EPA QRP Club TAC Contest

[Mark J. Schreiner]

Thanks to all who worked me as N3EPA in the EPA QRP Club's TACtical
Sprint today.  Conditions weren't the best but I still managed to make
41 QSOs on CW, mostly on 40m, but a few on 20m.  I worked a few people
on both bands.

I was using my new K2 (well, it is still fairly new), S/N 4786, and a
W5GI "Mystery Antenna" up about 25'.  The antenna was constructed for
lighter weight for portable operation using RG174 and #26 AWG
multistrant Copperweld wire insted of RG8x & #14 AWG solid copper wire.  
I was operating from along the Appalachian Trail near New Tripoli, PA at
1600' ASL.  Trees along the ridge were badly damaged last winter from an
ice storm, so that was as high as I could get the antenna!  Testing of
the antenna at 36' from my home QTH resulted in SWRs at about 3:1
minimum on 20m and 40m and 1.7:1 on 80m.  Adding a Q-line on 20m helped
get the SWR to about 1.5:1.  The built in ATU in the K2 took care of the
rest!

SSB operation was performed by Ed, K3YTR, also using the N3EPA callsign
from the same site.  He had two antennas.  The one that was parallel to
mine but separated by several hundred feet gave both of us QRM when
either of us were transmitting.  He also had another antenna that was
closer to mine but perpendicular to it and there was no QRM for either
of us when he used it.  Ed made 8 QSOs, I believe.  Ed showed that the
directional characteristics of the antennas worked well on 80, 40 & 20m
even with the antenna so close to the ground (well I guess it is about
high enough on 20m, but definitely not close to 1/2 wavelength on 40 or
80m!).

Anyway, it was nice WX and a good day to be out on the trail!  
Yesterday it was raining and foggy while I was trying to put up some
lines in the trees for the antennas and I got "skunked" but today I got
them up as best I could.

72/73,

Mark, NK8Q (as N3EPA for today)


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[Sandy W5TVW]

My results today were lousy.  Sparse activity, or bad conditions.  Submitted log anyway.
No activity noted at all on 15 meters.  Didn't bother with 80 meters due
to heavy QRN here.

Did not hear N3EPA at all on CW.

73,
Sandy W5TVW
----- Original Message -----
From: <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>; "Elecraft Reflector" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2005 8:23 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] EPA QRP Club TAC Contest


| Thanks to all who worked me as N3EPA in the EPA QRP Club's TACtical
| Sprint today.  Conditions weren't the best but I still managed to make
| 41 QSOs on CW, mostly on 40m, but a few on 20m.  I worked a few people
| on both bands.
|
| I was using my new K2 (well, it is still fairly new), S/N 4786, and a
| W5GI "Mystery Antenna" up about 25'.  The antenna was constructed for
| lighter weight for portable operation using RG174 and #26 AWG
| multistrant Copperweld wire insted of RG8x & #14 AWG solid copper wire.  
| I was operating from along the Appalachian Trail near New Tripoli, PA at
| 1600' ASL.  Trees along the ridge were badly damaged last winter from an
| ice storm, so that was as high as I could get the antenna!  Testing of
| the antenna at 36' from my home QTH resulted in SWRs at about 3:1
| minimum on 20m and 40m and 1.7:1 on 80m.  Adding a Q-line on 20m helped
| get the SWR to about 1.5:1.  The built in ATU in the K2 took care of the
| rest!
|
| SSB operation was performed by Ed, K3YTR, also using the N3EPA callsign
| from the same site.  He had two antennas.  The one that was parallel to
| mine but separated by several hundred feet gave both of us QRM when
| either of us were transmitting.  He also had another antenna that was
| closer to mine but perpendicular to it and there was no QRM for either
| of us when he used it.  Ed made 8 QSOs, I believe.  Ed showed that the
| directional characteristics of the antennas worked well on 80, 40 & 20m
| even with the antenna so close to the ground (well I guess it is about
| high enough on 20m, but definitely not close to 1/2 wavelength on 40 or
| 80m!).
|
| Anyway, it was nice WX and a good day to be out on the trail!  
| Yesterday it was raining and foggy while I was trying to put up some
| lines in the trees for the antennas and I got "skunked" but today I got
| them up as best I could.
|
| 72/73,
|
| Mark, NK8Q (as N3EPA for today)
|
|
| _______________________________________________
| Elecraft mailing list
| Post to: [hidden email]
| You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
| Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
|  http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   
|
| Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
| Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
|
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