HAM radio

Doug Reid said:
This week is Novice Rig Roundup. A fun contest ( not really a contest) to get those old radios back on the air. You do not need a novice rig to play...all are welcome :http://novicerigroundup.org
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Oh, Lord, my boss let me take a 6DQ5 horizontal sweep tube that just wasn't cutting it in a customer's TV B/W TV set and a gassy 6SN7 as the oscillator powered by a transformer cut out of a WWII piece of junk and let me spit out 50 watts on 40 and 20 (1958). I wish to hell I could find that old piece of solid sewage and put it back on the air. It chirped like a parrot and the DC supply was probably half AC (who could afford an oscilloscope on a high school sophomore's budget) but it got me a fair share of contacts.

Jim
 
I just treated myself to a new Elecraft KX2. It's a very capable HF QRP transceiver, but it has a steep learning curve; every button and knob has multiple functions and the menu tree is insane. I'm really impressed, but still feel I just started being able to take advantage of its capabilities.

I feel like the DC-9 captain who was cross-training from steam gauges to a glass cockpit A320 and said he now knows how a dog feels watching television.

Once I feel a little more competent, I'm going to try using it aeronautical mobile.

Stans%20KX-2%20med_zpsr21i5o4q.jpg
 
Doug Reid said:
Been a ham about 50 years now. Still operate a Heathkit SB303 and SB401, HW7 and HW8,vibroplex key ....mostly cw. Have toyed with running aeronautical mobile in my C195, using the ADF wire antenna. I am not sure how well I can send cw while flying .. even more difficult would be logging contacts....maybe I better forget this !
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Back in the 1970s W6AM spoke at the local ham club meeting. He's the guy who had an array of rhombic antennas on top of Palos Verdes in Los Angeles. Anyway, he showed us
his Cadillac, in which he had installed a kilowatt 20 meter rig. He operated CW while driving - with the key taped to the seat next to his leg. Not something I would do - but
that was his thing.

Dave (NF6F)
 
Stan Cooper said:
I just treated myself to a new Elecraft KX2. It's a very capable HF QRP transceiver, but it has a steep learning curve; every button and knob has multiple functions and the menu tree is insane. I'm really impressed, but still feel I just started being able to take advantage of its capabilities.

I feel like the DC-9 captain who was cross-training from steam gauges to a glass cockpit A320 and said he now knows how a dog feels watching television.

Once I feel a little more competent, I'm going to try using it aeronautical mobile.
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Which rig have you been using? The KX2 is pretty dated an its menus are nowhere near as complicated as some of the current radios...
 
I loved operating mobile in the day. I had an old tentec and an outbacker antenna. SSB though, CW was reserved for the fixed station.
My wife couldn't figure out why I was sitting in my car in the driveway one day, but I was working Japan and wanted to finish up the QSO.
 
IK04 said:
The KX2 is pretty dated an its menus are nowhere near as complicated as some of the current radios...
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The KX2 was introduced 3 years ago and the firmware has been updated frequently since its introduction, so I'm not sure what current radios you're thinking about. I know I wouldn't want a radio with more complicated menus. o_O

Here's a YouTube video accompanying the May, 2017 QST product review:
 
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The Dayton Hamvention is this weekend! I'll be there working at the Dayton Amateur Radio association "Special Event Station." Don't know how much actual operation I'll be doing, but I'm scheduled to be the station monitor (to help the actual operators) from 1500 to 1700 on Friday. I expect most of the rest of the time I'll be either shopping or doing "scut work." Going out there tomorrow to help set up the stations, and may have to go on Thursday as well, depending upon what we don't get done on Wednesday. The Hamvention actually opens at 9am on Friday May 17 and is over on May 19 at 1pm.
 
KRyan said:
The Dayton Hamvention is this weekend! I'll be there working at the Dayton Amateur Radio association "Special Event Station."
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Color me green with envy. I've attended Hamvention twice and had a great time. :D
 
How is it now that I hear they've moved away from that horrid pit of Hara Arena?

My wife and I went for a few years -- we had a booth for my former side business. Never did really get to go browse around and shop, we were way too busy with the booth. After the last trip, though, she swore she'd never go back and I felt the same way. Started out with our brand new truck getting broken into at the hotel (not a Hamvention problem) and ended with backed up sewers. I do miss seeing some old friends there, but not enough to make the 12 hour drive.
 
It's not at Hara any more. It's at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia. I went the first year they were there (2017), and didn't go last year. The first year they had a lot of traffic problems, as the fairgrounds are pretty remote, but I understand last year was much better.
The fairgrounds are very nice, with many new buildings. I think it's a great venue for Hamvention.
 
Orlando Hamcation is right in my backyard so I have attended several years, but never made it to Dayton. Someday. I should get back on the air one of these days.
 
Doug Reid said:
I like the old cw rigs..just finished SKCC QRP WES on my Ten Tec 505. Band conditions were not very good, but still managed to have a fun time between thunderstorms here.
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Boy, that sure brings back memories. I was KX6IS on Ennylabegan, one of the Kwajalein Atoll islands, in 1971 and 1972 using my Ten Tec 505. I still have it. I worked Ascension Island which was halfway around the world on 20 meters using 5 watts; he gave me 559.

The hair was a few shades darker. :)
1971%20KX6IS%20Ennylabegan_zpsoofefy8r.jpg
 
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Doug Reid said:
Hi Stan,
I read your QRZ bio page..very interesting. I still operate a set of Heathkit Twins, SB303 and SB401. What is the radio in your first pic ?

Doug Reid WD4LNW
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Doug, that was my Collins KWM-1; it was my pride and joy and my first SSB rig. The photo is from 1962 when I had it set up in my barracks at Vandenberg AFB. Back then, the FCC was issuing "additional station licenses" for folks who resided in a different area, so I was issued WA6YZV (a terrible call for CW).

I had to limit my operations to the middle of the night because of TVI. That turned out to be OK since I worked mostly swing shift and could sleep in.
 
KRyan said:
The Dayton Hamvention is this weekend! I'll be there working at the Dayton Amateur Radio association "Special Event Station." Don't know how much actual operation I'll be doing, but I'm scheduled to be the station monitor (to help the actual operators) from 1500 to 1700 on Friday. I expect most of the rest of the time I'll be either shopping or doing "scut work." Going out there tomorrow to help set up the stations, and may have to go on Thursday as well, depending upon what we don't get done on Wednesday. The Hamvention actually opens at 9am on Friday May 17 and is over on May 19 at 1pm.
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I'd love to get to Dayton some time. I've only been a ham for 30 years and haven't made it yet. Heading for Puerto Vallarta on Saturday, so this year isn't in the card. Have fun.

73

N6TPT
 
Doug Reid said:
...my Mom threw out all my old baseball cards when I was a kid...probably worth a fortune today....not valuable at the time...oh well.
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You should have seen the comic book collection I had before I left for college and Mom tossed it. I could have retired 10 years ago....
 
I used to be a control operator at the Goddard Amateur Radio Club when they'd rebroadcast the shuttle missions on HF. We have five complete collins stations setup with linears. I also was there one night on a SAREX pass and decided to try it with their oscar rig.
 
flyingron said:
I used to be a control operator at the Goddard Amateur Radio Club when they'd rebroadcast the shuttle missions on HF. We have five complete collins stations setup with linears. I also was there one night on a SAREX pass and decided to try it with their oscar rig.
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Pretty cool, Ron. A buddy of mine on Johnston Island, Jerry Jarboe (not a ham), was at Goddard in the 1966-1968 timeframe while I was at Goldstone during the Lunar Orbiter and Surveyor missions.
 
I never worked there, but I knew a lot of the guys and since I had an extra class license back then they were eager to have me cover some of the control op shifts.
 
Doug Reid said:
I have never seen a KWM-1 before...KWM-2’s yes. Nice radio !
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I've seen a KWM-1. Now, I wish I had been a ham in the late 1970s when I worked for the Navy. We had a KWM-2A in one of our vehicles. Do you know the difference between a KWM-2 and a KWM-2A? :D
 
Ghery said:
I've seen a KWM-1. Now, I wish I had been a ham in the late 1970s when I worked for the Navy. We had a KWM-2A in one of our vehicles. Do you know the difference between a KWM-2 and a KWM-2A? :D
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The 2A has an additional crystal board to provide frequency coverage outside the ham bands for MARS and military applications. There's a front panel switch to switch between the two crystal boards. We had a KWM-2A and 30S-1 at the MARS station on Johnston Island hooked up to a 7-30 MHz Andrew log periodic antenna on top of a 100 foot tower (it was a monster).
 
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Stan Cooper said:
The 2A has an additional crystal board to provide frequency coverage outside the ham bands for MARS and military applications. There's a front panel switch to switch between the two crystal boards. We had a KWM-2A and 30S-1 at the MARS station on Johnston Island hooked up to a 7-30 MHz Andrew log periodic antenna on top of a 100 foot tower (it was a monster).
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Bingo!
 
DaleB said:
How is it now that I hear they've moved away from that horrid pit of Hara Arena?

My wife and I went for a few years -- we had a booth for my former side business. Never did really get to go browse around and shop, we were way too busy with the booth. After the last trip, though, she swore she'd never go back and I felt the same way. Started out with our brand new truck getting broken into at the hotel (not a Hamvention problem) and ended with backed up sewers. I do miss seeing some old friends there, but not enough to make the 12 hour drive.
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Hara Arena was pretty heavily damaged in the tornados that went thru here last night.
 
Hate to say it, because I know a lot of hams revere the place... but it looks like urban renewal to me.
 
KR9H.

When I was the most radio-active, I was in my teens and twenties, and participated with the Marissa Amateur Radio Club. Headed up by Bob Heil, K9EID.

Lots of great memories from there.

At this point, I just keep my license renewed.
 
Rgbeard said:
KR9H.

When I was the most radio-active, I was in my teens and twenties, and participated with the Marissa Amateur Radio Club. Headed up by Bob Heil, K9EID.
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You say you learned a bit about quality microphones in that club? :D
 
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