‰ NOW 40 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM JULY 2007 QST PAGES 83, 84 AND 74 ‰ GROUNDING. FIRST GET SOMETHING WORKING, THEN TAKE IT OUT AND MAKE SOME CONTACTS. START WITH SHORT DISTANCES AND MOVE FURTHER APART IN STAGES. WHEN SOMETHING DOESNT WORK, FIGURE OUT WHY AND TRY AGAIN. OF COURSE, MICROWAVE DX ISNT THE ONLY KIND OF OPERA ‰ FROM PAGE 74 ‰ CO N4FCC 50 VIRGINIA 318 ODEN K3EP 163 VIRGINIA BEACH WA4TCJ 110 OPERATION. MOST OF THE EXPERIENCED 10 GHZ OPERATORS DO WELL WITH AN 18 24 INCH DISH AND 1 OR 2 W. FOR THE BEGINNER, WE RECOMMEND AN EASY TO AIM HORN ANTENNA AND PERHAPS A BIT LESS POWER. MOST OF THE EXPERIENCED OPERATORS HAVE IMPROVED THEIR EQUIPMENT OVER TIME, ENDING UP WITH EXCESS EQUIPMENT. WE TRY TO LEND THESE OUT FOR CONTESTS AND OTHER ACTIVITY, TO GIVE NEWCOMERS A CHANCE TO TRY MICROWAVE OPERATION. TYPICALLY, AN EXPERIENCED OPERATOR WILL INVITE NEW OPERATORS TO ACCOMPANY THEM FOR A DAY OR WEEKEND, SO AS TO LEARN SOME OF THE NUANCES OF MICROWAVE OPERATION THEY ARE THEN ENCOURAGED TO FLY SOLO. WITH A BIT OF GUIDANCE, A NEW OPERATOR WITH SIMPLER EQUIPMENT IN A 10 GHZ CONTEST WILL MAKE ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF THE CONTACTS THAT THE EXPERIENCED OPERATOR WITH THE FANCY EQUIPMENT MAKES. MANY OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE BORROWED A RIG AND TRIED MICROWAVES HAVE BECOME ENTHUSIASTIC MICROWAVERS, ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO JOIN THEM. MATT, KB1VC, COVERED SIMPLE TEST EQUIPMENT. MANY MICROWAVERS HAVE ACQUIRED FAR TOO MUCH TEST EQUIPMENT ‰ FROM PAGE 74 ‰ DISTRICT 1 W1OKH 98 BENNINGTON CO N1RRW 73 DISTRICT 2 ARES K3BRJ 2 WESTERN WASHINGTON 156 KING CO K7FDF 99 AUXILIARY EMERG COMM KE7AUV 57 EAST BAY 81 ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ MICROWAVELENGTHS GETTING STARTED IN MICROWAVES W1GHZ YOUVE BEEN READING MICROWAVELENGTHS IN QST FOR A WHILE, AND NOW YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT MICROWAVES ARE REALLY LIKE. HOW CAN YOU GET YOUR FEET WET YES, WE OPERATE IN THE RAIN ON OCCASION AND SEE FOR YOURSELF? SUMMER IS A GOOD TIME FOR PORTABLE OPERATION, SO IT IS THE HIGH SEASON FOR MICROWAVE ACTIVITY. YOU JUST HAVE TO FIND SOME. MICROWAVE BEGINNERS WORKSHOP THIS PAST APRIL IN NEW ENGLAND, WE HELD A MICROWAVE WORKSHOP AT THE EASTERN VHF CONFERENCE FOR FOLKS INTERESTED IN GETTING STARTED IN MICROWAVES THIS WAS PATTERNED AFTER SEVERAL MICROWAVE WORKSHOPS HELD RECENTLY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. FACILITATORS INCLUDED DALE CLEMENT, AF1T MATT REILLY, KB1VC CHIP TAYLOR, W1AIM, AND MYSELF. OUR AUDIENCE RANGED FROM OLD TIMERS TO YOUNG BAHNOU UPTON, KB1OIS, WHO RECENTLY PASSED HER GENERAL LICENSE INCLUDING CODE AND THEN WANTED TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE, PERSUADING HER FATHER DAVID, WB1CMG, TO COME ALONG. THE WORKSHOP EMPHASIZED SIMPLE AND LESS EXPENSIVE WAYS TO GET ON MICROWAVES. FOR SOME REASON, MOST BEGINNERS WANT A 6 FOOT DISH TOO BIG TO POINT AND A 10 W TWT AMPLIFIER TOO POWER HUNGRY FOR PORTABLE ‰ FROM PAGE 74 ‰ CONNECTICUT 101 NEW LONDON SKYWARN W1SSN 42 HARTFORD, TOLLAND SKYWARN K1PAI 32 LITCHFIELD SKYWARN KA1TCH 27 MAINE 180 MAINE EMERG COMM K1HZU 180 NEW HAMPSHIRE 54 W ROCKINGHAM KA1UVH 54 VERMONT 279 VERMONT PHONE NET KF1Z 106 ‰ END OF 40 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ