HALLICRAFTERS SX-28A – Smoldering . . . _ _ _ . . .

Hello everyone, I have been getting back into radio after a 16 year ‘sabatical’, and I could really use your help, as last night’s events have kept me awake all night………. I bought a Hallicrafters Super Skyrider SX-28AU (the U is the model with the optional 230V power supply) 2 weeks ago. I paid Top … Read more

Virginia Summits On The Air

After some Virginians volunteered to research the mountain peaks in the Commonwealth and see which ones are sufficiently prominent to qualify for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program, we now, as of Feb 1, 2011 have 542 peaks from which to operate a ham station.

If you are a hiker and a ham, the Summits on the Air award program is for you. Originally organized in England, SOTA has become very popular in Europe for both hikers and summit collectors. Operators in the United States have caught on; Volunteers are working feverishly to add US peaks to the growing number of valid SOTA summits.

Virginia is now proudly represented in the W4 area.

Check out the Virginia peaks right here in this web domain.

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Dallas Cowboys, DTV, Wife and Hex Beams

One popular UHF TV Antenna using two bays of four bow elements.

So what do the Dallas Cowboys, Digital Television over the air broadcasts, my wife and the Hex Beam have in common…

You’re probably thinking…

“Man… John has lost it. He’s blogged one post too far… On Halloween afternoon too…”

Hang with me for a moment.

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Elecraft K2 – My Favorite Field Day Station

This year our club ran 3A for the ARRL Field Day.

Radios included an Icom IC-756 Pro, TenTec Omni VII, Icom IC-746 (for the GOTA) and a Icom 7000 for VHF plus HF spare. All these radios performed quite well despite the high temperatures.

The 100 Watt Elecraft K2 stood above the others not necessarily on performance, but the elegant way the radio’s owner configured his K2, 100 Watt Amplifier and 100 Watt Matcher.

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Field Day Prep

Well Field Day 2010 all started to come together pretty well. I put all the drinks and heavy items in the front to ensure good positive tongue weight. Pre-positioned the radio on that beautiful desk. Loaded up several antennas. Three masts plus stakes, etc. I even managed to figure out how to get my hex beam in there with a minimum of dis-assembly. It is quite a mess. I am sooo glad I selected that slinky wire that does not kink.

Here is a picture.

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Assateague Lighthouse Repeater Antenna?

There is nothing like going to the beach.

Seafood, sand in everything you own, beach strolls, a time with family away from the usual distractions of life.

What better to do at the beach than visit the local lighthouse… especially a big coastal light station like Assateague Lighthouse on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Of course being a ham makes you notice things others miss with your “hammy eyes.”

Follow along in this picture tour of our visit to Assateague Lighthouse in 2007 and see the unusual thing we found within.

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Small Loop HF Mobile

In the never ending quest to improve our HF mobile ops for the Virginia QSO Party we finally decided to try a small loop.

There is nothing new about small loop antennas. They have been discussed in the literature for decades. The ARRL has some very old articles about them in the 1968 March and July editions.

Constantine A. Balanis’ book on Antenna Theory discusses and defines large vs. small loops. This book is an essential reference if you seek the details on how loops work. The loop described below fits into the “small loop” category where the currents along the conductor are, for all practical purposes, constant. This is unlike full size antennas where current reaches a minimum where voltage approaches maximum. Since this loop is electrically short with respect to wavelength, current does not change “much.”

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Good Source of Crimp PL-259 for 0.4″ Coax Cables

A few years ago I installed lengths of LMR-400 Direct Burial coaxial cable in my back yard. I wanted good connectors for my investment. I seriously considered the superior N connectors, but my DX Engineering Coax Switch uses SO-239 connectors. While not the high quality choice, I succumbed to tradition and sought out suppliers for the PL-259.

Money was really no object since the connector is often the weak link in the system and deserves quality. I just made an investment in 240 feet of LMR-400 cable and wasn’t about to shortchange the connector.

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