K4CHE
Fort Miles Operations
Page
3
"Moose
and Squirrel Cold-War Clandestine and Long-Range-Reconnaissance-Patrol
Net" with the NCS N3FRQ
O-L
Fort Miles, Delaware
28-
April 2012
The Fort Miles site "radio noise" is minimal, very quite, very little noise present on the lower bands. This Topo chart places the HQ buildings (red arrow)about 2000 feet from the bay. There was only one small power line (low voltage)in the area which feeds the complex.
Some of the roads have retained their WWII names, example Post Road.
The entire complex is just about surrounded by water.
I
brought some semi-modern SSB gear (SGC-715) into the Ft. Miles compound
under heavy security and carefully hid the equipment in a old A3 bag.
When it came time for the Moose and Squirrl net,I hoisted the A3 bag on
my shoulder and E&Eed away from the HQ buildings and barracks and
headed East into the sand dune areas where I could pull out the "modern
equpment" It was all most noon and I was running out of time so operations
were set up on the M114 shown above. Band conditions were terrible but.
. .
My trusty half wave antenna on a Ebay Chink fishing reel.
The "flex weave" copper wire is marked with a small piece of soldered wire for 80, 60, 40 meters.
Fuch halfwave tuner in the foreground, SGC-715 with DDS VFO in the rear.
Video: Initial call up by N3FRQ
Area video and KD3HT with a good signal and N3FRQ
Video N3OD has a good signal.
Complete antenna kit, the tennis ball has a lead weight in it.
Later on it came time to run a CW sked with K2WI,
so I returned with my A3 bag and moved further up on a sand dune for a
little elevation and to get partially in the clear and extended the fishing
reel wire to a half wave on 80 meters.
CW key is a small micro switch.
Radio end of the half wave.
Cactus was everywhere
My emergency ration, I love my wife.