As someone who has spent the past 15 years doing SO2R Low Power, I can give
you a few comments from my perspective:
- I find that SO2R only helps if the rhythm can be reasonably maintained
between the CQing and grabbing Qs on the second radio. If you spend call
after call after call, trying to work the second radio Q, your CQing rate
will suffer, even if the CQing rate is fairly slow. So there is a point
where SO2R can potentially be less effective than SO1R.
- Personally, I believe that SO2R with a vertical on 10 - 20 (assuming it is
not on a beach) is not worth the effort. I think that a minimum effective
SO2R is a tribander on the main radio and some kind of gain antenna on the
second radio (for Low Power). This second radio could be a wire yagi in the
trees pointed to the target area (such as South, EU, or North). But a
vertical will only be effective with great conditions on 10 and 15 which and
probably never of much value on 20 (for rhythm effective SO2R). Or it
requires a triplexer.
- You either need 200 ft spacing on antennas or filters. I actually listen
on my transmit frequency with my second radio (150W or less) with cross
polarized antennas separated by about 350ft. The transmit signal is S9+60
worst case which will not damage a receiver and my receivers are not
externally protected.
- Lets face it, SO2R implies better rate and time efficiency (otherwise why
bother). There is a certain level of expense to belly up to.
- If I was small spaced and moderate budget, this is what I would do for
SO2R:
- Tribander with triplexer.
- Wire yagis or separate tribander to the south (10 - 20)
- 40M best antenna (beam, wire yagi, 4 square etc) you can
put up
- 80M best antenna (vertical, inv vee) you can put up
- 160M inv L or T vertical with lots of radials wherever you
can fit them
- a beverage to Europe placed where you can listen on 40M
even when you are CQing on 40M
- Fully automated SO2R control box and software
I think much less than the above and you may find that SO2R is less "game
changing" then you are hoping for. I have tried with less, even havng some
experience on SO2R, and been disappointed.
Just one man's opinion.
73
Ed N1UR
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