Off the Random Wire (Week 11)
I'm exhausted in a good-kind-of-exhausted way. This is what happened in and around the KA3DRR shack.
First, my antenna was incorrectly connected to the MFJ949E antenna tuner. There is a good reason why WIRE is capitalized on the back of the tuner. I corrected the counterpoise problem because, no counterpoise existed until this morning. I experimented with various lengths of 1/4 wave wire at tuner ground. I discovered the random wire malfunction after shorting a PL259 connector. My soldering attempt would not pass basic high school electronic examination. Perhaps, my blog is becoming the misadventures of KA3DRR Low-power, Low-profile contesting at 35-watts?
Conversely, this is my learning curve where Mr. Murphy rules the shack more times than not. I visualize Mr. Murphy as the cranky twin brother of W.C. Fields. He's the guy who likes to hurl waded paper at my head behind the teacher's back. I have reached the roof of my understanding and Mr. Murphy is taking advantage of my situation. However, a type of antenna existed at KA3DRR maybe a hybrid between a lightbulb filament and a random wire. It radiated perhaps in the milliwatt range.
Does one see that cranky, twin brother of W.C. Fields smiling in the shadows?
There is room enough for wire antennas with gain within the property of our condo unit. I have north to south in our back yard and east to west in the front of the unit facing the Pacific ocean.
Several excellent ideas followed from the collective experience and wisdom of the Northern California Contest Club email reflector.
I'm researching the following antenna types while looking at our property from different angles. Antenna ideas are 1). Delta Loop, 2). Bi Square, 3). 40-meter dipole fed with a 1/4 wave of 450-ohm ladder line, 4). Par end fed random wire and, 5). G5RV. I googled each and downloaded additional portable document files from the American Radio Relay League. Impedance, reactance, matching transmission line, feed line, balanced to unbalanced (BALUN), and load are new terms being digested. This is back to school and I'm enjoying myself even if it is exhausting.
It's worth the gain.
On the other hand, I uploaded my dot tq8 file to the Logbook of the World (LoTW) after converting my DX Lab Suite DX Keeper log into an exportable adif this weekend and confirmed 50-plus QSLs. I logged a few Flight of the Bumble Bee -Qs on 40-meter CW running 5-watts as well. This accomplishment after getting my random wire and counterpoise properly configured.
What's going on around the blogsphere? NE1RD 100 pound Dxpedition ran a series of excellent how-to LoTW articles. Meanwhile, KE9V's Long Delayed Echoes podcast flashback discussed a 1957 DXpedition to Pago Pago, it's highly informative. Jeff -- thank you for your great podcasting. K9ZW's With Varying Frequency chats about improving reception and receive antennas. One will find an excellent guide to RFI, ferrites, baluns etc. written by Jim Brown, K9YC at K9JY's Ham Radio Blog. K3OQ's Adventures in Radio--he is in the field as a registered Bumble Bee in the Flight of the Bumble Bee's contest. All the best to K3OQ this afternoon and John, W6ZIP/5 in New Mexico.
We went to the Paso Robles State Fair on Saturday evening. I enjoyed corn dogs, corn on the cob, a shredded barbecue pork sandwich, homemade lemonade, and a sugar brick called cinnamon bun with cream cheese. Good time for all.
I'll follow up with a few more articles this week inbetween my studies. My best to everyone and thank you for supporting KA3DRR Low-power, Low-profile amateur radio contesting at 35-watts.
73 from the shack.
