QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/digests/equip/940163.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-14 | 10KB

Date: Sat, 28 May 94 04:30:20 PDT
From: Ham-Equip Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
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Reply-To: [e-mail]
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Subject: Ham-Equip Digest V94 #163
To: Ham-Equip


Ham-Equip Digest            Sat, 28 May 94       Volume 94 : Issue  163

Today's Topics:
    HF starter rig recommendations (was Re: Bizarre QST Statement)
                   Need phone number for R.L. Drake
                           Quiet computers
                       TVRO dish wanted (cheap)
                     Yaesu Ft840 Or Kenwood Ts140

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We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
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Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 12:38:24 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!col.hp.com!news.dtc.hp.com!hplextra!hplb!hpwin055.uksr!hpqmoea![e-mail]
Subject: HF starter rig recommendations (was Re: Bizarre QST Statement)
To: [e-mail]

Vinod Narayanan ([e-mail]) wrote:

: So, please send me your advice on what I should look for in a used
: HF rig. I expect to be able to spend around $400-$450 max, for the
: rig, tuner, and power supply. So:

   I'm not sure of prices in your part of the world

: - What models would fit the above criteria?

    More a case of which radios are still worth having despite age or
problems sufficient to drop them into that price range. This means
either very old, very undesirable or faulty. Some radios do well in old
age, some radios considered undesirable by almost everyone are actually
good, and I've come across a few faulty examples of desirable radios at
very low prices. You do have a chance of success.

    You depend on luck for something worthwhile to be available in your
area when you look. You'll probably need some experienced help as a
cheap radio is likely either to have some faults or else to be
unreliable through age. This is inevitable, but you'll learn a lot.

: - What features should I look for?

  Most advertised "features" are trivia. You can have plenty of fun with
a very plain radio.
Decide what bands you need (many older radios miss the 3 new "WARC"
bands). You should look for something in reasonable condition, or that
could easily be put into reasonable condition. Treat this radio as a
learning exercise, it is probably only the first of several you will
own, don't try to do or get everything at once.


: - What should I avoid?

  I agree with the "Bizarre" advice. If your radio has to have valve
(tube) outputs, go for something with 6146's rather than TV valves. Both
work, but the 6146's are much more tolerant of you learning how to tune
up.  With a few exceptions, the 6146 radios are a bit newer, and might
be in better condition as a result. Early FT101 models used TV tubes and
took some skill in setting them up after new tubes were fitted, FT101Z
and FT101ZD bear little relationship to the other 101's, they use 6146.
The FT901 was a 6146 radio and was the real parent of the FT101Z and 'ZD
  The  old Drakes have really nice receivers, but you do need to be
quick when tuning their transmitters. The Trio/Kenwood TS530 and TS830
competed with the FT101ZD and FT901 and are worthwhile.

   These radios can kill inexperienced, or incautious people trying to
repair them. Nowadays most people are not used to handling high
voltages.

: - Can I get something which is all solid-state for the above price
: range?

   Perhaps.  The TS120 TS130 are fairly plain, but work OK. You could
save some money by using a car battery and a charger as a power source.
I'm not a fan of the TS430 as they do seem to be fairly unreliable, and
the TX output is not as clean as I'm prepared to use on the air. The
FT757 has a poor receiver which is easily overloaded. An old FT707 is
another possibility, a bit small, packed and fiddly to work on. I rather
like the FT107, a radio that never really caught on, but quite decent,
it deserved far greater popularity. The older ICOMs are a mixed bunch,
there seemed to be a period of them made with lots of dry solder joints,
followed by a period of radios blighted by the fears of data loss
killing the radio when a battery dies. I don't know exactly which radios
are at risk. Later ICOMS are very desirable indeed, if you find a
faulty/damaged IC735 it could be well worth repairing I rate these as
performing comparably to many of the current top price band radios.

   If you take the buy-a-dead-one-to-fix route, I should point out that
Ten-Tec have a fabulous reputation for parts availability and
helpfulness. Their radios are the easiest to work on and cheap to
repair. If I had to get myself a really good radio as first priority,
and then wanted to minimise the cost, I'd go looking for a faulty
CorsairII and get my soldering iron warming.

: I am cross posting this to rec.radio.amateur.equipment as that
: is probably a more appropriate group for followups. Also, please
: feel to email directly to me, and I will summarize to the net.

   It is the right place. I wish people would try the most suitable
group first, and then try others if the result was unsatisfactory.
Crossposting spoils the purpose of having the separate groups.
Sorry, just a pet niggle...

 Hope I've been able to help a bit, strictly my own opinions,

   David   GM4ZNX

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Date: 27 May 94 16:16:39 GMT
From: agate!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!netcomsv!skyld![e-mail]
Subject: Need phone number for R.L. Drake
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

  >
  > I need the phone number for Drake.  I have seen it posted in the past.
  > Anybody have it?

  R.L. Drake: 1 513 866 2421


 Amateur: WA6FWI@WA6FWI.#SOCA.CA.USA.NOAM | "You have a flair for adding
Internet: [e-mail]        |  a fanciful dimension to any
 US Mail: PO Box 4425 Carson, CA 90749    |  story."
   Phone: [phone]                |           Peking Noodle Co.

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E-mail [e-mail] for more information, or read news.groups.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 27 May 1994 13:27:11 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!math.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!mixcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Quiet computers
To: [e-mail]

In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Greg Bullough) writes:

>Here's a different subject...

>What specific brands/models of PCs have folks found to be particularly
>good or bad with regard to RF hash generated, and suseptability to
>RF fields?

For what it's worth...

My 2-meter packet system consists of a Yaesu FT2400H radio, a
Kantronics KPC3 TNC and a Hewlett-Packard HP100LX palmtop
computer.  All running within 6 inches of each other on a
small end-table.  No problems.

--
  /`-_           [e-mail]  |  Vote Libertarian!
 {     }/                                 |
  \    /      N9SQB, ARRL, Amateur Radio  |  Call 1-800-682-1776
   |__*|   N9SQB @ WA9POV.#MKE.WI.USA.NA  |  for more information.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 27 May 94 02:25:57 -0500
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com![e-mail]
Subject: TVRO dish wanted (cheap)
To: [e-mail]

Looking for low cost dish antenna.  usable in the 3.5 - 4.5 Ghz range.
5-10 foot.
low cost or trade some computer stuff.  (have lots)
tnx
Dave
KJ6FY-1 BBS  or [e-mail]
  KD6BYV



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Date: 26 May 94 21:08:00 -0500
From: blkcat!org!fidonet!z1!n109!f239![e-mail]
Subject: Yaesu Ft840 Or Kenwood Ts140
To: [e-mail]

       The TS-140S is a fine basic rig that works well, has good audio,
and a pretty fair receiver.  I have one that I used for a while before
I upgraded to the TS440S.  The 440S does give you more for the money,
but for the price it is hard to beat the TS140S.
       GL and DX, 73 Dave AA5NU
---------
Fidonet:  David Edger 1:109/239
Internet: [e-mail]

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Date: 27 May 94 09:18:51 -0500
From: yale.edu!noc.near.net!news.tufts.edu!news.hnrc.tufts.edu![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <2s2p2s$j7v$[e-mail]>, <2s2scq$[e-mail]>s
Subject : Re: Copying W1AW (was Re: HF starter rig recommendations)

In article <2s2scq$[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Vinod Narayanan) writes:
> I
> was thinking of getting a tranceiver to listen to W1AW code practice,
> but instead got a ten-tec single band kit, which I am goint to build
> this weekend, thus postponing the tranceiver purchase until after
> I have my novice ticket.

Don't overlook the possibility of using your shortwave receiver to listen to
W1AW.  Even an inexpensive portable should bring it in loud and clear on one
frequency or another (as long as it has USB/CW capability).

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End of Ham-Equip Digest V94 #163
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