4:1 UNUN from Balun Designs

If you are looking for a balun or unun checkout  http://www.balundesigns.com ..... You will not be disappointed ....

Peace

Kelly

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

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.

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

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

QSL

This week I received the best QSL ever from Masayuki  JA7BEW.  This was the 5 watt Japan contact I made on 10/23/11 ... See the picture below he sent me some cancelled Japanese stamps and a printout of the award that he is going for and needed my call sign.  Very cool, now this is what ham radio is about ....

Peace 

Kelly 

    

QRP with the FT-817

Its been a while since my last post. I need to work on posting more stuff more often .... Anyway to the fun stuff ....
I made my best contact ever on QRP (5 watts) this weekend on 28.537kHz @ 1550hrs 10/23/2011.  I had a qso with Maru / JA7BEW in Hiraizumi Iwate, Japan.  That is 5844 miles or 1168.8 miles per watt... Needless to say it made my day.  I was setting up and testing my 817 and 35.5 foot long wire antenna on a speaker stand and a 13 foot black widow fishing pole in my back yard for the upcoming cub scout camp out.  I plan on taking the rig to introduce the boys to ham radio. I sure hope 10 meters keeps going so I can show the boys.  Below are some pictures I took of the set up. 
Tech stuff 
Yaesu FT-817nd 
MFJ Travel Tuner mod MFJ-902
LDG RBA-1:1 Balun
35.5 feet Poly Stealth wire 
35.5 foot Poly Stealth counterpoise

ProLine LST2BK Speaker Stand ($40 @ Guitar Center)
Black Widow 13 foot fishing pole ( under $15 @ WalMart) 


Let me know if you have any questions 
Peace 
Kelly / k7pw

  

Home Brew Carolina Windom 40

I have been experimenting with wire antennas since I got my technician ticket in November of 2010 and it realy took off when I passed my general in Jan of 2011. I have been reading and researching trying different things and this is my latest attempt at making a wire antenna.  My idea here was to build a home brew version of the Carolina Windom 40 (http://www.radioworks.com/ccw40.html) which sells for $140 ....
Here is my parts list
100 foot roll of 14 gauge Poly Stealth wire $24 (expensive but I think its worth it) (HRO)
30 feet of RG213 $30 (HRO)
PL259 - SO239 $6 (HRO)
Insulators $3 (HRO)
Unadilla 4:1 balun $30 (HRO)
2 feet 4" corrugated drain pipe and caps $7 (sprinkler world)
Total $100
Now you could save some money by using cheaper coax than RG213 but I a chunk laying around so I didn't incur the cost on this build
I am not going to sit here and write how to build this antenna because that has been done and done again on the Internet so do a little research.  Its not rocket science ....
Here is my plan
25 foot and 41 foot horizontal radiator connected to the 4:1 balun
Create a 1:1 air choke (ugly balun) http://www.hamuniverse.com/balun.html
with a 10 foot length of coax on top side to connect to the 4:1 balun
Put it all together and your done
My Ugly Balun

The 4:1 balun

My 4:1 attached to the pole before raising

Finally one of the horizontal legs tied off to my back wall

More to come on this antenna as I test it and see how it performs. First impression seems to be a good performer even though I have in set up in less than optimal conditions (only 16 feet off the ground @ center)
Stay tuned more to come
Kelly
k7pwt