For those of you that believe that Dxpeditions are made by Fat
Cats with loaded wallets here is a breakdown of our KP4 trip for
WPX SSB.
Average airfare cost per person- 250.00 R/T
Average meal cost for the whole week per person- 100.00
Rental vehicle split per person-125.00
Lodging- Free
We're talking about 475.00 essential cost. Take along 200
bucks for rum and Cokes and souvenirs. Let's say 700 dollars
total. this is for a full week. This is a little less than 2
dollars a day saved a full year.Not hard to do. Anyone can go on
a dxpedition! Most of the guys I know scrimp to gather the funds
to do so. They fly 10 dollar military flights, sleep in
tents,stay at friends qths,etc. The FEW that fly first class and
stay at luxury accomodations, etc. well all I can say is More
power to them. If you got it ,use it.
None of us at the KP4XS M/M are rich.
We are comprised of 2 Engineers of some sort, A retired
software guy, 2 Data communications Techs, A Lan/Wan Guy, and
I'm not sure what S55OO does.This is my yearly Caribbean trip
for Fun in the Sun. Please let us enjoy it and don't make us
feel guilty about it.( Like it did anyway:*))
73 ken
>From Tom Lindtveit <Tom@utd.com> Wed Mar 20 12:46:36 1996
From: Tom Lindtveit <Tom@utd.com> (Tom Lindtveit)
Subject: CAC and DXpeditions
Message-ID: <01BB1631.7D172CE0@ulster-port17.mhv.net>
Fellow contestors,
I have been following this thread with great interest for 2 reasons. =
First, I am a member of a competitive local club, and second, it has =
(for the most part) been an intelligent discussion with good points on =
both sides.
Now my 2 cents:
Please keep in mind the original post by Richard, K5NA. He did not =
suggest repeal of the rule. He expressed the opinion that this will =
really hurt the small local clubs. He suggested that perhaps we could =
exempt the Local Club Catagory from this new rule. I think Ricahrd is =
right, and that he expressed his point better than I ever could (someday =
OGS).
No one has suggested eliminating the rule entirely. No one has said =
that DXpeditions are bad for the DX contest. I don't understand all the =
comments about how hard it is to get a DXpedition togehter on a limited =
budget. Thats not the point. I appreciate all those poeple who make =
sacrifices for their clubs and the enhancement of the contest in =
general. Someday, I hope I can do the same. I think we all agree on =
this, 'nuff said.
Lets stick to the original point. It seems to me that if we keep the =
Local Club Catagory out of it, everyone wins. We will have more =
encouragement for stations to travel to the DX side, and the small clubs =
can still compete and a semi-level field.
I would also like to request that future posters to this thread include =
the type of club that they belong to. This might help us see who is =
being hurt and who is being helped. Thus far I have only seen one post =
from a "Local Club type" that was in favor of the rule change. If the =
majority of small clubs want the rule change, then I guess we'll have to =
live with it. But if we learn something new here, why not act on it. =
This is a great forum when used properly.
One final point. It seems to me that some of the folks that have been =
in the larger clubs for a long time don't realize the problems a small =
club faces. It been my experience (13 years in 5 small clubs) that one =
of the major obstacales to being competitive is just getting enough =
>From palooka@pyrotechnics.com (Joe Pontek, K8JP) Wed Mar 20 13:11:25 1996
From: palooka@pyrotechnics.com (Joe Pontek, K8JP) (Joe Pontek, K8JP)
Subject: WPX Portable
Message-ID: <199603201311.HAA10347@kiwi.pyrotechnics.com>
>According to an earlier check with the local FCC, you may sign portable with
>any legitimate prefix for the area where you are operating. For example,
>KL0/N7DF is perfectly OK because KL0 is now designated for Alaska and Larry
>operates from Anchorage. N6VI/NH7 is OK because NH7 is now designated for
>Hawaii and Marty is in Hawaii. Certainly an N3 portable KM5 is OK if he is
>in 5 land. Isn't the idea of the contest to work as many prefixes as
>possible? I say go for it!
>
>
> 73, Dan KL7Y
Dan,
You are so correct as far as FCC rules go. The QUESTION was regarding WPX
contest rules. He will count at as only as N3 or N5, and being that neither
is rarer than the other, N3 would be my choice because of shortness. Now, if
he is in another DXCC country, he can use an allowed /prefix of his choice.
Your suggestion will get him disqualified.
73, K8Joe"Palooka"
palooka@pyrotechnics.com
>From Bruce Lallathin <aa8u@voyager.net> Wed Mar 20 13:21:11 1996
From: Bruce Lallathin <aa8u@voyager.net> (Bruce Lallathin)
Subject: WPX portables
Message-ID: <199603201321.IAA16254@vixa.voyager.net>
>To: Dan Robbins <kl7y@alaska.net>
>From: Bruce Lallathin <aa8u@voyager.net>
>Subject: Re: WPX portables
>
>At 09:10 PM 3/19/96 -0900, you wrote:
>>According to an earlier check with the local FCC, you may sign portable with
>>any legitimate prefix for the area where you are operating. For example,
>>KL0/N7DF is perfectly OK because KL0 is now designated for Alaska and Larry
>>operates from Anchorage. N6VI/NH7 is OK because NH7 is now designated for
>>Hawaii and Marty is in Hawaii. Certainly an N3 portable KM5 is OK if he is
>>in 5 land. Isn't the idea of the contest to work as many prefixes as
>>possible? I say go for it!
>>
>>
>> 73, Dan KL7Y
>>
>This is the way I have always interpereted the rules and the intent as
well. I wish more folks would take advantage of this and get on the air for
WPX! It really is a fun contest.
>73,
>Bruce AA8U
>
>>
>>
>
>From Bob Patten <n4bp@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us> Wed Mar 20 13:22:13 1996
From: Bob Patten <n4bp@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us> (Bob Patten)
Subject: Bermuda Contest
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9603200816.A14949-0100000@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us>
On Tue, 19 Mar 1996 RFGerald@aol.com wrote:
> This is my first posting to the contest reflector and hope is OK?
> I am QSL manager for Igor Slakva, US1IDX, and he was in the Bermuda contest
> and tried to make a big score to win the trip to Bermuda.
> I am hoping that someone/anyone/ everyone who was in the contest will post
> their score to me so that I can forward to Igor.
N4BP 8015 QSO points X 91 DXCC Countries X 14 VP9 = 10,211,110
1603 Q's, mostly 20M SSB
If anyone cares, will post breakdown by band/mode...
>From Bruce Lallathin <aa8u@voyager.net> Wed Mar 20 13:29:14 1996
From: Bruce Lallathin <aa8u@voyager.net> (Bruce Lallathin)
Subject: Dxpeditions and Skinny Cats.
Message-ID: <199603201329.IAA16853@vixa.voyager.net>
>To: ramirezk@emi.com
>From: Bruce Lallathin <aa8u@voyager.net>
>Subject: Re: Dxpeditions and Skinny Cats.
here is a breakdown of our KP4 trip for
>>WPX SSB.
>> Average airfare cost per person- 250.00 R/T
>> Average meal cost for the whole week per person- 100.00
>> Rental vehicle split per person-125.00
>> Lodging- Free
>> We're talking about 475.00 essential cost. Take along 200
>>bucks for rum and Cokes and souvenirs. Let's say 700 dollars
>>total. this is for a full week. This is a little less than 2
>>dollars a day saved a full year.Not hard to do. Anyone can go on
>>a dxpedition! Most of the guys I know scrimp to gather the funds
>>to do so.
>>
>FB comments Ken!
Hey, I saved $2 per day just by quitting smoking. Problem is I chose ZK1 for
a destination and should have quit about 15 years ago...HI HI
>
>73,
>Bruce AA8U, ZK1AAU, FP/AA8U
>
>From Pete Raymond <n4kw@citrus.infi.net> Wed Mar 20 14:14:04 1996
From: Pete Raymond <n4kw@citrus.infi.net> (Pete Raymond)
Subject: Lightning Protection
Message-ID: <199603201414.JAA25833@mh004.infi.net>
I know I should not be writting this and saying "so far this has worked for
me", however, it may be of assistance to someone thinking of how to install
some form of protection.
On one of my trips to Florida to finialize the purchase of my property and
design my home I meet with the next door neighbor who was in the process of
building a new home. During my chat with him I learned that his home had
been completely destroyed by fire due to a direct lightning hit on his home
while he was out of town and he was now in the process of rebuilding. I
knew I was relocating to the lightning belt of the U.S. but this was a
little unsetteling to say the least.
With the above in mind I set out to install the best lightning protection
system I could. First I concentrated on the tower as I was in the process
of planning its location. Not to mention the fact that it took me over a
year for a permit, but that is another story. Anyway from what I have read
and researched I decided to use a "Ufer" ground system as described in The
"Grounds" for lightning and EMP Protection, second edition published by
PolyPhaser Corp. This system bonds the rebar in the tower base to the tower
itself. Then I dug long trenches about 10" deep and approx 50' long out
from each leg of the tower. Since I used eight foot ground rods six were
driven every eight feet in the trench, if ten foot rods are used then use 10
foot spacing. This prvents ground saturation. All rods were connected
using solid copper #4 and bonded back to the rebar cage of the tower. I
plan on running more later its just that the Ham Fund was getting depleted.
Next to the house. Approx three feet from the outside wall of the shack I
mounted a large stainless steel box supported by two pressure treated
landscapping timbers. From the box I installed a 4" PVC pipe that goes
through the wall and into the shack. On the opposite side I drilled a
number of holes to accommodate PolyPhaser Impulse Suppressors for my
application I used IS-B50HU-C0. All my coaxial cable come up to the box and
screw on to the exposed connector of the suppressor. Inside the box
another coax cable leaves the connector of the suppressor and enters the
shack through the 4" pvc pipe. The stainless steel box is grounded to my
station ground which will have (not yet completed) more buried radials with
additional ground rods as was done on the tower. All radials lead away from
the house. This system afords protection for all my cables prior to
entering my home. My rotator and remote coax switchs all have their own
connector at the box and are protected with MOV's. When I know a storm is
coming I disconnect all my cables at the box, and believe me during the past
couple of years during our lightning season that is an every day occurence.
I cut two length of 4" PVC about 1 foot long and caped one end on both.
Then I installed them on each of the land scaping timbers with the open end
down. When I disconnect my cables they are pushed up into the pvc tubes to
keep the connectors out of the weather and held in the tube by large
stainless steal hose clamps. I forgot to mention that my stainless steel
box has a hinged door for easy access.
Inside the shack all equipment is grounded to half inch copper tubing that
runs under the operating position and then out side through its own pvc pipe
to the station ground. All shack power is protected with surge supressors.
I also disconnect all power to the shack when a storm is near.
Trust me, I am not saying this is the only way to ground your station. I
just felt that maybe it will help someone who is thinking of ways to enhance
their system. 73's and good luck Pete N4KW
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