[AK-VHF] June VHF Rover Route

[Edward R Cole]

Shannon,

Thanks for the clarification. Initially writing 
my reply thought "parking lot" when I read "flat 
top", but in proof reading I realized that maybe 
you actually meant climbing the mountain.  I 
agree operating from one's vehicle is easier and 
probably just as effective (maybe more so if it means better equipment).

I have an old photo of a long-ago mobile antenna 
setup in the bed of my pickup which used TV 
tripod and short mast.  I used concrete blocks as 
ballast on plywood base for the tripod.  I had 
3-element 6m yagi, 6-element 432 (part of Arrow 
satellite antenna) yagi, 18-element loop-yagi for 
900-MHz, and 2m yagi.  No rotator just turned truck to point.

Using this setup I worked KL7YK mobile on Chugach 
SP on 6m-900.  I ran a GE TMX-915* old commercial 
radio-phone at 15w to the loop-yagi and I think 
Ron had a 900 HT plus mobile vertical on 
900.  Contact counted for 81 miles.  I was on top 
of local 400-foot hill with my truck.

KL7XJ has inherited the 18 loop-yagi for use at 
his qth.  I bought a new 33 loop-yagi which is 
installed at 50-foot on my 2m-eme tower.  I filled in details in my last post.

Good discussion - hope this is generating 
interest amongst our membership that is reading the mail.

73, Ed
*Replaced by 25w MOT Spectra which drives a MOT 
60w amp on the tower.  MY recent tower work (that 
took six weeks due to wx) I replaced antenna 
masts for the 900 and 1926 lop-yagis with 
non-metallic masts.  Old aluminum masts probably 
were messing up Vpol antenna patterns.  I ran 
coax off back end of antenna booms to reduce 
cables influence on the pattern.  Hope this will 
lead to some contacts on both bands. Encouraged 
by receipt of my 50w 1296.100 signal by KL4E 
couple weeks ago -conditions were super-good on 2m/222/432 that night.

At 10:01 AM 3/11/2018, Shannon Methe wrote:
>Hi Ed,
>
>I want to apologize for not making myself clear. 
>When I refer to “up on Flat Top,” I am 
>referring to the parking lot area and working 
>from my truck. (This is what I’m doing when I 
>relay you and Dale in on Tuesday nights.) I 
>never intended to suggest that one hike to the 
>summit of Flat Top on foot with a lot of radio 
>gear. HOWEVER
I have done that many times and 
>had very good results. In fact, one doesn’t 
>need to go to the summit, and one doesn’t need 
>a lot of gear; one can hike up to the smaller 
>hill, well below the summit (Blueberry Hill) and 
>get good results. I’ve QSO’d with Talkeetna 
>from up there using only a 5 watt HT connected 
>to a portable/hand held 2m yogi, and I’ve 
>QSO’d with both you and Dale from up there 
>with the same set up. It’s a great spot if 
>someone wanted to operate the contest in the low 
>power, portable category, which is what I did 
>for my very first contest. The buddipole mast 
>and tripod added some weight, but it allowed me 
>to have every antenna for every band up and 
>ready to go-all I had to do was change coax 
>connections to the radio. The real problem up 
>there is the wind; sometimes I have to sit and 
>hold the mast with one hand and work the radio 
>with the other. (I used 5 gal water barrels as 
>anchors for the mast when I’m working from the truck.)
>-Shannon
> > On Mar 11, 2018, at 9:39 AM, Edward R Cole <kl7uw at acsalaska.net> wrote:
> >
> > Shannon,
> >
> > Thanks for sharing your experience as rover.
> >
> > At 03:07 AM 3/11/2018, Shannon Methe wrote:
> >> For BP 50, 51, and 41, you’ll do fine with a mag mount.
> >
> > That is working from within greater 
> Anchorage/Valley area.  You are surrounded by 
> the majority of hams in Alaska (30%  pop of  AK 
> implies 30% of the hams  in AK; a radius of 
> about 60-miles most of which is in 
> BP51.  Definitely where you score the most 
> contacts.  I would say 75% of the hams on VHF 
> in this area do not have capability of working 
> anyone outside that area (based on many years 
> of operating on the Kenai Peninsula approx 
> 60-75 MI south of them).  I generally hear them 
> better than they hear me (I run four yagis with 
> preamps on 2m and 150w, while so many in 
> Anchorage only have a vertical and 10-25w FM 
> rig.  The BIG SECRET is using low-noise preamps 
> (it will be like adding 10-dB gain to your 
> antenna in receive).  This usually means 
> getting a switchable preamp that bypasses RF in 
> transmit; otherwise you will need coax relays 
> to do that.  A big plus is either radios with 
> separate RX ant or transverters with sep Rx 
> ant.  Eventually something you will need to 
> consider if adding ext high power Tx amps.  I 
> just installed a 100w 432 amp which had 
> internal bypass relays.  I removed the bypass 
> coax jumper and inserted my preamp 
> there.  Something you can consider if getting 
> ext. power amps that allow receiving thru the 
> amp.  But one caution is that you need to key 
> the amp from the radio and not rely on RF 
> sensed switching. Momentary RF into a preamp will kill it - every time!
> >
> > Outside this circle the VHF ham pop drops 
> precipitously.  4-5 hams on 2m SSB on western 
> Peninsula.  Working Seward will require a 
> home-based big station and lots of patience or 
> a super high location (best is Chugach SP 
> parking lot (trail access to flat top) at 
> 2200-feet and a good look south).  I can 
> visually see that area from top of my 50-foot 
> towers. 60 miles to the south.  Diamond Ridge 
> Road (1100 foot elevation) had good views to 
> north about 150 miles to Anch.  There probably 
> are looks to south if trying to work Kodiak 
> Island.  But there is a visitor overlook 
> pull-out near top of hwy going into Homer with 
> super view south and SW.  Also easy to work 
> Homer hams from about 10-miles away.
> >
> >> Up on flat top, you’ll hit the 
> peninsula with a mag mount on 2, 70, and 1.25. with 25 w and up.
> >
> > Serious climb carrying your gear; no road access.
> >
> >> However, you’ll get a better signal using yagis on a portable mast.
> >
> > Much easier to accomplish parked with vehicle 
> in the parking lot.  Road access is up 
> "Toilsome Road" - about 11% grade on gravel; 
> very hazardous in winter.  My former employer 
> had a repeater in the Glenn Alps subdivision 
> that is half-mile beyond Chugach SP parking 
> lot, so I am personally acquainted with that 
> road.  Definitely lower gears coming down hill at 10mph.
> >
> >> On 6m, a yagi is pretty much a requirement 
> to hit the peninsula from flat top with less 
> than 100 w. From BP42 (Talkeetna) and points 
> north, you can get to Anchorage on 2m w 50 w 
> from a lot of places, but you’re going to 
> need a yogi for everything else. In the past, 
> on rover trips like this, I’ve used a bud 
> dipole mast with a tripod that gets my home 
> made, 2 el 6m yagi up about 10 ft. then I 
> attach smaller yagis all the way down the mast. 
> Run your 6m horiz polarized and everything else 
> vertical. While there are a few folks, ED KL7UW 
> being one of them, who run horiz polarized 2 m 
> antenna, the vast majority of folks up here run 
> their vhf antenna vertical, whether at home or mobile.
> >
> > I only have Hpol/Vpol switchable array on 
> 2m.  Everything else is Vpol except my 6m 
> antennas which are Hpol and only used in SSB 
> part of the band.  Best to just have your rover 
> antennas set up for vertical.  Easiest is a 
> vertical mast with cross booms to mount antenna 
> on - very different than how its done in 
> lower-48 using Hpol antenna stacks.  I've used 
> a small three foot TV tripod and mast.  If you 
> mount the tripod to a plywood base make one 
> side extend enough that you can put one wheel 
> of your vehicle onto the plywood to hold 
> everything upright.  Prepare for significant 
> windy conditions at high altitudes.
> >
> > Definitely need a lot of promotion before 
> making a roving trip to get home stations 
> excited to make contacts; this is needed before 
> contests as well. I have been promoting VHF+ 
> operating for over 40-years here in AK; still 
> hard to stir up activity.  A rover DOES do 
> that. if the ham pop is aware in advance.
> >
> > Things I will be doing this spring and fall 
> (gone on extended trip July/August):
> > dual-6 element 6m yagi array at 35-foot with 1000w amp (ETA June); 600w SSB
> > new solid state 1200w linear for 2m which 
> will permit running SSB at 600w (eta fall)
> > 10-GHz 1w CW beacon (Hpol) with selectable 
> 7-dB omni or 17-dB horn (45w EIRP) pointed 
> toward Anch (eta fall) at 48-foot level of one of my towers.
> > http://www.kl7uw.com/Beacon.htm
> >
> > I currently have:
> > *6m: 80w to 3-element yagi fixed pointed SE 
> to work lower-48; no 6m antennas for working north (at present)
> > *2m: 150w to four 10-element H/V yagiis with 
> 21-dB gain at 52-feet, or 25w to 10-dB vertical omni
> > 223.50 FM: 30w/130w to two 11-element yagis at 60-foot
> > *432 100w to 18-element yagi (16-dB gain) at 54-feet
> > *927.50 FM: 50w to 33-element loop-yagi (18-dB gain) at 50-foot
> > *1296 50w to 45-element loop-yagi (20-dB gain) at 50-foot
> > *have low-noise preamps
> >
> > Best chances are 2m-222-70cm for rovers; 6m & 900+ get much harder
> >
> > 73, Ed
> > Sorry this kind of turned into a tutorial thesis
> >
> >
> > 73, Ed - KL7UW
> >  http://www.kl7uw.com
> > Dubus-NA Business mail:
> >  dubususa at gmail.com

73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
   dubususa at gmail.com