Not too much to report here. I enjoyed Museum Ships Weekend, and got some good contacts. I managed to have contacts in Ecuador, the Slovak Republic (and 2 Russian stations a while back), and some more states. I found out about the 3905 Century Club Net on 40m. It is a good way to get WAS and other awards.
I decided to hold off on my Extra Class exam until July. It will be the new material, but with Ham Test Online, it is proving to be a good way to study. I have the current ARRL book, but I went ahead and got the 2012-2016 book by Gordo to read and compare.
That's about all to report for now. Hope everybody is getting some good DX.
About Me
- Steve, KJ4KKI
- Welcome to my little piece of the cyberworld. I am an Amateur Extra Class ham radio operator from Kentucky. In addition to ham radio, other interests include paddling kayaks and canoes, camping, flyfishing, shooting and photography...I am a major Jimmy Buffett fan (fans are known as Parrotheads). But, location, work and finances sort of got in the way of being a beach bum as a career. I am also an animal lover and have several pets. I also have a Facebook page at steve.kj4kki.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Are Hams Getting Apathetic?
I haven't written much lately. I have noticed that while I get a lot of hits, nobody leaves comments, and I would guess nobody links my blog to anyplace else. I have also noticed that as many members as Ham Radio Nation has, most polls get a weak response. To make that worse, the number of people who vote or make comments is only a fraction of the number of people who look at the poll.
My main reason for not babbling on with a lot of trivial posts has to do with the fact that I don't want to hopelessly bore somebody who hits this link. While it lists noteworthy accomplishments and events, I don't go on about what I ate for breakfast, or every time I did something mundane.
Some ham clubs report weak memberships, and sad participation in club and community service events. Getting young people involved should be a primary goal with hams. A local high school in my town just got a class of new hams, and their own station call sign. But, they only get to talk to local hams on the repeater, and don't have any equipment that is their own. Their teacher told me that they are getting bored. We will spend tax dollars to get new furniture for the school board, but is it too much to ask to invest in some radio equipment for students? The science link, such as astronomy and physics, and math link to ham radio is obvious. Classes that deal with electricity such as electives and vocational education have a definite link. The benefits of a lifelong and potentially life-saving hobby seem obvious also.
I notice in my own club that a majority of hams are retired...some for quite a few years. Where do we get the new blood. According to statistics, there are more hams being licensed. We have a responsibility to keep them interested, so those numbers reflect active hams, and do not reflect a lot of inactive licenses waiting to expire. At least that's my thought for the week.
Oh yeah, I misplaced one of my portable antennas--a 20m EndFedz. If anybody knows where it is, let me know. :)
My main reason for not babbling on with a lot of trivial posts has to do with the fact that I don't want to hopelessly bore somebody who hits this link. While it lists noteworthy accomplishments and events, I don't go on about what I ate for breakfast, or every time I did something mundane.
Some ham clubs report weak memberships, and sad participation in club and community service events. Getting young people involved should be a primary goal with hams. A local high school in my town just got a class of new hams, and their own station call sign. But, they only get to talk to local hams on the repeater, and don't have any equipment that is their own. Their teacher told me that they are getting bored. We will spend tax dollars to get new furniture for the school board, but is it too much to ask to invest in some radio equipment for students? The science link, such as astronomy and physics, and math link to ham radio is obvious. Classes that deal with electricity such as electives and vocational education have a definite link. The benefits of a lifelong and potentially life-saving hobby seem obvious also.
I notice in my own club that a majority of hams are retired...some for quite a few years. Where do we get the new blood. According to statistics, there are more hams being licensed. We have a responsibility to keep them interested, so those numbers reflect active hams, and do not reflect a lot of inactive licenses waiting to expire. At least that's my thought for the week.
Oh yeah, I misplaced one of my portable antennas--a 20m EndFedz. If anybody knows where it is, let me know. :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Par EndFedz 10/20/40 Mark II
I recently received my EF-10/20/40 from LnR Precision. While I haven't gotten it in the air yet, I will give you my preliminary observations.
The build quality is just as good as my 20m model. The main difference is the shortening stub in the line. It is about as long as a small pickle. I suppose it serves as a loading coil. While the 20m is about 32 feet long, the 40m model is about 40 or so feet long--significantly shorter than a traditional 40m dipole. Hence, the shortening coil.
Unlike the other models in the line, this one has a matchbox that allows it to be used on 10-60m. I bought some wire from The Wireman (#534), which is .26 gauge "silky" wire. I soldered resonators to end rings, and then put hot glue over the section where the wire goes into the connector, as there isn't any insulation. It seems logical that without insulation, the breaking and twisting point would be more critical.
I think that once I put it up with my 31' Jackite pole, it will yield some good results. I can recommend these antennas highly. Just remember that this is a QRP model, with a 25 watt limit. For digital, I've been told to keep it to around 10 watts just to be safe.
UPDATE: I had originally planned to make individual resonators for other bands. After giving it some thought, I decided to make a jumpered dipole...only requiring one wire to include. The add-ons could be held in place by power poles or alligator clips.
The build quality is just as good as my 20m model. The main difference is the shortening stub in the line. It is about as long as a small pickle. I suppose it serves as a loading coil. While the 20m is about 32 feet long, the 40m model is about 40 or so feet long--significantly shorter than a traditional 40m dipole. Hence, the shortening coil.
Unlike the other models in the line, this one has a matchbox that allows it to be used on 10-60m. I bought some wire from The Wireman (#534), which is .26 gauge "silky" wire. I soldered resonators to end rings, and then put hot glue over the section where the wire goes into the connector, as there isn't any insulation. It seems logical that without insulation, the breaking and twisting point would be more critical.
I think that once I put it up with my 31' Jackite pole, it will yield some good results. I can recommend these antennas highly. Just remember that this is a QRP model, with a 25 watt limit. For digital, I've been told to keep it to around 10 watts just to be safe.
UPDATE: I had originally planned to make individual resonators for other bands. After giving it some thought, I decided to make a jumpered dipole...only requiring one wire to include. The add-ons could be held in place by power poles or alligator clips.
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