I have a Yaesu FT-857D radio in my car. I wanted a tuner to go along with it. I thought that since both the FT-857D and the FT-897D were almost identical from all outward appearances, including menus and rear panel connectors, that the AT-897Plus tuner would work on either rig. Well, I ordered one from R & L Electronics and discovered on page 9 of the instruction manual that it will NOT WORK on the 857D. Fortunately, I did not attempt to transmit or tune the rig when I had it hooked up, so no damage was done. The red LED on the front of it kept blinking. I knew this to be a warning sign that something was amiss. So, I unhooked it and put it back in the box.
I am trading it back to R & L for the LDG YT100 tuner, which IS compatible with the FT-857D and costs a little less. It is a bare-bones tuner with only one LED on the front panel, but I do have a good SWR/PWR meter hooked up in-line, so I will have some indication of SWR.
By the way, I really love the FT-857D rig for mobile use! I keep getting consistently good signal and audio reports with it. My antenna is the Little Tarheel II screwdriver antenna (80 thru 6M). My controller is the MFJ-1924 memory controller. My farthest contacts so far via mobile were Chita, Siberia (north of western Mongolia) and Pretoria, South Africa! Think of how exciting it would be to chat with folks like that on your way home from work! Give HF mobile a try!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Secret To Getting DX Stations To Chat.
For as long as I have been a ham (32 years), I have wondered why DX stations do not want to chat with American hams. Last night, I finally got one to actually have a conversation because I would not let him just give me a "hi and bye" contact. His callsign was EB3JT and his name was Jordi. After he gave me his basic info macro, I greeted him and asked if he worked the ARRL SSB DX Contest, hoping this would get him to open up and chat. He said he did not work it and attempted to sign off by thanking me for the QSO. I immediately asked him "Why do you only say a few words and want to sign off right away? I thought we could talk a bit more." He replied saying "OK, sorry...I (garble) and is very difficult to combine macros with words in life." I thought that was a bogus excuse and I wasn't buying it! I wrote back the following: "I don't know what digital program you use, but I use MixW 2.20 and it works fine. I wud like to have more talk with DX stations but they won't talk with me. I don't understand why they don't try. You get better at English the more you use it."
Jordi replied with the following: "My program is ham radio deluxe but I have all messages in macros. They don't try perhaps because his English is not very good and fluid....this is my case. I just understand English but is very difficult for me talk in life. because my vocabulary is not too extensive."
I replied, "I can understand you perfectly, Jordi. your English is fine. You don't need to know fancy words in order to get your point across to the other operator. I am pretty good at understanding what people mean even if they don't know how to spell some words. No problem."
Then Jordi said "OK, thanks about my vocabulary....at this moment I don't know what I can talk more." At this point, I knew I had him flat footed. I shot down every excuse he gave me. So, then I continued with "See? I knew you could do it. Well, you did not tell me what kind of radio you have or the antenna. Also, what kind of work do you do? How about your weather? Right now we have cloudy sky and 36F temperature. Wind is at 3 miles per hour out of the East."
Jordi replied with a rundown of his equipment and weather and his job. He said he works in a jewelry store with his parents and things are not going well with the business. I told him that I was laid off from my job of 17 years and jobs are scarce. After that, we started to lose propagation and we signed off. He said it was a big pleasure to chat with me.
So, my friends, it is indeed possible to get a DX station to say more than 599. You just have to use a little psychology and the power of persuasion. Knowing this, now, perhaps I might just make more DX friends. I hope this helps you, as well.
73,
John, AA9UF
Friday, February 25, 2011
Are "Members Only" Repeaters Really Necessary?
I visit the St. Louis, MO area a few times a year since my brother lives there. He tells me that two of the ham radio clubs in the area have "members only" repeater systems. That is, you can't use the repeater unless you are a member of the club. If they don't recognize your callsign and you aren't on the club roster, you might get told to get off the repeater by a club member! In my opinion, this practice is totally wrong. I thought repeaters were there to be used by ALL radio amateurs. I know that having a "members only" repeater system is totally LEGAL, but it does nothing but alienate hams who are not club members and creates a "clique" atmosphere, none of which are beneficial to the ham radio community.
Some would think that the term "closed" repeater system means that it uses a PL tone to gain access. This is not what I am referring to. There are many repeaters with PL tones and this feature keeps other repeaters from keying up one that may be on the same frequency especially during tropo openings. There is NO problem with that. I am highly in favor of it. Repeaters that have PL tones are not really "closed" systems since most VHF/UHF rigs have PL in them anyway.
The excuse given for clubs who won't let non-members use them is that the repeaters cost money to install and maintain and that it should only be used by members who support it with their dues and contributions. My response to that is that if they did not intend for all hams to have access to it, then they should not have built it in the first place. It is going to be sitting there sucking electricity regardless of who uses it anyway. So what is the difference?
I feel sympathy for the new ham who just got his/her license and finds out that the local repeaters are closed to non-members. How do you think that makes him/her feel? Like an outcast! Would he/she feel compelled to join a club with a "members only" repeater system? I bet they would think twice about it, don't you? He or she would be thinking "What a bunch of stuck-up snobs!" If a radio club has any kind of conscience at all, it would not want that kind of label.
The exclusion of non-members in the use of a repeater system would be like having Thanksgiving dinner and telling your in-laws that they can't come because they are not blood relatives! That would certainly cause a family feud!
Lets say a ham has some kind of personal emergency on the road and his cell phone battery has died. He reaches for his dual band radio to call for help. Would he get "bad mouthed" for trying to use the "members only" repeater that is the only one he can reach? What then?
I really can't think of any reason why any club would need to have a "members only" repeater system. The chances that any ham would use the repeater wrongly are pretty close to slim and none. We are supposed to be a "family" of communicators. If we ex-communicate or shun non-club members, it pretty much defeats our purpose. Don't you think?
I'll be damned if I am going to let any radio club tell me that I can't use their repeater if I so choose. The airwaves do not belong to any certain group. They belong to ALL of us! I have been going to hamfests in the St. Louis area for many years and I have helped support the radio clubs with the money I spend on tickets and raffles as have many other hams. The radio clubs should at least show some kind of gratitude for that support to the general ham community by keeping their repeaters open to all hams, regardless if they are club members or not.
Some would think that the term "closed" repeater system means that it uses a PL tone to gain access. This is not what I am referring to. There are many repeaters with PL tones and this feature keeps other repeaters from keying up one that may be on the same frequency especially during tropo openings. There is NO problem with that. I am highly in favor of it. Repeaters that have PL tones are not really "closed" systems since most VHF/UHF rigs have PL in them anyway.
The excuse given for clubs who won't let non-members use them is that the repeaters cost money to install and maintain and that it should only be used by members who support it with their dues and contributions. My response to that is that if they did not intend for all hams to have access to it, then they should not have built it in the first place. It is going to be sitting there sucking electricity regardless of who uses it anyway. So what is the difference?
I feel sympathy for the new ham who just got his/her license and finds out that the local repeaters are closed to non-members. How do you think that makes him/her feel? Like an outcast! Would he/she feel compelled to join a club with a "members only" repeater system? I bet they would think twice about it, don't you? He or she would be thinking "What a bunch of stuck-up snobs!" If a radio club has any kind of conscience at all, it would not want that kind of label.
The exclusion of non-members in the use of a repeater system would be like having Thanksgiving dinner and telling your in-laws that they can't come because they are not blood relatives! That would certainly cause a family feud!
Lets say a ham has some kind of personal emergency on the road and his cell phone battery has died. He reaches for his dual band radio to call for help. Would he get "bad mouthed" for trying to use the "members only" repeater that is the only one he can reach? What then?
I really can't think of any reason why any club would need to have a "members only" repeater system. The chances that any ham would use the repeater wrongly are pretty close to slim and none. We are supposed to be a "family" of communicators. If we ex-communicate or shun non-club members, it pretty much defeats our purpose. Don't you think?
I'll be damned if I am going to let any radio club tell me that I can't use their repeater if I so choose. The airwaves do not belong to any certain group. They belong to ALL of us! I have been going to hamfests in the St. Louis area for many years and I have helped support the radio clubs with the money I spend on tickets and raffles as have many other hams. The radio clubs should at least show some kind of gratitude for that support to the general ham community by keeping their repeaters open to all hams, regardless if they are club members or not.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Radio Frequency Interference In The Ham Shack
I am sure many of us have had RFI in the ham shack at some point. There have been problems with RFI getting into speakers and headsets, RF bites when we touch metal microphones, etc. These can all be quite annoying.
However, these things can be easily fixed. One general rule of thumb that I use is that if any connector is loose, it can vibrate and act like a crystal in the presence of strong RF and emit RFI. So the first thing you should make sure of is that all audio and coaxial cable connectors are absolutely tight.
Using a good shielded audio cable is essential to making your speaker system and other audio routing RF proof. Never use simple audio coax with center conductor and shield. Use two conductor (red and black wires) cable with a good copper braid shield and foil shield under the braid. You need both the "hot" wire and ground wire to be shielded.
When soldering PL-259 coax cable connectors on, here are some tips. When using coax that has a stranded center conductor such as RG-2013, always coat the center conductor with a bit of solder to keep the strands together. One little stray whisker in contact with the connector barrel can cause a coax connector to be shorted. When soldering the connector, always file the nickel plating off the area around the 4 little holes in the barrel. This will make the solder flow on much better. I use a 200 watt soldering gun. I have a set of Swedish files to do this with and they work great. They come in a set of 5 or 6 in a plastic pouch and are available in any hardware store. When soldering the holes shut, get your tip down on the top edge of the hole, feed some solder on to the tip and pull the tip toward you in a downward sweeping motion. This works well. Do not try to clamp the connector into a vise before soldering because this will just act like a heat sink. Gently clamp the coax cable itself into the vise instead, leaving about 1 1/2" of cable sticking out past the connector. The advantage of soldering the 4 holes shut is that it somewhat keeps moisture out and it keeps small amounts of RF from leaking out. I used to get RFI in my headphones and speakers a lot until I started soldering the 4 holes shut on all my coax connectors.
Using a good quality solder is essential for making good RF connections. Kester "44" solder has been a "gold standard" of the industry for many years. Another good brand is Multicore 500G which is a 60/40 blend of tin and lead. Alphametals also makes some good solder.
Some hams use ferrite chokes for RFI suppression. This is a good "band-aid" approach for a quick fix. I have never had much luck with them. The drawback is that you need to wrap as much wire around the choke as possible in order to get the full effect. Then you have a big old wad of wire and choke laying on your ham desk or shelf, sticking out like a sore thumb. Of course, if it is hidden behind equipment, nobody will see it, but really you need to find the source of the problem.
RFI can be passed on through the house electrical system by your station power supply! I had a regulated 35 amp power supply that I used for several years until I bought a Tokyo Hy-Power HL-450B amplifier which required a 60 amp switching power supply. Prior to this, my HF radio transmissions would always blank out my Davis Instruments weather station display unit. After installing the switching power supply(HP-460), the problem went away. Figure that one out!
Update 9-2-18: Since writing this, I have installed an MFJ-2990 vertical antenna and my RFI problems have gone away. I used LMR-400 coax and greatly improved my grounding system. Now, I can use my amplifier at full output without causing QRM to anything inside or outside the house.
I hope this blog helps in some way. I appreciate any comments you might have.
73,
John Gercken, AA9UF
However, these things can be easily fixed. One general rule of thumb that I use is that if any connector is loose, it can vibrate and act like a crystal in the presence of strong RF and emit RFI. So the first thing you should make sure of is that all audio and coaxial cable connectors are absolutely tight.
Using a good shielded audio cable is essential to making your speaker system and other audio routing RF proof. Never use simple audio coax with center conductor and shield. Use two conductor (red and black wires) cable with a good copper braid shield and foil shield under the braid. You need both the "hot" wire and ground wire to be shielded.
When soldering PL-259 coax cable connectors on, here are some tips. When using coax that has a stranded center conductor such as RG-2013, always coat the center conductor with a bit of solder to keep the strands together. One little stray whisker in contact with the connector barrel can cause a coax connector to be shorted. When soldering the connector, always file the nickel plating off the area around the 4 little holes in the barrel. This will make the solder flow on much better. I use a 200 watt soldering gun. I have a set of Swedish files to do this with and they work great. They come in a set of 5 or 6 in a plastic pouch and are available in any hardware store. When soldering the holes shut, get your tip down on the top edge of the hole, feed some solder on to the tip and pull the tip toward you in a downward sweeping motion. This works well. Do not try to clamp the connector into a vise before soldering because this will just act like a heat sink. Gently clamp the coax cable itself into the vise instead, leaving about 1 1/2" of cable sticking out past the connector. The advantage of soldering the 4 holes shut is that it somewhat keeps moisture out and it keeps small amounts of RF from leaking out. I used to get RFI in my headphones and speakers a lot until I started soldering the 4 holes shut on all my coax connectors.
Using a good quality solder is essential for making good RF connections. Kester "44" solder has been a "gold standard" of the industry for many years. Another good brand is Multicore 500G which is a 60/40 blend of tin and lead. Alphametals also makes some good solder.
Some hams use ferrite chokes for RFI suppression. This is a good "band-aid" approach for a quick fix. I have never had much luck with them. The drawback is that you need to wrap as much wire around the choke as possible in order to get the full effect. Then you have a big old wad of wire and choke laying on your ham desk or shelf, sticking out like a sore thumb. Of course, if it is hidden behind equipment, nobody will see it, but really you need to find the source of the problem.
RFI can be passed on through the house electrical system by your station power supply! I had a regulated 35 amp power supply that I used for several years until I bought a Tokyo Hy-Power HL-450B amplifier which required a 60 amp switching power supply. Prior to this, my HF radio transmissions would always blank out my Davis Instruments weather station display unit. After installing the switching power supply(HP-460), the problem went away. Figure that one out!
Update 9-2-18: Since writing this, I have installed an MFJ-2990 vertical antenna and my RFI problems have gone away. I used LMR-400 coax and greatly improved my grounding system. Now, I can use my amplifier at full output without causing QRM to anything inside or outside the house.
I hope this blog helps in some way. I appreciate any comments you might have.
73,
John Gercken, AA9UF
Sunday, January 16, 2011
eQSLs vs. Paper QSLs
I have long been a strong supporter of www.eQSL.cc website for sending and receiving electronic QSL cards because of the convenience, low cost, and relatively instant availability of QSL info, both incoming and outgoing.
I remember when eQSL.cc came out, the ARRL was all upset about it and decided to try to "out gun" e-QSL.cc with their complicated Logbook Of The World. I have used both and eQSL.cc wins all the way. LoTW makes you obtain a Certificate in order to even submit logs to the LoTW website, then you need a User ID and password to even get into the LoTW site. Using your password to get into the ARRL website doesn't seem to be good enough for them. They seem to be treating LoTW like Fort Knox or something. Logbook Of The World makes you buy each and every QSL card, calling them QSL credits, whereas eQSL.cc doesn't do any of that. To get into the eQSL.cc website, you register your callsign and establish a password and that is all. Once you have that established, the rest is a breeze. They ask for a donation to keep the site up and running. You can pay as little or as much as you want. Of course, larger donations get you more choices and privileges on the website, so you get what you pay for, like anything else.
How does eQSL.cc make sure the eQSL cards are legitimate? They ask you to send them a copy of your license, then they check it against the FCC database. If all checks out, they will allow you to have AG status, meaning Authenticity Guarantee. There will be an icon that appears with your eQSL card when it is downloaded by the recipient showing that your callsign is approved and legitimate.
I don't know why any ham would insist on messing with paper QSL cards. Plus, they make the Post Office rich from the purchase of stamps. Then there is the waiting forever for QSL cards to come in from the bureau for many months or even years. Yes, I know the bureau is the cheapest way to send and receive QSLs, but it is also the slowest. So why bother with it? I am getting old and gray fast enough and I don't want to have to wait years for QSL cards when I can do it faster and easier on-line. I might die before I get all my cards from the bureau!
It seems that we want to be on the forefront oftechnology with all other aspects of ham radio but some still insist on riding a bicycle when they could be driving a Cadillac when it comes to QSLing. Talk about backward!
I would bet that 99% of the hams in America have a computer at their stations, so why not use the damn thing? If it is paper QSLs you want, you can print the eQSLs out on a 4 x 6" index card or photo paper, plus you can have an electronic copy of that card stored on your computer. If you want to go even cheaper, you can put the eQSL card files on a CD, take it to Wal-Mart and have them print your eQSL cards for you! I have done it and it works great!
Did you know that eQSL.cc has operating awards just like the ARRL does? In fact, I think they might have a few more! When you want to check your standings, you go to the My Awards section of the website and you can see at a glance what awards you qualify for. If you have completed the necessary contacts, there will be an icon that says "print". Click on that and it will let you download the file so you can print out the award, suitable for framing. I have an eWAS award and it looks every bit as good as the ARRL WAS award. The eWAS was a bunch less work, too. The only "work" involved was working the stations I needed, but that was fun!
How do eQSL cards stack up against regular paper QSLs? I can show you some darn nice looking eQSLs that look every bit as good as regular paper QSLs and the only cost is the paper and ink it took to print it out on my printer.
God bless you, eQSL.cc!
I remember when eQSL.cc came out, the ARRL was all upset about it and decided to try to "out gun" e-QSL.cc with their complicated Logbook Of The World. I have used both and eQSL.cc wins all the way. LoTW makes you obtain a Certificate in order to even submit logs to the LoTW website, then you need a User ID and password to even get into the LoTW site. Using your password to get into the ARRL website doesn't seem to be good enough for them. They seem to be treating LoTW like Fort Knox or something. Logbook Of The World makes you buy each and every QSL card, calling them QSL credits, whereas eQSL.cc doesn't do any of that. To get into the eQSL.cc website, you register your callsign and establish a password and that is all. Once you have that established, the rest is a breeze. They ask for a donation to keep the site up and running. You can pay as little or as much as you want. Of course, larger donations get you more choices and privileges on the website, so you get what you pay for, like anything else.
How does eQSL.cc make sure the eQSL cards are legitimate? They ask you to send them a copy of your license, then they check it against the FCC database. If all checks out, they will allow you to have AG status, meaning Authenticity Guarantee. There will be an icon that appears with your eQSL card when it is downloaded by the recipient showing that your callsign is approved and legitimate.
I don't know why any ham would insist on messing with paper QSL cards. Plus, they make the Post Office rich from the purchase of stamps. Then there is the waiting forever for QSL cards to come in from the bureau for many months or even years. Yes, I know the bureau is the cheapest way to send and receive QSLs, but it is also the slowest. So why bother with it? I am getting old and gray fast enough and I don't want to have to wait years for QSL cards when I can do it faster and easier on-line. I might die before I get all my cards from the bureau!
It seems that we want to be on the forefront of
I would bet that 99% of the hams in America have a computer at their stations, so why not use the damn thing? If it is paper QSLs you want, you can print the eQSLs out on a 4 x 6" index card or photo paper, plus you can have an electronic copy of that card stored on your computer. If you want to go even cheaper, you can put the eQSL card files on a CD, take it to Wal-Mart and have them print your eQSL cards for you! I have done it and it works great!
Did you know that eQSL.cc has operating awards just like the ARRL does? In fact, I think they might have a few more! When you want to check your standings, you go to the My Awards section of the website and you can see at a glance what awards you qualify for. If you have completed the necessary contacts, there will be an icon that says "print". Click on that and it will let you download the file so you can print out the award, suitable for framing. I have an eWAS award and it looks every bit as good as the ARRL WAS award. The eWAS was a bunch less work, too. The only "work" involved was working the stations I needed, but that was fun!
How do eQSL cards stack up against regular paper QSLs? I can show you some darn nice looking eQSLs that look every bit as good as regular paper QSLs and the only cost is the paper and ink it took to print it out on my printer.
God bless you, eQSL.cc!
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