N4KGL's Nov 4, 2023 RaDAR Rally Report

It was perfect weather for the Rally in Florida, with cool temps and sunshine. I was pleased to have RaDAR to RaDAR contacts Pat N5VMO once and Chris VA3ECO in his canoe twice. WE4BY in California was almost R to R, but I only got six digits of his grid square. Indeed, the POTA activity on 20 meters helped with thirteen Park to Park QSOs. I alternated between the Grand Lagoon Pier and the sand near Sandy Point, one kilometer to the East. I had the benefit of a light backpack and carried the Alexloop assembled. There was little time to set up at the fifth stop. So I talked a local Bob AB4OB into a 2-meter FM simplex contact. I had no problem making QSOs with the Chinese FX-4CR at twenty watts and the Alexloop magnetic loop. It never hurts to be near the saltwater. 

St. Andrews S.P. Pier on Grand Lagoon

• Name: Greg Lane
• Call: N4KGL
• Day (Sat or Sun): Saturday
• Venue: St Andrews State Park, Florida
• Start UTC: 1500
• Conveyances used: On Foot
• Bands: 20 meter
• Modes: SSB
• QRP (Y or N): No, 20 watts
• # R to R QSOs =3, # Pota/SOTA QSOs =14, # other QSOs =3, # Deployments =5, Bonus Points= 12
• Eight-digit grid squares for your deployments Stop 1,3 and 5 EM70DD22 Stop 2 and 4 EM70DD31

Grand Lagoon near Sandy Point

Bob KK4DIV and Scott K7DIA had great results in the same county here in Florida, and Ken KX4BT in Alabama. Of course, Chris had it good in his canoe in Ontario. I got reports from Bob LB4FH in Norway and Lucy M6ECG in England, who had to deal with stormy or rainy weather. I also appreciate a report from Eddie ZS6BNE in South Africa. There will be more reports and follow-ups. Thanks for all the participation across the globe.

Many R2R & 73,

Greg N4KGL 

N4KGL's RaDAR Rally Plan Nov 4th, 2023

I plan to do the rally at St Andrews State Park near Panama City, Florida. I will walk between two spots, one at the marina area and the other at Sandy Point. Those are on the saltwater shore of Grand Lagoon to take advantage of the saltwater effect. I'll need five contacts at each stop to move to the next. The rig will be my FX-4CR, and the antenna will be the Alexloop magnetic loop. The hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT. Look for my spots on the RaDAR Spots page: https://www.radarrally.info/p/radar-spots.html. and the POTA site,https://pota.app/#/ , The park is POTA K-1917. I may reach out on the 145.210 repeater and QSY to 146.565 FM simplex QSO.

Please read the rules httpwww.radarrally.info/p/radar-rally-rules.html

Review the roster for the registered RaDAR participants at https://www.radarrally.info/p/fall-2023-roster.html.

Good luck and stay safe

Greg N4KGL

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Is the Saltwater Effect advantageous for the RaDAR Rally?

I discuss a study I did to quantify the saltwater effect for vertical antennas on the saltwater shore. The results motivated me to choose St. Andrews State Park overlooking the Grand Lagoon for my RaDAR Rally venue. I likely will use the Alexloop magnetic loop, which is vertically polarized for my portable antenna. This was the topic for our October 23rd, 2023, Beginner's Academy Zoom meeting. Checkout the RaDAR Rally info at www.radarrally.info

Registration is open for the Nov 4th, 2023, RaDAR Rally

RaDAR is Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio conceived by Eddie Leighton ZS6BNE. RaDAR encourages outdoor operating with a unique challenge: make five contacts and redeploy as fast as possible in four hours. The RaDAR Challenge has become the RaDAR Rally with some rule tweaks. Please take a look at the complete rules here. If you are interested, could you make your plans and register? Registration will facilitate RaDAR to RaDAR contacts. Email your registration info below to the RaDAR Rally POC, Greg Lane, at lanekg@gmail.com. I'll accept registrations through November 3rd UTC. If your plans change, send me an update. This is not a contest; it is just for fun! Check out this intro video and the Fall 2023 roster here.

Registration info includes:

• Name
• Call
• Day (Sat or Sun),
• Venue,
• Start UTC
• Conveyances
• Bands
• Modes
• QRP (Y or N)
• Spotting method (optional)

Good luck,

Greg N4KGL

Our 2023 ARRL Field Day at Eastbank Campground, Georgia

Rick NZ2I and I operated 2B GA on Lake Seminole from Eastbank Campground, Georgia. We managed 127 CW, 2 PSK-31, and 112 FT8 contacts. These counted ten points each. Our satellite QSO on RS-44 was five points for 2415 points total. All contacts were QRP, five watts or a little less. The bonuses were 750 points. Among the bonuses were the satellite contact, ten natural power QSOs, and a message to the Georgia Section Manager via WinLink. 

73,

Greg N4KGL

This is our setup at campsite C-33. It has lots of bonus green space we used for antennas.

The Buddipole Buddihex hex beam is a real winner for field day.

These solar panels help keep the voltage up on our two LiFEPO4 batteries. The smaller panel is a Bioenno 60-watt. It is lightweight and portable.

Our Quickset Venture shelter

A view of our two operating positions in the shelter. Rick was on the left on digital modes. I was on the right doing CW.

I enjoyed a visit from Micky Baker, the ARRL Southeast Director.

We look forward to Winter Field Day, likely from the same campsite.

Field Day Countdown

I used to spend one day packing before ARRL Field Day, and that was it. This year I am getting a head start. Rick NZ2I and I plan to operate callsign N4KGL, Class B Battery, two-person, two transmitter station at Eastbank Campground on the Georgia side of Lake Seminole.  I chose campsite 33 because it has bonus green space. There is room for the Buddihex hex beam and a MyAntennas 130-foot Endfed. I know because I used campsite 33 for this year's Winter Field Day.

This is Campsite 33 we used for last Winter Field Day. It is just the ticket with bonus green space for antennas. We will be operating in the shelter next to the camper. Of course, the panels will be removed to help with the heat,

To QRP or QRO? ARRL is very generous with the QRP Battery multiplier. In simple terms, two QRP CW Contacts equals five 100W CW Contacts or ten 100W phone Contacts. One hundred CW contacts yield a decent score. The rigs are an Icom 705 and an Icom 7100. Note, the Icom 7100 does take eight amps on transmit even with five watts RF output. 

We are using two 40 amp-hour Bioenno LiFEPO4 batteries for the power source. I have a solar panel for each, one 100-watt panel and one 60-watt panel. I am very impressed with the Bioenno 60-watt lite panel for its portability.

I tested N1MM Logger + networking with two Toughbook laptops. The two laptops are tied together with an ethernet crossover cable.

We plan to use a Quadplexer to operate both transmitters simultaneously on the same antenna. The Buddihex deserves to be shared. Hopefully, it will make five watts roar.

Networking N1MM Logger + for two stations is a new challenge. It is easier than I thought. N1MM does take a bit of configuration for digital modes like FT-8 and PSK-31. 

A nice satellite station, the Icom 9700, Arrow antenna, and CSN S.A.T box.

But what about bonus points? The satellite bonus is always elusive. I do have the gear. Chris VA3ECO snagged a bonus sat contact with it at last Winter Field Day. So I had better practice. The sat station has an Icom 9700, Arrow dual yagi, and an S.A.T box. The S.A. T. box does much work, but it still takes some operator savvy to point the antenna and pull off a contact. I may go for the message bonus too. WinLink is a great choice; more prep and practice are needed.

What could be better than a view of the Buddihex at sunset over Lake Seminole?

Hey, does this sound like a lot of effort? It is worth it; However, the effort can be reduced by participating with your local club. The Panama City, FL, and Dothan, AL clubs have planned great group field days.

Rick, NZ2I

Rick NZ2I  and I expect to have a great time despite the heat. We are long-time friends.

Good luck at Field Day,

Greg N4KGL

A Dose of Alabama Parks On The Air

Linda, Suzy and I camped at Frank Jackson State Park near Opp Alabama. We were joined by Bob KK4DIV and his wife Carla. Bob, Carla and I followed through on our plan to activate Memorial Island for the US Islands One Day Getaway on Saturday.  I was pleased to do four POTA activations at Frank Jackson. I also drove over to Florala State Park K-1040 which was my 50th unique POTA activation. 

The view of Memorial Island from our campsite

It was good to exercise my gear including the Icom 705, Elecraft KXPA-100 amp. I used the N6BT V8 vertical for most of my campsite contacts. On the island and at Florala I used the Alexloop magnetic loop for portability. I mied the modes, SSB, FT8 and CW. Tom WD0HBR and Sandy dropped by on Saturday also. Tom cast a worm lure in the lake, but it was too weedy where we were..

Bob KK4DIV and Carla from Lynn Haven, Florida

I'll take any excuse to go to Frank Jackson. I consider it very scenic. Bob and I plan to return for next year's One Day Getaway.

Lake Jackson at Florala, Alabama