Adventure Radio Society's "Flight of the Bumble Bees"
and DXpedition to Northern Italy (hidden in the North Georgia Mountains)
This year's FOBB was divided into two or more separate efforts. One of the big problems this year was the temperature which kept us scrambling as to how we could operate "In the Wild". The small contingent represented by the pictures below consisted of Tom, K4TJD and Pickett, AD4S along with Bobby, W4BLB who came up Sunday afternoon.
Our choice of venues was Bolding Mill Federal Camp Ground in the North Western part of Lake Lanier north of Atlanta. Tom and Pickett set up Friday afternoon and spent some of Saturday getting antennas up and checking out equipment. Pickett and his wife, Betsy, spent most of Saturday investigating a report that there was an authentic Northern Italian Winery above Dahlonega and the report is true. They had lunch and took a tour of the Montaluce Winery up in the North Georgia Mountains.
Late Saturday Pickett discovered that he had left his W3EDP type antenna at home and made a quick run to Home Depot and got some 18 guage stranded copper uninsulated wire and put that up. Some of the antenna went over a metal zipper in the camper but the SWR on 40 and 20 meters was great. Tom put up a BuddiePole and a W3EDP that looked a lot like an end fed inverted L. The SWR looked fine. Tom spent this rest of the day setting up his new Flex 1500.
After lunch on Sunday the temperature in the shade measured 101 degrees F. So Tom and Pickett walked over to their air conditioned campers and operated from there. They each started out on opposite qrp bands on 40 and 20 meters and every hour they swapped bands. The only problem was some harmonics caused by the fact that the 40 meters QRPers were all around 7030. This would not have been a problem if the QRPers could have remained around 7040 as was the case before the 40 meter band plan was changed.
Tom discovered too late to do anything about it that there was a high voltage feed buried across the back of his camp site and he had an S9 grinding noise level. In spite of that he was able to make FOBB contacts. Pickett did a little better in spite of the QRM and a visit from Bobby, W4BLB, operating was pretty casual.. but we sure did have a great time. Can't wait until next year.. hope it is a little cooler.
Click on any of the small pictures below to see Pickett's picture album..! Click on the red button to return to this page..!
Click HERE to see a 2010 FOBB report from Jim, W4QO, from the NoGa Western Division..!
Click HERE to see a 2010 FOBB report from Newt, K0NWT, from the NoGa Southern Division
Click HERE to return to the NoGa home page.
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This page was last updated 08/04/2010