Got a few FT8 on 6M tonight

 Got a few FT8 contacts on 6M tonight. Not a lot of activity, but enough to be happy with.

Yaesu FT-991A at 30W, Comet CP-15 tri-band vertical at 40FT

See my logbook at bottom of this page...

73,

Worked a few on Saturday during the contest... FT8

 Managed quite a few Foreign stations on 6M and 20M FT8 on Saturday during the contest. View my log at the bottom of the page.

73,

W2RWL

It feels good to be back in the saddle with POTA!!!

 Had great fun today at K-8299 (Old Erie Canal State Historical Site) in Dewitt, NY... I had 18 total contacts, including 2 park to parks and an Azores station...

Equipment was:

Yaesu FT-991A off a 20AH Bioeno LifePo battery box

MP-1 Super antenna on a camera tripod with counterpoise and Titanium whip. Used MFJ antenna analyzer to tune, then used onboard tuner for fine tune... 100Watts on 40 and 20M SSB.

Bob-W2RWL and Jim N2MGU

73,

Back on HF ... Somewhat....

 Well, I got the wire back into the trees, but it appears to be too short. I thought it was 31 feet long, but I may be wrong. It tunes 18 Meters on up to 6 meters, but will not do 20 and lower. made my first ever 12 meter contact to Texas this afternoon...Need to get back out there Thursday hopefully and fix things. Also need to go to the park with the 8-band vertical and at least tune it up. Then I can take it back apart and store it until I can figure out how to get it in the air.

73,

Robert - W2RWL

The things you learn

 Well, the things you learn when doing something new. it was a very sunny bright day when we went portable to the Camillus Forest Unique area down off of 173 and Thompson Rd. The first thing I learned is be prepared for anything. This means bring sunscreen, snacks, drinks, etc. Luckily, we had plenty to drink and eat. I got bad sunburn that is STILL pealing. Not much pain, but I burned a few outer layers of skin.

  Although I got reports that I was being heard on 40M LSB, I had suck a loud noise floor (S5-S7), I could not make out anyone returning my calls. I was told that Inverting Solar Generators put out a lot of hash. Will have to do some research to see if there is a simple fix.

  Other than that, We need to get a 10'x10' canopy with some tarps for sides in case of rain and to shield from the bright sunlight.

  We will try to get out somewhere a few more times before the snow flies. Hope to hear you while we are portable...

73!

W2SYR

W2RWL

N2MGU

Camillus Forest Unique Area (K5155) activation

 Well, Jim N2MGU and I (W2RWL), are planning to activate POTA site K-5155 (Camillus Forest Unique Area) on Monday August 31.

The weather is finally cooling off, and we have all the time in the world now. This area is easy to get to, but has not been activated that much.

Will be using Solar Generator power with the FT-991A and FT-857D. Antennas will be the Buddipole Deluxe, MP-1 full kit, and a MFJ-2389 8 band vertical.

Callsign will be W2SYR, W2RWL, N2MGU

We will be listening on 147.670 and 444.000 also.

Wish us luck!

73!

Interfacing the Icom IC-7300 to the Ameritron Tube Amps

 INTERFACING THE IC-7300 TO AMERITRON TUBE AMPLIFIERS*:

 

Unless you purchased the expensive QSK-5 PIN-Diode option for your Ameritron amplifier, you must make two timing adjustments to the 7300 before it will work properly with these amps, especially if you work CW or digital modes.

With its default settings, in CW mode the 7300 begins sending RF to the Amp faster than the Amp’s slow open-frame T/R relay can switch to TX.

 

You must change:  TX Delay*  and  CW VOX Delay** (hang-time).

 

TX Delay is adjusted in the software menu and should be set to 25 mS. 

This is a one-time adjustment and need not be touched again after setting.

Press:  Menu/Set/Function . . . then scroll using Multi-Knob to “TX Delay”.  Select TX Delay (touch-screen), then choose “HF”.  Adjust for 25 mS.

 

CW VOX Delay is adjusted by pushing the VOX/BK-IN button on the front panel for at least one second.  When the menu opens, adjust the hang-time (using Multi Knob) for at least 1/4 second of hang.  This is done by trial and error while listening to the last dit or dah completing, and then waiting for the radio to return to RX.  Adjust to suit your preference.  You may change this parameter often, depending on how you are operating…and of course on the speed you are sending CW.  Thus this adjustment is a front-panel adjustment.

Note:  if you have it adjusted too short, the amp’s relay will attempt to follow the CW keying and the CLACKETY-CLACK-CLACK noise it makes will wake the dead.

 

*TX DELAY defines the time that the 7300 will wait after the first dit (or dah) begins, before transmitting RF.  The wait is necessary to allow time for the amp’s slow T/R relay to switch.  If you don’t set this properly, you will have hot switching. 

 

You won’t notice any negative affect of hot switching for at least a year, but eventually the amp’s relay will begin to stick.  You notice this when you cease transmitting and find that the receiver fails to receive anything, or if anything, then much weaker than it should be.  This is due to burnt contacts on the relay.

 

The constant arcing of the relay over a longer period of time causes a build-up of black crud (carbon ?) on the relay contacts, which inserts a resistance between the contacts.  Worse yet, it may even cause the relay contacts to pit.

 

**CW VOX Delay adjusts the length of time that the amp’s relay remains in the TX position, before releasing and returning to RX.  When contesting at higher speeds, say 30 wpm and higher, I set this relatively short (perhaps ¼ second) so that I don’t miss the first part of the QSO partner’s response.  In daily use (normal QSO), I set it to about one second to reduce relay chatter.  This makes it less hectic and I maintain my sanity.

 

I’ve owned 4 Ameritron amplifiers and have been using them for over 30 years.  I am very familiar with what happens with them when you fail to adjust the timing properly.

I often see new owners of Ameritron Amps respond with “works fine for me as is”.         Each time I tell the OM, “wait about a year.”

 

*CAUTION:  AMERITRON claims their Amp's use a very fast T/R relay that switches in just 15 milliseconds.  NONSENSE!  These relays have an average switching time of about 20 ms and in some cases (worst case) need 22 ms to switch and settle.  Thus a TX-Delay of 25 ms is required.

15 ms is the 'raw spec' of the relay, measured when switched just one time.  It does not include settling time (1 to 2 ms), nor the delay caused by the reverse-biased diode (1 to 2 ms).  In addition, when the relay is trying to follow CW keying, it is even slower!  

 

Hope this helps someone,

73!