Sam G4DDK (DXing)

@g4ddk.bsky.social

Retired. Telecoms background. Radio ham. Mostly 6m to 24GHz. EME, VHF DX chasing. Equipment development

Haven’t posted for a while. The Martlesham 23 and 3cm beacons have been refurbished and re-installed. Both now run Q65 digital modulation. 30B on 23cm and 30D on 3cm. These different modes chosen to suit the dominant propagation on each band.

I have a Casio programmable that I bought off G4HUP in about 1978, when he was upgrading. I recall I paid him £25 for it. That was a lot in those days! We were both GPO/Post Office Telephones radio school instructors. Many ex radio staff benefitted from numbers on this calculator! Still my 'go to'.

Showing how marginal it was, it took three days to work HD8G on 23cm EME. As the moon moved closer, so degradation came down just enough to complete. My thanks to Bruce for persevering.

Joined by the second one. More friendly but also still a bit nervous of humans. Bobby and Phylis, ‘The Railway Children’. They were rescued from near the main railway line!

Bild

Good 23cm EME echoes this evening. Trying 1298.100 MHz to see how well the system works at the higher frequency. I noticed a few more people on the HB9Q chat also mentioning doing test transmission/QSOs at what might become the new, preferred, 23cm EME allocation.

Getting ready for the Dutch Heelweg microwave meeting next Saturday. This annual meeting brings together microwavers from several European countries, for a day of measurements, trading and serious discussion on matters microwave!

I have just spent some time with G4JMM, measuring his (new to him) 10GHz portable transverter. All working well. I really must get my own (replacement) 10GHz transverter working.