K7RPM's Ham Radio Blog

VHF/UHF Purgatory

Well the TM-D710a is back from Kenwood.  They found nothing wrong.

My analysis:

Before shipping it off to Kenwood, I tried operating with two different antenna systems – separate antennas and feedlines – and the problem occurred on both.

The power supply is an Astron RS-20 which also powers my TS-590. If the problem was in the power supply then I’d have seen it while operating the 590.

That leaves only one possibility: the power cable between the supply and the radio. We’ll see what happens over the next few days.

 

PSK31 Is Great For Rag Chewing

Ipsk31 TS-590 Mact’s like PSK31 was invented just for guys like me.

I live in an HOA with antenna restrictions. I try to operate in ‘stealth mode’ (low power, hidden antennas). I also enjoy ragchewing. I get a lot of satisfaction out of finding out about other people and places.

Operating PSK31 couldn’t be much simpler. It’s just my TS-590, MacBookPro, and a USB cable between them. The Mac version of fldigi is free and easy to set up. 20 watts of power is all it takes. (I could probably do it with much less.)

PSK31 is keyboard-to-ketboard.  A modern version of RTTY (I admit I miss the sounds and smell of my old Model 19 teletype, but that’s a different story.)

Another thing about PSK-31: It’s quiet. With the AF Gain control and TX MON controls turned all the way down it is absolutely quiet in the ham shack – Great for late night and early morning QSOs.

So if you too are a ragchewer frustrated by antenna restrictions give PSK31 a try.

 

 

 

 

VHF/UHF Purgatory Continues

The Kenwood Service Center called today regarding my TM-D710a.  They say they can’t find anything wrong and want me to send them the microphone.  So I packed up the mic and power cord and shipped it off.

This is puzzling.

I know it is not antenna related because I’ve checked the radio using two different antennas each with a different feedline.

I know it’s not the power supply (Astron RS-20A) because I continue to operate my TS-520 on it with no problems.

I suppose it could be the power cable.

Oh well.  Time will tell.

New Heat Pump = Summer QRM is Gone!

I’ve been plagued here at the new QTH with terrible QRM during the summer on 20M. There was no question is was caused by the heat pump.  As long at it was off everything was great. When the heat pump was on the QRM was S9. It made 20M unusable during the summer.

A couple of months ago we needed to have the old heat pump replaced.  The QRM is gone!

Partially out of VHF/UHF Purgatory

The Kenwood TM-D710A got shipped off to Kenwood today for repair. I’ve been told that turnaround time will probably be at least 3 weeks.

Fortunately, I solved Hendheld-to-antenna problem.  The SMA-to-SO239 adapter I was using appears to be bad.  I bought a different one and it seems to work just fine.  So now I can at least converse with the old gang on The Scottsdale Repeater.

 

VHF/UHF Purgatory

I am in VHF/UHF purgatory at the moment.

My Kenwood TM-D710a seems to have developed a heat-related problem in the power amplifier section.  If I engage in a conversation longer than about 2 minutes the power starts to fall off to the point where I cannot activate the repeater.

The backup is my handheld.  Unfortunately I live in a neighborhood surrounded by 2-story houses, making it tough to hit the repeater.  “Well I’ll just hook u the handheld to my outdoor Diamond X50a dual-band vertical” was my thought.  The handheld uses an SMA connector. I bought an SMA-to-SO239 adapter but I think it’s defective because both transmit and receive are WORSE on the Diamond X50a than the HT’s rubber ducky.

I’ll call Kenwood on Monday and get the process started of sending the 710 in for repair.

Antenna Trimming Day

pic2I built an inexpensive 40M dipole using a crappie pole as a mast.  Today was a great day to take it outside and trim it to the correct length. There is a nice little park not far from my house and so I set up there. The whole job was pretty simple thanks to my MFJ-269.

If you look closely, you can see that the tip of the pole is bent over from the weight of the antenna wires but it still worked just fine. I’d love to have a Buddipole but for now this gets me there for a fraction of the cost.

Anderson Powerpoles

powerpoles_45_xlrgAbout a year go I started converting power connections in the ham shack to Anderson Powerpoles and I really like them.

Years ago in my earlier ham shack I used banana plugs. I’ve still got a drawer full of them. When I started having multiple boxes in the shack that needed 12V, my first instinct was to build another power distribution box using banana jacks and plugs.

Then a fellow ham told me about Anderson Powerpoles.  I took a look at the RIGrunner 4008H at my local HRO and bought it on the spot.

RIGrunner 4008HThe connections are positive and I like the fact that every output is fused. So now I keep a back of Powerpole connectors and crimper on hand.

My new solar powered ham station project is using Anderson Powerpoles throughout.

It’s getting me Fired Up

complete-dxer-coverI’ve started reading The Complete DX’er by Bob Locher W9KNI and I have to admit it is getting me fired up.

It is clear however that my 10wpm CW isn’t going to cut it.  A few days ago I said my goal is 25wpm.  That’s probably going to be the minimum.

Fortunately, my code speed is coming back pretty quickly.  I’m now copying almost comfortably at 15wpm. One thing that seems to help is that I’ve got AA9PW’s iPhone/iPad app on my iPad and it is forcing me to copy code without writing it down.

I Can Still Do 10wpm Comfortably

In my last post I mentioned that I need to get my code speed back up after a five month absence. I love AA9PW’s Morse Code Practice Page. It lets you set the character speed, inter-character spacing, and provides tons of practice options.

Before the break I was comfortably copying 15wpm at a character speed of 20wpm. I tried it again today and I haven’t lost much.  I can still very easily copy at 10wpm with a character sped of 15wpm. That means that within a week or so I’ll be back to where I was before the break.

My goal for 2014 is to copy at 25wpm.

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