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eHam Forums / CW / RE: Can I learn CW with LCWO.net?
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on: Yesterday at 04:49:32 PM
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You can't really "learn CW" until you've learned Morse Code. They are not the same thing.
Not so. Learn CW Online starts with learning only two characters, U & M and then adds one character at a time. I hav found it to be a great tool. John |
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eHam Forums / CW / RE: Looking for 25wpm character/12wpm morse mp3 files
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on: Yesterday at 04:44:39 PM
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Try Learn CW Online at lcwo.net. You can download mp3 files of code groups, plain text or callsigns at whatever character speed and effective speed you want. The default is 20wpm characters and 10 effective but can be changed to suit your preference.
73, John
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eHam Forums / Mobile Ham / RE: Yaesu FT-897D vs Yaesu FT-857D - will appreciate some light on the issue
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on: February 12, 2013, 07:22:12 AM
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In a nutshell, the 897 is designed for base or portable operation and the 857 for base or mobile.
897 does not have detachable face plate. 857 does not have provision for internal battery or power supply and does not mate to an attached ATU but it does auto tune the ATAS mobile antenna and other yaesu ATU's.
Either one is a good if slightly dated radio at a good price point.
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eHam Forums / Remote HF Station Control / RE: DXCC?
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on: February 08, 2013, 09:02:00 AM
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I'm not an expert on DXCC rules but my understanding is that since the contact between your transmitting site and the DX stations are by radio wave propagation, these contacts count. (assuming your transmitting site is US and not DX)
John
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eHam Forums / Elmers / RE: New to ten meters
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on: February 08, 2013, 08:52:27 AM
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If you are using coax and installing your own connector I would suspect a short between the braid and the center conductor. You can check this with a multimeter ( VOM ).
Good luck and 73, john
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eHam Forums / Antennas and Towers and more / RE: Multiconductor Cable For Raised Radials
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on: January 29, 2013, 12:52:07 PM
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Made a 10/15 meter vertical as a novice in 1976 using plans in an ARRL newsletter called New Ham News. It used two lengths 300 ohn tv twinlead for the radiating elements and 4 conductor rotor cable ( split in two ) for the ground plane radials. Can't get more close spaced than this. It worked quite well as measured and cut with no pruning that I can recall. The pi-network in my Tempo One tube type rig loaded it very well. Rotor cable is failry inexpensive. Why not give it a try.
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eHam Forums / Mobile Ham / RE: Metal plate with suction cups for glass roof to mount magmount
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on: November 20, 2012, 01:38:10 PM
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From the Larsen antenna website,
http://www.pulseelectronics.com/products/antennas/larsen_antenna_products/technical_reference/faqs
"On-Glass Antennas
Q: I moved my on-glass antenna from my old car to a new one. It worked great on the old car, but I have a very high VSWR on my new car? Why?
A: Your new car probably has passivated glass --- glass impregnated with tiny metal particles which render the glass incapable of coupling RF between the inside and outside couplers.
Q: How can I tell if the glass on my vehicle is suitable for one of Larsen´s on-glass antennas?
A: First, look near a corner of a window for words meaning or relating to "sun" or referring to ultraviolet or other forms of radiation. If you find terms like "Soft-Ray", "EZE-Cool", "Solar-Coat", "Solar-Cool", "Insta-Clear" your glass is probably passivated and won´t work with on-glass antennas. If you don't find these helpful words on the glass and want to be 100% certain, ask a 2-way or cellular shop technician to test your glass with a capacitance meter."
Another way to tell is to buy the antenna, mount it, and see how well it works.
Good info WX7G ! I learn something new everyday. 73, de John WI4P |
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eHam Forums / Licensing / RE: studying for General Class
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on: November 16, 2012, 01:49:54 PM
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I used HamTestOnline, the online practice site, to study for my extra and passed it easily. I have no formal electronics background and found their format easy to follow. And if you are not comfortable with math I found that it is possible to omit all the math related questions and still have a comfortable margin for error.
Good luck!
I'll second EZD's comments. Passed tech w/100% and gen'l w/98% on same day after about 15 hrs of study. Passed extra 96% three months later after another 15 hrs. highly recommend hamtestonline. 73, John |
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eHam Forums / Antennas and Towers and more / RE: Remote antenna tuner?
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on: November 13, 2012, 08:32:44 AM
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My question is this: is it worth the cost, expense and trouble to install a remote automatic antenna tuner at the junction of the ladderline and the hundred feet of buried coax? The doublet allows operation from 80 meters through 10 meters, but I mostly focus on 40 m and 30 m. Yes! The alternative would be a fan dipole, which could be much less stealthy and harder to put up in trees. I use a fan dipole and found it no harder to erect than a single band dipole would be. Just a little more effort required to build and tune. It is near the shack so is fed with 8x but for your buried & longer run you would want something like LMR400. My internal 3:1 tuner gives me good results on 80,40,20,15 & 10. Good luck with your project and congratulations on getting the HOA's approval. 73, John WI4P |
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eHam Forums / Licensing / RE: Is the 'old' extra class manual still a good study guide?
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on: October 11, 2012, 01:49:35 PM
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Congratulations on the decision to continue your study.
The old ( 2008 ) exam had 738 questions and the new exam has only 702. Forty four questions were removed and eight new questions were added and numerous editorial changes made to make things clearer. Full words replacing abbreviations, slight rephrasing etc. Since publication, another three or four questions have been removed. With that said, if you study the Gordon West book to LEARN rather than to just memorize you will find it to be a great tool. I also highly recommend Ham Test Online. It is a great interactive learning tool when used in study mode and is always 100% up to date.
Good luck with your studies.
de John, WI4P
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eHam Forums / Licensing / RE: Study materials for equations (General)
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on: August 08, 2012, 08:44:05 AM
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It's not free but hamtestonline is the best learning tool I've seen. Also, you can miss all the questions involving equations and still pass with ease if you learn the rest of the material.
Good luck on your exam!
John
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eHam Forums / Stolen Gear / RE: insurance ?
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on: June 19, 2012, 06:45:14 PM
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Why not talk to your homeowners insurance agent. Your HO policy should cover your gear on the same basis as any other personal property such as TV's, furniture etc.
The main reason hams buy special insurance is to get "All Risk" coverage with a low deductible and to have claims handled by some one familiar with ham radio. Many Homeowners companies will also add all risk floaters to their policies.
73, John
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eHam Forums / Station Building / RE: Drilling hole through outside wall
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on: May 30, 2012, 11:14:57 AM
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Actually, to prevent problems trying to snake or push the cable through, you can drill through the center of the stud. You can probably get grommets to make a finished look from Radio Shack or fsrom a cable installer. Otherwise a little caulk will work fine.
Good luck with your project.
John
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