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  #31  
Old 04-07-2018, 07:01 PM
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Fisherdude Fisherdude is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamakiri View Post
I trimmed my collection back a bit, and I now run a Kenwood TS-450 and a Yaesu FT-990 primarily.

The old stuff was great to play with, but now having joined Army MARS and being a digital traffic station for Radio Relay International, I needed something with a much tighter VFO than tube gear could do.
As much as I love my vintage tube gear, and I really do, this Icom IC-7300 is the most stunning radio I've ever used in my entire life. Full direct sampling SDR radio, DSP, filters, etc., etc..

And the waterfall display is unbelievable. I keep hearing hams complaining that "the bands are sure dead tonight", while I'm looking at 10 different signals within +/- 20 kHz.
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  #32  
Old 04-08-2018, 07:04 AM
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I've been considering just spending the coin for a new radio, but I'd like to get something that has a built in digital modem for HF. Is there such a rig? What are you running antenna wise?
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  #33  
Old 04-08-2018, 09:01 AM
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Fisherdude Fisherdude is offline
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I'm running a MyAntennas 80-10 EFHW. It's not the best setup, I'm only at about 20' in the middle, and it's not a straight inverted v, it's in an L shape. But, I've managed to work Hawaii, Japan, Brazil, and Australia. Haven't worked anybody in Europe, can't ever manage to get through the pileups of 1.5 kw flamethrowers.

I haven't gotten into digital yet, but I'm really interested. I'm not sure what you mean by a "digital modem". You have to use a pc to run whatever software you need, and if your radio doesn't have a built in sound card, then you use the sound card in the pc or else an outboard one. Lots of good vids on youtube.
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  #34  
Old 04-08-2018, 10:43 AM
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Not true. I use a TNC modem for digital currently....a Kantronics KAM Plus. About the least expensive PACTOR modem you can get that actually still works on modern digital traffic systems.

I don't personally care for that hokey microphone connection for digital, so I bought a SignaLink USB that will hook into the data port on my TS-450. Yeah, it's kind of the same thing in a way, but it's not. I just wanted to upgrade my system to 21st century tech for digital as the KAM modems are old enough to drink alcohol. It just came in the mail Friday, and I've had a busy weekend so I plan to play with that over the next couple days.

I just put up an HF vertical, a Hy-Gain AV-18AVQII and the jury's still out on that one. I have to pull it down this afternoon to make a couple repairs to the guying that got damaged in a recent windstorm.

You can see pics on my antenna on my QRZ page, N2LCJ. The pics are 6 months old....I really have to get in there and update them.

My antenna pics are there as well. I've worked the world with these. Awesome setup and the easiest install ever, in any sort of conditions:

https://www.k1cra.com/ProductDetails...de=HAMINATORJR
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  #35  
Old 04-08-2018, 11:01 AM
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A friend of mine uses a SignaLink. He loves it. He said it's so much simpler to connect than trying to use the sound card.

I'm really just getting started with antennas. The EFHW is a good start for me, because I'm dealing with CC&R's plus WAF. Luckily I have a two story house with a steep pitch roof, and a wood framed chimney that's on the back side of the house. I'm thinking I can put up a 40-10 vertical and you won't even be able to see anything but the tip from the street. Plus, I'm going to get my friend over to hold the bottom of the ladder, and I think I can get the middle of the EFHW up to almost 30'. Every little bit helps!
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  #36  
Old 11-27-2018, 07:21 PM
Tim Tress Tim Tress is offline
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I like vintage ham gear as well; I recently restored a Heathkit SB-104A transceiver, and have all of the accessories, including the station console, tuner, keyer, VFO, and monitor scope. There are some boatanchors, too; a National NCX-1000, a R-390A, and a HW-101. I just need to put the antenna up.
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  #37  
Old 11-29-2018, 07:18 PM
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After years of being off the air (couldn't put up any kind of decent antenna outside my apartment), I finally got back on with Echolink and an interface program called Qtel. The latter is a version of Echolink that is specifically tailored to the Ubuntu operating system. I find this system works much better (for me, anyway) than the standalone Echolink software (I cannot seem to make it work with Ubuntu, even with the Wine emulator), which suits me to a T since I can now get back into ham radio, even if it isn't the standard OTA version.

Echolink works with traditional amateur stations, using them as links, gateways and such, so this program can be considered as one that brings amateur radio into the 21st century. It is not, as the FAQ page states, a "chat room", but is in fact a program which literally connects computers to amateur stations world wide, using streaming audio and the power of the Internet.

I am glad I discovered Echolink (and later Qtel when I switched from Windows to the Ubuntu OS) when I did. I am now checking into a weekly roundtable discussion net run by a local radio club I belong to; in fact, it is on the air as I write this, retransmitting the nightly ARRL news. Half the time, like tonight (!), I forget it is on.

Oh well. I'll just have to write myself a note with the net's schedule and post it above my desk where I cannot possiby ignore it (!), so I can get on it again as I used to. I don't, indeed cannot, get to the club's meetings these days (the meetings often break up after 10 p.m. EST; the local transportation service doesn't run that late anymore, to say nothing of the fact that the one ham who is very local to me (he lives in the next block) will not speak to me, for some reason, so I figure by checking into the weekly roundtable I can make up for that.

The URL for Echolink is http://www.echolink.org. The program was developed by a New England ham, Jonathan Taylor, K1RFD, and is available free of charge to all licensed amateurs. (Qtel is an extension, if you will, of EL that allows the program to be used with computers running under Ubuntu). I recommend this software to any amateur who, like myself, is in a situation where any kind of outdoor amateur radio antennas are forbidden by lease restrictions (very unfortunately, recent changes in FCC rules which now allow outdoor television antennas in apartment buildings do not apply to ham radio antenna systems).

73,
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Last edited by Jeffhs; 11-29-2018 at 09:53 PM.
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  #38  
Old 01-01-2019, 09:36 PM
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Fisherdude Fisherdude is offline
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I'm back!

Seriously, I need to drop in here more often. Well, I finally got lucky in the vanity lottery: NF7X. I'm amazed at how often I'm working somebody and I'll hear: "What a cool call!" I think I'll keep it.

Hey, Tim, if you've got a Hammarlund transmitter somewhere in that pile, I'm interested!

Oh, btw, this has been taking up a lot of my time recently:
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Last edited by Fisherdude; 01-01-2019 at 09:40 PM.
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  #39  
Old 01-04-2019, 01:43 PM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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If you're on Facebook, subscribe to ARRL WNY Section News. I'm now the Public Information Officer for the Western NY district, and I've been doing a series of (what I think are) really good videos about everything ham related, new and old.

Meanwhile, I'm playing with this bad-assery
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  #40  
Old 01-04-2019, 02:09 PM
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Will do!

A man can never have too many toys!
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  #41  
Old 01-06-2019, 09:46 AM
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radioactive radioactive is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2003
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamakiri View Post
If you're on Facebook, subscribe to ARRL WNY Section News. I'm now the Public Information Officer for the Western NY district, and I've been doing a series of (what I think are) really good videos about everything ham related, new and old.

Meanwhile, I'm playing with this bad-assery
nice gonset ,the national aint to shabby either with the matching speaker.
just sent a request to join the page myself.
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Last edited by radioactive; 01-06-2019 at 09:49 AM.
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  #42  
Old 01-06-2019, 04:09 PM
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davet753 davet753 is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Knoxville, TN
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamakiri View Post
If you're on Facebook, subscribe to ARRL WNY Section News. I'm now the Public Information Officer for the Western NY district, and I've been doing a series of (what I think are) really good videos about everything ham related, new and old.

Meanwhile, I'm playing with this bad-assery
I like the Gonset, very nice! The AM Rally is coming up on the first weekend in February, so it would be a good time to get on the air with the old gear. I hope to make some contacts on 40 and 80 meters this year, despite the rather poor propagation.
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  #43  
Old 01-08-2019, 12:47 PM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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nice gonset ,the national aint to shabby either with the matching speaker.
just sent a request to join the page myself.
Actually, for some wild reason that speaker sounds like ass on this radio

I still have to recap the radio and I haven't had chance to play around with it much, so the jury's out on where the issue is......
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  #44  
Old 01-08-2019, 12:53 PM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davet753 View Post
I like the Gonset, very nice! The AM Rally is coming up on the first weekend in February, so it would be a good time to get on the air with the old gear. I hope to make some contacts on 40 and 80 meters this year, despite the rather poor propagation.
I've yet to bring her up on AM. I was so excited when someone was calling CQ on AM and was trying to get the modulation adjusted properly, but the guy would. Not. Shut. UP. long enough to give me a simple audio check. I got two transmissions in before he totally dismissed me.
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  #45  
Old 01-08-2019, 01:58 PM
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Electronic M Electronic M is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamakiri View Post
Actually, for some wild reason that speaker sounds like ass on this radio

I still have to recap the radio and I haven't had chance to play around with it much, so the jury's out on where the issue is......
If you have another known good radio or amp designed to drive that impedance speaker at that power level you could try the speaker on another amp as a quick test..... could also do it the other way around and connect a known good speaker to that radio.
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