Hello,
Today I got the chance to test my 1 kilo HF pack during the activation of Mt. Iguste EA2/NV-127.
Weather wasn’t brilliant but it didn’t rain. WX has been poor during the week, it’s been raining a lot.
I arrived in the summit after a 45 minute trek and started calling cq on VHF. I used a Flower pot antenna (half wave vertical dipole, corner fed) that was hanging from a tree with a cloth clip.
Later I deployed the pole with the End Fed. The antenna is resonant and this time I got rid of the ATU I use to carry…
Detail on feed point, with the extendable red wire to adjust SWR to 1:1.
I plugged everything, switched on the MTR but I couldn’t hear much with my tiny earphones.
I keyed down and heard my own tone very very low! Oh no, I took a wrong impedance earphone that desn’t match the MTR!!!
I suffered a small panic attack thinking I wouldn’t hear any chaser at all… I began calling and plugged my ears with my hands to hear better. The pile up started and I could copy calls, much weaker than normal but at least it worked. I think I probably missed some low level calls today due to my earphone mistake. Sorry!
When my pile of chasers dried up I qsy’ed and found a lot of HB9 stations nearby celebrating his Sota day. I contacted with 6 HB9 stations Sota- 2-Sota and 3 EA2 stations Sota- 2-Sota. Great day!!
After all, it worked fine in 14 MHz CW; I logged 31 qso in 14 MHz CW and 9 additional qso in 145 mHz FM with my handheld.
My 1 kilo pack has passed succesfully the test.
The MTR rig worked flawlessly; I could log the first 4 necessary qso to qualify in just 3 minutes.
After almost 2 hours in action the voltage has decreased from the initial 8,4 Volts (2 cells Lipo) down to 7,9 volts, and still pushes the initial 3 watts I started with.
Once I arrived back home I found another pair of earphones and I felt the enormous difference in reception. In fact I’m astonished I could work a single qso with the rubish I carried up today.
Thanks for your calls, I now have two options for mountain top ready: the all in one FT817, or the light CW only MTR. I’m sorry I can’t work SSB with the light pack…
See you soon from another mountain, VY 73 de Ignacio
Ps: picture of some lovely flowers on the trail:
Picture of ant colony entrance; they form a tower… looks like AOTA (Ants on the air):
Info on the 1 Kilo challenge here: