With a simple 3 element beam, a length of coax and 5 watts you will be
amazed who is out there wanting to work you and just how far you can
get.
Not everyone has all those other fancy bands to play with, so give 2m
SSB or FM a try!
This was a public service message.
I always take my ancient Standard C500 handheld and a 5/8 wave telescopic BNC rig-mounted antenna that I bought at a rally many years ago. Best distance to date - over 90 miles with 2.5W of FM!
With a simple 3 element beam, a length of coax and 5 watts you will be
amazed who is out there wanting to work you and just how far you can
get.
Not everyone has all those other fancy bands to play with, so give 2m
SSB or FM a try!
This was a public service message.
I always take my ancient Standard C500 handheld and a 5/8 wave telescopic BNC rig-mounted antenna that I bought at a rally many years ago. Best distance to date - over 90 miles with 2.5W of FM!
I agree with you, re. 2mtr. ssb and fm, an example, I managed to work Robin GM7PKT/P, 2m ssb, on three summits last weekend and as a bonus, MD/DL2BQD, on GD/GD-001 on 2mtr. fm HORIZONTALLY polarised!! so, even if a minimal station is taken onto the tops, for whatever reason, laying the radio over to the hoizontal and lining it up 90’ to the direction they wish to send
/receive, using the gear as a single element beam, they will be amazed at the difference.
I know you know this but obviously a lot of folks out there don’t!!
Thanks to you and John M0JDK for 6 out of 6 last weekend!!
Regards
Don G0NES]
All a bit starange, M0JDK and me were using a 857, 10 - 30 watts power at times on a 3 ele SOTA beam and worked Norfolk (170miles away) on 4 out of the 6 and the only reason we did not work him on the other two was he went out. We also made Devon. One for the x Files!