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Despite the predictions for a damp miserable Saturday, the sun was shining so I decided it was time to get out with the Buddistick to see how it performed.
I’d read many reports about setting up the various Buddipole antennas - most of which suggested it was pretty straightforward but some of which suggested it could be a bit fiddly. With that in mind I’d conducted a brief indoor test to see how easily the coil tap and counterpoise length combinations for 17m and 20m could be arrived at. This had shown that a nice low SWR could be achieved within a few minutes for each of these bands - so far so good and it seemed pretty straighforward but how would it perform ‘in the field’?
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Buddistick /P
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With limited time available I didn’t want to travel too far from home so I headed north out of Lichfield, climbing to high ground with a good take-off in pretty much all directions. It was here that I setup the Buddistick for an on-air test at a spot just off the A515 close to the intersection with the A51, in locator square IO92BQ. The picture shows the spot pretty well and also shows just how wrong the forecasters were - rain indeed!
I chose 17m as the band to try first because it tends to be less crowded than 20m. I had a coil tap in place for the band so it was just a matter of stringing out the counterpoise wire for low SWR and off we go. Or so I thought. I soon learned that there is a significant difference between deploying the counterpoise indoors on the top floor of a house (i.e. relatively far from the ground) versus deploying within a few feet of terra firma. Indoors was easy - outdoors took a little longer. Note to self - devise a simple kite winder support to allow more precise counterpoise deployment rather than relying on surrounding bushes!
Despite the differences between indoor & outdoor setup I was soon tuning around 17m and I have to say that the antenna seems pretty lively on receive. The band was alive with Asian stations (this around 14:00 UTC) - China, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and India were all heard 55 or better. I put out a few calls but all of these stations were running significant pile-ups so I wasn’t able to make a QSO but Rafi (4X4FR) who always has a great signal gave me a 58 report from Tel Aviv which was encouraging (I was running 50w SSB).
Turning to 20m (which was very busy on this afternoon) and a quick change to the setup, with the same observations re indoor/outdoor and ground effect, I again found the Buddistick to be very lively on receive. On transmit I got a 53 report from Rocco (VE3YJ) near Toronto and a 59 report from CS0RCL/P - these were 59+ and 56 respectively with me.
These brief tests were conducted with the Buddistick antenna mounted on top of a camera tripod with the feed point about 4ft above the ground and the counterpoise wire running away horizontally averaging 2-3ft elevation over adjacent bushes. Encouraging results for the first time out I think and I am certainly looking forward to using the antenna a lot more over the summer.
You can view the pictures of this antenna and other portable operations on the Portable Amateur Radio gallery page.
Dean Amateur Radio, Pictures antenna, Buddistick, portable, vertical
Cairngorm Howler, now there’s a beer! Dulcie took me out for beer & curry tonight so we popped into The Acorn in Lichfield (A JDW pub) where they’re in the middle of their international ale festival.
In addition to Howler we also enjoyed the Titanic Velvet Curtain (a very nice chocolaty stout), Flying Dutchman (a very nice coriander, orange zest and liquorice flavoured beer), Rooster’s Ale And Spicy (another nice coriander flavoured beer) and Bend Brewing Co’s Wild Blue Yonder (an American beer with a nice creamy head and a sweet fruity aroma with hints of citrus). All in all a decent bit of grub all washed down with some fine real aleas.
The beer festival has been running for a week or more now and this wasn’t our first visit to The Acorn in that time, in fact it’s a bit of a regular haunt for us (you could call it our local). Plenty of fine ales most of the time but we’re both really enjoying the festival ales and more to come before it all wraps up on May 5th.
Dean Totally random real ale
The ‘Buddistick’
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Antennas make all the difference. To that end I have recently invested in a number of new antennas for portable operation - a Buddistick vertical for HF + 6m and a SOTA 2m/70cm beam for well, 2m and 70cm. I’ll write more about the SOTA beam later - this post is going to concentrate on the Buddistick.
The Buddistick is a shortened vertical antenna with a loading coil and mount. It breaks down into small pieces for easy travel and a nice zippered bag is available (which I have) that can be stuffed with antenna parts, radials, mount, and a 25-foot run of coax - together this little package weighs in at under 4 pounds. This make for a real ‘go anywhere’ HF antenna that takes up very little space in the car and that can easily
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be carried in hand luggage when flying (making it an ideal holiday antenna). I’ll be reporting back soon with the results of my first on air experience - I hope to make another trip to the Barr Beacon in the next week or so.
Dean Amateur Radio antenna, Buddistick, portable, vertical
A trip into town this morning with the express purpose of buying a new BBQ having consigned the old one to the tip when we moved house last September.
We’ve got the sausages, the chicken drumsticks and the sunshine - all we need is a good fire to cook the meat on - no pressure then Mr BBQ!
Late afternoon, early evening and the sausages will be a sizzling - I can’t wait. You just can’t beat a good barbie!
Dean Life..., Totally random BBQ
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Barr Beacon is the highest point in the West Midlands and lies close to the suburbs of Walsall and Aldridge, with Great Barr and Pheasey to the south, and Streetly to the east. Barr Beacon rises to a height of 227 metres and is an important regional landmark offering excellent views over the surrounding area. It also has a great take-off in all directions for radio signals. It was for these reasons that we chose Barr Beacon for some portable amateur radio operations.
The benefits of operating portable from hilltops are the refreshing low-noise HF radio environment of more remote locations and a receiver powered by batteries. It really has to be experienced to be believed! Here, the portable HF operator enjoys a huge receive advantage over fixed stations and, if conditions are poor, it can make all the difference when it comes to completing the QSO.
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G0RIF/P on 6m
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This kind of portable operation can also allow the erection of larger and more exotic antennas than might be possible at home. It can also serve as a bit of a social gathering to meet some friends and enjoy getting on the air together. So it was that I (callsign G0RIF), Richard (M0SNR), Luke (M3VVB) and Bob (G6LPB) met up to try out some new antenna ideas atop Barr Beacon today.
Richard took along his recently built Moxon for the 6m band, together with his portable 2m SOTA beam. I took my recently built 6m half-square antenna and a 17m end fed dipole built in the USA by Par Electronics - this was used held vertically by a 10m fibreglass pole. Everything worked really well and contacts were had on all bands. It was a great day out and we will be doing it again in the future, no doubt to try a few more new antenna ideas.
You can view the pictures of this outing to Barr Beacon on the Portable Amateur Radio gallery page.
Dean Amateur Radio, Pictures antenna, G0RIF, Moxon, portable, vertical
6Y8XF - Jamaica
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Nigel (G3TXF) made 2,100 CW QSOs operating as 6Y8XF from Montego Bay in Jamaica for the 2009 Commonwealth Contest. One of those, on 40m, was me.
I’d worked Jamaica many times previously but I was still waiting for a confirmed contact. I know Nigel is a serious QSLer so I was pleased to get him in the log and even more pleased when his QSL card dropped onto the mat this morning. |
Thanks to Nigel Jamaica is now confirmed, this despite my earlier moans (see March 15th) regarding my poor antenna setup and performance. It’s fair to say that the antennas at the other end more than made up for my bit of wet string - check out Nigel’s excellent site at http://www.g3txf.com where he has a write-up of his Jamaican trip and some nice pictures of the station he was using.
I also had a QSL card this week from PJ5NA (James) on Sint Eustatius Island in the Dutch Antilles. I was really pleased about this one because it was a very difficult 30m CW contact on a very noisy band. But it seems I got him and it’s one more to the confirmed total - now running at 165 worked, 144 confirmed (by QSL card), 148 total confirmed (I also use ARRL’s Logbook of The World where my total stands at 105 confirmed).
Dean Amateur Radio contest, morse code, QSL
Some people really do need to get out more. My previous post relates to a run-in I had recently with an eBay seller from whom I ‘borrowed’ a picture for one of my listings.
I thought the matter was closed but oh no, this morning I have noticed that the seller concerned has now been bidding on my item to run up the price, I assume in the hope it reaches a level where his item (remember he is asking considerably more than I am) becomes price competitive.
I have now blocked that eBay user from bidding on any of my auctions and I await further developments. It’s a bloody silly game! Why can’t people just get on with their own lives without meddling in other peoples lives?
Dean Life..., Totally random eBay
Ok, maybe not THAT big brother but rest assured, whatever you’re up to, someone is watching.
Case in point - I placed a listing on eBay a few days ago to sell a bit of radio gear I don’t have a use for anymore. For convenience and because I couldn’t be bothered to take a picture of my item for sale I used a picture from another sellers listing (as many do, apparently). I was today emailed by that seller who was a bit miffed that I’d used his picture without asking permission. Oops - busted!
Now as a photographer, who has at times had my own pictures used without permission, I should know better so an apology was made after a brief email exchange. I suspect that what really annoyed him though was the fact I had an identical item for sale at a starting bid of less than half his asking price!
Dean Life..., Pictures, Totally random eBay, photography
Last night I put up an antenna for the 6m (50MHz) band. I built the antenna several weeks ago to a design I found online - the antenna is called ‘the mighty wide 6m dipole’. The ‘mighty wide’ bit refers to the bandwidth of the antenna. The broadband nature of the antenna is desireable due to the width of the 6m band, a full 2MHz.
Once built and tuned this antenna exhibits a flat SWR plot across the whole of the 6m band. I used the antenna for the first time tonight and had a lengthy chat with Richard (M0SNR) down in Castle Bromwich. Running just 20 watts output he gave me a good readability 5, strength 8 report.
The antenna is deployed in a stealth configuration running along the top of a 6 foot high storage unit in the top bedroom. The good news is, it works!
Dean Amateur Radio antenna, stealth