PMR 446 Radio DX reports September - December 2024

[scanhermit]

Tonight and Saturday morning looks potentially good for those on the north east coast who are prepared to stop up into the small hours.

https://dxinfocentre.com/tropo_nwe.html

[scanhermit]

A good crop tonight (05/09/25) from Garrowby Hill (53.9961295, -0.7622268), 240m (790ft) elevation.

Equipment
* Quansheng UV-K5 with stock antenna and Retevis RHD-771. 1-5W.
* Retevis RT24 with Retevis RHD-771 antenna. 0.5W
* Retevis H777D (fixed 5cm antenna, 0.5w)

1) Ben, mobile near Penistone, 50 miles. 365m (1200ft) elevation. R5 S9 Quansheng + Stock antenna, R3 with H777D. Received him R4-5.

2) Steve, Humberside Airport, 30 miles. R5 Quansheng + Stock antenna, R4 with H777D. Received him R4-5.

3) Andy, Moorends, Doncaster 27 miles. Using Hytera md785 with x30 antenna. Received me S7 R5 with Retevis RT24 + RHD-771 antenna and S2 R4 with H777D. Received him R5

4) Ken, Shirebrook Notts, 58 miles. Received me S2 R5 with Retevis RT24 + RHD-771 antenna. R1 with H777D. Received him R5.

I discarded the RHD-771 antenna for the Quansheng after a few overs because, although I was getting out just fine on it, the combination of that radio and antenna was almost completely deaf at head height. I only picked the other station up if I placed the Quansheng at knee height. The stock Quansheng antenna worked better at head height.

The H777D with it's short, fixed antenna worked brilliantly on receive, often picking up what the Quansheng, with either stock ant or RHD-771 failed to do, at head height.

This is a perplexing mystery.

[scanhermit]

A sweet 40 miles from the A1 overbridge at Skellow (53.587629,-1.214032) to Rod at Caistor Top with the Retevis H777D ( https://www.retevis.com/products/retevi ... e-talkie-1) . I was S0 R4 to him.

No tropo so I'm quite pleased by this copy.

[scanhermit]

Managed a copy to Jason at Lincoln from The Chevin tonight - 65 crow miles. I was on a Quansheng UV-K5 with stock antenna, 1w power. It was a bit choppy at my end but we made it. Quite chuffed.

[scanhermit]

A good night on Garrowby Hill last night - contacts at York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Caistor, Marsden Moor, Mansfield and Matlock. All on half watt and one watt. PMR is a great band for hilltopping - a lot can be done on not much money and power.

[scanhermit]

Short but sweet contact from Garrowby Hill last night (I was mostly there to test my CB antenna).

Using the Quansheng UV-K5 on 1w with stock antenna I was R5 S9 to Tony on Marsden Moor, 56 miles away. He was using a Yaesu 510D and Diamond V2000 antenna. He was endstopping me. He said I sounded like we were in the same room. It's just increased my respect for the Quansheng - for the money it performs very well.

Anyway, Tony runs this regular event:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/pmr446channel16/

[scanhermit]

I wasn't prepared tonight so didn't get much of the tropo action but I did get contacts of 53 and 80 miles to Jason in Lincoln and Colin in Boston respectively. I was on a 200ft hill with a Quansheng on 1w power through a Retevis RHD771 antenna.

[scanhermit]

Yesterday I managed 40 miles to Ben, who was on the moors west of Sheffield. I was on my legal Retevis H777D. The antenna is only 5cm so I was doublelpus chuffed. I wasn't on a hill but was on an overbridge above a quiet road. I experimented by taping a tiger tail to the radio and it lifted my audio slightly but noticeably.

It's the second time I've had a 40 mile contact from a bridge with this radio. If one can't get to high ground it seems like bridges are good second order spots to DX from.

[scanhermit]

Back to the same bridge today and contact with another Ben, 24 miles away with the H777D. No discernable difference between transmission with and without counterpoise.

Tested over 4 miles of mostly open field back to the house there was a very slight difference. From a point 2 miles from the house with more vegetation and housing in the way, the counterpoise lifted the audio from R2 to R4. Open line of sight contacts don't seem to benefit so much but a counterpoise seems to lift more difficult ones out of the hash.

[QRZ-934]

Made the trip to Christian at Roberts Bakery in Cheshire, just outside of jodrell bank, rom the top of the long mynd shropshire last saturday, 63 miles as the crow flies, using my little baofeng and just a couple of watts.
Radio 5 reported as was Christian back to me.
Previous week did the trip to Bury, same setup , same results on the shortened nagoya whip.
Never ceases to surprise me this band nor the radio either.