2007 KØS, Strange Antenna Challenge
Satellite KØS Station
Gary HERZOG, KD7UBP
WOLF POINT, MT
KD7UBP -- Using a steel "bridge antenna" over the Missouri River
KD7UBP -- This is the information plaque telling us about the bridge
KD7UBP -- Looking down the bridge
KD7UBP -- Gary, KD7UBP and his "Official Observor" Jerry
KD7UBP -- Here is the station set-up at the entry point of the bridge
KD7UBP -- Here we see how Gary is feeding the bridge with his home-brew break-out box
and note the use of the coax coil choke to keep the RF off the feedline and to keep the RF in the bridge
KD7UBP -- A view of another hook-up point
KD7UBP -- And another view of a hook-up point
KD7UBP -- This is his log for the Missouri River Bridge Strange Antenna
KD7UBP -- Football Bleacher Strange Antenna -- Dipole? Phased Vertical?
KD7UBP -- This is his log for the Football Bleacher Strange Antenna
KD7UBP -- Contact Summary Sheet, 2007 Strange Antenna Challenge Special Event
I started out on saturday on the bridge over the missouri river, with permission of course. Conditions were fair and there seemed to be a tiny pipeline east/west. Weather was warm and still but the beer stayed cool in the chest. The older fellow in the pictures was my 'official observer' Jerry.
We stayed till sundown and got a few contacts. One fellow couldn't believe i was using a bridge as the antenna. I sent him a full complement of pictures and received his qsl card and note a few weeks later.
Day two turned up with almost no conditions at all, made one contact to a local utilizing the football field bleachers. Couldn't make a contact that day from home with "real" antennas either.
My setup included a Denton tuner, my yeasu ft-857d at 100 watts, 2 rf chokes different numbers of coils each and a homebrew hookup box. I powered the radio off the battery in my 1991 ranger and an extra batt for extended use. What fun I had even with limited contacts. I heard more than I worked and some heard me and didn't believe me so wouldn't work me.
Wonder if I could figure a way to rotate the bridge for 2008, seems to fire off the side......
73, Gary KD7UBP
What a great Strange Antenna, and what a beautiful operating location -- that is a wonderful view from the bridge!
We do often hear people simply do not beleive what we are using as antennas, especially when they are working very well. This is exactly the reason we will never run this special event during the month of April -- too many people would refuse to believe we are out here using all kinds of Strange Antennas!
Thank you for submitting the first evidence of a large bridge used as the Strange Antenna!
The football bleachers also look like a very strange antenna indeed! Hopefully next year we'll see the solar cycle starting to heat up the atmosphere and ease some of this propagation for us.
Thanks for playing radio with us!
73-Erik n0ew
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73 de Erik, nØew
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