[South Florida DX Association] E51 Update - Sunday evening

[Bill Marx]

Hello All,

We are getting deluged with emails, so pse excuse if we do not answer them 
all.? Not enough time at the Internet service at the local telecomms office 
to handle all the traffic!

Wx here has turned bad with lots of high winds and driving rains.? We are 
spending many hours each day doing antenna repairs on this very rocky 
beach.? This work is not only time consuming buy quite dangerous due to 
slippery footings.? Physically we are both beat,?but mentally still high, 
hi.? (The friendly Polynesian culture helps!!!)

Our Sigma 5 quit yesterday.? Got it disassembled today only to find a burned 
trace on the pc board that holds the band changing relays and coils.? 
Apparently due to incursion of salt spray into the assy.? No way to repair, 
so we removed the board entirely, and strapped the antenna for 10m.? 
Resonanted at 32 mHz, so added?10" wires to the horizontal struts, and now 
it is flat in the band.? This will be a killer 10m ant, if only we had 
signals.? So far, only a few JA's & UA0's?around 0100z.? We keep watching 
the beacons, but only heard?ones this pm from JA and KH6.

Our Inv L on 160 developed a salt water short in a PL259, so we got that 
fixed today.? (BTW, this happende twice, so we elmimintate the connector and 
hard wired the connection.)? Hopefully, we will be back on 160 and 80 each 
night.? Again, keep your fingers crossed for no more failures.? Pse do a 
no-rain / no-wind?dance to the gods for us!

So far we have 3000+ Qsos in our two combied logs (MMM & NNN).? After 
sunrise each day, we get excellent opening to states on 20, but that peters 
out in a few hours. Then nothing all day, until 30 and 40 come alive later 
in the afternoon.? Then we are up all night on 40, 80 and 160, assuming all 
antennas are in tact!

Due to the failure in our Sigma 5, we will not have 17 or 24 meter 
antennas.? Antennas currently up are single band verticals on 160, 80, 40, 
20, 15, and 10.? Not bad...6 monoband antennas on the beach!!!? Late this 
afternoon we built a full size 15m vertical dipole and strapped it to an MFJ 
pole.? Should be kick ass, but no sigs yet on 15m to test it with.

That is about it for now.? It is 2100 hrs local (0700z), and time to?get 
back to the shack and the piles!? Keep those cards and letters coming.

73, Geo & Ron...E51MMM / NNN