The leadership of the Net wishes to let all of our faithful hams and net check-ins know that we will be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of our net under the leadership of Bob, KG4RRN and Frank, N4SLR ,and Rousseau, KC4RCR since 2013 in the future.
Make a two- meter antenna cheaply
Lots of new hams have entered our service and hobby and many are asking how to get a cheap two meter antenna.
For those who have a 100- watt soldering iron, solder, a SO-239 panel connector and some wire, or even a metal coat hanger, and some small gauge rope you can make one very inexpensively.
The main length of a resonant ground plane type antenna is around 19 inches. Cut a 20 inch length and solder it to the center of the back of a panel mount uhf type connector.
Then, get a couple of coat hangers and cut 4 pieces about 19 inches long.
Then loop those in circular loops matching the size on the four holes of the uhf connector SO 239 (not the male coax connector which is used to plug the coax into the radio) but a panel connector ( female) which can be found on eBay or ham radio equipment dealers websites. Small bolts and nuts can be used to secure the radiators.
Then solder each of those pieces of coathanger and bend them down at a 45 degree angle. Then attach a rope to the top center wire. This rope will then be tied to a small tree branch or other area non metallic that you can hang this antenna up in the air. You might want to sand down the areas around the holes so the solder makes good contact to connect the radiators.
ON FEEDLINE CONNECTIONS DO NOT USE NEAR AN ELECTRICAL SERVICE ENTRANCE ON THE OUTSIDE OF ANY BUILDING USE OPPOSITE SIDE IN CLEAR AREA IF HANGING UP ON ROOF OR SIDE OF A BUILDING .Connect your PL-259 male connector with a length of coax long enough to put up in a tree branch near your outside of the window where your radio will be positioned or in the attic of a house and run the length usually 20 to 30 feet to your radio connection from the attic (or longer) for outside installations. BASEMENT radio positions will need at least 50 feet length from the antenna. Make sure to put the antenna as far away from a house or other metal obstructions to not have it come into contact with any pipes or metal roofs.
Test the antenna ohms reading, using an antenna analyser (which you can borrow from another ham if they have one) and trim(cut) the top of the center wire for close to resonance to match 50 to 52 ohms.
There are plenty of plans on the internet for making these antennas and I urge you to study those and take into account that rf radiation is going out into the air and be safe installing this antenna if using a ladder to position it.
You may also want to ground this antenna but since it is a ground plane type usually grounding it is not needed.
I am not responsible for any damages to yourself or your equipment in the installation or use of this, but it has been used successfully in the past by many hams on a tight budget .
Again, consult ready made plans on the internet, which may be more accurate than what I have described here.
Good luck, and hope you have many years of enjoyment from this simple design.
Some more experinced hams use more durable materials such as a L bracket which can be used to mount with u bolts to a length of pvc or other pipe for mounting.
Vienna, Va. Hamfest coming up. (WINTERFEST)
The Vienna Wireless Society (of which I was a past member) will be having it’s annual hamfest on March 19th 2023, starting at 07:00 am.(previous date was in error)
It will be held at Oakton High School 2900 Sutton Road Vienna, Va. 22181
Admission is $10.00
This is where ham radio equipment vendors,hams and electronic makers come together to sell ham related equipment and see other organizations and displays of equipment.
This is a great hamfest so if you have time and gas please attend.
The Net Manager, from his Command Chair ….
Why does a Maryland radio club have a Winter Field day
In another state….to avoid taxes….73.
IS IT LEGAL TO SELL Ham Radio Gear on the air?
As long as I have been a ham listing ham radio related items for sale occasionally by a ham operator is perfectly fine if a email address or phone number is provided for contacting the seller.
It is not o.k. for anyone doing business selling radios antennas or the like to advertise them on ham radio.
The broadcast airwaves are designed for that and that is why advertisers pay for commercials.
When you read the FCC rules it clearly states that you may not advertise items with ‘a pecuniary interest’ which means items for sale as part of a business transaction in which the ham operator normally engages in as a part of their employment.
Thus ham related items are able to be advertised for sale (again) occasionally, as long as buyer can state the cost of the item and a contact email or phone number to the seller is.
When I tuned in on a Northern Virginia repeater years ago they had a Swap Shop Net every Saturday for people needing to sell ham related items, and this is how it was done.
Now what would be a violation of the FCC rules would be someone who has a business selling radios getting on advertising radios and prices daily.
I hope I helped shed some light on this topic of shaming of what I heard on another repeater for someone who wanted to get rid of some ground rods and wire.
It is the way they went about it which drew the ire of another ham saying they could not do that.
It is proper to list the items for sale (but not the price) so that is up to the seller to state once the buyer contacts them OFF AIR.
Hope this clarifies the rules once again.
Consulted with Uncle Riley for advise and so this is the truth. SORRY ABOUT YOU NOT KNOWING JACK.
Bob Rice KG4RRN/8
EPTN net Manager
AM radio out of Electric cars
I read a news article the other day stating that most major electric cars being produced now do not have AM radio as part of the entertainment package offered to vehicle buyers.
The reason given was the extra cost of nulling the interference from the car systems themselves introducing noise into the recievers.
Chinese HF Q-900
Hello fellow hams.
Today on eBay I found a new sdr hf radio qrp.
It is the Q900 software defined radio with bandscope.
It has no main turning dial, and pushbuttons(menus) galore.
It is small enough to hold one in your hand and yes you’ll probably need an amplifier for it, as the specs say it only does up to 20 watts ssb.
It has a nice 4 inch screen with a waterfall bandscope.
Looks like at the pricepoint is under $300.00 with free shipping.
Please get one for Christmas and let’s see some reviews.
Antennas Up !
Here is Robs, KD8YWF shack antenna in Martinsburg WV.
Icom 905– a new VHF to SHF radio !
What is Super High Frequency? It is anything above 900 mhz.
Icom has made another leap in hoping hams go high frequency and they are the only company to produce a radio which needs a satellite dish to make contacts on to be commercially available since August 2022.
Lots of hams have been home brewing 2.4 ghz and even 5 ghz equipment before, but here is a radio in which you can literally go into space with.
There are plenty of Youtube videos on this model so I won’t list them here, but invite you to see them there.
There is an optional 10 ghz transverter available as well as cabling and a microwave antenna. Output power is in the 5 to 20 watt range. The brochure claims you can send data and images and video with this unit.
Surely the price point will be on par with a down payment for a new car, but hey, it can talk to outer space, so why not get one?
I wonder if Extra Class hams are permitted to talk on those frequencies?
Surely some practical use can be made out of this radio…not just talking to the satellites up in space.
Icom makes a new Portable radio (T-10 Dualband )
ICOM has developed a commercially hardened portable ht radio, NAMED the T10 which is a dual band portable on a commercial water resistant case, and has the first FM radio reciever inside a ICOM ham transciver.
The radio does not have a flashlight, and does not recieve 900 mhz, but it does just fine as a reliable portable, with a 2000 ma battery pack and a water resistant shell.
Operation time in listening mode claims to be a whopping 11 hours.
It has a battery indicator and an extra belt clip is selling for $17.00 from HRO.
It has a dual band sma antenna rubber duck.
List price is a little expensive and the chinese and japanese are already selling or re-selling them overseas.
See http://www.icomamerica.com for their latest offering.
News about your Radiowaves
Just wanted to let those who desire to be a part of 21st Century radio communications to know there are radio clubs in the region ready to help get your first license, which is Technician, and upgrade to General class or Extra class !
The Opequon Radio Society W8ORS.ORG
The Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club W4RKC -www.winchesterhamtest.com
There are also ham radio clubs in Frederick, Maryland, and Hagerstown, Md.
Eastern Panhandle Traffic Net 