Baofeng UV-5R+

Posted on by ve3ips

Flashlight:

This is one of the best features of the radio ! Pressing a side button illuminates a very bright white LED light at the top of the radio. This is very useful for finding gear at night!

Have you ever wondered about the “Magic” of Six Meters

Posted on by ve3ips

Have you ever wondered about the “Magic” of Six Meters? After all, you’ve probably pressed the six meter button on your rig and failed to find any magic or even any other stations. If that’s the case, you’ve identified the “tragic” of the band. But without tragic there would be no magic.

The subtitle of this book states:

AVERAGE EQUIPMENT + LIMITED ANTENNAS = EXCEPTIONAL QSOS.

It really doesn’t take much on six meters — your existing HF+6 meter rig along with a simple antenna, even a dipole, will work. In this book you’ll find out how I know that dipoles work along with how to build one of your own.

This book will also provide plenty of insight into how you, too, can “Capture the Magic of Six Meters.” It covers propagation, equipment, software, antennas, awards and contesting, as well as assistance in finding the magic.

BTW — If you’d rather read the book online along with lots of links to additional information, you can find it at 6 Meter DXing Guide – Getting Started on the Magic Band. You can also find a presentation at Six Meter Presentation @ ARRL Learning Network. Lots of ways to get this information and get on the band.

Capture the Magic of Six Meters — eBook

Capture the Magic of Six Meters —

An eBook Guide to Working the Six Meter Amateur Radio Band

Size: 13.2 MB
Version: 1.1.0
Published: 12-August-2020
Download Free eBook

HF Field Radios  and Battery Operation – Quick Notes

Posted on by ve3ips

HF Field Radios  and Battery Operation – Quick Notes

 

All radios are classified as 12 V but are actually specified to be at 13.8 Volts.

 

If you use an SLA that is 12V then current drain and voltage drop will pull the voltage lower and they radio will turn itself off. Thus, it is better to use a Lipo or Life4 battery rated at 13.2 volts.

 

I operate a man pack RF power of 20 watts. It has lower current drain and is only about 1 S unit lower than a typical 80-100 watt station.

 

Running a HF 100 watt radio at 20 watts may still draw about 8 Amps of power due to internal circuitry optimized for high power not lower power.

 

Operating CW or 2m FM will cause the current drain to be constant where on SSB it will fluctuate with the voice wave.

 

Thus a 5-10A SLA will prove a poor choice and limit operation greatly.

 

A 10A 13.2v Bioenno battery will prove better in operating time and be lighter as well.

 

The Xiegu G90 is designed as a 20 watt radio and will draw about 4-5 Amps.

 

The Icom 705 with its 1800 MaH BP-272 battery supports operating at 10 Watts

 

BUY A PROPER LIPO OR LIFE4 BATTERY AND THROW THE SLA’S IN THE RECYLER BIN

Radio Frequency Super Spreader COVID-52 Event # 4

Posted on by ve3ips

WOW

 

I worked VE3INP using a 5 watt Yaesu FT3DR with an Arrow Yagi at Dufferin Grove Park, Toronto as /Portable to my Mobile location at Richmond Hill Public Library – Yonge/Major Mackenzie  Icom 800H 50 watts to a Larsen 2/70 mag mount

This breaks the last RFSS event that was 11km

Stay Tuned for a 25km  Arrow to Arrow QSO being planned

We also had a copy on Den VE3BQK that was greater than the 25 km but no contact was made

 

Thanks to Yaesu for keeping us safe!

Comet HA-750Bl Mobile Antenna Review

Posted on by ve3ips

Thanks to JE0DKR

2006/07/23

HA750BL

The other day, when I visited a local OM house, I mentioned that I was planning a solo trip to Michinoku Mobile during the summer vacation, saying, “If you go anyway, you should get out of 18MHz or HB. I’ve been looking for an HB mobile ANT that can QRV while driving.

At first, I thought it would be nice to have an HM6 that can produce a lot with one car, but I gave up knowing that I couldn’t do QSY without getting out of the car one by one. I thought I would be a mono bander if I got off the car anyway. When I was thinking, “I think it’s definitely MD for performance, but I can’t afford to have all the coils …”, COMET’s HA750BL was recommended. It was painful that 10MHz, which is indispensable for mobile CW, is out of the standard, but the total length is 2.4m, which is about twice as long as it is an improved version of HA750B. In the worst case, I compromised because I thought it would be possible to put it on my Kranishi MTU.

<Characteristics of each band SWR>

On the way home, park the car in the middle of the rice field in the neighborhood, assemble the elements, connect to the 857 without adjustment, and check the SWR of each band. 7, 14 to 50MHz on the spec is about 1.2 with RIG’s SWR meter. It was like sending to a dummy load. (Maybe in a sense.) I tried 10MHz, which I was worried about, with no use, and it was about 1.7. “Maybe you can use 10MHz? I called the Miyakojima City Mobile Bureau in Okinawa Prefecture, and there was a one-time response. The opponent’s S wasn’t swinging, but if it wasn’t piled with the same PWR, it would be possible to get it. (10MHz is out of the manufacturer’s standard, so please take your own risk.)

<Communication result (7MHzCW)>

HB seemed to have poor CONDX and could not QSO with anyone, but I tried to issue CQ with 7MHz CW. It was about 30 minutes in the evening, but I was able to communicate with 10 stations. I wasn’t called anymore, so when I issued a CQ while driving on my way home, I was called by the Mito station. (However, when I got home, the hatchback base was moving without being able to withstand the wind. Hi)

After returning, I plotted the QTH of the communication station on a map and imagined the path of ionospheric reflection.

Qsomap060723

<Summary>

-Performance is good for mobile ANT. (It’s only
7MHz . Some people have a maximum of + 20dB.)・ QSY is easy anyway.
・ SWR 1.5 or less (excluding 10MHz) from 7MHz to 50MHz ・ No
need to worry about wraparound. (It seems that grounding is unnecessary, but the base is grounded.)
・ Is 50MHz a bonus? (It was about S3-5 different
from SG9700 .)・ Not suitable for hatchback base (base height 1.5mH + L = 2.4m = 3.9m, so it is too long and dangerous while driving. )

* Please note that this is a subjective impression after a short operation of about 30 minutes.

<Conclusion>

In the end, the original idea of ​​HB ANT, which allows QRV while driving, was missed, but I am very happy to be able to come out easily. In the future, I would like to try it in each band and accumulate results.

VE3IPS: It appears this antenna is 50 ohm dummy load with a 5:1 matching lossy balun like the CH-250B base antenna. This antenna can be replicated with a similar length of wire and a 4:1 balun with a tuner.
It transmits on 7, 14 and 56 Mhz as per the SWR chart. It is a compromise antenna but with proper band conditions and say 20-50 watts of power, you will make contacts.
This antenna if ordered from japan will be about $500 landed to your door
 HA750BL Review This is a review of
Comet’s Broadband antenna HA-750BL.
Weekend ham, so the review was a little late.
By the way, there are many reviews for this antenna, so I think many of you already know the general idea. I installed it on the balcony, so I will report on the situation.
There is no adjustment for SWR and there is no problem at all.
7MHz … It was within 1.5 in any band. It was about 14MHz … 1.3. 21MHz ・ ・ ・ 1.1-1.3.
Sensitivity is definitely reduced.
I used to use a monoband V dipole, so I feel sorry for the comparison, but the S meter doesn’t really swing. The S meter does not shake, or even if I try to respond to a station that shakes faintly, it is not picked up. However, for stations where the S meter swings firmly, it will take about 55 to 57. In short, it depends on the condition.
QSO is possible.
Communication was established at 7MHz, 21MHz, and 24MHz. In particular, I had no plans to purchase an antenna for 24MHz, so it was a nice first communication. The feature of this antenna is that you can immediately QSY to other bands. It’s fun to press the band button on the rig and turn the dial. It will be interesting when the high band opens.
Conclusion.
After all the antenna must fly. Therefore, it will not be the main antenna of a fixed station. Even if it can be received, the transmission ability is not good enough. Probably because it doesn’t resonate. I think it would be interesting if it was a mobile station.

The Wouff-Hong and Rettysnitch Legends

Posted on by ve3ips

The Wouff-Hong and Rettysnitch Legends

Amateur Radio’s traditional and most sacred symbols

Two gruesome instruments of excruciating torture are used to enforce law, order, and decency in Amateur Radio operation. 

The Wouff-Hong and Rettysnitch Legends

By Rob L. Dey, KA2BEO1 – September 1997

A wonderful article about these two legends was written by L.B. Cebik, W4RNL2, and appeared in September 1996 QST, on pages 59 and 603. Cebik offered that “We should not be troubled by the size of the task at hand: Curing Amateur Radio of its illegalities and indecencies. We have many more folks available to wield the Wouff-Hong and the Rettysnitch. No, not on others, but on ourselves – to make sure that we set a model for how amateur operations ought to be conducted.”

 

The Wouff-Hong

The Wouff-Hong is used to enforce law and order in Amateur Radio operating work.”The Old Man” (T.O.M.), originator of the Wouff-Hong and the Rettysnitch, is known to be the one and only Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW, founder of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)4 in 1914. T.O.M. wrote his first mention of a Wouff-Hong and a Rettysnitch in 1917. In 1919, the league received an actual Wouff-Hong specimen directly from T.O.M. The first photo of the Wouff-Hong was published in July 1919 QST.

The Rettysnitch

The Rettysnitch is used to enforce decency in Amateur Radio operating work.In 1921, the Washington DC Radio Club presented the Rettysnitch to the league’s traffic manager. According to legend, the club received the Rettysnitch specimen from “The Old Man” himself. Cebik stated that “Even at its first public appearance, two of its teeth were missing, suggesting a long history of necessary and effective use. However, to this day, the Rettysnitch has lost no further teeth. It was ordered to be displayed by its mate.” The Wouff-Hong and Rettysnitch stories were retold by Rufus P. Turner, when he wrote “Hamdom’s Traditions: A Bedtime Story for Young Squirts” in May 1934 QST. According to Cebik, “In 1930, The ARRL Handbook had pictures of both instruments of enforcement. By 1936, only the Wouff-Hong appeared. By 1947 the Handbook had deleted both photos.” An editorial on the Wouff-Hong (without the hyphen) appeared many years later in February 1961 QST. Presently, both of these legendary instruments are on display at the ARRL museum in Newington, CT.

Do the Wouff-Hong and Rettysnitch still hold their mystical power over us today?

L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, answered this question well, when he asked “Why were the Wouff-Hong and the Rettysnitch so powerful to those early hams? Because those hams cared about Amateur Radio in their hearts. They desired that which they knew they could never have: A perfectly law-abiding, decent radio service that would inspire young and old alike to become hams or, lacking the inclination to electronics, to become admirers of hams. Every minute of on-the-air time was a chance to show how noble a pursuit Amateur Radio was and should always be. They feared the Wouff-Hong and the Rettysnitch as instruments of their own consciences, as they strove to meet the standards they set for themselves. And that is where you will find the Wouff-Hong and the Rettysnitch today – deep in your own conscience. If they seem to hold no power, then you know it’s time once more to elevate your standards a notch higher, and then to strive to achieve them perfectly.” He added, “May you never deserve their sting.”

1Rob L. Dey, KA2BEO, P.O. Box 1849, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742-1849, e-mail: rdey@natradioco.com.
2L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, 1434 High Mesa Dr., Knoxville, TN 37938-4443, e-mail: cebik@utk.edu.
3This article originally appeared in the New England QRP Newsletter, edited by Dennis Marandos, K1LGQ.
4The American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111-1494, e-mail: hq@arrl.org.

 

Thanks to http://www.natradioco.com/

 

we have found a Canadian version and are checking on authenticity

Festival Field Hockey Goalie Stick – Harrow Sports

Radio Frequency Super Spreader COVID-52 Event # 3

Posted on by ve3ips

Another awesome event with record turnout

Longest contact was from Dovercourt Park to Bathurst and Wilson

 

BQK with his FT991 and Baefeng radio

INP with his wonderful FT3DR – Colour Display is awesome

IPS with Icom Mobile and Motorola

AJF up in North York

TGL with FT818

VWX with FTM300DR

There were other stations in there in the downtown core that I herd in the mobile working others

BQK may have had the strongest signal of all users from his FT991 base station setup

IPS and INP – in the Dovercourt Park with their Gortex  – Rain or Shine we QSO 52

Ian INP was running a half wave whip on his FT3DR. This radio has become popular with SOTA activators due to aprs able to run on the other band while yakking on 52

 

Stay tuned for HF ops and 446 simplex activity