Fall season 2024 - 9 new DXCC from the Caribbean.
Hello everyone
I’m back home, and I’ve finally figured out the cause of the antenna degradation. It turns out the cable that holds the antenna sheet on the flexible fiberglass tubes had stretched over time. This caused the dish’s diameter to shift from 2.4 to 2.6 meters, altering both the focus and curvature. As a result, during my last expedition, I lost about 3 dB in performance.
Fortunately, I had all the necessary tools and a curvature template in my shack at home. The entire repair process took less than an hour, and the antenna’s characteristics have been fully restored. The cold sky/sun noise is back to its normal levels of 5-6 dB.
Now, I’m getting ready for the fall season! Here's the plan: on October 9th, I’ll fly to Puerto Rico, and the next day I’ll head to the US Virgin Islands. Below are the tentative activity dates (+/- 1 day):
Oct 10-15: KP2/EA8DBM
Oct 16-20: VP2V/LY3UM
Oct 21-27: VP2MBM
Oct 28-31: V2/EA8DBM
Nov 1-3: PJ7/EA8DBM
Nov 4-9: PJ5/EA8DBM
Nov 10-13: FS/EA8DBM
Nov 14-18: FJ/EA8DBM
Nov 19-24: KP4/EA8DBM
I’ve purchased all the tickets, completed vaccinations, and received the necessary licenses. I used Google Maps to choose most of the locations and booked accommodations through Airbnb. However, in some cases, I couldn’t fully check where I’ll be able to set up the antenna, so there’s a chance that certain azimuths might be blocked, or the property owner may have concerns about "harmful radiation" (yes, this has happened before).
One hiccup: After planning, booking tickets, and securing the license for VP2M, I found out that all ferry services to the island were canceled. There are small planes available, but it’s unclear whether they’ll allow me to bring the large antenna tube on board. So, there's a possibility I won’t be able to activate in some locations. I hope you’ll understand, but rest assured, I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen!
As usual, I’ll make separate posts for each location with updates, additional information, logs, and photos for those interested. Just a reminder, this blog platform only sends email notifications when a new post is published. If I edit an existing post, no notifications are sent, so please check back periodically for updates or changes.
I’m looking forward to this adventure, and I hope it’ll be a lot of fun!
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following individuals for their generous donations:
Jac (PA3DZL)
Ivan (OK1IL)
Frank (NC1I)
Rene (PA9RX)
Gerard (PA0BAT)
Your support is greatly appreciated!
If anyone else would like to contribute, you can do so via PayPal at: ea8dbm@gmail.com, or by subscribing to this blog.
Thank you once again for your continued support!
Today, I completed and tested a new installation: the Beko500 paired with a new SGlabs transverter.
At first, the results were promising: 500 watts at the feed, which should have provided a 3 dB boost to my transmission. However, the RX performance of the SGlabs transverter fell short. The sun noise reception, which was 6 dB on my reliable Kuhne setup, dropped to 4.5–5 dB with the SGlabs. Additionally, the transverter exhibited a subpar dynamic range, with noticeable interference from nearby cellular stations and the appearance of clicks and crackles.
Because of these issues, I’ve decided to stick with my tried-and-true setup. It only delivers 200 watts, but the RX is far less problematic.
Sadly, the Beko will have to be set aside until my future trips. :(