Congratulations SKNAARS/V44KR

We should be well pleased that the St Kitts Nevis Anguilla Amateur Radio Society, SKNAARS,  has come out slugging for 2021. I get the impression that the Executive is fired up on ham radio, and plans to leave no stone unturned, as they continue the forward and upward march of bringing the joys of amateur radio to the people of our Federation. We should also be pleased when we recognize that almost all of the Society's officers are very recently licensed ham radio operators. That is indeed record setting. It therefore behooves all of us, who have been ham radio operators for some time, to give SKNAARS our fullest support in every area of amateur radio. I have been an Amateur Radio Operator since 1968, and a founding member of SKNAARS in 1973. So, I am very pleased to see SKNAARS still going strong and expanding membership every year.

I recall the days when ham radio was down in the valley and just a few of us kept the hobby going. Ken Mallalieu, Keith Govia, Erick France, Karl Rey, Christian Dowe, Linval Julius, Lou Edmeade, Terry Nisbet, Glen Dear, Ken Jarvis, Lloyd Pennyfeather, Syl Joseph, Patrick Mallalieu, Vincent Gray, Eustace Hicks, myself, and possibly a couple more hams. All of us were not active, as on the air, at some time or other, but there was no rush, neither was there any local RF interference on the frequencies like today. Some of these great gentlemen are now SILENT KEYS, but we must never forget the contribution they all made to the VP2K and V44 amateur radio hobby, and thank them and their FAMILY for their understanding. May people do not realize that the FAMILY plays a very important part in an amateur radio operator's life. Some operators have to live in headphones. Some ham radio operators lived in the doghouse to. 

Take a look at the SKNAAARS Facebook Page, if you have not done so as yet. Scroll back a few pages and view their recent activities, https://www.facebook.com/ST-KITTS-NEVIS-ANGUILLA-AMATEUR-RADIO-SOCIETY-146131718557/

I have not heard anything recently about the RF interference which is being caused by the electricity company. I am of the view that we, the affected amateur radio operators, just have to keep on pushing the authority to do their best job on the issue. My HF radio is down [off the air], so I am unable to monitor any ham radio activity and traffic from St Vincent, as they go through this difficult time of volcanic disturbances. The 40 and 80-meter amateur radio bands are used for Caribbean communications between the islands, but unfortunately, those are the same ham radio bands being jammed and blocked by the locally generated illegal RF interference from the electricity company smart meter equipment. Another Hurricane season starts on June1, and we hope that this RF interference matter is resolved by them.

Today, Monday, I was supposed to hook the coax to the 20-meter EFHW [end fed half wave] antenna, but that activity may come on stream later this week. On the front lawn is the 33-foot high 20-meter EFHW [end fed half wave] antenna, with a gull wing radial. The antenna requires a 49 to 1 balun. I did not like the SWR curves/pattern made by the toroid, so I decided to experiment with my own air core balun, a 4.5-inch diameter water pipe and 40-turns of regular electric wire. Now the swr curves are just what I need. Savings made are over 100 bucks uncle Sam, not including shipping and import duty. This is the fun part of ham radio for some folks, I love experimenting with antennas, and it is more fun when you have the proper test equipment. Stay tuned, more to follow.




The pictures above are the home brew baluns on a 4.5" water pipe, and on a toroid. The RigExpert antenna analyzer display show the pattern [curves] of the 4.5" water pipe air core balun at the end of the coax cable feedpoint for the EFHM [end fed half wave] antenna. The resistors is the estimated load of the antenna. On the air antenna test is next.

[to be continued]

Location: 35 dorset basseterre St. Kitts, Brumaire, St Kitts & Nevis

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