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!

Dutch PACC contest 2026 this weekend

 The famous Dutch (PACC) contest is on this weekend. Of course this is the contest to do as Dutch hamradio operator, since everyone is calling for the Netherlands. The exchange is the province abbreviation. For me that will be GR. Last year I became third in the SO QRP section which is always a mixed mode section. I earned a trophy for that as you can see in the picture.

First of all I cannot take part the whole contest since I have family obligations. Not shure when I will be having time to be on the radio. But at least I will take part for as much as I possible can. I don't need a high place in the QRP section again. So I'm not shure if I will take part in the QRP section at all. I might take part in the SO LOW CW. 

My goals are different from other years. Because of my ongoing CW training I will do only CW this time. My biggest goal is to make less errors, that will not be an easy task. Another goal is to work all the participants in the (dutch) CWA intermediate course. PE2V Vincent, PA3GPX Rene, PA3KL Kees, PA8E Jim and PA1DI Dick. I see them every week at the video meeting and hope to finally work them on air. 

Below the map of the Netherlands with the province abbreviations. I'm located at the right upper corner of the country right at the coast. My call will not be PE4BAS but I will use my contestcall PA6G.

If you as reader likes to take part, you're welcome. Info here

https://pacc.veron.nl

A strange special notice about the 60m band

 

??? Why? Because US stations can only use 15W EIRP (9,15W ERP)? So they think you cannot DX with 9,15W only? We hear/see New Zealand stations on 60m every day. And they are on the other side of the world from here. They use only 15W like most stations are allowed to use in most countries were 60m is allowed. The difference between 15W and 100W is not that much. I think something like 1,5 S-unit.

Really, 5371,5 KHz is outside international regulation frequencies in most countries. Why would a DXpedition bother to work split just for the US? 15W is enough to still make DX, although you need some good propagation. Well, I wish my American 60m DX friends good luck!

I've made many DX contacts on 60m with just 15W FT8 like I'm allowed to. I have also used far less power and still make contacts on 60m CW and FT8. So I encourage my US amateurradio friends to just try with the allowed power output.

Fun with AI

 A lot of pictures on social media made with AI lately. I really have my doubts about AI. But sometimes it is really funny. My XYL made these with chatGPT on her Iphone.

I don't look like this really. But as a cartoon it is very nice. And since my call is on the t-shirt it has to be me!

How about our house. We had a lot of snow lately, most of it gone now. This was a few weeks ago. It looks very cozy. However I hope spring will arrive soon.

From HamClock to OpenHamClock

 

Old HamClock style setting

An alternative for the much used HamClock can be found online now here:

https://openhamclock.up.railway.app/

New modern HamClock setting

Forget my fun fast project from 1,5 years ago. I can now use the Pi Zero2W for something else. I found the old HamClock via WiFi not really reliable as well. I had to restart the Pi every week to keep HamClock running. This open hamclock is much easier and online. You just need a computer and a browser. Which OS is not important, if you got internet it runs. And I like the amount of info you get on "modern" setting. Actually I find it much more usable in my shack.

Update 4-Feb-2026:

I see the openhamclock can now be reached on https://openhamclock.com/

So far I see updates every day. Currently already version V3.12.0