AmateurRadio.com

After about six years of sporadic effort, I finally finished the W3NQN filter set by building the 10- and 15-meter filters over the past two weekends.  Now I can operate SO2R with impunity on all bands.  Several band combinations are still problematic, but those are problems that filters can’t solve.

Because the geometry of our home does not permit me to have a walk-behind station desk, I had to attach the filters to the mounting board by laying on my back with a right-angle drill.  That sort of thing is always a bit exciting!

Ethan Miller, K8GU, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Maryland, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Ever since I replaced my primary station computer (a decision that may be reversed soon—details in a later post), I desired to replace the remaining 19-inch Dell Trinitron CRT monitor with something lighter and smaller.  Mom and Dad were in town a few weeks ago on a much-needed vacation and we went to the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy facility near Dulles Airport.  This is only a few miles from one of the best used computer shops in the DC area—CedarPC.

CedarPC is nice because they’ll sell you “damaged” stuff at a discount if you don’t care about the damage.  I inquired about a 24-inch flat panel I had seen on the web site, but they could not find it.  They did find me a nice 20-inch flat panel that was just missing the stand and the price was right.  The missing stand was no big deal because I wanted to mount the monitor on an arm so I could bring it closer to the HF end of the station desk, tuck it in at the VHF end, or even swivel it out over the couch to watch a DVD.  Sold.

Monitor arms are generally expensive…at least 2-3 times what I paid for the monitor itself, often more.  So, I went to trusty eBay and found something designed for mounting televisions for $15 including shipping.  This did require some modification of the monitor housing and liberal application of wide washers to reinforce the plastic in the housing.  But, it was done with all junkbox screws and washers.

Ethan Miller, K8GU, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Maryland, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

I understand the reason for split operation when you run a DXpedition. Without split operation you probably wouldn’t be able to hear a thing apart from the big guns shouting for attention. Unfortunately for a little fish like me the split is too wide, most of the time. My classic TS-130V has a RIT of only 2 kHz. Nowadays many operations choose splits of 5 or even 10 kHz, even for CW! Never mind, I’m already glad to be able to hear them.

Today, however, 10 meters was open again and after tuning around I found a 53 signal from T32C. Nice, but I heard them before, so no big deal. But it became nicer when I noted he was working a split of 0 kHz and he was calling out CQ because there were few takers. Out came my mike and with the 12 Watts I am putting out on 10 meters he gave me a 59 report. Yeah, right! I gave him the honest 53, but I don’t think he noticed.

Of course, when my TS-440S is fixed I have a 1oo Watts and wide  RIT/XIT again, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet. I got the missing parts yesterday and spent tonight putting the VFO#5 back together again. No luck, still lots of dots on the display saying that the PLL won’t lock and I’m measuring 8 Volts where I should be measuring 5 Volts. The search for the fault continues……unfortunately.

Hans "Fong" van den Boogert, BX2ABT, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Taiwan. Contact him at [email protected].

Series Four Episode Twenty-One of the ICQ Podcast has been released. News Stories include :-

• Solar CME and flares kill upper HF bands
  
• ARISSat used as teaching tool
• Simulated Emergency Test
• VI6CHOGM
• GB400KJB
• AO-51 to support 54th Jamboree On The Air
• WWII HRO receiver donated to museum
• Limited Greek 5 MHz permission
• Sputnik transmitters on-air
• XYL radio ham to stay in touch with husband

Your feedback and Martin (M1MRB) discusses Soldering and Leadfree.

Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].

Hopefully Monday will be an antenna-building day. I don’t know that it will all come together in one shot, but if I don’t get this project going it’s never going to get done.

I spent some time in the hardware store yesterday, picking out the many different bits and pieces that I’ll need for the job. Hard to believe how much it all added up to. Gulp! At least I had a coupon for $10 off of my purchase. As it is there are still a couple more little things I need, but I’ll have to drive up to Willmar for those on Monday.

Here’s a rough sketch that I made last March, dusted off and updated slightly. There are still a couple of unknowns — those are the figures in red.I’m not certain that I’ll need to attach anything to the adjacent church-building, since I may get away with just draping the wire in a nearby tree. But I’ll figure that out as I go. I’ve planned enough! It’s time to put this antenna up!

Todd Mitchell, NØIP, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Minnesota, USA. He can be contacted at [email protected].

After reading  some blogs how QRP power has made it out to T32C I was game to give it a go myself. Well I went to T32C's website which by the way is fantastic. It is full of information regarding the DXpedition as well as live up to date spotting information. I checked the frequency's  the website said they would be on and it was only late last night I could just hear them over the noise level on 40m. That was a close as I got to a signal from the team. I tried today and nothing and will give it a go this evening as well. I am hopeful that I will be able to pull off a contact but at this point it is very hard to do so if I am unable to hear them at my QTH. I also went to the VOACAP website and punched in my info.....and well the results for me making a contact with my power, (QRP) location and antenna (attic dipole) gives me a slim to none chance!!!
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

Still like the QSL side of the hobby. Last time I attended the local radioclub there was  pile of QSL cards waiting. Along them a long awaited card from ZD7X Tom who was operating from St.Helena in 2007. I got him confirmed now on 20, 17, 12 an 10m. When setting up WSPR this morning I heard a lot of Japanese stations booming in on 12m and 10m. But since I got a father-daughter day today I had no opportunity to make a QSO. Left WSPR on at 10m.

 

Bas, PE4BAS, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Groningen, Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected].