AA7A Home Page

Home Page of the Amateur Radio Operator Ned Stearns, AA7A

Here I am making repairs on a VHF array atop the main tower.  I have managed to maintain an effective VHF station in Phoenix for almost 40 years.

Operating with Robert, 3B9FR. We met while I was on a DXpedition to Rodriques Island in 1999 operating as 3B9R.

One of my many ham radio passions is making contacts around the world by bouncing signals off the moon (EME). This is a view of my handmade 2m EME station.

Recently, I have taken to traveling to Africa in November every year in order to participate in the CQ Worldwide DX CW Contest with the VooDoo Contest Group. In 2005 and 2006, I operated with this contest group in the West African nation of Mali. Pictured with me on the left in the 2006 event are Vince Thompson (K5VT), Fred Handscombe (G4BWP), Mike Fulcher (KC7V), Roger Western (G3SXW), Lee Finkel (KY7M), John Warburton (G4IRN) and Robbie Ferguson (GM3YTS). In addition to participating in the CQWW DX contest event, we also travel throughout the country when we can and also participate in other specialized ham radio activities such as RTTY or EME. In 2006, we assembled a portable 2m EME station and made a number of contacts around the world to the delight of the VooDoo Contest team as well as some lucky 2m EME operators.

AA7A Information

• Real-time weather data at AA7A QTH :   Weather
• Low Band Receive Antenna development: LF_Antennas
• Propagation Page                                        Propagation
• 2006 2 m EME Operation from Bamako Mali: Planning & Preparation;   Results
• 2007 2 m EME Operation from Conakry, Guinea: Planning & Preparation;  Results

• VHF Operating statistics as of 23 April 2013:

Band	States Worked	Grids Worked	Countries Worked
6 meters	50	850	129 (6m DXCC #523)
2 meters	50	725	139 (2m DXCC #33)
1.25 meters	11	32	1
70 cm	5	24	4 (DL, HB9 & OH via EME!)
23 cm	1	7	1

• HF/Satellite Operating Statistics - DXCC status as of 6 May 2013:

Mode/Band	Current active worked	Current active confirmed	Total worked	Total confirmed
CW	339 (need P5)	339	352	352
Phone	340	340	355	355
Mixed	340	340	356	356
RTTY	329	329	336	336
Satellite			168	137
160			212	212
80			309	306
40			346	345
30			330	329
20			354	354
17			336	336
15			347	347
12			316	316
10			341	339

• HF Operating Achievements

Top of the Honor Roll - Mixed and Phone

DXCC Honor Roll - Mixed, Phone and CW

5 Band DXCC; 160, 30, 17, 12,  6 and 2m endorsements

RTTY DXCC

5 Band WAZ

160 meter DXCC

DXCC Challenge - 2500 endorsement; current tally is 2918 accredited

11-band Endorsement for 5Band DXCC (1st ever)

• VHF Operating Achievements

        Satellite DXCC - #38

         Satellite WAS

        6 meter DXCC - #523

6 meter WAS

6 meter VUCC - 825

2 meter DXCC - #33

2 meter WAS

2 meter VUCC - 700

• 2 Meter EME Statistics:

Stations worked: 1097

Years on EME: 24  years

• Amateur Radio Station:

Radios (on-line):

FT-2000D - Main HF DXing and contesting radio 

Elecraft K3 - DXpedition radio and second contest radio

TS-2000 - 2m EME, 70 cm EME and 2m terrestrial radio

FT-736R - 1 1/4 m and 23 cm band radio

Flex Radio 1500 for HF/6m spectrum monitoring and new VHF IF radio

RF Space SDR-IQ Software Defined Radio for panoramic spectrum display on K3 radio

Onkyo T-4700 FM tuner Sporadic E monitoring device (88 to 108 MHz clear channel scanner)

Amplifiers (on-line):

Alpha 77 - SO2R first radio main amp

Alpha 76CA - SO2R first radio adjacent band amp

Alpha 76PA - SO2R second radio amp

Alpha 374 - M/S mult amplifier

Commander VHF-2000 - 6 meter amplifier, 1.5 KW output

Homebrew 8877 - 2 meter EME amplifier, 1.5 KW output

AN/AM-6155  - 1.25 meter amp, 350 Watt

AM-1565 - 70 cm 500 Watt amplifier 

Antennas currently installed:

• Current Projects:

New 2m EME array - 8 X 2M5WL on horizontal polarization and 8 X 11 element yagis on vertical polarization

HF high-power diplexer to share multi-band HF antennas between two stations. Complete. Project summary to be posted soon here.

Contact me by email at:  aa7a "at" cox "dot" net