[3830] TBDC N7GP/8 Single Op LP
webform at b4h.net
webform at b4h.net
Mon Dec 30 17:18:44 EST 2019
Stew Perry Topband Challenge - 2019
Call: N7GP/8
Operator(s): N7GP
Station: N7GP/8
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: ohio en 80
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 190 Total Score = 977
Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club
Comments:
Wow,, What a difference almost 2000 miles closer to EU makes on 160!!
I got this hair brained idea to setup a temp 160 Stew station with stuff I had
laying around in my Dayton flea market stash here in Ohio.
warm weather allowed me to get a full sized dipole up at 30 feet with ends about
10 feet,,,a real SKY WARMER!!
I started the Stew with 2 goals.. work at least ONE EU station and at least ONE
OUTLAW..
I had that accomplished well before 0400 !! First EU IN LOG WAS DL5AXX ,,
followed not long after by OUTLAW Bob K8IA!!
I had a ball working 14 countries with 100 watts and a dipole and a old J43
straight key!!
Most all S and P,, I did a little CQ run after SR in Ohio and picked up another
10 stations,, BUT CQing with A STRAIGHT key,, is not what its cracked up to
be!!.. I don't know how you guys did it before electronic keyers, etc!!
I was blown away by the number of stations packed in on top of each other from
the Mississippi east..crazy numbers,, AND by the masses of EU stations copy able
under all the east coast stations calling CQ and actually being able to hear my
sky warmer and 100 watts..
Also later Saturday night and Sunday morning the strength of the Outlaws I
worked was incredible,, some of the loudest signals from out west,,,
Unfortunately my dipole was facing NE and SW,, so I was not able to hear ANY JA
at all,, I listed to Lee and the guys at the super station working some JA and I
could not hear any of them...I did hear very weak RT0F and called him a few
times,, I did get a partial of my call back form him twice but before we got any
farther he faded into the ether!!
Great fun and very surprised how well the skywarmer worked on transmit and
receive!!
Thanks for the Q's and your patience!!
also I have added below a write up I did for my entry into the " top score
for temp antenna setup in December 2019" plaque for the Stew,, it will give
you and idea what I went thru to get on th4e air LOL...
GO OUTLAWS !!
see below for a funny story ;;;
Tom
N7GP/8
write up...
I was in Ohio for the Holiday season and the weather was unusual, 50 degrees
in December!!
I have been going to Dayton Hamfest for 50 years selling
in the flea market and since I
live in Arizona now, I keep my flea market for sale items
stored in Ohio.
On Friday December 27th with 50 degree weather, I got to
thinking about the Stew,
and what could I have in my flea market items that could
get me on the air!!
I remembered that I had an old Kenwood TS 850 that I did
not sell at Dayton this
May, and a 20 amp power supply ,so Bingo,, I had a radio
that did 160!!..Next was what to do
for an antenna,,
Digging thru my pile of dayton stuff, I found a 40 foot
LMR 400 cable new in bag,,
that was left over not sold.So I had some feed line..
Now I needed antenna wire,,I had a small scrap roll of CAT
6E cable in the pile, BUT
NOT very long.... So I got to thinking,, there is and old
30 foot tv tower at the
house I am staying in,,,so maybe I could put up some form
of dipole/inverted V with
the apex at the top of the OLD rusty TV tower!! Doing some
quick calculations in my head
I am thinking I am going to need 260 feet of wire!!
looking at the roll of Cat 6E its
maybe 35 feet.. way too short..BUT WAIT,, there are 8
wires in the Cat 6E. So if I
would strip the jacket off and UNWRAP the CAt 6 wires I
would have 8,, 35 foot long wires!!
Thats 280 Feet enough for a 260 foot dipole/inverted V!!
GREAT,,NOW I have to connect them all
together.. UMM,,,,I start digging theu the 50 yearts off
Dayton stuff looking for some
small butt connectors.. then a light bulb went off in my
head!! I remembered in my
1$ boxes of Junk the was on OLD pencil soldering iron with
a cut off
120 VAC cord.. So I dig it out.. and dug around and found
a computer power cord and some wire
nuts... perfect to splice a cord onto the old pencil
iron..NOW solder>
CRAP,, digging around in the basement , I found a roll of
acid cord plumbing solder,, BINGO
I am in busines..so after unwinding the Cat 6 wires and
soldering them all together,,I had
my 260 feet of wire
Next, I going to need a center insulator and end
insulators,,looking around in the basement..
I spy and old wooden broom and a hacksaw blade
only..Wrapping duck tape around the blade I cut
some 8 inch lengths of the broom handle,,
I am thinking I shuld make a balun choke for the feed,,
and digging thru the Dayton pile, I find
a magnet mount CB antenna with 20 get of RG 58,, PERFECt
,, I have the cable,, now need a coil
form,,.. With the garbage not picked up yet from
Christmas,,i remembered some 2 liter COKE bottles
in the trash. PERFECT for a coil form.
After winding the balun and soldering with the acid core
solder,, I have my antenna built.
I go out side to survey the rusty old TV tower and
thinking I need a standof to hang the dipole/V
from..so remebering I had the left over length of the
broom handle,, I had my stand off..
Next was the process of getting the antenna wire attached
to the wood broom handle insulators,,
NO drill at the house so found some nails and drove one
into each end wood and now I had a way to
attach the antenna wire,and support string, just wrap them
around the nails.
NOw to errect the dipole/v..Scouting the trees on the
property.. I found 2 short evergreen shrubs
at the very far ends of the property. walking off the
distance I figured they would be perfect for
the end support strings.
So now to put up the antenna,,NO Climbing belt,, BUT found
a good piece of short heavy rope,..
so up the rusty tower I go,, tied myself on with the
rope..and with no good way to attach my
broom handle stand off, DucK Tape came to the rescue!!
laid the broom handle across the top wrung,
and duck taped it on!!
Presto, i HAD THE APEX HUNG!!So after getting back on
Terra Firma,,
I streched out the cat6 antenna wire and aqttched it to
the shrubs with one end actually In
the evergreen shurb.
When all tied off,, the apex was at 30 feet and the ends
were about 10 feet off ground..
a perfect SKY waRMER!
After running the antenna cable thru a cracked open window
I set the TS 850 up on an old card table,
All good I think!!I hook up the 20 AMP 12vdc SUPPLY AND
TURN IT ON.. dead!!,with no time or meter to
troubleshoot the supply I think I am dead in the water.
So I grab a cold 807 out of the refer and start thinking..
12VDC power NO problem,, I TOOK THE BATTERY OUT OF THE
RENTAL CAR, and took the battery tender
off the stored lawn tractor,,,,I AM GOOD TO GO..
Now for a code key... I remembered about 15 years ago I
bought a USED Ten Tec Omni 5 from a guy at
Dayton and he had thrown an old J43 WW2 vintage code key
in with the deal.. and I remembered I
had put in the the old small tackle box I use for the CASH
box at Dayton!! digging around I found
the cash box and the key was still in there!! Great now I
need a 1/4 inch phone jack...
Once again the 1$ boxes produced and old set of broken
cheap head phones,, so a pocket knife and
and duck tape and I was in Business!.. NOW for any kind of
head phones..I asked the family if anyone
had any headphnes!! My son in law spoke up and said he had
a set of ear buds he got for Christmas and
they had a 1/4 inch adaptor with them..PERFECT I HAVE ALL
THE PIECES NOW!!
After hooking up the battery and the old J43 key,.. I
attahed the antenna,,
and chewcked swr with the internal meter on the TS
850..good match,, less than 2.1 from 1800 to 1850.
I am READY for the STEW!!
Charged the battery all night and got on at the beginning
of the contest, DAYTIME in Ohio..heard a few
signals and called a few RUSTY hand KEY Cq's.. got a
response from EN 35 and i WAS IN EN 80,,
sO LET THE FUN BEGIN!!
Kept the battery on charge until just before my SS in Ohio
, then took it off and jumped into the fun!
So 190 Q's later including at least 12 EU contacts.. ALL
using 100 watts and a dipole at 30 feet!!...
I NOW truely understand the old saying... "NECESSCITY
IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION"!!!
Tom
N7GP/8
Temp EN 80
EX WA8WZG
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
More information about the 3830
mailing list