Opek HVT400B Mobile HF Antenna

Location: Brunswick, GA

Last week, I ordered an Opek HVT400B mobile HF antenna from R&L Electronics. The best way I could describe the HVT400B is that is a "poor man's" Outbacker. It is a multiband antenna (80/40/20/15/10/6/2/70cm) that uses taps and whip length adjustments to tune. The antenna and a tri-mag mount arrived this afternoon via UPS and I put them on the car this evening to try it out.

Using my FT-897D and LDG tuner (I've yet to try the antenna without the tuner) I worked Europe and Africa on 20 and 15 Meters! The first thing I did was check 40 Meters. I didn't hear anyone calling CQ, so I didn't get a chance to see how it would transmit; it was receiving quite well and I don't expect that there will be any problems transmitting. When I changed the tap for 20 Meters, I quickly came across DK1II, Franz from Germany working DX. I answered one of his QRZ calls and received a 59 report! That's not bad for an inexpensive antenna and 100 watts! I tuned up the band a bit farther and found S58FA, Freddie from Slovenia working DX; Freddie gave me a 57 report. I decided to try 15 Meters next, changing the tap and extending the whip. Almost immediately I came across TL0A in the Central African Republic working stations; he gave me a 55 report, which was the same as the station he worked before me. Once again, not bad for a mobile installation!

I'm looking forward to giving the antenna a try on 80 Meters soon. I'm hoping that it will do well enough to allow me to check in to the weekly Georgia ARES net on 3.975 on Sundays.

So far, I'm quite pleased, this looks like it will be a nice antenna to use for the portable HF station here in Brunswick!

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

Fun Radio Day

Location: Brunswick, GA

I had a great time on the radios this afternoon. A trip down to St. Mary's combined scouting locations to operate from, monitoring some MilCom, and operating some amateur radio HF.

I started out the afternoon doing some Jax area MilCom monitoring in St. Marys. Things weren't very active; I only heard a few P-3s and SH-60s on Jacksonville Approach/Departure frequencies and NAS Jax tower. I left St. Marys and went to scout Crooked River State Park near NAS Kings Bay as an operating location. The park seems like a very nice place to operate from, especially during the non-tourist season. I think it will be worth getting a year's State Parks pass to visit on a regular basis to do some amateur radio HF operating.

After looking around Crooked River State Park, I headed north back to Brunswick. As I began heading north, the MilCom activity began to pick up. F/A-18s from MCAS Beaufort began to work in W-157 and at Townsend Range. F-15s from Jax IAP also began to work in W-157. After the F/A-18s in Townsend Range departed, A-10s from Moody AFB showed up. Its always fun to listen to the A-10s!

On the way home, I detoured to St. Simon's Island and checked out Massengale Park as a place to "play radio." I could, of course, easily hear W-157 activity from the park, which is located on the east side of the island. I could also hear Townsend Range and the Coastal MOA as well as some acivity from Bulldog MOA. While there, I pulled out the FT-897D and the 20 Meter hamstick and operated the portable amateur radio station. I worked 3 stations in the ARRL School Club Roundup: K4PCC in North Carolina, WD5AGO in Oklahoma, and W9HHX in Wisconsin. I was glad I had the chance to work a few of the stations today because I since I upgraded to General I've always tried to work some of the school stations during the roundups. I may try to get on the air Friday and pick up a few more.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

This afternoon I decided to test out a way to get on the air on the HF bands from Brunswick. The idea is to use the FT-897D and Hamstick vertical antennas. I propped the FT-897D up on the dash of the car, powered by my marine deep cycle battery (which I placed behind the passenger seat). I placed a mag-mount on the roof of the car and tried out 40, 20, and 15 Meter hamsticks. The LDG AT-897 tuner tuned everything just fine and I was even able to make a contact with PJ2/K8ND in Curacao while testing 20 Meters! No doubt this will make a usable portable setup for operating HF while I'm at work in Brunswick.

The next phase of the project will be acquiring an 80 Meter and 6 Meter hamstick. I'd like to be able to check in to the ARES, Georgia Traffic, Georgia Traffic, and South CARS nets on 80 Meters and that will require 80 Meter capability. Anyone who follows this blog knows I'll have to have 6 Meter capability, especially when the Summer Es are rolling.

Anyway, keep an ear out for KF4LMT on the HF bands a little more often in the future.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

Haiti Earthquake Relief Communications

On Wednesday, I devoted the majority of my radio monitoring time to the Haitian Earthquake. While friends of mine were monitoring the Amateur Radio nets associated with relief operations, I decided to monitor USCG relief operations. I concentrated on the COTHEN ALE Net, listening to HH-60s doing medevacs and HC-130s doing evacuations and medevacs from the Port Au Prince Airport. HH-60s using the callsigns ##C and J## and HC-130s using the callsigns 15## and 17## were working through ground stations CAMSLANT (Communications Master Station Atlantic), PANTHER (Operation Bahamas and Turks), and USCG District 7 Miami Ops (via phone patch through SERVICE CENTER). Most of the activity I heard was on the following frequencies:

5.732 USB
7.527 USB
8.912 USB
10.242 USB
11.494 USB
15.867 USB

As far as Amateur Radio Nets are concerned, there are IARU nets in operation on 7.045 LSB and 3.720 LSB. Amateur Radio Operators are asked to monitor these nets, but make sure they are kept clear for essential traffic. SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) also has nets active on 14.265 USB, 7265 LSB, and 3977.7 LSB. There are also some Echolink VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) nets in operation. In the Savannah area, these can be monitored on the 146.700 and 442.700 repeaters when Jerry, W4SGA and Dan, KF4MND have their echolink nodes connected to the repeaters.

Local VHF/UHF monitoring has indicated multiple large helicopters such as US Navy CH-53s moving southbound and airlift assets departing Charleston AFB for Haiti. Hunter AAF has been used for refueling stops for CH-53s in the past; you may be able to hear them come and go on 124.975/279.575 with communications also possible on Base Ops, 126.200. Aircraft departing Charleston AFB for Haiti can be heard on 134.100/349.400.

Please Pray for the People of Haiti and for the Military Personnel, Government Employees, and NGO workers that are trying to help them.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

HF Antenna Problems Revisited

We have found out that the HF antenna does in fact work. Signals just aren't passed from the antenna to the radio very well when a dog has chewed the feedline in two. A mug shot of the offender is seen at the right!

This morning while doing some cleaning. a piece of chewed coax was found. It didn't take very long to assume that it could be the reason why the HF radios aren't working correctly. In short time, a gap in the HF antenna feedline was found behind a desk. Of course, the dog chewed through in a location that we would have to specifically be looking in order to find it - it is somewhat hidden.

It is safe to say that she has been thoroughly chastised and I have threatened to put 100 watts through her mouth should I catch her chewing the coax in the future...

After fixing thie feedline with a couple of PL-259s and a barrel connector, we put the FT-897D on the air and tried everything out. Using the North American QSO Party as a testbed, I worked 26 stations; 20 on 20-Meters, 20 on 40-Meters, and 6 on 80-meters. Everything is now working as it should.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

HF Antenna Problems

I'll be off the air for HF utility monitoring and amateur radio operating for a short while. We've got some unknown problems with the G5RV and it is going to have to be replaced. At this point, the suspicion is that the problem is either in the balun between the twin lead and the coax or in the coax or twin lead itself.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

HF Radio Operations

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I upgraded my amateur radio license from Technician class to General Class this past Saturday. The FCC ULS showed by upgrade by Tuesday afternoon, so I was able to drop the /AG designation quicker than I thought I would be able to.

Over the week, I've done some HF operating to exercise my new band priveleges. I got a warm welcome from the Georgia Cracker net on 3.995 LSB and the South CARS Net on 7.251 LSB on Sunday morning. I've also developed a routine of checking into the Maritime Mobile Service Net on 14.300 USB in the afternoons (as I type, I'm monitoring them handling emergency traffic from a 41' Sloop in the North Pacific).

Sunday was also the California QSO Party, so I was able to collect a number of California contacts over my first weekend with HF privleges.

I've also managed to work a bit of DX on 20 meters and 15 meters:

CU2A - Martti in the Azores
TI2CCC - Gene in Costa Rica
JW8DW - Karl in Svalbard (Yeah, I had to look it up too!)
KP4ZY - Jose in Puerto Rico
FG/DM2KJ - Jens in Guadeloupe
IZ6BXV - Tony in Italy
IW3SNW - Giorgio in Italy
SV9CVY - Mike in Crete

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net