This weekend was the CQ World Wide contest.  In preparation, I recently purchased the Yaesu FT-857D HF/VHF/UHF mobile, G5RV “lite” dipole, and the LDG AT-100Pro Auto-tuner.  On Sunday morning I headed up to my favorite perch in San Clemente.  Bandit, my dog, accompanied me for the trip.  My mobile station, which usually runs 2 meter only, would be converted to HF/VHF using the new setup.  After about 10 minutes of setup, the G5RV was hoisted and I was about ready.

After dropping the coax through the car window, my station was almost ready to operate 80 through 2 meter.  The G5RV would handle 80-6 meter.  For 2 meter, I simply plugged in my existing mag-mount 5/8 wave.  I went through each band and let the auto-tuner memorize my operating frequencies.  It was my first time using an auto-tuner and I was blown away at how well the AT-100Pro did the job.

I wasn’t trying to contest per-se, but I did want to see how well my new setup would operate.  Contests are an efficient way to get a quick signal report, as there are plenty of DX’ers to choose from!  I made contacts with a few dozen states and several Canadian provinces on 20 meter.  I was most excited to get my first Japanese contact, JG1XLV, on 17 meters.   Next I tried the 15 meter band.  My first 15 meter contact was also in Japan, JN1NDY. Over the next 20 minutes I logged many 15 meter contacts, which included: Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the Cook Islands, and Hawaii.

Catch you next CQ day!

73’s