On site with equipment

I arrived back on site today with my equipment, a 12m Spiderbeam Telescopic Mast, and a 3 el 6m yagi.
I am now dependant on the weather to get the antennas in the air. For HF I'll be using an Off Centre Fed Dipole, strung from the same mast.

I've have many emails asking about 160m operations. I don't have an answer yet. I've had two offers to use some good low band antennas, and an offer for an amp, so we'll see how that goes.

My current location is 10 500ft above sea level, so I'm hoping it'll work well for radio.

I'll be QRV as soon as I can.

73

Chris
(Now 7P8RI)

New callsign!

I have received my license here in Lesotho, and will be on the air from about 17 December as 7P8RI.

I got permission from the management here, so can now put up antennas to play radio again.

Back at work

Hi everyone,

I'm back in Zambia after a nice break at home.

Antenna plans here have changed again. I won't be able to erect the Spiderbeam, as the area required (minimum 10m x 10m) is too big, and I won't be able to get it up through the trees.

I might look at a Hexbeam, if finances allow later.

For now, the Off Centre Fed Dipoles are working fine.

Happy DX'ing!

Chris

Home for a while

Tomorrow morning I start my trip home for my three week break.

This has been a productive 6 weeks on the radio, and the new headet has certainly helped.

Have a good time, and I'll be back!

Bummer!

Yesterday as I wrote the update I was really looking forward to the coming weekend's contest.
But last night I realised that I was off duty last weekend, which means that I'm working this one! DAMN!
So contesting will be limited to maybe an hour during my lunch break, and then after 15:00UTC. Both Saturday AND Sunday.

Oh well, here's hoping that I'll still work the three states I need to confirm.

Have a good day.

Chris

Long overdue update

After a long bout of laziness, I decided that I need to update this blog again!
I will take a new photo of the station and post that soon as well.
I have a new 18" Laptop (Toshiba Qosmio, intel Core i7 - it rocks!), and a new Heil ProSet Elite 6 headset, footswitch, etc. This is making radio a lot more fun! I hated using the hand mic.

I have also now passed the 6500 QSO mark, and my QSL manager is up to date with all cards that had been received up to Friday 10 February 2012.

I upload my logs to LOTW about twice a week, usually just before, and just after the weekend.

I hope to take part in the ARRL DX CW contest this weekend. According to the LOTW records, I need three more states (Delaware, Nebraska and North Dakota) confirmed on LOTW to have the Worked All States done. Hopefully I'll manage these missing states the coming weekend.

DXCC standings are currently 125 countries worked, and 91 confirmed via LOTW. Not sure how many others might have been confirmed vir mail, to my QSL manager. Keeping in mind that I don't hunt countries actively (I just get on the air and work the masses), I'm quite happy with the results.

I'll be shuffling between two sites again from the end of March, when I return from my break.

I'll spend 3 weeks at the current camp (Grid: KH27tr), then three weeks at an exloration project in Kitwe (Grid: KH47ce). At the house in Kitwe there is a 20m high tower, that I'll be able to get some antennas on. I'll be putting up a permanent 80-10m Off-centre fed Dipole, like the one I have up at my present location.

I have been given a 3 element yagi for 6m, a Spiderbeam for HF bands, and a Spiderbeam 12m push up mast. This is on it's way to Zambia, and I'll be geting them up when I get back from my next break. I land back in Zambia on 20 March. So look out for a louder signal on HF, and hopefully more activity on 6m.

I have also got a digital interface, that I'm trying to get to work for digital modes, but I'm having a bit of trouble. Things sure have changed a lot since the days of my old PK-232 MBX (RTTY only!). I'll get some help with this when I'm on break.

There you go.... now people know what's happening in Zambia again.

Have a good week playing radio.

Chris

6m Virgin no more!

Last Sunday, I was chatting to John, ZS6JON on 20m. We had a nice long chat, and he told me that I should get a 6m antenna here in Zambia, because I'd be very popular.

Well, last night I had a great opening on 10m to the USA, and was on the air on 10m till about 19:15 UTC.

John had suggested that he usually puts his 6m rig on 50.110, and monitors that for openings.
After the last 10m QSO I decided to put the radio there, even though I only have an 80 - 10m Off Centre Fed Dipole, up about 12m, fed with RG58.

Imagine my surprise when I heard 9A2AA calling CQ the minute I tuned to 50.110!!

Well, to cut a story about a lot of fun short, I worked 88 QSO's with 14 different DXCC countries. Quite a few stations worked me on SSB and CW.

Stations sound "different" on 6m to me... I assume that's due to the different propogation encountered on that band.

At 20:40, as if someone flipped a switch, the band went quiet, and I went to bed.

This is fun! I'll really have to get a REAL 6m antenna. I better start hunting for a small yagi I can transport easily up here.

73

Chris