Sunday, April 23, 2006
Real world experience QRP/portable in Oakhurst...
The PAC-12 antenna 4/20
The PAC-12 is MUCH better than a "Miracle" Whip.
On Thursday (about 14:30 PDT) I set up using the PAC-12 portable vertical antenna. At James, of Pacific Antenna, suggestion I added an additional 2 one-foot sections between the feedpoint and the bottom of the loading coil (for better efficiency on 40m). A quick check using the "SWR" meter on the Yaesu-817ND showed that the sweet spot on the loading coil didn't change with this addition.
My immediate reaction was that the antenna isn't mechanically sound in this configuration. There was a lot of "teetering" going on. It sorta leaned off in one direction or another.
I can't tell much one way or the other if my actual "on the air signal" improved. The band was really noisy, but I was able to check into the Noontime net, after many repeats and a relay...
Lesson learned: I need to get a field strength meter if I'm going to play with these things seriously.
Dropping down into the CW portion of the band drove the SWR meter on the rig from zero bars to two bars. Three bars is supposed to be the beginning of "bad". Being the tweaker that I am, I moved the tap on the coil up a wire or two and brought it back down to zero. Nice practice I suppose...
Good old wire: 4/21
Get da fire in da wire en git it up higher.
The 1/2 wave end-fed was much better than the PAC-12. It was in a rough inverted-U configuration. First leg up roughly 25', then horizontal or slightly up to about 30' for 35' then the rest of it dangling down. (I misjudged the distance between the two limbs, but since they were a nice height for my water bottle launching method I figured to leave well enough alone...)
I used the 40m set-up with a 1/4 wave counter poise and a ZM-2 tuner.
It was a different day, so propagation was a bit different, but I did get into the Noontime net first call with a signal report of S2 "Good signal for QRP."
Then I shifted to 20m and did much better when I folded said counterpoise in 1/2.
Heard Texas and Il but didn't work either of them. Time/battery.
Will add a sling shot to my kit before the next outing.
The PAC-12 antenna 4/20
The PAC-12 is MUCH better than a "Miracle" Whip.
On Thursday (about 14:30 PDT) I set up using the PAC-12 portable vertical antenna. At James, of Pacific Antenna, suggestion I added an additional 2 one-foot sections between the feedpoint and the bottom of the loading coil (for better efficiency on 40m). A quick check using the "SWR" meter on the Yaesu-817ND showed that the sweet spot on the loading coil didn't change with this addition.
My immediate reaction was that the antenna isn't mechanically sound in this configuration. There was a lot of "teetering" going on. It sorta leaned off in one direction or another.
I can't tell much one way or the other if my actual "on the air signal" improved. The band was really noisy, but I was able to check into the Noontime net, after many repeats and a relay...
Lesson learned: I need to get a field strength meter if I'm going to play with these things seriously.
Dropping down into the CW portion of the band drove the SWR meter on the rig from zero bars to two bars. Three bars is supposed to be the beginning of "bad". Being the tweaker that I am, I moved the tap on the coil up a wire or two and brought it back down to zero. Nice practice I suppose...
Good old wire: 4/21
Get da fire in da wire en git it up higher.
The 1/2 wave end-fed was much better than the PAC-12. It was in a rough inverted-U configuration. First leg up roughly 25', then horizontal or slightly up to about 30' for 35' then the rest of it dangling down. (I misjudged the distance between the two limbs, but since they were a nice height for my water bottle launching method I figured to leave well enough alone...)
I used the 40m set-up with a 1/4 wave counter poise and a ZM-2 tuner.
It was a different day, so propagation was a bit different, but I did get into the Noontime net first call with a signal report of S2 "Good signal for QRP."
Then I shifted to 20m and did much better when I folded said counterpoise in 1/2.
Heard Texas and Il but didn't work either of them. Time/battery.
Will add a sling shot to my kit before the next outing.
