Field Day is upon us again.
The family and I moved out to Texas and this year's field day saw me hacking a quick antenna raise in the back yard.
My first contact from our new house in McKinney? K4LRG, the Loudoun Radio Group from northern Virginia. I spent Field Day 2011 at their site back when we lived up there. Small world isn't it?
Made the contact with them on 20m, 14.227MHz USB.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Thursday, June 28, 2012
My Dad
I've been an amateur radio operator for many years. If I recall correctly, I earned my Technician No-Code license back in 1997. I had just finished my four year enlistment in the Army and returned home. While waiting for college to begin its Fall semester, I stayed with my parents in Florida.
Dad was in the radio business back in the early 70's and was an electronics technician in the Air Force for twenty years. He was a radio jockey and he built our family TV - a Heathkit I think. To this day I can still vividly recall him pulling open the drawer which held all the calibration guts to jiggle bits around.
Dad was in the radio business back in the early 70's and was an electronics technician in the Air Force for twenty years. He was a radio jockey and he built our family TV - a Heathkit I think. To this day I can still vividly recall him pulling open the drawer which held all the calibration guts to jiggle bits around.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Field Day 2012
It's that time of year again! Time for the amateur radio bands to heat up and QRM the airwaves. Time to bust pileups and major blood vessels in the brain. Time to down coffee and soda and relieve oneself in the empty two liter bottles. Time to pitch the tents and fire up the old Honda generators. Time to use the potato guns to launch wires into trees and laugh at what terrible aims we all have. It's time for mosquito repellant and sunscreen.
Yes, Field Day 2012 is here at last and, much to the chagrin of ragchewers everywhere, the loud and boisterous calls of "CQ Field Day!" will just about ruin normal skeds. But never fear! After 2100 UTC on the 24th, the bands will be "returned to normal amateur use"!
Yes, Field Day 2012 is here at last and, much to the chagrin of ragchewers everywhere, the loud and boisterous calls of "CQ Field Day!" will just about ruin normal skeds. But never fear! After 2100 UTC on the 24th, the bands will be "returned to normal amateur use"!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Diamond BB7V
This is not really my antenna of choice. Due to HOA restrictions and the need to be as unassuming as possible it is the only good choice I have so far. I was beginning to have concerns about it, though, as Field Day 2012 approached.
It's out on the PVC "mast" where it has been for at least two years. For some reason the two bottom sections will not collapse (the upper three are fine). Since I can't get it to come down completely, it's easier to just leave it up and outdoors. When not in use I lash it to my deck with the top three elements collapsed.
(If anyone knows how to safely take this antenna apart I'd be glad to hear from you. I need to figure out how to fix it.)
Overall the performance with the antenna isn't earth shattering. I gets me on the air and that, I guess, is something. I really need to sit down and plan out some proper antennas and just homebrew them. Commercial antennas are stupidly expensive.
It's out on the PVC "mast" where it has been for at least two years. For some reason the two bottom sections will not collapse (the upper three are fine). Since I can't get it to come down completely, it's easier to just leave it up and outdoors. When not in use I lash it to my deck with the top three elements collapsed.
(If anyone knows how to safely take this antenna apart I'd be glad to hear from you. I need to figure out how to fix it.)
Overall the performance with the antenna isn't earth shattering. I gets me on the air and that, I guess, is something. I really need to sit down and plan out some proper antennas and just homebrew them. Commercial antennas are stupidly expensive.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
My Shack in a Nutshell
It's nothing fancy. No huge tower, no huge rigs or fancy gear.
It's rather plain.
An Icom IC-706MkIIG sits on my desk atop an LDG AT-7000 tuner. Outside in the yard I throw up a Diamond BB7V vertical. Power comes from an Astron RS-20A. I use the stock microphone.
My logbook which I started on 16 October 2003 has sixteen entries.
For mobile operation I have a Radio Shack HTX-242 which runs on 2-meters. I have a Radio Shack HTX-202 2-meter handi-talkie. I also picked up a Yaesu VX-6 when I "retired" the 202.
I've been trying to get back into ham radio a bit more; I'm usually just casually tuning around without really trying to contact anyone. But it's time for Field Day 2012! I've worked three other field days in the past and always had fun. My personal HF attempts were generally lackluster. I think I need to figure out what's wrong with my signal.
73
It's rather plain.
An Icom IC-706MkIIG sits on my desk atop an LDG AT-7000 tuner. Outside in the yard I throw up a Diamond BB7V vertical. Power comes from an Astron RS-20A. I use the stock microphone.
My logbook which I started on 16 October 2003 has sixteen entries.
For mobile operation I have a Radio Shack HTX-242 which runs on 2-meters. I have a Radio Shack HTX-202 2-meter handi-talkie. I also picked up a Yaesu VX-6 when I "retired" the 202.
I've been trying to get back into ham radio a bit more; I'm usually just casually tuning around without really trying to contact anyone. But it's time for Field Day 2012! I've worked three other field days in the past and always had fun. My personal HF attempts were generally lackluster. I think I need to figure out what's wrong with my signal.
73
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