After a quick run to the dentist to have a tooth checked, I decided to stop by Mormon Station SP for a quick (ahem) activation. I figured that I would have time to play a little radio and still get some work done.
Ah, well, the best laid plain of mice…
I chose the Yaesu FT-817ND for the rig and the PreciseLoop SOTA magnetic loop for the antenna. I carried the entire station over to a park bench in one trip. That is one of the good things about QRP (low-power) radios — there is not much equipment.
It did not take long to setup. I tried to check into the 40m Noontime Net, but the small loop antenna is not efficient on the 40-meter band and 5 watts is not enough power to compete with full-power stations. So, I gave up. (Hint: foreshadowing…)
I spotted myself and started calling on the 30-meter band (10MHz) and took a call right away. Then I was in for a long dry spell before someone else answered my call on the 20-meter band.
I will not make light of it: This was a difficult activation. I had limited time and was running only five watts. While I do not have accurate data, my experience is that the loop antenna is not very efficient on the 30- and 40-meter bands. That means that my transmitted signal is less than five watts, perhaps by as much as half. The antenna is more efficient on the higher bands, though. And in my experience, the 20- and 17-meter bands are money for park activators.
I try to run on 30-meters because 10MHz often propagates near vertical, which means that stations less than 500 miles from my location have a chance at hearing my signals. I will usually make a few contacts within that range and try to accommodate close-in hunters who want to play.
I continued calling on the 20-meter band for quite a while — it seemed like an hour but was probably only 15–20 minutes. I moved to the 17-meter band and tried there as well. I think I picked up a call before getting bored and moving back to 20 meters. I worked a small pile-up and my buddy called while I was in progress. Once I worked that pile-up, I returned his call.
We chatted while hunting for a band that he could hear. At the time I think I had four contacts (out of ten required for an activation) and was a little discouraged. But, he provided two more log entries on 20- and 17-meters, which lifted my spirits a little.
It was about that time that 20- and 17-meters seemed to open up, and with a contact or two on the 15-meter band, I found myself with 10 contacts. I decided to try for one more, in case I busted a call, so I continued for a few more minutes until I worked another station.
In the end, I did not give up and had 11 contacts in the log after about an hour and a half of operating. I knew it would be a challenge because Mormon Station SP is a challenging park for low-power operations. At least, that has been my experience.
There is not much room to put up an antenna. There is a lot of audio noise from the Genoa traffic. There are a lot of dogs in the park. This was a challenge for The Girl, but she did well with a couple of exceptions.
I think I should try a different antenna. If I move away from the sidewalks, a vertical might be deployed. I would really like to deploy a resonant antenna that does not rely on a ground system but on tuned radials. It would be more efficient and when running low-power, that matters.
It will try a couple of experiments to test what works better, if anything. I am OK with that.
All in all, it was good day. Life is good.