‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2007 QST  PAGES 75, 76 AND 100  ‰
3456 MHZ.  EVEN ADDITIONAL TOHTSU ISOLATION RELAYS HAD NOT CURED THE
PROBLEM.  IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE CONTEST, WHILE RECHECKING
THE SYSTEM, WE FOUND AN ERROR IN THE SEQUENCER WIRING.  AN EXTRA WIRE WAS
CONNECTED TO THE MAIN PTT INPUT, IN ADDI
‰  FROM PAGE 100  ‰
IK2QPR/332 IK4CWP/335 IK5MEN/334 IK6FWJ/331 IK7UFL/329 IK8CVZ/332

EFFORT AND NOT INCONSIDERABLE EXPENSE.  WHAT FOLLOWS IS A CAPSULE VIEW OF
WHAT ALL SERIOUS PORTABLE OPERATIONS ENCOUNTER TO ONE EXTENT OR ANOTHER.  I
WILL LOOK PARTICULARLY AT THE HARDWARE, AND ON FIXING THAT HARDWARE IN REAL
TIME WHEN IT FAILS.  ON THE BUS AS KEN KESEY OF THE MERRY PRANKSTERS SAID
IN THE EARLY 1960S OF THEIR PSYCHEDELIC BUS YOURE EITHER ON THE BUS, OR
YOURE OFF THE BUS.  FOR THE GRID PIRATES, K8GP, WERE ON THE BUS GOING TO
SPRUCE KNOB, WV, 4863 FT 1482 M ELEVATION, THE HIGHEST POINT ON THE EAST
COAST BETWEEN MT. WASHINGTON, NH AND THE VA/NC BORDER.  NO PSYCHEDELIC
COLORS BUT WE TRANSPORT OUR ENTIRE PORTABLE STATION SOME 165 MILES 265 KM
OVER STEEP HILLS IN THREE SCHOOL BUSES SEE FIGURE 1.  WE ALSO TOW A 15 KW
DIESEL POWERGUARD GENERATOR ON ITS OWN TRAILER.  EIGHT TOWERS RANGING FROM
9 TO 28 M IN HEIGHT ARE CARRIED ON TOP OF THE BUSES AND ARE SUPPORTED BY
THE BUSES IN THEIR RAISED POSITIONS SO NO GUYS ARE NEEDED.  A NINTH TOWER
IS MOUNTED ON THE GENERATOR TRAILER WITH A 24 FT MAST SUPPORTING A PAIR OF
‰  FROM PAGE 100  ‰
AA0FT/333 AA1QD/329 AA4NC/339 AA4NJ/336 AA6Z/337 AA8R/337 AA9AA/334
AB4H/351 D44BS/352 DJ2AJ/351 DJ3GW/341 DJ6GK/337 DJ8WD/338 DK2UA/342
‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ

THE WORLD ABOVE 50 MHZ ON THE ROAD  THE ORIGINATOR OF THIS COLUMN, ED
TILTON, W1HDQ, WAS AN ACTIVE CONTESTER WHO USED TO WRITE ABOUT HIS CONTEST
OBSERVATIONS IN THE COLUMN EVEN THOUGH HE ALSO WROTE THE FORMAL SUMMARY OF
THE CONTEST THAT APPEARED IN QST AT A LATER DATE.  AS MY READERS KNOW, I
REALLY ENJOY WORKING CONTESTS OF ALL KINDS, AND IN THE LAST 25 YEARS OR SO,
ESPECIALLY VHF CONTESTS.  SO, ALTHOUGH IT IS MUCH TO SOON TO KNOW WHO HAD
THE TOP SCORES IN EACH CATEGORY, THIS MONTH I REVIVE ED TILTONS TRADITION
AND GIVE YOU SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE JUNE 2007 ARRL VHF QSO PARTY.  I
WILL FOCUS ON MY OWN OPERATION FROM A MOUNTAINTOP PORTABLE LOCATION, AND ON
THE UNUSUAL CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND FEATURED.  PORTABLE OPERATION THE TWO
WARM MONTH ARRL VHF CONTESTS PRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MOUNTAINTOP
PORTABLE OPERATION.  IN ALMOST EVERY AREA OF THE COUNTRY, SINGLE OP AND
MULTIOP PORTABLE OPERATIONS ACT AS WORKABLE BEACONS FOR FIXED STATIONS.
GIVEN THEIR EXCELLENT LOCATIONS THESE PORTABLE STATIONS PROVIDE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR FIXED STATIONS TO WORK OUT TO MUCH GREATER DISTANCES THAN
NORMAL, EVEN UNDER UNENHANCED CONDITIONS.  PORTABLE OPERATION INVOLVES REAL
‰  FROM PAGE 100  ‰
WB4KZW/336 WB5LBJ/DU 341 WD5COV/334 WE2K/336 WI8R/336 WK2H/336 WN9Q/335
WR4K/350 WZ4S/336 YS1AG/356 YT6A/332 YU1TR/337 YV1CLM/335 YV1TO/340
YV5ANT/338 ZL1ALE/349 ZL1AMN/350 ZL1AV/364 ZL2ST/339 329 9A2JK/332 9A8W/337
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ