Another SSTV QSO on 40m

I managed to get another successful QSO in yesterday on SSTV with VK3AWA who happened to be booming in at +20db.

Always glad to get another one in the log book. 

I did put some time in with my most regular HAM contact Colin VK3NCC who happens to be stuck in his caravan mid lockdown on the otherside of the state. 

He was able to receive my CQs but I was struggling to hear him over the noise.

We'd earlier had an FT8 QSO - something of a novelty in itself for me as I rarely get contacts in VK3 on FT8. Not using the vertical might have had something to do with it. 

It's great to use my break times.. and those times where I'm stuck waiting for something where I'm otherwise idle.. to explore and try things with others. In a complete role reversal I was able to provide him my experiences with 40m fading during the day and was able to validate that FT8 seemed to die later in the morning, and SSTV would be challenging until later in the afternoon. 

In other news:

I think the vertical needs to some reworking, starting with termination of the cables. I'm not convinced they're quite right. FT8 at the moment is completely dead on it, but not dead on the dipole. Normally it's the other way around. Something is NQR. I thought I may have cooked the G90 given I've had a bad tendency of having it set to the same frequencies when I've transmitted from the IC706. Those antennas are all sharing a common ground.   I tested the theory yesterday and the G90 came alive as soon as I changed its antenna.

I needed to replace the shack side cable from the arrester to RF switch for the X200A yesterday - the RG58 run was too short, so I replaced it with RG213. The arrester is a long way from the antenna, so it's hardly useful against lightning. It might at least discharge some static to prevent it, though this antenna is enclosed in fibreglass so less of a concern now. I made some discoveries for terminating them with far less pain than my last efforts, so I might make use of that knowledge whilst fresh and reterminate the ends of verticals feed line. 

The RTL-SDR that started this whole journey has been busy picking up weather images from NOAA satellites. Sometimes I get good pictures, other times less so. I'd love more automation but the SDR Console app despite having the satellite schedule doesn't seem inclined to change frequencies between the birds. I need to look into that further. 

A while ago I ordered a MiniWhip HF antenna to use on the QRM Eliminator. It's here.. it has been for a few days. I just haven't taken it outside yet. Maybe at the weekend I'll find some time to give it a go and see what happens.  The arrival of the Digimode 4 threw my playing out the window as the IC706 has barely been used for phone since. At some stage that'll change. The PTT line is currently disconnected anyway. I'm still waiting on the 13 pin DIN connectors to arrive so I can tap the PTT pin from the ACC socket and still keep the Digimode connected. It's become a project that has stalled. I should at least get the Miniwhip tested properly. I don't have enough RG58 for a proper installation as yet. 

I also ordered something I really wanted as a space loving kid - a telescope. Perhaps I'm chasing that sense of wonder I had as a kid all over again. This one is a bit of a cheat job as it makes use of a mobile phone to help find specific things and provide useful information whilst looking at the stars. My wife did argue the point about such a thing as cheating. Right she is. I've also forgotten most of what a much younger version of myself learned about astronomy, so perhaps an "all in one" solution might aide in both star gazing and knowing what I'm doing.  I really shouldn't have done this given I haven't actually finished paying for my other new hobby - the meat smoker, but I need the stimulus.  Besides, it's another reason to go outside.