Home
Ramsey Island Blog
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Hello all,
Not much happening within the group at the minute. No expeditions planned, no on air activity, or trips to our HQ - well not until September. But we like to keep up to date with what's happening down in the local area, especially the news on the RSPB Reserve we visit Ramsey Island.
The wardens, Greg and Lisa, along with their team of volunteers keep a blog and are always updating with news and pictures. Well worth supporting and bookmarking just to keep up with the island news.
https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/ramseyisland/default.aspx
Not only the RSPB blog, but Thousand Island Boat Trips also run a blog on their website and Facebok pages showing photo's of the wildlife around the islands.
So while there are no sun spots there is still plenty to keep our interest in the area while off the air.
Z68UR Kosovo September
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Taken from Tim (M0URX) website.
Another friend of the group activating a new DXCC.
Max ON5UR will be operating from Kosovo between 20th - 30th September 2018. Max has received the licence from ARKEP and will be QRV as Z68UR
Fafarad Island NA-207
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Taken from Charles (M0OXO) website.
Good News for IOTA hunters.
Bruce, KD6WW & Mike, K9AJ plan to activate this rare IOTA counter. The last operation from NA-207 was 18 years ago.
We hope to be on Fafarad Island on the evening (local time) of July 19. We plan to be QRV until the morning of July 23.
We will have two stations QRV on 40m thru 17m. CW will be our primary mode, but we plan some SSB and FT8 is a possibility.
Calllsigns will be KD6WW/VY0 and K9AJ/VY0.
QSLs are via the home call & we will use OQRS, direct w/ SASE and bureau.
Fafarad Island is grid EO92.
We anticipate support from IREF, otherwise this operation is self-funded. We welcome any additional support from the IOTA community.
Mail finally gets to Venezuela
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Written by Charles M0OXO and taken from his web page.
It has been very difficult to get mail in and out of Venezuela over the last year due to the politcal and financial climate in the country. Several attempts to get our bureau packages to the YV QSL Bureau failed with mail being returned as "Route suspended" however thanks to the help of the YV Bureau team we were able to route the mail via USA and this was picked up by the YV team.
The photo from YV4BCD, Juan shows that the cards from Tim M0URX and myself, Charles M0OXO finally got through to the Venezuela hams.
Thank you to all who helped!
Update on Activity and Klub Members
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Well the past two years have been a little difficult for us all to find time to get together for any of our activations. We all have work and families to put before the Klub. We are still all friends and regularly meet up on Skype or speak over the phone. But we are hoping this is going to change going forward.
We no longer hold the contest call MW9W, and we have put this on the biography on QRZ.com. We wish Ian, (GW0KRL) the new holder of the caall, all the best and maybe see the call once again in the contest results as the #1 station in Wales - well OK #2 after MC0SHL in the contest we enter hihi. The dates we held the call to and from (this includes M9W) are 29 March 2008 through to 15 December 2013, any QSO's outside these dates are not with the S.H.A.R.K. boys.
We will be on the air some time between the 16th and 20th July 2018 from the farm. It is hoped that there will be a couple of operators in attendance. There will also be updates and new images in the gallery afterwards. A trip around Ramsy Island is planned to get some photographs of the flora, fauna, and wildlife around the island and the farm.
So listen out for us, and please do listen to what the operator says - if they ask for outside EU then please stand by and we will get around to working you, just don't keep calling and calling if you can't hear anything as you will not go in the log - and only call with your full call sign.
OQRS Some Helpful Hints
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Written by Tim (M0URX) and taken from his website. We urge all our friends to use OQRS via his website, especially if requesting a bureau card.
For many of you requesting QSL cards using OQRS is still a bit of a mystery. So today i will try to take you through some stages of the OQRS to help and guide you through.
1) Log search page. - Firstly you will see in red bold text the "Last QSO in the Log" date and time. If your QSO is after that time you must wait for the next log update.
If your QSO is before that time but does not appear in the log, then click on the blue box that says "Not in log?" This will take you to our Not in log page where you can enter the QSO details and this will be sent to my work desk for checking. Please do NOT send me emails as the only way we can respond is if you use our system correctly.To request the QSOs with the geen ticks, click on the blue box "Request QSL(OQRS)"
2) QSL Request Page - On the right hand side of the check boxes you will see the status of the QSL request written in green. Here you can see that the LoTW upload has been completed and that a Direct QSL has been sent.
If you have previously been sent a Bureau QSL for that QSO we will NOT send another.
Please only request ONCE for Bureau. If you lost the QSL or you failed to collect from the Bureau then please use Direct QSL route.
To request your QSO just tick the check box and enter the date and time and proceed to Step 2.
3) QSL Step 2.
Enter and confirm your email address so that i can email you if there is any problem.
"Your QSL Manager (If any)" This box should remain empty if you DO NOT HAVE a QSL manager.
Please do NOT write anything else in this Box.
DO not write any email in this box.
This box is to route your QSL to your QSL manager if you have one. If you are member of DARC you can enter your DOK number here.
Please remember you can ALWAYS check back on the Log Search page to see the status of your QSL request. Which will either be "In Queue" or "Sent" or blank if not requested.
When you have requested your QSL on OQRS, it is very important that YOU DO NOT send a paper Bureau QSL. You should always mark your log accordingly as QSL requested so that when your QSL arrives you do not send out another QSL request. It is very important to use the Bureau responsibly. Bureau is NOT free it does cost an enormous amount of money so your help in using OQRS correctly is a big step to reducing bureau costs. Thank you.
Seasons greetings 2017
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
2017 has been a quiet year for the group. Many of us have had changes within our personal lives and have just not had the time to get together as much as we would like. There have been a couple of occasions and we have managed to get on the air from the farm, but sadly no Ramsey Island trip. Maybe 2018 will be a different story and we will be active a little more.
So as the 2017 year end draws ever closer, we like to wish all our friends around the world seasons greetings in their home language, and we do appologise if we miss yours off the list.
Lets hope that 2018 brings us all good conditions on the radio and we hope to contact you all at some point.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd dda
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
9M6XRO John - SK
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
It is with great sadness we put this on our website. John was a friend of us all and we all have many QSO's with hi, RIP John and may you now be at peace.
Written by Tim M0URX and taken from his website.
It is with much sadness to report that John Plenderleith, 9M6XRO, passed away yesterday 4th December, John was first licensed in 1960 as GM3OOK in Ayrshire, Scotland. He operated from Singapore for about 10 years as 9V1RS, then moved to the Isle of Man as GD3OOK, then to Norfolk as G3OOK, including several years /MM. John retired to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, in 2005 and after one year as 9M6/G3OOK became 9M6XRO.
John logged over 250 thousand QSOs with his personal call signs often travelling on DXpeditons as a team member, adding many more thousands of contacts from many rare locations. John’s favourite mode was CW, but was comfortable on any mode, recently trying his hand with FT8 which he gave many all over the world an ATNO, John’s CW was exceptional, he was so accurate that over the last 10 years I rarely had any busted call enquiries. I first met John in 2011 when we operated together as team members on 4W6A, John was one of the CW ops and was extremely dedicated to his CW seat and was happy sitting for many, many hours and only wanted to stop when it was time for a beer.
A keen contester John was active on most weekend contests, also chased DXCC and had Mixed 326 DXCC confirmed. CW 309, Phone 270, Digital 244.
His previous calls included: 3DA0OK, Op at 4W6A, Op at 5W8A (2013), 7P8OK, Op at 9M4SLL (Spratly), 9V1RS, A25OOK, C91XO, CU2/G3OOK/P, EL0A, G3OOK, GD3OOK, GM3OOK, Op at N8A (2013 from American Samoa KH8), V8FRO, V85/9M6XRO, Op at W8A (2013 from American Samoa KH8), XU7XRO, YB9/GM3OOK, ZL/GD3OOK (OC-201), Op at ZL9HR and ZS6/GM3OOK.
9M6XRO member of CDXC, GMDX, ISWL 9M6-6982, RNARS 0437
A true gentleman, great CW operator and friend. RIP John.
New Digi Modes Changing Complexion of Bands & Perhaps of Ham Radio
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Written by Charles M0OXO and taken from his webpage.
- Created on Tuesday, 07 November 2017 22:42
Interesting read courtesy of the ARRL;
The wave of software-based digital modes over the past several years has altered the atmosphere of the HF bands. Some suggest the popularity of modes that make it possible to contact stations neither operator can even hear has resulted in fewer CW and SSB signals on bands like 6 meters and 160 meters. Traditional modes require far more interaction and effort on the part of the operator; the newer digital modes not so much. The recent advent of the still-beta “quick” FT8 mode, developed by Steve Franke, K9AN, and Joe Taylor, K1JT — the “F” and the “T” in the mode’s moniker — has brought this to a head. Some now wonder if FT8 marks the end of an era and the start of a new, more minimalist age.
“We’ve been as surprised as anyone about the rapid uptake of FT8 for making QSOs on the HF bands,” Taylor told ARRL this week. Rather than viewing FT8 as a total game-changer, he sees a dividing line between such digital modes and more traditional modes.
“SSB and CW are general-purpose modes,” Taylor asserted. “They are good for ragchewing, DXing, contesting, emergency communications, or whatever. FT8 and the other modes in WSJT-X are special-purpose modes. They are designed for making reliable, error-free contacts using very weak signals — in particular, signals that may be too weak for the more traditional modes to be usable, or even too weak to hear.”
Taylor notes that the information exchanged in most FT8, JT65, and other digital-mode contacts “is little more than the bare minimum for what’s considered to be a valid contact.” In addition to call signs and signal reports, stations may exchange grid squares and acknowledgments.
Radio amateurs recently commented in response to a Top Band Reflector post, in which Steve Ireland, VK6VZ, averred that because of FT8, “160-meter DXing has changed, perhaps forever” in recent weeks. Ireland said he downloaded FT8 but just couldn’t bring himself to use it on the air. “My heart isn’t in it,” he wrote. “My computer will be talking to someone else’s computer, and there will be no sense of either a particular person’s way of sending CW or the tone of their voice. The human in radio has somehow been lost.”
In his blog, Steve McDonald, VE7SL, compiled not only Ireland’s posts, but some responses to it, although not identified by name or call sign. One commenter suggested that the game-changing aspect of FT8 is that those who typically operate CW or SSB will gravitate to FT8. “The amount of activity on the FT8 frequency of any band is phenomenal,” the commenter observed. A few complained that no skill is involved in making contacts using computer-based digital modes.
Another suggested that FT8 is already falling victim to its own success, with too many stations crowding around the designated FT8 frequencies. Others were more philosophical, with remarks along the lines of this one: “It is allowing people who have smaller stations the opportunity to get on and use their radios and a computer to make contacts they never would have been able to make. This is great for ham radio!”
Taylor would agree. As he sees it, FT8 won’t replace modes such as CW or SSB. “Nevertheless, it’s clear that — at least in the short term — many hams enjoy making rapid-fire minimal QSOs with other hams, all over the world, using modest ham equipment,” he said. “For this purpose, FT8 shines.”
In a related “lightning talk” at the 2017 ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) earlier this year, ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, challenged his savvy audience to develop a keyboard-to-keyboard mode “between FT8 and PSK31” that would support casual and competitive operating, be more interference and noise tolerant, and be usable by those with “compromised” stations and antennas. He also challenged his listeners to develop a “smart” spectrum display that would identify signals by mode, so Amateur Radio could move away from the practice of setting aside specific frequencies for digital modes.
UX5UO Print - World of Qsl's
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Taken from Charles (M0OXO) page.
Created on Friday, 20 October 2017 01:30
Gennady Treus (UX5UO) has been on the air since 1967, ex op. UK5UBB, ex UB5UKO, RT5UO and KE4EKT. Contest call US1U. His #1 hobby is DXing & QSL-cards printing is his #2 hobby as well as being a small personal business.
Almost any type of QSL cards and various HAM extras products are available from "UX5UO print".
For ordering your new QSLs from UX5UO print, you can use an Online ORDER FORM and/or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please use this e-mail as well to send graphics files to be used in creating your QSL design.
We accept almost all graphics formats like .tif, .jpg, .cdr, .eps, .psd, .bmp, .gif, .png, .ppt. Preferable ones are .tif, .pdf or .jpg high quality files (300dpi resolution at 9x14cm size, or 1650x1050 pixels or better). If you are going to design the QSL by yourself, one warning: Please do not put any lettering or logos closer than 6mm (1/4") to borders (edges) of QSL card.
If you do not have internet access, please send your paper samples (photos, rough design, text data etc) to Make the payment to your regional representative or UX5UO by post:
Gennady V. Treus
P.Box 83, Kiev, 03113
Ukraine
Make the payment to your regional representative.
As of October 2017 18702 unique callsigns from 318 DXCC countries have already been printed by "UX5UO print".
DX Feile - EIDX Group
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Written by: Charles M0OXO
This event is the first of its kind in EI. Please check out the Programme schedule and maybe you can make the trip to EI.
It will be a great weekend with top class speakers from around the World. Cezar VE3LYC, Kenneth LA7GIA and Nigel G3TXF are just a few of the ones attending and who will give you an amazing insight into their solo Dxpeditions and stories.
Come along, you won't be disappointed!!
https://www.dxfeile.ie/programme
The EIDX Group was formed in early 2016 with an aim of bringing Ireland's DXers together to form an Irish DXpedition team and to promote DX activity in Ireland.
Earlier this year, we brought you 9N7EI, operating from high above in the Himalayas and netting over 30,000 QSOs! Plans are already in place for our next adventure in 2018 and will be announced soon.
'Féile', is a word taken from the Irish language (Gaelic) and translates into English as 'Festival'. So basically, we are holding a 'DX Festival' this coming October.
The chosen venue for this 'festival' is quite exciting as it is actually on Inis Mór, Aran Islands (EU-006). To mark this occasion, 2 x stations will be QRV for the weekend where attendees will be able to operate the EJ1D callsign for as much or as little as they like.
We have chosen an amazing line up of DX Related talks presented by some of the World's finest DXpeditioners. (see the 'Programme' page for full line-up). Add this with the friendly Irish atmosphere and Céad Míle Fáilte (One hundred million welcomes) will make for a great DX filled weekend for sure.
Accommodation is scarce on the island and therefore numbers are limited. We expect this to sell out real fast. See bookings page for full info.
Read more here...... https://www.dxfeile.ie/
Closed Bands and End of Activity
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
WOW. So many reports of the bands being dead. Today Chris got on the air from the farm and called CQ on 10M, supposedly a dead band with no propagation, almost an hour later and 20 + QSO's he closed to have a break and a drink. Stations from around central and southern Europe worked and logged.
A Move later to 17M, another band that was closed, and another 50 QSO's and 2 hour later he closed due to the weather deteriorating - or rather the wind building and the need to drop the tower before it got too strong. The logs are now uploaded to both LOTW and Clublog, and Tim (M0URX) will have them uploaded on to his logsearch some time this afternoon.
Remember we don't need your QSL card but are happy to send you a confirmation via the OQRS system on Tim's website - all you have to do is request the card via the bureau and we send it direct to the national bureau to didstribute within your country, again we do not need your card at any point. This makes it quicker for you to get the card and saves on paper clogging the bureau system.
15M Band is Open
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Today we had a forray on to 15M, just to see what was happening. The band sounded to be closed, but a few CQ calls and we soon had a steady stream of callers from around central and southern Europe - with one caller from Argentina. This just shows that what looks like a dead band is not always so, a CQ call or tune around to listen for callers often brings something unexpected.
Thanks to all who called, and remember to use the OQRS system for any QSL requests.
6M Fun on the Air
- Details
- Written by Chris Colclough
Today, 18 July 2017, the club station was active on 6 Meters for a couple of short spells. Chris is down at the club HQ on a short break from work and to recharge his batteries after working at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2017 airshow that took place at RAF Fairford.
This activation was from the farm HQ on the mainland (EU-005). The logs will be posted on to Club Log and LOTW some time tomorrow. Usual QSL route via M0URX for all operations. Please do not send your card via bureau but use the OQRS system on Tim's homepages - www.m0urx.com
