Ellice Island operation is a go! Callsign will be VX8X and we have worked out an arrangement with the contractor providing communications support to the drilling operation that is ongoing at the island. March 12-17 is a no-go due to expected geomagnetic activity so we're hopeful that March 20-22 will work out for all parties. If necessary we can slip the date to the following weekend and run in conjunction with the CQ WPX contest.
Our plan is to operate in shifts so we can be on the air continuously during the expedition. 20m is likely to be the most productive band but we will bring along a vertical for 40m as well. Gerry, VE8GER, may be available as he is working out at the island right now. Expect to see us on CW if he's around while we're there but most of our focus will be SSB on 14.260.
I'll post details here if anything changes. No updates means things are still on track for March 20th.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
My call is VE8EV... and I'm a DXer
I've been in denial for along time. "I don't chase DX" I'd tell people. The whole concept of DXCC kind of annoys me because VE8 isn't considered "real" DX. And DXing from up here is incredibly difficult. According to the ARRL there are only two VE8's with a DXCC certificate hanging on the wall. I remember getting my cards checked at Dayton back in '96. The card checkers were snickering at the signal reports! 53, 51, 44. Working and confirming 100 countries from inside the auroral zone, at the bottom of the solar cycle, without packetcluster or internet access, barefoot and with a little tribander at 30 feet was damn hard! It took me a year to work the first 50. The next 50 or so took almost three years. I wasn't fussy, either. I'd work any band, any mode, any time. By the time I got DXCC I was burnt out. I hardly got on the air at all for the next four years and eventually the antennas came down and the shack was turned into a kid's bedroom.
Fast forward to 2007. DW wants to be a ham and I'm keen to get back into it and be the Elmer. I read about the BS7H expedition to Scarborough Reef and thought that would be a good place to start. So I put up a small vertical, dusted off the old rig, and got up at 4:30am for a week straight trying to catch them. I didn't hear them at all on any band except 15 meters. We had a short, weak opening every morning at their sunrise. The only day they were actually strong enough to work the 15 meter op spent the entire opening ragchewing with a buddy back in Finland. Oh well, there'll be another expedition there someday... right?
Lots of guys complain about the "midwest black hole" but I live for the days when the propagation here is as good as an average day in the midwest. CQWW last year was one at those days. It was the first time out with the new contest station. We were QRO for the first time and Saturday night 40m was wide open. DW sacked out around midnight but I stayed up til 3:30 chasing DX on forty. The smart thing to do would have been to find a clear spot and run run run but spinning the dial and hearing all those rare mults was mesmerizing. We worked 109 band/country mults, 57 on forty meters alone. Now THAT was a good day!
I started making plans for Desecheo as soon as the dates were confirmed. We put up the big tribander on the portable tower in the driveway and I started getting a feel for the propagation to KP5. The bands were in great shape leading up to the expedition. I'd usually spend 45 minutes or so each day after work swinging the beam back and forth between South America and the Caribbean and Asia. I even worked about a half dozen all-time new ones including XW1B and a very short 59-both-ways rag chew with PJ2DX on the same day the K5D crew landed on Desecheo. With visions of all the different band/mode combinations I was going to work them on I even took that Friday off so I could make sure to get in their log before the propagation went sour. Unfortunately, that happened all too soon. I heard the 17m station when it went on the air. 4 by zero all afternoon with too much QSB to even bother trying. Just before sunset they were peaking S-5 on 20m CW but they were calling for JA-only. And then the bands tanked. All we got after that was a weak opening on 17m in the early afternoon and another one on 20m at sunset. Every afternoon for an hour I'd listen to them on my scanner at work on 17m. S-nothing but Q5 copy. After work they'd be just barely workable on 20m CW but only calling for JA's. Uh oh, wait a minute. JA sunrise is the same time as MY sunset peak. What can you do? Nobody ever says "OK, everyone standby, just stations from the Arctic please, Arctic only, call now." Yeah, right. After a week of this I was starting to get worried. I was actually planning to take the rig to work with me to have a try at getting them on 17m during the afternoon. That's when I knew the jig was up. There's no point in trying to deny it anymore: yes, I am a DXer.
So what happened? The same sort of thing that always happens with the crazy propagation here. I came home from work today, went straight out to the shack, turned on the radio and checked the K5D spots. They had six bands and three different modes on the go. Nothing to be heard on 15 or 17. I could just barely copy them on 20m SSB "JA only". The pileup on 20m RTTY was outrageous and I couldn't hear them anyway. I didn't even bother to check the low bands. There I was slumped in my chair listening to static and watching the spots go by when I saw they were also on 30m. I switched to the 17 foot whip antenna, dialed up the QRG and there they were, peaking about S-3 on CW. And the first thing I hear is: "KL7-- 5NN TU K5D" That sounded promising. I hit the autotuner button on the radio but the whip is too short for 30m. I switched in the big manual tuner and loaded up the whip, then picked a transmit frequency about 1.6kHz up and set up the split. I was in such a rush that I momentarily forgot I wasn't the best CW op but I instantly recognized my call coming back from Desecheo. All that time, effort and frustration and it was over in two calls with 100 watts to a short, non-resonant whip. Go figure!
Now that I've admitted I have a problem I can start to do something about it. I think the first step is going to be getting some QSL cards in the mail. Then I need to go find some new ones. I'm only about a dozen short of having 200 worked!
Fast forward to 2007. DW wants to be a ham and I'm keen to get back into it and be the Elmer. I read about the BS7H expedition to Scarborough Reef and thought that would be a good place to start. So I put up a small vertical, dusted off the old rig, and got up at 4:30am for a week straight trying to catch them. I didn't hear them at all on any band except 15 meters. We had a short, weak opening every morning at their sunrise. The only day they were actually strong enough to work the 15 meter op spent the entire opening ragchewing with a buddy back in Finland. Oh well, there'll be another expedition there someday... right?
Lots of guys complain about the "midwest black hole" but I live for the days when the propagation here is as good as an average day in the midwest. CQWW last year was one at those days. It was the first time out with the new contest station. We were QRO for the first time and Saturday night 40m was wide open. DW sacked out around midnight but I stayed up til 3:30 chasing DX on forty. The smart thing to do would have been to find a clear spot and run run run but spinning the dial and hearing all those rare mults was mesmerizing. We worked 109 band/country mults, 57 on forty meters alone. Now THAT was a good day!
I started making plans for Desecheo as soon as the dates were confirmed. We put up the big tribander on the portable tower in the driveway and I started getting a feel for the propagation to KP5. The bands were in great shape leading up to the expedition. I'd usually spend 45 minutes or so each day after work swinging the beam back and forth between South America and the Caribbean and Asia. I even worked about a half dozen all-time new ones including XW1B and a very short 59-both-ways rag chew with PJ2DX on the same day the K5D crew landed on Desecheo. With visions of all the different band/mode combinations I was going to work them on I even took that Friday off so I could make sure to get in their log before the propagation went sour. Unfortunately, that happened all too soon. I heard the 17m station when it went on the air. 4 by zero all afternoon with too much QSB to even bother trying. Just before sunset they were peaking S-5 on 20m CW but they were calling for JA-only. And then the bands tanked. All we got after that was a weak opening on 17m in the early afternoon and another one on 20m at sunset. Every afternoon for an hour I'd listen to them on my scanner at work on 17m. S-nothing but Q5 copy. After work they'd be just barely workable on 20m CW but only calling for JA's. Uh oh, wait a minute. JA sunrise is the same time as MY sunset peak. What can you do? Nobody ever says "OK, everyone standby, just stations from the Arctic please, Arctic only, call now." Yeah, right. After a week of this I was starting to get worried. I was actually planning to take the rig to work with me to have a try at getting them on 17m during the afternoon. That's when I knew the jig was up. There's no point in trying to deny it anymore: yes, I am a DXer.
So what happened? The same sort of thing that always happens with the crazy propagation here. I came home from work today, went straight out to the shack, turned on the radio and checked the K5D spots. They had six bands and three different modes on the go. Nothing to be heard on 15 or 17. I could just barely copy them on 20m SSB "JA only". The pileup on 20m RTTY was outrageous and I couldn't hear them anyway. I didn't even bother to check the low bands. There I was slumped in my chair listening to static and watching the spots go by when I saw they were also on 30m. I switched to the 17 foot whip antenna, dialed up the QRG and there they were, peaking about S-3 on CW. And the first thing I hear is: "KL7-- 5NN TU K5D" That sounded promising. I hit the autotuner button on the radio but the whip is too short for 30m. I switched in the big manual tuner and loaded up the whip, then picked a transmit frequency about 1.6kHz up and set up the split. I was in such a rush that I momentarily forgot I wasn't the best CW op but I instantly recognized my call coming back from Desecheo. All that time, effort and frustration and it was over in two calls with 100 watts to a short, non-resonant whip. Go figure!
Now that I've admitted I have a problem I can start to do something about it. I think the first step is going to be getting some QSL cards in the mail. Then I need to go find some new ones. I'm only about a dozen short of having 200 worked!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Seeing the Magic
If you're like me, antenna theory has always been firmly in the realm of the occult. Oh sure, I know the basics. 1/4 wavelengths, dipoles, ground planes, building antennas following instructions in an article, etc. But when you get beyond the most basic designs I'm always mystified about WHY it works (or more likely why it doesn't work). At long last, however, I have found the wisdom. Perhaps not so much understanding but at least now I can actually see what's going on. The two-part solution is fairly simple. The first requirement is a decent antenna analyzer. VE8DW and I went in together to purchase an MFJ-259B analyzer. Ever since we got it (well, actually, since we got it back as it had to be returned to MFJ to fix a defect) it has revolutionized antenna work around the shack. All the unseen things that a simple SWR meter won't tell you are right there in front of our eyes. Did putting out all those radials under the vertical work? Obviously they did because I can see that our resistive component on 80m is about 30 ohms. How did we make out with that trap? Yup, the meter says its an open circuit at the design frequency and low resistance everywhere else. Being able to see the R and X components makes a huge difference! I can't even imagine how much time and effort I had wasted in the past doing things by trial and error.
The other piece of the puzzle is antenna modelling software. For a long time now I've wanted to be able to design and analyze antennas on the computer. After trying the demo version of EZNEC by W7EL I was instantly hooked. $89 and a quick web download later I had the full version. The learning curve wasn't too bad and after some heavy reading both of the online manual and the antenna modelling sections of the Antenna Book and Low-Band DXing I think I've got a pretty good idea of how to do things and, more importantly, what the limitations of the underlying NEC2 software are. With EZNEC you can actually SEE the magic. Antenna patterns are displayed in 3D. You can see the RF currents flowing in individual conductors. You can sweep the antenna with a virtual antenna analyzer to calculate feedpoint impedance and design matching networks. The best part is that you don't have to learn the theory to begin understanding how stuff actually works. For example, I was playing around with a multi-element wire antenna. I've seen antennas before that had multiple driven elements connected in series by a section of ladder line so I just tried it. By adjusting the length of the virtual ladder line I could instanly tell what sort of effect it had. I was quickly able to optimize the length to produce the highest gain with a reasonable antenna pattern. Which works best, a director or a reflector? It only takes a minute to evaluate both and decide which has the advantage. How will the antenna perform in the real world? I was looking for a DXpedition antenna that would be able to slope down from a single 30 foot high support. Several of the first designs I tried had good pattern and gain when they were straight and level but tanked when I brought one end close to the ground. An other design worked better but had an unrealistic feedpoint impedance. Every trick I tried to fix the feedpoint would distort the pattern. A guy could mess around FOREVER with real wires and never find the right combination that was actually useful as more than just a dummy load. I finally found a design that doesn't get all squirrely when one end gets close to the ground, has a nice 50 ohm match, a flat SWR across 20 meters and lots of gain. One thing that I did note in my research is that actual gain predictions tend to be somewhat inflated as the program doesn't take the far field ground into account. It is useful though for comparing one design to another. The next step will be to build some of these designs and see if they perform the same in the real world as they do in the virual one.
The other piece of the puzzle is antenna modelling software. For a long time now I've wanted to be able to design and analyze antennas on the computer. After trying the demo version of EZNEC by W7EL I was instantly hooked. $89 and a quick web download later I had the full version. The learning curve wasn't too bad and after some heavy reading both of the online manual and the antenna modelling sections of the Antenna Book and Low-Band DXing I think I've got a pretty good idea of how to do things and, more importantly, what the limitations of the underlying NEC2 software are. With EZNEC you can actually SEE the magic. Antenna patterns are displayed in 3D. You can see the RF currents flowing in individual conductors. You can sweep the antenna with a virtual antenna analyzer to calculate feedpoint impedance and design matching networks. The best part is that you don't have to learn the theory to begin understanding how stuff actually works. For example, I was playing around with a multi-element wire antenna. I've seen antennas before that had multiple driven elements connected in series by a section of ladder line so I just tried it. By adjusting the length of the virtual ladder line I could instanly tell what sort of effect it had. I was quickly able to optimize the length to produce the highest gain with a reasonable antenna pattern. Which works best, a director or a reflector? It only takes a minute to evaluate both and decide which has the advantage. How will the antenna perform in the real world? I was looking for a DXpedition antenna that would be able to slope down from a single 30 foot high support. Several of the first designs I tried had good pattern and gain when they were straight and level but tanked when I brought one end close to the ground. An other design worked better but had an unrealistic feedpoint impedance. Every trick I tried to fix the feedpoint would distort the pattern. A guy could mess around FOREVER with real wires and never find the right combination that was actually useful as more than just a dummy load. I finally found a design that doesn't get all squirrely when one end gets close to the ground, has a nice 50 ohm match, a flat SWR across 20 meters and lots of gain. One thing that I did note in my research is that actual gain predictions tend to be somewhat inflated as the program doesn't take the far field ground into account. It is useful though for comparing one design to another. The next step will be to build some of these designs and see if they perform the same in the real world as they do in the virual one.
Monday, January 19, 2009
No Man is an Island
I remember back in the early days being called by an Italian station who excitedly asked me "Are you an island?" followed by "Are you a zona 1 or a zona 2?" John Dunne's Meditation aside, the op seemed somewhat crestfallen when I replied that no, I was on the mainland and no, I'm in zone 1. Never mind that there are less than a dozen active VE8 stations spread across a million or so square miles of remote Arctic wilderness. It doesn't matter how rare you REALLY are as long as you count for some sort of major award. DXCC? Nope, we're just 'Canada' and who hasn't confirmed that? Worked All Zones? Maybe somewhat rare on some bands but Zone 1 also includes 5000 KL7 stations in Alaska so no luck there either. I suppose there's a few 'Worked All Canada' type awards from RAC but I don't think they're that popular. If you're not a distant DXCC entity, rare state or rare CQ zone then you're worthless as DX. Some won't even consider any VE station DX! Hmmph. It's ALL DX from here!
So what about this island thing? One of the more popular awards, especially in Europe, is the 'Islands on the Air' program sponsored by the Radio Society of Great Britain. The general concept is to work as many worldwide island groups as possible. Many of these numbered groups have NEVER been operated from at all. Even more have only had small operations that made a handful of contacts. As it turns out, there are several very rare island groups that are within reach from here. Here are the ones that I think we (VE8EV and/or VE8DW) might be able to activate:
NA-192 Inuvik Region West Group #15 on most wanted NA island list*
I was on the first expedition that activated this group back in 1994. We went to Hendrickson Island which is just off the mouth of the Mackenzie River in the Beaufort Sea. The winter 'ice road' to Tuktoyaktuk passes within a couple of miles of the island and so we (David VE8NC, Carl VE8CF and myself) drove as far as we could and then snowmobiled the rest of the way. Even with low power at the bottom of the cycle I still recall the huge pileups of Eu stations wanting to get the 'new one'. We made several hundred contacts and no one has been back there since.
This winter there is a drilling operation exploring for gas on Ellice Island which is in the westernmost part of the group. If I play my cards right we may be able to drive up there on the ice road in March right before they shut down and see if we can't knock this group right off the list.
NA-129 Nunavut Banks Island Group #14 on most wanted NA island list*
This one is a no-brainer. Actually located in the Northwest Territories, I travel to Sachs Harbour on Banks Island several times a year. My current plan is to schedule my next trip to coincide with the IOTA Contest weekend in July.
NA-182 Inuvik Region East Group #6 on most wanted NA island list*
The East Group is a little trickier but it appears that Nicholson Island was the site of a former DEW Line station and now hosts an unmanned North Warning System radar site. This means that there is occasional helicopter traffic there to support the NWS station as well as a runway for fixed wing aircraft. Not sure what sort of landing permissions are required but I'll check into it and we can pencil this one for next year maybe.
NA-193 Yukon Territory Group
Already claimed by 15% of the IOTA programme participants this one isn't on the most wanted list but it is semi-rare and located nearby. Lots of summer tourist flights to this island which is administered by Parks Canada. Might be a worthwhile destination if we could catch a free ride there and back.
NA-006 Nunavut Victoria Island Group
Another one that isn't so rare (claimed by 24%) is Victoria Island, home to Cambridge Bay, a town about half the size as Inuvik. For many years it was the QTH of Ken, VE8KM (now a VE6 I think) and many visitors since then so it is fairly well represented. That notwithstanding, there's a little town on the far western corner of Victoria Island called Ulukhaktok. It's in the Northwest Territories as well and another of the communities that I visit on a regular basis. Safe to say you'll hear me on from there sooner or later.
For those island chasers that are drooling all over their keyboards now, let me mention a few last things. First and foremost, these places are difficult to get to on a fixed schedule. Planes are frequently cancelled due to weather and other issues. Another big problem is propagation. They're all in the auroral zone so there's always the chance of being there but having no propagation to anywhere. That said, I will try to advertise in advance as soon as we have a firm date for an expedition but nothing is for sure until it actually happens. I will also try to get special callsigns as well. 73 and cu in the logs!
* Not including the 11 'Mostest Wanted' North American island groups that have never been activated at all.
So what about this island thing? One of the more popular awards, especially in Europe, is the 'Islands on the Air' program sponsored by the Radio Society of Great Britain. The general concept is to work as many worldwide island groups as possible. Many of these numbered groups have NEVER been operated from at all. Even more have only had small operations that made a handful of contacts. As it turns out, there are several very rare island groups that are within reach from here. Here are the ones that I think we (VE8EV and/or VE8DW) might be able to activate:
NA-192 Inuvik Region West Group #15 on most wanted NA island list*
I was on the first expedition that activated this group back in 1994. We went to Hendrickson Island which is just off the mouth of the Mackenzie River in the Beaufort Sea. The winter 'ice road' to Tuktoyaktuk passes within a couple of miles of the island and so we (David VE8NC, Carl VE8CF and myself) drove as far as we could and then snowmobiled the rest of the way. Even with low power at the bottom of the cycle I still recall the huge pileups of Eu stations wanting to get the 'new one'. We made several hundred contacts and no one has been back there since.
This winter there is a drilling operation exploring for gas on Ellice Island which is in the westernmost part of the group. If I play my cards right we may be able to drive up there on the ice road in March right before they shut down and see if we can't knock this group right off the list.
NA-129 Nunavut Banks Island Group #14 on most wanted NA island list*
This one is a no-brainer. Actually located in the Northwest Territories, I travel to Sachs Harbour on Banks Island several times a year. My current plan is to schedule my next trip to coincide with the IOTA Contest weekend in July.
NA-182 Inuvik Region East Group #6 on most wanted NA island list*
The East Group is a little trickier but it appears that Nicholson Island was the site of a former DEW Line station and now hosts an unmanned North Warning System radar site. This means that there is occasional helicopter traffic there to support the NWS station as well as a runway for fixed wing aircraft. Not sure what sort of landing permissions are required but I'll check into it and we can pencil this one for next year maybe.
NA-193 Yukon Territory Group
Already claimed by 15% of the IOTA programme participants this one isn't on the most wanted list but it is semi-rare and located nearby. Lots of summer tourist flights to this island which is administered by Parks Canada. Might be a worthwhile destination if we could catch a free ride there and back.
NA-006 Nunavut Victoria Island Group
Another one that isn't so rare (claimed by 24%) is Victoria Island, home to Cambridge Bay, a town about half the size as Inuvik. For many years it was the QTH of Ken, VE8KM (now a VE6 I think) and many visitors since then so it is fairly well represented. That notwithstanding, there's a little town on the far western corner of Victoria Island called Ulukhaktok. It's in the Northwest Territories as well and another of the communities that I visit on a regular basis. Safe to say you'll hear me on from there sooner or later.
For those island chasers that are drooling all over their keyboards now, let me mention a few last things. First and foremost, these places are difficult to get to on a fixed schedule. Planes are frequently cancelled due to weather and other issues. Another big problem is propagation. They're all in the auroral zone so there's always the chance of being there but having no propagation to anywhere. That said, I will try to advertise in advance as soon as we have a firm date for an expedition but nothing is for sure until it actually happens. I will also try to get special callsigns as well. 73 and cu in the logs!
* Not including the 11 'Mostest Wanted' North American island groups that have never been activated at all.
North American QSO Party SSB
Call: VE8EV
Operator(s): VE8EV VE8DW
Station: VE8EV
Class: M/2 HP
QTH: Inuvik, NWT
Operating Time (hrs): 6.5
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80:
40: 2 2
20: 65 29
15: 3 1
10:
-------------------
Total: 70 32 Total Score = 2,240
Comments:
Got on for a few hours to hand out the multiplier with the transportable station parked in the driveway. Also wanted to test out a new amp and antenna switching so went QRO and submitted as a checklog.
UK DX Contest RTTY
Call: VE8EV
Operator(s): VE8EV
Station: VE8EV
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Inuvik, NWT
Operating Time (hrs): 8
Summary:
Band QSOs Pts Mults
------------------------
80:
40:
20: 19 44 7
15:
10:
------------------------
Total: 19 44 7 Total Score = 308
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)