News archive: 2001 - 2005

31.05.01 Overview: May, 2001.
Nothing on 144 MHz. Sometimes some weak signals on 144 MHz SSB, but no QSO. Unfortunately, I was away from home during Es opening (May, 27) and did not catch it (QSO between UA0 Primorsky Kraj and JR6 Okinawa reported).
430 MHz was just litle bit better: two QSO with Hokkaido, FM mode (17, May with JR8KIY, 27 May with JI8ISD). Heard many JA8 with RS up to 59+, but they are truck-drivers (?), who use amateur band to communicate within working team.

5.06.01
Yesterday I catched Es opening to Japan. During one hour (08.10 - 09.11 GMT) I had 23 QSO: 10 JA2, 3 JA3, 4 JA4, 5 JA5 and 1 JA9. Also heard few HL/DS (FM mode) stations, but no QSO ....

14.06.01
UA0FH from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ready to QRV on 2 meters band again with new 10 el Yagi antenna (TR751 + HL62V 50 W).

27.06.01
UA0FH reported about 2 QSO with JA4, June, 15 at 08Z.

19.07.01
I am ready to QRV 430 MHz SSB mode again - I purchased another TR9500G from Japan (my old TR9500G failed)! Suppose to QRV 430 MHz SSB on 430.270, 430.300 and 430.430 MHz, 10 - 12 Z.
UA0FH, Victor, reported about Es opening July, 6 (08.25 -09.00 Z) - 4 QSO with JA6, 1 QSO with JA5.

31.07.01
Es opening yesterday. I switched on my tranceiver at 08:10 GMT and during 2 hours had 28 QSOs: 3 JA2, 1 JA3, 8 JA4 and 16 JA6. Some JA6 stations were real strong - up to 59+20 dB. Same time heard few JA8 stations.
The rest of July: just 2 tropo QSO with JA8, Hokkaido, early morning July, 29.

August, 15, 2001
Tropo conditions was very nice yesterday. I had 10 QSO with JA8''s on 2 meters, 4 JA8 on 70 cm band (430.300 SSB) and even 3 QSO with JA7, Aomori prefecture (7J7ACT, JN7BCI, JN1JFO/7) on 2 meters band!!
Today I catched short Es opening and had only QSO with JE9DTD/9 - JA9 is one of the best DX for me. So far I had just 2 QSO with 9 area.

August, 20, 2001
It was strongest tropo on 430 MHz band I ever catched: 10 QSO with different Hokkaido stations, 5 QSO with JA7 (JG7QNG, JR7ICP, JG7MXZ, JM7BML, JH7HGK) and even QSOs with JI0MZB from Niigata prefecture and JK1KTY, Mobara-city, Chiba prefecture !!

May, 2, 2002
Ready to QRV on 144 and 430 MHz.

May, 11, 2002
Nice and warm weather on Sakhalin during late April - early May, up to +23C (which is qute ub-normal for Sakhalin!). Early opening of 430 MHz band: May, 8 at 15:30 JST first time this year heard strong stations on 431.50 MHz, up to 59+ (suppose, they are truck drivers from Hokkaido).
May, 10 starting from early morning (06:40 JST) 70 cm band is full of signals: heard many stations from Hokkaido (truck drivers, using amateur radio band to communicate within working teams) with RS 53 - 59+ on 431.82; 431.68; 431.50; 432.38; 432.64; 432.04; 432.12; 432.16 MHz. Unfortunately, heard no any real amateur radio stations on this band during these days.

May, 13, 2002
430 MHz band newcomer from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: RA0FCA (op. Mark) and club station RK0FWI team are ready to QRV with new 23 elements homebrew Yagi + ALINCO DR-610.
I will monitor 430.00/FM; 431.430 and 430.550/SSB every day 06:30 - 07:00 JST, 11:00 - 12:00 JST and after 17 JST as well as 145.00/FM and 144.150/SSB.

May, 15, 2002
first QSO this season on 430 MHZ: 11:40 GMT QSO with JG8FAO, op. Sato from Hamatombetsu-cho, 431.50 FM with RS 57/55.

June, 16, 2002
First QSO this year on 144 MHZ with 8J8WIN from Tomamae, Hokkaido. RS 59/59, FM mode

June, 18, 2002
Some more new JCC confirmed. Now my JCC-144 MHz score is 116 cities in 30 prerfectures in all JA call areas!

July, 2, 2002
Yesterday was very nice and warm weather here, hence good tropho on 430 MHz. All day long starting from early morning I heard many Japanese stations (truck drivers?) FM mode on 430 MHz with signals up to 59+20 dB. 10:15 GMT QSO with JM3FUW/8, operated from from Mt. Rishiri, both FM mode and SSB (RS 59/59).
Late evening strong signals of few JA8 on 144.175 MHz SSB, but no QSO.

July, 23, 2002
July, 20 Es 144 MHz opening between JA1 and HL reported. I received sms to my mobile about this Es from JE7IDA, mr. Kunihiko Nakano, VHF propagation forecast enthusiast, and switched on my transeiver immediately. But the band was quiet, heard just 2 stations from Hokkaido.

August, 5, 2002
Caught Es opening on 2 meters band. First I have seen information posted by JE7IDA on Japanese VHF/UHF DX Cluster, then CRL Ionospheric Sounding Data in Japan, very usefull web-site with live information about ionosphere conditions. Switched on my gear at 09-00 Z and have had 15 QSO with JA4 (3 stations), JA5 (3 stations) and JA6 (9 stations). Also heard about 10-30 Z few HL/DS stations FM mode. This Es opening actually was the first one for me this season.Hot news: 2003

Year 2003
19.04. 2003
Very first 430 MHz QSO this season with UA0LPR/MM, op. Victor, ss "Sinegorje" in Korsakov port.

May, 26
Last saturday, May 24, my friends Ken RA0FW and Mark RA0FCA undertook Field day operation. Planed location on mountain Bolshevik (520 meters above sea level) was unaccessible due to the road condition, so they have selected mountain Kolkhosnaya (142 m). TR751 + 50 W + 2x10 el Yagi on 144 MHz, TR9500 + 50 w + 2x15 el Yagi on 430 MHz as a standard Field Day set. They were lucky to QSO with RW0CE from Vanino (Khabarovsky Kraj) on 144 MHz. QSO on 2 meters with main land are so rare from here!

June, 16
First Es opening on Sakhalin reported by RA0FCA, op. Mark: 07.20 - 07.40 Z and 09.07-09.10 Z at June, 9. Total 12 QSO: 2 JA1, 5 JA2, 3 JA3, 1 JA4, 1 JA7

June, 22
Es opening on Sakhalin.
First time this season I caught Es. June, 22 09.30-10.20 Z total 8 QSO with JA6 (they were JH6HOC op. Hiro - 2 QSO, JF6ILP, JE6CDD, JF6MFD, JJ6GXO, JP6VUP, JF6OKO). Signals peaked 59+20 dB, but from JA6 only.
Mark, RA0FCA, also caught this opening and had few QSO.

June, 29
Very strong Es opening, started from 05:30 Z. During 1 hour I had 67 QSOs: 8 JA1, 14 JA2, 14 JA3, 13 JA4, 11 JA5, 1 JA6, 4 JA9 and 2 JA0. I switched off at 06:31, much earlier before opening end. RA0FCA Mark also enjoyed propagation and in total have 93 QSOs.
Before 2 m opening I heard many JAs on 50 MHz SSB and CW, but during opening had no time to check 6 meters band

July, 7
Good tropo - QSO with JK8GIJ on 430 MHz with RS59+20 dB, also heard many stations (truck drivers) on 430 MHz.
Short Es opening: 08:50Z 3 QSO with JA5 on 144 MHz.

July, 20
Being at home during sunday, I switched on my transeiver, had some local QSOs, then listerned to 50 MHz band full of strong JA stations SSB and CW. Then suddenly strong opening on 144 MHz for about 1.5 hours: 02:15 - 03:47 Z total 47 QSOs. This time most contacts were with JA1 (27). The other were 7 JA2, 10 JA4, 1 JA5, 2 JA6 and even 1 JA8. RA0FCA also was active on the band.

November, 22
Now I am running completely out of QSL cards. I have ordered QSL cards with new design from UA3AA QSL Print (you can see it on front page), but they faild to deliver on time and now I am even do not know the status of my order. So, currently I can not send QSL cards for this year QSOs. QSLs for last year QSOs have been sent to JARL QSL Bureau using my last bulk of standard "old Soviet" QSL cards. I am sorry, but please wait until UA3AA will fix the problem... as soon as they will deliver my order, I will start to send this year QSL cards.

January, 3, 2004
OK, now I''ve got new bulk of QSL cards. UA3AA QSL Print managed to deliver my order at the very last day of 2003. Within one month I will sign and send QSL cards for all 2003 contacts.

May, 2004
Nothing on the air - no one reported about any opening on Sakhalin during May.

Mark, RA0FCA, started up VHF SSB beacon in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (QN16ix): 100 W IC-910H with longbeam (9 meters) 15 elements Yagi on 144300 in SSB mode. 45 seconds-long voice call "CQ de RA0FCA" each 4 minutes. Please drop me e-mail or sms if hear beacon.

June, 2004
Last June'''' weekend brought wonderfull tropo opening between Sakhalin and South Korea. Saturday, June 26 I switched on my radio at 8 PM local time and became nearly deaf by big signals of Korean stations on 144 MHz FM mode! Most of them were RS 59, 59+, 59++. So, I contacted with DS2SRL, HL3SEO, 6K2DES/M during last 30 minutes of tropo opening. UA0FZ Vlad, from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, also had 1 QSO with HL2DIB. I do not know when tropo to Korea has started this day, probably I caught just the end. Actually, this was fourth 144 MHz tropo opening between Korea and Sakhalin I met during last 10 years.
Later this evening I also worked with JF8EKU (Wakkanai) and 7L3ATQ/8 (Teuri Island) both on 144 and 430 MHz.

July, 5
Mark, RA0FCA, reported about short Es opening last Friday, July 2: 5 QSOs with JA3-JA4-JA5

July, 21
Good chance to get QN06 on 144 MHz: next DXpedition to Moneron Island!
RA0FW Ken, RA0FU Yuri, RA3ACA Elena will be active from Moneron Island (IOTA AS-149, QN06pg) July ,21 thru July, 26 on HF bands and VHF. VHF gear: TR751 + HL62V 50W + 2x9 el Yagi. Contest call RK0FWL/p. Watch them on 144 MHz FM and SSB. Information about two previous DXpeditions to Moneron: www.qsl.net/ra0ff (1998); www.dx.bgtelecom.ru (RK0FWL, 2000)

October, 20, 2004
With the latest bulk of QSL mail via the QSL-bureau, my JCC score became 145 cities on 144 MHz!

August, 2005
During my short visit to Sakhalin I tried (very first time!) EME.
It was from RA0FCA/RA0FW radio shack. 3 EME QSOs - RW1AY/1 Vlad, ZL3TY Bob and 5B8AD Alex. It was amazing!
Mark, RA0FCA and Ken, RA0FW are most active thru EME from Sakhalin (actually all others UA0F using thier radioshack for EME). They have built nice radiostation for EME: 4 x 4.5 vawelenght (4 x 30 el X-pol) antenna with ICOM910H + 1.5 kW homemade amplifier.