Hi Larry and Co
Have just returned from Cookstown/N.I- IO64PO, after conducting some
experiments both transmitting and receiving to access possibilities for
November. The qth is ideal for receiving, using the 120 ft tower, the
environment is very quiet, could hear a pin drop. On transmit I was
only using a few mwatts erp and worked SM nearly 900 miles away and
other continental stations plus the usual UK stations. One problem that
most suffer from is the inability to receive properly because of the
noisy environment that they live in. This will be the biggest problem
with the November tests.
In my case both my Scarborough and Cookstown sites which are rural do
not have this problem.
I have the antenna array and radial system all set up but will be there
again in July to perfect it and implement some refinements, plus test
the new tx at 1w erp.
When I was there I monitored CFH early morning and it was always quite
strong but on the 250400 between 0810 and 0840 it was very strong over
S9 and band conditions excellent, not a trace of qrn, this could have
been a oppertunity to work each other. Even at this time of year there
are possibilities of openings.
Hope this info helps in some positive way to ascertain what might be
possible.
My antenna consisted of 2 x inv L antennas each one 120 ft high and 350
ft long about 160 degrees apart directed towards the west. I will be
adding an additional inv L at the same hight but at least 600 ft long,
this will be facing East. The radial system consists of insulated
radials about 300 ft long and the far end connected to sheep lattice
metal fencing that runs for miles.
This I hope will achieve the object when the time comes.
I will be using normal hand sent CW but also have a pentium III pc with
the appropriate software to send and monitor slow cw if necessary.
My operation Larry is a one man band but I have been offered help from
several competent cw operators if I need them to keep watch 24 hours a
day for the test period.
In the UK, November might be a bad month for Thunder/Lightening etc
wiping out the rx end.
One other thought, when working with weak signals a local qso might
start up and wipe out the whole operation at times !!!!!!!!!!!1 It would
be hard to co-ordinate every operator on the band.
73 de Mal/G3KEV
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