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What type of antenna you using? I had the problem with my 80m OCF dipole. I don't think it is a USB problem. A current balun cured my issue. I have USB cables going to all the radios and amp. Even have ethernet cables going to a few radios.

I can't run more than 100w in any mode that I use my computer for radio control, because the RF messes with my computer. I think it's because of the USB cable, but im too lazy to go buy another one to test.

Something i always found interesting is most VHF stations were using about 3kw ERP. Some UHF stations were 150kw ERP, but high-power stations were 500kw ERP. Between the higher power and shorter wavelengths, UHF always had better image quality Compared to VHF. I remember dang near every house had a massive TV beam antenna on the roof and a rotator on top of the TV. We had a list of what direction to point the antenna to watch specific channels, and we would kind of fiddle with it to get it just right. But the best was if you had a set of TV top 'rabbit ears' and loop. I remember (before we got a beam) we weren't allowed to move around the living room while mom and dad were watching TV and we all had specific spots to sit when we watched TV, because our bodies would impact how well the TV signal were received. Or we would stand there touching the rabbit ears so grandpa could watch the news. LoL

I generally don't do FT8, but when I do, the amp gets turned down to 600 watts to keep the spirit of making weak signal contacts. When I retire I think that will be a great time for EME.

Don't tell the EME guys that. Well, maybe they fit "very unusual circumstances" LOL

"With ease" is a stretch as well. I remember reading these in real time.

That explains why I could pick up VHF stations from Buffalo [2, 4, sometimes 7] & Syracuse [3, 5, never 9] when I lived in Rochester, NY, I couldn't get any UHF from Syracuse [24. 68] at all, & only once from Buffalo [29, never could get 17], & I think that was because of a band opening I probably would have needed a very tall tower to improve my reception chances There was a house just outside the city limits on the NW side that had vertically stacked TV antennas, I'm sorry that I never knocked on the door to ask what they were able to pick up

exactly what i was thinking

Then do that. If you have a tipping mast then there is no real down side to using the temp ground plane.

Access is just a matter of tipping the mast up and securing it to a post with hose clamps. I just now emailed Comet about the radials. In the meantime, I'm going to stand it up and do some tests with the improvised radials. It will be easy enough to tip it back down and change them when the "correct" ones arrive.

If you have easy access to your antenna I say go for it. In my case my antenna is only accessible by bucket truck at my house. Trying to be one and done but that didn't work because I had water infiltration on my last setup. No idea how, I waterproofed the heck out of it and when I took it down I saw no signs of water. Yet since my setup worked at 26ºF and stopped at 32ºF I can only conclude it was water and when it froze it let things be right.

The rods I got are also stainless steel. I'm going to email Comet, but I'll use what I have until the new ones arrive.

Either way, bad things can happen when dissimilar metals are put together and exposed to the environment over time.

Nope, probably cheap chynese SS. I still have a 712 in it's bag. Maybe later today or tomorrow when I'm back at the shop I'll take a look. 95% sure it's not aluminum, too heavy.

Here is the USCG page for channel/freq assignments: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/us-vhf-channel-information. Even though I'm just a recreational boater, it's still fun to monitor some of these channels, especially when overseas.

Hmmm. As cheap as they sell the Comet i'm thinking the radias are made of threaded aluminium rod or tube.

Amazing to think about.. Here is a neat video, long but very interestig about communications to and from space

takes 20 hours to receive a signal from Voyager and the same amount of time for Voyager to receive a signal from earth.

I agree, go with the correct radials made from stainless steel. Cheap all-thread will rust and seize in the antenna housing.

The originals are stainless steel. Always stinks to have delays. But... do it right, do it once.

And it takes a while for the signal to be received after it is sent. Get's longer every minute. Still, it is pretty cool that we can still communicate. I'm waiting for someone to respond on that frequency. Could be interesting.

Nope, no stars between us and Voyager. Voyager is 15 billion miles away. The nearest star (other than our sun) is 23 Trillion miles away.

Interstellar dust Asteroid fields Kuiper belt The heliosphere

But a hell many of stars.

I'm of the opinion that on 2m/70cm, anything more than 50 watts is just wasted, with perhaps a few exceptions under very unusual circumstances.