Amateur Radio 80m Yachting Net anyone?

john_morris_uk said:
Apologies but I’m having another operation on next Monday to try and help my paralysed vocal cord. Two days when I have to be mute post op and hopefully I’ll be back on air two weeks today with a voice again.
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Hope all goes well and hope to hear you some time.

Down on 3.760 there is the usual net and they have a good path between at least Surrey and Falkirk so there is hope.
 
An apology from south of Manchester, Richard. I listened last week, heard nothing, but didn't listen this morning. I'll try next week :)

I'm quite enjoying getting back into radio, thanks to lockdown. I'd never really used the lower frequencies as I mostly worked on 14MHz and higher through a 3 element beam. I'm getting more acquainted with the vagaries of 80m. I was using it on Friday morning and the band was wide open. A minute or so later, it was as though someone turned the lights out, it had closed.

90% of my current HF use is CW as I get a lot of satisfaction from it. My Morse is improving but I've a way to go to get back to my pre hiatus speed and competence.

Much of the CW traffic seems to be machine generated, I just don't get it. Like many weekends, there was a CW contest on Saturday and Sunday. It was one massive pile-up across the whole of 40m with a million exchanges at 30+wpm. I tried to listen to some of the exchanges but found it incomprehensible.

I also have a NanoVNA H4. Less than £50, incredible. Simply inconceivable that an amateur could have had this capability during the 1980/90s without spending thousands. What do you use for stylus? I find that the plectrum marks the screen and that the thumb wheel isn't great. I would have paid more for a decent touch screen.

Best wishes for the op and a good outcome, John
 
Hi John

Last week was a blank - my SWR was sky high when I came to operate, and discovered that the ice had pulled my antenna wire down!!

If you'd like to try a CW sked separate from the Yachties Net, let me know. Just say when. I'm happy going at your speed (my copying speed isn't much above 18wpm!)

Nano VNA is great - learning how to use it is a bit of a vertical learning curve though. I am going to re-make my EndFed Half Wave with lightweight antenna wire so it's less susceptible to ice, so should come in useful for that.

Best
Richard
 
OK. 3.555 +/- tomorrow, Wednesday, and I'll use the MX0WSX callsign for a Wessex Ham CW call. Pls confirm here, and I'll put out a call tomorrow at 08:00....
 
Turnbuckle said:
Yes, PYH.
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Hi Skylark. Called you several times on 3.5475 as 3.555 was busy. Nothing heard from you, but a nice QSO from MI0RPT who called me from Millisle, NI. Thanks, Richard - I am assuming you read this forum and picked up the sked from here. Nice looking boat! I was having massive problems with my paddle key this morning - the tension was all over the shop!! My CW at times hardly readable, so apologies. Will try to get the key sorted, but having a CW sked was good.
 
No success here ?
I listened at 08h00 but nothing heard. I called you, Richard, several times at and around 3.555.
At 3.553.2 I was listening and heard “nil from g4pyh” This was from rpt Richard. Your signal from Newtownards into south Manchester was 459 but with QSB. I could not hear the other station.

I’ve tried several times now on 80m ssb and now cw but no success into Wessex land ?

My 80m long wire aerial is evidently too much of a compromise and/or wrong orientation. That I could hear N Ireland confirms that w-e propagation is better than n-s.

Happy to try another band on another day?
 
Turnbuckle said:
I was having massive problems with my paddle key this morning - the tension was all over the shop!! My CW at times hardly readable, so apologies. Will try to get the key sorted, but having a CW sked was good.
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I bought a paddle key recently but have put it back in its box ?
I don’t think that the spacing of my straight key is anywhere near as good as the paddle but I found that I was making far too many mistakes so, for now, at least until my proficiency has significantly improved, I’m sticking with my trusted 1939 ex-military, straight key.

Richard, rpt, albeit qsb, your keying was easy to read, thanks ?
 
Skylark said:
No success here ?
I listened at 08h00 but nothing heard. I called you, Richard, several times at and around 3.555.
At 3.553.2 I was listening and heard “nil from g4pyh” This was from rpt Richard. Your signal from Newtownards into south Manchester was 459 but with QSB. I could not hear the other station.

I’ve tried several times now on 80m ssb and now cw but no success into Wessex land ?

My 80m long wire aerial is evidently too much of a compromise and/or wrong orientation. That I could hear N Ireland confirms that w-e propagation is better than n-s.

Happy to try another band on another day?
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Yes, I think it is a directional/orientational thing. We have tried, but so far no copy. We could try a sked on 40m at your convenience just to see if its directional or propagational?
 
Turnbuckle said:
Ok will keep listening - there's a gap slightly higher. I did hear a call
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OK, nothing heard here. I did hear someone in the noise trying to call -= may have been you - but no realistic contact. Closing down at 08.15. Will be on our Zoom at 11.00 - details on wessexham.co.uk
 
Nothing heard here on 9th however the horizontal lads were in full swing on 37600 and a QSO from Eastern areas, Lincoln further up the band. Put out CQ calls 08:10 .
 
Bilgediver said:
Nothing heard here on 9th however the horizontal lads were in full swing on 37600 and a QSO from Eastern areas, Lincoln further up the band. Put out CQ calls 08:10 .
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Not an easy morning. I had an excellent QSO with Isle of Man at 7.50, then dropped near to 3765 and called for five minutes, but there were German stations on . So dropped down below the horizontal guys and called for a bit, but nothing, so must have missed you. I think a different approach is going to be needed if this is going to work. I am planning on setting up a web page for the net, and gathering people initially on there. We can then decide beetween us on both time and frequency - that way it is likely to be less 'hit and miss'. Once the web page is up, I'll ping you a message on here.

73Richard
 
Turnbuckle said:
Not an easy morning. I had an excellent QSO with Isle of Man at 7.50, then dropped near to 3765 and called for five minutes, but there were German stations on . So dropped down below the horizontal guys and called for a bit, but nothing, so must have missed you. I think a different approach is going to be needed if this is going to work. I am planning on setting up a web page for the net, and gathering people initially on there. We can then decide beetween us on both time and frequency - that way it is likely to be less 'hit and miss'. Once the web page is up, I'll ping you a message on here.

73Richard
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Sounds a good idea Richard.
I could just hear two of The Horizontal lads and nothing between them and a QSO at 3.775. The static was at about a 5
but did drop by 08:30 to a 2 - 3 . The bands have been interesting. Last week I fired up JTX and was surprised to see stations listed from the Carribean down the whole of South America to Argentina. Reminded me of the old days when I had regulsr contact with a chap in Rio using Amtor. Might catch you on Zoom later in the week.
 
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