Thursday, 30 March 2017
Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Oh! it's been a while......
OK, since last post things have been busy with starting a new job and getting kids off to uni, so while I have been playing radio a bit, I haven't updated this blog in 2 years!
shame on me!
so why today all of a sudden?
new antenna time!
I was given a roll of 2mm diameter solid copper wire. after pondering the possibility of a loop, and with the wisdom of the good folk over on www.hamradiodeals.co.uk I decided on a doublet.
apparently the length isn't vital, so while the two legs are the same length..... I don't know EXACTLY how long. About 25m each. fed by approx 14m of 300 ohm twin line. the feedpoint at the top of a fibreglass fishing pole, approx 11m up, at the north corner, then the two legs head off horizontally at 90 degrees, one for 15m before taking a right angle turn, the other about 17m then they head towards the same corner to be tied off. Far from perfect. but it seems to work.
Using the trusty old KW E-ZEE match, I've got it tuned on 80, 60, 40, 30, 20 and 17m.
can't get close on 15m and haven't tried higher.
In the few days I've been trying it, I've worked all across Europe on 40 & 80m , Florida on 17m, Illinois on 20m, Niger (a first) Morocco and Madeira on 17m, Algeria, Malta, Cyprus and Ghana (another 1st) on 20m, Germany and San Marino on 30m, Spain on 60m.
I am VERY pleased!
OK, since last post things have been busy with starting a new job and getting kids off to uni, so while I have been playing radio a bit, I haven't updated this blog in 2 years!
shame on me!
so why today all of a sudden?
new antenna time!
I was given a roll of 2mm diameter solid copper wire. after pondering the possibility of a loop, and with the wisdom of the good folk over on www.hamradiodeals.co.uk I decided on a doublet.
apparently the length isn't vital, so while the two legs are the same length..... I don't know EXACTLY how long. About 25m each. fed by approx 14m of 300 ohm twin line. the feedpoint at the top of a fibreglass fishing pole, approx 11m up, at the north corner, then the two legs head off horizontally at 90 degrees, one for 15m before taking a right angle turn, the other about 17m then they head towards the same corner to be tied off. Far from perfect. but it seems to work.
Using the trusty old KW E-ZEE match, I've got it tuned on 80, 60, 40, 30, 20 and 17m.
can't get close on 15m and haven't tried higher.
In the few days I've been trying it, I've worked all across Europe on 40 & 80m , Florida on 17m, Illinois on 20m, Niger (a first) Morocco and Madeira on 17m, Algeria, Malta, Cyprus and Ghana (another 1st) on 20m, Germany and San Marino on 30m, Spain on 60m.
I am VERY pleased!
Friday, 13 February 2015
RF in the shack!
my previous PC picked up a little interference when I was using CW on 10m with my G5RV 1/2 size.
just a slight ripple on the monitor.
well, new PC and new monitor and the whole thing freezes when I use 10m. then takes 5 seconds or so to come back to life afterwards.
not good!!
so I asked those wise people over at Hamradiodeals what to do about it.
Naturally, as this was Hams there were a whole range of ideas!!
as always the old chestnut of "ditch the coax and go twin feeder came up, and while I accept that it may well work, I have three antennae, all connected by coax, and I have no experience of twin feeder other than as a part of a G5RV, so I'll respectfully pass on that.
other ideas were ferrite sleeves at the antenna end, a 1:1 balun and an ugly balun.
my ebay empire has been passable recently so I jumped on and ordered the bits to do all the above.
except the twin feeder thing!
first to arrive was the FT240-43 ferrite toroid (£7.99 inc post). Google provided me with this diagram from VK6YSF
OK, seems straight forward enough......
a rummage in my scraps box produces the wire, a plug and a socket......
as many turns as would fit on the ring.....
a few solder joints....
and a quick test before I bother to find a case.....
now, as some point I WILL case it up nicely.... but right now, the RF in the shack is gone, and on a pretty much dead 10m band I had a 10m QSO with UY5BO in Ukraine within seconds, and a couple of 20m contacts to make sure all was well there too.
so, problem solved for a total cost of £7.99, a few scraps and about 1/2 an hour's tinkering.
my previous PC picked up a little interference when I was using CW on 10m with my G5RV 1/2 size.
just a slight ripple on the monitor.
well, new PC and new monitor and the whole thing freezes when I use 10m. then takes 5 seconds or so to come back to life afterwards.
not good!!
so I asked those wise people over at Hamradiodeals what to do about it.
Naturally, as this was Hams there were a whole range of ideas!!
as always the old chestnut of "ditch the coax and go twin feeder came up, and while I accept that it may well work, I have three antennae, all connected by coax, and I have no experience of twin feeder other than as a part of a G5RV, so I'll respectfully pass on that.
other ideas were ferrite sleeves at the antenna end, a 1:1 balun and an ugly balun.
my ebay empire has been passable recently so I jumped on and ordered the bits to do all the above.
except the twin feeder thing!
first to arrive was the FT240-43 ferrite toroid (£7.99 inc post). Google provided me with this diagram from VK6YSF
OK, seems straight forward enough......
a rummage in my scraps box produces the wire, a plug and a socket......
as many turns as would fit on the ring.....
a few solder joints....
and a quick test before I bother to find a case.....
now, as some point I WILL case it up nicely.... but right now, the RF in the shack is gone, and on a pretty much dead 10m band I had a 10m QSO with UY5BO in Ukraine within seconds, and a couple of 20m contacts to make sure all was well there too.
so, problem solved for a total cost of £7.99, a few scraps and about 1/2 an hour's tinkering.
Thursday, 30 October 2014
10m CW
bunged out a CQ
answered by 7q7bp, Joe, and my 1st contact into Malawi on any band
not a rag chew as there was QSB, but we exchanged actual RST, pwr and ant etc.
such a pleasant change from the usual DX 599 exchange.
when the qso ended there were several stations who called, seeking the 7q7 but Joe just moved on, leaving the frequency for me.(though I did hold back to leave him to answer if he wanted to.)
definitely my favourite way of filling a slot in my log!
bunged out a CQ
answered by 7q7bp, Joe, and my 1st contact into Malawi on any band
not a rag chew as there was QSB, but we exchanged actual RST, pwr and ant etc.
such a pleasant change from the usual DX 599 exchange.
when the qso ended there were several stations who called, seeking the 7q7 but Joe just moved on, leaving the frequency for me.(though I did hold back to leave him to answer if he wanted to.)
definitely my favourite way of filling a slot in my log!
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
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