Recent posts

#41
General Discussion / Re: How Norwegian hams helped ...
Last post by gil - April 23, 2023, 11:26:59 PM
Hello Ray :-)
Yep, there was also the case of the ship Bounty, reproduction of the original, that sailed in a hurricane off the coast of Florida years ago. Their satellite comms failed in the storm but they were able to send an email to the coast guard via Winlink! If I remember well the captain did not make it but around 14 crew were saved (can't remember this second)..
Gil.
#42
General Discussion / Re: How Norwegian hams helped ...
Last post by RadioRay - April 17, 2023, 02:13:39 PM
Right! 

Because we live waaay out in the country, we had one choice: to get internet, we got Hughes satellite internet a decade ago. We had big thunder storms several times per week and the signal droped to zero.  Seems their satellite microwave downlink does not penetrate several miles of thick, cumulo-nimbus clouds.  Scatter and absorption is a REAL problem on certain microwave frequency bands. Fortunately, since then , fiber-optic internet has come to our area  :-)  Got rid of Hughes immediately.

- de RadioRay  ..._ ._
#43
General Discussion / Re: How Norwegian hams helped ...
Last post by gil - April 11, 2023, 05:48:56 PM
Hello.
One only has to subscribe to satellite TV and wait for the first storm to know that satellites do not always work!
Gil.
#44
General Discussion / Site updated.
Last post by gil - April 11, 2023, 05:47:01 PM
Hello.
I updated the site engine to Simple Machines 2.1.3. As usual, please let me know if you notice any degradation of service or bugs. Thank you.
Gil.
#45
General Discussion / Re: Lab599 Discovery TX-500
Last post by gil - April 11, 2023, 04:35:06 PM
Hello.
I would not hesitate to get one if the BF amplifier issue has been resolved, but I do not know if it is the case..
Gil.
#46
General Discussion / Re: Lab599 Discovery TX-500
Last post by Sparks - April 10, 2023, 04:39:31 PM
Thank you, Gil. You kind of curtailed my enthusiasm as a possible buyer.

In the links I provide below I found:
QuoteLab599 is a new radio manufacturer in Rubtsovsk city in the Altai region of Russia.
QuoteTX-500 is assembled in UAE. [United Arab Emirates]
About these two places:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubtsovsk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates

16 reviews here: https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=14781
https://swling.com/blog/2020/08/lab599-discovery-tx-500-answers-to-your-questions/
https://swling.com/blog/2021/07/lab599-discovery-tx-500-uk-distributors-and-dealers/
https://lab599.eu/  >  https://pileupdx.com/product/discovery-tx-500/
#47
General Discussion / Re: Lab599 Discovery TX-500
Last post by gil - April 05, 2023, 08:09:28 PM
Hi, I tried one. It has just one weakness, the BF amplifier. Common-mode currents can fry it. At least it was the case when I tried it. I know, because I fried it and had to explain that to its owner... It is/was? a known issue. I do not know if it has been fixed in recent models...
Gil.
#48
General Discussion / Re: Off-Grid Ham Radio OH8STN ...
Last post by Sparks - March 11, 2023, 08:38:05 PM
#49
General Discussion / Re: Lab599 Discovery TX-500
Last post by Sparks - March 10, 2023, 11:09:04 PM
It's now for sale here at "HRO Discount Price" $1,149.95.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-017255

Have any of you guys any experience of this one?
#50
Morse Code / Re: QRP DX
Last post by RadioRay - March 10, 2023, 10:19:36 PM
Good question.  The comms begins with propagation first.  The easiest antenna length does no good, if the band is too high for your regional comms/NVIS.  80 meters is a real work horse for regional comms.  The great news is that stringing a 130'ish foot piece of wire at low height is easy. Remember that for local comms having the antenna up a bit over head height is a good >start<.  Any EASY elevation after that helps, but is generally not essential.  I've done a lot of outdoor/wilderness radio and mil radio opns, where a bit over head height was what was practical.  That's not good for long rages, like a thousand miles or more, but fine for regional/high take-off angle work, usually within the one-tank-of-gas-distance ( 0-350 miles,. which matters most to me.

I'd recommend either a simple dipole cut to frequency BEFORE you deploy or Gil's favorite , the End Fed Half Wave wire.  The EFHW is somewhat easier to deploy and retrieve, especially in trees.

CW DX!  Definitely,  A little wire and Morse code is amazing.  I just had a basic QSO with a fellow in Germany on forty meters using my QRP rig, maybe five Watts. and a dipole up only 30 feet. It would have been better to have the dipole at 60 feet for that long haul, but he and I talked for about 15 minutes in slow, handsent Morse/CW, so it was still working - even at QRP levels.

Please let us know how things are going for your radio excursions./

73 de RadioRay  ..._ ._