August Erin Net Tuesday August 31, 2021

[The sip]

I am still here. I have been on frequency but can seldom hear anyone clearly.  I have been planning an antenna overhaul to see if that will help but time has not worked out.  Is anyone running an amp or just barefoot? Is there a tutorial for the digital mode?

[JohnyMac]

A lot of questions Sip. LOL

Only Jackalope runs a linear amp. I think at 400-watts. Everybody else is at about 100-watts.

There are some great G5RV antenna's out there if you have two trees about 100 feet apart at your AO. This is the one I use. As a matter of fact, I have built two and many readers have built one too.

On the digital front, you can use the above antenna. May I suggest, what ever HF radio you have and want to go digital, search for your radio model and digital. There are a scillion YT video's out there on your HF radio set up with digital.

I hope these several comments get you started on the right path. We are here to help. 

[The sip]

The antenna I use for 40 and 80 is a 542 foot loop about 50 feet of the ground.  One side has gotten in a tree and I think is affecting my receive. I have used a g5rv with great results. I loaned it to a new ham that needed an antenna to get on the air. I have an off center dipole that I want to put up until I can get the loop fixed.  I will search YouTube to get my radio set for digital.  I am running a flex radio 6600m with a Collins 30l1 amp at about 400 watts.

[pkveazey]

The antenna I use for 40 and 80 is a 542 foot loop about 50 feet of the ground.  One side has gotten in a tree and I think is affecting my receive. I have used a g5rv with great results. I loaned it to a new ham that needed an antenna to get on the air. I have an off center dipole that I want to put up until I can get the loop fixed.  I will search YouTube to get my radio set for digital.  I am running a flex radio 6600m with a Collins 30l1 amp at about 400 watts.

I've tried a bunch of home brew antennas and had varying levels of success and failures. I run barefoot with an auto-tuner to my main antenna which is a 160 meter Dipole up about 40 feet. I run an antenna Switch that also has 80,40,and 10 meter vertical Hamsticks connected to it. My system sort of goes back to the old Ham Joke, "If your antenna isn't working right, just add more wire." I NEVER use Baluns.

[JohnyMac]

Sip, wow a 520 loop and a Flex radio. Man o' man you have a great system.

Yeah you are probably correct, there is a failure somewhere along the loop.

Isn't it amazing no matter how good your transceiver is, you are only as good as your antenna.

Good luck Brother.

[cooter]

I have a 20-30-40 link dipole set up in an inverted V at about 30 feet or so.  It used to have an 80 meter link but I took that off.  I run barefoot at 100W (that's the manufacturer's specs, I've never measured it).
My main issues are the noise level is usually around an S 6-7, and the static crashes in the summer of course.
Mike

[JohnyMac]

The ERIN net was always best during fall/winter periods. I keep an eye on propagation reports and as we get closer to Sept 21, we will probably move back to 75/80-meters which should clear up some issues. Last year we had two ERIN nets, 40-meters then a second one on 75/80-meters. I just do not have the time to do three nets, digital, and two phone nets.

I was at my monthly amateur radio club meeting last night and 4-folks who lurk or get on the ERIN net told me that they can hear me but just above the weeds. Two tried to check in but I didn't hear them. This is a change in the wrong direction for sure. I am assuming a skip issue with our local participants. Propagation is defiantly changing.

Thoughts?     

[Jackalope]

   Johny, knowing your topography and some of your antenna system, I'd say the locals hearing you are receiving the signal via ground wave.   The mountains do a pretty good job of blocking the lower angle emissions.  A NVIS antenna would work best for the local folks, but wouldn't work too well for those of us in 4 and 5 lands.  This week was rough copy, but generally I can copy you well enough.  I hear cooter and the sip usually the best, probably because we're not that far apart.

[FeedingFreedom]

I use an 80-meter horizontal loop, absolutely my favorite all-around antenna, resonant on every harmonic, and once you get to 20m, the angle of radiation is very low and you even start to get some gain. I've worked Australia, Antarctica, Falklands, and Japan, as well as Europe and the Middle East with 100-150 watts. Of course that was at the top of the last cycle. My problem now is that the 80m bandwidth is centered for CW, once I get up to 3.8 MHz and above the SWR is really an issue. I'm building an NVIS antenna for 40 and 80, but as Jackalope said, once you're out past 300-400 miles it's not effective. It's intended to be car-transportable, I wanted something I can throw in the trunk and use for local/regional comms if the need arose.

Better news is that my work schedule is changing after next week, I'll have Tuesday nights off, for a while anyway. Probable that I'll have EVERY night off soon, whenever work jumps the shark and mandates the clot shot for employees. 

[JohnyMac]

I truly do not understand why 40-meters is not doing better. I spend some time this morning looking at propagation charts along with everyone's grid and 40-meters is 95% across the board.

NOT this Tuesdays net but starting Sept. 7th going to 75/80-meters for at least one week to see if that is better for the group. From mid-Florida to Toronto, Canada the propagation on 75/80-meters is around 90% at 2000 hrs. eastern.

75/80-meters does not surpass 40-meters till the start of November.

Thoughts from all?

JMc

[pkveazey]

Today, 40 meters was up and running. About 3 pm I heard somebody in SC calling CQ so I went back to him and he was 59.We had a nice chat for a while and then he faded out and then came back up. Hopefully, 40 will be good tonight. I plan to be tuned in.

[pkveazey]

OK, I monitored the Digital Net. I'm all set up for the Phone Net at 8.

[pkveazey]

Small net tonight but it was a good one. Slight QSB but 90% of the time everyone was 59.

[JohnyMac]

Quick Aug. 31 ERIN net AAR

Digital
Three folks on the digital net last evening. One station was tough for me to copy so our veteran station from North Carolina did a great job relaying their report.

Phone
Weak night with only three folks on the net. All stations came in clearly to my AO. There was a station from Ohio I could not hear that PKv had a QSO with just before the net.

Overall
Things are pretty much normal from MS to PA with a few items.
1) The CCP Virus seems to have up ticked a bit. I assume it is the Delta variant which is less potent but apparently easier to get.
2) Brown rice from MS to PA is tough to find. Other rice varieties are light.
3) Food prices continue to rise with beef increasing the quickest.
4) Supermarkets have good supplies when compared to late last year.
5) Petrol prices are rising except in the PA. I suggest that it might be due to the Labor Day weekend. Petrol prices did jump to $3.35 a gallon last week however, dropped to $3.29 a gallon recently.
6) No troop movements reported.
7) The station that checked in from MS reported Ida was not much an issue other than rain. VA. reported that he was not expecting any nastiness from Ida but rain. Ida should not be an issue in NE PA/Southern NY tier. From Scranton south, through Philly and NE through Boston are expecting flood conditions with rain 6-inches and higher.

Remember, the September SOI has been posted and we will be switching to 75/80-meters from 40-meters.

73 & God Bless