Today i heard NDB beacon from Greenland with callsign OZN
on 372 kHz (3680 km far from me). That is the same frequency, where is going local NDB L from Prague airport (18 km away from my QTH).
I heard it during whole 10 minutes (between 20:57 and 21:07 UTC). RX was SONY ICF-SW7600GR
and antenna LW 41 metres with ferrite rod preselector.
No CW filter, no DSP, no SDR, no PC. SSB 3 kHz bandwith, headphones and ears only.
December 27, 2009
Different of other CW traffic i heard one day in august 2009 on 10.1 MHz. Middle CW speed, no hurry, gentle attention for each station calling on frequency.
I tried call this maritime station with my 1 W and C-pole antenna several times without reaching it, due to low power and pile up on frequency definitely.
Every day i tracked position of this ship on web site and i enjoyed this kind and skilful CW traffic repeatedly.
My QSO with this station (actual position between Iceland and Greenland, distance about 3200 km from me) was successfully done after almost two weeks of my attempts.
Operator of this station is GM0HCQ. Thank you for nice moments spend with radio, Mike.
September 6, 2009
Many years back i thing about and look for any ground independent monoband vertical antenna for DX purposes. This year i found C-Pole antenna,
which is suitable for my QTH (low space for building it, poor ground conductivity, no radials possible). It's described by HB9MTN for 20 metres band.
I build it for 30 metres band.
It's working quite well, after setting is SWR 1:1.2 or better in middle of the band. Signals coming from this antenna are more then 2S stronger than from 41 metres longwire antenna.
DX signals (W, VE, PY) comes also well. I worked with SW30+ (1 W OUT) several EU stations up to 2000 km distance yet, but some QRP DX QSO's waiting for me definitely :-)
This antenna works very well on 10 MHz airband also. I listen very often New York and Gander VOLMET on 10051 kHz with good signal strength and excellent readability.
More photos of my C-Pole antenna for 10.1 MHz are here.
August 2009
When i saw this very small charming receiver first moment, i love it at all. One week i resist tempting of this lovely toy. Then
i had a buy it. HF sensitivity and SSB operation are two big advantages of this receiver. Longwave sensitivity is really poor,
FM selectivity also. But RX has a VHF airband, not so sensitive, but useful near the airports. With respect to really small dimensions
and low cost it is very good toy. Only one feature is really bad. When you call the memory (one of the 700 presets), very often you
save the actual frequency to called memory and then you lost it. It depends on time you pushed the button. It happened when you pushed
it longer or shorter then approximately half second. It's a pity, so good cheap product spoil this point.
July 2009
Because of increasing activity of my family radioclub OK1RKZ (especially my
daughter is most active during the last months), i divided my hamshack to three operational sections. 144 MHz operation room is in day
room (near to fridge), HF, QRP and scanning workplace is in bedroom (very close to my bed) and soldering and storing place is at
garret, in original ham shack. Radios and cables are everywhere you look for extra pleasure of my wife.
October 2008
I installed two new antennas on chimney holder. Nine elements Yagi DL6WU for 144 MHz and omnidirectional Scanmaster D1300 Discone for
HF, VHF and UHF operation on the top of mast. Whole mast in mounted at simple rotator AR-303. Whole installation i made myself during
the last sunny weekend at the end of the summer 2008.
Both antennas are feed via Aircell 7 coaxial cable. It is little bit tight cable for rotating installation, but i made large loop for
its minimal torsion. All material supplied by DD AMTEK company.
September 2008
As you can see at the main page of this website, suffix of my callsign translated from czech to english is the OAK.
Oak is a nice tree, which you can meet in our forests, everywhere you look. During a years of using my callsign established oak as
personal matter for me. Friends call me "Hi, Oak...", ("Nazdar, DUBe" in czech), e-mails i sign "DUB" very often, sometimes i got oak leaf from my family.
Once i check any callsigns at QRZ.COM and suddenly i saw advertisement to Oak Callsigns, handcrafted from red oak.
"I must have it !", i shouted at this moment. In a minute i ordered this gift at http://www.oakcallsigns.com.
Several days after i received nice and solid Oak Callsign from Cliff Rozar, KC0SDV.
Thank you, Cliff !
November 10, 2007
Yesterday i was finished works on SW30+ CW TRX kit
from SW Labs. It was a little bit easy then first works on
SW80+, due to my personal experience. When i heard
OH1LWZ/M on dummyload during the setting of TX, i quickly connect
the antenna, made short QSO (599/579 on first calling) and continued short setting process.
During the evening hours had this TRX a little problem with intermodulations from near 9 MHz broadcast band, but after gently
turning left "GAIN" it was good (noise of band and weak stations was still good audible).
Yesterday evening i heard W3RJ (529) and this morning i heard
VK2GWK (579) on 41 metres longwire. I call them several times,
but without success due to pile-up. I have to buy or make vertical antenna and be patient. So, i am going to explore 10.1 MHz band.
April 30, 2007
In march 2007 i made my best DX on 80 metres band with new SW80+ TRX (1 Watt power OUT) to W3RJ, OP Rich, QTH Pennsylvania,
more then 6500 km long distance from portable QTH, near to Klinovec mountain (JO60LJ). Duration of whole early morning's QSO
was about 30 minutes, because of waiting for signal conditions. Thanks to Rich's patience can be QSO
satisfactory done. My antenna was LW 40 metres, 3 metres above ground only.
I was revived to HAM QRP activity in second part of 2006 year with thanks to Petr, OK1NS and his idea to buy and build
QRP TRX kit SW80+ from
K1SWL. I gets the kit shortly before Christmas and i started
build this immediately. I was very surprise about good quality of PCB. It was so pleasure for me, holds a solder after more
then 10 years.
After mechanical and wiring complete and short and easy setting i was ON AIR. Very sensitive and immune RX with suitable
selectivity (it is good feature to hear thinly other stations several hundreds Herz around QRG, except operating QRG which is ringing).
Stable and clear TX signal with excellent monitoring of keying including BK. There are the main attributes of this small radio wonder.
There was at autumn of 2005 when i enhance my RX for DXing. More sensitive, more selective, right USB and LSB mode,
smaller, better. Great. Thank you, SONY.
After year 2004 i mostly leave classical HAM activity and concentrate to listening HAM beacons, NDB's, far broadcast stations,
air traffic bands and other utility at shortwave.
In 90's and 00's it has be recognized technical and operational progress in my shack. I try many possibilities of HAM radio
(HF, VHF, UHF, satellite, packet radio, SSTV, contest, DXing).
Long time i was waiting for listening number, next for club operator certificate. Many requests i passed, no response.
Shortly after "velvet revolution" i gets a licence. Yeahhh. It was at 1990.
When i was seven, i build my first crystal RX with father's help. With the germanium diode, of course (it was at 70's).
I start to permanent touch the radio.
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