It is time
WOW!! It is July already, so let us get this show on the road. Welcome to all amateur radio operators, well wishers, supporters, all. A few matters passed by my shack, as we call our amateur radio station, last month which I will briefly touch. This is my view and you are advised to seek the views of other ham radio operators, draw your conclusions and make your decisions.
All ham radio stations need feedline, and most radios and antennas use coaxial cable. Some hams use 50 ohm coax cable some use 75 ohm coax cable. Personally, I prefer the 75 ohm coax cable, because it works good for me and it was available. There is much more to it, and you may be lucky to find it in the right text book. Remember that dipoles are 72 ohm. I suspect that most hams used the coax cable that is available to them, and the radio manufacturers just designed the radios to match it. Check to see if your radio can only use one cable or if it can use a range of cables, then you know how to proceed.
It does not matter what the output of the radio is, ultimately the antenna has to match the radio and you use whatever cable and matching device is necessary to get the ham radio system to function efficiently. If the antenna is 50-ohm and the radio is also 50-ohm all you need is coax cable of 50-ohms. Simple. If the radio is 50-ohms to100-ohms any cable in that range can be used on the radio, but if the antenna is not of the same range, but say 120-ohms, a device of sorts must be used to match the cable used to the antenna.
These matching devices comes in various assortments, tuners, baluns, and more. Know the values and connect the right matching devices. Simple. Some hams seem "to know" that any length of coax cable, can be used on and in any radio antenna installation. I do not agree with that knowledge and have proved that half wave lengths of coax cables used on any ham radio installation, works best and eliminate problems. These are 'facts' that hams just have to prove.
There are all kinds of coax cable available, some cheap, some expensive, they are made for commercial use, but hams get access to them. Different groups of hams have favorite coax cables. If you are working on VHF and UHF radios your cable need is different to someone working at 7mHz or at 1.8mHz. Coax cables gets more lossy as the frequency increase. Check the specification sheets for the coax cables and see the attenuation for the frequency increase. This can help decide which cable to buy. It all depends on how much signal you are willing to lose between the radio and the antenna. Some hams opt for open wire feeders to keep their cable losses to a minimum.
https://vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/d9158.html
www.vibroplex.com/techdocs/INRAD/coax_spec_sheet_RG213U.pdf
http://www.vibroplex.com/techdocs/INRAD/coax_spec_sheet_RG8X.pdf
We live in a changing world, and all ham radio operators are not sticking with the conventional coax cables used over the years. Hams are using any and all brands of coax cables. I have ham radio friends who speak of shield coverage and more. I am one of those ham radio operators who are willing to experiment with any type of coax cable, in any antenna system, and on any radio transmitter. The antenna does not generate any spurious emissions, the radio does that, the antenna only transmit what you send it. So no interference will result from using 'non standard' ham radio coax cable.
Some coax cables can accept 1000 watts, some more, and some only low power. For years I used high power and small cable, but you have to ensure that the mismatch between radio and coax cable, coax cable and antenna is practically zero. If you are outputting 10 watts or so, it is not detrimental to the coax cable. The level of attenuation for frequency used is important to note. If you are listening for weak signals from the other side of the other side of the world, or sending weak QRP signals, this cable becomes critical and you may not get your moneys worth. The correct conventional coax cables with their appropriate price increase guarantee that you get what you pay for. If you are a serious ham radio operator, decide early to invest in the best coax cables affordable.
While we are speaking about coax cable, please read this Vibroplex Inrad coax cable page again, twice if necessary.
http://vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/d9158.html
No crimping means NO WORRYING. TRUE. Learn to make up your own coax cables. [Just for fun compute the cost of making up a crimp cable, components and tools, against that of making up your own solder connection cable]. Invest that money in better coax cable connectors. As your ham radio develops you will learn many strategies, tips and trick, practiced by the most successful of DX ham radio operators. One such new learning, which I saw this play out at our Amateur Radio Society HQ in 2021, is why we should use only brand name connectors, made and marked by AMPHENOL.
In other news, I see that the Amateur Radio Society has broken ground at their Taylors Range site. CONGRATULATIONS to the new Amateur Radio Society Executive [ALL LADIES] for moving the Society fast forward.
This suggests to me that all Amateur Radio Societies, Clubs and Associations need to seriously consider placing ladies on their executive. The SKNARS only began to make bold strides after they placed a lady on their Executive. Congratulations.
I am of the view that the Amateur Radio Society of Saint Kitts and Nevis will step out into other areas of Ham Radio hitherto untouched. I am particularly interested in DX activity, making contact on the far side of the world. We need to remember that there are many ham radio operators around the world who have NOT made contact with V4 [Saint Kitts-Nevis]. I hope that soon we can establish a few sked frequencies on each bands and have a fully "operational" station on each band practically every day. There is a lot of planning to do, but I know that the V4 hams are up to the challenge. Let us make it happen in 2022.
Another question that comes up is brand name equipment. Everyone has to make that decision of which radio to get. Whether or not you have the funds to get it, that question always comes up. I am of the view that people should always be optimistic, living optimistically, actually everything we have in LIFE comes from our dreams, and that also apply to ham radio. Look at all the radios and take your pick. If it is affordable buy it, if not, just plan for it, because it will come. I have a friend who is wishing for a PT-8000A, but he has two high end radio, but he is not taking his eyes off the PT8000A. That is the way to go.
Every ham radio station has at least three [3] radios. Many have more, but some less. It just goes with the territory of ham radio. If you start of with an IC 7300 you will out grow that soon enough and move up to another radio. Of course this does not apply to all ham radio operators, as there is the exception to all rules. The bottom line is that you get all the enjoyment that you need from the equipment that you choose. If and when more ham radio fun is required the ham radio hobby will shift up to another level.
Speaking about old and new ham radio equipment. If your ham radio is on a budget it is wise to stick with the newest equipment available. Since the pandemic many radio have gone obsolete, because spare parts are not available anymore. It is wise to know which brand and model radio that are now obsolete. The radio is working today but 12 months later it calls for a part which is NOT available. You did not get your moneys worth and you have to buy another radio. To me this is something serious and I believe that all ham radio operators need to know and plan ahead. It s true that the radio could work perfectly for ten more years, far exceeding the life expectancy.
My life expectancy of ham radio equipment is seven [7] years, because in the USA certain electronic devices cannot be sold if the supplier cannot guarantee the buyer replacement device within 7 years of purchase. I do not know if this also apply to the ham radio industry. These days I am just looking at all the current ham radio equipment only. I should find something in there that can fill my ham radio need. As of today there are only a few ham radio manufacturers but they offer a wide range of equipment so that everyone should be satisfied. I usually begin with the Sherwood test data table at http://www.sherweng.com/table.html, a radio is either here or not. I suspect that they will reply to your email query.
All antennas work, but some better than others, depending on their set up. Set up here is installation, tuning, adjustment, etc. First the antenna has to be at the correct minimum height above ground. Horizontal antennas one half wave above ground and vertical antennas practically on the ground, because the radials are on the ground. Elevated radials need to disconnect from the ground effects. The closer a horizontal antenna is to the ground, the higher the take off angle, which is not good for real DX. A horizontal antenna is just that perfectly horizontal, typically made from aluminum tubing. Wire antennas are drooping dipoles and work after a fashion. A real horizontal antenna one half wave up or higher will work the world, no questions asked.
The two element beam is the most economical and best to use. There are many configurations, and some are better than others. Research your choice get all the information on the antenna, talk to hams using the antenna, get to know all that you can about the antenna before investing in it. Be sure to add an antenna analyzer t the antenna package. From my experience the rig expert brand antenna analyzer https://rigexpert.com/ is one of the easiest analyzers to use. This analyzer will help you to get your antenna tuning accurate, and there is always support, help and assistance when you need it.
Just a reminder to spend some time on YouTube checking and comparing the equipment of dream or choice. For all of us that dream radio is only one radio away, and we can actually have it now if we are serious. Take your ham radio to another level this year, and place the dream radio on the operating table, and let us make a contact. We are experiencing the first look of the Atlantic Hurricane Season over this weekend, but all will be well, and our country would get back to the election campaigning at hand. Hopefully after all this is done we can get rid of the skelec interference, noise and frequency jamming of amateur radio bands and ham frequencies. Of course, that will be the day.
73
Stay safe
Keeth, V44KF
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