OT: Any HAM's here?

[Fasturn]

The IC 7300 is the best entry level HF radio out there.
Could be your last, cuz they do it all very well. Congrats!

The G5RV is a love or hate antenna and not all bands as they say. Still a good cheap way to start out. Heres some info on this antenna.

https://topbandhams.com/tech-page/14...e-g5rv-antenna

Best to operate 20 meters day time and 40 / 75 meters by night. Summer is here, so condition are not the best. By November, it will get much better. We are climbing up with a new solar cycle 25. Ham radio is another sickness like machining. ( H. Had A alot of M money ) have fun !

[jbjack]

Originally KD5IRF my vanity now is W5JBA. Back in 96 I wanted a 1 by 3 General call so as to look like a general. I have considered uping to extra but I'm happy for now. I can do morse but only around 8wpm. I work HF have done some digital. I had a fire in my workshop radio equipment is OK it's in a separate room.

[Ironbearmarine]

That looks like a nice little transceiver. I've been a ham for around 9 months, but only hold a TECH license. I want to set up a proper 'shack' in the spare room, but I've hit a major case of lazy compounded by too many projects to work on. So I still need to get 10 meter rig and associated antenna(s)

Even so, I like to just monitor the airwaves with a small Yaesu FT5D. It does a nice job of scanning in several different modes. I have a LOT of repeaters in the local area.

Dan

Is 10 meters working? I think it was the 1990s you couldn’t give a ten meter rig away. Conditions were that bad. As a kid i had a two meter “ lunch box” from Heathkit from way back. Had my ham shack aboard my sailing ship, but she sank 5 years ago. Have to start over.

[Mike Burch]

Is 10 meters working? I think it was the 1990s you couldn’t give a ten meter rig away. Conditions were that bad. As a kid i had a two meter “ lunch box” from Heathkit from way back. Had my ham shack aboard my sailing ship, but she sank 5 years ago. Have to start over.

Sure is! The latest sunspot cycle has well and truly kicked in, and as a result, 10m is alive once more. It's a bit sporadic, so it's not quite back to the days of working the world with ten watts and a bit of wet string, but we're getting there.

[metalmagpie]

FYI whereas the title of this posting includes "Ham's" it should have said "Hams". The apostrophe indicates possession e.g. "the ham's enticing aroma".

[RB211]

FYI whereas the title of this posting includes "Ham's" it should have said "Hams". The apostrophe indicates possession e.g. "the ham's enticing aroma".

I didn't even notice that.
In other news, just ordered an LDG external antenna tuner. The built in tuner only does up to 3:1, the external can match up to 10:1.
I have to trim some branches down, rehang one side of my G5RV antenna. Right now only 20m is working. Of course the antenna is a 20m antenna at heart. Would like to try 6m and 10m...

[Technical Ted]

In other news, just ordered an LDG external antenna tuner. The built in tuner only does up to 3:1, the external can match up to 10:1.

Just a FYI: I used a G5RV for years and recently upgraded to a ZS6BKW which is an improved version of the original G5RV. It's a much nicer antenna with a lower noise floor and doesn't need a turner on several bands. I don't have it as high as recommended, but it still works very well. I have a LDG auto tuner I used with my G5RV, but don't even use it now.

Ted
AB2RY

[RB211]

Just a FYI: I used a G5RV for years and recently upgraded to a ZS6BKW which is an improved version of the original G5RV. It's a much nicer antenna with a lower noise floor and doesn't need a turner on several bands. I don't have it as high as recommended, but it still works very well. I have a LDG auto tuner I used with my G5RV, but don't even use it now.

Ted
AB2RY

Interesting, think I'll try that antenna at my house in Florida!

[RB211]

Ok, so I got WSJT-X working, using FT8 digital mode, working people all over the world on 20m, furthest so far was Russia, 7500 km away. This is ham radio for millennials. I don't have to talk, it's automated, back and fourth then logs it. I am partly responsible for digital modes taking over when I was testing and assembling the original Rigblaster, lol...

[The Artful Bodger]

I use a centre fed antenna whenever I can, I use a tuner and I cut the antenna legs according to the formula (length of each leg) = (space available)/2.

[aoresteen]

Extra class here W1AJO. Working Field Day this weekend. Held an Iraqi call when I deployed to Iraq YI9AJO.

[Technical Ted]

Interesting, think I'll try that antenna at my house in Florida!

The ZS6BKW is a fairly easy antenna to make, but after pricing the materials/shipping (high quality) I found that for just a few dollars more I could buy one built by an experienced maker from very quality materials.

I got this one: https://www.ni4l.com/zs6bkw-g5rv-opt...-poly-stealth/

Very well made and even though I don't have it as high as recommended, or use the 75ft minimum coax feed line (I'm much shorter at about 20ft coax) the antenna showed great swr on my MFJ antenna tuner as advertised.

No affiliation; just a very satisfied customer!

Ted
AB2RY