01/24/2004 | KL7AA This is the second year the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club (KL7AA), the South Central Amateur Radio Club (KL7G) and Alaska District 7 Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) have participated in the ARRL November Sweepstakes phone contest as a winter communications training exercise.

We operate Field Day style using portable towers, antennas and generator power. The idea is to simulate emergency conditions and test our ability to operate during the Alaska winter. On Saturday morning when we set up our portable operation it was -5 deg F, which is -20 degrees Canadian!

Fortunately our Radio Clubs and Alaska ARES have worked hard to build up our emergency communications capabilities and we have a converted RV motorhome with two tower-and-power antenna trailers. Each trailer sports a tri-bander on a 40 ft. crank-up and includes a 12 kw diesel generator, providing power for our 1,500 watt amplifiers on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters.

We use temporary quarter-wave Marconi verticals on 80 and 40 meters. The vertical for 80 meters is a 40 ft. aluminum tilt-up tower with a 20 ft. stinger top section. A similar 30 ft. aluminum tower and stinger is used on 40 meters. Both verticals have an extensive but temporary ground radial system.

Conditions were very difficult from here, with the High Latitude College A index showing 75 on Friday and improving to 66 on Saturday and 63 on Sunday. We could hear many stations but typically Lower 48 stations have their antennas pointed East or West during the contest and that makes it tough for us to squeak through.

Many thanks to the stations who made the extra effort to work us under difficult conditions, especially the QRP stations.

Noise levels were high on 80 meters and we were only able to work Alaska stations on that band and with the exception of a couple of W6s it was the same story on 40 meters. Our thanks to the Alaska net managers who let us check in and then work the locals after the nets had closed.

We could occasionally run em on 20 meters, but since this was a training exercise we tried to place less experienced operators at the controls and they were often more comfortable with a search and pounce technique.

Although we didnt get a Clean Sweep or run up much of a score we were able to meet or exceed all of our training goals. We learned a lot about our current state of readiness and about the operation of our emergency communications systems. Look for us again next year!

PS: Hello to Steve (KG5VK) - we were glad to be the last station you needed for your sweep! -- KL7TS