432 MHz AND ABOVE EME NEWS
FEBRUARY 2000 VOL 29 #02
ALLEN KATZ, K2UYH
Editor
ENGR DEPT., THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY, TRENTON, NJ 08650-4700 (W 609-490-2817
OR H 443- 3184, FAX 609-443-1713, AND EMAIL:
Allen Katz, K2UYH
PRODUCTION ASSIST:
TOM KIRK, KA2VAD (908-521-2049).
NETNEWS EDITOR: G4RGK, DAVID DIBLEY
SKEDS CORD & DIRECTORY: DL4EBY/DK0TU, KLAUS TIEDEMANN,
HALSKESTR.35, D-12167 BERLIN, (49-30-7955467), E-Mail:
Klaus Tiedemann.
EME WEB DIRECTORY by DL4EBY
***E-MAIL LIST CORD: Scott KD4LT***
*** NA EME BBS: 704-284-4854 ***
EME NETS
14.345, 10 AM ET SATURDAYS, AFTER VARO NET SUNDAYS:
CONDITIONS
The Jan SW was not spectacular but did produce a
number of initials as documented in the following reports.
Activity was much better than in Dec and quite reasonable
considering that this SW is located time wise midway between the
two major EME contests. Activity was also divided by 2 near
equal EME weekends and a NA VHF contest on the off weekend,
which attracted considerable EME interest.
EME SSB CONTEST
If you can operate 1296 EME, whether you can
operate SSB or not, you will want to participate in the EME SSB
Contest. Last year's contest was won by OE9XXI. It really does
not matter who wins as this contest is meant to be a fun event.
Although those "big gun" signals do help! This year the SSB
contest is scheduled for the 2nd moon pass of the 12/13 Feb SW,
on 1296 only. The contest starts at local moonrise on Saturday
12 Feb, (This is the 2nd moonrise of the SW referenced to Eur,
the 1st starts on Friday afternoon local time in most places),
and ends on the following moonset on Sunday 13 Feb. Scoring will
be contact points times number of Grid Sectors (IO, JM, FN,
...). SSB to SSB contacts will count as 2 points. SSB to CW (or
CW to SSB) 1 point. The exchange is your Grid Sector. Operation
may be by single or multiple operators. No distinction for
scoring will be made. CW only stations are encouraged to
participate.
AL7OB
Mike writes -- Not too bad a year for my 1st on EME. I am
up to initial #43 on 432. I have a website now too, and have my
30' dish project on it. Check it out at
http://www.customcpu.com/al7ob. Back in Dec, I found the pre SW
better than the SW and worked during it NC1I, WE2Y, WA4NJP,
W7GBI, K5WXN, W7SZ and K0RZ for 7 initials.
During the Dec SW,
my Sked with DK3WG was nil, I heard UA9FAD (O) copy but he
didn't hear me, and worked JA4BLC. I also
QSO'd JA5OVU (439/549)
and VK4AFL right at the horizon on random. In the Jan SW my
skeds results were 0100 QSO VE6TA, 0130 nil N3FA, 0200 QSO
KB8ZW, 0300 partial WB0GGM - didn't hear him but he heard me,
0330 nil W8MQW, 0400 K6JEY - missed sked and 0500 nil KA0RYT. I
also worked on random G4ERG and JA6AHB.
DJ9YW
Heinrich reports on his 1st 23 cm EME contacts in Y2K --
I worked on 15 Jan at 2000 IK2MMB
for initial #110 and
W1QC #111
on random, on 16 Jan SV1OE
#112 and WA4OFS
#113, and on 20 Jan
W7QX #114. I am able to receive stations above 50 kW ERP
circular. The QSO with W7QX was only possible on a low loss day
(0.1 dB perigee). I am searching for stations in following US
states, which are QRV on 23 cm or planning to be in the near
future: AL, AR, CO, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, NV, ME, MN,
MO, MT, OR, RI, SC, SD, UT, WV. [Many of these states currently
have stations that are QRV.] Please respond via Fax: 0049-5155-
983256 or e-mail:
Heinrich, DJ9YW
I still waiting for QSLs from DJ7FJ, SM5DGX, W0KJY and WA4NJP.
DL8OBU
Juergen was active during the Jan SW on 432 and QSO'd on
15 Jan JA6AHB (559/549) on random and VE6TA (O/O) for initial
#111, and on 16 Jan VK4AFL (549/439) #112 on random. He is still
waiting for the QSLs from KA0RYT/0 and W7ALW. Juergen asks if
there are any stations from SA actually QRV on 70 cm EME? [Sure,
PY5ZBU.] He can be reached by e-mail to
Juergen, DL8OBU
or by telephone to +49-5132-94100 (the best time 1800z-2100z).
G3LTF
Peter writes -- I was just on 1296 for a while last
weekend, but managed to pick up 2 new ones. I worked on 15 Jan
between 2200 and 2311 W2UHI, IK2MMB for initial #151, G4DZU,
W1ZX #152 and OE9ERC – heard were KB2AH, PA3CSG, K3HZO and
SM3AKW, and on 16 Jan between 1930 and 2230 GW3XYW, HB9SV,
ZS6AXT and K5JL -- heard were DF3RU and DJ5MN.
G4CCH
Howard updates us on his status -- I have not been active
since Dec 98 ... it seems like a lifetime. I have not lost
interest, but have been very busy with building work around the
house and making some real headway with the dish project that I
started way back in 1989. (I wrote the date on the jig for the
rib sections). My old 8' dish was in a very poor state and the
reflector was a very small pile of rust when I finally took it
down last weekend. Also, my eldest son (20) Kerry, who is
studying at Leeds University, has had problems with his kidneys
this year. They finally failed in Sept, just after starting the
1st semester of his 2nd year. He is now on Haemo dialysis and
waiting for a transplant. As you can imagine, this has been very
traumatic for all the family here, and we are still coming to
terms with this situation and what his future may hold. He is a
very determined lad and has returned to University now, so we
are a little more settled. The dish structure is built and up on
the mount, the next step is to sort out the feed support and
weatherproofing, then put the reflector on the dish. The new
dish is 5.4 m dia and is mounted on a tilt over tower section 4
m high. I am also replacing my old CBM 64 based tracking system
with F1EHN's PC software and VE1ALQ's interface boards, so I
should be able to hit the moon when I get it going. For more
information on my dish project visit my web site at:
Howard, G4CCH
I am adding pictures and information as
the project progresses, so if you are interested keep checking
in. I hope to start testing in March. Expect to hear a louder
signal from me in the REF Contest, if all goes as planned.
HB9SUL
Andrea is trying harder to be QRV again -- I am setting
up my station as HB9MS from the southern part of HB9. This is
not an easy task since I have very limited time and room as
well. My planned dxpedition to TA was a major disappointment. I
will never ask for support for any anymore. Promised support
never materialized - in Italy they say that if you do something
alone, you do as for tree people. I hope to be QRV on 70 cm
soon.
IK2MMB
Sergio's 1st 2000 report -- The Jan 2000 SW weekend
(15/16 Jan) was great. From my perspective it was like a sort of
a contest. I worked some 17 stations on 1296. QSO'd were GW3XYW
for initial #21, DF4PV #22, DJ9YW #23, SM3AKW #24, KD5IUV #25,
SM2CEW #26, OE9ERC, PA3CSG #27, G3LTF #28, K4QI #29, K5JL,
HB9SV, OZ6OL, OZ4MM, DF3RU #30, F5PL #31 and W2UHI #32. All were
worked on random except SM3AKW, which was a light-speed sked
that lasted perhaps a bit more than a minute - great fun and
very and solid copy. Despite the fun, condx were not optimal.
Echoes were permanently weak and libration heavy. I even checked
out the whole station at a certain time because I suspected some
failure, but everything was ok. A couple of skeds did go bad.
Nil was copied from W1ZX nor K9BCT. I am looking forward to
trying again with both these stations. I was 'hunting' and
hoping for some JA stations but only nil. I did hear IK6EIW in
QSO with OE9ERC, and tried to hook up with him when ERC was
done, but nil. I am available for skeds any day from 1700 till
0100, if moon is on sight and I'm not on a business trip. Send
proposals to:
Sergio, IK2MMB
JA6AHB
Toshio's 432 EME result for Jan -- I worked on 15 Jan
WE2Y for initial #71, VK4AFL, W7SZ, AL7OB, PA3CSG #72, JA4BLC,
DL8OBU, OH2DG (on sked), HB9SV #73, I5CTE #74, YO2IS (on sked)
#75, SM3AKW and G3HUL – heard were PA0AVS, DJ6MB, DL9NDD, SM2CEW
and DL1YMK, and on 22 Jan VK4AFL, OE3JPC, I5CTE, G4ERG and
RA3LE.
K1FO
Steve did not have a very productive month in Dec. A cold
snap set in just before the activity weekend and Steve's prop-
pitch azimuth rotor froze up. At 1st he thought it may have been
just the oil leaking through the motor shaft seal onto the motor
brushes. But the return of the cold weather in early Jan froze
the prop pitch up again, so after many years of use it looks
like water has gotten in his prop pitch. Steve QSO'd in Dec on
432, on 19 Dec W7CNK, on 22 Dec W9ZIH (549/539) for initial
#563, on 23 Dec W7AZ and G4ALH. W9ZIH is a horizon only station
in EN51 with 4 RIW 19 yagis and an 8938. Ron has a real big
signal and must be getting some pretty good ground reflection
gain. Steve was looking forward to the Jan SW and the friendlier
operating hours. He just hopes that the weather is not real
cold.
K6JEY
Doug worked DF3RU, DK9KR and HB9SV
on 432 during the Jan
SW. All had nice signals. Unfortunately his UTC calculations
were off by an hour in the evening, so his 0300-0430 skeds were
at the wrong time! He sends his apologies to anyone, if he was
in their way. Doug has put up a new array of 4 x FO-25 yagis to
replace the RIWs he had been using. Doug had the new array in
operation for the post SW, but made no QSOs. He suspects Aurora
may have been culprit.
KJ7F
Terry is now QRV on 70 cm EME. During the ARRL's Jan VHF
Contest he QSO'd on 432 K1FO, DL9KR and N9AB.
Later Terry added
G4ERG. He is
interested in skeds and can be reached by e-mail at:
Terry, KJ7F
OZ4MM
Stig was QRV for the Jan SW -- I spent Saturday on 432
and worked HB9SV (569/569), PA0AVS (559/539) #194, UA3PTW
(O/559), K2UYH (569/579), K0RZ (559/559), WE2Y (O/559), G3HUL
(429/549) and DL1YMK (439/559). When working DL1YMK another
station was sending reports? On Sunday I switched to 1296 and
worked OH2DG (559/569), OE9ERC (589/579) and finally IK2MMB
(559/579). The following weekend in the US
contest I worked on
1296 W5ORH (579/579) [same as K5JL], WA9FWD (549/549), W1QC
(559/559) for initial #160 and WA8WZG (539/559).
I am open for
skeds if anyone need me. I am still using a 10 m dish, dual
dipole and IMU feeds, 950 W on 432, 500 W on 1296 and 150 W on
2304 MHz in the shack followed by 50 m of 1 5/8" feedline.
PA0PLY
Jan sends info on his "mini" station for 432 -- I am
expanding my present my 4 yagi array as 2 wl yagis were just too
small for effective EME. Actually the array will also be used
for tropo contesting and is designed to provide a wide AZ
beamwidth and more gain. My new setup will be 8 x 4.2 wl yagis
derived from a DL6WU design, but with very good front/back
ratio. I have also constructed a new pre-amp with an FHX35 that
gives much better NF then the current MFG1502 (0.5 dB NF). My RF
power has also been increased to 1 kW, but I still need to
replace my TX cable with LDF 4 line. Concerning the 23 cm BV
project, progresses is very slow as the local people are really
unfamiliar with EME communication. During my last visit in Dec,
I learned that there is some interest in 144 EME in BV, but
unfortunately my 432 group knew no details. Can anyone supply me
with information on a BV 2 m EME group – possibly an e-mail or
www address? I visited ZS6AXT last year and have some nice
pictures of his antennas.
UR5LX
Sergey is not presently QRV. His big dish is down and he
is looking for a new dish to use on both 432 and 1296. He has a
2.5 m dish from TV SAT use, but says this is too small for a
"BIG GUN"! He hopes to be back on EME soon. Sergey can be
reached by e-mail to:
Sergey, UR5LX
VE1ALQ
Darrell has recently renovated his WEB site and EME
software center -- In an effort to insure the quality of
available operating software, I completely cleaned up my WEB
Site at:
Darrell, VE1AVQ's WEB site
and reloaded all files. I added
a pointer from the front page to the Encoder/ inclinometer FAQ
(frequently asked questions) that are starting to surface again.
I have downloaded and checked all software packages. There
appears to be no problem with any on a Pentium 450 MHz machine,
but who knows? [Darrell is frozen up and had to cancel all his
Jan skeds.]
W1ZX
Willie was on 23 cm during the SW and the following US VHF
Contest weekend. He QSO'd on 15 Jan at 2108 K4QI (559/559) for
initial #24, 2122 PA3CSG (559/559) #25, 2218 SM2CEW (559/559)
#26, 2228 KB2AH (579/569), 2304 G3LTF (449/559) #27, 2324 OE9ERC
(569/559), 2330 W7QX (O/O) #28 and 2332 KD5IUV (569/569), and on
23 Jan at 0402 SM2AKW (559/559) #29, 0415 OH6AXH (559/O) #30,
0430 WA8WZG (O/O) #31, 0452 K4QI (O/O) and 0505 W5ORH (559/559)
– same as K5JL. Willie has finally got his tracking working by
getting the water out the encoder and using a new disk in
encoder. Willie will see you on 1296 off the moon during
February SW. Those looking for skeds with W1ZX on 23 cm or 70 cm
should check into the 20 m net or e-mail to:BR>
Willy, W1ZX
W5LUA
Al worked I0UGB and IK2MMB
on 23 cm for new initials on
26 Dec, but misses his sked with JF3HUC due to being in the
hospital, while his daughter gave birth to a 2nd grandson of 5
lb 7 oz. All OK and both are now home.
W7QX
Jerry had good contacts with W7SZ and DJ9YM
on 1296 in
Jan. This brings him to initial #19 on 23 cm. W1QC was also
heard with a good signal. The new power supply for his PA is
also now completed.
W7SZ
Larry was active on both 70 and 23 cm in Jan. On 70 cm he
worked G4ERG for an initial (#), SM3AKW #, HB9SV #, KB8ZW #,
EA3DXU #, DL8OBU #, DL9NDD, JA6AHB and N2IQU.
On 23 cm he QSO'd
K4QI, K5JL, OE9ERC and OZ6OL for an initial (#). He is looking
for skeds.
WA5THJ
Byron is looking for help -- I have a coaxial cavity amp
made by the Microwave Control Co. of Brick, NJ. This amp is
marked for 470-860 MHz. The tetrode it uses is not marked, but
by measurements it appears that it is a TH347. The amp has a
7/8" EIA flange output connector. Does anyone have knowledge of
this amp or the MCC? The model # is BIDEH. Could this cavity be
related to the TH327 cavity mentioned in the newsletter by K5JL?
WA8WZG
Tom set up a team that included N2CEI, W5ZN, W5LUA,
N5QGH, K1WHS and WA8RJF to operate the ARRL's Jan VHF Contest
from Northern Ohio (EN81). Besides trop, they also operated EME
on 70 through 13 cm. I do not yet have a report of their
results, but I do know that they did make a number of EME QSOs.
WB0GGM
John had the following results in his Jan skeds: RW1AW -
only (T) copy, DJ3FI (M), EA3DXU (M), nil CT1DMK, nil OK1KIR,
SM3AKW very loud but transmitted only part of the time, LX1DB
good QSO, W7SZ (O) but disappeared, and partial CT1DMK heard but
not completed because of loss of the moon at CT1DMK.
WE2Y
John found condx good on 432 in Jan and worked during the
SW N2IQU, K4AR and JA6AHB. His sked with UT3LL was cancelled due
to bad WX. During the post SW he had a partial with CT1DMK due
to effect of aurora. He did work directly via the aurora NC1I
and WA8WZG. John asks if aurora is polarization sensitive. [I
suspect the answer is yes.]
ZS6AXT
Ivo's reports for the Jan and Dec SWs follow -- We had
very heavy rains (and max. temp of 15 deg C as we are in the
middle of our summer), since the Wednesday prior to the Jan SW.
My AZ indicator was full of water and not working. On Sunday it
cleared up, so finally I could operate. On 23 cm I worked
HB9SV,
G3LTF, DF3RU, W2UHI, OE9ERC, DJ5MN, SM3AKW, K3HZO and K5JL - all
with good signals. I heard GW3XYW, KD4LT and IK2MMB.
Unfortunately strong gusty winds started and I had to close down
at about 25 deg EL. There was not much activity, but good
signals. The week before the Jan SW I started work on an W2IMU
horn for 6 cm and managed to build and align it. It looks very
nice and the SWR is virtually 1:1, while circularity is better
than 0,7 dB on both ports. I suppose that it will be good
enough. I made it for the same circularity sense as used on 23
and 13 cm. My 6 cm preamps were damaged from the lightning. One
failed because of a blown 78L05 regulator, while the other had a
damaged HEMT. After repairs for some unknown reason I measure
NFs of about 1.3 dB at best! I investigated all possibilities,
but cannot find the reason for the poor NFs. By now I have
checked everything including the transverter and all seems to be
fine. When I am again ready on this band, I will advertise on
MOON-NET. Another thing, which is funny to me, is that I have to
date only 2 QSL cards for 7 of my 6 cm QSOs! This is worse than
the QSL return rate on 23 and 13 cm! So far I received QSLs only
from VE1ALQ (nice QSL) and OE9ERC. Our postal service is VERY
poor here, if anybody else sent me a QSL, I did not receive it.
I feel bad for all in Eur, who lost their antennas during the
violent storms. It happened to me also some 4 years ago during
an unusual hailstorm. But I did not give up! The Dec SW was
about the worst one I experienced, probably partly due to bad
weather, and partly due to the holidays. Even here we had heavy
thunderstorms so that on Saturday I could not operate. On 25 Dec
I worked only 2 stations, OZ6OL and IK2MMB
with good signals,
and on the morning of 26 Dec I worked again only 2 stations,
KD5IUV (589/569) for initial #150 and K2UYH
. No other stations
were heard. I am pleased with the new initial, closing the year
with a round number.
K2UYH
I had a Y2K problem in Jan. I switched over to a new
version of VK3UM's tacking program. This program works fine in
2000, but the pre-stored location for K2UYH was incorrect. I
never checked it. As a result, I thought my JH0WJF sked was out
of my moon widow and I did not show for this sked. Thanks to a
comment from Klaus, I discovered the problem before my remaining
skeds on the following day. With the dish on the moon, on 15
Jan, I easily worked RV4AQ for initial #621 on 70 cm.
Unfortunately I heard nil in skeds with GM0ONN and KB0VUK. I
later learned that KB0VUK was on, but on the wrong frequency.
K6JEY telephoned to say that he would be on for his sked, but I
heard nil. He called again about an hour later to tell me that
he had a clock error and operated the wrong hour. In between I
QSO'd at 2128 OZ4MM (579/569), 2136 DL1YMK (559/539), 2235 RA3LE
(559/559), 2251 DL9NDD (569/569) and 2319 SM3AKW (559/559). The
WX turned bad on Sunday and I decided it was prudent to tie down
the dish rather than run with WA1JOF at 0100 on 17 Jun - sorry.
I tried to arrange reskeds for next weekend, but we had snow and
high winds, which made operation impossible. I hope the WX and
snow will clear up for the Feb SW as I am looking forward to
operating the SSB Contest. Tnx to KB2AH, I have switched from a
4 x to 6 x 7289 PA on 23 cm. This will give me a little more
power the SSB Contest.
NETNEWS
G4RGK, DAVID DIBLEY
WD5AGO planned to have his new dish up for the ARRL VHF SS, and
to be active on 23 cm EME from EM26.
DL8YHR has a new e-mail address at:
DL8YR
K3HZO has been busy during the holidays but worked I2MMB on 19
Dec for an initial. Harry is looking for a QSL from W0KJY.
WA1JOF has a flow indicator problem and is looking for info on a
flow indicators for water-cooling 7289 amps with 2 tubes. His
flow indicator spins, but when adding 2 or more tubes, it seems
as though there is flow, but the indicator does not spin, any
ideas?
NU7Z is almost ready to go on 5.7 GHz. A new horn and switches
are installed. He has gained at least a dB.
DL1YMK is looking for skeds on 70 cm. Michael's grid JO31 and he
is running 4 x 11.5 BV yagis and 1.5 kW.
W5ZN is temporarily down on 70 cm and 5.7 GHz EME.
DL9KR has been away on a skiing vacation. He has just finished a
new homebrew xvtr and reports it is working well, Jan worked
K6JEY and is looking for status info on K7LNP.
TI2NA current has no plans to be QRV on 70 cm EME, but reports
that TI5KD is working on a 5 m dish for 23 and 70 cm operation.
VE4MA is working on 24 GHz EME. Barry now has a little power
out, but still has a lot more to do.
RV4AQ is QRV on 70 cm and is looking for big stations to sked.
K9BCT heard SM3AKW and IK2MMB on 1296 in Jan.
KU4F is eager to get back on EME and is pouring concrete for a
dish mount.
K4AR is QRV from EM76 in TN on 432 with 8 x 28H yagis, 1.5 kW PA
and 0.25 dB NF LNA. Bert can be reached by e-mail at:
K4AR
N3FA is also QRV on 70 cm with 4 x 19 el RIW yagis and 1 kW. He
can be reached by e-mail at:
N3FA
W2UHI worked on 1296 in Jan OZ6OL, SM3AKW and
KD5IUV (big signal aka K5JL).
F5FLN's antennas were damaged in the big Dec storm. He will not
be QRV for about 3 months.
RW1AW is now QRV on 23 cm with a 4 m dish and 120 w from a GI7
tube. On 70 cm he added WB0GGM, K0RZ, HB9SV, RV4AQ, LX1DB and
CT1DMK during Jan.
AA5C is still trying to put his 3 cm station back together.
[After what?]
VE6TA worked AL7OB and PY5ZBU on 70 cm during Jan.
Grant is using a .3 f/d dish and a single dipole feed.
N2IQU is now using a horn on 70 cm EME. The horn is working
well. It is offset 2 deg from his 23 cm horn.
CT1DMK missed all his skeds due to a flashover in his PA.
DF3RU had a lot of ice on his antenna, but still had a good QSO
with K6JEY in Jan. Karl heard nil from N3FA or KB0VUK.
G4RGK will not be on EME for next few weeks.
K5WXN heard WB0GGM during their sked, but did not complete a
QSO.
ON5OF reports a lot of severe storm damage in France from winds
reaching 225 kph.
WA4OFS lost his preamp during the SW.
N4GJV was QRV in Jan and worked NC1I and heard W7CNK and K6JEY.
UA3PTW QSO'd in Jan on 432 LX1DB.
UA4API added no new stations in Jan. He had high wind on 22/23
Jan.
DK3WG was active on 70 cm in Jan, but had only partials during
his skeds - K4AR (M/-), K6JEY (M/-) and KJ7F (O/-). KJ7F
disappeared during their sked, then Jurgen found broken lines in
his array and has had to cancel remaining skeds until repairs
can be made.
FOR SALE
W1ZX has for sale a General Radio 1236 30 MHz IF
Amplifier for
$US150 + shipping (s), a General Radio 1216A 30
MHz IF Amplifier $US60 + s,
an MFJ-784 Super DSP filter
$US130 + s, HP 415E SWR Meter - brown unit
(later model) $US85 + s and
Noise Com Noise Diodes NC305, glass package
$US33 +s. Call Willie at 301-645-
5584 between 2000-2300 EST, FAX 301-645-6853 24 hrs, or e-mail
to:
W1ZX .
DJ5MN is considering 10 GHz EME and
looking for information and
the possible purchase of a high-power 3 cm TWTA. Bernhard can be
reached by e-mail at:
DJ5MN
HB9BBD
has the power supply for a GTE TWT 600 W 12-14 GHz TWTA.
He also has some TH373s with socket available. This tube is good
for 10 kW on 144 MHz. The tubes are originally packed, never
opened and guaranteed unused. He hopes to be of assistance to
some projects. Contact Dominique at e-mail:
HB9BBD .
K9BCT has a VK3UM tracking board available for sale. He also
asks if anyone have any info on the older Parabolic 23 cm xvtrs?
TECHNICAL
It has been sometime since we have had a feed design.
This month we have K4QI's version of the classic dual dipole
feed optimized for a .45 f/d dish see Russ' write up and
diagram at the end of this NL.
432 MHz Dish Feed System
by K4QI
The feed system was derived from a NEC analysis attempting to design a dual
feed with
identical patterns in both E and H planes and a 10 dB illumination taper for
a F/D of .45. NEC indicated that 2 dipoles spaced 0.43 wavelength at 0.25
wavelength above the a square reflector 0.65 wavelength on a side would
produce such a result. A prototype was built and measured and was found to
produce results similar to the NEC prediction.
From the feed point of the antenna, the impedance is 50 + j0 ohms. Going
through the 1:4 balun, the impedance transforms to 200 + j0 meaning that each
phasing line must present 400 + j0. As an approximation, the phasing lines
were constructed for an impedance of the geometric mean of 400 and 73 ohms
or 173 ohms. Because the phasing lines are shorter than 0.25 wavelengths,
the impedance presented to the dipole is approximately 78 - j35 ohm. The real
part is very close to the disered value but the reactive component must be tuned
out. The susceptance equivalency of this impedance presents a parallel
capacitance that can be tuned out by a parallel inductance. This inductance
is formed by a "hair pin" built into the support for the dipoles.
Sliding shorts are provided in each dipole support and at the base of the 4:1 slot
balun. By adjusting these shorts, the return loss can be trimmed to well below
30 dB but only over a relative over a narrow band. A good compromise is
probably around 26 dB, which will give a couple MHz of bandwidth.
With the feed point on the rear of the reflector, a relay and preamp
enclosure can be conveniently built in this location. Dimensions are given
in inches. With the tuning flexibility of the sliding shorts, dimensions
should not be particularly critical within reason. This is especialy true of
element diameters.
FINAL
I have received some question on the status of the
hardcopy post edition of the NL versus the e-mail/WEB NL. The
printed NL is still very much alive. There are still stations
that prefer to receive the NL in this format, although the
numbers are down. At the peak I mailed just under 300 NL. I am
now mailing a little less than 100 NLs.
? I have not received one suggestion for changes to the proposed
2000 SW dates, since the comments in last month's NL. I will
thus assume that the dates will remain as indicated on G3SEK's
2000 EME Calendar, which appeared in the Dec NL.
? Since last month, we have also talked to Don, PY5ZBU on the
telephone. Don reports that preparations for EME2000 in Rio are
moving along well. There are already more than 70 pre-
registrants. He is a bit concerned that he has not received many
papers for the conference digest. I think I convinced him that
this is normal, and that most people wait to the last minute to
get their papers in. Don wants to make EME2000 the best possible
and is looking for ideas on ways to attract the greatest
attendance. He is going to look into tours that can be
associated with the conference for those who want to combine the
conference with a family vacation. He is also going to look into
reduced airfares, possibly from selected cities.
? Don't forget the 1296 SSB Contest. Hopefully the WX will
cooperate and all will have a great "fun" time in this event. I
hope to hear you all off the moon.
73, Al - K2UYH
Winner of the EME SSB Contest.
Artwork borrowed from a SM6EUP QSL card.
EME schedules
FEB 12
Time 432.040 432.045 432.055 432.060
0300z JH0WJF-K2UYH
1100z OK1KIR-VK4AFL
1130z OK1KIR-JA8IAD DL7APV-VK4AFL
1200z OK1KIR-JH0WJF DL7APV-IK2EAD
1230z OK1KIR-JA3SGR DL7APV-UA4API
1300z CT1DMK-OK1KIR
1330z GM0ONN-OK1KIR
1800z EA3DXU-DL1YMK
1830z K5WXN -EA3DXU
1900z OK1KIR-UA3PTW WB0GGM-DJ3FI EA3DXU-UA4API WE2Y -PY5ZBU
1930z OK1KIR-UA4API WB0GGM-SM3AKW PY5ZBU-RW1AW
2000z OK1KIR-UT3LL WB0GGM-RW1AW PY5ZBU-DL7APV WE2Y -LX1DB
2030z WB0GGM-CT1DMK KB0VUK-K2UYH
2100z K6JEY -DK3WG VE6TA -OK1KIR WB0GGM-ON4KNG W8MQW -EA3DXU
2130z WB0GGM-OK1KIR K6JEY -DL9NDD W7SZ -DL1YMK KA0RYT-EA3DXU
2200z W7SZ -OK1KIR WB0GGM-EA3DXU K6JEY -DL1YMK
2230z K6JEY -OK1KIR AL7OB -WB0GGM W7SZ -EA3DXU
2330z K2UYH -GM0ONN PY5ZBU-DL1YMK
FEB 13
Time 432.040
0330z K6JEY -WE2Y
0500z W7SZ -WB0GGM
0530z VE6TA -WB0GGM
2300z AL7OB -OK1KIR
FEB 13
Time 1296.050 1296.060
0430z JA8ERE-W5LUA
0500z JF3HUC-W5LUA
1230z OK1KIR-JA8IAD
1300z OK1KIR-JF3HUC
1330z OK1KIR-I0UGB
1400z OK1KIR-IK2MMB
1730z DD1XF -OH2DG
1800z F5AQC -OH2DG
1830z OK1KIR-9H1ES HB9BHU-OH2DG
1900z K3HZO -9H1ES
1930z LU6DW -OK1KIR
2000z W1ZX -OK1KIR
2030z WA9FWD-K3HZO WA9OUU-OK1KIR
2100z K9ZZH -K3HZO W1QC -OK1KIR
2130z PY5ZBU-DF3RU WA1JOF-OZ4MM
This information was obtained from: Scott, KD4LT
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