[amsat-bb] UO-14 QRP Europe

[A Thomas <70374.440@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all

it is certainly possible to operate in Europe on UO14 using 5w.  This isn't
a brag but a general plea to everyone to turn down the PA as its not
needed.

In the last couple of weeks I've been operating  in the garden - sometimes
in  total darkness, hi - with nothing more than a Kenwood THd7E, the high
power battery yielding 5W and of course an Arrow antenna, the model with
the duplexer in the handle.

With the help of G1OCN, G8ATE and G7HIA I have found the following to be an
effective operating procedure:

1 70cm squelch fully open so the audio doesn't suddenly cut out due to
polarisation.

2 Operate  Duplex - and I take the audio into a walkman and back to the
headphones so I can hear myself coming back from the satellite  (slight rf
feedback into the phones, need to fit rf chokes?) but as G7HIA  verified,
it doesn't get onto the tx audio (the tape allows me to confirm the
callsign and note the locator afterwards as i haven't got enough hands for
a torch (flashlight) and a pen as well, and my short term memory just about
holds a callsign)

3 2m uplink freq stays the same but i switch between +5, nominal, -5 and
even -10  on 70cms on the pass, either by pre-preparing memories or
selecting the VFO

4 Choose the pass with care - Difficult on the overhead passes because all
the nearby big guns open up, but great on the easterlies and westerlies
about 10 to 25 degrees elevation  - I've worked from Canada to the canary
islands, SM OH OZ DG F, I , EA, EB8, VY, G, MM, PA in 10 days.

It's great fun as /QRP/P, so don't weaken - and keep the power down!!



andy G0SFJ
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