As part of their Tonight at 8 series, the RSGB had a video presentation recently from Neil, G4LDR about getting started on the amateur radio microwave bands.
The talk itself is about 1h 15m in length and it is followed by a 20-minute Q&A session.
The video covers propagation, antennas and equipment for the amateur bands from 1.3 to 10 GHz.
According to an old saying 'When the wind is in the east, tis neither good for man nor beast'. Or as it turns out, it's not great for antennas either!
After several days of strong easterly winds, my 10m vertical finally snapped! It's no big deal as it was a cheap and cheerful half-wave CB antenna and I had gotten four years out of it already.
The problem was metal fatigue at the top of the bottom aluminum section. The X in the photo above shows where it split... the bottom of the antenna is still there on the mast while the rest of the antenna on the right is sticking out of a hedge.
So no more reports on 28 MHz FT8 for a while. I'll have to wait for a nice dry day and see if I'll repair or replace it.
This video about amateur radio in the Falkland Islands was put up on YouTube in January of 2021 and features VP8EME, VP8NE and VP8LP.
If I come across any radio that will operate on the 40 MHz band, I like to keep a record of it here on the blog. One such radio is the ELTING 8000 which was a 1980's vintage radio that was built in Yugoslavia. It was also manufactured by RIZ.
This low-band VHF radio used FM modulation and had a maximum of ten crystal-controlled operating channels.
In the example shown above which is the base version, it is set up for simplex operation on 40.775 MHz, 41.220 MHz, 41.775 MHz and 42.200 MHz. The specified range of the radios was from 40.7 MHz to 42.4 MHz.
This is an internal view of the radio. The mains power supply can be seen quite clearly on the right. You can also make out the crystals just left of centre.
This is the view from the other side and as you can see, there is a second PCB.
The frequency chart below shows how the crystal frequencies were selected...
The transmit frequency is a 12th multiple of a crystal operating at about 3.5 MHz. Possibly something like X3 first, select the third harmonic and then multiply that by 4.
For this radio to operate on say 40.680 MHz (which is the centre of the 40 MHz ISM band - Industrial, Scientific, Medical), a crystal of 3.390 MHz is required for transmit.
To receive on 40.680 MHz, then a 51.380 MHz crystal is required (receive frequency plus 10.7 MHz IF).
There were several versions of the 8000 series... 1) 8000F for fixed operation, 2) 8000M for mobile and 3) 8000P for portable.
The RF output power of each one was 10 watts. There was also a hand portable version called the 8000/1.5P with a 1.5 watt output.
Some of these radios are available on the second hand market and might be a way to get going on just one select frequency on the 40 MHz band.
I was reading an interesting news article today about a new project to build a giant island off the coast of Denmark in the North Sea. It will serve as a hub for 200 giant offshore wind turbines.
The world's first energy island will be as big as 120,000sq m but there are hopes to make it as large as 460,000sq m. It is the biggest construction project in Danish history, costing an estimated 210bn kroner (£24bn; €28bn: $34bn).
IOTA... Located some 80kms or so off the Danish coast, I couldn't help thinking if it would qualify as a new IOTA reference?
The IOTA (Islands On the Air) awards programme is very popular with radio amateurs and is probably second only to the DXCC programme in terms of popularity. I'm sure a new Danish IOTA reference would generate some interest.
Would it count though? From what I understand, it must be a certain distance offshore and 80 kms should certainly qualify. However, I think it must also be 1km in length. If it expands to its full size then it might.
Does a new large artificial island qualify as a new IOTA reference?
Update: It would seem that it won't count as a new IOTA as qualifying islands can't be man made.
VHF... Whatever about IOTA, the new 'Energy Island' would be located out in a very wet locator square... either JO35 or JO36 and it would certainly count.
Considering how close it would be to Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, it would probably be very popular on all the VHF bands.
Noise?... While it's interesting to hear about new islands popping up out of the North Sea, it would hardly be a RF quite location with all of those inverters. Would radio communications be even possible on the HF bands? Would it even be allowed?
As radio systems gradually migrate from analogue to digital technology, more and more unusual commercial and non-commercial signals can be heard on the VHF & UHF radio bands.
Lewis M3HHY in Manchester has a very popular YouTube channel where he puts up well scripted and presented videos about a wide range of radio related subjects. He recently put up two videos about some of the digital radio signals that can be heard on the VHF & UHF bands.
Video 1...
Signals...
Video 2...
Signals...
At the end of January 2021, the 40 MHz page on the site passed the 10,000 pageview mark.
Back in 2018, Irish radio amateurs gained access to a large part of the low VHF spectrum between 30 MHz and 50 MHz. As I went looking for information on anything to do with 40 MHz operations, I found it scattered across the net with no real central source.
In 2018, I started collecting information about low band VHF signals and equipment and in the summer of 2018, I put the 40 MHz page up on the site. This was a place where I could put links to all of the relevant posts that I had put up on the site. It also meant that anyone new starting off could go there and get all of the relevant information in one spot rather than trying to find it on the net.
As the stats above show, the page got a steady stream of traffic in 2018 and 2019 but really took off in 2020 with the increased level of interest in the band.
Link to the 40 MHz page... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/40-mhz.html
Tim, EI4GNB reports that the eQSL website is now accepting 40 MHz (8m) contacts on their platform.
Many radio amateur use this site to confirm contacts that were made on the radio and is an alternative for many to the traditional physical QSL card.
Tim also notes that while eQSL are handling 8m QSOs now, a lot of the various logging software programmes still have to catch up as they still don't recognize 8m as a valid amateur band.
There was a nice F2 opening on 28 MHz on the 2nd of Feb 2021 to SE Europe, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon and the south of Russia. This was in complete contrast to the 1st of February when I heard just one FT8 signal all day.
The solar flux on the 2nd was just 73 which is well down on last November when it was over 100.
The RSGB had a news item on their GB2RS last weekend about a new 144 MHz beacon on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic.
"A 2m beacon is operating on St Helena Island. The beacon frequencies are: Channel 1 144.435MHz; Channel 2 144.325MHz; Channel 3 144.375MHz and Channel 4 144.385MHz"
My understanding is that it actually not operational yet and the team behind the beacon will announce more details when it is.
The Icelandic Radio Amateur federation (ÍRA) has been notified by the countries Post and Telecom Administration (PSF) that permits to operate on the 70 MHz / 4-metre band will be allowed from another two years.
The frequency range is 70.000-70.250 MHz and is valid for two years from the 1st of Jan 2021 to the 31st of Dec 2022.
As before, the following conditions apply:
(1) Maximum bandwidth is 16 kHz. No molding conditions;
(2) the maximum radiated power is 100W;
(3) the authorization is subject to the interruption of other electronic communications activities, transmissions must be stopped immediately and
(4) call signs must be used at the beginning and end of the electronic communications connection and at appropriate regular intervals during the electronic communications connection.
Licensees must apply for authorization to the PTA before transmissions begins in the frequency range.
The map above shows the distances in kms from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.
Analysis... It's very likely that stations on 70 MHz from Iceland will be heard elsewhere in Europe from May to July during the Sporadic-E season. These will likely be in the range of 1000 to 2300 kms with most in the range of about 1300 to 2100 kms.
As the map shows above, the countries within one-hop range are likely to be the UK & Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, NW Germany, Denmark, Norway & Sweden.
Distances greater than 2300kms may be possible be some form of multi-hop propagation but this is rarer at 70 MHz as compared to 50 MHz where it is a lot more common.
The very first contact between Croatia and neighbouring Slovenia on the new 40 MHz (8m) amateur band took place on the 26th of January 2021. This comes just two weeks after the very first 40 MHz contact between Croatia (9A) and Ireland (EI).
Using the FT8 digital mode, Patrik 9A5CW completed a successful QSO with Ivo, S59F over an hilly 70km path.
The screenshot above from S59F shows the FT8 contact with the signal from 9A5CW being in the region of -7dB to -8dB. This suggests that while the signal levels were too weak for say a SSB voice contact, a marginal CW or a solid FT8 contact was possible.
The contact took place on 40.680 MHz which is in the centre of the 40 MHz ISM band (Industrial, Scientific, Medical).
Patrik 9A5CW said that he was using an ICOM IC-706 Mk2 running 10 watts into an inverted L vertical antenna for the 60 metre band (5 MHz). S59F was using an ICOM IC-7300 and a HF vertical with very good vswr on 40MHz.
9A5CW also conducted tests over a 70km path with S50B using the JT9 digital mode. While S50B heard a -22dB signal, there was no contact in this case.
Links...
Back in mid-December 2020, I had a post up on the blog about some remarkable openings on 50 MHz between Australia and South America with some contacts were up to 13,000kms in length... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2020/12/remarkable-13000-km-opening-on-6-metres.html
Pipe CE3SX in Chile has now compiled his own report on the 50 MHz South Pacific Summer Propagation season 2020-2021.
The report covers 6m openings from Chile to Australia & New Zealand from the 8th of December 2020 to the 23rd of January 2021.
In summary, CE3SX in Chile completed 77 QSO's on 50 MHz across the South Pacific... 47 with New Zealand (ZL) which is obviously closer, 26 with Australia (VK) and 4 with the Chatham Islands (ZL7).
64 of the contacts were via the JT65 digital mode, 9 via FT8 and 3 via FT4.
The first contact of the Summer season was to ZL1RS on the 8th of December 2020 which was also the first South America to Oceania 50 MHz contact of the season.
The first contact to Australia was to VK4MA on the 9th of December 2020.
The longest contact was with VK4BLK which was 12,380 kms in length.
During the net, it was noted that Robby EI3GGB had quite a loud buzzing noise on his audio. His voice blocked out the buzzing/hum but the sound was very noticeable in between his words.
Rob was using a TYT MD-380 handheld with a magmount antenna on 70cms.
The buzzing sound sounded very much like mains hum, as if he was using a battery charger at the same time as when he was transmitting. He tried switching from the mains power supply to just a battery pack on its own but to no avail.
Through a process of elimination, we eventually traced the problem back to an external speaker mike.
It would seem that the problem is the RF signal on transmit is getting into the speaker mike and causing interference. We don't know yet whether the RF is getting into the electronics in the microphone or via the lead and into the radio.
Robby bought the 'Kenwood' speaker from China but it's not clear whether it's the real deal or just a clone. Hopefully the RF interference can be cured by using a simple clip on split ferrite core which Robby is going to source.
If you are using DMR and people start saying that your audio is distorted, noisy or buzzing then try removing the speaker mike if you have one.
Whenever I come across suitable antennas for the low VHF bands, I try to keep a record of them here. I spotted this Log-Periodic beam recently on eBay...
This antenna is described as a 250w Transportable Log Periodic HF VHF Antenna 30-88MHz and it was sold in the past by SMC in Southampton, England.
As the photo shows above, it was probably destined for the military market.
Tactical, Anodised Green. SMC Part Number - TLP3088.
The specs above say it was 4m from the rear to front element and the gain was in the region of 6dBd. I suspect it was probably a bit less at around 5dBd but it would still be a fine antenna for anyone monitoring the low VHF spectrum from 30 to 88 MHz.
Keep an eye on the second hand market.
Link... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143924931851?ViewItem=&item=143924931851
While the 70 MHz (4m) amateur band is allocated across much of Europe, it is allocated to 'Land Mobile and Fixed radio' in Sweden. The Swedish licensing authority however do allocate temporary 4m permits to radio amateurs.
On the 26th of January 2021, Johan SM0TSC got a temporary 6-month license for the 70MHz band. The terms of the permit are that he must operate on the spot frequency of 70.1375 MHz and the ERP (Effective Radiated Power) of his transmissions must be 25 watts or less.
SM0TSC is near the capital Stockholm and his locator square is JO99CF. In recent months, both SM4KYN (JO69XH) and SM7CAD (JO77UM) have been active on the 70 MHz band with temporary permits.
The map above shows the location of SM0TSC. The major activity on 70 MHz will be in early May when the summer Sporadic-E season starts. The typical range for Sporadic-E on 4m is about 1000 to 2300 kms with the majority in the 1200 to 2000 km range.
There is also license free radio band in Sweden at 69 MHz and these FM signals were often audible here in Ireland during the summer of 2020. It's likely that the Swedish radio amateurs on 70.1375 MHz should be easy to work from the UK and Ireland as well.
Credits: Thanks to Rob PE9PE for the original news item
Thanks to Ivan OZ7IS for the following update on the Danish OZ7IGY beacon on 40 MHz (8m).
Since the start back in 2007 the OZ7IGY 40 MHz beacon has been running on yearly experimental licenses based on reasoned applications. It has been increasingly difficult to come up with new good reasons every year. As a result it was off air in-between licenses.
The last five months of 2020 it was off-air! As all 12 OZ7IGY beacons together represent an operating cost of approx. 2500 € every year the 40 MHz beacon was occasionally switched off for economic reasons. After all OZ7IGY beacons switched to the “Next Generation” platform a new problem arose: The 40 MHz beacon interfered with the microwave beacons and was therefore switched off for several periods.
The good news is that due to changes in the regulations we have now been granted a permanent license until the end of 2035. On January 2, the beacon on 40,071 was back on air! In addition, we have solved our interference problems and found a sponsor to cover the license fee for the 40 MHz beacon. So if no other problems arise the 40 MHz beacon of OZ7IGY has now become reliable 24/7/365!
On behalf of the OZ7IGY-team - Vy 73 de OZ7IS, Ivan.
* * *
For more information on the OZ7IGY beacons or if you would make a financial donation to them then visit their website... http://www.oz7igy.dk/
For more information on the 8m band, see the 40 MHz page... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/p/40-mhz.html
 |
| Various antennas for the suite of OZ7IGY beacons |
