| Date | User | Challenge | Status | Toot summary & link |
|---|
| 2025-01-01 12:03:27 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 1 | Progress update... | I'm starting on 'The 52 week ham radio challenge - 2025', picking up the 1st challenge, 'Create a QSL card design!'. The idea of collecting QSL cards from around the world is what interested me to pickup this hobby. I’m glad that there are operators and experimenters out there who are continuing the concept of a physical QSL card. I have this perfect QSL card for myself in my head and I will look to put that down on paper. #hamchallenge HC01 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-04 00:07:13 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 1 | Success! | I searched for the right software and finally decided to use Paintbrush for this challenge. The software was easy to use and I had no trouble in framing the details on the card. The final QSL card turned out well. #hamchallenge HC01S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-04 00:34:48 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 2 | Progress update... | I'm starting on the 2nd challenge, 'Monitor as many NCDXF IARU beacons in one week as possible'. I was interested in the NCDXF beacons when I first heard about the same in a ‘Foundations of Amateur Radio’ podcast episode and later in a TSM article shared with me. I couldn’t hear anything from my QTH at that time and over the years I had tried, unsuccessfully, with different portable receiver and antenna combinations. This will keep me busy for the week. #hamchallenge HC02 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-08 21:58:27 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 2 | Progress update... | I don’t have a HF setup that would allow me to receive the NCDXF beacons. I located KiwiSDR receiver in Éire and tuned to the beacons around 1900 UTC. I could only hear 3 stations, CS3B, ZS6DN and 4U1UN, on 14.100 MHz. Nothing heard on any other frequencies. I have few portable antennas that I might look to setup over the next few days. The challenge continues. #hamchallenge HC02 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-12 20:47:49 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 2 | Progress update... | I couldn’t get the HF setup to receive the NCDXF beacons and so I had used a KiwiSDR receiver for the challenge. I will leave this challenge open until I can get a basic HF setup. #hamchallenge HC02 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-14 20:55:44 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 3 | Progress update... | I'm starting on the 3rd challenge, 'Work another continent on 80m or 160m'. Similar to the previous week’s challenge, I might have to start with a WebSDR. #hamchallenge HC03 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-19 16:40:53 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 3 | Progress update... | Similar to the last challenge, I will have the 3rd challenge open for some time until I get my HF setup ready. I had tuned around the bands on a KiwiSDR receiver but couldn’t make out the details. #hamchallenge HC03 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-21 21:39:45 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 4 | Success! | I’ve been spending time for the 4th challenge, 'Research the history of your callsign!' to understand the history behind Irish call signs. There are no previous holders of EI7IJB from what I have gathered. The ‘B’ at the end of the call sign indicates that I’m a CEPT Class 2 licence or simply it means that I have not passed my Morse test. There is mention that the EI call signs were first issued in 1929 but there are no callbooks from that year to confirm this. #hamchallenge HC04S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-01-29 00:19:41 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 5 | Progress update... | I shouldn’t be waiting for the 5th challenge, 'Update your profile on QRZ.com, HamQTH.com, etc.' to update my radio profiles under Club Log, eQSL, HamCall, HamQTH, Mastodon Radio, POTA, QRZ, QRZCQ and SOTA. Better today than tomorrow! #hamchallenge HC05 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-01 19:27:59 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 5 | Success! | I’ve updated my profile in multiple places: Club Log, eQSL, HamCall, HamQTH, Mastodon Radio, POTA, QRZ, QRZCQ and SOTA. I had not operated in over a year and thus there weren’t many updates to be made to my profiles. If this is a sign that I should get on the air, I don’t know what is. #hamchallenge HC05S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-04 20:20:39 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 6 | Progress update... | I will find the 6th challenge, ‘Take part in a contest!’, quite literally challenging. #hamchallenge HC06 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-11 22:53:11 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 7 | Progress update... | I see the appeal of a DXpedition and marvel at the effort and monies spent for the same. I have seen DXpeditions mentioned in news, newsletters or podcasts, but I tend to gloss over them. For the 7th challenge, 'Find out which DXpeditions are active this week.’, I’m going to make an effort to find out what DXpeditions are active now. I don’t have the capability to work a DXpedition but I can definitely try to listen out for one. #hamchallenge HC07 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-16 11:56:40 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 7 | Success! | I found V73WW Marshall Islands DXpedition active at the moment. I used DXSummit and DXWatch to find the spots and logged into a WebSDR to catch them. I don’t know how the V73WW DXpeditioners are able to pull out callsigns from all the hunters calling them on top of each other !! Is this how every DXpedition hunting going to be? #hamchallenge HC07S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-18 22:17:19 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 8 | Progress update... | I feel that the 8th challenge, 'Encourage someone to take their ham radio license exam’, will carry into the coming weeks. I had been been talking to my Junior OP in getting their licence and I might have a good opportunity tomorrow to show how a license can compliment their interest in space science. #hamchallenge HC08 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-02-25 23:28:28 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 9 | Progress update... | I checked for a local repeater in Éire for the 9th challenge, 'Try to work an FM repeater on 10m’, and found one on the other side of the country. As per an IRTS page, the 10m repeater is offline due to a recent storm. I might need to check on this. #hamchallenge HC09 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-03-07 20:35:48 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 10 | Progress update... | I believe that I have the ability to listen to an amateur satellite for the 10th challenge, 'Listen to an amateur radio satellite’. Here I go ! #hamchallenge HC10 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-03-15 17:00:06 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 11 | Progress update... | I’m very late to the 11th challenge, 'Receive a weather satellite image’. Onwards to the next week, I guess #hamchallenge HC11 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-03-20 21:48:41 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 12 | Progress update... | I have an idea for the 12th challenge, 'Make a contact with an "unusual" antenna’. Let me see if that will work #hamchallenge HC12 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-03-27 21:29:12 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 13 | Progress update... | For the 13th challenge, 'Make a QSO from an unusual location and post a picture!’, I’m like ... What??!! #hamchallenge HC13 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-04-03 00:53:10 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 14 | Success! | For the 14th challenge, 'Implement and describe a backup solution for your ham radio log.’, I realised that my backup options are simple. I keep copies of my ham log in different places like QRZ, Club Log, HamQTH etc., a copy taken automatically into my personal cloud backup, and my favourite paper logbook. I’m not an active operator and do not have the need for an offsite backup. #hamchallenge HC14S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-04-13 20:59:37 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 15 | Progress update... | For the 15th challenge, 'Monitor a transmission and take notes of the field strength’, I have to give it a pass for now. Not got a chance to think about it. #hamchallenge HC15 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-04-17 22:53:17 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 16 | Progress update... | For the 16th challenge, 'Make a contact with a xOTA station.’, I will be keeping an ear out for any stations calling. #hamchallenge HC16 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-04-26 13:28:24 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 17 | Success! | For the 17th challenge, 'Which VHF/UHF repeater is closest to your location?’, I called into the 2 EI repeaters as the crow flies. The UHF, EI7TRR, was quiet and my calls couldn't be heard as confirmed by my SDRC club member, Joe EI3JVB, who was listening on the repeater. The VHF, EI2TRR, was also quiet and I was called back by 2 of my SDRC club members, Keith EI5KO & Paraic EI2LH. I will try to call often on the repeaters since Simplex is difficult from my QTH. #hamchallenge HC17S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-05-04 19:30:02 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 18 | Progress update... | For the 18th challenge, 'Make a QSO in one digital voice mode., I will give it a pass. For now. #hamchallenge HC18 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-05-08 14:04:58 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 19 | Progress update... | For the 19th challenge, 'Simulate an antenna!’, I have few points to review and decide. E.g. ‘Is there a software that can run on a Mac or do I need to look for a Windows version?’, ‘Can I model an EFHW and how will that help with an EFHW setup at my QTH?’, ‘Do I start with the bands that I want to get on the air like 40m, 30m or 10m?’, ‘Do I just start simple and build from there?’, etc. First step is to find the software. #hamchallenge HC19 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-05-14 00:24:17 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 20 | Progress update... | For the 20th challenge, 'Decode the RTTY transmission of DWD on 10101 kHz’, I will have to check. I have heard of RTTY but not about the 10101 kHz transmission. #hamchallenge HC20 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-05-24 10:26:55 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 21 | Progress update... | For the 21st challenge, 'Create a GNU Radio flowgraph!’, I will give it a try. I had been inspired by Onno @vk6flab’s project, Bald Yak, to make a head start with GNU Radio but the steps required to install the same on a macOS has stopped me from jumping head first. I need to read, search or find an install that wouldn’t tax my ageing computer. #hamchallenge HC21 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-05-29 21:40:48 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 22 | Progress update... | For the 22nd challenge, 'Simulate an electric circuit!’, I will give it a pass for now. #hamchallenge HC22 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-06-02 22:39:20 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 23 | Progress update... | For the 23rd challenge, 'How many language can you hear on the radio this week?’, I will look to get the HF station up and running. #hamchallenge HC23 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-06-12 22:21:02 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 24 | Progress update... | For the 24th challenge, 'Make a contribution to an Open Source ham radio software package.’, I will put this into backlog for now. #hamchallenge HC24 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-06-21 17:22:37 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 25 | Progress update... | For the 25th challenge, 'Locate local noise sources in your shack/flat/house.’, I will put this into backlog as well for now. #hamchallenge HC25 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-06-25 09:37:06 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 26 | Success! | For the 26th challenge, 'Observe the solar data such as sunspot number, flux, K and A values over the week.’, I’m using an iOS app called, Solar Data. I’ve started to use the app to see what bands can be used to get on the air. #hamchallenge HC26S @hamchallenge |
| 2025-07-03 00:26:27 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 27 | Progress update... | For the 27th challenge, 'Listen to the July 2025 SAQ transmission.’, I will give it a try next year. I had no chance to listen to the same in the background, so I will go back and listen to the (recorded) livestream. #hamchallenge HC27 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-07-09 21:32:14 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 28 | Progress update... | For the 28th challenge, 'Receive a station on 6m via sporadic E’, I might check if I can receive on 6m. #hamchallenge HC28 @hamchallenge |
| 2025-07-17 20:32:42 | ei7ijb@mastodon.radio | 29 | Progress update... | For the 29th challenge, 'Make your own xOTA activation.’, I will look to check this out, maybe starting with a Backyards on the Air activation?!! #hamchallenge HC29 @hamchallenge |