United Nations on QO100 / 4U100QO

From May 18-20 dx-adventure will be QRV on #QO100 from the roof top of the #UnitedNations in #Vienna using #4U100QO. We have donated #IceConeFeed antennas which will later be handed over to the United Nations Amateur Radio Contest DX Club (ARCDXC). Ready for #QSO? Image are courtesy and copyright of dx-adventure.

Satellite Dish Modification

On rare occasions the IceConeFeed does not have enough mechanical clearance to be mounted on a specific dish arm. In order to check mechanical compatibility upfront you can use the 2D template and the procedure explained here. Paulo, F5VMJ, demonstrates on how to modify the dish arm to make enough room for mounting the IceConeFeed…

IceConeFeed TX Performance

Dieter DC6EH from Kempen conducted a direct performance comparision of the IceConeFeed v2.0 vs v2.1. A continuous 1750Hz tone in USB was sent on 10498.960 MHz. He used the WebSDR http://websdr.is0grb.it:8901 for SNR measurements. Station setup was a 85cm Fuba sat dish. As shown by the spectrum below v2.1 features almost the same transmission performance…

Schulkontakt Antarktis mit IceConeFeed v2.1

Am 22.03.2023 ging die Schulstation DL0CFG der Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Schule in Friedland OT Groß Schneen QRV mit der Neumeyer Station III in der Antarktis und zeitgleich der Polarstern über QO100. Die Station war mit einem neuen IceConeFeed v2.1 von uns gesponsert worden. Dazu schreibt Frank, DL5AAR: Vielen Dank für die Überlassung der neuen Version deiner IceConeFeed. Wir…

Stable Diffusion

The latest developments in AI are, for the lack of a better word: awesome. And before I spend to much time on describing what I tried and what I achieved and with how little effort I did all this, I let AI do it! ChatGPT the stage is yours: Let me give you a concrete…

IceConeFeed v2.1 on DATV

Dieter DC6EH aus Kempen berichtet über den Einsatz vom IceConeFeed v2.1 bei DATV: „Die ersten Empfangsversuche sind sehr positiv verlaufen. Nachdem ich die Ice Cone V2 gegen die neue V2.1 getauscht habe, gab es auf DATV eine Verbesserung um +0,8 dB – 0,7 dB. Meine Bedingungen waren der Empfang der DATV-Bake ohne weitere Sendesignale auf…

UPDATE: IceConeFeed v2.1

After many inquiries from the HAM community for updating the IceConeFeed design parameters a new version will be released soon is now available (purchase here). Key features are optimized helix dimensions to achieve a lower SWR and also reduce the LNB shadow in order to increase reception gain. See below the comparison between the 3.5…

L-Band WebSDR

The new 3D printed L-Band antenna is now live feeding a web SDR that can be received here. You can interactively operate the L-Band feed which is currently located at JN58UA and pointed at Alphasat 25E. Lots of data streams, aircraft telemetry etc. are visible. Select a center frequency from receiver drop down menu low…

Hail storm damage

The severe hail storm around the Bari area / Italy on Aug 19 destroyed car windows and Ice Cone Feeds like this one. Should this happen to you, please order a replacement radome or re-print one yourself.  

Sun spot spotting

Sun spot activity currently ramping up. Time to take out the telescope and go for some early evening sun spotting from the balcony. A note of WARNING and DISCLAIMER: only use certified sun filter foil, I am using Seymour Solar Filter, grade ND5, available here. Be responsible and operate on your own risk. Telescope equipped…