[Elecraft] K3/0

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

 > I have thought for many years that it would be a great feature if a
 > radio club could set up a super station and offer remote access to its
 > apartment-bound members.

I keep hearing this - and the "HOA limitation" - as justification for
remote operation.  As far as I'm concerned both just don't "pass the
smell test."

We moved to Florida just over 13 years ago ... since we've been here
the only antennas I've had are a Cushcraft R5 and a low wire (80/40
trap dipole or Windom no higher than 12 meters above ground).  I call
the antenna system the "HOA special".   I do not have 240 volts in the
shack and do not run an amplifier - highest power has been 200W from
FT-1000D or Mark V but it's been 100W since the K3 replaced all of the
Yaesu gear.

While we've been here I made DXCC Honor Roll mixed (one away on CW) and
over this past weekend I received the last of the confirmations for WAS
on seven bands (I'm still chasing four relatively populous states on 12
meters).  I ran some reports against my log for the time being and find
the following in one sunspot cycle worth of part-time operation:

> *confirmed* (cards/Lotw) totals for current countries:
>
> Confirmed DXCC Challenge total (Phone, CW, RTTY, excludes deleted countries)
>     bands     1815
>
> Confirmed DXCC Countries (excludes deleted countries)
>     mixed     311
>     phone     199
>     cw        298
>     rtty      263
>     160m      060
>     80m       116
>     40m       184
>     30m       261
>     20m       234
>     17m       280
>     15m       193
>     12m       246
>     10m       178
>     6m        063

The relatively low phone count reflects my dislike of that mode and
the DXCC Challenge total is about 500 less than my "all time" number
since there are quite a few common "old ones" that I have not bothered
to work again on 160/80/40/15/10 since they were already confirmed -
and I lack a real antenna on 160.

Admittedly, I am not in an apartment but I would suggest a similar
antenna system on the roof of an apartment or other antenna limited
space situation would provide similar results.  admittedly these
antennas and power level do not make me first in a pile-up and it
takes some effort to get thought in some cases but the lack of big
antennas is not a severe limitation unless one wants to compete with
the likes of K3LR/KC1XX/W3LPL/K1TTT/etc. in CQWW or be first in every
pile-up.

While I understand the desire "to be loud", even modest antennas and
100W are a big change compared to fewer than 140 QSOs in the prior 14
years!

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 1/16/2012 2:21 PM, Alan Bloom wrote:
> On Mon, 2012-01-16 at 14:11 -0500, N2TK, Tony wrote:
>
>> Maybe even a remote club where several
>> hams can enjoy the remote antennas? I can picture a home station involving
>> just a laptop and low power KX3 tied into nice unmanned hilltop station.
>> Maybe multiple rigs on the hilltop with amps, multi-antennas?
>
> I have thought for many years that it would be a great feature if a
> radio club could set up a super station and offer remote access to its
> apartment-bound members.  There was no Internet back when I was first
> thinking of this so I envisioned microwave links between the apartments
> and the station at the top of a nearby mountain.  But with the Internet
> it is now much easier.
>
> And now with the K3/0 it is even easier still.
>
> Alan N1AL
>
>
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