K4EJQ - W4DEX 24 GHz QSO 31 October 2005
After many failed 100+ mile 24 GHz attempts I finally made my first 24 GHz contact with K4EJQ operating from Mt. Mitchell, NC. I was operating from a ridge just off a rural road in Stanly, County about 25 miles east of Charlotte, NC. The path distance is 110 miles.
To hear a short .wav file (99kb) recording of K4EJQ's signal during our contact CLICK HERE.
Below are a few pictures taken from the contact site, from Morrow Mountain and from my home.
Operating site just off Five Points Road, Stanly Co., NC
35 19 56 N 80 23 19 W
24 GHz Power Source
A 25 amp hour battery powers a AC inverter which powers a 12 VDC switching power supply. This gives regulated 12 VDC to the IF radio, 3456 MHz first IF and 24 GHz Up/Down converters. -19 VDC for the brick source comes from a 12 VDC to 19 VDC notebook computer power supply.
Detailed description of the 24 GHz rig can be see at:
http://w4dex.com/microwave/24ghz/xverter/24ghz_rig.htm
Operating from Morrow Mountain State Park, NC
My first 24 GHz reception was three days earlier with Bunky while I was at Morrow Mountain, NC, a path of 126 miles. A contact was not made that day but I was delighted to hear a 24 GHz signal.
Operating from home in Western Stanly County, NC
After our first successful contact I returned to my home where we had tried several times to make the path from the front of my house. I was able to copy Bunky's signal about S3 this time. The only difference from earlier failed attempts was the humidity. During our success the humidity was between 20 and 30% along the path. The humidity during our earlier attempts was above 60%
To the far right of this picture a loading coil can be seen at the base of the tower for my 137 KHz station. A 400 watt beacon on 137 KHz was operating while I was operating at 24,192,000 KHz. Info on this LF operation can be found at
http://www.w4dex.com/wd2xko.htm
