DL1YMK - NTMS

History of our DXpeditionsTextil und BekleidungNordwest• 2005: our first EME DXpedition with the dish toIreland (EI/DL1YMK), only 23 cm• 2006: Madeira (CT3/DL1YMK), 23 and 70 cm• 2007: Iceland (TF/DL1YMK), additionally 13 cm• 2008: Uruguay (CX/DL1YMK) with 70, 23 and13 cm (first time ever in South America)• 2009: a five band DXpedition on 2m, 70, 23, 13and 9 cm to Northern Ireland (MI/DL1YMK) anda „Quicky“ to Aland (OH0/DL1YMK), 4 bands• 2010: R2/DL1YMK, only 70, 23 and 13 cm

The M&M Team• The duties are strictlyassigned:• Monika: responsible for triporganisation and operationmanagement (stabilisation ofthe dish during high winds,searching the moon, if we hadlost it…..)• Michael: development of theequipment (especially forconsistent improvements!!)and operation during theDXpedition (changing thefeeds, rebuilding the stationagain and again for thedifferent bands)Textil und BekleidungNordwest

Organisation and ManagementTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Applying for the licenses• Searching for the perfect QTH: Michael`s wish list:- - QTH with free take off to East, South and West- - calm location, no winds- - solid ground for the tripod, but not too hard to get theanchors into ground- - strong electric mains supply for high power SSPA’s- - nice, comfortable holiday home without any neighbours• Organisation of the transport for the equipment andthe transfer for us to the site• Customs clearance

Organisation and ManagementTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Applying for the licenses• Searching for the perfect QTH: Monika`s Michael`swish list:- - QTH - interesting with free surroundings, take off to East, a lotSouth of things andtoWestsee- - calm- preferablylocation,a houseno windswith fantastic view over the open sea- cacti (because this is my hobby!!)- - solid- moderategroundclimate,for the tripod,not toobutwarmnot too hard to get theanchors- cleanintowater,groundno bugs ( this was not self understanding,- -hi)strong electric mains supply for high power SSPA’s- - nice, comfortable holiday home without any neighbours• Organisation of the transport for the equipment andthe transfer for us to the site• Customs clearance

Organisation and Management• Applying for the licenses• Searching for the perfect QTH:But- - QTH with free take off to East, South and West- - calm location, no windsyou can´t alwaysTextil und BekleidungNordwest- - solid ground for the tripod, but not too hard to get theanchors into groundget- - strong electric mains supply for high power SSPA’swhat you want……..- - nice, comfortable holiday home without any neighbours• Organisation of the transport for the equipment andthe transfer for us to the site• Customs clearance

MI/DL1YMK: Northern IrelandTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Applying for the license: easy, only one mail• Searching for the perfect QTH: difficult as usual, ifyou have to search in the www with the help ofGoogle Earth- - I found a QTH with a seemingly free take off to East,over South and West, only a little hedge surrounding- - no neighbours- - with a fantastic view to the open Irish Sea• Organisation of the transport for the equipment andthe transfer for us: easy by car, a ferry from theNetherlands to UK, crossing the UK, a fast ferry toMI• Customs clearing; not necessary, within EU

Our QTH: Seabreeze Cottageverylonely,fantasticviewover thesea, butverywindy…(seenameabove!)Textil und BekleidungNordwest

First problems arising...Textil und BekleidungNordwest• At arrival we recognized, the QTH was farfrom ideal - that there wasn't any place forthe dish, as there was a wall of high shrubsaround the house – the shelter against thewind• Departure or compromise??• We decided to take the compromise andassembled the tripod in the dark on theparking lot of the house, knowing, that ourwindow to the East will be very limited

Dish besides the house cornerThe hedgewas morethan 2 mhigh,becausethe photosin wwwwere old(we cut it alittle bit….)Textil und BekleidungNordwest

Pointing VK3UMThe dishwaspartlyobstructedbythehouse atmoonriseTextil und BekleidungNordwest

Tied down tripodFrom thefirst day onwe hadterriblewinds andhad tosecure thedishadditionallyTextil und BekleidungNordwest

The helping handTextil und BekleidungNordwestDuring 9cmoperationI tried tostabilisethe dishagainstthe wind

OH0/DL1YMK: Aland-IslandsTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Applying for the license: we were not sure, where toapply, because the Finnish Aland-Islands areindependent in many respects, but it worked out byemail• Searching for the perfect QTH: nearly impossible, asthe Islands are densely forested and very windy: as acompromise I booked a bungalow, surrounded bytrees; this time we knew in beforehand that we wouldface some trouble with a suitable location for the dish• Organisation of the transport for the equipment andthe transfer for us: again by car, a ferry from Germanyto Sweden, crossed Sweden (800 km), a second ferryto the Aland-Isles• Customs clearing: no problem, as there was no…

Holiday log house in OH0Textil und BekleidungNordwestA littlewoodenbungalowin JP90sfbetweenmanytrees

Nested dish, a trade-off…As wehad stormon thefirst days,wedecidedfor somemoreshelteredlocationfor thedishTextil und BekleidungNordwest

Nested dish –pine tree obstructing VK3UM (again)Textil und BekleidungNordwestEASTSOUTHVerylimitedtake off,butsomewhatsafe…

R2/DL1YMK: KaliningradTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Applying for the license; huge problem, we needed 3years from the first idea to all permits (details later)• Searching for the perfect QTH: not really a choice,because after weeks of searching I found only onelocation besides several hotels: a farmhouse with alittle hut in the garden, which the owner agreed to useas a shack and to set up the dish in the garden• Organisation of the transport for the equipment andthe transfer for us: by car; a ferry from Kiel over theBaltic Sea to Klaipeda, Lithuania, than heading southto R2• Customs clearing: nearly impossible, according toprofessionals (details later)

Licensing problems ITextil und BekleidungNordwest• Kaliningrad was a former restricted military zone belonging toRussia - so it was hard to find the right starting point• With the kind support of our Russian friends Sergej, RW3BP,and Dmitri, RA3AQ, we started the licensing process at theGeneral Radio Frequency Centre (GRFC) at Moscow• After months of no reaction I asked the German embassy inMoscow for help – and they responded! They found out, thatindeed our matter was still processed by the GRFC – and itseemingly looked good• Weeks later we got a letter from the GRFC with a paymentorder for an “expert finding”. It had to be balanced within afortnight, otherwise the case would be dropped – so I did asrequested, but again no reaction for weeks

Licensing problems IITextil und BekleidungNordwest• So I tried a fax number, which I found in the letter andfrom this day on we communicated by fax; I managedto get a copy of the license!• Reading the fax-license (with the special eventcallsign) I was horrified, because they told us that wenow had to undergo the ‘usual’ licensing procedure atthe ROSKOMNADZOR in Kaliningrad – never heardabout it before and didn’t find anything in the web• So again with the help of the German embassy, thistime the Kaliningrad branch, I got in contact with alady named Larissa at the ROSKOMNADZOR, whowas a real professional

Second license• Applying for local license in Kaliningrad:Textil und BekleidungNordwest- - the lady sent the application form in Cyrillic, butexplained, what they needed to know in English- - we filled out in English, mailed it to her- - she translated it in Cyrillic Russian and re-sentit to us- - we printed it out, Michael signed it- - I sent it back via UPS to Kaliningrad, as thetime was running short and a surface mail lettertook 3 weeks!- - she immediately sent the 2nd license inbeforehand by e-mail - for the customsprocedure, as she explained...

Customs ClearanceTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Meanwhile we had the license of the GRFCin our hands, but how to get realisticinformation about the customs clearance?• A customs agent, whom I contacted weeksbefore, told me after an intensiveexamination of the case, we should forgetabout ham radio and rather spend holidaysat the beaches of the Baltic Sea, we neverwould get the allowance to temporarilyimport the radio equipment…….

Customs ClearanceTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Meanwhile we had the license of the GRFCin our hands, but how to get realisticinformation about the customs clearance?boring beach• A customs agent, whom I contacted weeksbefore, told me after holidays???an intensiveexamination of the case, we should forgetabout ham radio and rather spend holidaysat the beaches of the Baltic Sea, we neverwould get the allowance to temporarilyimport the radio equipment…….

Customs Clearance IITextil und BekleidungNordwest• I again asked the German embassy and they providedme with the mail address of Alexander, a very cleverlocal customs agent from Kaliningrad. He- - needed a packing list – in Cyrillic (translation program wasthe key word)- - drove to the checkpoint Nida, where we wanted to transit,with copies of our permits to talk to the local customs staff- - got the final go: the customs were prepared andpreconditioned for our arrival on the 12th of May aroundnoontime- - would be waiting for us on the Russian side of checkpointNida to assist• We were ready 2 weeks before departure……

At the Destination: R2 - QTHDish in thestrawberryfields: thefarm groundwassurroundedby aconcretewall, whichlatercausedproblems atlowelevation ofthe moonTextil und BekleidungNordwest

R2: Pointing VK3UMAs usual the dish ispartly obstructed tothe East, this time bya chicken shack…..Itis a miracle that weare always able towork VK3UM, - Dougand Michael alwayshave to be very quickat the key!So far, I never didfind the ideal QTHaccording Michael´swish list……Textil und BekleidungNordwest

Technical highlightsTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Preloaded Stressed Dish: construction,characteristics• Set Up on 9 cm• Experiences with 13 and 23 cm withdifferent SSPA´s and feed modificationsfrom DXpedition to DXpedition• Latest 70 cm feed• Implementing the brand new OE5JFLstand-alone tracking system, supplied byAlex, HB9DRI

Dish componentsThis is ourdish kit…..…. so norealtransportproblemsto anylocation inthe worldTextil und BekleidungNordwest

The dish site in Kaliningrad…. pleasenote a veryessentialdetail: agardenchair, theonly thingwe need forinstallingthe dish andchangingthe feedsTextil und BekleidungNordwest

The tripod in R2The ground was first verywet and soft, so weneeded our specialsupport pads: 3 pieces ofcorrugated hard woodTextil und BekleidungNordwestThe sustainablecounterpoise for thedish: a bag filled withlocal stones

Rotator and central hubTextil und BekleidungNordwestThe rotator is a Spid RASThe central hub consists of 2solid plates, which arerotatable against each other,this enables us to fix thealuminum tubes and insertingthe meshes at ground level

Aluminum tubes, ropes and guyanchorsThe aluminum tubes are insertedin the bore holes of the hub andstressed with guy wires madefrom Dyneema (HDPE, littleelongation)Textil und BekleidungNordwestThe ropes were fixed infront and at the back ofthe reflector with anchorpieces made on a lathe

The mesh panels IThereflector ismadefrom 18wirewovenmeshsegments,fixed tothe tubeswith floristbindingwireTextil und BekleidungNordwest

The mesh panels IITo protect the operatorsthe sharp mesh edges aresecured with duck tapeTextil und BekleidungNordwestCutting the florist wiresafter operationDish details: InternationalMicrowave Handbook

9 cm block diagramTextil und BekleidungNordwestLNA WD5AGOIsol. DetectorDB6NT 3400MHz TRVTRIC910H144MHz IFRxTx1 3SequencerDL4KH2SSPA DL2AM150 W4

The 9 cm station in MITextil und BekleidungNordwestPASequencer

9 cm GaAs-HPATextil und BekleidungNordwestNote:highefficiencyforced airheat sinkneeded,DC input:13.8 V at32 A

9 cm power upgrade for OH0Textil und BekleidungNordwest• QRO was initiated, because the inaccuracyof a stressed dish gains influence on 3.4GHz• Moon tracking at low power was morecomplicated on 9 cm than on the otherbands, echoes were comparatively weak• LDMOS-SSPA was integrated in the setup,1 W in 350 W out

Tiny little 9 cm septum feedHomebrew,dimensionsbased onRA3AQdualmodefeedTextil und BekleidungNordwest

Dish on 9 cm at MI/DL1YMKExtremlysmallbeamwidth,very hardto findthemoon,weakechoes(smilingafter thefirstQSO, hi)Textil und BekleidungNordwest

MI: Station behind the couch.. we hadto movethefurnitureand rearrangethe roomto find aplace nearthewindow...Textil und BekleidungNordwest

The 13 cm station in MITextil und BekleidungNordwest400 WLDMOS-HPA,madefrom 2convertedCDMAamps

MI: The Surplus HPA for 13 cmTextil und BekleidungNordwestPAopened,2 CDMAampstripsHomebrew 90°hybrid coupler,based onrecalculated DJ9BVdesign

13 cm workhorse...OH0 andR2: usingnew PAandhomebrewcombineragainTextil und BekleidungNordwestPA:2x300WEricsson,4 mW 600W

Kitchen shack in OH0This time the stationoccupied the kitchen tableTextil und BekleidungNordwest13 cm set-upactive...

13 cm septum feedMI: one day squareseptum soloTextil und BekleidungNordwestthe next day squareseptum with flare(some improvement)

……first in OH0 and later in R2Newchokering, the“pie in thesky” asproposedbyG4DDK,which isthe bestoption sofarTextil und BekleidungNordwest

Typical OH0-landscape4500Islands,only28000inhabitants…meanslittlechanceforTVI/BCITextil und BekleidungNordwest

23 cm set upSince our firstEME DXpeditionto Ireland the 23cm PA made byDB6NT workedflawlessly. Ituses fourInfineon LDMOSdevicesPTF141501,each capable of150 W sat.Textil und BekleidungNordwest

Small diam. choke on 23 cmSince MIthe 23 cmfeed hasbeenadded achokemadefromcopper,dimensionsbased onG4DDK’sfindingsTextil und BekleidungNordwest

70 cm Set UpTextil und BekleidungNordwestMI: feed with H/Vswitching,based onCT1DMK designBEKO 1kW-PA on 70 cm,but B. Korte also loaned the2m PA

OH0: next generation 70 cm feedTextil und BekleidungNordwestBased on CT1DMKand OK1DFCH/V-switchable short backfireloop feed

R2: again a new feed....The newfeed was thebest so far,enabled usto hear ourown echoes;Textil und BekleidungNordwestdowngaugedtoonly linearpol., butsaving 1coax relayand coaxharness

This was avery essentialimprovementfor moontracking,OE5JFL’ssuperbgeneration 2controller, thepopulatedpcb’sprovided byAlex, HB9RDIStation in R2 in the summer houseTextil und BekleidungNordwest

New absolute encodersTextil und BekleidungNordwestThe Spid rotator had beenupgraded by 12-bit magneticabsolute encoders, thisupgrade nearly pushed thesecond OP close tounemployment benefit, hi!

Inside the SPID-RASTextil und BekleidungNordwestAs there is not space enoughfor the AZ encoder inside therotator, a special collet wasmade on a lathe, which finds itsplace inside the mastsupport. A central flexibleaxis was inserted in the borehole of the support, madefrom fibre-reinforced PVChose

Special collet for the absoluteencoderTextil und BekleidungNordwestFor easy assembling thecollet is made of twoaluminium partsThe joined parts withthe flexible axis, readyto fit into the mastsupport of the rotator

The fifth band in MI: 2 m….just for funWedismantledthe dishand usedthe tripodfor a singleyagi, onlyJT waspossibleTextil und BekleidungNordwest

MI: The chaos in the living room...Textil und BekleidungNordwestFor the last3DXpeditionsall equipmentwastransportedin stapleboxes,stuffed inMonika´sSUV

Transport problems….Textil und BekleidungNordwestThe last challenge aftercompleting the operation:putting all things back inthe car...

Wandering sand dunesKaliningradis verypicturesque,we mademanysightseeingtrips to thesurroundingareas andto theKuronianSpitbeachesTextil und BekleidungNordwest

Technical features summaryBand70 cm23 cm13 cm9 cmin MIsame as inCXcorrugationringsquare flarecompletelynew, 150 Win OH0Textil und BekleidungNordwestin R2new feed with short new feedbackfire loop & Preampsame as in MI newtrackingcorrugation ring, new systemPA 2x300W Ericsson350W LDMOS, no alloc.OCXO G8ACEPower supply, 28 V 2000 W SPS for all bands

Why: XXX/DL1YMK ??Textil und BekleidungNordwest• With a discussion in the European moon reflectorearly 2009 about what a real random QSO is allabout, we decided to make a DXpedition to OH0“in between”, without telling a word regarding thedestination• We made no skeds (except on 9cm), well facingthe risk of reduced QSO numbers• We asked all takers not to disclose, where wewere – and all kept it secret….BIG fun• Followed this principle also for the R2-operation

SummaryTextil und BekleidungNordwest• Power-upgrading on 9 cm (improved echoes due tonew PA) in OH0 and 13 cm (better results in shortertime due to new PA) were really worth the effort• 23 cm gives fantastic results for 10 days activities;contests (DUBUS in MI and R2 and ARRL in OH0)during DXpedition, boosting activity and gives a lot offun• Even on 70 cm we are now able to hear our ownechoes because of the simplified version of the feedused in R2 and the new DB6NT pre-amp• The new tracking system was a real relief, becausefor the first time we never lost the moon in R2

Results MI, OH0 and R2Band9 cm13 cmQSO´sMI: 10OH0: 8MI: 27OH0: 30R2: 37InitialsMI: 10OH0: 8MI: 24OH0: 27R2: 28Textil und BekleidungNordwestDXCC´cMI: 8OH0: 7MI: 16OH0: 19R2: 2023 cmMI: 111OH0: 96R2: 130MI: 72OH0: 67R2: 79MI: 36OH0: 32R2: 3570 cmMI: 21OH0: 16R2: 34MI: 20OH0: 13R2: 31MI: 16OH0: 11R2: 192 m, only MI665

The last courtesy……of a QSO is a QSLcardTextil und BekleidungNordwest

… and where do we go next??….we areable to installan EMEstation on 4bands at anylocation inthe worldwithin a day– see youfrom ????Textil und BekleidungNordwestVy 73, M&Mteam

CU off the rock……..Textil und BekleidungNordwest