F8AFC's blog

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Vendredi 2 octobre 2009

TX5SPA QSO on 40m (FO/A Austral isl)

Hi all,

ALL TIME NEW ONE this morning on 40m...I could QSO with TX5SPA from Austral islands (DXCC I've never heard before !!!!!!!!)
Real fight, signal peaking up to S7 on the HF2V, and a HUUUUUGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEE pile-up even 1 hour after my sunrise.

I was lucky enough that the split was wide (+5 up to +15), and I called 30min on +14 (I(ve noticed he never made QSO on +5/+10/+15, but only on freq just above/below).

Let's see them from Marquesas islands (TX5SPM) for another All Time New one, HI !

73
Ronan, F8AFC

Par F8AFC - Publié dans : General comments
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Mardi 29 septembre 2009

Nice QSO's and new bands....

Hi all,

I haven't been that active the last few days...Job, wedding during the WE (not mine...), so very few activities on the air.
Just a couple of QSO's, like
J79ZG on 15m yesterday evening
XV7RRC from AS157 on 17m, and XV3RRC from AS162 on 40m...

All those 3 QSO's are new bands, not that bad !!! I now need J7 on 12/10m (only...), and XV on 80/12/10m. But what a fight for the 40m QSO...Right on some digital frequency (7045), with the usual EU QRM and policemen, his signal was suprisingly strong (real 5/7 here). I fighted one hour, listening his wide split (20KHz), and remarked he was often on +5, +14, +19 and +20KHz...I decided to call at the end of the split, which is my usual way of doing. And it worked, hardly, but it did !

One more DXCC on 40m, the 200DXCC number is not that far (I'm approaching the 180 now, with 4 new ones in the past month).

It will be a nice winter "low bands" season....

Good DX to all,

73
Ronan, F8AFC

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Lundi 21 septembre 2009

FT5GA Episode 7: 15m QSO !!!!!!

Hi all,

Lucky one, with a skip going rapidely down. But I had QSO with FT5GA on 15m. His signal was up to S7 when I started to call in the 30KHz wide split. But when the QSO was made (@ +25KHz), he was barely S1 to S2 here. I had to repeat a couple of times my call, but understood the answer (and my correct call).

4 bands already (40/20/17/15m), so need 80/12/10m. For the high bands, it will be tough (propagation will need to be there....). And for 80m, this is night time. So I'll see "cool" in the next few days how they work on those bands, and see if I can try one day or 2 in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to the team !

Ronan, F8AFC

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Dimanche 20 septembre 2009

FT5GA Episode 6: 40m SSB QSO in the log !!!!!!!

Hi all,

As I told, I've been on the low bands yesterday night after some friend's party.
I did call FT5GA on 40m even if he was VERY weak, but not sure he got my call 100%. I put a remark in my log "to check on-line log"...And today, after the 2nd update of the on-line log, I could see that this 40m QSO was correctly logged !!!!!!!!!!!! I know what someone can think: This QSO is not 100% valid. Well, this is 50% true, 50% false: I didn't hear them repeating my call entirely (QRN/QSB), but I know he was speaking to a French stn whose call-sign is very close to mine (and at that time of the night, there weren't too many F stn on the air, HI). I just heard "F8..C you're 5/9"...This is enough for me, whatever other can think !
And looking at the stats, only 9 QSO's were made so far from France on 40m...And I'm part of them, YES !!!!!!!

With 17m today, this is my 3rd band for Glorioso....So I have 2 solutions now:
- Either I put my clock in the middle of the night to get them on 80m.
- Or I take a day OFF at the office to try to get them on 15m.

Hey, sometimes, we need some luck, and I'm really lucky on this one !!!!!!

Ronan, F8AFC

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Dimanche 20 septembre 2009

FT5GA Episode 5: 20m QRP QSO !!!!!!!

Hi all,

Well, as a French, the operator gave us 10 minutes on a different frequency(generally a french department) for "F" stns only. Remember, Glorioso IS a French island.
I decided to try in QRP with my 5W after a few French stations, he got my call and congratuled me for this QSO. He was really peaking 5/7 here on the HexBeam, so even with 2 ou 3 S-meter point less (From 500 down to 5 watts), that was possible. Of course, no chance in a normal pile-up. But hey, we have to enjoy every opportunity, and that was my chance.
Needless to say this is also a new one in QRP....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 stations after me, he went back to his normal split frequencies. Once again, I was lucky !!!!!!!! Contacting the 4th most wanted DXCC with 5W, this has provided me a exctiment feeling rarely seen in my ham life (quite similar with K5D feeling when making the QSO's on 40/80m with the Hexbeam "tuned" and its 5% max efficiency...!!!!)

Good luck to all
Ronan, F8AFC/QRP

Par F8AFC - Publié dans : DX'ing with 5W PEP : QRP !
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Dimanche 20 septembre 2009

FT5GA Episode 4: 17m SSB QSO !!!!!!

Hi all,

Well, yesterday night, I came back home at 00:00z and went on the low bands to chase FT5GA. I did hear them on 80m (5/5 in the peaks), but they didn't listen to me.
Same on 40m where their report was even lower. But I tried to call and I think the QSO was made. We'll check this in the on-line log, this would be great if he could log my call correctly !!!!!!!

I was quite disappointed to have missed 80m, but hey, with a simple HF2V, hard to go over 4-square guys !

Today, I decided to monitor both 17 and 15m from the morning to be the first to catch them (my only chance in front of all the big guns waiting for them).
As yesterday, they were in CW and RTTY almost all the day. But this afternoon, I stayed on 17m around their nominal frequency (18.147 +/- 10KHz).
I heard them calling on 18.138MHz, listening +5 to +15 up. My chance was to call them on +15KHz, since already some guys were calling +5 and +10.
3 calls, and in the LOG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was lucky, before after putting this QSO on the cluster, the entire world came in. But I was already in the log !!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is my 2nd band for FT5GA. I would have wished a bit earlier 15m SSB activity, as well as some more success on the low bands. But hey, I really CAN NOT COMPLAIN, and there are still 2 weeks togo. Plenty of time for a 3rd band (maybe more ??? HI !)

Good luck to all, and don't forget, PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE (I spent almost all my WE turning the VFO to get them on 17 or 15m. It did pay, but that was tough !!!!!!). I'm a little pistol, so I have to be "more clever" than others if I want to achieve a QSO with this 4th most wanted entity (and certainly spend more time behind the radio....) !!!!!

73
Ronan, F8AFC

PS : Looking forward to seeing the log on lne updated...!!!

Par F8AFC - Publié dans : General comments
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Samedi 19 septembre 2009

FT5GA Episode 3: No additional band so far

Hi all,

I've been listening all today for 17 or/and 15m QSO with FT5GA. Unfortunately for me, they sticked on CW all the day..The only SSB they made was on 10/12m (but no skip here, although the usual South-Eastern Europe stns went through), and 20m (but already QSO'd there).

Hope tomorrow they make a 100% SSB on 17/15m, HI !

Tonight, I plan to come back late from some friend's dinner...Maybe they'll be on the low bands...? (40m..at least)

Ronan, F8AFC

Par F8AFC - Publié dans : General comments
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Samedi 19 septembre 2009

QSO in the log : DP1POL 20m, Neumayer III

Hi all,

I had the privilege to QSO with Felix from Neumayer III german Antarctica base.
This brand new base (from Feb '09) has been rarely heard so far, and it makes a new one for me of course !

Thanks Felix,

Ronan, F8AFC

Par F8AFC - Publié dans : General comments
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Jeudi 17 septembre 2009

FT5GA Episode 2 : 20m QSO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all,

I must have been VERYYYYYYYYYYYYY lucky tonight, but I got FT5GA (Glorioso) on 20m SSB during a HUGE split...(very wide split).

Everybody was TX'ing from +5KHz up to +25KHz, the operator never said its split range....I decided to try +30KHz, called during 45min, and got the reply in french "F8AFC, vous êtes 5/9 sur les Glorieuses" (F8AFC, you are 5/9 on Glorioso)...

My goal is achieved, ALL TIME NEW ONE, new IOTA (of course), and maybe the most difficult band considering the pile-up size...That was sounding as difficult as BS7H, HI

I heard them this morning on 17m but I had to go to the office at 07:00z, which very early....I think that except for the low bands, during the week-time, it will be tough to get them other bands. I'll have to wait for the week-ends to get a chance for the higher bands. But everything coming now will be "pure bonus" !!!!!!!!

After analyzing the QSO time (around 18:00z), that was the perfect timing...propagation was decreasing to East-Central Europe, and was not yet installed for NA. Of course, there were still South Europe countries to go "above". But for once, the short skip was not that good and I wasn't that much disturbed by policemen / QRM'ers (for once !). My lucky day, for sure !!!!!

But hey, very first day of activity from them, and already 1 QSO. YES !

Good luck to all. This is a 3 week expedition, and for sure, things will calm down in the next few days.
73

Ronan F8AFC

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Jeudi 17 septembre 2009

QSL in the mail: E44M 80/40/20/17/15m, FT5YI Antarctica

Hi all,

2 very nice QSL in the mail today:
E44M on 80/40/20/17/15m form Palestine (I remember the 80m pile-up...!!!!!)
FT5YI from French Antarctica base Dumond D'Urville (new base + new base "country")

Thanks to all of you for QSO's and QSL !!!!

Ronan