Tag Archives: Digital

Digital, Featured, General, Newsletter, Station Equipment

6m VUCC In A Day – 2020 ARRL June VHF Contest

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The 6m Band is one of my favorite bands. The combination of its unpredictability and the amazing openings that it can produce certainly makes 6m The Magic Band for me! Conditions on 6m were so good on Saturday that I almost worked a 6m VUCC by 11 pm on Saturday evening …

Source: 6m VUCC In A Day – ARRL June VHF Contest

I had an amazing experience on the 6m Band this past weekend during the 2020 ARRL June VHF Contest. Among other this, I was able to work a VUCC on 6m using FT8/FT4 Digital in less than a day!

We experienced great 6m band openings for nearly the entire contest period here in New England. I was able to work station in Europe, the Caribean, and on the West Coast of the United States during the contest.

AB1QB AB1OC Field Day 2020 and 6m VUCC
Operating During ARRL June VHF via the AB1OC-AB1QB Station Gateway

The article in the link above describes the station and software setup used during the contest and shares the results of our operations on 6m during the contest period.

You can read the entire story and see some information about how we used the station here as part of June VHF.

Fred, AB1OC

Antennas, Digital, DX, Education and Training, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air, Station Equipment

Virtual Contest University

The 2020 Dayton Hamvention has been canceled, but you still have the opportunity to attend Contest University from the comfort of your QTH!   The organizers of Contest University will be holding a free Virtual Contest University via Zoom on May 14th.

Contest University is a full day of educational presentations.  The world’s most skilled contesters share their knowledge.  You will learn not just how to operate in a contest but skills that are useful for all ham radio operators:

  • How to improve your station
  • All about propagation and when to operate to get the most and most distant contacts
  • Information on setting up your digital station and operating digital modes,
  • What are the best performing transceivers based on testing by Rob Sherwood, NC0B
  • And much more!

Fred, AB1OC, and I have been attending Contest University for many years and we learn something new every time.  Contest University is highly recommended for our Student/Teacher Contesters as well as all of our members.

Here is an outline of the speakers and presentation topics: https://www.contestuniversity.com/course-outline/

You can register online for the Virtual Contest University at the above link to get the Zoom link.  Contest University starts at 8:30 am on May 14th.

Antennas, Featured, General, Newsletter, Station Equipment

Amateur Radio Station Construction

We learned a great deal about Amateur Radio Station Construction as part of building our station. The AB1OC-AB1QB station project involved the construction of a dedicated room for a new shack. We also put up a tower-based antenna system. It took Anita and I about 1 1/2 years to build our station. We covered quite a number of areas during the project…

Source: Amateur Radio Station Design And Construction

Many folks are stuck at home right now. As a result of the Pandemic, many of us cannot go out to see friends and do their usual activities. We know that many Hams are looking around on the Internet for Amateur Radio project ideas and information. In an effort to help, we recently spent some time organizing all of the information on our blog, https://stationproject.blog concerning Amateur Radio Station construction.

AB1OC Tower and Antennas - Amatuer Radio Station Construction
AB1OC-AB1QB Tower and Antennas

There is lots of information on shack design and construction, tower and antenna building, and much more on our Blog. The link above contains lots of information including pictures, videos and how-to information on station-building. There is also a “Virtual Station Tour” available which provides some videos showing our station in operation.

We hope that this article will provide some useful information, ideas, and Ham Radio fun!

Fred, AB1OC