Have Moxon, Will Travel. (Winter Field Day 2023)
For Winter Field Day 2023 I decided to set up a 6M Roving Station to try out the Stressed Moxon 6M by PAR Electronics. The moxon is a lightweight, compact beam, equivalent to a two element yagi with similar gain and F/B per the companies website.
The mast is from the fiberglass handle of an old tree saw that I broke years ago (it pays to hang on to stuff like this). The mast sits in a 50 lb steel patio umbrella base that I bought with this purpose in mind. Cargo straps secure the base to keep it from sliding around during transport. With this setup in the bed of the truck, the moxon can be raised 12 feet above the ground, more than half a wavelength on 6M so I think it will work pretty well. The beam can be further adjusted with the “Armstrong Rotator” as required.
I know its not the traditional season for “the magic band” but if this works out today I’ll be set for Summer Field Day later this year. I’ve heard that SFI between 150-200 should work fell. Today’s SFI is 145, with 95 SN. Worst case I will spot myself on the POTA website and hope to work local contacts. RBN report for past 15 minutes shows regional propagation in North Carolina, and isolated spots in UK. So there’s hope!
During my final test, the SWR was between 1.2 and 1.5 across the 6M band. The rig today will be my FT-991a, I will be activating from K-4423 Spring Creek Forest State Preserve with some other guys from the Richardson Wireless Klub.
Reports to follow.
Chris de WX7V
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