QRP, Camping and lots of rain.

I haven't posted for a few days because I took a few days out to go camping, to enjoy the outdoors and reset my brain after a first term of chaos at the college I work at.

I met my brother at Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire to take a few days off. I am trying my best to get him licensed for Amateur radio, so far he hasn't given in but I will be delivering an Old FT-101 that has no output but still an active RX. I hope he can start to listen and pick up the bug.

First off the weather was awful, it rained on and off for most of our stay with the exception of a few hours of nice weather in between. The tent, Jetboil stove and radio provided the entertainment when the weather was not good enough to get out walking comfortably. 




I planned to take my ft-847 and large battery with me but changed my mind last minute to take only the ft-817 and QRP kit only. I took my portable vertical antenna and my HF 9-band multiranger antenna. I had very little luck with the vertical but more with the mobile whip. I think this was down to the radials I had made up for the vertical, I really need more tuned radials and to get the whole thing elevated. 

The best results for me came on 10m working into Turkey and Romania on 2.5w with the mobile whip on the car.

The real shock was what could be heard on 40m late into the evening. I was hearing lots of JA stations booming in, this is not a thing I am used to hearing and wished I had my larger Butternut vertical and one of my other radios to take advantage of the cliff side location looking out over the sea.


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