[AK-VHF] AK rove
Edward R Cole
kl7uw at acsalaska.net
Thu Mar 15 21:42:15 EDT 2018
Shannon,
At 10:31 AM 3/15/2018, you wrote:
>Ed, (and everyone else)
>
>I don’t doubt your knowledge, but I might put a
>caveat on your statements about Kenai stations
>reaching into Anchorage. Yes you guys have what
>I consider to be a lot of power (300w for
>example) and significant antenna systems, however
KL7JD is heard by KL7FZ much better than me. I'm
guessing that is because his single 13B2
8-element yagi is at 85-feet whereas my array is
at 52-feet. As far as KL7GMR that's just what I was told.
>On the Tuesday night Simplex Nets I’ve noticed
>that very very few stations in Anchorage can
>hear you and almost none can hear KL7XJ.
On my net on Saturdays, I regularly work WL7AU,
KL7CLA, KL4E, KL6M, KL7XU, KA1NVZ all in
Anchorage. Granted they have more than minimum
stations. On occasion KL7DR and KL7FZ. I know
Dale has more problems getting to Anchorage on
2m. I believe he is using a dual-band yagi with
4-elements on 2m. It is on top of his 50-foot
tower but he has a long feedline from his shack
so losing some of his transmit power. But Dale
has taken a lot of my suggestions to heart with positive results.
In my case The antenna is a four yagi eme array
with optimized low-loss cable and preamps on the
tower. But I am only 135-feet above sea level
with 400-foot hills north of me to get over
toward Anchorage. A lot of path loss to most of
low level Anchorage (even more into Wasilla area).
> KL4E and myself are the only two who can hear
> you with any kind of reliability (week after
> week) and we’re both really high up. From what
> Dale (KL7XJ) has told me it is very difficult
> for him to get into the net if I’m not on Flat
> Top. (KL4E is the only other Anchorage station
> that can usually hear him.) I’ve not heard the
> new Anchor Point station yet, but look forward
> to it. So I just wanted to add that, yes you
> can hear some Anchorage stations, but they’re all high altitude stations.
That's not exactly true (certainly helps). I
often hear 8 to 12 Anchorage stations on the
Tuesday night net. Its just that they do not
hear me! Yet I run three times the transmit
power of most up there. I think there are a
combination of reasons: city noise levels, small
antennas in use, and no preamps or optimum
low-loss cable. I get that there is little
motivation to spend money on improvements to work
two stations on the Peninsula (actually maybe
five stations). Their station can work the 25+
Anchorage stations FB. Range? 25-50 miles?
> I don’t believe Dale is hearing any of them.
> And even then, we often have difficulty between
> me on the mountain and you and Dale.
> (Especially on anything other than 2m and
> 1.25m-In fact, I believe the only 70cm and 6m
> contacts between me and Dale have been during
> the June contest and I was using a 10 el yagi
> on 70cm and a 2 el yagi on 6, and I was up in the parking lot at Flat Top.)
432 and up is more demanding of good mw
design. Path loss is higher. BTW KL7XJ is heard
better on 223.50 than 2m. I believe that is in
part propagation. Might be better antenna gain
on 223.50 than 2m for Dale(?). I run two
11-element yagis at 60-foot on 223.50 yet often
KL6M hears Dale
better. Location? Propagation? Luck? Granted
KL6M has a high hillside location which
helps. Often he only runs 10w on 2m to a
vertical. Then times that prop is bad and he has a hard time hearing me.
I have improved my 432/927.50/1296 systems so
should reach better to the north. KL4E has heard
my on 1296 two weeks ago. Until he improves his
station I will probably not hear him (running 10w
to omni antenna). Still these bands will not
likely be every-day bands. I hope to have a
10-GHz beacon running by next fall with 17-dB
antenna pointed toward Anchorage. Its only 70
miles. Who will be first to hear that
beacon? Who will be first to work me? (hint
KL7FZ has a station). I have a second 144/10368
transverter coming up to me which I will have as
a loaner to those interested in trying mw. I
easily worked KL7FZ at Beluga Pt. from Hope in 2007.
>Again, I don’t wish to completely refute what
>you’re saying, but I wanted to add a word to
>clarify that the Anchorage to Peninsula
>connection typically requires a lot of altitude
>on the part of at least one party.
That helps a lot if you are only using a minimal
station (like a mobile). Yet, there are several
stations I mentioned above that work us on the
Saturday net from the city. Most are not minimal
set ups. They run 50 to 100w and high gain
antenna (some have towers higher than
mine). What this suggests is that both stations
need to be more than minimal if wanting to work
out 100 to 200 miles on VHF. Recognize that our
mountain ranges constrict contacts in certain
directions (you would not expect to reach Seward*
from Kenai or Valdez from Anchorage. Yet many
have worked Fairbanks from Anchorage (even I have
on 2m). I think Anchor Point is very
doable. Good conditions will be needed and
stations with better than average capability will
do it. Kodiak Island is only 250mi south of
Anchorage over mostly water. Stations on the
great plains with no mountains work 500-1000
miles on VHF using tropospheric
techniques. Using meteor scatter up to 1300
miles is regularly possible, yet no one is trying
that in the north. A single yagi and 100w does
meteor scatter on 6m or 2m. I copied a station
in Ketchikan on 6m with a 3-element yagi on
meteor scatter. I worked a station on Prince of
Wales Island (700 miles) on 2m meteor scatter
running only 150w. Whitehorse is the same
distance so why are we not working them?? Bethel
400mi, Nome 800mi. Fairbanks 350mi. Juneau
600mi All are easy using Meteor scatter (meaning
you should be able to work them on a daily basis).
*Note marine-VHF (150 MHz) stations in Seward
have been heard in Soldotna and Kenai on occasion
- so even that is not impossible - just challenging.
Guess what I am saying is don't give into
limiting your horizons (even if they have mountains).
73, Ed
>-Shannon
>>On Mar 15, 2018, at 12:12 AM, Edward R Cole
>><<mailto:kl7uw at acsalaska.net>kl7uw at acsalaska.net> wrote:
>>
>>Ken,
>>
>>Thanks for the comments. Should be useful to
>>Brandon (or anyone) considering roving. I
>>should mention that Tom-NL7OW is no longer
>>active on VHF so we have lost one of the
>>"anchors" for the contests. We have a new
>>station AL7LX in Anchor Point operating with
>>300w on 2m (think its only on FM) but put good
>>enough signal into the back end of my yagi
>>array to be heard (about 80-mile path). KL7JD
>>(Nikiski) is on 2m with yagi at 85-feet and
>>KL7GRM in Soldotna. Both have a good signal to
>>reach Anchorage. KL7XJ (Kenai) and I hold down
>>the fort most every weekend on the net.
>>
>>I will be active in the June VHF Contest but
>>probably still be on the road coming back from
>>lower-48 for the Sept. VHF Contest. Will reach
>>Palmer in evening of Sept. 8 staying in RV park
>>and driving around Turnagain Arm on Sunday
>>heading home. I will have 150w 2m-SSB in the
>>mobile plus 80w on 6m-SSB and 50w on 70cm (FM
>>only). Mobile can simultaneously monitor all
>>three bands. I hope to have APRS going on
>>144.390, so might be able to track us part of the way.
>><http://www.kl7uw.com/Mobile.htm>http://www.kl7uw.com/Mobile.htm
>>
>>73, Ed - KL7UW
>>Unless someone else wants to take over as NC,
>>the net will be off-air in July and August while we are traveling in lower-48.
>>
>>At 09:19 PM 3/14/2018, Ken K via ak-vhf wrote:
>>>Hi Brandon, Just saw the threads with you,Ed,
>>>Shannon, etc. so thought I'd add my 2 cents.
>>>In 2010 and 2011, I roved for the January VHF
>>>contests, from Homer to Fairbanks. By far,
>>>most of the weekend activity was from Ed and
>>>the VHF-Up group. Things really quieted down
>>>as I drove north from Willow Saturday night.
>>>There were 5 or 6 hams in Healy, where I lived
>>>at the time, so I worked them on my way north
>>>to Fairbanks Sun morning. Larry/Two Rivers
>>>Contest Club KL2R in Fairbanks followed me
>>>through BP53, BP54, BP64 and BP65. It was ALOT
>>>of driving for a few contacts north of
>>>BP51. The hams in Healy have all left, and I
>>>don't know what the local VHF activity is here
>>>in Fbks now during VHF contests. So I'd agree
>>>that your best bet for maximum activity is to stay south.Â
>>>Roving suggestions: As Ed mentioned, Diamond
>>>Ridge Road north of Homer was a good spot. In
>>>addition to BP40, I worked BO37 (Kodiak
>>>Island) from there. Just as you cross into
>>>BP50 from BP40, stop at the Russian River
>>>campground. Lots of terrain, but Ed, Tom
>>>NL7OW, and Mike KL6M in Anchorage (SSB) found
>>>me there. In Anchorage: if you drive out to
>>>Kincaid Park at the very end of Raspberry
>>>Road, you're in BP41. If you drive up to
>>>Talkeetna, slightly higher elevation just to
>>>the east of town. Find the gravel roads on GE;
>>>you should be able to work from both BP42 and BP52 there.
>>>Also saw your SOTA comments. For the 2016 Fall
>>>VHF contest, I hiked up the Little Coal Creek
>>>trail in Denali State Park up to the Kesugi
>>>Ridge. About a 10 mile roundtrip, but the
>>>scenery on a sunny fall day (Denali and the
>>>entire Alaska Range) was fantastic. I hauled
>>>up an Icom 706MKIIg, as well as a small yagi
>>>and portable mast for 144 & 432, and a 6 m
>>>dipole. Imagine my wife's surprise when we got
>>>to the top and I pulled a 12v gel cell out of
>>>her backpack....Up there I worked Ed, Mike and
>>>a few others. Unfortunately, by the time we
>>>got to the ridge, it was 2-3 pm, so alot of
>>>guys had already signed off. Next time, I'd
>>>leave earlier or hike up Friday night. I'd
>>>definitely recommend that hike for a contest (if the WX is good).Â
>>>The June contest is tough; people are out
>>>fishing, camping, etc. Sept contest competes
>>>with moose season and football. January is
>>>January.... The trick is to let everyone know
>>>and post your schedule. SSB/CW are helpful
>>>once you're out of town in terrain. I've gone
>>>down to the Pacific Northwest to do 2 Sept
>>>roves with my brother Tim AL1VE. LOTS more
>>>action, more intense. But the fun part about
>>>VHF contests in Alaska is being able to have a
>>>QSO, not just a contact. Ed, Mike, Tom, Larry,
>>>and a few others really made the efforts worthwhile.
>>>GL, and keep us posted as your plans develop.
>>>73,KenNL7B
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>>73, Ed - KL7UW
>> <http://www.kl7uw.com/>http://www.kl7uw.com
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73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
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