[Elecraft] N4BP Florida trip

Brian Broggie brian at elecraft.com
Fri Apr 29 12:01:20 EDT 2005


Posted for Bob Patten by Elecraft moderator...

Wx is looking good tomorrow for a visit to my favorite part of Florida, 
the Keys.  QTH for the TTF will be Knights Key, at the end of Marathon 
and just
before the Seven Mile Bridge.  Knights Key was the original terminus for 
the Overseas Railroad before Henry Flagler completed the run from
Miami to Key West.  The old Seven Mile Bridge which carried the railroad 
over that long span of Gulf and Atlantic water and the new automobile
bridge join at Knights Key.  The old bridge is used mainly as a fishing 
pier now and no automobile traffic is allowed.  If any of you saw the 
Arnold
Swartzeneger movie, "True Lies", you saw a scene on the old Seven Mile 
Bridge in which a section was dynamited to open it for boat traffic.
The old bridge flies over Pigeon Key and has an exit ramp for this 
former marine research location, now FEC Railroad Museum.  Also on 
Knights Key,
in front of the campground, is an old railroad car now being used as a 
visitors center for Pigeon Key.

I will set up on the Gulf of Mexico side of Knights Key and operate from 
the tailgate of my truck.  Rig will be an Elecraft K2 powered by my FD
marine battery and computer controlled by a Toshiba 486 notebook that 
K7RE stumbled on at the Miami Hamboree for $25.  I've been holding
the notebook for our yearly visits to Freeport, Grand Bahama, and 
getting a good bit of use from it (last weekend, mobile through 21 
counties in
the Florida QSO Party; W4OV and K4LQ will use it next weekend in the 
MARAC County Hunters CW Contest).  I plan to use my six of nine hours
in two hour blocks: the first and last two with the remainder somewhere 
in the middle.  A limited participation QRP sprint really should attempt 
to have
all operators on during the same time period, but that is up to the rule 
makers...  My Florida multiplier is almost assured with NE4LS and K4THL
planning operation just ten miles from me at Bahia Honda Key.  :-)
Hope to work many of you on the QRP frequencies tomorrow between 1500Z 
and 2400Z.


-- 
73,     Bob Patten, N4BP                Plantation, FL

E-Mail: n4bp at arrl.net                   Website: http://www.qsl.net/n4bp
QRP ARCI #3412    SOC #1    ARS #799    Whiners #6   FISTS #7871



More information about the Elecraft mailing list