Call: KB7Q
QTH: DN55gl Absarokee, Montana
Frequency: 144.138 MHz +_ QRM/Birdies KB7Q always first JT65b
Gear: 1x 12 Element LFA Yagi, 800 watts, K3S w/ internal transverter, excellent pre-amp.
Oh what the heck! I tried one more grid adventure right as winter is setting up here in Montana. I wanted to check out the configuration I'll be using in Curacao (PJ2T) come February, 2018. Todd, WA7U let me park on the family ranch and use the a/c power mains so I could run the gear and a small electric heater in the truck. I set up in the dark using the truck's headlights, and then crawled onto the back seat for a three hour nap until the moon came up at 0700z.
Then it was off to the races. Having an antenna mounted horizontally meant I could take advantage of ground gain for a change. Boy did it work, there were even a few signals at -10. Heavy wet snow finally arrived just before sunrise and the SWR started edging up so I stopped with 54 stations logged in just over six hours.
The highlights for me were working OZ1LPR immediately just before he had to run out the door on a business trip, and making a single Yagi to single Yagi contact with DL1VPL.
Stations worked: OZ1LPR ( -17), IK1UWL (-17), UA3PTW (-16), DF2ZC (-12), ES6RQ (-10), OH6UW (-23), DK8GP (-18), I2FAK (-16), PA3FPQ (-18), EA8DBM (-17), PA9RX (-14), I2RV (-16), IW4ARD (-12), LZ2FO (-19), DK5SO (-23), RX1AS (-17), DK3WG (-27), RK3FG (-22), W2HRO (-21), S52LM (-21), UR3EE (-18), I3MEK (-24), SM7GVF (-23), HA6NQ (-19), PA2CHR (-25), HA8CE (-18), PA0JMV (-25), OE3NFC (-23), HB9Q (-10), OH2LHE (-20), I3EVK (-19), DL1VPL (-25), ES3RF (-24), G4SWX (-24), PA1GYS (-21), ON4KHG (-21), RZ3BA/1 (-20), UX5UL (-17), DK4TG (-20), UT6UG (-17), SM2BYC (-16), OH6ZZ (-21), DK4TG (-20), DL9DBJ (-19), YU7XL (-24), EA4CYQ (-20), DL8II (-18), G4PLZ (-20), OH2BYJ (-21), SM5CUI (-24), EA2AGZ (-21), OH3AWW (-25), PA3CMC (-21), N4QWZ (-25).
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| Baby it's cold and dark out here! I operated from the cab of my pickup truck. Tight but functional. |
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| For the first three hours I had a visual moon, and plenty of ground gain. |
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| Now that is a crazy number of callers, and one killer birdie. What a wonderful sight! |