A useful addition to the kit required for portable HF Operating

Dunelm Mill ~ Ashford, Kent

A nice folding table for operating portable HF ~ plus holding a mug of coffee & a logbook. Not bad for £5 :-)

I already have a folding chair ;-)

73 de John

Getting everything ready for portable HF operating ~ Part 2

Vertical Aerial

The Prowhip vertical aerial that I use is based on a fibreglass fishing pole which is less than 1.3m collapsed and 9m extended. Link HERE.

The aerial wire, shown here in red, travels up the fibreglass pole as you extend it to its fullest length. The wire is captured at the tip end, so no threading required!

At the bottom of the aerial you can see an UNUN ~ which allows an unbalanced piece of wire, as shown here in red, to join with a length of 50 Ohm coaxial cable to the radio, without the signal from the radio feeding straight back & frying it. This way, the aerial can be electrically tuned ('cut' to length electrically) using an aerial tuner ~ allowing the maximum signal to get out into the ether and around the globe :-)

Here, at another location from my own, you can see the vertical aerial fully extended ~ 9m ~ mounted on the aluminium post (shown behind the aerial in the photo just above this one). The coaxial cable feeds from the bottom of the UNUN to the rear of the radio.

Yesterday, at this location, I was able to tune the radio on all the HF ('Shortwave Bands' = High Frequency) bands that we can use, including the additional 6m band (50MHz) that we have access to here in the UK.

Stations worked included one in the Azores on the 20m (14MHz) band, which was not particularly 'alive' as conditions were electrically noisy (recent Solar Flares).

I am very happy with this aerial & await using it further this Summer :-)

Yaesu FT-450D HF Transceiver

This is the transceiver that I intend to use whilst out and about working HF portable. It is a very good (smallish) size, whilst maintaining good ergonomics, power and facilities. The internal tuner works very well with the vertical aerial mentioned in part 1.

I will be writing more about this little gem another time.

That's it for now :-)

73 de John G0GCQ

Getting everything ready for portable HF operating ~ Part 1

Solar Power Kit

The 40W @ 12V solar power kit arrived today ~ actually, the Post Office tried to deliver it yesterday but we were out in Canterbury. That means it could have arrived within 24 hours of ordering the kit! It was very well packaged and arrived safely.

The standard USB memory stick is on the floor to give you a sense of scale.

The whole system folds up into a case & the panels themselves are protected by the external case that the whole unit slides into. It is a very well made case ~ soft on the inside with some protection to the outside. The handle, attached to the panels' aluminium frame, is very substantial and secure.

The solar panels are hinged together and can be angled to suit the external conditions of the day.

The rear of the panels shows the voltage regulator, also limiting the power generated to 10 Amps, and the cable/clips to attach to the leisure battery (not shown). You can also see, at either end of the panels, the adjustable legs that support the unit to point effectively towards the sun ~ for maximum power generation.

I haven't tried the unit outside yet, so I have not checked that it is able to work effectively in daylight/sunlight ~ not the best day today, as we have had some fine mist/drizzle so far!

That's Part 1 :-)

73 (morse code for 'Best Wishes') de John

Callsign: G0GCQ

Prowhip Vertical HF Portable Aerial

https://www.prowhipantennas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=54&virtuemart_category_id=6

Using the lower radio bands ('Shortwave Bands') from a portable location takes some planning. You obviously need a radio, but you also need a lightweight, easy to erect and take down, portable and efficient aerial. That aerial also needs to be able to electrically tune to the several 'bands' that we Radio Amateurs use.

I could have made a similar aerial but, after much research, I found that I would not be saving any money & the 9m vertical aerial from Prowhip is tried and tested.

I shall be posting some photos later and give you a 'user's view' of how well the aerial works - although, on first testing, it seems to be very efficient & effective.

73 de John

Long Time No Post

Crumbs! I forgot I had this blog!

Luckily, as I am about to start High Frequency (HF) mobile working as a Radio Amateur, I can use this blog as a record of my experiences ☺

I have recently joined the Worked All Britain Award Group, where I will be working HF ('Shortwave Bands') from different locations in Kent & Sussex, trying to cover as many 'squares', based on the Ordnance Survey mapping system in the UK, as I can. Some of them are quite rare - as nobody usually lives there or they are very difficult to reach.

I intend to start blogging about the equipment I will be using: the radio, the aerial, the power source and the solar power kit. I will be taking photos and videos  to show you how I get on.

Until then - Best 73 de G0GCQ

Redesigned the Shack

The Shack is the name given to a Radio Amateur Operating Room.

The trouble with any working environment is that, after a few years, they get cluttered and disorganised.  In the end you just don't have an efficient working 'hobby' area.  That, dear reader, is what happened to me!  So it was time for a grand 'sort-out' and rationalisation.

So, starting from the left and working round in a clockwise direction, here is a glimpse of the shack as it is now organised:

Hand-held radios charging on the left ~ next to the Raid 2Tb Back-up NAS server. Spider-man is sitting on the main PSK/other data modes computer, next to FM radios for 2m / 70cm / 6m bands.

To the right of the picture you can see my 6m 100W amplifier, with the 6m rig to the right (underneath) & with the scanner on top of that (Marine & Airband). On top of that is an eePC Netbook on qrz.com ~ for quick checks on who I am talking to worldwide.

Another view of the end of the shack. Note that the aerial cables have yet to be pinned back into position. Linux computer for surfing, etc., to the right of picture.

Between both screens is the main HF Radio & Aerial tuner (underneath). Main radio power supply is fixed on top of the dual-boot Linux & Windows 7 PC.

Top shelf shows DC Power Distribution System, 'drop-in' for SATA Hard Drives, 2m / 70cms / 4m FM radios, White BT Broadband Phone on top of aerial rotator. Handheld radios stored on right hand side. You can see through to my office PC.

Various hand-held radios & portable scanner stored. Through archway you can see my office PC running Windows 7 only.

Quad machine with 6GB of memory ~ keeps me going! Network colour laser printer just out of shot to the right of picture.

So there you have it!  A much better shack to use ~ with everything at my fingertips.

Now all I need to do is to sort out the music and video server on the other side of the house!  That's another blog for the future.

Winterising Aerials For The Harsh Weather Ahead

John (M1FEL) and I, a week ago, were taking down the main aerial pole in order to re-attach the full-size Windom HF Aerial ~ as the rope had finally perished.  It was last checked a year ago!

The main HF Windom attaches to the pole seen on the right-hand side

I took the opportunity to winterise the folded 4m band (70MHz) dipole, which you can see reaching out to the left of the main HF pole, to make sure that the internal balun would not see any ingress of water.  All the connections were great from last year but, to make sure, I replaced the rubberised self-amalgamating tape and cable ties.  At the same time, I attached a stainless steel 'Discone' aerial on top of the main HF pole.  Now I can hear the controller (and not just the aircraft overhead) at Lydd Airport & also at Laschenden (Headcorn) aerodrome.  Great improvement!


If you notice, there are other poles sticking up above the small flat roof that my wife & I have.  Looking at the white fibreglass aerial 'nearest' the TV aerial on the chimney, you can see my main 2m (145MHz) & 70cms (433MHz) aerial: 

X510HDN Base Antenna
Specifications:
Band:	2m/70cm
Element Phasing:	3-5/8l/8-5/8l
Gain (dB):	8.3/11.7
Watts:	330 (2m) / 250 (70cm)
Connector:	Type-N
Weight:	5 lbs.
Length:	17.2'
Max Wind Resistance:	90 MPH

It is really an effective aerial and the coverage is phenomenal from up here!  I am really pleased with this.

X510HDN Base Antenna is the white 'stick' on the right hand side.

The pole to the left of the X510HDN holds a 10m (28>29MHz) fibreglass aerial for DX and Ground Wave working.  When conditions are right, I use this aerial for 10m FM DX (long distance) contacts.  Very efficient, with no measurable reflective power ~ so all power from the radio is effectively radiated from the aerial itself.  All feeder cable to my aerials are 'top-notch' military UHF (Ultra High Frequency) 'spec' ~ which is overkill for the 10m band, but there is minimal loss through the cable!

Finally, the pole on the left-hand side of the photo above shows a 3-element 6m (50MHz) horizontal beam, on top of a rotator, allowing me to turn the aerial to face DX stations around the World.  Above it is a V2000A Tri-band Base Antenna:

Specifications:
Bands:	6m/2m/70cm
Frequency (MHz):	52-54/144-148/440-450
Gain:	2.15dBi/6.2dB/8.4dB
Impedance (nominal):	50W
VSWR:	1.5:1 (typical)
Power Rating:	150 watts
Element Phasing:	1/2l/2-5/8l/4-5/8l
Max Wind Rating:	112 m.p.h.
Mast Dia. Acceptance:	1.2 to 2.4 inches
Length/Weight	8.3 ft./2.6 lbs.
Connector:	SO-239 Female

This, again, is a very efficient aerial ~ one that I use for 'local' nattering on 6m / 2m / 70cms!

Hanging just this side of the Kent Cobnut Tree is the white centre balun of the HF Windom Aerial.

The other end of the Windom aerial is held aloft by the use of an ex-military high-grade aluminium telescopic mast.

The telescopic pole can be seen extended just beyond the white reclining seat.

You can see the radiating element, the vertical cable running down from the large white balun held aloft, running towards the pump house and then into the main property.  High-grade coaxial cable, again, but the distance from the 'Shack' (Radio Room) to the main feed point is only 30 feet. Nothing for the HF ('Short Wave') bands!


So there we have it!  Ready for the Winter ahead!  Here's hoping for some choice contacts on the Amateur Radio bands.