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APRS, SDR, OpenWebRX…
The Automated Packet Reporting System (APRS) is pretty cool! It allows you to exchange messages and positions within your radio horizon using a simple handset. I’ve had an iGate (a receiving antenna with decoder that reports to the APRS-IS network) in the attic for a few weeks but it receives hardly anything due to the…
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ISS SSTV
I brought my VGC VR-N76 handheld transceiver on holiday with me to Crete and was able to capture an SSTV image from a high-elevation ISS pass using nothing but the stock antenna in a quiet location by the sea. This HT has the benefit of being able to record all incoming transmissions in the app…
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Kromslootpark
A new attempt. Last time here, I got only six “QSO”s, of which four were the same French station but with a unique Park-to-Park identifier. So in reality just three. Turns out my long 10m coax run was a little off, and most activations where I had used that cable had terrible results. Measuring resistance…
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Roggebotzand
Last time I was here, I got stuck in the quiet zone near the Wilhelminabos, a place of remembrance for cancer survivors. Thankfully, this time around the parking area at the beginning – near the restaurant – was free. There are even two picnic tables, of which we claimed one. Again, a really hard time…
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PA4PA & Speulder en Sprielderbos
After a failed activation in this park on the way back on 12 April, I had a mail conversation with PA4PA and we decided to meet up at this park on the Support your Parks-weekend organised by POTA. Instead of making contacts we spent a lot of time talking about our POTA experiences, him being…
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‘t Harde (Blaricum)
A short activation on the way to work. There’s a really solid metal fence around the parking which provides a great place to tie a mast to. Which is what I did and combined it with the 10m EFHW. Because I parked a little close at first I had to lean the mast backwards to…
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Schokland
The weather was alright and I had a failed activation before on Schokland, so we set out to activate this location. The location is great, and there’s a place to park away from other people right near the south of Schokland with just a small walk. Unfortunately, despite the elevated position, I had pretty bad…
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Boswachterij Nunspeet
Another great location, but again got stuck in a bit of a hole. Hills all around me, stuck in the lowest spot. The YL helped set up the antenna and spent some time filling out crosswords, soaking up the rays, trying to get the HT spotted on APRS, and reading, while I tried as hard…
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Ermelosche Heide
Already it had been a while since the last activation. I got myself a vertical whip antenna of about 5.50m from Ali (for about € 25) and it has been working great. I had a chance to test it out at the seashore last week and got across the pond with no issues whatsoever. The…