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By w4kaz, created on 2008.06.02 at 07:37:41 | last changed on 2011.06.06 at 12:35:41 | This year will probably be a Vee beam for 40m, fed with ladder line and a tuner. Interesting factoid: Vee beams that are odd multiples of 1/4 wave seem to have impedances similar to loops, and can be fed with the standard quarter wave matching section, although that will limit their utility to a single band.
80m will probably be a dipole, 20m is uncertain. The Vee may be pressed into 20m service, and will be used if there are decent 15m or 10m openings.
Throw down a comment if you have a favorite.
Amended 6/4/08: Ok, maybe a loop on 20m. Probably diamond shaped and fed at the bottom.
By w4kaz, created on 2008.05.30 at 19:55:29 | last changed on 2008.05.30 at 19:55:29 | Yup, time to start making a list and checking it twice. You never know who will be naughty or nice.
Being prepared is good. Hopefully, your preparations need only last a couple of days.
By w4kaz, created on 2008.05.26 at 20:23:08 | last changed on 2008.05.26 at 20:23:08 | Class: SOAB LP QTH: NC Operating Time (hrs): 2
Summary:
Band QSOs
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160: 0
80: 6
40: 15
20: 20
15: 0
10: 0
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Total: 41 Prefixes = 39 Total Score = 5,343
Not much scoring, not many QSO’s, but a nice little shake down cruise for the K2.
I only had a few minutes here and there between the weekend’s real activity, painting the bedroom and playing musical chairs with the furniture. But the K2 is a very good radio for CW S&P operating. I now have heard it myself. The K2 separates signals very well, and when tuning past them, the loud signals really drop out more sharply than with the FT-920.
In the early evening, between 2300Z and 2400Z, the US West Coast was very loud and the Europeans were still workable. I can’t remember the last time that has happened, but I know it has been at least a couple of years. Maybe conditions will be better for the 2009 contest season.
By w4kaz, created on 2008.04.02 at 05:17:44 | last changed on 2008.04.02 at 20:24:08 | The game plan was to try to run stateside on 40m and 80m, and cherry pick DX and mults during the day. This was going to be a “test” ‘test. That turned out to be a ‘Good Thing’. I wasn’t expecting much, since conditions had been so poor over the past few months. But it became a “Murphy visits” weekend right at the start.
Excluding Murphy, conditions appeared to have improved slightly from the mid winter. 20m openings into Europe actually allowed a few QSO’s for the 100w-inna-dipole set-up I have. I found it interesting that I worked stations in EU, South America, and three separate Hawaii stations back to back on 20m around 1630z on Sunday. It is totally anecdotal, but I see it as a sign conditions were slightly better this weekend than for ARRL DX SSB. I sure hope it begins a trend for the fall season.
There was also a bit of a circuit into South America on 15m. The conditions Sunday at mid-day seemed a bit better than on Saturday. Stations that were booming were easy to work on one call. There were a few QSO’s that never made it, as QSB with less strong stations seemed to be wiping me out on their end.
Continue reading 2008 CQ WPX SSB
By w4kaz, created on 2008.03.29 at 23:39:51 | last changed on 2008.04.01 at 19:55:46 | Okay, I’m really getting excited about the 2008 Poisson d’Avril FauxExpedition to Sri Lanka. This has been a extraordinary effort on the part of many in the international community, and seeing it all come to fruition is truly exciting. Our travel commences immediately. Look for us on the air.
By w4kaz, created on 2008.03.19 at 05:50:12 | last changed on 2008.03.20 at 17:32:25 | I had planned to toy around with the Russian DX contest last weekend. It’s one that I have not been able to catch in the past. After plopping in the shack chair, and listening around the bands, I decided that 2008 was NOT the year to give it a go. Around 2:00pm local, it didn’t sound too good on my piddly little wire antennas. Ick. Thunder storm static too. Double Ick.
But it sure seems like a good contest. Once propagation returns, I’ll be back to try it again.
I used the time I had to re-straighten the shack – again. Then I promptly messed it back up.
I also spent a bit of time thinking about an unfinished project. (A homebrew antenna switch-future fodder) Note: I did not actually FINISH the project, just thought about it some more. I did discover a problem with the connectors I installed on one end of the box. That might be the only advantage to the procrastination. I get to debug the errors with fresh eyes.
By w4kaz, created on 2008.03.07 at 12:04:56 | last changed on 2008.03.07 at 18:37:48 | Operating at NT4D is always fun, and always a learning event for me. This year I learned an important lesson on packet spots: Beware the QSX! More than once the spots were incorrect in some essential, the most humorous being a 20m spot with QSX on 11m. Breaker, breaker good buddy…
The actual operating in the contest was really a bit of a drag. I was unable to establish any runs because I just couldn’t hear the stations calling. Even after dropping the power levels back in hope of attracting Q’s from more equivalent stations, the run rate was so low that S&P was more productive. Not wanting to be an ‘alligator’, I went back to S&P. This was a big disappointment, because I was hoping to run. Turns out I just don’t have the patience for it in the poor conditions. (Not really a surprise…)
Continue reading 2008 ARRL DX SSB @ NT4D
By w4kaz, created on 2008.02.17 at 20:31:03 | last changed on 2008.02.18 at 11:26:05 | This would have been a good year to be at some else’s station. Ick.
This contest was an interesting test of the new dipoles. The 20m dipole is now officially deemed functional. (Time for an antenna experiment!) This is the first time I’ve worked Hawaii on three different bands in the same ‘test. No joy on 80m. But I worked HI on 15m, 20m and 40m. No other pacific stations were heard, but the KH’s seemed pretty loud in here on Saturday.
Also on 20m, the 20m vertical did help with many SA QSO’s. Since the dipole is now favoring EU, South America is down a couple of S-units on the dipole. The vertical seems to be better for some of the EU’s too, but I didn’t make any notes to look for the pattern.
The 40m dipole is definitely in a better orientation for working EU. Mostly one call got a QSO, or at least a “?”.
Continue reading ARRL DX CW 2008 – Steeeeee-Rike 3!
By w4kaz, created on 2008.02.14 at 20:42:10 | last changed on 2008.02.14 at 20:42:10 | Well this will be just a bit of fun for me, certainly not serious effort. I’ll probably spend more time SWL’ing than trying to make QSO’s. I’ve been looking for a spot for an 80m or 40m vertical, but I don’t think I’ll have it up in time. If I’m having a really good night with CW, I may spit out a few CQs just to see what happens, but it will probably be strictly S&P, and no time wasted on packet pile-ups.
I’m also interested to see if the 80m and 40m dipoles will work differently since they are now re-oriented from last years configuration. Last year I got 14 mults on 80m. It will be interesting. It sure would be nice to catch a 15m opening.
By w4kaz, created on 2008.01.28 at 10:16:09 | last changed on 2008.01.28 at 10:16:09 | Gentleman’s band? Hardly. Maybe because it was a contest.
I have seldom heard more lids congregated together at one time. It made the antics found during a contest on 80m SSB seem tame.
I sure lacked motivation for operating in this contest. In fact, it was so bad, that I spent more time trying to decide how to tidy up the shack than operating. When I was actively using the radio, I spent much more time listening around than trying to make QSO’s. So rather than force it, I just didn’t. The tuner-uppers, never-listeners, and drop-my-call-five-timers just made the decision an order of magnitude easier.
Continue reading CQ WW 160
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