Today I had a very short contact with Ted K2GAV. Conditions where to bad to have I long talk, so I appreciated that I got this nice QSL card

My first self build 20 meter HF antenna.

Because I was always planning to build an HF antenna I recently purchased an analyser.

With this device you will be standing to tune antennas on the right frequency.
It is also possible to make impedance measurements in order to get the correct matching between antenna and transceiver.

I have examined which antenna the best for me is to build  that I can use during the PACC contest.
The antenna must meet a low radiation angle. This is needed for good DX purposes.

The above example are from a 21 Mhz VDA

Most HF antennas are large and therefore a problem to post them in the backyard.
After some searching on the Net, I discovered one of  PA3FYM (Remco den Besten) videos on YouTube. In one of his videos I saw a VDA (vertical dipole array) and is easy to build.
Also, the dimensions are limited in order to build a 20 meter antenna.

Fortunately I had most of the stuff already in the house and I immediately started building the antenna. The entire construction diagram of this antenna is described in the DKARS magazine of March 2015. After some saws, drills and screws I put the antenna in the backyard and performed the first measurements. An exciting moment, because you know, finally, never whether it is in practice, as described in theory.

The antenna is as expected a little too low in frequency. A little cut on the bottom two wire solves the problem.

first setup in the garden.

So, I am almost ready to participate the PACC contest.

Good DX. 73, Gerard

IMG_1382.MOV

Special event station PD16XMAS on 40 meter

Grabber Online

Today I configured my experimental 30 mtr QRSS grabber and put it temporarily online. My receiver is an IC7410 with a 20 meter long wire 5 bander FED antenna.

JTDX site

JTDX - HAM program for HF JT65 and JT9 modes

http://www.qrz.lt/ly3bg/JTDX/jtdx.html

DXmaps

If you want to become a good DXer it is important that you use the right tools. DXmaps is an excellent tool to discover HAM traffic over the world. It tells you which of the bands are open and a lot more.

look at http://www.dxmaps.com/spots/map.php

My first CW lesson

Antenne at PI4AMF

Thursday, September 22, I took my first lesson CW. Classes are held at the club station PI4AMF in Amersfoort. After a warm welcome and a cup of coffee told the teacher Koos us what was going to do it next year. The group consists of seven HAM radio operators, some of them have already passed the CW examination this year. It was a pleasant evening, which ended at 22: 30h

In Dutch

Old movie