HAM SHACK LAYOUT/DESIGN

Well looks like my 6m Es is done for another season so it is what I call tweener season, no 6m and not fall contest season yet so time to think about the shack and antennas.

Laying out a ham station is a fun part of our hobby but we all have different circumstances, I have had many station locations in the past 45 years I have operated from the garage, basement, spare bedroom, under the staircase, and from out buildings.

I just recently got to thinking about one change to the shack which got me to thinking about how everyone else lays out there station, well just check google  you will see it all. So if you are a new ham or an old dude like me I thought I would share a few of my ideas.. not that they are the best ideas, just ideas.

SPACE... How much space do you have for a shack ? A closet, or an entire room or basement.
                What ever it is use the space wisely. It is best to have an outside wall, only for easy access
                to the antenna farm/ garden. Also good access to AC power and even 220 if an AMP is
                involved, and don't forget grounding good access to ground. In short best case is easy      
                access to the great outdoors.

DESK…. Build one, buy one or use what is at hand ? I only have a few requirements for a desk.
                 It needs to be sturdy, ham gear is heavy in some cases however getting smaller all the
                 time. But no wobbly desks allowed. The desk surface needs to be adequate to hold the
                 equipment you choose to use, I have gear in the garage I choose to not use any longer and
                 that came while laying out my newest setup...don't need it don't let take up your valuable
                 desk top.
                 DEPTH... This is very important, you must have enough room for equipment, keyboards
                 and your arms. I think 30 inches is a minimum for real comfort, the desk I use was 20 in.
                 deep when I got it I added 11 1/2 inches on the back to make it 31 1/2 in. deep it works
                 well for me. Doors, drawers and vertical shelving is a real plus, and remember you may
                 end up like me drilling wire pass through holes so don't use something you can't modify.

OPERATING... Ok we have a space, a desk and way to many wires... always to many wires. Make
                           sure your feet are not kicking wires very annoying and unsightly, I also hate wires
                           running across my desk top so I rout things to stay out of my way don't be tangled
                           in cables.
                           Now we are on the air. Can you see your screens without looking up and down ?
                           Can you reach every knob and switch without stretching or standing ? These are
                           things to work on... make it so. Nothing will be perfect but make it the best you can.
                           It will be a work in progress maybe like me for years !!

                           Things you touch allot should be in easy reach and view, keep working on it !!!

THE CHAIR.... Advice given me by an experienced contester, if you contest or spend long periods in
                          your chair get the best you can afford that fits you and promotes good posture. It is
                         truly a big deal get a good chair !

PTT...………… I prefer headset mic's and foot switches for SSB, not important for CW or DIG but
                           worth trying, boom mic headset and foot switch ...try it !!

This is all mostly common sense advice but I recently visited a new ham that was operating a new radio from a TV tray I kept reaching out thinking I would have to save the rig when it all came down.
You will have computers, and a dozen other boxes to deal with, antenna switches and on and on. It is work to get you station the way you want it but it is fun, I have built many operating positions and none are perfect so I keep trying.....Enjoy what you have make it work for you and have fun.






               

Summer 2018 and FT8

It's been so long but I think I have something to say now !!!

There has been much flap the past year about FT8 so being trendy and all for a way old dude I thought I would share my thoughts not that they matter much but here goes.

Lets back up a year, summer 2017 and Es season is in full swing. I have been a 6 meter junkie for many years and after a break in radio activity some years ago I have not missed an E season for ten years. Last summer I operated my very traditional SSB and CW 6m season and from my stealth antenna HOA location managed 300+ 50mhz contacts. But something was amiss, hummm !!

I noticed by the CQ WW VHF contest that the bands however open were somewhat silent in the phone and CW bands.... What is this thing going on at 50.313 ? I worked a fellow in 6 land that I have worked many times on 6m he said " Jim where is everyone ?" Well that about summed it up band open to Ca. and no one to talk to. I tuned to the FT8 freq. and it was a-buzz with activity.

The righting was on the wall , come along or perish … well sort of. My mission then was to figure this out, being a CW SSB RTTY guy and finding no use for PSK I figured this may be a stretch but a must do if I expected to fill my 6m log in 2018. So off I went downloading WSJT-X already Had a SignaLink for RTTY... Yikes New stuff to learn !!

Well it was mostly painless but of course that fear of clicking the mouse for the first time, well I was off and running as it was winter when I started this I spent time on HF figuring this out spent time on 17m 20m 40m and 160m …… and ya know what, I liked it : ) I worked DX , I worked WAS and just got comfortable with it, my wife called it Ham Crack as I couldn't get off of it !!!

And then..... on Dec.31 and Jan.1 the magic band decided to bless us here in the PNW with a great opening, so my first 6m Qs using FT8 and what fun it was I think I logged around 50 Qs and was delighted. So far this summer I have logged almost 500 Qs on 6m FT8 may not be a big number for some of you but a very big number for HOA guy, and I worked many JA and South America stations and three Europe stations which made my day.

So my point...I love CW and SSB contesting even though I am the littlest of little pistols, I have never been a rag chewer never ! So contesting and FT8 suit me very well. I found FT8
contesting a bit cumbersome as some ops are in contest mode and some in normal mode and it is frustrating, but it is where the action is so we all try to be fluid and adapt.

FT8 is not the end of CW or SSB or RTTY it is another tool in our Ham Radio tool box that we will pull out and use as needed, so don't fear old dudes I will see you on CW and SSB and yes RTTY, so relax enjoy the hobby do the best with what you have and learn new stuff.....

Best 73 Jim, K7JAN  

Field Day and the E season

Late spring and summer are times of low activity for me other than 6m and a casual FD trip.
Well the E skip season has been so lack luster that even QST magazine printed an article asking WORST E SEASON EVER ? Well at least in many years.

I was very active on 6m way back when in the 80s and early 90s and off and on after that, I revved up again in 2006 so that is ten years now. In the early days that  I noted it was crazy, DX F2 Es it was a hay day for me then. Running a Yaesu FT 620B at 20W I was working the world on 6 what fun, many of you will remember that time.

The last ten years I have been running a 100W rig and a 3el beam at a very modest height, I started just counting the number of QSOs I was making each year, nothing complicated not counting Es and F2 , AU or scatter just the number of Qs. Without boring you with numbers I will say the 2016 E season has so far netted the lowest Q count for the past ten years. So I hope your part the country has been better ( E and SE) seem to have it better than the NW where I live....Still waiting for the big one here in NW !!!

Field Day was a very nice Jeep trip to a abandoned fire lookout at about 8K feet here in southern Idaho. I was accompanied by my Son who is a Ham and my Grandson. We had a great trip and made a few contacts .

With the sun spots at 0 for many days the decline of the cycle will be felt by all of us in the coming years, I am hoping for a good fall and contest season as my 6m season has been POO....

Remember get on and have fun with whatever you have, enjoy the rest of the summer and 73...K7JAN

Spring 2016

I have been such a slacker with the blog, my last post was December 2015 so lets catch up.
I had a total fail with the big DXpeditions this winter failing to get the VP8's just to much for my HOA antennas and 100w but that's how it goes. I did make a run at the ARRL 10m contest in Dec. and think I may have done ok still waiting for results.

I found myself also floundering in the CQ WW 160 contests both CW and SSB conditions from the North West were just bad for low power this year so not expecting any wall paper this year. So mush for the doom and gloom I sure hope you all had a good DX and contest winter. The good news is that our multi one effort in the 2015 CQWWDXSSB contest won us the number one spot in call area seven so not all bad.

Also traveled to K7BUY for WPX SSB in March and as always best friend time and radio time was great, have no idea of how we did but was fun time.

Two old Hams having a good time. Ok well lets move on to 6 Meters one of the things I look foreword to in the spring....Well here in the NW it is a slow start from the first of May I have only put 15 stations in my log on 6. But three were double hop E to the E coast so not all bad just not many openings up this way. I did replace the rotor on the 6m beam so I guess that is equal to less openings haha.

I did install one of my FT 897's in my Jeep for the summer so I hope we have some 6m action, I do plan to work the summer VHF contests so lets hope for the best. I also made a few antenna changes here in HOA world, I installed a 32 foot vertical next to one of my trees in the back yard and it works very well and is hidden very well also.

Well I hope you all have a good spring/summer and that you get on and have fun with what ever you have....Best 73...Jim, K7JAN

 

SMALL STATION DXing..

Well here it is December Christmas coming soon and then another year past. I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

I am not a world class operator nor am I on the DXCC Honor Roll so what is to follow is some old common sense DX rules an my observations after DXing and contesting from an HOA with 100W and low profile antennas. Coming soon will be some very high profile DXpeditions and ones I hope to work I hope these few hints will help all my small station brethren.

1. Make sure your station is all that it can be, lets assume you have less than perfect antennas due to HOA or lot size restrictions. Make sure they are fed with good coax with good connectors. Make sure if you are running phone that you audio is the best it can be...not full processing and to much mic gain...a good mic with good clean crisp audio is your best weapon with low power and compromised antennas. my choice is the HEIL PROSET HC-4....But play around and find you audio sweet spot.
Pick your mode..what's the best chance for you ? I believe it is CW for small stations.

Know your equipment, understand how to operate split without that embarrassing mistake of calling on the DX freq, it has happened to many of us so just double check before hitting the switch. Understand where the rig perform the best, we have small stations and need to use all the tools we have.

2. Study and understand propagation, many DXpeditions will post propagation charts you can enter your grid locator and your antenna and it will show your optimum times and bands, it is a good and useful tool. Learn and understand the solar numbers A and K index Flux and SN, check space weather.com for updates all helpful and important to us peewee's.

3. Avoid operating rush hours if you can. If you have only weekends to chase that rare one so be it we have to feed the family. I try to avoid weekends and try to set an operating schedule during the week when there will be less of a pileup to deal with...So plan your operating with band opening times and days of the week in mind if you can, this does not always work out but it has worked well for me.

4. be the best listener you can, listen to and heed the instructions put forth by the DXpedition operator, listen to his style and rhythm get a feel for what he is doing. Most DX operators working through a pile up don't stay in one place very long they will be working up and down the pile up so calling where he last worked a station may not always work. Remember our signals are not as strong as the big gun stations so we must be good operators...small and crafty : )

5. Be patent we may not work them at the beginning of there operation it may take many hours and in some cases many days of trying, don't give up the pile up will get smaller as the days pass. It took me eight days to work FT5ZM Amsterdam Isl. last year but on that day I worked them on two modes within the first hour of my attempts....So be patent don't give up, I don't want them on all bands and modes I just want them ONCE that is all I need for new one.

6. DQRM will always be an issue for us and the big guns, it is something we have to live with now sad to say. Don't let these bad apples push you around be patent it always goes away, also band cops are a pain also but once again gut it out your operating time is precious don't let them spoil it hang in there.

I guess I could go on and on but you know my motto, get on have fun and enjoy what ever station you have. Good DX friends...73..K7JAN

QSLing or NOT !

I saw a post the other day that was about a QSL request to a special event station that came back with the dreaded returned QSL and a NOT IN LOG tag. Many of you have been in this hobby as long or longer than I have and you know the pain of collecting those much wanted and needed QSLs.

Back in the day ( before the internet) it was not as easy, no QRZ.com, no manager list on line, no OQRS, no PayPal, no LoTw, no eQSL...and on and on. It was Bureau, direct, or manager but finding the manager was a list published in CQ magazine so you sometimes had to wait a month or two. The Bureau was just as slow then as it is now, IRCs were more readily accepted and your green stamps were stolen about as often as today.

With that being said some DX stations, and many US stations are just bad at sending QSL cards. I will only go into detail on a couple in the recent past we will pass on the many in the past 40 years.
The big DXpeditions are great logs uploaded to see if your contact was good, EZ QSL routs and so on. But lets take the case of the guys trying to get those cards from maybe not so rare places but none the less needed .

WAS : This is the award most of us get first, now you can get eWAS, and LoTw (ARRL) WAS and you can get cards ( I like cards ) but even with that many don't upload to eQSL or LoTw.....and many don't return mail cards....it is just how it is....Yes you may have to work a state three times to get a card, I don't get it but it is true, like you I send a receive QSL with great pleasure...so what is wrong with the others ? Got me !!

I have a couple of QSL stories most of you can relate to, I should use there calls but won't as I am a nice guy....mostly. I have many more rare DX stations in my QSL box than Jamaica, but the station I worked there was the only one I had he was a vacationing VE....very long story short....sent $$ and SAE ..... sent PayPal payment couple of years later and today...yes today... got a card in the mail four years later at a cost of $7 dollars...but I did get it !! So I guess this is the don't give up story.

The other is a station in N. Ireland not that rare at all but once again the only one I have....His QRZ page says...I do not collect cards but if you send me $3 US and an SAE with your QSO information I will send a card.....Well after two such letters being sent, and two email requests to see what happened to my $6 no reply ....none. It is true some guys are just taking our money.

LoTw: I am a new comber to LoTw in the past couple of years...it is a great tool but just remember this...I have uploaded 2500 contacts in that time and have 1100 QSLs so less than 50% it could be better. I have a pile of not in log requests like many of you have sent multiple requests for that elusive last state for 6M WAS ....and some will never come, NEVER ....but don't give up most guys will QSL and you will get most of the ones you need, but some you will have to work again it is just how it is....

Get on have fun and enjoy what you have and QSL always...73 Jim K7JAN

100 Watts and a wire ....

I stumbled on to the 100 Watts and a wire page a few weeks ago on FB, I have been following it now for those few weeks and I am so pleasantly surprised with this site. It is so very cool to see posts from new hams that are excited about building antennas, working DX, getting WAS and overcoming CC&R restrictions ... I am so happy to see all this enthusiasm.

Most of you will excel and pass me by with an Extra ticket I am sure, I have been an Advanced class for 30 years, if you do not know what that class is do some research....Above General below Extra...and still FUN !! I hope you all climb the ladder and enjoy all that this hobby has to offer.

I want to pass on another CC&R antenna that may be of some use to some of you. I have used this antenna stationary mobile on FD and now from my home QTH as a way to get on 30 Meters. My random wire fed with the same UnUn described below just don't like 30M....Hummm you know how it is.

This antenna uses a JacKite pole found on line, search Jackite pole in Google, they come in several lengths, I have the 30ft model. I simply add the appropriate length of wire fed with the 9 to 1 UnUn and let her rip, the pole is a 4ft tube that easily extends to 30ft. EZ up and down so up at dark down at QRT time. 23 feet of wire works 10-40m very well, 40 m works best with a 23ft counterpoise. but not required for the higher bands.

The UnUn, I have built many of these and you can too....

The core is a T130-2

The pole is lite weight and can be mounted in many ways, we have used Velcro straps, pipe clamps, and Zip Ties your choice. The photo below is my friend Tim KD7WD using this antenna attached to a fence post with Velcro straps.

This is a shot of me operating stationary mobile FD with the pole attached to my Jeep.

Well I hope you will give this a try, a great portable antenna and a good nighttime stealth antenna from the dreaded HOA. feel free to contact me @ dek7jan@gmail.com Best 73 Jim.