When running 25 watts into an attic antenna being heard in the Pacific is a big deal. When you work N5J on 12 meter CW and the contact does not appear in the log it is disappointing. So when I worked the DXpedition on 10 meter CW I was certain my call came back correct, and their TU was very much auditable. Well, this morning the updated log showed no 10 meter CW contact. What is up!!
| Band |
CW |
FT8 |
| 30 |
1 |
1 |
| 20 |
1 |
|
| 17 |
1 |
|
| 12 |
|
1 |
| 10 |
|
1 |
No doubt the group of hams and the technology employed in N5J are fantastic and I am thankful for every contact made. I am just a bit disappointed that there are two CW contacts missing from the log.
Question: Could the stations worked on 10 and 12 meter CW be pirates?
Special Note: My 10 meter CW contact has been found! Although my contact was not included in the logs that were shown to be updated after my contact it appears there were some later updates of earlier contacts.
I found it!
Once upon a time I could work the Pacific (from GA) with the aid of the greyline early in the morning on 30 meter CW. Realizing I am now using an attic (or loft if you prefer) antenna, I assumed propagation was just not the same.
I found the Pacific! FT8 has taken it away from me on 30 meter CW. Running 15 wattsa and an attic antenna on FT8 reaching out that far is not easy, but doable. However, with FT8 there is just no personality to the contact. FT8 will not be my home on 30 meters, but I may visit from time to time.
a. I Run 25 watts on CW. But I reduce power to 15 watts as FT8 is a full duty cycle mode. The K3 can handle the power, but to prevent possible RFI I dial it back.
A golfer once told me just as he was about to give up the crazy game, he would get that one great shot and he was drawn back in. Maybe ham radio with a poor antenna is like that. Just as I was about to hang up my key, I had a REAL QSO with a station near Tokyo. For 25 watts and a piece of wire on the rafters in the attic, that is a big deal.
Throughout the years I have not spent a lot of time on 10 Meters and even less on 12. In the PSK31 days I worked a fair amount of DX on 10 meters and tried AM several years ago. As conditions improve 10 and 12 meters may be places for my setup to do okay. At least the past week has netted successful DX’ish contacts. During several of those QSO’s the other station actually copied me well (imagine that).
Yes, you can work DX with an attic wire antenna bent to fit and only 25 watts CW output. I have never had good antennas and only ran up to 100 watts in the past but worked a fair amount of DX. Now I run a very much compromise antenna system, lower power and have still worked a bit of DX. Of course, good band conditions are a must. Also, the operator and station setup on the other end play a big part. I have worked into the south Pacific, Africa, Asia and throughout Europe since downsizing the QTH. Often it is a struggle and the copy at the other end is not that great, but when a station down under actually copies me well enough to have a short conversation, I keep coming back for more.
Stations can work whomever they please. However, it is common courtesy that if you want to restrict your replies to a certain entity, state etc. say so. This morning a station from Central America was operating and working from what I could tell JA’s. He was not showing any signs of restricting his calling (CQ; QRZ) so every so often I called. Keep in mind that when you run 25 watts with an attic antenna (especially under a wet roof) any contact is revered especially one in a not so common entity. At one point he sent DS? only to ignore my call. Only then did he restrict his calling to JA’s only. I have worked many DX stations in the middle of a JA string so I believe calling him when I did was not out of line. As I said, he can work anyone he wishes, but a little courtesy would not hurt.
I am not a contest op nor will I ever be one. I tried my hand at working a few stations in the 2022 ARRL DX contest. Not properly reading the exchange required and then not paying attention to the other stations when they asked for the required info, created confusion. (Since I am running 25 watts into an attic antenna, when I hear a question mark during a contest, I assume they are asking for a repeat.) What got my attention was when one station dropped down from 30 WPM to ask for my state when I realized something was not right. I was ready to pull the plug as I felt no one could hear me, but when I started sending the correct information my success rate improved.
I guess in the future during big contest weekends I should head to the WARC Bands.
Well, there is DX and there is DX. When you run low power and an attic antenna there is a range that one can expect to work other stations. In that range there are DX entities. In my case those entities are not very rare but are rewarding to work. Working far off rare entities is impossible with my working conditions. Well not really. The other morning, I worked a VK9 station (Norfolk Island in the South Pacific). I was running 15 wats on 40 meter CW with my 55 foot attic doublet (bent to fit) under a very wet roof. Yes, band conditions were good, and the other guy was an excellent op with a FB station. But, I hope I had something to do with making the contact.
I like to work DX, but as of late this has been a challenge. A challenge because I am using an attic antenna in a not so tall house, running 25 watts and the band conditions have not been so kind. This week as fall approached condition were a bit better. I worked into EU on 20 meter CW. Not every station I called, but a few. The highlight was working a station in Nairobi Kenya. I am sure a high percent of the stations I am competing with are running more power and have much more effective antennas. A big part of being able to make the contact goes to the DX station/operator, but I hope finding the right frequency to put my signal and some operating skill contributed a little.