E51CG South Cook Islands on 6M

[VK4GHZ]

Thanks to Bob, ZL1RS, and his efforts, we hope to be working Victor, E51CG on 50MHz this summer.

Bob wrote earlier today;

Hi Adam and Lance,
Just to keep you informed:
The beacon did not arrive from the east coast USA ... but I have the IC-706 and CC A50-5S modification parts for Victor in my suit case.
Leaving for the airport now and I'll come up on the VK Logger from Rarotonga when we have some progress with the antenna at Victor's place!
See you from "paradise" ...

73, Bob ZL1RS

Having the IC-706 means Victor will have a rig dedicated for 6M, as he already has an existing HF rig.
He will also be running a 5 element Cushcraft, so not too shabby in the antenna department either.

Whether a beacon becomes operational from E51 remains a question, and is something to look forward to in the future, especially if it can be sited away from Victors place.

Regulars on the 6M VK Logger already know that Paul, A35RK, in Tonga is a regular poster on the 6M VK Logger during summer too, and that his spots are providing great insight into Es paths to/from Tonga.
Given that E51 > A35 is a single-hop Es path, I would expect to see many instances of Es paths between Paul and Victor during summer.

Once again, lets us thank Bob's tireless efforts and enthusiasm in making this a reality.
I for one don't have South Cooks on 6M, yet , and I am sure there are many out there that would like E51CG in their 6M logs as well.

This is a great example of actually doing something positive for the hobby.

[ZL1RS]

Greetings from E51 - Rarotonga, South Cook Islands!

Apparently the E51 6M beacon and its antenna were shipped via FedEx from the east coast USA in plenty of time and, according to FedEx, were delivered to me with signature required delivery on the 21st of July ... only problem with that is that I did not get them, let alone sign for them! So much for that

Both ends are prodding FedEx for an answer and a solution, but we are not "holding our breath" ...

... worst case is that I might have to come back here later this year. Nasty work, but someone has to do it


Anyway, on a brighter note, the wx here is certainly warmer than ZL ... oh, and we have made some progress on Victor's station ...

His Cushcraft A50-5 has been modified following the article from W5WVO http://www.kemker.org/W5NNH/A50-5S_w5wvo.pdf .... this worked according to the dimentions provided, giving a 1:1 SWR without further adjustment. Let's hope that the "promised" 1.5dB extra gain and improved radiation pattern are there too Presently the antenna is temporarily at 20ft and the 706 is scanning various indicators and beacons while we work on Victor's tower. Further tests and observations on the modified 6M yagi when we have it up at the full height and on the rotator.

The tower work is progressing step by step. The bottom two sections are in place, guyed and straight. The top section should be back from the welders tomorrow with the rotator and thrust bearing plates fitted. We will then prepare it and the two middle sections for lifting into place next week ... plus or minus public holidays (it is "Constitution Day" on Tuesday). The planned end result is for Victor's KT34 at 50ft with the modified CC A50-5 above it at 60ft.

More as we go ... with maybe a picture or two along the way

73 from Bob (E51EME) and Victor (E51CG/E51USA)

[ZL1RS]

... tower up, antennas in place, guy wires set. Still some small finishing work required on the rotator wiring and coax lines before the antennas can be rotated, but it all seems OK so far. Signals pouring on on 20M from the current direction of the HF beam and some propagation on 10M to the southern States.

The 6M yagi seems "lively" (band noise peaking between 49MHz and 51MHz) and SWR still very good with the modified yagi just 8ft above the KT34.

A couple of photos included for your amusement ...

73, Bob (E51EME) and Victor (E51CG/E51USA)

[ZL1RS]

Whether a beacon becomes operational from E51 remains a question ...

... worst case is that I might have to come back here later this year. Nasty work, but someone has to do it

... so, we are off to do this spot of "nasty work" next week!

My wife, Barbara, was away working in Pakistan on our wedding anniversary, so this is sort of a late anniversary holiday trip ... sort of thing ... yeah, right Even when I booked the tickets I had a feeling that a 6M beacon and some antennas in the suitcase might be handy things to take along

Let's hope there is some Es floating about the Pacific during the time we are there ... and Barbara finds a good book to read. (Seriously, she is quite OK with all this ham radio stuff ... I am a lucky guy!)

Initially the 6M beacon will be plugged into the CushCraft A50-5S 6M yagi that Victor and I did the boom extension mod to and installed in July/August ... so it will run from his home QTH on the northern coast of Rarotonga while we explore some potential options to install the 6M beacon elsewhere on the Island. Having 20W of beacon ticking away in Victor's back yard may not be the best idea while he is monitoring the band If we fail to secure another site, the omni-directional beacon antenna will just go on his tower and he will have to turn off the beacon while in the shack.

More from paradise next week!

73, Bob ZL1RS

P.S. A bit of back ground info and preliminary beacon data is on my web site http://www.qsl.net/zl1rs ... follow the link "Where in the world is Bob going next?"