Anybody have an actual QSO yet?

Just curious if anyone has an actual QSO on the low bands, and not just WSPR.

Mostly curious what mode it was or what the active ops are using.

Its been my longtime goal to work all amateur bands, but I want an actual QSO.

 

273 QSOs on 630M here since Oct 15. Breakdown:

109 CW
154 JT9
4 LSB
6 Misc digital modes (FT8, etc.)

 

Thanks! Its going to be tricky to do an antenna but I'll figure out something. May have to get some plastic garbage cans for loading coils

 

So please - describe your rig, your antenna, transmitter, receiver....

I'm sure a LOT of us would want to know... very cool stuff

Dave
W7UUU

 

I mostly use a K3 + xvtr + class C tube amp, but have put numerous other rigs on the air including simple power oscillators, MOPAs, and several antique and homebrew receivers.

TX antenna is a 67 ft vertical w/ 8 top wires. RX antennas include various 160M beverage arrays and a 8-element circular array (1150ft diameter).

 

I am Listening
I keep going back to tuning across the 630M band and still have not heard anything like a CW QSO. Not able to decode any DIGI modes, not sure if I hear that.
I can hear lots of Airport Beacons above and below the band.
Using a TS440 or FT990 and either a 160M dipole or 40M FW loop to listen.

 

Waiting for the snow to melt -- and waiting, and waiting... -- then I'll put up the Big Ear. I think I can pretty easily get a 300-foot loop in the area I have; bigger if I can. That ought to make hearing stuff a little easier. (My "I ran out of good weather" jury-rig is 22 feet of wire coming off the top of my tuner.)

For TX I'm waiting for the snow to melt [grin] and going to offer beer and barbeque to some young fellows to come up and help get the 43-foot section of irrigation pipe in the air. I'll then have to think about what it needs to make it radiate on 630m -- I won't be able to put a hat on it so it may take some fiddling. Simple would be a separate feedline up the hill from the shack to a loading coil that can be simply attached to the radiator (and to the ground plane) when the HF feedline and tuner are detached.

The rig is my IC-7200 driving a Monitor Sensors transverter.

About a year ago, before I had this antenna up, I strung some clip leads together and draped them around the shack. I could receive 630m WSPR stations down as far as Arizona overnight. I expect that it'll sound a lot better, and hopefully I'll be able to make some contacts primarily on CW once I get things rearranged up there.

73,

Chuck VE7PJR

 

A 'real' QSO is possible almost every night on 630m. I have logged JT9, FT8, CW, SSB and
PSK-31 QSOs since the band became available to hams, from central Vermont. Go get 'em!
CU on the band! Looking for your grid...
73, John WA3ETD FN33lq

 

Still checking 630M, today at 16:00 UT, I was able to copy CWID of 27 NDB signals in Ontario, Ohio, Michigan and Quebec very loud and clear but no signals on the 630M band, that I could recognize as intentional transmissions.

 

The 300 ft loop should be good for 80M (One Wavelength on 3.3 MHz) but not Quite enough to do well on 630M
I am thinking of getting a 1000 ft bulk spool of wire and hang a 980 Ft dipole to listen to VLF.
My 160M dipole (with it's L O N G coax feedline) hears lots of Airport NDB signals, but is not quite enough to catch weak signals on 630M.