Weekly Report

Propagation a bit freaky but generally very poor.. K=0. A=1, Flux=75.

0600z - 0730z Europe - Anzo net on 14,293 Long Path.

I did not get much on this one but EA8CPN Gerald came in strongly from Tenerife about 0640z.

It was great to hear him make tentative arrangements with Klaus to meet at the Friedrichshaven Hamfest (June 25-27.)

Klaus seemed to manage fairly well throughout, also Pertti EA7GSU came in well at the end.

Thanks to Peter VK3KCD for this report.

Good Morning Bill

Interesting propagation last Sunday. I worked a few northern European station prior to the net. I have not worked anyone in central or southern Spain for some time. Bill VK4ZD indicated that his propagation software shows the long path closing before the net commences and the current timing is right at the end of the window here.

How much earlier could the net start without stretching the friendship? **

I anticipate that there is a less than 10% chance I will be in Flinders next Sunday and I will most probably be unable to get the beam up in time. For your interest here is an extract from my log for the net.

**(A good question Peter but the band does not open until about 0600z in UK, about 0500z in mainland Europe)

0530z Called EA7GSU nothing heard

0535z very weak signal ? EA7GSU ?

0536z VK4ZD 59/57

0545z another weak signal unable to identify

0550z YO9BC 42 I got 33

0600z HB9CQS 5 7-8 I got 5 7-8 falling to 56 by 0620z

0624z G4YZE 43 I got 43

0624 G3LUW 43 I got 54

VK4ZD said he had no copy on any of the above stations.

I had no copy on any of the EA`stations.

After closing with HB9CQS at about 0635 I continued with VK4ZD until 0643.

73 YIRS Peter VK3KCD

0800z - 0900z UK 80-metre net on 3,694

G3LUW Brian in control from Devon supported by :-

G0JWE Don, G4WRU Mike, G2FUU Tommy, G3JJR John, M0BDI Ralph,

G8LES Mike, still a bit croaky, G4MVO Jim, G0PCF Bruce and G4YZE Bill.

1130z - 1230z International net on 14,293.

1118z - W1QUO Jim from Leominster MA 5/7, got me only 4/5.

1120z - EA/G4HMG John from Benissa 4/5

1120z - EA7GSU Pertti from Genalguacil 5/7

1120z - PA3AHC Malcolm from Nardeen 1/1 here but Pertti got him well.

1127z - YO9BC Vince (Coco) from Ploiesti 5/9+

1148z - G0JWE Don from Derby 1/1 here

1154z - M0TXR Mac from Bolton 5/9+ (for a report)

1156z - VE3BGG Bert from Cambridge, S.Ontario 5/7

1205z - G3TKK Peter from Lytham 5/6. Great to hear Peter. First for a long time !.

1218z - Net closed. Jim continues to have severe noise problems and did not receive anybody well.

We tried many calls but got no reply from the US stations.

It was a great pleasure to hear Bert VE3BGG come up with a 5/7 signal but he also had noise and

could give me only 5/4. Even Coco with his mighty signal could only get 3/3 from Bert.

Peter G3TKK has a big signal but even he could get only 3/3 from Bert.

Conditions rather grim - and will likely stay poor through the mid-summer period. Keep trying !

1700z - 1730z UK evening 80-metre net on 3,694.

G4WRU Mike in control from London supported by :-

G3JJR John, G0SQH Derek, G0JWE Don, G3TKK Peter and G4YZE Bill.

1800z - 1830z N.Am. Transcontinental net on 14,288.

Many thanks to Jack KF5BD for this report.

Hi Bill:

Worst day ever. I was net control today and heard Jim W1QUO but could not work him. At 1845UTC pulled the switch----two check ins, Jim and Jack.

Jack KF5BD

(It will be better in September Jack ! g4yze)

Messages Received.

In addition to Jack's comments we have several distress messages from members.

Their activity being threatened by bad reception conditions due to :-

1. The approach of mid-summer doldrums during a marathon solar minimum.

2. Increasing use of power line signalling etc. causing impossible local qrm on some h/f bands.

David EA5ALK is struggling to keep his skeds with a compact cross-field antenna on his balcony.

Don G0JWE has volunteered to help with a contact after our International Net. Good luck there !

On 8th April Dr.Alan Johnstone M0BCE wrote :-

...... I want to put my membership of ROAR on hold because QRM is spoiling it all for me on 80 metres.

The other bands are improving and I have had an engineer from Ofgen to call in and investigate.

He thought it might be from the local pylons but did not confirm this nor was he able to locate any other

sources of noise which can come from my gear eg low wattage bulbs, BBC Vision (which incidentally ,

is a vg acquisition ).I continue to enjoy CQ 100 on my pc.

The sunspot cycle is allowing better propagation on the 20 metre band so I will listen out and try to join in

circumstances permitting

73’s to you and all in ROAR From Alan M0BCE

At our AGM on 15th May Geoff G3KIW described a rather similar qrm situation.

He manages to listen to some of our nets on line via a Dutch SDR receiving station at Twente university, near Hilversum.

Geoff writes :-

The website is :- http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901

You will need both Java and JavaScript enabled and make sure they are both up to date versions.

The receiver is situated at the radio club of the University of Twente [ loc JO32KF ] it is experimental and not always turned on.

I am not very computer literate and really found my way in by a lot of key stabbing.......

.....Best of luck, Geof

(SDR = Software Defined Radio. You can select the band and the frequency on the web site.)

(There are several other such stations. See http://www.websdr.org)

Here in Bolton it works OK but naturally my own antenna hears the UK stations better than the Twente aerial does.

Maybe a similar receiving station could be set up in the UK if the interference problem persists.

It would not help your transmission of course but in the limit it might make you receivable by others. !

At our UK AGM on May 15th we voted to contribute £100 to the RSGB's "Spectrum Defence Fund"

The Fund might be needed to get the power line interference down to reasonable limits.

( A law-court dispute with UK government regulator Ofcom could cost the RSGB thousands of pounds.)

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That's all for this week,

73 de Bill g4yze