Hi gang,
It is Tuesday and we all try to get on the 222 MHz band for an evening
of fun. Don't forget. The more the merrier. It is heartening to see
activity springing up in other areas of the country. For those who have
not had the pleasure of being on 222 MHz recently, the evening is a
cross between the 222 MHz Sprint and a family reunion! At the same
time, you will hear rapid fire QSOs, and some very long-winded ragchews
among old friends. As more people decide to get on the band, the
enjoyment factor goes up exponentially.
I will be missing the May 31 Tuesday night activities in two weeks. I
will be traveling, so cannot make it. I am in the process of a 222
shack rebuild. The big change is swapping out the tower mounted preamp
box for a bigger one. That will be happening when I get back home on
June 4th. I also decided to bite the bullet and phase lock my
transverter as a steady signal is important for the digital EME modes.
My current transverter is a DEMI unit with a 25 watt hybrid amp inside
the case. The crystal has a heater on it that keeps the crystal at just
under 100 degrees F. The LO settles down in about a minute or two and is
quite stable until the ambient inside air goes up over 100 degrees F.
My solution was to encase the crystal in styrofoam to slow down the heat
transfer within the box, and then add a small fan on the heat sink to
keep the temps under 100 degrees F. It works great and my drift is now
negligible, but I do want to get my station into the 21st century, so a
new setup is in the cards.
So the plan is to show up on 222.100 +/- after supper and activity goes
on up to about 0200 UT on the East Coast. Long haul skeds are
encouraged and we all check in on the ON4KST Chat page. (144/432 Region 2)
73
Dave K1WHS
*Be There Or Be Square
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