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QRPttF 2014
4 May 2014 | by Today was QRP to the Field for 2014, and it was also my birthday. What a present! Although I didn’t get to spend anywhere near as much time on the air as I would have liked, I got a little air time in and that’s always a good thing.
The theme for today was Tres de Mayo in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Well, here in New Jersey there really aren’t an abundance of locales with a Mexican flair. So I got a little creative.
Yes, I placed some Chipotle Mayo next to me while I operated.
I got to experiment a bit too. I used both my Par EndFedz and the EARCHI 9:1 Unun with a 36 foot radiator. The Par EndFedz performed as expected. The EARCHI performed much better than last time. The extra three feet of wire made a big difference. The KX3 handled the wire well on all bands, 40 through 10 Meters with minimal clicking and clacking from the auto tuner.
In the hour or so of operating time that I got in, I worked about a dozen or so stations. Included were some very familiar calls like Mert W0UFO, Jerry N9AW, Rick NK9G, Dave AB9CA, Gene N5GW and Kelly K4UPG among others.
So even though I didn’t get a lot of operating time in, I did learn more about the EARCHI end fed. I think it will serve well as an all around multi band antenna for portable ops.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!
10 Responses to “QRPttF 2014”
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How long was your wire, Larry?
36 feet – worked well.
Larry – trying to decide between the two antennas you mentioned: Par EndFedz and the EARCHI. Is the Par EndFedz for a single band? Didn’t you have a post about the EARCHI ? what was the date?
Tnx
Paul
Paul,
There are PAR monobanders, but the one I use (PAR ENDFEDZ 10/20/40) is suitable for 40, 20 and 10 Meters (and I find that it loads on 17 Meters, too). The EARCHI is supposed to work on all bands, 40 through 10 Meters.
The EARCHI has an edge on versatility, but best SWRs come when using a 54 foot radiator.
Happy Birthday . What paddles did you use . I would like them myself .
Chuck,
Those are VIZ key paddles. I think her closed up shop a month or two ago.
Larry – if you had to chose between the two 10 – 40 options, EARCHI or PAR ENDFEDZ, which would you choose?
Did you make your own EARCHI 9:1 ?
73 Paul
I have used the EARCHI 9:1 for over 10 yrs with power from as low as 1 watt to 100 watts. Wire lengths of as little as 20 ft to 75 ft. My best results were 51-55 ft., second best about 45 ft and 3rd best about 32 ft. At 75 ft you will also have a 80 meter antenna also. The KX3, T-1 and LDG Z100plus all do a great job making the antenna act like a antenna. The PAR/LNR antenna ar also excellent once they are trimmed properly the first time. I still prefer the EARCHI myself….
My new BFF (pardon the expression and it takes a lot for me to say that, is now of all things the MFJ-2289 BigEar with the MFJ-1918EX 9.5 ft mast/tripod. A real 1/2 wave dipole on 20-6 meter. It provides gain, directional signal, broad-band tuning, set-up with no trees in less then 5 minutes (10 if you are eating a donut and drinking coffee) and with my set-up cheat sheet all is need is a 12″ ruler for the final tuning. Add the coil and you have a off center dipole for 40 and 30 meters. I am not saying the EARCHI should not be taken everywhere. I still take it with me. But the BigEar will land more DX with a better signal report every time.
BTW… Happy B-Day. May you have many more and all be healthy, happy and fixed with DX excitement.
73 Harry K7ZOV
Harry – thanks for feedback- very helpful
73 Paul
Paul,
http://www.balundesigns.com/servlet/the-102/QRP-9-cln-1-Unun-1.5/Detail
The table bears out what Harry observed.
Larry W2LJ