[Elecraft] Field Day Report

[Wayne Burdick]

A large group gathered for the K6SRA 3A/SCV FD operation in San Jose. Despite temperatures in the mid-90’s and blistering sunshine, we had many visitors, including a lot of curious non-hams. 

This tends to be a social event with lots of conversation and ad-hoc experimentation with radios and antennas, so I won’t be bragging about our claimed Field Day score. Still, a good time was had by all, with vast quantities of water and other liquids consumed to avoid heat stroke.

Late Saturday afternoon I undertook a brief solo trek to exercise the KX2. I had intended to climb a nearby hill. Given the outrageous temperatures, I settled for a picnic table on the other side of the parking lot, beneath a large oak. 

Normally I would have tossed a wire into this tree. Instead I used a prototype 2-band, 4’ whip, in keeping with the “two QSOs per foot challenge” we proposed in a recent Elecraft newsletter. I made 10 QSOs over the course of about 20 minutes (that’s 3.00 Q/ft, for those keeping score), ranging from KH6 to the East Coast. 

Overall, conditions were not thrilling. 20 meters was pretty much single-hop until Saturday evening. 15 m was deceased until this morning when, back at the home QTH, I noticed things picking up on this band around the same time as some sporadic-E kicking in on 6 m.

Wayne
N6KR