Spring VHF/UHF FD 2012

[VK3YFL]

VK3YFL/P will be at Kinglake National Park (QF22PL) with 6m - 23cm plus 10GHz - Lou I've a new tripod mount for the 10GHz dish and so hopefully it will help us make it this time!

[VK3ALB]

OK Bryon, we'll be looking out for you. This time for sure!

[VK3QI]

VK3ER/p will be at the usual McLaughlin's Lookout QF22CM for the 24 hours.

Several new things are being tried in the microwave area:

(1) a dual band loop feed (RF Hamdesign) to a 1.2 mx 0.5 F/d offset dish

(2) a triband loop feed (RF Hamdesign) to a 1.0 mx 0.5 F/d offset dish with 3 DEMI tranverters mounted right at the feed. Hopefully this will help our aiming capability in the wind on 10 GHz

(3) a new winching system for the dish poles (OH&S considerations)on the trailer

(4) GPS locking of the lower frequency (2 and 70cm) rigs coupled with GPS locking of the transverters to give "dead on" frequency.

Looking forward to what looks like quite good conditions in the south east corner of Oz this weekend.

Cheers

Peter VK3QI (for the team of Max 3WT, Jack 3WWW, Mike 3AVV and Jonas VK3VF and maybe some other club operators).

[VK3ES]

G'day All,

I'll be operating from the home shack (just north of Mt Macedon - QF22hp) with 6m to 13cm. I'll also have 10GHz (10W, 60cm dish) but it will be located a few hundred meters from the shack, away from the trees.

Call me if you want to arrange a contact - 0429 862 140

73,
Andy VK3ES

[VK4ADC]

Hi all,

I note that the VKLogger profiles for most of the club stations (as noted previously in this topic) don't exist - or haven't been updated for a while.
How about fixing that today, fellas ??

Looks like yet another wet FD weekend up here in southern VK4, with showers and storms predicted for my preferred Spring FD portable location near Toowoomba, plus Brisbane etc !!

If the weather outlook looks really bad tomorrow morning, I have another site in an outer south-west Brisbane suburb ( QG62LJ ) that will have to suffice - a 30-35Km round trip instead of around 240-250Km.

Either way, I will be operating on at least 6, 2, 70, 23, 13 and 9cm SSB (plus some FM on 6, 2, 70), rain, hail or shine. (well, maybe not hail !)

[VK5ZD]

Hi

I just went to check if I had the latest version of VK Contest Logger (http://www.mnds.com.au/vkcl/) and it appears that the web site has been hacked

Iain

[VK3ALB]

What a waste of oxygen these people are.

For what it's worth I downloaded the latest version about a week ago. I have version 3.5 Build 12190.2021

[VK2JH]

Hi all,

Lived here nearly two years now, but still busy gardening, building horse fences etc, to get serious again with a portable station. However, on Sunday morning, I hope to fire up the home station on 6, 2, 70 and even 23cm to see if I hear anyone or, more importantly, if anyone hears me, especially on 23cm, as it has never heard or issued a word on it yet!! I am located at Mount Hallen, about 272 deg bearing from Brissy.

73 and good luck (give 'em heaps Boze)

John
VK4JHC/VK2JH
QG62EQ

[VK5ZT]

Hi all


Going for a bit of a drive as usual......

Using the wife's Falcon again with a bootload of transverters and a rack of antennas on the back..

Piloting the new transverter master control system......buttons 1-9 on the keypad in the photo select transverters from 50 Mhz to 24 Ghz (ie 9 bands)
The LCD display echos the VGA screen data if I want to save power and kill the monitor

Tim

VK5ZT - Rover

[VK3QI]

Tim,

I am sitting right next to Mike 3AVV in the tent at the moment and both the VKCL and Beacon sites are working - however, Mike tells me that this morning the Beacon site wss definitely hacked, but they must have given up during the day some time.

Good luck in the contest - hope we can work you from VK3ER/p

Cheers

Peter VK3QI

[VK2XSO]

Will be out and about from 0600 Sunday at my seventh gridsquare, then from about 0730 at the next at South Guyra where I will hang around for a while as it is a good spot, then will be at the QG square for

You could pull up across the road and get some points from me on several bands but you have no chance in hell of getting me out of bed before 9am.

[VK2KRR]

Keep in mind, that you can QSY below .150 on all bands except 6m. Just dont call on the call freqs 144.100 etc. Makes it easier to find a clear freq on 2m etc if not everyone QSY's up from 144.150.

[VK4CZ]

Up and running from Walter Henderson Park Kobble Creek QG62jr

[VK2XQ]

Pity the 50MHz conditions are crap today Scott, would love to work you after all the trouble you went to. Hope you are doing well on the other bands and thus make it all worth while. Only one Field Day worked/heard so far on six here, and he was just 40kms away...

Sink a few cold ones Scott, good luck!

[VK2VHF]

It's very quiet at my QTH (Sydney) with a vertical.

I've heard 3 stations while dropping in and out of the shack this arvo.

[VK2KRR]

Hi Adrian, not sure if your looking on FM or SSB in vertical, but if its SSB you would be flat out hearing anyone in vertical unless they were quite close to your QTH, as most would be running horizontal.
Going from prior observations here, the Spring/Summer/Winter field days have never been big on attracting 2m or 70cm FM stations, in comparison to the John Moyle field day for some reason?

[VK4CZ]

Only one Field Day worked/heard so far on six here, and he was just 40kms away...

DXing is in your blood Jack... Next time you'll crack 50km

[VK4CRO]

John vk4mjf and myself will be up on Mt Gravatt with 10ghz after 7.00 est
hope to work a few
Ron and John

[VK2CSW]

I had some spare time yesterday, so I thought I'd help out by giving out some numbers.

I tuned around 2 and 70 SSB for about 45 minutes. Just listening at this stage, didn't bother tuning up

Nada, Nothing, Zilch, Zero.

I gave up and went outside to do some more work in the yard. Found a couple of small pieces of RG58 in the garden...

Bloody Cockatoo's.

That at least explains the lack of received activity.

[VK2VHF]

Hi Adrian, not sure if your looking on FM or SSB in vertical, but if its SSB you would be flat out hearing anyone in vertical unless they were quite close to your QTH, as most would be running horizontal.
Going from prior observations here, the Spring/Summer/Winter field days have never been big on attracting 2m or 70cm FM stations, in comparison to the John Moyle field day for some reason?

Yes mate working on SSB and fully appreciate the limits of a vertical antenna! I know it attenuated all but the closest stations but was hoping a few others might be running 'sticks' as well as they did last year.


Cheers MN GLXR