TOPIC - How many of you have every operated 160m mobile? - TOPIC (or worked
a far away mobile maybe)
I know AA1K has and I have even heard and worked Jon when he was mobile. I
would love to hear more from Jon.
Then there was that KH6......I am sorry, my brain can't remember his
callsign @ the moment. Big truck, big power.
I did myself, but only briefly. I would like to try it again. Even if just
for a contest, or on Wednesday nights when I make a long dark drive into
town and back for some different things I have going on.
In the mid 90's I was on for 1 or 2 winter "seasons" (very
sporadically).....I ran an FT-101E strapped under the glove box of a 1989
Ford Escort Station wagon. 90W-100W (or thereabouts). Straight key. No
tuner. My antenna was a 10m-80m WEbster Banspanner on a roof rack. To the
top of the whip I mounted an ice cream bucket wrapped with 100 to 200 ( I
forget exactly) feet of very small insulated wire. Above that I had 4 or 5
aprox 6-7' long wires as a capacity hat that came back down to all corners
of the roof racks. I moved the WB tuning whip up and down for a match.
(also a base match for best SWR)
It didn't work "well", but it did "work". The one QSO that sticks out was
with a CT3 that I got on the 2nd or 3rd call. This was while mobile in an
ice storm while I was on my way to VE1PZ's house for a CQWW160m SSB contest
(we won for our category iirc). I worked 13-14 countries with this
jury-rigged setup which had who knows how much efficiency? 1.2%? HI HI
(kc5oia, are you reading this?)
I would really enjoy hearing your 160m MOBILE stories. I am sure others
would as well.
Mike VE9AA
All - This thread about the east coast advantage has been a good one,
but I think it is time to move on.
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160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
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