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Messages - gil

#2401
Technical Corner / Re: Rock-Mite 40M (7030)
April 25, 2013, 10:23:56 PM
QuoteRecieved a nice little envelope today.   Will post pics of the build as I go. Right now I have a crazy idea for a case and battery supply, I am working on that to see if it will work or not.

Excellent Joe! Keep us posted, and take photos!

Gil.
#2402
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 25, 2013, 09:30:54 PM
Quoteare you using a separate paddle for it or the one that is shown with it all the time?

I use a separate American Morse DCP paddle. I may get the KXPD3 in the future... It would certainly reduce the footprint, and more importantly, remove a wire, rendering the whole station more mobile, as in, "let's go seat over there now.."

That is one thing that bugged me while camping, a bunch of stuff connected by wires. You try to move eveything without disconnecting or turning it off, and invariably, you will accidentally hit that paddle and send a bunch of dits and dahs.. That is why I am thinking of modifying a clipboard to attach everything on it. Ray solved his problem with his custom KX1 case. I don't know if you guys saw the photo, but I think the only wire coming out of that box is the antenna coax... A regular KX1 with the attached paddle would do the same. No extra wires, except for the headphones however..

It would be great if Elecraft rebuilt the KX1 using surface-mount components, even as a kit, and added a mini speaker. My MTR is great, but you have to connect everything to it, batteries, paddle, antenna, earphones.. That's a lot of wires. A 9V battery can fit inside the case, but you don't get much power or time operating. With eight AA cells, I operated for the whole week, 26 QSOs, including a few half-hour ones.. On receive, my KX3 would have drained those batteries 4X faster. A FT-817ND, 11X faster. And yet, with the same input voltage, power output for these three radios is about the same. That is the difference...

Gil.
#2403
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 25, 2013, 07:58:44 PM
QuoteBut I wonder how rugged it is

It does seem well built, but not water-resistant at all... I ordered a Pelican 1150 case for it, on it's way.. I would not carry it in anything short of 100% waterproof in the field.

Quoteis how the filtering affects overall attenuation, or not.

Little attenuation compared to the filters on my K1 and K2 (sold).. The preamp helps on the narrower settings.

I had considered the Ft-817ND before the KX3, but being 99% CW, and already an Elecraft user, the KX3 won. For VHF HTs however, I buy Yaesu.

Gil.
#2405
QuoteHe ignored them and continued breaking the law.

Got it. If he ignored them, then so be it.

You wouldn't think a pump would generate HF in the Ham bands, but here it is... Interesting..

Makes me wonder how one could send CW using various appliances...

Gil.
#2406
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 25, 2013, 05:52:25 PM
QuoteI really like the versatility of my 817, but ya know, that KX3 is a really neat small package.

Sure is... Nice big screen and user interface too. I will get the auto tuner next. The great thing about it is the filtering down to 50Hz! Not to mention a minimum of 150mA on receive, with all options turned off...

I hear you on the Cointreau, it solves many problems in the field  ;)

Gil.
#2407
Why doesn't the FCC help the guy, who is a taxpayer, instead of fining him? Obviously, he isn't doing this on purpose...

Gil.
#2408
General Discussion / Re: New Member check in.
April 25, 2013, 11:44:57 AM
Welcome aboard Richard  :)

QuoteAdditionally I noticed a familiar name belonging to a crusty ole former pirate that will go un-named but initials are RR.

Hum, I think I may know who that is  ::)

Gil.
#2409
General Discussion / Re: Elecraft KX1
April 24, 2013, 12:38:30 PM
Welcome aboard Chris  :) You'll fit right in... As Joe says, we all have similar interests here. I practice and occasionally teach Systema martial art... Are you a pilot (given your QSL)? I am...  Good choice on the KX1. I hesitated a long time between the KX1 and the K1. The K1 won because of it's speaker, but the KX1 might have been a better choice because of the SWL. I might still build one some day. Not that I don't have enough radios  ::) but building is fun and relaxing to me. Though, I hurried too much building my K1, and that was somewhat stressful. Take your time!

Nice shooting position there on the range rifle-to-bone-to-ground  ;)

Gil.
#2410
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 24, 2013, 12:19:05 AM
QuoteWould you care to describe the contributions made by the vodka, cigars and your lady friend?

Ha! Clearly, without a female friend there, I would never had made the few-miles hike with 83Lbs of gear  ::)

I had a small bottle of Cointreau, but finished it (not alone) on day two  :( Next time I will buy a larger bottle and decant it to a light plastic (heresy!) container. The problem is the weight of the Cointreau, which of course is a liquid, vs. the weight of small cigars... How do you call that again, ah, yes, a conundrum... Anyway, everything tastes better in the woods! Little daily pleasures are important for sure when comfort  isn't really there..

The three campers, a father (British) and two older sons (Americans) saved me in the middle of the trip with the Vodka and lemonade. They might have regretted it, because I started explaining Ham radio to them after I left them and came back from my sked with Ray. Maybe the missed dits and dahs then were not entirely because of bugs  ::)

Company was nice, as a preamble to solo camping. As you can see on the photo, chicks dig Ham radio operators  8) Note that I am busy keying Morse there, not paying attention (she has a boyfriend)  ::)
Sorry, no juicy stories  :o
She knows about camping, from experience with Rainbow Gatherings every year. From what she describes, I might like attending once, just out of curiosity. Next one is in Montana.

Another item I need to get is something to sit on. All I had was a couple logs. Sitting on a log gets old really fast... Maybe just a small foam pad. Very important...

Ah, and I forgot: Soap! Unbelievable what a nice smelling soap does to you when you haven't showered for three days in 90F weather... I used the water pump nearby to wash off the grime. It smelled like sulfur, but fortunately there was the soap.. It was weird to be stark naked in the middle of nowhere pumping cold water on myself. If someone had seen me, they might have thought I was molesting that pump! Maybe some spy-satellite operators somewhere had a good laugh. Hopefully I won't end-up on Google-Earth  ;D

One more comfort thing, and this is a big one, is to be able to fend off bugs; fliers, crawlers, whatever.. Today I ordered two head-mosquito-nets. I will also get those ultralight long-sleeve shirts.. It would have made my life better. Also the previousely-mentioned mosquito-net-hammock. Insect repellent doesn't work that well, and probably isn't that great for you either anyway. I remember watching a show about a couple lost in the Amazon. The bugs literally ate them alive and drove them crazy. They made it but barely, and in pretty bad shape. So, think about insect protection, especially where ticks abound. Don't forget to pack a tube of Benadryl, you'll thank me later..!

Morale indeed is very important. A bit of comfort can make THE difference.

Gil.
#2411
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 23, 2013, 09:34:51 PM
Quote83 lbs sounds like a nice set of steel doubles on a back plate.

Well, I used double 120s and a steel plate :o which I don't think I could use today. My back would not let me anymore!

Gil.
#2412
Tactical Corner / Re: Ham Radio Camping Trip.
April 23, 2013, 09:32:46 PM
QuoteI probably missed it in the narratives before during the packing stage but how did your tent work out after living out of it for a week?

My ORC ICS tent worked well. It is small. I am 6'2'', and it is the minimum size tent I can comfortably fit in. It is 8ft. long so no problem there, but I can't sit in it. Width is 40 inches. Wide enough for me to operate my radio inside. You could fit in a skinny girlfriend, but you'd have to use the same sleeping bag  ;D Dressing or undressing in the tent is not very easy. Of course when nobody is around, no problem, you can do that outside, if the bugs let you  ::) What is missing is a mesh screen on the back door. That is a bad omission. Also missing are pockets on the inside. The tent is warm and well insulated. Not much air circulation unfortunately. That said, all-in-all, I am satisfied with it. The last day there was a storm and it rained all night. I stayed dried. I was sleeping on top of my sleeping bad and didn't feel a single drop inside. There was a bit of humidity at the bottom of the front door seal, but not much. It would probably work well in a colder climate. At 6.5Lbs, it is heavy for a hiking tent. If I was to carry one every day, like on the AT, I would not use the ICS. Ultralight one-person tents weigh less than half of the ICS.. I used a Tyvek 4x8 sheet under the tent to protect it's floor. It is a bit noisy but cheap and strong. Oh, and more good thing about the ICS: It's not bright orange!

By the way, one other tent I also liked and used extensively for a two-months trip across the West in 2011 was the Marmot Limelight 3-Persons. It belonged to my girlfriend. I have added it to my wishlist, since I don't intend on remaining single...  ::) And of course she would have to like camping...

One thing I missed was a hammock for comfortable, bug-free afternoon naps. I plan on getting the Grand Trunk Skeeter Beeter Hammock (Amazon), which has a built-in mosquito net. In the summer, I could even leave the tent at home..

Gil.
#2413
New To Radio / Re: What do I need?
April 23, 2013, 06:30:49 PM
QuoteI don't know how it is elsewhere but, because so much of the Tech is applicable and regurgitated on the General, it makes sense to take them both.

Same from General to Extra. You can actually get the three books and read the same chapters (chapter numbers vary)  from the three books each day and attempt the three exams after a couple weeks studying. That's what I did.. For Tech an General, it's easy, you might as well. Extra requires a bit more work. I highly recommend doing many practice exams on QRZ.com.

Gil.
#2414
Quotegot a buddy testing a combination of materials to add to steel plates that would eliminate splatter.

That would be a must. I imagine falling backwards and being hit in the chest, with the projectile sliding on the plate into your throat and head... Or leaning forward and getting it in the family jewels... Not good.

Gil.
#2415
General Discussion / Re: 350 QRT
April 23, 2013, 04:22:41 PM
I used to own a Dillon 550, more than 20 yrs ago. Best press ever. Still hitting myself on the head for selling it...  :( That was before telling myself I would never sell anything good again with a better replacement! No use for one right now, but some day I'll get the exact same model again!

Gil.