N1MU/VE2/R June 2009 Page

Team

Tom Mayo, N1MU

Len Desmond, N2NAO

Grids Planned

Local Times (EDT)	Grid	Town
14:00-16:00	FN25na	Long Sault, ON
18:30-20:30	FN36gd	Ste. Melanie, QC
7:00-8:30	FN46eb	Vianney, QC
9:30-11:00	FN45ew	Ham Nord, QC
15:00-16:00	FN35ha	Rouses Point, QC
16:30-17:30	FN34gx	Rouses Point, QC
21:30-22:30	FN14xc	Watertown, NY

Ideas

• Front left bearing and front brakes fixed on Jeep.  Hopefully ready for the LONG drive.
• For skeds, we will do our best, but we'll need the other station to point at us and call continuously on 6 meters for several minutes or until first contact.  There's no way we can make it in a 1 minute window and we do not have easy rotor capability for 2 meters and up.  6 meters is an omni antenna.  If we lose touch, we will go back to 6 meters where we had our first contact.
• Will try RoverLog Rig Module feature for Cross-Mode SSB/CW operation to get big guns' attention.  Need to practice with this en route.
• Bring paper logging materials!
• For 50 MHz to be good, unplug the laptop power supplies and turn off the transverter stack (or unpick the band select relays).
• 144 MHz:  Remove the end of the Yagi for greater beamwidth.  Maybe try an even shorter Yagi some time.
• 222 MHz TX fixed? Was bad external T/R relay?  Cross fingers. Remove the end of the Yagi for greater beamwidth.
• 432 MHz: No change.
• 903 MHZ: No change.
• 1296 MHz: No change.
• 2304 MHz fixed with WS2B's help?  He added a regulator to power all off of 24 VDC instead of synth on 12 VDC car bus.  I replaced burned up resistor in IF T/R PIN switch. Cross fingers.
• 3456 MHz good.
• 5760 MHz RX still busted.  WS2B identified LNA oscillation so replacing with WA2AAU connectorized LNA, -20 V regulator not regulating (giant T/R frequency offset---this may kill our chances for 5 GHz for this contest), T/R Relay control board broken but WS2B fixed.
• The new vehicle setup is good and pretty quick to set up. 6 m is higher now and shows good SWR, but is low enough for travel.
• Leveling is important, and there is little play in this new setup. Use wood blocks under tires again.  Look into camper-leveling legos for next time.

Comments: tmayo6 -at- gmail -dot- com