Chasing DX
Rotuma Island
First real test of the new antenna system did not turn out as good as I would have wished. The DX station I was chasing is 3D2R on Rotuma Island in the South Pacific. It is just about on the International Dateline and 10 degrees south of the equator. It and Conway reef to the south are both administered by Fiji.
Rotuma has not been on the air for a long time. A lot of hams, including me, have never worked into that part of the Pacific. So when the word got out that a DX expedition was going to Rotuma from 27 Sept to 7 October I raced to get the station ready.
Got the TELREX beam antenna working fine on 20 meters. The vertical works fine on 40 meters and on 15 meters (on it’s third harmonic). Put up a garbage cluster of dipoles for 17 meters thru 10 meters which tested fine. Worked Corsica and Sardinia on that antenna. And the only band that I could not cover was 75 meters. I took that antenna down about 5 years ago — because every time I pressed the mike button all the telephones in the house began to ring!!!
3D2R on Rotuma Island
So, on Friday I start looking for Rotuma. They are on four bands that I can use. Guess what! they are all using Morse Code, which I can no longer do at the high speed (30 words per minute) they are using. There is always Saturday. Guess What #2 — there is a world wide contest going on. The pile-ups are a hundred hams deep. Well, it seems that way. But Saturday I do hear them clearly on, Guess What #3 !!! 75 meters!! I call them for half a day on 75 meters using the 40 meter vertical antenna, grossly mismatched, putting a thousand watts into the antenna and getting 800 back as reflected power. BOOOhh!!!
This morning I hear them on 75 and 20 meters, using Phone, not CW (Morse). Loud and clear! Well, no antenna on 75 meters! But I have my Elephant Gun (The TELREX beam) on 20 meters. I aim it at 269 degrees. I switch the Power Amp coils over to 20 meters. I load it up into the TELREX. I set the split between my Receive and Transmit frequencies to the 5 Khz he has been using. I tune him in. WOW, does this guy have a strong accent! What is he saying — “Now I will work European stations ONLY! No North Americans please!”
Like I said — the new antenna system did not quite meet my hopes. But there always is tomorrow!
Our Winter Forecast
Autumn at Domehenge
I’ve tried to ignore the fact that autumn is arriving. In fact, it’s here. Not that the weather has been particularly chilly for the end of September, except on rare days, and frankly, it really is my favorite season. It’s just that winter follows so quickly.
However, reminders of the season are here. Now, as I drive to town, I realize that the school buses have been back on the road for at least three weeks. I must say they do bring a touch of nostalgia. I wait as the bus arrives and lifts up its “STOP” sign. I wonder if the children have anxious tummies as they go off for another day in the classroom, or if they’re excited to be starting a new day. They climb up the steps, backpacks sagging with books and homework, which I do hope they remembered to finish.
The mountaintop is quiet. No children waiting for buses up here. However, signs of autumn don’t go unnoticed. Our back deck is getting covered in leaves, mainly from our Japanese cherry trees, which seem to lose their foliage earlier than others in the forest. I promised myself I’d go out and sweep them off. I haven’t yet. After all, many more will fall. Maybe the wind will whisk them away for me.
Back in Operation!
K3EE QSL Card
Well, the station is back in operation after being pretty much trashed all summer. Talked with Pan, BD4QH in China last week, and an Aussie, and a station in Timor Este. All on 20 meters and the rig worked pretty much like in old times. Running about 800 watts output which is about 2 db off the peak output of 1200. Am still arguing with myself over getting a larger power transformer to deliver the full 3000 volts at full load, rather than this old lashup of two smaller xfmrs in series which drop to 2400 volts at full load.
The new rotator works correctly, 360 degrees rather than the old limit to about 60 degrees. Cockput trouble!!! Had accidentally programmed it to 60 degree limits on rotation, but I never read that part of the instruction book. When I did understand the programming feature I realized that it must have been accidentally set when I pushed another button by mistake. Two months lost there.
Still, I only have the TELREX, on 20 meters and the Vertical on 40 meters, and the Vertical working on its third harmonic on 15 meters. Trouble is that much of the DX is on 17 meters and on 12 and 10 meters these days. What I need to do is repair the Log Periodic antenna and put it on the same mast as the TELREX. That would give me a beam antenna covering all the bands from 20 to 10 meters. The “repair” is OK, no big thing. The “put it on the same mast as the TELREX” is the killer. Anything goes wrong and I lose both antennas. Maybe next spring.
Anyway!!! Back in Operation with K3EE.
Calling CQ!
Dome at 4oJ
Hello test!