FITSAT-1 beacon reception 437.250

FITSAT-1 (NIWAKA).
Today 19/12/2012 at 18:17z on 437.250 received the beacon starting with "HI DE NIWAKA" and continous with varius telemetry data in CW mode.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mk0bab4w6upyyy1/FITSAT-1%20NIWAKA.wav
You can find more information in this web page:
http://www.fit.ac.jp/~tanaka/fitsat.shtml

This FITSAT-1 was deployed from ISS at 15:44z on 4th October 2012.

 

Has also a flashing LED and when the LEDS are ON, acording to program you can see the flashing LEDs write CW messages in the night SKY. The NIWAKA's high power LEDs will be driven with more than 200W pulses to produce extremely bright flashes.These, will be observable by the unaided eye or small binoculars.

 

The FITSAT-1 (Niwaka) body is made by a section of 10 cm square aluminium pipe!!! Also NIWAKA carry a mounted neodymium magnet to force it to always point to magnetic North like a compass.

You can also try to listen on 437.445 Mhz Packet 1200bps AX.25  or to see Picture data 115.2 Kbps FSK on 5.840 Ghz ans of course to see the LEDS flashing as a moving star.
Timothy HB9FFH made a telemetry decoder for FITSAT-1.
It is available here:
http://carpcomm.com/satellite/fitsat1
73 to all
Spiros - SV8CS

SV 1st with PT0S on 6m band

PT0S 50.110 SSB and CW qso.
Today Wednesday 21 Nov 2012 at 15:50z worked PT0S dxpedition on 50.110, SSB and CW.The signal from PT0S was weak here in my QTH (KM07JS) but qso both ways 100%.
This qso is the first between SV and PT0S land in 6m.

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (ASPSP) is a group of 15 small islets and rocks in the Atlantic Ocean, lying close to the equator and about 520 nautical miles (990 km) east of the Brazilian city of Natal. The rocks are close to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), are area of constant and severe thunderstorms, resulting in permanently noisy radio conditions, especially on the lower bands. The rocks are located relatively close to both North America and Europe. We hope that the proximity of the rocks to Europe and North America will allow relatively small stations to work this rare entity.

The operators there are:PY2XB, Fred - PY5CC, Peter - AA7JV, George -  HA7RY, Tomi.
My equipment is Kenwood TS-480 with 100W and 7 elements LFA antenna with very good take off to West. http://www.pt0s.com/NEWSUPDATES.html

Thank you guys for 6m and 160m QSO.
73, Spiros
SV8CS

NEW digital Mode (JT9-2) by K1JT.

WSJT-X new mode.
Joe K1JT has made a new digital mode for Low bands (MF 470/500 Khz and LF 136 Khz).
This new mode was disigned for use at MF around 472-479 Khz/500 Khz and also for LF 136 Khz. More info can you find here :
http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt.html and

http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT-X_Quick_Start_Guide.pdf

Yesterday I was on 136 Khz (dial usb) monitoring the band on LF and copy very well Stefan DK7FC transmiting in JT9-2 digital mode with this new program WSJT-X by K1JT.

Using Kenwood TS-480 for RX with a QUAD-Loop horizontal antenna with total lenght 230m.

73, Spiros
SV8CS

New antenna for 472-479 Khz

Yesterday 10 Oct 2012 with the help of my friend SV8DOU we finished to install a new antenna in my 2nd QTH (KM07JR) for MF and LF. The experimental antenna is a horizontal QUAD-Loop with overal lenght 230m. The wire run around the property at variable height (from 4m to 10m).
The reception is better now with less static and man made noise. Next days I will try to tune the antenna to 472-479 Khz.
The results are here:
1) QRS beacon from 9H9ES (478.4 Khz CW dial).

 

2) QRS beacon from SV1AYC (478.7 Khz CW dial).

 

3) Reception with OPERA prog. OP8 by EA5HVK.
 00:25 477 SM6BHZ de SV8CS Op8 1434 mi -32 dB in ZAKYNTHOS Island
 21:41 477 DK8KW de SV8CS Op8 1816 km -28 dB in ZAKYNTHOS Island

Opera program by EA5HVK for download is here:
http://rosmodem.wordpress.com/
Spectrum lab program by DL4YHF is here:
http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html
73, Spiros- SV8CS

NEW BAND 472 - 479 Khz in Greece

After the modification made by our PTT regarding the SV, band plan, now we can use the MF band from 472 Khz to 479 Khz as sub-band in secondary use with maximum TX PWR 1W EIRP.
Trying to listen on this portion of the band with big surprise I copyed some strong signals coming from DL, OM and I.
Yesterday 03/11/2012 I had 3 QSO's in cross band using from my side either 80m or 40m.
My QSO X-Band :
1) OM1II   03/11/2012  at 18:50   472,7 Khz qsx  3504 CW.
2) IQ2MI   03/11/2012  at 21:20   501,0 Khz qsx 7052  CW.
3) DK7FC  03/11/2012 at 22:02   472,2 Khz qsx  3568 CW.

I heard also a new SV beacon on 479 ( dial CW) with the call SV1AYC.
The signal coming here in KM07JS (about 300Km from beacon location) is 559 max. with qsb but this beacon in on the same QRG with NDB, non-directional beacon,  VIB (qth Viterbo Italy).
Soon I will be active on both bands 472 Khz and 136 Khz with YUMA transceivers.
For now on 137 Khz I am monitoring for JT9-1 mode signal (WSJT-X).
I have not yet any special antennas for 472 or 137 Khz but I am using by beverages.

I hope to see you on this bands asap.
73, Spiros - SV8CS

OX3LX 2m EME from HP15EO

OZ1DJJ, Bo he was on Greenland from 28 July until 10 August operating 144 Mhz EME with call OX3LX from HP15EO grid locator. I had a 2m QSO via EME with him
5 August 2012 in JT65b mode. His signal was very strong. Bo, had a single 2M5WL antenna with a Beco HLV-100 linear amplifier.
More about Bo, activity in http://www.df2zc.de/downloads/emenl201209ax.pdf
Here some foto's taken from DF2ZC personal page.

You can see a video on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lla_W2-Txxs

73, Spiros
SV8CS

IF YOU PLANNING CONTEST ANTENNAS - Hi Hi

FOR SALE !!!!!

Sackville shortwave transmission farm of Radio Canada International FOR SALE (last day of operations Oct 31, 2012). In case your planning the new contest location and antennas, here we are !!. You can buy the building, the land, the transmitters and antennas !

There are 7 Thomson 250KW and 2 Harris 100KW sort waves transmitters and running within factory specifications, switched between large curtain array antennas located on 250 acress close to the Atlantic Ocean. By the way we have also in Greece some locations like this by the ex VOA in Serres, Kavalla, Crete etc if you ... interested to buy !
Info from  RADIO WORLD international edition magazine :

Good Luck !
73, Spiros SV8CS

LDE X Flare In Progress - Sunspot 1520 - July 12, 2012

We have a LDE (long duration event) X flare in progress. Starting at a C4.7 @ 16:11 UTC, The X ray flux peaked at a X1.4 @ 16:52 UTC. .This LDE X flare is from Sunspot 1520. Sunspot region 1520 is directly Earth facing today.

http://mysolaralerts.blogspot.dk/2012/07/lde-x-flare-in-progress-sunspot-1520.html

A CME can now be seen on STEREO B. This CME does appear to be earth directed. STEREO A has not updated since 14:24 UTC today.
73 de Spiros- SV8CS

6m QSO with W7EW

50Mhz qso with West coast (Salem Oregon) from Zante Island, Greece.
On 29 of June 2012  at 17:54z, I made an impressive QSO with Lew, W7EW from Salem Oregon on 6m (50.091 CW). Lew's signal was loud here at the peak level 539 on my QTH (Zante Island, KM07JS).
Here, I am using a single 7 elements LFA antenna http://www.g0ksc.co.uk/ with my TS-480.
I was on my second QTH  about 7Km West from main QTH, that is at 560m a.s.l.
W7EW has an impressive antenna instalation using also LFA antennas. He has 6 X 7  WOS LFA Yagis http://www.g0ksc.co.uk/ stacked upon a 175' fully rotating tower.
Here is the W7EW's antenna Foto:

And this my antenna for 6m at the second QTH. Station powered by solar panels - wind generator and Bateries :

SV8CS second QTH at 560m a.s.l.

Thank you Lew for this Long distance 6m QSO (not via the moon) and hope to see you again on 6m.
73, and mny DX on 6m band.
Spiros, SV8CS

2m EME QSO with KH7Y

KH7Y confirm QSO 2m EME in JT65B mode

17 June 2012 I had a very nice 2m EME qso with Fred KH7Y in digital mode JT65B (WSJT-K1JT).
FRED, has a single 17 elements antenna without elevation. From my side using 4X16 elements by I0JXX. In the next future Fred will upgrade his system to 4 antennas with AZ and EL. and the EME qso's will be easyer with KH7Y. I would like to thank Fred for his patience to copmlete the QSO with me.
73, see you of the Moon de Spiros, SV8CS

MY 1st QSO with SP9HWY on 4m, FSK441

LFA antennas: 6m and 4m at SV8CS's 2nd QTH.

My 1st QSO with Poland on 4m band.
Today 01/06/2012 at 03:06 complete a 4m QSO via M/S using FSK441 with Jurek, SP9HWY.
Jurek's set-up was a 6 elements YU7EF antenna and 20W.
From my side used 6 elements antenna LFA http://www.g0ksc.co.uk/ and the Kenwood TS-480 with OZ2M's modified by HA1YA, ( ME4-T transverter).
http://ha1ya.config.hu/htmkepek/4mtransverterspec.htm
From 01/06/2012 Polish Radio amateurs have access to the 4m band.
http://dziennikustaw.gov.pl/du/2012/537/1
Here a screen shot of Yurek's transmitions.
024630 1.7 180 3 26 -88 Q SV8CS SP9HWY SV8CS SP,HS
030630 2.5 2770 3 36 111 6 SV8CS SP9HWY R26 R26 SV8CS SP9HWY R26
Thank you Jurek. I hope to see you also via Es on 4m.
73, Spiros - SV8CS

SV5/DJ6SI arrested as SPY!! INCREDIBLE.

My self with DJ6SI in Friedrichshafen 2003.

He was TXing "mysterious signals with Computer"!!!!!

Mysterious signals = CW and RTTY.

News copyed from SV2DCD's blog.

http://sv2dcd.blogspot.de/2012/05/what-shame-for-greek-authorities.html

What a shame !!
DJ6SI Baldur was having vacations on the Island of Kos when the Greek authorities thought that he was a spy will he was transmiting from his radio !!!!!!
WHAT A SHAME !!! THIS CAN HAPPEN ONLY IN GREECE !!
I HAVE NO WORDS TO SAY !!

Look where DJ6SI have been all those years from 1962 till today http://www.pileup.de.com/

70 countries all over the world and only in Greece the "smart " authorities thought that he was a spy ?????
SHAME on the Greek authorities !!

SV8CS's 2nd QTH (Field day ECO pwr).

6M, VHF, UHF 2nd QTH

SV8CS-Spiros , SV8KOS-Thomas, SV8NAC-Anna

Solar and wind energy powered SV8CS' 2nd QTH

West View from 2nd QTH at (KM07JR) at 560m a.s.l.

Hope to see you this season in Es or M/S

73, Spiros - SV8CS

EY8ZF 2m EME digital QSO

Rene, PE1L and Frank, DL8YHR was active for only 2,5 moonpasses (27-04-2012 to 29-04-2012) in 2m EME (144.134) from Tajikistan with the call EY8ZF (locator MM48jn). The antennas was a 2X9 el. DF7KF  for 2m and 38 el. M2 single antenna for 432 Mhz.
They had a very good signal off the Moon and I would like to thank you both for the QSO and NEW ONE on 2m via EME.
The most important is that they slept only 1 hour after the 24 hours trip and start to build the antennas to be active as soon as posible.
Congratulations once again for nice job and for patience to stay every day from moonrise to moonset there on the radio.
Check the link below for foto colection from EY8ZF.
http://www.ey8mm.com/pictures/view-album/57
For more info about this EME dxpedition and new coming is here:
http://www.emelogger.com/
The Team gives BIG thanks to Nodir EY8MM for the great host of their activity.
The complete antenna set-up (inclunding power dividers and all cables) stays at EY8MM station for future activity.
73, Spiros SV8CS

NASA: A BIG BLAST

Big Blast - April 16th 2012. FLARE and CME.
Look the video in YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7brf0OG6P0&feature=player_embedded

On Monday, April 16 - 2012, NASA captured a huge eruption from the sun, accompanied by a solar flare and Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). Known as a prominence, such eruptions can extend many miles into space. Since this eruption was pointed away from Earth, the blast and accompanying mass ejection -- a cloud of charged particles often responsible for aurorae on Earth -- won't affect the home planet's atmosphere.
The sunspot continued to circle toward Earth though, with the potential for further eruptions, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center said Wednesday that the several eruptions pointing away from Earth may have put the sunspot region into a state of decay, making subsequent eruptions less likely.
This prominence eruption reached about 198,000 miles off the "surface" of the sun. The Earth is around 98 million miles away, so it wasn't even close. The frames were taken 36 seconds apart from each other; the actual event lasted several hours. The Solar Dynamics Observatory collected the images and they are in extreme ultraviolet. This red-colored wavelength is 304 angstroms, which shows plasma at around 50,000 Kelvin. You can't see this with the naked eye.
73,Spiros -SV8CS

4U1ITU-J52EME-3W4TC, 2m EME new one.

4U1ITU - J52EME - 3W4TC 144 Mhz QSO via EME digital mode.

I worked last days, 3 new one on 2m via EME digital mode (WSJT by K1JT - JT65B).
1) 4U1ITU dxpedition to ITU by Chris PA2CHR, Johan PA3FPQ, Jurgen PE1LWT  and Rene PE1L.
http://www.emelogger.com/

Foto: ITU building roof.
Video YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7BB9686597143823&feature=mh_lolz
2) J52EME DXPedition by Verona Italy DX Team.
http://www.ari.verona.it/veronadxteam/en/

Foto : IK3VVD,I3VJW,IK3RBE,I3LDP,IZ3BUR,IK3ESB from Guinea Bissau making the first EME digital QSO. Antenna 2X8 el X pol.

3) 3W4TC DXpedition by Herman DL2NUD and Peter DJ4TC in Vietnam (XV4HP & 3W4TC).

http://www.mmmonvhf.de/latest.php?id=4125

Foto 3W4TC 2m antenna 17 elem.
73 de Spiros, SV8CS

TRIATHLON DX CONTEST

It all started in August of 2011. That was about when it occurred to Mike, SV5BYR that a big Greek Contest was missing from international Ham Radio Contest Calendar. By the end of September this idea became mature and so the "Triathlon" was born! A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. And as you have already guessed, it is a Greek word. We had to change a bit the name to Triathlon Dx Contest to match our activity. Actually, trying here to simulate the original Triathlon athletic event, we involved three major ham radio modes, SSB, CW, RTTY. It will be a 24 hour non-stop event divided in three sections, each one devoted to a different mode. There are some tentative rules of the contest that you can take a look. It will take place every Saturday, the 1st full weekend of February, debuting on 02-02-2013.In this point we have to mention all the Greek amateurs who are working to make this event alive: SV1DPI, SV1NK, SV2AGW, SV2DCD, SV5BYR, SV7JAR, SV8CS, SV8RX, SV9GPV, SV9DJO…

There is still a lot of work to be done and more details to be announced. Stay tuned! Of course there too many contests already but they are not all the same!

Till the show begins keep your eye on:

http://triathlon-dx-contest.blogspot.com/