The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First the good:

The weather was perfect yesterday and down came the W3EDP and up went the MFJ-1982HP EFHW. The procedure wasn't quite as tortuous as I was anticipating. I'm currently bothered by some bursitis and arthritis in my left hip and bending over to pick up parts and pieces from the ground can be .... let's say extremely annoying, for lack of a better term.

I was able to move that midpoint supporting mast that I use farther back into the one corner of the backyard, so the entire antenna is more stealthy than ever. Not that I live in an HOA or anything, but from my experience from when I lived in East Brunswick before I got married, I don't need any imaginary RFI problems from neighbors.

After finishing the installation, I immediately ran down to the shack and completed a few quick POTA QSOs, just to make sure everything was working right. It was! I got a 559 from Dave AB9CA in Indiana and a 599 from another POTAteer in Virginia. Later in the evening, just for the heck of it, I tuned to 160 Meters to hear the Stew Perry Challenge in progress. The KX3 was able to get a 1.7:1 match and I even made a successful contact with K1EP in Massachusetts with 5 Watts, on the first call.

Now for the bad. As I was finishing up securing the end of the wire antenna to its end point, I happened to look down at my Butternut HF9V.  The coax was no longer at the bottom of the antenna! In fact it was neatly folded back onto one of the garden stakes that I use to keep the coax off the ground.

That's how it looks now after I took a closer look at it and fooled around with it for a bit. It was so neatly folded back that I didn't even notice it until yesterday. The landscapers we had do some cleanup obviously did a number on it with their weedwhackers, To err is human, so I'm not upset by the fact they mistakenly broke it; but I am bothered that they didn't say anything. I wouldn't have made a fuss, but I would have appreciated the honesty.

Now for the ugly. At first look, it didn't seem like such a bad repair. I was thinking that all I would have to do would be to strip back the wire a bit, put on a couple spade lugs and I'd be back in business. When I went out this morning to take a closer look, to see what tools I'd need to bring out, I was checking on the condition of the stainless steel hardware when the matching network coil snapped off in my hand. CRUD!

The antenna is over 20 years old and has survived some harsh winters and even about four hurricanes, so I'm really not surprised. When I bought my HF9V it cost me around $500. Today it is close to $1000, and I cannot afford to replace it.

I can afford replacement parts, however. So it was off to Google to find out the best bet for replacement parts was DXEngineering.  The matching network coil hasn't changed a bit, but the matching stub has undergone a serious design improvement!  The existing stub is just a piece of 75 Ohm coax with the two conductors exposed with spade lugs on each.  From the picture this upgrade looks tons nicer.

Delivery should be Tuesday or Wednesday and the 10 Day weather outlook for next weekend is looking favorable, so I should only be without my HF9V for a week. I can live with that. I've decided that in the meantime, I will purchase a small plastic flower pot, or perhaps a small plastic pail (small Trick or Treat buckets are in all the stores now, it seems). I will cut the bottom out and will cut a slit up the side so that I can effectively create a protective shield and place it around the matching network at the base of the antenna. Believe me, I know myself all too well, and that I am not beyond making the same mistake the landscapers made with their weedwhacker!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

Grading antennas

At Lake George last week, I had the opportunity to use four different antennas. My thoughts and impressions of each:

My Buddistick magmounted to the car roof was a clear winner. I was able to work a couple of European stations within minutes of each other. Had I brought along my camping chair, I would have stayed with the Buddistick a lot longer. Standing hunched over behind my open hatch back was aggravating the bursitis in my hip. I have used this setup before when I used to do a lot of lunchtime radio from tbe parking lot at work, and in fact, I had written an article about it that appeared in the February 2014 edition of CQ magazine. I am hoping the nano VNA will help me determine sweet spots for 40 through 10 Meters.

Second was the PAR ENDFEDZ used as a sloper in conjunction with a 20 foot Shakespeare crappie pole as a mast. This worked exceedingly well, also. Next year, I plan to bring the Jackite for an added extra 11 feet in height. Wire antennas seem to be a favorite of mine going back to my Novice days. I know that wire in the air will not disappoint.

Third was the AlexLoop. This antenna performed satisfactorally and was the clear winner for ease in changing bands, Just tune the capacitor and you're good to go. It might not have heard as well, or gotten out as well as the Buddistick or Par, but I was glad I brought it along and will continue to do so in the future.

AX1. I didn't use it long enough a proper evaluation. On this try for POTA, I was not really impressed, but then again, I have it used before with decent results. It would think that going forward, it will be my last resort if any other solutions do not appear to be viable. But I have to keep in mind that many KX2 and KH1 users rave about this antenna, so I will keep an open mind.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

It's getting to be that time of year again

When I have to decide what equipment I'll be taking up to Lake George when we return for our annual trip this summer. Undoubtedly the KX3 and the AlexLoop with be the main components, but I'm thinking of also bring the PAR ENDFEDZ and the arborist throw bag to get some wire in a tree.

The problem is that I really haven't practiced tossing that thing up into the trees enough so that I don't look like some kind of idiot. Maybe this weekend after I get all the other stuff done that needs to be done (and if the weather cooperates), I can make my way over to Cotton Street Park, where I go for FOBB and the Skeeter Hunt. There's a lot of tall trees that would make for great practice.

In the meantime, I know there are some tutorial videos on YouTube that I can watch so that at the very least I look like I know what I'm doing. You'd think that this would be a no-brainer, but I've seen a couple if videos a while back that indicate there are several techniques that the pros use for good success. 

The last thing I want is to look like a rube, and ideally I'd like to get a line up in one shot, if I can. I'm not into attracting curious onlookers. And if I do attract onlookers, I don't want to provide them with reason for hilarious laughter.

All that being said, Sunday July 9th is the QRP-ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint. This always seems to occur the first Sunday we are there. It may be time for a trip up Mt. Prospect.

2023 QRP-ARCI SUMMER HOMEBREW SPRINT

Date/Time:

2000Z to 2300Z on 9 July 2023  (4PM to 7PM EDT)

Mode:

HF CW Only.

Exchange:

Members send:  RST, State/Province/Country, ARCI member number
Non-Members send:  RST, State/Province/Country, Power Out

QSO Points:

Member = 5 points
Non-Member, Different Continent = 4 points
Non-Member, Same Continent = 2 points

Multiplier:

SPC (State/Province/Country) total for all bands.  The same station may be worked on multiple bands for QSO points and SPC credit.

Power Multiplier:

>5 Watts = x1
>1 - 5 Watts = x7
>250 mW - 1 Watt = x10
>55 mW - 250 mW = x15
<55 mW = x20

Suggested Frequencies:

160m    1810 kHz
80m     3560 kHz
40m     7030 kHz (please listen at 7040 kHz for rock bound participants)
20m     14060 kHz
15m     21060 kHz
10m     28060 kHz

Score:

Final Score = Points (total for all bands) x SPCs (total for all bands) x Power Multiplier + Bonus Points.

BONUS POINTS:

If operating a HB Transmitter add 2000 points
If operating a HB Receiver add 3000 points
If operating a HB Transceiver add 5000 points
(Homebrew is defined as:  if you built it, it is homebrew (kits too!)

If you are operating PORTABLE using battery power AND a temporary antenna, add 5000 points to your final score.  (You can NOT be at your shack operating from battery power using your home station antenna to qualify for this bonus.)  This is to help level the playing field for contesters who work from the field against contest stations with 5 element yagis at 70 ft.


Categories:

Entry may be All-Band, Single Band, High Bands (10m-15m-20m) or Low Bands (40m-80m-160m)

How to Participate:

Get on any of the HF bands except the WARC bands and hang out near the QRP frequencies.  Work as many stations calling CQ QRP or CQ TEST as possible, or call CQ QRP or CQ TEST yourself!  You can work a station for credit once on each band.

Log Submission:

Submit your entry online at http://www.qrpcontest.com

Deadline:

Entries must be posted on or before 29 July 

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!

SCARC Hamfest

 I went to the Sussex County Amateur Radio Club Hamfest this morning. I was debating internally about it as the hamfest is about an hour drive from home, and after driving back from Lake George yesterday, I really didn't feel like being in the car today.

I haven't been to any hamfests this year and this is the biggest one in the northern half of the state, so I gave in and went. About the only thing I was in the market for was a second VOM. I reasoned you can usually find dozens of vendors selling them, so the chances were good that I would come home with one.

I reasoned wrong. I was only able to find one seller with VOMs on his table and he had two Radio Shack models for sale. I already have a Radio Shack VOM and it works well, but I find its analog to digital converter to be on the slow side. There's a delay between placing the probes and the reading showing up on the display. I didn't want another with the same spec.

I ran into some friends and familiar faces, so it wasn't a total loss. There was a new vendor in the indoor section that I had never heard of before - Three Mosquitos. They were selling EFHW antennas and end fed random length wire antennas, designed with the portable op in mind.  They seemed to have drawn a small crowd at the table when I was there. Here's a link to their website - https://www.threemosquitos.com/ I am interested in their drive on mast holder which I guess is coming soon, as there's no link to it yet.

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!