CQ TEST . . . EI2KM team and supporters during the CQWW CW contest.
This is a photo taken during the CQWW CW contest with the EI2KM team at the QTH of Doug EI2CN in County Louth. From left to right are Brian EI8EJB, Declan EI6FR (with headphones, operating the radio), Stephane F5UOW, Anthony EI2KC, Adrian EI2KJ (seated with beard in foreground), Alain EI2KM/F8FUA and Doug EI2CN.
Below you can see some more videos from the contest. The first one shows me operating on 80 metres, using (for the first time) a four-square receive antenna. What a joy that was!
And in this video shot by Alain EI2KM (F8FUA) you can see a better view of the station.
Contrary to popular belief, I do sometimes enjoy some phone activity on amateur radio. I do, in fact, own a microphone, HI HI! Today I gave the voice a bit of exercise and enjoyed about an hour of phone activity on 17 metres. I worked mostly European and Russian stations, with a new North American stations in the log too.
Separately to that run, I enjoyed a couple of nice contacts. One was with JW7VRA in Svalbard on 20 metres using just 100 watts. Here's a video of that contact:
I also had a nice QSO with Tim VK3TJK in Victoria, Australia, also on 20 metres. He was booming in on the short path. It sounded at times as if all of Europe and half of Russia was calling him. Here's a video of the moment my call was pulled out of the pile and the ensuing QSO:
Above is a video of me CQing on 80 metres CW using my new EI2KC home-brew hacksaw blade key Mark II. I had a nice QSO with DK1IS. This is the whole QSO. I am thoroughly enjoying this home-brew key, which was made with parts that were donated, found lying around the shack, and purchased. It cost me about 10 euro to make. And it's really quite genuinely nice to use. I will be writing an article about the construction of this, and the Mark I key, for a future issue of Echo Ireland magazine. I made some improvements from the Mark I version, although in fairness apart from a cosmetic difference, there is no noticeable difference in their use. They are both very nice to the touch and responsive. I may not revert to using my Kent dual lever paddle again!!
The Mark II key (left) beside its less refined predecessor.
I know I haven't blogged at all so far in 2015. There is a very good reason for this, which I will explain at the end of this post. But I have to tell you that I logged K1N Navassa as an All-Time New One (ATNO) this week, DXCC #310 in my log. Furthermore, as of this morning I have four slots, including 40m CW, and to my great delight, 80m CW. Below is a video made just after my QSO on 80 metres this morning:
The pile-ups have been huge, which is not surprising because it is the second-most wanted DXCC (the most-wanted according to some sources!). I didn't have much time to try them early in the week but now that I have more time I am being rewarded. I have made CW QSOs so far - on 20m, 17m, 40m and 80m. My 40m QSO was at 00:27 this morning and only took me two minutes! The 80m QSO at 07:38 this morning was the same!! I heard my friend Declan EI6FR going through and went about 1Khz above where he called and in no time at all I was in the log. Several Irish stations made it through this morning - EI8H, EI9FBB, EI6FR, EI2KC, EI6IL and EI8FH. As always, they peaked on the grey line and this was the best chance to log them. They are DXCC #167 on 80 metres for me. I'm really delighted with that.
The next challenge is TI9, Cocos Island, which begins this month also. In the meantime, I will try to log Navassa on the high bands.
LACK OF BLOGGING
A while ago, I made a decision about this blog which I didn't publicise. Life is busy on this side - hectically busy at times. I found that I was not getting any time to write about the things that I most love to write about - Irish mythology, monuments, astronomy etc. I was putting time and effort into this radio blog that could be put into writing other things. In August 2014, I started writing a novel. I tried to write every day, even though some days that was only for five minutes! The novel is now finished, but I am still writing other projects related to Mythical Ireland. I have also been taking a lot more photos. I found going out into the landscape was very conducive to writing good material. And all that has been very rewarding for me, and Mythical Ireland is the subject closest to my heart. (No - believe it or not, amateur radio is not my main hobby/interest!!!!) I have continued to indulge in radio, and DXing, but naturally with 310 countries logged I have less interest in repeating DXCC bands and slots, so generally I tend only to chase new countries and new slots. I hope and intend to continue in the hobby of DXing, and I am rarely in the car without having 2m and 70cm switched on. However, I have found that this re-prioritising of my life has worked very well in terms of my writing, which has flourished. I am now trying to find a publisher for my new novel. And I am trying to put together another non-fiction book about Irish mythology. So although you will still hear me in the pile-ups and I will continue to enjoy amateur radio as much as possible, blogging about it has to take second preference to my duties as an author. I'm sure (and I hope) that you'll all understand.
I recently added a new desktop computer to the shack to replace my old laptop. I decided to change my logging software and to give the much vaunted free program Logger32 a try. Having briefly installed it and tried it out on the laptop, I knew there were some issues that I would need to get ironed out before changing over to it. Gladly, I got a lot of help and advice on Logger32 from Declan EI6FR and some help also from Don EI6IL. Within no time, I had it up and running on the new PC and imported my old log and started logging new QSOs with it.
The above video is a brief attempt to show just a couple of features that initially I hadn't a clue how to use, but which, once explained, became second nature. The first is how to connect Logger32 to the DX cluster. The second is how to rearrange the columns in your Logbook page. I tried to make mine look exactly like my old log for the purpose of familiarisation.
The video is not intended to be an extensive tutorial, and is merely a novice's effort to pass on information in case someone else has just installed Logger32 and doesn't know how to use these features.
Amateur radio can be a lovely hobby for throwing up nice stories and interesting connections. I recently received a QSL card from Ron W8KYD in Cleveland, Ohio. Ron enclosed a copy of a QSL card that he had received from Fintan EI8C way back in 1953 - his first QSO "across the pond". Fintan became silent key in 2010, but used to run an electrical shop in Drogheda and I remember visiting his shop to get equipment fixed, probably in the 1980s. Anyway, the above video speaks for itself. Below is a copy of the QSL card plus Ron's note about it to me:
This is a short video showing Monk Apollo, SV2ASP/A on Mount Athos, CQing on 17 metres CW. I worked him with 100 watts as conditions were good. This entity in Greece has just one operator, Monk Apollo, who works from Docheiariou Monastery in Mount Athos, Greece. You can read more about him on his QRZ.com page.
This is the EJ7NET dxpedition on Inis Mór (IOTA EU-006) tonight on 40 metres CW. All going well, I will be joining this multi-national team tomorrow afternoon. Hope to be on the other end of the pile-ups tomorrow night!!
I am told there is mobile phone coverage plus broadband at the shack, so I would hope to update this blog regularly from the island over the next few days, with video, photos and of course words. So keep coming back folks!
Finally, it is my great pleasure to report that ZK3N, Tokelau Island in the Pacific Ocean, is in my log! I worked the mini German dxpedition on ZK3 this morning on 20 metres CW. I had spent days trying to work them, with a lot of bad luck. A few times when I sat down at the radio to start calling them, they would QRX, QSY or QRT just when they were strong to EU. Other times I had to leave the shack, or leave the house, for various reasons. This time, I managed to get them after just about ten, maybe fifteen, minutes calling. They were on 14.006. I sat on 14.015, having been tipped off by Declan EI6FR that the split was wide. Eventually I could hear "ES2?" so, thinking it might be me (for non CW ops, S is three dits, I is two!), I gave my call a couple of times. He came back with "EI2?" and I gave it a couple more times. Then he came back again with "EI2KC 5NN" and I gave "EI2KC 5NN 5NN TU". And that was it!. Dxcc #288 was in my log!
I enjoyed some PSK and RTTY operation over the past number of days. I worked a few decent DX contacts on digital modes with 40 watts. I am enjoying using these modes. I don't have to listen to any noise on these modes which is nice.
This is a short video showing VK9CZ, currently operating from Cocos Keeling Islands, on 17m SSB. As you can see, this was shot at 7.44pm local time. This small dxpedition has been workable both in the mornings and the evenings from Ireland. I have already nabbed them on four slots, which I am delighted with. I have yet to work VK9-C on 10 metres, so here's hoping!
Above is a short video of the ZL9HR Campbell Island dxpedition on 20m CW, just a couple of minutes after I worked them for a brand new country. I am chuffed to report that ZL9 is my 281st DXCC worked. I also nabbed them on 20m SSB a short time later.
