Introduction Amateur radio VKV PA – december 2021

VKV PA – december 2021

Mapa spojení v decembrovom VKV PA
Connection map in December VHF PA

I hate feeling, when I set up the antenna and my fingers freeze. Insensitive fingers insert the nuts and tighten the joints. The cables are stiffer due to the low temperature. And yet I give it up. If it were easy, that's how everyone can do it, no?

VHF PA has the advantage of this, that every month is a new round. Thus, various improvements can be tested. I had two ready this time, well, along the way, I remembered, that there was one cable left at home. So in the end just one improvement.

HINT: Anchor cable tensioner

Why a tensioner? Because it allows you to quickly set the required length of the anchor cable. The mast with the antenna is always built a little differently. It takes a few minutes to set the correct length of the anchor ropes. Allow one cable, put the second one… and repeat it several times.

With the tensioner, the fixation of the ropes is much faster. I used the so-called. nine turnbuckle. Concerns about that, that the tensioner would not have to keep the cable reliably not confirmed. See how fast the tensioner works

VKV PA

I start by getting one of the harder multipliers, JN87. Unfortunately, there were not many such moments in this VHF PA. This is due to very poor distribution conditions. Perhaps the worst I've ever experienced. There is not a single station from Croatia in the logo, Slovenia or Romania. I only heard one, 9A8D. We tried to connect at two different times. I heard the 9A8D signal. But my signal in Croatia was so weak, that it wasn't enough to connect.

So most connections are close, 11x JN88, 17x JN89 a 14x JN98. The longest QSO was DG0VOG from JO60 at a distance 376 kilometers. However, SO7M from KO00 also got into the log, which is the new locator square. I also heard Janko OM8OM from KN09, but we didn't make the connection in VKV PA.

Pros

  • Acceptable December weather, where only remnants of snow lay in the field (+2° C and moderate breeze, later drizzle)
  • The power plant of the second race ran completely reliably
  • Antenna construction, the mast and the preparation of the workplace went very fast
  • The 13.8V power supply after mounting the TIP142 was much more stable

Cons

  • Extremely weak distribution conditions
  • Forgotten connecting cable
  • After an hour, the PA stopped giving performance at times. That's why I switched from R2CW to TR-751E

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