[Moon-net] Summmary of K0ALL ND 23 cm Activity Aug 4/5

[Barry VE4MA]

K0ALL 1296 EME Operation August 4 & 5 2007

We have been working for several months to equip a 23 cm EME station at Ron 
K0ALL’s QTH in North Dakota.  A short notice business trip to ND provided an 
opportunity to activate K0ALL”early”.  Unfortunately the 2 x 7289 OZ9CR 
amplifier was not ready.  I shipped ahead the circular waveguide Super VE4MA 
feed to K0ALL and it arrived on Tuesday July 31.  Ron has acquired an IC1271 
and already has an SSB transverter, but none of this had been integrated 
into a station.  Late in the afternoon of August 2nd  I packed my portable 
23 cm station and a single 7289 amplifier and power supply for ND.  Early in 
the afternoon of Friday August 3 we started assembling the station around a 
mobile 12 ft trailer mounted dish.  The dish was originally used for 4 GHz 
satellite video conferencing.  It is a 0.4 f/D dish that is split in 2 
pieces and which folds together like a clam shell for transport.  The 
elevation is adjusted by a winch cable mechanism.  .  The azimuth at low to 
medium elevation is done by rotation about the centre support pipe and for 
major changes by moving the trailer.

When we set up on late on  August 3rd , we missed being able to check sun 
noise or to align a bore sight tube.  On Saturday August 4 we only briefly 
able to see the moon and managed to QSO W5LUA O/M at 14:24. We had no 
elevation indicators and later acquired an inclinometer and installed a 
boresite tube and were able to check sun noise ( approx 12-13 dB on the S 
meter )…..I  had forgotten my moon noise meter at home along with my digital 
inclinometer. We had trouble with the mechanical stability of the mounting 
of the feedhorn which resulted in the feedhorn not retaining boresite with 
changing angles but was corrected with some tightening and readjustment of 
the feedhorn position.  On the morning of Aug 5 we still had heavy low cloud 
and drizzle. There was absolutely no sign of the moon optically.

We reused the knowledge ( from the1982 (?) 432 EME expedition to K0ALL) that 
the building and streets are oriented E/W and N/S , a digital protractor and 
extensive use of beaconing by W5LUA, K5JL and  K0YW to determine the azimuth 
setting.  The feedback on the pointing was not good…having to listen to 
signals across the parking lot.

The log of stations worked later  on August 5 was  12:32 K5JL 579/ 559, 
12:38 K2UYH 569/ O, 13:10 K0YW 569/559,  13:41 VE6TA 559/O, 15:00 W5LUA 
559/O and 15:32 WA6PY 559/O.

We also heard G4CCH FB just prior to his moonset. Sorry to Europe & 
others …Next month we should be back on  Sept 8 weekend., hopefully with a 
little more power than the 100W this time

Best 73

Barry VE4MA & Ron KOALL