Orzán by EC1CW/P

Today I tested the PAC-12 antenna with the FT-817ND, which was a great experience, but not without issues. First, I forgot the coaxial cable to connect the radio to the antenna (a cable I had just soldered a few hours before). After I phoned home and got the cable, I realized the antenna tuner (LDG-z817) didn't work at all (probably run out of batteries after so many years). Luckily, I was able to sort this out by connecting the antenna directly to the radio, bypassing the tuner. I was surprised how well it worked (no SWR), managing to make a couple of QSOs on 20m with only 1W. Finally, when I was ready to call it a day, the antenna fell on the ground, hitting some bushes and breaking the telescopic whip on its first day of use (the antenna mount was not fastened securely enough). Overall result, very positive, especially the fact that the antenna not only looked very cool on the beach, but also performed great without a tuner. It was also a good test of the antenna mount, and there is no damage that cant be solved (a new antenna whip costs 10 euros only, but can also be replaced in case of need by a sturdier military whip of the type I used to carry on my SOTA activations. Special thanks to José Luis EA1ADI and César EA1DT.