Mobile DXing can be fun
By
Mike DiPersio, KC2Q
I'm
not sure if there is an award for DXCC/M (mobile), if there is, I'm not aware
of it. If there is not, then there should be. At any rate I have been HF
mobiling for about 25 years now and enjoying it very much. I have had many
different size HF rigs in the mobile from Yaesu FT101's to Kenwood TS130 to
Icom IC730 to the IC735, this last one for about 10 years - now I'm with
something even smaller yet, the Icom IC706 MKIIG. As a single unit it's small
enough to locate on or near the dash area when I owned a Toyota Camry, since
replaced with a Dodge Caravan. But when you take the removable head and just
place that somewhere on the dash, (velcro works good) the body of the radio can
be placed under a seat somewhere or in the trunk, it becomes a stealth radio,
practically invisible.
The
antenna can be from a number of different sources. After trying many, I chose
Hustler, a 40 or 20 or 10-meter resonator on a 54 inch mast works really good,
but having to stop to change resonators every time I wish to change bands does
get to be a bore (I band hop a lot!). So I tried their multiband adapter. It
worked fair, but not great.
That's
when I designed my own adapter about 20 years ago. It is in a 90-degree format
with one resonator forward into the wind and the other two swept back for lower
wind resistance, all horizontal, and one resonator holding this assembly in
place, allowing four, not three, bands plus the 54 inch mast which gives me 6
Meters. The horizontal resonators act as a ground plane to the vertical, and
the vertical resonator and the mast do much the same for the other bands, plus
I now have the benefit of any of five bands to go to with just the touch of the
band switch on the rig. No stopping, no changing resonators, etc. Eventually I
made it out of stainless steel rather than aluminum - keeping the coefficient
of metals similar.
I
find that the quadband or multiband antenna adapter as I call it, gives me a
58% increase in reception as well as transmit when the assembly is together
instead of working the resonators individually as a monoband. I prune each
resonator individually before I put them into the assembly. Then I fine tune
each resonator, starting with the highest frequency in use working my way down
to the 40-meter or 75-meter resonator. An SWR of 1:1.5 can be achieved on 10,
12, 15, 17 and 20 Meters almost across all the amateur portions of each of
these bands. 40 Meters normally gives me approximately 20 kc above and below
the resonant frequency when used as a mono. However, when in the assembly it
becomes a little wider, 3040 kc above and below the resonant frequency (usually
7.255). I have done very little with 75 Meters, therefore I can't comment on
that band. Iÿ have been making these adapters for close friends and club
members over the years. I have however, been told by others that 75 or 80
Meters works similar to the 40meter resonator but with a higher "Q" -
only 1020 kc above and below the resonant frequency.
It's
true, it can be somewhat of a package, (four resonators plus SS Adaptor) but
with a 40 or 50 lb. test monofilament fishing line to prevent the antenna from
leaning back, it works ok. I can be traveling on the Florida Turnpike at 70+
mph with no problems.
Once
I reach my destination, and would like to operate from the base, I simply
remove the mast, which is on a quick disconnect, and place it on a ball mount
already mounted on a 10-inch diameter by 5-inch high cake tin. I have wires in
the length for 10, 20 and 40-meter dipole style, connected to the cake tin to
act as a ground, taking the place of the vehicle.
This
base assembly works very similar to the way it does on the car. If it's on a
roof of the building somewhere or in the field, use some more fishing line as
guys to keep it from blowing over. In my case I put the antenna on the balcony
of the condo rental in Key West, FL supported by a "bungee" chord
with a plastic wastebasket as a spacer from the metal railing.
The
IC706 MKIIG sits very comfortable atop a switching power supply (very light in
weight) 12 volts 20 amps. I also field tested a 12volt power booster; it's like
a car battery but somewhat lighter, with a handle and rechargeable. Worked
great. Good for jump starting other cars as well.
In
the three weeks of my trip I worked a schedule on 14.305 daily from 1300Z to
1500Z and again from 2000Z to 2200Z with many Hams who join in on the 305 group
from areas in NJ, NC, AZ, TN,NY and many other states like IL, NV, OH, TX, NE
as well as stations from other parts of the world - YJlPD,VK3JBH, NH6IG, 5B4/
RW3GW, HR6/AH6PN, EA3EVR, SP9LJD, and P43E.
All
of these contacts, as well as many more from outside this three week period of
driving to and from Florida, have been worked with only the 100 watts the IC706
has to offer. Most of the signal reports were 59 and 59 + both to me and from
me, from the mobile or the portable setup on the balcony.
I
have enjoyed this trip and you could also. Mobile HF or just DXing is really a
lot of fun. However, the logging can become a little difficult, but with a
small tape recorder to log the calls, times, frequencies, names etc. or a
copilot to log for you, can make it pretty safe.
Good
luck and happy mobiling.
KN
Reprinted from WORLDRADIO
International Lighthouse Weekend
By
B.Peter Treml, K8PT & Bruce Anderson, KG8YT
In
March of 2000 I completed my first DXpedition (MJ/K8PT). It was a wonderful
experience and I wanted all the members of the Hiawatha Amateur Radio
Association (my local club) to experience the rush of a different culture,
exotic operating site, and working pileups. I wanted an experience that would
hone our operating skills and excite the newer members and encourage them in HF
and CW. How could we accomplish this goal , though, without the expense and
effort of launching our own DXpedition?
Our
answer: International Lighthouse Weekend. As residents living in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan (were referred to as Yoopers) we are privileged to live
on the shoreline of Lake Superior, the largest, deepest, cleanest and coldest
of all the Great lakes. It also has several lighthouses within driving
distance.
I
had run across the web site of the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society
(www.waterw.com/~weidner/arls.htm) and found out that the 2000 International
Lighthouse weekend would be 18/19 August. It was not a contest but a time to
honor the tradition of lighthouses, publicize the role they and the Coast Guard
play in promoting safety at sea, and promote interest in Ham radio and the
preservation of navigational aids. Last year's (1999) International
Lighthouse/Lightship weekend had included over 218 lighthouses/lightships in 39
countries from around the world, and many on-the-air participants. In the year
2000 they were hoping to activate 400 lighthouses and lightships. Why couldn't
we be one of them?
After
talking with several club members who seemed excited about the idea, I then
wrote a letter to the local Coast Guard commander explaining the concept and
requesting permission to occupy the lighthouse and operate for the weekend. Two
weeks later I got an enthusiastic "yes." We were in business!
A
week before the event, several club members and I took a site survey and tour
of the lighthouse. The site was a Ham's dream. We were surrounded by a scenic
expanse of water on three sides, and we had lots of room to put up antennas. We
planned our antenna placement and operating set-up and made provisions to bring
our own radio equipment, food, water, tables, and chairs.
All
of a sudden the big day was upon us. On that Friday afternoon a small crew of
us gathered at the lighthouse to set up the antennas and install the radios. We
put up a 3-element beam at 15 feet (about 35 above the water) and an R-5
vertical on top of the light. We also strung out a G5RV and a 135-foot dipole
fed with ladder line. Since the club owns two Kenwood TS-570's we set one up
for CW and the other for SSB. We were ready.
At
8 p.m., the designated start time, we had about six club members on hand who
started operating and we continued through the night. We worked some at a rapid
rate and for others we answered questions about the lighthouse, our club and
the area. Simply making the maximum numbers of contacts was not the goal. As
dawn rose we got some beautiful photographic shots of the sunrise and of the
lighthouse. Since we wanted an attractive picture of the lighthouse on the
front of our special "W8L" QSL card, cameras were clicking rapidly
for the honor of getting the BEST shot.
We
continued operating throughout the 48 hours, during which we had about thirty
club members participate. Three operators new to HF really got hooked, and we
almost had to wrench the microphones out of their hands for the next shift. All
told, we made 1,089 contacts. They included 45 states, 53 countries and 27 lighthouses or lightships. We were elated.
Although
the Marquette Lighthouse is a fixture on the local landscape, many of the club
members had never been in it, even though they had lived in the area for years.
For them, the tour of the building and light were an added treat. What more
could any Ham ask? Good band conditions, plentiful DX, and a spectacular vista
of sailboats, kayakers, and the sparkling open water of Lake Superior - Ham
radio just doesn't get any better.
When
the contest was over, twelve members helped to break down. We had everything
packed up and the lighthouse cleaned and vacuumed in forty-two minutes. Since
we hoped to be able to come back next year, we wanted things looking better
than when we came. After we had taken final pictures and extended a final
"thank-you" to the Coast Guard, the weekend of operating was over.
All that was left to deal with now was the inevitable deluge of QSL cards to be
answered.
Do
you have a lighthouse or lightship in your area? If so, consider sharing in the
fun of next year's Lighthouse Weekend. This event makes a wonderful club
activity and a wonderful weekend. It can hone the operating skills of your
members and ignite the enthusiasm of others for Amateur Radio. Give it a try.
Ahoy!
KN
Reprinted from WORLDRADIO
GRUMMAN AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
MINUTES OF GENERAL MEETING – 12/17/03
By Pete, N2PYV
The
meeting was called to order by Pat at 5:37 p.m.
All
present introduced themselves.
Pat
announced that an ARRL Antenna Handbook would be raffled off during the
meeting.
Finances
continue to be in good shape.
REPEATER REPORT –
Gordon
reported that the attenuators have been received. One was installed and the
repeater seemed to be working OK, but still had the "crackles". Soon
after the installation, Gordon received a phone call from the Plant 14 NGC
people stating that we would have to shut down the repeater while they
performed some antenna tests. It is not clear when we will be allowed to put the
repeater back on the air. Until it is up and running we will use Simplex on the
Bethpage portion of the Thursday Evening 2-Meter Net.
NET REPORT –
Zack, WB2PUE
The
Sunday 40-Meter Net was excellent. Several members had a CW net after the
regular net. The Thursday Night 2-Meter Net was good. Propagation has been poor
on the Wednesday 20-Meter Net.
VE REPORT –
Bob W2ILP
There
were two applicants and four VEs present. One upgraded to General and the other
became a new Technician.
WAG REPORT –
Bob, W2FPF
No
Activity
Bob,
W2ILP, reminded everyone that the Ham Radio University will be held for the
fifth year at the Eastwood School in Oyster Bay Cove on January 18, 2004.
Marty, NN2C, Pat, KE2LJ, and Bob, W2ILP, have been active in the preparations
for the HRU.
We
had our annual Holiday Party. Thanks to Bill, N2SFT, for making the
arrangements for the food.