From: Ron Thompson <ve8rt@xplornet.com>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:12:53 -0600
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Subject: Re: LF: Getting started, maybe
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Hi Graham,

   its a good thing that they did the ice-road truckers series before the 
economic slowdown, traffic this year has been very light with a drivers not 
even making their expenses to come up here.  Anyway, I'm in avionics for an 
operator up here.  My apprentice is leaving, over pay issues, to work for one 
of our competitors, Buffalo Airways.  You might see him on TV in a year or 
two as the people who did the Ice Road Truckers series are doing another one 
on Buffalo Air. The attraction there is that they're just now making the 
transition over to turbine aircraft with some Lockheed Electras, prior to 
that their fleet was made up of DC3's DC4s DC6s and a couple of C46s.  
Apparently parts these vintage machines are too hard to find so they've 
updated the fleet with the Electras.

   Thanks for the antenna recommendations.  While it isn't practical to put a 
top hat on the tower as the power lines pass withing 7 metres or so, I could 
use the off-centre fed 80 metre dipole feedline as a vertical antenna for 
receiving.  I've been told that the landfill they used to make the parking 
lot, that the house is in, has a foundation of old car bodies.  So I should 
have a good ground, and I know that I have one of the quietest places in town 
with respect to RF noise.

    If, or when, we get licenced to transmit on the band then I'll be looking 
for some options.  I did find a web site with a cursory description of a home 
made Isoltron loop type antenna for transmitting on the 60 metre band, if it 
worked it may fit my available space.

    Its time to call it a night.  Thanks again,

          Ron

    On Tuesday 17 March 2009 13:28, Graham wrote:
> Fine Ron,
>
> Well  quite a lot of uk stations are running T or some form of top loaded
> vertical , with  35 feet vertical section, mine is in the  form of a
> inverted L with 35 ft vertical,   40 turn/3inch  top loading coil and 2 x
> 40 foot  parallel ,capacity section, so your towers look to  be fine ? what
> is the  ground earth like , assume the  lakes are fresh water ?
>
> 500 seems to be a funny  frequency as theses small arrays appear to 
> radiate quite well and distance/power looks good , 50 watts of mfsk prints
> well at 5/600 miles range
>
> A short 'long' wire may not  work as well as you  might think ..unless you
> can get the  height , due mostly  to  ground capacity .. but if you  can
> get 1000 mtrs out at fence height .. now that may do  the trick (for rx)
>
>
> Andy's  beacon is running  100 watts and looks to  be reaching K4  land
> 4000 miles , you  look to  be 3600 miles so should be in range ? you could
> try loading up a T ,atu at the base and take a look on 503.7 , using the
> ral/plx software for the  5 meg project ? other beacons are about but are
> not 'timed' so need spec-lab, wsper  or  similar ..
>
> 73 , G ..
>
>
> Nb ... There has been a tv series showing the  ice road truck's taking
> goods up the  frozen lakes   quite amazing to watch .... !
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Ron Thompson" <ve8rt@xplornet.com>
> Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 12:58 AM
> To: <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
> Subject: Re: LF: Getting started, maybe
>
> > Hi Graham,
> >
> >    my actual location is at postal code X1A 2H5
> >
> >    I'm in the company crew house at the float base.  In the Google map
> > for the postal code, at the highest available satellite magnification,
> > you should
> > see floatplanes along the parking lot and then in a cove on the upper
> > side of
> > the parking lot is a yellow Cessna floatplane.  The house just to the
> > left of
> > the floatplane is where I live.  Unfortunately, as the house is in the
> > floatbase parking lot, there isn't any antenna space around it.  What I
> > do have is two 15 metre towers spaced about 48 metres apart that I use
> > for my HF
> > antenna (it used to have a company commercial HF antenna before).  Any
> > LF/MF
> > antenna must be compact and mountable either to the house or one of the
> > towers.  Power lines are between the house and cove, which may be a noise
> > source.
> >
> >      Ron
> >
> > On Sunday 15 March 2009 16:20, Graham wrote:
> >> I was looking on google earth ... looks to be a lot  of  sea planes
> >> about .. that would prevent any high mast ??
> >>
> >> the  location looks a bit tricky ......a low long wire may be good ..
> >> but can you  get one out , looks to have roads all round ?
> >>
> >> G ..
> >>
> >>
> >> From: Dave Pick
> >> Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 5:24 PM
> >> To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
> >> Subject: Re: LF: Getting started, maybe
> >>
> >>
> >> Ron
> >>
> >> I would recommend a loop antenna, there are various designs around such
> >> as
> >> Jim M0BMU's design, http://www.wireless.org.uk/BPloops2.pdf Even though
> >> you're in the middle of nowhere there, you should stand a chance of
> >> getting
> >> some of the US 500kHz stations ( www.500kc.com ) going under the calls
> >> WD2XSH and WE2XGR with numerical suffixes identifying the individual
> >> stations. We in the UK have 10W ERP but it won't be easy to get right
> >> over
> >> to you... Maybe you could contact some of the US stations in the North
> >> and
> >> do some test with them first?
> >>
> >> Good luck!
> >> Dave G3YXM.
> >>
> >> 2009/3/14 Ron Thompson <ve8rt@xplornet.com>:
> >> >   I've been reading the occasional posting to the list, wondering if I
> >> > could find some time and money to work with.  As we do not yet have
> >> > licences for the 500KHz band, the best place to start would be setting
> >> > up
> >> > for receiving.
> >
> > --
> > Ron Thompson, VE8RT
> > Yellowknife, NT, Canada
> > 62 28.060 N  114 20.648 W  Grid Square DP22tl
> > "Who are are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their window?" Is
> > 60:8
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> > Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.15/2003 - Release Date:
> > 03/15/09 14:07:00

-- 
Ron Thompson, VE8RT
Yellowknife, NT, Canada
62 28.060 N  114 20.648 W  Grid Square DP22tl
"Who are are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their window?" Is 60:8