Tim,

You could clean the chassis by putting it in the dish washer.  Of course you have to take all electronic. parts off it.  Worked wonders for one of mine.  It was in the barn for about 5 years.  Lots of crude inside.  The case can go the same way.  You might want to do it when the wife is not home.

Dave
N7TEE

Bill,

The way I do it is to turn on the FT-625 and let it run all day.  I leave it on 50.125 Mhz.  That way I can get anything that is in the neighborhood.  Of course I can hear anywhere in the house. 


Dave
N7TEE

If you have a blue spruce in the back yard be sure to paint the mast/tower Rustolium Hunter Green.  It seems to disapear from sight.   I had one up for eight years and the neighbors did not even know it.

Dave  N7TEE

The only problem that I have had with mine really old one S/N under 2800 was when I did not have the fan pushing air thru the back grill.  Then the IC 151 went out.  Repaired it and put the fan back and no problems.

Dave

I have a 04 Dodge diesel, and I have no hash at all.    I went straight to the battery for power connections using #10 wire.  Also, I use a power pole splitter block to feed three radios and my tarheel HF antenna.  Came thru the rubber above the steering column for the power and two antenna coaxes, the third goes thru the rear wall of the cab.  The HF rig is a FT 450, could not see the dial on the FT897 from the drivers seat.

Hope this helps,  Dave

If the ground is not too rocky, I use the water method.  That is to shove the rod into the ground and then pull it out and put about a quart of water in the hole and then out the rod back in and shove it in and pull it out until it almost becomes stuck and then add more water keep pulling and shoving until it is about a foot out of the ground, then use your sledge hammer for the last little bit.

Dave

here in Oregon we have a new law that takes away your right to have your car parked in a parking lot, running, the lights on, and talking on the cell phone cost a friend 175 for doing it in a Walmart parking lot on the coast.  Now that is one for the books.

Andy B. (KB3WPN),

Since you have a three foot drop I would cheat on the digging.  And, rent a "Ditch Witch" with the longer blade for making trench's.  I used one to get my power out to the pole barn worked great.  As the blade was four foot long and the trench was three feet deep.  The other thing that no one has mentioned is the use of sweeps rather than 90 degree elbows.  As, it is hard to get the larger sized coax thru an elbow.

Dave
(N7TEE)

Rather than running the coax down the wiring hole I would drill another hole one stud on either side of the house wiring.  That way you will not take any of the insulation off the wire where it goes through the header.  That way you could make it three quarters of an inch and drop the fitting and all down rather than just the coax.

Dave

Jim,

What I did for the problem was to get a 12 amp power supply non-switching.  And, use power pole attachment for the number of things that are 12volt in the shack that are not radios.  Got rid of all the noise that they create.  Have two clear speech speakers, MFJ 259, Yeasu YS-60, and a Yeasu FRG-100 on it.  And, other misc. things too many to count.  Current draw is about ten amps.

Dave
N7TEE

One of the easiest ways to drive a ground rod is to dig a shallow hole about three inches in diameter and about two inches deep.  Fill it with water and useing your hands drive the rod a few inches into the ground thru the water and when it gets stuck twist and pull then add more water, until it is within a foot or two of the ground.  Then use a sledge hammer to drive it the rest of the way.  Works great and less tiring than a post driver.

KB1TXK,

The best contact that I have had is VO1GO from the west coast in CN74.  He was running ten watts and a vertical at ten feet.  What I had was a five element at 35 feet and 150 watts.  I started with a three element at 22 feet and could talk almost across the country.  If you can put up a tower with a beam on it you will be much better off.  The ones (beams) that I used were home made and used a hair pin assembly.  Worked great, having no talent for building antennas the first two were ugly and did not work.

Dave N7TEE

K2CHM,

Have you checked the batteries in the unit or used a 12 volt wall wort on it?  Mine did the same thing as your's is doing.  Thought that you might try it first.

Dave
(N7TEE)

Clay,
I had a light duty 40 ft tower with a single set of down guys.  It had a five element six meter H.B., 12 elenment Cushcraft two meter, 13 element 70 C.M. and a 23 C.M. 15 element, all on one mast.  I went with the heaviest rotor that I could get.  I did not work the sats, as it would have been too high on the mast.  The 23 C.M. was 21 to 24 feet above the tower, I could not put another rotor at that height to work the sats.  The max wind load in the winds on the coast would have had everything on the ground.

I would put up a second tower one just for the sat work.  As, you have the second rotor already it would be better.  Then the tower could be a short one of 20 to 25 feet (6 to 8 meters).

Dave
(N7TEE)

Rick,

Have you ever seen what electricy can do to a cooper pipe?  You do not want to use a stainless steel clamp around your water pipe, as you may one morning go down to a swimming pool in the basement.  They make a cooper strap for the pipe.  Then you have to see if the pipe goes all the way to the water meter outside.  The pipe should be the last resort for grounding.

Dave