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The Location My shack, some 5 x 5 metres in size, is located in the basement of a house, built in 1972 on a piece of land 28 metres long and 18 metres wide. The building which I own myself lies in a densely populated residential area, showing all disadvantages of an intensive electro-smog noise level day and night, which affects nearly all shortwave and the VHF frequencies. The location is in no way a place for optimal or even near-optimal DXing. Station Philosophy DJ2PJ's radio equipment is arranged on two desks standing side by side in the middle of the shack. This arrangement with the station in the middle of the room, and not in front of a wall, was chosen in order to have easy access to the rear of each of the station components: for inspection and repair, measurements, insertion and replacement of cables, components, etc.
Another important feature is the installation of a second working position with complete radio equipment of its own, for my VHF-activities, for testing hard- and software, for experimentation and development. The station concept reflects the operator's conviction that amateur radio, while being a technical-communicative hobby, should always be a two-legged pet: one aspect being experimentation (new radio modes, new operating and technical concepts...), the other one competition (DX, contests...). Should one of these parameters be missing, amateur radio would run the risk of dissolving in the abundance of other attractive communicative applications which our modern world readily offers (PC, Internet, mobile phones...). This means that, at least partially, an amateur radio station should always be in a process of change (on the basis of experimentation and optimization) and never be seen as something static or final. Operating Spectrum The station is technically and logistically capable of radio communication on all legal amateur-radio shortwave bands, with, at present, the exception of 160 and 6 metres. On shortwave, the following radio modes are covered: radio telegraphy (CW), radio telephony (SSB), radio teletyping (RTTY), slow-scan television (SSTV), Hellschreiben, the different phase-shift keying modes (PSK), mainly PSK31, most of the multi-frequency-shift keying modes (MFSK), mainly MFSK16, but also JT65A, Olivia, Domino, Throb, WSJT, WSPR and PSKReporter. DJ2PJ very eagerly tries out the majority of new digimodes coming into existence. CW, RTTY, and PSK31 are the modes most frequently operated, followed by SSB. All other modes play a subordinate role in daily radio life, but are practized regularly to see if and how they function. For most of the above-mentioned modes, great attention is directed to working DX, i.e. contacting stations in far-away countries and territories. So-called ragchew contacts are nevertheless very much and always welcome. Radio Hardware The picture below shows the two working positions A and B of the station (picture is not really up-to-date and will be replaced soon):
Working position A consists of a YAESU FT-1000MP Mark-V and a veteran YAESU FT-1000D transceiver, each one delivering a power output of about 200 watts. The Mark-V is preferably used for CW, the digimodes, FSK-RTTY, and SSTV in connection with a microHAM microKEYER II (which operates an external sound card and the WinKey CW keyer by K1EL). The FT-1000D (equipped with all available filters) is the working horse for mainly SSB and in some cases (e. g. contests) also CW. As the CW output of the microKEYER II has been made switchable, it can be used for both transceivers. In 2011, new filters (500 and 250 Hz) for the second and third IF have been installed to make the FT-1000MP Mark V more selective and, thus, more efficient for DJ2PJ's most frequented modes CW and RTTY, especially in contests. Working position B provides an ICOM IC-746, which, in addition to the shortwave bands, also covers 50 and 144 MHz, and a KENWOOD TS-60 all-mode 50-MHz transceiver (normally used on DXpeditions). FSK-RTTY is realized by a SCS PTCII multimode controller. Working position B serves two purposes: (1) Acting as the platform for QSOs on 144 MHz and, in a couple of months, hopefully, also on 50 MHz; (2) acting as the platform for testing new concepts and devices, new computer programs and their updates and, of course, for checking equipment and its setup or configuration before going on a DXpedition. The idea is that testing and experimentation should in no way have any (possibly adverse) impact on the daily routine of making contacts, and making contacts no restrictive impact on experimentation. Position B should be seen as "in constant development". As adequate switching for the PTT and ALC lines is provided, each of the three shortwave transceivers can have its RF-power amplified by a single-valve (3CX1200A7) AMERITRON AL-1200 linear, set to deliver some 600 watts output in CW and SSB or 400 watts in RTTY, while a driving power of less than 20 watts is applied. The linear amplifier is fired up, however, for less than 1% of contacts made. As for the digimodes, the power rarely exceeds 50 watts. It belongs to the station philosophy of DJ2PJ to never use any excessive power, except in really extraordinary pile-up situations and the like. In the great majority of cases, the RF-signal is fed through the amplifier ("barefoot operation") and makes its way to, mostly through, a MFJ-989C Versa Tuner V which also serves as antenna selector and dummy load. Its antenna tuning facilities are only made use of should the standing-wave ratio (SWR) become critical (band edges and the like). Antennas. DJ2PJ normally makes use of three shortwave antennas: a rotable MOSLEY CL-33M with three relatively wide-spaced trapped elements for 20, 15, and 10 metres, a hy-gain AV-640 vertical for all bands between 40 and 10 metres, and a simple shortened inverted vee for 80 metres. DJ2PJ's very promising LAZYFifteen antenna project - an 18 metre high self-constructed and homebrew ladderline-fed 2 x 7.5 metre vertical dipole for all bands from 40 to 10 metres, including the WARC bands, tested since early August 2007 - had to be given up due to severe mechanical instability of the glass-fibre mast onto which the dipole had been taped (see picture below). The DX results were fantastic, with outstanding signals especially on the low-frequency bands covered.
The CL-33M (see left picture below), with its fairly good broadband characteristics, good front-to-back (F/B) ratio, and friendly SWR throughout all three frequency bands, has found its place on a mast which rests in a special steel construction fastened to the roof truss of the house (thanks to DJ3WJ for this construction). The mast can be lowered by means of a pulley block until it stands in the first floor of the house. This makes servicing antennas on top of the mast relatively easy. The mast is secured by four strong nylon ropes.
Antenna rotation is accomplished by a CREATE RC5A-3 rotator which is equipped with a worm drive, a very robust and "silent" device (a necessity for nocturnal DX-work...). Height above ground of the CL-33M is a little more than 13 metres. There seems to be no influence by metal house installations etc., also no RF in shack. The CL-33M is a very efficient DX-antenna, even in comparison with the wonderful KT34XA and DJ2UT-yagis I had been using over more than fifteen years. To be able to be active on those bands not covered by the CL-33M, in July 2008 the hy-gain AV-640 had been erected in a height of 4.5 metres replacing the LAZYFifteen (see picture above). Since autumn 2009, life on 80 metres has begun again for DJ2PJ with a shortened inverted-vee dipole "swinging" a few metres below the yagi antenna and nearly scratching roof skin. Although a very few oversea's QSOs have been made (North Africa, Western Siberia, and North America) with it, this is all but an efficient antenna. Even within Europe its signal is below average. The 80-metre story obviously does not find an end... A better solution has to be found. A TONNA 17-element longyagi installed above the CL-33-M yagi covers 144 MHz. PCs and Software Today's amateur radio with its high technical and logistical demands is unimaginable without computers and programs. In working position A an AMD Athlon2 X3 455 (3x3.3 GHZ) (4096 MB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB HDD) PC is in use. A microKEYER II and its Urouter programme creates five virtual COM ports delivering and receiving all necessary signals for communicating in the different modes, including the constant stream of radio-command signals for displaying and controlling transceiver status. The PC works on the basis of Windows XP Professional. At present the following communication software (always newest versions) is in use (working position A):
Other (utility) software generally used at DJ2PJ:
The PC at working position B is an AMD Athlon XP+2400 (512 MB RAM, 160 GB HDD) run under WindowsXP Home. As soon as they are switched on, both computers are permanently connected to the INTERNET via ADSL (>6,000 kbit/s), using a four-channel routing device for cable connection (LAN) and a WLAN channel. Since permanent connection to the INTERNET was possible, the UHF-link to the DBØSPC-7 packet cluster had been abandoned long ago and replaced by the more immediate, more secure and faster TELNET. After having tested every TELNET software I could find, especially DX-Telnet, RXClus, and VE7CC's DXSpider User Program (see above), I am absolutely convinced that Lee's (VE7CC) software is by far the most useful, followed by RXClus. A word on logging. DJ2PJ has made more than 100,000 contacts since 1954, the majority of which documented in paper logs, supported by a very safe but somehow tiring retrieval system. Even though, it was contrary to reason to subsequently type all these contacts into a computer database (which would take many months). That's why DJ2PJ still notes down his QSOs on a (individually designed) paper log, although, since 2006, he is additionally (!) using electronic logging with the very nice and simple XMLog logging program by W1ECT (see above). Moreover, all QSOs made between 2000 and the end of 2005 have been typed into XMLog. Even a logsearch on this website for the years between 2000 and today has been realized (daily updates). QSOs made before 2000 will probably not be considered for electronic logging. DJ2PJ's Annual Report: 2011 What a year! Never had I expected to realize that many two-way contacts in the course of one year, taking unter consideration that there has been no serious participation in contests and the main focus of activity NOT been on making as many QSOs as possible, but on optimizing station ergonomics and logistics including the necessary re-arrangement of station components etc. Even in my early and stormy first years of radio activity I had never even reached the 2,000-QSOs-per-year mark, except in years when contests contributed to the QSO number. In 2011, DJ2PJ has made 2,375 radio contacts. The diagram below shows the development in QSO numbers at DJ2PJ since the start of the new millenium. From 2000 till the end of 2011 nearly 20,000 QSOs were logged.
As in all the years before, the main focus lay on CW. But the persisting dominance of telegraphy sank from 87.5% in 2010 to 83.1 % in 2011. Compared to the 2010 figures, the number of SSB-QSOs nearly tripled, the number of RTTY-QSOs increased considerably, too, whereas the number of QSOs made in the digimodes dropped drastically. No QSOs at all were made in MFSK and in SSTV. There are reasons for this development: e. g. the increasing interest in working WWF-stations (which obviously prefer SSB...), a certain shift from experimenting with new modes to more QSOs in the more traditional (old-fashioned?) modes, and the like. SSTV has to be considered as a special case, as momentarily it is subject of complete revision (new picture concepts, extensive art work which would have to be done, etc). Another special case is 144 MHz where in 2011 absolutely no QSOs were logged. I am working on a new station concept, possibly integrating a new and powerful linear amplifier. Whatever the solution will be - I'll be more active on two metres in the years to come, with a special focus on Sporadic-E. The same goes for 50 MHz. This band is well-equipped with a KENWOOD TS-60 which I normally use on DXpeditions. Even a suitable yagi antenna and rotator stand ready. Unfortunately I could not agree (with myself...) on a place for antenna installation yet.
QSO-Statistics (in brackets: 2010 figures):
Standings as of 31st December 2011: DXCC/CQ Award confirmed by QSL (in round brackets: last year's figures): Mixed: 341 (339) entities [371 incl. deleted entities] SSB: 276 (269) entities [284 incl. deleted entities] CW: 340 (338) entities [369 incl. deleted entities] RTTY: 308 (303) entities [310 incl. deleted entities] PSK modes: 192 (187) entities [193 incl. deleted entities] MFSK modes: 19 (18) entities [19 incl. deleted entities] HELL modes: 21 (20) entities [21 incl. deleted entities] SSTV: 30 (30) entities [30 incl. deleted entities]
Graphics from:
In 2011, a new DXCC entity came into being: South Sudan (STØ). It could be worked with ease on many bands and in the major modes in July/August 2011. Confirmations arrived as early as October 2011, so that everything is confirmed in mixed mode, one entity (P5, North Korea) still missing for CW. IOTA confirmed by QSL (in round brackets: last year's figures): Africa: 64 (62) Antarctica: 13 (13) Asia: 101 (97) Europe: 168 (167) North America: 110 (105) Oceania: 114 (108) South America: 52 (49) IOTA-groups all continents: 622 (601)
Graphics from:  Hobbies
need targets - sometimes new ones beside the existing ones. The last
few years I had sporadically worked a lot of so-called WFF(Worked
Flora Fauna)-stations. These are stations active from nature parks,
biosphere reservates, and other places which serve the idea of
saving flora and fauna and, by that, the blue planet Earth as a
whole. Looking through my log, I discovered that until 2011 I had worked
215 WFF-stations. That's why from 2011 on I decided to chase
them more purposefully. At the end of the year I had added 489
WFF-stations to the ones already logged. It had been a lot
of hard work, and I am proud to now have 704 WFF-stations worked (527
of which already confirmed by paper QSL or by the logs at EW4DX ).
2011 - a good year for my personal amateur-radio efforts? Yes, very certainly!
You'd like to make a - positive or negative - comment? You want to ask
a question? Use my
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Lynnie, the novice operator
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| © 2012 by Hadi Teichmann, DJ2PJ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last Revision: 7th February 2012 |
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