2024, 432 Mhz, Dubus EME Contest

More Moonbounce madness.. The 70CM or 432 Mhz band is not one of my favorites for EME.. I am a lazy operator and like my signals relatively clean and loud and on this frequency thats not what they turn out to be, but I was surprised !

[@alandoherty8279]

Excellent Skip, just the right speed for me as well, another old guy. Great setup. 73 Alan, GI0OTC

[@thomassullivan4679]

Thanks Skip! Always learn something. 73 W1AUV

[@Snatchwrangler1]

Enjoyed the video. I've got that same K2RIW amp here that I used for FSTV back in the day. Nice to see that some of them are still kicking, although mine has been in the closet for a couple of decades now. 73.

[@VE6BGT]

Yea I used my K2RIW for ATV back when also.. I never got the proper modulation going, I just drove the amp with the ATV transmitter. Could get it to around 200 watts before it lost sync etc.. It works good for EME once it drifts into tune ha ha.. I abuse the poor thing.. Thanks for the comment.. I like your channel name ha ha.. Skip

[@sikabarra7332]

Thanks skip ,i always enjoy your videos ,easy to watch ,hope to work you some day ,73s Glyn 2M0ETJ

[@VE6BGT]

Thanks for the comments.. Glad you enjoy my craziness ha ha.. 73, Skip

[@ve3krp]

I always envy your setup Skip .... Good luck and 73 Fast Eddie VE3KRP

[@VE6BGT]

Hello Eddie, thanks for the comment, maybe we will see you at the EME conference ?? Or the MUD in Vancouver ?? Skip

[@whiskeymike5154]

Thanks again Skip.

[@jacdebruijn5456]

Hi Skip thanks for this great video, well done 👍 and thanks for our 5th band Moonbounce… more bands to come .. CUL GL de Jac PA3DZL

[@VE6BGT]

No thank you Jac, it was a great contact as usual.. Boy you have a great setup there, love that big tower in the background with the yagis!! Love to visit you someday .. Skip

[@pendulum4734]

Skip, Now you have me interested in trying to build an amp of the same design!! I told KL6M he was featured in your video. Hahahahaha. -Mike from the Frozen Interior

[@VE6BGT]

Hello again, geez I get you two guys mixed up with the same first names!! Well I wouldnt build that amp its pretty old school.. Get one of those Russian tubes and it will put out twice as much as this thing.. I built that amp way back when all I had access to was 4CX250 tubes, loads of them around then.. I have built three amps using them over the past... Skip

[@stargazer7644]

Love the videos. Hope to work you EME one day.

[@ostrov11]

спасибо, хорошая работа.

[@VE6BGT]

Thanks for commenting... Skip

[@pe0sat]

Thanks Skip

[@pascalcoole2725]

Thanks Skip, for this interesting video. That's an impressive power for 70cm ! * What's the gain of your dish on 70cm ? * What do you use in the preamp ? Your CW may be slow, but it is easy readable and properly keyed, nothing wrong here ! I recall the early 90's when I joined a UHF/SHF contest group being QRV on 23, 13, 9 and 3 cm (so not on 6). The equipment was also that bulky using a couple of 2C39 cavity racks, tjee, stuff has become pretty advanced since that time.

[@VE6BGT]

Hello Pascal, thanks for the comments.. Well the dish I made is 21.5 feet in diameter, the VK3UM program calculates that at 432 Mhz the gain is around 27 dB... The receive preamp is a WD5AGO design and if I recall its around 21 dB gain and a Noise Figure of about 0.28dB.. That old UHF amp I built a long time ago is not to bad but there are more modern tubes, a single Russian tube would put out a cool kilowatt I think.. I have one here that I am going to build up into a new amp someday. I just have to many things to work on it seems, keeps me busy all this stuff.. My CW isnt to bad but thats transmitting, I have a hard time copying it with my poor hearing anymore, I used to be a lot better at it.. If I can hear a good solid tone then its not to bad.. Thats what I like about EME, we just exchange calls, signal reports then 73 and its done.. That can take quite a while sometimes.. ha ha... Skip

[@paultomlinson528]

I miss 70cms eme i ised 4 times FO19 and home made lna but urban noise got so bad i quit

[@VE6BGT]

Hello Paul, well I wasnt a fan of 70cm due to the frequency conditions but after this last weekend I enjoyed it !

[@clcswitcher]

73 DE VE6AFI.

[@celsolpereira4097]

Rocket science setup, finest engineering, Why do you communicate by Morse code?

[@VE6BGT]

Hello and thanks for asking.. Voice or SSB ( Single Sideband ) doesnt work very well due to the fact the signal is weaker and has a lot fading and distortion from the way the signal bounces off different parts of the lunar surface.. Especially on this frequency of 432 Mhz.. This lower frequency is badly distorted when it comes back through the earths magnetic field and a wider signal that is voice, SSB, gets all messed up and would be hard to understand.. On the higher frequencies 1296 Mhz and higher this effect doesnt happen but its still hard to use voice but we have at times when conditions are good.. CW or morse code has all its energy concentrated in a narrow signal compared to SSB and the strength of it is much stronger thus easier to understand.. Now if you asking why I am using CW instead of digital, well I just havent gotten around to setting up my station to do that mode, yet.. I am busy enough just working on the hardware side of things rather than the frustration of digital communications.. But someday I will be.. Thanks, Skip

[@celsolpereira4097]

@@VE6BGTThank you sir. I really appreciate the way you explained to me the way it worked. Learning everyday. God bless you!