Previous responders had very valid points.

I'd make one tweak.

There is no ONE-RIGHT-WAY as far as the exchange goes.  It's better to be flexible, know several variants, and why you are using a specific one at any given time.

For ex., if you "own the frequency" (calling CQ and running) and the pileup is solid, manageable (so you are able to work them quickly) definitely shorten all aspects of the exchange as much as possible.  Even avoiding the use of phonetics in your QRZ or CQ is OK if you have a pileup.  Just use them every other time or so.  But getting "too fancy" is not recommended in Field Day.

Further, it might be less of a tongue-twister to,for example, say "Charlie Tango" than "Connecticut".  The decision to use one variant over the other is YOURS to make.  Also, Echo-Whiskey-Alpha (or even Echo-Whiskey) might cut through the QRM more reliably and be easier to say than "Eastern Washington".  I'm in WNY and "Western" often gets heard as "Eastern" or "Northern" so "Whiskey-November-Yankee" (as tedious as that is) is often clearer.

Normal:
You: CQ Field Day CQ Field Day Whiskey Seven Hotel Bravo Papa Field Day <-- if you get no answer in 2-3 seconds, say again
 Me: November Two Mike Golf
You: November Two Mike Golf One Bravo Echo Whiskey Alpha
 Me: Two Alpha Whiskey November Yankee
You: QSL QRZed Whiskey Seven Hotel Bravo Papa

Running your own pileup:
 Me: November Two Mike Golf
You: November Two Mike Golf One Bravo Echo Whiskey Alpha
 Me: Two Alpha Whiskey November Yankee
You: QSL W7HBP (Field Day)<--"Field Day" is optional, use phonetics less often for the call

etc.

I had not heard the grease method before.  Nice to know.

As far as cleaning your antenna... clean the joints, but as for the rest of it...if you can see dirt, it just isn't high enough!

Mike N2MG

This topic has been moved to Misc.

http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php?topic=90055.0

I'm no expert on HRD, its interfaces, or your radios, but thought I'd ask a couple of questions to make some things clear, seeing as how you've had no answers after a few days...

1a) You can hook the 857 to the current computer by itself (no 590) and it works fine?  What port?
1b) Can you hook it up to other USB ports and it still works?
2a) You can hook the 590 to the current computer by itself (no 857) and it works fine?  What port?
2b) Can you hook it up to other USB ports and it still works?
3) So, your claim is that when you hook up the 590, then the 857 to that same computer, using the already-tested USB ports as before, the 857 goes into TX?


-Mike N2MG

Ditto. I have lots of "industrial strength" ziplocks.  Really short cables I'll bunch up into one bag based on purpose, longer ones get their own bag.

I store Christmas lights that way too. Each length gets its own plastic shopping (Walmart-type) bag.  Simply keeping cable 1 separated from cable 2, etc., goes a long way.

Mike N2MG

>>I never intended to be notified on an entire Elmers category

:-)

The "Notify" link at the bottom of an individual thread (look below this post, to the right) activates sending you updates to that thread.
The "Notify" link at the bottom of the specific forum (say "Elmers") sends you notifications of all new threads to that entire (Elmers) forum.

Mike N2MG

Stick FT1000 in eHam's links search and you get a few hits, one of which is:

http://www.va3cr.net/

-Mike N2MG

I don't think DHS is buying shotgun ammo!

You really need to isolate the problem.  Your described steps don't seem to do that definitively. It seems your antenna arrangements too often share key components.  Can you set up something with just the radio and an antenna?

Just because the new(er) radio exhibits the receive-comes-back-after-I-key-the-radio problem doesn't mean both rigs don't have the same problem.  Radios have a T/R relay and they often develop this problem.  "Wiping" the contacts by keying the relay briefly cleans the surfaces and restores the receive signal.  Other weak connections can exhibit the same problem.  The difference is the internal relay problem often benefits from simply keying the radio with NO actual transmit signal. Bad connections further away (like in a PL259 or whatnot) don't "wipe" when you key, they only improve when actual RF power passes through them.

Here's what I'd do:  Take a long wire (say 100 feet of 24- or 18-gauge or so) run it outside and take one end, strip an inch or so, twist it and fold the bare part in half and insert it in the SO-239 in the back of the radio.  Turn on the rig and listen. When the receive the signal goes down, momentarily key the radio in Sideband mode. (You can turn all the power down if you want). If the receive signal restores, then I'd bet your paycheck it's the T/R relay.

For a well written trouble-shooting guide, see
http://www.w8ji.com/relay_cleaning_and_life.htm

A snippet:

Intermittent connections causing sporadic weak receive signals can occur anywhere in a receiving system. The bad or intermittent connection might be inside the antenna system, in a coaxial connector, or anyplace between the antenna and receiver input components.

Connections are often healed by momentary application of transmit signal through the poor connection.

Intermittent receive is almost always caused by a poor pressure-connection, where the receiver signal path depends on pressure to form a good low-resistance electrical bond. This might be unintentional, perhaps a poor solder joint in an antenna or connector. It also might be in an intentional pressure connection, like a crimped connection or even in a connector.

There are multiple sources of trouble like this, and we are always much better off using rational, logical, trouble-shooting techniques to locate the bad connection.

Tom goes on with more excellent advice.  Please read that.

Mike N2MG

My guess is that the "delegate" is from a relatively poor country - one in which the "average Joe" cannot afford such luxuries as a hobby like Amateur Radio.

Or he's a delegate with a predisposition to slam "the rich" (or "the richer") any chance he can.

'RD is almost exactly right.  We do give all the reviews a "review" but unless they break the rules on the reviews main page, they stay.
If we deviate from that we get to hear about it.

So take them for what they are.

Mike N2MG

How many items do you have set up for notifications? 
Click "Profile" at the top of this page, then "Notifications and Email" in the forums' left menu that appears

I looked and you have not only many pages worth of individual threads (shouldn't be a problem), but also the entire "Elmers" category selected (at the bottom) - is that what you want?

Mike N2MG

You could hedge your bets and print the "fill in the blanks" QSO stuff on the back AND use the labels if they work out for you.

Of course, if the labels do work out, then the cost of the extra printing was probably unnecessary.

Actually...

His text says its 00500387 (500 thousand) but the sticker is in the 50 thousand range

Either way, what's with the 10 (or 20) MILLION range claims?

You missed the 1/5 (at the bottom of the first page currently) by K2QB timestamped Jan 5, 2012 09:31

Mike N2MG