4m Gains Momentum across Europe.

Here is a snapshot of the 4m activity in Europe today top map was for just after 4pm local time, the bottom map was for 5pm local time. Plenty of DX happening. I did not work too many, only 2 contacts...   :-)  IZ5ILX and IZ6BTN, both were 5x9.
It has me thinking now of getting a job done on my Yaesu FT-847 to give me full 100 watts output on 4m and putting up a 3 or 4 element beam for the band.....

Click on Map to get better detail.

My First 4m SSB Contact into Europe.

It may not seem much to some but I made my very first SSB contact into Europe today on 70MHz. I was scanning around my trusted Anytone 4m radio when I heard SSB breakthrough on 70.200 MHz FM, I took the antenna out of the Anytone and put it into the Yaesu FT-847 and heard IZ5ILX calling on 70.205 USB, I gave him a shout and he answered me straight away, 5x9 both ways... I was a happy camper!!
From my locator to his is approx 993 miles.
Now Italy is not very far away, but bearing in mind I was only running 10 watts into a vertical omni-directional antenna I was very happy to have made that contact..
There were a few other Italian stations on the band but they disappeared very quickly into the QSB..
 

70Mhz mod for Yaesu FT-897.

Here is a video I came across on "You Tube" By ZS6DJM showing a conversion of a Yaesu FT-897 for 4m:

Making use of the large space in the radio.

PA unit and converter kit fitted inside the battery/PSU compartment.

Heat sink lies in front of the fans for cooling.

1w drive on 28Mhz gives 30w output on 70Mhz.

Life Is Simple!!

DX Spots for 4m.

Below is a snapshot of some of the 4m activity for today, between 11am and 12pm, Showing EI4DQ, Tom from Cloyne, County Cork making some nice contacts into Europe.

Click To Enlarge.

Tom, EI4DQ.

70 MHz Beacon List.

Frequency Call QTH Locator Contact Watt Antenna mASL Notes 70.000 GB3BUX Buxton, Derbys IO93BF G4IHO 20 2 x Turnstile (omni)  456 70.007 GB3WSX Yeovil, Somerset IO80QW G3ZXX 15 5 el. 70° 120 F1A 70.010 J5FOUR/B Bissau IK21EV J5JUA 20 dipole CW 70.010 ZS6JON Krugersdorp KG33VV ZS6JON 20 4 el. 0° 70.012 OX4MB Kangerlussuaq GP47TA OZ1DJJ 10 GP 700 70.014 S55ZRS Mt. Kum JN76MC 1219 Planned 70.016 GB3BAA Tring, Herts IO91PS G0RDI 20 Dipole 195 70.016 SV5FOUR Rhodes KM46CK SV5BYR 5 5 el. 310° 65 70.018 OH2FOUR KP20 Planned 70.020 GB3ANG Dundee IO86MN GM4ZUK 100 3 el. yagi 160° 370 70.021 OZ7IGY Greater Jystrup JO55WM OZ7IS 25 Big-wheel 102 F1A 70.023 PI7EPO Rijswijk JO22EA PA5DD 20 Halo 90 F1A, planned no license 70.025 GB3MCB St Austell IO70OJ M0PHM 40 2 el. yagi 45° 320 Operation continues through summer 2009. 70.025 ZS6WAB Pietersburg KG46RC 25 2 x 9 el. 0° 70.027 GB3CFG Carrickfergus, N. Ireland IO74CR GI0GDP 20 20 3 el. 45°, 3 el. 135° 300 F1A 70.029 S55ZMB JN76VK S51DI 6 4 el. yagi 310° 262 A1A, 15 s keydown 70.031 G4JNT/P Blandford, Dorset IO80UU G4JNT 0,6 Dipole 2,5 Slow FSK data +85 Hz shift and CW 70.033 OH5RBG Kouvola KP30HW OH5IY 5 3 el. 232° 140 A1A 70.035 OY6BEC Tórshavn IP62 OY9JD 25 2 el. 135° 10 F1A 70.040 SV1FOUR Athens KM17UX RAAG 20 Halo 100 70.045 OE5QL Linz JN78CJ OE5MPL 1/5 Big-wheel 845 HH:00-HH:02, HH:15-HH:17, HH:30-HH:32, HH:45-HH:47 70.050 GB3RAL Oxfordshire  IO91IN G3VPW 10 140 Odd min: CW + carrier. Even min: JT65B 70.055 SV9FOUR Crete KM25EH SV9GPV 7,5 3 el. 260 70.063 LA2VHF Trondheim JP53EG 25 4 el. 15° Planned 70.065 LA5VHF Kristiansand JO48AD LA4YGA 20 GP 80 F1A 70.0708 GW3MHW mid-Wales GW3MHW Intermittently  70.081 LA7VHF Tromsø JP99KQ LA5TFA 10 4 el. 190 ° 70.088 I0JX/B Rome JN61HV I0JX 6 4 el. yagi 340° Inactive 70.1135 5B4CY Cyprus KM64FT 5B8AV 10 6 el. yagi 315° 70.117 OK0EE Strážek JN89CK OK1CDJ 10 Dipole E/W 520 70.130 EI4RF Dublin IO63WD EI9GK 25 5 el. 45°, 5 el. 135° 120 Yagis sequenced. Off-air? 70.161 LX0FOUR Bourscheid JN39AV LX1JX 10 Dipole hor. 70.162 CQ3FOUR Planned 70.163 CS3BFM Pico do Silva IM12OR CS3MAD 10 4 el. to Eu. A1A 70.165 CU8B HM49KL 20 F1A 70.166 CS5BFM Santarem city IM59QD CT1ARR 10 Dipole hor. A1A 70.350FM EI??? 40 km NW Cork IO52 EI7GL Omni vert. 450 45 s FM "Simplexer" 70.4375FM MB7FM Chiltern Hills IO91PS 10 Dipole FM "Simplexer" 75.300 ZD8DUB Ascension Isl. II22TB 8 4 el. 340° 730

Beacon information not up to date? Please send your update via email to Bo OZ2M: MyCallsign rudius net.

70 MHz Beacon Map.

Listed beacons

Suggested approximate beacon locations both from a propagation and political point of view