Monday, September 28, 2015

First Ever SSB Homebrew to Homebrew Contact by N2CQR. With...

2322 miles.  3737 kilometers

Pete Juliano and I were talking on Skype yesterday evening.  He was regaling me with tales of the wonders of his new beam antenna.  He mentioned that he was working a lot of East Coast stations... Wait a minute, I thought, I'm an East Coast station.  And I have a 20 meter rig sitting right in front of me.  "Meet me on 14.190 Pete!"   It took me a minute or so to get the rig connected to the CCI amplifier and the 20 meter dipole.  By the time I got everything fired up, there was a station on the frequency.  I thought we'd lost the spot.  But no!  I realized it was Pete calling me. 

This was extremely cool.  Pete was using his ZIA rig with the brand new beam.  I was on my VFO BITX20.  And I was using the CCI amp that Pete had coached me on (he taught me how to tap the holes for the heat sink).

This was the first time I had ever contacted another homebrew SSB station -- and the first time Pete and I had spoken on the air.  THE RADIO GODS WANTED THIS ONE TO HAPPEN! 

I recorded the QSO:

http://soldersmoke.com/n6qwn2cqr.mp3

I will ask Pete to provide more detail regarding the California end of this QSO in the comment section below.  Did you have your amplifier on Pete?
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13 comments:

  1. Armand (WA1UQO)September 28, 2015 at 7:18 AM

    Bravo Guys! Well Done. 17M next?

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  2. Colin, M1BUUSeptember 28, 2015 at 7:51 AM

    Awesome! I'm jealous :-) congratulations. 73

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  3. Colin, M1BUUSeptember 28, 2015 at 7:52 AM

    Awesome! I'm jealous :-) congratulations. 73

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  4. N6QWSeptember 28, 2015 at 9:21 AM

    Hi Bill,

    This was truly the "Radio Gods" at work! I was amazed when I called you and heard N6QW this is N2CQR. Ooh that was Awesome!

    The rig at this end was the ZIA followed by the CCI AN762 amp board for a total of about 0.125 KW. The antenna is the Mosley MP-32-N at 30 feet.

    Incidentally the band conditions were not so good on Sunday so it truly was the Radio Gods at work --maybe influenced by Pope Francis.

    Bill has often said that he has never previously had a homebrew to homebrew radio contact. I felt honored that I was his first HTH (new word for the lexicon Homebrew To Homebrew = HTH). What hoot!!

    73's
    Pete N6QW

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  5. 2E0CHKSeptember 28, 2015 at 10:34 AM

    Its just absolutely stunning that this has never happened before and that its taken all these years for it to. Of all the hams in all the world, with all the home made gear that must have been made, for 10 years of podcasting about home brewing...for all the hours spent on the air....it just beggars belief its not happened before. Staggering. Never mind "well done" its earth shattering !

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  6. w2aewSeptember 28, 2015 at 3:07 PM

    Awesome!

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  7. Mike YanceySeptember 28, 2015 at 3:44 PM

    That WAS awesome!
    I foresee a time for BitX and like homebrew Nets - on 17m, 20m and 40m.
    But for now, I hope to get my BitX 20 on air with my home-brew buddipole!

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  8. Mikele 9a3xzSeptember 29, 2015 at 4:34 AM

    i have heard the phase noise (si5351) on Pete signal :))))))

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  9. EdSeptember 29, 2015 at 1:24 PM

    Bill, I guess this makes you officially ordained... Which is a bit strange since you are the GPB. Fine Business OM!

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  10. PaulSeptember 30, 2015 at 1:52 AM

    Adding soul to the machinery in yet another way.
    Gud contact.
    73
    Ka5wpl "Tucans" Paul

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  11. PaulSeptember 30, 2015 at 2:37 AM

    Adding soul to the machinery in yet another way.
    Gud contact.
    73
    Ka5wpl "Tucans" Paul

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownSeptember 30, 2015 at 5:08 PM

    You guys are great! I enjoy your podcast, and homebrew adventures! 73's

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  13. UnknownSeptember 30, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    You guys are great! I enjoy your podcast, and homebrew adventures! 73's

    ReplyDelete