985 Workbench: 2025-02-10

 Posted on 2025-02-10

My Week in Radio

  • Reconfigured fldigi with some more modular macros and used them for a short time for CQ WPX RTTY contest
  • Replaced my 71-foot EFRW with 107-foot wire
    • ATU works a bit harder than the previous, but stretching the counterpoise in a different direction helped.
  • 5W into the wire got me a contact to Japan on FT8

Others

  • KC3SCY, Luke:
    • building out his radio desk
    • new Drake TR-4A and matching transmitter
  • W8CRW, CR:
    • Nets
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • checking out and testing equipment
    • interviewed on podcast: “operation freedom. ham radio in public service.”
    • KB3SVC presented on senior scams at another meeting
  • W3QP, Tim:
    • 11 summits in Virginia!
  • KC3TYX, Vic:
    • VHF nets, No HF.
    • hiking and geocaching.
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • 985 activities
    • tower work at Joe’s when weather permits.
    • acquired merantz professional CD recorder
    • PM/AM net pre-net host. much better at 3:30pm for pre-net.
  • KC3OOK, Bill:
    • 985 nets
    • South control for Simplex Net
      • 37 check-ins with only 2 controls
    • Passed along some gear to others via Joe
  • KD3AIS, Tim:
    • drove to Parkesburg, and remembered to bring mobile glass-mount antenna and HT, so could contact to the repeater via RF.
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • working on Omni 6, which is broken
      • getting worse as he diagnoses
    • visited old shack in basement and rearranged it
      • finally returned to MB102 heathkit rig with power supply
      • replaced some capacitors
      • now working!
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • email reminder was appreciated to host the workbench
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • playing with some heathkit lunch boxes.
      • 2m, 6m, 11m
      • doesn’t have the 10m
      • they’re regenerative receivers
      • not very efficient transmitters
    • vibrator power supply for radios that run off 120V AC
    • was convenient back in the day to be able to hang equipment from the old dashboard in cars.

Questions

  • KD3AIS, Tim:
    • Given his recent foray into mobile radio and a glass-mounted antenna, he’s looking at mobile rigs. He’s seeming some that are higher-power single band, and some lower-power dual band. Also seeing single-band and dual-band antennas. But no 70cm single-band antennas. Recommendations and considerations?
      • WA3VEE, Ron:
        • Ron just runs high-power dual-band.
        • there are lots of 70cm repeaters around the area.
        • magmount antennas on top.
        • don’t worry about 65W vs 50W. close enough.
      • W3CRW, CR:
        • found a 70cm-only antenna on amazon.
        • still recommend dual band
      • WA3KFT, John:
        • dual band antenna is nicer for 70cm.
        • he dedicates a 70cm antenna and a 2m
      • KC3NZT, Harvey:
        • don’t worry much about power on dual-band radios
        • watch for nicer features
          • full-duplex
          • digital control
          • dual-watch
      • K3YVQ, Jack:
        • has Larson NMO 270 antenna to give away
      • KC3OOK, Bill:
        • recommended a couple radios with those features
      • NA3CW, Chuck:
        • dual-band rigs run less power because they’re a compromise.
        • single-band rig is no compromise, but more limited in features.
        • there are 470MHz antennas for commercial bands
        • feature: wishes his rig had split tones.
      • W8CRW, CR:
        • crossband repeat
        • split tones
      • WA3VEE, Ron:
        • Yaesus generally don’t support split tone
        • ICOMs generally do
      • W3GMS, Joe:
        • ICOM IC-2730A is great
          • split tone
          • good cooling
          • power makes a huge difference when you’re trying to open squelch on a repeater
          • nmo mount is nice, because you can swap specialized antennas.
      • KC3SQI, Wayne:
        • run IC-4730 for split tone and crossband
  • KC3WWC, John:
    • Adding another dual-band antenna outside, probably dedicated to APRS. How close can they be or how should they be arranged?
    • WA3KFT, John:
      • 5 vertical antennas: 10, 6, 2m, 220, 440.
        • 2m and 440 are harmonically related, so separated
        • all mounted on a bar.
        • 440 and 2m are separated 7.5 ft, so they don’t interact.
        • 35 ft off the ground.
        • can’t separate them that much on a car.
    • KC3SQI, Wayne:
      • if the antennas are harmonically related, attempt to separate at least 2 wavelengths
      • dual band antennas are
      • DX Engineering has an antenna bar already setup with multiples
    • WA3VEE, Ron
      • Diamond dualband is good. mounted on front.
      • 220 in the middle
      • something else on the far back of the vehicle.
985  workbench  w3gms  net 

See also