About Pushkin, Doppler, horse and QRP in EME contest.

Thanks to UA3MBJ – he reminded me about the ARI EME Contest “New mode”..
But how can I work Moonbounce? My 2 meter band Yagi is not installed, and the PA design by RW3BP has not been finished yet.
But I can try EME on 23 cm! I just worked with OK1DFC ÅÌÅ using bare IC-910H (tnx RA3IY). Measured power was 7,5 Watts on 1296 MHz. Zdenek had dish 10 meter diam with 500 Watts power.

My 2m dish is far from perfect. The feed consists out of a simple steel coffee can. Internally the radiator is a plane of 5 cm's attached to the N-type connector . Azimut&elevation control is done by hand. I have to go on the roof every 7-8 min in order to turn the antenna . It's simple! Before this, in old QTH KO76QP I needed to climb into the top of the mast. I take the elevation from the WSJT window and adjust by hand refering to a limb-scale. The Azimuth control is not so simple, as I did not have a scale . With the help of RV3IC, using EXCEL, we calculated a scale in degrees on a stretch of mm paper. Now I can read direction with an accuracy of 1 degree. So how do I adjust the Azimuth: I read the azimuth from WSJT, find in the table the related direction in degrees, wrench the nut (using key 27) and turn the dish to the Moon. Where i can find stations? I scrolled the DX-cluster, but did not see any spots, as if there was no contest going on. But I think this is the right way, as information should not be exchanged on the DX-cluster. I tune the band step by step per kHz going across the band. At every waiting pint, I check the waterfall. I can hear even clean white noise . I think, this is what the sounded like when Popov, a century ago, tuned over HF. Now we are on the cm-band and with the execellent WSJT software by Joe Tailor, K1JT. This program can find signals under noise.

Stop! I see a white track. After waiting it decodes HB9Q. This is just my chance! This crew has a 15 meter dia dish !

Push button transmit on tranceiver, we wait the result with anxiety . They change CQ to QRZ!

063200 2 -24 0.4 -670 13 * CQ HB9Q JN47 ? 0 5

063400 0 -25 0.5 -654 10

063800 4 -24 0.5 -657 11 * QRZ HB9Q JN47 1 0

064000 0 -27 0.4 -646 29

064200 0 -25 0.3 -603 15

064600 3 -25 0.4 -619 19 *

064800 1 -24 0.5 -603 12 * QRZ HB9Q JN47 1 0

065000 0 -25 0.3 -576 18

065400 2 -25 0.3 -603 15 *

065600 5 -26 0.5 -587 11 *

065800 2 -22 0.5 -401 11 *

070000 2 -23 0.4 -388 13 * QRZ HB9Q JN47 1 0

070200 3 -24 0.5 -164 8 *

070600 1 -23 0.4 -226 9 *

070800 4 -20 0.3 -312 8 * QRZ HB9Q JN47 1 0

Persistently calling fnd finally see

071000 1 -23 0.3 -398 17 # RA3IS HB9Q JN47 OOO 0 10

071200 4 -22 0.3 -487 10 # RA3IS HB9Q JN47 OOO 0 10

Difficulty in the past and after my RO receiv

071400 7 -27 -554 4 RRR ?

Push tx text "73" and finally

071800 6 -27 -628 2 73 ?

YESssssss!!

My first random QRP EME QSO on 23 cm maked!

Hm... Afraid i can't find so big gun. But may be if fortune will be with me? Going forward per kHz. Turn frequwency, see few seconds waterfall, and dann again after few seconds stop. Last 10s every minute iterestless to see. All synchronelly silence. After 2s we can to explore band again. Seen position of the Moon – oops! Need run up again to my dish, with idea adjust position with 2 degree forward. In way back i think need Doppler and constant 2.5 kHz error my IC-910 scale. See goo track. Who? Surprise: USA !

Calling K 2 UYH , but nothing, only change CQ to QRZ.

103000 1 -22 2.7 -296 19 * QRZ K2UYH FN20 1 0

103200 4 -22 2.5 -331 9 *

103400 2 -23 2.7 -361 13 * CQ K2UYH FN20 0 10

103800 4 -19 2.6 -495 8 * QRZ K2UYH FN 1 0

104000 7 -19 2.5 -509 7 * CQ K2UYH FN20 1 10

104200 3 -19 2.6 -517 7 * CQ K2UYH FN20 1 10

104400 3 -21 2.5 -353 7 * CQ K2UYH FN20 1 10

104800 0 -31 2.7 -436 4

105000 5 -20 2.5 -439 7 * CQ K2UYH FN20 1 10

105200 3 -20 2.6 -431 9 * CQ K2UYH FN20 1 10

105400 4 -20 2.5 -425 7 * CQ K2UYH FN20 1 10

105600 0 -33 10.0 -38 29

105800 3 -20 2.5 -409 7 * QRZ K2UYH FN20 1 0

From time to time sound i can hear.

With the final transmissions of HB9Q , I see a synchronycal track about 400 Hz down. Interesting! May be DJ9YW is trying to call me?

Next day this i seen again, and tryid reply about 1 kHz down, but nothing.

The second day it is again easy to find HB9Q, I call, and we make quick 5 min QSO. The dump of QSO was not saved. Dan wrote an e-mail after:

Hi Sergey

What is your antenna and power? Can you send me a foto for the QRP gallery

on my homepage? Was it your first EME QSO on 1296?

It was my pleasure to work you on random!
Don't forget to send me a foto for the QRP gallery!
Are the 10W you have measured in the shack or at the feed-point of your
dish?
vy 73 Dan , HB9CRQ/KT6Q , head of HB9Q

Wow! This is a good idea, so I need to measure the power directly on the dish! Now we can determine how much we lose on the feed cable with 5 connectors and 1 relay (this one really needed? I have no PA). I measure the power of the tranceiver, using a Calorie meter .
I use the IC-910H (tnx RA3IY), but have not the CR-293 high stability oscillator option installed . In order to improve the drift, I have covered the oscillator circuit with thermo isolating material . The dish has a very narrow main lobe. If I have more than 3 degrees pointing error – the signal will be lost. To be more exact, before installing my horn, I installed in the Feed point a Satelite TV LNB. I found a saw a few channels, and wrote the position of the dish on the Azimuth/Elevation scale. After this I was able to work successfully during the field days of 2006 and 2007. Operating was interest ing . I fixed a horse strap to the left and right side of my dish, and by tugging my left or right arm, I can turn (like a horse rider!) into the desired direction. The horn is like in the XVIII century, exactly like A.S. Pushkin head.

The big diameter horn was lost due to unsuccesfull installing, and now I have a small half horn only but properly installed :-) border. My ICOM IC-910H does not have a DSP, nor narrow filter or preamplifier.

And what about what my speech? Oh, about contest!

Saturday again was good, as I worked Al, K2UYH, Dan was even stronger, but did not reply. The Moon was going out, and ARI manager Mario I1ANP got my short log with 2 QSO. I think the double will be deleted. I will be the first from the end of results contest sheet, but I got great satisfaction running this QRP!


RA3IS
6.06.2008ã. Sergey

In QRP we trust!

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