Well Field Day 2010 all started to come together pretty well. I put all the drinks and heavy items in the front to ensure good positive tongue weight. Pre-positioned the radio on that beautiful desk. Loaded up several antennas. Three masts plus stakes, etc. I even managed to figure out how to get my hex beam in there with a minimum of dis-assembly. It is quite a mess. I am sooo glad I selected that slinky wire that does not kink.
Here is a picture.
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There is nothing like going to the beach.
Seafood, sand in everything you own, beach strolls, a time with family away from the usual distractions of life.
What better to do at the beach than visit the local lighthouse… especially a big coastal light station like Assateague Lighthouse on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Of course being a ham makes you notice things others miss with your “hammy eyes.”
Follow along in this picture tour of our visit to Assateague Lighthouse in 2007 and see the unusual thing we found within.
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For quite a few years I have used the DX Engineering Maxi-Core Balun model number BAL050-H05-A.
I needed some quick deploy Baluns for the 80 Meter Turnstile Antenna covered earlier on Ham Help Desk.
Also purchased were two DXE-UWA8X-KIT products which provide hoisting points and strain relief for RG-8 size coax.
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Figuring out the details of the APRS “new paradigm” WIDEn-n technique has been a bit of a learning curve for me. I stumbled onto this web site which contains a good summary of the various modes.
This site helped me shorten my APRS learning curve.
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In the never ending quest to improve our HF mobile ops for the Virginia QSO Party we finally decided to try a small loop.
There is nothing new about small loop antennas. They have been discussed in the literature for decades. The ARRL has some very old articles about them in the 1968 March and July editions.
Constantine A. Balanis’ book on Antenna Theory discusses and defines large vs. small loops. This book is an essential reference if you seek the details on how loops work. The loop described below fits into the “small loop” category where the currents along the conductor are, for all practical purposes, constant. This is unlike full size antennas where current reaches a minimum where voltage approaches maximum. Since this loop is electrically short with respect to wavelength, current does not change “much.”
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A few years ago I installed lengths of LMR-400 Direct Burial coaxial cable in my back yard. I wanted good connectors for my investment. I seriously considered the superior N connectors, but my DX Engineering Coax Switch uses SO-239 connectors. While not the high quality choice, I succumbed to tradition and sought out suppliers for the PL-259.
Money was really no object since the connector is often the weak link in the system and deserves quality. I just made an investment in 240 feet of LMR-400 cable and wasn’t about to shortchange the connector.
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Let’s see…
Someone with a name like McVey, claims membership in REACT, is a Ham possibly, has Whacker lights on his mobile and carries a gun…
…is “held at the request of federal authorities.” Priceless.
You just can’t make this stuff up folks.
It looks like the guy did nothing wrong, but being a whacker is not illegal, silly yes, but illegal no.
Hello all,
So…
I am finally getting around to using APRS. It seems to me APRS applications, such as UI-View, are older and lack recent releases. I realize UI-View’s author is no longer with us. Does anyone here have some thoughts on good software for use with the APRS system?
73
John
My latest ARRL renewal came with the usual free gift. This time I selected the “Emergency Communication Handbook.” I made a promise to the fifteen or so EmComm organizations that made an appearance during the Haiti tragedy to look at EmComm again with an open eye resulting in the ordering of this book.
Fair enough.
I was glad to order this book to see how EmComm might be done from a well organized perspective. I sat down one evening and opened it up. Here is the first sentence…
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Many hams add power hungry radios to their vehicle power systems. A preferred way to obtain the power is directly from the battery terminals.
I have been adding various gadgets to my Ford Taurus to bring battery power into my passenger area so I can get rid of my cigarette lighter plug for my 2m/440 radio.
Adding a wire to my original battery posts was a problem so I used replacement posts from the car audio market. This turned out to be a mistake.
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