Meshcore experiments

 While I am not on meshcore all days it is interesting to see some ideas that are developed. One of them is the MC-Radar. A nice website were you can visually see your propagation paths if you send a message on the #mc-radar channel and if it is received by a station that sends the info to their server.

Above all the paths last 24h over the Netherlands. Below my own paths after the first "test" message.

Site can be found here: https://mc-radar.woodwar.com/. You will also find interesting graphs about the network on this site.

A mesh network is nice. But real big reliable distances cannot be made. There is still too much collision of all the packets. It is interesting though and nice to experiment with. If you had it with all these stupid test and other messages you can also take your car and measure meshcore signals while driving. This maps the meshcore network in real time. I did some experiments and have been mapping signals while driving. This is done by this website: https://mapme.sh/

If you want to take part you need a bluetooth enabled browser on your GSM. For my Iphone I use a browser called "BLE link". The website to connect with your meshcore device and upload data can be found here: https://mapme.sh/connect.html

Do you any more interesting experiments? Of do you know what to do with this meshcore network next. Let me know, I'm always interested. In the mean time I will be on meshcore at times, to read and see how things evolve.

PACC 2026 review

 

27MHz how???

    I decided to participate in the QRP mixed section again but only do CW. I was not able to participate till the end and begun late on Saturday. Stopped early at 9:30 UTC. I did meet my goal of working all the CWA students and advisors in the CWops CWA Intermediate 2026 course here in the Netherlands.

In total I did about 10 hours of contesting. I'm satisfied with the results. However my most important goal was to make less errors. Not shure if that happened. Especially during the late evening and later Sundaymorning I went tired and not as sharp anymore. I remember I had a big problem to copy a S58 station, luckily he kept repeating his call and after at least 6 times I got it. There were also stations that kept keying at high speed. Probabely not realizing this costs time after all because I kept asking for repeats. But overall decoding CW went well I think. I see an big improvement in numbers copy which I do now nearly automatic.

White=several bands Purple=80m Blue=40m Yellow=20m Brown=15m Pink=10m

Some highlights J38TT on 10m and JR6CSY on 15m. I also contacted FR/UR9IDX on 10m but he was probably not in the contest, I worked him anyway. The station in Africa can't be right, SM5XU/5OO repeated his call several times so I put it in the log, strange. I realize I have it wrong. Could it be SM5/UX5OO? Most likely yes, UX5OO is an existing call. I will correct this. It is easy to mix up the X with a slash. Another error is something in the log I can't explain yet. It seems I have made CW QSOs on 27MHz???. Not possible at all....have to check out what this error is. Never had this before...

A total of 47 DXCC were worked. The PACC is not really a DX contest. Most participants are from Europe and Russia. There are a few from USA/Canada but most of them are in the WW RTTY contest which is also running this weekend.

I had a lot of fun again. And doing CW is still a big challenge for me. With morserunner I train to get the call in 1 time. But in reality I have to ask for at least one repeat before I have the whole call. I also am not really fast in typing in the calls. Some stations already made a 3 time repeat before I typed the call and hit enter. For the first time in this (and any other) contest I did 99% running. I did some S&P but this was only to find an empty spot to run. I have to write that I didn't have to call long to get a pile-up. And when someone was spotting me the frequency went crazy. But overall I kept cool and quiet, with some patience I did work everyone who was calling. 

This year was not my best score. But I don't really care. I don't want to have a trophy, I just want  to have fun and relax. Winning this section is not within reach for now. I keep training with CW and hope next year it will get better.

The hunt for KP5 Desecheo Island

   

  In between my busy schedule, learning morsecode with the CWOps CWA intermediate course and many other things in life, I also chased the KP5 DXpedition. After several weeks they would be going QRT at 12 February. I remembered my efforts in 2009 trying to reach the K5D DXpedition. It went the same way. I had no problems to work KP4 stations but KP5 looked like a black hole for my radio signals. Since they are only working with 25W from a solar powered remote controlled "box" and simple verticals it is not easy to receive their signal anyway. But I managed to hear them on 40m CW yesterday and this is what unfortunately happened....

Somehow I got through the pile-up, but they had my call not right PE4DAL went into the log. I tried again and few moments later he heard me again. But still the call not right PE4DAI this time. I went mad of course. But wait, 3 times should be a winner isn't it? Well, I'm shure they had my call correct this time. But what happened third time? I see PE4BAL in the log. Their signal faded and I didn't hear them again...

This was a big disappointment. I had the idea this would end the same as in 2009. But after the PACC contest I had some spare time to try again. Today they organized a special ATNO day. And after about half an hour trying on 20m FT8 I finally managed to make a QSO.

Well, this certainly was a hard one! Personally I really hope I can get the busted call on 40m be corrected. Will report about that later hopefully!