Many Hams (including this one) have problems with RF Interference (RFI) at their stations. Many RFI sources typically come from inside our own homes. One test we did was to shut down much of the ethernet network and associated devices here at our QTH. To our surprise, this lowered our noise floor on 2m some 6 dB, and eliminated many birdies in the EME section of the 2m Band! We decided to upgrade our network to fiber optics to eliminate the RFI and noise from…
We recently built an improved EME station for the 2m Band. We noticed a higher than ideal noise floor when operating 2m EME during initial testing of the new station. We decided to do some additional testing to see if we could isolate the source of the noise levels. One test we did was to shut down much of the ethernet network and associated devices here at our QTH.
Fiber Optic Wall Outlet
We decided to upgrade the network at our QTH to use Fiber Optics and add a Management System to enable us to shut down some of the more problematic noise sources at our QTH. The resulting improvements were pretty dramatic – reducing RFI-related noise by some 6 dB on the 2m Band!
You can read all about our Fiber Optic Network Project via the link above.
We’ve been busy getting ready for Summer Field Day 2021 at the Nashua Area Radio Society. Our plans include putting up a Tower, a Computer-Controlled Satellite Station, and an upgraded 6m Field Day Station.
6m LFA Yagi
Our 6m Field Day station will be a portable setup and features a new antenna – a 3-Element Loop Fed Array (LFA) Yagi from InnoVAntennas. There are some advantages to LFA Yagi’s for the 6m band and above. In particular, Yagis using an LFA design are less susceptible to noise and interference which is a big advantage for weak-signal work on the 6m Band.
6m LFA Yagi on Mast
Our Yagi is lightweight which makes it ideal for portable applications like Field Day and Mount Topping. Aron, W1AKI, and Jamey, AC1DC helped me to assemble the antenna and put it up on a 25 ft fiberglass mast here at our QTH for testing. The antenna is fed with LMR-400uF coax and rigged with a rotator loop near the top of the mast so that the antenna can be pointed by rotating the mast at the base. The setup is easy to put up – it takes about an hour to do it.
6m Field Day Station
We also use the 6m LFA antenna project as an opportunity to assemble and test our 6m Station for Field Day. The station is an all-mode setup that can do SSB Phone, CW, and WSJT-X Digital (FT8/FT4, Q65, MSK144, etc.). The station will be generator powered at Field Day but it can also be run using a solar/battery setup when Mountain Topping.
The station features an IC-7300 Transceiver (100w), a Winkeyer and Paddles for CW, and a Windows laptop computer running the N1MM+ logger and WSJT-X. The station will also sport a second monitor for Field Day.
N1MM+ Logger on 6m
The N1MM+ Logger works great with the IC-7300 and WSJT-X digital. It supports the all-mode station configuration nicely and it is well integrated with WSJT-X making the logging of FT-8 and other Digital Mode contacts simple. N1MM+ also supports voice recording and keying of the IC-7300 which is a great aid during longer operating events like Field Day.
PSKReporter Test of Portable 6m Station
So how does the upgraded setup play on 6m? Very well! The image above is a snapshot from PSKReporter during our testing session. As you can see, we were using FT8 to test the station and we were heard up and down the eastern U.S. states.
WSJT-X FT8 Decode using 6m Portable Station
Signals were strong in WSJT-X FT8 mode and it was easy to make contacts. We made about 50 contacts during our testing of the 6m Feild Day Station.
The LFA Yagi hears really well making for reliable decodes of signals in the -18 range and often weaker.
6m Meteor Scatter Pings
For fun, I decided to try some 6m Meteor Scatter contacts using the MSK144 mode. This is a challenge with a 100W station as Meteor Scatter general needs a bit of power to work well. As you can see from the image above, we had no problems decoding meteor pings from stations in the midwestern US. I even managed to complete a couple of contacts using Meteor Scatter on the 6m Band.
All in all, we are very pleased with the performance of our upgraded 6m Field Day Station. If we can get a similar Es opening to what we have been seeing here during the last two days, we should have a lot of fun on the Magic Band at Field Day!
The Nashua Area Radio Society has partnered with Bishop Guertin High School for several years on STEM and Amateur Radio activities. The latest activity is the Bishop Guertin ISS Contact.
Astronaut Shannon Walker, KD5DXB
The recent Bishop Guertin ISS Contact with Astronaut Shannon Walker has had quite a bit of media coverage. There is news of the Contact everywhere that you look. You will find coverage of the students talking with Shannon Walker on the ISS on TV, in Newspapers, on the Radio, and on the Internet,
Television Coverage
After the conclusion of the Contact, a reporter from WMUR interviewed the BGHS students over Zoom. The story was on all of their evening news broadcasts on Friday as well as Saturday morning. Readers can view the story below.
The Bishop Guertin Students were also interviewed for Boston TV.
The BGHS students and their partnership with the Nashua Area Radio Society were featured in a spot on WCVB News in Boston on Tuesday, February 23rd. You can view the video and an article about the contact at this link on their website.
The BGHS ARISS contact was also featured on the front page of the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper. Here is a link to the article on the Union Leader’s website.
The Nashua Telegraph published an article announcing the contact on February 18th. The article can be found at this link.
On YouTube
You can watch the Contact in its entirety below. The video includes a great introductory program with a video made by the BGHS students.
We will keep an eye out for additional media coverage of the contact and add links to this article as we see them.
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