[MRCA] [MMRCG] Able Archer 83 AAR

Mon Oct 23 18:11:29 EDT 2023

Hi Ray - Thanks for the report and Pix, sounds like a good time!
I did hear you on 18145.  I copied you working both K4NYW and KW1I although
you were all just in my (S2) noise level.  You apparently did not hear my
20 watts PRC-174 USB so I tried it on CW (for its 12 db advantage over
SSB!).
Nick reported: "Tim, your CW is strong here in North Carolina, so east-west
is not totally dead."
2 CA guys also heard my CW (via local NVIS).

It was a busy freq between the POTA guys and the boy scouts jamboree
blasting in here on 18143 taking out 18145 - and the pileup on the 9Z4Y
station on Trinidad on 18145..  The VOA Prop. prediction was pretty much
accurate (very marginal SNR at that Path/time/Freq/Pwr/Antennas...)

"*COMM works 100% of the time 50% of the time.*"  Murphy's Laws of Combat

Thanks for including us...
Let's not give up!  ("If it was easy, everyone would be doing it..." )
Tim
N6CC

On Mon, Oct 23, 2023 at 11:18 AM Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>
wrote:

> What was supposed to be achieved by this project?
>
>
>
> Able Archer 83 is an annual event where we drag out Cold War radio
> equipment to a remote location and for twenty-four hours attempt to make
> contact using a special event call sign W3A Due to complications with our
> previous site this year we operated from the clandestine site, Supply Depo
> X-Ray located just outside Smyrna Delaware.
>
>
>
>
>
> What was actually achieved?
>
>
>
> We arrived at X-Ray on Friday. Equipment was unloaded, tents set up and
> everything was prepared for Saturday. We had rain almost all-day Friday
> well into the night and because of this I set the M151A1(mutt) up in a bay
> in one of the warehouses. Walt set up a tent for the primary station next
> to his S-250
>
> The mutt was used for the RTTY, MMRCG, MRCA M&S nets and cross continent
> QSO on seventeen meters. The Primary station, a Harris RF-230 was in the
> tent along with a third axillary station located in the warehouse running a
> Harris URC-94
>
> We were on the air for all the nets and at noon set off the huge CD Serine
> as the ceremonial starting of the event although we had W3A up and running
> all morning. Did attempt to do the cross-country contact with the west
> coast group at 1530 and 1600 local and operations shut down around noon the
> next day.
>
>
>
>
>
> What aspects of the project work?
>
>
>
> The new location was great, Subcomandante B (Name withheld for security
> reasons) was an ideal host. No noticeable radio noise, lots of space for
> antennas and facilities that included inside parking for the mutt, existing
> antennas and an auxiliary station that was there for our use. I set the
> mutt up in the warehouse being it was raining for the Saturday morning ops
> and was able to find a field table that I placed next to the mutt and
> operated RTTY from that, way more comfortable then being in the mutt and
> running RTTY. We had five stations check into the 7087 RTTY net with K4NYW
> as NCS the net was also copied by several others including the Battleship
> New Jersey. The 7296 MMRCG USB net at 1000 had K9WT as NCS with nine check
> in including the far-off detachment of our operation W9A, NCS allowed us
> time to work directly between W3A and W9A for a short QSO.
>
> WB2JWU was NCS for the Moose &Squirrel net on 5357 with fourteen
> participants.  Some of our contingent decided to set off the CD serine at
> noon, very loud. afterwards on air operations started with the primary and
> auxiliary station on forty and twenty meters. Around fifteen hundred
> started attempting the cross-country test again. Starting with 18.145 but
> also using 18.143 and 18.150 did several QSO but nothing beyond the
> Mississippi. Was able to work K4NYW somewhat and did attempt to talk to
> KW1I after working him on forty but no love there. Did work around half a
> dozen stations including 9Z4Y in Trinidad but looks like the cross-country
> thing will be put off until next year. I do not have the count for the
> number of stations worked by the primary but know we had quite a number,
> although there were issues with the NY QSO Party and them sucking up almost
> the entire twenty-meter band.
>
>
>
>
>
> What didn't work and why?
>
>
>
> I threw together a seventeen-meter sloper dipole that I ran up the antenna
> mast with the idea that it would give me a little more gain on seventeen,
> although I did work several stations with the new antenna was not able to
> adequately copy anything that was wanted. After sixteen hundred decide to
> go with the vertical on the mutt.
>
> When I first transferred to the whip found it would not load due to
> proximity to the metal roof of the building so had to drop the mast,
> disconnect shore power and drive the mutt away from the building in order
> to use the whip antenna.
>
>
>
> What would you change if given a second chance?
>
>
>
> Work harder not smarter, no more antennas cut for seventeen. From now on
> go with what has worked in the past and use the fourteen-foot vertical on
> the mutt. That antenna preforms well on seventeen and twenty meters so if
> it’s not broke don’t fix it. We did have some fun where Walt dragged out
> his Clansman backpack and in addition to working me also worked a couple
> others on seventeen so starting to think that vertical is the answer for
> seventeen meters.
>
> Bigger power supply for the mutt. I had the GRC-106 running along with the
> VRC-12 set up for monitoring 51.0 In the process of moving away from the
> building I left the 106 running. Disconnected the AC power so everything
> was running from the batteries, dropped and moved the mast from the front
> of the mutt and then after checking to see that everything was clear jumped
> in the mutt and found the batteries were just about dead and unable to
> start the mutt. Turned off the radios and everything but the power supply
> is just not big enough to keep the batteries charged if you were doing a
> lot of transmitting. May also be that the batteries are six years old at
> least and that they need to be replaced.
>
>
>
>
>
> Submitted by Ray F/KA3EKH
>
>
>
> Addendum:
>
>
>
> Stations worked on RTTY Net 7087 at 0900
>
>
>
> K4NYW, W1AEA, K3TZJ, KD2GFM and KA4RSZ
>
>
>
> Stations worked on MMRCG 7296 Net at 1000
>
> K9WT, KI0PF, WF2U, K3TZJ, KW1I, KD2GFM, KA3TUR, W9A and WA3YRE
>
>
>
> Stations worked on MRCA M&S Net
>
>
>
> WB2JWU, K1QAR, N1SNG, N2MS, KD3HT, K2TZJ, WA2EJT, WA3YRE, W1AEA, W2RBA,
> KW1I, W1QL, KD2GFM and WA2WOL
>
>
>
> Special mention! Ron K3TZJ and Ken KD2GDFM worked all three nets.
>
>
>
> Station worked on Seventeen Meters
>
>
>
> K4HIL, K4NYW, AC9BJ, WA3UKC and 9Z4Y
>
>
>
>
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