ARRL Field Day
Call: K7IA
Operator(s): K7IA
Station: K7IA
Class: 1B QRP
QTH: New Mexico
Operating Time (hrs): 21:48
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
----------------------------
160:
80: 17
40: 154
20: 455 10 55
15: 36
10:
6:
2:
222:
432:
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
----------------------------
Total: 662 10 55 Total Score = 7,220
Club:
Comments:
Above is raw data: Bonus points not included. Somehow, five dupes are in the
log!
I've been operating Field Day as QRP from the Gila National Forest in New
Mexico for years, but this year I decided to give it a serious effort (read:
minimal to no sack time on Saturday night!). I'm principally a CW operator,
but this year I added RTTY and SSB to the lineup. I planned to work RTTY
whenever CW rates declined secondary to band crowding, competing big gun
signals, or propagation changes. Owing to my poor hearing in the voice
frequency range, I rarely operate SSB, but this year I wanted to try it "for
fun's sake" as a QRP station. More about that below.
My Field Day site's elevation is 8750 feet, with tall (many at 100 feet)
ponderosa pines for wire antennas, and with terrain that slopes gently downhill
in nearly all directions (all except due south). NOAA Weather prediction for
this year's event was: 40% chance of heavy thunderstorms through Friday with
"a chance" of T-storms on Saturday and Sunday. Sure enough, there were
numerous active T-storm cells in the area from arrival on Wednesday late
afternoon through Friday evening. Putting up antennas on Friday afternoon was
frequently interrupted by heavy rain, but fortunately there were no lightning
strikes within a mile, assuming I was counting the seconds between flash and
sound accurately! On Friday evening, local storms became quiet enough to
connect the rig, copy the ARRL Field Day Bulletin on both CW and RTTY, and to
test the antennas, pointed to the Northeast, by working some EU DX.
Equipment:
K3 @ 5W on battery/solar power throughout
N1MM logger on small footprint Acer laptop (no slack for fat fingered
typists!)
15m Moxon @ 60 feet (LB Cebik, W4RNL--SK electrical design, homebrew mechanical
design)
20m Moxon @ 63 feet (ditto)
40m Vee @ 60 feet
80m Vee @ 60 feet
32 foot vertical wire on fiberglass mast tuned with SGC 230 Smarttuner
For several reasons, this year's effort was my best Field Day ever, and I list
them here in increasing levels of importance. First, NOAA's WX prediction was
right on the button, which is unusual for New Mexico! During the 24 hour Field
Day operating period, there was neither any electrical storm activity nor rain!
In fact, the area was storm free until one hour after the Sunday noon quitting
time! Second, I spent more time on the air this year than in any other--no
bicycle rides in the woods, no walks with my YL, no special meals, no
daydreaming, and no equipment failures (wow!). I grabbed nearly two hours
sleep beginning at 0215 local, but when the alarm awakened me, I think I was
more groggy than if I had just stayed awake--something to consider next year!
Last, and most important, was how well LB Cebik's Moxon antenna design
performed. In my book, this Field Day is about him and not about me.
I believe the proof of an antenna lies not in how it loads but how it performs
in two way communications.
Indeed, both of LB's Moxons had SWRs that were 1.5 and flat across the entire
20/15 meter bands, just as Cebik predicted in his paper ("Wire Moxon Rectangles
for 40-10 Meters"). This was certainly a good start, because who has the time
or the inclination to trim blindly the elements for a better match once an
antenna is in the air during storm conditions?
But the real test of an antenna's performance is how well other stations can be
worked using low, or, better, QRP power levels. On Friday night, 15 meters was
dead, but on 20 meters, I worked about a dozen EU stations, mostly on my first
call, in pileups 3 to 5 stations deep--all with 30 to 50 watts. I'm not used
to that, because my home station is located in a canyon (my "inverted
mountaintop"), and although I occasionally work DX with a single call, I do so
with a 4 el SteppIR and 500-700 watts.
Further proof of Cebik's design came during Field Day. Every CW and RTTY
station I called made a QSO, and most of them were with a single call. It was
clear that my Class 1B station was as loud if not louder than many A, C, D,
etc. stations. As I mentioned earlier, I gave 20 meter SSB a brief whirl, not
only "just for fun" but also to see if Cebik's Moxon would enable even a single
contact with only five watts. Naturally, when working QRP, it pays to call a
running station having a loud signal rather than one who is barely readable.
So that's what I did--for the first few stations that I worked (each answered
my first call, and each had other callers). After that, I grew bolder and
called any SSB station that my crummy hearing could tune. I worked each of
them, too, although not always with the first call. Now, working only ten SSB
stations doesn't represent a statistically significant sample, but the fact
that I worked them AT ALL is very significant, as I am certain that anyone who
has worked 20 meter SSB in Field Day conditions can attest. After those 10
Q's, and after listening to the 20 meter SSB bedlam with my lousy hearing, I
returned to 20 meter CW, where it was relatively "quiet."
Lastly, I must say that it is difficult, but not impossible, to "run" stations
with QRP. I've done it in past Field Days, but not for very long. When
sunspots limit 10 and 15 meter propagation to Sporadic E, the majority of
operators are on 20 meters, continuously jockying for better frequencies for
running other stations. Alas, no antenna has ever allowed me to occupy any
frequency indefinitely--after all, QRP is QRP, and apparently, part of the
contest game is to challenge another running station's ability to "hold" its
running frequency. However, according to the statistics kept by the N1MM
logger, Cebik's Moxon gave me longer running times and higher QSO rates than
any other antenna that I've used for Field Day.
My hat is off to our colleague and fellow amateur, LB Cebik, W4RNL (SK), who
left his fraternity with a wealth of antenna lore, information, and practical
designs. I would urge more amateurs to consider using Cebik's Moxon design.
While it isn't rotatable, it is simple to construct--just cut the wires (all
three of them!) to the lengths given in LB's paper, and find a way to put the
array into the air. In that regard, two of us have collaborated over the past
few years and have developed a simple and portable mechanical design that puts
the Moxon into the air using only two cords/ropes and only two trees. [My
slingshot, fishing weight, and fishing rod are good for 60 feet!] Since Field
Day ended last Sunday, I've thought it would be fitting to share our approach
in the hopes that more Field Day stations can enjoy excellent performance from
a wire antenna. An article will be written--stay tuned...
Thanks to all of the op's for the Field Day QSO's, including the dupes who
wanted to be certain that they were in the log! Special thanks go to the ten
fine SSB ops who are in my log. Oh, if only my hearing were as good as
yours!!
73, and CU next year,
Dan, K7IA
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|