Unusual Conditions Across The Bands

This week has been very unusual for myself as i have had some good QSO's on the HF bands that I don't regularly get to operate on. I have had QSO's on 10M SSB and also 10M FM where I spoke with a local station 2E0KEI Keith who is only across the valley local to Me, via a repeater HB9HR in the Swiss Alps. I have also made QSO with HB9ICG Peka on the same repeater which is on 29.660 MHZ FM, this was a real pleasure for me and I experimented between My Maldol multi band vertical, Hustler 6btv and G5RV. To My surprise the G5RV out performed the other antenna's which is kind of annoying when you consider the cost of these fancy Verticals that usually are superior.
I decided to try 10M SSB on my old FT767 which is coupled up to a home brew 20M dipole and the Maldol multi bander covering 40,15,10,6,2 & 70cms. I had good results into The Netherlands with QSO's made with PD2BA Ben, PA7JWC Janwllem, PA1K Bert and also DR80AMA Mark, DL2MRK Manni who were strong signals from The Federal Republic of Germany.
I headed down the Bands and came across F8AFC Ronan on 12M who was virtually an end stopping signal. Also on 12M I had the pleasure of a 35 minuet long solid 5/9 copy with Stefano IW0CZC who was just outside of Rome, Thanks Guys!! its a long time since such good signals were coming through on 12M.

This all happened Wednesday evening from 1800 to 2000 utc, I heard stations on 15M and 17M and obviously 20M, 40M and 80M were the usual busy bands with lots of activity.

Yesterday I also had a lovely surprise, I was required to work in the STAR Centre to play radio with 25 Students who were all aged 9, it was a day devoted to Radio Com's as we had sponsorship from Link Telecom, a mobile phone company who have sponsored 3 days of Radio Com's and space science subjects which my colleagues delivered as I operated the Radio equipment in front of the young students, who all found it very exciting. I made some good QSO's but it was in the morning and conditions were fairly quiet, the Lady from Link Telecom appeared in the shack to see what Ham radio was all about and how the young students took too it. It was perfect timing because lucky Me stumbled across VU2JOS/P OE operator Jose from India just as she entered the shack and I managed a good 5 minuet contact with a 5/8 report. I was quite excited myself as i have only worked India 3 times in the past and the last time I did it was the summer of 2005.

I also got to leave my usual job in Fabrication and Welding at the College last Friday as well, some other students aged 18-21 who are on a Public Services course which means they may become Police, Medical, Military or Fire Fighters E.T.C needed Radio Com's experience so yet again I was let loose in the STAR Centre Radio shack.
We made many contacts on 20M and they got to operate PMR Radio's and communicated between themselves. I received feedback from Their Course Tutor saying that they expected it to be boring but actually really enjoyed it all and found Ham Radio fascinating. Who knows we might have some new blood getting Licenced, Its always good to hear that the sessions are interesting and enjoyable and I always have fun as well.

It seems that after all the effort I put into getting the College to spend the cash on the Radio equipment Two and a half years a go, it is finally paying off with more and more people actually passing through the STAR Centre Radio Communication Centre at Keighley College.

Louise M3TLL my lovey YL was also using the facility last night with a group of Beavers who will become Cubs then go on to be Scouts. Lets hope it continues to attract interest to people who don't know of Ham radio.

73 and once again thanks for visiting my blog.....Simon

Comments

Nash , JN4VWH said…
Hi Simon, from Japan where we are juste at the rainy season.

You have worked so much in this week, Simon. And you have had also some special QSOs! Your comments make me very exciting. Did you take them in videos? I would like to be there, in your station making QSO with a lot of stations.(^-^)

And Felicitation! for your new work, Simon. What a wonderful experience of Radio with many people younger students. I would like to listen later on about it, too. I have read in articles that there were about 1,360,000 amateur radio licensed stations in Japan in 1994, but about 890,000 stations in 2000 and 540,000 in 2006. But at the same time there are 3,100,000 licensed Radioamateurs in Japan ( it is impossible for some hams of them to actually work on the air, because they don't have the radio station license. they simply have the permanentlicense of Amateur Radio.) I sometimes read and hear that it was so busy on any bandes 10 years ago.

It was last year that I have started a ham radio, it was May 2006. I was suprised that there were many signals of HAM stations on amateur radio bands. It is difficult to imagine the days of amateur radio in 1994. (^-^;) Nash
MØYKS Simon said…
Hi Nash, Kon ni chi wa ,I have had a good week on the air but we are experiencing more rainy season hi hi.

I think that ham radio has been declining over the last 10 years but thanks to the new licence system over here there are many new hams coming into the hobby.

The young students are very interested as they have all now experienced computers for some time and real radio such as ham radio is completly different from what they are used too making radio seem very interesting . So I feel confident that there will be more hams in the future and hopefully the ages of operator will be younger as well.
I have managed to train 9 students this year who have all obtained a foundation licence.
At the momement I believe there are about 100,000 licenced hams in the U.K. so I guess that Japan is doing great for hams.

I hope that your new Icom brings you luck with the propagation, and I hope to hear you some day soon.
sa yo u na ra do zo Simon

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