Tag Archives: 1296 MHz

Tropo opening 7th – 8th October 2023

Posted on October 16, 2023 | Leave a comment

After such a long and barren period for tropo we were taken by surprise by the exceptional conditions on the weekend of 7th to 8th October coinciding with the 70 cm and microwave contests in the UK and Continental Europe.

I know that some contest stations worked Spain on 70cm and there were stories of Italians but that is hearsay. I was pleased to work the French stations down to mid/southern parts, the two HB9s, and also the French and German contacts on 23. Anyway, here are some picked out from my log.

2450 2023-10-07 11:50 F4CKV/P 144.304 SSB France JN16nl

2451 2023-10-07 15:36 F6KPL 432.201 SSB IN99io France Radio club c/o Mr Ala

2455 2023-10-07 16:47 PI4GN 432.230 SSB JO33ii Netherlands VRZA AFD. GRONIN

2456 2023-10-07 17:00 F5RZC 432.264 SSB JO10ar France Jean-Francois DELP…

2457 2023-10-07 20:15 HB9XC 432.210 SSB JN37of Switzerland Club station PIEPER

2458 2023-10-07 20:19 DL8LR 432.233 SSB JN39ni Germany Frank Paulus-Rieth

2459 2023-10-07 20:24 DR9A 432.292 SSB JN48eq Germany Contest Station

2460 2023-10-07 20:36 HB9IAB/P 432.285 SSB JN36mi Switzerland ERIC

2461 2023-10-07 20:51 F4KJP/P 432.207 SSB France JN29ln

2462 2023-10-08 07:31 F5SGT/P 432.221 SSB France IN88kd

2463 2023-10-08 07:39 F4DVZ 432.313 SSB France IN98wv

2464 2023-10-08 07:57 F6KFH 432.265 SSB JN39oc France Radioclub du Ref.

2465 2023-10-08 08:04 F8KHP/P 432.287 SSB France JN38cc

2466 2023-10-08 10:16 DR9A 1,296.270 SSB JN48eq Germany Contest Station

2467 2023-10-08 10:25 F4KJP/P 1,296.200 SSB France JN29ln

2468 2023-10-08 10:34 DN4KHJ/P 432.280 SSB Germany J031aa

2469 2023-10-08 10:43 ON4CCM 432.203 SSB JO21jg Belgium WARD VAN BERCK…

2471 2023-10-08 20:44 F4HBY 144.235 SSB IN97at France Laurent JOBEY

Let us hope it will not be so long until the next opening, the last one having been back in June. Still, this one was very satisfying.

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September 2020 tropo

Posted on September 23, 2020 | Leave a comment
IC-9700

After a long time with no decent tropo it has been an interesting week with a good opening to Scandinavia and the Baltic. Conditions were first good on 17th September when I worked OZ on 23 cms, but on 2 metres it seemed initially that the good propagation was going over our heads on the East Coast, with the West, Wales and Northern Ireland being favoured into Scandinavia. I cannot complain too much. I did make some good QSOs as the days moved on, the highlights being on 2 metres SM4GGC at 1183 km and on 70 cms SP1MVG who called me when I was just finishing with OZ1BNN. Poland was a new country on 70 cms and obviously a new square.

I run 100 watts on 2 metres and 10 watts on 23 cms with my IC-9700, and 50 watts on 70 cms using my FT991.

Here is a summary of the most pleasing contacts, all SSB:

2 metres
17/09/20OZ1BEFJO46
18/09/20DK4EEJO41
DL2RZJO54
19/09/20GM4YXIIO87
GM0OQVIO85
20/09/20DG8LGJO44
DL0CXJO43
DL5BBFJO42
SM4GGCJO691183 km
OZ1BNNJO55
OZ6OLJO65
21/09/20SM7GVFJO77
OZ8ZYJO54
GM4JOJIO97
SM6VTZJO58
70 cms
17/09/20SM6VTZJO58
OZ9FWJO65
20/09/20DJ8MSJO54
DL4EECJO33
MM0CEZIO75
OZ1BNNJO55
SP1MVGJO74987 kmNew country on 70 cms
21/09/20SM7GVFJO77
OZ4VWJO45
23 cms
15/09/20OZ1FFJO45
20/09/20DB8WKJO33

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23 centimetres with the IC-9700

Posted on June 22, 2020 | Leave a comment

Since February this year I have added 1296 MHz to my repertoire. I have the 10 watts from the 9700 and my old 23 element Tonna which I used back in Billericay thirty plus years ago when I lived with my parents. That was prior to going QRT for those three decades, but the antenna has been perfectly preserved in the garage.

I started by working at a distance of about 150 miles G8JVM in Shropshire having started on 2 metres. Since then I have managed to work a good few in the UKAC monthly Tuesday night contests and in addition PH0V at 307 km which is 192 miles when conditions were quite good. I also have worked since PG3T at 272 km, 170 miles. I added another country with F4HRD, although Jeff is only 70 miles away.

I have also worked PE1EWR at 202 km a couple of times and PE1JPD at 321 km.

There has not been a really good opening such as I remember from the Eighties, but overall, I am pleased with the progress so far.

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