I wrote back in June that I was making good progress toward working 100 countries since moving to Lichfield in September of 2008. Well I can now report that coming out of the CQWW CW contest this past weekend I have now reached that milestone - 100 countries worked from this location.
The details are 100 countries worked with 74 on CW, 66 on RTTY and 60 on SSB. This includes 8 all time new ones in the form of Anguilla, Desecheo Island, St. Maarten & St. Eustatius, Bermuda, United Arab Emirates, Alaska, Montserrat and the British Virgin Isles.
This brings the overall numbers to 170 worked with 119 on CW, 122 on data modes (RTTY & PSK31) and 111 on SSB. Here’s to the big push towards 200!
Dean Amateur Radio, Blog CW, DXCC, G0RIF, Lichfield, RTTY, SSB
A bit of a mixed bag really with no new ones, not even one, but some nice DX worked, especially on 40m on the Sunday evening. Overall I made 85 contacts (a result of more tuning & listening than transmitting) with 48 DXCC entities logged over the weekend in several sessions on 15/20/40m bands. Details on a separate page which is here - CQWW CW contest 2009 - summary - or linked from the Radio menu above.
the 48 countries logged - CQWW CW Nov 2009
On a less serious note I have to award my ‘biggest signal on the band’ award to G3WW who was booming into Lichfield at S9+60db at very least. I’d be interested to know just what antenna was in use to get such a big intra UK signal.
Dean Amateur Radio antenna, contest, CW, DXCC, morse code, propagation
From SpaceWeather.com:
Two sunspots (1032/1033) are emerging in the sun’s northern hemisphere. Both are members of new Solar Cycle 24. Sunspot 1032 appears to be the reincarnation of old sunspot 1029.
Dean Amateur Radio, Blog Solar Cycle 24, sunspots
Regarding France 1 v 1 Ireland in Paris, Nov 18th 2009.
“Play fair. Winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly. Cheating is easy, but brings no pleasure. Playing fair requires courage and character. It is also more satisfying. Fair play always has its reward, even when the game is lost. Playing fair earns respect, while cheating only brings shame. Remember: it is only a game. And games are pointless unless played fairly.”
Fine words but will the ideal be upheld?
Dean Life..., Totally random FIFA, football, France, Ireland, World Cup
The deal is done. Announced on Wednesday the 18th of November, Jenson Button will partner Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2010 in an all British driver line-up.
Jenson is quoted as saying “Nothing means more to me than to be able to represent my country, this is a team that always goes racing to win and I’m looking forward to being part of that.”
Dean Totally random Formula 1, Jenson Button, McLaren
Or as they’re now known, Mercedes Grand Prix Racing. They say that a week is a long time in politics. Well it’s also a long time in Formula 1! Just a few short weeks ago it was looking very much like Brawn GP would set about the 2010 season with their newly crowned world drivers champion, Jenson Button, as their number one driver. It now looks very much like this deal with Mercedes has been a done deal for some time and that Jenson was blissfully ignorant of Mercedes desire to acquire the team, rename it and install one if not two German drivers, leaving Jenson out in the cold. Hence his recent flirting (or maybe more) with McLaren.
Should Jenson move to McLaren, and I’m kind of hoping that he does, after all, who could fail to be impressed by their track record and facilities at the McLaren Technology Centre where Jenson was a recent guest, I think he’ll do very well next season - at least as well as he would have done had he gone into next season with Brawn GP. It’s certainly an interesting time for Formula 1 and the rumour mill is working overtime. Hopefully a deal, one way of the other, will be struck soon!
Dean Totally random Brawn GP, Formula 1, Jenson Button, McLaren, Mercedes
I spent a few hours in total on 40/20/15m giving away a few points and logging about 60 contacts in total. I wasn’t trying to rack up a score and on that basis there were many stations I might have worked that I chose not to call, passing up the more common entities and tuning the bands looking for stations located in more remote or less common entities.
The highlight was the previously mentioned (see previous blog entry) VP2MNK in Montserrat (on 20m) for an all time new one. In addition I worked another 26 countries (24 on 40m, 8 on 20m and just the USA on 15m) including Austria, Belarus, Canada, the Canary Islands, Corsica, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Morocco, Serbia and Slovenia.
Dean Amateur Radio contest, RTTY, WAE
I wasn’t expecting much having decided to give out a few points in the WAE (Worked All Europe) RTTY contest this weekend. Things seemed to be going well with plenty of stations worked on 40m, 20m and 15m (15m in particularly working very well into North America).
Around 16:25 UTC I noticed a spot for VP2MNK on 20m so with this being a potential new one for me I tuned in and listened to see if I could hear him. He was peaking about strength 8 with me but fading badly. I’d need to get lucky if I was to work him, especially as he seemed to be working a run of calling stations, most of which were likely louder than I would be.
I called several times in the next 20 minutes or so, coinciding with his signal peaking at my end, trying to figure out his operating pattern. It struck me he seemed to wait quite a while at times before coming back to a calling station, as if he was waiting for people to make a second call rather than prompting it with a QRZ? or AGN…?
I modified my macro to send my call 4 times rather than my more usual 3 and delayed sending by a few seconds, hoping my call would get some ‘clear air’ when others ended. It seems to have worked because at 16:40 UTC we made the brief contest exchange and he was in the log for country number 169 (and the 94th from this QTH with my compromise antenna).
Dean Amateur Radio antenna, Montserrat, RTTY, VP2MNK
I arrived home from work this evening to find a QSL card arrived from Des, ZS1ZY, in the Cape Province, South Africa.
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This is for a SSB contact back in late September when operating portable from Barr Beacon, just north west of the city of Birmingham (which I wrote about at the time in this blog entry).
I sent my QSL card direct to Des at his home address, about a week or two after the contact, enclosing a return addressed envelope and an international reply coupon (IRC). Receiving a return card so quickly deserves a big thank you so “thanks Des!” and 73 until the next time.
You can see this and other cards from Africa here.
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the colourful ZS1ZY QSL card
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Dean Amateur Radio, Blog, Pictures IRC, portable, QSL
Tuesday 10th November, 2009 and the Muse Resistance tour rolled into Birmingham in the heart of England. Having secured tickets to see Muse on this tour some three months ago and having seen Muse twice previously (at the NEC in Birmingham) the levels of expectation and anticipation were to say the least, elevated!
Muse on stage, Birmingham NIA
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Muse didn’t disappoint! The stage show was very impressive, the set comprised a good mix of old and new songs and the guys themselves gave their all and played their hearts out in a hot & steamy NIA.
Highlights for me were New Born, MK Ultra, Unnatural Selection, Hysteria, Knights of Cydonia and Part 1 (Overture) of the Exogenesis Symphony.
All too soon (about 1hr 50mins) the show was over and the house lights came up on yet another Muse gig that will live long in the memory!
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Dean Music, Pictures Muse, The Resistance