[Elecraft] OT: Security camera on your mast

Sorry if this is too OT for most: I am considering security cameras for my home/qth. There are a lot of package systems available these days, but my initial interest is for a single camera mounted near the top of my tower/mast (rotatable of course). Already available at the mounting point is a

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

I'd say ARRL Handbook, Antenna book and Operating Manual are a must in every ham's library. I got a set when first licensed in the '70s. Bought an updated set 25 years later. It's been 15 years and I just got a new handbook. Probably due for the new version antenna book. These are first rate

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Stan, Turn the power down while experimenting and you should not "blow the finals". I am 77 and still learning, so age is not an excuse. It is never too late to learn. Besides, it exercises the brain which is known to provide a hedge to dementia. That is why I am still repairing Elecraft

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Grerald, I would suggest that everyone obtain the ARRL Antenna Handbook. Ignore the sections dealing with specifics, but study the sections dealing with basic antennas and transmission lines. Once you obtain a grasp of those fundamentals, you can extend that to an understanding of all

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Thanks again Don. I'm working on that. I agree that this skill set is fast fading. One of the interesting aspects of the ham circles I am affiliated with is that we are all well over 65 and most beyond that. I have secured many hundreds of feet of good quality coax, spools of wire to build

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Don I couldn't agree with you more I am guilty of this too. What books could you recommend I start with? Thanks Gerald KC6CNN > On Apr 30, 2017, at 10:20 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > > One important thing I forget to mention is that you should learn how to > construct

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Well taken Don. The capacity to be mobile, versatile and functional is my primary goal. It all takes time and I am old. I'm doing my best for my small community. 73 Stan KG7FYI -.- --. --... ..-. -.-- .. ><º> On 04/30/2017 08:22 PM, Don Wilhelm [via Elecraft] wrote: > One

Re: [Elecraft] OT: Affordability of the *NEW* K-Line

> And, that was for an amplifier that would have been closer to the KPA500 amp. About 500 watts out. 73, Rick, K7MW > Collins 30S-1 Linear Amplifier (1 KW), 1958, original cost: $1556, cost in > 2017 dollars: $13,264 > > > > So, a new technology K-Line is not that bad as something

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

One important thing I forget to mention is that you should learn how to construct your own effective antennas. To my mind, that skill may be critical in an emergency. and with the proliferation (and acceptance) of ready made manufactured antennas, I am afraid that skill is decreasing in ham

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Hazel left me with a downed Willow tree fort in Virginia for weeks until the adults arrived with saws to remove it. Ken ke4rg -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Walter Underwood Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2017 6:36 PM To: Elecraft List

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

Stan, While you have made your motives clear, if such an emergency does arise, just powering up radios and transmitting can result in communications chaos. I encourage you to get on the air not only to familiarize yourself with your equipment, but also to experiment with a variety of

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

On 4/30/2017 7:03 PM, KG7FYI wrote: > I am planning guy wires even on the standalone to help but as you note > when it starts all bets are off. Are you a structural engineer? Even my consulting engineering company turns to those experts when doing stations that involve antenna tower

Re: [Elecraft] Carol Dauer, SK

Thank you for doing that. You do indeed have many friends. Feel free to reach out again to help you through this painful time. 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dauer, Edward Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2017 6:39 PM To:

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

I am planning guy wires even on the standalone to help but as you note when it starts all bets are off. 73 Stan KG7FYI -.- --. --... ..-. -.-- .. ><º> On 04/30/2017 06:23 PM, Phil Kane-2 [via Elecraft] wrote: > On 4/30/2017 1:22 PM, Bill Frantz wrote: > > > I have always wondered

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

Duly bookmarked. Thanks. 73 Stan KG7FYI -.- --. --... ..-. -.-- .. ><º> On 04/30/2017 12:01 PM, Jim Brown-10 [via Elecraft] wrote: > > http://k9yc.com/AntennaPlanning.pdf addresses this with a table and > graphs. See Fig 36 and Table 1 on page 11. > > 73, Jim K9YC - Stan

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Island & CB in 9.0 quakes

The models DOGAMI (Oregon Dept. of Geology and Mining) has released shows a 71 foot tsunami if the quake is 9+. I'm glad I am out of the coast range and in the Cascades. 73 Stan KG7FYI -.- --. --... ..-. -.-- .. ><º> On 04/30/2017 05:35 PM, kev...@coho.net [via Elecraft] wrote:

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

We're at 160% or normal precipitation this year in the Cascades. The ground everywhere is Jello. That said, the models are saying our area will be to the equivalent to 7.0+ if the subduction zones goes off as predicted. Winter before last there were several million board feet of large Douglas

[Elecraft] Carol Dauer, SK

This post is as O.T. as any could possibly be, and selfish to boot; but sending it is of some importance to me. Last week my wife of more than 50 years passed away, after a nearly three-year run battling a very nasty form of cancer. She died, in hospice, comfortable and at peace. I write

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

I agree Kevin. The one advantage here in rural Oregon is that there's a modicum of adaptability in peoples lives that helps them get buy. We are out of power, phone and satellite internet frequently in the winter. It sounds very much like your situation in "Coho" country. BTW, I've spent the

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

On 4/30/2017 1:22 PM, Bill Frantz wrote: > I have always wondered how towers hold up during earthquakes. Being able > to work with ad-hoc antennas seems a good attribute for any emergency plan. Radio Station KGO(AM) in San Francisco has its transmitting plant (directional array with three

[Elecraft] OT: Affordability of the *NEW* K-Line

As an owner of an older K-line configuration: K3+P3+KPA500+KAT500, I am wondering what I might be paying if I discovered Elecraft today and wanted the new version of a K-Line: K3S + P3 + KPA1500. Without doing a detailed cost sheet of various options, I will just assume $10,000 for the

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

Thanks Clay. I'm willing to eat humble pie any time it is appropriate. No problem there. Being called lazy when I know otherwise is not one of those times. I do better getting help from people that are polite and trying to understand where I am coming from. That isn't what's happening here.

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

Yep, most excellent attribute. Our club does annual field trips just for that purpose. To be honest I was shocked what a long wire could do with the right equipment. I'll the first to admit I'm just getting my legs. That said, radio is a fantastic tool for my needs. I've never done it as a

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

One item which rarely makes it onto the ECOM check lists is fitness. How many folks are prepared to actually do all the work necessary after a major disaster. The majority of folks would not be able to walk to the nearest shelter let alone help others. We, as a nation, are woefully

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Island & CB in 9.0 quakes

More likely is Elecraft Island will be all that remains of California. Oregon will have a brand new coast too; maybe all the way into Salem :) Kevin. KD5ONS On 4/30/2017 4:56 PM, Peter LaBissoniere wrote: I better order a K3S quick as Elecraft will be toast. Peter LaBissoniere

Re: [Elecraft] Audio on K3

I find that sometimes I, or RF from my wifi keyboard/mouse, accidentally enables RIT. Have you checked that RIT is not enabled? 73 de, Ian, KM4IK On Sun, 2017-04-30 at 22:32 +, louis a. ives wrote: > I powered up my K3 and discovered that the audio was very > distorted.  It sounds as if

Re: [Elecraft] Audio on K3

A Long shot - - Is the radio on "LSB" or "USB"? If you're listening on 20m it should be in the USB mode. Is it? Ted W4NZ -Original Message- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of louis a. ives Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2017 6:32 PM To:

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

The 1964 Alaska earthquake was a 9.2 centered SSE of Anchorage. I was at Galena AFS at the time, on the Yukon River in the northern interior just south of the Arctic Circle. It's fairly flat up there and after we realized there was an earthquake, we could watch to the south and it appeared

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

I better order a K3S quick as Elecraft will be toast. Peter LaBissoniere k...@wi.rr.com > On Apr 30, 2017, at 5:36 PM, Walter Underwood wrote: > > I was at work during the Loma Prieta earthquake. Our HP building (now a Tesla > building) on Deer Creek Road had hydrogen

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

FWIW: When we moved here in 2015, I joined the W7RN crew and began to use the station remotely. Very high Coefficient of Aerial Aluminum on 7 or so towers, very low noise levels. I had been checking into the NorCal traffic net on 80 and wanted to continue. The main 80 meter antenna at W7RN

Re: [Elecraft] Audio on K3

I have sometimes had similar problems. Usually resolved by reloading the latest configuration file - you did save one? George, W3HBM On 4/30/2017 6:32 PM, louis a. ives wrote: I powered up my K3 and discovered that the audio was very distorted. It sounds as if everyone is off frequency

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

Right, an NVIS antenna is effectively a Yagi pointed at the sky. So put a reflector on the dirt. The Loma Prieta was a 6.9. The Cascadia area could produce a 9.0. Richter is a log10 scale, so that is 100X as strong. wunder K6WRU Walter Underwood CM87wj http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

Ground losses mount rapidly as a horizontal antenna is lowered closer to the earth. So, while the pattern may show the main lobe straight up, the amount of RF lost in the earth below increases. EZNEC confirmed to me that about 0.2 wavelengths up is the optimum height for the strongest vertical

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

I was at work during the Loma Prieta earthquake. Our HP building (now a Tesla building) on Deer Creek Road had hydrogen piping and “HF Waste” piping. That was fine, but a 4” main in the sprinkler system broke, soaking lab notebooks. I remember planning a route home to Mountain View that did not

[Elecraft] Audio on K3

I powered up my K3 and discovered that the audio was very distorted. It sounds as if everyone is off frequency and no amount of tuning will clear it up. I was using 20 meter SB and it is the same on all other frequencies except 2 meter. I checked all settings that I use and nothing has

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB in 9.0 quakes

When we get that 9.0 quake many of my local roads will go away. The gravel logging roads carved into the side of the mountain will collapse. They regularly do so during our torrential rain season. A quake will just make it worse. Plus the number of trees I'll have to cut between here and my

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

Clay, Do have a horse in this race? I believe Mr. Brown can defend himself. I agree with other gentleman that Jim can be very offensive in his responses sometimes. That has been well documented in this forum and others. It's against the spirit of ham radio and you are sanctioning that type of

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

Mr you've made several mistakes in judgement based on what appears to be false assumptions. Of course, there are also times where folks bump heads by sheer accidental reasons... I'd like to think we have a case of the second type here... You've been provided excellent information, and some

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

The potential Cascadia earthquake could be 9.0. That means that every tower will fall, maybe even those built like this CHP/CalOES tower. http://www.oesnews.com/going-towering-heights-keep-emergency-communications-flowing/

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

True dat. Once I accidentally worked Mexico on a dummy load from here in the valley below Kevin's mountain in NW Oregon. 73 -- WS7L On Sun, Apr 30, 2017 at 1:40 PM, kev...@coho.net wrote: > ... just remember any antenna can make contacts. >

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

If not "locked", a K3 will tune continuously from a very low frequency like 100 KHz up to the top of 6 meters at 54 MHZ. The VFO does not know about BANDS. Sent from my iPhone ...nr4c. bill > On Apr 30, 2017, at 2:36 PM, KG7FYI wrote: > > I believe the below was the

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

I lose my antennas about once each year to straight line winds. Flying branches knock them down. But if the wires are still intact I can run the nets with the lowered antennas. Using less than optimal antennas works; just not as well as perfect antennas. In an emergency I really don't care

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

Well Jim, I appreciate your concern but to accuse me of laziness is offensive and uncalled for. I think you are presumptuous to know my circumstance and make a judgment of my character based on a few simple questions posted on a email forum. Your analysis is full of snobbery and ill intent.

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

I have always wondered how towers hold up during earthquakes. Being able to work with ad-hoc antennas seems a good attribute for any emergency plan. 73 Bill AE6JV On 4/30/17 at 11:34 AM, kev...@coho.net wrote: Please try NVIS on 40 or 80 meters. You'll find you can cover most of the state

[Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

The locked VFO has been suggested to KG7FYI numerous times as well as punching in the frequency directly. Perhaps I missed it in this very long "no 28.400MHz" thread however I have not seen a response to either of these possible solutions. Don Wilhelm donwilh at embarqmail.com Sun Apr 30

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

On Sun,4/30/2017 8:04 AM, KG7FYI wrote: I have the second edition of Fred Cady's book. Point me in the right direction and I'll plow through it. While Fred's books provides a lot of good info in easy to read form, there's very little in that that can't be learned simply by studying the

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

On Sun,4/30/2017 11:34 AM, kev...@coho.net wrote: Plus the antennas can be ad hoc - tossed into trees or even an old fence line. There's a bit of fiction in the belief that antennas must be very low for NVIS. Fact is that higher is better, up to a quarter wave. The optimum height for a

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

I believe the below was the problem. >> If you were on 24 mhz you were on the 12 meter band. NO you cant dial >> down to 28.4 which is not in the 12 meter band >> >> tapping up is not taking you to Ten Meters >> for some reason you are in 12 meters still >> it has happened to me too On

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight & CB

I live in Oregon's Northern Coast Range. 2 meters has the same problems up here as it does in the Southern regions. Because most of the locals have CB radios it is how we communicate in an emergency. The local repeaters are dead other than during net times or drive times. If you really

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

Stan, Can you tune the VFO on other bands? If not, you likely have the VFO locked - look for the little 'padlock' icon in the upper right corner of the display. Hold the LOCK button to the right of VFO A knob to toggle LOCK on and off. What happens when you do a Direct Frequency Enter?

[Elecraft] Y-Box excess to needs

I have one (1) N6TV Y-Box excess to my needs. NEW. $145 shipped USA insured. Please me contact off list for payment options. 73 de Ben W4SC. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help:

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight

P.S. I have my General Class license with my eye on Extra some time in the not too distant future. s On 04/30/2017 03:04 AM, Bill W4ZV [via Elecraft] wrote: > Hi Stan, > > Responding to excerpts below: > > KG7FYI wrote > Our very local scenario is filled with mountains and valleys. We

Re: [Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight

Thanks Bill. Yes it is a very nice area. This is us http://www.singingfalls.com Right now the antenna plan is thus. : Two towers spanning 380 feet. The foundations are poured and towers staged. Working on refurbishing a used KT34XA to current '36XA specs. I will have a 2M yagi pointed and our

Re: [Elecraft] K3 P3 and KAT500

> This is very confusing, Stan. Are you saying that if you tap BAND (up), > you move from 24 to 28.676 MHz and then can't dial VFO A down to 28.4? Yes, that is exactly what is happening. I can assure you it is not something I programmed into the system. I checked the config menu (BND MAP) and

Re: [Elecraft] Using Heil Pro 7 (HC-7) element with KX3

I have been using the Pro 7 with the HC-7 on my K3s and KX3 since the Pro 7 first became available. I have had no problems using the recommended settings and get great audio reports. I would first check for problem(s) in the cable or adapter being used. zeke ab8ou On Sun, Apr 30, 2017 at

Re: [Elecraft] Using Heil Pro 7 (HC-7) element with KX3

blockquote, div.yahoo_quoted { margin-left: 0 !important; border-left:1px #715FFA solid !important; padding-left:1ex !important; background-color:white !important; } I use the Pro 7 with my KX3 at home.  I ordered it with the iC element as I remember somewhere reading that it was necessary for

Re: [Elecraft] Using Heil Pro 7 (HC-7) element with KX3

After speaking to Bob Heil, he recommends the Pro 7 iC. Is it possible that all of the bad experiences described here were with the PRO 7 with the hC7 Dynamic element ? Just thinking folks had the wrong mic element... -Kevin (KK4YEL) No trees were killed in the sending of this message.

[Elecraft] NVIS HF vs VHF line-of-sight

Hi Stan, Responding to excerpts below: KG7FYI wrote > Our very local scenario is filled with mountains and valleys. We are the > land of “One Hundred Valleys”. Actually there are thousands of them! 2M > is very spotty. > > Our ARES group requires go bags for all vehicles. Few people but a