More fun with the 13 Colonies Special Event stations than this years Field Day

This blog has been ignored and inactive for way too long, as have my other blogs, web site and on-air activities. I decided to remedy that while on a bicycle ride after Field Day. I generally operate VHF bicycle mobile when I ride and while talking on one of the local repeaters the blog was mentioned. Our QSO also turned to the operating on HF and another QSO was about the G5RV.

 Now that Field Day is behind us I thought I would take to the air waves over my Independence Day vacation. I had a 4 day week end and decided (with permission of my XYL who would rather have gone on a trip somewhere) to spend the time Colony hunting since Field Day was a disappointment. Field Day. I usually do Field Day with one or both local radio clubs. This year I planned operating QRP portable on batteries. At the last minute I decided to help at the club and loan my jump kits. I have one for VHF which we use for a talk-in station and an HF kit that I use for portable operation.

 Well, last minute planning turned to last minute frustration as my trusty IC-735 failed to work on SSB. CW was fine, but no SSB. I swapped out the HM-12 with my David Clark H10-76 headset that I converted to an Acousticom 5730-CA Electret microphone. Still no SSB. So the IC-735 became a CW only station. All was not lost since our club did get on the local news and the IC-735 jump kit was shown quite prevalently.

The search for the 13 Colonies. Independence Day was quite an active day on 20 and 40 meters. I managed to get 10 of the special event stations and made 12 other QSOs that evening with 7 of those being DX contacts.

Friday netted the final 3 Colonies for a clean sweep, but WM3PEN was still elusive. I worked mostly 20 and 40 meters and both had more QSB on Friday than on Thursday with QRN increasing steadily into the night even on 80 meters. All in all though Friday was quite a good day for the little time spent. 17 more DX contacts and 13 more countries added to my DX roster.

Saturday was quiet. Best part of Saturday was that even stations with only an S1 or less were completely readable and I was able to work them. Being on the air only a short time in the morning and again Saturday evening I added only 5 more QSOs to the log.

Sunday...Well the bands are very quiet with severe QSB, WM3PEN is still elusive.
The week end went from being able to have a QSO with someone operating QRP in Michigan to barely being able to hear anyone from Pennsylvania.  Even the Venezuelan stations are quiet.

HF Jump Kit is an Icom IC-735 complete with all filters and an internal keyer.  Power is provided from the IC-PS20 power supply with external speaker.  Antenna matching is via the AT-150. 

 The jump kit is shown packed and ready to set-up.  The kit is made in an MCM CaseGuard Spud-7 Sportsman's Dry Box.  The cables on the left are the a.c. power cables, on top is 50 feet of 10 a.w.g. ground wire, a shorter ground with an alligator clip on on the right.  The lid contains the microphone some patch cords, RF adapters, and Power Pole adapter cables to power the station from an external D.C. source if needed.  I also keep a laminated copy of my license in the kit.

Goodnight Irene, portable operation after the storm passed

This is the front view of my HF jump kit.  I had all but the box when I decided to put it all together.  It is an Icom IC-735, Icom AT-150 auto antenna tuner and Icom IC-PS20 DC supply with external speaker.  I use the stock HM-12 microphone and if I work CW a J-38 key.  The normal antenna is a portable 20 meter inverted-V or a home brew short vertical using Hustler traps and stinger for different bands.  This can be power from a.c. mains, a generator or large batteries if it is not powered from my vehicle.

I should have taken some photos earlier today while operating portable.  Now everything is stored.

As with other years before the hurricane or storm hits I got out my gear and charged all the batteries.   I also ensured I had sufficient spares of all and plenty of extra food and water.  However, Emily was far enough off-shore so all that hit my QTH was rain and some wind.  Cannot say the same for 2004.  The year that encouraged me to finally get my ticket to the world of amateur radio.

One of the first things I determined to do when I got my Technician License was to make every effort to be operational under any conditions even if I only had VHF-UHF.

The years have been somewhat uneventful since 2004, and that does not disappoint me the least.

When I got my General I determined I would be able to use VHF-UHF and the HF bands under any conditions and always have all I need with me and available to use.  This stems from my first emcomm ops in 1972 when a very well meaning ham showed up to help us out during tropical storm Agnes without an antenna, and a few other things.  He had a trailer full of gear, but forgot one of the two most important items.  A local ham managed to dismantle and reinstall a usable antenna several hours later.  I was one of the 3 people running the local eoc (before they were called that).

So much for war stories.  I have been somewhat out of commission due to an injury last week.  I decided today is a good day for some time on the air.  When my main rig wouldn't work I decided to use my HF jump kit that was not on the air but once since it was built last summer.  I already had plenty of battery power fully charged so I decided on some portable operation to check into the area net and see who else I could work until it got too hot to be outside or the battery died.  I have several, but they are heavier than I wanted to transport one-handed.  The one battery I had with the rig would be the only one.  I have a solar panel charger I made for use with the kit.  I did not run the solar charger today.

My outdoors portable operations have included a wire in a tree, short vertical and a 20 meter inverted V.  Today I decided to work all bands if possible and used my AP8A.  Sometimes my portable operation does not take me farther than my yard.  Today was one of those.  Technically, I may not be portable by some standards.  By not being on the power mains, not running a generator, not being in my house and using my kit for all practical purposes; portable.  I just happened upon an installed multi-band vertical.

I was able to work 80, 40, and 20 meters with a few contacts on each band until I quit.  There were a few on the air in the coastal regions of SC, NC, and inland VA and one fellow on Long Island.  None were reporting disastrous weather conditions, but I did not note their exact locations.

So as one rig failed to operate the when all else fails motto holds even after a storm or any time.  I thought about QRP, but for now I am one handed and CW is a bit too challenging at the moment.  Besides, I wanted to better emulate if I had to use the jump kit.

Why the long post without much technical or even traffic handling or emergency information?  Just hoping to stir some thoughts on having a station in reserve even for those who may think they can always get or be on the air when wanted and their one and only rig fails.  Now I'm off to install a new 12BY7A.

73 and hoping the storm passes by without damage to your QTH.