I’m 46 years old and married with Marinella , IK2CDI. We have 2 sons, Ivan, age 21 and Roberto, age 16.
I’m active on 2m EME since october 1991. My first 2m EME contact was with SM5FRH and it was a special qso, not only for the mode (EME), but because I never saw or operated an EME station before. It was a random QSO and after so many years, i remember with satisfaction that event.
My 1st EME station was a TS711E +4CX250B MGF1302 and 2X18 C.C. 4218XL on horizontal configuration. After 2-3 months of real QRP activity, i bought a 3CX800A7 P.A. In may 1993 i improved my antenna system, with another pair of 4218XL and modified the new 4X18 elem. system, removing the trigonal reflectors and using them for built 2 new directors for each antenna. I have been active with this antenna till April 2003 and worked more than 400 stations, with a lot of 1 or 2 yagi and strictly on cw.
With my old array, the smallest station worked, on random, was Wolfgang, SV5/DL5MAE. I remember his station setup, simply 1x17 M2 and 500 W. During the 2003 spring i replaced my old yagi system with my actual 4X19LLY antenna. Nobody of you, if not tested yet, could believe how great is this antenna.
Paolo, I3DLI, made really a great job !!
This antenna, only 7,75 m of boom length, is really fantastic and much better of my previous yagi system.
It not suffer interference from the metal "H". It maintain a good SWR also under rain and it is so clear, that at the beginning sometimes, you check your preamp., believing about some problem, but it simply has a clean pattern. I made lot of test with newmoon , but althought it’s only a 4X19LLY system i can always, detect eme signals.
Last important change, on my station setup, is LINRAD. I’m fully active with this beautiful receiving system, since last January.
I can tell you that i never found a so great receiver. I tested it, for the first time, during last February DUBUS 2m Cw activity night. It’s really fantastic to receive the entire eme band or perform the filter for a preferred bandwidth. The Linrad filters, help really us and after some hours of eme rx, with it you are not so tired, like with the common DSPs.
I guess that Leif made LINRAD particularly for CW EME, but I tested it also on last DUBUS DIGITAL EME Contest and i still testing weekly on JT65 random and my opinion is that at the moment it’s the only way, to work a real JT65 random, like on cw. It’s really helpful, to discover lot of JT65 or CW signals, without internet connection. At least it’s like back at the "good old days".
I’ll send my thanks and not properly in order to IK3MAC, for his continuous help. My LINRAD system is running only because he helps me very much and lot of my station parts are "IK3MAC HOME MADE". Over a big station, Graziano is really a great man. I’ll send my thanks to Paolo, I3DLI for a so good antenna and to Leif, SM5BSZ, for LINRAD.
My station now is as follow:
TX: IC275H 8877
RX: LINRAD with all the set of WSERX converters MGF1801 +front end
ANTENNA: 4X19LLY (7,75 m)
IK2DDR Francesco
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