Adventures in Ham Radio

[Rastus]

Wow.  That's way far more than anything I have worked.  I'm just now getting my LOTW information from my Oklahoma home computer to here in Arkansas. 

I still haven't done the digital thing yet....some day though. 

I did get my 80M full wavelength vertical loop repaired and the 20M vertical loop restrung.  I've made a few nice contacts on 6M that I had never pursued before. 

Yesterday I found my mounting bracket for the A144S10 I had jury rigged in a single direction.  I now have a rotor for the thing and a tripod mount to go on top of this old house..hopefully I can hit the repeaters in Tulsa from here (175 miles).  I hit Fort Smith repeaters easily with 10-15 watts but that trip is only ~85 miles.  If I fall short I'll buy another and a stacking kit to up the gain...or maybe try the 14 element Hy-Gain beam..the A144S10 does the job but it's a really flimsy antenna (aka old time TV fold up).

And I got word yesterday that my FRG-7 has been repaired, recapped, cleaned, tuned and burned in for a day.  It should get mailed back Monday.  I like using that thing for AM radio...I try to listen to WWL 870 AM out of New Orleans for the Don Dubuc fishing and hunting show Saturday mornings at 5 AM. 

Also sitting here with a Anytone 5888 to put in the tractor.  It's a knockoff of the Yaesu FT-8800 I hope to setup for 2M and GMRS...since most people up here use the GMRS for hunting and Midland has really been successful in opening up th GMRS market.  I have one of Midland's MXT 115's in the side by side which does a good job. 

I've got a lot of farm/ranch work to do here along with gainful employment before I can ham it up.  Keep us up on all of your accomplishments.

Ken

[Rastus]

An FCC Compliant Baofeng handheld....amazing.  Supposedly it's not just locked down frequency selection but the harmonics are suppressed as they are supposed to be.

https://www.radioddity.com/products/baofeng-gt-5r

[alfsauve]

We'd have killed for such an inexpensive radio back in the day. 


VOTA

ARRL is running a year long contest Volunteers On The Air.  Using the W1AW/n callsign volunteers will make contacts for fun and points.  Must log through LoTW.  I've only given it passing interest but went to the web site today, vota.arrl.org to discover I have 68 QSOs, 3 of the W1AW/n stations and 320 points.  I also discovered I'm worth 2 points as a contact because of my life membership.  I might spend a little more time with this for the rest of the year.

[Rastus]

I cannot believe it's been a year since I posted this and I still have not tried the thing.

https://www.amazon.com/%E3%80%90Upgraded%E3%80%91AURSINC-Analyzer-Measuring-Parameters-Standing/dp/B07Z5VY7B6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=NanoVNA&m=A3KC9Z86M9XWS3&qid=1649116043&s=merchant-items&sr=1-2

I have an MFJ antenna analyzer but it stops at 460 MHz and with GMRS I need to tune 3 antennas shortly at 460-470 MHz.  So, a friend turned me onto this dirt cheap analyzer.  He said it's better than the Rig Expert he bought several years ago and lot less that $600. I should have it to evaluate by the weekend.
<snip>

[alfsauve]

If I were still working in media I have one of these in a heart beat.

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

I'm sitting at about 200th in GA in the VOTA contest.  I hang out either on 10m, 20m or 40m FT8 mainly looking for Alaska and Hawaii but also busy racking up contacts for VOTA.  At some point the Discone scanner antenna is coming down and a 10m dipole will go in it's place.  Hoping the change of polorization will give me more contacts on 10m  I lack all the states within ~250miles.  And Alaska.

[Rastus]

I have repair parts (dacron rope, etc.) to rehang my 80 Meter loop for Museum Ships Weekend.  My wife will be out next week so I may well get my old never assembled 5BTV up too.  The 20 meter loop needs to be checked out.

I understand the CME's have really added noise to the bands.

[Jim Kennedy-ar154me]

Is anyone going to the Dayton Hamfest this weekend???

[Rastus]

Nope.  I've never been either.  I bet it's a real hoot.

I'd like it a lot better if they'd relocate to say...I dunno, Branson, MO or Nashville or Orlando or even Houston.

Sorry Alf...I hate the traffic in Atlanta.

[alfsauve]

The Atlanta Hamfest was cancelled this year, for a number of reasons including venue issues.

Atlanta has had an issue of too many chefs in the soup.  There are several, depends on how you define the term, major clubs in the area.  ARC, KARC, Gwinnet County, Fulton County, Stone Mountain, N. GA Radio League to mention a few.  At one point these clubs were trying to put on 4 hamfests amongst themselves each year.  The ATL hamfest has bounced all over, venue wise.  Stone Mountain, which was held at the mountain, and it was a neat vaca to come and stay on the property at the Inn, but it has long ago moved to the Gwinnett fairgrounds. The Kennehoochee (Kennesaw-Chattahoche River, e.g. Cobb County) radio club pretty much was stable at the Cobb County Fair grounds.  Consequently, too many hamfests spreading too few sponsor $ too thin.  In the past ~10years, ARC and KARC have held their hamfest together but venue issues, as has happened this year, have now made it a hit/miss thing. 

The Gwinnett one is still on for the fall if you live on the NE side of the area.