N4KGL's 2023 Novice Rig Roundup Report

I operated the two weekends of the Novice Rig Roundup. My rig was the Drake 2-NT transmitter on crystal control and the Drake 2-C receiver. The output power was about 30 watts to my 130-foot 80-10 end-fed about 35 feet up.

My Drake 2 Line

I was pleased to work 26 other NRR stations among the 41 total QSOs. I enjoyed their chirp, and they heard mine. 15 Meters was the best with 22 contacts, 40 meters with 17 contacts, and 2 contacts on 80 meters. Those hams were all around the US, in 28 unique states.

The Nye Station Master key and some crystals

CW is a fun mode still. At least 200 hams were nursing their novice rigs for the event. There were Drake, Heathkit, and Eico, among others. Most use tubes.

This year I enjoyed working friends Tom WD0HBR in Dothan and Bobby AK4JA in Georgia. Classic Exchange is another fun event where the multiplier depends on the age of your rigs, 

73,

Greg N4KGL

Drake 2-C Repair Just in Time for the 2023 Novice Rig Roundup

Novice Rig Roundup is March 4-12 this year and is now underway. My Drake 2 Line, the 2-NT transmitter, and the 2-C receiver is my go-to novice rig. I used a Drake 2-C as a Novice Class ham in the late 60s. I get to recreate that novice experience using crystals for the 2-NT. It is challenging when you have a few choices of frequencies, and you can't move around with a VFO.

The Drake 2-NT transmitter and Drake 2-C receiver work smoothly together like a transceiver.

Sadly I let my original Drake 2-C go, so I bought a replacement from eBay. Phil N4STC now SK did a partial recap for me when I got the receiver. However, a hum developed that I lived with, but eventually, it was overwhelming the audio. The usual suspect is electrolytic capacitors, which was the case this time.

This is the 12-volt DC power supply circuit board in the Drake 2-C. The large electrolytic caps were the issue. 

There is a sidebar to this story. I bought a digital storage oscilloscope for my birthday. The good news is you can get a lot of bang for your buck these days. I purchased a new Instek GDS1102B two-channel 100 MHz digital storage oscilloscope for less than $300. The scope is a great value considering we hams may spend $300 on an antenna analyzer.

The Instek 1102B. Note I had not compensated the probe.

The scope came in handy. Sure enough, the 12-volt DC power supply in the 2-C had a six-volt 120 Hertz AC component. There were two 1000 uF capacitors to do the filtering. One failed open they both had a cracked case. I ordered replacement caps from Mouser, and they arrived the day before NRR started. So a little soldering and mechanical maneuvering did the job. Yet the scope still shows one volt of AC on the 12 volts DC. That causes a minor hum, and I choose to go with it and get on the air for NRR.

Before: This is a terrible output for a DC Supply. 

After: Replacing the caps improved it, but there still is about a volt of AC.

I have eighteen NRR contacts from Friday night and Saturday. Among the contacts were friends Tom WD0HBR in Dothan, Alabama, and Bobby AK4JA in Newnan, Georgia. Most of these hams share my love of vintage rigs and the Novice days. This may inspire me to dig into other vintage rigs I have that need work. The scope is not required, but it sure is helpful. Note I am a novice at using a scope, but it is intuitive. I am pleased with my purchase.

2023 Winter Field Day Camping in Georgia

Our WFD site was the Eastbank COE Campground in Southwest Georgia. Chris VA3ECO who is on a winter visit to Panama City, FL, joined me. We were a 2-transmitter outdoor Georgia (2O GA) entry. The camp site was adjacent to some green space that had room for both the Buddihex hex beam 20 - 6 meters and the MyAntennas.com 80-10-meter end-fed. A new wrinkle was using a Low Band Systems QuadPlexer to let both our transceivers use the same antenna at the same time, but different bands. We used a Quickset Clam Venture screen shelter for the operating hut. We closed it in with panels to keep warm. Chris spent Friday and Saturday in the shelter. Linda and I were in our trailer.

A drone view of the campsite.

We were ready by show time at 2 pm EST on Saturday. There was a CAS-4b satellite pass just after 2 pm. We had an Icom 9700 ready with Chris' Arrow antenna. We used a CSN Sat box to track the pass and adjust the rig for doppler. Chris snagged W4R also in Georgia on the sat pass. That was a great start to Winter Field Day and qualifies for a bonus.

The Buddipole Buddihex hex beam at sunset

Chris focused on PSK-31, and I focused on CW. We both did some phone. I had an unexpected run of 150 contacts on 20 meters SSB. 10 and 15 meters were open during the day. The Buddihex was outstanding. We used the end-fed for 80 and 40 meters. Eventually we got all band and mode combinations for 80 through 10. Then Chris tuned he end-fed on 160 and got a digital contact for a total multiplier of 16. Altogether we had just over 500 contacts.

Chris' Yaesu 857

It was not all operating, we ate at the Mexican Restaurant on Friday night, Chris cooked eggs each morning and Margot sent us some chili for supper on Saturday night. It was nice to hang out with Chris. He was a big help with the setup and operating. Pretty much this was a plan that came together and made for a great Winter Field Day experience. I hope to return to the same campsite for ARRL Field Day in June and have some more fun.

VA3ECO and N4KGL

N4KGL Winter Field Day 2023 Plans

The WFD location for N4KGL is at Site C-33 at the Eastbank COE Campground, Georgia. Visitors, please let them know my name and site number at the gate. Chris VA3ECO and I are the primary operators. We will be a 2-transmitter outdoor Georgia (2O GA) entry. Our main antennas will be a Buddihex hex beam 20 - 6 meters and a MyAntennas 80-10 meter end-fed. We will be experimenting with a QuadPlexer to allow both transceivers on the same antenna but different bands, Chris will focus on PSK-31, and I will focus on CW. We will also operate phone mode and go for as many bands/modes as possible. We will set up starting at 2 pm Friday and begin operating at 2 pm Saturday through 2 pm Sunday. Chris and I are members of the Panama City ARC, and I am also a member of the Wiregrass ARC. Good Luck to all for Winter Field Day.

N4KGL's 2022 Fall RaDAR Challenge Outing

RaDAR is Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio. For the Fall RaDAR Challenge, Suzy and I made three stops in three hours at Geneva State Lake in Southeast Alabama on Nov 10th, 2022. The site was on the Parks On The Air POTA list, and we benefited from the POTA hunters. I had to talk them out of their grid square for the RaDAR exchange. We made at least five contacts before moving to the next stop. Suzy enjoyed our two one-kilometer walks on the trail around the lake. We should have done one more stop; we had an hour left.

Our first and third stops at Geneva State Lake in Alabama

At the first stop, I had seven 20-meter SSB contacts; then a one-kilometer walk, I got five more on 20-meter SSB. We walked one kilometer back to the first stop, and I worked one Alabama and one Georgia station on 40 meters SSB. I switched to 20 meters CW and worked eight. I needed to work more than five to get the grid squares. Asking for a grid square from a CW POTA hunter is difficult as they don't expect the request.

Geneva State Lake was an excellent venue for RaDAR. Since I spotted myself on the POTA list, the contacts came quickly. The Alexloop magnetic loop and the Icom 705 fit in my backpack and were both portable and efficient for RaDAR-style operating.

The view of the lake from the pier.

Suzy, our Basset, and my RaDAR Companion

Skeeter Hunt: My First Use of the Buddipole Buddihex Hex Beam

The annual NJQRP Skeeter Hunt QRP Event on August 21st was my first opportunity to try out the BuddiHex Hex Beam by Buddipole Antennas. The assembly took some extra time being the first time. The quality and design of the antenna are excellent. I set it up for 20, 15, and 10 meters for this event. I spent three hours hunting skeeters. I found seventeen of them on 20 meters, including the head skeeter Larry W2LJ. The band conditions were not great for QRP but had a great time. Thanks to Tom WD0HBR for assistance with the Buddihex and for sitting in with me during the event.

I look forward to more opportunities to use the Buddihex, in particular, Winter and ARRL Field Day.

POTA Fun with Icom 705, Alexloop, and a Saltwater Venue

I had fun this morning doing a Park On The Activation from my favorite spot at St. Andrews State Park near Panama City, Florida. There happens to be a picnic table right next to Grand Lagoon. That spot views the rest of North America over the saltwater. I believe saltwater enhances low-angle radiation for vertically polarized waves. My rig was the Icom 705 at ten watts into the AlexLoop magnetic loop. 

The Alexloop magnetic loop was about twelve feet from the water.

The results speak pretty well for this effect. I had 56 contacts,  48 on 20 meters, 6 on 17 meters, and 2 on 40 meters. To the west was NU7J in Washington State, to the south was ZF5T in the Grand Cayman Islands, and to the north was Chris VA3ECO in Ontario. The furthest contact on 40 meters was AA5UZ in Louisiana on CW. This was the best activation I have had with the Alexloop.  

I used the Icom IC-705 at ten watts powered by a Bioenno 3AH battery.

The view toward the East over Grand Lagoon.