Tony Dixon G4CJC

Tony's 10 Metre Band Report
27 August, 2009

An extremely thin week, even the traditional weekend flurry didn’t happen. I guess everyone is on holiday and it’s that time of year, (yes, I know the southern hemisphere is in winter, but that’s not a problem here)

Most popular DX (three or more contacts, any mode)

Monday: KH7XS, W1ABC, IZ8DXB/B, IH9/I0KLV, HA8LLK, F5ZWE/B, SV3AQR/B, LA4TEN, K2KW, 4X4DK, DL1RPG, WB7BBI, IZ8NVV, RZ6HF, K8MEM, F4EJW, DF1KBN, RW3ADB, G4RQI, EC2AHS, EC1AJL.

Tuesday: ZB2FK, SV5CJQ, SM7DQV, LA4TEN/B, SV5TEN/B, SA4AQW, NC4SW/B, VE2TKH, UT7IL, WB7BBI, SM2LIY, DL1RPG, WA6NIF, K7OOS, IZ0EYP, F6EGV, DH3RD, DO8RW.

Wednesday: SV2ASP/A, EH5FUV, EG5FUV, AN5FUV, EA1HDD, EA5ADT, EA3NT/P, AM5FUV, 9H1BW, WB7BBI, F5PSR, EA8EE, PA0DX, G4AKW, S57NCP, KC2PHJ, I5IAR.

Thursday: E20WXA, PY2XC, C21TI, 4X4DK, MD0CCE, JA7DDK, ER1TEN, EA8AK, KD4ESV, WB7BBI, F5TDK, IZ8NVV, DF1KBN, VE3NE, DJ7KG, 9W2RZL, VK2HV.

Friday: AN5FUV, SV5TEN/B, F4EJW, DL0IGI/B, 4X4DK, SV3AQR/B, PY2XC, PD55EA, IW9HIK, IS0FRV, HA5OV, EA7IBK, EA5ADT, E78G, 9W2NZI, 7X4AN, VA7PL/B, WB7BBI, PA0DX, KD4ESV, DO6SR, DK1IZ, IZ4GOL, F5PSR, F4FRQ, 2M0XGP, RX3QFN, 9W2ZAK, EA5BRE, E74EBL, DJ7KG.

Saturday: 7X4AN, IW0UII, EG5FUV, AO5FUV, EA3BT, EA1GAR, UX0FF, SV3AQR/B, K6FRC/B3, G0OTT, F4EJW, SQ5BPF, EC3AAJ, DE7ATC, F4BLY, DK5QN.

Sunday: PV8DR, PV8AA, ZW50CVA, PY2XC, EA8CDI, EA8AJC, W0ERE/B, PU1KGG, W7AIT, W5RDW/B, KE6TE/B, K6FRC/B, IK2WZM, 4X4DK, PY1BMB, KD4ESV, W5MX, WB7BBI, N7DB, 9W2ZAK, 9W2RZL, PY2ZY, K8MEM, WA6NIF, SP7BUZ, N8UUP, KI4QAC, KE4WBO, K2WOP, K7IEY, EA8AK.

2E0BSR, Robert sent in a cry for help.
“Can you help me with Ten Metres. I am trying to work Ten Metres for the first time, but I can hear nothing on the band at all. Now I have a 897D and the coax and plugs are OK. I have a Ten Metre whip on a ground plane on the roof. I can't understand what can be wrong. I have a Z11 pro ATU for it etc. I have the same set up for 20m and that is fine. But on 10m I don't even get S1 on the radio, nothing, but a low mush of s1 if that? Do you have any ideas what could be wrong?”

First thing Robert, is that at the moment there is very little, if anything, to hear. Later in the year should be a little better.
Pick a weekend with an HF contest and listen Saturday and Sunday. What is the SWR like without the ATU in? Look at the 10m spots on DX Summit to see if any other Gs 2E0s etc are being reported. AND call CQ over a long period of time. Loads of people listen but don’t call, they are just hearing each other's silence. Patience is a virtue on Ten Metres.

Contests:

Upcoming activity (though not guaranteed to be on 10m). Information from DXwatch.com and 425DXnews

Sun: Yet again, a blank sun.

In the doldrums of a solar minimum, the sun is setting new records for being quiet. But how quiet can a 10²⁷-ton nuclear explosion (a star) ever be?

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded some lively action on August 25th:
The time-lapse video shows a prominence, a swirling cloud of hydrogen held up unsteadily by solar magnetic fields.

Prominences appear to be the one form of solar activity that continues apace even when sunspots are absent. (Spaceweather.com)

Well, we won the Ashes but full credit to Ricky Ponting and his lads, they never gave up. I think we can ask them back again. Still some ODIs (One Day Internationals) to go and a Twenty20. But it’s all over really.

Stoke have won one, lost one and drawn one. Sunderland at the Brit this Saturday and my 40th Wedding Anniversary this Sunday, mustn’t forget to get a card.

The youngest daughter, now living near Valencia, had a great time at the Grand Prix. So next year we have to holiday in Valencia, sun, beach and Grand Prix, well someone has to!

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