Revision as of 22:03, 31 July 2015

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Working Inventory

Transceivers I have collected and used over the years are listed here. I am trying to locate the ones I stored away. Since I have renewed my interest in radio communication after many years (late 80s early 90s) I have started buying here and there again. My radio hobby has to be on a budget so don't expect any super-mega-digital-all-crazy $$$ rigs in this collection.

Working Inventory: HF

• Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500 - In storage. Hand-me-down from a family member. I like my President HR2510 better although this AR3500 is the 100 watt model so it is more powerful. It does have power! This radio is in unknown condition. I haven't powered it up in over 20 years.

Some of these radios have been stored for many years at my parents. This one is still boxed away.

• Uniden President HR2510 - Working however since it hasn't been used much in a couple decades I think it is a bit out of tune. The SWR meter on it never seemed to work well. I used to thump the signal display to get it to register. I have worked this radio a lot and made many contacts. In 1990 I was able to make regular contacts in the UK. Used with the Hy Gain Penetrator antenna, which has to be shorted a bit for 10-meter operation, and during the right solar activity, this radio is great for making long distant contacts on HF band. Here is what it looks like:

When I get this back on a good antenna I plan to make some contacts before this sunspot cycle dries up. I will eventually put a log here. This is my only working HF radio right now.

I also have some old amps and equipment not worth mentioning. Though, the tube AMP I have will do 800 watts.

• Yaesu Sommerkamp FT-7B - This was also a hand-me-down from a family member. It once worked, but now doesn't seem to put out any power, low output problem. I plan to take it apart and start with a good cleaning, then go from there.

Working Inventory: VHF & UHF

• TYT TH-9800 Quad Band. This radio does cover 10-meter but not with SSB so I didn't list it up there. It is strictly AM-FM mode. It is a Chinese knockoff of Yaseau. I got it for under $200 new. looks like:

The above is a stock image. I will snap a pic of it as it is hooked up in my van as soon as I clean up the way I mounted it. Right now it is held to the dash by zip ties.

• Kenwood TR-7400A - My old VHF mobile rig. I dug this out of storage but can't find where I put the microphone.

Actual pic: I hooked this up to a VHF HT antenna and a 12v PSU to see if it still worked. Even if I had the mic I wouldn't key down on this type of antenna. I was picking up conversation from a couple local repeaters. Sounded good. When I find the mic I will hook it up in my van and see if it still transmits well enough.

• Kenwood TR-8300 - tested and dead.

It was stored at my parents farm. I found it in a moldy box in an out building, rusted and wet. Total loss.

Miscellaneous HTs

• Baofeng BF-F8HP
• Tokmate UHF

Actually I have a box full of HTs mostly China made and a few old Radio Shack "Realistic" models.

==other thoughts===

HF is where it is at. You might as well upgrade from a Technician to General Class if you want to talk to someone. The VHF and UHF repeaters are plentiful and if you enjoy tuning in to hear the 10 minute CW identifier then VHF and UHF is for you, because that's all you'll hear. HAM operators are moving up to higher UHF digital, which is of no interest to me. The equipment is proprietary and expensive. I prefer to go down low, to HF where there is skip, and good DX. There's always activity on HF. However, if you are a technician class then you are restricted to a very narrow slice of 10-meter and nothing lower. 10-meter is great during the sun spot peek, but can be pretty quiet otherwise. I was able to make a 10-meter contact with my Uniden President HR2510 during the last HAM Radio Field Day.

From between 1988 - 1991 I worked 10-meter a lot, under a different call sign. I made contacts all over North America and as far as the United Kingdom. I also did Alaska. 10-meter was good during that period. Lots of solar activity. Lots of skip. 12-watts is all that was needed. I made the U.K. contact barefoot on only 12-watts with a good directional antenna.

Vintage

I collect vintage tube radios, shortwave radios, and various related. I will throw some pics up here when I get time.

For Sale

 ITEM DESCRIPTION                                           PRICE
 -----------------------------------------------------      --------

 Kenwood TS-430S - (used) ................................. $ Dead 

 Cobra 124 GTL - (used) expanded 365 channels ............. $ 350.00 --- tested, fully functional.

 Tokmate TU30 (new) Handheld UHF 400-480MHz ............... $  35.00 --- NIB, will program for you 
                                                                         at no additional cost.  
 Hy Gain Omni Directional 10 meter antenna (used) ......... sold

The Hy Gain antenna was damaged by a storm. What remains has been sold. I had a second one in storage. If I can locate it I might post it here for sale.

Cobra 142 GTL expanded for 365 channels operate 10-meter USB and LSB.

Purchase Consideration

Equipment I do not own but have been researching and in consideration for purchasing. If I make a purchase I will use and follow up with a review of the product. We like to do product reviews here.

Test Equipment

I like the roller inductor style operation of antenna tuners for HF, however, I don't need a model that handles 1.21 gigawatts! Been looking around to see if there is a less expensive version of these.

Also noticed MFJ gets a lot of negative reviews. Our club uses MFJ tuners, they seem to work.

• MFJ 969 Antenna Tuner - has roller inductor. $200 new. 6 thru 160 Meter HF Bands (1.7Mhz To 55Mhz). 300 Watts.
• MFJ-986 Antenna Tuner - roller inductor, high wattage. $330 new. 1.8 - 30 MHz, 3000 Watts

Transceivers

Kenwood TS-940S - A Solid State Classic HF Transceiver that Remains Useful

Solid state HF transceiver, radio bands from 160 to 10 meters, general coverage receiver from 150 kHz to 30 MHz, CW, SSB, AM, FSK, and narrow-band FM. 100 Watt out. value used: $550- $650

The nice thing about this radio is "no menus." Everything is controlled by manual controls on the face. It is a powerful rig with extended coverage. There is a simple "TS-940S Complete TX Coverage Modification." There's room to work inside these old rigs, easier to do mods.

ICOM IC-736 - 160 to 6 meter

Expand your horizons to 6 meters with the Icom IC-736. It also covers 30, 17 and 12 meters. This all band transceiver features a 500 kHz to 30 MHz general coverage receiver. The 736 has a built-in HF and 6 meter antenna tuner. Enjoy 5 to 100 watts full duty RF power input in SSB/CW/FM (40W AM) modes, even on 6 meters. For CW operators full and semi break-in is supported.

160-6 Meter Transceiver w/built-in tuner . Maybe in production? Absence of receive coverage from 30MHz to 45MHz. 6-meter is technically (50-54 MHz) so the gap exists in non Ham freqs. The lack of receive between 30MHz and 45MHz and the CW tuning arrangement are the most notable disadvantages.

Information on Universal-Radio Discontinued HF Transceivers including band coverage.

Icom IC-718 HF - A Modern Full Mode HF Transceiver

This one is still in production. It's straightforward easy to operate modern HF rig.

0.03-29.999999 MHz* general coverage receive capability. *Guaranteed range: 0.5-29.999999 MHz

Yaesu FT 980

The Yaesu FT-980 is a deluxe HF transceiver covering 160 to 10 meters amateur bands in SSB, CW, FM and AM Modes. This radio features two independent receiver front ends. One is for general coverage receive from 150 kHz to 29.99999 MHz and the other for the amateur bands only. Seven JFETs are employed to provide extraordinary dynamic range. Ten VCOs are used over the local signal range to secure a low carrier-to-noise ratio. A three-step attenuator is provided to deal with the very strong signals. The triple conversion design incorporates four cascaded stages of IF filtering for all modes. Twelve memory channels are available. Using push-pull MRF422 final transistors, rated at 280 watts each, the transmitter coasts along at 100 watts output. Full break-in QSK is provided for CW operation.

I'm not a fan of push button and menus. I like independent pots.

TYT TH-9800 Quad Band

TRANSCEIVER, 29/50/2M/70CM, CROSS BAND, 50 WATT - Yeah one of them there CHINA knockoffs. However, for the price this little guy does a lot. I've read quality many vary widely as is the case with this Chinese stuff. I am looking at one now that has been fully tested at a shop in the United States. They are also being sold on Amazon.com

Scanners

Antennas

2m/440 dual band needed for VHF UHF operation.

mobile:

• Larsen NMO2/70

base station:

• J-Pole for 2-meters and 70-cm - can be built "homebrew" which I like to do.

Sun Spots

Sunspot numbers wax and wane in an approximately 11-year cycle. Solar Cycle 1 spanned the years 1755 to 1766. The last, Cycle 23, peaked in April 2000 with an average of 120 sunspots per day around the time of maximum. The last minimum part of the cycle bottomed out in December 2008, was the longest and quietest in over a century. Cycle 24 is occurring now in 1014 - 1015. Cycle 24 is a disappointing cycle. 10-meter DX depends largely on solar activity. Skip on 10-meter is active now and predicted to remain active until 2018 or shortly thereafter. It is a weak sunspot cycle, however, it is enough to provide for skip.

Cycle 24 actually peaked in 2014.

We need more sunspots! Join my campaign to lobby Washington to pass a bill that creates sunspots. Click HERE to send us your donation.

Hy Gain Penetrator

The Hy Gain Penetrator antenna designer Howell Pabian is now retired in the Lincoln, Nebraska! That's where I ordered my antennas from. A little 2-way radio shop that once existed on O Street.

Hy Gain Penetrator Facts:

• 5/8 wave ground plane antenna.
• shorten the vertical radiator for 10-meter use.

MFJ now owns the rights to Hy Gain in name.

• Penetrator P500 article from October 2009

A new version of the antenna is back in production.

• Hy-gain SPT-500 (fall in love again!)

Investigating

Equipment: Connect Systems CS750 DMR Digital/Analog Radio

Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) - The new CS750 is the first DMR-compatible radio to be designed specifically for the Ham market.

• $210

Equipment: Yaesu VX-3R VHF/UHF DualBand Handheld -vs- ZASTONE ZT-2R+

The Yaesu Receives 0.5-999Mhz AM/FMN/FMW, Transmits 144-148 & 430-450Mhz VHF/UHF FM Output is 1.5W Vhf, 1W UHF

The ZASTONE ZT-2R+ TX Frequency Ranges: 144-146 MHz 430-440 MHz (but no info on AM/FM)

Icom ICR6 Broadband Receiver

0.100 ~ 1309.995MHz in AM / FM / WFM.

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