Tom and all, I believe it's a business decision. CW operators are in a minority and 160 operators are evan a larger minority. Does it justify to spend effort on features which do not have growth pote
They may not be optimized for CW operation but are they defective? I think we may have better success in getting them modified if the spurious emissions produced by the fast rise and fall times excee
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 21:56:38 -0500
I find spotting, whether the old method of getting a phone call or the new Internet based spotting networks take something away from the hobby for me. The aspect of the hobby that I enjoy the most is
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 23:53:42 -0500
I'm looking to buy a small transceiver, which will be used primarily for portable operation, but I will be using it for 160 CW during the winter months. Since I listen to utility and sw broadcast sta
Does anyone know what the electric utilities use for their wiring on utility poles? I doubt if it's pure copper or aluminum since theyare relatively soft and would stretch ot break. Copperweld has a
A complete QSO should include the exchange of callsigns and some meaningful information such as a valid signal report.. Why don't they modify the rules such that meaningful signal reports have to be
The best way of finding out if a band is open is to go on the air and listen, then give a call. Unfortunately, the only time the band is active these days is during a contest or when a rare station i
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:50:41 -0400
I like to use BNC connectors. Amphenol and other manufacturers make crimp types for RG-6. Here is an example from the Mouser catalog: <http://www.mouser.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=31-71000-RFXvi
For the life of me I don't understand why contesters don't send the actual RST. The purpose of a QSO is to extablish 2 way communications and one way to verify this is to exchange some basic informat
All, We should add K to the signal report to indicate clicks - 599k. It would add some meaning to a useless signal report since all exchanges are 599 anyway. Mike N2MS _______________________________
Jon, Was the balun core exposed to the weather? If so, maybe it got wet and absorbed some moisture. The water froze and the core expanded and cracked. Just a thought. Mike N2MS -- Original Message --
Glen, The problem with using a filter ahead of your "wideband" MFJ-259 analyzer is that the filter will transform the impedance of the load you're trying to measure. You have a better chance of measu
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:48:16 -0400
Mike, I have a MFJ-269. It's convenient for checking for a low swr but is not accurate for measuring impedances. If you want accuracy or an analyzer that performs better in the presence of strong sig
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:12:18 -0400
Rick, Telepost makes a Digital Vector Wattmeter, model LP-100A, that also measures complex impedances when you transmit. If you can get your hands on one of there you can try it. Mike N2MS -- Origina
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:24:42 -0400
Rick, 900 feet? What type of coax are you using? You could probably cancel out the coax by using a VNA like the AIM4170 of N2PKVNA and performing a OSL calibration at the antenna end. You would get l
Author: "Michael St. Angelo" <mstangelo@comcast.net>
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:22:15 -0400
Rick, I've used my LP-100 and FT-817 to measure the antenna impedance at the base of my 160 inverted L. I run both from a 12 volt battery. I've also used my N2PKVNA and Laptop but the LP-100/FT-817 c
Phil, Before I deploy my ladderline I mark one side with a nick or paint to keep track of polarity. The nick is actually a pinhole in the wide part of the insulation. 73, Mike N2MS -- Original Messag
Let me add my pet peeve. I'm not a heavy dury contester. Mu goal is not to get on the top of the leaderboard or rack up points but to get meaningful signal reports from to determine if my latest ante
Julius, I don't see any "pro" reasons for reporting a meaningless signal report. I'd prefer that they drop it or replace it with some meaningful exchange of information. Anyway, I've enjoyed the feed
All, I purchase my Fair Rite 31 cores from Mouser. They stock clamp on as well as solid cores: http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogUSD/640/937.pdf Unfortunately, the only 2.4 OD core woth a large 1.