[TenTec] field day from hell, almost !

[w4chl at amsat.org]

Mike,

We can sure sympathize. Thought we had it all worked out to feature a 
Pegasus software controlled rig at FD on battery power for the GOTA 
station (we were a 6A-battery QRP FD site). Had kids from PARC lined up 
and ready to go at the OCRA FD site. 

Setup and test went great in the morning, had the digital modes running 
with the laptop on a RASCAL and TT 705 mic all OK by noon on Saturday. Our 
congressman visited along with state senator and saw our digital station 
all ready to go. Then things started to go awry:

- Pegasus speaker output volume faded as the battery voltage dropped below 
12.5Vdc. Had anticipated that, put on a N4UAU battery booster set for 14V, 
but it wasn't working (the laptop had a separate 16V booster working fine 
with no hash on 10-15-20m). So much for the Peg (next time an additional 
set of Cyclon 1.2V cells to switch in if we do a Pegasus again ! Probably 
not.)  An Argo V would do better here.

- installed backup FT-817, got phone running fine on 20m, PSK-31 on 40m. 
Left for home thinking all is well as kids are getting contacts now

- at another station, installed K2 as replacement for an energy hogging 
original IC-706. But K2's filters are somehow misaligned, so back to the 
bench for the K2.

- go home and get kids to bed, get up very early return to find only 3 
contacts all night, none on digital modes of GOTA station. Why ? 
  * go through setup, see mode incorrect for 20m digital, swap mode and 
make several PSK contacts and a dupe within 15min to add to the 20m 
station report
  * kids didn't realize had to switch the FT-817 PSK-L/PSK-U mode for 20m 
PSK (not needed for Pegasus), only contacts were the few phone contacts 
they were able to make competing with the bigger stations 
  * 40m has all kinds of hash on it - experiment and turn off the N4UAU 
booster. on 10-15-20m, no problems. On 40m big problems with hash. Quick 
reset of grounds to common bar helps, so can only work 40m with the 
logging laptop running on its internal batteries (but grounded through the 
N4UAU box).

By now its about 1045 Sunday. Tired operators, and they retry some on PSK 
20m and phone on a few bands get another 8 contacts b4 end of our FD run 
at 1400 EDT (1800 Z). Bands were dead for QRP ops, still when setup right 
the Peg, FT-817, and the other K1 and K2 rigs performed well, that latter 
exceptionally well. 

Good to have the backup radios that were well tested in the recent past. 

Had vast overkill in battery power due to realization that generators 
weren't allowed in this category to charge rigs/PCs that were used in xmit 
on FD. Almost 1/2 ton total lead acid batteries there over the weekend 
with full sized solar panels too ! 

Better to have some individual Cyclon (or equiv) 1.2V lead-acid cells to 
boost the voltage from sagging gel cells up where needed. Better to have 
such an arrangement though the N4UAU boosters did work out well on all but 
40m at a very fluid station ! 

Cheers & 73s de Mark W4CHL
Chapel Hill NC  USA   http://rtpnet.org/parc