Merita a fi citit!
Radio Amateurs will be celebrating the 54th anniversay of the space age by operating 21.060 MHz transmitters based on old Russian tubes (valves) of the same type used in the first Sputnik satellite in 1957.
Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth’s orbit. Launched on October 4, 1957 its signals on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz were monitored by amateur radio operators throughout the world.
Roger G3XBM has already had a successful transatlantic contact using a 400mW output transmitter based on the Sputnik valve. With an Andrew’s inverted-L antenna he worked Ed K1GDH near Cambridge USA who was running 5W and received a 539 report.
On the G-QRP Yahoo group Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB writes:
R3DAU and RN3AUS informed they are finished “replica” of Sputniker TXs used original valves (TNX to Mike AA1TJ!). Some guys will operate in Sputnik Party using any possible radios with 1 watt power on 21060.
Yuri UA1CEG informed he will use old military receiver R-399 with home brew additional transmitter unit. So, the old valves RX became a transceiver. Me, I will operate FT-817 (1 watt) in home or suburban garden-house positions using a simple wire antennas.
Hope to collect a lot of interesting photos, logs and soapboxes from Sputnikers.
See you on 21060 kHz soon,
G3XBM Sputnik Transmitter
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2011/09/
sputnik-across-atlantic-today.html
Sputnik QSO Party Transmitter Prototype
http://aa1tj.blogspot.com/2011/07/sputnik-qso-party-
transmitter-prototype.html
YO2BZV 