the NBN saga continues

at end of June I fixed the ADSL connection at home, its been solid 10Mbps download since.
start of July, I checked the NBN website again to get latest status, as when I last checked it was saying due August, anyway, now the NBN site saying my address was now ready for connection to NBN and that I should contact my provider to arrange connection. So i plugged in the new modem that Telstra sent me, a few minutes later we up and running and live on ADSL, still 10Mbps.  Next thing a SMS comes from Telstra to say we have acknowledged the new modem is connected, NBN will be connected soon. I keep checking the STATUS of the modem, still showing ADSL,  I wondering what is happening, before long it is now last week of July, still no NBN, suddenly another SMS from Telstra,  that NBN is now available in your street, that we will be connecting you automatically within 10 days (strange as NBN already said it was available 3 weeks ago) so finally the switch is being flicked and cutover from ADSL to VDSL is about to happen.
A week goes by still nothing. Suddenly a SMS to my XYL's phone from NBN (dont know how NBN got my XYL's mobile) anyway, it states, NBN will be enabled 12th August (another couple weeks ??)  and it rambles on that a NBN Tech coming to the street to connect the NBN   (wtf ?? )      It is underground pair twisted leading back to a FTTN box at the end of the street, what they havent already connected the twisted pair to the FTTN ?, something doesnt add up here !.  It cant possibly be a twisted pair going back to the Exchange as that is 3km and I am getting better than 10Mbps downlink speed,  I estimate I getting full ADSL speed as the distance is only 500m to the FTTN box.  Switching from ADSL to VDSL should a logical changeover in the backend, not a physical pair swap.
In summary,  I dont know WTF NBN is doing, as their website said it was ready in our street at start of July and Telstra was under impression it was ready and same for all the other providers, as we had a rush of brochures arrive in letter box the first week of July, but in reality the NBN not ready and won't be until mid August.

Next gripe - Optus mobile coverage, I am up the back of Jenolan Caves last week for the week, omg, that Optus mobile coverage is still crap up there, I have the Network Analyzer app on my phones, trying to identify the signal strengths, the Bands used by the phones, as I couldn't make a phone call or get a SMS  on my S7 or S8 or XYL's iphone6, we could get flakey data connection on the iphone6 and S8.   I could identify the four Optus towers on the App map, I can see the damned towers across the valley using binoculars at Blackheath, Medlow Bath and Katoomba and Megalong Valley, the signal strengths could barely reach -100dBm usually fluctuating in the -130 to -110dBm. Watching the Band used, mostly band 1 and 3, sometimes band 28, I had to get in the car and drive to Oberon to get a consistent signal to make calls and send SMS. If low cloud rolls up the valley, it totally kills the signal, meaning zero.
In summary, the four towers must have their panels aimed away from Jenolan Caves direction, it would be great  if  Optus could put a cell at top of the hill outside of Jenolan Caves to cover Porcupine Hill and also to put some signal into Jenolan Caves valley, as there is absolutely zero coverage down in the Jenolan Caves valley. No doubt someone will offer the suggestion that it far easier to just move our mobiles to Telstra, as it unlikely SingTel will want to spend any money on improving coverage.

post mortem of WIA Winter VHF UHF SHF Field Day Contest 2019

I forgot to do a write up, or I started but never completed, anyway, I did actually enter the contest, I operated from QF46pu, others who were there or nearby (QF46qu) were VK2CU, VK2DAG, VK2ZIW, VK2ZRH and VK2JDS.
I operated 24hrs segment. Bands used were 6m, 2m, 70cm, 23cm, 9cm, 3cm,  24Ghz, 76Ghz, not sure if we did 122GHz in the contest itself,  but we did spend a fair bit of time experimenting with 122Ghz on that weekend across the 3.8km void between hilltops.  Also did  some 4WDing around the two farms and taste testing some red wines at night following the roast pork cooked in a wood stove.
Overall, it was more of a microwave tuneup get together, than a serious go at contesting.

3398.100 MHz contact with VK2KYP

on 25th July 2019, whilst I was portable up the back of Porcupine Hill near Jenolan Caves, in QF46xe, I worked Gary VK2KYP  firstly on 1296.100 Mhz USB, who was portable at Somersby, (QF56pp) near the FM broadcast tower, across to me portable at Jenolan Cabins, signals were 57, then we followed that contact with a 9cm contact on 3398.100 MHz USB, both of us using GARC 3.4GHz panels,  running 100mW each way, the distance was approx 131km, it was exciting for us as we broken the 100km hurdle,  even though VK3's have done much better, we thought it significant  since we both running QRP and simple panel antennas. Signals were in the order of 50/51, we also tried FM, we could detect  and hear each other, but not strong enough for a successful contact.

portable QF46xe

last week was portable & mobile around QF46xe, staying at Jenolan Cabins,  I setup a 2/70  vertical on a 2.5metre portable mast, here are some signal strengths for some repeaters I could key up, or simply heard them, as of 22nd July 2019.

146.650 VK2RDX Mt Bindo  60/9
146.675 VK2RUW Knights Hill s5
146.800 VK2RLE Heathcote s9
146.875 VK2RMB Terrey Hills 20/9
147.000 VK2RWI Dural 50/9
147.125 VK2RAG Somersby 50/9
147.200 VK2RCW Gowan s3
147.250 VK2RNS Hosrnsby 10/9

438.350 VK2RHT Chatswood 50/9 (digital)
438.400 VK2RMB Terrey Hills s3 (digital)
438.450 VK2RCF Carlingford 40/9
438.525 VK2RWI Dural  s9
438.575 VK2ROT Paddington 10/9
438.600 VK2RWI Dural s6 (digital)
438.725 VK2RMP Maddens Plains s7 (digital)
439.500 VK2RCG  city  30/9  (digital)
439.750 VK2RHP Horsley Park 20/9 (digital)
439.800 VK2RCG city 30/9 (DMR)
439.925 VK2RON Hunters Hill s6
439.950 VK2RAG Somersby s7
439.975 VK2RHS Hornsby 10/9


The 23cm repeaters was using a grid pack in vertical polarised position.
1273.100 VK2R?? Sugarloaf    tried it but nothing
1273.200 VK2RWC Chatswood 60/9
1273.500 VK2RAG Somersby s3
1273.500 VK2RWI Dural s5

The beacon was received using a  grid pack in horizontal polarised position
1296.420 VK2RWI  Dural s9
 
As for 6metre repeaters, I had my quad band FM in the car, I tried the following 6metre repeaters,
53.625 Sugarloaf, 53.650 Maddens Plains, 53.725 Somersby, 53.850 Dural, 53.875 Blue Mtns,  received none of them.

I made several contacts on 23cm repeaters over the week. Glad to see people using the 23cm repeaters.

50 years since Apollo11

looking at the a few key time line entries back in 1969 :

 July 16 at 13:32:00 UTC  (11:32pm AEST 16th July) - launch of Apollo 11 via the Saturn V AS-506 rocket

July 19 at 17:21:50 UTC (03:21 AM  AEST 20th July) -  Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter lunar orbit.

July 20 at 12:52:00 UTC (10:52pm AEST 20th July) -  Aldrin and Armstrong entered Eagle to prepare for lunar descent after 30 orbits of moon.

July 20 at 17:44:00 UTC (03:44am AEST 21st July) -  Eagle (LM) separates from Columbia (CM)

July 20 at 20:17:40 UTC (06:17am AEST 21st July) - Eagle  lands on moon

July 20 at 23:43 UTC (09:43am AEST 21st July)  The two astronauts begin preparations to walk on the Moon

July 21 at 02:39:33 UTC (12:39pm AEST 21st July) - open the hatch

July 21 at 02:51 UTC (12:51pm AEST 21st July) - Armstrong starts descent

July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC  (12:51pm AEST 21st July) - Armstrong steps on moon

July 21 at 05:11:13 UTC (03:11pm  AEST 21st July) - hatch was closed again 

July 21 at 17:54:00 UTC (03:54am AEST 22nd July) -  lift off in Eagle's ascent stage

July 21 at 21:35 UTC (07:35am AEST 22nd July) - Eagle docked with Columbia

July 21 at 23:41  UTC (09:41am AEST 22nd July)  - jettisoned Eagle into lunar orbit

July 24 at 16:44 UTC (02:44am AEST 24th July)  - parachutes deployed

July 24 at 16:51 UTC (02:51am AEST 24th July) - landed in Pacific Ocean


Interesting fact,  they used Slow Scan TV (SSTV) from Eagle on the moon, apart from normal TV.

GippsTech 2019 post mortem

I went to GippsTech 2019 last weekend, drove down Friday,  left home at 5.30am, met up with others collectively at different stages of trip, had breakfast with Steve VK2XDE, Garry VK2KYP and Roger VK2ZRH at Maccas Exceter,  then  continued on to Canberra, where Lindsay VK2AMV, Bob VK2AOR, Brad VK2NMZ met us at a servo in Hume, continued on to Cooma with Dave VK2JDS and Gary VK2GLJ and Rex VK2AZG close behind, we did rendevous in Cooma, bumped into VK2QV on his way to ski fields. Then we travelled in convoy of 5 cars through to Morwell via Nimmitabel, Bombala, stopping for lunch at Cann River, we kept in touch car to car on 2metre simplex, as well as doing some HF on 40metres. Weather was pretty wet crossing VK3 to Morwell.

Met up with everyone else at Morwell Friday night, then at the conference on Saturday. Some great lectures again,  10GHZ EME, reference locking rigs, GPDSO stability and locking  Grid Square accuracy for portable operation, the VK5 Road Trip  to VK3,1,2,4.  Saturday night dinner and Sunday morning continuation of lectures.  Sunday was still raining so we could not do the usual microwave party on local hills after lunch, so we retired to local pub for drinks and dinner.

Monday morning left at 5am for trip home, very windy and raining, 4 cars travelling together again, breakie at Maccas Bairnsdale, morning tea at Cann River, weather fined up crossing border into VK2, lunch in Canberra before we split off heading to our respective QTH's.

Overall, 12 hours travelling Sydney to Morwell, about 10 hours actual driving.

Can't wait to do it again next year.

http://www.vk3bez.org/gippstech.html