[amsat-bb] Re: 25 watt Moonbounce

[Tom Clark, K3IO]

Ed, KL7UW noted:

> It would be more significant if the antenna was described.  I suspect 
> if one used a 1000-foot dish it would be quite easy to do!
I know of a number of QRP, single Yagi QSOs on 2M with W5UN (see 
http://web.wt.net/~w5un/mba2003.jpg 
<http://web.wt.net/%7Ew5un/mba2003.jpg> & read the primer at 
http://web.wt.net/~w5un/primer.htm 
<http://web.wt.net/%7Ew5un/primer.htm>) and KB8RQ (see 
http://www.spasalon.com/kb8rq/). In his primer, W5UN notes
> W5UN has worked a couple of stations who were using a single long boom 
> antenna and running less than 50 watts, so it can be done. I made one 
> such contact with W2RS who answered my CQ. At the time W2RS was 
> running 50 watts into a single Cushcraft 32-19 antenna



Along the line of amateur adventures using big antennas, I'll relate a 
few things I have done when using large dishes on EME. By large dishes, 
we have twice activated the 140' dish at Greenbank, WV (K8HUH & W3IWI/8 
calls used) and we have used an 85' dish near Fairbanks, AK (Calls were 
W3IWI/KL7 & KL7RA) on several occasions. Here are some notable QRP 
activities:

   1.  From both dishes, I have "kerchunked" myself on 70cm FM using
      just a HT.
   2.  From Fairbanks, I ran 70cm AX.25 packet with a small (probably 10
      watt) radio & TNC and managed to have a full, legit QSO with
      myself (connect, ack, data packets sent "both" ways, etc.)
   3.  From Greenbank on 13 cm we set the EME DX record with a ZL who
      was using his 1 watt exciter after his PA and Driver burned up.
   4.  From both locations on 70 cm, I worked a number of stations
      running under 50 watts with single yagis.
   5. Our 1296 MHz QSO from WV with WB5LUA (now W5LUA) was critical to
      his completing a 23 cm WAS.
   6. W3IWI/8 managed a 70 cm WAC in under 12 hours (i.e. within a
      single calendar day). The streak started with Z25JJ for Africa and
      ended with several VK6 QSOs.

So some things are pretty easy when you have a big antenna!

73 de Tom, K3IO (ex W3IWI)