Armidale & District Amateur Radio Club
ABN 66 142 315 938
VK2RAD
146.725Mhz Echo Link Node 872907
438.650Mhz (-7Mhz)

Our next project was to get a HF signal into an antenna and not the dummy load we've been using to test the gear. Brian VK2BLP brought in a Coman HF Multi Band Vertical for us to play with.... and play we did.

We assembled the brute and attached it to the fence palings with two very high tech zip ties. No ground was available so we matched it to 50 ohms with an LDG Auto Toooner and fired up the Yaesu FL-2100B sporting it's brand new tubes. It had been tested into the dummy load but had yet to be tried on air.

Nothing on 20 metres in the middle of the day, so we hit 40 metres and found Bill VK2XT in Toronto for our first contact and he said we were crystal clear 5/9+ so a big tick for the first HF transmission from our new club house. We all listened in to Bill with great interest as he reminisced telling us he was licensed in 1930 and was currently 101 years old. You wouldn't know though as Bill was sharp as a whip and kept us entertained with some stories of the early days of radio.

73's Bill and thanks for the contact.

We were also happy to have another visit from Danny 2M0CDO, from Scotland, who is visiting his daughter and son in law in Armidale before slipping over the pond to visit ZL4AD.
All in all a great Saturday afternoon was had by all with heaps of chatting and lots of big smiles all 'round. Our new club rooms are certainly providing a great venue for members to kick back and enjoy each others company....."Birds of a Feather".

L-R Richard VK2EIK, Wayne VK2KWM, Noel VK2IWT, Brian VK2BLP, Martha VK2IWS and Danny 2m0CDO from Scotland paid us another visit.	"Let me peruse the instructions" says Richard......"Hmmm 75 ohm matching line??? A length would have been a handy piece of information????"
No time for details....let's just stand it up and see if we can get out...who's got some zip ties?? This wooden fence paling looks like it'll support it.... what about an earth??...yeah I know...no time for details... where's the antenna toooner??	No Earth...No Radials... No Counterpoise.... No Hope....Hang On let's fire up the HF Amplifier... should be able to make a noise with that. Yeah we'll feed the db gain into the bottom of the coax, that should do the trick.