After a long break due to our academic obligations (school final exams can certainly not be neglected) the 5B4ES operators decided that it was show time once again! At the absence of 5B4AKZ, 5B4AIP and 5B4AKX were the ones to aim for glory in the IARU HF World Championship for 2011.

This time was indeed special, since our amplifier would be used for the first time in a contest since 2009. Tuning on the previous day went indeed quite well and everytging was set for the big day.

During the contest conditions were indeed excellent. Thanks to the wisdom of 5B4WN SWR was almost perfect on all bands. The only major problem was that for a vital 10 minute period the keyboard of 5B4AIP was locked without him realising it but thankfully the problem was solved.

We managed to reach our goal of more than 50 multypliers but failed to achieve more than 1000 QSOs as by the end of the contest we claimed 875 QSOs. More importantly, however, the co-operation between 5B4AKX and 5B4AIP was excellent and it certainly contributed greately to the final result.

 

Equipment used:

• FT-1000MP            Tranceiver
• Wintest                    Software
• MFJ-434                 Voice keyer
• Alpha Delta 4           Antenna switch
• CN-801                   SWR meter
• TH5 MK2                Antenna
• Pro Set plus              Boom set
• TL-922                    Amplifier

 You can view photographs of the event in the gallery.

 

 

This time it was different! We had many contests until now but achieved distinction in only two. Thus, this time we were determined to succeed. Indeed, to our great surprise we were ahead of all the stations we worked with a few exceptions. Therefore since we were doing really well with all contacts on 20m, we decided to run the contest on 20m only. This is how day one ended, with a good score and spirits running high. Day two however was a fiasko.

5B4AKX who would operate during early morning hours suffered from concussion late in the night of the 15th. Thus not only was he not able to go, but he also did not wake up 5B4AKZ who was to follow. Conclusion: zero points for day two.

It was a contest that certainly worths mentioning, in combination with the excellent CARS lunch that followed on the 16th.

 

 

 

 

It was time for P39P to go on air once again! After the epic failure of the CQWW SSB we were more willing than ever to restore the honour of P39P and its prestige as a serious contester. Aiming towards a good result, the next contest in the list was the LZ DX SSB contest. Ofcourse again schoolwork ment that we were handicapped but still we managed to claim a very serious score in relation to our contest experience which mounts up to a single year! 5B4AIP, 5B4AKZ and 5B4AKX were the main operators who proved their loyalty to 5B4ES once again. The feedback from this contest was very positive with a lot of stations participating and is certainly a contest to aim for again in the future.

 

Equipment used:

• FT-1000MP            Tranceiver
• Wintest                   Software
• MFJ-434                 Voice keyer
• Alpha Delta 4          Antenna switch
• CN-801                   SWR meter
• TH5 MK2                 Antenna
• Pro Set plus            Boom set

 

CQWW is in every Radio Amateur's dictionary. However we did not pay our respect to this contast this year. Since 5B4AIP returned from a Geography field study trip on the evening of the 30th and since 5B4AKZ had an important examination on the 1st, we only complied around twelve hours in total. It is therefore absolutely logical that our score was pathetic. We at least made 291 QSOs for the honour of the Arms and we certainly look forward for the coming contests.

 

Equipment used:

• FT-1000MP            Tranceiver
• Wintest                   Software
• MFJ-434                 Voice keyer
• Alpha Delta 4          Antenna switch
• CN-801                   SWR meter
• TH5 MK2                 Antenna
• Pro Set plus            Boom set

 

Continuing from last year, the JOTA event was certainly in our "to do" list for this October. As with every 5B4ES activity, we had certain aims set for this event. They were simply to have as much fun as last year and even more!

This years event began on Friday the 15th when our members 5B4AIP and 5B4AKZ helped to set up a CARS central operating station in Akropolis Park. On the big day, we had a presentation made to the 143rd scouts troop abaout Amateur Radio. We then went to the 82nd scouts troop to make the same presentation again. The scouts where then taken to the QTH of 5B4ES where they contacted scouts troops in Malta, Switzerland and Italy, to name a few.

It was a full day for us and certainly a most enjoyable one.

 

 

 

With the CQWW DX Contest looming just around the corner it was of prime importance for our TH-5MK2 antenna to be repaired.

 

Thanks to the experienced eye of 5B4WN the problem was detected with the antenna standing 20m above the ground! Replacement parts were therefore constructed to replace the broken parts (two wires seven inches long!!!). However, due to the height of the antenna a crane had to be called in. Ex-member of the club 5B4XF was more than glad not only to find a crane for us but also to step in the basket and do the dirty job for us.

 

Indeed, everything was done according to plan despite the intense rust that had covered the parts of importance to us. The antenna was therefore fixed and the SWR returned to the previous levels. The station was at last in operating condition after an inactive period of three weeks.

 

We are therefore grateful to 5B4WN and 5B4XF for their most valuable help and we thank them for it.

 

 

 

Disaster struck 5B4ES when our TH5 multy band antenna (20m, 15m & 10m) showed higher than normal SWR. It was discovered, with the assistance of 5B4WN, that indeed the antenna needed repair. We could get the antenna ready for the CQWW contest but we wanted to test ourselves in the Scandinavian contest, three weeks before the CQWW. It was therefore decided that we should try to repair our butternut HF9V antenna which stood in active for almost a decade in the yard!

It would be a whole day operation. Since the 1st of October would be a holiday it was decided that that would be the day. Members started gathering at around eight o'clock in the morning, bringing along food supplies to organise a formal breakfast amongst ourselves.

Crisis hit us once again when we discovered that there was no power! Ofcourse after some extensive detective work we found the main switch for that sector of the school and the problem was solved.

Two working teams were organised, one occupied with the vertical antenna and the other occupied with the 17m cage dipole we are constructing since last year.

Progress was achieved by both teams although due to our lack of knowledge we were not able to repair completely the vertical antenna.

It was a very interesting and enjoyful day for all of us as we did some serious amateur radio activity after a long time. So despite the fact that we were not successful we were all pleased by the end of the day.