Franklin County
EX - WA7QJY
Here is a collection of GREAT, and easy to use Antenna Modeling Software for all sorts of RF and Antenna type stuff - verticals, cages, dipoles, mobiles, end-fed, feedlines, baluns, system efficiency, propagation, matching, loading, etc. . . . Take a look and help yourself. |
First licensed in 1970 as WN7QJY, a Novice class operator. In February of 2001, I finally broke down and applied for a Vanity call. This is partially due to the fact the the suffix of my former call, WA7QJY, included the three longest CW characters in the alphabet.
Member of the International Morse Preservation Society. #4561 - Century Certificate #1028 - Diamond - Gold - Silver - Platinum - Platinum 250 - WAS - Millionaire
Member of North American FISTS
Member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association. QCWA
Accredited ARRL and W5YI Volunteer License Examiner.
For info, visit ARRL VEC and W5YI SuperSite
ARRL Eastern Washington Section HF Awards Manager.
This job essentially consists of accepting applications for the ARRL Worked All States Award and checking the accuracy and completeness of your QSL cards. If you are an ARRL member, and wish to apply for the WAS, contact me and we'll get your award without sending your valuable cards clear to Newington!
Here is a list of "My Nominations " to the ARRL A-1 Operator Club. If you have worked these Excellent Operators and are an A-1 Op member, please send in your seconding nomination.
Visit this site: "A-1 Operator Club" for the whole scoop on the smoothest operators on earth!
Holder of ARRL DX Century Club Award
Holder of ARRL Worked All States Award. Mixed, All CW, 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80-meters.
Holder of ARRL Five Band Worked All States Award. .
Holder of International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Worked All Continents Award. Mixed, All CW, and Single band.
On the flip side, I'm always ready and willing to schedule a QSO for anyone trying to complete an award. Any HF band, any mode.
The 735 is just about stock, except for the 500Hz CW filter. Just recently I was able to locate a brand new and un-used EX-243 keyer module, so now all I need to run CW is a bare-nekkid Bencher!
My trusty MFJ 422B keyer is now permanently assigned to the Drake T-4XB.
Hmmm . . . even though that does add up to 60 hours, it would have been a lot harder and took a lot longer if were not for the great design, fantastic instructions, and most importantly, great support. The great support comes from Elecraft staff and the large contingent of Elecraft devotees - ready willing and able to come to the aid of a fumbling builder like me!
The rig was finished just as the ARRL sweepstakes CW contest got underway, so all I can report is that lotsa stations hear me and I can hear them. I'll have to wait a few days before I can manage to scare up a real QSO and a believable signal report!
Just as I had hoped, and just as others have told me, the K2 is a brilliant piece of work. The receiver is very quiet and very sensitive and very selective and very adjustable. Just before I bought the K2 kit, I was seriously considering an Icom 756Pro2. The receiver on the K2 beats the 756. No kidding.
It is a rare day when I break out the microphone and operate SSB on the other rigs in my shack, so I have been holding off buying a new transceiver because it seemed to me that about 3/4 of all the new transceivers out there were aimed at the phone operator. What I wanted most was a great CW rig.
Now I've got one.
There are more features than I have figured out how to use yet, but everything is up and running including over 100 watts of RF output, and full rig control from the remote RS232 feature that comes with the KPA100 option. This little rig is a real blast. Every CW operator MUST get one.
I've been operating QRP on 20 and 40 meters lately, and believe me, with QRP the thrill is back! Every time someone answers my CQ I am shocked that my measly 2-watt signal can be heard. Especially since I built the transceiver myself (albeit from a kit). My favorite QRP rig is a Wilderness Radio NorCal 40-A. This is a really big radio in a little box.
I put this together in a couple of evenings, I even wound the toroids, (more than once! Be sure to read the instructions and use the right sized wire!). The coolest feature of this hot little radio is the built-in memory keyer. What's so cool about a memory keyer these days? This keyer reports the operating frequency in Morse at any point in the band, and will also alert you when tuning to find a selected frequency! Aside from that, the keyer allows setting of QSK, Iambic mode, key-down function, and a bunch of other stuff. Neat-O to say the least. I highly recommend this QRP kit. Get in touch with my friend QRP Bob at Wilderness Radio NorCal 40A and have him kit one up for you!
As you can see, the SWL DSW-2 is a very small rig. This mono-band 20-meter dynamo is a PIC microcontroler based transceiver. With 4 watts of RF output, built-in keyer, RIT, CW frequency readout, and variable tuning rates. It even has 15.000 MHz WWV preset in non-volatile memory for time and propagation checks.
The kit goes together so easily that you can pluck it from your mailbox after work on Friday and be on the air for the weekend. Test and alignment requires nothing you don't already have in the shack. The instructions are good and the rig went together without a hitch.
There was a DSW-2 QSO in my log before the soldering iron was cool. The receiver is hot, and the keyeing is perfect. Each contact I've made has been astonished that I'm running less than a full QRP gallon.
Check out the SWL website and say hello to Dave for me.
| Warning! If you are over 40 years old, be sure to get an illuminated magnifyer, reading glasses, eye drops, and a bottle of your favorite pain killer before building the Elecraft, SWL, or Wilderness Radio QRP kits. |
The SGC 2020 is extremely portable, has plenty of features, and the best part is it will run QRO QRP at 20 watts output. I have read many reviews of this radio, and lots of them complained of many shortcomings. However, I think that most of these bugs have been worked out since the radio was released in 1998. I must admit that the receiver is sensitive to overloading from nearby strong signals, but it can be dealt with quite well by adjustment of RF and AF gain along with the excellent audio filters. Kicking in the DSP really wipes out noise and QRM. In the first three days of use I worked stations in Brazil, Russia, and even the Baker Island DX-pedition station. On battery power and 5-watts, I've been getting excellent reports from other Hams, including several QRP battery portable stations.
Take a peek at my Hy-Tower Installation page. There are some construction techniques and tips I discovered while putting the antenna up. I wish someone would have told me this stuff instead of learning the hard way!
You see, the SB-1000 power supply is wired up for 240Vac. Not many spare bedrooms have a 240-volt outlet, so I used a #10 AWG extension cord routed down the hallway and into the laundry room where it plugs into the dryer socket. In order to preserve the domestic tranquility, and to assure a steady supply of both RF and dry clothes, I recently ventured under the house to install a dedicated 240V line to the ham shack.
How luxurious! 1000 watts of RF and dry clothes!
There is real MAGIC in these radios! I'm not sure what it is, but operating these classy rigs is a true pleasure. The performance is not as hot as the IC735, nor is it as effortless.
Paying attention to how the radio is REALLY doing its job, and becoming one with the plate current, is a very rewarding experience. Many of the Old Timers share their memories of the days of tubes when they hear what my rig is.
Perhaps that is where the magic comes from.
VHF Packet Radio is also practiced at ARS WA7CS. The Station includes a Kenwood TM-241 2-meter transceiver, coupled with a Kantronics KAM running version 6.1 Software. The terminal software is paKet version 6.2. Another highly recommended piece of work. Get your copy of paKet version 6.2 right away and give it a try. It is non-crippled shareware made just for the VHF packeteer in mind.
Portable VHF packet is performed using a Kantronics KPC-3 connected to a Realistic HTX-202 handie-talkie. Extreme compactness is achieved by using a Hewlett-Packard 95LX running it's built-in terminal program!
If you have an HP-95LX,and want to try Shirt-Pocket Packet you will need two things:
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