Saturday 20, 2007 my loop is ready to be tested. In the evening I fire the SoftRock RXTX connected to the loop using KGKSDR. The band is full of signals - CW and RTTY - a quick look at the contest calendar shows me that the UK RTTY contest and the HA CW contest are on.
I did not setup the hardware/software combination for digital modes and I am left with CW - I did not plan to use SSB for my first contact.
HA seems a liitle too far away and I tune the band up and down in order to find something closer. There are quite a few US stations but I did not succeed to make any QSO, I did not even get a ? back.
Sunday morning I decide to try SSB: every Sunday morning there are a lot of YV stations coming very strong. They are here but I also hear very well FM stations having their Sunday chat. In particular Lucien FM5WD is coming very very strong. The mike goes around without any break, I try and Lucien announces he heard something. I wait until they leave a break for other stations to come in, I call, I am in. No need to repeat, they have solid copy on my signal. FM5WD gives me a 56 and FM1BY - Gerard - gives me a 53.
The SoftRock is working, the loop is working and 900km of salt water between Curacao and Martinique helped.
Click Here to listen to FM1BY, FM5WD, FM5DN breaking in and again FM5WD as received in Curacao using KGKDSR.
It seemed a little far with my 750mW and loop antenna but I decided to give it try. I was not the only one calling and not the strongest signal but I kept calling and calling until I heard an AGN which could be have been for me. I came back sending my call 3 times and F6KHM came back to me. This first QSO at 7100km surprised me and I decided to call the strongest stations as seen on the spectrum display. I ended up working 4 F stations, the best DX being F6KAR, the CERN Radio Club close to the Swiss border at 7900km. The hardest part to make these QSOs was to be noticed - which could take a very long time - but once noticed the QSOs were not so difficult.I tried more stations without success and sometime in the early morning I called it quits and shut down everything.
With the excitement I did not go to sleep right away and realized that I could have used the recording feature of KGKSDR so I got up and turned back everything on. The really strong stations were the ones I already worked and the propagation did not seem to be as good as before, stations were disappearing for a few seconds, but infrequentely. This time it took me a while to be noticed but F5HPY answered me. He had a hard time to copy properly my call sign but we finally made it
The current version of KGKSDR records only during the RX periods and stops during TX, when you listen to my QSO with F5HPY you will only hear F5HPY and some clicks when I switch to TX but no silence when I transmit as the recording stops and restarts only when I switch back to RX.
I ended up sending my log to the REF, 5 QSOs, 75 points claimed.
This SoftRocks RXTX really rocks and KGKSDR is a real good program.
Thanks Tony and Duncan.
Using a modified version of WinPsk designed to work seamlessly with KGKSDR - no cable needed - I made my first PSK31 QSOs with YY7ABC and HK4QHD. My call was also copied by KB3LIX but my signal was too weak to complete the QSO.
CQ CQ CQ de YY7ABC YY7ABC YY7ABC
CQ CQ CQ de YY7ABC YY7ABC YY7ABC
PSE K
<<TX Started - 11 Mar 2��7 22:�4:51 UTC>>
YY7ABC de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 11 Mar 2��7 22:�5:15 UTC>>
PJ2BVU PJ2BVU de YY7ABC YY7ABC HW?
<<TX Started - 11 Mar 2��7 22:�5:34 UTC>>
YY7ABC de PJ2BVU, GA. This is my first PSK QSO. Made with a SoftRock SDR transceiver and 75� mW.
YY7ABC de PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 11 Mar 2��7 22:�6:39 UTC>>
PJ2BVU DE YY7ABC
OK R FB, TKS FOR CALL
UR RST 577 577
MY NAME IS JOSE JOSE
QTH: MARGARITA ISLAND - IOTA SA-�12
GRID: FK81ab
PJ2BVU DE YY7ABC HW? KN
<<TX Started - 11 Mar 2��7 22:�7:36 UTC>>
YY7ABC de PJ2BVU. R R. Yout signal is very good here, I have to calibrate the RXTX. My name is Jean-Claude and I am in Curacao, FK52md, not too far from you. I made quite a few QSOs in CW and wanted to test PSK. How is my signal as far as IMD is concerned? I did not make any adjustement yet but you seems to copy OK. I get your text 1��% OK here.
YY7ABC de PJ2BVU KN
A YO station called him and that was the end of the QSO.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CQ DX CQ DX DE HK4QHD HK4QHD
CQ DX CQ DX DE HK4QHD HK4QHD PSE K
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 ��:59:54 UTC>>
HK4QHD HK4QHD HK4QHD de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:��:38 UTC>>
RYRY PJ2BVU DE HK4QHD HK4QHD
GE THANKS FOR CALL UR 599 599
OP: JUAN JUAN
QTH: RIONEGRO RIONEGRO
LOC. FJ26GC
BTU
PJ2BVU DE HK4QHD KN
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:�1:25 UTC>>
GN Juan, tnx for answering. RST 599.
Hre using a SoftRock Software Drefined Radio. Power 75� mW.
This is my 2nd QSO with it.
My name is Jean-Claude, in Curacao.
Grid FK52md
BTU HL4QHD de PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:�2:45 UTC>>
PJ2BVU DE HK4QHD
COPY 1��% AT ALL YOUR INFO. DEAR JEAN.
RUNNING A KENWOOD TS-43�S 3�W BPSK31 MODE
INTO A FULL SIZE VERTICAL DELTA LOOP FOR 4� MTS
WITH MULTIPSK 3.14 SOFTWARE
BTU JEAN
PJ2BVU DE HK4QHD KN
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:�3:47 UTC>>
RR HK4QHD de PJ2BVU.
Excellent copy on you also. The antenna is a magnetic loop, 2m diameter at 2m high. Its working very well. I made mainly CW QSOs and today started to experiment with PSK31.
Using WinPsk modified to work with KGKSDR which is the software used for the SoftRock.
I won'y make it longer and let you work some DX.
73 and see you again Juam
HK4QDH de PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:�6:3� UTC>>
RYRY PJ2BVU DE HK4QHD
OK JEAN THANKS FOR QSO AND MY 599
SEE YOU OTHER BANDS AND MODES
PSE QSL VIA MANAGER EA5KB EA5KB EA5KB ( QRZ.COM)
73 DXS,
BTU FOR FINALS..
PJ2BVU DE HK4QHD SK SK
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:�7:27 UTC>>
RR Juan. Your RST is also 599. Bye for now and good DX. Here I will try a little more before going to bed.
73 de Jean-Claude
HK4QHD de PJ2BVU, I will QSY
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �1:�8:36 UTC>>
OK BYE DE JUAN HK4QHD 73, SEE YOU AGN SK
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CQ CQDX CQ CQ CQDX CQDX Ce� ee ae KB3LIX KB3LIX KB3Ln X pse K
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:��:�6 UTC>>
KB3LIX KB3LIX KB3LIX de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:��:28 UTC>>
qrz de KB3LIX K
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:��:43 UTC>>
KB3LIX KB3LIX KB3LIX de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
KB3LIX KB3LIX KB3LIX de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:�1:17 UTC>>
Station calling, sorry OM, too weak �print. Try again de KB3LIt
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:�1:44 UTC>>
KB3LIX KB3LIX KB3LIX de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
KB3LIX KB3LIX KB3LIX de PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU PJ2BVU
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:�2:17 UTC>>
PJ2BVU DE KB3LI4
You are vfesd5eak here. Keep trying. It may come t�u, try again, de KB3LIX K
<<TX Started - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:�3:�6 UTC>>
RR KB3LIX only 72� mW
75� mW
75� mW
75� mW
Copy you 95%
Copy you 95%
KB3LIX de PJ2BVU K
<<TX Ended - 12 Mar 2��7 �3:�3:57 UTC>>
PJ2BVU DE KB3LIV
Sorry�M, much too weak to print. Sorry 73 73 73 ANe= e?d have a good week. de KB3LIX e KB3LIX sk sk sk