These are various Amateur Radio videos taken by Scott, WX0V. Most of these are of DX, and their signals into my station in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. My goal it to document their history; especially those DXpeditions that DXers may not see again for many years (or maybe never again).
All videos starting on March 8 of 2016 are dated in GMT. Videos prior to that are dated in Central Standard time, not GMT.
You are an amazing instructor! If that was (or is) not your career it should have (should) be. A propane torch is your best friend when working with aluminum, especially corroded. Be care as aluminum will start to to melt without tuning red and stays hot longer after heating than you might think. Yeowww! If an electric heat gun will work, use that. Nylon melts easily in the presence of flames too. Destructions......PERFECT! I thought I was the only one who said that. 73.
Thank you for your kind words. Yeah, I was told propane would melt it but should have tried anyway, as I ended up scrapping those sections, so your call there is a good one. "Destructions" is credited to Gary Huddleston (scroll through the comments here for the full story) 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing Takes a LOT of heat from a propane torch to melt aluminium, especially a large tube like what's in an antenna. Even thin old tv antenna elements are hard to melt. You can straighten the elements surprisingly easy without a tubing bender. The split in the tubing makes it pretty easy to manipulate it with pliers while moving the torch around the element.
Hi Scott, I saw this 2 hours after you posted and ran to the shack to see if 15 was possible from my QTH in FN03ra. No go. But there was a spot for 60m FT8. Now I have NEVER made a Q on 60M and have no idea how F/H works or protocols on 60. So, I went to the posted QRG, hit split, set my 2nd RX on the 7610 for 2.2kHz higher and called with WSJT in F/H mode. HOLY COW! Took all of 2 minutes to get the RRR along with an N1 station at the same time. Too cool! I'm not a big DX chaser and am happy to work each DXpedition on one band with CW as long as it doesn't take more than a half hour. 73, K2QO
@@sirus2496 I do not use dual watch as I only want one audio source playing at a time, and pressing the XFC is faster than turning 2 volume knobs. I show this in detail here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rxqDbxJIUWM.html As an aside, I am one of the few (possibly the only one) on You Tube that tries to show both sides of a split pile-up... Thanks for your comment and 73! de WX0V
I got them fine on three bands this week but despite a big signal on 15 M on the afternoon of 30 August, 100's of station calling but hardly any were able to decode the big signal. Must be a different computer, fox software, or operator not familiar with the mode. We tried various techniques including trying to bias our times with their clock that today had that an annoying one second error with the rest of the universe. That's what we get when we alpha test software during an expedition. Hope the developers can resolve this sometimes it works and sometimes it just will not decode the fox no matter how strong an rf signal they have. I know they have had plenty of kickback from frustrated stations anxious to log this new mode. My conclusion, when it works it works great. When it doesn't perform right, hounds will bad talk it and destroy adoption of this mode as a new expedition standard. Give it time to shake the last few bugs out of a deployed version with average operators at both ends. I think the guys are going to QRT today and I have enjoyed working them on all modes except RTTY the past two weeks from Ohio. 73 from W5UHQ. ARRL Tech services team member, Ohio ARRL Section.
@@eldonpeterson1612 I am also hearing similar frustration in regards to SF. I like how N5J pivoted to F/H and even regular FT8 when issues arose. As you said, when SF is working, it's great, but additional work on it appears to be needed. Glad you got them on 3 bands. I already have CY9 on most bands, so I am mostly sitting this one out. 73! de WX0V
I own one of these. In normal ssb use the fans never get above speed 2 You would only get to speed 5 in 1500 watt operation at many minutes at 100% duty cycle, such as RTTY
@@LawyerCalhoun1 That is true...I have never seen the amp at speed 5, but I have seen speed 3 in an extended CW pileup...I have not seen anything above speed 2 using SSB. The fans do get bothersome with weak signal CW pileup DXing on the low bands (fan speeds are irrelevant on FT8, of course). Thank you for your comment and 73! de WX0V
For sure..."Greatest Cycle Ever" if you listen to the "experts"...your radio and subsequent logbook entries tell a totally different story, don't they? 73! de WX0V
Fair question...the reason is I only want one audio source playing at a time. I could use dual watch but then I have to turn a volume knob. Using the XFC is much more efficient (and way faster since it is a momentary switch). I show this in detail here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rxqDbxJIUWM.html As an aside, I am one of the few (possibly the only one) on You Tube that tries to show both sides of a split pile-up... Thanks for your comment and 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing ok sounds good. I enjoy all your videos. I have a k4 and like one receiver in each ear, with the DX turned up louder and most cases 73 and good DX de N4KH
I was in this pileup at this time. I remember him calling the LU. I was up at 14220.67. He really didn't move around much. Finally worked him at 0012z. 73!
There is more DXers in EU, I work night shift I often spend time listening to DX stations working NA and I'm amazed how little callers there does be, there would be a 40khz pile up if they were S9 on 20m into EU, there was some solar activity today and it killed the bands for us, they have been big signals at times but then no signal at others when you would expect them to be loud, I'm too close for some of the prop we are seeing, but guys 500 miles east are reporting S9, you might be seeing that as well, maybe the West Coast is finding it easier as there that big further away, thanks for the video and sorry for rambling on a bit,
There may be more DXers in EU, but those numbers did not help with N5J. It's all about propagation...you have the path, you get the DX...if not, you don't. As for me, I'd like to get these guys on 10m, but I have CY9 on 8 bands, so not the end of the world. 6O3T will be a different story, though! 🙂 Thanks again for your input...I would like to know your call sign...send me an email (good on QRZ) if you wish...73, my friend! de WX0V
Hi Scott, there is a new version of JTDX out that can do SuperFox, but it's only for beta testers, doesn't look like JTDX will get a general release update any time soon, GL with 10m, need 12&10 here, nice to hear the SF with a big signal, they were 20/9 here in EI on 40m at 00z
I know there is, but since it's not publicly available yet, I elected not to mention it. Glad to hear you guys have a solid path to CY9...you should clean house. 73! de WX0V
SuperFox didn't work for me so I reloaded the software and then it worked fine. I did nothing different on the reload but for some reason it then worked.
That is interesting, but as long as it works now. I suspect the reason people were not copying N5J was QRM on the QRG, or the required increased SNR for the wider signal, but I may be wrong...time will tell. 73! de WX0V
What Software are you using for Superfox Scott? You need to spend some time in EU and you will see that DQRM'ing FT8 is very possible, SF seems somewhat better at decoding through it, from my limited use of it so far, and we are seeing N5J many times weaker than the chip shot NA has at them,
I am using WSJT-X for SF...I use JTDX (as shown here) for the rest of FT8 ops, including F/H. What I am seeing here is SF is notably affected by QRM versus regular FT8, but the jury is still out...we'll have to see more operations with it to be sure. 73! de WX0V
10m is only a dream here in EU, the compromised verticals they are running and being on the wrong side of the island is a big problem, but any activity is good from there, also it's way too early in the season for good prop, still too much absorption in the ionosphere,
EU has a black hole to KH5/P. During K5P in 2016, EU struggled rather badly with only 11.5% / 9,123 Qs. The good news is you have done much better with N5J, with 22.7% and 20,320 Qs as of 8/16. From what I understand, N5J had to go now because of USF&W restrictions (it took 4 years of negotiations to even get on the island), and their antennas are also limited by the USF&W people. Net result; only 497 Qs 10m Qs for EU as of 8/16 (most of those are almost certainly southern EU). That said, look how weak they are to my station. OC should be booming into my station...these band conditions suck. 73! de WX0V
I can barely hear him. Not even this good. 10 has been garbage all season. I expect something decent in the winter on 10 but not holding my breath. Cycle 25 even at 326 sfi, can barely copy 20m dx at night time. Yeah the greatest of all time they say 😂
Summer propagation is more or less always garbage. I'm sure the signal strength would be much better in September than July. It's already becoming better but I agree propagation to Jarvis has been bad except the first few days.
@@JayN4GO What gets me is the hype we have been fed. I continue to see internet pieces on how great Cycle 25 is, yet 10m and 12m have been anemic for months up here! Still plenty of time for Cycle 25 to wow us, but so far, it's been decidedly underachieving (I believe my radio, not the "experts"). 73! de WX0V
Haven't had the chance to really hear much of them on 20 or any band aside from 17m, propagation at this latitude has been difficult with no apparent long path openings on 15 or 12 either.. 73 DE LB1TI
@@StianEklund The good news for EU is the paths to N5J have certainly been better than those to the last operation there (K5P in 2016), but it is still a challenge. Here in NA, we have a significantly better path than EU on multiple bands. All you can do is keep trying. Thanks for stopping by again and 73! de WX0V
One is better than none. That is like me for 3Y0J; all I got was 1 Q (an ATNO), but many NA stations got nothing. For N5J, I have worked them on just the bands I needed them on, and have stayed out of the way on the bands I worked K5P on. Hang in there, though...maybe you can squeeze out some more slots...their team is working hard. 73! de WX0V
Do you think I could record QSO both when I turn on the dual watch? One, I do it manually with the camera for sub with volume on, and the other, QSO for main, I do it as you just taught us with the recording menu with volume off. Thanks, sir, in advance. 73's Aldo
That's a really good question, and I have not tried that. In SPLIT mode, I see the voice recorder splits the audio, so perhaps it does that in DUAL WATCH as well. It cannot hurt to try...let me know what you end up with. My station is shut down for a few days for a local lightning threat, but I will also try this when I am QRV again. 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing Thank you, Sir for your quick reply. Forgive me for my late response. I have tried and recorded work on both Dual Watch for main and sub, but I haven't released the SD card from my radio to know the file folders for both QSO. Later, I will be back to answer that. Thank you, Sir, for your attention and help. 73's ALDO
@@RDT-ALDO I just recorded an audio segment with DUAL WATCH on the IC-7610. When using Dual Watch, the audio is recorded in stereo, with VFO A in the left channel, and VFO B in the right channel. This also happens when in SPLIT mode, with the RX VFO and TX VFO audio in separate channels. Hope this helps, and 73! de WX0V
@@kirkbrown8375 Interesting. NV4B in northern AL had them solidly on 30m last Saturday morning (I was on the phone with him) whereas N5J was in and out here at the same time. Overnight, I had them on 160m well enough to work but a W5 was complaining on the cluster that he couldn't hear then. Propagation is such a tricky game. Good luck and 73! de WX0V
@@N1IA-4 Are you hearing their signal? It could be you just are not copying them. Also, a friend of mine suggested that Super Fox may require a stronger signal to noise ratio and will not decode as deeply as FT8. If so, that might also be playing a role. I'm afraid that's all I have for you. 73 de WX0V
@@N1IA-4 I worked them this morning on 30m, and at times, I could audibly hear them (albeit very light) but had no decodes. If their signal (actually the signal to noise ratio) drops below -14 or so, no decodes on Super Fox (whereas regular FT8 can decode down to -24 or so). I also saw more examples of DQRM disrupting the decodes. For us to work DX that is using Super Fox, it appears we need relatively stronger signals versus regular FT8. Good luck and 73! de WX0V
Just to throw this out there, in previous versions of WSTJX while using F/H mode, it kind of suppresses the callers in the list that you see for some reason. I don't know why they have the program do that for that specific mode. Not sure if they fixed it with SFM. Either way, great vid and glad you got them on 40m. Hopefully KH3 will be next! 73 ..
Agreed, as you want your HF or 6m antennas as high as possible for them to be the most efficient. That said, my current DXCC Challenge score is 2,642 (1,528 of that total was worked using this tower), and my DXCC Mixed is 329, so if a tower is not possible, antennas at lower heights can work. 73 de WX0V
Good question! Yes, you need the most recent version to decode the Super Fox. With the older software, you will decode the Hounds but not the Super Fox. By the way, the JTDX software (which I usually use) does NOT work with this mode. 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing To be specific, you need the most recent RELEASE CANDIDATE (i.e., 2.7.0-RC6), because the most recent General Availability release does not have the capability. The RC is available from a link on the main WSJT-X web page but you need to scroll down the page and look carefully to find it. Note that with Super F/H, the Fox ALWAYS transmits on the :00 and :30 time slots, and will show up in a spectral display as a multi-tone signal within the 750 Hz to 2262 Hz range - this does not sound or look at all like the traditional FT8 signal. It sounds to me like a cross between R2-D2 and the Olivia digital mode. If you are seeing Hounds being decoded in the left hand window, but not seeing the Fox being decoded on the even time periods, you are likely not receiving the Fox and should check propagation forecasts for your location. 73 from WA4GUD
@@SuburbanDXing downloaded the latest WSJT version and worked N5J Super Fox on 12 meters. I like the confirmation stamp that lets you know it’s not a pirate station. Thanks de AF4OD
Hi Jay...I didn't call him, as I already have Palmyra/Jarvis on 20m. I think I would have gotten him, though. This video was using the IC-7610, but the IC-7600 is still here. 73! de WX0V
I put my antenna in the front yard originally but had a hum or buzz on strong signals due to AC inductance from the mains coming into the house. I'm curious if you had the same issue? Is your mains coming overhead or underground?
@@ve3nsv My mains are connected on the backyard side, so my LoG is away from them. That said, mine is not impervious to artificial noise, as it does happen from time to time. Your story doesn't surprise me. We are powerless sometimes in this arena; the noise emerges victorious. Thanks for your comment and 73! de WX0V
A great part of the learning experience and well presented. I have two pixies to build, one will be standard and the other will have a few mods, so I can compare.
Thank you for the kind words. I called CQ several times and was having no luck, so I was a little shook when someone actually responded...hope that was felt in the video. I hope your two Pixies work out for you. I am back to chasing needed DX with QRO. 73! de WX0V
Yes, that is absolutely correct...there is a small assortment of fishing sinkers in the trees nearby my own QTH as proof to your comment. 😎 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing lol, there is a kit you can buy for arboralists, it is a weight like a leather and cloth beanbag on the end of teflon string and is stored in a collapsable box arrangement which holds the string. Hopefully the softness and the teflon string will mean it won’t snag and can be pulled down again. At my age I’m not sure if I can throw anything up 8 metres. I haven’t tried swinging it around.
I have 3 pixies so I can experiment. I love listening to them and trying to pick out all the different QSO going on. It’s like 4 people talking at once. I love that. I assumed it was due to know filtering. I wonder it is actually pulling in harmonic from 20 meters. I also love the occasional am broadcast that fades in and out while I’m listening.
Thanks for posting. I learned straight key just to use my pixie. I don’t have a stand alone keyer. Started at 15 wpm. C is the hardest character for me. Anyway I made a contact 79 miles away. I am now into practicing straight key. I learned morse code strictly on iambic keys. I stopped at 32 wpm since I don’t want to get faster than that. Learning at a fast rate makes it difficult to slow down. But the pixie forced me to learn slow straight keying.
I bought one of the deluxe Pixie's already assembled and it came with a hand full of different crystals. It was fun to play with but I was never able to make any contacts on it. So it just sits in a box in the closet. I like my Xiegu X6100 though. Think I'm going to donate the Pixie and some other radio equipment to Handy Ham.
You'll need to change your name to "Kilowatt Rob"... 🙂 Next week will complete my 6th year with my KPA1500. Although the fan noise is bothersome at times, I am happy with my purchase. If I were to purchase another amp today, it would be the KPA1500. I hope you enjoy yours. 73! de WX0V
Thanks for a great instructional video!!! I'm looking for the winding experiments/tests suggested by K0SR - can you share a link or more info? I will start with 2:5 and see what happens but was curious about the 3:13 windings, as well. I only have 1 core to experiment with.
Sorry, but I do not have a link for more info on the K0SR transformer (it was shown to me live, by him), but I show how to wind it in this video. You can always order more cores, which is a good idea anyway as then you can experiment. Also, see the note about how to count "turns" in the comments here, as K0SR counted his differently than others (and that is what I went with on this video). Thank you for your kind words and 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing I did note the turn comments and will be experimenting! Thanks for the info. Explains why my search results were not getting me anywhere.
Big deal! I think ever since Kenwood released their TS440 the transmitters have made hardly any advances. Receivers come with more than bells. Listening to the IC7600 was a rather low value for money, the IC7300 become the new vanilla and the IC7610 is overengineering with old tradition, for that money I would expect some regular firmware updates for proper ham use and perhaps a HDMI output. Tapping the notch 3 times I could live with that. Buying an Icom is like getting a Lexus car, some engineer is making all them traditional decisions for you.
A premium radio, geared for DXers and contesters, should have an easily accessible notch button. Have you ever been chasing a weak-signal DX station, with headphones on, straining to hear them, with the volume up, and have a Lid drop a 10 over S-9 carrier on them? For me, I prefer to protect my ears and that is easier done with a move notch button. If you are not a serious DXer or contester, than yes, it is not a big deal. Thanks for your comment and 73 de WX0V
