Exercising my 2300MHz NOV

After seeing the announcement that the 2300MHz NOV were finally available I decided it was time to get one. After reporting some disparities between the RSGB website and the application form (eg the website said "main address only"; the form allowed a list of portable locations) I managed to get an NOV. The issues have been corrected

 For EME operation from the USA one needed to cover 2300, 2304 and 2320MHz so a Transverter for 2300MHz was already available as written up at http://g4fre.com/13cm_xv.htm My PA using the driver stage from the Spectrian Amplifier produced 10W, I didn't have enough drive to get the full 30W.

On Thursday evening I tried a sked with G4BAO at 170km. I used my only  13cm antenna, a 25 element (the one with the horn feed) taped to a cardboard box pointing out of the bedroom window.

It was suggested to try ISCAT-A digital mode.

213800   1 -12 23.2  -65   0 *  G4FRE G4BAO                   12 10 10  4.5

213900   1 -11  2.0  -65   0 *  G4FRE G4BAO                   12 10 10  2.2

214000   3  -9 16.5  -65   0 *  G4FRE G4BAO                   12 10 10  4.5

214100   1 -10  2.0  -65   0 *  G4FRE G4BAO                   12 10 10  2.2

214200   4 -10 12.0  -65   0 *  G4FRE G4BAO R-15 R-15         22 10 10  8.9

214300   3 -10  3.1  -65   0 *  G4FRE G4BAO R-15 R-15         22  9 10  4.5

214500   6 -10 19.8  -65   0 *  RRRR RRRR G4BAO               16  3 10 17.8

It took a while to complete the QSO, aircraft reflections were non existant but we completed for my first trop QSO on 2300.2MHz. A quick try was made with G4DDK at 246km but no two way QSO

On Friday morning I tried again with G4DDK. His signals were weaker by some 5dB than the previous evening but were there most of the time. It took a long time to get a signal report exchange on ISCAT-A. 

105100   1 -15  6.5 -118   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  8.9

105200   3  -9  3.1 -118   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  4.5

105300   3 -11  5.4 -108   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  8.9

105400   2 -13 12.0 -108   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  8.9

105500   1 -12 21.0 -129   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  4.5

105600   2 -12 10.9 -129   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  8.9

105700   2 -14 19.8 -129   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10 17.8

105800   4 -10 23.2 -129   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12  9 10  8.9

105900   1 -11 14.3 -140   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK                   12 10 10  4.5

110000   2 -13  9.8 -140   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK -17               16 10 10  8.9

110100   2 -13  5.4 -140   0 *  G4FRE G4DDK -17               16  5 10  8.9

Signals were not "bursty" as would be produced by aircraft, so we switched to JT65c, which is good for weak, continuous signals. The QSO completed quickly:-

110400  8  -10 -1.7 -137  6 *      G4FRE G4DDK JO02          1  10

110600  5   -9 -1.7 -143  7 #      G4FRE G4DDK JO02    OOO   1  10

110800  7  -16 -1.7 -143 11 *      R-17                      1   0

111000 10  -23      -142  2   RRR ?                               

111200 10  -22      -145  4   73  ? 

The lesson learnt is that the digital mode used needs to be carefully chosen based on the received signal characteristics