Hello all,

I am an "on-the-air-neophyte" and am seeking some general information.

My set-up:

I have an ICOM IC-730 transceiver, and a homebrew Moxon antenna designed for 20m.
(Plans for the Moxon were published in QST magazine about a year ago.)
I've mounted the antenna using 10' tripod, 10' mast, rotator, and 5' mast.
It’s mounted on my garage, so the Moxon is up approximately 35'.
I'm using LMR-600 coax because I got some remnants for free :-)
I believe that the ICOM is 40 Watts on SSB.
I have a cross-needle power/SWR meter.  The SWR looks very good ..
the "reflected" needle barely moves when I key the microphone with the radio
set for AM transmission.  The meter indicates that I’m putting out power
level as expected..

I tried my first 20m SSB QSO with another Ham about 40 miles away, but the
results were less than impressive.  It took me a while to optimize his signal,
but using the rotator eventually brought him in to some degree.  I could
understand him over the noise floor, but not very well and not all the time.

I am not sure about the integrity of his rig at this time.  (I think he was using
an 80m antenna and tuner/matcher.)

Can anyone tell what I can expect as far as quality and distance of
communication with the equipment that I am using?

I hope this isn't a dumb question, as I've said, I've only been on the air
a few times, so I don't have much experience with this.

Thanks again and 73!

--Tom Nickel

I suspect that that "movie" was produced by David Lynch!

The 10' mast will be mounted in a 10' tripod. 
A rotator will be mounted at the top of the 10' mast.
Above the rotator will be another 5' mast.
At the top of the 5' mast will be a Moxon 20m antenna.

The rotator is about an $80 device should that give any
indcation of size.

Thanks again,

--KC9KEP

Hello all!

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

A ways back, I had used an "import" SO-239 connector on one of my homebrews,
but I had to replace it because my USA PL-259 connectors wouldn't mate well.

And now, I've built an 20m Moxon antenna.  The antenna/budwig connector is
type SO-239, and I've used a PL-259 ~10' RG-58 cable down to the base of my tripod.

Then I used an "import" PL-259 to N-Connector adapter to splice to my transmission
line cable (I think type “600”) on to my rig.

Well, the same problem happened.  The "import" adapter doesn't mate well with the
USA PL-259.

What happens is, no matter how tightly I twist the screw-on sleeve, the
PL-259 is slightly loose and wiggles, causing intermittent ground connection.

(I even tried using pliers to tighten it.)

Can anyone recommend a good quality PL-259 to N-Connector adapter?

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks all!!

73

KC9KEP

Hello all,

I have been able to locate a 10' X 1 1/4" antenna masts for $18 locally (Chester Electronic Supply Co.).

But, I've had no luck locating a 10' X 1 1/2" mast.

I see AES sells them but for ~$50!  (I would hope to pay 1/2 of that!)

Any ideas?

Thanks!  (73)

--KC9KEP

Hello all,

In my recent edition of QST magazine, a ham is warned about the probably that his Heathkit Cantenna maybe be filled with transformer/PCB oil instead of mineral oil.

I have a Cantenna but have no idea what it's filled with.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Is there a way to determine what kind of oil is in my Cantenna?

If it IS PCB laced, how can I safey disposed of it?

Thanks/73

--Tom Nickel

OK, gentlemen, thank you for the responses.

The thrust of my question was why I repeatedly keep
reading reference to connections directly to the
"vertical deflection plates" rather than vertical
input of a scope.

I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't missing
anything.

I appreciate all the info!

--KC9KEP

Hello all,

I hopefully plan to do some two-tone testing of my
all-tube transmitter when it is complete.

I have been reviewing articles about two-test methodology
from past issues of ARRL handbooks.

Frequently, the signal set up is as follows:

- Two-Tone Generator source
- Transmitter
- Pickup-unit connected to output of transmitter, routed to a scope
- 50-Ohm Dummy load on output of transmitter

The pickup-unit system is frequently a few loops of wire
that are looped in conjunction with the output lead originating
from the transmitter.

This induced signal is then routed to a tank circuit for the sake of
peaking the induced signal’s amplitude.

Here’s where my question comes in.  

The signal from the pickup unit is shown routed to the VERTICAL PLATES
of the scope.

I’m not sure if many modern scopes even have vertical plates anymore
(because most scopes are now digital acquisition units with an LCD
type readout display.)

Why did they do that?  (i.e., route to the vertical plates?)

Could one simply route the induced signal to the vertical input of the scope
if the signal was attenuated enough as to not damage the front-end of the scope?

Thanks!

--Tom Nickel AKA KC9KEP

Thank you all for the replies!  Many great ideas ..
I appreciate it!

73

--KC9KEP

Woops .. There was a typo in there.

I meant to say; "all TUBE" not "all TUNE" exciter.

Hello all!

I am still working on fabricating my home-brew
all-tune SSB exciter (ARRL 1961).

As I am doing this in the interest of learning, I will
want to use a two-tone generator to prove out
the operation of my exciter.

Can anyone suggest a suitable two-tone generator?

Maybe a simple QST design that you like, or some sort
of kit of parts, or maybe a software program that
will generate the test tones?

Thanks!

--Tom Nickel AKA KC9KEP

Hello all!

In one of my older QST books, they mention the use of
Belden 8885 cable in a construction article.

Judging by the photograph, 8885 is single conductor braided shielded
cable that is unsheathed with any vinyl jacket.

It's nice to use in homebrews because it can be routed against
the chassis and easily soldered to ground.

I've downloaded the Belden product catalogue but cannot
locate such a part number.

Would anyone know if this great product is still available somewhere
or if a substitute is available?

Thanks all!

-Big Nick

Hello all,

I am planning on building an ARRL 1965 side-band transmitter :-)

I see that they’ve used old Calumet baking powder cans to house the plug-in coils.  

(If I recall, Calumet came in a red can with an Indian Chief image.)

My question is: is it an acceptable practice to use steel cans for coil shielding?  I thought that shielding should be made of aluminum?

I would think that steel cans would change the resonance and Q of the coils.

For that matter, I’d think that any kind of metal could change the coil’s characteristics if in close proximity?

Can anyone offer any suggestions on preferred shielding cans?

Thanks in advance for the great replies that I know will ensue :-)

--Tom Nickel

KC9KEP

Thank you all for the prompt and helpful information!
73
KC9KEP

I'm in the planning stage of fabricating a Moxon 20m antenna as featured in the August 2009 issue of QST magazine.

I'm considering whether I need a balun but I know little about them.

The author of the article says:

"I often include a 1:1 choke balun, to prevent common mode current on the coax shield, by strapping it to the mast."

He includes several photographs in which he's got the feed coax loosely wound around the antenna-mast a few times.

Is this practice considered a 1:1 choke balun?

Thanks!

--Tom Nickel