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Volume XLI THfc SHORT W A VE MAGAZINfc 355

Volume XLI THfc SHORT W A VE MAGAZINfc 355

The slation of William (“Can") Draney, OA4KI.. "Can", who is sealed on Ihe righl of Ihe piciure. is C anadian by binh but has lived in Peru for 40years. and has been on the air for 62 >ears. The shack has a *ide variely of equipment and OA4EI. currently operates a Hallicrafters 32-A fransmifler and Collins 75A-4 receiver.

phoio: J. Taylor. CSYRM

Down Under now, to VK6PP (Perth, Australia) who was once G3PPP. Tony finds the mornings around 0700 local to be good, giving 2300z as the best times, when from his end he hears lots of both CW and SSB stations at workable signal strength. For June, the VK6PP log contains 4K1, UH8, G3CCZ, G31AF, SP3, F2, GM3YTS, UR2, UP2, UD6, YB, UK3, YO and UC2, all worked between 2250 and 2330z, on CW. That was the June listing, now for July, and we see UI8, YB on SSB, GI30QR on SSB, SP2ZCI/2 on SSB, A4, VE2, UB5, DJ, F9, W2, GM3PPE, GJ4/PA0ERA, GJ4/PA3BFM, G4MSK, UD6, YU and G4MUL, and again CW unless otherwise noted. The gear at VK6PP is FT-DX401 and FL-2000B, to a slightly bent and inverted-V dipole up at only twenty feet. Thanks for the report, Tony, and hope to hear again.

Now we turn to GM4MPU who says he is very pleased at the way his gear is pulling the stuff in through the static and QRM -or is it that the driver’s just passed the Advanced test?-which led him to CW exchanges with UA9SET, LZ1KDP, LU9ABD and PP6SS; all were found in the hour around midnight GMT.

Even G3NOF (Yeovil) has been heard on the band -this happens about once a decade when Don decides to “do something” about his band score, and this time to work a few Welsh Castles. SSB contacts are noted with EJ0ARS, OHOBT, UK2ABC, UK5UDX and UR2QD.

Ten Metres

This band is obviously just a pale shadow of what it was at the peak of the sunspot cycle, but there is no doubt that careful monitoring of the beacons is worth while; one or other of them should be heard every day, and there is always the odd CB operator to conduct to safety!

In one of those nice long chatty letters, G6QQ (Hoveton) comments on the different operating tactics as between his First days on the band back in the thirties, and his reincarnation as a ‘new boy’ in the Eighties., The infernal S-meter comes in for some stick -quite the most pointless fitment on the rig (we agree 100%) - but there are still lids who give reports by it. Such a one gave G6QQ an RST519 report-that translates as “perfectly readable faint signals barely perceptible” -so now you know! Another one that G6QQ doesn’t like is the use of ‘VA’ after your last over when you intend to listen to the other chap’s finał words; this seems a good way of ensuring the other chap’s words are QRM’d by breakers if he is DX-worthy. Far better to end with ^lKN\ Anyhow, to revert to the matter in hand, G6QQ monitored the band in between operations on the other allocations, but sad to say he neither heard nor worked any DX.

G4HZW (Knutsford) wrote at 2330z, just after finishing re-tiłing the kitchen! Again all 28 MHz, all SSB, and the TS-820 and two-element Quad. The month began, as the previous one ended, with some odd propagation to the U.S.A.; in the meantime there were one or two openings to Africa and South America, and on the morning he wrote Tony heard some weak VK4 and VK5 signals- but the wallpaper pastę was thickening fast! So-the crop for this month includes KI RAW (Ten-Tec Club No. 1), WA2UDT, KA1XN, WB2WTK, all worked between 2330 and 0030z; OHOBT (Aland), back-scatter contacts with G4LDZ, GD4PTV, G40LG/A, then HV3SJ, 3B9FK (Rodrigues), ZS6SX, CP8HD, CX2BJ, RI8AJG and VK6IV. In addition there were many Spor-E contacts into Europę, with the EA path seemingly open 24 hours daily.

Next we have GW4RGA (Prestatyn) who is a fugitive from the SWL column; Jim is a shift worker and works away from home, so time is somewhat limited. Nonetheless we hope for frequent, if not regular, reports. As far as Ten goes, GW4RGA didn’t pick the right times, as he found only DH3EAL, DJ3HW and EA1CPS, all of whom were very weak CW signals.

Now for G3NOF (Yeovil) who says he found the band dead most of the time. There have also been periods of short-skip to EA, CT1, 1, YU, YO on some days, and to F, OZ, DL, ON, and PA on others; but no contacts were madę with any of these.

Finally on this band, G2ADZ (Chessington) who pretty obviously has a receiver running for most of the time on CW. Each day Bill has heard a DX beacon at some time, usually ZS6PW, PY2AMI, or LU1UG. Sporadic-E propagation has resulted in the European beacons appearing at high strength, with DL0IGI and EA6AU notable — but the DX aciivity has been hopeless! Bill keyed with W9NXD/ HR2, PY2UWW, CX4CL, Z21GN, 3B9FK, CE3WD and CN9CM.

21 MHz

Has been for most the preferred band. However, at the instant of writing it is trying to show a Ten-like desire to kid one it’s closed - there’s just one VE signal on CW at very good strength on an otherwise unpopulated segment! However, to return to our muttons. G2HKU, managed CW with TZ8DC, 4X6NKF, VK60H and a QRP one, using four watts, with 4X6NKF again.

Turning to G4MVA, Glyn worked EL0AP/MM off eastern U.S.A., 4X6NKF, EL2AE, CX7CO, a GW8 for real DX, FP0HOQ, T77C, 3B9FK (QSL via 3B8FK). PY0FE, CX1DZ (who called G4MVA when the latter was trying hard for HC1LE, which at least proved Glyn was getting out!) and TR8JLD, who is at Box 484, Libreville.

GM4MPU says his 7 MHz aerial seems to do well on 21 MHz too, so he