The Loudoun Amateur Radio Group Of Northern Virginia & Its Radio Station K4LRG

     The 2010 K4LRG Station #1 undertook the same band-mode operation as it has in the past few years. However, considerable effort was placed on improving the antenna complement. The 3-element 15-Meter Yagi was placed on an extended AB-577 Antenna Mast at 70 feet instead of the 32-foot ladder tower. The old 80-Meter Dipole in the trees was replaced with an Extended Double Zepp (EDZ) Antenna and hung at 60 feet off the AB-577 Antenna Mast. Much EZNEC Modeling went into designing the EDZ and we were surprised that it required only small adjustments to the wire elements. Finally, the 3-element 10-Meter Yagi was set up by itself at 32-feet on the ladder tower. All three antennas were fed with brand new 9913F7 coax cable cut to 1/2-wavelength lengths. The radio gear was much the same as used in 2009 and included Gary's Elecraft K3 HF Transceiver and laptop computer. We did try the N8XJK TGE Boost Regulator for the K-3 battery on Sunday. It worked as advertised.

Gary and Norm really appreciate all the help on Friday night with set up of the large shelter and all the antennas. There were some 10 folks involved throughout the evening. And, of course, Sunday afternoon take down was possible because another 10 folks pitched in. We are grateful to all:

Our operators really performed. Being primarily a CW mode operation, we could only attract a few to sign on:

         Mike Lonneke - WØYR
         John Unger - W4AU
         Gary Quinn - NC4S
         Norm Styer - AI2C

Norm is grateful to Gary for taking the midnight shift; it meant Norm got a full night of sleep. Mike and John had chosen some nice rate times and made the best of them. We were all surprised how well 15-Meters performed and we most likely left it too early on Saturday night since rates on 80-CW didn't start off well. We wanted a thousand good QSOs; we came close. We finished with a nice 927 good QSO that contributed 3448 to the final scored QSO point total.

On Sunday afternoon, during take down, Mike WØYR and Norm - AI2C spent 30-minutes talking to the Washington Post reporter, Phillip Lucas. He wrote a nice article that got picked up by many worldwide news outlets and by the ARRL's QST Magazine. And, it was so nice to see Pete McNeil - KF4HCW, of MicroNeil Research Corporation, who provides Internet Hosting for K4LRG.ORG on Sunday.

The Radio & Computer

Gary - NC4S running up his rig on Saturday morning



A very clean and simple set up - no extras



N1MM Logger at Station #1 late Saturday afternoon
with Mike - WØYR at the controls

The Antennas

The 10-Meter Yagi

The Set Up & Take Down

Just Starting on Station #1



The Shelter Goes Together

The Operation

    Featuring Mike Lonneke - WØYR
                           Teaching A New Op How To Log on N1MM

The Rates

This was Station #1's best since Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in 2008. 80-Meters was a little lite but 15-Meters filled in. The last hour is always nice on 15-Meters Fone. That's mostly John - W4AU's good 88 QSO rate on 15-CW on Saturday afternoon at 2000 UTC. Generally, we were too busy to try 10-Meters much; maybe next year. And, we should have tried Europe on 15-Meters as 80-Meters dried up on Sunday morning. The breakout:

         80-CW - 447
         15-CW - 324
         15-Fone - 125
         10-CW - 26
         10-Fone - 5