May the Forth be with you!!!

 Sorry I just couldn't resist!!! Between Star Wars and Star Trek our world has changed quite a bit. George Lucas and Industrial Light and Magic revolutionized special effects in he movie industry. OBTW: My favorite Star Wars spin off is Mandalorian. It's Star Wars for adults. 

 OK, enough of the sci-fi.....back to the real world of radio and QRP. 

 One of my latest observations is how much the QRP facet of the ham radio hobby has changed over the last 10 years. While there are still QRP clubs out there offering simple CW kits the emphasis has become QRP kits that feature direct digital synthesis (DDS),  digital readouts, digital signal processing (DSP),  built in test equipment, and basically features you would pay a lot of money for in a simple kit that costs under $100! Yup, I'm talking about QRP Labs and their QCX+ transceiver kit ($55 less case) Seriously, this is a great radio kit and has a load  of features that are mind blowing! In addition to the QCX+ QRP Labs also offers a plethora of kits including a GPS receiver, 50 watt amplifier in the event you need to "turn up the wick" on your QCX+ transceiver, a series of band pass filters, station clock, Qrss/Wspr kit, etc. 

Do yourself a favor and wander over the Hans Summers' QRP Labs site: qrp-labs.com and prepare to be amazed. The prices are fantasitc for the kits and the documentation is better than Heathkit.

 About 10 days or so ago I managed to pickup up an original QRP Labs QCX transceiver for 40M, from Ken Evans, W4DU. This was housed in a custom aluminum case and makes a tidy little package for doing SOTA, portable ops. While the original QCX kit is no longer offered, Hans has updated the circuitry and provides the QCX+ which has a different form factor, redesigned circuit board, and aluminum case. I was so impressed with the original QCX transceiver I ordered a QCX+ for 20M. It should be here any day.

 My wife, Patricia, KB3MCT, and I are going to take off on an extended trip to Texas, N. Dakota, NE Pennsylvania and back home. My ham radio goal for this trip is to work some QRP QSOs from the car while in transit. I did this in 1996 on the "K7YHA North American Tour" to celebrate my 50th birthday. At that time I had a Wilderness Radio Sierra with a Hamstick antenna for 40M. Good times!

I don't have a HF installation in the car at this time. So the first order of business is finding a HF antenna that would not cost an arm or a leg and fabricate some kind of mount for it. These newer cars do not have a lot of metal on which to mount an antenna hard point. Gone are the days of the bumper mount. 

So, having l scoped out the Chevy Equinox and spying a class III hitch installed on the rear of the vehicle I opted for a hitch mount with a coaxial-to-antenna connection installed. This will allow me to remove the antenna (and mount) when not in use, so no holes in the car! 

 My choice of antenna is the Hustler mobile whip/resonator series. I have used Hustler products many times over the years. This particular mast/resonator antenna system came my way via Ray Bailey, N4GYN. He happened to have a Hustler mast with 40 and 20 M resonators that needed a new home. In addition to this Hustler mobile whip system I also have a 102 inch CB whip which I had planned on feeding through and LDG Z-11 automatic antenna tuning unit. I may include the whip and ATU as a backup since it won't take up a lot of space in the vehicle.

Power will be provided by the direct wiring to the battery that I use to power the Icom IC-2720 dual band FM mobile installation. Quicksilver Radio (qsradio.com) has a great selection of Power Pole accessories that will allow you to split out the DC power from your power supply/mobile battery so you don't have to run extra wiring. John Bea and I go waaaay back and John is a great guy to deal with. Check out Quicksilver Radio.

 As for an operating position, I plan on using the QCX on 40M by just setting it on the console between the front seats and using a small paddle set by Tony Baleno, N3ZN. I have two paddle sets from Tony: a dual lever iambic and a single lever paddle set. Tony's workmanship is out of this world! His paddles are made extremely robust and I have not adjusted either of my N3ZN paddles since Tony sent them to me! Check out Tony's site: http://qrqcwnet.ning.com. Logging will be accomplished by paper and stubby pencil and later entered into my computer logging program. 

In short, I can hardly wait to hit the road and have some fun with mobile CW.  

In the mean time I am here, perched on the edge of my chair awaiting the FedEx truck to deposit my new QRP Labs QCX+ 20M transceiver kit. Once I get the ops position in the shack to where I can actually find the power panel, I plan on putting both the QCX and the QCX+ on the air prior to our trip. Look for me on the low end of booth 40 and 20M. 

 Stay safe and stay well. 

 Vy 73

Rich K7SZ 

+

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Alas, Poor Mimi, I knew her well (with apologies to Billy Shakespeare).

Tomorrow I must bid goodbye to someone who has been with me for many years. She was always close to my heart but it's time to let her go. 

 Mimi is my heart murmur.....Yes, I named my murmur "MiMi" and tomorrow I will be the recipient of a replacement aortic heart valve and MiMi will be gone. However, my chances of having a fatal heart attack will be greatly decreased. Yeah, me!

 Just thought I'd share. 

 Now, on to other ham radio related "stuff". 

I have been toying around with my new/old ICOM IC-706 MkII G transceiver. Although 20+ years old, it is a solid performer (provide some additional IF filtering is installed) even by today's standards. Covering 160-10 meters HF, plus 6 & 2 meters and finally 70 centimeters, this is an all-in-one small box that operates CW/SSB/FM and data modes. 

 I know that someone is going to ask so I'll just come right out and say it: It's what I can afford and it fills my requirements. Why spend more money than necessary when a used rig will do everything  you want to do on the ham bands. 

 Slap a Signal Link radio-to-computer interface on it, hook up an old laptop running your favorite digital software suite and you are in business. 

One of my primary reasons for obtaining the IC-706 was to mount it in the truck and remove three other radios while getting HF coverage in addition to the V/UHF bands. Thankfully, the truck has enough room in front between the passenger seats to mount this rig without having to resort to spending a lot of cash for the optical cable that allows one to remote the control head from the main body of the radio. 

Another reason is that it offers multi-mode coverage over the most popular HF/V/UHF bands at reasonable power output levels. Additionally, with it's digital capabilities one can run all sorts of digital modes using a small laptop computer or a Raspberry Pi.  

Mobile HF antennas are always problematic. Aside from 10 and 12 meters, the antennas required for mobile operation on 80-15 meters are quite long compared to a quarter wave antenna actually cut for a specific frequency on these bands.  

One of the most popular mobile HF bands is 40 meters. A quarter wavelength on 40 is around 34 feet +/- depending upon which area of the band you want to operate on. A quarter wavelength on 20 meters is around 16 feet +/-, and so on. So, as you can plainly see the bands below 12 meters are always going to be short, and in the case of 80//40-20 meters only a fraction of the actual length needed for efficient antenna radiation. This is the primary reason why obtaining good/efficient HF mobile operation is difficult to come by.

As for HF mobile antennas, there are the coil loaded "hamstick" antennas with a long whip at the top, there are other antennas that offer marginal performance at these frequencies, but, if you are serious about HF mobile performance, the standard 102 inch CB steel whip fed through a remote automatic antenna tuner is hard to beat.

 If you are really serious about mobile HF, the next step up the HF antenna ladder is the "screwdriver" antenna offered by a number of manufacturers. These are NOT inexpensive! I had one on my 2001 Nissan Frontier pickup truck and it worked great. The caveat here is the fact that I had a special antenna mount fabricated by a local welding shop that was welded directly to the frame of the truck. That was a very efficient antenna system and I worked a lot of DX from the truck using an Alinco DX-77T transceiver running between 5 and 50 watts.  

Another annoyance is the noise generated internally by the various vehicle computer systems. A good noise blanker is a blessing, while a very good Digital Signal Processor unit is essential to limiting the noise that gets into your radio and then into your ears. Of course, good engineering practices regarding grounding and bonding of the various sections and systems in the vehicle are also quite important. Do your homework and read up on ways to eliminate or at least reduce the noise your rig hears and you are well on the way to working some decent HF mobile contacts. 

Now for something completely different: Thanks to the help given to me by Brian Page, N4TRB and Larry Brinson, KO4IZU, two local hams, the 5 foot Glenn Martin roof tower, Alliance HD-73 rotator along with the 6 meter Ringo Ranger were successfully removed. Thanks, guys. My days of tower and roof work on antennas are over. 

In the near future that roof tower will be re-mounted on the opposite end of the roof from the original location, rotator re-installed, and some V/UHF antennas installed to allow OSCAR along with 6 meter DX to be available to K7SZ.

I still have two trees to cut up.....yup, the same two trees that ate two of my HF wire antennas. Once that is done, I plan on installing the new G5RV on one tower leg at the 60 foot level and a V/UHF discone antenna on the other tower leg at about the same level. This will complete the antenna farm at K7SZ, at least for a while. 

Stay safe and get on the bands and play some radio!

Vy 73

 Rich K7SZ

 

 

Tales from the Bent Dipole Ranch or I'm Back in the Saddle Again!

2020 was a wild ride. I put this blog on standby/back burner for over  a year. I just got tired of writing and needed a break. I quit writing for CQ Mag in 2012 due to the tiresome ritual of monthly deadlines for column submission. Ham radio is a fun hobby. I have always subscribed to the philosophy that when it is no longer "fun" its time to find another avenue for spare time involvement. 

 

A few weeks ago I was approached by a close friend who wanted to know if I was doing any writing. I told her no to which she replied that since I had a lot of experience and great stories, I should return to writing as an emotional outlet. So I have decided to get this blog back on track. 

 

During the past year (2020) the crew at the Bent Dipole Ranch has weathered a bout of COVID (for all four of us), a new mini Dachshund puppy, a duo of antenna eating trees who cost me two low band HF antennas, and (on my end) a worsening of my feet and lower back due to chronic pain caused by the lack of disk material in my back. In the case of my feet, the left foot has started breaking down after being rebuilt in 2005.This makes for painful walking, and prolonged standing. 2020 was not a fun time!

 

In short, I just didn't feel up to writing so the blog suffered and you loyal readers were left in the dark, lacking my caustic wit and sarcastic comments.  Well, relax....I'm baaaaaack!

Let's start with a recap of the current shack gear. My main HF station is the venerable Elecraft K2 with a whole bunch of options. This is my 2nd one (although I have built two others for local hams). In order to afford new gear I have to sell one or more radios I currently have to get the cash to pony up for a new radio. This K2 came from an estate of a local ham. It works great and I don't plan on selling/trading this radio. 

Recently I picked up a Hallicrafters SR-160 w/PSU. This is a mid-60s radio that covers 80-20 meters SSB/CW. The PSU needs to be recapped and as soon as that project gets done the SR-160 will be my main QRO SSB radio.

 

My ICOM IC-202S has a new friend....an IC-402 for UHF SSB/CW. So now I have the makings of a QRP V/UHF terrestrial weak signal/OSCAR station. The 402 needs a crystal for the VXO circuit to cover 432.2-432.4 MHz. It has the 435 MHz OSCAR crystal already installed. Both radios work great. They are my "pet project" radios. I don't know why I like these ICOM bookshelf rigs so much other than they are not only unusual but they are ultra-cool and work fine (for 40 yr old rigs). Oh, yeah....they are also true QRP radios which fits into my overall philosophy of "doing more with less".

Another recent acquisition is a used ICOM IC-706MkIIG radio set that I plan on using in the truck. This will replace three radios that currently reside there saving some space and offering 160 meters through 70 centimeters coverage using CW/SSB/FM/DATA. The control head can be detached and remotely mounted to save space in the cab of the truck. 

My project Wilderness Radio NorCal 40-A CW transceiver will be completed later this year and I'll detail my mods to this radio set here in this blog. Suffice it to say that this NorCal 40-A is not your daddy's radio! Originally this project started in CQ Mag just before I stopped writing for them. It's been sitting idle so its time to get it out and finish this project.

I have several QRP Guys kits, namely two of their modernized PARASET radios patterned after the WWII PARASET radio that provided much needed information from German occupied Europe. They are both all solid state so its all done with no vacuum tubes. 4 States QRP group has just offered their version of the PARASET called the "Bayou Jumper" in kit form. For just under $100 you get a complete kit that replicates, in solid state form, the WWII PARASET. If the funding is available I may pick one up just for grins. Sounds like a fun project.

On the boatanchor scene I am in the middle of restoring a nice Drake 2B receiver along with a very nice Heathkit HR-10 which was my first ham receiver when I was first licensed as a Novice operator. Aside from a recapping and alignment, the HR-10 should be an easy project. The 2B needs recapping and a full alignment. Again, no big deal, just a large investment of time. 

Two antenna eating trees came down in high winds after soaking rains so I lost two antennas, my 500 ft loop and a multi-band dipole. The 40M Extended Double Zepp (EDZ) is coming down (its been up for 12 years and needs refurbishment) and being replaced with a G5RV multi-band antenna. Before the foliage starts blooming on the trees, I plan on putting some wires up in several trees to hold a 160M end-fed wire and possibly a new (or rebuilt) 40M EDZ. 

 

The tower needs some work: I have to have the 2M 13 element Yagi  re-secured and pointed in the proper direction. Somehow the long-boom Yagi was not fully tightened down on the rotator mast and the winds managed to turn in about 30 degrees. The rotator control cabling needs to  traced out as I have lost the wiring key. The roof tower on the east end of the house is being moved to the western end. On that roof tower will be a set of M2 2meter loop antennas (w/phasing lines), a PAR stressed 6M Moxon antenna and possibly a set of V/UHF Quagis for satellite work. 

As for the military radio gear, I procured a nice AN/TRC-77A Special Forces HF CW set along with an AN/PRC-1088 squad radio (low band FM, fully synthesized, frequency hopping radio), and finally an AN/GRC-109 CIA/SF CW set to play with on military Field Day. 

OK, that's about it for the latest update from the ham shack at the Bent Dipole Ranch. Currently all ham activities here are on hold until we get the master bathroom remodeled. This project has taken on a life of it's own. Once completed, I will be upgrading the ops bench in the shack and redoing the radios to provide an improved work space. That may require a few pictures!! 

Until net time, stay well, stay safe and play radio.

Vy 73 Rich K7SZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MilCom

First of all, "My Bad!" It has been months since I have blogged anything and I must apologize to the readers of this blog. I have three other entries in draft and will get this posted ASAP.

Over the years I have collected, restored, used and sold a lot of old military communications (MilCom) equipment. It started when I was in high school when a family friend gave me a beat up BC-1000, low band FM squad radio circa WWII.

That led to a slew of old ARC-5/Command Sets (mainly receivers) and the occasional piece of test gear. My 20 year career in the USAF allowed me to "play" with a lot of comm gear but due to constantly moving around the world precluded my obtaining any surplus gear. 

The one exception was when I was assigned to the 1936 Comm Squadron in Lajes Field, the Azores. The folks at AFR&M surplussed out a bunch of old Motorola base stations in the low band and high band VHF freqs. I purchased a L43GGV high band radio that I (along with several others) converted over to 2M FM....146.94 simplex and 146.34/94 repeater frequency. 

Once I was transferred to the 3rd Mobile Combat Comm Gp (3rd MOB) at Tinker AFB, OK (right outside Oklahoma City) I became active on the local 34/94 machine with my 20 year old Motorola rig. Thank you Uncle Sam.

Once I retired from the AF in 1987, I found that MilCom gear tended to follow me home from various ham radio flea markets. Prior to moving from PA to GA I had a basement full of military comm gear, most of which I realized that I was never going to restore much less use. Therefore, I sold off about 90% of my MilCom gear. 

A couple of Command receivers, a BC-221 frequency meter, a GRR-5 SW receiver, and my favorite: a PRC-74B HF synthesized SSB/CW transceiver followed  us down to GA. Within a couple of years those were also sold off due to the need to get some liquid funds after our move. 

The PRC-74B (also called a "74 Bravo") was my retirement present to myself. Mark Francis, KI0PF, built this radio up from spares that he had accumulated and installed the LSB mod to allow both USB/LSB operation. Designed and built by Harris Corporation, the 74 Bravo was the first fully synthesized HF radio to see service in military ground forces. Used primarily by the Army Special Forces (Green Berets) in Vietnam, this provided the special ops folks in country with reliable HF communications. I really hated to sell that set as it had special significance for me but hey, when the wolf is at the door.....

Slowly (very slowly, actually) I began obtaining the occasional small piece of MilCom gear. One of my all time favorite low band VHF FM squad radios is the PRC-1088 manufactured by Datron. Originally Rockwell Collins designed and produced this man-pack radio set to enter the completion to replace the venerable PRC-77 from the Vietnam era. Unfortunately the military declined the Collins radio in favor of SINGARS. Rights to produce this radio were sold to Datron which still produces it today. It is a nice FM unit with a digital readout that can frequency hop while offering an optional encryption package for secure voice communications. Mine hops but cannot go secure. The overall package is the same form factor as the PRC-25/77 and uses the same mics, speakers, and headsets. The antenna connector is a BNC type unlike the PRC-25/77 radios. It offers low power output of around 300 mW and a high power output of around 7W. 

During a recent flea market run my wife, Patricia, (KB3MCT) and I found an estate sale that included a large amount of MilCom gear that covered WWII to Vietnam. I was too late to pick up one of the two PRC-74s, but was able to score four Command receivers covering from 100 kc to 9 mc. Three of these receivers were installed in a triple receiver rack and included the remote tuning and audio units and all the proper wiring. Unfortunately no splined tuning shafts but all the receivers had tuning knobs in stalled so it was no biggie. 

One BC-312 WWII HF receiver followed me home along with two PRC-127 hand held low band FM units theoretically used in the first Gulf War. They worked, too!! 

The US Army Special Forces during the Vietnam era needed a portable low power HF set to provide intermediate range comms in the jungle. Sylvania was chosen to design and field such a radio and the AN/TRC-77 was born. This luggable radio set. while it was portable, was not able to be operated in a man-pack configuration and therefore was given the TRC (Transportable Radio Communications) nomenclature as opposed to the PRC (Portable Radio Communications). The 77 was a CW only (on transmit, CW/SSB/AM on receive), six channel crystal controlled package about the same form factor as the PRC-25/77. It was tested over a period during the early 1960s but was not adopted by the Army for use in Vietnam. However, the LRRP (Long Range Recon Patrol) units in Europe utilized this radio for HF comms finding it fitting their needs as long as the operator was a good CW op. Operation is ultra simple, the six channels can be independently selected and a set of "cans" and a key (antenna not withstanding) are all that is needed to get on the air. 

The TRC-77 soon became the 77A with some minor internal and external changes. But in essence it was the same radio, same size and still very easy to operate. Those of us who like to obtain, restore and use MilCom gear find the 77A a great little rig with a price tag that is fairly easy to swallow. Mine cost $200 with no crystals. 

Crystalling up one of these radios is expensive today. With the demise of International Crystal Manufacturing (ICM) there are only a couple of crystal providers and their prices START at $50/each, depending upon the type!  However, there is a work around. Digi-Key carries a series of crystal oscillator ICs that are extremely stable and come in 8 pin DIP through-hole components. Hayseed Hamfest offers a four-IC PC board in kit form that will provide four independent oscillator outputs that can be used in older radios. This board seems a bit large for inclusion inside the 77A but the idea of using these programmable IC oscillators to replace crystals in older radios has merit. Besides, it a whole log cheaper! 

There are also options to rock up the transmit side of the 77A using HC-49 crystals (with leads) obtainable from QRP.ME and
expandedspectrumsystems.com. Prices are very inexpensive and these crystals can be directly soldered to the underside of the transmitter crystal bank and they will work quite well. (See N6CC.com for details on all this crystal stuff.) 

The receive crystals are 455 kc ABOVE the transmit frequency which makes it basically impossible to use QRP HC-49 crystals for the receiver. This is where the programmable IC oscillators will shine. Again, consult N6CC's website for intimate details. Tim has done a lot of the heavy lifting on a number of MilCom restorations and modifications so he speaks from first hand experience. 

I am going to detail the restoration of my 77A in this blog, hopefully spiking some interest in others to quit building "cute" little single band kit CW rigs and move onto some REAL radio!!! 

Vy 73

Rich K7SZ

A Tale of Two Radios

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" 

(with apologies to Charles Dickens) 

Anyone who has been in this hobby for any length of time realizes they need (want?) more than one radio. It's a disease. Trust me. 

ONE do-all radio (FT-817/818/857) is a great idea.....until.....it breaks. What now, coach? 

The solution is simple, have a standby radio to pick up the slack while the primary radio undergoes maintenance. Makes sense, doesn't it?  It makes real sense when we talk about emergency communications (EmComm) or for the "preppers" out there trying to bullet-proof their communications systems.

For the last um-teen years those of us who have participated in Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) have used analog VHF FM to pass emergency traffic. Over the last few years digital modes like PSK-31, WinLink, DStar, etc have been incorporated into the EmComm arsenal much to the consternation of many of the Old Guard within the EmComm community.  

Gradually VHF gave way to a combination of VHF and UHF FM modes to spread the wealth around allowing more communications channels with which to improve redundancy and to support the mitigation of the emergency. This idea was something that had come of age owing to the proliferation of V/UHF dual band mobile and hand held transceivers (HTs). These devices allowed the EmComm/prepper user to have access to more spectrum which is always a great idea. 

 When it comes to survivable/emergency communications it might be a good idea to pay attention to an adage used by "preppers/survivalists": Two is one and One is none. Ergo, if you have two radios and one goes Tango Uniform, you will still have the ability to communicate. I like that adage, actually. 

One of our local area amateur radio clubs has an EmComm trailer that has all sorts of comm gear installed: HF, V/UHF FM, CB (yes, one of those "10-4 good buddy rigs") along with a portable repeater. A high end computer system, and of course, antennas to match all those radios plus gas generated power. Great idea, especially when it has air conditioning!!! Unfortunately only the "chosen ones" within that particular ARES organization have the privilege of manning it. Alas, once again "the great unwashed" are left out in the cold but it does look good on display at ham fests and field day.

Recently Patti and I were able to afford a covered Horton Hauler 6 x 12 foot utility trailer. The previous owner was an elderly locksmith and used the trailer for his business while on the road. It came with 120VAC and 12VDC lighting and power factory installed, along with a counter weighted rear door and a host of other options. The price was an absolute steal  so we jumped while the jumping was good.  

We are going to remove some of the cabinets and stowage that was previously installed and add a communications console, workbench and basically convert it over to our camping/mobile ham shack trailer. While we have a nice 25 ft fully outfitted camping trailer this smaller trailer will fulfill our needs much better than it's bigger cousin.

As to radio gear I plan on installing a HF SSB/CW/DATA radio along with V/UHF analog/digital radios, two high end scanning receivers, a CB set and a high power GMRS transceiver along with a couple of recycled laptop computers. I will have enough redundancy in place to continue operating should one or more of the primary radios fail.

Plans for this camp trailer/ham shack include outings to local county and state parks, speed runs up north to visit the kids/grand kids, Field Day, Winter Field Day, and the occasional camping/fishing trip.

In short being able to continue to operate should one of the radios go down is a great proactive idea. Provided I can find one additional Icom IC-2720 dual band V/UHF FM radio I will install that radio in the trailer as I have that particular rig in both my Chevy Silverado and Patti's Chev Equinox, giving me the necessary redundancy on those bands. 

Backtracking a bit, the addition of two scanning receivers gives us the ability to monitor local and state radio systems for the emergency responders. 

Time for a "War Story": about 15 years ago I was working at a state prison in NE Pennsylvania. One evening I heard a gaggle of sirens across town and turned up the gain on the scanner beside my chair. The local Wilkes-Barre PD and the Luzerne County Sheriff  frequencies were going wild with urgent traffic. 

It seems that two of the "guests" of the county jail had engineered a daring escape using bed sheets to form a makeshift rope that they used to slither down from their cell window and escape into the community. 

Since I knew the State Police air unit would be involved along with local township law enforcement units I put two more scanners on line and was monitoring the frantic action in trying to recapture these two miscreants. 

Suffice it to say that these three scanning receivers allowed me to keep up with the exciting, non-stop action happening only several blocks away from my home! There is little doubt in my mind that I knew as much, possibly more, about the efforts to recapture the two escapees than the on-scene incident commander! 

As to the inclusion of CB and GMRS radios that is a no-brainer. There are several million CB sets out there and probably triple that in GMRS rigs. Being able to gather information (intelligence) from these valuable sources can provide valuable insight to local situations. 

So now all we have to do is get the time and allot the energy to upgrading the new trailer. The antennas needed to support all these radios will be a challenge since at first glance, the outside of the trailer is aluminum and mag mount antennas won't stick!! That is OK, we'll think of something! 

Now how will I mount that V/UHF beam array??? Hmmmm.....

Vy 73
Rich K7SZ

What Once Was Old is New Again

Radios, radios, radios.....I love radios. Over the years I have owned more than my share of boatanchors, QRP rigs, V/UHF gear, short wave (now called "world band") radios, some CB rigs and, yes, a scanner or two. 

For one reason or another I have sold/traded most of that gear off and have kept only a very select group of radio equipment. Herein lies the crux of this blog. "The one that got away".

In 2017 I managed to afford a brand new Elecraft KX2 ultra-portable HF transceiver. The KX2 is an utterly fascinating radio, it's size being deceptively small for all the features that are packed inside that tiny box. I was very proud of my new KX2 and took it to Grand Forks AFB, ND when Pat (KB3MCT) and I visited our grand daughter and her hubby after the birth of Eloise, our 3rd great grand child. I had a simple vertical antenna set up on the back yard of their base house (complete with three radials) and made a grand total of 3 Qs over a 4 week period. Not a stellar number of contacts given the extended period of time. 

That experience sealed the fate of my KX2. I quickly found that although I liked the rig a lot and it was a small miracle of miniaturization and design it was NOT a fun rig for me to operate. Don't get it twisted, I was very happy with the radio but several things about it's operation started to bug me. Soon, I knew that I had to find it a new home and get a replacement. One that had a lot of features, was well respected in QRP circles and one that I was at ease operating. 

Enter the Elecraft K2....."The One That Got Away!" I built my first K2 back before the turn of the century. It was loaded up with all the options Elecraft sold except for the 100W linear amp....(I don't need no stinkin' 100 watts!) and I loved it. The building experience was not only pleasant it was also very soothing and calming. Pat worked nights as an armed Social Security Guard at the data center in Plains, PA, so I would stay up very late each night and Conan O'brian and I would build the K2 together. Occasionally I'd tune to Coast to Coast AM with John Noory and listen to all the UFO/conspiracy theorists explain how the space aliens had taken over MacDonald's and were fattening up Americans to become a food source for their dying planet. WOW! 

My original K2 and all the options went together without a hitch thanks to the extremely well written instructions provided in the K2 manual (thanks Wayne and Eric!) I used that K2 until 2005, when I sold it to procure a newer, more expensive piece of gear. Dumbest move I ever made (not including marrying my first wife). I have regretted that decision countless times over the intervening years. Time to find someone that wanted to off load their K2 in exchange for my KX2.

I placed an email on the North Georgia (NoGA) QRP Club reflector and within 24 hours Pickett Cummins, AD4S, emailed me back saying he had acquired a K2 from the estate of a local QRPer who had just become a Silent Key (SK), would I be interested? I immediately told Pickett that I was most assuredly interested and maybe we could do a trade.

We exchanged several emails and last Thursday I traveled to AD4S' QTH to seal the deal. He liked my KX2 and I definitely liked the K2 he was offering in trade. The K2 looked near mint. It was a bare bones CW rig with only the KAT2 internal automatic antenna tuner (ATU) installed. We struck a deal and I walked (stumbled?) out his basement door with my new K2 under my arm. 

Presently there is the KSB2 SSB option and the KAF2 active audio filter option on order as well as a factory manual. I need to find a copy of Fred Cady's, KE7X, book on the K2 which is long out of print. The hunt is on. 

Over the next 11 months I am going to procure the KNB2 noise blanker, the KIO2 I/O option, along with the K1602, 160M/2nd antenna option. Elecraft has discontinued their KDSP2 digital signal processor option apparently from either poor sales or the lack of availability of critical through-hole parts. This last thing weighs heavily on my mind as it is possible that Elecraft may decided to discontinue (retire?) the K2 and it's options, in the near future due to this parts procurement problem. I certainly hope not as the K2 is a great kit radio and it offers QRPers the chance to construct a world class HF rig that, although 20 years old, still performs admirably on today's bands. 20 year old technology be damned, it is more radio than I'll ever need given my current operating schedule/practices. 

One thing I loved about my original K2 was it's ease of operation. Once the learning curve had been mastered it became second nature to tweak controls to optimize the radio. Controls were ergonomic and easily accessed without going through 4 or 5 nested menus. Something I really liked! In short, the K2 was, and still is, a viable HF multi-mode station even by today's standards. Additionally, the K2 set the bar for future HF rigs, including those offered by the Offshore Empire. I have said it before, Elecraft, and it's amazing and talented engineering talent, have revolutionized ham radio equipment design, forcing other manufacturers to up their game to stay competitive. All this done by a hand full of people in northern California. Well done, Elecraft!

So I have managed to recapture "The One That Got Away" and am looking forward to many years of flawless operation on the HF bands with the K2. 

Time to go ogle the new K2 and maybe even put it on the air!

vy 73

Rich K7SZ

s

DXing and Contesting!

I was pondering earlier this evening about DXing. I am a proud member of a local prestigious DX club that sponsors DXpeditons and has members who participate in DXpeditons all over the world. Several of the membership are on the DXCC "honor roll" meaning they have worked at least 331 DX entities (as defined by the ARRL)! These are a world class group of hams that have dedicated their lives to the world of working distant stations (DX) and helping by financing DXpeditons for those hams that want to put extremely rare locations on the air. 

Over the last 55+ years as a ham radio operator I have worked DXCC (that is working or contacting 100 countries) on three (3) separate occasions using three (3) different call signs while on active duty with the USAF. 

All this was completely unintentional. I did not set out to "get" DXCC. It just happened. Between three intercontinental moves with the military I managed to lose several critical log books so I never collected the requisite 100 QSL cards to submit to the ARRL to qualify for the DXCC certificate. What can I say....shit happens. Now days I have no real interest in swapping QSL cards with the stations I work nor do I have any interest in getting the necessary QSL cards to qualify for DXCC. Sorry, that is just who I am.

Thinking about the DXing side of ham radio has led me to form some interesting conclusions. 

1. DXers are obsessive, A+ personalities that have a serious competitive streak. 

2. Most "big gun" DXers are extremely well heeled as far as money goes. 

3. DXers, for the most part, are on the "bleeding edge" of technology. They uses computers and Software Defined Radios (SDRs) to pursue their facet of the ham radio hobby. 

4. The majority of DXers look upon us QRP operators and smile, while patting us on our collective heads, classifying us as "DXer
wannabees".

These are just four of the conclusions that I have formed in relating with DXers. 

Looking at #1: DXers are single minded. DXing "is" as the old saying goes. They are solely focused on working distant stations and little else. Competitive? Without a doubt! These folks are all about "one ups-manship" on their fellow DXers. Working an All Time New One (ATNO} is the name of the game.

About #2: If  you have a chance to be invited to one of the local "big gun" DXers in your area be prepared for some intense sticker shock! Since DXing is a life style many DXers have more than one, high end, HF transceiver, multiple computer systems, antennas out the wazoo and a room away from the family for their ham shack. These folks don't have a problem spending thousands of dollars to be competitive DXers. 

Looking at #3: Technology is a wonderful thing.....WHEN IT WORKS!! DXers look at any new technology that gives then a "leg up" on their competition with a critical eye, ready to integrate same into their high end stations. Operating modes like PSK-31, JT-65, and JT-8 are guaranteed to grab the DXers attention. Adding computer waterfall displays gives them the advantage to look at whole chunks of the RF spectrum making for critical operating decisions, especially during contests, a whole lot easier.

As for #4: I have been a QRP (5 watt ham radio) operator for 53 years. I joined the QRP Amateur Radio Club International (QRP ARCI) in 1965 (member # 2388). Over this time I have come to realized that being a QRP op has a down side. Mainly the majority of other ham radio ops look down their noises at us QRPers. The DXers are the biggest offenders downplaying QRP as DXer wannabees. Why? Everyone KNOWS that you need at least 100 watts of RF (preferably much more) to work DX. Guess these nay sayers haven't taken a real look at QRP. Watts are not the answer in most cases. Operating techniques are. As Howard Pyle, W7OE, stated many years ago: "Power is no substitute for skill". Truer words were never spoken!

Contesting also is a place where DXers congregate on many weekends each year, in an attempt to work as many DX entities as possible, accruing points in the process. 

Having been a guest operator for four years at the G4ANT (GB4ANT) East Anglican Contest Station, I have had a taste of what it takes to accrue a world class score in several HF contests. G4ANT was the club station for the Mosley antenna manufacturer in the UK, owned and operated by Owen Chilvers, G3JOC. On the major HF contest weekends a group of outstanding DXers would descend upon the factory and put a minimum of 5 complete, high powered, HF stations on the air covering 160 through 10 meters. Antennas were never a problem as Owen had installed three towers the tallest of which was 120 ft, with fixed and rotatable mono-band beams and tri-banders at various levels. Add to this a host of wire antennas and you get the picture. Depending upon propagation each station could select one of several antennas to work the contest. It was a "sweet" operation. I learned so much hanging with these world class DXers/contesters over that four years. I am eternally grateful for the chance to work with DXers like G3LDI, Roger, G3JOC, Owen, G3MPN, David, G3VXT, Ricky and a host of others. 

Occasionally I will still get on the air during the CQ DX WW CW and WPX CW tests along with the CW portion of the ARRL DX contest to "give away" a few Qs and, in some feeble way, relive those halcyon days at G4ANT.  

Do not get my opinions twisted. I truly admire DXers. They are the Senior Statesmen (and women) of the ham radio hobby. I'm not whining about sour grapes. Far from it. DXing and contesting are outstanding ways to sharpen your CW and phone skills along with giving newer modes (PSK & JT modes) a try under extremely congested band conditions. Of course you can always use these times as a way to increase your DXCC totals!!  

OK, time to get the station ready for the ARRL 10 Meter contest next weekend. 

Vy 73

Rich K7SZ
Bent Dipole Ranch
Dacula, GA

Hobbies & Ham Radio

There is a corollary in the ham radio hobby about the "other" hobbies that ham's seem to participate in. Among the most popular are (in no particular order):

Model railroading
Photography
Amateur Astronomy
Shortwave listening (SWL)
Computers

Over they years in this hobby I have encountered many hams who regularly engage in one or more these five side-hobbies and I always find that we have some common ground as I like all of them!!!! Unfortunately none of them are cheap. 

Photography, in particular, is my 2nd hobby. I have been a photographer since age 8, when a cousin gave me a Baby Brownie camera at a family gathering. During junior high and high school I was year book photographer for the Palouse high school. I started shooting a Baby Brownie, moved to a Kodak Hawkeye, graduated to a Crown Graphic with a hand held light meter, and finally when I arrived in Japan in 1968, found a local camera company call Nippon Kogaku and I have been shooting with Nikon cameras ever since.  


True story: My barracks room mate was Jay Merton Verrill III, a crypto maintenance man who liked shooting super 8 movies. We hit it off and when I was offered a ticket to the 1968 Bob Hope Show at Camp Zama, Japan, I was loaned a Nikon F, a couple of lenses, and a whole bunch of 35mm bulk loaded film by Jay's co-worker, Jack Wallace (AKA: Wally). That one outing with a Nikon F was the clincher. I loved the "F" and ended up owning two of them and seven (7) Nikkor lenses. Life was good....very good. While stationed in Japan in the late 1970s I entered and won base, command and Air Force level photo competitions!

During my divorce in 1981, I was forced to sell my beloved Nikons in order to raise money to pay off some bills that my ex-wife managed to accrue without my knowledge. That left me using a large Mamiya Super 23 press camera (used 120/220 roll film) and was not the best camera for the type of photography I engaged in. 

I married Patricia (KB3MCT) in July of 1981 in England where we  were both stationed.  During that time I managed to procure a Russian Zorki 4K 35mm roll film camera, their knock off of a Leica IIIC. It was an amazing camera for the money and, some warts aside, was a good little 35mm camera. No light meter but by that time (especially after graduating from the School of Modern Photography) I was able to "read light" very effectively so a light meter was really not a necessity. 

Christmas of 1986 found us re-stationed to Langley AFB, VA (near Hampton Roads). For Christmas that year Patti completely surprised me with a new Nikon FG and a couple of lenses! I was back in the Nikon Fold. I still have that little camera and it works great, considering it is over 30 years old. I have taken a lot of really good images with that little Nikon box, even winning several local competitions with the prints. 

In 2006 my daughter, Maja, a graduate with a major in photography from Marywood College, loaned me her Nikon D-70 digital. I had promised myself that I would never go digital. That lasted for a grand total of 3 days after Maja dropped off her camera. My D-70S was on order along with an 18-200mm zoom with vibration reduction (VR).  That lens seldom leaves the camera body! It's a "do-it-all lens" that, although very expensive, is a great lens that yields terrific images.

I used the D-70S until about 2 years ago when I found a Nikon D-90 on ebay for a decent price. I contacted the seller and we exchanged several emails and I felt confident it was a good upgrade. Although slightly larger than the D-70, the D-90 offered matrix metering which the D-70 didn't. The upgrade in bodies was well worth the expense. 

Now I have come full circle with the purchase of a used Nikon F4 and three auto focus (AF) lenses. The F4 platform is a film camera, not a digital one. According to articles I've read there is an upsurge in going "retro" and breaking out the old film cameras, especially in Japan. 

Opinion time:
One of the things I absolutely deplore about digital photography is the simple fact that virtually anyone can turn out very technically correct and, in most cases, well composed images at the press of a button. There is no "art" involved, as with dark room work. Take that digital image and roll it into Photo Shop or Lightroom, and you can do all sorts of computer manipulation that cannot be done in the dark room. That's just not fair nor is it in keeping with the "art" of photography. Where is the "art" in punching a keyboard? 

All the previous history of my photography involvement leads up to my good friend, Michael Boatright, KO4WX, a expert photographer who also indulges in the ham radio hobby.  I first Mike during a trip to Tampa in 2000 to be part of the birth of KC, my grand child. He met me in the Atlanta terminal, took me into the Delta Crown Club and we talked QRP and he gave me some info on a project that he'd been working on. Later, after we decided to move to the metro Atlanta area I became involved with the North Georgia QRP Club (NoGA) and Mike was a member. We discussed QRP, photography and ended up trading gear: my Mamiya Super 23 for his Ten-Tec Argonaut 509 station. 

Over the next several years Mike withdrew from actively participating in ham radio and NoGA, channeling his efforts into his photography. The best portrait ever taken of me was shot by Mike at my new shack in Dacula. The guy is an  absolute genius with a camera. If he can make me look good....imagine what he can do for you!! He has since opened his own studio in Dacater, GA and hosts regular open house events open to the public. To see his work, go to:  http://www.michaelboatright.com/galleries.php. You will be impressed.

I'd be interested to those who read this blog giving me feedback as to their favorite hobbies. 

All for now. 

Vy 73 es "say cheese!"

Rich K7SZ




 

Thats What Friends Are For

I've repeatedly said that the one thing I really love about this radio hobby are the people you meet and the friends you make. This is especially true in the niche areas of the hobby like QRP. 

We QRPers are linked by the challenge of doing more with less. Not only is it a challenge to pursue ham radio at the 5 watt (or less) level, it is a character building exercise. Add homebrew equipment into the mix and you have a facet of the hobby that is a great place to be. 

In order to become a successful QRP operator your operating habits have to be honed and your knowledge of antennas, propagation and station engineering have to be top notch. This is where our fellow QRPers come into the picture. 

No one in this hobby has all the answers. We can all learn no matter our experience level or the overall time in the hobby. As a collective body QRPers are an open and sharing group. In the spirit of ham radio we gladly share our knowledge and provide help and guidance for our fellow low power operators. 

On rare occasions one meets some really astounding people in this hobby. In my instance two of those people are Paul Stroud, AA4XX, and Fran Slavinski, K3BX, formerly KA3WTF. I have known the two of them for well over 25 years, starting with their attempts to shatter the miles-per-watt record on 40 meters in mid-1990s. At the end of a two year period Paul and Fran had proven it was possible to communicate over several hundred miles with microwatts on an HF band that was crowded with high power ham radio operators along with massive shortwave broadcast stations! This saga is outlined in my QRP books for the ARRL. Suffice it to say that these two QRPers are legendary in the annals of low power operations. 

Recently I had been offered a chance to procure a Ten-Tec Argonaut II (Model 535) in exchange for my Kenwood TS-130V station. I jumped at the offer as it dove tailed nicely with my plans to downsize my station. The deal was struck and I now had a very nice digital Argonaut. 

I took the new rig home, fired it up and started tuning around the bands. All went well until I tired to go above 15M (21 MHz). The rig would display the frequency but no receive and no transmit. I finally decided that it was the synthesizer that was coming unlocked above 21 MHz. 

I contacted Fran (K3BX) and he advised since that rig had a number of header plugs and cables, it might be prudent to go inside the rig and, one-by-one, pull the cable headers off the pins and apply some DeOxit (an electronic contact cleaner/lube that has been sent from Heaven to alleviate corrosion on electrical contacts and clean up controls) then re-seat the headers several times to spread the DeOxit around. This technique I have used on other rigs, most notably a second hand Yaesu FT-726 VHF/UHF multi-mode transceiver. 

I have put this on "hold" due to an unforeseen development. In addition to QSOing Fran, I also contacted Paul, AA4XX, for his advice or to see if his Argo II had exhibited similar problems and what he did to resolve them. 

At this point in our conversation Paul said he hadn't had any similar problems but his display back light had failed (a common theme with the Argo II) so he'd placed it on the shelf and hadn't used it for several years. He was looking to off-load it, would I care to have another Argo II?

Say what?!?!?!

Long story short: Paul sent me his Argo II in exchange for the shipping costs! It works just fine except for the back light. This gift was totally unexpected. Thank you, my friend, it will be front and center in my shack. 

I have located a replacement back light which will be the subject of another blog entry. As for the other Argo II, it will be put back into full service and find a new home.

My thanks to Paul and Fran for a long and fruitful friendship. This is what good friends are for. 

All for now. I gotta go make an appearance on HF during the 2018 CQ DX WW CW test. Using the new Argo II of course. 

Vy 73
Rich K7SZ

When Life Gets in the Way

We plan, we save, we prepare but in the end "LIFE" wins! OK, so what am I up to this time? 

This post is about taking some of my own advice and passing along some observations about how "LIFE" gets in the way of the best laid plans of mice, men and K7SZ. 

Fact: we don't live forever. What a revelation! Therefore, we need to be realistic about our plans, dreams and schemes. When it comes to ham radio one must evaluate what one needs to play the radio game and be watchful of the amount of time, money and storage space needed to engage in this hobby.

Case in point:

Pat and I had looked forward to moving from the frumpy, cold, unappealing town of Wilkes-Barre, PA (a place seemingly stuck in 1the 1960s) to a warmer, more hospitable climate. We had anticipated the move for several years before immigrating to Georgia. Outside of our daughter, Gwen's, husband's family we knew virtually no one in the area to which we moved in 2008. 

We found a nice little three bedroom ranch house in Dacula, GA, about 40 miles ENE of Atlanta and set up housekeeping with the intent of spending the remainder of our lives in this area. Good plan, bad timing with the housing bubble catastrophe that imploded that year. We were financially strapped for several years but dug our way out and finally had our feet on firm financial ground. Yeah team!

After a series of physical challenges (including falling and putting a huge gash in my forehead, breaking two ribs along with my tail bone, and finally my right clavicle) I've had to make some drastic adjustments as to how I went about life (although the gnarly scar on my forehead really looks cool....Hey, I don't have any tattoos, or own a Harley so I really needed that scar!) It quickly became evident that we needed to sell the house and move into a retirement community. Downsizing....that was the name of the game.

This past few weeks Pat finally convinced me to take a critical look at all my ham radio and electronics projects and do some off-loading of my stash of "stuff". While it was agonizing it was also a bit refreshing to unload all that "stuff" and actually be able to see the floor of the shack and the walls of our storage shed!

I guess the point of this blog is to say that while I pontificated in an earlier posting about getting our ham radio affairs in order for that inevitable day we leave this plain of existence, I was not heeding my own words. However, now I am seeing the wisdom of Pat's need to downsize. After all, I am only a man, and everyone knows that men need close, hands-on guidance in the form of a mate. Or, as I am fond of putting it: "I am Pat's Four H project!" (Hey, everyone needs a hobby and I'm hers!)

 So, to that end I placed my Drake TR-4 station up for sale, along with the Benton Harbor Lunch Boxes, two Argonaut 509s, a couple of Zenith SW radios, my Novice station, and a lot more "stuff" that I have not used (nor in some cases even seen) in years. 

For radio gear currently in the K7SZ shack I have the astounding Elecraft KX2 HF portable rig, a T-T Argonaut II, a fully restored (by W4OP) SBE-34, and a Radio Shack 10 meter SSB/CW rig. I hung on to the two Icom VHF rigs (one in the car and one at the shack) along with a couple of Yaesu HTs. That's it. Talk about downsizing! Man, that was a tough call but very cathartic in the end. 

So now you know.....K7SZ's Chief Engineer has things under control (yeah, right)! While I was saddened to see that "stuff" get sold off at a couple of local ham fests, I realized two things: first, one does not need a ton (or two) of "stuff" to participate in the ham radio hobby. Second, you cannot relive your youth (yoot?) It is impossible to try and replicate all the things you lusted for (but couldn't afford to purchase) in the early years of your ham radio life. It's also expensive. Many of us try, but it is futile. It's also expensive. When you combine all the accumulated "stuff" you quickly realize that virtually none of it will ever grace the tables of your shack or living room. Oh, did I mention it is also expensive? 

All for now. As a pre-New Years resolution I am going to make a concerted effort to blog more and spend some quality time at the operating bench getting on the air and enjoying the hobby. 

Vy 73 es Happy Thanksgiving

Rich K7SZ
Bent Dipole Ranch, Dacula, GA.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

On Wednesday, March 6, 1946, I was born in the St. Ignatius  Catholic Hospital in Colfax, Washington. Fifty one years earlier, Yakima Canutt, champion rodeo rider, actor, stuntman and action director was born in that same hospital. Yesterday (March 6th) was my 72 birthday! So far it has been a great ride! 

It was a very complicated birth for my mother, Ann. Mom was 5' 2" tall and Dad was 6' 7"!! How I EVER came about is still a mystery to me!  Suffice it to say that mom had some difficulty while in labor. The doctors were really baffled when I came out of the birth canal clutching a Hallicrafters S-38 (the original model with BFO). No wonder Mom had difficulties and that, dear readers, is why I am an only child! 

Obviously, the die was cast....radio was in my life from the very beginning. Having been licensed as a ham in 1963 the last 55 years has been amazing. However, I was involved with shortwave listening (SWLing) and broadcast band DXing since I was about 8 yrs old.  Like I said, radio was an integral part of my life very early on.  

While many of "the great unwashed" are totally ignorant of ham radio and its place in the current world of technology, I find that when someone asks me about the hobby they think that cell phones and the internet have replaced ham radio. It amazes them when I relate that their precious little "smart" phone is nothing more than a hand held radio. Their internet connections are dependent upon radio in the form of their router and microwave links in order to work. Yeah, all that Buck Rogers technology still relies on good old radio! 'Ya gotta love it!

I am going to take a minute and wax poetic. Tanner Raynes, a good friend of mine, once told me a couple of things about life.

 1. "Old age is a gift, enjoy it, you earned it".
 2. "Good days and bad days: All days are "good days" when you are surrounded by the ones you love and care for.

Thank you, Tanner. 

My birthday present to myself was to procure a brand new, untouched by human hands, Elecraft KX2. OK, the "human hands" thing isn't quite right.....untouched by "normal" human hands is more like it. Why? Because, nobody (and I do mean nobody) at Elecraft is "normal" and I mean that in a VERY good way!

Elecraft is a success story beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Not only is Elecraft a success story about technology it is a success story about how to build a business model and leave the other ham radio manufacturers in the dust! The adjective "innovation" does not even begin to encompass what that company is about! 

I have only met Wayne Burcick, N6KR, and Eric Swartz, WA6HHQ, a couple of times. However, looking at the brief history of the company it is abundantly clear that the brain trust at Elecraft is a force of nature. Not only do they design and market cutting edge ham radio technology, their price points on their products are well below similar products offered by the (evil?) Off Shore Empire. The KX2 is only the latest innovation in a long line of products that has set the ham radio hobby on it's ear.

OK, enough praise. Let me tell you about my KX2. It's small. Obviously. It is feature packed.....again, obviously. Finally it is easy to operate without a steep learning curve. 

Time for a history lesson. For a little less than 20 years I have been an advocate of the Yaesu FT-817, a truly amazing radio for the early 2000s. Much has changed from then to now. Unfortunately, while Yaesu had the lion's share of the QRP portable market for a long time, they failed to update the 817 and that left them vulnerable to Elecraft's KX3 and KX2 transceivers. Although it is rumored that Yaesu is about to release an upgraded QRP portable rig (the FT-818?) the features that have been leaked to the public show very little impressive technology upgrade. Basically it's the old story of "too little, to late".

Now, before you start condemning me as an Elecraft "sellout" you need to remember I have had four FT-817s over the years and have had a lot invested in three out of the four with 3rd party upgrades like DSP, CW/SSB filters, etc. For me to sell my last, fully loaded, FT-817 (total investment around $1600) was a major turning point in my QRP journey. Unfortunately, here at the K7SZ Bent Dipole Ranch, money is not something that I have in abundance. If I want a substantial upgrade in my ham gear I have to either find some older boatanchor gear, restore and sell them for a profit or sell a piece of gear I have in order to fund the project. This KX2 upgrade (and it is some kinda' fine upgrade!) forced me to sell my tricked out 817 to get enough money to afford the KX2. Am I glad I did? Initially I was really unsure. After all it was a hunk of change (just over $1000). However, after I got into the operation of the KX2 I never looked back! The FT-817 is part of QRP history. The KX2 is the new frontier. Period. 

I am not going to bore you with operational details and the minutia of getting to know my KX2. You can find all that on the Internet and You Tube. I will say that I am extremely satisfied with my new radio and look forward to doing some satisfying mobile/portable  work from our RV and SOTA (anyway those summits that I can get to with a bad back, two bad knees, and two highly modified feet....while it sucks getting old....I can truthfully say I have earned every ache and pain twofold!) 

That's it for this posting. I still have some birthday cake to eat, so I better get to it! 

Vy 73 and God Bless. 

Rich K7SZ
Bent Dipole Ranch
Dacula, GA








 

HW-30 & Auto Antenna Tuning Units

We left our hero, K7SZ, searching for a clean (as in unmodified) front panel for his newly acquired Heathkit HW-30 2M AM "Benton Harbor Lunchbox". Luckily he was able to find one on e-bay for about $45 including shipping. Now, back to K7SZ at the Bent Dipole Ranch, in beautiful almost rural Dacula, GA. 

The recently procured e-bay find of the HW-30 should be here in about two days. Yippee! The seller was unable to tell me if the radio functioned or not as there was no power cord available. Therefore, this rig is sort of a "pig in a polk". Since I am only after the pristine front panel, I really don't care if it works. Worst case, it doesn't and I use the carcass as a source of spare parts. With these 40-60 year old radios it never hurts to have a parts rig to cannibalize for parts that no longer are available. 

The only thing I am lacking now, to complete this restoration is the crystal (high impedance) microphone that Heathkit sold with these kits. I have several Hi-Z mics so I still can get on the air using one of them in place of the stock mic. However, I would love to procure the actual mic that came as part of the original kit just to complete the restoration. 

The hunt goes on! Stay tuned. 

Automatic Antenna Tuning Units (Auto ATUs): Over the last 15-17 years I have used several LDG models and an Elecraft T-1. I currently am using the T-1 and I have to say I really don't like it all that much. Nothing against the folks at Elecraft....I just prefer one of the older LDG Z-11 QRP tuners from the past. 

Luckily I found someone who wanted my T-1 and it will be going out USPS tomorrow morning. Thankfully, a ham in Virginia has an original LDG Z-11 QRP tuner he is willing to sell me for $40 plus s/h. Cheap at twice the price (and I do mean that literally). 

So why the step back in time on the tuner? Simply put the Z-11 QRP ATU has almost the same form factor as the FT-817. My first 817 was married to a Z-11 QRP ATU and it worked great. Back around 2001 or so a company called Mountain Ops sold a soft case that would fit the 817 and the Z-11 together in a nice compact bundle. Unfortunately the Mountain Ops folks are no longer in business so I cannot duplicate the original packaging for ARES/RACES/SOTA/Portable ops. Additionally the Z-11 has switches on the front panel that allow you to over ride the computer selected L/C ratios done while in the automatic mode. This can be handy in certain circumstances. This is where a good field strength meter and external SWR bridge come in. Just because the Z-11 "likes" a particular L/C ratio does not mean that you are putting out the most wattage. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen. By using the L-C switches on the front of the Z-11 I can nudge one or both of these functions and get a bit more RF out to the antenna. 

Once I procure the Z-11 I will be reorganizing my small ":Go- Bag" backpack and hopefully get the overall weight of the pack down to a reasonable level. While the T-1 is smaller and lighter than the Z-11 I'm not comfortable with the push/hush-hold functions of the ATU. With the Z-11 life is much simpler. 

OK, that is it for now. 

Vy 73  Rich K7SZ

Electronic Make Over

One of the great aspects of the radio hobby is the ability to preserve history by restoring "antique" radio gear, in particular communications gear of the past. Having been the hobby for well over 50 years I have seen, owned, traded, and  restored a ton (literally) of radio gear. Over the years I have developed an affection (my wife, Pat, KB3MCT, calls it an obsessive addiction) for specific gear.

Some of my favorites are the Hallicrafters twins: SX-117/HT-45 RX/TX, Ten-Tec PM series and the analog Argonaut series (505, 509, 515), Heathkit HW-101, SB-series (SB-301/401 RX/TX & SB-102 XCVR), HW-7 & 8 QRP rigs, HW-19, 29, 39 Benton Harbor "Lunchboxes", Drake 2B RX, TR-4, R-4/T-4 RX/TX, and finally the Icom "bookshelf" VHF rigs (202, 215, 402 & 502 transceivers). Don't get me started on the CB rigs or the military comm gear I love!

Unfortunately I do not have the space to restore and display a lot of gear. However, I still love to restore gear, the smaller the better! With that being said my latest efforts are to restore a Heathkit HW-30 2 Meter AM (QRP) rig from the 1960s. I grew up in eastern Washington (state) and we had a local TV station on channel 2. Therefore, not wanting to cause any TVI with a 6M rig I chose the HW-30 as my first VHF rig. It was a great little kit and it followed me to college where it occupied a position of honor in my dorm room. There were a bunch of us in the electronics engineering program that got on 2M AM for a couple of years. Ah, yes, the "bad old days"!! Actually the were pretty darn good days, looking back on things.

On the Yahoo Heathkit Group I came across Emil, WD4SCZ, who wanted to sell a working HW-30 without a case for $15. In the end I traded him an autographed copy of my QRP book for the rig and reimbursed him for the shipping. When the FedEx truck dropped off the box, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my "new" rig had been recapped and came furnished with a crystal for the low end of 2M.

The "Lunchbox's" front panel had been hacked. Somewhere along the line a previous owner had added a crystal socket and DPDT toggle switch to change between the internal stock crystal socket and the front panel mounted crystal socket, making QSYing fairly easy. There is also a hole in the front panel for modification that was apparently removed in the past. Overall cosmetic condition was fair to good. All the original knobs were pristine and front panel finish and lettering was great. The chassis needed some cleaning and the front panel needed replacing to bring the rig back to where I wanted it. Where to get a "clean" front panel and a case.

The case was easy. Terry, N3GTE, came up with a case for a Heathkit CB-1, which is basically the same cabinet used for the entire "Lunchbox" line. It arrived a day before the radio, so I was ready to put the two together. The fit was great! The front panel poses a problem. Not many unmodified/clean "Lunchbox" front panels exist. The obvious solution is to find a HW-30 that has a good front panel and cannibalize it.

I have my eye on a couple of HW "Lunchbox" rigs on e-bay and etsy. Prices are a bit high for what the rigs are, but the law of supply and demand dictates price. My ultimate goal is to get all four "Lunchboxes" restored and on the air. An additional spin-off goal is to stir some interest within the local ham clubs to get folks on VHF AM and have some fun while experiencing the halcyon days of 1960s ham radio.

As the restoration progresses I will be posting progress along with pictures on this blog.

In the mean time, stay tuned.

Vy 73 and good DX!
Rich K7SZ    

Need vs. Want

What a GREAT topic! Several of my good ham radio friends and I have discussed this topic on occasion. After some serious debate we all agree that there is no such word as "need" in the ham radio vocabulary. "Want", however, is VERY prominent in the ham radio lexicon.

Now I'm going to step to the edge of the abyss. Aside from a radio(s) required to get on the air (along with the associated accessories like antennas, coax, key/mic, etc) a ham "needs" nothing! Seriously, how many radios can you use at one time (EmComm aside)?

Technician class hams have it pretty easy.....give them a dual band handheld transceiver (HT) and they can live quite happily on the V/UHF bands. OK, OK...add a dual band mobile/base rig and they will be a happy camper.

However, General and Extra class hams have a "need" for a lot more gear, or so they think. True if your interests lye in HF operation, you'll certainly "need" an HF transceiver, or, going old school, a transmitter and matching receiver. Then there is the problem of antennas, since your HF rig won't load up well on your 2 meter omni! Wires are good....beams are better. Beam? Add a tower, extra coaxial cable, rotator, rotator cable, guy wires, ground anchors.....the "needs" are almost endless.

Then, of course, comes the specialized modes of operation: packet, digital modes, satellites, contesting, DXing....once again, the "needs" are almost endless.

Face it......this ham radio hobby we enjoy is a money pit on steroids! Aside from the basics to enter the hobby at your level of license, you don't really "need" much more. However, we can certainly talk ourselves (and our significant others) into shelling out big bucks for a hobby that, on the surface, seems quite introverted. Hmmmmm....sounds like food for my doctoral thesis.

OK, let's face it, all us hams like to accumulate all sorts of "stuff" relating to the hobby. In my case, having started in the hobby in the early 1960s when vacuum tubes and AM were kings of the bands, I like collecting and restoring the older tube gear. Generally called "boatanchors" by those of us who enjoy them, these relics of the earlier days of our ham hobby are special. For one thing, restoring these older rigs helps to keep the history of ham radio alive. Additionally, there is something magical about watching the warm glow of the vacuum tubes when we fire up the station. Using boatanchors you will get some outstanding audio reports, especially if you work AM on a regular basis. And finally being young when many of us entered the hobby we didn't have a bundle of cash to buy a Collins, Drake, Hallicrafters, or high end Heathkit. To that end, many of us old PHARTS are, in effect, reliving our "yoot". OBTW: PHARTS is an acronym for Pennington Heath Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society....no, really it is!

In my case I had a borrowed EF Johnson Viking Adventurer and a Heathkit HR-10 receiver (which I built). That was my Novice station for a year. When I upgraded I traded the Adventurer for a Knightkit T-60, which earned me a "pink QSL" from the FCC field office in California for working 80, 40, and 20 meters simultaneously! Needless to say I was petrified. It all worked out and George Comstock, W7CJ, my mentor in all things ham radio, helped me find and repair the problems in the T-60. Eventually I off-loaded that transmitter for a Heathkit DX-40 which was a great little rig on AM and CW!

In college we started a ham club station which consisted of a Hallicrafters SX-117, which I fell in love with. The transmitter was a homebrew beast consisting of four 811s modulated by four 811s. It was huge. It had to be because it was part of our class grade to combine our talents and produce a working AM transmitter for 160, 80 and 40 meters. The following year we retired the beast in favor of a brand new Hallicrafters HT44 transmitter and a matching HT-45 Loudenboomer kilowatt linear amp. We were now in the big league!

I fell in lust with that Hallicrafters pair: SX-117/HT-44. Over the intervening years I procured and restored four (4) of these stations. Unfortunately, I never kept one of them for my shack. Too many other restoration projects. However, there are at least four hams out there in radio-land that had the chance to experience some iconic boatanchors of the 1960s.

Most of us old timers who didn't have the finances to afford upper class gear back in the dawn of our ham careers start out seemingly benign: to recreate our first station. After all the prices on most of the 50+ year old gear from our Novice class past can be procured pennies on the dollar. Of course, there are the exceptions like a Hallicrafters SX-88 receiver (only about 80+ currently exist), Collins "Gold Dust Twins" and others. All I can say is bring your checkbook or some good plastic!

OK, now we have our Novice station all set up and working. It's time to get on the air and enjoy the fruits of our labor. UCK! I never believed that my old HR-10 receiver sounded this bad!!! It's true, friends....the crowded bands of today make using this older simple gear a real chore. Add to that the limitations imposed by a crystal controlled transmitter and its time to obtain a VFO!! Never the less we have reached our goal of accumulating our first station.

Unfortunate most of us we don't stop with our first station. We start in procuring gear that we liked back in the day and soon end up with more equipment than we can possibly restore or use. This is where the ham hobby gets out of hand. I have had the pleasure of seeing several very interesting collections of radio gear. I mean these hams pulled out all the stops and made a significant effort to flesh out their shacks with boatanchor rigs. Buckle your seat belt and go to QRZ.com and look up Andy Howard, WA4KCY, and Bill Wilson, W4BIZ to name just two collectors/restorers). Remembering when you look at the pix, know that this is only about 1/3 of their entire collections!

The point I am trying to make is that when the "collectors bug" bites there is no known cure! Of course it is fun! Not to mention the bragging rights when you restore a classic radio and use it on the air. The main issue that presents itself is where are you going to put all the gear you amassed? Our previous 3750 sq foot house was getting very crowded and not with humans! Suffice it to say I off-loaded a LOT of gear when we moved from PA to GA in 2008. Talk about depressing.

Since the move I have tried, and I do mean REALLY tried, not to start collecting/restoring any boatanchors. However,, I have still managed to acquire two (2) Heathkit SB-series stations (SB-301/SB401 and SB-303/SB-401 with the associated station console, station monitor, and panadaptor), SBE-34 (lovingly restored by Dale Parfitt, W4OP), a National 122 receiver and a EFJ Viking Adventurer transmitter, a Heathkit VF-1 VFO, one HW-8 and two (2) HW-7s, two (2) Ten-Tec Argonaut 509s, and a Wilderness Radio NC-40A. To the uninitiated this collection of radio relics may seem excessive, but believe me when I tell you that my current collection of rigs is about 1/4 of what I had previously and that is without factoring in my military comm gear!!

Having said all this, its time we need to address the 900 pound gorilla in the room: that time in our collective lives when we pass on/become a SK. Yeah, kinda morbid, huh? Well, as my grandfather George said "Nobody gets out of life alive!" Oh, how true. So whatcha gonna do with all that radio gear? Looking forward to the inevitable, might I suggest that you begin by listing all your gear by model/serial number and their current used price. Then contact someone within your local club to act as the executor of your ham gear. Write it all up, give a copy to your selected ham radio executor and the other to you spouse. In this way, you have delegated a fellow ham to help your spouse dispose of your gear with minimal hassle. It's only fair. Remember your spouse will have one less task to be burdened with.

 Vy 73 es Gud DX

Rich K7SZ
 

Ode to Heakit QRP Radios

There is no doubt about it, the Heathkit HW-8 is one of the most popular QRP radios ever made. Additionally, it also holds the record for the most modified QRP radio in history (so far). 

My love affair with the Heathkit QRP rigs started in early 1970s when I built my first HW-7. Stationed at Lajes Field in the Azores, I found the challenge of QRP invigorating using a 5BTV Newtronics vertical. My first QSO using my HW-7 was a ham in Scarborough, Ontario Canada. 

With one ear on the AFRTS broadcast of Super Bowl VII and the other attuned to the 20m CW band, I called "CQ" and was rewarded with a VE3 who came back. After a short rag chew I let it be known that I was running about 2 watts of RF output power. At which time the VE3 station stated that was impossible as I was a solid S-8/9 on his meter! I sent a picture of my QRP station along with my QSL card. A couple of weeks later I received his QSL and a very nice note stating that he was going to look into this QRP stuff! Welcome to QRP!

The HW-7 followed me to Tinker AFB, OK in late 1973. For FD 1974 I took the HW-7 and a dipole antenna, battery, and a small table out into the bush near Lake Thunderbird. It was then I found out how REALLY bad the receiver was in that rig! I made one QSO and decided that between the HW-7's receiver and the man-eating mosquitoes it was time to go home! 

In late 1979 I was re-stationed to RAF Mildenhall, UK (G5CSU) which was a god-send for my QRP efforts. In 1979 I retired the 7 in favor of the new HW-8.  In addition to the HW-8 I also had a Ten-Tec PM-3A in the shack. My first QRP QSO was with Colin Turner, G3VTT, one of the charter members of the G-QRP Club. The station was about as bare bones as you could imagine....PM-3A fed into a chain link fence behind my off-base house in Bury St. Edmunds. This first QRP to QRP QSO was the start of the most fascinating tour of my USAF career. 

Over the years I sold/traded several HW-8s but still kept my devotion to the "8". About a month ago I managed to procure a HW-8 (and a modified HW-7) from my long time buddy, Mike Bryce, WB8VGE, with the idea of holding on to both of them. The "7" needs some TLC. The "8" seemed ready to go out of the box. 

After shoveling out the shack so I could actually find my way to the ops bench, I put the new "8" on the air for the last two days of the 13 Colonies special operating event over the 4th of July. With a very intermittent operating schedule I managed to work a total of 7 of the 13 colony stations all on CW at about 1W output to wire antennas. 

Thankfully my HW-8 waited until the end of the 13 Colonies event before dying. I was having a lot of difficulty in tuning the rig up on 80 meters. The auto ATU I was using was buzzing and clicking away happily but I was not getting a good match. All of a sudden I noticed that the thru-line bidirectional watt meter was showing no RF output, BUT the meter on the HW-8 was showing RF output! I tried re-tuning everything and setting the ATU loose in the tune mode. No output! 

Found out a couple of VERY interesting things while troubleshooting the defunct HW-8, to wit:

1.  The PA transistor (2N4427) died due to parasitic oscillations. The original transistor is very hard to find. However, a 2N3553 will work as a replacement for the 2N4427 Hw-8 PA. Although  not  a perfect replacement it does work with the added feature of slightly more RF output. If you have similar issues with your HW-8 PA, be sure that the ferrite bead is on the BASE lead when you install the replacement.
2.  The new power output (as measured by two separate QRP watt meters) is 2.5W output on 80M, 2.25W on 40M, 2W on 20M and 1.0W on 15M.
3. Another "sub" for the stock PA is a RCA SK-9645. I have two of them but haven't tried them yet. 
4. In my travels around the Internet I discovered a site that has compiled a complete listing of all the replacement devices and their commercial equivalence. Heathkit part numbers are unique to Heathkit. This cross reference is a godsend for those of us trying to repair/restore 40 year old gear with parts made from "Unobtanium"! Try: http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/Surplus_Radioamateur/Heathkit_components_cross_reference_2003.pdf.  
5.  Additionally someone had been all over the inside of that rig. Nothing Earth shattering, but the PA has been removed, and none too gently, I might add. The PCB traces are all messed up, but thankfully I have a high-end de-soldering station and got the bad PA out. Putting the new device in was a bit awkward, but I now have RF output and it is on freq w/apparently no parasitic oscillations.
6. The 36V Zener was, in fact, dead. Put a new 36V 3W Zener in the rig with no problems.
7. I found that the TX/RX relay was not closing when I went into TX mode (apparently some cold solder joints)! Methinks that this was the initial problem causing no load on the PA, which most likely took it out.
8. I didn't notice that the relay was not closing during the 13 Colonies event since I was wearing some high-end head phones and they mute a lot of the outside noise.
9. I am awaiting the KC9ON TX/RX relay mod kit and will install it and permanently get rid of that relay. The relay pins on the bottom of the PCB were very badly soldered. I am thinking of going over the entire PCB and re-heat/flow all the connections.
10. The dial cal was off by over 10 kHz so I tweaked L9 to move the VFO up about 10-12 kHz as an immediate measure. Once I get some additional info not included the manual I received (like the schematic and tune up illustrations) I will do a complete alignment of the radio and then perform the mod to the VFO to reduce the tuning range to 125kHz.
11. Speaking of L9....I have a very bad microphonic problem, all centered around the L9 area pf the PCB. I have re-heated the case lugs and the contact points on the PCB. It curried the majority of the problems but I still have some work to do to get rid of the problem. 

That is about it for now in my pursuit of restoring this HW-8. In addition I have two HW-7s and two Argonaut 509s in queue for restoration. I will detail the procedure here on the blog. 

Vy 73

Rich K7SZ