I have to tell everybody about my first 432 contact.This was in 1995. I
had purchased a FT 736. I did not have a 432 antenna. I ordered a M2 yagi and
was told that it would be a week or two before it arrived. I also ordered
heliax. The heliax arrived and I installed it on the tower and ran it into
the hamshack. I built a 432 dipole and stuck it out the top of the heliax.
I got on 432.1 and called CQ.
I was answered by a station about 100 miles south of me. "You can't call CQ
on this band and expect to have anyone answer you. You have to make
arrangements on 2M and QSY to 432." OK. I replied, "Name here is Buddy, QTH
is
Treasure Island, FL, rig is a FT 736 and the antenna is a dipole at 30
feet." He comes back to me, "A dipole? You can't talk to anybody on a dipole,
on this band. You need a yagi to make contacts." OK.
I suspect others have had similar experiences to Tim and myself.
Buddy WB4OMG
In a message dated 9/17/2013 11:17:42 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
aduhawk@comcast.net writes:
I bought a used IC-211, and a 4 element beam. I had some old RG8U. I got
the antenna up about 35 feet. It was 1983. Within an hour I was told
that my radio was garbage (nobody thougth that my IC 720 was garbage) my beam
was too small (4 element monobanders are monsters on HF) and that I needed
to get 1/2" hardline.
Not very welcoming. Here's an aside. In July I saw WB0TEM at the CSVHF
Conference. I related to him that he was my first Aurora contact. That QSO
was made with the above mentioned equipment.
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