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Sunday, February 21, 2010

The APRN 160 meter net was all charged up!!!!!!


Tonite,the APRN 160 meter net set a a couple of milestones. We had our first /AG check in. We also had our first mobile check as well. KD8KWE/AG checked in for one of his first HF QSO's. N2ZKX mobile checked in as our very first mobile 160m checkin!!!! Welcome to both and we hope to hear from you again!!!!
Also, NW8I and K7DLB switched to battery power for the 2nd half of the net. It was surprising to see that cutting the output power of the rigs to 30-45 watts did little to change the signal of both stations. K7DLB had a meter in line and here are the results.
13.07v to start. The rig pulled 1.25 amps on standby
While keyed and modulating, the average was 12.45 volts, with the rig drawing an average of 5 amps.
K7DLB did a couple of long winded reports just to see what the batteries would do and they held up just fine.
At the close of the net the batteries recovered to 12.52v and 1.5 hours later they are holding 12.90v.
The total AH used was 1.233AH.
The batteries used in K7DLB's setup are 4 6v 12ah sealed batteries from a emergency lighting setup. They are wired in a series parallel array and are in a nice compact wooded box that weighs about 15 lbs or so. Keep in mind, in an emergency situation, most radio contacts will be very short and to the point. What K7DLB will do next is to get into a contesting situation and use the pack for most of the day to see how it does.
NW8I has his setup performing very good as well. His signal did not change much at all and his 12v battery setup seemed to stand up to his TS-430s just fine.
That is the purpose of these nets. We need to test out our setups BEFORE they are needed. That will give us piece of mind that we can at least communicate in case of any situation that would shut down "normal" methods.
Tonites check ins
W2AOJ Matt, NJ
NW8I Del, OH
KD8KWE/AG Dave, WV
N8NMJ Mike, MD
N2ZKX/mobile Rich, NY
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