Not so easy in portable on a island between compromise of easy to travel and antenna performances. For the transceiver, no problem, the ICOM 706 MKIIG is a real good rig to operate quickly on 6 bands with 100 Watts from 14Mhz to 50Mhz, small and easy to carry out.

To return to the antenna question I need to be QRV on 6 bands HF+VHF+UHF but especially be able to assembly and disassembling antenna quickly and even for a single person alone to do it.

Here is what looks like the final result and solution found:

- 1 mast of 7 meters, elements of 40cm of diameter and 2m and 1m length - QSJ 15€ by elements
- 1 vertical antenna ITA tri-bands with wire radians, 1 per band: 14MHz, 21MHz and 28MHz, Gain 2dB - QSJ 150 €
- 1 vertical Diamond Tri-bands on 50MHz, 144MHz, 432Mhz, Gain:10dBi - QSJ 100 €

I was on the coasts of Saint-François towards La Pointe des Chateaux in east of guadeloupe island that offers good conditions for DX, the large-ground being a calcareous plate, and in addition with the sea in edge of beach offering a very good plan of ground.

The key is in the 4 wheels vehicule.

It's by examining the 4 wheels that the solution was found, in the simplest possible way: the clamp of the door spare wheel like support of the antennas.

Then it was very easy to find a TV adaptator support for about 20€ at a local store, and get a solid fixing for antenna.

The spare wheel is also very useful in the assembly, by using it like arm of lever to assemble and dismount the 7 meters from ground antenna support, even being alone to do it.

Lastly, it remains to attach the 3 wire radians which are used to solidarize the unit in particular when there are some wind, very often at this period of the year in guadeloupe island because of the hurricane season.

Here is the arrangement adopted in the 4 wheels to preserve sitted places and succeed to put everything in the car:

Some results, nearly 500 DX QSO were realized with nice report of 59 in Europe, not so band with 100 Watts, vertical antenna and especially in the very lowest of the solar cycle whose return is envisaged as of January 2008.

We have improved antenna sand installation, with the great help of Léontel and Jean-Michel, in the heights of Deshaies (Basse-Terre), 12 hours before the Dean Tropical depression. We follow evolution of Dean in real time on cellular thanks to SXM Cyclone services and also on air thanks to local ham radio during all the activation.

Everything was ok for both all 3 of us and the equipement, the DX conditions was great like we expect just before Dean and return very low after Dean for few days, also due to the hight volume of rain after a cyclone.

Thanks all for QSO, and QSL, the first one was send this week.

73 de F1JXQ - past TO1IUSB

World cup of Rugby 2007 TM0RWC Contest have received several projects of activation for this World cup, the REF-Union named F5UDW coordinator of this activity DCMR (Diploma World cup of Rugby). The project of the ARALA (Association of the Radio hams of Loire-Atlantique) was adopted, F5UDW thus directed all Om having good ideas towards Rene F5APM responsible for this project.

A special callsign will be activated in each city where the matches of Rugby will proceed:

• TM0RWC Saint-Denis (93) for the stage where the final - Stage of France will be played

• TM1RWC Paris (75) for the stage where the 3°place - Park of the Princes will be played

• TM2RWC Bordeaux (33)

• TM3RWC Lens (62)

• TM4RWC Lyon (69)

• TM5RWC Marseilles (13)

• TM6RWC Montpellier (34)

• TM7RWC Nantes (44)

• TM8RWC Saint-Etienne (42)

• TM9RWC Toulouse (31)

Calendar of these activations:

TM0RWC: 7 and 8/09, 13 and 14/09, 20 and 21/09, 6 and 7/10, 12, 13 and 14/10, 18, 19 and 20/10

TM1RWC: 8,9 and 10/09, 18,19 and 20/09, 27/09 to the 01/10, 18, 19 and 20/10

TM2RWC: 8,9 and 10/09, 14,15 and 16/09, of the 24/09 to the 01/10

TM3RWC: 7,8 and 10/09, of the 17 to the 27/09

TM4RWC: from the 7 to the 20/09

TM5RWC: 7 and 8/09, 11 and 12/09, 21 and 22/09, of the 30/09 to the 02/10, the 05 to the 09/10

TM6RWC: from the 11 to the 17/09, the 21 to the 24/09, the 30/09 to the 02/10

TM7RWC: from the 08 to the 11/09, the 20 to the 29/09

TM8RWC: from the 08 to the 12/09, the 25/09 to the 03/10

TM9RWC: from the 11 to the 17/09, the 23 to the 29/09

OPERATION AND QSL.

The World cup of Rugby 2007 Diploma is opened to all the radio hams and SWL, throughout World cup of Rugby 2007, i.e. of September 7 00h00 to October 20, 2007 24h00.

• the QSO are realizable on all bands and modes of transmission regularly allotted to the radio hams. ECHOLINK are excluded.

• To obtain the diploma QSL (financed by the Ref.-Union), follow the instructions of each operator of the participating cities to know the QSL Manager.

• Each callsign will be activated during 14 days distributed over all the duration of the CMR and according to the calendar above.

CONDITIONS Of OBTAINING DIPLOMA World cup of Rugby 2007

The Diploma QSL Manager is F5IL. To require the diplomas the QSL are not necessary, only an extract of the notebook of traffic is required. The requests will have to arrive at the Diploma Manager before end on December 31, 2008 and to mention the name and first name of the applicant, his call sign and the address where he wants to receive the diploma of the World cup of Rugby. Join 7 € (10 $ or 10 IRC) to your request, to cover the costs of impression and dispatch.

For each diploma it will be necessary to contact:

Diploma CMR Gold: the 10 TMxRWC stations. Diploma CMR Money: 8 TMxRWC for the stations of Europe and 5 for the others. Diplôme CMR Bronzes: 5 TMxRWC for the stations of Europe and 3 for the others. Diploma CMR VHF: 3 TMxRWC

Address Diploma World cup of Rugby 2007 Manager :

Ref-union, Service of the Diplomas, BP 77429, 37074 - Tours Cedex 2 FRANCE

Official international website fo the World Cup of Rugby 2007 : http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/

Source : http://www.passion-radio.org/blog/tm0rwc-coupe-du-monde-de-rugby-2007/293

It wasn't long ago when we had more sunspots, but the accompanying geomagnetic activity made conditions difficult. Check the Planetary A index in October 2002, April, June, September and December 2003, and into January 2004. For 2003, check http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/old_indices/2003_DGD.txt. For any other year, just change 2003 toward the end of the URL, and to check sunspot numbers change DGD to DSD at the end of the URL.

If you read ARRL Propagation Bulletins from back then, in addition to complaints about the higher geomagnetic activity, you'll find stories of better VHF propagation during periods of geomagnetic disturbance. You can see old bulletins back through 1995 at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/.

The Australian Ionospheric Prediction Service sent out a warning of increased geomagnetic activity centered on September 1 due to a wind stream from a solar coronal hole. They predict, August 31, will be quiet with increasing activity late in the day, unsettled to active conditions with possible minor storm on Saturday, September 1, and mostly unsettled conditions September 2.

Geophysical Institute Prague predicted earlier that August 31 would be quiet to unsettled, September 1 unsettled to active, unsettled conditions September 2-3, quiet September 4-5, and unsettled to active again on September 6.

Over the same period the US Air Force predicts a Planetary A index of 15, 25, 12, 12, 8, 5 and 15 for August 31 through September 6.

From the same prediction, it looks like September 8-17 may see a return of 0 sunspot days.

QST de W1AW Propagation Forecast Bulletin 36 ARLP036 From Tad Cook, K7RA Seattle, WA August 31, 2007 To all radio amateurs

The winds constant blow now to 85 km/h and are made feel to 85 km of the center. the pressure falls with 1000 mb.

It carries on its Western road full and if it maintains this tendency that would be Martinique Island which would be threatened on August 17 in end according to midday, however its trajectory can still vary from here next the 24 hours and this for this reason that all the French West Indies islands are in YELLOW cyclonic vigilance

To follow the tropical storm Dean visit SXM Cyclone and Hurricane Advisories

FG5JK proposed original hiring of bungalow in Guadeloupe with a radio shack, and others things. I wrote a article before to know him and meet him by chance on a beach in Guadeloupe Island thanks to his wife who, while passing on the road, saw the antennas that I had deployed on a beach towards La Pointe des chateaux.

Then Gerard come and asks me “Radio ham? ”, I answer a little surprised "Yes !". It was really my lucky day, precisely the day when my IC 706mkIIG breaks down on HF bands.

Gerard then proposes me, by an extraordinary chance, a same icom ic 706mkiig, that it had bought on ebay and never used.

Without its help I would never be able to continue activation TO1USB thanks to his assistance.

We will activate in homage to his memory with other OM' S here on guadeloupe, on Thursday 16 August 2007 on 20m and 10m.

Gerard, the life did not have leave us enought time to know you more each other and it is my greater regret. I send you last once my 73 QRO and to your family.

On 20m, the most active band, I've heard on 2-3 august strong Bresilan and American station and ham radio station from some part of south america (Chilie, Nicaragua, Venezuela) but not able to make QSO with my 100w and a mobile vertical matched antenna :(

So I decided to put a better base antenna tuned for 20 meters band on 4 august and the results was much more better : I make my first QSO using TO1USB with DL0BUB/P, DB7OB, MM1DQV and with Canadian and American ham radio station with very nice report 59 and 59+ with Europe.

Here is my portable working conditions :

On 10m band, the band is very quiet, there are a lot more activity on 27.455 and 27.555, which are the best frequency to detect high propagation and sporadic E, to then try it on 28Mhz.

On 6 meters band : silent until now !

Rendez-vous "on air" and follow me at Twitter, especially next 7 and 10 august where ARLP propagation report announce some sunspots, finger cross :)

73 de FG/F1JXQ & TO1USB David

Average daily sunspot numbers rose very little this week, less than 6 points to 7.3. There were no major geomagnetic upsets, only slightly unsettled conditions on the first day of August.

We saw eight straight days of no sunspots, then a spot or two over four days, then no spots on the first two days of August.

A week from now, August 10, we may see the beginning of several days with a few sunspots every day.

Expect unsettled geomagnetic conditions centered on August 7 and again on August 10.

Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions August 3-5, quiet to unsettled August 6, unsettled to active August 7, and back to quiet August 8-9.

With July over, we can spin some numbers and look for trends. Looking at 3-month smoothed sunspot numbers, now the July numbers we can add to May and June to show the three-month average centered on June. These numbers are based on data from the past 21 months :

November 2005 through July 2007:

Dec 05 40.6
Jan 06 32.4
Feb 06 18.1
Mar 06 27.7
Apr 06 38.5
May 06 39.7
Jun 06 28.9
Jul 06 23.3
Aug 06 23.5
Sep 06 21.2
Oct 06 24.1
Nov 06 23.1
Dec 06 27.3
Jan 07 22.7
Feb 07 18.5
Mar 07 11.2
Apr 07 12.2
May 07 15.8
Jun 07 18.7

Why I choose USB as three final letter of the callsign ? It means that I will operate only USB ham radio frequency : 20m, 10m, 6m, and 2m bands.

QTH Locator : FK96CD

QRV : 20, 10, 6 and 2 meters bands (maybe 432Mhz if people & Es)

IOTA : NA 102

WAZ : 8

DXCC : FG

QSL Direct or via eQSL

QSL Manager : F1JXQ

To see some pictures about guadeloupe Island

I decided to try the service during my modest FG/F1JXQ Dxpedition next 2 to 20 august 2007, to see how it could help and mainly because I will not be on air everyday and at same hour.

If you never heard about Twitter, it a web service that will, for example, allow me with my telephone to send a SMS to announce on my Twitter : FG/F1JXQ, when I am QRV, up and ready for pillup ;-)

Subscribers and followers of my twitter will be notified by SMS or messenger when the station FG/F1JXQ is on air.

Follow FG/F1JXQ Twitter on this blog: http://www.f1jxq.net/

Subscribe to FG/F1JXQ Twitter : http://twitter.com/fg_f1jxq

Subscribe by RSS: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/7460442.rss

Note : This Twitter will be ONLY active between 2 and 20 august 2007.

A lire en français sur Passion RadioAmateur 2.0.

Here is the special QSL card :

QSL direct or via eQSL

Follow FG/F1JXQ with Twitter. More about twitter for ham radio.

Talk to you soon, on air !

A lire en français sur Passion RadioAmateur 2.0.