That is one place where we are running out of time to work it, due to rising sea levels.

73
Bob

You will find a wealth of knowledge in any of the old ARRL HandBooks from the 40s to early 60s, before transistors.  The circuits are simple.

73
Bob

Oh!  W4RNL's web site has a series of articles called Verticals with Vertigo.

Have you considered one of the Soft Rock kits?
73
Bob

QST reviewed the Kenwood TS-480HX HF and 480SAT in June 2004.

Their last ICOM review was ICOM IC-7600 HF and 6 meter transceiver November 2009

Sherwood has tested Flex radios. 

QST has reviewed a few Flex Radios,

You can read the QST reviews to get a sense of how the rigs you are interested compared to Flex radios, and then make an educated guess where they would place near the rigs Sherwood has tested.

Bare in mind that bands like 160-40 have very different characteristics from 20-10.

Since we are going up the sunspot cycle, keep in mind that all of the bands from 30 to 10 meters will become very crowded!

73
Bob

It still counts as the country that you confirmed.

When the USSR dissolved, all of the countries that were within it got new new prefixs.

Another interesting change was issuing KG4 call signs that aren't Gitmo.

KAs that were Japan, KZs that were The Canal, ect, have been recycled.

73
Bob

We might see more Dxpedetions this cycle vrs the last because Baby Boomers are retiring now.

If we are lucky, some group will activate those silly rocks; Peter Island and Bouvet.  Unfortunately, Yemen is to unstable.  If we are lucky, the new dictator might allow someone from China to get on the air?

73
Bob

Getting your General ticket, and then upgrading to Extra seems to work OK.

You can read some of the posts questioning if the Tech ticket works well for novice ops.

73
Bob

A few years ago the FCC restructured licensing.

One must take the Extra test to get the Extra ticket.

When I upgraded from Advanced to Extra, I took the Extra test.

73
Bob

"The best approach IMHO is to offer a good assortment of bands and modes - CW, phone, digital, HF, VHF, UHF. But not all bands nor all modes. A sampling, IOW, which will appeal to a broad range of interests yet give adequate incentive to upgrade.

That would be an excellent way for novice ops to sample the wide range of opportunities we have.

My view is that Techs do not get the protection, freedom from harassment, I had while I was a Novice.  Also, my guess is that they do not have the FUN I had as a Novice.  Fortunately, when I got my ticket 15 was open many times during the day and 10 meters some times during the day.

Most on my operating was on 80 and 40 and sometimes on 15.  I used 10 meters to chat with local Novice ops.

For me, getting on the air was pretty simple, one rig, an entry level one, a key, a watt-SWR meter, coax, coax switch box, and inverted Vee for 80/40 that loaded on 15 and a CB vertical antenna.

All of my attention was focused on HF.

The way I see it, now entry tickets have to look for rigs that cover where they have operating privileges.  Those entry privileges are focused on VHF/UHF.  If one upgrades then they have to focus on areas where their current station does not operate,  As a result, they have to have more $$$$ to set up what amounts to a totally new station.

I'm guessing I started on a rather clear, less expensive, path of gaining more privileges for the station I already had.

But, without a concrete proposal to the FCC, this is all moot.

73
Bob

See if either is listed on Sherwood Engineering Receiver testing.
73
Bob

Prefix would be KW which is easily recognisable as a USA call, as are the phonetics of Kilo and Watt, King Whisky.  About the only problem with KW is that it begins with Dah dit dah,  the way one lets the other op know it's back to them.

For the suffix I like dit dah  dah dit simply for it's cadence.  However their might be a benefit to NA with the phonetics of North America?

For me the worst combination would be having a call with repeated letter, especially if the prefix and suffix are similar!  Under marginal conditions the receiving op would have to recognize that, lets say, NA was the prefix and suffix--very confusing under marginal conditions in CW.  With NA#AN under marginal conditions the receiving op has to recognise that A is in both the the prefix and suffix.

73
Bob

 

I'm so used to that happening that now I notice it, but it doesn't bother me any more.

What still bothers me are illegals stealing spectrum on 10 meters.

73
Bob

You can start looking at one measure of receivers' performance on Sherwood Engineering Receiver.

Personally, I like knobs and buttons, over menus, on rigs.

And, since I enter split operation pile ups, I like dual receivers.

73
Bob

Congrats OM.

If we are REAL lucky, The reef, 7o, and P5 will be on this cycle.

73
Bob

My assumption has been that being able to copy weak signals and signals that are in the noise level, like 40 and 80, has a lot to do with my rig, antennas, and my hearing.

I believe that after a while QRP ops look for occasions when they have the best conditions for low power. 

When I used to play around DXing on 75 meters, I learned that as sunrise progressed, band conditions favored ops west of me.  When the noise level dropped. allowing me to hear weak signals, I could not work stations in Asia that 6 land was working.