Catching Up With QSLs

It’s been sometime since I have posted some of my incoming QSLs as I've been waiting arrival of the last one of my 6m winter DX season cards to arrive, which it finally did yesterday!

Unfortunately the peak of Solar Cycle 25 arrived a little ahead of time, peaking in the early fall rather than later or in early winter which is much more favorable for higher F2 MUFs. Nevertheless, some interesting days were to be had if the propagation patterns were followed closely, particularly after a solar event. Hopefully we will see a second peak of the cycle later this fall as most cycles have a double peak … if it comes in this summer, it’s not going to be of much help for 6m fans.

I started the 2024 6m sporadic-E season with a confirmed DXCC total of 110 countries and hoped to add at least one or two new ones via chordal-hop E or via F2 in the fall. My hopes were indeed met but if the cycle had peaked a few weeks later, the fireworks would have been something much more exciting.

The summer chordal-hop E openings to Europe and possible new countries are rare and usually short-lived but I got fortunate on July 8th. My very rare 'CQ DX' on the non-domestic FT8 frequency of 50.323 brought an immediate reply from OH0Z in the Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea for DXCC #111. His was the only signal heard for a long time as his many CQs went unanswered.

Other than a few JA openings that stretched further to South Korea and China, that was the extent of this summer's DX on 6m. It was one of the poorest in many years.

With the early October solar flux in the low 300s, the F2 MUF finally reached 50MHz here on the west coast allowing a QSO with Roberto, YS1RS to be easily completed. Although on FT8, signals were very loud on both ends and a CW or phone contact could have readily been made. Unfortunately, most stations on 6m are now reluctant to change mode in the middle of an opening (including me), as almost all of the good stuff is now firmly entrenched in the FT8 mode. Roberto was 6m DXCC #112. Roberto visited me about 15 years previously and I sent him back to El Salvador with all of the parts needed to build a Paraset and an Ameco AC-1 clone ... which he did. A Paraset to Paraset QSO should be next on our list!

The solar flux began to drop soon after, hitting the 150s at times, but began to pick up once again. 

The band continued to produce openings to South America, Japan and the east coast and on November 1st, XT2MD in Burkino Faso was worked with strong signals both ways ... DXCC #113

Soon after, the solar flux began to drop once again, hitting a low 130 before starting to slowly rise once more. One solar rotation after working XT2MD, the flux was back into the low 200s and a short opening to Africa produced DXCC #114 with C5T in The Gambia, demonstrating that November can produce good F2 MUFs without as much flux as in previous earlier fall months.

Other than a few good transcontinental openings into early December, it seemed like most of the fireworks were over as the flux retreated once again. Although there have been spotty openings into March of this year, so far nothing new has shown up. Is that it for Cycle 25? Time will tell.

One all time new DXCC on HF was recorded, earlier in May ... FT4GL on Glorieuses Island in the Indian Ocean northwest of Madagascar, was worked on both 15 and 20m, sadly on FT8 in spite of his strong CW-level signal.

FT4GL was overall DXCC #340 (including a few deleted entities)

A few earlier utility cards that I have not reported yet are shown below, proving there is still life beyond the ham bands and the challenge of QSLing is not yet dead!

JOHR 1287 kHz on Japan's northern Hokkaido Island

HBC (Hokkaido Broadcasting Company) are good QSLers

                                      

JG2XA University CW Sounding Beacon 5006 kHz / 8006 kHz

Akashvani (ex-All India Radio) 15050 kHz

Akashvani continues to be a reliable QSLer

Radio Taiwan is another reliable QSLer

NTSC, China's 'WWV', can often be heard
with its CW ident around dawn on 5.000 MHz.

Time to get busy listening again to see what's out there ... if the Sun ever stops messing things up!

Finding Your Best Crystal Radio 'DX Diode' (Part 2)

Readers may recall my summertime blog, "Finding Your Best Crystal Radio ‘DX Diode'". It described a theoretical method I tried in order to see which of several dozen diodes might emerge as the best of the show, or in crystal radio DX circles, the ‘Holy Grail Diode’!

The grading system revolved around the combination of several factors … the diode’s measured forward-voltage (Vf), the weakest signal level detectable from an RF oscillator (whose level could be varied) and the diode's current when detecting a fixed-level signal on 1220 kHz. These values were used to derive a numerical ranking that I called ‘Vdx’, which would hopefully rank the best overall performers!

It’s not unreasonable to think that diodes with a very low forward voltage (Vf) combined with the ability to detect the weakest signal from the signal generator, might likely be the best diodes in the bunch … or are they?

These tests capacitively-coupled the oscillator signal directly into the crystal radio’s antenna tuner, which then coupled them into the detector stage. Using the methodology described in the earlier blog, the 48 diodes under review were narrowed to the ‘top 10’ likeliest best performers.

This time, actual ‘on-the-air’ signals would be used to compare diodes against each other in real time. A closer look at the top candidate diodes was made over several days and evenings as the days grew shorter and darkness arrived earlier.

My DX set has provisions for comparing a current good performing diode against two others.

 

In this arrangement, shown above, the current ‘best diode’ is mounted in the center switch position so that an immediate comparison can be made between it and the other two in real time.

A weak groundwave signal from Seattle, with a slow fade rate, was used initially but nighttime skywave signals were found to be most useful. Several  hours were spent tuned to 2800 watt CKBI in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on 900 kHz. Their C&W format meant that most of the time they were broadcasting music, which I've found is always much easier for the ear-brain to detect in the noise floor than are spoken voices.

So what did I eventually find out? My original ranking methodology concluded that the best overall diode of the many dozens was the Sylvania JHS 1N3655A, a 40-year old microwave mixer diode.

The observations of the CKBI signal strength were by ear-brain only and no actual levels were measured since signal levels were usually too weak to measure on my detector's micro-ammeter. Measurements may yet be undertaken using an oscilloscope or by using an audio amplified output to compare signal voltage levels.

So … would my diode-ranking order and testing methodology hold up when actually using the diodes in a hi-end, low-loss crystal radio system when connected to an actual antenna?

I started ‘A-B’ comparisons against what has always been a reliably good performer mounted in the center position, a fairly modern twenty-year old  1N34A.

As noted above, the #1 rated diode (with my Vdx rating of 66) was the 1N3655A microwave mixer diode. Although it did not produce the loudest signal (diode current) compared with others, it had an exceptionally low Vf of .18V and its weak-signal detection level was good although not the lowest. Like a few others, it detected the nearby UHF data stream ‘clicks’ from a nearby Wi-Fi modem, often a characteristic of a good performer.

I was somewhat aghast when my #1 ranked 1N3655A was immediately outperformed by the modern 1N34A, ranked 44 out of 49! The 1N3655A was not just poorer than the 1N34A, it was very poor by comparison ... hmm ...was my selection process really that far off?

Diode #2, also with a low Vf of .197V was also poorer than the 1N34A, whose Vf was an unimpressive .375V.

And so it went for the most part, with my top 10 choices! Most of them were equal to the 1N34A but nothing stood out while listening to real on-air signals until I got to the three ‘curiosity’ diodes, originally tested at the very end.

The 38th-ranked Soviet-era D18, a military grade germanium in a glass ‘50s-style' package, was compared next. Earlier testing had shown it to produce a loud signal (higher current) but combined with its high Vf of .366V led to a low overall ranking.

Surprisingly, the D18 produced a noticeably better signal than the 1N34A and was moved into the #1 position.

Next up was the FO-215, often touted as the Holy Grail diode. It compared favorably with the D18 but was no better. Some have found that paralleling two FO-215s produced even better results but I did not find that to be the case.

                                                                                

The third diode was a very old Sylvania 1N34A from the 50s, possibly one of the earliest in production. It had an unimpressive Vf of .335V but did produce a loud signal in earlier testing. It detected the signal from Saskatchewan equal to or perhaps slightly better than the D18 … it was hard to say for sure. It was certainly no worse!

 

These last two were both made in the 50s … was there something different about the way they were made? Was the germanium different back then? How did they perform so well when their Vf was so high? It almost appears the opposite of what might be expected.

Seeing the above behaviour, I couldn’t pass up the chance of testing the 48th ranking diode, a beautiful black NOS Rogers 1N34A, probably another product of the 50s. Its Vf was truly discouraging, at .401V and the reason I had mostly ignored it in the past. It was put up against the D18.

 

I was astounded to find that not only was the vintage black beauty better than the D18, it was a LOT better! The ‘just barely’ detectable CKBI signal popped out of the noise to become one that was easy to hear! I had to rock the ‘A-B’ switch back and forth many times just to enjoy the big difference!

Out of curiosity, I tested the last-ranking diode (Vf of .444V) and it truly was deaf, with not even a sound emitting from the phones … so at least I got that one right!

What is obvious now is that the method I used to rank the diodes was flawed. These results have brought up several questions for me that I had never considered previously … far more questions than answers!

Takeaways? I've found that there's a lot about diodes that I don't know and need to learn about! I’ve learned that a diode’s Vf value is not an indicator of its weak-signal detection capability in crystal detectors (in spite of what some You Tube videos might try to convey). I've learned that when detecting a weak signal, the diode is operating below its Vf value which helps explain why a high Vf value does not mean a poor detector or a low Vf does not mean a good detector. Low Vf values were a well considered number when ranking my diodes … an apparent mistake.

Further to this, the diode is operating within its ‘square law region’ when detecting the weak signals we seek. When operating in this region, it means that increasing the input signal by 5 times (for example) will increase its output by 25 times. Similarly, decreasing the input level by 5 times will result in a 25 times drop in output. The importance of reducing as many losses as possible in the antenna tuning stage along with the detector stage itself can certainly pay fast dividends when it comes to weak signal detection. Conversely, ignoring system losses will very quickly reduce performance.

Also ignored in my system was diode capacitance, diode operating impedance, reverse leakage and no doubt some characteristics I'm not even aware of. Diodes with lower C will have fewer losses than those that are higher. I wonder how much of a factor was this in my overall unexpected results! The diode’s internal resistance when detecting a signal is a factor that I did not consider. The method of determining this value is complex but it may explain some of what I noticed.

There appears to be something different with older diodes that makes them great performers … larger junction? Germanium quality?

A final take away ... with enough knowledge, one can measure every tiny detail about a given diode without actually using it. No doubt a ranking list of diodes going through such rigorous scrutiny could zero-in on the top few. What's the BEST diode to use? It's probably the one that seems to work the best in your particular detector, until a better one comes along ... but it appears you can't go too far wrong with a very good 1N34A ... even in 2024!

 

The George Batterson 1935 QSO Party

VE3AWA - TPTG 210s

After the most recent running of the AWA’s Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party, a group of dedicated ‘29 enthusiasts and builders were hoping to see a second Spring edition to provide another opportunity to use these wonderful vintage designs on the air. They might sound pretty awful by today’s standards but for the average ham, these were considered state-of-art in 1929.

We approached the AWA regarding a second BK, but for a number of reasons, were turned down. All was not lost however, when Contest Coordinator, Joe Fell (W3GMS), suggested that we pursue a slightly different angle … something that would honor the third original AWA founder that had yet to have his memory honored in the form of a contest … the late George Batterson, W2GB

 

The three of us, Lou (VE3AWA), Gary (W8PU) and myself (VE7SL), immediately took Joe’s suggestion to heart and got busy building a contest!

 

The final details for the spring running of the George Batterson 1935 QSO Party can be found in the link below. It is an event similar to the BK but with a couple of exciting new opportunities … any tubes that were available before (and including) 1935 may now be used. 

 

53 / 6A6

Any commercial transmitters for the same time period may also be utilized. And unlike the BK, crystal controlled transmitters may also be used, something that was very popular in the 30’s.

1935 Style  53 20/15/10m Harmonic Power Oscillator

It is hoped as well, that the QSO Party will catch on quickly and encourage some new homebrewing activity among AWA members and others. With the flood of new tubes and circuit designs, the 30s was an exciting time to be a radio amateur!

The 1935 Radio Amateur's Handbook

For contest dates, rules, logsheets and other helpful links, CLICK HERE.

Please pass the word out (or the link to this blog) to fellow hams that might be interested ... start searching designs, warm-up those soldering irons and hit the workbench!

 

Hope to see you all in the “GB”.

YADD - Maritime HF Activity Revisited

Before the HF maritime CW bands were closed back in the ‘90s, I spent many enjoyable hours listening to ships and maritime coastal stations all over the world while they exchanged CW messages or sent position and weather reports using the old AMVER system. It was a constant delight to hear various ship Radio Officers (ROs) using their keyers, bugs and good old hand keys to demonstrate their unique fists to the world, especially when using the latter two! Fists ranged from simply superb to downright awful, making one wonder if the ship’s oiler had been enlisted to send the nightly traffic! It was particularly interesting to plot their positions, as many of the vessels eventually showed up in the Port of Vancouver, an easy drive to where I was living at the time.

 

I often mailed reception reports to ship ROs and had a few invitational ship tours when they arrived in town. I was always impressed with the ship’s radio shack as well as the vessel's onboard cleanliness. Most were truly spotless!

 

Several years ago I wrote a blog describing my use of YADD, [Yet Another DSC Decoder] a brilliant piece free software written by the late Dirk Classsens. At the time I had been unaware that there was still a huge amount of HF maritime activity and that every large commercial vessel involved in deep sea travel was still on the air after all these years!

 

A look back at the earlier blog will explain many of the important things you might want to know about YADD and how to use it.

 

I recently fired YADD up again last week to see what was being heard and what I might be missing during these high sunspot days of Solar Cycle 25.

 

Some of the interesting catches, to me at least, began with a 2135Z decode of ‘CQ2283’ the bulk carrier AGIOS GEORGIOS S calling another vessel on 12577.0 kHz.

 

At 41,000 tons and 225m, she's a big ship, earlier named the ICARUS

Flying under the flag of Portugal, she was bound for Kakinada, India, and almost at the antipode from my location

The AGIOS GEORGIOS S nears Kakinada, India, in the Bay of Bengal

Next was the container ship MOL CHARISMA, C6WN8, calling RCC Australia (Canberra), also on 12577.0 kHz.

 

MOL CHARISMA - 21,000 tons and 316m long

Registered in the Bahamas, the MOL CHARISMA was in the Aleutian Island chain
near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, bound for Prince Rupert, BC.

 

The general cargo vessel MAHO CORAL, 3FEP4 (Panamanian registry) was heard twice, calling the nearby oil tanker, ORIENT CHALLENGE, 9V5083 (Singapore registry) on 12577.0 kHz. A response was heard eight seconds after the second call.

 

The MAHO CORAL - 127m

The ORIENT CHALLENGE - 183m

I was surprised and delighted to see that the ship being called was right behind her and both were just around the corner from me in Boundary Pass, heading for Vancouver!

 

About to enter BC's Gulf Islands enroute Vancouver

It was great to see the pair from my window about an hour later as they passed the Roberts Bank coal and container port. 

A switch to 16804.5 kHz found the CMA CGM MAUI calling the coastal station in Valencia, Spain.

 

 

CMA CGM MAUI, a true leviathan - 154,000 tons 366m length

At the time of my intercept, the French-registered CGM MAUI (FMYR) was off the southern tip of Italy, anchored at Valletta, Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea.

Next was the crude oil tanker YANNIS P, calling Guam Radio on 16MHz. After transiting the Suez Canal, she was in the Red Sea, bound for Singapore.

 

 

YANNIS P - 81,000 tons, 274m

Registered in the Marshall Islands (radio call V7A2246), the YANNIS P was hauling Russian oil from Ust-Luga to Singapore, a very long voyage! Her 0019Z transmission on 16804.5 kHz was made at 0319 local time in the Red Sea, demonstrating the great HF propagation to be had during these solar-peak years.

 

Shortly before my local sunset, I decided to drop down to the MF range for the evening and listen on 2187.5 kHz, not really expecting to hear too much. I was surprised to immediately see a decode from the BBC XINGANG (V2GC3), a 125m long general cargo ship registered in Barbados.

 

The BBC XINGANG was at anchor in the St. Lawrence River, not far from Montreal ... a surprising catch for 2 MHz as the sky was still bright here on the west coast.

An all-night listen produced several hundred ships, mostly calling each other, in all likelihood to comply with their mandatory daily DSC system test. Ship positions ranged from the US east coast, to the Gulf of Mexico and west into the Pacific. Only one coastal station of note was heard, that being the one on Kamchatka Island, Russia. As conditions improve, I plan to do more overnight listening on this frequency as there are numerous coastals in the Far East that make for challenging DX targets.

All of the signals logged to date have been heard on my Yaesu FT-1000mp and simple half-sloper wire antennas. Listening has been from the east shore of Mayne Island, BC, midway between Vancouver and Vancouver Island in the Strait of Georgia.

My home on Mayne is a wonderful location for radio as it is extremely quiet and located right on the ocean. My best direction favors the east while my poorest is to the west, due to Vancouver Island. The path to Asia has a good saltwater start but eventually runs into Vancouver Island and parts of the BC mainland before reaching the open ocean. 

As good as this spot is, it truly pales in comparison to that of fellow DXer, Walter Salmaniw, from Victoria. Walt also has a home in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) located at the northern tip of the island.

Dream location!

From here, Walt has recently been listening on the DSC frequencies as well, using a 450' N-S unterminated (bi-directional) Beverage antenna next to the ocean. With nothing but saltwater for hundreds of miles, Walt's reception on all bands is truly mind-boggling. His 2 MHz overnight run, netted dozens of ships in Asia as well as coastals from the Far East! On 16 MHz, for every single ship that I was able to decode over-the-pole from the middle east, Walt would log a half dozen or more. When not in Haida Gwaii, Walt can listen remotely from his home in Victoria ... truly the best of both worlds! 

As mentioned earlier, some of my fondest radio memories were those times spent listening to HF maritime CW activity. Many 'prepared form cards' or PFCs were sent to the ships or coastal stations heard, with an amazingly high return rate. These prepared QSL cards left blank spots for the recipient (Radio Officer) to fill in. They were often returned along with several pages of handwritten letters.

The 'lakers' were very reliable QSLers

Laker STEWART J CORT

If you miss the maritime HF activity or want to collect some new maritime QSLs, the opportunity still exists ... but instead of sending a reception report in care of the ship's Radio Officer, it will now need to go to the ship's Electronics Officer (ETO) or to the Captain. Reports can be sent to the ship's company who will then forward them to an upcoming port of call.

There is an an active group of DSC maritime DXers in Groups.io DSC-List, where loggings are posted daily. The group also has several helpful files and guides that will be of interest to those getting started. 

One of the group members, GM4SLV, has set up a wonderful website called YaDDNet devoted to collecting and posting listener's decoded loggings in realtime. One of YADD's features is the ability to automatically upload decoded signals, similar to PSK Reporter. It's an easy 30-second job to configure YADD to upload your spots to the net. His site also contains the latest MMSI look-up file used by YADD which is updated in real time from the latest log postings ... presently at 72,626 vessels!

Clicking on any of the uploaded ship names displayed in the real time YaDDNet log, automatically takes you to an online vessel-tracking site which usually has a picture of the ship along with all of its information, including its present position.

If you set up YADD to do some listening, I'd strongly urge you to also set it up so that your decoded spots are uploaded to the YaDDNet page in real time. Your latest logs will also keep the MMSI database up-to-date for all YADD users worldwide.

Good luck with your maritime listening or QSLing. Who says there's nothing interesting to be found on shortwave radio anymore!