Amateur / Ham Radio

[bsa70]

Love ham radio (hf), way to many radios, 90% cw operator, got my license in 1984. Also love GUNS!!!!!

 

[Rod-n-Alaska]

KL0FZ here, not as active as I once was. I still get on 2m ever so often and I'm a VE

73 Rod

 

[Elton]

Yes .Their still in The South. Most in the North have closed down..

 

[Richnlin]

I have been trying to start studying for my HAM licence for years but cant get off my butt to start. I love copying morse code as I did it in the Army for six years in the sixties. I can copy 30 gpm and can do 35 gpm with a few mistakes. I have a beautiful R391 Collins receiver that has been restored and I also have a R392 as well.

 

[zeekeys]

Thanks for the info on the R391 and R392. I never used one and looked the R391/2 up and find out it is a fantastic receiver. Always thought the 75A4 was super. Did use a HRO60 and that was a fine receiver. Also ran a S-line. I notice you put 30 gpm is that 30 wpm? I never used that term? That is a very good speed to copy at. Did you use a Mil typewriter to copy? Brings back memories.... Jerry/Z

 

[Richnlin]

I posted here but for some reason it did not show up. I keep saying that I am going to study for my ham license for years but need a push I guess. I love copying morse code as I was a high speed morse code interceptor in the 60's in the Army Security Agency. I have a totally restored Collins R-391 and a R-392 receivers. I currently can copy 30 gpm but could do higher in my day! I also have a 1952 Chevy Pickup and a 1968 Triumph TR-250 convertible. Another hobby is flying radio controller aircraft!

 

[Richnlin]

Yes 30 to 35 gpm, groups per minute. A group consists of five letters, numbers or special characters. Yes, I did use a Mil and have been looking for one for years. The ones we used were tractor fed in the rear and had all capital letters.

 

[zeekeys]

Yes, yes we had the same system in the Marines. Had a big roll of yellow teletype paper on the back of the stand which the Mil was mounted on. 3 sheets or copies of paper of the message I copied. I called it teletype paper. I don't know if that was the correct term for this set up?
I went up to the station to contact home and the SSgt showed me the operation and I would go up after radio school and help him with traffic. He got transferred a few days before I got out of school which left the radio station with out an operator. My orders changed. I would operate the radio station instead of going to 29 Palms with the cannon cockers. At that time we were not MARS. Just ham radio. Had a conditional class license at that time which some years later became General class.
Later in Cuba I was sending messages to ships in the bay from a bomb proof shelter in knee deep water and coping with a pencil. Had to be careful not to touch any metal or I would get one heck of jolt from the rig. Thanks for reading.... 73's K8GTB

 

[KQ9DX]

KQ9DX

 

[FschJg]

73 de DL2FDJ

 

[roaddust66]

I have been off the air for a few years. I like HF and in my younger days I liked mountain top UHF / VHF Contesting

 

[Greenwyvern]

KF5UCR. Also collect old short waves...Hallicrafters, Hammerlund,...etc. USMC diddy chaser back in the 60s. R390a....just sold mine and already miss it.

 

[Mudflap]

WA3APC Still at it!!

KA9JC, Hokkaido, Japan
HL9TJ, Pyeongtaek, S. Korea
WPE3EZX SWL
20Q2734 M1
KID7703
2nd CL Comm
Amtrak radio mnaintainer


USASA Intercept systems repair.

 

[Dave J.]

Was never a ham radio operator but hung out with kids who were (50's - early 60's). I was more into SWL. Fun to listen to Radio Moscow and Radio Havana to hear their side of the cold war story, and of course RFE to hear our own propaganda. Learned a bit of Portuguese listening to Radio Brasil. Designed and built radios and amps from cannibalized radios & TV's & war surplus. All vacuum tube of course, with the exception of a crystal set I built in 6th grade that incorporated antenna and demodulator impedance matching so it didn't drag down the Q of the tuning circuit and provided high sensitivity. Unlike almost all other crystal sets, it had good selectivity although not up to superhet standards. Despite the number of local (Sacramento) stations occupying the AM band, got KGO San Francisco on a regular basis, and one time I DX'd XERB Tijuana. Tried numerous times to snag clear channel KSL but never succeeded.

For a few years mid 80-s to mid 90's was very active in the Longwave Club of America. Ran the DJ Part 15 beacon in Los Banos, calculated radiated power 13 microwatts. Longest distance it was reported received was about 250 miles. It was regularly received in both San Jose and Fresno.

Designed and build my own 1750 meter band phasing type SSB receiver, fit in the palm of your hand --- except of course for the antenna! For portable work I had a series resonant whip on the car that worked as well as what other guys were reporting from their active whips. One guy got pissed when I referred to my antenna as a "fake active whip". Where circumstances and time permitted, the Ford Falcon and a ground rod provided the electric dipole and a huge ferrite rod tuned solenoid series resonated it. The same arrangement was used as a "portable" transmitting antenna.

Nowadays I play around with speakers and amps. Presently building a horn & 1 watt amp PA system powered by two AA cells, light enough to lift with your little finger and with high enough efficiency and sufficient directivity to serve as the only amplified sound source in an approx. 1,000 square feet (100 square meters) venue.

 

[HaloEffect426]

KG9BW. Indiana. Rebuilding ham shack..... And metal detector inventory!

Enjoy HF. SSB. mostly and some local 2m. 440.

73 's. !
Chris.............. HaloEffect426

 

[bdsnooks]

W5CCM here----
73's

 

[olfart]

I spent 3 years in the army as a radioteletype operator, but we used more CW than RTTY. Six months of 1960 were spent in Greenland operating on sled trains and at the base station. No electrical ground on the ice cap, so touching any metal part of the radio or CW key resulted in an RF burn, a smoking black hole in the finger. Not fun. Finally got my ham general license in 1989.

KB5JDT (Kilo Bravo 5 John Douglassville Texas)

 

[zul32]

KZ7ZUL here from Utah!
I've been a ham for about five years but haven't been active until the end of April. I'm mostly doing digital (PSK31) and on usually 7.070 or 14.070 maybe I'll hear from you? I'm still working on my WAS. I have about 32 of the 50 so far.

73
Wes

 

[Twrcrane]

kc4eat...73s

 

[Xergix]

I5EUS
73!