Difference between revisions of "User talk:W0DBW"
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Standalone Antenna Analyzer | Standalone Antenna Analyzer | ||
* AW07A HF/VHF/UHF sold under SainSonic and Feature Tech - $220 new w free shipping - also known as SainSonic RA-07A | * AW07A HF/VHF/UHF sold under SainSonic and Feature Tech - $220 new w free shipping - also known as SainSonic RA-07A | ||
| + | * Comet CAA-500MARKII Antenna Analyzer ($389.95) 1.8-500 MHz, LCD Color Screen, Dial Tune Knob, UHF & Type-N Connector, 8-16 V, Each | ||
Additional Information | Additional Information | ||
Revision as of 18:41, 18 November 2015
Contents
- 1 articles to read
- 2 My new CLICK ME banner
- 3 USED MARKET PRICE WATCH
- 4 NISSEI RS-502
- 5 MFJ-874
- 6 Diamond SX-400
- 7 Merchants
- 8 club equipment
- 9 Drake TR-7
- 10 Software Defined Radio (SDR)
- 11 GMSK(digital)
- 12 Purchase Consideration
- 13 Technician Class on HF below 50MHz
- 14 Plattsmouth Police and Trunktracking
- 15 antenna height calculator
- 16 antenna analyzer
- 17 Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500
- 18 My Kenwood Part 90 Radios
- 19 Coaxial Cable Index
- 20 RG8, RG8X, RG58U
- 21 Microreader
- 22 MFJ Tuners
articles to read
My new CLICK ME banner
USED MARKET PRICE WATCH
$336 2015 Alinco DX-70T Used fair condition $390 2015 Alinco DX-70T Used excellent condition $391 2014 Alinco DX-70T Used excellent condition
$150 2014 Drake TR-7 Used fair condition $366 2015 Drake TR-7 Used fair condition $400 2014 Drake TR-7 Used good condition $430 2015 Drake TR-7 Used excellent condition
$425 2015 ICOM IC-718 HF Used excellent condition $435 2015 ICOM IC-718 HF Used excellent condition $485 2015 ICOM IC-718 HF Used excellent condition $371 2015 ICOM IC-735 Used good condition $380 2015 ICOM IC-735 Used good condition $385 2015 ICOM IC-738 Used good condition $395 2015 ICOM IC-751A Used good condition
$658 2015 Kenwood TS-850SAT Used excellent condition $685 2015 Kenwood TS-850SAT Used excellent condition $615 2015 Kenwood TS-940S Used excellent condition
$340 2014 Yaesu FT 840 Used excellent condition $321 2015 Yaesu FT 8900 Quad Band Used excellent condition $610 2015 Yaesu FT 897 Used excellent condition $511 2015 Yaesu FT-990 Used good condition $575 2015 Yaesu FT-990 Used excellent condition $592 2015 Yaesu FT-990 Used excellent condition $610 2015 Yaesu FT-990 Used excellent condition $655 2015 Yaesu FT-990 Used refurbished
NISSEI RS-502
SWR/POWER METER with 5/20/200W scale 1,8-525MHz with monitoring forward power, reverse power and SWR reading.
Main features: Large meter display for ease of reading, Forward RF power readings, switchable to indicate either AVG average, power or Peak Envelope Power(PEP) for SSB and AM transmitters, Reflected RF Power readings, VSWR ratios and calibration meter, Dual connectors SO-239: 1,8-200MHz and 125-525MHz. I/O Impedance: 50 ohm, Illuminated meter.
Weight: 0,950Kgr. Dimensions: 190x85x135 mm.
MFJ-874
This looks a lot like the Nissei, however, is MFJ brand. This has one extra button to select VHF/UHF or HF.
Diamond SX-400
Diamond power meter SX-400 5w 20w 200w 400w Power and SWR Meter - The SX400 measures forward and reflected power and VSWR. Compact size makes meter useful for testing both base and mobile installations.
Special Features: Illuminated meter, Switchable r.m.s. or peak power, Measures forward, reflected & VSWR power. Dimensions 6"W x 2"H x 4"D, 2 lbs.
Specifications: 140-525 MHz at 5, 20, or 200 watts. Connector SO-239, Minimum power required to SWR test is 4 watts.
Merchants
Online merchants
- http://www.gigaparts.com/ - Gigaparts receives mostly favorable reviews.
- DX Engineering - mostly favorable. won't price match.
Many merchant reviews can be found at the eHam Company Reviews forum from other HAM operators sharing their experiences.
club equipment
Some of the equipment I was able to operate by the kind provision of our local radio club.
- Kenwood TS-450S
Drake TR-7
later model with a serial number 89xx
Software Defined Radio (SDR)
- SoftRock RXTX 30-20-17 meter SDR transceiver QRP
- SoftRock RXTX 15-12-10 meter SDR transceiver QRP
GMSK(digital)
Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying or Gaussian filtered Minimum Shift Keying, GMSK, the form of modulation with no phase discontinuities used to provide data transmission with efficient spectrum usage.
- Icom ID-800H Digital Dual Band Mobile Transceiver with D-Star
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
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.
Technician Class on HF below 50MHz
SSB (Single Sideband)
- 10-meters 28.300 – 28.500
CW Morse Code
- 80-meters 3.525 – 3.600
- 40-meters 7.025 – 7.125
- 15-meters 21.025 – 21.200
- 10-meters 28.000 – 28.500
Plattsmouth Police and Trunktracking
Frequency License Type Tone Alpha Tag Description Mode Tag ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 853.30000 WQET706 RM 156.7 PL CassSoNEDisp Sheriff - Plattsmouth Tower FMN Law Dispatch 853.87500 WQET706 RM 048 NAC CassSoSEDisp Sheriff - Murray Tower P25 Law Dispatch 39.68000 WZC542 M CassSo C2C Sheriff Car to Car FM Law Talk 153.89000 BM 123.0 PL Cass Co Jail Cass County Jail FMN Corrections 154.38500 WNXN466 RM 114.8 PL Cass Co Fire County Fire Dispatch FMN Fire Dispatch 151.10000 KIZ260 RM 110.9 PL CassCoRoads1 Highway Dept. 1 FM Public Works 151.10000 KIZ260 RM 465 DPL CassCoRoads2 Highway Dept. 2 FM Public Works 851.40000 WQET706 RM 156.7 PL Platts PD-A Police - Analog FMN Law Dispatch 851.40000 WQET706 RM 048 NAC Platts PD-D Police - Digtial P25 Law Dispatch 39.76000 KSQ696 M PlattsPD-Car Police 4 - Car to Car FMN Law Talk 155.49000 KSQ696 BM 107.2 PL PlattsPD-VHF Police FM Law Dispatch 159.25500 WPSF346 RM 606 DPL Platts FD 1 Fire Dispatch FMN Fire Dispatch 153.92000 WPSF346 M 565 DPL Platts FD 2 Fire TAC 1 FMN Fire-Tac 158.88000 WPSF346 M 654 DPL Platts FD 3 Fire TAC 2 FMN Fire-Tac ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
antenna height calculator
- http://www.csgnetwork.com/antennagenericfreqlencalc.html
- http://www.csgnetwork.com/antennaevcalc.html
- https://www.easycalculation.com/physics/electromagnetism/antenna-wavelength.php
antenna analyzer
Software Antenna Analyzer
- MAX6 - 1 MHz up to 500 MHz, Get the 8 button version
- W4RT miniVNA / mini Radio Solutions miniVNA - 0.1 to 180 MHz, USB to PC ($400)
- Timewave TZ-900s
Standalone Antenna Analyzer
- AW07A HF/VHF/UHF sold under SainSonic and Feature Tech - $220 new w free shipping - also known as SainSonic RA-07A
- Comet CAA-500MARKII Antenna Analyzer ($389.95) 1.8-500 MHz, LCD Color Screen, Dial Tune Knob, UHF & Type-N Connector, 8-16 V, Each
Additional Information
Look for hf vhf uhf antenna analyzer
Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500
I own a 100w model Clear Channel AR-3500. They were available in a lower 30w version (I think) and a more powerful 100w version. The 100w version has massive heatsink fins on the rear with the longest two on both ends. It is easy to tell them apart. I have been thinking about selling it as I no longer do much on 10-meter. I've been watching prices to get an idea of what I would want for mine if I decide to sell it.
CLEAR CHANNEL RANGER AR-3500 100W MODEL USED PRICES
$233 2015 Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500 Used fair condition $255 2015 Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500 Used good condition $289 2015 Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500 Used fair condition $332 2015 Clear Channel Ranger AR-3500 Used good condition
My Kenwood Part 90 Radios
Kenwood TK 880H
- Frequency: UHF
- Band: 450-490 Mhz
- Power: 40 Watts
- Channels: 600
- Narrow Band: Yes
Kenwood TK 380
- UHF TK-380K 512 Channel Radio (w/Version 2.0 Firmware)
- High Capacity Battery - NEW (NiCd, 1500 mAh, KNB-17 Compatable)
- Desk Top Charger (KSC-15)
- Standard Antenna (UHF Low Profile Helical - KRA-27M)
- Spring Action Belt Clip (KBH-10)
Coaxial Cable Index
RG-59 or RG-6 should not be used for ham (75ohm TV)
RG-58 (CB cable) has a high loss factor in VHF and UHF frequencies, so it really only is useful in runs less than 50 feet for frequencies above 100 MHz, and 20 feet for frequencies above 400 MHz.
RG-8U is great for 50-75 foot runs in the VHF/UHF range.
UR67 or RG213 for 70cm.
LMR-400, Belden 9913 for 100 feet + in 70cm amateur radio, or GMRS.
RG8, RG8X, RG58U
RG58U
- more flexible
- lower cost
- good for short runs with mobile installations
RG8
- less loss on long runs 50ft - 100ft
- thicker and less flexible
RG8X (mini foam)
- smaller than RG8 with less loss than RG58U
- still not as good as RG8
Microreader
decodes cw and displays text. listen to cw without knowing Morris code.
- ERA Microreader MKII CW Decoder - a stand alone solid state cw decoder circa 1980s that works well.
MFJ Tuners
- MFJ-906 - 6m tuner
- MFJ MFJ-921 - 2m/1.25m tuner
