Operated mobile on the way to Mom’s today. Had problems checking in to South Coast Amateur Radio Service net on 7.251. Net control said the could hear me key up but no modulation. This is actually a repeat problem… The last time I had it was when I was on the trip to Alaska. The radio was new at the time. I fixed the problem THIS TIME by connecting the braided ground wire that I installed LAST TIME but forgot to re-connect after putting the radio back in the car…
With a proper ground on the transceiver, Net Control picked me right up… It’s amazing how well stuff works when you do things the right way. Afterwards I changed antennas, I put the 17 meter antenna on the car…
Seventeen was long today. The best signal was out of Kennebunk Maine, AI2Q with a solid 5/9. I can’t remember all of the calls, but I called CQ for about 45 miles. Most of the contacts were out of New England, but I got several from 6-land and 7-land including a VE7 from Vancouver Island, so I was hitting the east and west coast and the Caribbean. The most interesting was M0YCM/6Y5 on the extreme western end of Jamaica. Lee was on the beach with a buddy pole and an 857D. Awesome signal from a portable setup to a mobile on the state line between Alabama and Tennessee. I had a solid 5/7 copy on him with occasional peaks at S-8.
Because the 17 was long I wasn’t able to make contact with Mac an John, Will try again on the way home.