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Last weekend was Winter Field Day-- a rather new ham event that I thought would be a fun thing to do. At least it would provide a great excuse to go out into the hills, maybe freeze to death-- while playing with radio.
So with two (ham) girl friends we planned a trip up to a old mining cabin that borders my place- one that I jointly maintain with my neighbor for use by a Boy Scout troop. Its located at +11,500 feet at the base of some "thirteen'er" - and is accessible this time of year only by snow machines.
It's well looked after by our guests--- and though located just at timberline, the scouts keep several cords of stove wood always stacked outside. Its small; ~300 square feet, with tiers of wooden bunks, a neat old Majestic cookstove --and something I especially like, Humphrey propane mantle* lamps mounted on the ceiling. The harsh conditions make maintaining photo cells/batteries too difficult, but these mantle lamps are perfect for this sort of setting. A couple of propane tanks hauled up there will light the cabin almost indefinitely.
A large plate glass window we put in the side looks out to the western horizon. The evening Alpenglow's are awesome.
But I digress
During the days leading up to the Field day I took food and other supplies up there. One advantage to its remote, high location -- no need to refrigerate anything-- it'll freezes solid when left in the unheated cabin. But the wine and other temperature sensitives would await the last trip, for the nights up there where now dropping to minus 20F.
Water ?..... we melt snow on the stove in a big pot.
Other necessities ? ----- there's an outhouse.
And of course the radio--
There is a 150 foot piece of old 10ga. telegraph wire strung from a cabin eve's to an ancient pole- its about 20 feet in the air, held aloft on old glass telephone insulators. Nothig fancy at all, but under these conditions it stays up thru storms --and it works. The 'rig' was a Icom 718 HF transceiver with an MFJ tuner, -- a large deep cycle marine battery provided the power.
Hook'd up to our long wire antenna 40 metre's came alive instantly. With not a powerline or other noise sources for miles, the noise floor is zero.... ditto for 75 and 160. Experience in the past has taught that the bands above 40 up there will be dismal- probably due to the shielding effects caused by the surrounding high mountains- they block the low angle radiation of the higher bands.
But that is no problem--- this was a "Field Day"--- no emphasis on anything contest-y.
With the stove blazing the cabin quickly got up to a comfortable 70 dergees. The wine was open'd and the serious stuff began--- that is, cooking hamburgers and making salads. The night was falling fast while outside the temperture plummeted.
Cooking on a wood stove range is quite a treat if you never have done it. The youngest of us had never had the pleasure, but she insisted-- and she caught on to the wood stove art amazing-ly.
"They never taught us this at Sarah Lawrence"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The last rays of the sun were disappearing over the western horizon, and now the lamps were lit; the wine was now flowing freely with the tempting cooking smells filling the cabin.
A pre-made blueberry pie was in the oven, with "Sarah Lawrence" --admonished that wood cook stoves are full of Pixies --that she best pay very close attention to her charge.
On and off thru out the evening we scanned the bands. 40 was a pipe line into the west coast, and because this really wasn't a contest, at least for us, everything turned into 'rag chews.' 75 and 160 were alive too, and a contact just before midnight on 160 to east coast was ranked our best DX.
All told, we collectively made about two dozen QSO's.
No log was kept.
But the effects of the day's setting-up in the cold and snow, the wine, 'burgers, blue berry pie... and a cabin temperature now at 75 degrees,; it all had its effects--- lights went out at 1 AM.
_________________________________________________-
Epilogue:
This was a lot of fun !!
Next year we want to do it again
Lauri
___________________________________________________________
* no, I am not a agent for these lights, but I think they are really cool...So here goes--
gas-lights.com
.
Last weekend was Winter Field Day-- a rather new ham event that I thought would be a fun thing to do. At least it would provide a great excuse to go out into the hills, maybe freeze to death-- while playing with radio.
So with two (ham) girl friends we planned a trip up to a old mining cabin that borders my place- one that I jointly maintain with my neighbor for use by a Boy Scout troop. Its located at +11,500 feet at the base of some "thirteen'er" - and is accessible this time of year only by snow machines.
It's well looked after by our guests--- and though located just at timberline, the scouts keep several cords of stove wood always stacked outside. Its small; ~300 square feet, with tiers of wooden bunks, a neat old Majestic cookstove --and something I especially like, Humphrey propane mantle* lamps mounted on the ceiling. The harsh conditions make maintaining photo cells/batteries too difficult, but these mantle lamps are perfect for this sort of setting. A couple of propane tanks hauled up there will light the cabin almost indefinitely.
A large plate glass window we put in the side looks out to the western horizon. The evening Alpenglow's are awesome.
But I digress
During the days leading up to the Field day I took food and other supplies up there. One advantage to its remote, high location -- no need to refrigerate anything-- it'll freezes solid when left in the unheated cabin. But the wine and other temperature sensitives would await the last trip, for the nights up there where now dropping to minus 20F.
Water ?..... we melt snow on the stove in a big pot.
Other necessities ? ----- there's an outhouse.
And of course the radio--
There is a 150 foot piece of old 10ga. telegraph wire strung from a cabin eve's to an ancient pole- its about 20 feet in the air, held aloft on old glass telephone insulators. Nothig fancy at all, but under these conditions it stays up thru storms --and it works. The 'rig' was a Icom 718 HF transceiver with an MFJ tuner, -- a large deep cycle marine battery provided the power.
Hook'd up to our long wire antenna 40 metre's came alive instantly. With not a powerline or other noise sources for miles, the noise floor is zero.... ditto for 75 and 160. Experience in the past has taught that the bands above 40 up there will be dismal- probably due to the shielding effects caused by the surrounding high mountains- they block the low angle radiation of the higher bands.
But that is no problem--- this was a "Field Day"--- no emphasis on anything contest-y.
With the stove blazing the cabin quickly got up to a comfortable 70 dergees. The wine was open'd and the serious stuff began--- that is, cooking hamburgers and making salads. The night was falling fast while outside the temperture plummeted.
Cooking on a wood stove range is quite a treat if you never have done it. The youngest of us had never had the pleasure, but she insisted-- and she caught on to the wood stove art amazing-ly.
"They never taught us this at Sarah Lawrence"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The last rays of the sun were disappearing over the western horizon, and now the lamps were lit; the wine was now flowing freely with the tempting cooking smells filling the cabin.
A pre-made blueberry pie was in the oven, with "Sarah Lawrence" --admonished that wood cook stoves are full of Pixies --that she best pay very close attention to her charge.
On and off thru out the evening we scanned the bands. 40 was a pipe line into the west coast, and because this really wasn't a contest, at least for us, everything turned into 'rag chews.' 75 and 160 were alive too, and a contact just before midnight on 160 to east coast was ranked our best DX.
All told, we collectively made about two dozen QSO's.
No log was kept.
But the effects of the day's setting-up in the cold and snow, the wine, 'burgers, blue berry pie... and a cabin temperature now at 75 degrees,; it all had its effects--- lights went out at 1 AM.
_________________________________________________-
Epilogue:
This was a lot of fun !!
Next year we want to do it again
Lauri
___________________________________________________________
* no, I am not a agent for these lights, but I think they are really cool...So here goes--
Humphrey Gas Lights
Humphrey Indoor Gas Lights are an excellent alternative to electric lighting. Indoor gas lights are easily installed in cabins, homes, fish shacks, and RV's.
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