Moonlight Maddness on Mt Herman, CO
After several days of sub-zero weather here in Colorado Saturday the January 19th the day of the Polar Bear Club's Moon Light Madness Event aka PBMME was looking good with plenty sunshine and mild 20s and most of all it was calm! I got on 20m to check conditions and worked both Ron/WB3AAL/PB#1 and Guy/N7UN/PB#15 from my Polar Bear den (home QTH) before the goats and I left for our hike up Mt Herman.
It was an excellent day 6" of fresh falling snow the night before covered the landscape.
After a refreshing hike with the boys up Mt Herman I had just finished hanging my 85' LW/EDP antenna in some trees at the edge of an East facing 1500' drop off which should give some gain into the east where most of the Polar Bear Ops reside. I then deployed a 17' counterpoise on top of the snow in the opposite direction and connected both to the T1 and tuned her up with my ATS3A at reduced power. I must add it's always a thrill for me to get things all lashed together then launch a signal and hear some one answer my CQ. Thus I was so happy to hear Stephen VE7NSD with a nice loud signal come back to my first CQ "...woohoo it's working!" I thought. But then when I turned it back and heard nothing my heart sank like a heavy rock in a mud puddle. "Where ya go??" I pondered ...hmm, my antenna was still attached? That darn bottom of the solar cycle QSB ate our signals again! Actually later on during the middle of a QSO something else was about to eat my signal.
Palm paddles (which if adjusted to wide spacing work consistently at low temps), Elecraft T1 autotuner,
ATS3A, Batman tin w/ATS modules and 11VDC NmHD battery pack in refig/insulated pack
Just a technical note here I've found that if I keep my batteries warm they tend to last longer and have a higher starting voltage than if I let them get too cold.
Ok so I'm in the middle of this QSO with Walt/WB8E and turn it back for his final and ounce again it's un-nervingly quiet. Heh? This time there wasn't even a noise floor ...zip nada nothing! I turned around and see Rooster calmy chewing his cud ok? ...but notice danglling above his head is a chewed off end of the antenna wire! How'd he do that so fast without me catching him?? It took me a nanosecond to know who ate my antenna, Rooster-goat chewed through it! That nuckle head! Arruugh! He's now dubbed my 'ANTeater-goat'!!
Rooster 'the ANTeater' going in for the kill on my 85' antenna wire (which is now 78 feet)
It's amazing how fast you can strip insulation off wires with your teeth and twist them back together again! And go on with your QSO as if nothing's happened. The funny thing is I tried to explain to Walt I was hiking with my goats and working him from my QRP rig while sitting in a snowbank with a wire in the tree. He's come back was "goats?" so I repeat and further explain. But I think he got the picture after I explained the reason I went QRT was "...ant was chewed off by goat hi hi"
You know I sure love having the 'boys' along on these QRP/goat hikes but I must say they really add another level of challenge to my day! Worse than a bunch of two year olds on the loose. Honestly I wouldn't have any other way! They are the best of hiking buddies!
Jan'08 PBMME log:
VE7NSD almost? QSB ate our sigs
KE7LKW 559/559 Stewart/WA PB#98
VE7BS 579/599 Bob/BC
N7UN/2 439?/579 Guy/NY PB#15
N9OHW/p 229/229 Mike/CA KX1 4w & wire in tree in a park nr SF
VA3SIE/pm 439/579 Martin/OT KX1 20'vert PB#20
WB8E 559/559 Walt/MI >>>>>>ANTeater goat QRT!!!!
W8FEJ 579/579 Jim/OH
Here's some more pix:
http://picasaweb.google.com
Till next QRP/goat hike Cheers, Steve/n0tu and goats/Rooster & Peanut
http://www.angelfire.com
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