can anyone please lend an FT8 hand?

[Denis Brown]

Hello members,

I am checking my rig, antenna and WSJT-X setup, hoping to get a few QSO's on 40m with some JA's.

It would be great to have some local contacts to verify that I am warming up the air and the config allows for the expected auto sequencing to happen.

Antenna is OCF dipole covering 10, 20 and 40m oriented roughly E-W.   NanoVNA gives the feedline and dipole the thumbs up with good SWRs on each of the three bands.

Feedline comprises 22m Huber and Suhner SPUMA 240, 15m Garland  RG58C/U s0 at 40m the expected loss is 0.5db for the 22m od SPUMA240 and another say 0.4dB for the Garland.   Connectors mainly N type crimped.   So overall rig to antenna feedline loss around 1dB

The OCF antenna is one of the Rippletech ones, new condition.   It is set up to slope from 6m down to 3m, a little too close to my guttering at the lower end for my liking but it is what it is! 

So I should be able to poke andreceive a decen signal i the N-S direction.   But I would like confirmation that i am being heard her in VK with no splatter, etc.

Rig Yaesu FT991A, power output set to 10W max.

I would use WSPRnet but it objects to, and will not let me change, my password.   Sent help request to the authors, nothing heard.   Am about to try the WSJT-X mobile monitor tool.

Anyways, if there is anyone on air with FT8 on 40m tonight who could listen out - and respond please! - that would be great.   I expect to be on air from around 1900 to 2000 give or take a few minutes.

Thanks in advance

Denis VK6AKR