开云体育

Julian, I think for us UK based mortals a second hand gf roach pole is the
best option, don't you?

David

I have had unsolicited reports of excellent audio using just the
stock Yaesu mike.

Julian, G4ILO

I agree Julian. Had an excellent qso today sitting in the garden, with a
French station on 20m, and had a most complimentary report on the audio
quality, without me asking.

I'm using the standard mic on the number 2 setting, and mic gain set at 70.
Have others found it necessary to increase the ssb mic gain? Or am I just a
quiet talker?! I've been toying with the idea of a Heil insert, but with
most of my activity being either cw or psk31, not sure if I can justify it.

Had the opportunity to compare the ATX with my 20m wire dipole today,
sitting out in the garden. The dipole is about 20 feet high. Sitting on
the grass with the 817 between my knees, and the appropriate counterpoise
lying on the grass, the ATX was never more than 2 s points down on the
dipole. Admittedly this was the middle of the day, and there was only
European stuff on 20m, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm pleased to say that the 817 novelty still hasn't worn off!!

73 Stephen G4SJP

Of course, the extension doesn't pack as well!

One of the (many) things I mean to do sometime, but haven't
yet, is to play around with different upper and lower masts
for the MP-1. It's incredibly easy -- you can get 36" and
48" pieces of 3/8" aluminum rod readily, and cut threads.
The anecdotal and computer modeling reports suggest benefits
from lengthening the lower section to elevate the coil, and
Barry W4WB has suggested that enlarging the diameter of the
upper element would likely help, as well (easily
accomplished with more 3/8" al rod). Anyway, to the point
Tom AA2VK makes above, that also is easily taken care of, I
think -- once the correct length(s) is/are determined,
section them, thread them, and use nuts to join them.

73
John Newell
KB1FPM

I have had unsolicited reports of excellent audio using just the
stock Yaesu mike.

Julian, G4ILO

I agree with Bonnie's proposal, but I've always considered low power
to be 10W pep or less. 50W is only 3dB below the maximum power that
most hams in Europe run.

Julian, G4ILO

Thanks for the comments, David. If anyone knows a UK source for one
of those small collapsible lightweight masts our stateside friends
are talking about, I'd try this myself. As your results show, the 12
foot version would be fine for casual operating, no need for the 30
footer.

Julian, G4ILO

--- In FT817@y..., "David Perry" <david.perry3@v...> wrote:

Nature


Got fed up ven trying to make the ATX work/. Cut a dipole for

forty and for twenty instead. The forty one and me went /p
yesterday. Centre up at c 10 fet, the ends lower. Great interG and
french QSO's all on 5 and 2.5 watts. Ace fun.

Today /p with the 20m one. Centre at 15 feet and the ends at about

5. First station the Spnsih DXpedition EA5KB. Great fun.

Do yourselves a faour guys, stop trying to make a 50 inch telescope

work when you'll succeed MUCH better with a dipole at almost any
height.

I hve mde this point before, but just to reiterate...the physics of

RF aren't optional, they are the LAW.

I think Julian's point about Yaesu should have fed HF to the back

only, just to encourage us to use wire,is a good one.

Great rig though. Thanks Yaesu.



I'm ready for a flaming now. Off you go.



David

I've purchased two of the Hosfelt (800-524-6464) part number 56-770
12V 2.1A switchers. These are only 4-1/8 x 1-5/8 x 7/8" and weigh
4.6 ozs. They are regulated, filtered and fused. I've purchased two
of these and both are quiet. Price is only $9.95 each.

Phil - AD5X

Along these lines...
I used a Hustler extension ( abt 54" ) mast on the PW-1... instead of
the stock 20"

Anytime the coil was higher up the antenna performed better ( in a swap
test ) and was easier to tune for the band.

Of course, the extension doesn't pack as well! ;)

best
Tom aa2vk
--
****
* Member of NORCAL, NJQRP, LIQRP, SGCI *
* K2 #1213 *
* LIQRP Web Page: www.erols.com/tjmc/liqrp *
* Personal web page : www.erols.com/tjmc *
****

ka5y@... wrote:

Not sure how
the metal inserts into the plastic

Take a look at the instructions here


If my recollection of ARES discussions on this is correct
(they are not the standard here yet, so I haven't committed
this to memory), one of the keys to good Powerpole
installations is to use a well-fitting crimper. One
solution is to find a Kline 1006

at your local electrical supply outfit. They are about $20
and are perfect for the job. Or, you can order the crimping
pliers from PowerWerx (but you'll need to pay S&H again)
. There is an Anderson
tool for this also, but IIRC it's very expensive. You will
also need a fine-bladed mini-screwdriver to help seat the
connectors in the plastic housings.

72/73
John Newell
KB1FPM

I received the powerwerx counterpoise kit and am very pleased. My
problem is I have no experience with these connectors. Not sure how
the metal inserts into the plastic? I thinking if I insert it
incorrectly maybe it won't come out and its ruined. If they can be
screwed up, I can do it.....Help

73
Paul

I made a new counterpoise (this time with some wire that was not
damaged, like, duh...) and the Maldol whip loaded on 20 w/flat SWR
across the band according to the internal SWR meter.

The loading coil instructions encourage this for "optimum
performance" and read as follows, "For best performance, please
provide a ground wire from transceiver GND terminal. (Optimum 1/4
wave length)"

After all of this I was able to work a station 5 miles away on 20
phone, sitting on my back porch with the rig on my lap. 20 has been
awful the past couple of days...it figures the bands would die as
soon as I buy a new radio.

My 20m dipole at 15 feet works much better than the whip (I see there
is a wire/whip debate going on in the group, sort of), and the dipole
cost was about $1.50 in parts as opposed to the $55.00 for the whip
and coil. More bang for the buck with a wire for sure. I will
likely stick with the ol' wire when camping and such. The whip is
OK, but I don't expect miracles with it.

NF6E

--- In FT817@y..., my_online_id@y... wrote:

Using only the built in SWR meter on the FT-817 as a point of
reference, it seems the SWR using the 20M Maldol loading coil &

whip

is a bit high. Played with the whip length, not much of a change.
Tried a counterpoise, no improvement to speak of.

Just picked up the antenna today and I know there have been
discussions about the Maldol in the past, but I'm curious to know

if

anyone has thrown one of those things on their rigs and seen less
than 4 bars across the screen using the built in SWR meter.

Can't really tell what the "true" SWR is. Went back to my

makeshift

dipole for the time being.

Anyone?

Jason (NF6E)

--- In FT817@y..., W4JZ@A... wrote:

--- In FT817@y..., "Anthony R. Gargano" <n2ss@h...> wrote:

I just tried the International CUP36-12 supply but it generates

so

much

hash as to make it useless. I'm looking for a compact, noise free

or at

least minimal noise110-220V supply I can take with me on overseas

trips.

Any recommendations based on the group's experience? My next trip

is coming

up in a little over a week, so I'm trying to get something

quickly.

Thanks

for any help, Tony N2SS

Tony, you need to send that power supply back to International. I
have the CUP36-12 & I have no hash noise. I just tried it again to
be sure & no noise is heard. I tried it without antenna connected
and with. Compared it with 5 amp gel cell and no difference.
Just have a S without antenna connected. With outside antenna just
atmosphere noise.

Reed W4JZ

Reed - are you trying this with a RESONANT antenna on the back of the
radio - YOUR experienc the same as mine, Tony's, or a LOT others on
here who want to use this supply with an antenna that is on or near
the radio - I wouldn't expect it to make hash with an outside antenna
that was 40' away or so, and without ANY antenna - I got excited at
one attempt - cured I thought, until I realized I forgot to
re_connect the antenna. Try is on 20 - probably around 14.060 - you
have to tune around as it drifts, AND it has to be under a load, like
the radio on RX.

A ferrite bead with about 8 turns made a BIG difference - but I think
I am going to build a compact linear supply - I do have 2 more Radio
Shack ones to investigate though - Radioshack.com has a 2A sort of
wall-wart - has an AC line cord input - similar to the supply for my
IC R75/ R8500

Don

W6ZO

Don

W6ZO

--- In FT817@y..., Michael Goins <mgoins@u...> wrote:

Don,

thanks for the information. I have a goldline now and professional

boom and

mount that I want to use if possible. Thinking about using a w2ihy

equalizer.

I have run 1 watt for 15 years plus and want to try the 817, but at

1 watt I

need all the audio I can get - clarity and punch.
mike

Hi Mike,

I am one of the "rare" 817 owners that have the SSB filter (and also
the CW filter). I am still testing it, but the initial observations
are as follows:

1. W3PM's measurements of it for me showed that its response is flat
over the band and has sharp skirts. I will post this information in
the files when I get it all together. The stock ceramic filter is
anything but flat and rolls off from the center freq and has rather
broader skirts.

2. The difference in RX audio is difficult to hear using the internal
speaker. You can, but not so much. When I hook my SP-8 speaker to
it, the difference is clear with the mechanical filter being
noticeably better. You can also hear the difference if you use good
headphones.

3. Using the stock microphone with the switch set to 2, several on-
the-air tests have consistently given reports of "about 3 dB
stronger," "better sounding audio," and "a bit more punch." These
responses are qualitative at best, but they were consistent even when
I started using a FT-847 and then switched to the 817 calling the
filters A and B.

4. I also have the Goldline, but have not hooked it up to the 817.
Instead, I plan to modify one of my Yaesu microphones as described by
M0AWS (see TOPIC - MICROPHONE MODIFICATION in the FAQ) so that it
will allow the selection of the HC-4 or HC-5 Heil elements.

5. Is the filter worth the price? Simply a matter of choice IMO. It
is my intention to optimize the rig configuration for SSB
contesting. The 817 with the CW filter is just fine for me for CW
activities. FWIW, I can easily change out the filters in less than 5
minutes. Perhaps I or someone else will yet figure out how to have
both resident in the 817.

72 de Barry - W4WB

All :

David makes a very good point.

There is never a good substitute for a decent antenna.
Wire antennas work great. Even something as simple as the
"upper and outer" ... 20 ft of wire up and twenty out, center fed with
balanced line will do quite well on all bands from 10-40m when fed with a
tuner.

Shortened whips will do ok on the higher frequencies (ie 20m-10m) but below
that the efficiency is generally pretty low and they are little more than
dummy loads, so we should reset our expectations when trying to use such
short antennas at those frequencies. That being said, part of the fun of QRP
is some of the challenges that it presents ... so by all means go ahead and
work DX on 80M with your ATX and then be sure to boast about it here.

Michael VE3WMB

Message: 17
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 22:17:30 +0100
From: "David Perry" <david.perry3@...>
Subject: aerials

Nature


Got fed up ven trying to make the ATX work/. Cut a dipole for forty and for
twenty instead. The forty one and me went /p yesterday. Centre up at c 10
fet, the ends lower. Great interG and french QSO's all on 5 and 2.5 watts.
Ace fun.

.... SNIP ....

Do yourselves a faour guys, stop trying to make a 50 inch telescope work when
you'll succeed MUCH better with a dipole at almost any height.

.... SNIP ....

I appreciate your advice, when I get additional tests done (that I am
satisfied with) I will post detailed results.



Rich Bay
Vice President
Quantum Communications, Inc.
(573)484-3844
(573)484-3844 FAX


I also suggest that the counterpoise be raise even more than the 18"
and you should see some improvement. Of course, the counterpoise
should be tuned for maximum ERP as well, not just minimum SWR.

One interesting signal source to play with is WWVB. You will have
to "tweak" the W3FF dipole for the selected freq. It is a stable
(given atmospherics) and strong source. See which one does better.
I did a quick WWVB (10 MHz) test with the MP-1 and the B&W AP-10A
recently and observed that the B&W received better by perhaps several
dBs. It required tilting each antenna about to maximize the received
signal. If care was not taken to optimize the counterpoise as well,
the differences between them and themselves (unoptimized) were
remarkable.

72 de Barry - W4WB








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<> .

Hi Rich,

I am unclear about what your test configuration was. It sounds like
you were doing short-range ground-wave testing ("TX & RX antennas
were too close together").

Properly setup, the W3FF dipole should outperform the MP-1 hands down
given that you tilt it about to maximize the signal. To be fair, the
MP-1 can also be tilted about given the right mounting.

I also suggest that the counterpoise be raise even more than the 18"
and you should see some improvement. Of course, the counterpoise
should be tuned for maximum ERP as well, not just minimum SWR.

One interesting signal source to play with is WWVB. You will have
to "tweak" the W3FF dipole for the selected freq. It is a stable
(given atmospherics) and strong source. See which one does better.
I did a quick WWVB (10 MHz) test with the MP-1 and the B&W AP-10A
recently and observed that the B&W received better by perhaps several
dBs. It required tilting each antenna about to maximize the received
signal. If care was not taken to optimize the counterpoise as well,
the differences between them and themselves (unoptimized) were
remarkable.

I look forward to your next tests Rich.

72 de Barry - W4WB

After some testing with the FT-817 and microphones, I find the using a mike
with a graphic equalizer to have the most flexibility and be better apt to
produce the results you might want. ICOM and MFJ make a couple very good
mics with graphic equalizers.

One important note, if you use the MFJ, do NOT buy the $15.99 matching Yaesu
interface cable, it does not work with the FT-817. However, Radio Shack
sells a very well made CAT 5 cable that is "plug and play" with the FT-817.
Works very well.

Another caution, if your shack has a lot of floating RF around, (poor
grounds, in-door antenna, etc) you may experience instability when using
some of these cables that use RJ-45 connectors. Very few are shielded and
act as a good antenna for stray RF at close range. The effect is distortion
and squealing on your transmitted signal. Beads and chocks don't wok very
good.

Yesterday myself and K0ZH ran a series of tests using the following:

* Receive setup - TS-2000 and TRX-Meter (an add-in provided with TRX-Manager
which reads received signal in micro volts)
* Transmit setup - FT-817 on 7 AH Battery power output was set to lowest
(700 mw) to insure the power was not lowered by the battery fluctuating and
to reduce signal strength as much as possible.
* Antenna MP-1 in various configurations (primarily mounted on a photo
tripod with antenna base at 3 feet) and W3Ffdipole
* Tests were made on 10, 15 and 20 meter frequencies.

The test results agree with the various posts I have seen on this reflector.
Although several mistakes were made, and I intend to correct these
procedures and test again, several conclusions can be made.

* The MP-1 works best with a longer section below the coil and the
counterpoise radials elevated above the ground.
* The optional extension whip works at least as well as the provided screw
together sections.
* Using the MP-1 on the optional tripod on the ground is the worst possible
option.
* The W3FF dipole works at least as well as the MP-1 in its best
configuration.

For the purpose of this test on the MP-1 I used the legs for the optional
MP-1 tripod to extend the lower section of the mast. These three additional
sections provided a total mast height, below the coil, of about 30 inches.
The counterpoise radials were elevated a maximum of 18 inches.

Some of the errors we made include:

* Different receiver settings on different bands(i.e. Attenuator on some
bands not on others - all receive settings were consistent per band through
the test). This was my fault in that I asked someone to operate the TS-2000
who was not familiar with the rig.
* The transmit antenna was too close to the receive antenna. This caused the
receiver to overload on the setups working the best. For this reason I could
not tell the relationship to the output of the W3FF dipole to the MP-1, in
its best configuration.

The best part of the test was working a little DX and a few other contacts
after I had the MP-1 setup and was waiting for K0ZH.

72

K0FUN
Rich

Well, it has stopped raining in Cincinnati. Finally I could try the 817 with
UO-14 outside with my Arrow antenna and the new duplexer I got up at Dayton.
The 817 was on batteries and I had already programmed the memories per
instructions. Had one guy in Missouri attempt a call (someone heard me).
Reception was great. Worked surprisingly well. Could hear a bunch of
stations. I just wish FTbasic will soon be updated to program in those split
band memories. That was the only time consuming part. Those darn buttons
are so small.

Regards,

Duffy - WB8NUT

Hello there,

Having read a lot of messages regarding the problem of switching
power supply hash during HF operation, I would like to present my
experience on the subject. I use a home-made power supply of this
kind, and I used parts from junked computer power supplies to build
it. The design follows the lines of the switching power supply that
is featured in the 1999 ARRL handbook. My supply delivers 13.8 V DC
at 25 A, and produces no hash at any frequency. The secret? Read on.
My computer generated so much noise and spurious signals, that I
couldn't use it at all when I had any receiver operating (S9+, up to
432 MHz!!!)I suspected the power supply. Having acquired information
by building the switching power supply I mentioned, I opened the case
of the computer's supply, and to my astonishment observed there
wasn't ANY kind of filtering between the power supply circuits and
the 220 V AC power line! This supply was a really good BROADBAND tx!
I constructed and installed a filter in the case. Also, I replaced
the cheap, unfiltered power receptacle with a filtered one. The data
for these can be found in the construction article in the 1999
Handbook (page 11.28).
Result: NO detectable hash, ANYWHERE (frequency-wise). I can work
PSK31, at last!
So, the secret is: Proper filtering and shielding is mandatory for
switching power supplies. The supply should be fully enclosed in a
metallic case, which should be grounded. ALL the leads in and out of
the supply should be properly filtered INSIDE the case, to minimize
radiation of broadband switching noise. The proper ferrites and
capacitors should be used - also, remember these are high voltage
circuits!
Most manufacturers cut corners in their designs, in order to reduce
cost. Choose a switching PSU that is specially designed to use with
radios, or buy and modify one by adding shielding and filters (beware
of the HIGH VOLTAGE!). DON'T BUY plastic-encased switching PSUs. They
are good only for making incadescent lamps glow...

73 de Tasos, SV8YM/2