4:1 UNUN from Balun Designs

We forgot to check the mail yesterday so my son just went and got the mail and to my surprise my 4:1unun from Balun Designs came in. This was needed to be able to run the amp on the S9 vertical as the current LDG unun only can handle 200 watts. What a incredible unun ... This thing is so well built I am speechless ... I could have not done a better job myself.  So if you are looking for a balun or unun checkout  http://www.balundesigns.com and they are way cheaper than DX Engineering..... You will not be disappointed ....

Peace

Kelly

Kenwood TS-590S, Ameritron AL-80B, Palstar AT2K

I made the decision to get an amplifier so after much research and talking to many folks I purchased an Ameritron AL-80B with a Palstar AT2K tuner to match things up.  I also got the Ameritron ARB-704 relay to make connecting the amp to the 590 easier and safer for the rig.  Learning to tune the antenna on the AT2K is a breeze but I am pretty slow on tuning the amp. I have made several contacts with the new amp and tuner and all seems to be well.
The next post will be on how I tune up my antenna and amp to the TS-590.  I hope I have it correct
Until next time
Peace
Kelly
The current shack pix

Icom IC-7000 Mic Update (Icom SM-30)

Update - From my previous post I had mentioned that I had purchased a Heil Handie Mic iC.  Very Nice mic ascetically but it lacked punch to dive the 7000.  I dont know if this is an issue with all Icoms or just the 7000 but I tried till I was blue in the face with no results coming anywhere close to the stock mic.  Which is not the greatest for sure. So it was back to HRO to return the Heil and I asked to see the Icom SM-30. What a dandy little unit and I thought what the heck reviews on eham were good and whats the worst that could happen HRO would have another mic on sale as an open box.  Well as it turns out so far all is well and good on air reports on the SM-30. I really like this mic its well built and sounds great in monitor mode in both SSB and FM.
Next step is to send the stock mic off to 7000mic.com and let them do their voodoo to it and make a comparison.  Cant wait to try that one out
I hope to make some recordings and post them
Peace
Kelly

Icom IC-7000

Picked up a Icom 7000 the other day as a backup rig to my TS-2000.  I have been thinking and researching the need for a backup. After much thought and several hours @ HRO playing with all the radios I ended up deciding on the 7000. For the price and features I think I made the correct decision.  I did buy a LDG IT-100 auto tuner for it also along with a Heil HM-iC.  Currently on air reports from fellow .52 FM folks are saying that the stock mic sounds better than the Heil.  I have done the adjustments recommended on the Heil page but I still seem to be back at square one. I contacted online support from Heil and they gave me some info and told me to call Bob if I needed any further help. I plan to make that call next week.  But all in all the 7000 is a great little radio.
Peace
Kelly

Icom IC-92AD

Too long since my last post and so much stuff to write about. I picked up a new IC-92AD about 2 weeks ago with the idea to try my hand at D-Star. I have been messing around with it and have made 1 contact on the D-Star repeater so far (I haven't been trying to make any contacts either). One thing this HT has a great range it can reach other repeaters that my FT-60 could not. More to come on this as I get time to play but I have to say it is the best HT I have ever used.
Peace
Kelly

Mobile HF

So after looking at my install and messing around with the radio and antenna 2 things were very apparent. I needed a remote speaker and a real SWR meter. HRO had a MFJ-281 speaker and a LDG FT-Meter both fit the bill perfectly now I can hear my contacts and see my SWR. Guess I will see how the rest of the weeks commutes work out.  On Monday morning in rush hour traffic I had a nice 10 meter QSO with a Georgia station and  on the way home I got a solid 5/5 5/7 from ZL2WL a New Zealand station on 28.525. To me quality not quantity is cool.  OK so its off to make some new Mobile HF contacts and see what I can scare up.

Peace
Kelly

Sky Command II TS200 and the TH-D72

Just a quick note on K7PWTs Sky Command II implementation.  It took some reading and following the instructions step by step but I was able to get it up and working. One thing that I found it that I need to get a resonant antenna for all the bands I want to work via Sky Command because you cannot invoke the antenna tuner from what I can find. But if you want to work a HF net or have a scheduled QSO it works great. More to come as I figure this thing out. Let me know if you have a questions or if you have any tips for me.
Peace Kelly