Amateur Radio Superstation - K3LR

Vy Vy Impressive Duff! This To Say The Least.The 1st Time I Passed By Ur Installation Was 8-10 Yrs Or So Ago On Interstate-80 On Way To Dayton.Goodness,I Just Had To Slow Down To Take A Better Look.Your Antenna/Tower Set-Up Is Simply Amazing!! My Gud Friend Es Former Co-Worker,"RQ" W2RQ,Bill Keller Frm Jersey Operates Wid U At Contest Times. Vy Nice Photos Of Ur Set Up. The Drone Flight Was Quite Impressive Indeed. In Fact I Think I Saw My Car Out On I-80 On My Way Out To Chicago Last Oct. Hi-Hi Vy 73,Greg Mitchell-W2MYA
West Caldwell,N.J.

 

He can't stand a chance agenst me with my TS570 and an attic dipole. ha ha n2ade

 

INCREDIBLE DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

What an awesome array..Thank you for sharing with all.

 

I was thinking the same thing with my TS-590 and a G5RV. I have been in this for right at 40 years and someday I will put up "a" tower. Very nice thanks for posting it.

 

This is beyond my wildest dreams! Very, very impressive and a 1.5kw amp per band...the drone fly-by video was really awesome and just think, a brand new way to survey antennas without having to climb towers!

Congratulations!
John KF5UMC

 

Again, he spent his money. It is fantastic !

People with that expendable income can do these things.


Heck, Howard Hughes built the " Spruce Goose " ...... Because he was sane, rich, and could do it !


Overkill ? YES..... But....... WHY NOT ?



JB

 

Been thinking some more; there is more than just the multi-multi class. Try the multi-two like VE6AO runs or a multi-single operation, fewer towers, fewer antenna's. Unfortunately there is still the location problem. There has to be a way of equalizing the playing field like WRTC but still utilizing diffrent locations? What the Hey! It's still way too much money for an old retired sod like me.

 

My full size 160 meter dipole this past winter. I guess that means it's big enough.

 

I am glad to see your mood has improved a bit. I think you make too much of your location though. I am not (yet) a contester and if I were to one day actually win one I would probably fall over dead from shock. I am (will be) competing mainly with myself i.e. can I look back at my score after it's done and say with satisfaction that I did as well as I could do within my limitations? If the answer is yes then I have won. Everyone works within limitations, granted some have fewer or more than others. That's not just contesting, that's life. Make the most of what you have and enjoy doing it = Success.

 

I still find it frustrating that for a lot of contests that the best I can do is turn off the rig and do something else because of something I can't control. I know that my skills are equal to or better than at least some of these stations ant the same holds true for my station; but I'm denied the opportunity to compete becaus of something I can't control. Does that = Success? No! To me it means 51 wasted years of time taken to develope those skills, of money and time invested in building a station. Maybe my GF is right and Amateur Radio is a stupid hobby. I am trying very hard to not believe this but my hope is waning.

 

Move to VE1, VY1, VO1 or VO2.

Sorry but everyone who "doesn't have a good location" is always whining about "equalizing the playing field." People have been complaining about that for decades. Guys in the "black hole," bitch about hearing East Coast contesters running Europeans that they can't even hear. Mid-atlantic stations complain about the New Englanders running Europeans that they can barely hear.

You want to win? Operate from the Caribbean or some other place that is rare DX. Operate from a Zone that is rare.

K3LR is about 500 miles West of KC1XX. Yet, Tim has beaten Matt several times. W3LPL is about 300 South of KC1XX. Yet, Frank has beaten Matt several times.

Just because you live in VE6, doesn't mean you can't "win." It all depends on your definition of "win." With my station, I compete in Single Op Assisted. I strive for the top 10. I've done it a few times. Will I beat #1? Probably not. Will I make the top 5 someday? Entirely possible. A friend of mine runs M2. After the contest, I compare my score with his. Now, I know I won't beat him, but I know I did well if I have more than half his score. He also has 5 towers, and much more hardware (antennas) than I do. Two years ago, I more than halved his score (also made the top 10), and I had THREE antennas (He has 8 antennas).

Do you know what I like about contesting?

HAVING FUN

 

There are very few serious contesters left in Alberta, I can count them on one hand, and only one superstation near Edmonton. VE6AO our local club station is quite good and is contest worthy in the multi-two category; but even they are hard up for operators for contests and have to fight the propagation like the rest of us.

When I was able to drive I had no problem in working multiple shifts at VE6AO but I no longer am able to drive. You can get there by taking two buses two LRT cars and walking almost a mile in rain, snow and crap each way and at 68 with bad feet I just physically can't do that.

There have been many times at the club station where I have sat for hours without hearing one station I havent already worked while hearing the east coast guys and even stations due south of me in the US racking up contacts and multipliers when for me the band is closed.

You ask why I haven't moved to the east coast of Canada? It would not be an economically good move for me the areas you mention are for the most part the poorest in Canada. Health, these areas also have the worst winter weather in the country and get the remenats of those pesky hurricanes like Sandy. Alberta on the other hand lately has had very mild winters and Alberta has one of the best health care set ups in the country. My GF lived in Montreal for several years before me and vows she will never go back east even for a visit; except perhaps to visit he daughter in Connecticut.

My GF hates Ham Radio and say's its a stupid hobby because you can't make money from it. She recently had to have a pacemaker implanted and when she read the booklet it said keep out of strong RF fields with a note to see their website for details. She said to me no more Ham Radio period and no she wouldn't check the details on the website she didn't care what the details were. So I'm off the air, QRT likely forever. So like her when I'm not here or in front of the TV; I'm in lying down or in bed waiting and hoping to die.

 

No, I didn't ask "why haven't you moved to the east coast of Canada?" I told you that if you wanted to win, then move to the east coast of Canada.

There are numerous incorrect statements that microwave ovens cause problems with pacemakers. That is simply not true. The same is true of ham radio. Unless someone is standing infront of a yagi pointed at them, I doubt very much that the RF from your radio to a simple dipole outside will cause a problem. There are web sites that you can plug in the numbers and see what kind of RF field would be from so many feet away.

Maybe it's time to get a new girlfriend then.

What kind of equipment do you have? Maybe you can offer the better stuff here on QRZ before you go.

 

The GF chooses to believe what she wants to get what she wants. I'd get rid of her but I would end up a homeless person. Not great equipment but it works OK. IC-751A with 250 Hz CW filter, MFJ 300 W tuner with roller inductor, Vibroplex dual paddles and a 14AVQ-WB vertical. I will sell them locallyat the fall flea market or the spring one. In my estimation moving to the east coast is like moving to a third world country with none of the savings in cost of living.