WD9EWK/7 (with Mike KC4VG/7) from Maricopa County, Arizona, on 20 February 2003

WD9EWK/7 in Arizona

Updated 23 December 2003
Over the last couple of years, I have operated from a variety of locations in 3 countries (USA, Canada, Mexico) and have met many people on the air and also through e-mail.  One person I have talked to on the radio many times from 3 different locations has been Mike KC4VG, from Iowa.  Mike mentioned to me that he would be in Arizona in February, and I offered to meet him and possibly go someplace to play radio.  He liked that idea, and on Thursday, 20 February 2003, we went to two different locations northeast of Phoenix for a day of radio and fun. 

For this day of radio operating, we used the following equipment: 

Both stations operated on battery power - a 12V 21Ah gel-cell battery pack for my HTX-10, and a combination of the rechargeable battery pack in Mike's FT-817 and a 7Ah gel-cell battery pack I brought along for the day-trip.  I decided to let Mike take the lead in selecting which band to operate on, and I would go someplace else so we could avoid interfering with each other.  Had I used other bands besides 10m, I would have used my FT-817 as well. 
"Sears-Kay Ruin" Recreation Site
The first location Mike and I operated from was this recreation site, a few miles/km northeast of the towns of Carefree and Cave Creek (grid DM43cv) - northeast of Phoenix - on the Tonto National Forest.  This place had covered picnic tables, restrooms, and some trails into the hills around that area.  At 3400 feet/1036m elevation, we were above the Phoenix area yet we could not see the city from here. 

Our first effort was to get Mike's station on the air, and try to work stations on the 17m HFpack 18.1575 MHz frequency.  A little while after 1700 UTC (1000 local time), Mike and I heard many stations working Tom G0SBW in England, and we thought we heard his signals briefly.  Later on, Mike worked a couple of stations in Texas and another in Michigan. 

Once Mike was set up, I set up my station and tried my luck on the 10m band.  I only made 3 QSOs from this location, all using SSB: 

We stopped operating just before 2000 UTC, so we could head back to Cave Creek for lunch and to decide on where we would operate after lunch.  I sent an e-mail message to the Buddipole Yahoo! Group list as well as to another ham, advising that KC4VG/7 would return to the air around 2230 UTC on 18.1575 MHz. 

Mike KC4VG/7 took a couple of pictures while we were at this location.  Each picture is a .JPG file, which will appear in a new browser window: 

"Rattlesnake Cove" Recreation Site, at Bartlett Lake
We moved approximately 15 miles/25km east of our first operating location, to this picnic area next to Bartlett Lake on the Verde River (grid DM43eu) - also within the Tonto National Forest.  We had to pay a $4 fee to park at this area, which we did, and then found a pair of picnic tables where we could operate from and not interefere with each other.  Again, our first effort was to get Mike's station on the air, and then I would get my equipment working. 

Shortly after 2200 UTC (1500 local time), Mike started making contacts with his station on 18.1575 MHz, and appeared to keep busy for the approximately 90 minutes we spent operating from here.  Once he was on the air, I set up my equipment and tried the 10m band again.  From this location, coupled with the propagation at this later hour compared to our first efforts, I made 8 contacts from here: 

Between some of these contacts, I would walk over to Mike's station and listen to his activity.  He was having a good time working different stations, and some of them stations he has had contacts with in the past.  We both were having a fun time, and despite not putting a lot of effort planning the day's activities things were going well for both of us. 

A few minutes past 2330 UTC (1630 local time), we packed our equipment into my car for the drive back to Mike's hotel in Phoenix.  We both had fun, and Mike is looking forward to springtime, when he can resume operating outside and not deal with the snow in Iowa. 

I did not get a copy of Mike's log for this day, and I did not get a count on the number of contacts he made from Rattlesnake Cove. 

QSL information for WD9EWK/7 and KC4VG/7
Please note that WD9EWK/7 QSL cards for all contacts made on 20 February 2003 were mailed by 26 February 2003.  Please contact Mike KC4VG for a KC4VG/7 QSL card from this day, or for any of his contacts while he was in Arizona. 

These portable operating ventures are fun for me, and more fun when there are other people around who also enjoy this type of activity.  There are so many locations I can go to and do this, at any time of the year.  Until the next time, 73! 

WD9EWK/VA7EWK - WD9EWK (in USA) - QSL VIA WD9EWK