|
|
AE5DS
formerly
N5MKK & KB5FIL
David K. Stall
Fayette County - Texas
Maidenhead Grid EL19pv
Rain Creek Farm
1112 Farm-to-Market Rd 955
Fayetteville, TX 78940-5468
david@stall.net |
|
|
A not so brief history of my radio experiences
Jump Ahead:
1988 1989
1990 1991-1993
1994 1998-1999
2000 2001
2002 2003-2006
2007 2008 . . .
2018
|
1963 |
QTH: Lakewood, Los Angeles County,
California
|
1964 |
The first exposure to amateur radio I can recall (circa
1964) was a ham
neighbor Paul A. Norcross K6OLX (SK) in Lakewood,
California. Mr. Norcross worked for Union Oil at their
research labs in charge of instrumentation
maintenance/repair/calibration in Brea.
Later he worked as a salesman for Motorola, his accounts were
railroads and the petrochemical industry. Later still he worked for
Atlantic Richfield Company. Paul
had a beam atop a telephone pole in his small backyard in Lakewood and a bug catcher on his car. I recall that in
about 1969 he had station wagon with power supply in the back and a
"big" base station size transceiver mounted on the hump in front
of the bench seat. He told stories of talking to friends in Australia
while driving in southern California. I thought that it was pretty
neat. I
remember his garage radio shack full of radios, QSL cards and vacuum
tubes. Mr. Norcross was also a sailor and private plane pilot and I
had the opportunity to both sail and fly with him before I left
California in 1975. Tragically Paul became a
silent key when his single engine Piper 235 (N8850W) crashed during a
business trip shortly after take off from a dirt runway in Kayenta, AZ,
on August 31, 1982.
|
1968 |
QTH: Long Beach, Los Angeles County,
California
|
1969 |
I was earning money repairing and selling televisions
purchased at garage sales in Long Beach, California. I have fond
memories of the pre-Tandy Radio Shack on Long Beach Blvd (remember
the free batteries?) and Lafayette Electronics on Atlantic Avenue, both in Long Beach. I had built a
couple cat-whisker crystal radio kits purchased from Radio Shack.
Lafayette (later Allied)
had a great catalog that was my wish book. My passion was shortwave
radio listening on console Philco and Zenith radios in the garage.
My favorite radio was just a chassis with giant vacuum tubes that glowed
like light bulbs.
I was interested in Amateur radio but didn't pursue a license.
|
1973 |
I obtained my Citizen Radio Station License four years
before they changed from 23 to 40 channels. I purchased a brand new
Citizen's Band radio from Olson Electronics in Long Beach for
about $30. With a
hand full of crystals from Lafayette Electronics I was on the air. My handle was Flyboy.
|
1974 |
From time to time I would park my VW Beetle atop Signal
Hill and rag-chew on the radio.
I obtained my Radiotelephone Restricted license
at the Federal Communications Commission Office located at Los Angeles
harbor. The license was required to operate
shipboard station WY4438 (HF & VHF) aboard the
ocean going sailboat Nord Stjärnan
out of Long Beach, California. This vessel was equipped with a high-seas radio before a new VHF marine transceiver was
added. A year later this same license was used
while flying in Texas, mostly as N9679L
in an American Grumman AA-1 based at Spaceland Airpark (SPX), in
League City, Texas (later the airport was renamed Houston Gulf, today
the airport is gone).
I learned enough Morse code to read locator beacon transmissions, both at
sea and in the air.
|
1975 |
QTH: El Lago, Harris County,
Texas
|
1976 |
I obtained another Class D Citizen Radio Station
License,
call sign KJF6632.
|
For a couple months I was the advertising director for Breaker World
Magazine, a citizen's band fad publication based in Houston. |
I frequently visited Abcor Electronics on NASA Road 1 at El Camino
Real in Nassau Bay (now Webster), Texas. I purchased all my scanner
crystals from this store owned and operated by the Hilton family. For a period of years
I was a volunteer fireman with the Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department.
To keep up with local public safety activities and other fire
departments I equipped my car with various scanners. My favorite was a
small Radio Shack PRO 40 under-dash crystal scanner with a toggle switch under
each channel.
|
|
|
1979 |
QTH: League City, Galveston County,
Texas
|
1980 |
I obtained a Radio Telephone Third Class Operator Permit (#P3-9-26973).
Purchased another new 40-channel citizen band transceiver,
Montgomery Ward Model 696. |
|
|
1983 |
QTH: Webster, Harris County,
Texas
|
1987 |
|
I again became involved with shortwave listening and
purchased a used Radio Shack DX-300 receiver. Shortly
thereafter I had strung four dipoles along the ridge of our two-story
house roof and was tuning in the world. I began collecting SWL QSL
cards. |
|
1988 |
AMATEUR RADIO
I was involved with emergency management for the City of
Nassau Bay, Texas, when I developed a renewed interest in obtaining an
amateur radio license. I shared this interest with John Nickel
WD5EEV who coordinated the City's RACES communications. On a
Thursday John asked if I was serious and I told him "sure" upon
which he said he would arrange for a Novice exam on Saturday.
I promptly purchased a Novice study guide from Radio Shack
and an ARRL 5WPM Morse code cassette tape that same day. Thursday
and Friday after work I crammed, especially with the code tape.
NOVICE CLASS TICKET
Two days later I met on Saturday morning at the home of Jim Fauver NY5H
(SK), who together with
Karen Nickel WD5EEU, administered the Novice class
exam and the five word-per-minute code test. I passed both (January
16, 1988).
I felt like I was on a roll and Jim Fauver NY5H
(SK)
invited me to
take the Technician class exam the following day in Pasadena, Texas.
TECHNICIAN
CLASS TICKET
The day after I took the Novice class exam I attended a
test session sponsored by the Bay Area Amateur Radio Club at San Jacinto
College in Pasadena, Texas. On January 17, 1988, I took and passed
Element 3(A) earning a Technician class
license. The VE's were David Prichard
KA5OVO, Martin Pugsley KY5Y,
and Jim Fauver NY5H (SK).
|
Monday (January 18, 1988) I purchased my first amateur
band radio, a 2-meter
Clegg FM-27B transceiver I heard for sale on the 34/94 net. The
Clegg was a very small step up from a crystal controlled radio. A
toggle switch selects 146 or 147 MHz receive, then one knob added in 100
kHz increments and another in 10 kHz increments. Same two knob
system was used to select the transmit frequency.
|
Monday February 8, 1988, my Novice Class license arrived
in the mail. My first call sign was KB5FIL. The next day I
mailed my KT certificate (obtained at the test session weeks earlier) to the ARRL/VEC to upgrade to Technician
Class. |
|
Soon after I became licensed my dad, Hal Stall
obtained his license and became N5NCZ.
Previously my dad held a novice ticket in 1953 as
KN6ACJ.
[representative images - not my actual
units] |
My first HF rig was a circa 1965 Hallicrafters set I purchased used from
Gabe Hui KG5DW. I had a Hallicrafters SX-117
receiver, Hallicrafters HT-44
transmitter with power supply, and a matching Hallicrafters HT-47 speaker. This
put me on the air with about 15-watts CW and 50-watts SSB on 10 through
80-meters. The Hallicrafters became trade-in
equipment at Madison Electronics on the purchase of my next HF rig.
|
Saturday March 19, 1988, I purchased a
Hy-Gain TH-3MK4 3-element tri-band
(10/15/20-meter) beam antenna
from Mission Electronics during their monthly Saturday sidewalk
sale. The next day I had it assembled and installed on a roof
mounted pole with a used rotor purchased at the swap. |
|
|
Monday March 21, 1988, my Technician Class license arrived in the
mail. That next Wednesday I mailed FCC Form 610 requesting a call
sign change to a Technician/General Class 1x3 call sign.
|
CALL SIGN CHANGE GRANTED
|
April 1988 I received my new call sign,
N5MKK.
|
|
I joined the Bay Area Amateur Radio Club and 10-10 International
Net. My 10-10 number is 47523. While I did work some CW, I
spent much more time on 10-meter SSB. I particularly enjoyed working
DX stations around the world.
|
I joined the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). I'm
remained a member until 2003 when I allowed my membership to lapse. Four
years later I would rejoin the ARRL.
On July
30, 1988, I attended the Tidelands Amateur Radio Society Hamfest in
Texas City, Texas. At their W5YI-VEC test session I took and passed
Element 3(B) for the General Class license. I didn't however attempt the 13 word-per-minute code test
necessary to earn the General ticket. The VE's were
William Maddock KF5AA,
Sidney Carson WA5Q, and
Ronald Langston WE5O.
|
|
|
My second HF rig was purchased in 1988 from Don Busick K5AAD at
Madison Electronics in Houston. This next radio was a used Kenwood
TS-830S transceiver bought with the assistance of the trade-in of the Hallicrafters. The
rig had been owned by David Busick N5JJ
(SK) and was in excellent
condition. I knew that David had recently passed away when I purchased the
radio, but it wasn't until many years later that I came to know what an
outstanding amateur operator David was. [more
about N5JJ] I'm proud to have used one
of his radios and glad that I traded it back to his brother Don when I
bought the new Kenwood.
|
I added a Cushcraft model 215WB 15-element yagi beam to
the top of my mast at 38-feet and worked 2-meter SSB. I had a used Icom
IC-271A all mode 2-meter transceiver.
|
|
|
My third HF rig was also my first brand new transceiver, a Kenwood
TS-440S/AT transceiver purchased from Madison Electronics
(May 3, 1988).
Again I traded-in my older rig, the Kenwood TS-830S.
The Kenwood
TS-440S/AT is still my
current HF rig.
|
For a short period of time I participated in Navy MARS as NNN0JJL.
A great Elmer of mine was Max Busick W5GJ
(SK) at
Madison
Electronics in Houston. Max drew out on paper more than one homebrew
antenna that I would build and use years later. My favorite is a
giant curtain antenna. I often traded or sold antique test
equipment to Max.
I joined the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club at
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I
enjoyed having the regular opportunity to operate the club station W5RRR.
I was a regular on the JSC-ARC 146.64 repeater along with Chuck
Biggs KC5RG, Jim Fauver NY5H (SK), Dale
Martin KG5U, John Nickel WD5EEV
(6-4 repeater trustee, then), Karen
Nickel WD5EEU, Bruce Ryan KA5VSY (SK), Howard
Silverman KB6SMY, and Dick Wells KH6FHS
(SK).
|
|
|
1988-1992 |
I'm not sure of the time frame (until I find my records)
these things happened:
|
I gave 6-meters a try with a used Icom IC-551 transceiver purchased at a swap
meet. This didn't hold my interest very long and the rig was soon
sold.
|
I went mobile with brand new Kenwood TM-221A 2-meter
transceiver and used Kenwood TM-421A 440
MHz transceiver before upgrading to a brand new Kenwood
TM-721 dual band transceiver. I
later sold the TM-421A at a Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club (CLARC) swap
meet held at the Webster Volunteer Fire Station where the club held its
monthly meetings. I sold the TM-221A
and TM-721 at the 2007 Austin
Summerfest. |
[representative images
not my actual
unit]
|
|
I went portable with a used Yaesu FT-727
dual band handheld. |
For finding those elusive frequencies and transmitters
I purchased a new Optoelectronics Model CCA
Counter/Counter RF Detector-Analyzer.
|
Along the line I also added a used Yaesu
FRG-9600 receiver to the shack.
|
Later it was replaced with a brand new ICOM
IC-7100A, which is still in my shack today. I also have
an ICOM CT-17 Communications
Interface-V (CI-V) level converter that's used to connect the receiver to
my computer.
|
|
I purchased and used a MFJ-1278 TNC for digital,
CW and packet. Other decoders include a
Universal M-400 decoder and Automated
Industrial Electronics Model TCF-3 Tone/Code Finder.
Together with
Jim Fauver NY5H (SK),
Lance Gordon W5VNY and
J. B. Fox W5HIR I reorganized the
Bay Area Amateur Radio Club (BAARC). Off and on for the next few
years I was president of BAARC and remained active. With help from
Roger Blouch K3WIV I put a 2-meter
repeater on top of Saint John Hospital in Nassau Bay using a couple of my
'extra' mobile rigs. Shortly thereafter another BAARC member donated a
'real' radio, the club bought a nice duplexer and we got a grant for a
digital repeater controller and phone patch. Our new controller was
a CAT-1000 Repeater Controller from
Computer Automation Technology, Inc. (1993) The controller was
upgraded with a audio delay board and audio process board, both from
C3I. Voice features were made possible with the addition of
digital voice module DVM-58 from
MING Engineering & Products, Inc. The repeater still remains
on the air today (145.15-) serving both the BAARC and JSCARC.
|
1989 |
I completed the Worked All Continents
Award (WAC-SSB Phone) in 1989. It was
accomplished on 10-meters. |
|
This same year I obtained a Marine Radio Operator Permit (replaced the
Radiotelephone Operator's Certificate - Restricted).
|
On April 9, 1989, I operated a special event station
aboard the submarine USS Cavalla AGSS-244 in Galveston, Texas. This
was on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of the United States Navy
Submarine Service. I put a dipole antenna on the deck between stanchions
and ran 100-feet of coax below decks to an office where I set up my Kenwood
TS-440S/AT. One hundred sixty-two 10-meter contacts were made during this
fun, 6-hour and 41-minute
one-man event. [Log]
|
Obtained Ship Radio Station License (VHF Radiotelephone) for my sailboat Alibi,
call sign WUR8027.
July 17, 1989, the Federal Communications Commission received a
petition I sent them for a no-code amateur radio license class. The
petition was assigned file number RM-6994. My petition was one of
twelve that were taken under consideration in
Notice of Proposed Rule Making, PR
Docket No. 90-55.
I wrote and published a 42 page book titled, "Southeast Texas Radio
Frequency Directory".
|
|
|
1990 |
A Notice of
Proposed Rule Making, PR Docket No. 90-55 was adopted on February 8,
1990, considering the petition (RM-6994) I filed with the Federal
Communications Commission in 1989 for a no-code class of amateur radio
license.
|
After two years of membership I became the Vice President of
the JSC ARC at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
|
I wrote and published a 69 page book titled, "Radio
Frequency Guide: Texas Edition" (ISBN 1-878884-11-5).
|
|
On December 27, 1990, the Federal Communications
Commission issued a Report and
Order, PR Docket No. 90-55 adopting a code-less class of amateur radio
license.
|
1991
|
Obtained a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) station and
mobile license for 462.675 / 467.675 MHz, call sign KAE7315
(March 25, 1991). I let the license expire in 1996.
Obtained a Business radio station license for Luna Lumen Press, call sign WNVZ209, that I also let expire in 1996.
Enjoyed working RTTY, including DX as represented by
the QSL card from I2SVA (left).
|
1992 |
QTH: Nassau Bay, Harris County,
Texas
|
1993 |
I had the opportunity to meet and socialize with Russian
cosmonauts Vladimir Titov U1MIR and Sergei
Krikalev U5MIR while they were training a NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston.
|
I wrote and published a 58 page book titled, "Texas Radio
Directory" (ISBN 1-878884-12-3).
|
I added a new Optoelectronics R10 FM Communications Interceptor
receiver and Optoelectronics CF802 RF
amplifier to my list of radio equipment.
|
1994 |
I wrote and published a 68 page book titled, "Texas Radio
Directory: A Guide for the Radio Enthusiast & Scanner Owner, Second
Edition" (ISBN 1-878884-17-4). This was clearly the best
and most popular of the guide books I wrote.
|
|
|
On a business trip to Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City), Russia
I again met with Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Titov
U1MIR and was introduced to cosmonaut Aleksandr Volkov
U4MIR.
|
|
1998 |
"Radiostation RK3DZB"
A Russian General and cosmonaut invited me to Russia for
my 40th birthday. During the trip I visited club station
RK3DZB at
the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star
City), Russia. This station is often used by visiting US astronauts and
Russian cosmonauts. It is the counterpart to W5RRR at JSC in
Houston.
Right, David Stall N5MKK; second from right,
Vladimir
Zagainov UA3DKR
Left Vladimir Titov U1MIR;
second from left David Stall N5MKK
Again I have the pleasure of visiting with Vladimir
Titov U1MIR in his native Russia.
|
1998-1999 |
QTH: Claremont, Los Angeles
County, California
Two years in California. Very, very little time on
the air.
|
2000 |
QTH: Fayetteville, Fayette
County, Texas
I joined the Texas VHF-FM Society.
|
2001 |
Moved to Rain Creek Farm. Will soon be back on HF.
Also looking forward to taking the General Class exam at the next
opportunity.
Obtained another General Mobile Radio System (GMRS) station and
mobile license, call sign WPTW434
(December 29, 2001).
I'm back on the air with a
G5RV antenna and my trusty
Kenwood TS-440S/AT. First station
worked was Donald Moman VE6JY in
Alberta, Canada during the weekend contest (December 29, 2001). I
didn't get a good audio report so I need to do a little adjusting.
With some help from
Bill Leahy
K0ZL I found and fixed the problem with my audio. My last
contact of 2001 was with Kouichi
Ogura JI1KXL
of Yokohama, Japan.
|
2002 |
My first contact of 2002 was with
Mary Jane Herrington KA3WWG of Maryland.
Radio Shack at Rain Creek Farm (02.02.02)
|
2003-2006 |
Four years with little to no time on the air. The
G5RV
antenna suffered damage when a tree limb brought it down. I never got
any kind of permanent antenna in the air over the farm. Likewise I went
without a mobile rig as well since there is no UHF and virtually no 2-meter
activity in this part of rural Texas. During this lapse in activity I
also sold my ICOM
IC-7100A receiver.
|
2007
NICARAGUA
CUBA
CUBA
ARGENTINA
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
SWEDEN
COSTA RICA
COLOMBIA
GERMANY
LITHUANIA
MEXICO |
It was time to get radio active again. For the last two years
I have commuted 125 miles across Houston where I could certainly can
find some 2-meter activity. My plans included re-joining the Texas
VHF-FM Society, attend the Austin Summerfest in August, and finally get
my General ticket.
|
I'm going mobile again with a gently used
ICOM IC-2200H 2-meter
transceiver in my 2001 Ford Focus. I purchased it from another ham through
eBay, installed it and got on the air June 12, 2007. My first contact
was on the W5RRR/R machine at the
Johnson Space Center (Houston).
|
I rejoined the Texas VHF-FM Society in June.
|
|
|
Also in June I checked out the trusty
Kenwood TS-440S/AT purchased new 19
years ago and it's ready to get back on the air. Unfortunately the G5RV
antenna I put up 7 years earlier has suffered some wind and tree damage and is
no longer serviceable. Another antenna will be required soon.
|
GENERAL CLASS TICKET
On June 26, 2007, I attended an ARRL/VEC test
session in Houston and passed the Element 3 examination. This is the
second time I have taken the General Class license test and the second
time I have passed it. Having never been able to exceed 10 words per
minute code speed has delayed my ability to get the General Class ticket
for 19 years. Finally I have arrived. Hello HF phone! |
|
Giving up on the damaged
G5RV I ran a 80-foot length
of RG213 from the Kenwood TS-440S/AT
to the attic where I hung a 20-Meter dipole running north and south. The
dipole tuned up with an SWR of 1.25:1 on 20-Meters and 1.5:1 or better
on 10, 12, 15, 17, and 40-Meters.
The first station worked as a new
General Class operator was Rod Marty J79RM in
Dominica, one of the Windward Islands (June 29, 2007). It was on
20-meters (14.244MHz) and I received a 5-9
report.
Pleased with the success of finally earning my
General Class license I decided to press on and immediately study for
the Extra Class license.
EXTRA CLASS TICKET
|
On July 10, 2007, I attended an ARRL/VEC test session
in Stafford, TX, and passed the Element 4 examination earning my
Extra Class license. Yeah!
|
My long
awaited General ticket arrived in the mail on July 13, 2007, two weeks
ahead of the now anticipated Extra ticket.
|
|
My
first HF contact as an Extra was made on July 14, 2007, with
Salvatore Salanitro PJ2/DK7SA on
Curacao Island in the Netherland Antilles on 20-meters (14.195MHz). My
report was a 5-7. My first QSO on 40-meter phone came two days later
with Stephen Leander KV6O/0 in
Colorado, a quick 5-9 contact.
David & Astrid in Texas City, TX (07.14.07)
July
14th I took my granddaughter Astrid with me to the Tidelands Hamfest in Texas
City, TX, and saw several of my old friends including
Ron Wicker AA5NI and
J.B. Fox W5HIR. I believe the last time
I had been to the Tidelands Hamfest was in 1989.
New QSL card with wrong Maidenhead Grid,
reads DM14, should be EL19 (07.16.07)
On July
16th my Amateur Extra operator privileges posted on the FCC ULS
database. Now I'm tempted to request a 2x2 call to reflect my new ticket
class . . .
On July 17th I succumbed to the desire of an
Amateur Extra 2x2 call sign. I filed an application for a vanity call
sign with AE5DS as the first choice and
AA5DS as second choice.
Interestingly AE5DS will be very close to the current call sign that
should be issued systematically at the same time. (AE5DM was
systematically issued on August 1st.) Under the FCC vanity call
assignment procedure my application for the new call sign was
processed August 4, 2007.
My Amateur Extra ticket arrived in the mail on
August 2, 2007.
|
|
CALL SIGN CHANGE GRANTED
On August 4, 2007, the FCC canceled
N5MKK
and granted the application for AE5DS.
Linda helping David sell surplus equipment
at the Austin Summerfest (08/04/07)
My call sign change to
AE5DS came during the weekend of the Austin Summerfest. My
XYL Linda and I spent the weekend in Austin and enjoyed visiting with
lots of hams while letting go of some of my surplus radio equipment.
Thanks to a table at the swap we arrived with three boxes and left with
one. We met a couple old friends and made many new friends.
Newest new QSL card. (08.06.07)
My Amateur Extra license with the new call
sign
AE5DS arrived in the mail August 9, 2007. With this
license the expiration date was extended 10 more years to 2017.
|
|
|
Texas Radio Operator license plates with my
new call sign were issued on August 30, 2007. The old
N5MKK license
plates have been retired.
|
On September 12, 2007, I installed a
Kenwood TS-440S/AT
in my Ford Focus. I purchased this newest used HF rig in August making
it my third TS-440S. The antenna is an 8-foot Workman stick antenna. I
purchased two sticks, one for 20-Meters and another for 75-Meters.
|
|
|
My first HF mobile QSO was with
Roy
P41USA
in Aruba, Dutch West Indies on September 12, 2007. At the time of the
contact I was driving to work on IH-10 in Houston, Texas. I was pleased
to get a 5-9 report.
|
New mobile QSL card. (10.17.07)
|
On November 13, 2007, I installed another
3/8" antenna mount on the other side of the trunk of my Ford Focus for a
second Workman stick antenna. With the use of an
Alpha Delta coax switch
I can now easily switch between two HF antennas while on the road.
Initially I have 20-meter and 75-meter antennas installed. I
also purchased another Workman stick for 15-meters.
|
After consulting a compass and a
beam heading map I discovered the attic dipole at the farm was
pointed in the wrong direction, at least for working Europe. As
a result, I rotated the antenna 90-degrees on December 8, 2007.
Fortunately I have enough room in the attic to easily
accommodate a 33-foot dipole in several directions. |
|
In December I returned as a member of the American
Radio Relay League (ARRL). |
|
|
December 19, 2007, I worked
FJ/OH2AM within
days of Saint Barthelemy becoming a new 'country' for DXCC purposes.
Getting through a giant pile-up working split frequency while mobile in
Houston was most pleasing.
|
As 2007 comes to an end I'm looking
forward to hanging lots of wire in the air and perhaps even
erecting a radio tower complete with a brand new 20-meter
4-element mono-band beam.
Other antenna projects include
building a 67-foot T2FD (tilted, terminated, folded, dipole); a
130-foot dipole or maybe a 6-wire cage dipole; and, a second
20-meter dipole oriented north-south to complement my current
east-west 20-meter dipole. I even have a spot available for a
five-wavelength, 2,700-foot beverage antenna for 160-meters,
that is if I want to spend the money for the 40 support poles
and wire needed. |
|
|
While waiting on parts for the T2FD
I put a 75-meter dipole antenna. Unhappy with the sharp SWR
curve I took the antenna down, lengthened it and added a second
strand of wire to each leg using 1.5-inch spacers made of
1/2-inch CPVC pipe. The result was a small increase of SWR and
the desired increase in bandwidth falling under 1.5:1 SWR.
With this new homemade antenna I was
able to work 34 states in the first five days.
Another antenna project completed
during new year's weekend was a 17-meter dipole and wire
reflector installed in the attic. |
|
2008
BALEARIC ISLANDS
ARUBA
ARUBA
TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
CAYMAN ISLANDS
BRAZIL
ECUADOR
BRAZIL
CZECH REPUBLIC
GUADELOUPE ISLAND
MOROCCO
CHILE
CUBA
MADEIRA ISLAND
GERMANY
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
ITALY
ITALY
NORWAY
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRIA
JAMAICA
LESOTHO
ENGLAND
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
COLOMBIA
REPUBLIC OF PANAMA
ITALY
ARGENTINA
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
BRAZIL
BRAZIL
MARTINIQUE ISLAND
MEXICO
|
Inspired by a colorful QSL card received
from W4DJW I started using a color
photographic print QSL card myself. Here is an example of the 4x6 cards
I began sending out around the start of the new year. One of the big
advantages of this computer generated card is the ability to make
changes and updates with each new card printed.
|
|
The new colorful QSL card
prints are too big to fit the standard envelopes and QSL
holders used by most hams, so a new and improved size has been
produced using the standard 4x6 print.
With a green trim
border the new cards can be cut down to a standard 3½ x 5½ size. |
|
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Three used heavy-duty tower sections were
delivered to Rain Creek Farm in January. The two large 20-foot sections
and base section have a 24-inch face. Someday they will be stacked and
topped with a Cushcraft Skywalker 20-4CD, 20-meter, 4 element Yagi
antenna. Of course it will also provide a platform for other antenna
projects. |
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I completed Worked-All-States (WAS) on the
75 Meter Geratol Net. Only Extra Class format license holders
worked on the Extra Class 80-Meter SSB sub-band count towards
this award.
My Geratol number is 2537. |
Having completed Worked-All-States on the
75 Meter Geratol Net means I also (finally) qualified for the
ARRL WAS award which was issued with the 80-meter endorsement on
March 25, 2008.
My ARRL WAS number is 52,749.
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I attended the Greater Houston Ham Fest
in March. I always enjoy seeing 'stuff' especially the boat
anchors, homebrew equipment and antennas. I was tempted by
several items, particularly a military surplus fiberglass
antenna mast.
The only purchases made at the Ham
Fest was a U.S. Army Signal Corp Lionel Type J-38 key and a very
nice Industrial Communication Engineers, Model 516 Remote Antenna Switch. |
Pictured is the
remote unit with one input and six outputs. Here it is sitting
atop the lid off the weatherproof enclosure. The control is
equally heavy-duty.
As soon as a spool of control cable
arrived I placed this switch in the attic. After trying two
other remote switches, this is by far the best.
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In March I also put a
Collins 30L-1
amplifier on the air for the first time. Not only was this the
first time I used the Collins, but it was also my first time ever
to use any
power amplifier for HF. Initially use of the amplifier was limited to
those dipole antennas with a good match (low VSWR) as I did not
have a tuner that could handle the 500 watt output. |
Shortly after putting the amplifier
on the air I went in search of a high-power tuner and purchased
two. First I found a solid Drake MN-2000 that would do the job.
While I was waiting for it to arrive I located a very nice
Palstar AT1KM tuner. What a great tuner. Within days I had
completely stopped using the TS-440S/AT's built-in auto-tuner
preferring to use the new manual Palstar tuner. |
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The 17-meter attic dipole was cut
down to a 15-meter dipole for the WPX contest.
Later I
built
this 15-meter
folded-dipole antenna fed with ladder line between the house and
a pecan tree.
The new folded-dipole significantly out performed the
original dipole which I left in place perpendicular to the
folded-dipole. |
I picked up a vintage,
Barker & Williams 1KW
single band 15-meter folded-dipole BALUN (Model 711) and placed
at the remote antenna switch in the attic. As a temporary
feed 400 ohm ladder line was used between the BALUN and the
antenna. Proper 300 ohm ladder line has been ordered and once
received will replace the 400 ohm line. |
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[representative image not
my actual unit] |
A new mobile HF radio arrived in
July!
After a lot of research I decided to
purchase a used ICOM IC-706MKIIG HF/VHF/UHF rig. I could have
lived without the VHF, and certainly have very little to no use
for UHF, but I expect that being a later model with the extra
bands this model will hold it's value better. |
[representative image not my actual unit] |
With this new mobile radio I will no longer have a built-in
antenna tuner. To solve that problem I purchased a brand new
LDG Z-11 Pro automatic
tuner from Universal Radio.
Along with the new radio and tuner I
plan to install a new quarter-wave 17-meter antenna on the Ford
Focus.
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A local machine shop is fabricating a mount from drawings
I provided. My plans call for a heavy spring mounted stainless
steel whip measuring 12.9 feet in length overall. With the
LDG Z-11
Pro it should tune from 80 to 6-meters. Mounted low
and behind the car this antenna will stretch to 14-feet above
the road surface, the maximum legal height and still be just low enough to clear highway overpasses.
Meanwhile I kept an eye open for
other used mobile antennas ranging from Hustler to High Sierra. |
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When the ICOM IC-706MKIIG
rig arrived I set it in the car on top of the
LDG Z-11 Pro connected to a
20-meter Workman stick antenna.
My first contact with the new rig
was while operating mobile in Fayette County. I was very pleased
to get a 5-9 report on 14.240 MHz from
8N2HQ, the Japan Amateur Radio League headquarters' station.
Soon the control head and the radio
were separated with the latter and the antenna tuner relocated
under the car's passenger seat. |
Of course it wasn't long and I found
a High Sierra HS-1800/Pro that
the VE owner tells me has only seen about two-weeks of mobile use
before he decided that it was too tall for his truck.
The High Sierra
HS-1800/Pro
has an operating range of 3.5 ─ 30 MHz with the whip installed,
and 6.9 ─ 60 MHz without the whip. Of course it is much more
efficient with the whip installed.
My custom antenna mount wasn't
ready yet and Ie changed directions. I briefly considered
redesigning the mount to specifically fit the
HS-1800/Pro, but decided to
design a special attachment instead. This way I'll have the
flexibility to mount a full range of antennas. The attachment
will bolt to the mount and present an 18-inch tall 1¼-inch
post for the High Sierra bracket.
While waiting on new antennas and
their mounts I continued usingh the Workman
sticks. The
LDG Z-11 Pro
does a great job tuning the 20-meter antenna for both 20 and
17-meters. Within a little time I
made a dozen contacts, mostly on 17-meters. |
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Here's the attachment I designed
for my mobile mount. It accommodated the new
High Sierra HS-1800/Pro when it
arrived. This bolts onto the mount shown above and could be
used elsewhere in the future.
With my custom mount the
HS-1800/Pro will reach a
maximum height of 11½ feet including the 6 foot whip. Without
the whip it can be lowered to 4 feet, short enough to go
anywhere the car can. Even if fully extended the
HS-1800/Pro, with out the
whip, will only be 5½ feet tall. |
In July
Linda and I took our granddaughter Astrid to the Tidelands Hamfest
in Texas City, TX. Like last year I visited
Ron Wicker AA5NI.
Linda and Astrid bought Pop-Pop a coffee cup
with my name and call sign on the side. My purchases were
a couple rolls of coax seal and an amplified Motorola speaker
that I intend to rewire for use with the
IC-706 MKIIG.
Returning home Sunday I was pleased
to work Suad Zukic DK6XZ
while he was operating as E77XZ near the city of Zenica in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. |
David & Astrid in Texas City, TX (07.12.08) |
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The control head for the
IC-706 MKIIG was mounted on a
bar attached to the bottom of the arm rest. The bar has both an
upward bend and twist towards the driver. The arm rest with
together with the radio head can be raised up out of the way. In
the down position the radio does not interfere with the parking
brake or gear selector. The radio is comfortably positioned so
that I have place my right arm on the arm rest and have all the
radio controls at my finger tips - literally. It's likely that I
will place the Up/Down control switch for the
HS-1800 antenna along the bar
under the radio.
The microphone is
attached to a jack placed on the dash panel. The microphone
cable extends to the radio and not the head. A Motorola mobile
speaker was mounted in the back seat side of the arm rest base
pointing upward. |
Here's the mount fabricated by a
Columbus, TX, machine shop from my drawings (see above). The
base piece bolts to the frame of my Ford Focus and creates a
platform for the attachment of a variety of antennas. The
upright piece will accommodate my new
High Sierra 1800/Pro (whenever
it arrives).
Only one 3/4" hole was required to
be drilled through a reinforced flange intended as an attachment
point for a trailer hitch or towing tie down. Two self-tapping
screws will be used to tag the forward piece into the frame upon
final assembly. |
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This photograph shows the mount
temporarily installed with the upright mast set in place, but
not yet bolted to the mount. Once everything is properly fitted
the mount will be removed, disassembled, ground smooth, sanded,
primed, painted, and reinstalled.
The upright will be attached with
four 3/8" stainless steel bolts and stainless steel Nyloc® nuts.
This 1-1/4" round upright mast will
accommodate many popular screwdriver antenna mounts.
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This photograph shows the
High Sierra HS1800/Pro with
the installation completed just in time to attend the Austin
Summerfest in Austin, TX. The support has a hammered metal
finish that matches the color of the car. All stainless steel
hardware is used to connect the various parts of the mount. A
flat copper strap is used to bond the antenna to the vehicle.
The antenna itself, including the mount and the 6-foot stainless
steel whip, are power coated black. All wiring was run to the
radio and a temporary switch was wired to control the antenna
tuning.
Our swap table and neighbor Neil
K6SMF's table.
A variety of my surplus radio
equipment was sold at a swap table and some of the proceeds were
used to purchase a fully automatic N2VZ
Turbo Tuner designed specifically for my Icom radio
and a screwdriver antenna from Neil
K6SMF, a California ham with the swap table next to
ours. Before leaving Austin the Turbo
Tuner was connected and the radio programmed to
communicate with the tuner through its serial port. Everything
working like a champ. My first contact with the new
antenna (or new tuner) was on 14.243 MHz with
N9N, a special event station aboard the submarine
USS Nautilus
in Groton, CT. My report was 5-9. |
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The AE5DS/M mobile installation is
quickly evolving into a full-blown station. The
HS-1800/Pro antenna is
performing very well.
Parts are now being assembled to
complete the system as shown above. Some have been received,
others are on the way, and a couple items are on backorder.
I've designed a circuit (shown at
right) to provide manual tuning control for the
HS-1800/Pro. This control will
allow the HS-1800/Pro to be
raised or lowered. A button will place the radio in 'tune' mode.
And, an indicator light will indicate 'end-of-travel' current
draw."
The manual control will minimize the
transmission of the tuning tone by allowing the antenna to be
moved close to the proper position before activating the
N2VZ Turbo Tuner. Additionally
I want to experiment with manual tuning using a field strength
meter. |
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Here's the finished AE5DS manual
control. The connectors allow it to be easily placed between the
N2VZ Turbo Tuner and the
IC-706 MKIIG and between the
N2VZ Turbo Tuner and the HS-1800/Pro.
The power to operate the manual control is drawn from the
transceiver. I elected to use a handheld control rather than
finding a place to mount it in the limited space of the Ford
Focus interior.
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One feature of the AE5DS mobile
station will be the ability to operate PSK31 and other digital
modes. Preliminary demonstrations have successfully used
DigiPan 2.0 and
Dragon NaturalSpeaking 9.5
to operate by voice control. The
SignaLink USB interface has been selected because it
has a dedicated sound card leaving the system sound card
available for use by speech recognition software.
Unfortunately the
SignaLink USB is on
backorder and isn't expected to arrive until October 2008.
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[representative image not my actual unit] |
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September 13, 2008, the City of
Shoreacres was struck by Hurricane Ike. The damage was
tremendous. As the City Administrator my life was turned upside
down. Amateur radio took a back seat and unfortunately my prized HS-1800/Pro
antenna was virtually destroyed when the night of the storm it
struck a fallen telephone cable.
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March 11, 2009, I completed the
SkyWarn training sponsored by the Clear Lake Amateur Radio Club.
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2018
CHILE
VENEZUELA
MEXICO
ISLE OF MAN
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
ECUADOR
CUBA
CANADA |
March 2018 - 30 years ago this month I received my amateur radio Technician license
and began talking to other radio hobbyists around the world. After about
a year off the air, I returned to HF radio last week. In spare minutes
here and there I've already visited with dozen hams in eight states from
California to Florida. On the 19th however, I put an "extra good one" in
the log book. I had the opportunity to contact Mark 4B4B
on Socorro Island in the Pacific Ocean 240 miles southwest of Cabo San
Lucas. In this case it's not the distance of the contact, but the rarity
of having a radio operator on one of the Revillagigedo Islands that
makes it special. The last time someone with a amateur radio was on the
island was seven years ago and this special station, 4B4B, would only be
there for another 12 days.
Contact from Rain Creek Farm (03.19.18)
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EXIT |