Way cool category
 

Some may remember some pics I've posted here in the past of the big antenna arrays I have built and installed for a guy up in Maine.

Yesterday this guy realized a life dream...to be able to talk to Japan on 50mhz. He did so not once, not twice, but 23 times he exchanged reports with Japanese hams. The guy was so excited he could barely move the morse code paddle.

Last year I rebuilt one pole for him and put 3 antennas up all tied together in a big array. Recabled everything as it all had to be cut to precise dimensions. The bottom antenna was at 43' and the top antenna is at 98. This was all to do what he did yesterday. 50 mhz is very close to the old Boston Channel 2 TV station to give you an idea of frequency.

This page has a bunch of recordings of hams. Of interest is the second one down.. w1 mu, compare that to w3lpl which is a HUGE station with upwards of 12 towers in Pennsylvania. Some Japanese ham actually recorded him. Most of you guys can't understand morse code but the last signal you hear on the tape is the Maine station sending his call letters. 2000 watts out and it was that weak in Japan.

DX Diary



This is such a rare thing and so few people have done it. He got this by email today from one of the guys he talked to:

Hello Dear MIKE


How do you do
My name is Yutaka Katoh & call is JH WHS
I am a 6m station 95% since 1969

Thank you for the 1st time 6m CW QSO today JUN 25 at
about 2157z on 50.084 mhz
Your signal was very strong 599 indeed .near tokyo
(PM96) in SAITAMA pref about 45 km north of tokyo

I got 559 report from you .
I wishes this contact to be true.
It is not possible to belive from the east coast at all.

Is my call logged in ?
You are my new onestate on 6m QSO
I hope to see you again & waitting good news from you
My QSL will be send sase to you

Thanks regards
**************************************
de JH WHS YUTAKA PM96




This guy has been on these frequencies 95% of the time since 1969 and it's the first time he's ever done it.



Kinda like catching a 60lb bass :kewl:

Pretty amazing.This will help when the zombies take over.

They're already here. :alien:

that is super cool

awesome!

I met a ham a few years ago at Parson's beach in Maine. He had an antenna set up on the bridge, kinda looked like a sailboat mast. Being a smartass I told him he could,nt sail away. He said it was a great place to send and receive from because it was almost completely surrounded by water. Wonder if it was the same guy.
The things we do for our hobbies.

And you call us IT Guys Geeks......:hihi:

thats a great achievement! It would be easy to say that in over 40 years, this is the only time it worked because 50MHZ is way beyond the preferred freq range to speak at these distances (below 15mhz, ideally below 10). There were so many variables involved here
that its no wonder it took a set of special conditions for this to work.

I downloaded some pics of what I did last week. That antenna way in the distance at the top is twice the size of most people's house. That is roughly 240' away. The smaller antennas on the closer pole are what he used to talk to Japan.

All these antennas I built from scratch, all custom designed and engineered by me. I'm getting ready to put up a new 53' long antenna for him soon.

Just thought you guys might get a kick out of seeing a different hobby. This is a 3 time record winning station.

Major geekness.

This antenna is 110' tall all self supported. It's made of oil well pipe with welded flanges.

Happened upon a neat sunrise shot. Nice Maine 49 degree morning :hee:

110'

Took the whole thing down and made some repairs. Been up for 3 years now I think with only this minor hiccup due to it's size.

I have an office right to the bottom left of the pic. nice floating dock goes right out into the river. Jig mackerel right off the dock in the summer in early morning.

Anyway I thought you guys might like to see this. This is his hobby. Something different. You think fishing reels are expensive you could buy 2 VS250 with one antenna.