Mini RSOC Activity Report – HF Systems Working Well
November 17, 2022
A Station Report From our Station Manager, TJ Sheffield, KL7TS…
I went to the RSOC to work on the Windows / microKeyer II sound card settings, but instead, I worked DX.
I heard and went after the Central African Republic, TL8AA on 20m CW. The SAL-30 was used as an RX antenna to improve their signal, and it worked. I used the SAL-30 in bi-directional mode to get the most gain possible.
There was another very loud Anchorage station trying to work the TL8 (significant key-clicking), but the K3 handled it since we are far enough away at the RSOC from the other local station.
The stack of ferrite on all three SAL-30 input lines appears to have eliminated the “lock up” aspects we noticed during SHARES operation, and I’m really pleased with that outcome.
After 20m CW, I worked TL8ZZ (their dedicated FT8 call sign) on 40m FT8. VOACAP says there is no path at all, but I gave him a -16 and he gave me a -22. I used the SAL-30 in bi-directional mode and could decode him down to -24.
I tried the Alpha-Delta dipole, the SteppIR vertical, and the SAL-30, with the SAL winning out for RX. For TX I used the SteppIR vertical.
After 40m FT8 I worked them on 30m FT8. This time the SAL-30 was hearing some kind of noise, so I used the SteppIR vertical for both TX and RX. Again, VOACAP predicted no path at all. He gave me a -10 and I gave him a -19.
Overall, the RSOC is performing pretty well.
TJ Sheffield, KL7TS
Note from Kent, KL5T: If you want to learn more about this gear, be sure to join the monthly General Membership meeting on Zoom on December 1, or drop by the RSOC on Wednesday mornings during SHARES to see it all in action.
