I did not have access to a western window for Asia and eastern Russia so those folks were left wanting. Remember I'm balancing family time with lunacy. :-) I may return at some point with total focus on ham radio and bigger antennas.
Losing access to the first QTH was a setback, but certainly not the end of the world. The second location right at our rental house worked fine once the moon was at 4 degrees and above for the last three sessions. As a bonus cold beer was just a flight of stairs away!
I'd guess that my 2 meters signal was down 2 db compared to the 2x 9 element Yagis I use back home. Here was a 12 element M2 Yagi and 800 watts. I also substituted LMR400 coax for LMR600 for the feed line because of weight considerations.
On 70cm my lack of experience with the greater Doppler shift showed, and Faraday would really lock me out for hours at a time, but giving DL7APV his 50th State was an honor and a pleasure. When signals were there they were quite good. My system was 500 watts, and a single 28 element Yagi, again with an LMR400 feed of 10 meters. 70cm needs more activity too.
Bottom line:
It all worked out great and exceeded expectations. 53 2 meter and 13 70cm stations were logged, giving folks a new State, grid, and DXCC country. It proved what an "Ultra Light" EME station can do.
All contacts are up on LoTW. QSL cards to my home address as listed in qrz.com will find me in about 10 days and I'll return a card promptly. QSL cards have been ordered.
A special thanks to Lloyd, KH6LC for his local knowledge and support, and Rick, N7WE for the use of his FT-897D for the 70cm station. Thanks also to W7GJ and PE1L, guys who's EME trips inspired me to try one myself.
Thanks for being there, it was a great adventure,
Gene, KH6/KB7Q
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| Aloha! |