QRZ! Ham Radio 5/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 5.iso/digests/infoham/940293.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-13 | 23.7 KB

Date: Wed, 16 Mar 94 02:05:28 PST
From: Info-Hams Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Info-Hams Digest V94 #293
To: Info-Hams


Info-Hams Digest            Wed, 16 Mar 94       Volume 94 : Issue  293

Today's Topics:
                   2 meter use in London, England?
                   Alinco DJ580T price info needed!
                      best cars for rfi (2 msgs)
                        FT-530 Receive Proble
                      FT-990 vs TS-850 (3 msgs)
                       Heathkit parts (phone #)
                           Mods for FT-416
        need extra class book and tape recommendation (2 msgs)
                          Tickling the Ether
                   Wanted a Manual of 10 meter RTX
                      Wanted a Manual of CB RTX

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
Send subscription requests to: <[e-mail]>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Info-Hams Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/info-hams".

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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 11:38:14 EST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!mvb.saic.com!news.cerf.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!blanket.mitre.org!linus.mitre.org!mwvm.mitre.org![e-mail]
Subject: 2 meter use in London, England?
To: [e-mail]

I'm going to be visiting London, England soon (if the IRA ever stops
taking pot-shots at the airport), and I was wondering about taking
my 2 meter HT along. Anyone know anything about 1) licensing, and
2) frequencies. Any help? Thanks.

Mike, N4PDY

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

Date: 15 Mar 1994 17:20:19 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!mvb.saic.com!news.cerf.net!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!msuinfo!cuttlefish![e-mail]
Subject: Alinco DJ580T price info needed!
To: [e-mail]

Hi,

I am new to this newgroup. I just obtained my HAM radio licence. I was
planning on purchasing the Alinco DJ 580T handheld. I called a couple of
mail order companies and so far I got a price of $367 delivered. Is that
a good price ? Does anyone know where i can get a better price.

--amit
[e-mail]

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 20:28:51 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!nntp.msstate.edu!olivea!news.bu.edu!att-in!cbnewsm![e-mail]
Subject: best cars for rfi
To: [e-mail]

Woops, sorry.  I forgot to sign the posting on the
'91 Corolla and '92 Sable

Shel Darack  WA2UBK
[e-mail]
.

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 20:25:51 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!sgiblab!pacbell.com!att-out!att-in!cbnewsm![e-mail]
Subject: best cars for rfi
To: [e-mail]

Our 1991 Toyota Corolla and 1992 Mercury Sable are clean on 2 mtrs.
I was advised by others to have the dealer install a filter available
on request at no charge from Ford (Mercury).  I have not heard any
noise, so I guess they did it as requested.

(The Corolla is more fun to drive.  The Sable is nice and comfortable
on the highway but you have to enjoy poor handling :-).   )

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 21:39:08 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!news.Brown.EDU!noc.near.net!inmet!panther![e-mail]
Subject: FT-530 Receive Proble
To: [e-mail]

>Our local ham store (North Olmstead Amateur Radion Depot, North Olmsted
>Ohio ) stated last week that they automatically return all 530s to Yaesu
>for the mod to cure this. They install it free and turn the radio around
>in less than a week.

Well, I don't know if we're talking about the exact same problem, but
mine has been back to Yaesu twice, and has had all of the latest factory
fixes applied, but still exhibits these symptoms.

-Tom

--
---------------------------
 Tom Leber N3QKV <[e-mail]> Intermetrics, Inc. Warminster PA
               "Smother technology and it rebels." - Max Headroom

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

Date: 15 Mar 1994 11:46:05 -0600
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!galaxy.ucr.edu!library.ucla.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!doc.cc.utexas.edu![e-mail]
Subject: FT-990 vs TS-850
To: [e-mail]



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

Date: 15 Mar 1994 11:49:35 -0600
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!galaxy.ucr.edu!library.ucla.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!doc.cc.utexas.edu![e-mail]
Subject: FT-990 vs TS-850
To: [e-mail]

Ken..I own the 850..The reliability is better on the 990...
The scaf filter is no great schucks.. Difficult decision..
But Id trade my 850 for a 990 in a minute because of overall
quality. (also if 990 uses 24 volt finals..TX is better)
Bob

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

Date: 15 Mar 1994 17:12:52 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!ucsnews!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!newsrelay.iastate.edu!news.iastate.edu![e-mail]
Subject: FT-990 vs TS-850
To: [e-mail]

I've narrowed my choice of a new rig to either the Yaesu FT-990 or the
Kenwood TS-850.  My interests right now are both ragchewing and DXing using
both CW and SSB.

I've read the reviews, etc., and would like any input you have about the
performance of these rigs.  If you have had a chance to use both of these
rigs, a comparison would be great!

Tnx es 73,

Ken





--
Ken Anderson   N0ZEM/AA     [e-mail]     PH: 515.294.8996
126 Soil Tilth Bldg., Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 15:35:05 GMT
From: ncrgw2.ncr.com!ncrhub2!ncrcae!tskelton.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM![e-mail]
Subject: Heathkit parts (phone #)
To: [e-mail]

I know Heathkit is out of the amateur business, but I understand they still
have spare parts to sell.  Could someone please forward the Heathkit
number to me? Many thanks. 73, Tom WB4iUX
[e-mail]

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

Date: 15 Mar 1994 17:22:07 GMT
From: agate!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!nott!cunews!freenet.carleton.ca!freenet3.scri.fsu.edu!freenet2.scri.fsu.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Mods for FT-416
To: [e-mail]

Exactly the same as the 415/815.  Same electronics, different case. I've
done 'em and they work. Get 'em off wold.std.com.

--
Signatures?
We ain't got no signatures!
We don't have to show you any stinking signatures!

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 11:52:14 -0500
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!mvb.saic.com!news.cerf.net!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!NewsWatcher![e-mail]
Subject: need extra class book and tape recommendation
To: [e-mail]

In article <ah301-120394173614@sy_j.pgh.wec.com>, [e-mail] (Jerry
Sy) wrote:

> I am thinking of upgrading to extra, any recommendations as to
> which book, tapes, software (mac or pc) to use as study guide ?

KL> Jerry,
KL> I would go to Radio Shack and purchase the new Gordan West's Extra
class study guide ...I just recently this past weekend past my Extra with
the help of this book and some hyperstack's for the macintosh. I have also
used his Advanced bookand found it very helpful .....






*********************************************
         Keith J Leite KA1AQB
   AX25 - KA1AQB @ WA1PHY.#EMA.MA.USA.NA
     AMPR - [e-mail]
  Internet - [e-mail]

**********************************************

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 18:39:46 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!dog.ee.lbl.gov!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!yeshua.marcam.com!charnel!olivea!news.bu.edu!att-in!nntpa![e-mail]
Subject: need extra class book and tape recommendation
To: [e-mail]

In article <kleite-150394115215@157.176.173.2>,
Keith J. Leite <[e-mail]> wrote:
>In article <ah301-120394173614@sy_j.pgh.wec.com>, [e-mail] (Jerry
>Sy) wrote:
>
>> I am thinking of upgrading to extra, any recommendations as to
>> which book, tapes, software (mac or pc) to use as study guide ?
>
>KL> Jerry,
>KL> I would go to Radio Shack and purchase the new Gordan West's Extra
>class study guide ...I just recently this past weekend past my Extra with
>the help of this book and some hyperstack's for the macintosh. I have also
>used his Advanced bookand found it very helpful .....
>

I agree with the recommendation of SuperMorse - but only as an adjunct to
real operating.  IMHO, the best way to up your code speed is to get on the
air.  If you can work a real person with a not-so-great fist under
real-world conditions (QRM, QRN, etc.) at 20 then you will have no problem
at all passing the test.

Use the SM to test yourself and build confidence.  GOOD LUCK!

--
   Wally Blackburn           Clinton-Gore - Socialist Leadership
   [e-mail]                      for the 90s!
   Amateur Radio Station AA8DX       I'm the NRA.
      *More people have died in Ted Kennedy's car than from my gun!*

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 15:37:23 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!csus.edu!netcom.com![e-mail]
Subject: Tickling the Ether
To: [e-mail]

Sunday night, the weekend nearly over, I finally found time to descend
the cellar stairs into the shack. There's still a novelty in stepping
into what is for me, after near 20 years of hamming, my first dedicated
radio-room.

I sat down just about in time to hear the higher-frequency bands fade
and die.

One of the treats of escaping condminium life is that even my temporary
antenna, a fairly low random-length wire strung to a tree for the winter,
is long enough for work down to 160 meters.

So, after demonstrating once again that the old Drake 7 line can work
just about anything it can hear, and not struggle on the receiving end
either, I was itching for something a little different.

It was then I spied on the shelf a somewhat shopworn HW8, which I
picked up for $35 at a shop specializing in used boating gear. I
set it on top of the 'big' rig, and hooked up the antenna. And
I took being able to quickly lay my hands on the power cord as
a good omen.

Plugged in the power supply and switched on. Hmmm. No dial light. What's
wrong? Oh. It doesn't *have* a dial light.

Forty meters was the usual disaster (why do I even check?) of broadcasting
carriers. So I headed for the 80-meter Novice band, to see what was around.

So I headed for the 80-meter Novice band, to see what was around. After
figuring out which transmatch to use, and hooking the 'just wrong' length
of wire thereto, and dipping the SWR flat, it became obvious that there
was a good deal around.

Now, running a DC receiver requires that you operate it, unlike the
infinite-dynamic-appliances upon which the transceiver was sitting.
The stronger signals required lowering the RF gain, so that they didn't
sound all ragged. And I remembered something about which side of a signal
to tune on... ...check the manual, whose pages are rust-stained from the
staples having rusted during the rig's life on a boat. Oh, yes, tune on
the HIGH side of zero beat, otherwise you'll be a kHz or so away from the
person you're calling.

Okay, here goes. A nice loud station calling CQ. Don't know how loud,
'cause there's no S-meter, but I have to turn the RF gain way down, so
that must mean he's S9! And a VE3 at that!

A quick call, and by gosh he heard my 2.5 watt whistle! He's in North
Bay, which is quite a bit farther north and quite a lot colder than
where I am. Both of us hear our XYL's calling us after 10 minutes or
so, seemingly simultaneously (how does that work?). I can't hear it
as well through the high-impedence headphones, but it was definitely
something. My VE3 appends /QRP to the end of my call sign, which
strikes me as kind of neat. It's fun to have someone else do your
bragging, even though basic physics is nothing to brag about.

The contact renewed my appreciation for a really good receiver, since
the band was kind of crowded. Though it does my heart good, every one
of those signals had not one but two images in the passband, and audio
filtering only served to make those images narrower, not to eliminate
the extra one! So the gentleman above me had no reason to realize
that he was QRMing my contact, and had every right to be a kHz up
from where my friend and I where talking. So, ironically, it was
the QRP station that had the problem copying the QRO station this
time!

After checking on the call (something about bringing the laundry up)
from upstairs, I decided to try again.

Tuning up and down, I hear a loud QRL? I sometimes, working QRP, will
camp on a frequency where I hear someone tuning up, or getting ready
to transmit intelligence, as four out of five times, a CQ is the very
next thing that happens. And this fellow was a true gentlemen, calling
QRL? several times with a few seconds of listening in between.

Sure enough, the CQ followed. An N2, right in New Jersey. 80 meters
offers something that the higher bands don't... ...it allows contact
between people who are local enough to one another to make the occasional
eyeball QSO possible. That's how friendships get made. It's a good band.
There was a time, before VHF and repeaters, that it was the main place
where such things happened.

Ed also had no problem hearing my night-light-sized signal. He had been
sending CQ at about 18 WPM, so I answered him a tick slower. That's my
usual habit in the Novice bands, knowing that many people send, especially
their CQs, a bit faster than they can actually receive.

Well, he had no problem. He saw my 15WPM and raised me 5, and now I
was pushing my own rusty code speed's limits. But I held on.

I even resisted the temptation to toss my key out the window when he
said "I HVE BEEN A HAM FER ABT 5 WKS NW ES U R MY 1ST NJ CONTACT."

So here I was, engaged in an Extra-Class speed CW QSO with a five-week
Novice! It was also obvious that he, like me, was pounding away on a
straight key. Not because he did a bad job of it, but you can tell
when someone is using a device where it is possible to produce other
than a 3:1 ratio. And towards the end of the half-hour QSO I could
hear the fatigue in his arm. That kind of endurance isn't something
you get in five weeks.

I said "WOW! 5 WKS AND ALRDY 20 WPM. U MUST BE A NATURAL."

"NO NATURAL. BEEN PRACTICING FER GENERAL TEST," he says.

"GO TAKE THE TEST. UR READY," I told him.

He asked me not to tell his XYL that I had a $35 rig that
worked, or his funds would be cut off. So I agreed.

When we parted, I told him "BCNU ON 75 OR 160 METER SSB VY SOON
I THINK."

As I headed upstairs, I reflected on this gentleman's talent
and interest, and decided there's hope for ham radio, even
ham radio as we knew it, after all. Of the dozen or so QSOs
I've had down in the Novice CW bands over the last couple
of weeks, fully half of these guys actually knew how to
rag-chew and to talk about more than "UR RST RST 579 579
HR IN HAMTOWN HAMTOWN. NAME IS JOE JOE. SO HW CPY ES 73 SK"

Perhaps the other half, once they get over being nervous, will
also learn.

I think I'll be on 80 CW tonight.

73

Greg

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 19:46:47 GMT
From: uchdcc!uconce!buho![e-mail]
Subject: Wanted a Manual of 10 meter RTX
To: [e-mail]



        Hi to all:

           I'm looking for a manual of an amateur RTX called
           "PRESIDENT HR-2510".

           If is this available, please tell me where are this,
           cost of the book or the photocopy, cost of the airmail
           to SouthAmerica (CHILE).


           If you have some information for this manual, please
           e-mail to:

           [e-mail]

           Dr. Juan Contreras Arellano
           P.O.Box 2892
           Concepcion - CHILE S.A.

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

    ___
    \./  CE 5 PHX
     |                     Juan Contreras at Universidad de Concepcion Chile

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

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 19:32:43 GMT
From: uchdcc!uconce!buho![e-mail]
Subject: Wanted a Manual of CB RTX
To: [e-mail]

      Hi to all:


            I'm looking for a manual of a amateur 10 meter
            transceiver called "PRESIDENT HR-2510"

            If you have available this, please send how much
            is the cost of this or the photocopy of this, with
            airmail post cost (for send to me)


            Thank for all and please e-mail or response in this
            posted.


       Dr. Juan Contreras Arellano

       [e-mail]
       P.O.Box 2892
       Concepcion - CHILE

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

Date: 15 Mar 1994 17:39:43 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!pacbell.com!sgiblab!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!bigfoot.wustl.edu!cec3![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>wustl.
Subject : Re: Grounding and lightning protection

Gary Coffman ([e-mail]) wrote:
: All I've seen are summaries, in Broadcast Engineering articles and
: in Roger Block's book The Grounds for Lightning and EMP Protection.
: He mentions a video tape the FAA made of the tests showing the
: dissipation grids receiving repeated lightning strikes, and heavier
: than normal strikes at that.

: Mobile Radio Technology had a series in the April and October 1988,
: and January 1989 issues about lightning prevention systems. They
: tried to give both sides equal time, but it's clear that the dissipation
: arrays are at best only minimally preventative, if at all.

Now I have no technical expertise here, but I'd like to ask a couple
of questions: 1) Does the Corona effect prevent strikes, 2) do spline
balls work, 3) what about "feeler" charges?  The reason I ask is that
Richardson Wireless Klub (K5RWK) had a meeting last night in which
a Richardson ham (I think) who works for TU Electric came and gave a
~1.5 hour lecture on lightning, prevention, and RF grounding.  He
brought up some of the above-mentioned issues, and also said at the
end that he submitted an article to "one of the ham magazines."
Your thoughts???

--jesse

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 22:17:00 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!pacbell.com!att-out!att-in!cbnewsm![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <[e-mail]>, <2lu9dt$[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>│╝
Subject : Re: noise blankers

A
In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Steve Popovich) writes:
>
> Well, the noise blanker on the old Kenwood TS-830S is definitely a
> "decorative knob".  No matter how much I twiddle the one our club has,
> it doesn't do a thing about the static crashes on 40 and 80 meters at
> night.  Isn't that the kind of noise they're supposed to be FOR?
>     -Steve

Steve: static crashes caused by lightening are broadband noise and will
not be removed by a noise blanker.  Noise blankers work well on repetitive
pulses.  Try turning on an scr that's broadcasting pulses. The noise
blanker should attenuate it.  When that kind of noise drowns out signals,
the noise blanker on my TS440 removes it so effectively that I have to
occasionally turn off the blanker to see if the noise is still there.
On the other hand, the blanker won't take out the spark generated noise
from an electric mixer.  I believe that most of the noise sources I
hear come from neighboring homes and usually they only last a few minutes.
Usually, the blanker works like magic.  Sometimes it doesn't help at all.
    73  Shel Darack    WA2UBK   [e-mail]

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

Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 06:13:55 GMT
From: news.Hawaii.Edu!uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu![e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

References <2l7q87$[e-mail]>, <2lnlon$[e-mail]>, <2lo2fn$[e-mail]>jherm
Subject : QRP fun (was: JARGON)

[e-mail] (Jesse L Wei) writes:
: Now this is my question:  do hams *ever* talk about anything besides what
: kind of rig (s)he's got, ham problems, ham equipment, etc?  As a waiting
: (as in for my ticket) prospective, I've liistened to  the local repeaters,
: and personally, the conversations seem pretty boring if that's all you
: ever talk about.  Have I missed anything? or something?  Is the purpose
: of ham radio to talk about the technicalities of it?  I know that the
: whole nature of it requires technicality, but isn't there more to
: it than that?

Folks on here and on .policy have been  complaining about QSO content
lately, particularly on the HF bands. But some of us feel that just
establishing contact with someone, whether they be a dozen miles or a
thousand miles away is enough in itself, especially when using QRP
(5 watts or less), and even more so if running QRPp (1 watt or less).

To illustrate, let me share with you the following article that appeared on
the QRP newsgroup, written by that famous QST writer, Jeff M. Gold.

Please note, as you read the following, that mw = milliwatt.

*********************************************************************

>From: "JEFF M. GOLD" <[e-mail]>
>Subject: miles per mw
>
>OK,
>
>here is a low power story from testing out my Lightning Bolt 5 band 2
>element quad:
>
>WS4S, the only other QRPer in town came over the same evening to help
>work on a friend's tube rig. He had to play with the new antenna before
>we started on the rig.  The first thing he did was turn the power on the
>rig down to 1 watt and worked 4X1EL, after which I worked him also. He
>turned the power down to 20 MW and worked Z36CXN in Macedonia. I really
>wanted the same station, so I cheated and cranked the power all the way
>up to 70MW.
>    Next he  turned the power to 50 mw and called CQ once. He said,
>"this is futile." He called one more time and YO8CDC came back to him.
>He talked to this guy on 20 meters and turned the power down to 10mw.
>The RST was 549.
>    Next he worked HA5HC in Hungary. He started with 50mw and the
>RST was 579. He started chatting and turned the power down to 10mw. The
>RST was now still 579 and Emil reported the signal was nice and strong.
>Next he turned the power to 1mw and the RST was still a  559. Conard,
>WS4S talked with Emil, HA5HC for quite some time on VERY LOW POWER.
>
>72
>
>Jeff, AC4HF
************************************************************************




An RST of 579 into Hungary with only 10 milliwatts? And 1 mw brought
a 559 report? So you see, QSO content might not be as important as just
making contact.

Jeff NH6IL (QRPp, or course)

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

End of Info-Hams Digest V94 #293
******************************