Off the Random Wire (Week 7)

My low-power, low-profile adventure continues while living in a dense suburban community. One might recall my previous posting titled "Empire Strikes Back". Our home owner's association (HOA) inspected our compound for irregularities and my wooden mast drew considerable attention. The mast supported the random wire from the second floor terrace. I decided to go with 'Project Vertical' as a response to the monthly HOA inspection. My pursuit toward an s9 signal or better, given location and HOA regulations, was deferred into the future. The relocation of my antenna is not exactly prime real estate. I lengthened the random wire by 20 feet to accommodate the new 33 foot fiberglass telescoping mast. The total length of the wire is 53 feet and the counterpoise is 55 feet. The counterpoise runs 90 degrees in the opposite direction from the fiberglass mast forming a lopsided square. The type of soil in our Milli-yard is clay like adobe. I purchased a section of 2 inch inner diameter stainless steel piping as a support for the telescoping mast. The first blow to the pipe rang like Big Ben through the neighborhood. It did not budge. Again, another strike to the stainless steel and a neighbor asked, "Are you building an addition?" Adobe is cement, literally. If one cannot hammer then dig. I figured, since the soil is clay, it would harden like concrete. It did. Life in our compound is a little slow. There is not much action except for an amateur radio operator stringing his wire. One neighbor called down from the second floor terrace, "Maybe when you get done with your work. The birds will quit squawking." Me and the birds. Would you believe, of all the bushes and trees in the compound, the birds built a nest in ours. It must be magnetics. My relocated antenna stands between our condo and the neighbors. It is out of view except for the last 8 vertical feet or so. The telescoping mast is substantially further back by an estimated 10 feet than the previous antenna location. The overall height of the random wire is 33 vertical feet. Also, its apex is 5 feet above the condo roof line as shown in photograph one. Now, the proof is in the concrete and propagation will tell. On the other hand, my American Radio Relay League application is complete and I've joined the Northern California Contest Club. Both are milestones after many moons away from our exciting and adventurous hobby. Time to listen, listen, and listen. Let's see here...

73 from the shack.

Inside the NCCC Sprint Grid (Week 11)

The Cavaliers and Spurs fight inside the paint for NBA championship rings. The Anaheim Ducks claimed the '07 Stanley Cup and W9RE scored big time. RE continued to distinguish himself as the NS operator across all divisions. The longest standing sprint record held by N4OGW for five consecutive weeks fell to the RE keyer. This week RE soldered a record sprint score, an East of the Mississippi divisional win and grid series victory for week eleven. Who will catch and take the lead from the ultra photon powered sprinter? RE is unstoppable from inside the hard line thus far.

Scanning the East of the Mississippi Division for signals. One of the closest contenders for the speed of light record and 'X' Prize, N4OGW, scored 1802 for a second place finish. N9CK battled his way through the pile-ups scoring 1674 for third. Deeper into the sprint pack a close race developed between K3STX (1092) and K9BGL (1075). It was a personal record for STX operating from Maryland, right on. A big radio frequency welcome goes to WW9R and NB1B who made their first photon powered sprint run!

Checking the zero beat prior to transmitting. The West of the Mississippi Division lead by the one who looms larger than a one-hundred foot tower N3BB garnered a first place finish for the evening. K5NZ went tower-to-tower with BB and scored 1392 in a Central Texas DX and Contest Club (CTDXCC) Thursday night showdown. N5DX went after the Texan signals and keyed his way to an 1148 third place finish. W0BH retained his perfect eleven. On the other hand, NO5W defeated the Borg and joined the fun after two weeks of missing in action.

Transmission. The top NCCC CA/NV divisional score goes to W0YK. Meanwhile, K6UFO and K6VVA ran an exceptional race in a dead heat until the final millisecond. UFO scored 580 to VVA's 578 in a narrow one within the division.

The standings:

Record Sprint Scores
1. W9RE, East, 2574 3rd consecutive week
2. W9RE, East, 2301
3. N4AF, East, 2280 3rd consecutive week

Grid Series Leaders
1. W9RE, East, 2574
2. N3BB, West, 1820
3. N4OGW, East, 1802

East of the Mississippi
1. W9RE, 2574, 8 of 11
2. N4OGW, 1802, 10 of 11
3. N9CK, 1674, 10 of 11

West of the Mississippi
1. N3BB, 1820, 4 of 11
2. K5NZ, 1392, 3 of 11
3. N5DX, 1148, 7 of 11

NCCC CA/NV
1. W0YK, 608, 7 of 11
2. K6UFO, 580, 9 of 11
3. K6VVA, 578, 11 of 11

Certainly, 3830 Score Rumors will provide tantalizing clues going into the twelfth week of the fastest 30-minutes in radiosport. Electrons are settling into their respective orbits and will ultra photon powered W9RE retain or is there another? Only 3830 knows and till then, GO NS!

73 from the shack.

Reference:
Northern California Contest Club (n.d.) NS Results Retrieved on June 8, 2007 from http://www.ncccsprint.com/results.htm.

NCCC Thursday Night Madness 11 of 11

My propagation saga continued going into the eleventh week of Thursday Night Madness. The questions? Will 20-meters produce? Is 40-meters in any shape for the local hop? And, is the 80-meter red zone 'hot' this evening? KA3DRR keyed into the action with my random wire and 25-watts completely disregarding propagation. Sometimes one never knows and the unexpected might happen.

Thursday Night Madness unfolded as two events. One is the Slow NS (SNS) where Morse code rules at twenty words per minute or less. What a phenomenal opportunity at a break out evening accompanied by the slow music of code. Also, keep in mind, the maximum power for SNS and NS is 100 watts. Operators that is max--100 watts! KA3DRR operates a quarter of the maximum. Personally, I'm having a blast operating 25-watts deep in the solar pit of this cycle. Fun? Absolutely. Challenging? Bet the farm.

I like the SNS because it's much like stepping into the batters box and taking a few warm-up swings. Who knows? A fast ball perhaps a knuckler or a curve but swing the bat said an old coach. The Northern California Contest Club NS Sprint begins approximately 15-minutes after batting practice. The aluminum now put away for the sturdy Louisville and the NS Sprint.

KA3DRR took a few warm-up swings in the 20-meter batters box. The fast ball operators worked the bandwidth like major leaguers. I operated as if playing short looking for the double play. The SP technique paid and KA3DRR scored a double (1Q and multiplier). Yes, a Texan station! I attempted a double-play but the third base coach signaled band change.

Forty-meters sounded awful just too much noise. Even the umpire called for stadium Earth to quiet down. No luck. KA3DRR heard above the din and commotion lots of Mid-West and Eastern stations. It was like a three and one count; step back into the box, ground the right foot and flex the Louisville. Not even a single on forty. This evening the record keeper registered a 'K' in the 3830 Score Rumor's reflector.

I'm in the bottom of the 9th with one run for the 3830 scoreboard. The signal goes out from the dugout and the manager calls -- red zone. It is not a bunt situation with the go-ahead run on third and one out. This is swing away. I step out, tune and back within the chalk. Everything at the speed of seconds...tune, spin dial and wham mo. A fast ball CQ NS left the keyer of one Californian operator. Time enough to almost zero-beat. KA3DRR swung away hitting a double in the 80-meter red zone.

The play clock ran out such is the NS Sprint.

Scoreboard:

Band Raw QSOs Valid QSOs QSO Pts Pts/Q Mults
-------------------------------------------------------------------

20 1 1 1 1.00 1
40 -- -- -- ---- --
80 1 1 1 1.00 1

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 2 2 2 1.00 2

Final Score = 4

It wasn't a Clemen's return or a LeBron game 5 but it was a lot of radio frequency (RF) fun operating in the fastest 30-minutes in radiosport.

73 from the shack.