Message-ID: <000c01bf2639$12d7ff00$9eeb869f@beachwood.tinet.ie>
From: "Finbar O'Connor" <beachwood@tinet.ie>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
Subject: LF: Re: GW/P  super
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 20:21:52 -0000
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Hi Mike,
            Was working on Sunday, but did get the chance to tune into to
137 khz and hear you with a super signal from Wales, very strong and steady
signal, working everything going. Great stuff. Pity I could not get on to
have a qso.
Best regards
Finbar   EI0CF   Malin Head.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Dennison <mike@dennison.demon.co.uk>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
Date: 03 November 1999 19:07
Subject: LF: GW/P expedition report


>Went to my holiday home in south-west Wales for a week and took the LF
>station with me. The intention was to fly a kite antenna on Sunday, but
>I had a 50ft mast with me as well. A generator was hired for the weekend
>to run the 200W BK Electronics amplifier.
>
>Friday 29 October
>
>Spent the evening threading a thin wire along the kite twine and making
>a winder (a bit like a large fishing reel).
>
>Saturday 30 October
>
>Tried the kite out in my preferred location, a large empty car park near
>the beach, just inside a steep sided valley. No luck, like the two
>previous attempts at this location the kite was all over the place and
>kept coming down.
>
>Sunday 31 October
>
>Weather was very windy but dry. Took kite and mast with me, and all the
>gear. Plenty of time available as the clocks had just changed.
>
>To my surprise, the kite flew immediately. Held by a bungee cord (thanks
>to G3YXM for that suggestion), it stayed up at an angle of between 45
>and 60 degrees for over two hours. I ran out 100m of wire along the
>ground as a counterpoise.
>
>It took over 45 minutes to get the tuning right, start the generator and
>get some current into the antenna. Only 1 amp compared to the 1.7A I get
>at home (possibly because I force cool the amplifier at home).
>
>Sounded good on receive with the Greek RTTY at S7 and Loran clearly
>audible. By 0956, I was ready to put out a CQ.
>
>Worked everyone I heard: GW4ALG (gave 579, got 589); GB2CPM (589/589);
>G0AKY (incomplete); PA0SE (559/259 incomplete); G6RO (559/579).
>
>I put out one callsign "GW3XDV" on QRSs on 137.7kHz in case OK1FIG was
>watching, but I had no receive capability.
>
>At 1100 part of the antenna brushed against the car, sparked across and
>melted the insulation on the thin wire. Worse, the nylon cord melted and
>broke. I came very close to losing the kite as it was held only by the
>few strands of wire. Fortunately they held and I was able to make
>repairs.
>
>This was even more fortunate as the next QSO was SM6PXJ at 1407km (my
>previous best DX from that site was 420km). I finally worked G3AQC
>(569/579) and packed up, well pleased with the expedition.
>
>Next time, I will make sure the antenna is well clear of the car, but
>you can expect some more kite operations from Pembrokeshire.
>
>--
>Mike, G3XDV
>http://www.dennison.demon.co.uk/activity.htm
>
>