Well, the last month or so hasn't been totally productive. No major ham events to report...just an update. I of course aggravated my torn meniscus in my knee climbing my tower, thus making any new climbs in the near future out of the question. We decided that we didn't like where my OCFD was so, a friend was going to change it. He injured his leg. Then, I got the Par OA-50 and as we can't get up the tower, it will be on a painter pole, hoping for some luck.
O.K., then I get to feeling crappy and my legs start to bother me. Turns out I had cellulitis in both legs = trip to hospital and light duty for several weeks. So, I'm hobbling around with wraps on my legs and ankles to keep them stable, as I realize both how much money I didn't make during my time off, and how huge the hospital bill will be.
The good news is that I finally got a QSL card from one of my very first DX contacts in the Ukraine. I had forgotten about him as it had been so long. I also got a neat card for a maritime mobile contact during museum ships weekend. I was looking at my own log, and the stack of contacts that I've never sent QSL cards to is scary. I guess I'll have to devote a few hours to it until they get mailed.
Anyway, it's now November; Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. That means turkey, stuffing, pumpkin and pecan pie! Oh, let's not forget Black Friday sales. Anyway, I hope everybody has a great rest of the year, and holiday seasons.
73,
Steve
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.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
20 Meter EndFedz Works Great
I did some more experimenting with my EndFedz. I finally got the standoff at the top of my tower, so I fastened it to the rope and pulled it up to the pulley. At about 32 feet high and sloping to about 15 feet, I made some successful QSOs from Mexico City to California, to Maine and to Europe. I checked in on the Maritime, SATERN and Intercon nets.
Regarding SWR, I haven't used an analyzer yet, but I measured it, used it with a tuner for a while just in case the SWR was a bit high (no, a tuner won't hurt it; you don't need one). After a while, I shortened it by an inch or so, and my FT-450 meter only shows one bar when I key and talk.
To test it further, I started at the top of the band, and went all the way through the data section with the tuner. It tuned it without any problems, so I know it was under a 3:1 SWR. With a stated SWR of 1.5:1 for 300 kHz, that goes to within 50 kHz of the bottom of the 20 meter band. It seems logical that it will perform sufficiently to the bottom edge, given that small amount of difference.
At QRP, the Maritime Net gave me a a copy, but the band static and other stations made it difficult to copy all of my call sign. Cranking it up to 100 watts solved that problem.
I plan on trying it out in the different configurations, such as an L, horizontal, and vertical as soon as I can. I suspect using it as an L would give it more of a directional approach, but don't quote me on that... I'd also like to see how much adjusting the takeoff angle actually affects it, as well as height above ground. The direction it is pointed as a sloper does seem to affect the direction somewhat. I'll update the blog as I get more results to share.
Regarding SWR, I haven't used an analyzer yet, but I measured it, used it with a tuner for a while just in case the SWR was a bit high (no, a tuner won't hurt it; you don't need one). After a while, I shortened it by an inch or so, and my FT-450 meter only shows one bar when I key and talk.
To test it further, I started at the top of the band, and went all the way through the data section with the tuner. It tuned it without any problems, so I know it was under a 3:1 SWR. With a stated SWR of 1.5:1 for 300 kHz, that goes to within 50 kHz of the bottom of the 20 meter band. It seems logical that it will perform sufficiently to the bottom edge, given that small amount of difference.
At QRP, the Maritime Net gave me a a copy, but the band static and other stations made it difficult to copy all of my call sign. Cranking it up to 100 watts solved that problem.
I plan on trying it out in the different configurations, such as an L, horizontal, and vertical as soon as I can. I suspect using it as an L would give it more of a directional approach, but don't quote me on that... I'd also like to see how much adjusting the takeoff angle actually affects it, as well as height above ground. The direction it is pointed as a sloper does seem to affect the direction somewhat. I'll update the blog as I get more results to share.
Monday, August 15, 2011
This Week's Progress
Well, progress has been made... I finished my standoff with clamps, pulleys, water-proofing, etc. I borrowed a safety harness from a buddy (my rope rescue harness from the 80s doesn't quite fit anymore). Another buddy will help me from the top of my roof, while I'm 40 feet in the air. Anyway, once that is done, I can run the wires and tune the 80m OCF. It should outperform my 20m vee by a good margin (I hope).
I'm hoping to get that done by this weekend, as it will be Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. I'd like to make some contacts.
In other news, I tried out my EndFedz 20m. Haven't run it through its paces yet, but it seemed to do well. I got some QSL cards during the past week or so. Today, I got 3 cards. N7LE Central Oregon DX Club, K1MQ from Rocky Hill, CT, and W5WAZ for the Maritime Net check in on 14.300 MHz. That was the first time I've ever checked in on it. Sounded interesting though and I'll try to catch it again.
Some other cards from the past couple of weeks include SP4XQN from Poland, PD5DB in The Netherlands, and S51ZZ in Slovenia. I'm happy to get a card from W4LEX, from Museum Ships Weekend aboard the USS Lexington.
Anyway, don't forget about trying to get a lighthouse this weekend.
I'm hoping to get that done by this weekend, as it will be Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. I'd like to make some contacts.
In other news, I tried out my EndFedz 20m. Haven't run it through its paces yet, but it seemed to do well. I got some QSL cards during the past week or so. Today, I got 3 cards. N7LE Central Oregon DX Club, K1MQ from Rocky Hill, CT, and W5WAZ for the Maritime Net check in on 14.300 MHz. That was the first time I've ever checked in on it. Sounded interesting though and I'll try to catch it again.
Some other cards from the past couple of weeks include SP4XQN from Poland, PD5DB in The Netherlands, and S51ZZ in Slovenia. I'm happy to get a card from W4LEX, from Museum Ships Weekend aboard the USS Lexington.
Anyway, don't forget about trying to get a lighthouse this weekend.
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