I said it before (2 years ago) but it still holds true. Now more than ever with propagation being the best in the last 5 years or longer. No I don’t pity the low banders. I have worked a ton of DX in the last week. Now with the new WARC antenna up, I can hang out on my favourite bands again. This antenna works great for what it is but it is no 3 element yagi. It is not even a rotary straight dipole like I had before. But it beats watching spots and not being able to join the fun.
Speaking of 3 element yagis. Yesterday morning I was CQ’ing on 30m. N7RO calls with a huge signal. The typical fluttery chirp on his signal didn’t lie: a true W7. He said he was using a 3 element yagi. I looked him up on QRZ: N7RO has the new 4L SteppIR with 3 elements for 30/40. In the late afternoon I was messing around on 12m but saw a spot for N7RO on 17m. Jumped right in and worked him after first call. I jokingly asked him ‘4 el yagi?’ Needless to say he was loud again.
This morning back on 30m. Great opening to W6/7. And I got called by four (4!) XE’s in a ten minute time span. Like I said: this simple wire antenna works, but the great signals always come from guys with yagis. Another loud signal this morning: KT5E. I browsed KT5E.us and saw his three element full size yagi at one wavelength high. A dream for many, a reality for the happy few.
This afternoon 12m didn’t produce many QSO. On 17m it was a bit better. I got called by a YS1 for what I believe is a new DXCC on that band. In the early evening I had to QRT because of thunderstorms and lightning in the area. I heard the static on the RX and the roaring of thunder in the distance.
If you want to join a silly but fun game, here it is: ‘UBA International Prefix Hunt 2011’. How many times in the past two weeks have I tried to work a station for the prefix that I would otherwise not have called? And if the fiftieth Russian calls me on 30m, I grin at the rare prefix. No need to do anything but send in an ADIF once in a while. If you need OQ5, I’m game.
One reply on “I have the GREATEST hobby in the world – revisited”
Hej Franki,
Idd it’s almost the greatest hobby in the world, after cycling 😉
This noon I was tuning my very small portable dipoles to take along on my trip.
After (80/40) 20/10 and 6 I decided to add on for 17 and 15 also.
While tuning it with my analyser, I tried the 17 mtr for ‘real’ in vertical mode at a height of 1 mtr above GND.
Heard someone calling CQ and seems it was a VO1 somewhere in New Foundland.
btw. I was working 5 watt out of 8 AA-batteries and in SSB …