HF or Not? Part 2

For the last 5-10 years I have had a G5RV on the shelf, still new in the bag. Time to open and try it.

As part of this pre-winter project I have decided that HF will be available on the cold snowy days. In Part 1 I talked about the Comet CHA250. Now let’s see where it goes with the G5RV;

During a couple afterwork pre-dark evenings I opened the G5RV package and explored the needs. I have a lot of TALL trees on the property, but no way of propelling a rope over the tops. So a rope tied to a hatchet and a Paul Bunyan swing sent the rope over a branch about 40′ up. Then I walked the horizontal part out up the hill side and with another hatched throw over a branch down the hillside. It is definitely a compromise, but it is what it is. The key is to see if I even will like HF.

Although I have had HF radios for a decade I have not had the time to really put it on the air. So the open question is if I will enjoy it or not? I’m not a rag-chewer. This antenna and the Comet vertical from Part 1 will give me enough antenna to see if this is for me.

It took me 3 short (due to early dark or rain) pre-dark evenings to plan, elevate and run cables into the shack. It has to be stealth to pass the wife-test. This morning I turned the Icom IC7000 on;

This must be a contest weekend. All night (I woke up early) contest stations were calling. Kind of annoying! … or maybe not?

I am not a rag-chewer and I am sorry, but other than a fascinating conversation about the old broadcasting days there were nothing to monitor. Back to the contest stations.

I decided to answer a repetitive call from the Cayman Islands that was coming in at 9+30. Maybe he could hear my modest station with a wire antenna strung North/South in the Berkshire hill-side and my small 100w radio? I threw my call out and he immediately came back with “N1 Station” – He heard me with a 5-9-8 signal report! The wire in the hills of the Berkshires were propagating! So i tried a CA station. 5-9-5 report. Cool – I am on the air. Maybe contesting is for me after all or at least jump around and answer the big-gun calls.

I’m on the air in the game! Now, it is time to learn the features of the IC7000.