Great Es ...but....

4m QSOs map...

6m QSOs map...

6m opening map...

Mixed 6m and 4m opening map...

4m opening map...

Unfortunately no 2m opening and today.... 

J43VHF...

J43VHF/B using my remote station at south Rhodes (KM36VC).

Both beacons comes clear and loud.

Nice experience and great page for the Greek Radioamateurs...

It's mine after 38 years...!!!

As young boy every night I dreamed a "Green Radio" to hear all that voices that they comes from the sea. The very first time when I saw it in a big boat at Karpathos island I fall in love with it and for many years I was looking to find it cheap to buy it. Just to listen the Chanel 16 in the shack. The prices all those year staying high and the sell places far from me to pay the shipping. A day, surfing to E-bay I find it to the German E-bay but the guy says no Shipping to Greece. 

The price was affordable and my dream so closed. I hit a bid and few days later I won...!!! My good friend Frank (DL8YHR) says (after my question) "No Problem" to send it the seller to him at Germany. A week later my box it travels from Germany to Rhodes with UPS. Thanks again Frank for you time and expenses. Few days before the box arrives and the baby comes out to the Greek light. Seller says that "the speaker is not working but you can hear something from headphone if you wish".  

So, I opened the cache and go directly to AF AMP. Some shorts with a speaker shows alive the PA IC, and then I focusing to the electrolytic capacitors. An 4700 μF refused to work and a brand new take its place. The warm bass sound of this radio comes out  making me smile...!!! 

My SAILOR RT144 VHF Marine Radiotelephone its back to life and now listen all ship and Coast Guard reports in all Eastern Mediterranean sea. Yesterday I was listening for a half hour the Port-Said canal control at Egypt with Q5.

A real Es...

Sporadic E season it starts with lot of promises...

6m Es 2nd opening...

Today was the 2nd Es opening on 6m.

 Greetings for good Es season to all my 6m friends...!!!

ICOM IC-725 panadapter mod...

Last couple of months SV5PFC (Markos) ask me to make the modification that I promise to him, hoping to renew his radio totally. I've seen lot of similar ideas to Internet about several radios but no one for IC-725. Reading the manual I've seen thaT the IF it's on 70.450 MHz. Ahhaaa... this on the range that a RTL-SDR can tune so a tap point founded very quick reading the service manual this time.... The radio bottom cover must remove and if you search carefully comparing the next fotos you 'll spot the tap point easily. Q15 is the component you looking for...If you check your junk into the shack a ceramic 4.7 pF or near value will be around. Add capacitor in series for DC block.  I use the same antenna cable that comes with USB stick, cutting the exact dimension and making a direct soldering without using a connector on radio chassis. A ferrite bead before the connector of dongle's antenna is a must and maybe you can glue the plastic USB cover on the top of radio.

Here is the procedure in photos:

Then turn on radio and start SDR Console V2

and tune on 70.450 MHz

Now is time to enjoy your old radio as a new SDR radio

as shown at next video at SV5PFC's shack...

Modification is on your own risk. 

This is just a purpose with my very bad English...

73s Mike

SV5BYR

1st Es 6m opening this year...

3 QSOs with Italian stations opens the season for 6m Es...

WPX and ..Ham education.

It's amazing how fast the young people learn. 

Last weekend my youngest son ask me: ..."what to do to be an Radio Amateur and communicate with other people around the globe ???". Usually, the kids of radio amateurs are staying away of radios and all that "noises" that get "familiar" very early at their life. They use the Ham shack as ...playground using dad's spare computers and solving (mostly) software issues.
 Well, my kid for some reason get anxious with communications and I had a opportunity to have a good start. I confused a little (after dozens of Ham students I've prepare for exams at SV5 land) but soon I found the time and place to start. WPX weekend and at our shack ofcourse. 

First object the International phonetic code. 

 A small ASUS netbook running the Logger32, a short briefing how the log works (he got already some tricks looking me all those years  ...hi hi), lightweight headphones and the ...Game Rules.

As you hear the DX station you try to get his call and write it down the log correct. If you are not sure just check dad's screen... 

The very first 3 hours of Saturday was real pain for him but he didn't give up. Every letter was a question and every answer from dad, a smile of success for him... We forgot almost to eat, but early the afternoon we leave Americans and get a big walk away from screens and QRM... Just before the grey line we get back in shack and we have some exotic calls down the log. 330 QSOs at first day for dad it's OK...  about 25 complete calls for him and a lot of complains about the speed of speech from me and the others...

At Sunday Konstantinos wake me up early the morning... A new day and a new challenge for him... JA start’s come strong at clear of QRN and QRM  10m band. The Japanese accent of English is not helps the kid but he try harder...
It looks to recognize all letters and numbers even few of that its not "compatible" with international phonetic code as "Sugar", "Baker", "Zanzibar" etc... Anyway the secret it's the first letter and he focus on that. Sunday was a real joy for him playing this strange game. He ask me tons of questions about signal fading, the mixed signals, distorted voices, reports and exchange and all that's .."very common" for all of us. 
Late the afternoon of Sunday this strange game (but beautiful as he said) ends and I’m sure that the next days, months,  maybe years I have to find more attractive ways to free his fantasy about Ham Radio. 

All next must be a game for him.  

As is anyway...!

Last night's activity...

Nice signals from South America with TransEquatorial Propagation. 

Last 2 weeks lot of stations comes with nice signlas to Mediterannean sea...  

Here is the QSO of ZP5SNA and SV1PMR ....

New kid on the ...blog !!!

 

My youngest son  Konstantinos try his first kit from Ebay....

 

A nice clock for our shack....

Next effort asked to be a radio receiver....!!!

SiX meters TransEquatorial Propagation....

CE2AWW and 5V7DX into th log...
Last week TEP is giving daily more new ones and pleasure... PY's are daily present and some more exotic calls as ZP, CX, ZD8, etc are copied here also. 

My server it's listed and running...

One of the very first ten worldwide servers 

who is listed is the SV5BYR.

Visit:    http://v2.sdrspace.com/

Give a try following the info here:  

http://v2.sdrspace.com/Listening.aspx

JA,VK,UA0,HL,DS,BA and others...

463 QSOs are made this morning with exotic destinations on 10m band.

Mostly JA's and Asiatic Russia.

I really enjoy it...

Two contests the same day....!!!

Last week we run the "Triathlon DX Contest" for second time. For me was a must to be there but on Saturday my youngest son Konstantinos run his own contest on local JU-JITSU Championship.  I start contest at 00:00 UTC and at 07:00 UTC leave the shack to ...run on the boy's contest.  He get the golden medal easily and later I get into the shack for the rest of the "Triathlon"contest. Konstantinos support me all the time till the end...!!!

188 QSOS and log send as check log

Loooking forward for the next year's Triathlon.... 

2nd "TRIATHLON DX Contest"...

February the 1st we run the "Triathlon DX Contest".

 The prize for the winner is 10 days all payed in Greece. 

 Check here:   http://triathlon-dx-contest.gr

Season Greetings...

FunCube Satellite...

Last night's pass during orbit 52 over my head....!!!

My antenna was a 13B2 in horizontal polarization and 
radio used the ICOM IC-7000.

Trace copy with bad audio quality on my RTL SDR dongle and 
a Double discone.

Ham Satellite adrenaline flowing again...

Visit Rhodes island...

Next summer SV5 land wait for you. 

Our paradise haves all you need and more...

RTL-SDR HF server on-line...

After almost one and a half year of playing on RTL-SDRs dongles, I decide to purchase the Ham-It-Up upconverter to test it on HF too.... In 10  days my upconverter came from USA and I hook it up in 2 minutes. (Later on, I'll put it in a metal box together with RTL-SDR dongle as on picture)...

I get the newer version that use 125 MHz Local Oscilator and not 100 MHz to avoid the QRM from the Broadcast FM band. An old but good YAESU Low Pass HF Filter is added also between a disconne antenna and my upconverter. Actually Im using two dongles on my SDR Console Server. The "plain" one, covers the range from 24 MHz to 1.7 GHz and the new setup is dedicated for HF use only. 
The first thing you have to do is to download the SDR Console V2 software. Click here. Then install the program and open it. You will see something like this:

 

On the upper left corner hit "Connect" and a dialog box will shown. Put my data into the boxes as showned to the next picture:

Hit "Connect" and a new window will show you the to available options from the connected dongles to sever. If you choose the second option (EZcap USB) leave the box for the Upconverter blank. 

 

If you wand to play with the Ham-It-Up HF Converter then on Converter box choose Manager. A new window will open and just put the data of LO 125.000 MHz in as shown on next picture:

 

Just check the Upconverter option and press the Add  button. Now the LO frequency will be stored at upper box. Then OK to close the "Manager" window and go back to selection window. Choose 125.000 Up and now you can start tuning around. Is necessary to open the "FREQ / Mode / Filter" window that is on the middle of left side of your screen for frequency and mode input. 

 

Try to get familiar with software if its your first time with that...  

Enjoy your listening into ham bands and feel free to use it as long you want.