Hi there,
I have taken my portable kit out three times now, with my wire antenna for 20 m suspended from a 20-foot fishing pole, with four wire radials. The radio is a new FT-817 with the Z-817 tuner.
First I went to the hill behind my housing complex at Stanford, on a Saturday at around 4 pm. The hill overlooks the Bay. I had trouble distinguishing voices on 20m. The voices were so overlapping, I really couldn't make out any single one.
The second time, I went to the beach on Beach Park Blvd. in Foster City where I met some of you once. This was on a Saturday or Sunday at mid-day. I could hear better on this day. I listened in on a long conversation between three fellows--one in Ontario, one in Denver, and one in the Caribbean. They were fine-tuning their audio output for an upcoming contest. "This is Setting One, this is Setting Two...." Dull, but brilliantly audible.
The third time, I went up to Windy Hill. It was the Sunday of the recent SSB contest. Again, 20m was very crowded. It was very difficult for me to distinguish a single voice. On other bands, I could hear people better. I had, by this time, worked up my nerve to actually SPEAK on the air. I couldn't get a match, though, on the bands where I was hearing clear voices.
Unfortunately, at Windy Hill a ranger approached me as I was loading my car. He told me to get a permit next time by calling the office on a week day. That may be inconvenient for me. I seldom plan ahead of time. I just dash out when conditions at home make a little operating time possible. I was ingratiating to the ranger. I hope that my unpermitted activity didn't prejudice him against other hams who may use the Hill.
A few comments. The people that I heard speaking were all talking about their radio gear, except for one gentleman discussing his tomato plants. The other observation: people yak for a loooong time without giving their call sign. Then they say it so quickly that it is hard to catch it.
Call me a girl, but building and assembling gear so that you can talk to other people only about building and assembling gear tracks a person's brain into a teeny, tiny place. For me, the gear is a means to end. I make an exception for, of course, and eagerly listen to cogent summaries of effective and clever QRP gear. I also, hmph!, want some manners so that I can figure out who is talking from where. Should I start an Etiquette column in QST magazine?
Some questions. Are there settings on the radio I should be playing with to improve my listening experience?
What bands other than 20m can I expect to match for transmitting? 40m or 10m?
I very much appreciate your kindness and encouragement. I hope that I get a chance to join one of your outings soon.
~~Rhona k6rho
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Rhona Mahony
rmahony@...
