Category Archives: On The Air

Articles and other information related to On The Air Operations, Special Events, Activations, DXxpeditions, Portable and Mobile On The Air Activities, Nets, etc.

We Out Foxed Them Again (Updated)!

More Fox Hunt fun this weekend – Bob, W1FDR shares his experiences.

I found both the foxes but I had to work really hard to do it. First I drove to the Home Depot area off of exit 6 and found the strongest signal in the parking area of mine falls park. It was very icy but it didn’t take me long to realize it wasn’t there so I went back across the bridge to the Nashua high school, the parking lots were full with activity and I did not know the area. So I drove to the Wiggins Park area and hiked over to where the foxes were. I was going to take a picture of the strongest fox but there were so many people walking by and I was so busy talking to them I forgot. I then went to find the weaker fox and I did take a picture or I had a picture taken by a passerby.

Then proceeded to help the economy in Nashua with Christmas shopping.

Bob
W1FDR

Bob Finds Our Foxes Again!
Bob Finds Our Foxes Again!

John, KB1MGI and his son Craig, KB1CGS also tracked down the large wily critter. Here is their story –

KB1CGS Craig my son and myself KB1MGI John both found the 146.565 Fox.

After circling the area around exit 6 we ended up at the parking area at Lincoln Park at the end of Coliseum Ave. Craig and I went over the icy Bridge and stayed on the left trail along the water.  Then we walked in circles for ever and we kept ending up at the base of a hill and still walking in circles over an over again.

When climbed up the steep hill to the main trail. At first we figured the fox was across the river behind the high school. Turning around and figured it was back down the hill. Then Craig said look at that stump I saw the tip of the antenna.

2 hours to find. Great job hiding the fox.

We did not look for the other one because it was getting dark soon.

Thanks

John kb1mgi
Craig kc1cgs

John KB1MGI and His Son Craig KB1CGS Track Down The Large Wiley Critter
John KB1MGI and His Son Craig KB1CGS Track Down The Large Wiley Critter
We all had fun chasing down the N1FD foxes again this weekend! Their dens were in a very picturesque area.
N1FD Large and Small Foxes
N1FD Large and Small Foxes

Jamey, KC1ENX continues to try to outfox the hunters but so far we have been able to track down the N1FD critters.

Fred, AB1OC

Work the Holiday Special Events!

OJ9X from Finland

One of my favorite Special Event stations is Santa, who is on the air from Finland every season.  This year, Santa has a special callsign, OJ9X, which also celebrates Finland’s 100th Year.   Looks like Santa has a Flex Maestro now, wonder if he’s operating remotely!

Additional Holiday Special Events

5B4XMAS QSL
5B4XMAS QSL

Looks like there are several more Christmas special events, 5B4XMAS from Cyprus, YP2XMAS  – YP9XMAS from Romania, 4X2XMAS4X9XMAS from various locations in Israel.

Get on the air and work these stations and you’ll get some nice Christmas (QSL) cards in the mail!

Propagation Prediction Websites

Is the 20-meter band open to the location of the latest DXpedition on the bands?   When is 6 meters open for Sporadic E?  Looking for a weak signal 2-meter contact with a specific grid square?  There are websites you can visit that give you a prediction of whether the band you are on is open to a given destination.

HF Propagation

N0NBH Propagation Widget
N0NBH Propagation Widget

The simplest HF propagation prediction is the widget that is seen on many Amateur Radio Websites – QRZ.com, DXSummit.fi, and more.   This gives you a rough idea of what bands are open day and night. Data is based on the Sunspot Number, A and K indices, and other indices.  But this doesn’t take into account many factors like your location, the DX location, the characteristics of your station, and the DX station.  Just because 15m says Poor doesn’t mean you won’t hear anything on the band.

VOACAP – HF Propagation Prediction

VOACAP Point to Point Prediction
VOACAP Point to Point Prediction

VOACAP is the Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program and provides detailed information about HF propagation.  You can choose transmitter and receiver locations from many cities around the world.  It also provides choices of Antennas, Power, Mode, and more for each end of the contact. You can look at several different views of propagation.  If you spend some time delving into the details of propagation visit this site.

VOACAP prediction from DXSummit.fi
VOACAP prediction from DXSummit.fi

For a faster view of whether you will be able to contact a specific DX Station that is currently on the air,  the DXSummit.fi spotting website has incorporated propagation predictions on their website.  If you find a DX station spotted there that you contact, just right-click on the DX callsign and select VOACAP from the drop-down.   You just need to choose whether you are a Basic (100 watts and a Wire) or a Superstation (Amplifier and Directional Antenna).  You can also look at views of Short Path or Long Path.  It will give you a good view of when you need to be on which band to contact the DX station.

6 Meters – The Magic Band

DXMaps - 6 Meter Openings
DXMaps – 6 Meter Openings

The best website that I have found for 6 meters is DXMaps.com.  It provides a map view of the world or you can select a continent. Based on spotting network data, it shows 6-meter contacts and color codes them by Sporadic-E, Multihop ES, Meteor Scatter, etc…  even Aurora.  You can also get a view of 10 meters, 2 meters, or 70 cm.  If you sign up for a free account, you can subscribe to real-time notifications when there is an opening near you.

2 Meter Propagation

VHF Propagation Map
VHF Propagation Map

Looking for a tropo opening for a weak signal 2-meter contact?   Visit the website http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ to see a VHF Propagation map.  This shows tropo openings as color-coded clouds – with brighter colors for the longer openings.    This is based on APRS data.

These are the websites that I like to visit to understand the propagation forecast for the day.  If your favorite site is not on the list, add a comment so the rest of our readers can check it out.

Anita, AB1QB

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