As a neighboring DX group from the TM HQ we are proud to help promote the event and hope the TM members will also be on air over the bank holiday weekend making contact with the CT guys.

For further details please visit http://www.charlietango.co.uk/ or contact “Firetrap” over on the Transmission1 Forums.

Good DX guys!

Tango Mike group is making some changes in the way that the PO Box service operates that will benefit many more members and hopefully encourage people to give the PO Box service a try for their DX activities. We suggest that you read through the following notes to understand how the changes can benefit you as a new or existing member.

For a reasonable one-off fee of just £7.00 you can now join the PO Box Service and this is all you need to pay. No annual fee, no redirection credits (subject to a fair use policy).

For existing members past and present, an automatic upgrade to lifetime membership is free of charge and you have already been changed over to the new service!

If you’ve been wanting to join a PO Box number for a while or simply put it off then there’s never been a better time to do this than now.

For full details please refer to the this page:

http://www.tangomike.net/?page_id=15

Any questions please feel free to contact me and I will try to help

United Kingdom

73 and good DX
Simon, 26TM001

Delboy Enterprises have announced another DX Event for users of CB Radio and PMR-446. In the past these events have been very popular and many operators have turned out on the hill tops to make long distance contacts. You don’t need to go mobile to enjoy the events but it helps! The main thing is taking part and being on the air.

As usual 27.555 MHz USB is the main 11m calling frequency and for those who prefer the FM side of things Channel 25 UK and 25 EU (CEPT) will be in use. On the PMR-446 side of things Channel 8 with no CTCSS is a good start for hill topping.

We hope that TM members will be active over the Easter Bank Holiday on the 12th/13th April 2009 and we’ll be listening out for you.

For further details please visit: http://www.delboyenterprises.co.uk/ – a very good website indeed!

Take to the hills again.. for Delboy Enterprises have announced another DX Super Sunday event. For those of you who haven’t tried this before it’s basically a chance to get out and about to the hill tops and work some long distance contacts. Even if there is little propagation on 11m during the day then chances are you will find UK stations to work. You don’t need to go mobile to enjoy DX Super Sunday but it helps. Simply listen on 27.555 MHz USB or 25 UK FM or EU FM Bands and see what you can find.

Don’t forget to post pictures and logs over at the Transmission1 forums when you get home on the bank holiday weekend! See you there!

Will be active between 24/6 2008 – 27/6 2008.
Thats the plan anyway.
The island is Öland in the Baltic Sea, south east of sweden.
Operator: 21TM555

“In the log”-system will be used. (incl. exchange of signal report)
No QSL cards will be made.

73´s
David

** Update **

24/06/08 “It has been postponed a day or two, due to strong winds on the bridge over, not safe with a big light caravan.”

The first week was very disheartening. On the 4th it was possible to make some contacts but with much QSB closing by the afternoon. The 8th brought some conditions with UK to 1,13,14,19,30,31,35 with the sound of a busy triple five.

The 9th was the best for a long time again most EU divisions were heard and worked. Many a TM station to be heard also, I personally spoke with seven members, ty all.
163TM088 – Fez
26TM046 – Paul
26TM420 – Rikki
26TM158 – Simon
26TM037 – Mark
26TM212 – Paul
19TM145 – Andy

My working conditions for the 7 TM contacts

The 10th brought slightly longer path skip, divisions heard inc: 34,196,14,30, and also a marine mobile 66/19TSM495.
From the 11th it stayed very quiet until the morning of the 15th divisions heard and worked were: 13,14,15,19,26,30,161.
The 16th also brought some conditions with 13,14,15,21,26,47,161 heard and wkd from the UK.

From the 17th to the 23rd the odd voice would break the squelch but no real propagation around. The 24th brought CQ calls from 3 div although no contact was made. On the 25th 26TM066 rx’d 43 division but unfortunately couldnt make the QSO as QSB took the signal.

Through to the end of the month silence ruled with only the odd low call in the squelch. I was lucky to be on air during a very short opening on the 29th whilst static mobile I had a QSO with 56/21RS17m on 5w USB. A div I havent worked since returning to 11m.

Please contact me with your highlights and/or pics and be included in next months report.

73s & Good DX for March,
108TM742
Callum.

Delboy from the Delboy Enterprises website has arranged another Easter DX event for 2008!

This is a two day event planned for 23rd/24th March 2008 for CB users around the UK. All DX groups are welcome to participate and even if there are no band conditions over the weekend many users at the previous events found they could make excellent groundwave contacts by taking to the hills.

It is suggested that legal FM users monitor Channel 25 on UK and EU bands and Freebanders should monitor the normal 27.555 MHz USB calling frequency.

Tango Mike members will be supporting this event around the UK and operates are encouraged to submit photos of the event for us to place in the gallery. We will upload the best photos to the website after the weekend. Mail your pictures through to pics@tangomike.net  – we want to see those big yagis on the hill tops!

If you’ve not been to Delboy’s website before it’s certainly worth checking out, especially the babes section!!

“”On January 4, 2008, a reversed-polarity sunspot appeared—and this signals the start of Solar Cycle 24,” says David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

The sunspot that appeared on January 4th fits both these criteria. It was high latitude (30 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. NOAA named the spot AR10981, or “sunspot 981″ for short.

Sunspot 981 was small–only about as wide as Earth, which counts as small on the grand scale of the sun–and it has already faded away. But its three day appearance on Jan. 4-6 was enough to convince most solar physicists that Solar Cycle 24 is underway.”
SOURCE:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/10jan_solarcycle24.htm

Propagation this month was predictably slow, a short opening occurred on UKFM on the 4th where I had a couple of QSO’s into Norwich and surrounding area’s including a contact using only 4w from a Midland 38 with 26TM420 “Rikki” on ch25.

On the 5th some USB activity around 27.555 from divisions: 13,14,16,30,31,35 etc but by late afternoon the band had closed again.

On the 6th short openings to 14,30 divisions. On the 8th 14,1 divisions only. The 9th-11th: Divisions 1,14,30,161,26 all reported with much QSB and very short openings.

The 12th brought some stronger propagation, reports of 1,26,14,30,161. Also 26TM008 “Dave” managed to work 104 and 21 divisions, excellent contacts given the conditions.

Conditions improved again for the 13th and many divisions heard and worked inc: 1,30,26,108,31,329,29,104. The 14th was quieter with more UKFM activity from 26,13 and on SSB 14,47,21,3,4,306 divisions on RX.

On the 15th FM was alive on both 27/81 and CEPT block with signals from 26 division and also 13 division into 26 division. Some strong SSB activity followed in the evening with 26,13,14,15,30,35,54.16,19,1,20,21,161,29,329 reported heard and worked.

The 16th brought reports of 52 division into 26 division. Otherwise a little FM activity but generally very flat band with the exception of 108TM814 “Robin” bagging his first QSO for 08′ with 15DX015 “Marco”.

17th-20th was very quiet, Only 29,30,31,161 divisions being reported on RX.

On the 21st: 13,1,14,30,35,47,19,16,26 divisions coming in for a good couple of hours with fairly stable conditions allowing some great QSO’s.
The 22nd was much quieter 21,104,1 divisions around but very hard to maintain a QSO. The 23rd was similar and had divisions 1,26,27,30,137 heard and worked.

The 24th was more varied with conditions spreading throughout the day. Divisions included: 1,13,14,30,26,31,161,47,21,35,15.

Dead on the 25th but on the 26th our very own 26TM073 “Eddie” RX’d AUSTRALIA 43OT010 calling CQ with a QSY to 27.570.

27th and a lot of 1 div around, also 104,30,14,30,36,163,16,29,31 divisions heard and several of these also worked.

Also on the 27th 163TM088 “Franz” had an expedition up a local hill to work some awesome ground wave and also a couple DX contacts. (see pic below).

From the 27th to the 31st was again very poor with only 161,14,3 divisions on RX. Throughout the whole of the 31st only one station made it through to me here in 108 division, a nice QSO with 13PA001 “Bernard” – 5/8. Otherwise silence.

Franz (163TM088) Portable hill topping with his generator.

Please contact me with your highlights or pics and be included in next months report.

73s & Good DX for February,
108TM742
Callum.

The 1st and the 2nd showed virtually zero SSB activity only some short openings to 3 division getting through. There was also short hop skip on UKFM of around the 250 miles, again very unstable.

The 3rd, 4th and early into the 5th we had nothing, late afternoon of the 5th finally brought some strong continued conditions, divisions inc: 1,14,15,30,34. On the 6th again conditions opened for a short time over lunchtime, div inc: 13,14,15,30,31. On the 7th the best propagation of the month so far and brought signals from: 1,13,14,15,16,19,26,30,31,161,163 divisions as well as good FM skip from 26 div to my QTH in 108 division.

The 8th continued the trend of short openings with 30,34 and 3 division making it to the UK, although not too stable they were workable. Also on the 8th the 1st reports of 43 and 44 divisions making it to Europe for many months were made on Cluster.DK. From there it was fairly quiet until the 11th with 1,34,30,31,14,137 heard and worked, 43 div again reported on the 16th. On the 18th stations from 161,163,13,3,1,35,47,21,56,20 were heard and worked.

On the 19th “Karen” 108TM026 made an unexpected contact with 9CO990 “Brian” in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her 1st ever QSO.

Generally quiet until the 24th of Oct where FM opened up to allow CADS to be heard across CEPT/UKFM & even bleeding alll over 27.555usb. Most of the common EU divisions reported through to the end of the month. On the 28th/29th 43 div again reported into the EU.

Also on the 28th I made contact with 14TM102 for 5/7 QSO, many thanks Pascal.

November was a very quiet month. Only 26TM022 “Phil” with great RX reports of 74 and 43 divisions. Otherwise a couple of the mainland EU divisions were RX’d and a handful worked.

Certainly appearing to be the true solar minimum.

December the 2nd had reports of 161,13,19,35 divisions, a welcome change from a very dead 11m band.
It didnt last and it wasnt until the 14th skip really returned bringing many 13 div stations on CEPT FM. Nothing further through until the 26th & 27th where both SSB and FM were active, divisions 1,13,14.19,30,35.104,330 heard and worked. Lots of QSB around and propagation dropped to very low on the 28th/29th/30th and nil on the 31st.

Mid December did show signs of the very start of cycle 24. Increases in solar flux, flare activity, sun spots and generally healthier numbers all round. On the 11th a magnetically reversed active region was identified over the eastern limb of the sun and could have been the first signs of the new cycle. Quiet from mid December until the 31st with a very high C class flare and forecasts of possible M or X class flares early January.

26TM022′s new Corsican spider antenna built by Roy 104GT011.

Please contact me with your highlights or pics and be inc in next months report.

73s & Good DX for 2008.
108TM742
Callum.

The 1st to the 4th of the month raised some hopes with workable conditions including: 1,13,14,16,26,30,36,47,56,163,169 divisions. Much QSB but very nice to hear stations calling again.

Then 2 days without a single voice breaking the squelch!
Some odd calls from 14 and 30 division amongst hours of silence from the 7th to the 9th.

Then on the 9th 26TM022 “Phil” broke the trend and worked 3 division and 21 division amongst others whilst static mobile.

The following week was very patchy with some EU divisions in for short spells. On the 16th I had a QSO with 19TM145 “Andy”, which was followed by 3 division calling amongst the EU divisions.
Again several quiet days followed until the 21st where 104 div was worked and 2OT001 “Jon” reported hearing 26TM321 “George”.

The 22nd and 23rd brought 3 division again with strong signals on 27.555 & 27.540, as well as many other EU divisions received. 26TM014 “Andrew” also managed a short QSO with 161TM001 “Lucas”. On the 25th both myself and 26TM123 worked 51PO02, a first for me into that division. Through to the end of the month Brazil, France and Spain were received in short spells but not too stable.

Again this month one of the most active days was the DX SuperSunday event on the 30th, many stations went portable and several were active from homebased. Some low levels of skip around lunchtime, with the band closing by mid afternoon only to re open in the evening for a spell with some stations attempting contact with 3 div. Many groundwave contacts were made and a great day was had by all participants.

26TM256 “Dave”, At a top DX and GW spot.

26TM333 “Chris”, Schooling the sheep in the art of DX.

Please contact me with your “highlights” etc and be inc in next months report.

73s & Good DX.
108TM742
Callum.