Getting P29's active on 6m

[VK4WDM]

As I said on ICHAT, it's a pity that were are no P29's active on 6m yesterday because I am sure they would have easily been worked right across the country given the coverage that the UR/MM was getting from the northern Coral Sea.

There are quite a number of hams in P29 and many of them will have 6m-capable radios, but there are two problems: The first is getting them interested in 6m, and then if they are interested, getting them a 6m antenna because, from my experience, getting suitable materials in PNG is very difficult.

I suggest the following approach.

If any of us talk to a P29 on HF mention that there is a big interest in working PNG on 6m and are they interested?

Now to address the antenna issue. I have enough bits of tubing around here to put together some 3el yagis that can be broken down into bits that will fit into a mailing tube. I can also pre-assemble the feed so that won't be a hassle. There will be no cost to the ham concerned.

The next question is how to get it there. The mail service in PNG can be very dysfunctional and the last antenna I sent up there by mail never arrived at the destination, but there are alternatives.

A number of the likely candidates will belong to SIL in Ukarumpa and it should be possible to get the antenna to PNG via SIL members who are travelling to and from Cairns. I am also likely to travel to PNG a few times this year, and I have some links with commercial firms who might be able to help with transport.

So if anyone can identify an interested ham, and they need an antenna, put them in touch with me. My contact details are on qrz.com.

If we can get them interested in 6m it might extend to other VHF and UHF bands. Having a station in the Eastern Highlands beaming south on 2m and 70 and 23cm could result in some exciting contacts

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4DU]

Most of the expat hams in POM are involved professionally in comms, so they aren't very active.

I still have my P29 licence (XX). I'm in and out of POM a bit, but antennas are difficult and the noise floor is getting bad.

SIL could be a goer - they have resupply flights out of Langley quote often...

[VK4TI]

As I said on ICHAT, it's a pity that were are no P29's active on 6m yesterday because I am sure they would have easily been worked right across the country given the coverage that the UR/MM was getting from the northern Coral Sea.

There are quite a number of hams in P29 and many of them will have 6m-capable radios, but there are two problems: The first is getting them interested in 6m, and then if they are interested, getting them a 6m antenna because, from my experience, getting suitable materials in PNG is very difficult.

I suggest the following approach.

If any of us talk to a P29 on HF mention that there is a big interest in working PNG on 6m and are they interested?

Now to address the antenna issue. I have enough bits of tubing around here to put together some 3el yagis that can be broken down into bits that will fit into a mailing tube. I can also pre-assemble the feed so that won't be a hassle. There will be no cost to the ham concerned.

The next question is how to get it there. The mail service in PNG can be very dysfunctional and the last antenna I sent up there by mail never arrived at the destination, but there are alternatives.

A number of the likely candidates will belong to SIL in Ukarumpa and it should be possible to get the antenna to PNG via SIL members who are travelling to and from Cairns. I am also likely to travel to PNG a few times this year, and I have some links with commercial firms who might be able to help with transport.

So if anyone can identify an interested ham, and they need an antenna, put them in touch with me. My contact details are on qrz.com.

If we can get them interested in 6m it might extend to other VHF and UHF bands. Having a station in the Eastern Highlands beaming south on 2m and 70 and 23cm could result in some exciting contacts

73

Wayne VK4WDM

After some fiddling this week I built a collapsible 3 element Quad on 6 for a friend and it does perform very well , it fits into a smallish package via a two part boom and collapsible spreaders made from tent poles and some hard drawn copper wire , getting on air is not the problem via hard ware and it appears
motivation might be the schitky bit ?
Don't you agree ?

[VK4WDM]

collapsible 3 element Quad

Wow! Great idea. Are you planning to write that up someplace?

We do have a fixation on yagis for 6m, but I remember a number of years ago there was a P29 using a quad that he made out of wood and fencing wire and he put out a really good signal down into VK and ZL. I think he also made some contacts into Europe.

We really have to work on getting more activity on the band, not just from the Pacific islands, but around VK as well. Unfortunately there is a perception that 6m is a technically-difficult band. In some cases, such as weak-signal work it is challenging and does require a reasonably good setup, but for routine operations its not difficult at all. A portable antenna like the one you have made would be ideal for travellers to cart around and activate rare grid squares during the E seasons, or for the field days.

With regard to the P29 situation. You are right. Motivation is going to be the key element. There used to be a weekly P29 net on 80m. I am not sure if it is still going. If it is maybe some of us could lob in there for a chat.

On my next trip up there I will try and meet some of the local hams for some eyeball lobbying.

Thank you for interest! Hope to work you next time the skip shortens!

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4TI]

collapsible 3 element Quad

Wow! Great idea. Are you planning to write that up someplace?



Wayne VK4WDM

No intention , all I did was cut the boom in half , tig a sleeve to one bit and add a radiator hose clamp over the other but with some saw cuts to allow clamping then tig some lugs for bolting the spreaders which notched in quite well , some copper wire and some nylon string holds it all together , so does everyone have a tig ? , og and no balun just an ugly choke from some rg58au which was thrown on the shack floor (Digitor brand)

[VK2XQ]

Getting local non expat operators on air is always hard in the islands. Not going to be easy, I gave a TS-680S to Mote T30MT many years ago plus antenna for 50MHz, think he worked about 20 contacts then relegated himself back to HF. Gave Willie T30W my old TS-690S about 17 years back, he worked a few on six but the radio died, Kenwoods do not like salt air, dry joints and rust killed that.

I requested that anyone with a six metre set not in use if they could donate it to Willie, not one reply. Willie is retired from work now but no longer active on radio.

In 2000 I gave Ruben C21RK a brand new five element beam that I used once as C21JH, Ruben has HF/50MHz base radio, he never put the antenna up, think his wife used the boom and element slots in the garden to trail vines on!

Gave Dumas C21DD an old IC-551 and a three element beam, he never bothered putting the antenna up and I don't know what he done with the radio.

Similar thing happened on Pitcairn Island too, visiting DXpedition left the local ops with a full 50MHz station and breakable beacon, none of the donated 50MHz gear ever made it on air, although the locals still work HF quite a lot.

So, I cannot be bothered wasting my time and money any more putting local ops on islands on 50MHz, you can lead the proverbial horse to water as the saying goes...

That is why the P29, C21 and V73 six metre beacons all failed and went off air, once the expat custodians left the respective islands the locals couldn't be bothered keeping an eye on the beacons and were not really interested in looking after them.

I was offered a complete beacon set up by some American six metre buffs in the late 1990's to set up as T30SIX on South Tarawa, told them not to waste their time or money as the locals would not look after it after I was gone.

Six metres requires a certain dedication and interest, most resident local operators in the islands are not fussed with a band that will not reward them with a generous pile up after a CQ call like they experience on the HF bands. They will try a few times and then revert back to HF.

So Wayne, I know you have a kind heart and willing to put yourself out for the hobby, best of luck, been there and done that, so hope you have better luck. Our best bet would be to get the JA fellow going to Wewak in the Sepik Province for two years teaching preferable over a local.

Jack D. Haden VK2XQ (QF-56ne) ex C21JH, T30JH, V63JH, 3D2JH etc etc...

[VK3BY]

Wayne

Try Renzo p29fr already has quad and would just need to add the wires. He is very active on 10 and 20m. I will suggest this to him next time I hear him.

Regards

David
vk3by

[VK4WDM]

Hi David

I know his location very well. He is on the north west coast with some of the highest mountains in PNG between him and VK. It might be possible if there was a big E cloud over those ranges but unlikely. I did work a station on the north coast from Townsville via backscatter when he was beaming north but it was pure luck and a difficult contact.

The best bet are the stations on the southern side of the mountains with a direct path down into VK: Central Province and Port Moresby, southern Milne Bay Province and Islands, Gulf Province, or the south coast of East and West New Britain.

The group that I worked for in PNG had a VHF network that was mainly used for local traffic but at times we could easily contact stations in the highlands from our site in the lowlands of the Western Province. We never heard anybody north of the ranges.

Thank you for your interest

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4WDM]

[quoteGetting local non expat operators on air is always hard in the islands][/quote]

Hi Jack

Yes, I agree, but I think PNG is a bit different. Quite a number of the hams there are Americans and are quite active on other bands, so they might be induced on to 6m. There have been some successes with that approach in the past. About five years ago there was a ham at Ukarumpa who was active on 6m but SIL sent him to a very remote village where any sort of ham radio was extremely difficult. I cannot recall his callsign, he may have returned to the USA.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[YU7EF]

Hi guys

Just yesterday spoke on ON4KST R1 6m chat with Puiu YO5BIM and he told me he will be operating again as P29VIM in March and April

Hope at that time we get some F2 opening and a chance to make it from EU

73, Pop, YU7EF

[VK4WDM]

Hi Pop

Nice to hear from you, Happy New Year!

Yes, it would be wonderful to get some F2 openings into Europe. Some of the newer 6m ops have never experienced what its like to be chased up and down the band by a lot of excited Italians all running 1KW

Thank you for the news about P29VIM, and thank you for all the help you give the 6m community by your antenna work

73 from Townsville

Wayne VK4WDM

(For those who are not familiar with Pop YU7EF he is the designer of excellent, easy to build, VHF and UHF antennas. Check out his webpage).