Mine was from the Blue Mountains in NW Oregon in
1955. ARC-V gear powered via a dynamotor.
Those were NOT the good old days :-)
Phil W7OX
On 10/4/16 9:36 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
My first attempt to operate from a campsite was in 1972, when I was 14. My dad
chuckled as I hefted my box of gear into the camper. At the time I had no
battery powered radios. The receiver was a Heathkit HR-10B. The transmitter was
a 3-tube, 10-watt, WW2 CW monstrosity I borrowed from someone in the El Cajon
ARC. I also didn't have an antenna tuner, so I brought a full-size 40-m dipole
with #18 wire and 100' of RG58. Keyer was a Heath HD-10.
Our campsite in Utah didn't have an electrical outlet. Fortunately I had a very
long extension cord that I routed through the window of the men's room, two
campsites down. I had to apologize to hostile strangers as I wove the cord
through bushes and around cars.
Getting the heavy dipole up into the ponderosas required rope, rocks, and a few
swear words I hadn't used in front of my parents prior to that time.
Finally, I was on the air. Unfortunately the band wasn't particularly open that
day, and I think I ended up making three contacts. Still, I got The Bug.
These days, I use a KX2, two lengths of #26 wire, an earbud/mic, and a KXPD2
paddle. Total station weight: 2 lbs, counting the CS40 bag. Setup time: 2 or 3
minutes, depending on how many times it takes to hit just the right branch with
a 1 ounce stainless steel weight. Or 1 minute if I'm using a whip.
It's been a wild journey that I suppose could be graphed in terms of miles per
watt per pound over 40 years.
I bet there a few other variations on this theme....
73,
Wayne
N6KR
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