Knuffelpad

On Easter Saturday we walked the Knuppelpad (bat path) on landgoed Oostbroek. Our youngest grand daughter calls it Knuffelpad (hug path). hi

The water behind us is a former arm of the river Rhine, the ancient border of the north of the Roman Empire. This water has been a part of the river Rhine. But the water is now separated from the river Rhine. I took the picture of the four of us, with the camera facing to the east.

On the right side is (was) the Roman Empire. At that time this part in the Netherlands called Germania Inferior Inferior means low lands. Not unimportant! hi.

At the Bat Path

Writing QSL cards.

Sunday walk. Around Plas Middelkoop. With grazing Highland Cooows. 

Op de kinderboerderij.

Groningen

We have been away for a few days to Groningen.

       

We stayed in the  Hampshire hotel in the southern part of the city Groningen, aan het "Hoornsemeer".  

The first day we visited the inner city of Groningen. At first we walked and later we decided to take the bus (nr6) to the railway station.  We walked past the museum into the inner city.
La Place restaurant on the roof of V&D offers a nice view of the Martini tower.


The second day the weather was very good, so we went to Haren to visit the Hortus. 

The most spectaculair part of the park was the Chinese garden.

 

Sun!

In the Bamboo bush we photographed some frogs.

The last day we did more shopping and bought a new lamp and a few interesting books bij De Slechte.

A picture of the most famous tower in the city of Groningen.

K3WW with 100000 Miles per Watt

When I went into the ARRL international DX contest, the first station that I heard was K3WW. K3WW is a station with Excellent Ears.
The signal of Charles was stronger than the usual S8.
The signal was over S9, so I decided to try a lower power than the usual 360 mW and I switched to 36 mW, using an 10 dB attenuator. I expected that I had to use more power, but to my surprise we made the QSO with just 36 mW.
My FT-817 only gives 360 mW instead of 500 mW after a serious mismatch, but I still have great fun with low power and 1000 MPW.

The distance between my QTH JO22na and K3WW in FN20ii is 3725 miles.
With 36 milliwatts this gives 103000 Miles per Watt.
Thank you Charles for the fine QSO. Hpe cuagn in the next contest.

CQMM DX 2012

I just sent in my Cabrillo file for the CQMM DX contest. I had some trouble to make the entry. I logged on paper and made a Cabrillo file in Excel. But the robot refused my entry based on version 2. So I used an online webform to make the Cabrillo file in version 3.

We were invited out for a birthday, so I only had time on Saturday and only made one QSO before we left on Sunday. I used the Lowest Possible Power in each QSO.
I started, late around 19:45 local time, so the propagation to Europe was good. At first I made some more than 1000 Miles per Watt QSO's in Europe. About one hour later the signals from North and South America came trough. The signal of N2MM was stronger than S9. Carol was S8 trough the 10 dB attenuator, so the QSO could be made with 80 mW. The exchange was 599 NAY . The Y means YL.  Later AA3B was also worked with 80 mW. It is years ago that I met AA3B with just less than 100 mW, so you don't hear me complaining about the propagation.

The contest brought 3 new DXCC's: FM, OX and CE.  
Martinique with 360 mW, gives a very nice QRPp more than 1000 Miles per Watt QSO.

This survey, showing the bands is also interesting. To North America was slightly less power needed at 15 m than on 20 m. Notice that the difference between 80 mW and 360 mW is just ONE S-point. 4x is 6 dB is one S-point.
By comparing the info in both tables, you can find out, on what band each DXCC was worked.
21 out of 28 QSO's were more than 1000 Miles per Watt QSO's. This is a staggering 75%.

Still using the Internet Explorer

Blogger has changed the navigation to make a new Blog entry. They changed it in a way that the Internet Explorer is NOT working.
I have used the Google browser Chrome for a while. But  the Chrome cuts and pastes differently from Internet Explorer giving problems with in copying and pasting of tables and data from lists, like the WSPR database. So I already went back to the Internet Explorer.
Now I must use the Google browser, if I want to make a new Blog entry.
So Chrome is still installed, but for all internet surfing I only use the Internet Explorer.

Stange things

Sudenly my standard browser is not good enymore for Blogger. So I can not place my new entry about the first results of the CQMM DX contest.

CQMM DX coming up this weekend

The CQMM DX is a very specail contest for QRP sytations. A QRP station is recognized by it's exchange. E.g. SAQ meaning South America QRP. So as a QRP station you immediatedly known that the QSO is a 2 way QRP QSO when you receive such an exchange.

Last year I had great fun in the CQMM DX contest. Look at this Blog entry.

In the CQMM DX contest of 2011 I was suprised by the excellent propagation, which made it possible to work with stations in South America and North America with just 1 W or 2.5 W.

Next weekend there will be much activity from South America, so join the fun in the CQMM DX in which you can work every station.

Click for the CQMM DX website or Rules 2012

A61Q United Arab Emirates

After reading about disappointing conditions in other Blogs, I did not expect, to make any QSO's today. But I went to 18 MHz and I did heard EV1R. At first I wanted to use 2.7 W, but then I realized that the signal was rather strong, so I used 360 mW. With 360 mW and 941 miles this QSO is good for 2613 Miles per Watt. hi
After this QSO I stayed on 18 MHz and made a QSO with EA5AR using 2.7 W. Ric gave 549 with QSB.

United Arab Emirates
Then I heard A61Q calling CQ DX on 15 m. With a distance of just more than 3000 miles, according QRZ, I choose a power of 2.7 W.

Now several stations were answering and at first I mingled with these other stations, but without success. With 2.7 Watts, I am not the "Pile up King", so I decided to wait for the right moment to give my call and in the mean time I listened to the mode of operation. This payed off much sooner than I expected.
For me the United Arab Emirates (A6) is a new DXCC in QRP. With 2.7 W and 3189 miles this FB QSO is good for 1181 Miles per Watt. hi
Thanks to A61Q with his excellent ears

I just found that A61Q uses eQSL. So I will send an eQSL. hi

Russian DX 2012

Last week I participated in the Russian DX contest. One of the support wires of the inverted vee was broken, so the wire ran from the top of the mast to the raingutter and then vertically along the house to one meter above the ground. Still I made QSO's with very low power.

The conditions on 14 MHz were good, so I used to lowest possible power.
On 7 MHz I had to use the maximum power of 2.7 watts in all QSO's.
The most remarkable QSO was made with PW7T with a power of 2.7 watts.
The numbers in red are indicating more than 1000 Miles/Watt QSO's.

UBA DX CW Contest (2)

In most contests, I use the lowest possible power in each QSO.
Also in this contest I started with search and pounce with low power.
But because a station from the Netherlands is a wanted station in this contest, I also tried to called CQ myself, using 2.7 W.
Very occasionally I was heard by more than one station, who would than call at the same time. But on other moments my QSO-rate dropped, when I called CQ. So then I would go back to S&P after a few QSO's.

QSO-rate
I calculated that I made one QSO in two or three minutes, while searching on the band, answering stations that are calling CQ.
When not too many other stations are also answering, I don't have to wait long to make a low power QSO.
I tent to answer, with more power than needed, when I have to wait for a longer time.

The bands
14 and 21 MHz were good. On 14 MHz the lowest power was used.
On 14 MHz 80% of the QSO's were made with QRPp and on 21 MHz only 50%.

When the S-meter goes up, the power goes down.

UBA DX CW contest

The UBA DX CW contest is a very nice contest. Such a DX contest gives the opportunity to work everyone. On Saturday I used the lowest possible power in each QSO. On Sunday I also gave CQ my self in a few QSO's. I worked mainly station from Europe. The antenna is an Inverted Vee.

The table shows the worked DXCC's. The numbers in red are more than 1000 MPW QSO's. After a quick count I realized, that I made much more 1000 Miles per Watts QSO's, than I exspected. 45 QSO's out of 72 is 63%

ARRL International DX contest 2012

I really took it very easy in this contest. I used to have great fun with QRP, but this year I spent limited time in the contest. I worked 9 different states in 12 QSO in CW with QRP.
With a power of 2.7 watts or less, all the QSO's are good for 1000 Miles per Watt. hi