[Milsurplus] New stuff

[Gene Smar]

Michael:

     You needn't worry about finding a high spot to communicate on 40M, or even 60 and 80 for that matter.  Simply erect an NVIS antenna - Near-Vertical Incidence Skywave.  This type of antenna - essentially a low dipole or inverted V - will launch RF nearly straight up into the ionosphere.  The signals will return to earth out to several hundred miles with very little attenuation.  

     This technique was first studied during the VN conflict in the 60s.  It enables an HF signal to fill in the area on the ground that lies between ground-wave coverage (out to several miles) and the first hop coverage (several hundreds of miles).  In other words it will provide fill for the "skip" zone.

     During September at the latest Gilbert, PA MRCA meet, we tried this NVIS technique to talk back to our base from a mountain slope location over 8 miles away.  We were 500 feet down on the opposite side of a 2100-foot peak from the Gilbert base, operating with less than 10 W on 3885 at 4-5 PM.  Gilbert heard us LC, as did a station in upstate New York.  We were even heard by Gilbert when the antenna wires were held (by hand) six feet off the ground.

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F







From: Michael Tauson <wh7hg.hi at gmail.com>
Date: 2007/10/07 Sun AM 03:26:54 CDT
To: milsurplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Milsurplus] New stuff

Okay, I did the hamfest, and am winding down from absolute panic from
challenging two major phobias.  No, not true.  I'm in kind of a lull
between "What the heck did I do that for?" attacks.

Between numerous trips to the Jeep to settle down, I managed to pick
up my first ever civilian HF equipment and my first ever 2m FM rig.
Actually, first ever rig that had a mic attached to it.  With them, I
got a pair of URM-127 audio signal generators (kind of like a TS-382
that got shrunk) and a whole bunch of other stuff.  The equipment
mentioned cost a total of $5.00, and that for the 2m rig.  I spent
another $30 for the antenna, a 5/8 wave whip.

The HF set is a Hallicrafters HT-32 and the 2m rig is a Standard
SR-C806G.  The HT-32 came with all the paperwork but the Standard rig
came with nothing and I haven't found anything on it.  I found a
little on the URM-127s on LOGSA so that's a start.

The HT-32 should go nicely with a BC-348 (Gotta keep it green - well,
black - somehow!) for 80, 40 and 20m AM, CW, SSB and AFSK.  (No
product detector but that's why they invented BFOs right?)  I don't
know what I'll do about receiving on 15 and 10 yet or transmitting on
the WARC bands (as well as receiving 17 & 12m) or 160m but something
will come to mind.

What I found interesting was that, except for a few pieces of test
equipment, there was no military equipment represented at all.  On the
other hand, there was a lot of "Free to good home" equipment and
parts, including a nice heavy duty isolation transformer for the
workshop equipment that will be operating on 110vdc instead of 110vac.

Now, what does all this have to do with surplus aside from the
URM-127s?  Another receiver.  Antennas.  Shock mounts (one plus a
connector for the BC-348 and something heavy enough to handle the
HT-32).  The receiver is needed to cover the remaining bands.  For the
antennas I would like to have at least two 15' whips (MS-116, -117,
-118 flavor) and something up the order a GRA-4 but possibly with a
third center mast.  At the same time, I would like to have a GRR-5 on
board, possibly with an R-148/ARC-5X as a Q-5er.  This all goes aboard
the Jeep with power provided as required.

One of the people I talked to was the president of the EARC.  It turns
out I'm the only ham in Waianae.  Usually when there's a emergency
(real or drill), they have to send someone out here which, in case of
a real emergency, can be nearly impossible since the only road along
the coast gets flooded out and no one can get through except by boat
up the coast.  By being able to set up aboard the Jeep on 2m as well
as 40m (80m is the alternate) for the inter-island nets, I'm perfectly
located to fill a gap in their coverage.  With the GRA-4 type antenna,
I should be able to reach the mainland on the upper bands if I can get
myself on a hilltop or out to somewhere like Ka'ena point where I can
get a clear shot.

So, surplus is indicated.  Doesn't this sound like fun?

Best regards,

Michael, WH7HG ... give or take a smidgen
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