First time for me too!  Worked 69 sections tonight (about 140 Qs) and hit the wall...it's all dupes for me right now on 40 so time for bed.  It took me about 4 hours to finally get smooth at speaking the exchange.  Kept tripping up on remembering to include my call.  So I recorded a macro, but that just felt weird using it.

Anyone know the answer as to why the contest organizers decided to include your own call sign as part of the exchange?

Well at least I don't have to speak batches of QTCs! hi hi

-Jeff

Yesterday I ordered a HX-5Bi from Traffie Technology.  The 20 lb weight and 9.5' turn radius is going to work well.  Ordered a 15m aluminum mast from Spiderbeam and picked up a G-800DXA rotator from HRO.  Hope to get it up all and running in 4-6 weeks.

After the way the sweepstakes has been going so far, I am looking forward to some much needed directivity!!!!

Thanks everyone for helping me make a more informed decision!

de Jeff, W6UX

That infamous photo of Kim Jong Il sitting in his underwear we've seen floating around the net would make a great QSL card hi hi.

I think the percentage of active hams QSLing with paper will no doubt decrease over the coming decades, but there will always be a segment that sees receiving a physical QSL card a very important part of their hobby.

I only got into HF 2 years ago, but I send a paper QSL to anyone who sends me theirs.  We had special ones printed up for our DXpedition to Anacapa Island this past July and got several requests via snail mail.

No doubt, LOTW is making it much easier for people to chase a few highly sought after awards.  I'm planning to do all my DXCC chasing electronically (up to 88 confirmed as of today).  If LOTW could be expanded to support awards from more than just the ARRL, then you might really have something to move legions of users over.

The only downside to the paper QSLing for me is the ever rising postage rates.  I suppose if inflation keeps our income rising in proportion to the rate increases, it might not impact paper QLSing too badly.

de Jeff, W6UX

After looking a little more at the various Hex Beams out there, I think I've found one I can work with.  Took some measurements out back and confirmed I do in fact have just barely enough room to build it.  I'll then tip it on end and get it up onto the roof with some extra help.  Shouldn't be too hard.

Time after time I found reviews by people who upgraded to Hex beams from the antennas I've been considering (e.g. MA5B, Mosely mini, etc).  They are just slightly larger in turn radius, and in fact, the Hex I'm looking at comes in at just under 20 lbs, so that is well within my needs.  The performance of this design is of course, well documented and proven.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions in this thread.

73!
-Jeff

Also a possibility, so I'll keep chewing on that.  NA1A down the street had one, I'll see if he can swing by and offer an opinion.

-Jeff

I've got a friend down the street who had a hex beam, I don't know if it was your brand, but it was similar size.  I'll ask his opinion if if thinks it is doable to carry into place.  I may have one corner of the backyard I can assemble it on the ground and then lift into place on the mast with a ladder and some help.

-Jeff

Thanks John, the TA32jr would cross over my back wall about 2 feet, so that's ruled out.  The Mini-33AW fits the bill on weight and turn radius, and I'll keep it in mind.

Now that MQ-26 5 bander from TGM is something I didn't know about, and wow, I think we might have a new front-runner here. THANKS!


-Jeff

Steve, the HexBeam would have been my first choice, but my back yard is too small to even assemble it in.  It's what, 22' in diameter? I've only got 12' between my house and the back wall.  I don't know how I'd even lift it up to put it on the mast before pushing it up.  When I looked at others building their hex beams, they usually had a nice big yard to assemble it on the ground.  Looks like it would be a struggle to put it onto my mast, which is right up against the house.  The roof line comes down to about the 7' level, but I don't see how to do this.  Got any ideas there?

-Jeff

QSL, KF6A.

Thanks for the tip about using a tuner with a tri-bander to get access to 12 and 17.  I'll look into that and see what possibilities it opens up.

To sum up where I'm at:

Q52 Pros:
- Light, < 2 sq ft wind load
- Stealthy looking
- N6BT has a good reputation for making well performing products (e.g., Force12)
- rated at 1kW

Q52 Cons:
- A very new product, few reviews available
- Have been trying to get information from the manufacturer, but e-mails have gone unanswered (big red flag there)
- Complicated switching relays requiring separate and expensive control cable; reliability/durability unknown at this point
- Bandwidth unknown at this point

MA-5B Pros:
- Likely higher gain on 20, 15, and 10 than Q52 (still need to confirm)
- A popular, well liked antenna with 100+ reviews here on eHam
- No control cable needed to switch bands
- Tech support
- Local vender support (HRO)

MA-5B Cons:
- 9 lbs heavier than the Q52
- Slightly more visible antenna than Q52
- Slightly larger turning radius than Q52
- Requires additional mods during initial assembly to give it longevity
- users recommended no more than 500W to prevent damage
- bandwidth unknown at this point

Will keep researching these two.  If anyone knows of other HF beam antennas with a turning radius under 12' and weight under 30 lbs, please let me know.

73!
-Jeff

Physical size and weight are the hard limits on my choices, and it's got to be no higher than 40-45 feet.  Even with those restrictions, a rotatable beam antenna will take my station to the next level.   I need to keep the turning radius under 12 feet, and need to keep the weight under 27 lbs as that is getting near the weight of a Spiderbeam Yagi, which I know the mast I've selected can support.  The MA5B just squeaks in under those limits.  The Q52 easily accommodates my needs, but feedback on its performance is harder to come by due to fewer owners (it just came out this past Spring).

Clearly the MA5B has a loyal following (based on reviews here), but I wanted to know if I've overlooked a popular choice in this class of beam.

de W6UX

Are there any other 5-band beams in the compact/mini beam class I should consider?

I'm limited by weight and space here at the QTH.  Hexbeam and Spiderbeam Yagi's will physically not fit into the area I've got to work with.  Need to keep the weight down as much as possible (this will be put up on a telescoping mast at 40', guyed and rotated from the base).

Thanks for any suggestions!

-Jeff

I'll keep that in mind, Don.  I was a little concerned about the reputation of HyGain, but I know the Ham IV is a popular rotor.  I really don't know enough about brand reliability yet, so I'm keeping all options on the table at this point.  I'm kind of set on purchasing new equipment, but good to know there is 3rd party repair support.

Anyone else want to chime in on my choices, or other brands/models of rotator to consider?

I'm going to be setting up my first directional antenna and need guidance on picking a nice rotator for it.  Reliability/durability trumps cost in my book.  Generally we always have light winds (< 15 mph sea breeze) unless Santa Ana winds kick in, which usually gust to 45 mph, sometimes higher.  I will probably lower the antenna below roof level if there is a severe wind advisory forecast for the area.

Here is the hardware I plan to use:

• N6BT Q52 2 element beam (17 lbs, < 2 sq ft. wind load)
• Spiderbeam 15m (49') aluminum mast (31 lbs) - raised to 40', using rotatable guy plate kit; mast will be guyed at 2 levels, 3 ways
• Spiderbeam 60mm rotator adaptor
• LMR-400 coax
• A rotor to turn the entire mast (?)

I see that the Yaesu G-450 and G-800DXA rotors have received plenty of good reviews here.  I need a rotator that has more than enough torque to move this configuration, but I also want some room to grow to a slightly heavier antenna, if for some reason, I need to change antennas later.  I like that the 800DXA has some presets, but not sure if that justifies the higher price.  It might be overkill because I can never have a huge beam at my QTH.  If the 450 will have plenty of head room under the proposed load, I'm good with that.  I'm still looking into the possibility of putting a thrust bearing about 6 feet above the base for added stability to the mast, and hopefully taking some of the weight off the rotator bearing.  But this is all new territory to me, so maybe I don't have a clue here?

So please school me with your wisdom!

Thanks!

Jeff

I've finally whittled my macros down to an absolute minimum:

• CQ - <start>cq cq cq de w6ux w6ux k <stop>
• Call - <start><call> <call> de w6ux w6ux kn <stop>
• Begin QSO - <start><call> ur <rst> <rst>. Name is Jeff.  QTH is Irvine, CA (DM13cr)<enter><enter>
• Over - <enter><call> de w6ux kn <stop>
• End QSO - <start> tnx for qso.  73 de w6ux sk <stop>
• QRZ? - <start> qrz? qrz? de w6ux k <stop>

These are minimal, and work for any digital mode.  I have a second set of macros for DXpedition QSOs (even more terse).  When my "Begin QSO" macro completes, the rig is still transmitting, and I can freestyle chat at that point.  Right away, the other op knows there is a humanoid at the other end 

If he comes back with a non-macro, then we go into rag chew mode.  Otherwise, I just reply with my End QSO macro and move on.  I'll work robots or people, and that's just fine with me.  Also, when the other op turns the QSO back over to me, I just hit the tx button, I don't send "YOUR CALL de MY CALL", because I think this is redundant.  Anyone eavesdropping already knows who's talking to each other after he turns the QSO back over to me.

My goal was to make the usual repetitive stuff as short and sweet as possible.  If the other guy wants to know more about me or my setup, he can ask specifics, otherwise, I don't want to bore him.  I decided to abandon the use of brag files...I got sick of watching them print on my screen.

de Jeff, W6UX