Tag Archives: DX

DX, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air

The Bouvet Island DXpedition 2018

Bouvet lies at 54 degrees, 25 minutes South and 3 degrees, 22 minutes East. It’s the product of a volcanic eruption that last occurred in 4,000 B.C.  Bouvet is 97% ice-covered, and with surrounding rocks and small islands, has an area of 19 square miles, with 18.4 miles of coastline.  Its location, ice, rock cliffs, high seas, harsh climate and surrounding pack ice and icebergs isolate it from human presence.  Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier first saw the island in 1739.  The island was not seen again until 1808.  There was a disputed landing by Benjamin Morrell. But, the first documented landing was by the Norvegia expedition in 1927, which named the island Bouvetoya, and claimed it for Norway. More on the Bouvet Island DXpedition…

Source: The Bouvet DXpedition 2018

The Bouvet Island DXpedition will give us a chance a very rare one! Please consider supporting if you can.

Fred, AB1OC

Digital, Education and Training, Featured, General, Newsletter

Quicker-Turnaround Digital Modes in Experimental Stage for WSJT-X Suite

WSJT-X developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, weighed in to express his appreciation to all who shared their ideas and experiences using JT9 and JT65 modes during recent multi-hop E-skip openings on 6 meters.

“We are very much aware that a mode with most of the excellent characteristics of JT65, but with faster turnaround time, would be a big winner in such situations,” Taylor commented on behalf of the WSJT-X development team. “We are experimenting with several such possibilities. Tentative goals include 15-second T/R sequences, sensitivity around S/N = –20 dB, occupied bandwidth less than that of JT65, and capability to decode as many as 10 or 20 signals in a 2-kHz bandwidth.”…

Source: Quicker-Turnaround Digital Modes in Experimental Stage for WSJT-X Suite

This is something to follow if you are interested in the JT modes for HF and VHF communications. Our experience is that a new JT variant that would trade S/N margin for a faster QSO segment speed would be just the ticket on many of the HF bands as well as 6m.

Fred, AB1OC

Activities, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air, Station Equipment

Choosing my next Rig: What’s the best one for me?

My old (2012) Yaesu FT-950 lost output! I was getting maybe 5 watts out on any one band! What to do? These days, I am the proverbial “store-bought” ham … not even kit building! So the choices were to sell as a parts rig on eBay and put the proceeds towards a new rig so shipping the rig all the way to California for factory repair since no repair facilities are on the East Coast. Time for a lot of research!

I have always been a very analytical person. I guess that’s why I was so successful at my occupation: Air Traffic Controller and Air Traffic Manager.

Fortunately, I have been tracking new transceivers and their prices for some time.  To this end, I created an Excel spreadsheet. I got all the manufacturer transceiver brochures from HRO and, using the specs from my FT-950 as a base, listed the comparative item and assigned it points, plus or minus, as that transceiver compared to my FT-950 specs. Admittedly, this “point-value” system is subjective. Did I say, I was analytical?

The results: If I were to buy a new radio today, it would the Icom IC-7300. I am happy to share this spreadsheet with all my friends worldwide:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0upfryjKmcqYnJGUkFrczZsYTg/view

Oh, yes! In the end, I decided to repair my FT-950 at the Yaesu factory … they did a good job; quite reasonably priced … see you on the air!

Layne, AE1N

Radio Amateurs Developing Skills Worldwide