VK Logger Ham Radio Forum Archive

From my end, I am just interested in starting a not too fancy setup (low to mod expenditure). I want to try DX communication before considering other more fancy activities. It'd be ideally be mobile, one that I can take on bushwalks or other outdoor activities. Here there's two objectives that are ...

Quick question from a noob. What's a realistic range of a 5W Yaesu HT with a decent 3rd party whip 1/4 wave antenna on top? Been trying to test and achieve a contact after obtaining my F license, I am not having too much luck. Whilst I can hit VK2RWI 22km away, I am not sure my calls are received. ...

Ummm... Haven't read about the feed line radiation as a basis for performance. Definitely more reading needed. There are some legitimate cases where changing the connections to an antenna can make the whole thing including the feedline radiate. Eg shorting the feedline of a horizontal antenna to op...

Thank you Peter for the detailed comment. The multiband dipole I've come across was shown on the page below. Looked very neat in a roof space. http://www.qsl.net/hb9mtn/hb9mtn_40-10m_dipole.html That should work well but with so many wires/bands will be a pain to set up. I suggest starting with one...

Otherwise I've considered the magnetic loop antenna but it doesn't look to be too convenient with its need to retune at every frequency. There is always a compromise with small antennas. You can have two of the below but never three. * Wide bandwidth * Good performance * Small size Assuming the ant...

I'm not sure if average distance of contacts is the best way to determine whether the contest encourages short or long distance contacts or not. One can very simply triple one's average distance from <100km to >300km by not working local stations. But who gains from this? And would it raise or lower...

Fantastic project Owen.

Hope you get enough subjects.

Would be good to see a mix of shack, tower, mobile and portable pics.

The antennas we use, whether 630m or microwave, would provide many framing and perspective opportunities.

This time ... computers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giDiNAkgfUU

A 19 minute wallow in the past: Ham gear sold by Dick Smith 1981 - 2001

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7md4JvDkMs

Plans finalised.

Scott VK5FSKS and I will be portable from Olivers Hill (near Frankston) from noon today, each in Section B.

Running 6/2/70 QRP. Also seeking CW contacts if signals are weak.

Peter, you're not wrong! An all-time favorite radio that I owned in the 80's was the Kenwood TS-660. A seemingly odd coverage of 21/24/28/50 MHz bands only. Except for size, I can't see how this 2m SSB handheld could compete along side an FT-817 though. RX current consumption is far better. https:/...

Poking around various websites I stumbled across a new 2m SSB only handheld - ie a modern day IC202. It's a single conversion superhet with a 30 MHz crystal filter IF. Details in Japanese are at: http://www.nishimusen.co.jp/nts220/nts220.htm Manual: http://www.nishimusen.co.jp/nts220/NTS220-MANUAL.p...

Wayne, the answer to your original question is "no". Agree with Rob. Over the last few weeks I've been tinkering with a vertical exactly half yours (5m/16 feet) as part of a pedestrian mobile station. Initially there were no loading coils. An L-match antenna coupler provided operation on ...

Weather permitting I'll be out. Probably Olivers Hill (which worked so well last time even though it's not that high). Haven't decided whether Sat afternoon or Sun morning.

This is a stab in the greyline, but I'd be looking in G4ZU Les Moxon's books, particularly where he discusses QRP tests between the UK and VK/ZL, chordal hop, low radiation angles and operating on ground sloping towards the favoured direction. I think VK3MO has also done work in this area. When loca...

Thanks Andrew, Len & others involved. A great presentation and the video went without a hitch.

If you'd like to hear more from Len, some thoughts on kite antennas appear in this video (from 1:56)

http://youtu.be/el4urBboXxg




73, Peter VK3YE

Hi All - I have a fibreglass boat that i take out on port phillip bay - And I recently purchased a Kenwood TS50 S to take out on the boat for some DX work in between tide changes (fishing). I've got an auto tuner etc and i was thinking of setting up an antenna as follows: Stainless steel wire up a ...

Someone probably asked the same question when William Willis started making coils for transmitters so you didn't have to. Then a few decades later when someone imported a Collins SSB transceiver so people didn't have to build one. Ditto when repeaters started. And again with IRLP. It fills a market ...

6WA on 558 kHz is another 50kW powerhouse. It covers about 95% of WA's population with a comfortable 300 - 400km range (if not more). Worth noting is how critical frequency is - noting the broadcast band has over a 3:1 ratio. The low end stations (mostly ABC as they snaffled the best frequencies) ha...

Hi Peter, is this what you mean - http://www.f4bkv.net/index.php 73 Mike VK6MB Almost. Though the idea is that the two elements would be the same length so that only simple switching is required to reverse beam direction. The VK2ABQ at http://cloud-warmer.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/sideways-quad.html ...