T32C 6m EME Operation

            
T32C EME expert, Kazu Ogasawara JA1RJU, on Spratly Island

Latest News: Unfortunately Kazu Ogasawara, JA1RJU, our most experienced EME operator will not now be able to join the team on Christmas Island.  However there are other team members with EME experience and knowledge and we will be operational from the Island. We expect that our QSO rate will be somewhat slower without Kazu so we ask for your patience and help in making QSOs - hopefully we will have connectivity to the ON4KST EME chat for sked making etc. Because of high sky noise at the start of the DXpedition we don't expect to become operational on EME prior to 6th October, from when we should be active up to the 26th October, the new moon. We want to acknowledge the kind generosity of Kazu, who, even though he is unable to join the team has donated a long boom 6M8GJ M2 yagi to the DXpedition.

T32C is planning to be QRV on 6m EME from Christmas Is, Eastern Kiribati. The 6m 'ionospheric propagation' station which is able to run a KW output to a single 7ele Yagi will be enhanced with an 8 element long boom beam (M2 6M8GJ) with manually controlled elevation. The elevation will be adjustable between the horizon and about 70 degrees.  

EME operation will use the JT65A mode and T32C will always transmit for the FIRST SEQUENCE. The frequency will be 50.198MHz unless there are interference problems in which case a new frequency will be announced.

JT65A is the accepted worldwide standard for weak signal 6m EME operation. It is included in the WSJT software program which is available from: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/WSJT597.EXE

A comprehensive multi-language User Manual is also available from: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt.html

W7GJ also provided a list of tips for new users of JT65A, along with samples showing what the screens should look like if you have the program properly configured: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/JT65.pdf 

The moon window between T32C and Europe during the first week of operation is not large and will exist for only a short time after Moonrise at T32C. A much larger moon window will exist two and half weeks after the DXpedition becomes QRV. The East coast of North America and Asia will have long Moon windows with T32C.

Moonrise and moonset tables for T32C

T32C is in a time zone 14 hours East of Greenwich, consequently any rise or set which occurs after 10:00 UTC occurs on the next calendar day at T32.

Date	Moonrise (UTC)	Moonset (UTC)	Moonrise (Local)	Moonset (Local)
30 Sep 2011	19:22	06:45	08:22	20:45
01 Oct 2011	20:23	07:45	09:22	21:45
02 Oct 2011	21:22	08:44	10:23	22:44
03 Oct 2011	22:18	09:42	11:22	23:42
04 Oct 2011	23:10	10:37	12:18
05 Oct 2011	23:59	11:29	13:10	00:37
06 Oct 2011		12:17	13:59	01:29
07 Oct 2011	00:44	13:03	14:44	02:17
08 Oct 2011	01:27	13:46	15:27	03:03
09 Oct 2011	02:09	14:29	16:09	03:46
10 Oct 2011	02:50	15:11	16:50	04:29
11 Oct 2011	03:30	15:53	17:30	05:11
12 Oct 2011	04:12	16:36	18:12	05:53
13 Oct 2011	04:55	17:21	18:55	06:36
14 Oct 2011	05:40	18:08	19:40	07:21
15 Oct 2011	06:27	18:57	20:27	08:08
16 Oct 2011	07:15	19:46	21:15	08:57
17 Oct 2011	08:06	20:37	22:06	09:46
18 Oct 2011	08:57	21:28	22:57	10:37
19 Oct 2011	09:49	22:19	23:49	11:28
20 Oct 2011	10:40	23:09		12:19
21 Oct 2011	11:32	23:59	00:40	13:09
22 Oct 2011	12:23		01:32	13:59
23 Oct 2011	13:15	00:49	02:23	14:49
24 Oct 2011	14:08	01:40	03:15	15:40
25 Oct 2011	15:04	02:32	04:08	16:32
26 Oct 2011	16:02	03:28	05:04	17:28

Moon tracking software

W7GJ has written a number of software packages that can be used for tracking the moon, these are available from his website.

As an example of their use Kazu, JA1RJU has created tracking files for the period of the T32C DXpedition for a number of stations who are currently operational on EME.

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