IARU SSB #Fieldday @PE4BAS

Event: IARU SSB Fieldday 2015
QTH: JO33jk Eemshaven (harbour) Netherlands
Logger: Paper and pencil
Station: YAESU FT817ND 5W
Antenna: 12m vertical pole with 3 band PE1BVQ endfed on a dyke (10m agl). Modified DV27 for 15m on top of the car. Position near salt water.

My intention was to participate for about a hour in this fieldday event. I drove my car about 4 km north of my QTH to the Eemshaven harbour. I knew a ideal DX location at top of the dyke near salt water. Indeed the location was great and stations came in loud so time flies and 3 hours later I decided to stop. I experienced better propagation as last year or it has been the excellent location? Weather was not that great, showers and large windgusts from the north direction.

I managed to set up the 12m glasfiber mast but needed to fasten the guyropes all 3 on the wind side to hold it steady. Unfortenately 10m didn't open that well, I did hear stations but they didn't hear my QRP signal. 15m was open and made some nice QSOs. Of course 40m was the band with most fieldday stations and the majority of QSOs were made there again. Despite the large signals on the band I didn't hear much stations from the Netherlands, could be my vertical DX setup of course! Only PI4VPO/P and PD1RP/P were worked. I did hear good radio friend Bernard PB7Z/P a few times but was unable to work him. Time of the day was wrong for DX. I did hear a JA station on 20m but he only occupied his calling frequency as he was not replying to any caller. Best DX was made on 15m with Israël and Asiatic russia.