It has been a while since the previous post but the display problems still occur these days.

I posted my solution on mods.dk but the problem with strange and scrolling characters was new for me. However, all the above solutions may work. I simply disassembled the entire unit and built it back together. After that, all contact were loosened and maybe cleaned by removing them. Any way, it worked.

So display problems on your nearly antique (mine is 16 years old now, still going strong!) TH-79 can be solved by these methods.

Does anybody know how to make a good antenna (or buy...) that works great for portable use? I have an FT-817 and want to use it in my backpack on 6m. It should be able to work on 2m also...

Maybe anyone has another idea for a mount in the backpack?

Best HAMs,

I am using an MD-100 A8X form Yaesu. It is a desktop dynamic microphone with an impedance of 500 Ohms. I want to use it on a TM-v7 from KENWOOD, but audio is very low and sounds weird (high pitch).

What can I do? I already made a 5V regulator into the mic and it works only a littlebit, but there must be a mod in the electronics to fix the problem.

Hopefully you can help me...

73,

Thijs, pe1rln
The Netherlands

Hi folks,

I bought a Diamond V2000 antenna and it works great on 2m and 70cm but on 6m there seems to be a slight problem:

An SWR of 1:3 in the middle of the band (51 MHz) but on 43 MHz it has the right SWR of 1:1 I discovered.

I mounted it on the balcony of my house on the rail. Is this the problem and how can I fix it?

Do I need to shorten the radial for 6m or should it be longer? Or do I have to remove it further from my house (eg. with a fibreglass pole???).

Please, help me with this awful problem I wasn't able to solve.

73,

Thijs Has, pe1rln
The Netherlands

Hi folks,

I bought a Diamond V2000 antenna and it works great on 2m and 70cm but on 6m there seems to be a slight problem:

An SWR of 1:3 in the middle of the band (51 MHz) but on 43 MHz it has the right SWR of 1:1 I discovered.

I mounted it on the balcony of my house on the rail. Is this the problem and how can I fix it?

Do I need to shorten the radial for 6m or should it be longer? Or do I have to remove it further from my house (eg. with a fibreglass pole???).

Please, help me with this awful problem I wasn't able to solve.

73,

Thijs Has, pe1rln
The Netherlands

Buy a helicopter.

Has anybody a design for a simple yet effective antenna for ATV?

I can not place a very large antenna and am looking for a "mobile" antenna. I want to build a small Yagi, but are there any better antennas that have approximately the same size?

Please, let me know. Or if you have any tips or suggestions, please put them here.

By the way, it is for receiving only at the moment...

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN
The Netherlands

Keep up the HAM-spirit!

Hi there amateurs,

A while ago, when studying the Dutch constitution, I discovered that one is always allowed to practice his/her hobby when nobody else is bothered by it.

That means that you must be allowed to listen to radiosignals and that is only possible by ... an antenna!

In The Netherlands, you are allowed to construct an antenna on TOP of the highest point of the house with a maximum heighth of 3 meters above it.

Under this length, they can only ask you to remove it, if it isn't safe. Not if it isn't beautiful.

Another possibility is to build a mast that isn't fixed to the ground. In other words, if you make a concrete base ON the ground and place your mast on it, it is a mobile construction that is allowed in your back-garden.

So, there are a lot of ways to avoid "regulations".

A friend of mine lives in a 13-storage building and wanted to mount a satellite-dish to the ramp of his balcony. The landlord didn't allow any stuff to be mounted on the ramp, but when fixed with a few tie-wraps and a piece of carpet between the pole and the ramp, it was a legal construction and the landlord knew he couln't complain about it.


Maybe you can do something with these tips. I don't say it is the same in every country, but it works in Holland.

Don't cry; just keep up the HAM-spirit!

Nice DX an 73 from Thijs, PE1RLN, The Netherlands

Thanks, but I-ve seen many "professional" keys that were not very difficult to build. I am actually looking for a site or something that has the info.

Your info was good too because I didn't know it was called throw and stuff like that, so I know a little more now.

Thanks an see you again. Keep up the HAM-spirit!

Thijs, PE1RLN

73!

Has anybody info about how to make your own morse-key? I want to build them myslef but have no idea about how to do it.

Please, rpely here.

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN

Here's my tip for the weekend:

When you have an alarm in your car, it'll go off when someone's breaking in, but nobody will act.

I thought it wise to add an extra horn IN the car, right next to my radio. It gives such a horrible lot of noise that it is impossible to stay in the car.

Ofcourse you have damage of a broken window, so preventing is better than healing, but the radio is still there.

I have an IC-706 permanently in my car instead of a radio. I only put on the front when listening and for the rest I keep it in my jacket. A very bright neon-sticker on it says: SECURITY like on many radios. A thief will immediately see that the radio is useless. They will only break in when they think the front is in the little compartment (what's it called?) but I always leave that open. A criminal breaking in for some sweets...

Have luck and fun. Keep up the HAM-spirit!

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN

I would like to add a comment on all posts:

When I am looking for a new rig or I can buy one second-hand, I want to know if it is a good buy and what others think of it.

Luckily at Eham.net I find reviews of people who are enthousiastic about it and who are p*ssed off by it. Comparing all the reviews gives you an idea of how easy the rig is to handle (sometimes people with fat fingers don't like tiny buttons...) and how well it performs in comparison to others.

Ofcourse, all the reviews are no scientific tests and should always be considered as personal meanings, but I am going to use the rig personally too, so it is very good to have 2 types of reviews: both technical and "emotional".

When owning a rig for a few days, you'll ofcourse be very enthousiastic about it and you want to share that feeling with the rest of the world. When the rig appears to be not exactly what you thought of it, after a year or so, you want to warn the rest of the community not to buy it. Therefore you get 2 reviews of the same rig with different opinions by one person.

I personally hate anonymous posts; why are people affraid of what they write? The net is already anonymous enough so stop posting anonymous topics!

I gave reviews of all the equipment I had because I looked for them too. I hope that lots of people can find help in my posts and I know that lots of amateurs look at the site at least once a month.

Way to go!

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN
The Netherlands

Hi there,

The problem of cooling a system is very irritating and often hard to solve. A fan is often used to conduct air through cooling-radiators, but they cause a lot of irritating noise and in a shack that is exactly what you don't want.

I had a computer in a small cabinet with doors that could open. The hot air was not able to excape so the power was cut off everytime it got too hot. Therefore I made a hole in de cabinet with a fan on it. The same problem as you have dit occur: noise.

If it is possible - at my shack it was - you can make a ventialtion-shaft of sewer-pipes of about 3" diameter. You can buy curves and T-parts so you can vary how you want. A hole to the outside of the house or the room is enough. Now, place a fan in the case you want to cool and place the sewer-pipes on it. Now the air will flow through the pipes outside to wherever the hole was made.

The advantage of this system is that the thumble-dryer-hose I wanted to use first was too noisy; the air got trubulent by the ribbles in it. A straight pipe is much better.

That brings me to another idea i had and I'll put that on this forum too. Let's see if it is a good idea.

Have fun with your epuipment and keep up the HAM-spirit!

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN

When transmitting, do NOT turn the VFO-dial to change the frequency. I did it to check if my SWR was right on the entire band, but the filter doesn't change it's frequency so the relays in the transceiver get quite hot because they switch the entire ouput power!

I had them repaired at the store and it cost me a lot of money.

It is an Icom IC-706-I, so no MKII or MKIIG or something. I don't know if Icom changed software for these new ones but if it is still possible, don't do it!

It is a perfect rig for HF, not mentioning the little flaw...

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN
The Netherlands

All equipment can suffer from thermal defects which appear at higher temperatures. I agree that a rig should never need adjustment or repair, but if it happens to be so, good service is the least a company can give.

Would you buy another radio of a brand that didn't properly fix your radio? I would only buy a new one of a company that did. That the radio broke down can have several couses; that the radio is repaired can only be caused by the manufacturer.

I agree to the first writer, but the second has a point. But, remember that most of the radios keep working a very long time. Don't think that a Ferrari doesn't have to go into repair once in a while!

I have an Icom 706-I and I had the relays repaired; when pushing the PTT and then turning the VFO, only the VFO and not the filters move. Therefore the relays will burn in these cases.... not smart of Icom? Maybe but they fixed it right away!

73 de Thijs, PE1RLN
The Netherlands