I’m not really that much into digital modes but you can still have some fun on the bands when propagation is too bad for SSB/Phone. Installed WSJT-X today and gave it a try. First contact on 10 meters with Horacio CX8F in Uruguay, 11.225 kilometers away, with only 5 Watts! Maybe this JT mode is not so bad after all 😉
Category Archives: News
“Barn Find” at the Ham Radio Flea Market
Yes, today was the annual Radio Flea Market in Holland, one of the largest fairs in Europe. Last year I bought a “new old stock” Hy-Gain Penetrator 500 5/8 vertical (production year 1979) for only 50 Euros (a true DX gun on 10 meters), and yes, this year I found something very special again!
Nostalgia find of the day was a brand new Robyn T-123B all-tube 23/46 channel CB Radio, with a 1973 serial number. I payed 175 Euros which is not really cheap, but definitely worth the money, given the original/unused/mint condition of this radio. It was displayed in the original semi-transparent plastic bag and I had to remove it to see what the guy was actually selling. I did not think twice!
This CB transceiver infected me with the radio virus back in ’74 (well, that was actually a Tenko 46T which is basically the same radio with a slightly different / less ugly front panel). Our Spanish neighbour had one, and he let me use it every now and then.
This T-123B has apparently never been powered on and is in totally mint condition. The accessory pack was still factory boxed. Everything was there; owners manual, schematics, power cables, a bracket for mobile and base use, the original hand mike, spare fuses and a bag full of washers and nuts & bolts. This “green machine” really belongs in a radio museum but I will reserve a special place for it in my shack. Of course I will test the radio later on and will keep you posted on the results. With different crystals I might even work on 10 meters!
I made a series of pictures of the contents of the box, including the inner workings of this radio, you can see them over here.
UPDATE: Yes, the old young lady works like a charm. Audio sounds surprisingly good and had a short test QSO on channel 14. But man, these ladies really get hot after a while. Tested on my 13.8V supply, did not dare to plug it into mains power yet 😉
Short Skip Monday
I had a lot of fun tonight on 20 meters for a few hours and got a good amount of stations reporting back on my CQ call. Propagation was good in terms of short-skip and contacts were made with stations from Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, and Bosnia. My new IC-7600 is performing very well and I get a lot of “very good audio” reports. Yesterday I had a nice QSO with Laila HZ1HZ in Saudi Arabia and it is alway fun to have a little chat with this young lady. Tomorrow night I will be operating from my club PI4ZHE and hopefully we will make some nice DX contacts from our 100 foot tower equipped with 3 element beam using my good old Kenwood TS-870S.
Spoiled Rotten
Got myself a brand new Icom IC-7600 today. Including SP-23 speaker and SM-50 Desk Mic. Although I am really sort of a Kenwood Guy, I could not find a suitable upgrade to my shack in their catalogue. There is a large gap between very good but compact TS-590 and the outrageously big / heavy / expensive TS-990 . So I went for this nice transceiver from Icom. I dedicate this new radio to the loving memory of my dad whom has passed away last week. My faithful old TS-870S will not be sold, however, and will get a new home at the club station where we can keep enjoying this wonderful transceiver, starting with the upcoming PACC contest next weekend..
2014 Roundup – Seasons Greetings!
My first year as a licensed ham went beyond expectations. I learned a lot and had tons of fun in the process. I met new friends, joined new clubs, chatted with random people in over 100 different countries. I gained experience as a contest operator for several special event stations like Windmills on the Air (PH14MILL) and the International Lighthouse and Lightships weekend (PA35WO), the monthly VHF locator contest (PI4ZHE) as well as a few contests I participated in with my own callsign. RFI hunting became a new challenge to keep my hobby going. Building antennas with the kind help of new ham radio friends was very rewarding. The fun thing about ham radio is that there are so many different ways to enjoy it. To me, DX’ing on HF SSB is the exciting thing to do. The bigger the pile-up, the better. Others are engaged in digital modes, or pursuing ever better audio on the lower bands or do things with satellites. Excitement for everyone!
Happy holidays, merry christmas and a happy, healthy 2015 to all of you out there!
73s Jan PD2H