Hmmmm...I wonder why that happened...I swaer I only hit the save button once....

I bought Anttron Hamwhips, used, for 10, 20, 30, and 40m a few weeks ago.  I got to play with them to some length over the last couple of weeks and I never knew mobile ops could be so much fun.

I used my MFJ-259B to adjust the whips for best SWR in the middle of each band. On 20m last weekend I workd WA and OR from central Indiana with my 4w KX1 and the 20m Hamwhip on my 2004 Taurus.  Today I tried the 30m Hamwhip and worked a op in MI about 300 miles from here with 4w and the KX1 in my Taurus.

I have the 40m tuned up but I have not tried a QSO with it yet.  For some reason the SWR is 2:1 no matter what I do with the 40m whip...the 20m and 30m are all tuned to 1.1:1 or 1.3:1 for their respective bands.

Do you think I might need to add a capacitor?

I bought Anttron Hamwhips, used, for 10, 20, 30, and 40m a few weeks ago.  I got to play with them to some length over the last couple of weeks and I never knew mobile ops could be so much fun.

I used my MFJ-259B to adjust the whips for best SWR in the middle of each band. On 20m last weekend I workd WA and OR from central Indiana with my 4w KX1 and the 20m Hamwhip on my 2004 Taurus.  Today I tried the 30m Hamwhip and worked a op in MI about 300 miles from here with 4w and the KX1 in my Taurus.

I have the 40m tuned up but I have not tried a QSO with it yet.  For some reason the SWR is 2:1 no matter what I do with the 40m whip...the 20m and 30m are all tuned to 1.1:1 or 1.3:1 for their respective bands.

Do you think I might need to add a capacitor?

I bought Anttron Hamwhips, used, for 10, 20, 30, and 40m a few weeks ago.  I got to play with them to some length over the last couple of weeks and I never knew mobile ops could be so much fun.

I used my MFJ-259B to adjust the whips for best SWR in the middle of each band. On 20m last weekend I workd WA and OR from central Indiana with my 4w KX1 and the 20m Hamwhip on my 2004 Taurus.  Today I tried the 30m Hamwhip and worked a op in MI about 300 miles from here with 4w and the KX1 in my Taurus.

I have the 40m tuned up but I have not tried a QSO with it yet.  For some reason the SWR is 2:1 no matter what I do with the 40m whip...the 20m and 30m are all tuned to 1.1:1 or 1.3:1 for their respective bands.

Do you think I might need to add a capacitor?

My best DX story is working Reunion Island on 30m from 9 Land...at 4 watts and my attic dipole.

This was in 1999 though....bands are changed a wee bit since then.

Here's a quick and dirty straight key....

Parts needed:

Suitable male plug for your straight key female jack on the SWL+ rig.

Some wire

A PBNO switch (Pushbutton normally open)

Solder wires to switch, solder other end of the wires to the male jack. Plug into the SWL+ and punch the button...there, now you're making a continuous wave noise.

I have a pill bottle with the PBNO mounted in the lid and the wires coming out of the bottom of the bottle.  I hold it in my right hand and use my thumb to operate the ON/OFF function of the PBNO. Works great...thumb might get tired ina rag chew...but when QSOing from my sleeping bag in my tent, in the winter...this key works VY FB OM.

Folks,

The demand for the MP3 version of the January Bacon Bits Quarterly has exceeded our expectations.

Thanks to the generosity of Nigel Gunn G8IFF, the MP3 issue is now available for downloading.

The original files were recorded at 128 Kbps, for the very best quality, rendering over 72 MB of file size.  I have re-encoded these same files at 32Kbps and now the collection comes in at a paltry 18.2 MB - The original 128Kbps encoding sounds better, as one would expect, but the 32Kbps version is awesome too and it fits on your MP3 player a lot easier than 72MB.

You can download the ZIP from:  http://www.ngunn.net/fpqrp

If you don't want to download it, I will still send it out to you on CD.

Vision Impaired Hams - all I need is your mailing address, I will send you a free copy as you are qualified for free postage.

Other Hams...send a self addressed, postage paid, CD mailer with a blank CD to me and I will burn you a fulll 128Kbps copy and return it to you via US Mail. If you send this in the US, a mailer and a CD will weigh just a hair under 2oz, so 60c postage will cover it.  If you use a heavier CD mailer, or send it in a jewel case, you will  need 60c PLUS 23c per additional ounce.

The Bacon Bits Quarterly is the official newsletter of the Flying Pigs QRP Club International. Membership is free, we have no dues, we have no meetings, we have no rules....we just have fun.

Check us out:  http://www.fpqrp.com

Send your CD requests to:

January BBQ MP3
C/O Brian Murrey KB9BVN
47 Grassy Drive
New Whiteland IN 46184

73

Hey QRPers, check out the new web based Bulletin Board specifically for the QRPer.

http://ke9v.net/qrpbb/index.php

It's been in operation for about 3 weeks now and is off to a great start.

Give it a look see!

I have built both rigs, several of the Small Wonder Labs rigs.

My Norcal 40A was my very first HF rig, I built it in 1998 and I still use it today.  I highly suggest you get the KC-1 keyer and freq readout and use a 10 turn pot.  It's an awesome little rig and a lot more money than the SWL + series.

I have a SWL+ 30 I also take camping with me, I have added a Norcal keyer and I built the thing in a square metal tin I got at the dollar store.

Wilderness Radio and Small Wonder Labs are both all about the quality.  I did get more power out of my SWL 40+ than the Norcal 40a.  My 40A is about 1.4w to my attic dipole.  The SWL rig is about 2.7w

73

WOW!!  I thought I was the only one that had QSO's with my eyes shut.  If I get in a QSO with a good fist and my speed, I just kind of lean back in my chair (a rocker) and shut my eyes.  I have never gone to sleep during a QSO though.  I think shutting the eyes helps to keep your mind from getting distracted.  I can head copy MUCH better when I am in this mode.

http://www.fix.net/~jparker/norcal/blt/blt.htm

Norcal BLT is a nice one.

Peter,

My first rig was a Norcal 40A QRP XCVR kit. I also bought a EmTech ZM-2 tuner with it.  For my first antenna and CW QSO, I literally sat at a picnic table with a battery for the rig and two half wave wires thrown over some bushes....connected to the 40A via the ZM-2.  I tuned the mess till the SWR was OK and started pounding brass.  First contact was with a guy in Mississippi (I'm in Indiana) on about a watt.

Until I installed a dipole in my attic, this is how I operated for about 4 months.

72 de KB9BVN/QRP