I'm currently copying this guy on FT8:
Mikalai Makeichyk, D2UY
0111 Cabinda
Angola
From the Left coast
Using a 5' alligator jumper wire as an antenna
On a $69 radio that’s the size of a pack of unfiltered Camels, which I built from a kit.
Fucking fabulous. I'd almost forgotten how much fun ham radio can be.
After six and a half years, K6BSO is back on the air, baby! (Well, almost. I can't transmit until I get a better antenna set-up, but that's coming)
Last edited by NQ6U; 04-27-2023 at 07:58 PM.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
My interest has ebbs and flows too. Nice to see you enjoying again.
I can imagine that you could easily set up a bad ass system on the salt water. Kewl.
Like that post was...
Moving on, my posts are not helpful
Radio is fun, keep up the good work
"If the Republicans will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop
telling the truth about them." - Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)
“I’m not liberal/conservative, I’m anti-idiotarian.”
At some point in the last 20 years, the left moved to the center, and the right moved into a mental institution
I had similar fun many years ago with a junker HW-8 which I got from a friend/fellow ham. Bad transistor in the front end. I added an S meter, variable bandwidth audio filter and RIT to the thing. For a period in the mid to late 80s it was my ONLY ham rig and I made a bunch of contacts with it.
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
Yeah I go through phases. A few years hot and heavy hammin, then a year or two break, then back at it.
"Don't put it on the plate if you can't eat it!"
My absence from ham radio wasn't entirely by choice. I was pretty much forced to take a hiatus when I was given an unacceptable ultimatum by my ex-wife back in ’16 and I ended up buying a sailboat and living aboard. Sailing pretty much occupied all my free time since then and I still spend a lot of time on the water but lately my interest in ham radio has come sneaking back.
The thing that got me to finally make the jump was a review of the QRP Labs CDX in a recent QST magazine that my cross-dock neighbor Ed, AI6MH, gave me. $69 for a radio that doesn't take up much space (always at a premium on a boat) or use much power (only 30A of AC shore power available for the entire boat) and with only 5W RF out, I don't have to worry about irradiating my neighbors or causing interference with their electronics.
I ordered some toroid cores to make a balun for an end-fed wire today and Ella has already helped me figure out how we can run a counterpoise from the chain locker to the lazarette. I'll be back on the air soon.
Last edited by NQ6U; 05-01-2023 at 07:26 PM.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
I just looked at those kits.
Interesting because the 6-band version includes 11M...
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
Fun to build. Easy, too, as long as you don't mind winding toroid inductors.There are eight of them, including tapped and bifilar ones. All through-hole components, the SMT stuff comes pre-soldered.Originally Posted by N8YX
Yeah, I noticed that and thought it was weird, but I guess it's a ham band some places.Interesting because the 6-band version includes 11M...
Last edited by NQ6U; 05-01-2023 at 07:30 PM.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
Go to pskreporter.info and select the "11M" band from the pull-down..."Show received from all". You'll find EU and APAC stations using RS8CALL and another mode that's prohibited for U.S. amateurs. It's their Class D service. Not an amateur band.
Both of those kits together plus a QRP auto-tuner and laptop would make for a very cool portable/FD setup. On of my area buddies does FT8 POTA every day at lunch and this transceiver would be ideal for that purpose.
Side note: Another RAY-152 just got posted on the auction site. If it had the RS-232 board I'd probably jump on the rig.
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
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