Category Archives: Days Out - Page 2

PW 144MHz QRP Contest Sun 12th June 2022 Report from MM3NTX

Myself (Mike MM3NTX), my dad George (GM1OPO) and Brian (MM7OYD) got to the site at about 0915 local time, coming through some light rain showers on the way from Peebles.

The wind wasn’t as strong as expected at the top of the hill.

We manoeuvred the vehicles and initially mounted the antenna pole base under the van wheel, but the poles were going to be too close to the (brand new) van bodywork when swinging in the wind, so we switched to mounting the antenna base under the wheel of dad’s Honda Jazz, then built up the antenna and mounted it on the poles.

Nigel (GM7GRH) arrived with a car battery and cable for connecting to the Yaesu FT-991A. We did have some 7Ah sealed lead-acid batteries but with a receive minimum current draw of 1A a bigger battery would be more suitable.

We set up the table and chairs in the back of the van, and set up the FT-991A. Slight panic when pushing the power button didn’t do anything, but then we found the crocodile clips weren’t gripping the battery terminals tight enough to get contact. Small adjustment and we had a lit screen and familiar SSB background noise through the speaker.

Tuning around 144MHz we immediately we started hearing stations and made our first couple of contacts, including a 5/4 report from the JO00 square East Sussex/Kent. I did like when finishing our first QSO, another station called in “GM4YEQ, can you QSY to .350?” and gave us another good QSO in IO84 (5/9 both ways). If only they were all that easy!

A few other contacts were heard that we weren’t able to get contact with, but otherwise the band seemed really quiet. I expected there to be dozens of stations heard while the antenna was pointing roughly south or southeast. So the bands seemed disappointingly quiet. I thought after previous days of VHF E-skip there’d be signals from all over England and even into Europe.

It is annoying when you’re 5 or 6 QSOs in, and then every time you hear a signal and zero-in on it, it’s a callsign you’ve already worked. Nothing heard while pointing north or northwest into the Highlands or even Edinburgh, Fife or Glasgow.
A couple of instances of hearing a QSO then both stations disappear into the QSB then never come back. We also heard what sounded like 2 simultaneous QSOs on the same frequency.

I did spend some time sitting on a frequency and sending CQ calls but nothing heard back.

It did really help that we were able to operate from inside the back of the van when there were frequent, sometimes heavy, showers and some gusty winds at the leading edge of the showers. It also saved any logging paperwork being blown around in the wind or smudged with raindrops.

Logging was done on paper, with a scratch sheet for taking the initial details of the QSO, then those details copied into the main log sheet. This meant that I could listen to a station talking to someone else and note down their callsign, locator and signal strength all ready for when I had my own QSO with them (if they heard me) and it just meant confirming the details I’d already overheard, adding the signal and serial received from that station, then adding the time logged.

I did have a logging spreadsheet on my tablet but ended up not using it as paper worked fine. If we’d had a higher volume of contacts (or daresay a pileup) I’d have switched to the tablet.

Operating with the Yaesu FT-991A was easy once I’d figured out the menu options for audio filtering. The waterfall display wasn’t as useful as I’d hoped as only the strongest of signals were showing up on the display and no sensitivity adjustment available (unless there was a setting I missed), so it was back to mk-I earhole and listening to the whistles of passing signals while tuning around. The voice keyer was useful though, recording a CQ call with callsign in letters and phonetics with locator square, then just needing to hit a button to send the call, leaving a few seconds to listen for any reply. It saved the voice and also avoiding tripping over words when repeating the same phrase over and over again hundreds of times.

Around 1330 we started to transfer stuff to cars and pack up Brian’s FT-991A as he had to leave early for family duties, so we moved to the Honda Jazz dashboard and my dad’s Yaesu FT-817 running off 7Ah SLA battery. Still sheltered from the continued heavy rain showers and wind gusts. No voice keyer so manual CQ calls done every minute or so for a while when not scanning around the band. I did send some CQ calls out on FM simplex channels in case any local club members were scanning around but with no response. Maybe using a non-directional vertical antenna would have been better for FM.

We didn’t make any more contacts after switching to the FT-817 (or even the last 20 minutes with the FT-991A) so by 1530 (local time) we decided to pack up while we were in a dry spell between showers, so the radio and antenna was dismantled and packed into the car.

It was disappointing that we only made 9 contacts, in 7 squares but I got my first experience operating the club station in a contest. Usually I’m helping with logging or just assisting as other members set up and operate the station but this time I was operating so I learned a bit about that. It was also recent club member Brian’s first experience seeing the club station operating a contest, giving him some new knowledge and ideas in mobile operating and amateur radio in general when seeing my dad doing some HF operating with the Yaesu FT-817 and Alinco DX-70.

Many thanks to Brian for letting us use his new FT-991A and his even newer van for working in, my dad George for the antenna, poles, and the FT-817 backup transceiver, and Nigel for the big battery with cable, and guidance for when I was on-air, and basically everyone for helping get everything set up and running with no hitches. We even remembered to plug the coax onto the antenna before erecting it this time!

It would have been better with bright sunshine and no wind and we’d been able to operate outside, and of course if band conditions were more favourable, but it’s always good to get out operating and catching up with with club members for the day outside our normal 2-hour meetings on Wednesday evenings.

Hopefully with the RSGB VHF field day at the start of July we’ll have better weather, better propagation and more club members out with us.

Mike MM3NTX

Location: Yarrow/Ettrick Swire IO85MM
Rig: Yaesu FT-991A (also Yaesu FT-817 but no contacts made)
Antenna: 2m 7-element ZL Special Yagi

Unfortunately didn’t get a chance to take photos of the station in the back of the van.

Yaesu FT-817ND on the Jazz dashboard. Paper sitting over the radio to reflect the sunlight as the radiant heat was slowly baking it during the brief spells between showers.

PW 144MHz QRP Contest 2022 – Sunday 12th June 2022

Some members of the club will again be going up the hill to operate a portable station for the Practical Wireless 144MHz QRP contest on Sunday 12th June. We will be using the callsign GM4YEQ/P.

The contest runs between 0900-1600 UTC (1000-1700 Local/BST). We’ll likely be on site from 0930 (local) if not slightly earlier for setting up.

Read more »

Railways On The Air 2021 – GB0WHR – Sat/Sun 25th/26th September 2021

Some of our club members again activated the Whitrope Heritage Centre near Hawick in this year’s Railways On The Air event.

Different callsign from usual WRH, which no doubt created some confusion when the QRZ page corresponding to the WHR callsign gives details of another station.

A good weekend was had by all, despite drizzly rain most of the first day then heavier rain on the Sunday afternoon.

74 QSOs were made over the weekend.

Station operating from the carpark of the centre. Thanks to Dave H MM0HTL for use of the caravan and awning.

Equipment:
Transceiver: Kenwood TS-430S
Antenna Tuner: Yaesu FC-902
Amplifier: Yaesu FL-2100B putting out about 200w peak.

Antenna: UK Antennas End-fed multiband antenna (40/20/15/10m)

Dave S GM0KCN with bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label on table
“Johnny Walker was present and pleasantly enjoyed.”

Many thanks to the Waverley Route Heritage Association for allowing us to set up in their carpark at Whitrope again this year. Thanks also to Dave S GM0KCN, Dave H MM0HTL and Steven MM0ILC for organising, helping set up, and operating the station for the weekend, and other club members visiting during the event.

QSL cards will be on their way to stations contacted.

Read more »

PW 144MHz QRP Contest – Sunday 13th June 2021

As COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed somewhat, the club took part in the Practical Wireless 144MHz QRP Contest this year.

We’ll assembled at the usual spot at the quarry off the summit of the Ettrick “Middle Swire”, between Yarrow and Kirkhope (W of Ettrickbridge).

Note: COVID-19 precautions were taken, and we were well short of the 12-person outdoor limit. All attendees were fully vaccinated.

Warm in the sunshine, but a persistent brisk wind and increasing cloud meant that we had to shelter between the vehicles for ourselves and to protect the mic from wind noise.

It stayed mostly dry with just a spot of drizzle late on, so we were able to operate outside with no interruptions.

We made almost 30 contacts over the day, reaching from Fife down to South Wales, and from the Isle of Man to Yorkshire, including one contact from the summit of Mount Snowdon.

Not quite the lift conditions we’ve experienced on some contest days, so no Irish, continental Europe or south of England.

Spot the not-so-deliberate mistake. Hint: Is that plug not meant to be connected to something? This was when the 10m mast was fully erected and guy ropes all perfectly tightened. More reconfiguration was done at the same time as fixing the error.

(“Not the first time and won’t be the last…”)
George GM1OPO doing a bit of listening on 2m…

…before moving to some HF operation.

Always useful to have a reminder of your callsign and other details in case your mind goes blank when keying the mic.

So much for the hot sunny weather we were forecast. This is the drizzly rain coming over the hills towards us in the afternoon.
Indications of how conditions can vary. We heard the other contact a strong clear signal while he was struggling to copy our details with local noise. Also how easy it is to be distracted with getting a contact that you forget to give the required information.

Despite the slightly disappointing weather, we had a good day out and it was good to meet up with other club members again seeing as our weekly club nights have been suspended since March 2020.

Here’s hoping we have more days out, hopefully with slightly better weather.

Railways On The Air 2019 – Whitrope Railway Heritage GB0WRH, 20/21 September 2019

On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2019, club members took part in the Railways On The Air (ROTA) event, operating from the carpark of the Whitrope Heritage Centre south of Hawick.

Report from Dave S GM0KCN:

Quite a slow start contacts wise on Saturday with only 17 QSOs. Mike and Steven did the majority of the logging and Dave H and I did most of the operating.

We all enjoyed the sunny weather and also a wander round Whitrope Station where Border TV were filming for Border Life programme.

Sunday was not good weather wise, lots of heavy showers, however radio
wise were the centre of a pile up again, just like two years ago, with I
think 75 QSOs, so a busy time for the three of us.

We called it a day just after 3pm when conditions were fading. Packed everything away in a break between the rain and were on the road
a little after 4:30pm.

Thanks to those who managed to visit and enjoy the coffee and biscuits
and see the radio station in action.

Big thank you to Dave H for providing the caravaning facilities and
mains power and the radio kit.

Whitrope Heritage Centre, Whitrope, Hawick, Roxburghshire TD9 9TY
Location: 11 miles south of Hawick on B6399.
Maidenhead Locator: IO85PH 00co
55.294320, -2.748944 (55°17’39.6″N 2°44’56.2″W)
NGR: NT 52540 00279
Google: 9C7V77V2+MC
W3W:///jousting.windmills.wire
https://wrha.org.uk/the-association/find-us/

https://rota.barac.org.uk/
https://wrha.org.uk/the-association/whitrope-heritage-centre/