Whatever! The point is, I crossed 100 QSOs.
So, the lucky QSO was TG9ANF Francisco from Guatemala. It's even more awesome that my 100th QSO was a nice DX.
Wow. I didn't even notice when I passed the mark, but my QRZ logbook shows 102 contacts! Admittedly, my confirmation rate is much lower than I'd like, with 28 QSOs confirmed, but I'm not sure if that tracks my paper QSLs (which I do update in my HRD logbook, which is what uploads to my QRZ logbook).
Whatever! The point is, I crossed 100 QSOs. So, the lucky QSO was TG9ANF Francisco from Guatemala. It's even more awesome that my 100th QSO was a nice DX.
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Recently, I was at dinner with my aunt, uncle, and wife, when I brought up having a ham radio installed in my Jeep. My aunt exclaimed, "I didn't know you did ham radio! Your grandfather did that too!"
My grandfather passed away when I was young, and I didn't really get to know him terribly well. I have memories of him, mostly that he was kind to me and my brother. Stories about him are fun to hear. He served in the Air Force, became a commercial pilot and captain for Eastern Airlines, and unfortunately contracted cancer. The cancer he developed is called "multiple myeloma." It left him chair-bound. He was never one to allow that to slow him down, so he used the time to study things he wanted to do. One of them was getting his ham radio operator's license. His call sign was KC4SXE, earning his technician plus license in October 1990. I earned mine 24 years later, in October 2014. My wife and I discuss why people do what they do. It's often said we're a product of our experiences. I wonder if, during one of those few visits I had with my grandfather, he showed me his amateur radio, or talked about it. Whatever the reason, I picked it up. Just like him, I studied for my initial license when I was immobilized (after I blew out my knee) - after all, when you have nothing but time on your hands, you might as well use it. I recovered from my injury. Sadly, my grandfather did not recover from his illness. He went silent key in 1992. UPDATE: As of 4/13/2016, the FP-30 Power Supply is no longer available!
I am offering a used Yaesu FP-30 internal AC power supply for the FT-897D. It fits into the FT-897D's internal battery compartment. The condition is very good. Our home is non-smoking. Price: $175.00 shipped CONUS only, USPS priority. (Going price new is $219 from Ham Radio Outlet.) Payment via Paypal is accepted! Feel free to contact me via the contact form of the website, email, or via QRZ private message. Email is visible in my QRZ profile (you'll need to log in to see it). This listing includes the FP-30 and the power cord. This will be shipped USPS Priority via a flat rate box with appropriate protection. I do not have the original packaging or manual. The manual is available as a PDF from this website: FP-30 Manual from Hank Lambert's (KB4MTO) Tech Portal. I am selling this FP-30 because I only need one (this power supply came with a second FT-897D that I purchased). I've wanted to have dual-band VHF/UHF capability from my base station for some time. I'm especially interested now, as I'm considering an upgrade to an FTM-100DR for digital use via Yaesu's Wires-X network (I love Yaesu products), and I'd like to have the ability to use it around town via my mobile. Usually, I'm restricted to local repeater use when I'm in the Jeep. The location in which I live isn't great for using a handheld and getting to the repeaters I want. My options were either building a J-Pole myself, which is what the purists probably recommend. But, my time is limited, and so I went ahead and purchased one with relatively good reviews on eHam.net from Ham Radio Outlet. Arrow Open Stub J-Pole 146/440The Arrow OSJ is nicely constructed of aluminum, and has a nice heavy duty bracket. There are two options, including one with a two-part long element so that you can break it down further for a go-kit. I purchased the cheaper one-part long element version because it's only going to be used with my base radio (my trusty Yaesu FT-897D). It is tightly constructed. The elements thread into the angle bracket. If you've never used aluminum, be careful when threading everything together, because it is easy to bind. I was very careful when putting everything together (I used the old trick of turning everything counter-clockwise first to make sure that everything is lined up before turning clockwise to tighten). The InstallationI installed the antenna on the deck on the second level. Most of the antenna is hidden, except about 18 inches coming up over the deck's handrail. I also made sure that no other metals were within 10 feet of the antenna, or above the bracket. The installation took about an hour, mostly because I was working between the first and second floors. I also took extra care routing the wiring because I promised the XYL it would not affect access to her planned garden. I also added a coil wrap at the bottom of the antenna per Arrow's recommendation to help with 70 cm work. Side View Looking up at the antenna The ResultAfter I got everything set up, I used Chirp to upload the local repeaters into my transceiver. Immediately, 2m worked great. I was able to reach the repeater I was aiming for with only 5 watts, with pretty good reports. I pushed up the power to 10 watts and turned down the mic gain, and got better signal reports, but I don't think I'm achieving full quieting. I should also be able to reach the other two repeaters I'm interested in reaching. That's a success.
However, as a few reviews stated on eHam.net, the UHF SWR was out of control. Unfortunately, I do not own an antenna analyzer for 70 cm frequencies. I'll have to talk to someone at my local club to figure this one out. For now, 2m work is really my interest, since that's where most repeaters still function. Wires-X will also work fine. But I'm annoyed with the UHF issue. Purpose Built, or...?I'm always on the lookout for a better way to do things. In this case, I've been looking for a better way to carry my FT-897D transceiver (with two internal batteries), associated cabling, a Verizon tablet (or computer), and the normal knick-knacks associated with a portable HF station. Recently, I've been looking closely at backpacks, having passed through the Gator-box phase of portable operations, and having skipped entirely the Pelican case since I couldn't find one that fit my beloved FT-897D and the paraphernalia in one box without it getting too large. While there are a ton of great backpacks on the Internet, very few are purpose built for carrying a station. Those few that are can be rather pricey. Then, I happened to run across one that was not intended for amateur radio... My RequirementsBefore I tell you about the product, I wanted to tell you what I was looking for. I don't normally carry more than my portable station when I want to use it. That means, at a minimum, it must safely fit my FT-897D with two internal batteries and the LDG AT-897D autotuner, the microphone, and the associated cabling. I use the Buddipole Deluxe for my primary portable antenna system, so I also want to fit my RigExpert AA-30 for tuning. (But you may be thinking, "you have an autotuner!" True, but the Buddipole is tunable, so why fool my transceiver to match impedance when I can just tune the actual antenna?) I also run WolphiLink for digital operations (PSK-31), so I want to fit that, its cabling, and a small tablet computer. Of course, I also need a notebook and a pen to record QSOs. Finally, snacks and water are important, too. ...and what I found!There's a company called Mission Critical which is selling backpacks and messenger bags for a specific purpose. It's very important - their products are geared to new dads. That's right, Mission Critical sells tacticool diaper bags. Their backpack, linked here, is perfect for my needs. So, what makes these bags perfect for my portable station? Well, let's see: 1. The top opening of the backpack is huge. The FT-897D fits down into the bag with nary an issue. 2. The top opening includes a pocket specifically for tablets. It's padded. 3. The side opening allows complete access to the main pocket. It is very easy to get to what I need without disturbing the radio. 4. There is a diaper changing pad which fits into the laptop compartment. That's the perfect place to set down my radio when I'm outside so I don't scratch up the bottom. 5. The front pocket has a bunch of organization possible, perfect for my random cables and logbook. 6. It does have the MOLLE system. It's expandable. 7. It's comfortable to carry. And the price was right where I wanted it but I was willing to wait until a pretty deep sale. If you sign up for the newsletter, you can get a discount coupon if you don't want to wait. Pictures
Your chance to share!What non-purpose-built tricks have you found in your amateur radio experimentation? I can only imagine that there must be thousands! Let me know in the comments, I really enjoy learning more by listening to you! Helpful Links |
AuthorsNick, Licensed Amateur Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator and Sailor Archives
July 2016
CategoriesUseful Links
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