Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club ( M0HFC & MX0HFC & M6C )

The World of PSK31 has hit the Radio Shack down at the Humber Fortress DX ARC.

The club is using a Club made interface on an old reclaimed XP computer, and running it on an Kenwood TS-440s with 35 watts output into a 40m Dipole at 110ft high.
So far the Club has been operating on 40m PSK31.
Hopefully looking into starting to join in the RSGB 80m Data Contest’s as the Members learn more about operating this great mode.

Well, many members will be running the system, so we are going to call the PC and PSK31 system the Name Data so if you see Data on the Air

please call us, the PSK31 system is using the club call sign M0HFC.

What is PSK31

PSK31 is a method of communicating by sending data over radio which was developed by Peter Martinez, G3PLX.

It uses a very narrow band, phase modulated signal and special data encoding, to allow operators to “chat” in a manner similar to RTTY.

However, PSK31 is much more effective than RTTY, being more resistant to interference and needing less power to achieve solid copy.

Most PSK31 operators use PC software that generates and decodes the audio PSK signal using the computer sound card.

The output from the radio receiver is fed into the sound card’s line input socket and the software decodes it and displays the text on the screen.

To create a PSK signal for transmitting the sound card generates the audio which is taken from the speaker socket and fed to the transceiver.

With many transceivers (including the Elecraft K2) the audio must be connected to the microphone socket after some fairly heavy attenuation.

Many desktop-style transceivers have a dedicated data interface which avoids the nuisance of disconnecting the mike whenever you want to operate on PSK.

Software
Many programs are now available that enable you to send and receive PSK31. Interface to your Sound card good site to start looking at is http://qsl.net/wm2u/interface.html

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Over the last three weeks the Club Station has been QRV on Club nights, transmitting on the 40m, 80m and 20m bands. As every member and any visitor to the Club station knows, the club is set in a wonderful location for radio. The Fort is built on an 80ft high sand embankment, and the antennas on top of another 40ft embankment within the fort. This results in a height in excess of 110ft above the river Humber, and been flanked on 3 sides by salt water. Because sand is an efficient insulator, the radiated RF is not affected by the sand, resulting in the effective antenna height of 110ft a.s.l. and from the reports received this seems to be true.

By transmitting 100W on 40m and into the dipole at 110ft, we are receiving great reports. Our reports from all over the UK are 59+20 to +40dB, and still well over 59+20dB from Europe. On the 80m band we are able to run 400W and the reports received are just so great. On both the 40m and 80m bands we have worked plenty DX, with VK, JA,W6 long path,  to mention a few. The higher bands of 20m, 15m, and 10m at the fort are just as wonderful to work. After all, we have ZERO noise level on all the bands, even 160m.

This been said, we are now on our way to working DXCC from the club on 20m, 15m, and 10m. Some of the rare DX out in the Pacific Ocean just seems so easy from the Club station with zero noise. We find that if we can hear it, then we can work it, without a problem.

Here are some pictures taken over the past few weeks of members doing what they do best; getting Humber Fortress DX Club well know in the DX world.

Left to Right Andy G7LRR working DX on 20m with Bob M0RWL Logging,  Simon  2E0HDX working 40m pile up

Left to Right  2E0ODL Keith 20m Station &, Robert  Keith’s Son Logging for him ,    Andy G7LRR 40m pile up

Bob M0RWL working the 40m pile up

John G6LNV working 40m

Steve 2E0NSQ hunting for that rare Dx station on 20m

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