1700 miles barefoot

[rixdafix]

Took the old Jeep Cherokee out to the hills in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri yesterday.
Box stock McKinley and drilled roof Sirio 5000, no amp.
Mostly listened, lots of big stations out there.
Called out several times, no replies and no surprise as I was surrounded by a thick pine forest and barefoot.
I was listening to 36L which was almost silent at the time and heard a Vancouver BC station call out like he was next to me.
I rolled the dice and replied.
He came right back and we had a good clear two minute conversation.
He got a kick out of my rig as he and his wife used to do a lot of Jeep camping also.
My farthest contact and first into Canada (even though just barely it counts lol).
Made my New Years Day.

 

[w9cll]

Mother nature smiled on you. While not on 11 meters I worked Japan mobile on 10w once. When the bands are open it doesn't take much.

 

[Cabover Bob]

I’ve had pretty good luck with my Siro 5000 as well. Radio has a pair of 2290’s inside, one of them high dollar aluminum pucks on a headache rack with lots of ground straps and 18’ of LMR240UF from HRO. I enjoy the challenge of being a low power mobile and for the most part I avoid contact with all of the well known big watt stations. Strictly AM and 95% on 27.285. I think those Sirios are pretty good for the price.

 

[ForestRunner98]

Gotta love Mother Nature!! I made a contact on my McKinley barefoot w/12w on SSB on got Birmingham Alabama. 2k miles! Wasn’t a long QSO but still happy nonetheless. Also using a Sirio 5k antenna!!

 

[TM86]

Just wait until the cycle gets closer to the peak. You'll find yourself joining conversations only to find out it's skip when you start asking where the other guys are.

 

[rixdafix]

Gotta love Mother Nature!! I made a contact on my McKinley barefoot w/12w on SSB on got Birmingham Alabama. 2k miles! Wasn’t a long QSO but still happy nonetheless. Also using a Sirio 5k antenna!!

Right on! I heard you a couple of hours ago on 36L but of course as soon as I keyed up so did a bunch of "warmed up" rigs. You couldn't make out my numbers and then poof the band went quiet on my end.

Working barefoot for me is a blast. It's like another of my hobbies hunting arrowheads. I don't find many but each is a treasure. I don't care if I talk across town or across the country. It's all good.

 

[ForestRunner98]

Right on! I heard you a couple of hours ago on 36L but of course as soon as I keyed up so did a bunch of "warmed up" rigs. You couldn't make out my numbers and then poof the band went quiet on my end.

Working barefoot for me is a blast. It's like another of my hobbies hunting arrowheads. I don't find many but each is a treasure. I don't care if I talk across town or across the country. It's all good.

Ah ok!! I wasn’t running barefoot at that time but I would have liked to make contact with you. What were your numbers??

Yes there were some big sounding stations out there. Super 6-4 was booming into SoCal as well as some others.

 

[L2]

Awesome.

Another happy Sirio 5000 user here.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Having NEVER run more than 100 watts on any band at any time in my life, I have a tendency to laugh at the guys that brag about making a DX contact while running hundreds of watts or more. I have worked mobile barefoot on 11m from here in Nova Scotia to the UK, 2800 miles, into Luxor Egypt , 5300 miles, Argentina 5500 miles. All were on SSB of course and from the mobile. the very first QSL card I ever got was from Greenland. I was barefoot with a 5/8 groundplane for that one at about 1300 miles and later South Africa at 7700 miles. I still like to mention my contact on 20m while using just 100 watts and a Hamstick mobile antenna to Rodriques Island off East Africa..............LONG PATH........ one morning while driving to work. 15,000 miles. Barefoot DX is DEFINITELY possible. IMHO running lots of power for DX simply puts you into the "ME FIRST!!" crowd and strokes the ego. I find it much more rewarding to make that same contact on low power even if I have to call him half a dozen times.Your mileage may vary on that one and I am sure several people here already fit into the "ME FIRST!!!!" crowd.

 

[rixdafix]

Ah ok!! I wasn’t running barefoot at that time but I would have liked to make contact with you. What were your numbers??

I usually call out 561 Missouri Mobile

I find it much more rewarding to make that same contact on low power even if I have to call him half a dozen times.

Absolutely!

For now I prefer to optimize by setup, work out a few bugs, and see how it goes.
Swapped out a rather flimsy NMO mount for a Breedlove #504 today.
Much better!

 

[ForestRunner98]

I usually call out 561 Missouri Mobile


Absolutely!

For now I prefer to optimize by setup, work out a few bugs, and see how it goes.
Swapped out a rather flimsy NMO mount for a Breedlove #504 today.
Much better!

Ok 561 Missouri mobile!!

That’s the same puck I am running!!! Good stuf dude!!!