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Plane across the sun
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- Written by Chris Colclough
Following the photo below of the ISS crossing the sun it was interesting to see this photo of a plane crossing the sun. Also note the sun spot activity. All details of the numbers and to see the pic in all its glory go to the Solar Monitor webpage.
Thanks to Dr Lucie Green (@Dr_Lucie) for sharing this on her Twitter page, and to the guys at Solar Monitor for sharing it on there.
ARRL Logbook of the World processing delays
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- Written by Chris Colclough
Written by Charles, M0OXO
LOTW seems to have a few problems again which is apparent from this website post;
''Logs are being received OK and the website remains functional. IT staff will need to clear some problems with the new hardware before log processing will continue. Thanks for your patience''
As they ask, lets please be patient !
Removal of Guestbook
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- Written by Chris Colclough
Following the website being targetted by spammers through our guestbook we have decided to remove this facility from the site. Sorry to all you genuine contacts who had signed in and left a comment but we were having to remove posts daily that were either carrying a virus or were of no meaning with reference the site.
If you need to contact us the email addresses on the contact us page are all good.
Cheers and beers, and hope to meet you in 2013.
Happy New Year
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- Written by Chris Colclough
Just a brief note to wish all our friends throughout the world a Happy New Year and we hope to meet you all on the air, and maybe at one of the conventions in the UK, some time in 2013.
MC0SHL will be on the air over the year from the farm and Ramsey Island.
The Strumble Head Amateur Radio Klub
Happy Christmas to Hexbeam'ers
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- Written by Charles Wilmott
This message from Anthony MW0JZE;
Hi Hexbeamer's
I hope all is well and the DX has been good to you all in 2012.
Well lots happening here at G3TXQ-Hexbeam.com with many alterations to the design in 2012
1. Anodized base plate.
2. Lighter weight flanges dropping the Hexbeam weight to 9.5KG.
3. Air coaxial centre-post design.
4. Teflon insulators for spacer cords, this applies to high power modes such as DATA & CW, this is still in development and can be added to new and old versions on request.
5. Ice support cords, this is an optional extra on the new versions.
6. 40m add-on kit. Have had many emails regarding this add-on but as yet I have not had time to build or test it for myself. Marc PC4U designed this add-on and has lots of info on his QRZ page. Marc is currently working on a 30m version, hopefully we will be able to give you more news on this in 2013, thanks Marc.
7. New website, hopefully you find this page better than the old version :-)
Always looking for ways to develop the Hexbeam, open to any suggestions that you may have.
Read reviews & more by clicking the green banner
Eham Reviews.
Eham is a fantastic source of honest and helpful information when buying Amateur radio equipment. If you have not already left a review would you be able to spare me 5 minutes of your time. Just a few lines is enough, it all helps. If you have already left me a review, many thanks for your time and comments.
To follow the Eham review please click the link below.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/8786
Many thanks to you all for your purchase of my version of the Hexbeam, I hope you get many more years of chasing DXing with it.
If you have any issues in the future please do not hesitate to contact me.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Healthy & Prosperous New Year
73's Ant MWØJZE
Qsl requests help Air Ambulance
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- Written by Charles Wilmott
I would like to give a big thanks to all who requested Qsl Cards over the last 6 months from www.m0oxo.com or www.m0urx.com.
All of the used Postage Stamps on your incoming letters are saved. After several processes and some hard work by other colleagues, the money raised from the 'sale' of these stamps are given to a local Charity.
The Charity here is the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA). As a rapid response air emergency service the Charity serves a population of approximately 5 million people across 4 million acres. Our two air ambulances operate from Leeds Bradford International Airport and RAF Topcliffe near Thirsk, and together both air ambulances cover the whole of the Yorkshire region. This service costs £7200 per day to keep these aircraft running and saving lives.
A £50.00 (GBP) cheque was handed to the YAA this week so thanks for all your help. Its not a huge amount in the big scheme of things but every penny raised is a huge help towards running this invaluable service - Thanks for YOUR help!
Read more about the Yorkshire Air Ambulance by clicking this link. (Photo copyright & with kind permission of YAA).
IIØXMAS now Qrv
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- Written by Charles Wilmott
For the first time this year, Antonello IZ0VHY has organised this special callsign IIØXMAS to celebrate Merry Christmas and to wish everyone a pleasant New Year in 2013.
The station will be operational from 07/12/2012 to 01/01/2013 on 80 - 10M Bands using SSB and Digital Modes.
A special QSL will be printed to celebrate the event which is available via MØOXO OQRS (Direct or Bureau) or if you prefer EQSL then this is available only via IZ0VHY EQSL account.
The log will be uploaded on real time on Ham Radio Deluxe HRD and uploads will also be made to excellent 
Clublog Program (click Logo)
Doomsday - The End Of The World, Special Event
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- Written by Charles Wilmott
That’s right! The end is finally near!
According to one of the three Mayan Calendars, the end of the world will occur on Dec 21, 2012. To celebrate this literally once in a lifetime event, Special Event Station N0D (Now Zero Days) will be activated for three days. December 20; is a celebration of the end of the world. December 21; the day of destruction, they will be on the air as long as possible. December 22nd, that is a little iffy right now!
More information is available on the Official N0D website, www.nowzerodays.com . You can also e-mail the N0D team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions or suggestions about Doomsday.
Seasons Greetings 2012
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- Written by Chris Colclough
As the 2012 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 2013 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 Blwyddn Newydd
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
May we meet on the air sometime in 2013.
And remember, as usual we may be on the air sometime over the holiday period from the farm to celebrate the new year.
Also watch this space for a announcement about a special dxpedition we are currently planning along with our yearly trip over to Ramsey Island.
ISS Transits the Sun.
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- Written by Chris Colclough
Taken from Spaceweather.com website.
With sunspot AR1618 in decay, solar activity was very low on Nov. 24th. The only break in the monotony was provided by a 500 ton winged spacecraft:
The International Space Station passed directly in front of the sun over Entre Rios, Argentina, where Leonardo Julio photographed the split-second flyby. "I traveled 250 km to be in the path of the transit," he says. "It occurred just as predicted by CalSky."
The sunspot near the bottom of Julio's picture is AR1618. Although the sunspot is in decay, its magnetic field still harbors energy for strong eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of M-class flares and a 5% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours.
LATEST NEWS; The NOAA have now downgraded the geomagnetic storm expected on November 25th as the CME that was expected to hit earth is taking longer than expected to arrive. Hopefully the higher bands will be open for most of the day with some juicy DX to be worked on them in the CQWW CW contest.
V26B Station Destroyed by Fire
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- Written by Chris Colclough
Taken from Charles M0OXO website.
Team Antigua is saddened to announce that the V26B contest station was totally destroyed by fire on Sunday, November 18, 2012.
Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. The station Owner, Roy V21N, received minor injuries due to smoke inhalation but is OK now.
This station was used by John G4RCG and Bruce KI7VR back in 2006 (V26G). As of now, the future of the station is uncertain. It may be possible to rebuild it, as the antennas and towers were not damaged. However the interior and all equipment, tools and spare parts were totally destroyed.
Click here for pictures of the fire.
Tnx to Brian N3OC & good luck to all Team V26B attempting to resurrect the Station in the months to come
Information from FRC members Sam WT3Q and Dale N3BNA who just operated at the station on behalf of the club during the recent CQ WW SSB ,is that the station location, all the radio equipment and the various award plaques from previous contest wins are all destroyed . The antennas remained intact.
Those involved with the station have vowed to rebuild.
Bud, AA3B was to operate from there, signing V26K, during CQ WW CW contest. he was contacted him to ask what was happening and this is his response:
Hi Bob,
I'm in Antigua. The shack was destroyed but we're going to try and put something together. We'll see,
Bud AA3B
15Kw HF Amplifier
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- Written by Charles Wilmott
- Created on Monday, 05 November 2012 17:40
Homemade HF Amplifier 15KW (4CX10000D)......
Nice !!!!
MX0LDG team airlifted from Lundy
- Details
- Written by Charles Wilmott
Well the guys on Lundy Island last weekend did a fabulous job and due to an unexpected deterioration with the weather, their stay was extended a little and which ultimately ended with them being airlifted by Helicopter back to the mainland (Photo above).
The team consisting of John, M5JON, Peter, M0ILT, Ant, MW0JZE (pictured above center) used a Elecraft K3 with a KPA500 amp, a Kenwood TS590s with a Expert 1K amp (400W) and a IC706 as a backup radio/3rd station. The antennas were 2 x G3TXQ Hexbeams (supplied and built by Ant, MW0JZE, the main sponsor of the activation) and a 1/4 wave vertical for 40m.
The guys logged 5100 Qso's in just over 4 days operating. Well done to all, great job and fb operation. (Qsl via MØURX OQRS).
Mission to the Edge of Space
- Details
- Written by Charles Wilmott
Created on Monday, 15 October 2012
Felix Baumgartner, the man who tried to break the world's freefall record by jumping from 23 miles above the earth, breaking the sound barrier, has jumped from space.
Felix Baumgartner, a 43-year-old former military parachutist, floated for two hours in a purpose-built capsule towed by an enormous helium balloon before leaping into the record books from 128,000ft – almost four times the height of a cruising passenger airline. Baumgartner reached an estimated speed of 1,342.8 km/h (Mach 1.24) jumping from the stratosphere, which when certified will make him the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall and set several other records* while delivering valuable data for future space exploration.
He broke the current freefall record of 19.5 miles held by Joe Kittinger. Mr Kittinger, who set his record in 1960, was the only person allowed to communicate with Mr Baumgartner while he was inside the capsule which carried him into space. Click here (or the image) to see the jump
