US on 17 Meters

[W3WN]

My DXCC status on 17 Meters as of yesterday stands at 115 Worked / 95 Confirmed.

In the process of doing some data mining trying to finagle the last few cards from the unconfirmed, I came across the suprising fact that I haven't actually worked anyone in the US on 17!

[The only close one was when I worked AA3FI Aeronautical Mobile (which doesn't count for DXCC) when he was still flying the US Airways Airbus out of Greater Pitt... guess that makes him Airbus Mobile? :snicker: ]

Any chance I can set up an evening or weekend (or New Years Day) sked with someone to knock this supposedly easy one off the list?

73, ron w3wn

[kc7jty]

I think 2-4 PM your time would be best to get my neck of the woods.

[WØTKX]

Ja, might be good for me as well... and we can PSK or CW if needed.

I do have New Years Day off, dunno if I am gonna ski or not...

Mebbe I should pick up a 17 meter hamstick if I am traveling in the mountains?

Had a quickie QSO with Japan the other evening at sunset, mobile on 20. That was cool.

[W3WN]

I think 2-4 PM your time would be best to get my neck of the woods.
Agreed, but that means either New Year's Day or this weekend. I normally don't get home from work until after 5 ET.

[W3WN]

Ja, might be good for me as well... and we can PSK or CW if needed.

I do have New Years Day off, dunno if I am gonna ski or not...

Mebbe I should pick up a 17 meter hamstick if I am traveling in the mountains?

Had a quickie QSO with Japan the other evening at sunset, mobile on 20. That was cool.
I can't do PSK. I think the data cable I bought for the TS-480 has a problem, as it feeds audio to the computer, but won't accept any back. CW is fine, tho.

I should be home Tuesday & Wednesday evenings around 5. I think we're going to be sent home earlier on Thursday, and I should be home all day on Friday through the weekend, honeydew lists not withstanding. :twisted:

[kc7jty]

my station is a wimp with 100 watts into an omni vertical A-99 10/11 meter antenna through an mfj tuner. I have made good contacts on 17 but usually the other station has a decent antenna.

btw: strictly ssb for this boy. Keep checking this thread, and as Jan 1 gets closer we'll get something to go on. How about 18.14 for a freq?

[ad4mg]

Although I'm probably too close to Ron for 17 meters, I'd like to join you guys. I'll keep up with the thread, and give it a go when a time and freq is set!

[W3WN]

I always liked the A-99. My only regret is that the one that I have was given to me without the radial kit, and I passed on an opportunity to buy another one at a hamfest with the radials... and before I changed my mind, it was gone.

It's been in storage since we had to leave the previous QTH. Hopefully this spring, I'll get it back up on the chimney, about the same time I swap out the "temporary" PVC 2 meter antenna for my dual-bander.

I did very well back in the day on 10, 12, and 17 with that antenna. Didn't use it too much on 15, and it may have been a little short for 20, but it would function. I think part of my current problems on the high bands is that the HF6V is just too far away from the house (about 100 feet), and I have too much signal loss.

18.140 sounds like a good idea. New Year's Day, perhaps?

[KJ3N]

Although I'm probably too close to Ron for 17 meters, ....
Same problem here. I'll never hear him.

[WX7P]

Post a time and Freq. I'll be there also.

[KJ3N]

I think part of my current problems on the high bands is that the HF6V is just too far away from the house (about 100 feet), and I have too much signal loss.
100 feet of RG-8U or RG-213 type cable has about 1db loss @ 30 Mhz. I doubt that is any part of your problem.

[W3WN]

I think part of my current problems on the high bands is that the HF6V is just too far away from the house (about 100 feet), and I have too much signal loss.
100 feet of RG-8U or RG-213 type cable has about 1db loss @ 30 Mhz. I doubt that is any part of your problem.
It's used cable that I purchased in a pinch after Lucy Furr, Eater of Coax, chomped my original (and newer and better quality) RG-213 into bits. It may be subjective, but the antennas never did seem to be quite the same. (I had the story of THAT on QRZ, but it seems to have scrolled off into oblivion)

This is one of many factors. Any one of which may be rather minute, but they do add up:
-- The HV6V I'm using right now has never seemed to radiate as well as the one it replaced. I've been hesitant to swap the old one back in (now that I have a new piece of tubing to replace the one that was damaged) as it's much older and more brittle, but that will probably happen in the spring.
-- The short section of RG-11 75 ohm coax that's used as a matching transformer on 20 meters was a rush job, and the spade connectors I put on the end of it 3 years ago were not stainless steel as they were alleged to be, and have rusted.
-- The aforementioned RG-213 needs to be replaced with newer coax. K3AIR has mentioned to me that he has some 50 ohm hardline (at least he thinks it's 50 ohms) that I'm welcome to have a section of. When the time comes to re-landscape the back yard, and it needs it, I'd like to do a direct route from the antenna to the house through the yard, not along the top of the fence (neccesary to keep it away from the dog!), which will also save about 20 - 25 feet in length.
--The chain link fence the antenna is on is starting to rust apart. So I need to get more radials down as a temporary measure until the fence itself is replaced (with a wooden one, at which time the antenna will be repositioned and a new permanent set of radials placed and buried)
-- And let's not even get into the way-way-way!-behind-schedule shack reconstruction!

Lots of factors.

I don't know yet how much work will get done in the back yard this coming spring & summer:
-- I still have to put in steps from the side yard (now terraced into a flower & vegetable garden) up into the back yard and up to the deck I built last year.
-- I have a little more to do at the top of the garden for a very small retaining wall, replacing a short stretch of fence, keeping the honeysuckle (she likes) in place. Maybe get a spot to mount the HF2V there as well, we'll see.
-- The front "porch" concrete slab above the second garage is leaking again, and the fence around that (which was never done right by the previous owners in the first place) is about to fall off, so THAT has to get some priority -- I'm thinking of just sealing the slab and then building a new deck to "float" above it -- although the landscaping in front of the house related to that will let me put a flagpole in, and yes, I have the aluminum tubing for a flagpole vertical ready and waiting (and I'll slip radials underneath the "floating" deck as well).

Lots to do.

So I don't want to do a lot of "temporary" fixes if I don't have to, especially if it's work that will be wasted when the "permanent" work finally gets started, whenever that is; I hate to do the same work twice or thrice. The downside of that is living with the irritation of an antenna that CAN and SHOULD perform better.

[kc7jty]

17 is dead here so far but probably due to a weekday (noon Tues my time) more than conditions.

[W7XF]

Guess I can hang out on 18.140 tomorrow... :dance

[kc7jty]

I had NC in here today on 17 at about 12:30 PM (my time, PST) @ 10 over 9. 5&9 land seem popular then also.
Will be monitoring .14 tomorrow. Make some noise.....

[WØTKX]

Just worked (barefoot) AI4NW in SE FL on 18.140. A little rough, but it's working.

Sun Spots 18, A=1, K=1, Flux 80, very low (<300) solar wind...

[ad4mg]

Just worked (barefoot) AI4NW in SE FL on 18.140. A little rough, but it's working.

Sun Spots 18, A=1, K=1, Flux 80, very low (<300) solar wind...
I'll be at the rig in a couple of hours after my wife returns from the grocery store. I'm currently assigned to caring for my shepherd, and banging on this stupid keyboard.

[kc7jty]

Sounded like cq contest here with ti8ii Costa Rica working loads of contacts for a while, if I'm not mistaken.
Things have calmed down for now. 10:30 PST.

[ad4mg]

Sounded like cq contest here with ti8ii Costa Rica working loads of contacts for a while, if I'm not mistaken.
Things have calmed down for now. 10:30 PST.
I'm heading out very shortly ... hope to hear some of you guys!

[ad4mg]

KC7JTY de AD4MG - calling on 18.140 now.

I'm hearing one very weak signal, can't pull it out of the noise.

Will call for a little while longer, but I do have to leave in abt 30 minutes.

[kc7jty]

been listening, don't hear you. i'm getting n8oo at 20 over 9 on .1353

[ad4mg]

A PY2 station moved in on '140 ... I moved up to '143 ...

[kc7jty]

qsy

[WØTKX]

I'm hanging out on .143, and calling. Nobody 'dere...

Got an N2 station answering my CQ, but really weak, couldn't make 'em out.

[ad4mg]

qsy

how abt 18.145? clng there now ...

[kc7jty]

i'm getting a strong station on .142 now

[kc7jty]

qsy

how abt 18.145? clng there now ...
ok

[WØTKX]

I'm hollorin for ya...

[WX7P]

calling on 18.145 now...

[WX7P]

I hear someone, can't quite pull them out.

[WØTKX]

Tried calling Luke on CW, no luck.

I just heard Dave floating in there, but it's rough. That was probably me... :neener:

[ad4mg]

Heard somebody briefly! I have to run, but will check back when I return. The PY2 is still quite strong here down on '140.

Bummer ... :(

[kc7jty]

sounds like dave just made a contact

[WX7P]

Tried calling Luke on CW, no luck.

I just heard Dave floating in there, but it's rough. That was probably me... :neener:

It's not you. Conditions aren't great.

[kc7jty]

quiet now on .145
next time we'll try .16

[WØTKX]

Well, I dunno, we can listen here for W3WN, but mebbe try 14.313 or something?

[WX7P]

I'll be back in an hour. Mexican food is calling me...

[kc7jty]

i told him & rot around 12:30 my time (in 10 mins)

[kc7jty]

i'm still on .145 and now have a station on .146
it's kb9mie indianapolis. i worked him last week.
i'm on .146 now listening to kb9mie

[kc7jty]

this is nuts, i'm listening on .16 now

[ad4mg]

17 just wasn't happening for me. It was fairly quiet, but the only station I ever heard well was the PY2 that squatted on '140 for a while. I caught a little of a good sounding station in Nevada working on 18.140, a "6" call, when I first sat at the rig.

Also, I think I heard a faint whisper of CW ... surely it was Dave calling me, but I couldn't even copy that!

Being short on time, I never checked any other band.

[kc7jty]

I had n8oo in Louisiana at 20 over for 45 mins 5kc down from .14, I worked him last week, he's from Russia.
Maybe tomorrow will be good?

[W3WN]

Well, I dunno, we can listen here for W3WN, but mebbe try 14.313 or something?
I appreciate the thought, but obviously it didn't work out. I don't know what hit me yesterday, but I just felt like I was walking around in a fog all day. Wasn't a hangover either (not on one beer and a sip of champagne!).

I only made the one appearance in the shack, and that was it.

Didn't even get to enjoy any of the bowl games. Heck, after I conked out, my wife watched more of the Penn State game than I did, and that's a first (since she's a Pitt alumni!)

Conditions on 17 aren't that great today, either. Anyone want to try, oh, 1600 Z on or about 18140 on Sunday?

[kc7jty]

you'll probably get into Europe ok then.

[WØTKX]

Hearing 1's and 2's on 18.140 +/- with a little QSB, but not too bad.

Do we have any 3's in the house? :snicker:

[ad4mg]

Hearing 1's and 2's on 18.140 +/- with a little QSB, but not too bad.

Do we have any 3's in the house? :snicker:
The 4 is leaving the building. I have a very long 50 minute drive to take my shepherd (pictured in my avatar) to the surgeon's facility for her reconstructive knee surgery.

Not looking forward to this at all ... :(

[WX7P]

Hearing 1's and 2's on 18.140 +/- with a little QSB, but not too bad.

Do we have any 3's in the house? :snicker:


You still on?

[WØTKX]

Umm yea, took a break for fixins in the kitchen... more crock pot beans.

18.140... or anywhere, really.

[kc7jty]

Talked to Japan today on 17 (my first time to Japan) JH2AMN