V44KF

WOW!!!!! I made a contact into Maryland this morning with 5 watts on the experimental antenna. I was not even calling the station, I only came of 7.195 MHz and asked if anyone was around, looking for any of the usual local or Caribbean hams, and a W3 station responded. He gave me a signal report but I don't think that I heard him correctly, so I am not repeating it, but the last time I got that quality report I was using a Drake TR4C, L4B and a two element phased array beaming to North America. Anyway, I made the trip to MD with 5 watts and did not have to repeat anything. I know the SWR on the 40 meter portion of the antenna is 1 to 1 at 7.150 MHz. So maybe I should not really be surprised. It could also be that Storm ANA that is 3 days away to our East could have affected the atmosphere to such a degree that it messed with the propagation, creating a super path between V4 and W3. But that is not all, because today is the first time that I have received Guyana, 8R1WD to be exact, ...

WOW!!! It is hard to believe that 10 days have gone by so soon. It is like somebody push the fast forward button on us. Maybe it is just that as we get older it seems that everything is moving faster, but in reality everything is the same, but we old guys may be the ones that are moving slower. It could be critical if you have to punch someones time clock but when you are on your own, retired, and living one day at a time, it is a totally different story. Don't for a minute think that there is nothing to do, because XYL's always have something for you to do [at the wrong time], and if you don't do it right the first time, well you know ... these days it is not the rolling pin [ours are made from marble], they know where to find the switch for the surge protector. Before I tell you about today, I have come up with the solution to a problem that some of us could have. The most portable HF rig in the world may be the Flex 1500. It is powered from the Laptop USB. I could see ...

The long holiday weekend is coming to an end, and the best laid plans were shot to bits not by the weather, but by the Caribbean holiday spirit. It is party time across the Caribbean. Some call it Carnival, and some call it by other local names, but the bottom line is that it is party time in some Caribbean islands, and some parts of North America too. The cell phone and Internet provide those who cannot be there in person with a front seat and center stage view to all the action, whether it is Carnival queen pageant, calypso king competition, calypso queen show, queen of the bands, jouvert, or whatever. On the local scene, the party will be held at the house[s] with the largest plasma screen, and space to accommodate the noisy gathering. Some of it also spills onto facebook too. I too had my own little party [rum less] and was in no mood whatsoever to be in the hot sun dealing with antennas. Every day is an antenna day, but every day is not a party day, so you have to kill it when yo...

Let me first thank the Creator for another bright and sunny Saturday and I pray that it remains like this all day long. This weather is great for antenna work and I think quite a bit may be planned for today at more than one [1] QTH in V4. This morning I expect to do some more work on the dual band, single feed line 40/80 top and bottom load vertical dipole antenna. I now have the SWR down to around 1.5:1 on 40 and 80, but it is not at the frequency that I prefer. On 40 meters it is around 7.165 MHz and on 80 meters it is around 3.613 MHz. It looks like I am getting there, and I have not yet deployed the Autek RF1 analyzer. This morning I checked into the 80 meter weather net on 3.815 MHz, and only when the net controller said I was a bit light did I realize that I was running only 5 watts, and I had not even adjusted the matching between the rig/coax feed line/antenna with the built in antenna tuner. Reception also seem to be better than usual for most of the participating station...

Tempus fugit. I have not touched the antenna in the last week. I am still on vacation. The XYL is out visiting so I am enjoying being a bachelor again to the max. It feels good. No chores today. No housekeeping. Just me and my ham radio, my photography, my bicycle, my microwave, my wok and my TV. I get some exercise walking from the bedroom upstairs to the kitchen and shack downstairs. This is the good life. However, I have touched the antenna project as I found some antenna wire and nylon guy ropes all balled up in a corner of the yard where my landscape engineer had secured it, so today I will add some more wire onto the antenna and see where we can go. The antenna analyzer is back home so that will be deployed too. The antenna is tuned up just below 3.8 mhz with a 1:1 SWR, but the SWR on 40 is over 2 but under 3 at 7.135 mhz or so, totally unacceptable, since I never use antenna tuners. I have to remodel the antenna further to satisfy my requirements. The overall height of the ver...

The short 40/80 meter top and bottom loaded vertical dipole fed with one single feed line is finally up, but the bottom loading wire for 80 meters is to be replaced with real antenna wire which will be recycled from the existing single band 80 meter T-cap antenna. Nothing went according to the plan laid out for Saturday. First it rained, next it was windy, but the rain was the real show stopper. Negotiating wet grass and wet bamboo stalks across a dry river bed are not my idea of ham radio fun on a Saturday. So like the shuttle, take off was rescheduled for the next 24 hours. The self resonant frequencies on 40 and 80 were in band for starters, so I was not far off with my assumptions. The feed line is not the real length but should be close by about 4%, pretty significant but workable. The local signal reports indicate that I am not as strong as before, and I expect that, since both the vertical and horizontal radiation pattern should now be different, and the antenna is not yet tun...

All systems are go to install the 40/80 meter vertical dipole antenna today, if no rain. Rain is the one thing in the Caribbean that upsets everyone. Personally, I like the rain and it slows down, but does not stop my show. For some people it is the opposite, just the thought of rain totally stops their show. Rain to some people is like fire and brimstone. Of course for the Rastaman rain is quite something else. After serious consideration and contemplation I have decided why and where I will place, as in orient, the top and bottom loading wires for both the 40 and 80 meter antennas. It is not really critical because as long as you are 'out of plane' it is good bye to the high angle suppression. In this experiment I want to see if the allowed 'high angles' will give my antenna 'more ears' for local contacts. In theory it should, while maintaining the original low angle. I need to make up a new feed line, but I will use the old one which is good for 40 meters, bu...