* LA7DFA * JX7DFA 144MHZ * JX7DFA * |
When the meteorshowers provided a good rate, I could 'quite
often' work up to 2200km. I also heard reflections from DK3WG in all skeds
we had despite of a 2379km distance. Unfortunately we never completed. It
is difficult to get enough high altitude meteors with such a small
common window. On EME I could often hear my own signal loud, benefiting from 'sea gain'. My own signal (4-yagi) was often louder than 16 yagi stations! I did hear my own signal using <40W sometimes. |
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I started my first 2M operation in 1992. I made a new selfsupporting tower for the yagis. I managed to get the 4 yagis operational in November, but sadly the amplifier was not shipped to the island (the aircraft was fully loaded with cargo). I used a 70W brick amplifier for the first 15 contacts.
My personal 'antenna losses' were nearly 100USD for every contact on this trip (plus investing in new PA etc). Stll some stations having severe difficulties sending a QSL along with 1USD for return postage... It's a funny world! |
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In 1994/95 I returned and bought 4 new yagis. My first EME QSO from Jan Mayen was with LA8YB who did work at Jan Mayen Radio in the 50/60's! This trip the EME operation was successful and I worked more than 150 stations on 2M. I worked 'my neighbour' JW0BY via EME too. In the ARRL EME contest I managed 49 stations despite of heavy Auroral activity. The last day of the contest I could not operate because the antennas were blown out of position all the time... One of the most interesting QSO this time was with PA3BIY during the Leonids meteorshower. Several long bursts were received (longest burst received by JX7DFA was 53 seconds - until end of sequence). The distance is ~2200km. The recordings are both in highspeed and slowspeed plus a 'talk' section from JX7DFA...
[ Thanks to the EME'ers sponsoring me on this trip - it's expensive to buy new stacks ;-) ] |
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I did all the elevation of the antennas in a simple way. I had a metal rod near the center of the H-frame. I used it for adjusting the elevation of the antennas (used a 'satellite tool' to measure elevation). The H-frame was not completely thightened, so during hard gusting wind, they could elevate by themselves... Overall, this did work great. It was not always 'nice' to go outdoors to do this in the darkness with gale or storm during skeds or contests, but one got to sacrifice something :-) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I hope you who worked me enjoyed it! I lost 5 yagis on 2M and the other stacks were very corroded after months in the spray of salt water. Its quite a struggle to keep everything operational and to endure long skeds with few or no signals heard. The worst times were early morning, dead tired with no reflections for the past 3 hours and still many more skeds... Are we morans, idiots or just plain stupid? A second operator was #1 on my wishlist at those occations ;-). Fortunately all suffering was forgotten before the next shower started. (With an even longer skedlist...) Anyway, the feeling of receiving a meteorburst after 30 minutes of only white noise heard, is hard to beat! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
-*- We usually have at least one or two tropo openings
to Norway
Auroral-Es has been heard on 170MHz at times. The best opening I noticed was @18Z 3'rd March 1999. |