Will this come assembled or is it kit only....or either?

I have one and my experience with the FT-817 has been very poor.  The best antennas I have found for QRP are the end-fed PAR antennas.  They really work great.

I love my K5.  Great great product.

My experiences.  My Palstar receiver came with battery leads reversed which kept blowing the fuse.  Same deal..."easy to fix - do it yourself."  The worst part of the whole deal was not being believed that I had installed the batteries in the right direction (uh, I think I know which end of the battery goes where).

Another time I had to return the receiver and it took nearly 3 months to fix and return.  However, it was not corrected.  Ultimately, we agreed on my purchasing a new one with a decent credit for the unit he was unable to repair.

My take on Palstar is that while their heart is in the right place, they are seriously understaffed.  I also suspect that all of the product knowledge resides in the brain of one person - and that makes me nervous as a product owner.

I also have learned that in the 'run  up' to Dayton...like 2-3 months prior, the total focus there is getting ready for Dayton and you're not going to get a lot of action on your issues.

This was my experience 5-6 years ago, anyway.

If you get a good unit or one that ultimately gets repaired correctly - it is good quality stuff.  I can name a lot of places with far worse service, but I don't think they will ever win awards for service.

I have noticed this too.  People with really good signals calling lots of cq's with no reply.  I just think that with each passing month, the number of cw oprs dwindles a bit more.

This is what finally drove me to an electronic keyer with memories.  Let it call CQ.

Hello,

I would like to get a battery that is fairly easily transported to use for portable expeditions.  I am looking for something that has a handle, comes with a charger, DC power (cigarette lighter) jack and hopefully 7-8 Ah or higher.  I have bought a couple of these in the past with not so great results.  Don't seem to last long

Wonder what brands/models are out there now that people here might suggest.

Thanks & 73
Russ K3Pi

Hello,

I would like to get a battery that is fairly easily transported to use for portable expeditions.  I am looking for something that has a handle, comes with a charger, DC power (cigarette lighter) jack and hopefully 7-8 Ah or higher.  I have bought a couple of these in the past with not so great results.  Don't seem to last long

Wonder what brands/models are out there now that people here might suggest.

Thanks & 73
Russ K3Pi

Thanks for the replies, guys.

No the noise did not change any when the power crew did their work.  In fact, the noise was still present when the power was off at the pole.

I wouldn't say the environment is dusty, but the pollen has been terrible this year so I can imagine any and everything has a big build up on it.

I contacted the local phone company which is also provides cable tv and is one of two ISPs.  I contacted them before the rain, so when they showed up there was no noise.  However, they did say they found two pieces of competitors (ISP) equiptment on poles in the neighborhood with major leakage and went ahead and tightened up loose connections.  They seemed to have a much higher degree of technical expertise than the power company did.

So it's still kind of a mystery.


Russ K3Pi

How difficult was it to build?

I don't think I kept that issue of QST.

I may have to go that route.

I have been plagued by what sounds like line noise for weeks. The power company came out checked the transformer, changed some insulators, etc. Even pulled the power to the house but the buzzing interference continued. My next move was to see if it was coming in via cable, phone lines, etc.

Today, after a steady downpour all day - the noise is gone.

These power guys are very cooperative but kinda clueless on how to troubleshoot this. Where would you point them next based on the noise going away following a good soaking rain?

I put this in the RFI forum also but thought it would get more visibility here.  thanks!

73,
Russ K3Pi

I have been plagued by what sounds like line noise for weeks.  The power company came out checked the transformer, changed some insulators, etc.  Even pulled the power to the house but the buzzing interference continued.  My next move was to see if it was coming in via cable, phone lines, etc.

Today, after a steady downpour all day - the noise is gone.

These power guys are very cooperative but kinda clueless on how to troubleshoot this.  Where would you point them next based on the noise going away following a good soaking rain?

73
Russ K3Pi

My history is/was straight key for about 3 yrs, bug for 30+ years and I have about six months under my belt with a single paddle (used Kent) and a brand spanking new Logikeyer K5 external keyer.

Each transition was a little like starting over...especially going from bug to keyer.  That was very difficult for me.  

I think you are going to wind up eventually with an electronic keyer.  In today's cw world, where you might have to call CQ for quite a while before getting an answer - the luxury of having the CQ exchange programmed is simply fantastic.

Start with a straight key for a little while so you can be an official brass pounder and then transition to an electronic keyer.  

Thanks for the ideas so far guys.

I should have mentioned that I have done the circuit breaker thing at the house.  It's outside the house.

I have done some neighboorhood checking with an portable SW receiver.  It's weird though, the interference is strong everywhere...can't seem to pin it down.

No close-by commercial or industrial establishments.

It's a subdivision type environment with lots of overhead power lines.

73 K3Pi Russ

Hi,

Apologies for posting here and in RFI Forum - but not sure who looks where.  I know this is hard to diagnose on the internet...but I was hoping someone could point me in right direction.

I have a loud raspy buzz sound that is overwhelming throughout most of the HF spectrum. Interestingly enough, it does not seem to affect the AM/MW broadcast band.

It seems to start out kind of intermittently, sputtering at about 9 pm and then within a half hour or so is going full force. As best I can tell, it runs continuously until about mid-late morning the next day.

In driving around neighborhood, it is prevalent for at least 1/2 mile or more away from QTH.

I've ruled out street lights, since the noise comes on after the lights do and goes away after the lights go out. We do not have BPL here.

A noise blanker is pretty effective against it but not 100%.

It's hard to operate anymore in the evening hours.

Any ideas on where to start?

Thanks 73 Russ K3Pi

Hi,

I know this is hard to diagnose on the internet...but I was hoping someone could point me in right direction.

I have a loud raspy buzz sound that is overwhelming throughout most of the HF spectrum.  Interestingly enough, it does not seem to affect the AM/MW broadcast band.  

It seems to start out kind of intermittently, sputtering at about 9 pm and then within a half hour or so is going full force.  As best I can tell, it runs continuously until about mid-late morning the next day.

In driving around neighborhood, it is prevalent for at least 1/2 mile or more away from QTH.

I've ruled out street lights, since the noise comes on after the lights do and goes away after the lights go out.  We do not have BPL here.

A noise blanker is pretty effective against it but not 100%.

It's hard to operate anymore in the evening hours.

Any ideas on where to start?

Thanks 73 Russ K3Pi