The 1st UKuG 6cm/3cm Cumulative contest took place on the last Sunday in May, and I ventured out to Britwell Hill (IO91LO, 229m) for a fun afternoon playing radio. It was great to operate away from home, despite the QSO points not counting to my score and being able to only enter a checklog!
The objective was to test my recently boxed up 6cm SSB system. In a heavy aluminium x-38GHz ODU box I've integrated a Pluto SDR, Yellow FPV 1.5W Driver Amp, 5.8GHz Taoglas Band Pass Filter, 4-Port USB Relay, 12V to 5V USB PSU and a USB to Ethernet adapter. In addition a CMC 2W Final Aplifier is mounted to the box but for the purposes of this initial test that was not connected. The weather was amazingly hot and sunnny, so I set-up outside the car with a table and chair and the 5m EA Telescopic Mast strapped to the farm gate. This is the clear horizon view looking due West:
On 10GHz I used a 60cm offset dish and the 1W Transverter system driven by the IC-275E 2m IF. For 6cm a Windows 10 laptop was used to run SDR-Console controlling the Pluto SDR. The 6cm box was on the table so that I could monitor how it was performing, normally it would be at the base of the mast.
Stupidly, I'd left my 5M reel of LDF-450 at home - there is usually something I forget despite checking against an extensive car packing list! This meant that 1.5W of 5.7GHz RF was being sent up 5m of W103 cable, so well under 1W was making it to the 60cm x-WiFi Grid Dish.
On 6cm a total of 3 QSO's were completed with Neil G4LDR in Salisbury (IO91EC, 69km for my ODX), Noel G8GTZ/P at Hannington (IO91JH, 35km) and Anthony G7LRQ in Watford (IO91TQ, 47km). All signals were very strong once peaked.
4 QSO's were completed on 3cm with G4LDR, G8GTZ/P, David M0GHZ in Chippenham (IO81VK, 83km) and Keith G4ODA in Spalding (I092WS, 144km for my ODX). Band conditions were normal to poor, and no beacons were heard.
I was quite pleased with a total of 7 QSO's, certainly great that everything worked for a change! For the June SHF UKAC I'm planning on trying out a new /P location, and again just entering a checklog and having some fun in the fresh air. SHF from home is hard work, so my plan is to focus on the lower VHF/UHF bands from home until we are all allowed out again, and play SHF up on the hills!
The objective was to test my recently boxed up 6cm SSB system. In a heavy aluminium x-38GHz ODU box I've integrated a Pluto SDR, Yellow FPV 1.5W Driver Amp, 5.8GHz Taoglas Band Pass Filter, 4-Port USB Relay, 12V to 5V USB PSU and a USB to Ethernet adapter. In addition a CMC 2W Final Aplifier is mounted to the box but for the purposes of this initial test that was not connected. The weather was amazingly hot and sunnny, so I set-up outside the car with a table and chair and the 5m EA Telescopic Mast strapped to the farm gate. This is the clear horizon view looking due West:
 |
| 2-band GHZ fun on Britwell Hill |
On 10GHz I used a 60cm offset dish and the 1W Transverter system driven by the IC-275E 2m IF. For 6cm a Windows 10 laptop was used to run SDR-Console controlling the Pluto SDR. The 6cm box was on the table so that I could monitor how it was performing, normally it would be at the base of the mast.
Stupidly, I'd left my 5M reel of LDF-450 at home - there is usually something I forget despite checking against an extensive car packing list! This meant that 1.5W of 5.7GHz RF was being sent up 5m of W103 cable, so well under 1W was making it to the 60cm x-WiFi Grid Dish.
On 6cm a total of 3 QSO's were completed with Neil G4LDR in Salisbury (IO91EC, 69km for my ODX), Noel G8GTZ/P at Hannington (IO91JH, 35km) and Anthony G7LRQ in Watford (IO91TQ, 47km). All signals were very strong once peaked.
4 QSO's were completed on 3cm with G4LDR, G8GTZ/P, David M0GHZ in Chippenham (IO81VK, 83km) and Keith G4ODA in Spalding (I092WS, 144km for my ODX). Band conditions were normal to poor, and no beacons were heard.
I was quite pleased with a total of 7 QSO's, certainly great that everything worked for a change! For the June SHF UKAC I'm planning on trying out a new /P location, and again just entering a checklog and having some fun in the fresh air. SHF from home is hard work, so my plan is to focus on the lower VHF/UHF bands from home until we are all allowed out again, and play SHF up on the hills!