My Week in Radio

• wire down when i got home from vacation, so I got to throw it again
  • threw it again with pulley and halyard: 42 ft
• built a T2LT flowerpot antenna on PVC pipe and pulled into a tree
  • replaced a slim jim built from ladder line

Others

• KN3I, John:
  • crowbar circuits to add to old power supplies to recover them
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • testing some 10M radios to get them back in service
• W3KZG, Scott:
  • working on some radios for 985-ers
• KC3RFG, Jim:
  • repairing his fan dipole in good weather
    • replaced balun
    • trouble tuning it after reinstall
    • check the coax and MFJ lightning surge protector: water infiltrated
    • back in operation
    • tested with rooster net on 75M
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • AWA PMAM net, hosted pre-net and regular net, 13 check-ins.
• KD3EMS, Chris:
  • providence, ri over the weekend with family stuff
    • participated in 2 local nets
• KA3GLI, Dave:
  • starting echolink for upcoming travel
• WA3KFT, John:
  • helped a friend take down a broken titan antenna
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • simplex net, and welfare net
  • pulled power into the shack sub panel
• KB3ZIM, Bob:
  • a little HF, chasing POTA activators
  • got a QSL card in the mail from a POTA activator
• KD3AEL, Joey:
  • new tech operator in Gap
  • participating with W3RRR welfare net

Questions

• KD3AEL, Joey:
  • When the repeater is quiet, how do you announce your presence on a repeater?
  • KB3ZIM, Bob:
    • “ listening”
    • maybe a couple times
    • operate, operate, operate
  • KC3OOK, Bill:
    • when you do call, wait a minute or 2 for people to get to the radio
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • don’t just hit and run, wait a few minutes
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • don’t hit and run, patience
  • W3MFB, Mike:
    • say your call nice and slow
  • W3GMS, Joe:
    • Welcome Joey
    • check out the website
    • find the round table as well
    • get the audio gain up: swallow the mic
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • on qrz.com, add your email, so we can email you
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • get on the air and practice
  • KD3AEL, Joey:
    • Thank you for the warm welcome
    • looking forward to getting outside with the radio
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • Preparing a talk for Pottstown: “Ham Radio Tall Tails, Old Wives Tails, Folklore, Myths, and Debunking Them” Share
  • W8CRW, CR: “Ham radio, do people still do that?”
  • W3KZG, Scott: “What’s the big antenna for? do you talk to aliens?”
  • KB3ZIM, Bob: “All you need is a low SWR.”
  • KD3AEL, Joey: “Ham radio, that’s just like CB?”
  • KC3RFG, Jim: “A perfect 1:1 SWR means your antenna is resonant”
  • W3MFB, Mike: Pottstown has lots of CB-ers switched to ham.
    • “Are you a federal agent?”
  • NA3CW, Chuck: “Ham radio is too expensive”
  • WA3KFT, John: “What do you mean ‘dip the plate’?”
  • NA3CW, Chuck: “this tiny HF antenna is just as good as a halfwave dipole”
  • KD3EE, John: “This is the last HT I’m going to buy”
  • KD3AEL, Joey: “Now that we have cell phones, there’s no need for radio”
  • AF3Z, Jim: “They still use Morse Code?”
  • W3KZG, Scott: “Ham radio people are preppers”

My Week in Radio

• On a vacation cruise, so no radios allowed.
• Wire was down when I got home, so I got to throw it again. I threw it with a pulley and halyard this time: 42ft up.
• I built a T2LT flowerpot antenna on PVC pipe and pulled into a tree. It replaced a slim jim built from ladder line.
• I was looking for that Iran station, but didn’t really hear anything.
• I got me spinning through other 49M shortwave and looking up the station locations.
• On the subject of open source: ft2.
  • When you write code (or a book), you have copyright automatically.
  • You choose the license.
  • GPL license says: “I provided the source code for free, so you can modify or build upon it, and when you distribute a derivative work, you need to afford your users the same privilege: distribute your modified source.”

Others

• K3EA, Greg:
  • contests
    • saw NA RTTY QSO Party
    • state QSO parties
    • next weekend: ARRL SSB contest next weekend: new countries
    • https://contestcalendar.com/
  • DX report
    • good for HF propagation
    • quiet space weather
    • http://spaceweather.com
    • Bouvet Island, 3Y0K, https://3Y0K.com
    • Nigeria
    • N3GK website to see
  • original hamclock server has been duplicated to keep original hardware working
    • hamclock.com for instructions
  • QSL cards in the mail:
    • Equatorial Guinnea, Africa.
    • Anguila
    • Ethiopia
  • KA3TKW, Tom:
    • thanks for update on ham clock
• WQ8M, Scotty:
  • Parker, CO
  • IRLP
    • project is probably 30 years old
• VE3HOH, Pete:
  • starting with meshtastic: 1 node found so far
  • considering NVIS dipole for 40M
• KA3TKW, Tom:
  • Iran radio from London: 0300-1600UTC, 9800khz, otherwise 5885khz, and another
  • 9:55pm: starlink launch to the east/south
• N7JMS, Jon:
  • FT2:
    • 8 QSOs during net
    • central africa
    • less sensitive
  • Meshtastic: use unlicensed mode, instead of licensed modes, so you can keep standard encryption.
• WA1SMG, Matt:
  • cornwall townlhip
  • reviving an old lafayette receiver: crystal controlled
    • can be used for CW to satellites
• KC3VZU, Bob:
  • marveling at the testing experience of older hams
    • drawing radio diagrams
    • 20wpm CW
• KC3RYQ, Gary:
  • Yaesu 8135 with RT Systems: trying to get it programmed
• KD3AGU, Richard:
  • first net in 2-3 months *** Swap and Shop
• VE3HOH, Pete:
  • Kenwood
  • Drake TR7s
• KA3TKW:
  • 2-3 DX440 SW radios
  • some small Sony SW radios
  • RadioShack 10M mobiles

I’ve been curious about the T2LT “flower pot” antenna for a while. It’s fed from the bottom and attached to a sturdy PVC pole. I can easily hoist it into a tree, and it has a low wind load, so it could go on top of a flag pole again.

I built it at the SPARC Elmer night from some 75-ohm TV cable I had laying around. I taped and cable-tied it to a thin bit of PVC, and I adapted the feed point from 75ohm TV cable connector to SMA. I had built it long to allow tuning, but it tested to be just about right for 146MHz when I put the VNA on it.

My Week in Radio

• CQ WW RTTY contest
  • 70 contacts in one afternoon
  • a little antenna maintenance in the middle
• using pulleys in the tree for cleaner rope work in trees, learned from field day setup

Others

• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • worked with Drexel club to get them back on the air next month
    • lapsed license
  • all the antennas off the garage to fit in parking garages
  • offering a tech class licensing course
  • offering tech class and VE session for Drexel as well
  • developing a General course
• K3KB, Alan:
  • planning a move and getting rid of some things
    • not a builder/experimenter anymore
    • may bring some things to the breakfast
  • new retirement community location will have limitations
  • was a pretty active home brewer
• KC3YSM, Steve:
  • 40M is hopping
• AF3Z, Jim:
  • SKCC event this past weekend
    • used PennTech TR45L, QRP CW
    • 40M, 80M, 20M
• W3KZG, Scott:
  • sorting and selling some radio gear
  • doing repairs again
  • printing some power-pole mounts to retrofit radios
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • Nets
  • 985 has been active
  • Thanks Chuck for teaching PL-259 plugs.
    • some factory connections were loose
• KA3GLI, David:
  • bought the ARRL Grounding and Bonding Book
  • also got an 80M extension for his EFHW
  • picked up a heat gun for building teh efhw
  • purchased a replacement fan for another VHF/UHF rig
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • never had good luck with factory-installed connectors
  • always does his own
  • PMAM net
  • testing Joe’s tuner at 1KW.
• KC3RFG, Jim:
  • check in on ECARS mobile
• WA3KFT, John:
  • fighting coax, intermittent connections
  • maybe a broken coax switch
  • “Waters” manufacturer is long gone
  • need to find a worthy replacement
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • need to reassemble 10M antenna when the weather improves
• W3GMS, Joe:
  • Dylan is working on new broadcastify connection
    • it’s currently just humming and not working yet

Questions

• K3KB, Alan:
  • Looking for recommendations for a single wire antenna for an HOA. He may be able to stretch a wire to another building about 80ft away.
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • look at EFRW with a tuner
    • could do an inverted-L
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • Random is not really random.
    • avoid resonant to be able to multiband.
  • KC3NZT, Harvey:
    • likes resonant EFHW
    • has a 78-ft that may fit
    • hit the tuner for the other bands
    • radiates from the center, so the height of the ends doesn’t matter so much.
  • KD3EE, John:
    • lots of fun to be had as a builder/experimenter
    • 80M EFHW is 133ft, 40M EFHW will be 66ft.
    • 73ft is a EFRW.
  • K3KB, Alan:
    • don’t give me too much credit as a builder
    • lots of it has faded away
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • Listening to CW on 40M late at night, there are 3 stations sending really fast, messy, swinging bug CW. It’s hard to copy. Does anyone know much about it?
  • W3DIB, Greg:
    • encryption by syncopation
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • may have heard it
    • can’t copy it either
    • sloppy encryption?
  • K3KB, Alan:
    • brother used to listen to a station broadcasting scripture to go to sleep
    • is this broadcast or amateur communication?
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • has heard of “great lake swing”, but that is still copyable
• K3EMI, Randy:
  • Bringing up a big power supply with a variac, the power supply has a meter on it that sticks in the winter probably due to static charge. touching it with a wet finger to discharge it releases it.
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • put a wire mesh over the front of the meter and ground it, hardware cloth with 1/4-inch squares.
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • seen it lots of times over the years.
    • wipe it with a dryer sheet
  • WA3KFT, Ron:
    • has a vis-meter that does it as well
    • tribo-electric effect in polystyrene
    • rubber band a grounding strap mesh to part of the face
  • KC3RFG, Jim:
    • laying a wet paper towel on LCD helps those displays when they’re stuck in cold winter
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • mix water and soap to spray on it
  • W3KZG, Scott:
    • staticide spray
    • static guard (tm)
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • anything you try, be careful of solvents in a spray
    • test it in as spot
  • K3EMI, Randy:
    • thinking of staticide from digikey
    • likes the idea of wetting a dryer sheet
    • new problem in this house and shack

My Week in Radio

• CQ WW RTTY contest
  • 70 contacts in one afternoon
  • a little antenna maintenance in the middle
    • poking at un-un
    • reinstalling counterpoise
• PSKFest
  • 3rd place in QRP class (of 4 people)
• fixed some connections in or near the house to fix some 2M antenna performance
• using pulleys in the tree for cleaner rope work in trees
• New R1CBU 0.32.2 firmware for the X6100
• loaded frequencies into the scan on the quansheng to watch for those new satellites Tom’s been emailing
• APRS getting much better on RT-880G with alternate firmware
• loved to hear about practical guid to IRLP into KA3TKW

Others

• K3EA, Greg:
  • RTTY contest
  • CW contest
  • NA QSO Party for RTTY upcoming
  • state QSO parties are coming up, good for WAS
  • 17 and 20M will have best propagation for DX
  • hamclock backend is going away
    • alternatives are in the works
    • https://openhamclock.com - web based
• WB3LNY, George:
  • Hamcation in FL
    • nearly as big as hamvention
• KC5DRI, John:
  • Hamcation in FL
    • meeting people
• WE3ARE, Paul:
  • Hamcation in FL
    • lots of swaps and gadgets
    • large vendors
    • saw demos of https://amateurrepeaterdirectory.org/
• W3TUG, “Tug”/Ray:
  • Hamcation in FL
• VE3HOH, Pete:
  • Chris Casper demoed meshtastic for another club
  • wants to get into it
  • has openhamclock running
• KA3TKW, Tom:
  • UMK-1 satellite: got a good pass and posted SSTV photos
  • RS-18: 437.950 downlink for SSTV. 10 or 11pm tonight, then 10 or 11 am in the morning
    • then done
  • amsat website -> satellite resources -> current satellite status
    • added these new SSTV satellites
  • chinese space station will have ham radio soon
    • 145.825 / 436.510 down
    • and another
  • ham lunch last thursday: hibachi buffet
• K3DMM, Denny:
  • some satellite contacts from within the house
  • QRZ 250 certificate
    • 20% confirmed on SSB
  • AnyTone AT-890UV
    • a friend has a video using full duplex on the HT for satellite.
• KC3NWN, Jim:
  • using a president washington on 11M
  • XFM program for satellite
  • elwood of ham clock SK
• KA3TKW, Tom:
  • IRLP How-to
    • buy an IRLP node for $250-500
    • get a node number assigned
    • 9204 is the one 21 is connected
• KK4KKW, Steve:
  • some HF work down in Florida
    • good contacts
  • contacts harder up here
• N7JMS, John:
  • FT8
  • listening on 21

I brought down the Slim Jim with its existing halyard that’s slung over a branch in the front tree. I used that halyard to pull a throw weight and pulley on a new line into the same spot. I dropped the pulley straight down from high spot in the tree, and pulled the halyard out completely. I ran halyard line through the new pulley and hoisted it back up into the tree. Now the Slim Jim hangs free instead of tangled up through the tree.

The Slim Jim in the tree wasn’t working, so my APRS radio had gone quiet. I started testing with the nanoVNA before going out in the cold to check the connections. I found the lead inside was not passing any signal. The connector at the radio was pulling off the cable, so I could push it back together and re-crimp it. I got away with the easy fix.

My Week in Radio

• SWR trouble with HF antenna last week was a bad connection outside the window
• Operating on RF, since I’m mobile on a hill after camera club meeting
• APRS radio went quiet, so my slim jim seems broken

Others

• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • hosting upgrade classes soon
  • look for article or whatever: “listening to jupiter”
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • 10-10 contest over the past weekend
    • good conditions
    • Europe
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • working on sub-panel for ham shack
• W3KZG, Scott:
  • doing radio repairs while it’s cold out
  • installed radios in larger rolling rack: 30U
• KA3GLI, David:
  • reading the W1MFB Antenna Notebook
  • building EFHW un-un
  • visited RadioShack in New Holland
• KC3NZT, Harvey:
  • got online confirmation for Galapagos
• AA3LH, Leon:
  • Roosters Net
  • working 80m and 40m, extra portion
  • will work on antennas next week when warm
• AF3Z, Jim:
  • FYBO (Freeze Your Buns Off) QRP contest over the weekend

Questions

• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • What’s the difference between ceramic and plastic potentiometer trimmers?
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • ceramic may be for VHF/UHF applications
    • moisture may detune a circuit being adjusted
  • W3KZG, Scott:
    • he has cheap plastic kit with lots of sizes. it functions fine.
    • 6-8 plastic screwdrivers
    • cheap is fine for light use
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • has plastic, never tried ceramic
    • materials matter for trimming variable capacitors
    • any material is fine for pots
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • How sensitive are some of these circuits?
  • W3KZG, Scott:
    • tools are non-conductive and non-inductive
    • some pots can be shorted
  • KN3I, John:
    • GC Electronics kit should be really good; known name.
• AA3LH, Leon:
  • He has a G5RV doublet for travel, and it tunes hard on 80M. If he added 10ft to each leg (51-ft legs to 61ft), would it help, and how would he need to adjust the 37-ft?
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • simulate it
    • stay away from quarter wave feed lengths
    • probably ok with tuner
  • W3GMS, Joe:
    • for the standard lengths, the impedance is around 50 ohms, so only needs the 1:1 balun.
    • may need to trim the ladder line
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • G5RV is 3/2 wave for 20m, so it work well there + other bands.
    • extra length will detune it for its intended use
  • W3GMS, Joe:
    • look into the “improved G5RV” - better tune
    • adjusting probably won’t get you much
    • add more open wire line and eliminate coax, and it’ll be an efficient doublet
• KB3ZIM, Bob:
  • Did anyone work AM Rally? He got 30 contacts and had a blast: 10m, 40m, roundtables
  • KN3I, John: just a few hours in the afternoon on 40m
• KC3NZT, Harvey:
  • Testing diodes in a rectifier before a coil:
    • Had to measure the current to calculate the resistance, since he couldn’t isolate anything.
    • Is there a better way to test coil resistance through the diodes?
    • How do diodes fail?
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • Diodes usually fail shorted
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • diodes change resistance with the amount of current
    • isolate the diode and use DC with known resistor
    • measure resistive drop across diode
  • W3KZT, Scott:
    • need to isolate diode from the coil to measure
    • resistance in coil

I was seeing high SWR and started needing the tuner for the 80M EFHW. I checked/reseated connections at the wire and un-un with no change. I started testing down the line, and found that the outside connection to the pass-through cable was bad: it started pulling apart. I replaced the window pass-through, and now SWR is good again without the tuner.

I loaded the nicsure 5.14.01 firmware from the patreon onto my RadTel RT-880G. It changed storage stucture, so I needed to do a factory reset before installing. I found the RMS software does weird things importing chirp files or reading from the radio. I needed to sort out erroneous CTS codes, reverses, etc in the RMS.

The radio is receiving APRS really well off the outside antenna, and I’m seeing lots of good decodes.