On Mon, Mar 1, 2021 at 12:36 PM, hamrad45 wrote:

Awesome review.  Do you mind if I show a quick look at your review and my YouTube channel and then give my subscribers the link to it?

Tom Stiles (YouTube channel "hamrad88")

Thanks Tom,

I would be highly honored to share this XHDATA D-808 review with your subscribers, as well as the full 2021 Shootout review later on. Your interest is greatly appreciated!

73, Gary DeBock  (N7EKX)
Puyallup, WA, USA

--

Awesome review.  Do you mind if I show a quick look at your review and my YouTube channel and then give my subscribers the link to it?

Tom Stiles (YouTube channel "hamrad88")

For those of you not on Facebook, there will be a 2021 Ultralight Radio Shootout completed soon, providing extensive reviews of the XHDATA D-808, the Radiwow R-108, the C. Crane Skywave, the Tecsun PL-330 and the Tecsun PL-380.

Although the 27.2 cubic inch size of the XHDATA D-808 model places it outside of the "official" Ultralight Radio guidelines it is still a very popular AM-FM-SW-LW-AIR band portable providing excellent value for the $100 price-- and was included in the full article as a "reference model." Read the full details on this popular model in the full 6-page review posted at the following link, which is an excerpt from the full Shootout article to be published soon 
https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/8y6855bnfmy45rnk46mzr7hb4pwjz8u8

Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)

Date: 26/02/2021
Time: 9:30 PM
Location: Home, Launceston Tasmania.
Notes: A night time session at home for my 500KM DX Challenge. All stations within 500km of my location were logged. 7SH on 1584kHz at 100W was a bit of a struggle but was successfully logged late in the session.

 

FREQ	CALLSIGN	AREA	TYPE	POWER
531	3GG	Warragul	Commercial	5000
540	7SD	Scottsdale	Commercial	5000
585	7RN	Hobart	National	10000
621	3RN	Melbourne	National	50000
630	7RN	Queenstown	National	400
693	3AW	Melbourne	Commercial	5000
720	3MT	Omeo	National	2000
747	7PB	Hobart	National	3500
774	3LO	Melbourne	National	50000
828	3GI	Sale	National	10000
855	3CR	Melbourne	Community	3500
864	7RPH	Hobart	Community	2000
927	3UZ	Melbourne	Commercial	5000
936	7ZR	Hobart	National	10000
1008	HPON LAUNCESTON	Launceston	HPON	5000
1026	3PB	Melbourne	National	10000
1080	HPON HOBART	Hobart	HPON	5000
1116	3AK	Melbourne	Commercial	5000
1134	3CS	Colac	Commercial	5000
1161	7FG	Fingal	National	1000
1179	3RPH	Melbourne	Community	5000
1224	3EA	Melbourne	National	5000
1242	3GV	Sale	Commercial	5000
1278	3EE	Melbourne	Commercial	5000
1341	HPON GEELONG	Geelong	HPON	5000
1377	3MP	Melbourne	Commercial	5000
1422	HPON MELBOURNE	Melbourne	HPON	5000
1503	3KND	Melbourne	Community	5000
1584	7SH	St Helens	National	100
1593	HPON	Melbourne	HPON	5000

 

Making it to McGrath Alaska under pest KGAL Lebanon OR

The following files have been uploaded to the Files area of the main@UltralightDX.groups.io group.

• /4 DXing Techniques/500KM_DXChallenge_March2021.pdf

By: Paul Blundell <tanger32au@...>

Description:
500KM DX Challenge Log Sheet - March 2021

Date: 25/02/2021
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Conara Park, Midlands, Tasmania.
Notes: A portable late afternoon session. I had a day trip to Hobart yesterday for work. I was limited for time on the way down but was able to stop on the way back. In the days prior to this, I had spent some time on Google Maps researching some locations for a portable Ultralight DXing session on the drive back.  Below is some information on each location, sadly I was unable to undertake a portable Ultralight DXing session at any, except for the last one.

Benjafield Park: This was my preferred location as it was close to where I was working for the day. When I drove past, the council were mowing and had the car park blocked. Based on this I kept driving.

Granton Park: This is near the entry to Hobart, I was unable to stop due to the flow of traffic and being in the wrong lane.

Ross Bridge Park: I pulled up and started to setup but found that somebody had dumped some rubbish near the tables, the smell from this was disgusting.

Pedder Street Park: I drove past but found that the picnic table had been removed, not allowing anywhere to setup.

Conara Park: This was my last location, I found a parking spot and setup on a table. I logged 14 stations, all were as I would expect with 3CR on 855kHz being a bit of a surprise, for a 3.5KW station, it had a good signal. 3GG on 531kHz was also logged at a good signal levels and with the help of my 3” FSL, it’s callsign and station slogan was logged well.

Over all it was an enjoyable session and gave me a nice break on the drive home.

FREQ	CALLSIGN
531	3GG
585	7RN
594	3WV
621	3RN
747	7PB
774	3LO
828	3GI
855	3CR
864	7RPH
936	7ZR
1008	HPON LAUNCESTON
1080	HPON HOBART
1341	HPON GEELONG
1422	HPON MELBOURNE

 

https://ultralightradiodxing.blogspot.com/2021/02/portable-ultralight-dxing-session_26.html

I would like to propose a medium wave radio dxing challenge to run for the rest of the year. This is not a competition and it is not about beating anybody else except yourself, it is a trust based challenge and the rules are not too complex.  I see it working along these lines.

 

- Each station I receive in each dxing session is scored based on the distance from my location to the transmitter; For Australian stations, I am scoring based on each state having a value as below:

Tasmania = 1

Victoria = 2

NSW = 3

Queensland = 4

South Australia = 3

West Australia = 4

Northern Territory = 4

 

- You also receive a bonus based on the location of your medium wave dxing session. If it is a new location then you double your total score. Again this is trust based as to what counts as a new location. I would say a 1km radius around each location would be a fair guide. This is to encourage portable / mobile operation.

 

- Each location can only be counted once in a 24 hour period and the double score bonus only counts the first time you log from each location.

 

- Full logs do not need to be kept, just a total for each session (with location) and a running total of your score. A simple spreadsheet can do this.

 

- Any and all equipment capable of receiving the medium wave broadcast band can be used.

If others would like to be a part of this, we could work out a scoring system for the USA and other areas.

Ha! Very good Paul.

This might be of interest to some members:
http://www.sarmento.eng.br/Loop_Ferrite_Rod_Antenna.htm

To the tune of piano man. 

 

 

 

Its nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sitting next to me
DXing radios with patience and grace
He says, son, can you fix my PL-380 
I’m not really sure how it goes
But I want a Loopstick I knew it complete
When I soldered with a younger man’s eyes

Program us a radio, you’re the Ultralight DXing man
Program us a radio tonight
Well, we are all in the mood for some big DX
And you’ve got us all programmed just right

Now Mitch at Jaycar is a friend of mine
He gets me my radios cheap
And he’s quick with a joke and to program in the right mode
But there’s someplace that he’d rather be
He says, Paul, I believe this is killing me.
As the smile ran away from his face
Well I’m sure that I could be a radio tech
If I could get out of this place

Now Gary is a Ultralight DXing guru
Who always has time for a chat
And he’s talking with Davey who’s still building a loop stick
And probably will be for life......

And the waitress is doing a band search