The Intrepid DX Group | 6O3A Somaliland

I read DX news at DX World with my DxCoffee in the morning and the Intrepid DX Group is getting ready for yet another sensational DXpedition to 6O3A Somaliland according to the world report. I'm stoked because their efforts bring out the best in Five Cities DXers while we chase the rhino signal from spectrum space to spectrum space.

Please, keep in mind, the funds required that eventually lead to that contact in the log, are escalating in other words, it's not getting any cheaper, any more.

The bottom line is every dollar donation helps advance the cause and I really cannot guess when the next signal might follow after the Intrepid DX Group? Five, ten, even twenty dollars really adds up at the speed of 603A's signal when hundreds if not thousands of hard core operators begin donating.

Let's help the Intrepid DX Group in their effort and journey to Somaliland for the benefit of ham radio's world wide community of DXers.

Donate.

Stay thirsty for DX my friends.  

Cycle 24 Screenshot Project | 31 March 2012

Good afternoon from inside the shackadelic where, yes, rain is expected later this afternoon. Our local weatherman didn't predict torrential instead trace amount of water from the California sky. On the other hand, Cycle 24 conditions are improving as I heard E51M on 10m last night. My signal wasn't enough to punch through the early stages of the swarm. Also, I heard the team logging 20m European signals late into Friday evening as well.

Currently, I'm listening to Lloyd, KH6LC on 10m Morse code and his signal is pumping on the central coast this afternoon. His signal suggests a stable west-to-east path. In contrast, 15m is propagating south-to-north as I heard a strong VE7 and W5 on this space. Twenty meters is quiet however that is more likely a result of my antenna location not band conditions.

It's not record breaking conditions although I can remember those zero sunspot days stretching into months. Conditions seem stable enough to enjoy ham radio, and, overall the high frequency spaces are open for signal launching.

Definition
Solar maximum as defined in the Glossary Solar Terrestrial Terms as, "The month(s) during a sunspot cycle when the smoothed sunspot number reaches a maximum."

73s from the shackadelic near the beach.

DRR Atmospherics | Arc'Teryx

The purpose of DRR Atmospherics is to provide positive motivation, energetic sound, visually stunning cinematography, and athletic goal development. It is my visual method at thinking about my goals, implementing change, and enjoying life.

   

E51M Manihiki DXpedition 2012

It's Friday night lights inside the shackadelic where I'm currently chasing the rhino E51M Manihiki DXpedition 2012 with 100 watts into a ground mounted vertical with 25 radials. The team's signal is strong on 15m with its inversely proportional swarm.

Stay thirsty for DX my friends.

DRR Atmospherics | Tag Heuer

My 10,000 Hour RadioSport Challenge | 9,527 - 12 = 9,515 To Go

I had a lot of ham radio fun in the Russian DX Contest last weekend. It was not easy because the work week bounce back was missing going into Saturday morning. My power supply drew heavily from my internal capacitors.

I have WPX CW 2014WRTC qualifier coming up in May and I'm thinking about that Friday off as a long stretch weekend? The challenge out in front me is getting enough sleep or, and I'm beginning to believe, sleep deprivation is 99 percent of the game?

On the other hand, everything was 'go' in the SL shack, as it was o'dark thirty in the morning when I arrived. Two uncontrollable variables bore down on the event from our location on the central coast of California. The first was two solar flares created choppy to blown out ionospheric conditions. The next was a heavy winter rain storm.

Weather
I heard, really heard, for the first time the sound of rain static. It wiped out all the high frequency bands as the static climbed on the 756Pro s-meter. Funny, and it seems to happen this way in RadioSport or life in general, I was in the middle of a serious rate out of Asia when a torrent of rain fell from the sky.

The torrent heaved twice and it was in the early hours of the morning in the middle of prime time toward Asia on 40 meters. Wireless technology albeit roofing filters and digital signal processing could not overcome the energy discharging from the California sky.

Furthermore, we're working a possible phasing harness issue on the 6L 20m monobander. It was low power (100 watts) on this band until the issue is rectified and European wireless signals were bountiful on Saturday morning. I hunted and logged almost everything heard inside the cans.

Spotting Network
Admittedly, I really enjoyed having access to the spotting network without having to change my entry category as a single operator all band (SOAB). Personally, it was a new element of attention and compensated for a second radio deficit. I used the information presented on the band map to judge band openings to include hunting multipliers.

I still advocate that an assisted category diminishes the potential of the game and incorporating the network into single operator would help equalize the field of competition when competing against single operator two radio (SO2R).

Conclusion
Later in the afternoon, I enjoyed a solid run on 15m with the 6L monobander pointed toward Japan and, as always, each Q is appreciated in the log. It's a big hit on the score when propagation toward Asia especially Japan is either marginal or non-existent. Additionally, a string of Oceania stations went into the log, and many thanks to those stalwart Australian and New Zealanders who always show up as well.

Contest on!

Cycle 24 Screenshot Project | 25 March 2012

Good morning from the shackadelic near the beach where another minor storm is chugging across the central coast of California. We need the rain because the county is running a 2 inch deficit going into Spring. Also, there are two interesting articles to read, the first at DX World where N6PSE (Intrepid DX Group) talks to a new QSL model, secondly at DxCoffee, where two Italian wireless operators will launch a signal from Mount Blanc tentatively planned for March 31st or April 14th, weather willing for the team.

Five Cities flash report suggests flat ionospheric conditions thus far in WPX SSB as 10m (top) propagates toward Central and South America in addition to Caribbean signals filling this spectrum space. It was reported that a hoped for opening into Asia did not materialize on 15m (middle) for Saturday afternoon? It will be a major dent in the prefix count. In contrast, a path opened briefly into Europe on 20m Friday night around 0500 UTC however it went completely flat Saturday morning.

Definition
Equinox as defined in the Glossary Solar Terrestrial Terms is, "One of two points of intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic. The sun passes through the vernal equinox on about 21 March and through the autumnal equinox on about 22 September."

Turn on, tune up, operate.