Anyone see the movie Handle with care AKA Citizens Band, To bad we couldn't just rip his antenna down.
 

 Ok I'm kidding but I'm shocked no one has tried it. I just remember people on CB taking stuff in there own hands when there were Jammers and trash talkers.

Hi!

I am a 65 year-old DXCC and IOTA Honor Roller and live in a 1500 sq ft ranch home on a 2/3 acre Wisconsin hilltop. FYI, my rig is a K3, Alpha 99 amp and a 20/17 meter 4-square. I love SSB and PSK-31 DXing and should have Digital DXCC this year. I don't operate much CW.

In my future may be a condo. Two types. A ranch condo (duplex on one level) and a possible high-rise condo maybe 3 or 4 stories high (OK, a low-rise, Hi!).

The ranch condo could be in a HOA complex of ranch condos or out by itself. The high-rise could be in or near a downtown area, possibly overlooking Lake Michigan (boy, I wish it was salt water!). I would ideally want to be on the top floor.

Anyway, what I visualize right now for antennas would be this:

For ranch condo (with CC&Rs): stealth high-end (Hi-Q) flat black screwdriver hidden in the bushes.

For high-rise (unsure about CC&Rs but probably): high-end screwdriver on the balcony or roof; hex beam on 10 foot rooftop tower; SteppIR 3 or 4-element beam on 10 foot rooftop tower; or rooftop vertical with elevated radials.

I would like to run full power when needed on SSB but might go with the Elecraft 500-watt amp instead. PSK-31 DXing would be at 40-50 watts max.

Would the height advantage of the high-rise outweigh any possible city noise (motors, neon signs, etc.) problems, assuming I could get written permission ahead of time?

If the high-rise is for folks over 55, would I encounter possible electrical noise from motorized cart trickle chargers or other medical devices?

OR, should I invest in a high-end mobile station (using the K3 and maybe a 500-watt mobile amp and the Hi-Q screwdriver) for my 2010 Subaru Outback and run that in the driveway at the ranch condo, with quick-disconnect coax and AC from the garage?

The only other DXing option seems to be full remote-control from some site out of town, which has its own logistical and technical challenges. Elecraft has just rolled out its K0/K3 and Remote-Rig package which would get the job done nicely. Remote antenna would hopefully be a tower and beam.

I have the time to plan for this eventuality and don't want any buyer's remorse.

What say you? Anyone have any photos of their similar installations? I'm looking for pros and cons of these options and any and all creative solutions.

Thanks,

Wayne, K9YNF

Are there any reports of 2m or 6m aurora backscatter with this latest flare?  It seems to be getting a lot of press, although the map seems to show a less than impressive effect.

For 10M openings - listen to CH. 6 or 11 on a cb - fruitcakes going crazy - 10m is open - chance of 6M open too. 10M for sure.

Cb good for something...........73 K1WJ David

After being off the air for several years (7) I have managed to get some equipment back. We live on the second floor of an apartment complex and I am going to put up a stealth antenna of some sort on the balcony. However I have been listening on an old Icom 730 transceiver with just a make shift antenna. I have purchased a Yaesu FT-1000mp Mark V Field for the main rig along with a Palstar tuner, but when I listen on the 730 (haven't had a chance to hook up the Yaesu yet) I am getting all kinds of noise here sometimes worse than others. Just wondering if I can do anything to eliminate some of this interference or am I just stuck with it. Really frustrating, but hopefully somehow I can reduce it to a lower level. Hopefully some of you have some suggestions. Been a ham since 1977 and have an advanced class and just hate to see it go to waste! Thanks in advance.

14,300.00 mhz USB using has traffic - especially during the day.  It's the Marine net freq.  14,313.00 is another spot that sometimes has a bit of traffic.

You might try 7,268.00 LSB early in the morning -

Depends on what part of country you might be in - you did say "DX".......  hmmmm - good question as to where to listen. 

good luck, Ken H>

>> ...  a 1.25 meter HT?

> ... You may want to look for a Radio Shack HTX 404 ...

Why?

Clint K6LCS

>> ...  a 1.25 meter HT?

> ... You may want to look for a Radio Shack HTX 404 ...

Why?

Clint K6LCS

Absolutely no question in my mind that a reliance on the internet WILL come back to bite us on the a$$!!!

The only edge CB even in SSB has over 2m is it can skip long distances at times but for local work a good 2 meter mobile will smoke it and have clean clear frequencies too. 

Last night, I found an old tape cassette.  Wondering what was on it, I popped it into the cassette player and much to my surprise, I found it contained a recording of ham radio transmissions I made of the uprising in Lithuania in 1991 when the old Soviet Union was beginning to crumble.  The information came from LY1WW, and another ham on the scene of what was a major uprising in Vilnius where 400,000 people were storming the parlaiment, and at the same time, Soviet paratroopers were decending on the city to quell the uprising.  The transmissions were being received by hams who were somehow affiliated with the U.S. State department.  The drama unfolds with the hams in LY telling the U.S. operators that the Soviet paratroopers opened fire on the crowd at one point, as they were huddled singing and chanting.....I vaguely remember recording this and feeding the transmission to KDKA radio at the time for them to use in their newscast....Pretty chilling stuff....

What say you?  What ham radio/DX drama have you monitored or were a part of as a transmitting operator?  The Grenada Invasion?....The Earthquakes in Mexico, California, Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti, etc???.....The Hurricanes in the Caribbean???....Shipwrecks???.......or even way way back (I.E. the USSR invasions of Hungary or Czech?).......I'd be curious to hear your stories.....

V
KA3NRX

I think your right but I was surprised the amount of CW i heard on 12 when it was open.