‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM AUGUST 2008 QST  PAGES 93, 94 AND 85  ‰

BLINKS RED, THEN IT IS TIME TO CHANGE BATTERIES BEFORE ANY PROBLEMS OCCUR.
A SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF THE LED VOLTAGE MONITOR IS SHOWN IN FIGURE 4 AND A
COMPLETE UNIT IN FIGURE 5.  THE CIRCUIT IS SIMPLE ENOUGH TO BUILD DEAD BUG
STYLE, BUT A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD IS MO
‰  FROM PAGE 85  ‰
OE2KGM/337 K4FJ/364 W5BPT/348 I0KDF/343 JS3CTQ/340 UT7WZA/341 G4PTJ/340

MICROWAVES AND FOR HAWK WATCHING THE FOLKS IN THE BACKGROUND IN BOTH
PICTURES.  WHEN THESE TWO ACTIVITIES COINCIDE IN SEPTEMBER, THE SUMMIT GETS
PRETTY CROWDED.  INVARIABLY, SEVERAL ROVERS WILL SHOW UP AT THE SAME TIME
AT SITES IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND ALL WANT A CONTACT.  OPERATING SEVERAL
MICROWAVE BANDS FROM 10 GHZ UP IS HARD ENOUGH, BUT ADDING AS MANY AS NINE
LOWER BANDS IN A VHF CONTEST CAN GET PRETTY CRAZY.  ON THE OTHER HAND,
THERE ARE INEVITABLY SLOW PERIODS AS WELL FIGURE 3 SHOWS HOW KB1VC AND
W1AIM PREVENT BOREDOM.  WHEN THE SITE IS CROWDED, THE WIND IS BLOWING, DOGS
ARE BARKING AND A FLEET OF MOTORCYCLES ARRIVES, IT GETS PRETTY HARD TO HEAR
THE RADIO.  GOOD HEADPHONES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR CONCENTRATING ON THE SIGNALS
WA1MBA, KNEELING IN THE CENTER OF FIGURE 2, IS DIGGING OUT A WEAK ONE ON 78
GHZ.  ESSENTIALS I TRY TO DO AT LEAST ONE PORTABLE OPERATION EARLY EACH
SUMMER, BEFORE CONTESTS, BECAUSE SOMETHING ALWAYS GETS FORGOTTEN ON THE
FIRST TRIP.  I TAKE ALONG A PAD TO WRITE DOWN ITEMS FORGOTTEN AND OTHER
‰  FROM PAGE 85  ‰
W2FCR/351 JA9RRH/332 W9RXJ/353 NA7AA/337 K4CIA/357 W4VQ/356 HL3IUA/340
JR4LNG/340 UA4RZ/346 G3VKW/349 K9FD/343 W4WX/335 JA3ART/353 W2FKF/343

MICROWAVELENGTHS SUMMER MICROWAVE SEASON W1GHZ SUMMER IS THE TIME FOR
PORTABLE MICROWAVE OPERATION, WHEN MOUNTAINTOPS AND SEACOASTS ARE WARM AND
ACCESSIBLE, SO WE WILL DISCUSS OPERATING THIS MONTH AND GET BACK TO
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS IN FUTURE MICROWAVELENGTHS.  MUCH OF THE
MICROWAVE ACTIVITY IS CENTERED AROUND THE CONTESTS, THE ARRL VHF QSO
PARTIES IN JUNE AND SEPTEMBER, THE ARRL UHF CONTEST IN AUGUST AND
PARTICULARLY THE ARRL 10 GHZ UP CONTEST IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER.  THERE ARE
ALSO MICROWAVE ACTIVITY DAYS BILL SEABREEZE, W3IY SK, PROMOTED THE FIRST
SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH AS AN ACTIVITY DAY AND MANY MICROWAVERS CONTINUE
THIS TRADITION.  AN ACTIVITY DAY, OR JUST A PRE ARRANGED TEST, IS A GOOD
TIME TO GET OUT AND OPERATE, ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHER MICROWAVE BANDS,
WHERE CONTACTS CAN BE DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING.  THE DISHES FOR 47 AND
78 GHZ IN FIGURE 1 HAVE OPTICAL QUALITY SURFACES NEEDED FOR VERY SHORT
WAVELENGTHS AND ARE SO SHARP THAT A RIFLE SCOPE IS NEEDED FOR AIMING.
OPERATION DURING A CONTEST CAN BE HECTIC AT TIMES FIGURE 2 SHOWS SOME OF
THE OPERATORS ON MT WACHUSETT IN MASSACHUSETTS, A POPULAR SPOT FOR
‰  FROM PAGE 85  ‰
W4NKI/366 HB9AZO/344 JR1DUP/345 SV1RK/336 F6GUG/339 K9ECE/374 W4UM/344
JA1SVP/347 W1URV/343 JA9BFN/338 W9NB/351 N9EN/337 K3UA/350 W4PZV/361
HB9TL/382 JR3IIR/349 UA3CT/359 G0CGL/340 K9EMG/347 W4WM/349 JA2THS/343
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ