Fernando de Noronha Island SA-003
RSGB IOTA Contest: 27-28 July 2019
CQWW CW 2019
We have room for operators in a Multi OP operation.
If you like CW pileups, savor seafood, beautiful beaches, beer, a good conversation, meet new places and different people join us.
Contact: Julio Maronhas pp2bt@dxbrasil.net
CQWW SSB 2018 – Results
One more contest, one more CQWW SSB, another step in the eternal learning curve.
Much work still to be done, improvements, modifications, but we have learned more and more and the place of the station is very competitive.
In addition to the beautiful beaches, tranquility, little noise, the kindness of our host Mare nga PU0FDN and his wife Lola renews us the will to return.
Our thanks to the operators of 2018 who despite all the difficulties demonstrated a great team spirit and did an excellent job achieving a result beyond their own expectations.
In 2019 we will be back with the same team and reinforced with more operators, new equipments, new RX antennas by RemoteQTH and other improvements.
We hope to meet you in contest
Many thanks to all who contacted us.
PY0F Team
Airbnb – Suite for rental!
Our host, Marenga, PU0FDN has just made some improvements on his guest suite and now (since February, 2019) has registered it on Airbnb.com and is available for rental for now and on.
So, now, if you plan to visit Fernando de Noronha Island, and would like to rest for some days in a simple but very friendly and peacefull place, you should consider visit his Airbnb site on this link.
Below there are some photos from this place. And here you can check his location on the island in Google Maps.
PS: The rental does not include the use of the Amateur Radio Station.
PY0F – first operation in 2019 – ARRL CW
The contesting calendar for 2019 just began and PY0F is once again on the air!
This time, the contest was not our main goal. Since last CQWWs contests we had a lot of new ideas and so we prepared ourselves to put the station “in test” but not “in contest” once again – Hi!.
The main goals for this contest were:
- Test the new RemoteQTH RX Antenna System;
- Setup a 200m long beverage antenna in NA direction;
- Setup and test a new and exclusive power distribution system for the linear amplifiers;
- Stress the Alpha 374 linear after a long QRT on the bench;
- Test the 4O3A HP BPF filters, specially the triplexer with 2 x 1kw signals in;
- Test crossband interference between two HP stations running the actual antenna system;
- Try to have some fun between all of that tests… tests.. and tests… Hi!
Ville and Renner met up in Fernando de Noronha Isl just a few days ahead of the contest. A lot of work had to be done before the contest, including the setup of a new and exclusive power distribution system for the amps. This was done by our host Marenga, PU0FDN and worked flawlessly.
The station is undergoing constant modifications according to the learning achieved in each operation and the ARRL CW is only the third contest in which we participate.
We had a lot of work setting up the RX antenna. The 200m long antenna, just crossed the borders of Marenga´s property. Fortunately the neighboor was very kind and allowed us to deploy the other half of the RX beverage antenna on his terrain. This antenna is not supposed to be fixed but will be setup and dismantled just after each contests end.
The first 100 meters of the beverage antenna had to be deployed in the middle of a dense forest. The wire in this part was just layed over the arbusts and trees. After this first hard part, already on the neighboor´s property, we made it easy to assemble the rest of the antenna.
Ville, OH2MM, used his criativity to make this wire support with 2 pieces of PVC pipes crossed in “X” form to support the wire. The height of the antenna varyed from 1.5 m to 3 m above the ground.
The beverage antenna was used together with the RemoteQTH RX antenna system. With this equipament we may share the reception of up to 7 RX antenna to up to 3 different operating positions. This system also includes 3 x BPF (for 160-80-40) and built-in preamplifier. The entire system worked like a champ. You can see some of the videos we made while testing the shared beverage antenna and cross band interference at same time.
This was also the first time we used 2 HP running stations into the 4O3A triplexer system. Personaly I got very impressed with the filtering capability of the system. Both stations were running around 1 to 1.2 kw on the same antenna at the same time and we did NOT realize any kind of any mutual interference.
In the image below you can see both operating positions. Both of them now with RX antennas controllers by RemoteQTH.
RemoteQTH controller: Its composed by 7 position rotary switch with led display in left, the 4 position switch for selecting internal BPF filters for 160-80-40-Bypass, single switch on/off for built-in preamp and in right corner, a 2 position switch for all system bypass.
This was my first contest on which there was NOT any signal of Murphy rounding us! Hi Hi.. Everything (for my surprise) run quite and smoothy. That was great. Thanks to our host Marenga, PU0FDN and Lola (Marenga´s XYL) for the super 5-star service.
We hope the station keeps moving forward and maybe, sometime we can definetively move to HP category. For now, mission, accomplished!!. And now goes our final score:
Thanks for calling us!
73 PY0F team
================================================================
Some videos with our signals during the contest:
ARRL DX CW 2019
PY0F will be active between 13 and 18 February 2019 and in the ARRL DX CW in M2 category.
Activities will mainly be in low bands with the objective of testing RX antennas and the new RX antenna switch from RemoteQTH.com
7 Ant RX Switch Controller with Band Pass Filters and PreAmps, RX/TX antennas switching
RX Antennas Switch with capacity for 7 different antennas, network cable is for connection to the controllers (maximum of 3) that divide the signal of one of the 7 antennas with up to 3 radios simultaneously.
RemoteQTH Beverage
Switch and RX Gear –> https://remoteqth.com
QSL Cards arrived!
We have just got from the printer a bunch of 2,000 QSL cards for PY0F activities. After searching between some QSL printing services available on the internet, we stoped by a brazilian digital printing company with a very good quality / price. (30 USD for 1,000 cards – 4+1 colors – no shipping included).
The logs for PY0F activities during this last year were already uploaded to Clublog and may be requested via Clublog OQRS or Direct to PY7RP.
PY0F QSL card
CQWW CW 2018 Results
PY0F maybe a bit too rare for contests. The pileups are sometimes too big. Many DXers need PY0F badly for their per-band country totals etc. Some of them forget to respect the “code of conduct” and block your QRG.
DX-peditions usually ask “up” to work their pile-ups. This practice is virtually impossible is contests, because your pileup probably falls on somebody else´s run freq.
On 80, my pile-up grew so big that I lost its control on my own QRG. I had to work split for a couple of hours on the upper part of the 80m CW band. Sorry if I “stepped on someone´s feet”…
6 band QSO:s CN3A D41CV EF8R K3LR PS2T
5 band QSOs: 9A1A ES9C HA8A IR4M K1TTT K3PH K5TR KC1XX NR5M OM7M PJ2T RL3A TM3R TM6M UA4M VE3EJ
Rig: Yaesu FT-1000MP + Alpha 91b with 800W.
Antennas (no rotors):
10-15-20: Cushcraft A4S at 18m fixed to EU KLM KT34XA up 18m fixed to NA
40: 2-el yagi at 20m fixed to EU 2-el yagi at 20m fixed to NA
80: Inverted-V, apex at 16m.
160: 1/4 wave sloper fixed on 18m tower.
I worked about 27 hours and made a total of 2869 QSOs.
The worst problem was a high noise level from an unknown source. It was worst on 160 but audible on all bands at different levels. The day AFTER the contest, we found that the source was an old 12 volt switching power supply LOCATED RIGHT IN THE SHACK… !@#*%$#!
TNX to the PY0F CQ WW SSB team and the rest of the Noronha Contest Group for setting up the station. The CW part was planned to be a Multi-op but due to family problems, the other operators had to stay home, leaving the Old Man to do the job alone.
Thanks to my great host Marenga, PU0FDN and his XYL for a 5-star service!
The station will be upgraded and will be on in upcoming contests.
73, Ville PY2ZEA OH2MM
Left: PU0FDN – Marenga, Right: PY2ZEA/OH2MM – Ville
PY0F – QRV on 60m
PY0F will be active November 29 and 30, 2018 in the newly brazilian 60m band. Operation will be focused on FT8 mode and operated by PY7RP Renner.
Renner PY7RP
| Frequency (kHz) |
CW |
Phone |
Digital
Modes |
Other
Modes |
||||
| Start | Final |
SSB |
AM | FM |
DV |
|||
|
5351,5 |
5354 |
x |
x |
|||||
|
5354 |
5366 | x | x | x | x |
x |
||
| 5366 | 5366,5 | x |
x |
|||||
Brazilian band plan for the 60m band
Note: 5354 to 5366 kHz = DX window
FT8 – 5357 kHz
QSL via: see the routes for QSL on the QSL Info page
CQWW CW 2018!
We are pleased to annouce that OM Ville, OH2MM / PY2ZEA will be operating PY0F Contest Station during CQWW CW 2018!.
Ville did not decide the category yet but probably he will take part in SOSB40 – “cause he can sleep during the day” – Hi!.
Some activity may be expected before and after contest.
We wish Ville a good trip and fun during his stay on the island!
Noronha Contest Group 
You must be logged in to post a comment.