| QRPosters,
I am ready, able and interested to do some field outing this Saturday. If anyone wants to organize a particular outing, I am open. If not, I suggest that we meet at Windy Hill, south parking lot at 2pm (22:00Z). We can operate at the picnic bench next to the parking or go up to the summit, about 10-15 minutes hike.
Nick, if you are free on Saturday, is it possible to do your demonstration of K3 remote control, say between 2 and 3, ?and do our usual operating QRP afterwards?
73,
Hiro AH6CY ? |
|
Nick,
?
Here is the car info:
?
BMW
323i
W6VYC
?
Dave
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of Nick
Garner
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009
5:37 PM
To: QRPops@...
Cc:
Subject: Re: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
Dave, can you send me the make/model/plate# of the car you'll have parked
overnight?
Anyone else want in? If so, please send me the same
information.?
?
Nick,
?
Yeah it is a long drive
that¡¯s why you want to stay for awhile so that when you return you don¡¯t
remember how long it is. We will stay over night at a Monte Bello state park
near Bakersfield. The winter weather is usually dry and sunny with daytime
highs in the 60s, at night it can drop down into the high 20s. If it does rain
it can flood rather unexpectedly.
?
OK on the reservations at
both sites. We will just have to wait and see how the weather is.
?
Dave
?
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:QRPops@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Nick Garner
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009
8:43 PM
To: QRPops
Subject: Re: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
I've always wanted to visit Death Valley, I had no
idea the .? I'll make it out there some day.? What are the
temperatures like during the winter?
I'll go ahead and reserve the group camp site for the weekend of the
contest.? I believe check-out time will be during the contest so I'm just
going to reserve the whole weekend and probably camp both nights.? The
summit of Black Mountain at 2800' is a quick 10 minute walk from the campsite also.
Have fun on your trip in January and Happy New Year to everyone.
Nick
On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 8:05 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
I looked at the Monte Bello campground on the Web and it looks like
a great location about 2600 ft. If we get some good weather, we should
definitely go there. The Henry Coe location is certainly a good option if the
weather is bad.
?
Dave Flack and I are going to Death Valley on the 6th of
January and I will be there for about 2 weeks. Neil is also planning to come
for a couple of days. We will be at the Texas Springs campground near Furnace
Creek. We will have e-mail down there at the visitor center in Furnace Creek so
we hope to keep in touch (cell phones don¡¯t work there). I want to setup a
station in Badlwater (salt flat) which is the lowest point in the USA (-282
ft.). There are some high peaks in the park but they are not easy to get to in
the winter. Dante¡¯s Peak is about 5000 ft. which can be driven to and depending
on the weather can have snow.
?
All the Best for the New Year,
?
Dave W6VYC
Something else we could consider is grabbing a couple
car camping spots down at Henry Coe for the weekend.? Might make it more
accessible to everyone.
Nick
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at
6:29 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com>
wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could
reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
ons.org/FYBO2009.htm
Nick
?
I am using the Free
version of .
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?
?
I am using the Free
version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed
311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
?
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 311 of my spam emails to date.
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|
Dear Gangue:
This is a little off-topic, please indulge me.
It is so easy to get lost in today's technology and forget how far we've come in the past few decades.?
After working 16 QSOs on Silent Key Night (as we used to call it in college) using? a '58 Vibroplex (with training wheels) with either my rockbound HW-16 (HG-10 VFOs are now a sweep generator) or the Heathkit Twins Drifty and Nifty, I am SO HAPPY to be back with my K3.? I just worked DU1/HL1IWD and JA1COU on 40m CW for the first QSOs on my 55th birthday today.? Now I can tune to my heart's content, not worry about drifting, ?chirping and whooping, and--when I've had enough--bomb down to Denny's for a "55 and over Senior Meal"
Life is sweet, ain't it?
73 and a Happy New Year to all.
Eric WD6DBM
|
Dave, can you send me the make/model/plate# of the car you'll have parked overnight?
Anyone else want in? If so, please send me the same information.?
Thanks,
On Dec 30, 2009, at 17:18, "David Crocker" < dwcae@...> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Yeah it is a long drive that¡¯s why
you want to stay for awhile so that when you return you don¡¯t remember
how long it is. We will stay over night at a Monte Bello state park near Bakersfield. The winter weather is
usually dry and sunny with daytime highs in the 60s, at night it can drop down
into the high 20s. If it does rain it can flood rather unexpectedly.
?
OK on the reservations at both sites. We
will just have to wait and see how the weather is.
?
Dave
?
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:QRPops@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Nick
Garner
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009
8:43 PM
To: QRPops
Subject: Re: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
I've always wanted to
visit Death Valley, I had no idea the .? I'll make it out there some day.? What are the
temperatures like during the winter?
I'll go ahead and reserve the group camp site for the weekend of the
contest.? I believe check-out time will be during the contest so I'm just
going to reserve the whole weekend and probably camp both nights.? The
summit of Black Mountain at 2800' is a quick 10 minute walk from the campsite also.
Have fun on your trip in January and Happy New Year to everyone.
Nick
On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 8:05 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
I looked at the Monte Bello campground on the Web and it looks like
a great location about 2600 ft. If we get some good weather, we should
definitely go there. The Henry Coe location is certainly a good option if the
weather is bad.
?
Dave Flack and I are going to Death Valley on the 6th of
January and I will be there for about 2 weeks. Neil is also planning to come
for a couple of days. We will be at the Texas Springs campground near Furnace
Creek. We will have e-mail down there at the visitor center in Furnace Creek so
we hope to keep in touch (cell phones don¡¯t work there). I want to setup
a station in Badlwater (salt flat) which is the lowest point in the USA (-282
ft.). There are some high peaks in the park but they are not easy to get to in
the winter. Dante¡¯s Peak is about 5000 ft. which can be driven to and
depending on the weather can have snow.
?
All the Best for the New Year,
?
Dave W6VYC
Something else we could consider is grabbing a couple
car camping spots down at Henry Coe for the weekend.? Might make it more
accessible to everyone.
Nick
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at
6:29 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com>
wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could reserve
the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
ons.org/FYBO2009.htm
Nick
?
I am using the Free
version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 308 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
?
I am using the Free version
of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed
311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
Nick,
?
Yeah it is a long drive that¡¯s why
you want to stay for awhile so that when you return you don¡¯t remember
how long it is. We will stay over night at a Monte Bello state park near Bakersfield. The winter weather is
usually dry and sunny with daytime highs in the 60s, at night it can drop down
into the high 20s. If it does rain it can flood rather unexpectedly.
?
OK on the reservations at both sites. We
will just have to wait and see how the weather is.
?
Dave
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of Nick
Garner
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2009
8:43 PM
To: QRPops
Subject: Re: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
I've always wanted to
visit Death Valley, I had no idea the .? I'll make it out there some day.? What are the
temperatures like during the winter?
I'll go ahead and reserve the group camp site for the weekend of the
contest.? I believe check-out time will be during the contest so I'm just
going to reserve the whole weekend and probably camp both nights.? The
summit of Black Mountain at 2800' is a quick 10 minute walk from the campsite also.
Have fun on your trip in January and Happy New Year to everyone.
Nick
On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 8:05 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
I looked at the Monte Bello campground on the Web and it looks like
a great location about 2600 ft. If we get some good weather, we should
definitely go there. The Henry Coe location is certainly a good option if the
weather is bad.
?
Dave Flack and I are going to Death Valley on the 6th of
January and I will be there for about 2 weeks. Neil is also planning to come
for a couple of days. We will be at the Texas Springs campground near Furnace
Creek. We will have e-mail down there at the visitor center in Furnace Creek so
we hope to keep in touch (cell phones don¡¯t work there). I want to setup
a station in Badlwater (salt flat) which is the lowest point in the USA (-282
ft.). There are some high peaks in the park but they are not easy to get to in
the winter. Dante¡¯s Peak is about 5000 ft. which can be driven to and
depending on the weather can have snow.
?
All the Best for the New Year,
?
Dave W6VYC
Something else we could consider is grabbing a couple
car camping spots down at Henry Coe for the weekend.? Might make it more
accessible to everyone.
Nick
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at
6:29 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com>
wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could reserve
the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
?
I am using the Free
version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 308 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
?
I am using the Free version
of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed
311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
I've always wanted to visit Death Valley, I had no idea the .? I'll make it out there some day.? What are the temperatures like during the winter?
I'll go ahead and reserve the group camp site for the weekend of the contest.? I believe check-out time will be during the contest so I'm just going to reserve the whole weekend and probably camp both nights.? The summit of Black Mountain at 2800' is a quick 10 minute walk from the campsite also.
Have fun on your trip in January and Happy New Year to everyone.
Nick
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 8:05 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@...> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
I looked at the Monte Bello campground on
the Web and it looks like a great location about 2600 ft. If we get some good weather,
we should definitely go there. The Henry Coe location is certainly a good
option if the weather is bad.
?
Dave Flack and I are going to Death
Valley on the 6th of January and I will
be there for about 2 weeks. Neil is also planning to come for a couple of days. We will be at the
Texas Springs campground near Furnace Creek. We will have e-mail down there at
the visitor center in Furnace Creek so we hope to keep in touch (cell phones
don¡¯t work there). I want to setup a station in Badlwater (salt flat)
which is the lowest point in the USA (-282 ft.). There are some high peaks in the park but they are not
easy to get to in the winter. Dante¡¯s Peak is about 5000 ft. which can be
driven to and depending on the weather can have snow.
?
All the Best for the New Year,
?
Dave W6VYC
?
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of Nick
Garner
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009
8:46 PM
To: QRPops
Subject: Re: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
Something else we could
consider is grabbing a couple car camping spots down at Henry Coe for the
weekend.? Might make it more accessible to everyone.
Nick
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 6:29 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@...> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
?
?
-----Original
Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...]
On Behalf Of nwgarner
Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009
12:07 AM
To: QRPops@...
Subject: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could
reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
?
I am using the Free
version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 308 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
Nick,
?
I looked at the Monte Bello campground on
the Web and it looks like a great location about 2600 ft. If we get some good weather,
we should definitely go there. The Henry Coe location is certainly a good
option if the weather is bad.
?
Dave Flack and I are going to Death
Valley on the 6th of January and I will
be there for about 2 weeks. Neil is also planning to come for a couple of days. We will be at the
Texas Springs campground near Furnace Creek. We will have e-mail down there at
the visitor center in Furnace Creek so we hope to keep in touch (cell phones
don¡¯t work there). I want to setup a station in Badlwater (salt flat)
which is the lowest point in the USA (-282 ft.). There are some high peaks in the park but they are not
easy to get to in the winter. Dante¡¯s Peak is about 5000 ft. which can be
driven to and depending on the weather can have snow.
?
All the Best for the New Year,
?
Dave W6VYC
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of Nick
Garner
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009
8:46 PM
To: QRPops
Subject: Re: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
Something else we could
consider is grabbing a couple car camping spots down at Henry Coe for the
weekend.? Might make it more accessible to everyone.
Nick
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 6:29 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@yahoo.com> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could
reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
?
I am using the Free
version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 308 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
?
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
Nike,
?
I¡¯m impressed I bet you are the
first to use an I-Phone to control a K3.
?
Look forward to seeing your demo.
?
Dave
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of Nick
Garner
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009
8:44 PM
To: QRPops
Subject: [QRPops] K3_Remote Demo
?
?
Hiro,
I'd be happy to give a demo of the app.? I could leave my K3 and computer
up at home for one of our next outings and give a quick demo of it working over
the Internet.? I'm hoping to get out for some radio fun in the next few
weeks.
Nick
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 311 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
| NIck, Thanks for the offer. My schedule for the next few weeks are uncertain at the moment, but I do want to get out a few times, too. Hopefully our available times wil match. Hiroki
|
--- On Mon, 12/28/09, Nick Garner wrote:
From: Nick Garner
Subject: [QRPops] K3_Remote Demo
To: "QRPops"
Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 8:44 PM
?
Hiro,
I'd be happy to give a demo of the app.? I could leave my K3 and computer up at home for one of our next outings and give a quick demo of it working over the Internet.? I'm hoping to get out for some radio fun in the next few weeks.
Nick
|
Something else we could consider is grabbing a couple car camping spots down at Henry Coe for the weekend.? Might make it more accessible to everyone.
Nick
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 6:29 PM, David Crocker <dwcae@...> wrote:
?
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is
not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
?
?
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of nwgarner
Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009
12:07 AM
To: QRPops@...
Subject: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could
reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 308 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
Hiro,
I'd be happy to give a demo of the app.? I could leave my K3 and computer up at home for one of our next outings and give a quick demo of it working over the Internet.? I'm hoping to get out for some radio fun in the next few weeks.
Nick
|
Nick,
?
Sounds like fun to me, as long as it is
not raining.
?
Dave W6VYC
?
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: QRPops@...
[mailto:QRPops@...] On Behalf Of nwgarner
Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009
12:07 AM
To: QRPops@...
Subject: [QRPops] FYBO 2010
?
?
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th.
I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that
weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's
very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit
toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot
to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with
me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on
Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could
reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
I am using the Free version of .
We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 308 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.
|
Dear Rhona:
In reading Tims message I forgot to mention that if you doreverse the antenna wires be sure the hanging piece of 26 ft wire does not touch the balcony railing anywhere.
If you can't get it to work don't blame yourself. ?I've never had much luck operating from large buildings in a city. There is just too much electrical noise. But it's always worth a shot.
When I have a balcony railing I clamp a buddistick to it angled out 45 degrees. I either use a counterpoise wire or the railing if it is suitable.?
Have fun!
Eric
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 25, 2009, at 8:46 AM, Rhona Mahony < rmahony@...> wrote:
?
I bought a Yaesu FT-817 from HRO in Sunnyvale just before I came to the East Coast. Mike Pechner was there and very kindly gathered up coax cables for me and told me about the LDG Z817 autotuner.
I am in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side. I'm on the 32nd floor of an apartment building very near the East River. I have an open, sweeping view to the north and east, with no intervening buildings higher than 10 stories. I am trying to use the metal balcony as my antenna.
I have a 10-foot coax cable. I attached the core wire of the coax to an alligator clip, then to a big-diameter bare copper wire, which is wrapped around the railing. I attached the copper braided shielding of the coax to a 27-foot length of coated, 26 or 28 gauge wire as a counterpoise. This counterpoise is hanging off the edge of the balcony.
I listened on 40m through 10m at noon on Wednesday. Wow, lots of loud static and whistling. I heard only two intelligible conversations over the backgound noise. I experimented with the IF filter, making it narrower. I also turned on the noise blanker.
Do you have suggestions for corrections to my antenna set-up or settings to engage on the 817? I don't know whether my listening difficulties are an artifact of NYC electrical and RF activity, or my own mistakes. Please, no snickering to my face if I have made dumb newbie mistakes!
Attached is a photo of the connections to this improvised antenna.
Merry Christmas!
~~Rhona
--
Rhona Mahony
rmahony@stanford.edu
|
Dear Rhona:
Try reversing it: ?use the balcony as the counterpoise, and the hanging wire as the antenna. ?
Merry QRP Eric
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 25, 2009, at 8:46 AM, Rhona Mahony < rmahony@...> wrote:
?
I bought a Yaesu FT-817 from HRO in Sunnyvale just before I came to the East Coast. Mike Pechner was there and very kindly gathered up coax cables for me and told me about the LDG Z817 autotuner.
I am in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side. I'm on the 32nd floor of an apartment building very near the East River. I have an open, sweeping view to the north and east, with no intervening buildings higher than 10 stories. I am trying to use the metal balcony as my antenna.
I have a 10-foot coax cable. I attached the core wire of the coax to an alligator clip, then to a big-diameter bare copper wire, which is wrapped around the railing. I attached the copper braided shielding of the coax to a 27-foot length of coated, 26 or 28 gauge wire as a counterpoise. This counterpoise is hanging off the edge of the balcony.
I listened on 40m through 10m at noon on Wednesday. Wow, lots of loud static and whistling. I heard only two intelligible conversations over the backgound noise. I experimented with the IF filter, making it narrower. I also turned on the noise blanker.
Do you have suggestions for corrections to my antenna set-up or settings to engage on the 817? I don't know whether my listening difficulties are an artifact of NYC electrical and RF activity, or my own mistakes. Please, no snickering to my face if I have made dumb newbie mistakes!
Attached is a photo of the connections to this improvised antenna.
Merry Christmas!
~~Rhona
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Rhona Mahony
rmahony@stanford.edu
|
| Merry Christmas Rhona,
Congratulations on purchasing the 817. It is by far, the most fun rig I have ever used. In short time, you will learn the radio and some simple antennas that work well. The 817 Yahoo Group can be a big help.?http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FT817/. There is also a small yellow operating manual written by a Canadian that is superior to the OEM manual. I will find mine and send you an email.
Bonnie Crystal, who started HFPacks, loves to couple her rigs to metal roofs, sculptures, and anything else she can put her hands on. However, with that said, coupling can have its problems. Beyond good coupling methods, severe problems can occur if parts of the metal 'antenna' are not electrically connected or poorly connected. Paint, rust, loose bolts, etc can really raise havoc on both the transmit and
receive side. The metal structure may also be attached to unseen metal that could create safety issues.
Many hams use verticals attached to the top railing and pointed out and up when only a balcony is available. A counterpoise finishes that setup.
Others use a dipole of sorts, drooping each end over both sides of the balcony. Some drop one side down as an inverted vertical and run the other side around the balcony floor. When on the top floor of a motel, I have tossed one weighted side up on the roof and either drooped the other side or ran it around the balcony. That works best for me, unless there is a tree within throwing distance.
No matter which method you try, remember that high currents occur where the coax meets the antenna and high voltages occur at the ends of the antenna. In other words, no part of the antenna when active should be where a person or pet can contact
it. Even our low power can present dangerous amounts of RF. If you have access to a long broom or paint pole, you could run the antenna out to the end of the pole and then let it droop. This would keep it away from the balcony below. Also, watch how you lay the antenna over metal objects to prevent coupling.?
Hopefully, others will join in with other ideas.
Tim, k6om
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--- On Fri, 12/25/09, Rhona Mahony wrote:
From: Rhona Mahony
Subject: [QRPops] HF listening in NYC
To: QRPops@...
Date: Friday, December 25, 2009, 8:46 AM
?
I bought a Yaesu FT-817 from HRO in Sunnyvale just before I came to the East Coast. Mike Pechner was there and very kindly gathered up coax cables for me and told me about the LDG Z817 autotuner.
I am in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side. I'm on the 32nd floor of an apartment building very near the East River. I have an open, sweeping view to the north and east, with no intervening buildings higher than 10 stories. I am trying to use the metal balcony as my antenna.
I have a 10-foot coax cable. I attached the core wire of the coax to an alligator clip, then to a big-diameter bare copper wire, which is wrapped around the railing. I attached the copper braided shielding of the coax to a 27-foot length of coated, 26 or 28 gauge wire as a counterpoise. This counterpoise is hanging off the edge of the balcony.
I listened on 40m through 10m at noon on Wednesday. Wow, lots of loud static and whistling. I heard only two intelligible conversations over the backgound noise. I experimented with the IF filter, making it narrower. I also turned on the noise blanker.
Do you have suggestions for corrections to my antenna set-up or settings to engage on the 817? I don't know whether my listening difficulties are an artifact of NYC electrical and RF activity, or my own mistakes. Please, no snickering to my face if I have made dumb newbie mistakes!
Attached is a photo of the connections to this improvised antenna.
Merry Christmas!
~~Rhona
--
Rhona Mahony
rmahony@stanford. edu
|
I bought a Yaesu FT-817 from HRO in Sunnyvale just before I came to the East Coast. Mike Pechner was there and very kindly gathered up coax cables for me and told me about the LDG Z817 autotuner.
I am in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side. I'm on the 32nd floor of an apartment building very near the East River. I have an open, sweeping view to the north and east, with no intervening buildings higher than 10 stories. I am trying to use the metal balcony as my antenna.
I have a 10-foot coax cable. I attached the core wire of the coax to an alligator clip, then to a big-diameter bare copper wire, which is wrapped around the railing. I attached the copper braided shielding of the coax to a 27-foot length of coated, 26 or 28 gauge wire as a counterpoise. This counterpoise is hanging off the edge of the balcony.
I listened on 40m through 10m at noon on Wednesday. Wow, lots of loud static and whistling. I heard only two intelligible conversations over the backgound noise. I experimented with the IF filter, making it narrower. I also turned on the noise blanker.
Do you have suggestions for corrections to my antenna set-up or settings to engage on the 817? I don't know whether my listening difficulties are an artifact of NYC electrical and RF activity, or my own mistakes. Please, no snickering to my face if I have made dumb newbie mistakes!
Attached is a photo of the connections to this improvised antenna.
Merry Christmas!
~~Rhona
--
Rhona Mahony
rmahony@...
|
Hi Nick,
If the weather is dry, I am interested in going up in the morning. I do a lot of bicycle camping, but my gear is not really the best for cold winter temps. However, this is subject to change should I come across more appropriate gear.
I gave out a few Q's last year to some of the brave souls that operated in sub freezing weather. A couple of them were in near blizzard conditions. That is true dedication.
Happy holidays to you and all of you in the group,
Tim, k6om
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Show quoted text
--- In QRPops@..., "nwgarner" <nwgarner@...> wrote:
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th. I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
|
Hello,
Freeze Your Butt Off 2010 should occur the first saturday in February, the 6th. I'm tossing around the idea of going backpacking locally for the contest that weekend. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is the only OSP that has camping. It's very close to Russian Ridge where some of use have been before and has a pit toilet and potable water. It's a very quick 1-2 mile hike from the parking lot to the campsite, about 500' up. Is anyone interested in heading up there with me? The contest runs from 6AM PST to 4PM on that Saturday; I'd be heading up on Friday and camping the night. If 3-4 of us want to head up there I could reserve the group camp site which will give us plenty of room to spread out.
FYBO Info From Last Year:
Nick
|
QRPopsters,
?
I ended up doing solo this afternoon at Windy Hill. You don't know what you missed because the band condx was superb, one the best in a long while, on both?17 and 20 until about 3pm. No noise; between stations on the dial you might?think the band is dead because it?is so radio quiet.?I susupect 15 might have been open, too, but I didn't check.?I was on the air for less than one hour. It?got so windy and?cold up there so I folded at about 3:30. In quick succession, I worked a whole bunch of midwest?and?east coast stations. Actually I had more eye-ball QSOs as I was using my Cantenna Espresso (the 16 illy espresso can vertical) which attracted a lot of curious hikers who kept interrupting my on-air QSOs.
?
Hiro AH6CY
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Nick,
This is very intriguing. Can you arrange a public in-person demo some time in the near future? Also, any interesting pictures from your JA expedition?
Hiro |
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David W Crocker
Nick Garner