It is not always sunshine with QRP. People that do regulary QRP transmissions know that. You really heavily depend on propagation with low antennas. Most of the time my radiotime is at night. And when it is dark propagation at PE4BAS is gone. I absolutely hear nothing in the evening above the 40m band. A few on 40m and a only 80m is busy enough. I really tried to hear VP8STI, one of the great DXpeditions out now but I was not able to hear even a tiny signal from them at my available time.I received the certificate from the fieldday SSB contest 2015. I became 2nd. Not bad for a few hours of activity. I saw the the result from the Frysian 11 cities contest is also published today, I became 3rd in my section (not QRP).
The results from 10m WSPR surprised me as I was heard in Chile. I wish to search for the exact callsign from this station and the time he made the spot but unfortenately the site is down most of the time. VK2TPM wrote about this in December and since then it got even worse. I hope a solution can be found soon. Since it seems the the site owner cannot be contacted I guess it would mean that another site has to be built and maintained by several people that now what they are doing. Hopefully someone is busy with that as the WSPR hamradio hobby depends on a reliable database.
I have a day off the job tomorrow and hope propagation will be better. I hope I can add some new DXCC to the QRP list and will listen out for the VP8STI DXpedition again.....wish me luck ;-)
4 comments:
Good evening Bas, I too sure can understand the QRP up's and down's I was on 20m JT-65 and managed to make one states side contact. Propagation was not really that good but one contact into the U.S is good for me.
Have a great week Bas
73, Mike
I tried to get to the WSPR site and found it down this morning, too. After having a moderate station and then going to my indoor antennas and QRP, I know exactly where you are coming from. Congrats on the USA on 80! We are at the mercy of propagation more than ever but research (as you're doing) and timing is key. I love the online resources that we can use (mentioned in my blog tonight) which help us small stations work new ones. Keep up the good job and like you, family and job just get in the way of my ham radio hobby ;0) 73/72 AK7DD
Thanks Mike, now I know it is not only me that has problems to get out that day. But with at least 1 QSO you know that your signal is going out. Have a nice week as well. 73, Bas
Hi Phil, indeed I call it research and not only amateurradio. I've done USA with QRP on 80m before so I knew it is possible. But with the propagation this bad it is still a miracle. But you know what they say. You have to be there to work the DX. 73, Bas
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