Amateur radio...

[TXiceman]

Any of you fellows on the other side of the pond Ham Radio operators?

Band conditions have opened 20M a few times over the past week and I have heard a few European stations as well as Crete, Japan and Hawaii from Houston, Texas.

Time here has been about 10 to 11 PM Central Standard time (about Zulu -6), So it is a bit early over there.

73's

KE5DFR

Ken

[chillin out]

Any of you fellows on the other side of the pond Ham Radio operators?

Band conditions have opened 20M a few times over the past week and I have heard a few European stations as well as Crete, Japan and Hawaii from Houston, Texas.

Time here has been about 10 to 11 PM Central Standard time (about Zulu -6), So it is a bit early over there.

73's

KE5DFR

Ken

Whats your frequency Kenneth?

LOL

Chillin

[TXiceman]

I've been up and down the 20M and 40M bands. If you have a particular frequency, let me know and I will see what happens.

Ken

[chillin out]

LOL...sorry mate that was a joke.

Have you heard of a music band called REM?

One of their greatest songs was called "whats the frequency Kenneth".

Chillin

[TXiceman]

Sometimes English does not translate across the big pond. Two nations split by a common language?

I mostly listen to the older county and western. The new music and the new C&W don't agree with these old ears.

Love your stick figure fight.

Oh and wanted to point out that after destroying the evidence...get a pint, not a cuppa....cheers. Oh how I love the European beers. The Americans are brain washed into drinking swill.

Ken

[chillin out]

I mostly listen to the older county and western. The new music and the new C&W don't agree with these old ears.

You should always keeps your options (and ears) open, in my book a good song is a good song.

You would not believe the range of music on my PC, everything from rap to country to rock. The only music I am not keen on is classical, I don't understand the words and it just sounds like screaming.

Try listening to a completely new type of music each day, you never know... you just might like it.

Chillin

[The MG Pony]

geting a good skip are ya, back when I had a CB rig going I was geting a skip from hawie, got one transmission through and lost the bounce, I could hear just not transmit, lol, all the trucker said was "Suprised you can hear us here" tried to respond, but lost it. Ah well, got me self an RFDF in the KHz range for sea nave, other then that never got into ham.

[TXiceman]

The Ham tickets is a bit more work, but a lot more fun. I can run up to 1500 watts legally on the ham bands.

About 20 years ago, when I had a CB (legal 5 watts), I would get torn up with illegal stations coming in on skip. We were living in Toronto and heard a trucker in South Texas and managed to get back to him. Surprised the ****ens out of me. It was just skip.

With the ham radio, we live for skip and wait for a new sun spot cycle.

i guess I am the only Ham radio operator on here.

Ken

[The MG Pony]

I had a 150 watt kicker on the base station, so I was packing a bit of heat with the set up. All stollen though

[TXiceman]

I am looking to get about a 500 watt amplifier for my base station. I have a ground mounted, 6-band vertical and a 10 through 80 meter off-center-fed dipole at 30'. My most distant contact has been 400 Km of Moscow.

Other than Ham radio, me and the XYL enjoy our RV (caravan to those on the other side of the pond). We have a vintage (28 year old) Silver Streak trailer, 30' long and pull it with a 2002 F350 7.3L diesel pickup. The SS is a lot like the Air Stream, only they were a bit more upscale than the Air Stream.

I used to home brew beer, but don't do that any more. I like to brew stouts and porters with the occasional ale....problem was I also liked to drink them. Now it is easier to buy them here. Found I could not give away the home brew, except to the few that liked real beer. Americans are brain-washed to drink, Bud Lite, Miller Lite or Corona. I'd just as soon drink water as that swill.

Ken

[NH3LVR]

I used to home brew beer, but don't do that any more. I like to brew stouts and porters with the occasional ale....problem was I also liked to drink them. Now it is easier to buy them here. Found I could not give away the home brew, except to the few that liked real beer. Americans are brain-washed to drink, Bud Lite, Miller Lite or Corona. I'd just as soon drink water as that swill.

TXiceman;
Am in total agreement with that last statement.
If you start brewing again feel free to send ME a few bottles.
I do not brew much anymore, and when I do I prefer to keg rather than bottle. Bottling is a lot of work. Usually put up 15 Gallons for Christmas time.

[The MG Pony]

I brew in Kegs! Does that count?

Here home brew is prevailant.

[monkey spanners]

In quite fancied having a go at making whisky after a holiday in scotland (and numerous distilery tours) I'm sure i could make a working still and condenser out of some copper pipe etc. doubt i could wait 10 years to test the results though

Jon

[TXiceman]

The longest I had to wait for a beer to finish in the bottle was almost a year from the day I put it in the primary fermenter. Took about 2 weeks in the primary and 4 weeks in the secondary. It was an Imperial Stout fermented with champaign yeast. Finished at 11.5% alcohol and it was so smooth.

Ken

[on4hf]

Hi there,
Nice to see radio amateurs on this forum.
Greetings from Belgium.
Eric - ON4HF.

[kg4yub]

greetings fellow amatuers 1st post .never know what you will find playing with computer just joined REF ENG [transport] regards 73s butch

[TXiceman]

With band conditions like they have been recently, I have not worked any DX in a while. A while back I worked Moscow on 20M early evening here. Managed to get England once, Sicily, and then South America. This is from the Houston, Texas Area.

I run a Kenwood TS830S, 100 watts, manual antenna tuner, Hustler 6BTV ground mounted vertical and a Carolina Windom 80 dipole. I need to rehang the dipole and get it up a bit higher and away from the house. The vertical does netter for me on 10M through 40M. The dipole for 80M.

73's
Ken

[Colin King]

Hi Ken and Eric, I guess we are the only Radio Hams in this trade around the world.
Callsign this end is GW1VRW, just got active again after about 10 years off the air. Now running a Yaesu 857 and a 1/2 size G5RV, it gets me out and around Europe and sometime in the eastern seaboard.

Will keep my ears to the speaker in the future.

73's Colin

[TXiceman]

I have and old Kenwood TS830S Gold at home with a Windom 80m dipole and a Butternut HF9V vertical (ground mounted with 12-30' radials), LDG AT200 Pro auto tuner.

Mobile rig is a Yaesu FT897D and a ATAS120 screwdriver antenna.

With hurricane Ike, I have had zero time on the radio and just got the dipole back up today.

Maybe next week I can get back on the air a bit.

73's
Ken

[Byronovich]

Evening gentlemen, from VK4VKU in Cairns, Australia....Fridgie, Ham and Homebrewer. I have a 3 door merchandiser that I've tricked up a bit...(digital controller minus 0.5 degrees C, good all round temp if people put softdrink in, contactor, beer tap and stainless drip tray on the middle(block) door) far right door is for all glasses and bottled beers etc. far left door carries 2 out of 3 20 litre containers that I rack my beer into from the 60 litre fermenter....behind middle door are the 20 litre kegs that I can cascade one into another and then to the tap.....also have a commercial glass washer for ease of bar activity :-)
Regards,
Byron

[TXiceman]

Byron, hey buddy, sounds like I need to make a trip to Australia and check out the shack as well as the brew facilities.

What you running in the shack.

73
Ken

[Byronovich]

Hi ken,
Shack has always been the vehicle and just has a little old Yaesu FT7 which has done me well for more years than I really want to add up...I wasn't expectng to see a ham radio thread in a fridgie's forum and couldn't help myelf making a comment.
I am refurbing a 200 pound/24hr Ice machine as we speak and have downed tools for the night..Be good to hear back from you, over
B

[TXiceman]

My base is an old Kenwood TS830S Gold with a Butternut HF9v ground mounted vertical (12-30 ft radials) and a carolina Windom 80 Special dipole at 50 ft. and an LDG AT200 autotuner. Mobile is a Yaesu FT897D and the ATAS 120 screwdriver antenna. Also have an LDG AT 897 on the mobile for when we are out in the RV and I use my 20/40m fan dipole. Also have a Yaesu FT60R HT and a mag mount for the wife's car.

I have not found any other hams messing with the cold stuff.

73's
Ken

[ColdDeath]

TXiceman,
My son is going to be working on his radio merit badge. His scout master is a Ham operator. Sounds like a nice hobby. Is it expensive?

[TXiceman]

ColdDeath, it can be an expensive hobby, but you can also get into it with minimal equipment. Years ago the norm was home built, but not much now.

He will need to get his Technicians license first and no code is required now. I am sure his scout master can offer some help on locating decent used equipment.

With a tech license, the only HF (high frequency) band he can operate on is 10m (meters). He can also operate VHF (2m) and UHF (70cm). 6m is also available for phone use.

To see about the license procedure and study materials check www.arrl.org. Also see if there is a local ham club to help him get started.

He can pick up a used 50 watt 2m radiofor under $100.00 and build any one of a number of 2m antennas from wire you have around the house. It will be a 12 vdc radio, so he will need to run off of batteries and a charge or a power supply (<$100.00).

To get into HF (160m, 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m, a used radio will run about $500.00, antenna tuner, $150.00 (new), and an antenna kit about $30.00 for one called a G5RV (all band dipole) and some UG58X coaxial cable.

Got to watch the yard Nazi's on antennas. Some prohibit them, but it is getting harder for them to prohibit Ham antennas totally (House bill PRB1).

I use a 20 plus year old HF radio in the house and a Carolina Windom Dipole, 50' in the air and can talk all over the world.

With a 2m/70cm radio, he can access local repeaters which are much like a more powerful single channel cell tower.

Now if you want to turn the fellow loose and let him have fun with your credit card, you can spend $11,000 on a radio, $3500.00 for a Stepper beam antenna, $5000.00 for a tower and rotor. Get a pretty nice station for about $20,000.00.

Post a PM to me and I can send you my private email address for any questions.

Ken

Ken

[ColdDeath]

I guess it is like any other hobby. It can get expensive. Yard Nazis are not my main problem - trees are. I live in the bloody woods. His fencing is getting a bit high.

[TXiceman]

We live on a heavily wooded 1 acre lot and I found a spot for my vertical antenna (31' tall) and I have an 85' dipole stretched over the house between pine trees and 50' in the air. On these antennas and 100 watts, I have talked from Houston to Hawaii, Brasil, Moscow, Italy, England, etc .

Part of the fun of radios is trying different antennas and see what will work, but basically you can hang a piece of wire if it is right length and will tune to the radio.

A person the mentors a younger radio enthusiast is called an Elmer. The scout leader should be pleased to be an Elmer for a budding radio operator. If he does not have the time, there are plenty of others.

Ken

[hillbillywillie]

greetings from KD5NWR.
I've only a handheld Icom ICV8, but it's fun working repeaters round about.
I'm a big shortwave fan too, as well as a home brewer.
I recently bought a cb radio to try but it was a complete waste of money-nothing but foul mouthed yahoos, who wouldn't talk anyway!

Medium wave was excellent when i lived back home-on Saturday afternoons you had the les Dawson comedy show, then "Fluff" freeman would come on, then at night I would listen to radio Sweden around midnight. I gave them a radio report and they sent me a great load of stuff.
You could pick up radio Moscow and Prague easily on MW.
Here in USA I listen to shortwave for the foreign stations.
Most

[NH3LVR]

as well as a home brewer.

Do not care much about the Ham Stuff-but being a Homebrewer counts for a lot

[TXiceman]

Norman, you need to upgrade to General class and get on HF. As a Tech you can operate on 10m. In the past few weeks, I have hit some openings to the mid west.

Once we get the solar cycle pumping, 10M will let you talk world wide.

I have not home brewed in about 10 years. I liked to make stouts and porters.

Ken

[hillbillywillie]

Ken-the thing that holds me back from sitting my general is time-I have two kids and as you know our trade doesn't let you have much in the way of free time.
I plan to study and sit my general this year though, as I want to talk worldwide asap.
As a footnote, there was a great British comedian called Tony han****, and he had one episode of his show called "the Radio Ham". Very funny-and even funnier if you're a ham!
I had a Sangean shortwave radio that had single sideband, and used to listen to hams talk worldwide-listened in on a ham from Scandinavia once!

I like stouts and porters, but recently have taken a real liking to India Pale Ale.
If we ever meet one day i'll be sure to let you sample some!

[TXiceman]

Norman, we lived east of Tulsa when I got my Tech ticket and now live near Houston. We have an acre and no antenna restrictions so I have a dipole up between two pine trees.

Not a thing wrong with an IPA.

Ken

[A/C MAX]

Cool, Im hamradio operator too, my call is XE1YZY, its nice to have some ham fellows Here!

73's
Pierre

[TXiceman]

Pierre,

Not too many Hams in refrigeration...don't know why? I find amateur radio pretty cool, so it should be a good mix. I occasionally talk to some of the hams down Mexico way.

What bands do you primarily work. We can try to set up a QSO.

Fom the house I can work, 10,12, 15, 17, 20, 40, and 80m.

From the truck I can work 70cm, 2m, 6, 10, 20 and 40m.

Base is an old Kenwood TS830S gold with butternut HF9V vertical and a Carolina Windom 80.

Ken

Ken

[A/C MAX]

Hi Ken,

Yes, it is a good mix, shure we can make a QSO anytime, I guess better band is 40 Meters, arround 6m (Central time), I like old rigs, we recently make an event called "Heavy Metal Rally" you can watch the video in youtube please serch "XE1RCQ" (our radio club call sign) and take a look, unfortunatly I can't put the link here.
73's Pierre

[TXiceman]

0600 CST ...yuck, During the week I am on the Metro bus headed to down town Houston. I am a mechanical engineer now working for KBR after 37 years in industrial refrigeration...mostly FES.

I chatted with a ham in Mexico City last month while I was mobile (about 60 miles north of Austin) on 20m.

I am Field Day Coordinator for our radio club this year. 27 and 28 June. We will be on the air on both CW and SSB as W5NC (club call) and a GOTA station as well. We will start off with the beam to the NE and later go to the dipoles. Club site is http://www.w5nc.org.

We have a 10m net on Monday at 2000 which is followed by an 80m informal rag chew.

I have not been on the air much this year as the band conditions have not been the greatest. We will catch a QSO some time.

Ken

[A/C MAX]

Ok Ken,

Your club have a very nice home page and info, well 10 meters could be difficult for me due the bad propagation conditions, but I keep my ears open for you on 80 Meters, also I love to work CW, so hope can I join your "straight key" event.
BTW, what is your call?

RGDS

Pierre

[TXiceman]

My call is KE5DFR.

I have ordered and IsoCat from W5BAI and will give digital a try, hopefully by this weekend. I downloaded Ham Radio Deluxe and installed it on the laptop and will use my FT897D from the truck.

The 80m net is usually about 2010 (Mondays) and near 3.806 mhz. One of the club members moved out to Hondo and it gives us a chance to talk with him.

Ken

[A/C MAX]

My call is KE5DFR.

I have ordered and IsoCat from W5BAI and will give digital a try, hopefully by this weekend. I downloaded Ham Radio Deluxe and installed it on the laptop and will use my FT897D from the truck.

The 80m net is usually about 2010 (Mondays) and near 3.806 mhz. One of the club members moved out to Hondo and it gives us a chance to talk with him.

Ken

Ok Ken

Well Digital communications are great, I like to work in PSK, but Im more "old fashion" ham, still like to make glow some tubes, and use my CW Key.

Im not to active this days, I have to keep my bussines running in this economical storm, hi hi, but, I really want to have the chance to have a nice QSO with you, so I looking for you next monday on 80 Meters

73's XE1YZY Pierre

[TXiceman]

Pierre,

I will try to be on 3.810 mHz (+/-) and see if we can make it work about 2000 CST Monday evening.

I was on for a bit this afternoon and could almost work a fellow in Honolulu in 17m. Listened to him a bit and he was running 1KW on a 4 element homemade beam. He could not quiet pull my 100 watts on the vertical out of the noise.

Just checked and 80 m is pretty noisy here right now. We'll have to see how it goes tomorrow.

73,
ken