[Elecraft] N0SS / K0ETY (GOTA) Field Day with four (4) K3s...

[Tom Hammond]

As for the past couple of years, the MMARC (Mid-MO ARC) will be using 
an ell-Elecraft Field Day setup.

In past years, it was multiple K2/100s, then a combination of K3s and 
K2/100s, but this year, if everything holds together, we'll have four 
(4) K3s, one each at CW, SSB, GOTA, and 6M VHF.  With several 
K2/100's as backup, if needed.

Our antenna system is pretty simple:  Multi-band dipoles 
(80/40/20/15/10) running North-South, and strung end-to-end, with 
about 50 feet of separation between the ends of the three 
dipoles.  Having the antennas in-line and end-to-end helps up take a 
bit of advantage from whatever null might appear directly off the end 
of each antenna.

In years past, we've used a mish-mash of Elecraft and YeaComWood rigs 
and always suffered from front end overload of the YeaComWoods, and 
the Elecraft's hearing 'hash' from the YeaComWoods... but for the 
past 2-3 years, using all Elecraft rigs, those two types of 
interference have been significantly reduced... to the point that 
sometimes we find ourselves operating all three HF rigs on the same 
band, with no bandpass filtering other than that which is built into 
the rigs themselves.  Oh, we might notice a bit of desense, from the 
next closest HF rig, but nothing nearly as bad a what it used to be, 
and nothing to prevent us from operating wherever we are.

If you plan to use multiple HF rigs at your FD site, remember that 
there's NO HELP of you're using verticals, and less help if you 
haven't taken some effort to minimize direct radiation fro one 
station's antenna into those of the other stations.

If you have an automatic (e.g. auto-tune) transmatch installed in one 
or more of the stations, BE AWARE that RF from another nearby station 
can come in on (and appear as reflected power even though you're not 
transmitting on THAT radio) the antenna/coax of the auto-tune 
transmatch station and cause the transmatch to try to 
auto-tune...!!!  So, TURN OFF THE AUTO-TUNE FEATURE before you start 
your FD operation!!!

73 and have fun.

Tom Hammond    N0SS