Ham Radio 2015
Ham radio is still alive and well at V44KF.
Time slips away and before we know it 16 months come between blog posts. Ham radio is one of those hobbies which have very deep valleys and even steeper hills, as I have learned over the past 45 years plus.
I do not know if ham radio on a Caribbean island is any different from ham radio in the metro. Hams operators are the same all over, but conditions are different, given the economics of every country and how people feel they should face their future. In some places the future is determined by the people and in some other countries it is not. Some people believe that each one of us is responsible for ourselves and have the ability to chart our own course, as we wish. I am not getting into that, but as far as my ham radio vision can see is has always been up to us in the past, and so it is in the present, and all things being equal, so to in the future.
I think many of us have to retract that pointing finger of blame. Ham radio is where it is today because some people just did not admit that hills were to steep. There is always a plan "B". In my part of the world, some hams want to suggest that the technology is giving ham radio a hard time. PLEASE!!!! hams have always embraced the technology, and that is why we are still here.
I think we need a new breed of ham operator for 2015. I have not embraced all the technology available for ham radio yet, and it is not negatively impacting my ham radio at all. Smart phones and ham apps are the way to go. Ham radio is still ham radio, and always will be, and there will always be some old timers, on the band to keep things alive, you just have to find your school and join in.
In our changing world many of the outlets and supply houses have gone, but some old faithful places are still around. I suspect that these are the days that hams in certain countries have to be super resourceful, and think outside the box, investigate and use materials never tried before, but keep within the law. Experimenting is nothing new to ham radio, it helps to bring out the scientist that we are in all of us.
At the ham station here in V4 land I am back into the ham radio mode for 2015. Last year end the property received its clean up dump of the decade, and I had to watch some of my 40 year old ham radio stuff go in to the dumper, like transformers, power supplies,coax cable, drake equipment, hv filter capacitors, you name it, stuff stockpiled over 40 years, but it now give me the justification to buy much needed ham stuff.
First off I need a drum of coax cable. RG213, but I am happy with RG59, 500 to 1000 feet. All my antenna feed lines are cut to either a 1/2 or one whole electrical wavelength, and all are fitted with an ugly coax balun. That works for me and I am not changing. I have tried all manner of balun, ferrite beads and cores,you name it, but the ugly balun is the king.
Second, I need to replenish my stock of coax connectors. For years I have used the supplies from thewireman. I can live with their prices. I am still not into using "gold plated" coax fittings, I have not detected any change in SWR from the nickel and silver connectors yet. I don't know if it makes a difference with the linear amplifier.
Third, I think I will finally invest in DX engineering and some lengths of aluminium tubing and a tilt over base support. For over 40 year I have been recycling aluminium tubing from a Wilson 40-meter beam, and it has worked perfectly for me up to now. I think I should use something ready made, instead of home brew, for 2015.
When you live on an island out in the ocean, where there is no home depot or walmart you have to be creative and innovative with the ham radio. It is a lot of fun, and it make you enjoy ham radio all the more. And when you get any signal report over an S9, you know that something is working, and you pat yourself on the back, given the challenges.
I almost forgot ... but you do not have to worry when you use a hatted vertical antenna on 40 or 80 meters, because you will get heard, no if and maybe, you are guaranteed to be heard ever before the band is open. I know, I am always there. There is a group of vertical lovers who can help you get started on a path to real 40 and 80 meter dx with vertical antennas, no matter where you are on the planet, join the group and put a zip into your dxing today https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/verticals2/
Welcome to ham radio in 2015, let us see how high and how far we can take our ham radio operating for this new year. The sky is no longer the limit.
Have a wonderful ham radio day.
73
Keeth
V44KF
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