Old rigs never die .... But ....
I do not play the Caribbean Lotto, but I feel that I may win it very soon. I am spending a little time determining how I will spend, or maybe more correctly, invest some of the winnings on improving the quality of my hobbies. Of course, being retired on a hot and sunny Caribbean island I only have to Eat, Sleep, Bicycle / Exercise, Ham Radio, Photography, Pray, Go Fishing and Blog, in addition to the natural body functions.
This is really the simple LIFE, and after working in the "non hassle free" Telecoms industry for almost 40 years, I can finally appreciate and enjoy the liming lifestyle of the islands, without having to party, fete and drink coconut rum, on the beach 24/7, like some of our tourists and visitors. What they come here to enjoy in a week or two is a way of Life for most of us, without the hefty price tag.
The V4 island is so large that no one can live any further than 4 miles away from the sea. I believe the widest point of the island is about 8 miles, but nobody lives in the center of the island. The City, most Towns and Villages are all distributed along the island's main road, which in some areas pass less than 20-feet from the sea.
So this is really a ham radio operators paradise, especially if you are crazy about low band and high band operation, like me and some of the guys. One ham operator is so extremely lucky to live in an area which is supposed to be below sea level, and I believe that his 6-foot ground rod is in water, salt water. You can't get any better than that without trying.
Anyway, I dream that I am winning the Lotto shortly and have put my 2009 station upgrade planning into fast forward. With some people wishing to believe that the world is going to end in 2012 [and I am not laughing] I have decided to get a new rig from my Lotto winnings. I agree that old rigs never die, but, there comes a time when you have to think outside the box, and just indulge yourself.
Ham radio is a hobby and like all hobbies it come with toys, but some toys are more expensive then others. The bottom line is that what you invest in the toys reflect your seriousness. If you can't reach for a Van Saal spinning reel a Penn or Shimano may work just as good, but then it is really your fishing technique, however ham radio is a bit different. The DX is just as elusive as fish but you could need more than technique to catch them.
With my Lotto winning in the bank, [I am told to keep thinking positive and speaking like it has already happened, as that will help to make it happen]. I am therefore going for the best ham radio equipment on the market today. In the latest Sherwood receiver test data table, updated May 2009, I see that the top three tranceivers are the Elecraft K3, Flex Radio 5000a and Ten-Tec Orion. Is it just coincidence that these 3 rigs are made in USA? Well, if nobody is building it for us we have to build it for ourselves. It is not what they want for us but what we want for ourselves. Time enough to buy local.
Since I have the Lotto winning in the bank I will not put myself through any hassle by choosing one rig from the three, but just get all three of them. No problem. Problem solved? Yes, but only when I have that bread in the bank. So until that time I will be a realist, and take my magnifying glass to scrutinize and pick the most appropriate rig of the three, for my type of operation.
I had researched the Ten-Tec Orion before, joined the Orion forum, etc. For the Elecraft K3 there was a two part YouTube assembly video [last year] which sold me and another ham on the K3, plus the price seemed good at the time. A few Orion's turned up on eBay this week, but not one single K3 or Flex 5000a has reached eBay as yet. But then it hit me that I did not know anything about the Flex 5000a, so I "google chromed" to Flex Radio to see what that rig was all about.
I should really end here now, go and have a snack and a drink, and come back tomorrow and finish up. If you have not looked at the Flex Radio you should, it seems to have potential, plenty potential, for the DX operators like us in this part of the world. It also seems to be much easier to travel around with. It is just too good to be true, and whether I win the Lotto or not, I am putting my money on the Flex Radio. I wonder if they do hire purchase off the mainland? or may want to sponsor a DX expedition to V4?
I emailed Flex Radio for the Demo CD, and will tell you how that carry.
73 for now.
This is really the simple LIFE, and after working in the "non hassle free" Telecoms industry for almost 40 years, I can finally appreciate and enjoy the liming lifestyle of the islands, without having to party, fete and drink coconut rum, on the beach 24/7, like some of our tourists and visitors. What they come here to enjoy in a week or two is a way of Life for most of us, without the hefty price tag.
The V4 island is so large that no one can live any further than 4 miles away from the sea. I believe the widest point of the island is about 8 miles, but nobody lives in the center of the island. The City, most Towns and Villages are all distributed along the island's main road, which in some areas pass less than 20-feet from the sea.
So this is really a ham radio operators paradise, especially if you are crazy about low band and high band operation, like me and some of the guys. One ham operator is so extremely lucky to live in an area which is supposed to be below sea level, and I believe that his 6-foot ground rod is in water, salt water. You can't get any better than that without trying.
Anyway, I dream that I am winning the Lotto shortly and have put my 2009 station upgrade planning into fast forward. With some people wishing to believe that the world is going to end in 2012 [and I am not laughing] I have decided to get a new rig from my Lotto winnings. I agree that old rigs never die, but, there comes a time when you have to think outside the box, and just indulge yourself.
Ham radio is a hobby and like all hobbies it come with toys, but some toys are more expensive then others. The bottom line is that what you invest in the toys reflect your seriousness. If you can't reach for a Van Saal spinning reel a Penn or Shimano may work just as good, but then it is really your fishing technique, however ham radio is a bit different. The DX is just as elusive as fish but you could need more than technique to catch them.
With my Lotto winning in the bank, [I am told to keep thinking positive and speaking like it has already happened, as that will help to make it happen]. I am therefore going for the best ham radio equipment on the market today. In the latest Sherwood receiver test data table, updated May 2009, I see that the top three tranceivers are the Elecraft K3, Flex Radio 5000a and Ten-Tec Orion. Is it just coincidence that these 3 rigs are made in USA? Well, if nobody is building it for us we have to build it for ourselves. It is not what they want for us but what we want for ourselves. Time enough to buy local.
Since I have the Lotto winning in the bank I will not put myself through any hassle by choosing one rig from the three, but just get all three of them. No problem. Problem solved? Yes, but only when I have that bread in the bank. So until that time I will be a realist, and take my magnifying glass to scrutinize and pick the most appropriate rig of the three, for my type of operation.
I had researched the Ten-Tec Orion before, joined the Orion forum, etc. For the Elecraft K3 there was a two part YouTube assembly video [last year] which sold me and another ham on the K3, plus the price seemed good at the time. A few Orion's turned up on eBay this week, but not one single K3 or Flex 5000a has reached eBay as yet. But then it hit me that I did not know anything about the Flex 5000a, so I "google chromed" to Flex Radio to see what that rig was all about.
I should really end here now, go and have a snack and a drink, and come back tomorrow and finish up. If you have not looked at the Flex Radio you should, it seems to have potential, plenty potential, for the DX operators like us in this part of the world. It also seems to be much easier to travel around with. It is just too good to be true, and whether I win the Lotto or not, I am putting my money on the Flex Radio. I wonder if they do hire purchase off the mainland? or may want to sponsor a DX expedition to V4?
I emailed Flex Radio for the Demo CD, and will tell you how that carry.
73 for now.
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Digital and portable radio transceivers