Experimental setup square halo (4) - into the tower

 It has been a while. I always think that when vacation arrives I will have a ocean of time. But real life is totally different. Anyway, I had a few hours to spend today. I dismantled the 6m/4m duoband beam and installed the experimental square halo after another final check. The only thing I changed is the boom, it is the same material (glasfiber) but shortened it and taped it with black tape. 

Above a picture to compare the size of the halo with the VHF duoband beam. The halo is small, excellent for the HAM without a lot of space. Not that I have a space problem but I really find this antenna interesting to experiment with.

 The experimental halo above the 10m LFA. Really small...will it work? The vertical antenna is another experiment for CB use, it is not working like it should yet.

I observed and noted the SWR at groundlevel and up on 14m height. The resonance point and SWR will shift higher in frequency, something to consider when you would like to experiment with this antenna.

Best SWR at 1m height: 14.120 - 18.142 - 21.116 - 24.931 MHz

Best SWR at 2m height: 14.177 - 18.150 - 21.130 - 24.942 MHz

Best SWR at 14m height: 14.250 - 18.200 - 21.200 - 25 MHz

So I need the tweak 17m and 12m a bit, though SWR is good enough to transmit. But is it working? I started on 12m late in the afternoon.

Unfortunately PSK reporter is not reporting everything these days. QSOs made with HC1HC (Ecuador), ZR6JT (RSA), YV5MHX (Venezuela).

Next 15m:

QSOs made with K1JZA (USA), 4Z5UY (Israel), DJ1TO (Germany), W6NWS (USA)

Next 17m, I was worried about this band because I don't use a closed loop in the antenna. It is kind of a dipole with a parasitic element of same length of the dipole attached. Best SWR 1,7:1.

I really don't know if propagation is good or bad? But I worked VE4GV (Canada), BG0BG (China), K0IEA (USA), OZ1RH (Denmark)

And at last 20m. I did some tests comparing the 2x20 inverted-V doublet with the square halo. I have to write the halo is clearly the winner. It wins on every signal. Previously the inverted-V was the winner compared to the multiband vertical. I'm really surprised by this small antenna. It is also very quiet on receive compared to the vertical. I had only time to test 20m late in the afternoon and in the evening.

I'm not really a fan of FT8 on 20m. I didn't had much success on this band previously as it is very crowded. I was really surprised by the DX contacts I could make this evening. I worked RW4D (Russia), EA1FK (Spain), EP5CHD (Iran), N4OPI (USA), W8NET (USA), W8QZM (USA), LW4EAZ (Argentina), K4YT (USA), W7DO (USA), CP6UA (Bolivia), CX1NU (Uruquay), D2UY (Angola)

Yes, this small antenna is working well for me. Is it special? Many HAMs told me this is just an cobbweb design. Yes it is, it has almost the same size and looks like a cobbweb. But it is different since it uses full size loops instead of half wave dipoles. Except for 17m that is, I couldn't get a decent match for 17m when I use a full size loop for that band. Instead I did cut the ends of the loop and what left is a dipole with a parasitic element, strange enough it works. That's the thing with experimental antennas, it works or it doesn't. This time I was lucky.

#6m 2022 ES-season review

 This is my review of the 2022 ES-season which I enjoy on 6m and 4m. Notice that the main mode for DX on 6m is FT8 these days on 50.313 MHz and 50.323 MHz. On 70 MHz the main FT8 frequency is 70.154 MHz. I only have a modest station consisting of a IC-7300 with max. 100W on 6m and 50W on 4m. Antenna is a homemade YU7EF duoband beam 2x 5 elements @14m height in my tower.

I mounted the antenna into the tower quite early this year. Surprise was the first transatlantic DX with PP5BK (Brazil) this year on may 15 . It is not a new DXCC but nice to work such a long distance on 6m.

21-May. First new band DXCC was on 4m this year. A QSO with LX/PE1ITR (Luxemburg). It surprises me that I did not hear/see many more from LX on 70 MHz previously. Rob was so kind of reading this post and commented with a link to his 2022 setup from a beatiful location in Luxemburg.

22 May. I almost worked YU7EF (the designer of my antenna) last year with MSK144, but in the end we could not finish the QSO. This year it was easy to work him in a strong opening on 4m. My second new band DXCC.

24 May. Real super DX on 6m and my first new band DXCC this year was a QSO with ZD7BG from St.Helena. Actually very special, propagation came up late in the evening, I worked him and he quickly disappeared into the noise. Real magic and very sporadic.

5 June. Next new 6m DXCC was a QSO with BA4SI from China. It didn't happen last year, but this time I was lucky. Picture is from his QRZ page.

The stacked yagi system does well...

9 June. Unusual CW contact for a new one on 6m. D4L from Cape Verde was worked. He showed up on FT8 later. I worked him again on 12 June. Both contacts confirmed at LoTW.

11 June. It was luck again! Working Albania. A QSO with ZA/IW2JOP for a new one on the 4m band.

12 June. 4m was really hot. I worked Z35Z from North Macedonia for a new one on that band.

12 June. Next my DXCC nr. 39 on 4m. A QSO with, I guess the most famous station from Israel, 4Z4DX Dov. It was also the last new DXCC on 4m this year.  Remember there are not many countries that are allowed to transmit on 4m. This band is a real DX challenge.

12 June. This day was really great for DX. Unexpected but true I worked Mexico. QSO was with XE2X. New 6m DXCC.

9 July. Seen South Korea a few times on 6m in the past. But never actually made a QSO. I was lucky this time and DS4EOI came back to me finishing the QSO. Propagation was strong into that direction that day, I also worked 17 Japanese stations. It was also the last day with strong enough DX possebilities for my modest station. I'm now counting 108 DXCC on 6m.

Receiving DX is another story. I receive far more as I can reach with 100W. I believe a better, bigger antenna and 4 times the power output I use now would have brought me a lot more DX this year. But what is the fun if you work everything at once...

Here is a list of DX stations I received but did not work this season:

20-May    LU5FF Argentina 20:09 UTC

22-May    ZS6NK South Africa 17:39 UTC

23-May    V51WW Namibia 17:34 UTC Signal -25dB

23-May    ZD7MY St. Helena 20:34 UTC

25-May    7Q7CT Malawi 17:36 UTC

27-May    4U1ITU Geneva ITU 08:06 UTC signal -20dB

04-June    D44EO Cape Verde 16:58 UTC

04-June    C5C The Gambia 17:47 UTC

05-June    BD4WN China 07:26 UTC

05-June    BA5DX China 07:30 UTC

05-June    HL4CJG S.Korea 09:32 UTC

05-June    HL3DE S.Korea 09:26 UTC

05-June    JV1A Mongolia 09:26 UTC

06-June    VR2XYL Hong Kong 07:25 UTC

06- June   VR2CO Hong Kong 07:26 UTC

06-June    VR2CH Hong Kong 07:27 UTC

06-June    BV3UF Taiwan 08:45 UTC

09-June    4Z1TL Israel on 4m 17:41 UTC

11-June    9N7AA Nepal 06:44 UTC

12-June    ZC4RH Cyprus SBA 10:43 UTC

12-June    XP3A Greenland 20:04 UTC

22-June    JT1CO Mongolia 11:16 UTC

24-July    9N7AA Nepal 07:58 UTC signal -8dB

24-July    VK8AW Australia 08:10 UTC signal -11dB

24-July    4F2KWT Phillipines 08:53 UTC signal -19dB

24-July    BV6KO Taiwan 09:36 UTC signal -18dB

24 July    BV7KL Taiwan 09:34 UTC signal -18dB

10 July. Several Dutch stations made a QSO with KL7J and/or KL7HBK from Alaska. I was on but probabely the only Dutch station that was just outside the propagation path. It was frustrating to see fellow Dutch stations just 50-100km south and west from me making the QSO while I did not receive anything from Alaska at all. But never mind, there will be another time...

ES-season is over now for me and I will dismantle the antenna, waiting for next season it will be inside the garage. It would not survive winter and the large winds that occur at that time of year. Besides that, I have a few other projects that are waiting to get their place in the tower.

If you enjoyed this post I would like to direct you to some other ES-season reviews from 6m DXers which are a interesting read.

https://ve3vn.blogspot.com/2022/08/6-meter-season-diminishing-returns.html

http://blog.dxers.info/2022/08/6m-season-wrap-up.html

Updated 29-12-2022: Exchanged photo from LX/PE1ITR see also comments

SWL (3)

 

Last listening session from Denmark this morning. The Tecsun did the ETM (Easy Tuning Mode) trick scanning and storing all available MW/SW stations within a few minutes. After that it is just a matter of reviewing the ETM temporarely memory to hear what is received. It works well but not for USB/LSB.

What really surprised me was receiving Radio Calypso day/night with a good signal over here. This is a LPAM station that located is close to my home QTH in the Netherlands. I remember listening to this radiostation already 40 years ago when this was a well known FM pirate station. Wow, it is still on air legally and providing room for other (ex) pirate stations to do their thing. Find the website in Dutch here: https://calypso675.com/ Not that I am a fan of the kind of music they play. I'm interested because of nostalgic reasons.

My list today:

13635 KHz AM Voice of Turkey with turkish folk music 09:43 UTC strong

15290 KHz AM NHK World Japan with talks in Japanese 09:44 UTC reasonable QSB

15320 KHz AM Radio France Int'l with talks in French 09:45 UTC reasonable QSB

15335 KHz AM China radio Int'l with talks in Russian 09:45 UTC reasonable QSB

17490 KHz AM China radio Int'l with talks in English 09:45 UTC strong

17570 KHz AM China radio Int'l with talks in English 09:46 UTC strong

648 KHz AM Radio Caroline with Pop music 09:47 UTC strong

693 KHz AM BBC radio 5 09:48 UTC strong

1053 KHz AM Talk sport radio 09:50 UTC strong

675 KHz AM Radio Calypso with Dutch music (smartlappen) 09:51 UTC strong

14275 KHz USB PH9HB/AM from a plane above Bordeaux France 09:56 UTC reasonable QSB

Everything received with the original antennas. I think more would be possible with bigger external antennas, I might think it over...I was really surprised by this small receiver for now.