ARRL 160m - "TOP fun 2014"

   Really bad conditions but anyway nice contest:

Call: OL7M
Operator(s): OK1HRA OK1MU OK2ZAW
Station: OL7M

Class: M/S HP
QTH: JO80CF
Operating Time (hrs): 17
Location: Northern Europe

Summary:
Total:	QSOs	187	Sections	39	Countries	3	Total Score	14,586

The woooorst condx EU-NA for the last four years: 2011 - 350 Q / 50 SEC 2012 - 281 Q / 57 SEC 2013 - 192 Q / 43 SEC (but QRV only the second night) 2014 - 187 Q / 39 SEC The first night ended with 107 Q and 35sec, most signals with strong QSB. CONDX second night was slightly better, but still poor... No any QSO with 6/7, ODX is N0NI gang, from IA. This year there were realy many stations that were "deaf" and did not respond to a call, probably due to the BIG local QRM. Unfortunately, again some US stations worked also in the segment for DX QSO, pleaaaaase follow this custom provisions: 6.1 The segment 1.830 to 1.835 should be Used for intercontinental QSOs only. Anyway, thank you for all the QSOs and I'll be back again in ARRL RTTY Roundup. 73 from OL7M gang Pavel OK1MU

My first plaque from the international contest :-)

   There is my first plaque from the international contest. It is JAPAN INTERNATIONAL DX CONTEST.

   I would like to thanks to Satoshi Aoki,JH1LPF for donation. There it is on our wall at OL7M QTH.

10m 4x6el G0KSC H-stack, part 1

   This is our 2014's year project. The four times 6el G0KSC 10m Yagis in H-stack configuration. We do have TOP, 80, 20 and 15 almost ready for the M/M contesting but we are still missing good system for 40 (need some 5el design) and 10m. We did have single 6el at 19m and also 4 x 5 el stack fixed to NA, but nothing bigger and rotary. So the idea is to have 4 times 6el rotary and another small stack 5 el + 6 el, one antenna to AF and SA and second one to Caribbean and NA. There will be our Stack Match to control it.

There is some inspiration from ZW5B:

Dan OK1HRA did some drawing:

Antenna holders:

And there are some first results: 

CQ WW RTTY 2014: SOSB-40 OL9A

   I like it! Yes, there is the biggest RTTY contest again. Last year I win SOSB80 category but this year we do not have 80m ready. There is still a lot of another work... 10m H stack, 40m, solar power system etc. Well I decided to run 40m. Antennas are ready and we do have a new small pistol - 2el Moxon :)

   There were a place to test some new "boxes"  and antennas. I have made Open M/M combine for IG9Y (IO9Y) contest group and this was the best way to test it. I used it to control two RX and one TX, like SO2R but just one radio was able to TX. Another thing .. 2Tone. I still read a lot of about this new decoder so why not to test it! :-)

   Trere is Icom IC-7400 on left with 2Tone detector and IC-7600 on the right side with 2Tone and MMTTY decoders. The Open M/M combine allowed me to share main RX antenna system, control 3 antenna stack match and also use beverages for different RX.

Contest HAM shack:

   At the first time we do have beverages at 40m. Thanks a lot to Dan OK1HRA and Pavel OK1MU for big help with it! Beverages helped a lot during QRM to JA and NA. Thanks it I could break 100 JA QSOs!!! Yes, I worked 101 JAs, thanks a lot guys.

   It was nice to see my call at skimmer servers. I did play the long hours at ZL via LP and SP, great. The same at WZ7I, there must be really great RX system! 

PC screen: 2 * 2Tone and MMTTY detectors, RTTY skimmers NA + ZL :)

RemoteQTH.com black boxes: Open Interface + Open M/M combine:

10el Wire Yagi to Caribbean - NA (290deg):

2el Moxon ant:

   

It was nice to be called by: Hans OA6Q, Michael KH7XX, Wesley ZL3TE, Julian VK4CMV, Ben VK4BRT, Stephen VK3TDX and many others + 8 BY + 101 JAs + 276 K (only) + 38 VE

I am happy with this contest, I was not so tired - that is my win :) Results:

It will be exciting up to final results, congratulation to Sal HK1T, Juan YW5T and Philippe LX7I.

2 el. MOXON for 40m at OL7M QTH

   The forty meters... well we have got 10el wire yagi somewhere to Florida and 5el wire yagi to VK but nothing rotary. We have nice plan to build 4 or 5el yagi with the big boom while we do have nice elements and also the boom but we do not have design and rotator. That is why we have decided to build small 2el Moxon antenna. 

   There is a lot of designes at the Internet but most of it is just for the wire elements. We used the optimalized design by Vasek OK7FL. And we must agree with his results!

   Our antenna is made with 6m central tubes with D = 40mm. Than there is fishing rod 6,5m long.

MMANA simulation at 19m:

Dipole insulator:

 Hard work! Dan OK1HRA

First test:

On RDM 19m TWR:

 The end of the day:

Wind load test next day: :)

Perseids 2014: YL/OK1MU & YL/OK2ZAW

   We, members of OL7M contest group, are QRV from KO07sh and KO17bf. With 11el OK2ZZ yagi, no LNA and abt 350W. There are some photos :)

KO07sh:

preparing at OL7M HF QTH (OK1NOR)

 Slavek OK1CU checking all elements :)

 After 1400km and 18h of ride... in KO07sh

 Pavel OK1MU in first QSO:

 Pavel OK1MU and Slavek OK1CU

Sasliky

 Sun set in KO07sh

 Jindra OK1NOR

 Sun rise in KO07sh

 Myself

It is not only about the radio :)

our las dinner in KO07

final team photo KO07 (OK2ZAW, OK1CU, OK1MU, OK1NOR)

EME tests from KO07:

Moon rise

Slavek OK1CU operates EME

Here we are...

We are really satisfied with operation from KO07. Thanks all for call, we had a nice time!

19 x EME + 9 x TROPO + 148 x MS = 176 QSO totaly from KO07SH

KO17bf:

here we are

Team in KO17

EME test from KO17:

Some videos:

4 x EME + 153 x MS = 157 QSO totaly from KO17BS

TOTALY 301 MS QSOs!
TOTALY 23 EME QSOs!

Thanks a lot to everyone for nice time during Perseids 2014. See you next year from ...? :)
Many Thanks to Mila OK1FPR for PA!