You Never Know

[HomerBB]

Here's my off the wall experience today.
On 20m there's a fellow in Puerto Rico running a QSO party that consists of making contact, stating your name, location, and the current temperature at your location. Fun, I thought, so I try to bust the pileup with my Icom on my inverted L wire antenna. Oddly, it was tunable to a 1.5 SWR, but the radio was not transmitting but about 40% output. I couldn't be heard.
Maybe the ice on the wire... I don't know and too cold to go see.
I switch out the antenna to my 11m attic loop. Immediately my receive goes up, and the MFJ-939 brings the SWR in line to around 1.2:1. Nevertheless, the contact eludes me. So now I am trying anything. I go to my Imax2k outside at 49' to the feedline. The tuner brings the SWR down, but receive is a bit noisy, especially compared to the loop, and, again, no contact. The pileup, is keeping me covered up.
Now, what....
I have one last option. There is a 6m extended double zepp in the attic. I switch to it, hit the tuner button, and the Puerto Rican station leaps into my receive. I key up and drop my call sign once again. Angel, WP3R, in Puerto Rico returns my call and we share a moment of weather information. Weird.
It was 84°F there, and 17°F in NW Arkansas.

K5HBB

 

[sunbulls]

I’m not saying this could be related, but I do know that some nets or special event stations ops try to capture most of the weaker stations. IMO it’s always appropriate to let the big guns rest once in awhile and call for QRP stations or mobiles only.

 

[HomerBB]

I don't know, either.
It was just strange that the first three options failed, but the fourth, the antenna farthest from resonance on 20m, provided the contact.
The EDZ had 12' of wire on each side with 2' of 1" spaced wire for the twinlead transformer section. That was attached to 13' of coax down into the shack.
Perhaps the whole thing radiated like a cap hat vertical... I noticed no CMC into the shack...
BTW, the edz works on 6m. It is higher on the band than I want, so I will lengthen it sometime...

 

[Jay Mojave]

Hello HomerBB: Great posting of hands on radio stuff with different antennas. Thanks.

The local hams here in the desert wanted to start up a local 20 meter yep yap frequency. I had a simple 20M dipole antenna with a 1 to 1 current Balun and old RG8X coax I had for years. On a 45 degree angle hanging from the 60 foot tower at about 25 feet high it worked way better than I expected. The locals never showed up on 20M but I talked all over the country on 20M with it. I always thought these single band dipole antennas didn't have any real performance, I stand corrected.

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert

 

[HomerBB]

Hello HomerBB: Great posting of hands on radio stuff with different antennas. Thanks.

The local hams here in the desert wanted to start up a local 20 meter yep yap frequency. I had a simple 20M dipole antenna with a 1 to 1 current Balun and old RG8X coax I had for years. On a 45 degree angle hanging from the 60 foot tower at about 25 feet high it worked way better than I expected. The locals never showed up on 20M but I talked all over the country on 20M with it. I always thought these single band dipole antennas didn't have any real performance, I stand corrected.

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert

Well, I guess you never know, right?
20m is a great band. You must have been holding your tongue just right.

 

[wavrider]

interesting post and thanks for sharing.
Just goes to show what perseverance can do in trying to make a contact.

 

[HomerBB]

I thought it also goes to my experiences over time with how something that isn't "proven" or "supported by science" or "optimum" can show itself to be the best for the moment, place or time.
Love the crazy world of antennas.

 

[Rwb]

Here's my off the wall experience today.
On 20m there's a fellow in Puerto Rico running a QSO party that consists of making contact, stating your name, location, and the current temperature at your location. Fun, I thought, so I try to bust the pileup with my Icom on my inverted L wire antenna. Oddly, it was tunable to a 1.5 SWR, but the radio was not transmitting but about 40% output. I couldn't be heard.
Maybe the ice on the wire... I don't know and too cold to go see.
I switch out the antenna to my 11m attic loop. Immediately my receive goes up, and the MFJ-939 brings the SWR in line to around 1.2:1. Nevertheless, the contact eludes me. So now I am trying anything. I go to my Imax2k outside at 49' to the feedline. The tuner brings the SWR down, but receive is a bit noisy, especially compared to the loop, and, again, no contact. The pileup, is keeping me covered up.
Now, what....
I have one last option. There is a 6m extended double zepp in the attic. I switch to it, hit the tuner button, and the Puerto Rican station leaps into my receive. I key up and drop my call sign once again. Angel, WP3R, in Puerto Rico returns my call and we share a moment of weather information. Weird.
It was 84°F there, and 17°F in NW Arkansas.

K5HBB

you must have had a heatwave in NWA, i dont think southwest mo got above 9 all day. but hey great luck to you homer

 

[HomerBB]

@Rwb right now it's 0°F with -13°wind chill.
But it should warm up to 5°.
You need to stay warm.
I'm in Rogers. Where are you?

 

[Rwb]

im 30 miles northeast of joplin. its DAMMM COLD here today, i had -4 at 6 am

 

[HomerBB]

im 30 miles northeast of joplin. its DAMMM COLD here today, i had -4 at 6 am

I hear ya. We went negative early this morning before daylight. Miserable. Currently -3°.

 

[Rwb]

I hear ya. We went negative early this morning before daylight. Miserable. Currently -3°.

snow also,what happened to global warming ?

 

[HomerBB]

Q di NM

snow also,what happened to global warming ?

On vacation is South America.

 

[unit_399]

Q di NM

On vacation is South America.

ABSOLUTELY !! 23 degrees C/ 74F in our pueblo today.

- 399

BTW Homer,
back when I lived in SoCal during solar cycle 22 I used to talk to friends in HEBER SPRINGS ARK almost every day on 26.915AM. Good people.

 

[HomerBB]

There's lots of good folks in Arkansas.
I notice most of the good ones in Cali are moving out...