Portugal on 6 Meters!

Earlier this morning, I heard EA8CQS in the Canary Islands on 6 Meters; it was the first time I've ever heard Europe on 6.

Just before 1030 local, I heard CT1HZE in Portugal on 50.115 USB and was able to work him via Multi-Hop E's!!!! I couldn't believe I was actually working Europe on 6 Meters. I only have a vertical for 6 Meters and was surprised I could pull it off without a directional antenna of some sort. CT1HZE must have one heck of a station!

Needless to say, this has just made my day. I could turn off the radios now and be happy (but of course that isn't going to happen).

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net

Icom IC-91AD SMA Connector

When the MH-510 worked great on the VX-7R, I moved the SRH77CA over to the IC-91AD D-Star handheld. Immediately, a problem presented itself - there was a considerable gap between the bottom of the antenna and the top of the radio. That could easily stress the SMA connector and allow dirt and moisture to get into the connection, neither of which are conducive to good operating.



The first solution that popped into my mind was some sort of plastic or rubber washer, so it was off to the Home Depot. On the way there, however, another idea popped into mind: an O-ring. I remembered the varied sizes of O-rings that we sold when I worked at Builderama years ago so I headed straight to the plumbing department. I looked through the various sizes and found the perfect solution: #78 O-Rings. The #78 is 7/16" OD x 1/4" ID x 3/32" which perfectly fit around the SMA connector and under the SRH77CA.

As youcan see above, the #78 O-Ring fit into place perfectly and the antenna compresses it a bit when tightened down resulting in a stable and sealed connection. This is a very simple fix to allow a great radio to use a great antenna.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net

Tri-Band HT Antenna

I have been disappointed with the MFJ-1720S 6m/2m/70cm antenna that I purchased not long after I purchased my Yaesu VX-7R handheld. Compared to what I consider to be the gold standard for HT antennas – the Diamond SRH77CA (2m/70cm) – it has performed poorly. I recently ordered a Maldol MH-510 6m/2m/70cm antenna, which arrived via UPS this afternoon. Throughout the evening, I conducted some tests to compare the SRH77CA and the MH-510.

I have always been able to hit the 442.700 repeater with an HT and the SRH77CA; this evening I was able to carry on a QSO with Bob, W4WTO on the 442.700 with no problems whatsoever. I had good copy on the repeater and Bob gave me a good report into the repeater. During this evening's 2m Savannah Simplex Net I was able to switch back and forth between the SRH77CA and the MH-510 to compare signals. There was little to no difference between the two antennas when comparing received signals. Guy, K4GTM was net control for the Savannah Simplex Net; he gave me a signal report of an S5 for the MH-510 and S4 on the SRH77CA. A single S-unit difference is not bad at all.

The MH-510 seems to perform much better than the MFJ-1720S. The 510's one drawback is length; it measures in at over 20 inches long. That said, I rarely carry it on my belt. It usually hitches a ride in a pocket on my pack, so the length shouldn't be a major issue. I'm going to carry the VX-7R with the MH-510 for awhile and get a better idea of how well it works. I also plan on testing it on the BC-396 scanner to find out how well it would work in that guise.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net

Netbooks and Radio

There is a good column in the August 2009 issue of Monitoring Times on using "netbook" computers with radios and various radio related applications such as Ham Radio Deluxe.

I have been using an Acer Aspire One netbook for several months as my primary "radio computer." If you came to the Coastal Amateur Radio Society Field Day this year, you saw my netbook/FT-897D/Ham Radio Deluxe combination. I've found this to be a very good combination; Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) operates on the netbook with absolutely no problems so far. HRD has had a habit of locking up on my desktop computer, but I have yet to encounter that on the Acer netbook. It also runs programming software for most of my other radios such as the FT-8800, BC-396, BC-996, and BC-780.

The Acer purchase was not my original idea. I had listened to Russ, K4YGD talk about his Acer; that planted the seed in my head. Guy, K4GTM purchased one and my father, AF4KL did as well. After seeing how well my father's worked and with good reports from Russ, my mind was made up. To this point, I've not regretted the decision.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net

Testing New Blog Option

I've been working with Microsoft Office 2007 for a few months now and I'm beginning to use some of it's new features. Among those features is the ability to post from within Word 2007. This is just a test post to see how it works and what it looks like when it posts. If it works well, it may be better than using the Blogger web interface.

I've also downloaded and installed Office 2007 add-on that will allow me to save documents as PDFs. This should definitely help with producing Groundwaves, the newsletter of the Coastal Amateur Radio Society.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT

kf4lmt@comcast.net

Oglethorpe Speedway 17 July 2009

This post is from my blog "Stray Thoughts" and is reposted here because of the scanner content. Both frequencies in the article are great to listen to if you go to Oglethorpe Speedway and really enhance the enjoyment of the race.

For the first time this year (and I hope not the last) I had the chance last night to go out to Oglethorpe Speedway, the .5 mile clay oval in Pooler, GA. After some rain delays and dinner with the family I finally made it out there shortly after 8 PM. I took a scanner along and listened to the officials on both their frequency and the "Raceceiver" frequency which is used for the officials to talk to the cars.

461.500 - Oglethorpe Speedway Officials
454.000 - Raceceiver (Officials to Cars)

The racing was wonderful and there were some great battles for the lead in all of the classes. There was some boneheaded racing as well. The driver of the 29 car in the 440 class got his first victory; it was pretty cool to see him do a reverse donut in front of the grandstand (the 440's are front wheel drive, so you have to use reverse to do a proper donut)! The 6 and 20 cars in the Pure Stock class were black flagged and parked after abusing each other over last place, the result of a previous coming together on the track. I was watching the race for first, which was a terrific fight at the time when I heard race control get increasingly emphatic with the 6 and 20 to stop beating on each other. I look back to the end of the field and there they were pushing and shoving over last place...

Unfortunately, the Street Stock class was cut short because the rain returned about 3/4 of the way through their race during a caution period. The officials polled the drivers at first to see if the track was still good and they restarted. Eventually the rain began to fall harder and the track just became to slick to race on so it was stopped and called an official race. The Late Model race was postponed until next week, when they will have a double 20-lap Late Model feature.

Mac McCormick III
kf4lmt@comcast.net

CPR/First Aid for ARES Responders?

While reading the ARRL ARES E-letter this month, I came across the following letter from a reader. On the surface, it is an excellent idea but once you scratch the surface, a couple of problems appear. While it may be something that ARES volunteers want to pursue on their own initiative, I can't agree with CPR and First Aid certification being required for membership.

I have been an ARES/RACES member for a number of years and have also served as Washington ARMY MARS state emergency director. My question is, why isn't there a requirement that all ARES members have a current card showing that they have had CPR and Basic First Aid? I for one do not want to be dispatched with another member that has not met these requirements. If and when I have the Big One out there I sure want someone to be able to thump and pump.

I really have to disagree with this writer for two reasons: What are we here for, and Should we be here.

1. What are we here for? We are communicators not medics or EMTs. While having the CPR or first aid certification would be nice, it should not be a requirement to be an ARES operator. We have to remember that we are a volunteer organization. If we begin REQUIRING members to have this certification and that certification, pretty soon we'll not have very many members at all. The more certifications you require, the more restrictive you are and the result is that you'll have more trouble finding volunteers. Is CPR and first aid certification essential to our job as communicators? The answer in my opinion is a definitive no, therefore those certification should not be required of ARES volunteers.
2. Should we be here? This writer states "If and when I have the Big One out there..." This indicates that he expects to have a heart attack. If he has such a problem, should he be there in the first place? If someone has a heart condition, an ARES posting has the potential to be a stressful situation; that stress could lead to what my doctor referred to as "an event." It's not that you don't want the volunteer (see number 1!) but utilizing someone with such a health condition can make an already bad situation even worse. If I were a leader, and I posted someone with a condition and he had a heart attack on that post, I would feel responsible and probably wouldn't be able to forgive myself if the worst happened.

If an ARES volunteer has a health condition like heart disease, it is the duty of that volunteer to be careful in what he volunteers for. The EC must also take the volunteer's health into consideration. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both of which are currently under control with medicine and diet. Were my conditions not under control, I would not volunteer for some ARES postings, especially a more physically demanding posting or a higher stress NCS duty.

Mac McCormick III, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net