top of page
Jan 30, 20246 min read

J38R - Grenada


J38R Update (Mar 16)


As this story reaches you, we are already in the process of dismantling the 160 and 80m antennas. Around noon (local time), the Spiderbeam will also come down. Then, as a final step, we'll pack up the 60m dipole, the 40m, and 30m vertical antennas. It has been an incredible journey involving six dedicated individuals that has led to this amazing result. Special thanks go to the local radio amateurs who came to our rescue by providing us with a third radio, allowing us to achieve this outcome. Also, to those of you who sometimes had to wait for hours to make that much-needed QSO with us, we are grateful. There's still more to come in the future, and we look forward to adding another new DXCC country to your logs. There are certainly areas where we can improve, and the tips you've sent have contributed to our success. Now, it's time for us to return to our families, whom we've missed dearly. 73, and until next time... where? We're not sure yet.




J38R Update (Mar 15)


Today, we encountered a problem with the borrowed transceiver (FT450D), which suddenly stopped working. We found that the supply voltage was only arriving at the transceiver with a difference of 1.6V. Upon further inspection, we were relieved to discover that a fuse had blown, and the radio was still operational... phew. Today, we had to drive 100km to the capital to pick up our "official" license. Unfortunately, the original license was not available yet, so we have to return tomorrow. The pileups are less intense, but the demand remains adequate. We can now focus more on less-served areas like VK/ZL and Japan. Although we've made good progress with Japan already, the demand remains high, especially on 80 and 160m. We also made an extra effort on 60m by being QRV in FT8. The signals were tremendous. Tomorrow will be the last day we'll be QRV on 80 and 160m...


People, if you are sure that you have worked us but you are not yet in the log... DO NOT WORK US AGAIN! We have noticed that the live log on Clublog does not always update correctly. We are aware of the issue but cannot fix it immediately. We also manually upload the log to Clublog from a PC every day to ensure that everything is logged... so please be patient and rest assured. If you still don't see yourself in the log, then send an email to Tim, MØURX... THANK YOU!




J38R Update (Mar 14)


Today, the team discussed the dismantling of the antennas. 160m, 80m, and 60m will be active for the last time during the night between Friday and Saturday local time. After that, they will be the first to be dismantled. Throughout the day, 30m, 40m, and the Spiderbeam will follow. The specific order of dismantling will be further discussed on Saturday.


We are QRV on FT8 throughout the night on various bands that are not being used for CW and SSB operations with 100W




J38R Update (Mar 11)


During the past night, we were QRV again on the lower bands as agreed, now also for the first time on 60m in CW. Unfortunately, we're experiencing interference roughly every fifteen minutes, almost completely disrupting the band. The source seems to be somewhere nearby, but we haven't been able to pinpoint it yet. Many operators were able to work us for the first time on 60m from Grenada in years. There hasn't been much activity on the lower bands here in recent years, given the still enormous pileups we encounter.



J38R Update (Mar 10)


We regularly notice that stations keep calling us in FT8 even though they are already in the log.... If we call you, and after 1 minute you are not in the "live Clublog," feel free to call us again. Otherwise, please refrain from calling us, and give others the opportunity, especially for stations from a different continent. It's extra challenging for them. Another issue is if you are not in the log; there's no need to report it directly to the team. They already have a tough time getting everyone logged. The only route to report such matters is through our QSL manager (M0URX). We send the log to him daily, and he makes the necessary adjustments in consultation with us.... Thank you! Tonight, we will also activate 60m.... Until later!




J38R Update (Mar 09)


Yesterday, we had a successful run on 160m in CW and on 80m in SSB. Signals were received well here. On 160m, the signals were even strong from the region of Kazakhstan and Russia against their sunrise. On 80m, we made many people happy as well. The team remains motivated and in good condition... Until later!




J38R Update (Mar 08)


The pile-ups continue to be enormous on all bands! There is a high demand for 80m and especially 160m, and we are aware of that. We will be QRV tonight at sunset (local time). For 60m, we have an issue with the transceiver that cannot transmit on that frequency without a modification. So, we may have to sacrifice an SSB or CW station with an amplifier to be QRV on this band. We will explore whether we can perform the necessary modification. We notice that some stations are working us multiple times even though they are already in the log and also in the Clublog. Please, give other operators a chance to get in the log... thank you!




J38R Update (Mar 07)


The antenna for 60m is up and can be used. Yesterday, we were able to borrow a radio from one of the local amateurs. We needed some improvisation to make the station operational for digital modes, but we succeeded! Last night, one of the 3 linears malfunctioned. It's not producing any power anymore. Unfortunately,  we have 2 linears to use and 1 station running barefoot working in FT8. This morning, we had to battle against static on 80m and 160m. Some JA stations have been logged, but not enough, we know. We've already greeted several local amateurs... J35X, J69JC, and J35AC.


Hopefully, we'll have more success on the lower bands tonight... Until later!




J38R Update (Mar 06)


Yesterday, we set up the 160-meter vertical and further tuned the 80m vertical. They are standing. The noise level is extremely low here, which we did not expect. Yesterday evening, we were already QRV on 160m in CW. It seems that we hear better than you hear us because we have to repeat the call regulary. Only Europe and the USA could be worked. 80 meters is slightly better. Towards morning (local time), several Japanese stations were logged on 80m. We occasionally miss our internet link, but rest assured, you are in the log! Daily updates are provided via DXlog itself. Club Livelog is a tool, but we cannot guarantee 100% that all QSOs are up to date due to the poor WIFI connection... Today, we only have to hang the 60m antenna, then all antennas are operational. One of our radios was broken upon arrival, as you know, but today our extra radio arrives, giving us some additional possibilities. The pile-ups continue to be enormous...




J38R Update (Mar 05)


We are QRV with 2 stations

Our flight went well. All our equipment had arrived. Yesterday we were able to install all antennas except for the 160m antenna. Unfortunately, there is one radio DOA. He no longer gives power. We looked into it but unfortunately didn't find the error. Today we are going to try to get an extra radio so that we can transmit with 3 stations. The humidity here is very high, with very hot temperatures. A day like yesterday was very tiring for old guys like us. The many rain showers in between mean that we have to stop regularly. The K9AY RX loop is also available.




J38R Update (Mar 03)


We arrived at the Frankfurt (D) airport. Checked in the hotel and had a great time in the "Italian" restaurant. The final test was run with the PC combination we will use @ Grenada. We did a live test and all tests were successfully completed.... The final stage is coming soon, hihi....


The license came not a day too soon. Yesterday we received the long-awaited signature from the pri-minister...




J38R Update (Feb 21)


All suitcases are packed...ready for transport!

Karel, ON5TN began with packing the suitcases... A total of 337 kg of gear was packed into different sizes of suitcases, bags and longue ski cases (spider poles).




J38R Update (Feb 05)


Testing 3 stations with the amp

We did a RFI test in combination with all possible configurations of the frequencies between 1.8 and 28 MHz. Not all bands did react well and we had some finetuning to do. It was the first time we met with the full team.




J38R (Jan 30)


Ops: ON4HIL, ON4MA, ON5RA, ON5TN, ON6CC & ON7RU


Bands: 6M - 160M


Modes: CW, SSB, RTTY & FT8


Qsl Info: QSL via M0URX


Start Date - End Date: Mar. 04 - Mar. 16




653 views

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

bottom of page