Looked for I5TGC again on Saturday evening. His signal came up to a
very good 'O' at 2030 and went down into the noise within 10 mins.
Another expedition to Amberley Museum. Had a QSO with GI3PDN before
getting down to the business of trying resonant radials. The antenna
system comprises about 300m of antenna wire, a loading coil, a centre
tuning variometer and a tuner variometer for a 250m radial.
The system will work but trying to get all these different tuning
arrangements, plus the matching, is difficult. With the centre tuning
system floating it can rise to quite a high RF voltage resulting in
RF feedback and attacks on your fingers when you try to tune the
thing. I dont think tuned radials is the way to go, well not in my case.
I did these tests high in the band and I trust I didn't QRM anyone
doing QRSS that I couldn't hear.
At one stage I heard HB9DCE with a 569 signal working G3YXM. After
their QSO I called HB9DCE and got a 449 report although by that time
the signal was starting to fade. Also the RF feedback made the QSO a
bit difficult. This I found interesting because there is a lot of
high ground to the south of the antenna, made up mainly of chalk. It
seems fairly transparent to LF signals.
As regards 73kHz EU cross band QSOs, the first one I had was on
normal CW with F6CNI, my frequency 72.6kHz and the return frequency
on 80m. This QSO was on 28/3/98 at 1845, my report 539. Distance 337km.
The second was 9/3/99 at 2000, with Toni HB9ASB. This was on QRSS
73kHz/137kHz, 'O' both ways.
I will go to GWM radio in Worthing and see if I can get some crystals
to modify my mixer/driver for 73kHz.
--
Regards, Peter, G3LDO
<[email protected]>
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