Following on from last July’s successful Adventure radio expedition on Narrowboat Mobile, although only one chaser contact with Gerald.(and still waiting for QSO card)
We had plenty of DX using a Multiband Mobile antenna with a mag mount!!
We are going to try to Chase as many SOTA Activities from Friday 21st May to Thursday 27th as a Narrowboat Mobile station on the Llangollen Canal(so GW will be in my sights on VHF/UHF).
All bands that I can use will be catered for with FT897 and Garex 4001. I will be planning to use a 20m Dipole and Silver Rod for HF with ATU (using all of the canal as a Counterpoise)and usual SOTA beam,Jimpo’s for 2m/70cm’s & 4m. plus very successful mobile multiband and magmount.
Hope to catch and put in the log as many Activators as possible!!
In reply to 2E0LAE:
Sounds like fun operating from a boat and something I have not tried yet.
The silver rod you have got has a matching coil in the base making it an end fed zep. Open the base up where the S239 is and remove it, Centre to vertical and outer to mount and no longer DC grounded.
A balun can then be added or ATU added at antenna feed point for best results, Set the length at 16.6ft ish and you will not need the 20m dipole …oh make sure the mount is earthed to the boats hull if its metal or drop a wire in the water…assuming your not moving when this is up? Sean M0GIA
Thanks for that advice,if I have time this weekend I will have a look at doing this. I have a Earth wire that I used last time and the water became an excellent Counterpoise (300-600 miles of Earth Hi Hi)
Last year we did a lot more sailing than is planned this trip we are having a serious chill out time next week and will be moored at various planned locations for beauty and tranquility and Peace Glorious Peace!!!
Can you tell I’ve been working FAR TOO HARD recently ???
I’m a bit surprised that fresh water can make a good counterpoise as in my experience it is quite high in resistivity compared with sea water. Have you tried comparing it with a wire counterpoise?
It sounds like a great trip, I’m envious!
73
Brian G8ADD
PS Just did some checking:
resistivity of rain water : 20,000 ohm/cm
…tap water…: 1;000 - 5;000 ohm/cm
…river water (brackish): 200 ohm/cm
…sea water (coastal): 30 ohm/cm
…sea water (open sea):20-25 ohm/cm
Heaven knows how this table will look when posted!
In reply to 2E0LAE:
Hi Tony we have a permanent mooring on the L&L about 1 mile east of Greenberfield Locks next to bridge 159.I only live about 5 mins from the boat so I will have to look out for you.If your email address is on QRZ.com I will send you my mobile number Atb Geoff.
In reply to G8ADD:
I have been operating HF & VHF / UHF for many years from my narowbaot and the counterpoise is excellent, 60 foot steel boat in water on just mobile whips for hf work almost as well as the ful size dipoles from the home QTH. Only problems are the low bridges which are plentiful and the antennas won’t pass under, in my case my other half is very experienced with narrowboats and she has had plenty of experience hovering between bridges while I have been operating radio chasing SOTA.
Trust me, last year I had the best contacts on the narrowboat since being licensed!!
Using my FT897 with the Multiranger 9 Mobile whip on a magmount we got into New York twice with 2 seperate stations 2 seperate days on 40 metres (These are the only times I got stateside ever since licensed)
The metalboat and water definetly worked last year and this year I am using more antennas and more bands!
Best fun ever on Radio,although very expensive to rent a narrowboat for a week, the rest and relaxation is well worth it and a change from summit walking!!
If any gets the chance to do it I would recommend it!!
Hope to get SOTA aswell as DX and also as many from this forum as possible and NB2NB with Geoff will be a unique
" The silver rod you have got has a matching coil in the base making it
an end fed zep. Open the base up where the S239 is and remove it,
Centre to vertical and outer to mount and no longer DC grounded."
HI Sean,
followed your instructions to the letter and:
From the boat I had
18 DXCC’s
All HF bands (except for 80m & 30m) with ops on plus 6m using Silver Rod, and I damaged it on day two and it still performed better than I expected!! my LDG AT-897 tuned no probs!!
Since home I have repaired the damage and will now be using it regularly on SOTA Summits!!
Glad you had good results with the modified silver rod.
Remember that bit of wire I was experimenting with when we were joined by G1INK on Fair Snape Fell?
That is more or less what you have there, minus the weight of all the aluminium
All good fun & why on earth you don’t think you’ve got what it takes to get a full licence is beyond me!
Seriously, I am certain you have what it takes & am more than happy to give you some assistance to get you there (assuming of course that I can remember enough) HI!
Hope to catch and put in the log as many Activators as possible!!
Hi Tony!
I was delighted to catch you on 4 metres from the canal boat when I was on Mow Cop. Sorry it wasn’t a SOTA Summit, but it was a pretty good distance on 70 MHz and excellent signals from the Wouxuns in both directions. Glad you had a good time!
Yes the end fed vertical worked better than I could have imagined!!
ref the full license, I do have enough confidence to give it a go: its more a problem with time to study and some domestic issues that are taking longer than I expected to sort out.
You will have noticed I have become less active up hills lately, thats because these things are taking up a lot of my time. I am also in between radio clubs at present,but will be joining the new one soon.
I have told myself,if I do the exam and fail miserably then I know I have reached my limits,if I just fall short I will give it another go and obviously if I pass then no worries!?
Thanks for the offer and will certainly seek advice when I start back properly
Yes, excellent relax all week,we were moored up more than sailing and Elaine was glad I did the radio everytime we stopped,her ISWL log is filling up nicely.
it was all the better for the contacts we made including one stateside again this year.