MF/LF OPERATING: Life Below the AM Broadcast Band

N1HO shows how he gets out from a small seaside lot, plus the first JA/KL7 QSO on 630 meters, significant growth on 2200 meters leading to new distance records, AG6EE activates rural DM09xg in Nevada, providing portable 630-meter QSOs to a number of stations, and important portable QSOs by KL7L/KH6.

For the last few years I have inadvertently started my April columns with discussions and descriptions of stations that could be considered underdogs, operating in far less than ideal situations but nonetheless finding a high degree of success. Had the operators of these stations, like W8ARE and N1VF, followed the preconceived notions about operating on 630 and 2200 meters, they might not have even gotten their stations on the air in the first place. Thankfully, determination and a bit of stubbornness have resulted in experiences from which many operators today can learn and gain inspiration. In this month’s article, I will begin by showcasing the efforts of Brandy Coolidge, N1HO, who spends winter in south Florida, just 1,800 feet from the Atlantic Ocean.

Brandy is not new to operating on 630 (or 2200) meters and spends from mid-June until the end of October each year in Hendersonville, North Carolina in the western portion of the state. Using a base-loaded 60-foot tall inverted-L with a 195-foot-long top loading wire and approximately 3,000 feet of radials on 0.7 acres, Brandy has enjoyed numerous transatlantic reports and completed coast-to-coast contacts using JT9 with just 33 watts applied to the antenna to achieve 5 watts EIRP (effective isotropic radiated power). This station probably approximates 60% of the stations that are currently on the air on 630 meters. Brandy also has capabilities to operate on