[Elecraft] K-2's@K7EAR Field Day

[Milt Jensen, N5IA]

Hello to the Elecraft gang.  I finally got a few minutes to make up a report
of the Eastern Arizona Amateur Radio Society, K7EAR, Field Day effort.

Our operating location was nearly 9,000' AMSL at the Clark Peak campground
in the Pinaleno Mountain range of SE Arizona.  The Grid Square is DM52.  See
the contour map at the link below for the exact coordinates.

The four Elecraft K-2's performed flawlessly and two new 75 Watt solar
panels provided more than enough energy to run them non-stop.  The feedlines
to the three main station antennas were each more than 200' of RG-8.  The
three tribanders were two Mosely Classic 33's and a HyGain TH3 mounted on
40' towers.  Forty Meters used Extended Double Zepps.  Eighty Meters was one
of the towers loaded as a 1/4 vertical.  The GOTA station used a G5RV.

The bands were poor.  Only one station heard and worked on 10 M.  Saturday
afternoon 15 Meters took a siesta.  20 Meters closed early Saturday night.
80/75 Meters was very noisy, with only the strongest stations worked.  40
Meters was the only band deemed "normal".  Six didn't open with the
exception of a few mintues to south Texas.  We are too far away from
populated areas to do much at all on Two Meters.  A Yaesu backpack radio was
used for the VHF contacts.

PSK-31 was tried last year on our GOTA station, and worked well.  The GOTA
station this year was more oriented towards the digital mode, expecting to
attract the "computer" crowd.  The bands did not cooperate as most all
PSK-31 signals were weak and highly affected by QSB.

The weather was great.  It was nice to be back on the mountains after the
USFS closed all forests last year.  We beat the deadline this year by only
ONE day.  The forests are now closed again.

Go to www.eaars.com for photos of this year's effort.  The spectacular
sunset photos are looking through the smoke plume from the giant "Aspen"
fire near Tucson.

And for those interested, go to
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=12&n=3620506&e=596641&s=25&size=l&u=2 for
a contour map showing the location of the K7EAR Field Day site.  The red
cross marker in the center of the map at CP Flat, the location of the Clark
Peak campground, is the site.  The main station antennas were placed on the
ridge just to the upper right of the red cross and the "S" in the word
Swift.

Here is our score line.

               ARRL Field Day

Call:   K7EAR
Operator(s):   MANY

Class:  3A QRP
QTH:  AZ
Operating Time (hrs):  24

QSO Summary:

 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Dig Qs
----------------------------------------------------------- 
   80:     49           8
   40:   165         116
   20:   362         481        3
   15:   172         125
   10:     1
    6:     23
    2:      4

-----------------------------------------------------------
Total:  749          730        3             Total Score = 11,305


73 de Milt, N5IA
EAARS Field Day Chairman