I tried to work PY4AH Luiz in southeastern Brazil but he got into a ragchew in Portuguese and I gave up waiting. I switched to 15m and heard the tail end of one signal in 21.025 and then nothing, so I went to 20M PSK and heard VE6WIZ Don in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Don was running an Icom 706 MKIIG to an inverted vee and homebrew helix vertical. It wa 15F but not snowing in Edmonton. I had to QRT for teatime... 2005-12-31 00:10Z. Don was 579 here and he gave me 589. I was running the K5OOR amplifier at about 25W.
- posted by Leigh @ 00:52 z 0 comments

 
W7QC
I tuned to 30M and heard W7QC Bill in Issaquah, WA on 10.122 and we had a nice QSO until the band faded. 0025Z-0049Z. Bill remembered that we had worked before in the WA QSO Party. Bill was using an IC 756 at 100w into a 160M inverted vee, but has a K1, a KX1, and a K2! I was running 10W until QSB and then ran 30W on the K5OOR amp. Bill gave me a 599 when I was QRP and I gave him 579-599QSB. Bill is looking forward to watching the Seahawks make their way to the Superbowl and he and his sons plan to watch the game. Bill was formerly W7VMF but got his father's call when he became an SK. Bill's father got the call in 1921!
- posted by Leigh @ 00:52 z 0 comments

 
I turned on the K2 and heard ...TEV on 21.025 but nothing for a few minutes so I tuned up and KD5TEV Bill from Prescott, AR called me. Bill gave me a 339 and he was 579 though at times he was S9+20. I was using the K2 and the K5OOR amplifier at 30W. Bill needed a few repeats of my power, and it was clear he wasn't copying me well. I never heard about his rig or what he was running. This still supports my theory that my loop points southwest and northeast on 15m but it doesn't sound like it's getting out today as well as it did last week. 2314Z
- posted by Leigh @ 23:27 z 0 comments

 
MFJ-932 Mini Magloop

My wife gave me an MFJ mini-loop tuner (two capacitors, one a butterfly) for Christmas. Here it is with a 11ft copper pipe loop.
- posted by Leigh @ 20:54 z 0 comments

 
I heard F5IN on 3511 but he didn't hear me.
- posted by Leigh @ 07:49 z 0 comments

 
I heard N4RAY but he said SRY QRM on 80m.
- posted by Leigh @ 06:34 z 0 comments

 
I heard WB0TRL Bret in Ham Lake, MN call CQ on 7.052.26 at 0123Z. Bret couldn't give me a signal report. He was 539QSB but then faded out.
- posted by Leigh @ 06:30 z 0 comments

 
Oliver KB6BA gave me a 3x3 from Sunol on 14.342.50 with my K2 and HFPacker Amp at 35. AC0BR John in Denver as 5x9 here. KQ6XA had fast flutter. I heard WB6MLC but didn't talk to to him.
- posted by Leigh @ 22:16 z 0 comments

 
VA6SZ - RAC - First 15m SSB Phone on 400' loop antenna
VA6SZ on SSB 21.255 10W NR4. He was 59 AB. I gave 59 NR4.
- posted by Leigh @ 20:09 z 0 comments

 
VE6SF RAC - 400' loop antenna
VE6SF in Alberta, 599 NR 3. 21.044. 1956Z. 5w K2 to 400' loop
- posted by Leigh @ 19:56 z 0 comments

 
VE1RGB RAC
Another Novia Scotia station also 3000 miles away. This time I turned it down to 2.5W. VE1RGB on 21.030.40 at 1946Z whom I gave 599 NR 2. So that's 1200 miles/watt.
- posted by Leigh @ 19:46 z 0 comments

 
VE1LD RAC - First 15M QSOn on 400' Loop Antenna
15M is hopping. I worked VE1LD at 1936Z on 21.045 with 5W and gave him 599 NR1. ~600 miles/watt. This is my first 15M contact on the 400' loop.
- posted by Leigh @ 19:36 z 0 comments

 
K6VOA - First 160M QSO on 400' loop antenna
I was trying to call K6ACJ Bill in Huntington Beach, CA but he couldn't hear me. I heard K6VOA Scott call CQ on 1819 at 0546Z and he gave me a 569 from Bakersfield, CA. I was running about 35W to the 400ft loop from the K2 and the HFPacker Amp.
- posted by Leigh @ 05:46 z 0 comments

 
CO3LY
My 400ft loop works on 20m as well. I heard HP1AC in Panama City but he was in the 070 contest. I also heard CO3LY call CQ a few times and have a quick exchange, so I gave him a call, 14.070. Luis gave me a 599 and I gave him a 569. I was running about 25W from the K5OOR HFPacker amp.
- posted by Leigh @ 16:42 z 0 comments

 
Loop hooked up
I got the loop up and hooked to my coax feedthrough with a K5OOR balun (binocular core) and heard PZ5PA on 3515 from Surinam but couldn't break the pileup.
- posted by Leigh @ 07:21 z 0 comments

 
N6KRR - first horizontal loop QSO
I put up a 400 ft loop about 15-20 feet in the air, rectangular. I fed the loop with open-wire feedline made from the loop wire and some wooden spacers until it got down to the roof level, and then 300 ohm twinlead from The Wireman down and into the front door, as it was too dark to properly terminate it in a balun outside. My first QSO was N6KRR Olivia 500Hz/8symbols on 7072.93. Steve in Palmdale, CA gave me a good report with 3W and then 1W.
- posted by Leigh @ 06:04 z 0 comments

 
WA6OFM
WA6OFM Fred in Oregon running 100W on a Kenwood mobile rig at home to a G5RV and gave me a 5x9. I was running the FT-817 and HFPacker amp at 35w to a short 40m Hamstick on the roof of the car. Fred retired about 10 years ago from San Jose and moved to the Willamewtte Valley and was looking for his cousin on 40m when I answered. Fred has been a ham since 1960.
- posted by Leigh @ 17:38 z 0 comments

 
3905 CCN 40M XE2/N6YW and KI7PM
I checked into the 3905 CCN QRP SSB (10W) on 7233.50. I had to get a relay to NCS but it worked. XE2/ N6YW Billie chose to call me during the contact period and gave me 4x4. I gave him 5x9. When it was my turn I called NCS KI7PM Robert and got 4x4.
- posted by Leigh @ 05:46 z 0 comments

 
KE7AMS

Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 12:30:00 -0800 I took some coax and hooked it up to the G5RV from my office and dragged it to the kitchen table and used the FT-817 and Elecraft T1 tuner. As soon as I turned the rig to 20m I heard KE7AMS call CQ on 14.034. Mick heard me tune up to answer and gabe me a 599 from his QTH in Washington, overlooking the water, and with a Canadian view. Mick was running an Icom with 500W to at 50ft yagi. I was running 2.5w to a low G5RV. Mick was also 599 here, hi hi.
- posted by Leigh @ 15:30 z 0 comments

 
N6KZ IOTA NA066
I've been hearing IOTA pileups, a KJ6 in Hawaii on 80 m and N6KZ/P IOTA NA066 (one of the Channel IS, CA) on 70.24.66 working friends. I called N6KZ/P 3 times and got in the third time; not really a pileup but it was nice with 5W and the K2. I just put my G5RV back up across the line of the two houses and it's good to see it's getting out.
- posted by Leigh @ 04:41 z 0 comments

 
W2W
I headr W2W operated by W2HEM club in Baltimore, MD. I got in on the first try, 5x9. 14.245 1748z.
- posted by Leigh @ 17:50 z 0 comments

 
WB7OEM
I called CQ on 30m and got WB7OEM Chuck in snowy Yakima, WA and had a nice QSO until I had to go. Amp got a little warm but the T1 was fine. Los Altos, in car, full sized 30m hamstick, ft-817, HFPacker amplifier, 35W, T1 tuner.
- posted by Leigh @ 00:30 z 0 comments

 
N0W
I worked Al N0W in Grand Junction. He says 37F. 14.289. I was using FT-817 K5OOR HFPacker amp and 17m ATX hamstick on the roof.
- posted by Leigh @ 23:34 z 0 comments

 
W0RW
I worked W0RW Paul again from the car in Los Altos with the FT-817, K5OOR HFpacker amp, and 17m ATX long hamstick. Paul gave me 5x9 and he was 5x7 but I had S7 noise. 18.157.50, T1 tuner.
- posted by Leigh @ 23:33 z 0 comments

 
K3SEW
I hear4d K3SEW Ron calling CQ on 18.076.89 CW and answered him with my HFPacker amp, from home on the low G5RV. Ron gave me a 559 and I gave him 579 QSB. Ron is in Howard (Center County) PA. Maybe 18.077 is a county hunter frequency?
- posted by Leigh @ 19:07 z 0 comments

 
W7MLH
I heard W7MLH Mike in Salem, OR call CQ on 7.07080 MFSK16 and we tried but QSB set in.
- posted by Leigh @ 05:39 z 0 comments