Hi Gang
Things seem a bit slow on the reflector, so I hope you will enjoy reading a
few highlights of the recent trip over to A61AJ.
As you may know, a principal objective of this trip was to install a
full-sized 160M 4sq array for Ali during this trip and I thought I might
expand a bit on that project.
This was a kind of dream one year ago but through the help of W0UN and K7LXC,
we actually managed to send of a container loaded with all the required
goodies over to Dubai which arrived just before CQWW CW.
In that we were delayed by about 2 months getting the container over there,
at the last minute, DL2CC, (Frank), managed to arrange for ON4UN (John - who
needs no introduction anywhere) and friend Roger, ON6WU, to come over early
to begin work on the project.
John and Roger arrived in Dubai on the 12th I believe (Sunday) and laid out
the four square footprint which was soon followed by the digging of the holes
for the tower bases and anchors. They worked 16 hour days (or more) wiring
up the rebar cages for the anchors and actually managed to pour concrete
within two days following their arrival.
The container was received from customs at mid-day on the 14th (Tues) which
allowed for placement of the bases in the new holes - just in time for
pouring of the fast-setting mix. Murphy struck early as the mix cured too
soon on the last hole but they hung in there and got it done anyway under the
lights.
K2DM (George - my brother) and I arrived at 0900 hrs Dubai time on Saturday
the 18th and huddled with Roger and John to assess where they were with the
project. Roger and John had managed to get two of the insulated bases
installed - the remaining two were still en route from K7LXC via air freight.
We worked all day together Saturday erecting the first tower with a GIN POLE
(slow work) and redrilling holes in the base insulators which were
manufactured with the holes exactly 90 degrees OUT OF POSITION (figures!)
All day long George kept complaining that while he knew he had to WORK over
there, he just didn't expect to step off the plane after a 14 hour non-stop
flight and climb towers all day......well, we were both tired at the end of
Saturday but we had to keep the project moving because we were well behind
schedule due to the late receipt of the container.
On Sunday morning (the 19th), about 7AM, we said goodbye to John and Roger.
We thanked them for receiving the container, inventorying all the contents,
laying out the square, digging the holes, pouring the mix, preparing the
rebar cages, making up the four phasing lines and setting the bases. Whew!
They really worked their BUTTS off and we could never have finished this
project without them - no way! Their contribution was invaluable.
On Sunday, Geo and I managed to get the first tower up to 90 feet with the
help of three of Ali's workers - known as Reddies. At the end of the day I
think I had them start laying down radials under this tower.
On Monday, we finished tower one and spent most of the day tuning it to
resonance with 66 radials under it - a temporary system - to be expanded to
90 later in the week. There was alot of discussion between ON4UN and me over
the height of Rohn 25 that would actually resonate at 1/1 on 1830Khz. In the
end, if anyone wishes to write this down, I can tell you that 126.5 feet of
Rohn 25 tower, guyed with phillystran above an insulated base 2 feet above
grade will resonate perfectly on 1830 with a 1/1 SWR over a radial system of
66 on-ground radials - QED!!!
Tuesday the 21st was spent retrofitting the late arriving last two Rohn 25
elevated base insulator sections to the short bases ALREADY IN THE GROUND.
Since these bases had arrived via air freight LATE (and the OTHER short bases
had already been set in concrete), I had to cut off all but 8" from the lower
base sections and then re-drill and mate the supports for the procelain
insulators to the existing short Rohn bases already set in mix by John and
Roger. This was PRECISE and exhausting work - that if done poorly, will
introduce tilt in the tower - a real no no at ground level!!
We managed to do this pretty well - one tower came in perfectly true - the
second was about 2 degrees off from true but we pulled it over to bring it to
true with little difficulty - WHEW! I was mighty glad when that was over!!
We spent the rest of Tuesday getting a few sections up on the remaining bases
and preparing to raise the rest of the towers **fully asembled** with a 200
foot crane. What we did was put guys on the towers at their appropriate
intervals and then bolt the sections together again. Once lifted by the
crane, the towers would be placed on the existing sections and then the crane
would hold the tower in place while we affixed the various sets of guys. We
got tower (2) up and guyed off by sunset on Tuesday - and we actually began
BELIEVING that we might finish and tune the antenna before the contest began
on Friday night.
On Wed, there was competition for the crane. We had it in the MORNING and
the 80M yagi crew had it in the afternoon as they had to take DOWN, repair
and then re-set the 80M yagi atop a 150 foot tower. The view at sunset of
the crane setting the 80m yagi antenna atop the 150 foot tower with Willy,
UA9BA (ex: UZ9AYA/UK9AAN) up there receiving the antenna was breathtaking. I
wish I had managed a video of that sequence - but we were too busy trying to
get the 4th tower ready for the crane which rejoined us at sunset.
We managed to lift up 120 feet of tower with the crane just before dusk and
then guyed off the 30/60/90 foot levels under the lights - leaving the last
set of guys for Thursday morning - so the crane could depart as planned.
(200 foot cranes by the day are EXPENSIVE - and we had planned for the crane
for 2 days - and managed to come in ON SCHEDULE. Again, PHEW! We were doing
what seemed impossible at the time.
Exactly 8 days had elapsed from the arrival of the container and now 4 Rohn
25 towers were up and the end was actually in sight.!!! We *really* started
believing on WED night...
On Thursday, the 23rd, we finished guying off tower #4 and spent all day
laying down radials under towers 2, 3 and 4. As sunset was approaching, we
hooked up the phasing lines and ran the 1000 feet of control cable and
feedline (LMR 600) back to the shack for our first real test of the antenna.
Each day, we would come on the air at 1331z after having worked all day in
order to keep skeds with the West Coast via the long path. This we did
religiously - first with the inverted vee at 150 feet and finally on Thurs
night with the 4SQ.
I called CQ non-stop on 1831 using the square that night from 1331z - 1515z
and, as Murphy would have it, there was NO PROP to the WEST COAST!! Bummer!
I did work VU2WAP and VQ9SS and on these two stations (which are to our SE),
the front to side on the 4SQ was phenomenal. Both were 579 off the front,
almost unreadable to the NE and SW and completely GONE off the back when we
were beaming to the NW (USA and EU).
I tried later that night for the EAST coast beginning at 2300z and I think
Tom, W8JI, advised that we were being heard - but, again, the band was
broken...... Bummer again! I still did not know how the antenna was really
working but I felt pretty certain that it was. The SWR in all quadrants was
about 5w reflected and the antenna was resonant at just about 1827Khz.
On Friday, we spent the day soldering the radials to the radial buss using a
"tomahawk". This is a great tool that really generates heat and, while a
boring job, we found we could train the "reddies" to take this job on - much
to our relief!
By Friday afternoon, for all intents and purposes, the job was done - we were
QRV with 66 radials under each tower and the ground busses were all soldered.
(We later added radials AFTER the contest, stopping at 90 radials under each
radiator.
0001Z - The race is on!
At A6, 0z is 0400 hours LOCAL time. So, on 160m you get to operate until
sunrise (eg: 2 hours and 45 mins) - then you take a siesta until 1331z
(sunset) where we again looked for the West Coast. We heard NONE on Sat
night at our sunset - but we were doing well with Q's, Zones and Countries in
the contest.
We actually WORKED KV4FZ not long before our sunrise on Sunday morning,
along with P40E. That meant we got zones 8 and 9. We never heard HC8N but
we chased his spots each time they were spotted to no avail. I did also hear
J3A (weak about 559) and tried Don for awhile, but never could get his
attention. Too bad......
Sadly, condx to the USA East coast were ABYSMAL during the contest. We
worked VE1ZZ, K1FZ, KC1XX, KI1G, N2RM and NR1R. On Sunday morning, about
0215z, we had a huge pile of W's calling us - we could hear them buzzing like
FLEAS - but all about 229/239. The best we could do was a NO CONTACT with a
K1 K1 K1 K1 - whom we believe may have been K1KI calling. WW2Y says he heard
us pretty well and N2NT says the same, but during the test, 160M was
essentially a washout to the USA EAST Coast. (We were listening on both the
square and a phased pair of side by side beverages - the N2RM system - but we
just could not copy the folks calling - and we REALLY tried to dig you guys
out - to no avail!)
At our sunset on Sunday we caught a break into the W6/W7 area and worked K6SE
and two VE7's - plus one or two more. We were VERY grateful for the zone 3
in the contest. Note that we did NOT work a zone 4 (bummer!)
We ended up the contest with 818 Q's, 27 Zones and 86 Countries. Not bad for
the condx.
On Monday night at sunset (several hours prior to heading for the Dubai
airport) we hit longpath paydirt again working W7XR and W7TJ. Bob Eldridge,
VE7BS, sent me a tape recording of our signals during this period as received
in VE7 and it sounds the same "hollow" sounding signal that we were hearing
on the other side - and about as strong as what we were hearing from W7XR and
W7TJ.
A couple of observations are in order:
1) Condx this season are DEFINITELY DOWN from one year ago. This was
blatantly apparent at A61AJ. Last year, VE1ZZ was 599 + 15DB. This year
Jack peaked no better than 569/579 each time we worked him. W8JI was a good
589 last year, this year Tom was 569 - maybe 579 once - but nothing like last
season.
We had ONE good night into the East Coast while we were there - I think it
was the 19th on the inverted VEE. I recall working about 42 North American
stations in the W1-W4 districts. This year I did not hear a PEEP from W5,
W8, W9 and W0. Sorry to those who may have tried. We shall have to wait a
couple of years I think before you folks will have a real shot again at an A6
QSO.
Probably the most amazing opening this trip was the LONG path opening on the
20th which was worked soley on the Inverted Vee at 150 feet.
I recall calling CQ from about 1345z onwards and then happening to LISTEN on
the inverted vee at about 1405z and there BIG AS LIFE was K7CA calling me at
about 579. Now, this is UTAH and I was astounded at how LOUD Al was at A6.
Shortly thereafter I recall working W7LR not quite as loud and then N7JW - we
were passing the headphones around in the shack at the time. Bob Cox, K3EST,
could not believe the size of the incoming W7 signals and remember, we had
no 4sq at the time. This was just ONE STELLAR opening and if you missed it,
well, you missed a GREAT one. After the path shifted WEST at W6 grayline,
we worked a group of W6's and even learned that K6SSS from a city lot was in
there calling - but I could not hear Fred. Sorry.
I did work K6VX, K6GNX and a whole host of others - 14 in all I think. It
would probably have been more, but most W6 Dx'ers probably did not expect us
to be on so early in the week.
After this initial LP opening, the email basket LIT UP like Shea Stadium -
and many stations asked for skeds. Some thought we did not show up for the
LP opening in the days that followed....Wrong!! We were there like
clockwork EVERY DAY starting at 1331z and we were ALL DISAPPOINTED that for
the next 5 days, we did not hear a PEEP over the long path. It is just the
way 160M works - one good day and then nothing for maybe a week or more.
I wished for more - but we just did not get it.
Thanks to all who called. I wish we could have had better condx - but who
knows? We may repeat this junket sometime again and have another shot.
I suppose I will always remember the following. From NOTHING, except a bare
patch of ground, ON4UN, ON6WU George and I and the reddies actually managed
to install a FULL-SIZED Rohn 25 radiator four square array, with phillystran
guys on insulated bases with 66 radials under each radiator - in a period of
only 9 (nine) (count 'em!) days. They said it couldn't be done - but we
didn't know any better and did it anyway!!
73 and Season's Greetings
de Jeff
K1ZM@aol.com
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