6M EME WYOMING TRIP DN54

Date/Time: October 4, 2018 0800z MR start
Call: KB7Q
QTH: DN54is, Hogan Reservoir near Cody, Wyoming
Frequency Change:  now 50.195 MHz MHz +_ QRM/Birdies KB7Q always first JT65a
Gear: 1x 7 element LFA Yagi w/elevation, 600 watts, K3S, Honda generator
Note: No Internet

Joyce and I poked along for two days enjoying Yellowstone Park on our way south to a spot I picked out with great ground gain out east to moonrise over the rolling prairie. We set up in sunshine, but then a cold front rolled in. The new homebrew LFA Yagi worked great, and the W7GJ erection tips made getting the Yagi up in the air a snap. I reaffirmed 600 watts is just not enough smoke on TX, going to 900 watts, the maximum my generator can sustain, would add a critical 1.7 db! This was a "run what ya brung" trip!

I worked nine stations easily and heard four others well, so surely worth the effort, especially as the contact with Roberto, S57RR was his 50th State for the 6M W.A.S. award.

Another more significant storm was forecast to roll later in the day and dump 6" of snow and turn the dirt access road into "gumbo", so we packed up and made tracks for home soon after my attempt with GM3POI.

As a bonus I worked AC0RA and W0VTT on meteor scatter just before the moon came up.

Logged: S57RR (-18), OH6MIK (-22), UR0MC (-19), K4PI (-19), SM6LPF (-20), ZS6NK (-20), W7JW (-20), EA8DBM (-20), SP4MPB (-21). LoTW done.

Heard easily, but not worked N1DG (-25), YL2AO (-21), CT1HZE (-17), GM3POI (-19).

A brief traffic jam going through Yellowstone Park on our way to the operating site.

This bald eagle greeted us when we pulled into Hogan Reservoir at DN54is.

Just in case you've never been to Wyoming - Looking north from our spot.

The Yagi is pointed at expected moonrise. Joyce was a great help getting the beast in the air.

Best DX was Paul, ZS6NK

Nevada 2M EME Trip DN21

Dates/Time: September 6, 2018 MR 0930z 
Call: KB7Q
QTH: DN21pw, Jackpot, Nevada
Frequency: 144.135 MHz +_ QRM/Birdies KB7Q always first JT65b
Gear: 2x 9el. Yagis, 900 watts, K3S w/ internal transverter, excellent pre-amp, Honda 2kw generator
Internet: Yes

A little night music in the Nevada sagebrush.  You can see the quarter moon.

Success! The prime directive on this trip was to work Thomas, DL1VPL. 50 minutes after moonrise we completed for his State #50. This is extra outstanding when you realize he achieved this award using 800 watts and a single 12 element Yagi from a suburban setting. Wow!

DL1VPL going into the log.

K8DIO also completed with me for his #50. Lloyd tells me it "only" took 50 years!

Despite really rapid and ever changing Faraday rotation I made some challenging contacts completing with OH3AWW when he had 0.9 degrees of moon left, and getting G4TRA into the log after about an hour of cat and mouse.

I made some station improvements that got tested out this trip. A new cross-boom that breaks down into smaller pieces for travel worked just fine, and re-jetting the generator's carburetor for altitude meant I had enough power to run the amp at 850 watts. I brought two 500 watt work lights for setting the array up in the middle of the night - it sure beats the heck out of using the truck's headlights. :-)

43 stations in the log: DL8FBD (-18), SM7GVF (-12), I3EVK (-15), I3MEK (-15), DK4RC (-23), DJ9MG (-27), S52LM (-19), DL1VPL (-20), ON4AOI (-16), EA2AGZ (-22), OH7PI (-16), G4DML (-18), K8DIO (-19), OH6UW (-25), ON4KHG (-19), DK4TG (-22), G4SWX (-17), W8KEN (-22), RX8XR (-22), DK5YA (-19), K9MRI (-17), UA4AQL (-21), W7JW (-22), ON7UC (-22), DM2BHG (-24), HA0DU (-23), W5ADD (-22), LZ2FO (-26), OH2BC (-17), SM5CUI (-19), W7MEM (-15), N4HB (-23), F6HVK (-20), S57A (-23), F1TTN (-26), N5TM (-27), SM6NOC (-20), DK5EW (-18), WA1NPZ (-15), K5LA (-16), SM2BYC (-28), OH3AWW (-26), G4TRA (-28). LoTW updated.

Wyoming 6M EME Quick Trip

Date/Time: August 4, 2018 0630z start
Call: KB7Q
QTH: DN54fw, Beartooth Plateau, Wyoming
Frequency: 50.193 MHz MHz +_ QRM/Birdies KB7Q always first JT65a
Gear: 1x 5 element Yagi, 600 watts, K3S, Honda generator
Note: No Internet

A good look at the Beartooth Plateau.

Conditions were not great with very rapid QSB, and degradation was -4 db, but mission accomplished - both G8BCG (-24) and DL8YHR (-23) completed with me to finish their 6M W.A.S. In addition, I worked S59A (-20) and ZS4TX (-25). I heard and called both S57RR and ZS6NK several times, but no joy.

Not a bad result for a "pop gun" station. Thankfully I had excellent ground gain, and a ultra quiet location, and my "dance partners" were all big guns.

Sorting the gear above treeline, note the enhancements for grizzly bear protection.

What Peter, G8BCG saw as he completed W.A.S.

A DN54 denizen - yes, snow remains even in August.

Wyoming 2M EME Quick Trip June 17, 2018

Date/Time: June 17, 2018 1700z start
Call: KB7Q
QTH: DN44lw, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Frequency: 144.135 MHz +_ QRM/Birdies KB7Q always first JT65b
Gear: 2x 9el. Yagis, 800 watts, K3S w/transverter, excellent pre-amp, Honda generator
Note: No Internet

Thunder and lightning … all very frightening! Thankfully the rain stopped for an hour when I first arrived in DN44 so I could set things up and not have to worry about getting water in the coax connectors. Murphy blinked and only made my GPS/Compass stop working after I calibrated my azimuth ring. Phew! Then the big rains came. The accompanying picture tells the story.

In spite of +10 db rain static at times, and some close in lightning I worked both G4YTL and DK5EW for their 50^th State. It took a while to locate DL1VPL and his single Yagi station, but Thomas and I completed for his State #48. The whole trip was well worth just those three contacts, I worked a total of 48 stations, many needing Wyoming, before I started thinking about dry socks, hot coffee, and home. 

This was probably my most challenging EME field trip, with heavy rain, 4 degree C temperatures, extremely rapid Faraday, and a balky generator that would only let me have 700 watts from the amp. I never actually saw either the moon or the sun. But as the Bard said, “Alls well that ends well.”

Warm and dry in Wyoming. Completing with G4SWX (-17).

In the log: PA9RX (-22), I3MEK (-16), DK5EW (-19), SM6NOC (-20), RK3FG (-15), OZ1LPR (-16), UA3PTW (-25), WA1NPZ (-16), W8KEN (-26), ON4AOI (-17), G4DML (-23), ES3RF (-21), RX1AS (-29), UX5UL (-23), G4CDN (-21), PA2CHR (-24), G4PZL (-23), G4YTL (-26), PA4MS (-20), I3EVK (-16), F6HVK (-23), G8BCG (-22), ON4KHG (-24), LY2IJ (-27), S52LM (-22), DL1VPL (-25), OH3AWW (-28), HA6NQ (-18), G8RWG (-22), LY5E (-24), I2SVA (-23), DM2BHG (-20), SP8NR (-22), LZ2FO (-23), G4URT (-25), G4SWX (-17), DL2HWA (-16), DK4RC (-18), NJ2R (-24), I2FAK (-16), NH6Y (-24), N4QWZ (-24), VE1KG (-17), K2ZJ (-22), W7MEM (-22), W8KEN (-19), JH0BBE (-27), JR3REX (-20). LoTW upload done.