Changes to the shack

Last week, I sold my Yaesu FT-897D. Was there something wrong with it? No, absolutely not. I just didn’t use it much, at least not on HF. I have better, more sensitive and more selective transceivers at home for that job. As a result, the 897D was only used for VHF and UHF.

Then the worries started. I needed something to replace it, but what? I live in a highly RF polluted area, and the FT-897D was one of the few transceivers capable of receiving on VHF and UHF without intermod problems. There were a few options and I tried them all.

Yaesu FT-7800(E)
A nice dual band transceiver, small and reliable. Intermod problems? Some, but setting the squelch system to S9 solved most of the problems. However, the 7800 lacks a cross band repeater system, something I had on my wish list for some time.

Yaesu FT-8900R
Quad band (6 meters, 10 meters, 2 meters and 70 cm). About the same size and about the same perfomance as the FT-7800. Cross band repeater works very well, as long as you reduce the output power to ‘low’. If not, it runs hot, really hot. Intermod problems can be solved in the same way as with the FT-7800.

Still, both transceivers lack the superb selectivity and filtering of the FT-897D. I have another Ham in my neighborhood (distance +/- 100 meters). If he’s using our 70 cm repeater – regardless of his output power – both mobile transceivers give up. A hissing noise is all that’s left.

Kenwood TM-V71(E)
A new model from Kenwood. Cross band capable and delivering 50 Watts output on both bands. When left in default settings, intermod is as bad as it can get, much worse than both Yaesu’s and almost as bad as the Alinco DR-635 (the last transceiver on earth you want to buy when living in an RF polluted area).

However, the TM-V71 has a nice feature in the menu: AIP (Advanced Intercept Point). When I switched on AIP, all intermod disappeared and my neighboring station can squeeze as much power out of his station as he wants, without bothering me. You lose some sensitivity (about 6dB), but that’s a small price to pay and a non issue for its intended use (local QSOs).

The TMV-71 stays.

Icom and Kenwood to join forces

It has been a rumor for some time, but now there’s some evidence that Icom and Kenwood are joining forces. Take a look at then new Kenwood TMW-706 and the Icom IC-208H and you will see that it’s the same dual band transceiver.

Kenwood TMW-706

Icom IC-208H

 

Download product info here (Icom version): Icom IC-208H PDF

Will Kenwood disappear? Will Icom disappear? New brand names? IcWood? KenCom? Questions, questions, but no answers (yet).

GlobalQSL, part II

This week, I received the 100 blank QSL cards I ordered from GlobalQSL. The printing quality is outstanding and surpasses all my expectations! A nice glossy finish makes makes these cards really stand out.

Any remarks? Yes. When you design the back of the card, you must leave a certain part of the card (right hand corner) free of images or text, as this is the part where QSL information will be printed. However, I expected blank cards to be pre-printed with “To station”, “Frequency”, “RST” and such, so I could take a pen and fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, the right hand corner of the card is completely empty.

I’ll have to use stickers, I’m afraid.

The HBH Award

In case you’re thinking that this award actually exists: it doesn’t. Maybe it should. ‘HBH’ is an additional note I make in my log book. It stands for ‘Hi Bye Ham’, a special breed of radio amateurs. The typical HBH has only one line, which is something like “PD0AC, you’re 5/9, QRZ?”

Technically speaking I made a QSO, but after running into a Hi Bye Ham, I feel like I’m suffering from a very bad hangover. What’s the guy’s name? Where does he live? Is he married? What type of gear does he use? Has he ever been to Holland? Does he own a dog? Any subject would be nice! Any conversation with a duration exceeding three minutes would be great!

Most English HAMs don’t seem to suffer from the HBH disease, neither do American HAMs. I wish I knew why, but thankfully there are lots of them to talk to every day.

The Dove Experiment

Pigeons are sensitive to electromagnetic fields, so they say. True or not? Time to put this to the test. I have a regular visitor, a turtle dove, who takes a daily nap on one of the radials of my 5/8 wave vertical for 10 meters. He/she must really like it there, almost every day, the bird is present.

I set my Yaesu FT-840 to 29.300 MHz, FM mode, and the initial power output to 5 Watts. No reaction. At 10 Watts, the bird raises its head and starts to look around a bit. At 15 Watts, my feathered fan becomes restless and starts to hop around. At 25 Watts, the turtle dove takes off.

I repeated the test a few times, just to be sure. On average, the turtle dove leaves my antenna when the power is around 25 Watts. Amazing, these animals.