Our retirement QTH is 8 miles north of Seneca, SC on Lake Keowee (Oconee County, SC- Grid EM84mx) and on the south side of the Smoky Mountains which is part of the Applachian mountains.

This area has 4 seasons of the year with a mild climate and little if any snow. The flowers and wildlife are abundant and the lakes and mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. The weather is perfect for my wife's hobby, "gardening". We have flowers year around in a beautiful setting. Our backyard overlooks the Keowee Key golf course so I manage to escape to the golf links when not chasing islands or countries.

Present equipment includes a Yaesu 1000MP Mark V and Alpha 87A linear, some 2 meter gear for packet, an R-7 on top of a 8 element log periodic up 30 feet. The rules of my community limit the use of antennas so I am unable to erect a bigger unit. My mobile rig includes a Yaesu 900 with the extension control unit plus a 5 band vertical attached to the trailer hitch on the back of aToyota Sequoia SUV for putting out counties and islands.

The tower is attached to the center of the home rather than a freestanding system to gain additional space and approval by the building committee. The tower has a Hazer unit to lower the beam/vertical combination. The antenna system includes the HF and WARC bands 10 through 40 meters. Considering the relatively low height and nearby mountains, it seems to work satisfactorily. Some DXCC and IOTA island contacts are certainly a struggle but it is a great hobby with the reward of meeting many old and new friends all over the world.

QTH of W9DC ( 2 Coxswain Place) in the mountains of South Carolina

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(Revised June 2009)