985 Workbench: 2025-01-27

My Week in Radio

Really glad to get to field day with 985.
Customized my AllStar node for better mobile use:
- DTMF to shutdown
- DTMF announce IP address
- Announce ip with the start up macro
Btech UV-PRO with KISS TNC support
- It does APRS internally
- KISS TNC for packet to connect apps on the phone via bluetooth
  - AprsDroid
  - WoAD for Winlink and serial terminal

Others

W8CRW: field day
WA3VEE: field day, photographs!
KC3SCY, Luke:
- Made 50 contacts on CW, goal was 10
- Got a nice Drake 4x to help with CW and a new key
W3FHA, John:
- Working on a radio crammed with tubes
W3JAM, Jeff:
- Heard W3R on 80M CW, but didn’t really operate
- Pelican case for Bird meter and slugs for it.
- Checked into Simplex Net and Welfare Net
KC3HQZ, Jean:
- Fun on Sunday at 985 field day
KB3ILS, Keith:
- Winter Field Day
- Logging contacts for Joe
- Heard, “I’ve been waiting for you” from AF3Z under another club call
- Tried Joe’s Begali straight key
- Making room for a straight key
AB3AP, Mike:
- Bought a QSL card dated from 1949 that belonged to Dick, W3ORU, a recent SK from 985.
WA3KFT, John:
- Worked field day a bit
KC3TYX, Vic:
- Made a few field day contacts, but not much. He didn’t hear W3R.
KC3YIG, Dave:
- Fun at field day
NA3CW, Chuck:
- Setup for WFD on Friday
- Didn’t operate the event
KD3AIS, Tim:
- Great time at 985 field day on Saturday
- Met Harvey, KC3NZT
KC3OOK, Bill:
- South control for simplex net: 42 contacts
- Welfare Net
W3QP, Tim:
- Fun at 985 field day
- Had lots of RFI from electrical lines and other antennas
N3CRE, Charlie:
- Visited 985 WFD
W3MFB, Mike:
- Saw 985 field day on Sunday
- Talked to KD3ACF, JT, a bunch
K3YVQ, Jack:
- 985 WFD
- Learned about CW from Keith
AA3LH, Leon:
- Fun at field day, made some contacts
- Looking forward to Summer Field Day
KD3ACF, JT:
- Got a cage for 705 and next POTA activation
- Long chats with W3MFB
- POTA hunting
- New AllStar node
AF3Z, Jim:
- Operated Cornwall Ranger Station for WFD
- Indoor station: 2I
- Jim was their main CW op: 130 QSOs
- Highlight: Saturday night, 80M, finally found W3R when Keith came to him.

Questions

KB3ILS, Keith:
- When operating straight key,
  - Do you rest your forearm on the table?
  - How do you grip the straight key?
  - Operation tips?
- WA3KFT, John:
  - 3 fingers on the knob, arm on the table, only wrist movement.
- NA3CW, Chuck, concurs
- AB3AP, Mike:
  - European style: float the arm
- AF3Z, Jim:
  - In European style, key is often on the edge of the table.
  - Rests his arm on the table, grip thumb + next 2 fingers
  - Holds the key on his leg when camping
- KB3ILS, Keith:
  - Luke is the operator he wants to emulate
KC3YIG, Dave:
- Electrovoice 719 mic needs a cartridge replacement. Tips, sources of parts, etc?
- NA3CW, Chuck:
  - No experience changing mic cartridges
  - That mic seems similar to the D104 with a crystal cartridges
  - Specific cartridges can be hard to find
  - Some people seem to replace the cartridge with one from Heil
  - With age, cartridges don’t sound right
KD3AIS, Tim:
- Has a Diamond 510HDM antenna, 17ft tall, can the antenna be placed near trees to hide it?
- WA3VEE, Ron:
  - You’re sounding good, so no hurry to put that up.
  - Ron’s antenna is next to a bunch of bushes
  - Foliage won’t attenuate much
  - It’s fine
- WA3KFT, John:
  - Long antennas have nice gain
  - Tie a pipe hitch to the antenna 1/3rd down from the top
  - Hoist it to hang in the tree
- NA3CW, Chuck: Feb 2018 QST, “Live Trees Affect Antenna Performance”
  - Did simulations with HF
- WA3VEE, Ron:
  - His installation is 3-4 feet away from the tree and elevated on army mast
- AF3Z, Jim:
  - Has a tree in path of beam, and it doesn’t seem to affect anything.
  - Hangs other antennas
- KC3SQI, Wayne:
  - D300 stuck on a 2-inch piece of PVC attached to the deck railing
  - 10 ft from the ground
  - When he got above the roof, got an extra 2dB into repeater
  - Doesn’t make a lot of difference

My Week in Radio

Others

Questions

See also