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VK6BE > BEACON 01.12.03 13:32l 89 Lines 4970 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : A90128VK6BE
Read: DB0FHN GUEST
Subj: History of the amateur beacon
Path: DB0FHN<DB0FOR<DB0SIF<DB0EA<DB0RES<ON0AR<ZL2BAU<VK7AX<VK3AVE<VK6HGR<
VK6BBR<VK6RAW<VK6PBV<VK6JY
Sent: 031201/0910Z @:VK6JY.#ALY.#WA.AUS.OC #:23662 [Albany] FBB7 $:A90128VK6BE
From: VK6BE@VK6JY.#ALY.#WA.AUS.OC
To : BEACON@WW
As would have been noticed I am putting out reports of what I hear on 28
and above. It all started when there were some big sunspot flares and I
wondered what effect they would have on 28 meg propagation.There has
turned out to be more possibilities of operation on 28 than I ever
considered possible at this stage of the sunspot cycle. However the
amateur population is conspicuous by its absence.
I think I can claim to be the first operator of an amateur beacon on VHF.
IN 1957/58 there were signs that 50 megs was stirring in no ordinary
fashion as the sunspot count rose towards 200 - the highest count ever
recorded up to that time, and with JA stations being heard and worked in
VK6 for the first time ever.
The WA VHF Group decided that a beacon should be put on air on 50 MHz to
see what reports would come from over seas.The late Don Brown (VK6ZAV)
built a small transmitter using a 6V6 driving an 807 to a few watts
(probably about 20 - I don't think we ever measured it). I was single at
the time, and as unattended operation was not allowed under the Australian
Regulations at that time it was installed in my bedroom on a shelf and
attached to my 4/4 yagi on 50. The keyer was mechanical consisting of a
rotating disk with the callsign cut into the edge, running against a set
of ignition points (automobile). This device clickety clicked away sending
out a constant callsign VK6VF. The motor which drove the disk was from an
AC power meter, and this was very much affected by mains supply voltage
which was not all that steady at my place. During the times of heavy draw
on the mains (mealtimes) the CW went out at about 4 or 5 wpm while after
midnight when the mains voltage rose it clattered along at about 30+ wpm.
As I said the beacon could not be run unattended but with my hours of work
I could run it for long periods, and I must admit that if conditions
looked very interesting I sometimes "forgot" to switch it off when I left
the house.
We had reports of this beacon from many places including Japan, HongKong
and the Phillipines, New Guinea and New Zealand. Europe did not have 50 of
course and during those first few years soon after we worked 9M2DQ on 50,
that band was also withdrawn from the Far East.We had TV coming in from a
place in Eastern Siberia 5000 miles due north from us and actually got
good pictures from it. Their standards were similar to ours except that
the sound was one meg higher in frequency and so the pictures were silent.
My TV set was an interesting one - home brew - it had to be as TV had just
come to Australia and we had none in the West. It consisted of a turret
tuner someone lent me, a string of 6AC7s in an IF unit and the tube was a
5 inch radar tube (5BP1????). The picture was green but what the heck!
This same set served me well when TV first came to this state.We also
heard virtually daily over long periods a wide band FM station on 49.75
MHz from the north. It used a callsign HLKA and was Voice of America in
Korea. I sent a listener's report to HLKA and got a card back from them
listing a frequency in the 17 meg band. Later it dawned on us that the
signal we were reading at 59++ was actually the VHF link from the HLKA
studio to the transmitter - very low power and not intended for DXing!
As far as I know VK6VF was the first VHF beacon ever; it was followed soon
after by JA1IGY as the International Geophysical Year commenced. I heard
of the Stanford University's programme for the IGY and offered my services
and for about three years I sent in reports of what I heard on VHF. For
that I was awarded a couple of certificates. I was the only reporting
station from Zone 29.
All history now. We have worked the world on 50 MHz these days and there
are beacons in many places and most of the intense interest seems to have
evaporated.
Later I moved to Albany on the south coast where 2 metre tropo usually
goes through to VK5 and VK3 each summer. IN 1971 I held a series of scheds
with Garry VK5ZK in the early evening. We got through on 144 far more
often than we ever expected to. On one occasion after he had sent me over
a 432 MHz converter which I hitched up, we were contacting on 144 when he
said he would put his 432 meg 100 watts on air. I heard that signal ---
first signals ever heard over the approx 2000 km path on 432. Hearing of
this Wal VK6WG lost no time in getting gear on the air and conducting a 2
way QSO over the same path. Of course since then Wal has broken several
world records by having contacts over the same path well up into the
gigahertz region.
I also had a bit of luck in picking up a mobile VK3 over the 2224.5 km
path into VK3 on both 144 and 432. Those records still stand.
VHF is fascinating stuff. You never know what is going to bob up. All you
have to do is keep an eye (or an ear) on the bands.
Cheers,
Bob VK6BE
Not one word about OZ Tabloids or the Rugby!!! Keep it up fellers.
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