Last day of 2019.

So, last day of 2019 and yesterday I've got two new IOTA confirmed. It was KL7RRC/P from NA-210. And YJ0RRC from OC-111. Now I have only 3 to achieve Honor Roll. I have more then 3 on order. But time is running out. Update to RSGB is just a few Days ahead. It is end of January 2020.
Nothing new on Club-Log!?

I'm chasing new DXCC on 160 m. This morning I worked 7X7X and hopefully it will be confirmed on LoTW.

WX here in Sweden is strange! Yesterday it was 8 C and that is warm for this time of the year. At the moment temp is 3,5 C ( 38 F ) and clear sky. Normally this time of the year we should be way below freezing.

Well HNY to all readers and CU in 2020.

RSP1A from SDRplay

Don't like the SM-5000 band scope to much. Hard to see and use. So I got my hands on an RSP1A and connected it to the 9 MHz out in the back of the FTdx5000. And I use SDRuno SW. And what a different story of band scoops with a nice waterfall. I have a better overview of the band's now. In the Picture I'm looking at 160 m.

Nice! Always fun with some new gadgets.

WX here in Sweden is very warm for the season. Temp just now is -3 C ( 26,5 F) and a clear sky. Had some snow yesterday but that is all gone. But there are still long time to go until I can start riding my bikes!!??

CUL

Three more band slots

Just received QSL from the Saint Pierre & Miquelon operation in October this year. Call used was TO80SP and I managed to work them on Three new band slots, 160, 80 and 30 m. And here are the proof.

Looks like a nice Place. And this adds to my low band score a bit!

Have been testing my new antenna for low band and the result is super. Worked 10 new DXCC on 160 m and it is fun to break quite big pile-ups.

On IOTA front there are still 4 to go. But I have request's out. Just hope to get QSL in due time for the annual update.

WX here in Sweden is up and down. One day it is some snow on the ground and -7 C. Next it is owercast and rain and temp +4 C!

CUL

Not so good conds.

The conds are not so good. Sun activity is low but still bad conditions on low bands. Tried to work CX on 160 yesterday. We heard each other a few times but no QSO. Today I worked V31MA on 160. Quite good signals. And V31 was a new one for me on 160.
During last weekend I started my old Drake C-Line. It has been standing for several years. Bu it powered up without any problem. And all worked as it was supposed to do!

Nice eh???

WX here in Sweden is Cold. This morning it was -6 C (21 F) and clear sky. Today there are risk for some rain/snow showers. Winter is around the corner!!

CUL

WOW! Three new IOTA*s

Yesterday I received Three new IOTA's. It was K7TRI NA-211, R205NEW AS-205 and R26RRC AS-204. Big THANKS to all involved. My IOTA score is now up to 560. Only 5 to achieve Honor Roll! Hope I will get it Before annual update in February 2020. And here are the Proof!

Nice!

Been trying to Catch VP6R on 160 m. But no QSO so far. One day to go so I Think I will miss 160. 80 m was easy. Just a few calls and he was in my log. But there are a lot of hams Close to me that are calling and Calling. I don't hear a single "pip" from my vertical or K9AY. And they are calling all the time. Wonder if they are lsn somewhere else in the World? In other Word "Cheating" or.........???
I start to wonder when hams near me starts Calling even when SR is not Close to me. I don't like this turn Ham radio is taken. Does not DXCC Rules 9.a) and 9.b) have any meaning these day's???

Wx here in Sweden is Cold. -2 C (29 F) and clear sky!

CUL

New IOTA confirmed

This week I got EU-112 confirmed. Nice! Only 9 to go to achieve Honor Roll. Hope this will happened Before this year's update to RSGB. I have about 15 QSL on order. And I keep a Close Watch over my mail box.

Worked 5K0K on 80 m this morning. So my new antenna seams to work.
WX here in Sweden at the moment is very high percentage of humidity. Just now around 80%. Everything is dripping of water. and temp is 8 C (47 F). Some rain is predicted later today.

Now we all have to concentrate to work VP6R.

CUL

Finally RI0B QSL in my hand

Yesterday magic happened in my mailbox. QSL from RI0B arrived in super condition. RI0B was the Polar voyage of the RT9K team dedicated to the 125-th anniversary of the Fridtiof Nansen expedition with the ship "FRAM" in 1893-1896. And here are the proof.

Unfortunately I was only home to work the team from one IOTA. And that was AS-087 Bolshoy Isl. This means that I have only 9 to go to achieve Honor Roll!

Checking out my new 160/80 antenna is progressing. I have worked a few new ones. And I will keep on chasing on both 160 and 80 m. This morning i worked A82X on 80 m.

WX here in Sweden is getting a bit warmer. No snow in sight so far. Temp at the moment is 4 C (39 F).

CUL

Worked a few new on Low Band

The antenna seams to work as it should. Have worked S01WS, TO80SP on 80 m. On 160 I have managed to get A82X, A82Z, and TO80SP in the log. I have Heard ZK3A during my SS (sun set). But no QSO so far. 1 KW not enough, or.....??

I will keep on chasing stations on Top Band (160 m). I have only 105 confirmed and a DXCC diploma on the wall in the schack with s/n #3.148. So there are not so many DXCC 160 issued so far. Shall I be proud? Yes I'm proud to have achieved DXCC on 160.

Well, now I have to pile up about 3 qubic meters of Wood for the Winter. Wood keeps you warm several times. One time when you cut it down. Second when you have to pile it up. Third when you carry the Wood into the house. And finally when you light up a fire and just enjoy the warmth in the room.

Wx here in sweden at the moment clear sky and temp around freezing. CUL

One more!

Have to show you all a Picture of the 160/80 m antenna when it is complete with the tuning unit installed and in Sunlight at full bloom??!!

Hard to see but all is there.

Was Calling A82Z this morning bu no success. According to Ionograms there are no reflection from my side to Liberia. Made a CQ and looked at RBN and I was strong in all of EU but not anything further.

Herd ZK3A on 30 m but he didn' hear moi!! But that's Life. I will keep on trying and hopefully I will Catch them.

CUL

Sunrise and adjusted tuning unit

Sunrise in the forest outside Almunge. This was a very beautiful morning. Temp just around freezing and the air is so nice to Breathe in. Conds are not so good due to a slight cerebral emorrhage on the sun. But hopefully the geomagnetic field will recover soon!

And I have adjusted the tuning unit for my new vertical to my satisfaction!

Nice!!!

Checked it out during CQWW RTTY Contest. And running 500 W I logged every thing I Heard.

Well, that's all for now. CUL

New Vertical is up!

Today we (SM5AQD, SM4CJM and moi) erected my new vertical. All 18 m was erected without any problem. Antenna has linear loading and electrical length is around 30 m.

Hard to see. But it is there. Antenna is from Lanabo in Sweden. It will be fun to test it out. And there are a few ATNO out there for me to Catch on 160 and 80 m.

It has a sophisticated tuning unit. And it is quite easy to adjust.

Still no QSL from RI0B. Despite several e-mail to members no answer what so ever. I Think I will give up!!

Well CU on Top Band!

Been off for a while!

Have been  travelling around Sweden but now I'm back.
Have found a new vertical antenna for 160/80. And material 6062 T6 is on order. Have started to prepare the Foundation and calculating the guy wire length.

Done! Just let the concrete to dry and hopefully it will get hard!

Had to take a Picture of this nice Rainbow. It was the after match of a power full thunder storm that hit quite hard some times ago.

And today there might be some more TS. Temp at the moment is 20 C ( 67 F ) and clear sky.

Question: How to I get a QSL from RI0B IOTA operation from 2018. I'm in the log and I have requested QSL via Pay-Pal 2 times but still no QSL????!!!! $$$$$????

A new IOTA was confirmed yesterday

I've got NA-250 confirmed yesterday. Island was North end of Khantaak in the never Before activated Group of Yakutat Borough islands. They worked 2770 QSO's and had some problem with sun activity (who doesn't). Any way, here are the proof.

Nice card and call! And thanks to Bruce, KD6WW & Mike, K9AJ for QSO and QSL.

Wx here in Sweden have been warm. But now it feels like autumn has arrived. Have had some light showers and a lot of wind. Temp at the moment is 11 C ( 52 F ). So it feels fresh and crisp outside.

CUL

New rare IOTA worked

A few day's ago I worked K6VVA/KL7 from NA-004. A new one for me. And the funny thing with this QSO is that Eric is only working Active registered IOTA chasers and all other not found in the IOTA listing he tells to go QRT! Well this is one way to do it. An IOTA shall only be worked once. But not all general DX chasers understand this. And they work, or try to work him on several bands.
Well I'm a registered IOTA chaser and I've got a QSO with Eric on Endicott Island.
And here are a Souvenir QSL to prove it. Thanks Eric!

Looking forward for the real QSL and one more Point towards Honor Roll ( 5 to go).

CUL

Installed an Inv L-antenna.

I have some problems to find some 6063 aluminium tubing for a new 160/80 m vertical. Meanwhile I have installed a L-Antenna for 160. Slightly longer than 1/4 and using a cap for tuning. SWR OK and I have worked a few EU stations for checking function. Received nice reports using only 100 W.

Compared with the 160/80 trap dipole and found that the L-Antenna was 5 - 10 db better in receiving.

It will be fun to test as we enter the dark times!!

CUL

Installation of an balun.

When I put up my new trap dipole for  160/80 I also installed a 1:1 balun. Purpose is to prevent current on the outside of the coax. It is a FT-240-61 and works just fine.

And Winding is some turns of 3 mm dia enamelled copper wire.

I've got an mosquito remover. It is an Thermacell MR-450. And it works. A lot of mosquito's around my head. But when I start the MR-450 after a few minutes all mosquito's is gone fishing! Super!

Wx here at the moment is showers and some TS. And temp is about 25 C ( 77 F ). Prediction for the rest of the day is Moore severe TS and a lot of rain.

CUL

160/80 m Antenna

The storm Alfrida that hit us on the 2 of January it decided that I didn't need any vertical antenna for 160/80 m. So it just put it back to scrap aluminium. I have not yet managed to get hold of new straight aluminium tubing to make a new Antenna for 160/80 m. Meanwhile  I decided to add 160 to my inverted "V" for 80 m. I manufactured two identical coils of dia 45 mm and put 28 turns of wire on them. Then I tuned them using a piece of RG-58 as capacitor and put the traps on 3,55 MHz. Installed and added 14 m of antenna wire after the traps and trimmed it to resonance on 1,825 MHz. All Went well and now I'm QRV again on 160 m.
Heard E31A on 160 last night. He was Calling CQ and no takers. But Before my PA came on line ( very long 2,5 min delay ) he Went QRT!
Anyway here are some Pictures.

I don't knew how long the traps will last in Bright Sunlight and harsh weather that we have here in Sweden. But hopefully I will get some new antenna (GP) up Before next Winter.

CUL

One new IOTA

This week I've got QSL from NA-092, North Padre Island Texas. This push my confirmed score up to 550. 15 to get Honor Roll.
So thanks Mike, AD5A for Quick response. And QSO was also confirmed direct to IOTA via Club-Log.

And my ADSL is now history. And my Internet supplier was here and installed a outdoor antenna for 4G router. And despite 5 km to the nearest 4G mast I have about -80 dbm signal strength. That is OK.

Here are the antenna installation. It has 10 dbi gain. So far so good.

CUL

New Band slots and all wood is in!

Today I received QSL from V84SAA. Worked them on the missing band slots. 160, 80, 40, and 17 m. This finalise Brunei for DXCC. Nice card from LZ1JZ, Tony. And here are the proof.

And all the trees that fell down in the storm Alfrida that hit us at the 2 of January this year is now in the Wood shed. All of the property is also cleaned up and all is just fine until the next disaster will hit!!??

The only thing that is missing is my 160/80 antenna. But that one is scrap due to Alfrida!!!

Well, that's all for now. CUL

Two new IOTA's received

Yesterday I've got two new IOTA's in the mail box. It was TC0M AS-159 Kefken Island and the new one from Sweden/Finland EU-192 Kataja/Inakari Island. Call used was OH10X. And here are the proof!

Nice Cards!

Have a lot of work to do at my garden. I have cut down a few fur trees and at the moment they are just in a pile. So I have a lot to do.

There are a 8 fur and one big Birch. I will start to day to cut them up. Hopefully I will be done around midsummer??!!

CUL

New IOTA received QSL's.

Last week I've got the QSL from Cezar's last expedition. It was TX0A and TX0M.
As usual the quality of the QSL's is super. And here are the proof!

This pushed my score up to 546 IOTA's. But there are still a way to go to achieve 565 for Honor Roll. But I will get there.

Google has announced closing of Google+. I have an account and this blog. But I don't have a clue if this will be affected. We will se int the near future.

CUL!

New QSL arrived today.

Yes! QSL from Ducie Island just fell down into my mail box. Worked them on a few band slots. Only new one was 80 m CW and Digital. Nice card and I'm pleased with the QSO's I achieved as the conditions was not the best.

And I also got it confirmed via LoTW. Thanks!!

As you can see I have a lot of snow. And it is more on the way. Temp this morning was -15 C ( 5 F ). Prediction is it will get warmer. I like that.

CUL

New mode from Ogasawara.

Worked JD1BOI on SSB 20 m a while ago. And last day the QSL arrived in my mail box. And this was a new phone Contact for me. Had JD1 on CW and RTTY. But I miss the Island on a few band slots.

Looks like a nice Place. But I miss a lot from the other JD1. Minami Torishima. Here I only have a CW Contact. Hopefully some one will go there in a near future.

WX here in Sweden is Cold. Temp this morning was -10 C ( 14 F ) and overcast. I have about 1' of snow (around 30 cm) and more on the way.

Back to radio! CUL

New IOTA in the mail box!

Today I received the QSL from Russian Robinson Club. It was EP6RRC from AS-189, Shif Island.
Nice card and I'm up to 544 confirmed islands.

So I'm slowly getting there! Just a few to go.

Wx is now cloudy and temp around -5,8 C ( 21,8 F ) and no snow yet.

CUL

A new one on 80 m.

The QSL has arrived for my QSO with Vanuatu on 80 m CW. It was YJ0GC from OC-035. Worked them on a few band slots. But the real challenge was the QSO on 80 m. And I also got it confirmed on LoTW. And here are the proof.

And now with the disaster after the storm. I only have an inverted dipole for 80 m. And I don't Think I can break any big piles with that. Centre of the dipole is only 15 m up. But I will try to use it. And a new Vertical will be up until coming autumn.

Lots of snow is predicted today. And temp at the moment is only -14 C ( 7 F ) and clear sky. But that will soon change.

CUL

Rotor fixed!

When I tilted my Tower and climbed up to check the electrical connector on the Yaesu G-1000DXC I found that the cable was in a lot of tension due to movement of all Cables. Disconnected the plug. Opened it and found one wire broken.

Re soldered all and put it all back. Changed the routing of Cables in the Tower and put a drop-loop on the rotor Cable. Cranked the Tower up and rotor works as it was supposed to do!

Wx here is calm. Temp around freezing and no snow. But prediction is more Heavy winds and a lot of snow on the way. Hope all remaining trees will stand tall!!

CUL

Hit by storm Alfrida!

On the evening of 1 of January a severe storm warning was issued by the SMHI. So as a precaution I cranked my Tower down. And around 02:00 on the 2 January a pine tree fell on my house. Lots of roof tiles was destroyed. My 160/80 vertical antenna came down with the pine tree. And the antenna is more or less scrap. During the morning of the 2 January the storm was down graded to just hard winds. So I Went out to inspect the damages. In total 2 pine and 1 fur was down on my property. But no electrical failure. But my ADSL and phone is gone. In the forest near by 100 and more trees is down. And most of the Eastern part of Sweden have a lot of damages. In some areas the Power lines is completely damaged and require replacement. Several parts of Eastern Sweden is still without electrical Power.

I was quite lucky! Just a lot of tiles. was damaged. And I was able to find tiles so I could repair my roof. I got help of my neighbours to get the pine tree of my roof. And I have a lot of Wood to take care of.

By noon of the 3 of January I was finished with my roof.
Checking out the rest of my antennas I found no more fault and SWR was inside the limits on all bands. But my rotator don't work. So today I have to tilt my Tower to check what has happened with my G-1000DCX.

CUL