Ground Level QSLs
So surprise surprise, I managed to get KK6BS Joe in Dublin on the horn again tonight (~30 miles), yet at ground level instead of at the top of a hill, so my antenna is working better than I expected it to. One thing I had going for me was he was about 20 degrees clear of our house, so I didn't have our lousy roof to go through.
8:55pm - I also made my first contact with WA6CTP Mike, who thought he was somewhere in SW San Jose, which isn't as impressive, but was still an enjoyable conversation.
9:50pm - KI6KND Dave in Hayward. 22.4 miles north and running a ground plane. I picked him up first on 446MHz, but he couldn't quite copy me on it. After 5-10 minutes, I got a break in the band and we traded a 2 meter simplex channel to move to and we were able to talk fine. Goes to show the difference in bands, and the minute to minute variability in each band's range.
8:55pm - I also made my first contact with WA6CTP Mike, who thought he was somewhere in SW San Jose, which isn't as impressive, but was still an enjoyable conversation.
9:50pm - KI6KND Dave in Hayward. 22.4 miles north and running a ground plane. I picked him up first on 446MHz, but he couldn't quite copy me on it. After 5-10 minutes, I got a break in the band and we traded a 2 meter simplex channel to move to and we were able to talk fine. Goes to show the difference in bands, and the minute to minute variability in each band's range.