AmateurRadio.com

Ten-Tec Factory Relocation Update

Internet access is working, working on phones, carts, shelves, desks, etc. We are far from having enough set up to do any real work at the new location yet, but, the move is occurring, boxes are getting moved, and unpacked. Phones will transition from one service provider to another so that will be a mess for a short spell when the porting occurs, but by end of October, we “should” be business as usual, no, not “as usual”, better. We are still making rigs and will continue to do throughout the move, so, Eagles will still leave the nest throughout the rest of this month, so will Argonaut VIs and so will OMNI-VIIs.

Thanks, and 73,
John Henry, KI4JPL
TEN-TEC Engineering, a Division of RFConcepts LLC

It appears that the special transceiver pricing continues to hold. That Eagle package at $1499 is an amazing price.

Filed under: Ham Radio Tagged: tentec

Jeff Davis, KE9V, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Indiana, USA.

As an experiment this afternoon and evening I am using the (short baseline) earth-electrode antenna. I am being copied by G0LRD (25km) and G3ZJO (79km) so far. It is now 1620z. Initial results suggest G0LRD is getting me very slightly better on the earth electrodes, whereas G3ZJO is getting me slightly weaker. This is comparing the earth-electrode “antenna” with the HF /VHF antennas with strapped feeders tuned against mains earth. In the latter case I resonate the antenna with a 110mm diameter coil with many taps.

One end of the earth-electrode is tied to mains earth. The “far” earth is a 1m long earth rod driven into the soil. The connection to the far electrode is 32 x 0.16mm PVC covered wire running along the fence at a height of about 2m. This wire dog-legs and is about 15m long. The spacing between the “far” electrode and mains ground in the shack is about 12m max. At the old QTH the baseline was more like 20m.

I think the earth-electrode antenna acts a bit like a loop so best results tend to be in the line of the loop. It also means there is not a huge difference between the two systems. You could say they are both equally bad, but the earth-electrode system needs no matching coil. I have optimised the resistive match using a 3C90 toroid (step up) between the transverter and earth-electrode antenna. At the old QTH it looked close to 50 ohms so the toroid was not needed.

When fitter, I’d like to try an earth-electrode system with a much bigger baseline.

There is no doubt that my 472kHz antennas can be much improved. The question is, “how seriously do I want to try?”

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

This looks like a design by Michael Rainey AA1TJ, but this one was on a German blog site of Peter DL3PB. I was very annoyed by the Facebook pop-up that kept appearing. I kept closing the pop-up but it is really annoying. Website owner – PLEASE get rid of it!

See http://streampowers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/para-saki-qrp-transceiver-fact-diodes.html .

The design makes extensive use of tunnel diodes, a Michael Rainey favourite.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

The man behind the Linear Amp Peter Rodmell G3ZRS founder of Linear Amp UK  has published a book.

• Everything you need to know about Valve Amplifiers
• History of Valves
• Classic Valve Amplifiers
• Fault finding
• How to make amplifiers for HF and VHF
• ATU's and Tuners

 http://www.thedxshop.com/books/amplifiers-by-peter-rodmell-g3zrs.html

I have also seen it being sold on ebay too.

Update (16.10.14) RSGB have stock:  http://www.rsgbshop.org/cgi-bin/sh000088.pl?WD=amplifiers&PN=Online_Catalogue_Technical_6.html#a1443
Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

If you have joined this Blog site in the last few days, please note I have unlinked it from my Google+ account, so please join again via the Followers link  top right of this msg

If your new to reading this Blog, again please use the Followers link, it would be appreciated to know who is reading it..

Thanks!

73

G1KQH



Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

I wrote, produced, and recorded Cornbread Road, a ham radio mystery series in 2010 when it was released one episode per week for thirteen weeks. After a successful run, I removed the files from the server as I never intended it to be continuously available.

But ever since then I have made the thirteen audio files available once a year for a limited run — for those who might have missed it. The audio series is available again right now, but only until the end of the month. On Halloween I’ll pull down the files until next year. Download them now or wait until next year.

It’s all fun, fiction and unlike any ham radio story you’ve ever heard told.

Filed under: Ham Radio Tagged: audio

Jeff Davis, KE9V, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Indiana, USA.

These are the three basic steps to getting your USA amateur (ham) radio license: 1) Learn the Material 2) Take Practice Exams and 3) Pass the Real Exam.

This article is very short and to the point, for a more detailed explanation see Stu’s article over at HamRadioSchool.com.

1. Learn The Material

The entry level ham radio license is the Technician License, so you’ll need to get a book that covers the theory, regulations and operating procedures required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). My recommendation is the Technician License Course over at HamRadioSchool.com, which offers an integrated learning system (web, book and smartphone app).

While you can learn the material on your own, many people find classroom instruction to be very helpful. Check the ARRL web site for courses in your area or just do an internet search for “ham radio license class” and your location.

2. Take Practice Exams

The question pool for the Technician Level Exam is made public, so you have access to every possible question that will be on the exam. Better yet, various organizations have created online practice exams so you can test yourself in advance. After you study the material, take these practice exams to test your knowledge. Go back and study any topics you are having trouble with on the exam. A passing grade is 74%, so you’ll want to be consistently above that before trying the real exam.

These are a few of the available online practice exams: qrz.com, eham.net and aa9pw.

3. Pass the Real Exam

The FCC exams are administered by radio hams known as Volunteer Examiners (VEs), so the exam session is sometimes called a VE session. In most areas, there are exam sessions given on a regular basis. Check the ARRL web site to find a license exam session in your area.

Be sure to follow the instructions of the local VE team, since policies and procedures do vary. If you’ve studied the material and checked your knowledge by taking the practice exams, you should have no problem passing the Technician level exam.

4. One More Thing

Actually, there is one more step to this process. Getting the required FCC license is just the start, a learners permit for amateur radio. You’ll need to get on the air and gain some practical experience. It is extremely helpful to have some help during this process, so I highly recommend that you connect up with a local ham radio club. If you can’t find a club then perhaps make contact with a local ham or two.

There are many hams out there that are willing to help. However, it may be a challenge to find one. You can always drop me an email and I will try to assist.

73, Bob K0NR

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].