Just received mine yesterday.

Tor
N4OGW

I am currently using Skimmer with a Softrock receiver hooked to my K2 IF. I'm using a homebrew buffer amp between the Softrock and the K2.

One limitation to keep in mind is that if you use Skimmer in "Softrock-IF" mode, you are limited to a relatively small frequency spread (I get about 13 KHz). This is due to a programming choice in the way Softrock+IF mode is set up. In this mode Skimmer reads the radio's frequency so that it always identifies a station at the correct frequency.

The other option (which I find I use more) is to hook the Softrock to the IF but not turn on "IF" mode. In this case I get 48 KHz of band, but can't tune the radio from a fixed freq without Skimmer losing track of where stations are. In this case the bandwidth is limited by sound card sampling and CPU speed of your computer.

Tor
N4OGW

Worked them here (Mississippi) on 20 CW. Very weak however (4 el yagi at 100 ft). Other SE Asians quite loud at the same time so conditions weren't too bad.

If you can copy them they can probably hear you.

Tor
N4OGW

Big pines here too...I use a bow and arrow. I add weight to the arrow which makes it less likely to get stuck in the tree.

Re slingshots: Maybe you will have better luck, but I can barely hit a house with one. They also run out of steam for high trees and strong enough fishing line. With the bow I can quite accurately place the line where I want it.

Tor
N4OGW

You probably can't redeem those any more (too old) so they are just for collectors.

Tor
N4OGW

It doesn't bother me if a 1x1 call is used during a contest. The ARRL web site says "a special event call sign could be used in conjunction with a contest if one were to occur within the call sign reservation period." The FCC regs don't mention contests either.

But as others have said, using a 1x1 is not an advantage in most contests. Too many people are going to ask for the "missing" letter in your call.

Tor
N4OGW

Well, I'm in northern MS (still lots of sun here ) and have had some nylon ropes last for 2+ years. Usually it is tree abrasion that kills them for me.

It does depend on the quality of the rope. I had one (cheap Walmart rope) recently where the outer jacket flaked off after one year. But other nylon ropes I have had up are still in very good shape after 2+ years.

When putting antennas in trees which tend to move in the wind, I usually see the stretchiness of nylon as a good thing...

Tor
N4OGW

>So you'd send all your W5 cards to the W5 buro for example.
>
>This is done all the time especially for domestic contests by the contester who don't want a card in return.

Maybe your bureau allows that, but most don't. The instructions at

http://www.arrl.org/qsl/qslin.html

specifically say

"Don't send domestic US to US cards to the various call-area bureaus."

I operate a lot of domestic contests and have never gotten a single domestic card sent from the US. The only exception has been a few cards from US hams who are living overseas.

Tor
N4OGW

Yes, I have one. I recently converted mine to 240 VAC, but did use it for many years on 120.

As others have said, it will run fine on 120 as long as there is not much else on the circuit.

Tor
N4OGW

If you order something direct from them it may take quite some time. I placed an order for a QSK board on June 13, it was ready Aug 7. However, they did not charge my credit card until I picked up the item.

Tor
N4OGW
Starkville, MS

See the FAQ at Norm's, number 14 on the list.

http://www.rotorservice.com/faqs.htm

Tor
N4OGW

Note that they are only uploading information to LOTW for QSL's they have answered (see their website). So if you don't send them a paper qsl, you won't get it confirmed on LOTW.

Tor
N4OGW

It depends...I have a 20/40m beam (Force12 EF420-240) that has interlaced elements for the two bands on the same boom with only a few feet of separation between them. With bandpass filters and coax stubs I use both bands simultaneously during contests.

The isolation between the antennas will increase if you can orient the dipoles perpendicular to each other, or if you use a vertical for one band and a dipole for the other.

If you are only going to use two bands and low power, a simple coax stub for each radio will be plenty of filtering and much cheaper than a bandpass filter.

Tor
N4OGW

I did this on one inverted L I had up between some trees, and electrically it worked just fine. The pulley was at about 75 feet up (it was an L for 160m). I ran 1500 W into the antenna, no problem at all.

However, the wire did break before too long due to the mechanical wear, so it wasn't a good long-term solution for me.

Tor
N4OGW

How big is the tower?

I would just put it up and guess at the right tension. Then when the Loos comes in the mail the next week, set it correctly. It won't be a big deal if you are at 5% or 15% of breaking tension rather than 10% for a few days.

Even if set originally exactly at 10% with a Loos, you often need to retension guys a week or so after putting it up as things stretch slightly.

Tor
N4OGW