Comm Log

Tonight was filled with excellent communications. I participated in:

1. the Olympia Area ERC net, starting at 20:30, on the OARS repeater NT7H, 147.360+ PL103.5


2. the MARA Cascades Chapter Central Section net, starting at 21:00, on 147.560 simplex,


3. at about 21:13, between the Central and South Section nets, I spoke with K7CXJ, John, in Sammamish. I was hearing him and he was hearing me extremely clearly, and the distance between us was about 55 miles


4. and the MARA Cascades Chapter South Section net, starting at 21:15, on 147.560 simplex.


5. after all the nets, spoke with KC7PAG and KD7USS on 147.560 MHz simplex around 21:40 about various things concerning ERC and my new antenna.

My nice new antenna made hearing everyone in the Central Section net much much better than usual (previously I could hardly hear anyone).

THE NEW ANTENNA ROCKS!!

Well, I was expecting decent performance out of this Cushcraft Ringo Ranger II, but man was I ever surprised. I finally hooked up my HTX-242 to the antenna and dialed into 147.560 MHz (our net freq), and in short order heard someone off in the distance requesting a radio check, at about 19:05 local. It was KE7CMB, Rich, transmitting from South Hill, near Puyallup. He was coming in very well, and he was hearing me quite well, as well. He was pushing 45 watts on a Yaesu FT212RH using a 5/8 wave Lakeview ground plane antenna. At low power (6w) he was not quite readable. But I heard him very well, and South Hill is 28.8 miles from here. I've been able to talk to some folks out in Tacoma before (about the same distance), but it was very much down in the weeds, hard to hear in the static. We had an interesting conversation, and it turned out that he was on this particular frequency due to the Graham Stake ERC Net.

Even better, just after finishing our conversation, at 19:20, I got a call from KE7AWU, Cheryl, on the same frequency, who was transmitting from Eatonville, about 32 miles from here. She was clear as day, too. I didn't check with what equipment she was using, though. I'm sure I'll be able to do so at another time. Cheryl was at the class in Olympia yesterday.

This antenna ROCKS!

ERC Class

Today was the Emergency Response Communications class, which I attended. Just before leaving for the class, I got on the nominal call-in frequency, 147.560 MHz, at just before 9 am and talked with Vaunn, KD7UJH, who was on his way there, too. This was on the new antenna, but since Vaunn is very local it doesn't tell me anything about antenna performance. For that I guess I will wait until tomorrow, when we'll have our usual ERC and MARA nets.

Installed new 2m antenna

Tonight I got up on the roof in the cold, gathering darkness, and installed my new 2m antenna. Yesterday I stopped by KC7PAG's place and he ran his antenna analyzer on it to make sure that the antenna's SWR was OK at the midpoint of the band, which it was, so no need to adjust it, and tonight I braved the heights to put the antenna up. Whereas the ground plane antenna I had up there before was just barely noticeable, the Cushcraft, with its fourteen feet of height, sticks out like a sore thumb!

I don't know how much better its performance is, over the ground plane, but it ought to be noticeable better. Hope to get on the air later this week and see.

New 2m Base Antenna

On Saturday I was in Portland, Oregon visiting my brother Mark and his family, and combined the occasion with stopping by Ham Radio Outlet in Tigard. I was looking to pick up a new 2m antenna, one that Cesar K7BUS had recommended, the Ringo Ranger II by Cushcraft. It didn't look very impressive in its box, but what does? I'll install it on my roof some time in the coming week (when it isn't raining)