Hi Zack,
It all depends on whether yu can really receive! Any coax between your
driven element and the preamp is a killer on 222. I have a run of 1/2"
LDF from each yagi to a power divider i think it is about 15 ft long.
That is about a 0.15 dB loss. I then have a 20" piece of coax from the
power divider to the preamp box. Getting rid of a long feedline is the
best thing you can do for 222 tropo or especially EME. Don't believe
anything else.
I will be making noise and maybe you might decode something. On Q65, you
will see the direct signal with no delay. The EME signal will have a 2.5
second delay.
Dave K1WHS
On 2/11/2024 12:50 PM, David Olean wrote:
As Tuesday approaches, I figured that it might be a good time to
evaluate your 222 setup with an EME test. The Moon will be setting on
Tuesday and my Moonset is at 0300 UT or 10PM in New England. If you
have a typical 222 antenna setup, your best angle for hearing an EME
signal is at 15 degrees and below. If you have stacked antennas, then
you will do best below 10 degrees. When my Moon sets here in Mumbo
Jumbo land, it will still be up at about 5 degrees out near Rochester
NY. If you live down near K3SK in Southern VA, the Moon will be also
at about 5 degrees. I am hoping that someone else promises to be on
EME after the Moon sets here in Maine. That is one reason for this e
mail. If you have EME capability, and can get on then, please let us
know. EME condx are pretty good for Tuesday. A long single yagi and
a good receiver should work.
I will be playing on 222 Activity Night up to about 0200 UT, but the
next hour from 0200 to 0300 UT I will be on 222.080 onQ65B with 60
second sequences. I will be on the 2nd sequence. This would be a good
time to familiarize yourself with Q65 and WSJTX if you have not done
so already. There are a few things that need to be checked.
1. Under the GENERAL TAB in the menu, be sure to check the DECODE
AFTER EME DELAY box. You might also check the ENABLE VHF MODES box
too. It will come in handy at times.
2. Double check the Q65 screen after you select Q65 as your operating
mode. It is always a good idea to look at the sequence length. Set it
at 60 seconds, and make sure you have selected sub mode "B" . Also
look at the F TOL box and select 500 or 1000 Hz if you are unsure of
your frequency accuracy. It will scan a wider area for the signals
you want to decode. One problem I run into with WSJTX is that it
changes frequency on me when I adjust some small parameter and I do
not see it at first. It is a vexing problem. The trick to avoid this
is to remove any pre determined frequency from the drop down frequency
list for WSJTX.
3. Remove a preset frequency for Q65 on the 222 MHz band. Simply
select the SETTINGS TAB, and then select FREQUENCIES. Scroll down the
list looking for any 222 MHz entries. If you see one for 222 MHz Q65,
erase it. That will eliminate the problem.
There are other shortcuts and important things to do, so if anyone has
any more traps that they have fallen into, be a good guy and let us
all know how to avoid them.
So Tuesday evening promises to be another exciting evening for 222. I
was up on the tower a few days ago and straightened out my twisted
antenna, so all are pointing together again and I am not as verklempt
about it looking so bad. The weather up here in the North has been
really fine, but some significant snow is predicted for Tuesday and
tuesday night. We could get 10 inches of the stuff. All this is due
to Pete K1PXE who says it always rains or snows on Tuesday. Thanks
Pete. It will be enough to make things miserabobble. Looks like
another snow shoe event for Dave. I am trying to get some diesel fuel
hauled up the hill today. There is still much snow and the truck gets
bogged down. I may have to shovel parts of the hill to get the fuel up
there. More fun and games!!
Circle the time for Tuesday evening on the 222 band. Shine up those
elements!!
73
Dave K1WHS
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