Biography

ILLW 2025

Not a bad weekend but could have done without the several problems.
Lots of QRM from solar panels/inverters.
No QSOs on 4M.
1 QSO on 6m.
Several DATA QSOs on HF but the QRM was bad.
Quite a few QSOs through QO-100 using the Sat Rover Transverter.
A 35cm dish and minimal RF power from the IC-705.

Grateful for all QSOs during both days on the various bands.

Saturday 16th August & Sunday 17th August 2025.

3 lighthouses, UK0073, UK0019 and UK0020
and or
ENG 108, 109 and 273.
WLOTA 2880.
GFF 0331.
WCA G-01124.
WAB SY66.
POTA GB-0133
IARU Loc: IO80SM

Look for Carol 2E1DQZ/P and Dave G1OCN/P.

Mostly on DATA modes on QO-100 and HF/VHF/4 & 6M

Further information about the International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend and other activations can be found on ILLW.NET

Carol and I were at Portland Bill a few weeks back.
The only difference this time is the ILLW event includes the 3 different UK lighthouse numbers.
GB1PBL was the previous activator at this event for many years.

Same equipment:
ICOM-7300, ICOM IC-705, ICOM IC-9700 driving 2 x Sat Rover transverters. 2 x 35cm dish. On HF a vertical wire.
A dual band omni for VHF/UHF
A 2 element beam for 4 and 6m.

EOF
ZZZZ

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Sunday 13th July:

Activity at the Southern end of The Isle of Portland, in an area known as Portland Bill.

There are 3 x Lighthouses, a GFF and a WAB in IO80SM.

3 x Lighthouses: ENG 108 109 273

GFF 0331 Isle of Portland SAC.

WCA G-01124 Trinity House Obelisk.

IARU IO80SM

WAB SY 66

Start time approximately 1300 BST

End time when the batteries go flat.

Operation will be on QO-100 and maybe HF, at the DATA end of the bands.

Equipment:

35cm dish

Sat Rover Transverter

ICOM IC-705

73, Dave, G1OCN/P & Carol, 2E1DQZ/P



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Carol, 2E1DQZ, my YL and I, are having a lot of success with DATA modes on QO-100.

The dish is 35cm, the IF is an IC-705 and the transverter is the Sat Rover.

Using less than 1 watt on the 2.4GHz uplink works surprisingly well with such a small dish.

We intend to take the QO-100 equipment to active WWFF, Lighthouses and COTA, when we start travelling again.

Keep an eye on the forums and DXClusters for our activations.


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ILLW 2024

G1OCN/P

Active from:

QTH: Portland Bill - Isle of Portland, Dorset.

3 x Lighthouses: UK0019 UK0020 UK0073

IARU Locator: IO80SN

WWFF: GFF-0331 - Isle of Portland SAC

WAB: SY66

Equipment: IC-7300 - 23ft wire on a vertical pole.

25W FT4/8 DATA modes
50W SSB

Logs will be uploaded after the event to QRZCQ & ClubLog & the UK GxFF Coordinator.


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QRV DATA/SSB on QO-100

https://www.facebook.com/DaveG1OCN

https://clublog.org/livestream/g1ocn

Working 160 to 6M, on most modes but mainly DATA.

ICOM 7610 to a 7 band Hex Beam https://www.g3txq-hexbeam.com/

Using a long wire through a CG-3000 for 160, 80, 60 & 30m.

==========================================================================================

The 2nd Of April 1982 was the start of the Falklands War.

VP8 callsign holders signed as /40 from the 2nd April to the 14th June 2022.

Dave, G1OCN/40, marked the event to recall how important Amateur Radio became from day 1 and the importance of the communications between the operators on the Falkland Islands and the U.K.

Bob, VP8LP was operating from Goose Green and Tony Pole-Evans, now SK, was on Saunders Island.

Les, GM3ITN was the mainstay in Scotland and for BBC correspondent and amateur radio operator, Laurie Margolis, G3UML, it was on amateur radio that Laurie discovered, reported and scooped the invasion.

Other operators to mention are Reg Silvey and John Wright.

Rather than go in to any details on this page, please use google and search for:

"The Falklands War and Amateur Radio"

Below is a link to a short video made by Bob VP8LP and others involved in the first communications at the beginning of the Falklands war:

https://youtu.be/9ulDliwfjyQ

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My accurate QTH locator is: IO80SN60DK on the Isle & Royal Manor of Portland, Dorset.

All portable and or mobile activity, WCA, WWFF and Lighthouses, etc, now appears on a dedicated page:

https://www.facebook.com/dave.goneocn

When the WX permits, I prefer to be /P working from GxFF, U.K. Castles and Lighthouses.

Portable equipment is an IC7300 HEIL HC-4 headset microphone.

A choice of 2 aerials:

23ft of wire on a telescopic pole via the ICOM AH-4 tuner or the M1ECC Slidewinder portable

Otherwise I am chasing WWFF, WCA, Lighthouses and other areas of interest on all bands and modes.

Rig: ICOM 7610 to a 7 band Hex Beam.

17th May 2021:

Manually uploaded logs for 15m activity, so far for 2021

& WWFF & WCA worked from IO80SN.

20th January 2021:

All WWFF worked from IO80SN since 2016.

Live QSO log updates are here:

https://clublog.org/livestream/g1ocn

I do not collect QSL cards.

Please do not send your QSL card via e-mail, bureau or eQSL.

I do not subscribe to or use any QSL card services.

73, Dave.

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

ICOM 7610 to a 7 band Hex Beam https://www.g3txq-hexbeam.com/

Using a long wire through a CG-3000 for 160, 80, 60 & 30m.

I prefer working with 10 to 20 Watts RF as indicated by the output meter on the TX and external power meter.