Hamming It Up

Hey All.

After 15 years off the air I've really been getting back into ham radio. Been playing around with QRP and also "high" power stuff (65 watts) on 2 meters . Also been doing some "pea shooter"/ low power stuff on 440.

My mobile was heard in Maine (100 + mi ??) on 2 M but I couldn't copy them . Someone in S. NH was running relay for me .

I worked about 30 miles on 1.5 watts on 146.565 using a pair of 50 ohm (tv) rabbit ears ( twin lead was cut off).

Now I'm running a car roof 5/8 wave , so the dipole may be "readjusted" ( taped down ) for NOAA weather on 162.xxx Mhz or the FDNY frqs ( can't recall,154 Mhz?).

Years ago FDNY was used here Boston as a back up 2 M opening alerting frq. We used to hear them every summer ,but that was from the WTC. I also heard they may be going away from VHF, so a bit of homework is needed before I try for them .


The NOAA frqs are a mediocre second option for 2 M alerting.


Next items to buy are a 4 element beam ($!), a 2m/440 passband filter ($$$$$!!!!) and some VLF reception stuff.


Good reports on my IC 2200H . I still need to practice the features though.


K

krystallo wrote:
Next items to buy are a 4 element beam ($!), a 2m/440 passband filter ($$$$$!!!!) and some VLF reception stuff.
K

Gees, K. I never figured you as a guy who would actually BUY a 4 el 2m beam.

Hey X.

Yeah I BOUGHT the beam. But I'm already looking into building a boot copy out of copper, maybe only as only a "Keyholed" dipole design (ie a 2 element "beam") . I sometimes WALK to my hilltop to QSO and want something SMALL and tough but with at least a tiny BIT of gain.

Or maybe I 'll just carry a 5/8 mobile ant (@ + 3db) up there . Just dunno yet.


Been grabbing LOTS of toys lately, the beam, the filter, the rig, some VLF stuff, etc, etc (etc, etc!).

Best QSO so far well up into Maine.


Going to Field day this weekend w/my new QSO group from 146.565.

I'll help them and then go for the SAQ transmission on 17 KHz early Sun Am. On a Crash program to get coil ,var caps, patches and other goodies ready for Sat. .


Fiddled w/ the rabbit ears and got my lowest SWR w/both elements swung in 45 degrees from the "normal dipole " geometry of opposed elements at 180 degrees.


Also been working on a car mounting system for the Icom and the DCI passband filter. Bizz, bizz, bizz- K

Hey make your self a J-pole from copper tubing. its two elements and no pattern anomalies that I'm aware of. I made one and even leaning against the wall, using my hand held it puts out a solid signal.

Hey Resistance,

Thanks for the heads up, I might look into the idea!
K

Hard to beat the venerable old J-pole for efficiency and ease of construction and mounting.

War story. Back in the 70s I worked at a place and we had a business band license in the 157 Mc range. Bossman gave all of us techs on call one of those 15-watt Aerotron grey boxes to use at home and since we were a CATV outfit there was no shortage of cable scraps with which to make a j-pole for the home base antenna.

Worked some taxicab DX from NC up into the Northeast after hours when cndx were right