Springtime Teases

Breakup this year seems slow to proceed.  An abundance of snow as well as days and nights toggling between 35-40 and 10-20F means a constant cycle of slow thaw and re-freeze.  Antennas weigh on our minds, Dan and I.  KL1JP has already begun construction of a 160 vertical, and a new Hexx beam arrived in the mail.  Planning for Field Day has begun in earnest, too.

Until the ground thaws, a lot of preparation for summer is in order.  Gather parts, place orders, line up volunteers.  As the snow parts, a few blades of grass are beginning to green.  Still, the ground is solid as cement just below the surface.  It's a tease.

A new QSL design has just been shipped to Gennady UX5UO.  Fantastic work at a reasonable price.

New Antennas on the Tower...At Last!

The planets aligned, weather moderated, friends and co-workers gathered for a good old-fashioned antenna party at KL2R yesterday. See the KL1JP video (28 MB) here. It's unbelievable how lucky we were. The Force 12 EF-140 40m dipole made it to 100 feet and is oriented to North America and Asia. This should help fill the gaps on 40m, as we go lacking for NA contacts in most contests on this band. The second Force 12 C3 oriented towards Europe is now installed at the 85-foot level and produces superior results. Check out the comparison I did today:

KL2R New Antennas Compared

I don't have enough thanks to offer: KL1RL, KL1JP, N6PU, and my two work colleagues Marc Meindl and Lance Seman.

Good times coming!

Photo by KL1RL