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So, I got settled in at the house a bit and decided that the skyline was too naked. I had my old 40 meter dipole floating around, and just on a lark, I strung one end up in a tree and strung the other end pulled out horizontally, so a non-inverted L. Bottom of everything is about 20 feet off the ground and the end of the wire is right around the 50 foot level. Reception is GREAT, but I need to tune it badly. The antenna that previously hummed a nice 1.2 SWR at 7.100 is now bottoming out right around 8.4 MHz! Sounds like I need to add wire (but my efficiency has likely gone way up). I am starting to measure out and locate everything for the HF vertical - my plan right now is 100 square feet of chicken wire surrounding the base, and 4 buried bare wire radials for each band, 75/40/30/20 meters. I have 6000 feet of aluminum electric fence wire for radials. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Jul 29, 2008 |
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Jul 29, 2008 18:39
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Wahoo! I just got my callsign! I'm KJ4FMG! Now, is the VX-7R a good starter HT?
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Jul 29, 2008 22:49
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Well, I just applied for the title to my truck today, and at the same time I filled out the paperwork to get Radio Operator plates. My temp tags have my call written on them  I had to sign a paper stating I am not entitled to a refund for my special plates in any circumstance. That's $2 I can never get back. 
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Jul 30, 2008 00:59
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Hartman posted:Wahoo! I just got my callsign! I'm KJ4FMG! I was looking at them today, now that I sold my broken FT-100, but I think I'm going to get another HF radio, probably an FT-817 or IC-703. edit: and congratulations!
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Jul 30, 2008 02:25
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Hartman posted:Wahoo! I just got my callsign! I'm KJ4FMG! Congrats! My HT is a VX-7R, and it's a pretty good ways past a starter model. I like it. ALL Yaesu radios are a little confusing to use at first, just read the manual carefully and you'll learn how to do everything. You almost cannot use Yaesus without a manual if you don't know how to set menus already.
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Jul 30, 2008 02:30
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I got the FT-60 because it was cheaper, and I didn't mind not having the waterproofness and the 6M capability at first. It's been good so far. The menus are indeed highly confusing and require repeated reference to the manual. Also, congrats.
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Jul 30, 2008 03:56
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Hartman posted:Wahoo! I just got my callsign! I'm KJ4FMG! As for the radio, I don't know about the 7R, but the 6R I bought has done me well so far, although I haven't begun to transmit yet. Like the above two said, it's pretty daunting function-wise, but the basic functionality is easy enough to get used to and the manual covers everything thoroughly. I'd presume the 7R is similar. Speaking of Yaesu HTs, is there any way to get an adapter for the bloody screw-in headset socket on a 6R? Since I always take my ipod with me when I go out, I'd like to be able to just switch the headphones out to the radio rather than having to bring along a second headset just to listen to it.
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Jul 30, 2008 05:28
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KG6LWI checking in, working on my General as we speak
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Jul 30, 2008 06:21
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TetsuoTW posted:Speaking of Yaesu HTs, is there any way to get an adapter for the bloody screw-in headset socket on a 6R?
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Jul 30, 2008 06:26
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Thanks, you're a champion. I'll head down the shop tonight and see if I can pick one of those up.
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Jul 30, 2008 07:24
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Hey folks, I haven't been around in awhile due to the joys of trying to find / move into a new place, but I just wanted to duck in to say hi, and to congratulate all the newly-minted hams. Hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things once the rig is unpacked again and I'm settled in. Unfortunately, the move is to another apartment, and you all know how limiting that can be as far as antennas go. In the meantime though, I eagerly anticipate pictures of Jonny 290's setup after he gets finished setting up the new QTH to look like an antenna forest... make us proud! See you all a bit down the road.
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Aug 3, 2008 07:54
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I'm hard at work at getting aluminum up  By the end of the week I expect to have my Hy-Gain vertical up to about 30 ground radials (runnning all those is a lot of work!) for operation on 30-10m, and I will be building a tree-suspended 75 meter vertical. I have a big old tree that tickles 50, 60 feet or so, so I will be doing my best to hang a line off the top and do a wire vertical with three elevated (10 feet or so off the ground) 1/4 wave radials. I already have a sleepy little dipole for 40m, it is working FB so I am going to leave it for now. On top of this I am grabbing another 10 foot chunk of fence rail to extend my VHF/UHF mast to 30 feet as well as about 200 feet of stout line, not sure what, for guys. The mast has support around the 12 foot level so I am going to guy around 25 feet, just below the rotator and beam. That fence rail is good mast material, but you need to drill where the sections meet and lock it down with some 1/4" bolts run through it - otherwise it's kind of sketchy. I am thinking of figuring what it would take to use 3 sections each for a phased 40 meter vertical array. Again, main issue is ground plane.
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Aug 4, 2008 16:08
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My VX-7R came today, and it's charging right now. Hopefully, I'll make my first contact tonight!
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Aug 4, 2008 22:16
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 5, 2008 00:04
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Jose Pointero posted:Diamond MR77 Nice... It's even pretty. Let me know how it works for you, especially if you can compare it to something else, as I'm about to spring for my first car mag-mount for 2m/70cm and need some suggestions. Edit: and ... SWR measurements? Not that it would necessarily apply to my car, I guess. How tuneable are these things?
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Aug 5, 2008 03:48
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 5, 2008 14:07
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Sweet. Could you name one or two of the others you were considering? Any thoughts on the similar but lighter Valor ProAm MM-270B? I could only find one review of it at eham (5/5 though).
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Aug 5, 2008 18:22
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 6, 2008 20:00
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Jose Pointero posted:MR77 Speaking from personal experience, this antenna's a winner. It's dirt simple to set up, relatively small, but gets the job done. I did a "permanent" install in my car by just running the base over to one side of the car's trunk, and then guiding the cable to the center console under the door trim. Given that I only had an HT at the time, that worked out pretty well; my only complaint was that the cable run was just a bit too short for comfort. Otherwise, this is probably the best low-profile-but-capable magmount out there for 2m/440. Real permanent installs probably call for something more, but if you don't want to mod your car just to get on the air, this is a great antenna. It'll take 70 watts too, which is more than enough for almost any VHF/UHF mobile. By the way Jose, did you end up installing that little lock washer? I figure it can only go on in one place, but boy does it ever make the antenna look stupid where the aerial meets the base...
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Aug 7, 2008 02:58
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Cool, thanks for the second recommendation. I just ordered one - it sounds like exactly what I want. Right now my only radio is an HT, too.
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Aug 7, 2008 04:06
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 7, 2008 14:51
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backstage posted:Cool, thanks for the second recommendation. I just ordered one - it sounds like exactly what I want. Right now my only radio is an HT, too. Hmm, I hope it's not too late to mention it, but the MR77 comes in both UHF and SMA-style connectors. Since you're on an HT, I can only imagine you'd want the SMA (even if your HT is BNC-style, since the adaptor would be lighter from SMA to BNC).
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Aug 7, 2008 19:11
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Spotted that, and got the SMA. :-) Thanks.
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Aug 8, 2008 01:22
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I worked Venezuela yesterday! PSK31 at 50 watts, 599 copy both ways, on 30m in the early evening. I was running my new 40 meter ground plane with a tuner, this new antenna is sweet. Full quarter wave height (32 feet) and it the feedpoint is about 10 feet off the ground. I have three quarter-wave radials coming out at 120 degree spacing. I am still tuning it, as this is my first foray with an elevated vertical on HF, and the radials are off length. My current plan is to figure out a choke or trap at the top and add 3 30m radials in between the current one, to make a no-tune 40/30 meter vertical. Then I am going to roof mount my 17 foot vertical with a bunch of radials and run it through a tuner for 20-10 meters, and put up a full wave loop for 40-10m, feed it with ladder line. That will be the horizontal antenna for all bands I care about, and I will have verticals for those same bands too. It sounds lofty but keep in mind it's centered around an $89 vertical (that is actually a ripoff), 300 feet or so of wire, some rope and a roof mount.
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Aug 12, 2008 00:56
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My partner and I had a good weekend picking up psk31, we still can't transmit though, as our FT-707 has a blown PA. But in good news, my partner has transfered her license from the states to Australia. And on Saturday going to the toyshop http://www.strictlyham.com.au/ to get ourselves a new radio, and some other gear, so finally we will be able to transmit. 20 meter propagation seems to be good in our afternoons at the moment, and we can hear people in the USA talking to locals and people in New Zealand.
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Aug 12, 2008 02:39
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Spiffy pics of your mobiles, there. My MR-77 came today and I figured out what you meant about the lock washer - I am pretty sure that's there to keep the vibration of driving from loosening the antenna from the base. I have seen that happen to several cars' FM radio antennas in the past.
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Aug 13, 2008 01:37
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Jose Pointero posted:I like your taste in music. Nice looking installation too. What are you powering off the cigarette lighter?
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Aug 14, 2008 23:25
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 15, 2008 15:04
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Jose Pointero posted:Is PSK popular on 30 meter? I thought most people used it on 40 and 20.
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Aug 18, 2008 02:13
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nmfree posted:30M is nothing but RTTY and Data. Fixed that for you. That's the only thing allowed on 30m at all.
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Aug 18, 2008 04:52
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mwdan posted:Fixed that for you. That's the only thing allowed on 30m at all. edit: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/allocate.html edit 2: except for 60 Meters, of course. nmfree fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Aug 18, 2008 |
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Aug 18, 2008 05:55
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Well, right, but the way you had it worded made it sound like there was a possibility of someone operating on SSB on 30m. So of course you're going to hear digital modes on 30 
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Aug 19, 2008 00:13
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Time for more mobile ham pictorals. I was putting my bike on my truck, and wanted to take a couple pictures for separate reasons, so I figured I'd get some shots of my crappy radio setup (mounting, power) out of the way.  I got my tags in last week!  I want to get a better antenna, maybe 1/4 wave on 2m, and mounting it with something like this mount in the rear passenger-side stakehole on the side of the bed. I'd have done it already, but I've got some other things I'm saving my hobby funds for right now. The mag-mount is really annoying, because even the small one I have can't make it under my garage door. I always have to remember to pull it off before I park my truck at home.  Here's where I stuck that Icom IC-208H. I had less room under there than I thought I would have, and the dash presented some difficulties. There's a lip on the back edge of it pointing downward, which I had to file down to be able to mount the radio. Also this is kind of janky because it's held up there with one screw right now. It hasn't fallen down in the couple of months since I mounted it, though.  This shows the relative position compared to the wheel. Getting the mic is a bit of a stretch, as is hitting the power button. Aside from that, its pretty nice. I also wanted to showcase my rockin 1990 Ford Ranger dash and gear cluster.  This shows how I connected it to the battery. I just jammed the ends of the power cable into ring connectors, and got some vicegrips to mash them on with. Seems to work, though it trashed the plastic bit as you can see. My biggest concern with this was getting whine off the alternator, but the little I do get isn't terribly loud, and I'm not convinced that its audible when I tx. The last concern here is that I have to remember to power off the radio when I kill the truck, or it will drain my battery. So far I've left it on once, and only for an hour.  Here's how I routed the wire to a nice premade hole in the firewall. I just used the existing areas wires were running through after I put some of that wire shielding stuff on. I love my truck because there's a ton of room to do stuff like this.  I was so happy when I saw that grommet in the firewall and was able to easily remove it. I cut an X in it with a razor blade (just the blade, because I couldn't find a proper box cutter. I'm safe), ran the wire through it, and jammed it back in. I haven't noticed any leakage since, but I haven't exactly driven a whole lot in the rain since then. I'm considering sealing it up with some silicone.  And finally, here you can see power going behind the pedals and over the steering column to my radio. Note also the lip I had to file down to mount that guy. That was a couple hours worth of uncomfortable filing. One last interesting thing is how much spoogy crap is on the underside of the dash there. This truck was detailed not two months ago, so I think the guys that did it missed the underside by a fair margin.
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Aug 23, 2008 03:07
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sklnd posted:Time for more mobile ham pictorals. Looks like it came out really nice. The Radio Operator plates really make that truck.
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Aug 24, 2008 18:33
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sklnd posted:
I've got just the thing you need to make this problem go away, provided you find that the convenience is worth the price (and given how much a dead battery sucks, it probably is worth the price): http://www.powerwerx.com/product.asp?ProdID=34689&CtgID=
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Aug 25, 2008 03:51
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That is pretty awesome. I will have to order one of those when I order antenna parts.
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Aug 26, 2008 00:11
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Oh awesome. Thanks for the thread redirect. This is KD5ZEN checking in from Houston. Have we considered getting a Goon net going? It would most likely be the best mannered gathering of Goons to date. Pastry fucked around with this message at 08:06 on Aug 27, 2008 |
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Aug 27, 2008 08:04
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 27, 2008 20:34
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I'll be honest, I had no idea about any of this stuff, but I'm going to school for Electrical Engineering. My professor told us earlier this week that the EE department is holding free classes over the next few weeks for amateur radio certification. He's mainly looking to boost membership for the Amateur Radio Club, but when would I realistically use these skills? I think I'm going to certify either way both as a resume booster and as a nice little certification. It seems like the professor, after I talked to him in lecture, said that as an EE I don't really have to go to the class (mostly local older residents), and should just buy the book and study on my own. Does that sound like a safe bet?
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Aug 28, 2008 06:59
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Jose Pointero posted:I think we could do an Echolink net
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Aug 28, 2008 07:06
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