My First DX Certificate

Many of you are aware, Groupo Alfa Tango ran a worldwide DX contest open to non-members during August to celebrate their 42nd anniversary, there was a possible 43 stations around the world to contact. I didn't manage to get my first AT/42Y QSO until 8 days after the contest opened, starting with Paulo 205AT/42Y in the Islands of Cape Verde.

Being such a slow start, I didn't really put too much effort in chasing down more,  thinking I was way too far behind to catch up with other operators. By the time the last 24 hours had come around, I had only contacted 8 stations, propagation hadn't been too great, but suddenly Europe opened up to 8 more 42Y stations with a few others I just couldn't get back to due to pile ups. I was quite pleased with my day and I submitted my QSO's to the AT groups website. 

A couple of months later, I had an email from the AT group with 16 gold eQSL's attached, I was quite pleased with my efforts, I then thought that was the end of it until, I was looking through another operators website, when I spotted a list of entrants to the contest, so I scrolled down to the only person to make 16 QSO's and there was a link... to my first ever DX certificate. Chuffed!

New QSL card

I have to thank 26TE007 Chris for his help in designing this amazing QSL card for me, from a rough sketch, earlier this year. I had EuroQSL in Spain do the printing, which the quality is absolutely stunning, I'll definitely be returning to them for future projects and the price with tracked postage was cheaper than I could find locally. 

I sent a few repeat cards out to some really good radio friends around the world, who had sent me some really good QSL packages over the last six months.

Front of my card with a view of Tower Bridge, early one morning and the rear of my card, with a early morning shot of the longest pleasure pier in the World, located on the River Thames, Southend on Sea, Essex.

On the Bench

Seem to be getting more QRM than ever today, the QRM eliminator I've ordered is a day late, but probably held up within the European postal services, the tracking stopped working a few days ago and its all in Ukrainian!

Its been some months since I brought the QRM eliminator and I still haven't used it,  mainly because I changed radio, which cured a number of interference problems 

Height Adjustment

Been trying to make small improvements to the antennas performance all the time, but I recently decided to raise the antenna by another 5 feet, this has made a good improvement, especially on groundwave contacts. The background QRM has dropped a little on FM and range has improved. I've been trying to QSO with a station (Gavin) in Haverhill Suffolk, about 55 miles North of me. We finally made a decent contact after both of us have made made small changes to our setups over the last few weeks. Still suffering with a bit of noise from local houses sadly, but hoping my QRM eliminator will arrive soon and will help cut it down or even out.

I'm now onto the the next part of my shack...

First QSL Cards Arrive

I'm quite excited that my first real QSL cards have arrived, not those digital low quality images it seems a lot of DXers seems to want to send, which is fantastic news after sending out at least 20 QSL packages so far. 

A big thanks to 108AT277 Kevin, who's bumper package arrived within days of the contact, along with Kevin was another Scottish operator 108LR178 Callum, whose card arrive a day later.

Then a few days later, these cards dropped through the letterbox, from 35WR035 Frank near Salzburg Austria, who I have heard a few times over the last few weeks, but haven't been able to get back too, but finally made contact when the conditions fell right one evening and after a few emails, details where exchanged. Thanks Frank, great QSO 

Bhi DSP

So the new CRT speaker has been working fine over the last couple of weeks, but for sometime, I have been looking at D.S.Ps (Digital Signal Processor), doing a little research online and watching a few YouTube videos. HAM radio operators have used them for a number of years, to filter out unwanted noise/sound from the incoming audio, before it gets to your speaker. They aren't the cheapest of equipment, especially for your average CBer, but if your a little serious about DX, especially SSB, then I recommend buying one secondhand like I did from eBay. Not only will the unit filter out unwanted sound from a incoming signal, to make them easier to understand and probably gaining you an extra few hundred, or maybe a 1000 miles on a good day. Also, your ears will thank me for it.

I brought the bhi NEIM1031 DSP, from eBay for £86, which I'm led to believe is the MK2 version and the current mk4 is around £180. After plugging in all the leads that come with it, I switched on the DSP, adjusted the settings as per instructions and bliss... Yes bliss. It took a day or two to get accustomed to the fine adjustments, but these units are easy to use and the clarity to the incoming audio is fantastic. I was so impressed with the unit, I decided to buy one of their extension speakers from bhi's website, which was another £26. Sound range and clarity is brilliant, I totally recommend this setup, sorry CRT speaker, your out of here.

QSL

Thanks to an old friend, Len Over from CB Radio Magazine/Radio Active, who has sent me a new QSL Card

Many thanks for my new QSL Card Len

Better Ears

The in-built SS9900 speaker is OK but when on the bench, its a little muffled, especially with all the noise from fans cooling different equipment, so I've been using an old in-car phone extension speaker, which has got quite a good sound to it. I started looking for another speaker, at a reasonable price (not a HAM one which usually cost £150 upwards) and I found this one on Ebay, namely the CRT MS120, only 5watts but with a sound filter and -8dB mute switch, which just cuts the volume down, all delivered for £13. The look and feel seems OK and comes with about a metre  of cable, mounting bracket and fixing kit.

On plugging in, the speaker is a little tinny, which is fine sometimes on a weak contact, but once the filter is switched on, it smooths out quite nicely making it a bit easier on the ears. The mute switch just cut the volume down, could be handy.

Just need a good days DX now to test it out fully, but talking locally on FM is nice with no rattles or distortion.  Time will tell.

Rotel RVC240

I’ve been the proud owner of this radio since around March 1982 or 83, after the 2 previous Birthday presents, namely Amstrad 901’s from Rumbelows Basildon, had failed, but I seriously hunkered for the Rotel RVC240, from the seductive adverts in Breaker Magazine. I think my Dad could see the disappointment on my face, so in went in more off his hard earned cash over the counter and I walked out of the store with a ‘Rotel RVC240’ tucked under my arm, which from memory was well over a 100 quid, some serious dough in those days!

I had finally come over to dark side and although my President AR7 was still really active with the loyal, I just used it less and less, until the AR7 was collecting dust. I was lucky that I lived in a flat with my Dad, high up above the streets and houses... alright, above the shops in Pitsea Broadway! So I was getting good range up and down the Thames Estuary for a couple of years, going to regular CB club meets at Pitsea Breakers Club and going on usual eyeballs. Life moves on, I eventually moved to a little village near Rayleigh, where I met new friends, started driving and chance to go mobile. 

 This is where my Rotel and me would part company! The radio was fitted into my Ford Cortina Mk2, which was great fun, fox hunts, cruising with my friends up Southend seafront and it was after one of these excursions, we stopped at the local burger bar to meet up with friends. After probably only 10 minutes, I came outside to find my car was gone, at first I thought it was one of my friends playing a prank, but no. Police informed, my CB friends soon became mobilised looking for my car, with mobiles looking in all the usual places, until word came through, that my car had been found a few miles away in Rayleigh, with doors open behind some shops. I rushed there, to find everything gone! Rig, stereo, tapes, tools, absolutely gutted. Police took the car for prints and a few days later, I collected my empty car. I eventually fitted another little rig in the car, but it wasn’t the same and I was a bit scared to get another one, just in case that got stolen too. A couple of weeks went by and I had forgotten about the theft, to find a message had been left with my Mum to contact Rayleigh Police. Some items have been recovered and I needed to identify them. I called in to the station to be to be shown into a room full of stolen items and immediately, I spotted my Rotel sitting on a desk. Wow, just a couple of small marks but it was all there. I would have loved to seen my face.

The Rotel, was then used homebase for many years along side a Satcom and has given me sterling service over the years, with absolutely no failures. The channels were busy and the Rotel suffered from a little bleedover from a couple of locals, so a trip to DCB Electronics in Southend and I had spectrum filter fitted, this improved the sensitivity and over the years the Rotel has helped me QSO all over Europe. The addition of a Auto squelch brought the radio into the next decade making life so much easier to listen to. 

 I was beginning to discover the world of DXing and after a number of SSB sets and a visit from the busbys, I settled down with the RCI Ranger, which almost put the Rotel into retirement, then a move in the late 90s, saw me box her up, not to see the light of day for 20 years, I never set the shack up at my new home. CB started to die away until, I gave up. I sold almost everything I had brought over the years. Life trundled on, divorced, new relationship with an old friend and CBer, until Christmas 2019 when I rediscovered the box in the loft which rekindled an interest with 11m radio

Sirio 827

So finally my Sirio 827 has been put up and is working incredibly well after a little trouble with the tuning. Groundwave contacts are clearer and Im actually making contact.

Within the first couple of days, I have been getting confirmed sporadic-e contacts to Portugal and Spain with surprising ease with others into Italy, Sweden and Norway

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Under Construction

So, I've been out Radio for some years, only returning around Christmas 2019, but it wasn't until the UK was struck with the Corona virus and everyone was in lockdown, that I had more time on my hands to play. I then realised that other operators where doing the same thing and CB had come alive a little.

After a buying a new radio to fit in with the times and buying a secondhand, much more efficient antenna for long range work, I then discovered that sending QSL cards through the post, aren't the norm anymore, hence this website. E-QSL seems to be the thing and searching for your contact via a google to get their details without the use of a PO Box. So my website is under construction and I will designing (around the old Tango Echo groups QSL cards) my basic QSL package and cards.

73s