Texas QSO Party
I love the TQP. It’s a really fun contest, and I like to work it as a rover. I plan to be mobile this weekend as a single-operator CW only station. Work me!
160 Meter Top-Loaded Vertical Project
I wanted to get on the “top band”, 160 meters. Several challenges waited for me. First, the ground conductivity in Austin is about 5, to it’s difficult to get a decent ground. Second, I have only 65 feet of vertical space to work with, and this is about 1/8 wavelength on 160 meters. Based on […]
The Great 6 Meter Conundrum
I’m convinced there are many 6 meter band openings that go un-noticed because there are no stations on the air. Case in point: Tonight, I have strong signals from beacons in Argentina, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. No stations on the air. Calling CQ on 50.110 solicits no reply. The band is open. No one […]
K9AY Loop is Awesome
My new house came with two 25′ wood poles apparently left over from a power or telephone line that was never built. I decided to use one of the for the center pole of a K9AY receiving loop system. All I can say is “WOW!” This antenna is amazing! I can hear things I never […]
Building a New Station
After many years of living in subdivisions with restrictions that prevented me from building a proper HF station, I finally moved into a place where i can put up real antennas. I’m building my station and having a great time!