal limit) and triband beams at 15m agl is an indicator of propagation but the QRP sota portable won’t have quite that signal level. So the home stations need to be received very well to hear a station with 19 db less power and say 10 db less antenna gain, all things considered. So CW is recommended and sotawatch is your friend.
Hope to work you many times in future.
73 de vk1da/vk2uh
In reply to VK1DA:
Hi,
Well I will listen out for Andrew VK1NAM on a vertical and a beam tomorrow between 2245-2330Z and see what happens. For me (besides the obvious - propagation) is if there is QRM from NA QRO nets…
Mike G6TUH
In reply to G6TUH:
Hi Mike and others.
Link to the blog and my (failed) attempt to work you guys.
Regards
Andrew, VK1NAM
In reply to VK1NAM:
Hello Andrew,
Just read the blog - very good plus nice description of the route + photos 8)
Well done and you would have pleased a lot of people by that log count.
Thanks very much for trying.
Best wishes
Mike G6TUH
In reply to VK1NAM:
Interesting. Do you know whether the VK stations you worked on 20 could also work you on 40? (I’d guess probably not, but…)
73, Rick M0LEP
In reply to M0LEP:
Hi Rick
The local VK1 stations yes, Ian VK1DI and Mark VK1MDC, most likely a ground wave.
The VK4 contacts in Queensland, Mark VK4MDX in Townsville was too far north 2100 km for 40m.
Glenn VK4FSCC could hear me on 20m but didn’t make an attempt to contact me on 40. Brendan VK4FADI in the same area did make the grade for a 40m contact using a KX3 and 10 watts. The ‘F’ calls are not permitted to TX on 20m.
So yes mixed results, that’s amateur radio!
Andrew, VK1NAM
In reply to VK1NAM
So yes mixed results, that’s amateur radio!
Thanks. I hadn’t spotted how restricted Aussie “F” licences are. Guess it gives them plenty of incentive to upgrade…
73, Rick M0LEP
Andrew,
I was listening for you on my hexbeam at 60feet from Los Angeles, but nothing heard. I know Phil, NS7P was also listening and he didn’t heard anything either from up in Washington.
Hopefully next time…
Tim
K6TW
In reply to K6TW:
Last Sunday I was on North Brother VK2/MN-081. I was spotted as being on 14.285MHz. I started on 20M, and there was 5/5 QRM from North America, South America and Ja. I found a ‘relatively’ free spot at 14.290MHz, called 'CQ SOTA for thirty minutes. No replies from any direction (with 5W). I gave all countries a chance, but propagation is just not up to it!
I remembered that I had my T1 tuner with me, so I tuned up my 20M dipole on 40, and managed to work Andrew VK1NAM/p for my only HF contact even though I could hear many VK’s on 40.
73 Bruce VK2EM
In reply to VK2EM:
Hi Bruce,
I could hear Andrew vk1nam waorking you but even with my rural noise floor could hear nothing of your signal on 40mx
73 Warren.
In reply to VK2EM:
I gave all countries a chance, but propagation is just not up to it!
What other bands are worth a try? A lot depends on what the ionosphere’s doing, but from Kenya (equatorial, so the ionospheric geometry’s bound to be a little different) I’ve had good DX pile-ups on 15 and 12 metres during daylight, and on 20 metres after dark.
tuned up my 20M dipole on 40
It’d probably be well worth knocking up a link dipole to cover several bands.
73, Rick M0LEP
In reply to M0LEP:
For anyone reading this thread that missed the earlier references to it, there are propagation forecasting tools available, that are free, that can at least give you an idea of what bands to try.
Web based (and platform independent) is VOACAP online.
http://www.voacap.com/coverage.html
Set your tx location, antenna type and power level. Next change the anticipated rx antenna conditions to a reasonable selection and save these as default. You can now adjust the dates and times and watch the prediction run. It gives a graphical display that is Google earth compatible.
For those of you running Windows based PC’s, G4ILO’s VOAProp is a standalone program that uses the same VOACAP engine as VOACAP online, it however has Julian’s implementation of a less complicated user interface.
VOAProp uses a built in database of smoothed sunspot numbers allowing it to run in “standalone mode” without an internet connection, but if you happen to have internet available, you can use real time updates which takes into account actual sun conditions.
Both are quite fun to use and both allow you to make propagation estimates of the most favorable times and bands to try.
73
Dave
N5XL
In reply to N5XL:
Web based (and platform independent) is VOACAP online.
VOACAP Online for Ham Radio
Thanks. 