Getting the last minute woolgathering in before the contest begins.
Made a last-minute antenna mod to the Inv-L with K2AV FCP. The antenna matching network has been ready for switching out matching capacitors for over a year. The missing piece has been a control box and control cable to the feedpoint. After a bit of consideration of solving this issue before the contest, the brain caught up and realized an interim solution was already in place.
When the Sixpak was added to the antenna system a couple of years back, the existing seven position switch was pressed into ‘temporary’ service as an A/B switch for a pair of 40m dipoles. But they occupy positions 1 & 2 on the switch.
So why not use the other switch positions to serve double duty? The switch is about ten feet from the base of the 160m antenna, so its a short run of control cable versus the 80 run needed back to the shack.
So as a quick and dirty solution, I hacked together a plug to mate to the switch control line. Just plug the 160m switch into the control cable for the seven position switch.
Presto-change-o. Now I can move the best match on 160m from 1820 up to 1845. Sufficient for a CW contest, although 1855 would be ideal. More tweaking needed, but better.
Goals for the weekend are more or less to lay down a good set of spots into the Reverse Beacon Network. No real QSO goals. Try to maximize time spent running, and try to do it over two nights.
C U LÂ Â de w4kaz
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