I've got to work in Dubai during the second half of January.  I'll also spend a few days' vacation in Oman.

Any way to operate in either of those places using my 9v1vk or my w3LMB ?    I'd like to bring along my KX1 and operate QRP.

I happen to be in Ho Chi Minh city today until wednesday.   Does anyone know if there is anything 'ham' to do here?  I am licensed in USA and in Singapore.  Doubting that helps too much.  But are there any clubs or organizations that happen to be doing anything in HCM?  

Thanks

Thanks for the advice. What's the best advice for wiring in a safe, but temporary, power solution for a 100w transceiver?

I'm coming back to the US for the month of February.  I want to work HF mobile as W3LMB while I'm there.  Currently I have no equipment in the USA, so I need to build my mobile shack.

A few parameters:

1) I'll be changing between a number of rental cars and friend's cars, so I need an easy system for mounting antennae and powering the rig.

2) I'll have to take a flight while I'm there, so the antenna cannot be so physically big that it's difficult/impossible to bring along on a plane.

I tend to like ICOM rigs.  I was thinking of either the IC-706MKIIG or the IC-7000. I would not be opposed to a different model if something clever was suggested. Please note, I am interested really just in HF CW/SSB (20/40/80), not so much UHF.

What would you do in my situation?

Did another round of experimentation on my wire vertical today and the results were pretty ok.    Heard a JA-call but I guess he didn't hear me.  Need to figure why my KX-1 would only poop 2.5w instead of 4.

http://karavshin.org/blogs/black-coffee/archive/001690.html

I bought a spiderbeam antenna for permanent use in singapore.  i should have bought a telescoping mast to go with it, because it's otherwise impossible/impractical for me to elevate.

I'd like the mast to allow a rotor, as well.

Spiderbeam sells nice telescoping masts that would allow a rotor on the bottom, however they are damn expensive (300euro for an 11m pole) [plus all the shipping from europe]

http://www.spiderbeam.net/sb/index.php?cat=c12_Aluminium%20Masts.html


anyone know of any feasible alternatives that are less expensive?

But if I just use this one on the beach shore, should i be trimming the radials too?  and by what percentage?

I was brain-dead when i wrote this at 0346.  The antenna is resonant at too low a frequency, thus it seems that it needs shortened.  It's too long by  (14.06 - 12.817)/14.06 = 9% or 0.45m. [my original message implied it was too short...]

When you trim the vertical element, what should you do with the radials?

This weekend i decided to make a prototype wire vertical.  Instead of building it for the kayak, I thought I'd start with one I can post on the beach.  

My fishing pole is about 8m long, so I cut 4 radials and an element for a quarter-wave vertical on 14.060mhz.  The calculator said this should be radials and verticals all 5.073m.  I cut them accurately and soldered them onto a coax connector.

I took everything out to the beach with an MFJ-269 analyser.  Results were a bit suprising:

14.060mhz   SWR=4.0  Rs=90 and Xs=87

where is SWR=1.0?
12.817mhz SWR=1.0 Rs=49 and Xs=0

oops, not what I had hoped for.

Here is a photo of my setup on the beach. The radials are spread out (although not taut straight) and one is half in the ocean.  http://flickr.com/photos/karavshin/201141879/

I came home and tried the antenna out in my yard.  I got different, but unwanted, results there too:

14.060 had a 7.7SWR, Rs=132 and Zs=177

Resonance was at 11.892mhz  SWR=1.0 Rs=48 and Xs=2


So my question is how to interpret this data into a conclusion on what to do to make it work best at 14.060.  

My first reaction was the vertical element is too short. it should be  14.060 * 5.073 / 12.817 m long to resonate at 14.060.  IE: should make the element 17inches (0.448m) longer.  

But maybe that's naive.  Maybe there is more to interpret from the results?  And what about the radials...does this mean they should also be extended?  by the same amount? etc.etc.  

ideas?

Does anyone have any experienced comments on these programs?

My dad would like to have a remote station that he can use over the internet.

Reading the web pages for these systems, I didn't get a whole lot of confidence they'd work well at all in this capacity.

Doubly so, it seems very tricky to try to have CW QSOs.  

What do you think about these programs, and are their any others to consider?    I suspect we'll end up using some sort of ICOM rig.

What suggestions do people have for good rigs to be used under remote operation?  Looking to work SSB and CW HF. Also what are the better software packages for this purpose?



W3LMB

I have a Fujita folding kayak and an Elecraft KX1. I'd like to introduce them together and spend an afternoon as 9v1vk/mm.

I have read that running a vertical over saltwater is ideal.  So my idea is to mount a wire vertical for 20m on the rear of my kayak.  This is not too hard, as I have a longish fishing pole that i could probably get the wire up 10m or so for a 1/2-wave 20m.

The question is the radial system.  I have two options basically and I have read various things about both.

1) My fujita 480ex is 4.8m long.   I could run the 5m radial along the edge of the kayak, so it is elevated about 5-6" above the water, laying on my pvc-fabric deck.  I have read accounts that the radial should be ABOVE the water, not in or under it.

2)  I could instead drag the 5m vertical through the water behind me, suspended on tiny bobbing floats.

3) or I could do both 1 and 2.

Any recommendations/advice/experiences to suggest?

Actually it is just a straight, brass key.

I now have my grandfather's (w3LMB/sk) telegraph key and dearly cherish it. I'm not sure what model or year it is, however it was manufactured by the Signal Electric Manufacturing company of Menomine, Michigan.

I am an active CW enthusiast on 20m. I've been using his key, but it is becoming harder and harder to use because several of the parts are worn out and the key falls easily out of adjustment. Particularly,
there are some screws that have dimples in the end which tighten down on two pins stuck through the key's arm, which they pivot around. Over many decades those dimples have worn and in fact, the walls are bulged
through, and in some places have entirely failed. In a worn out cup like that, the pivot needles also are wearing fast.

The key is becoming increasingly hard to adjust and use, but I cherish it very much and don't want to just lock it in a dusty cabinet and move onto something modern. I want to keep using it, but the more I use it in its current condition, the faster it deteriorates.

Singapore is a very small country and I have very little space here. Thus I don't have a good workshop or access to many tools. It's quite infeasible for me to
do a serious restoration of this key.

Are there any real craftsmen who do "telegraph key restoration" ??  I'd like to get it fully renovated, but only someone highly experienced and trustworthy.

Hi.  So I've been using my ICOM IC-746Pro for some 20m CW.

The bands get busy so I try to narrow down the filters on the fellow I'm working to block out the QRM.

The problem with going to a 50 or 100hz filter (the minimum possible on the 746pro) is that the audio gets a terrible ringing that is just as distracting as the QRM of a wider filter.

Any advice on how to get nice narrow filters but maintain the audio quality of the guy I'm trying to work?

73