N4BP Guano Reef Bashful Perverts 1A Battery
Operators: K4PG, N4GM, N4BP
Station: Elecraft K2 @ 5W
110A/H Marine battery, solar charged
N1MM Logger for computer control, CW, and logging
4BTV, 40M dipole, Wilson tri-band Yagi
Also: Demo packet radio station
Satellite station
Location: Fiesta Key KOA on Long Key, FL at MM70 (AKA Guano Reef)
Narrow key bordered by the Atlantic on one side and Gulf of Mexico
on the other (our campsite was just
a few feet from the Gulf and surrounded about 270 degs by salt water)
For many years, we've used a homebrew four-band vertical (the "Ugly
Vertical") with various QRP rigs
(FT-7, Argo 509, TS-130V). For the past four years, we've used the K2,
and for the past two, a 4BTV.
Last year, we added a 40M dipole and found that many east coast stations
were stronger on it, while the
west coast was better on the vertical. This year, we added a tri-band
beam on a push-up mast for the first time.
Besides violating the KISS principle that I strongly believe in, I was
betting that the vertical would outperform it.
In most cases it did! Signals on 20M were almost always stronger on the
vertical. On 15M, a few of the
west coast stations were better on the beam, but the majority again were
stronger on the 4BTV. No activity
was heard on 10M, so no comparisons could be made. Surprisingly on 40M,
the vertical outperformed
the dipole, even for east coast contacts - and the dipole was oriented
exactly as last year..
This year, the K2 was upgraded with the DSP module. K4PG and N4GM were
amazed at how signals seemed to jump out
of a seemingly dead receiver. The noise reduction really works (I hate
the term "de-noiser" that Elecraft uses for it). The rig
and computer performed flawlessly, but the new version 4.0 of N1MM
Logger needs a little touching up to properly handle the
K2. It doesn't quite know how to deal with the two VFO's, apparently
thinking that they can split band and/or mode. The first
time I made a SSB QSO, N1MM logged it as CW and on the other VFO's CW
frequency. Since we made only 13 SSB QSO's, this was not a major problem.
I've seen a lot of discussion over the past two days about CQ vs S&P
with QRP. All three of our ops spent the majority of
their time running. The exception was 40M. When I first switched to
40, I could not get a run going, so spent several
minutes doing S&P. But later I hit the F1 key, started working
stations, and never looked back.
Last year, K4PG overturned his SUV on the return trip from Guano Reef.
This year he rode with me while Grant drove his
van with satellite and packet stations inside. But... When we got near
the point of last year's disaster, we were again
diverted from US1 on to the Card Sound Road to get from Key Largo to
Homestead. We found out later that there had
been a seven car pile-up with a fatality! We were very happy when we
arrived safely home after a very lengthy drive!
Summary: 40CW - 351 QSO's
20CW - 461 QSO's
20SB - 13 QSO's
15CW - 211 QSO's
==============
TOTAL 1036 QSO's 10,295 + 950 bonus points = 11,245
--
73, Bob Patten, N4BP Plantation, FL
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: http://www.qsl.net/n4bp
QRP ARCI #3412 SOC #1 ARS #799 Whiners #6 FISTS #7871
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