>
> Think about it Rick. Is there much else to do in the upper Midwest in the
> dead of winter?
>
>
> Now I will admit, I'm not BIG TIME on 160, but I do participate. AND there
> are lots of things to do up here in the dead of winter when the band(s)
> are dead...... split wood, clear snow, snowmobile, ice fish, build
> antennas....... that's a BIG one. Everyone knows that the lower the temp
> is when you put up an antenna the better it works....... sometimes by
> several db's!!!!!! It's not ALL radio.
> There's also hot tubs, saunas...... the list is endless!!!!!!!!!!!! (The
> preceding was typed with tongue in cheek)
>
> 73 es GDDX
> K9WN Jake in the Frozen Upper Midwest
>
Right on Jake!
I had to wait until the very cold weather before I could string my 500'
Beverage down through a Cedar Swamp. What with the bugs & bottomless swamp
ooze, you REALLY don't want to go in there when it's warm. As it was, I
burned up my old chainsaw clearing a hole throught the tangles. At the
termination end, once I had pounded the ground rod through the frost, I was
able to push the rod in by hand! I made a pipe coupler and added another 8'
rod in series. This one just barely found something semi-firm. Surprisingly
enough, the Beverage performs well.
It was 10 degrees (F) out when I put up a two element inverted L array
broadside to Europe. As the ground was frozen solid, I took ON4UN's advice &
tried the single elevated radial (per L) pointed towards Europe. I used iron
T fence posts and pounded them in the frozen ground about a foot with a
sledge, so the radials were about 5 feet off the ground. 'Worked 70
countries during the rest of that winter. Winter antennas definitely seem
top have an edge....
One of the main bonuses of 160 is that the DX happens during the dark, so
with our few hours of Winter daylight, we get to pursue those activities
that Jake pointed out. Plus, up here we get to see the ice sculptures at
Michigan Tech, take in a few dogsled races, & maybe even participate in the
Outhouse Races in Trenary! (I'm not kidding, look them up).
73 es Don't think Spring,
Brian K8BHZ in da UP
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
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