70MHz DXpedition to EU-013 Jersey

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The North Wakefield Radio Club (G4NOK) will be active as GJ4NOK on 4m from the 5-8th July 2013 from La Moye in Jersey, Locator IN89VE.

We will be QRV on CW, SSB and FSK441 for up to 8hrs on the 5th and 8th and 16-18 hrs on the 6th and 7th July. The site is excellent towards the UK so many of the UK operators should be able to work us on tropo.

The activity also coincides with VHF National Field Day so we are sure to be in demand.

Operators are Robert M0RCX, Mick M6MWP and myself Conrad G0RUZ.

Jersey Amateur Radio Society have very kindly given us permission to operate 4m from their very well located shack at La Moye, IN89VE.

The club has kindly been sponsored by The DX shop who are loaning us a bespoke yagi and amplifier package and HA1YA who are loaning us one of their ME4T-PRO 4m High performance transverters. Without the kind assistance from our sponsors this trip could not be made possible in the short notice we have had.

4 metres is an exciting yet relaxed band and for those that operate it, enjoy it. It is hoped to promote further usage of the band which is gaining popularity and a steady rate internationally.

3rd UK High Altitude Society Conference

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The UKHAS conference in London attracts those interested in learning about building and flying High Altitude Balloons or in tracking their 434 MHz signals

This year the conference takes place on Saturday 7 September 2013 and the venue will be the Greenwich University.

The conference is open to all, you don’t have to have flown a High Altitude Balloon, you’ll probably get more out of it as a total beginner as there will be a huge wealth of experience in the room you can speak to.

A lecture theatre and adjacent classroom are being hired so will have a lot more space than last time. Lunch will be included as before.

The day plan will be most likely lectures in the morning and then in the afternoon workshops, demos and more informal talks. Provisional talks include:

  • James Coxon M6JCX – Pico Balloons (3 years on)
  • Ed Moore M0TEK – How GPS works
  • John Graham-Cumming – Debugging HABs (Part 2)
  • Ara Kourchian – US Ballooning
  • Dave Akerman M6RPI – Pi in the sky + Afternoon workshop

Tickets will be £30 per person but we will offer a reduced price for students of £15, this enables the hire of the lecture theatre, classroom and also provides lunch. Tickets are on sale from HAB supplies - http://ava.upuaut.net/store/index.php?route=product/search&filter_name=ukhas

 

California Radio Hams claim 77 GHz world record

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Mountain-topping radio amateurs in California are claiming a new world distance record on the 77 to 81 GHz band.

The claimed record was set 13 June 2013 between Robert Johnson, KF6KVG, on a peak just east of San Jose and Goran Popovic, AD6IW, in Kings Canyon National Park to the east-southeast.

“We achieved a distance of 252.49 km from Mt Hamilton (CM97di) to Kings Canyon National Park (DM06ms),” Goran, AD6IW, announced on the 50 MHz & Up Group reflector. “We made two-way contact on FM and SSB with strong signals at both ends.”

KF6KVG used a 1-foot dish, and AD6IW a 2-foot dish. Both employed dielectric resonator oscillator-locked frequency control for extreme stability. The current E band record is 228 km, set in Germany between Philipp Prinz, DL2AM, and Alexander Wetzel, DL2GWZ.

According to ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, this amateur band was first allocated internationally in 1979 as 75.5-81 GHz, with 75.5-76 GHz primary and the remainder secondary.

When allocations below 76 GHz were realigned at WRC 2000, 75.5-76 GHz was deleted, 81-81.5 GHz was added as secondary, and the primary allocation was shifted to 77.5-78 GHz although only 77-81 GHz is available currently to amateurs in the US.

Sumner says the band 77.5-78 GHz is under consideration at WRC 2015 for an allocation for automotive short-range radar, leaving the fate of the amateur primary allocation uncertain.