Wednesday 1 January 2020

Cape Verde: in the log!

Well, it's been a remarkable end to 2019 and start of 2020 on 2m digital!

It looked as though the last of the current super-tropo would be swept away with some advancing low pressure tomorrow morning, and conditions looked excellent from 21UT to 09UT.

Before going QRT for the evening, I came back to the radio from watching some TV, to find D41CV booming in at up to -06dB - in my tiny 3-element Yagi!  I was using 50W initially, with 80W later, to make sure the full QSO was completed, as propagation faded a little.


It took me just two calls to be heard!  I'm absolutely amazed that I've achieved with so little what would have been, last week, the 2m IARU R1 distance record.

It's a shame that so many operators still refuse to engage with FT8, simply because it goes against their fixed ideas about what radio is.  The Facebook and QRZ.com groups have seen a fair share of grumpy men saying these groundbreaking DX distances are 'not real QSOs'. Well, I agree the mode is no good for human-human contact.  But for sheer technical ability to reach parts other modes never did, and the fascination that brings, is reward enough for me. 

Superb radio site at D41CV.

Bring on the summer.  There's no stopping me (but I may become a lonely man, sending 2m CQs into the void for weeks!)  Until then, it seems I have no other long-haul DX stations to chase!

4 comments:

John, EI7GL said...

Wow, that's excellent John. Who would have thought... Cape Verde Islands direct on 144 MHz with a 3 element! No satellites, no ionosphere, just tropo.

Photon said...

HNY, John! Yes, who would have thought? If it had been put forward as a possibility a few weeks ago, the 'experts' would have laughed at it.

PE4BAS, Bas said...

It would have been a record distance a few weeks ago. Congrats with this great QSO. I consider FT8 as valid. If you can do it with FT8 a real "QSO" mode like JS8 would be possible as well. But what do you have to prove ;-). Well, because of this post I mounted my VHF/UHF beam in the tower again after 12 years!!! 73, Bas

Photon said...

The FT8 for/against argument has been raging - and I lost patience with it and abandoned the grumpy people to fight amongst themselves! I am very glad you were inspired to put up your beam! The transatlantic crossing is now clearly possible, just a matter of time until the tropo/tropo + Es line up properly. My 8-ele is awaiting construction this week!