FREE results

eQSL design for the PE45FREE account

Just to let you all know the FREEDOM special event was a big succes! As far as I know the whole row of calls we used made more then 11000 QSOs. Personally with PE45FREE I made 1440 QSOs with 67 DXCC (approx. 51 QSO/day average!), more as expected. Overall I was QRV very early in the morning before I had to go to the job. Propagation then was sometimes very surprising. In the evening best band of choice was 40m on which I made about 600 QSOs these 28 days. Well, being on the radio almost every day I had the chance to work some interesting DX with my own call as well and even a ATNO with S01WS Western Sahara on 20m RTTY (just following fellow blogger EI2KC). From the FREEDOM stations that could have been worked I only miss PB45FREE, although I saw him spotted on the DXcluster I never ever heard him actually. The rest have been worked with my own call and sometimes the SES call as well. Of course I couldn't work myself.

I interested you can find some statistics here:

http://pg8m.redirectme.net/PE45FREE
(Change the call for other statistics from the whole row PA-PH including PA45FREEDOM)

Unfortenately today I noticed the modes are not correct in the statistics page of my call, but this doesn't matter. It is correct in the log that is received by PG8M for QSL processing. eQSL log is uploaded yesterday and I will probabely upload the log to other pages as well.

3rd week PE45FREE - log around the world

Anyone, anywhere need a QSO with me as special event PE45FREE?. If you want a sked please find my e-mail address on QRZ.com and let me know, I'll see what is possible. I have 5 days to go but have limited time at daylight. The last day of the event (28th of may) I will try to be QRV in the morning from approx. 6- 10 UTC. Preferable SSB mode. Search for PE45FREE in the DXsummit cluster to see when I have been QRV and where for best times.

I had limited time last week and didn't make that many QSOs. I find that most interest is on SSB as I get best pile-ups there. Especially  interested are the east-europeans and russia. Although it could be a matter of propagation.

I'm sorry if all of you don't care about these last 3 posts. I know running and working a special event station is pretty boring. I actually never work SES stations myself as I am not interested. But let's face it. There are different ways to enjoy the hobby, some do this some do that. The nice thing of this SES activity was the activation of the whole row of Netherlands letter prefixes PA-PH. As far as I know this was never been done before and a very nice initiative. I'm having fun this month running pile-ups and work nice DX very early in the morning. Something I rarely experience or did before.

Hope to work some of my readers in the last 5 days of the event...

2nd week PE45FREE - propagation up and down

Actually I was afraid I would not meet my goal of 1000 QSOs before the end of the PE45FREE special event activation. At the start of the week I sometimes had difficulties to get stations into the log. 40 m SSB is always doing a great job with pile-ups due to european and especially dutch stations that are interested and can easily be worked on that band. 100+ stations in a 1,5 hour is possible and actually I hope this will hold on till the end of the month to make some extra QSOs when time allows. I wish to work as many bands and DX as well. 20 m and 17 m were open early morning till late evening later this week. I was called by USA/Canada but also Japan and Australia. Even had one Colombia contact early in the morning. Unfortenately didn't have much time yet to operate on 10m at daylight. I did some QSOs but only inside Europe during ES propagation. I was asked several times to get on 6 m. But have no antenna up yet for that band. On digital mode I have mainly east European and Russian stations, they seem to be most active with PSK. SIM31 on the other hand is giving me some worldwide contacts, even Australia in the evening (long path?). At the moment the counter hits 771 QSOs in the log. If time allows it would be no problem to get at least 1000 QSOs in the log before the 28th of this month. In the mean time I worked 4 of the special event stations and PA45FREEDOM as well. Giving me enough points to get the digital freedom event award.

1st week PE45FREE - Quick NVIS wire

Quick wire in preparation

Not satisfied with the performance of my vertical on 40m I decided to take some wire and make a quick NVIS endfed. I threw out 20m copper electricity wire over the garden to a quick glasfiber mast of about 5m high. Fed with my antennatuner in the shack it did a reasonable job on 40m now. 110 SSB QSOs were made in one evening. Pile-up was constant. Unfortenately didn't have time to do it again. I was able to make QSOs mostly on 30m PSK/RTTY every evening. Have been trying 17m and 20m but even spotting myself didn't do the trick. Only 2 or 3 stations responded and I couldn't create a pile-up. I think those bands would be better at full daylight. But I don't have time to be on the radio then. I tried to participate in a  RTTY contest last weekend but made only 1 QSO. Bands were not busy at all here. Could be propagation? Anyway, I'm at 450 QSOs now and still having fun. I still hope for at least 1000 QSOs at the end of the PE45FREE activation.

Till now I worked PA45FREE, PC45FREE and PD45FREE with my own call. Hope to work at least 5 or work PA45FREEDOM this weekend to obtain 45 points for the Freedom award.

http://www.qrz.com/db/PA45FREEDOM

Haven't worked much bloggers yet? Were are you guys? Only PC4T is in the log as far as I know!
By the way, I still didn't make a eQSL account as all available time is spend to make QSOs. I will probabely make a PE45FREE account after the activation. So, be patient....

Intriguing QSL card

Nothing has intriguing me more then this QSL which was received last month. What is it? And why did I publish the card on the side? Well to answer the last question, look at the trees! To answer the first question the search begins. I found the QSL manager from PI4APD, PE2K Adriaan and send him a e-mail but he did only answer that it was not a antennatower or antenna but a artwork. What artwork, where? Then last week I remembered a trick I saw on the TV show Catfish. Search the internet with a sample photo. But even that proved to be very difficult. I must have seen around 500 photos before I found what I looked for. The artwork is called "Needle tower" and made by a artist called Kenneth Snelson. There are 2 versions of this freestanding tower made with tubes and wire. Needle tower 1 is standing in Washington DC, USA and needle tower 2 stands in Otterlo, Netherlands.





More info on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needle_Tower

I'm glad I found this finally as the QSL picture kept my mind busy. The designer of the card did a very good job as I'm certain I'm not the only one that wishes to know what it was.

Free fun on liberation day

Although the weather forecast was bad for today we had a beatiful sunny day till late in the afternoon. Temperature rising to 23,4C. We heard bad weather reports on the news in the rest of the country. We have been lucky and had a light thunderstorm with some rain for about a hour.

Liberation day is a day off from the job once in the 5 years for me. And today I would like to be a bit more active as PE45FREE. I was up early and found the bands not really open. Though, you never know what surprises are happening when calling CQ. I have been active on 40m and 20m today in LSB, USB, PSK63, PSK31 and SIM31. One of my first QSOs on 20m was surprisingly with AL7KC from Alaska, I think he was surpised as well to hear me. And although I was spotted on the cluster from the USA I hardly had any station calling after that. So I switched over to SIM31 and worked VK3AXF and VK6YM from Australia proving there was propagation and just no stations around. Late in the morning I started calling on 40m to give some european and especially dutch stations a chance. I had a pile-up but overall propagation was worse then expected. At least I spoke fellow blogger PC4T Paul, we had planned that and it luckely worked out. Although the "low" propagation I had a lot of fun and the surprises made me happy.

Till now I reached 209 QSOs, I have 791 to go to reach my goal. I will keep you all updated at least every week.

#cqww Netherlands record

Remember my efforts last year in the CQ WWDX CW? My goal was to make a new dutch record. Or a Netherlands record as written on the certificate. Oh yes, I managed to do so...

Sad day...

Sorry, I had no time for the PE45FREE activation today. Today was a very sad day as my neighbourstation PD0FF Foppe has no radiostation anymore. He called me several weeks ago that he had to end all his hobbies. Foppe was not only a radio amateur, other hobbies were his band "The Backyard Bluesband" he was the drummer for many years and besides that he was referee for the dutch football association KNVB. That is only a few things he has done of course.

I remember he helped me many years ago to get a good antennamast and of course I did help him too when he need something to work out for the radio hobby. Anyway, Foppe has been diagnosed with ALS a muscle disease that cannot be cured. He can hardly breathe and speak right now and so talking on the radio is not possible anymore. He asked me to remove his antennamast with all antennas and cables so his family will not need to do this later on. I have been busy with it today and removed everything. Some work on the mast has been done with unexpected help of another just visiting radioamateur PA7JC Jacob. I will sell most of Foppe's antenna and radio equipment in the next weeks after I test it to see everything works like it should.
The antennamast will be demolished.  It's a sad day when you come to the point when you know it is the end. Sometimes that day can be earlier then you think. But life goes on and we don't have to think about that too much...I hope I helped Foppe with this and wish him and his family strength to cope with all this.

First day freedom SES activation

This first day of the activation of the special event stations listed PA-PH 45FREE seems to be succesful. I've seen several stations spotted already at lunchtime. Unfortenately I only have time in the evening and some spare time in a weekend. The 5th of May is a day off for most people here as that is the day our country was officially liberated in 1945. I will try to be more active that day.
I have a goal to make at least 1000 QSOs. So take a look on the cluster for me and listen to the radio.

Till now I was active on 17m SSB and 30m PSK31. A total of 35 QSO made. The amount of stations calling surprised me. There seems to be a lot of interest in this activity. At least 3 contacts were made with Japan,

For more info look at my previous post: