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Reviews

Various reviews of amateur radio items

RF Patch Panel

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Having worked in Broadcast engineering for 40 or so years, I have become addicted to the use of patch panels for signal routing in complex instillations.  Patch panels allow for an almost total rewire of a work space, without even needing to move the equipment, or pull out the supporting hardware for that equipment.  In … Continue reading »

Categories: Construction, Reviews | 2 Comments

K4 Software availability

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This page contains a list of software available for the K4 and its related hardware. Continue reading »

Categories: Reviews | 10 Comments

6BTV Yearly Maintenance

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Checklist for yearly maintenance of a 6BTV antenna Continue reading »

Categories: 6BTV, Reviews, Setups | Leave a comment

Notes: tinySA

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I still want the expensive HP type of Spectrum Analyzer, but alas, I doubt I will have $40,000 bucks to throw at it.  When I saw the “tinySA”, (tiny spectrum analyzer), come to market a few months ago, and saw that R&L was selling them for $54.98, I just had to have one…  This entry is a string of notes that may help the next person along this route to get to a working, fully updated, with tools tinySA. Continue reading »

Categories: Accessories reviews, Direction Finding, Info, Notes, Quantification, RFI Mitigation, RFI Signatures, Setups, TinySA, Tools | 11 Comments

Review of DX Engineering’s 6BTV 17 Meter add on kit

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I am very happy I purchased this kit, as opposed to cheeping out and using PVC, and non Stainless Steel parts. Continue reading »

Categories: 6BTV, Antenna Reviews, Construction, DX, Info, Reviews | 3 Comments

KPA500 Input vs. Output Power

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Graphs showing input power vs output power of the Elecraft KPA500 RF Amplifier. Continue reading »

Categories: Elecraft K3, Info, Reviews | Leave a comment

Notes on tuning a Hustler 6BTV

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I thought I would share a few of my notes on tuning up a 6BTV antenna, and constructing a radial field.  I have been using a GAP Challenger DX, (review here), for the past fifteen years, unbeknownst to me, and over that time, water had been slowly seeping into the tuning harness of the antenna. Continue reading »

Categories: 6BTV, Antenna Reviews, Construction, Info | 22 Comments

Review of the Palstar AT2KD Tuner

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Over time I have had both auto tuners, and manual tuners. I have used differential tuners, and standard tuners… I always return to manual tuners, using roller inductors, and large caps every time… An auto tuner is simpler to operate, but the power levels just are not there yet for me on anything I can afford, nor have I been able to get an autotuner, (of the ones I have used), to tune to an exact 1:1, every time, on every band. It is always something like 1.x:1, I have seen as high as 1.7:1, which can cause issues with the new solid state amps, such as the ALS-1306, which I own. See the section under “Conclusions”, for more on that subject. Continue reading »

Categories: Accessories reviews, Info, Palstar AT2KD, Reviews | 4 Comments

Adding an external keypad to the K3

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The Genovation keypads have either forty eight or twenty four keys on them depending on which model you purchase. Each individual key can be programmed to send a single character, or a series of characters. Further, each key has a removable plastic cover so you can put a label under the plastic. All of this allows you to program a key, then label it, then use it to send a macro trigger to the P3. Like the P3, the Genovation also needs to be programmed in advance of use. Fortunately Genovation provides a rather nice piece of software with each keypad for just this task. Once a key is programmed, if you tap that key, the Genovation sends out the character(s) you pre-programmed into it via the USB port. This lends itself well to the function of sending macro triggers to the P3. Continue reading »

Categories: Elecraft K3, Info, K3: External Keypad, Reviews, Setups, Software information, Station | 1 Comment

I have RFI, now what– Part I, Locating it

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This allows me to verify I am working with the same RFI source. I record the audio from the FT-900, and then I can play it back into Spectrum labs, and see if it matches the RFI I am hearing at home. Once I have a match, I know without a doubt I have the same source. I then look at the map, and it becomes pretty obvious where the RFI is most of the time. I next start running the frequency up as high as possible and still hear the RFI. I then grab a Google Map of a smaller area, around where the signal is strongest, and do the drive around again. I repeat this process moving ever higher in frequency. Continue reading »

Categories: ARRL, Direction Finding, DX, I have RFI: Series, Info, Legal Actions, MFJ: MFJ-856, Quantification, Reviews, RFI Mitigation, Setups, Software information, Station, W8VVV: S-meter Lite | 2 Comments