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PileUP!
Volume 17 (1) 2013
CQWWCW 2012 EA8CUU
Jyrki's (OH6CS) winning 20m single band antenna.
PileUp! is the newsletter of Contest Club Finland (CCF) with 2000 - 5000
readers.
Contribute! Addresses for PileUP! are [email protected]
Editor-in charge, layout: Timo Klimoff, OH1NOA
Publisher: Contest Club Finland ry.
Instructions: Don’t read too seriously.
http://www.contestclubfinland.com
TÄMÄN LEHDEN MUKANA ON JÄSENMAKSULOMAKE PERUSJÄSENILLE.
JÄSENMAKSU VUODELLE 2013 ON 18 EUROA. MAKSATHAN AJOISSA JA
ILMOITA OSOITTEENMUUTOKSISTA OH1NOA:LLE.
MIKÄLI OLET UUSI JÄSEN: ILMOITA YHTEYSTIETOSI OH1NOA:LLE JA MAKSA
JÄSENMAKSU 18€ TILILLE NORDEA IBAN: FI37 1115 3000 5073 05
Bees love OH4KA's antennas.
CQ de OH6EI
KESÄ ON MUKAVAA AIKAA
Nousujohteinen urani CCF:n jäsenenä hipoo viimeinkin
taivaita. Olen roikkunut jäsenenä jokseenkin alusta lähtien,
joskus jopa jäsenmaksuni maksaen. Hallitukseen päädyin
kuitenkin vasta viime vuonna. Yhdistyksen alkuaikoina pidin
muutaman vuoden yllä jäsenrekisteriä olematta kuitenkaan
oikea sihteeri. PileUP lehteen olen raapustanut monta juttua ja
tietenkin Contest Club Finland on löytynyt monen cabrillon
alkupäästä.
PJ:n profiili
Olen (ihmeekseni jo) viiskymppinen vakaata perhe-elämää
naisylivaltaisessa (1 iso 3 pientä) kodissa viettävä
keravalainen, joka kuitenkin sisimmältään tulee aina olemaan
Nurmon poika. Siellä kutosissa on aikanaan ensimmäiset kontestikusot pidetty, ja missäpä
muussa kuin Kuutosten cupissa. Tuloksena ylivoimainen voitto ja komea kiertopalkinto. Yhtään ei
himmentänyt iloa se, että olin luokan kokelas/kuutoset ainoan osanottaja.
Rivitaloasukkaana en ole kotiin ritsa-antenneja kummempia rakennellut, ja kilpailujen ulkopuolinen
aktiviteetti on vähäistä. Sitä suuremmalla antaumuksella olenkin sitten ajanut kontesteja. Aikanaan
OH6LK:n kanssa yhteiseltä Nurmon kontestiasemalta ja myöhemmin mm. OH5NQ:lta ja
OH9W:ltä. OH2HE/OH2U –tiimissä olin mukana melkein alusta lähtien. Nykyaktiviteettini tapahtuu
yleensä OH0Z:lta, jonka osakas olen ollut vuodesta 2008.
Parasta hommassa on flow-tila, johon kontestissa välillä pääsee. Pitkässä kisassa on myös sitä
punnerrus-osuutta enemmän kuin tarpeeksi. Havuja, perkele. Kesälajejani ovat purjelento ja
muutama muu ilmailulaji. Radiohommia hoidetaan mikäli aikaa liikenee. Yhteneväistä kaikille
lempilajeilleni on se, että kelit usein torpedoivat suuret suunnitelmat.
Virkatavoitteet
En ole nuijassa kiinni kunniahimo silmissä kiiluen. Olen tyytyväinen, jos laivamme seilaa vakaasti
keinumatta kontestien välillä myrskyävilläkin merillä. Mennään näillä vanhoilla merikorteilla
edelleen:
- PileUP lehti (Ilkka WZ –tule takaisin !)
- CCF reflektori: vaihtelevan vireä keskustelufoorumi ajukopan tuuletukseen
- CCF/OHDXF –risteily (uusi kohde ensi kerralla)
- OH-kontestikumautus – CCF:läiset herätys ja myös OH-kisoihin mukaan
- Järjestetään SRALolle Sainio ja itselle CCF joulusprint
- CCFVAP / Kontestimaraton
- Ollaan mukana SRALon tapahtumissa
- Aktivoidaan SRAL:n kanssa IARU HQ- multi multi
- CTU:n jatkaminen jossain muodossa
- Markkinoidaan maailmalle ja sitten voitetaan SAC
- CCF kerhoillat
- Avustetaan SRALon kontestimanagerointia kunnes uusi löytyy
Ohhoh tulipa yllättävän pitkä lista.
Yhdistys olemme me
Ollaan ja touhutaan kuten tähänkin asti, niin hyvin menee. Kiitos touhuajille aktiviteeteista.
Hauskaa kesää kaikille!
A Review of DXHome Mobile Phone
Jari Jokiniemi, OH3BU
Ever since Nokia’s release of their first Windows phone, we have been waiting for some sort of a
revolution, something strikingly new that we all want. Something that gives us a feeling that no
other company could possibly have made it work. Something better than just a good camera.
Something that would prove that Nokia is back on track to plummet the stock price to double digit
numbers and return our portfolio to black. Wait no more. Our secret lab at the open farmlands of
Northern Espoo has received a surprice package that contained the first of it’s kind. Let us
introduce you the revolutionary DXHome mobile phone concept, the new Nokia FTDX9000 (see
figure 1).
At first, you might think that this is an ordinary Windows 8 phone. You see the boxy Metro startup
screen with crispy colors and square formed apps that provide living updates of your favourite
services like the weather and NYSE stock prices. The other side is dominated by a 50mm Carl
Zeiss lens that belongs to a 55 megapixel (yes, 55 megapixels) monster camera which alone
could distinguish this from some other mobile phones. It goes without saying that this particular
device supports all LTE, WCDMA, HSPA etc. standards and frequencies of the world, except
GSM, it has an integrated 5.1 stereo system, a 1000 mbps ethernet jack, a Thunderbolt interface,
and a very efficient torch. This is the least we would expect from a new mobile device that costs
200 dollars.
What really distinguishes this new flagship of Nokia is that it is tightly integrated to all network
services that a contest aficionado could possibly want. Let us begin with some of the mostly
desired functionalities. First of all, the supplied Remote Control App connects directly to most
popular Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood Transceivers. We tested this with Kenwood’s new TS-990S.
The radio was connected to one Nokia FTDX9000 using a Thunderbolt-RS232 converter (a
separately sold item). The other Nokia FTDX9000 was used as the control point. It took only two
minutes to configure the software, and we were ready to work pileups using the integrated voice
keyer. Did I already mention that the Twin Concept that the Swedish RemoteRig made so popular,
is supported better than in ever. We used a Icom IC-720 to control our Kenwood test radio. In
addition to the radios, the Remote Control App can also control several antenna rotators (Yaesu
G-1000DXC in our case), the antenna (6 el monoband yagi, to be precise), and some of the most
popular linear amplifiers. We tried it with an Ameritron AL-80, and I can assure that everything
worked like a Cadillac.
When you are in the heat of the battle, it is always good to have a reminder so that you know to be
obeying the rules of the contest. This is provided by StationInfo App which shows you the most
essential details right on the top of your device all the time. In addition, it can spy the current
frequencies and multiplier counts of your co-contesters. This is done by advanced software radio
functionalities that can decode no less than six bands full of SSB signals simultaneously and feed
it to a local packet cluster network. Yes, you guessed, Prof Zyklonberg AP1RL has developed an
ImprovedSkimmer software which is indeed included in the device.
When the contest ends, then it is the time for the fat lady to sing. You will hear her at the
ContestTube App while your FTDX9000 is sending your victorious log to the contest organizers
completely automatically. Of her songs my all time favourites are Up Idiot, Morons, and Good
Morning! You will now likely want to use some of the after contest apps, like the Taxi App, the
FindFood App, the Bars App, or the 3830 App. For really serious contesters, a DivorceLawyer
App is also included.
We can’t really tell if this is Nokia’s response to the new HTC Facebook Home, or if it is the other
way round. What we do know is that Nokia FTDX9000 has redefined the industry. Contesting will
never be the same again. See you in a contest near you.
BY5CD new QTH
Esa Korhonen, OH7WV @BY4
BY5CD has recently moved from the high school near
downtown Ningbo to the mountains about one hour drive
away. I had a chance to visit the new location during
WPX CW and do some operating as well.
The new QTH is about 450m ASL on top of a mountain.
No need for high towers in such a location. The biggest
difference initially to me were significantly quieter low
bands. The previous location had S9+ noise on 80 and
160 and was not perfectly quiet for 40 either. Especially
the two lowest bands were extremely difficult to work
anything at the previous QTH. Now it was a pleasure to
run 80 meters as you could actually hear the stations
calling.
A new 2-story house has been built for the station and is
still partly under construction. There is plenty of room for
any multi-operation. This time the contest was run in
Multi-Two. Operators were BH1BAH, BA4ALC, BA5FB
and OH7WV. Others stayed all 48 hours, I couldn’t stay
for more than 24 due to work commitments and because
there were no seats on Monday morning trains back
home to Shanghai. So it was from Saturday evening to
Sunday evening for me this time.
On Sunday afternoon at the EU prime time we suffered a
power outage for 4 hours. Electricians worked hard to get the power back to us. Eventually a cable
between the shack and neighbour’s house was installed and we resumed operation with the
neighbour’s utility power!
At the station we had an Icom IC-7800 and an Elecraft K3, both stations equipped with legal limit
amps.
The antennas consisted of:
80: GP and dipole
40: Two 4-el wire beams on bamboo poles, one to EU, one to NA
20: 4-el yagi
15: 5-el yagi (pictured above)
10: 5-el yagi
Plus some additional wire antennas used less than rarely.
I run a very, very nice pileup on 40 on the night towards Sunday. Boy those wire beams worked
well! Completely different from the 2-el Moxon we had in the previous location. The Moxon was
not bad at all but these wire beams are awesome! Most of the time I had both (EU & NA) chosen
in the line as if I only had the EU beam selected, the JA’s came in barely readable and vice versa.
Note that from China, Japan is pretty much at the same azimuth than NA. One time I hoped
N1MM would have a feature that if I’d type in something lke “JA3” the program would immediately
switch to the NA beam and if I’d type “DL” the antenna selection would be the EU beam…and after
the QSO (hit enter) again both would be selected. Now that would give a wow-factor into a
contest!
Loudest signal from Finland this time, while I was operating, was OH2KI. Very loud indeed.
New M2 China record with a good margin was achieved even with about 600 QSO’s missing in the
log due to the power outage. Now this is a location for more potential records! Hats off to the 48
hour ops at BY5CD this time as they made the majority of the score!
There is still a lot to do to complete the new site, but hey, this is ham radio so improvements are
constantly done any way. Hope to hear all of you in the upcoming contests.
Special thanks to BD5CHU for the invitation to operate and delicous local Chinese food at the
station. Also would like to acknowledge BH1PAH for a new acquaintance and BG5CNH for the
nice company at the train back home.
4 element wire beam to Europe
The Shack. BA4ALC in the front and BH1PAH behind. Sorry for the crappy picture quality. No one
is operating as we just lost all power for 4 hours.
CONTEST CLUB FINLAND
OHDXF
ERAU
PRESENTS:
CONTEST / DX / TECHNICAL MEETING 2013
TALLINN, ESTONIA
31.1.- 2.2. 2013
MERKITSE KALENTERIISI!
BOOK THESE DAYS!
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Langatonta tekniikkaa á la ES5TV (kuva: OH1NOA)