The January Run for the Bacon is tomorrow night!

Sunday night - January 20th from:
9 - 11 PM EST
8 - 10 PM CST
7 - 9 PM MST
6 - 8 PM PST

This is a 2 hour, fun filled, friendly QRP CW contest open to ALL radio
amateurs.  Membership in the Flying Pigs QRP ARCI is not required.  For
the scoop on the details, please go to:

http://www.gentzow.com/fpqrp/fpqrprun.php

Hope to catch you on the bands!

73 de Larry W2LJ
FP# 612

--
73 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!

http://www.w2lj.qrpradio.com
http://w2lj.blogspot.com/

Using DIP switches is a great idea. The jumpers work fine on the stock
ALT but when in the field you have to be very careful not to lose
them. I always bring a few spares just in case and so far I have been
lucky.

What I discovered is that the recommended 51 ft wire will also match
nicely on 80m with the stock ALT (as well as 40m/20m). Thirty meters
is a bit more problematic with this wire length but if you coil up a
foot or two of the 51 ft length then 30m will match just fine.
I normally use either 5 X 16ft radials (made from a length of 5
conductor computer ribbon cable) or a single 32 ft wire on the ground.

BTW the ALT makes a great little companion tuner for the ATS-3 rigs,
especially since the rig always sees 50 ohms while in the tuner is in
the tune position and the tuner itself fits into an altoids tin, so
that combined with the ATS-3 itself makes for a pretty small station.

Michael VE3WMB

--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "radio_kx0r" <careyfuller@...> wrote:
>
>
> The best idea to come out of this is the one you don't see, because I
> haven't tried it yet: eliminate the tedious jumpers and use DIP
> switches.  A unit with 7 or 8 DIP switches would control a set of
> inductors nicely in a logical, quick way.  It would require less board
> space and would be more reliable - jumpers can be lost, and they break.
> Configurations could be set by DIP switches.  They're low-cost, weigh
> very little, and work nicely on perf board.
>
> A nice C-L-C T-match could be built using the DIP switch idea for
> making the variable "L".  I may try one of these next.
>

Hi
I assembled today the 40m band module. So far so good. I connected an
antenna. But there was no difference in the audio level. To trim ct2+3
had no effect. I emited a carrier by my normal transceiver with low
power (1W) in a dummy load. I heard the carrier with the ats2b and I
was able to trim ct2+3. Connect and disconnect has no effect to the
audio level. I think that's not normal.....

73 David

The local "Save a lot" had some $20.00 Bluetooth headsets for sale, so I
bought one. Was able to get my PDA to talk to it and works with the
Pocketdigi program. At least sounds comes in and out of the headset to the
program.

Audio level from the headset is pretty low and the mic is very sensitive,
so looks like I will have to make an interface board to attenuate the audio
to the mic input and square up the headphone output to input the data to
the 3B. Be kinda neat if this works and have a wireless connection between
the PDA and 3B!


72,
Steve, KD1JV
"Melt Solder"
White Mountains of New Hampshire
http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com

--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "radio_kx0r" <careyfuller@...>
wrote:

More DIP switch info:

The Grayhill DIP switch design must be pretty good.  My samples are
25 years old.  Digikey sells the same part numbers now.

A good starting point is Grayhill 78B08T, Digikey GH7193-ND.  This
has the extended actuators.  It has 8 independent SPST switches.

That one costs $1.02 for one, less in quantity, and they have plenty
of stock.

The 76SB06 is another good one: rocker style, 6 switches.

Many other configurations are available.  Digikey seems to have stock
of most of the common varieties.  You only need the seals ("S" in
part number) if you're going to immerse them in solvents.

For some reason the 76 series rated at 5A carry current, but the 78
series is rated at 4A, according to Grayhill's specs in THEIR catalog.

The surface mount DIP switches seem to have higher contact
resistance - no reason to go there.

Nice to know that some of the good DIP parts aren't gone yet.

72,
Carey
KX0R

> --- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, Steven Weber <kd1jv@> wrote:
>
> Steve,
>
> I got the DIP switch idea because I have a nice sample kit from
> Grayhill.  A salesman gave me this stuff years ago.  Grayhill's
> switches are generally well-engineered, with full specs, but not
the
> cheapest.
>
> I just went into the Grayhill online catalog and found that the
type
> 76 & 78 DIP switches I'm looking at here are rated for various
> SWITCHING currents of up to 150 mA at 30V for 2000 operations per
> switch.
>
> However, the CARRY current is 5A with a rise of 20 degrees C.
>
> Normally with our tuners we don't need to operate the switches with
> RF applied.  I think 5A of carry current is enough for 5W, allowing
> for weird impedances, circulating current, etc.  CW operating is
> usually  intermittent duty.  The 2000 operations seems to be based
on
> switching live circuits - we might get more life in a tuner.
>
> Here's the link to the catalog:
>
>  http://lgrws01.grayhill.com/web/images/ProductImages/Dip_Group.pdf
>
> The specs for the 76 and 78 series are down on Page 14.  Note also
> the materials: these switches all use a spring-loaded shorting
ball.
> Ball and contacts are gold plated, etc.
>
> Contact resistance is initially less than or equal to 30 mohm and
it
> rises to 100 mohms at end of life.  Eventually the gold plating
wears
> away.
>
> I don't think anyone is going to burn these DIP switches out with
5W,
> although some might eventually wear them out.
>
> Now that I see the specs I'm getting more interested in building a
> DIP tuner.
>
> I also have some type 79 linear action switches - these are like
> sliders, and would work to make a simple, compact variable
inductor.
> They're on page 15 of the catalog - real tempting.  Others have
used
> rotary switches to do the same thing.  The 79 units have a higher
> spec resistance than the DIP switches.
>
> I haven't looked at other manufacturers' specs, because I've got
this
> box of Grayhill stuff staring at me.  It's likely some of the other
> guys have specs similar to Grayhill.
>
> I don't think the current rating of the DIP switches will be a
> problem with quality parts, and they sure would be easier to adjust
> than those jumpers.
>
> Whether the losses are a problem can be determined by testing a
tuner.
> Whether to build a T-network or another L is the question.  I
really
> want to modify the one I just built, but I don't think it's
practical.
>
> I'm optimistic about this idea.
>
> 72,
>
> Carey Fuller
> KX0R
>
> > >The best idea to come out of this is the one you don't see,
> because I
> > >haven't tried it yet: eliminate the tedious jumpers and use DIP
> > >switches.
> >
> > I've been reluctant to try DIP switches as thier contacts are
rated
> for
> > only 10 ma.
> > 72,
> > Steve, KD1JV
> > "Melt Solder"
> > White Mountains of New Hampshire
> > http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com
> >
>

--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, Steven Weber <kd1jv@...> wrote:

Steve,

I got the DIP switch idea because I have a nice sample kit from
Grayhill.  A salesman gave me this stuff years ago.  Grayhill's
switches are generally well-engineered, with full specs, but not the
cheapest.

I just went into the Grayhill online catalog and found that the type
76 & 78 DIP switches I'm looking at here are rated for various
SWITCHING currents of up to 150 mA at 30V for 2000 operations per
switch.

However, the CARRY current is 5A with a rise of 20 degrees C.

Normally with our tuners we don't need to operate the switches with
RF applied.  I think 5A of carry current is enough for 5W, allowing
for weird impedances, circulating current, etc.  CW operating is
usually  intermittent duty.  The 2000 operations seems to be based on
switching live circuits - we might get more life in a tuner.

Here's the link to the catalog:

  http://lgrws01.grayhill.com/web/images/ProductImages/Dip_Group.pdf

The specs for the 76 and 78 series are down on Page 14.  Note also
the materials: these switches all use a spring-loaded shorting ball.
Ball and contacts are gold plated, etc.

Contact resistance is initially less than or equal to 30 mohm and it
rises to 100 mohms at end of life.  Eventually the gold plating wears
away.

I don't think anyone is going to burn these DIP switches out with 5W,
although some might eventually wear them out.

Now that I see the specs I'm getting more interested in building a
DIP tuner.

I also have some type 79 linear action switches - these are like
sliders, and would work to make a simple, compact variable inductor.
They're on page 15 of the catalog - real tempting.  Others have used
rotary switches to do the same thing.  The 79 units have a higher
spec resistance than the DIP switches.

I haven't looked at other manufacturers' specs, because I've got this
box of Grayhill stuff staring at me.  It's likely some of the other
guys have specs similar to Grayhill.

I don't think the current rating of the DIP switches will be a
problem with quality parts, and they sure would be easier to adjust
than those jumpers.

Whether the losses are a problem can be determined by testing a tuner.
Whether to build a T-network or another L is the question.  I really
want to modify the one I just built, but I don't think it's practical.

I'm optimistic about this idea.

72,

Carey Fuller
KX0R

> >The best idea to come out of this is the one you don't see,
because I
> >haven't tried it yet: eliminate the tedious jumpers and use DIP
> >switches.
>
> I've been reluctant to try DIP switches as thier contacts are rated
for
> only 10 ma.
> 72,
> Steve, KD1JV
> "Melt Solder"
> White Mountains of New Hampshire
> http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com
>

I've been reluctant to try DIP switches as thier contacts are rated for
only 10 ma.
72,
Steve, KD1JV

>The best idea to come out of this is the one you don't see, because I
>haven't tried it yet: eliminate the tedious jumpers and use DIP
>switches.

I've been reluctant to try DIP switches as thier contacts are rated for
only 10 ma.
72,
Steve, KD1JV
"Melt Solder"
White Mountains of New Hampshire
http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com

I just posted a photo of my modified ALT.  I started with Steve's
design, looked at the SLT manual on Doug Hendricks's website, and built
this.  It evolved as it went.

This one will do the regular L-matches, with the caps on either end; or
they can be on both ends for a limited PI network.  The parts also can
be configured for the two caps to be in series across the output of the
L-C circuit, with the antenna connected to the tap between the caps.
This provides a differential capacitor effect and is useful for fine-
tuning a partial match.  With the plain L-C circuit you have to hit the
inductor right on the money to get a perfect match, and this gets
harder on the higher frequencies, since you only have a few choices for
L.

The caps are the Doug Hendricks polyvaricons, with about 210 pf total
range.

I added a 16 uH inductor and a .25 uH coil to the original 5.

Additional jumpers allow extra capacitance to be added in parallel with
the variables; and both or all these caps can be put in parallel across
either end of the C-L or L-C.  This enables some useful low-Z matches
at lower frequencies.  I even put in a jumper to allow use of just the
60 pf variable cap section - this could make for less-critical matches
on 17 and 15 meters.

There also is a way to create several L-C-L T-networks, and these work
OK for some loads.

This is a fun tuner if you like to try different antennas and
frequencies.  On the other hand, there are so many variables set by
jumpers that the confusion factor is significant.  Experience helps.
It's very helpful to listen with the receiver to set up the initial
configuration; then the LED bridge is used for the final match.

If you're going to use the same antenna and a couple of bands
regularly, Steve's basic L-match may be all you need to stay on the air.
At just over 4 ounces, including the box, leads, gator clips, and an
RCA plug, my version weighs more than Steve's, so it's not really
better, unless you want the options.

The best idea to come out of this is the one you don't see, because I
haven't tried it yet: eliminate the tedious jumpers and use DIP
switches.  A unit with 7 or 8 DIP switches would control a set of
inductors nicely in a logical, quick way.  It would require less board
space and would be more reliable - jumpers can be lost, and they break.
Configurations could be set by DIP switches.  They're low-cost, weigh
very little, and work nicely on perf board.

A nice C-L-C T-match could be built using the DIP switch idea for
making the variable "L".  I may try one of these next.

The flat "knobs" for the polyvaricons are made from red plastic, cut
with a small saw and filed smooth.  I drilled a center hole for a tight
fit onto the cap shaft and added some epoxy to secure the "knobs".
Make sure no glue gets into the capacitor.

Hopefully some of you will start with these ideas and come up with
better tuners.  A good tuner will let your ATS rig do its stuff in the
field.

I say this, even though I think the BLT is the greatest thing since the
807...

72,

Carey Fuller
KX0R

>Lets hope you didn't crack a capacitor, which is definately possible
if you
  >flex the board too much!

  >I discovered that the receiver had gone
  >deaf. It turned out that one of the caps had cracked under
  >pressure.

Thanks for the cautionary notes, but I am a GENTLEman!  I should have
described more exactly what I meant by "move the board."  With the board
on the desktop and the coax end to the right and the paddle socket to
the left, we slid a finger tip along the desk surface until it came in
contact with the left corner of the board.  Pushing a little with the
finger tip was sufficient to produce rapid increases and decreases in
receive sensitivity.  That is probably why we began to suspect something
in the region of the paddle connector.  However, I have carried the
radio in a small ZipLoc bag in my shirt pocket a couple of times to
confer with some of my friends.  I am not aware of putting pressure on
the radio, but it is possible.  Thanks for your interest and I will soon
have reheated all of the solder connections.  72, Dave.

--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "Fred Maas" <just.one.hill@...>
wrote:

Fred,

Sangree's Hut is one of the Tenth Mountain Huts.  "Hut" is too small
a word for this nice backcountry lodge.

It's about 5 miles NW of Mosquito Pass, and we could look up along
the summit of the Mosquito Range from the hut.  The hut is about a
mile south of Buckeye Peak, just below treeline.

You can read more about this hut and others here:

   http://www.huts.org/hut_details/belvedere_hut_details.html

The ATS rigs are perfect for this kind of trip, where weight is so
important.

73,
Carey
KX0R

>
> Nice work, Carey!  Just where is that QTH from Leadville?  I have
run
> Mosquito Pass, is it in that area???
>
> 73,
>
> Fred - kt5x
>
>
> On Jan 17, 2008 5:27 PM, radio_kx0r <careyfuller@...> wrote:
>
> >   --- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com <AT_Sprint%40yahoogroups.com>,
> > "radio_kx0r" <careyfuller@>
> > wrote:
> >
> > KX0R was on the air from the Sangree Froelicher hut last weekend.
> > Our group skiied and snowshoed the 3 miles and 1500 vertical feet
to
> > the hut at 11,700 feet, located a few miles from Leadville, CO.
> >
> > I used a piece of split firewood to throw a string into a tree -
this
> > supported a compromise antenna best described as "85 feet out the
> > front of the hut and 33 feet out the back". Most of the antenna
was
> > 15 feet above the snow, and the highest point was the far end at
20
> > ft. It could be considered an off-center-fed dipole. The hut is on
> > a 30-degree slope, which probably favored signals to the east.
> >
> > With 3-4 feet of powder snow everywhere, I had to wear snowshoes
to
> > get the antenna up and down.
> >
> > I used a modified ALT. I worked several NA Contest stations on
20M,
> > including PJ5NA, before moving to 30M to ragchew. 30M was nice
just
> > before sunset, and I had a good long chat with WE0Q at Dent, MN.
> > Also worked N6VOH in CA, on the wrong side of the mountain, before
> > the band went long.
> >
> > After supper I got on 40M - worked more than 20 NA Contest
stations
> > in just over an hour, including WH6R (wrong side of the mountain)
and
> > VP9/K7AR.
> >
> > Before turning in, I decided to see if I could match 80M.
Amazingly,
> > I loaded up with no problem, and quickly worked 8 contest
stations,
> > including W1TO in MA, N3QE in MD, and K4GMH in VA. 80 was so nice
I
> > wished I'd tried it earlier, before getting sleepy.
> >
> > Key points:
> >
> > 1) No feedline was used
> > 2) Antenna was a real compromise
> > 3) I carried several pieces of #22 PVC wire so I could put up
> > whatever would fit the site
> > 4) The EZNEC models for the antenna, done later, were medicocre,
> > several db worse than a dipole on all four bands - but they don't
> > include the sloping ground
> > 5) Even though the antenna was low, it radiated well from the high
> > mountain with the deep valley below.
> > 6) By using a series resistor with my 3-cell lithium battery, and
> > with an absorbtive bridge in my tuner, I was able to tune reactive
> > matches without tripping the ATS-3B overcurrent detector.
> > 8) I operated for over 3 hours, including 1 hour of ragchewing,
at 5W
> > output, and the lithium battery dropped from 12.6V to 11.75V.
> > 9) The ATS-3B worked perfectly
> > 10) All the radio stuff weighed 3 lb 5 oz. Over 1 lb of this is
the
> > pack I use for an organizer. Room for improvement!
> > 11) Compromise is the key to successful portable operation
> >
> > Sorry I couldn't do more ragchewing, but the NA Contest dominated
20,
> > 40, and 80M.
> >
> > 72/73
> > Carey Fuller
> > KX0R
> >
> > > All,
> > >
> > > KX0R may be on the air this weekend from an alpine site at
11,700'
> > in
> > > the Colorado mountains. It's "maybe" because of uncertainties
> > > related to weather and whether our group actually reaches the
hut.
> > >
> > > My antenna will be modest at best, but the site is awesome, on
the
> > > side of a high mountain near the Divide, right at treeline. If I
> > get
> > > on, I plan to be near 7.045, 10.120, 14.065 - depending on the
> > > contest and what's available. I may jump into the contest also.
> > >
> > > Most likely time to find me will be on 40M, around 9 PM MST
> > Saturday
> > > night (0400 UT Sunday), or later. Saturday afternoon is another
> > > possibility - between 2 and 5 PM MST, or 2100-2400 UT Saturday.
> > > Unfortunately I can't be more specific, being part of a group of
> > > folks, and subject to many of Murphy's laws.
> > >
> > > No promises here - just maybe. I know the rig will work if I can
> > get
> > > an antenna up and have no other problems....
> > >
> > > I will use my name George for CW -
> > > 72,
> > >
> > > George Carey Fuller
> > > KX0R
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>

I've flown with mine and had no problem.


--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "Bill" <bgriffin@...> wrote:
>
>
> Gary,
>
> It passes my test for cool too,
>
> I ask myself, "would I be allowed to take this on the airplane?".
>
> Prolly not.
>
> Bill, ni5x.
>

--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "radio_kx0r" <careyfuller@...>
wrote:

I uploaded two photos showing the gear and antenna used for the snow
trip - see the PHOTOS section, KX0R.

KX0R


>
> --- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "radio_kx0r" <careyfuller@>
> wrote:
>
> KX0R was on the air from the Sangree Froelicher hut last weekend.
> Our group skiied and snowshoed the 3 miles and 1500 vertical feet
to
> the hut at 11,700 feet, located a few miles from Leadville, CO.
>
> I used a piece of split firewood to throw a string into a tree -
this
> supported a compromise antenna best described as "85 feet out the
> front of the hut and 33 feet out the back".  Most of the  antenna
was
> 15 feet above the snow, and the highest point was the far end at 20
> ft.  It could be considered an off-center-fed dipole.  The hut is
on
> a 30-degree slope, which probably favored signals to the east.
>
> With 3-4 feet of powder snow everywhere, I had to wear snowshoes to
> get the antenna up and down.
>
> I used a modified ALT.  I worked several NA Contest stations on
20M,
> including PJ5NA, before moving to 30M to ragchew.  30M was nice
just
> before sunset, and I had a good long chat with WE0Q at Dent, MN.
> Also worked N6VOH in CA, on the wrong side of the mountain, before
> the band went long.
>
> After supper I got on 40M - worked more than 20 NA Contest stations
> in just over an hour, including WH6R (wrong side of the mountain)
and
> VP9/K7AR.
>
> Before turning in, I decided to see if I could match 80M.
Amazingly,
> I loaded up with no problem, and quickly worked 8 contest stations,
> including W1TO in MA, N3QE in MD, and K4GMH in VA.  80 was so nice
I
> wished I'd tried it earlier, before getting sleepy.
>
> Key points:
>
> 1) No feedline was used
> 2) Antenna was a real compromise
> 3) I carried several pieces of #22 PVC wire so I could put up
> whatever would fit the site
> 4) The EZNEC models for the antenna, done later, were medicocre,
> several db worse than a dipole on all four bands - but they don't
> include the sloping ground
> 5) Even though the antenna was low, it radiated well from the high
> mountain with the deep valley below.
> 6) By using a series resistor with my 3-cell lithium battery, and
> with an absorbtive bridge in my tuner, I was able to tune reactive
> matches without tripping the ATS-3B overcurrent detector.
> 8) I operated for over 3 hours, including 1 hour of ragchewing, at
5W
> output, and the lithium battery dropped from 12.6V to 11.75V.
> 9) The ATS-3B worked perfectly
> 10) All the radio stuff weighed 3 lb 5 oz.  Over 1 lb of this is
the
> pack I use for an organizer.  Room for improvement!
> 11) Compromise is the key to successful portable operation
>
> Sorry I couldn't do more ragchewing, but the NA Contest dominated
20,
> 40, and 80M.
>
> 72/73
> Carey Fuller
> KX0R
>
> > All,
> >
> > KX0R may be on the air this weekend from an alpine site at
11,700'
> in
> > the Colorado mountains.  It's "maybe" because of uncertainties
> > related to weather and whether our group actually reaches the hut.
> >
> > My antenna will be modest at best, but the site is awesome, on
the
> > side of a high mountain near the Divide, right at treeline.  If I
> get
> > on, I plan to be near 7.045, 10.120, 14.065 - depending on the
> > contest and what's available.  I may jump into the contest also.
> >
> > Most likely time to find me will be on 40M, around 9 PM MST
> Saturday
> > night (0400 UT Sunday), or later.  Saturday afternoon is another
> > possibility - between 2 and 5 PM MST, or 2100-2400 UT Saturday.
> > Unfortunately I can't be more specific, being part of a group of
> > folks, and subject to many of Murphy's laws.
> >
> > No promises here - just maybe.  I know the rig will work if I can
> get
> > an antenna up and have no other problems....
> >
> > I will use my name George for CW -
> > 72,
> >
> > George Carey Fuller
> > KX0R
> >
>

--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "radio_kx0r" <careyfuller@...>
wrote:

KX0R was on the air from the Sangree Froelicher hut last weekend.
Our group skiied and snowshoed the 3 miles and 1500 vertical feet to
the hut at 11,700 feet, located a few miles from Leadville, CO.

I used a piece of split firewood to throw a string into a tree - this
supported a compromise antenna best described as "85 feet out the
front of the hut and 33 feet out the back".  Most of the  antenna was
15 feet above the snow, and the highest point was the far end at 20
ft.  It could be considered an off-center-fed dipole.  The hut is on
a 30-degree slope, which probably favored signals to the east.

With 3-4 feet of powder snow everywhere, I had to wear snowshoes to
get the antenna up and down.

I used a modified ALT.  I worked several NA Contest stations on 20M,
including PJ5NA, before moving to 30M to ragchew.  30M was nice just
before sunset, and I had a good long chat with WE0Q at Dent, MN.
Also worked N6VOH in CA, on the wrong side of the mountain, before
the band went long.

After supper I got on 40M - worked more than 20 NA Contest stations
in just over an hour, including WH6R (wrong side of the mountain) and
VP9/K7AR.

Before turning in, I decided to see if I could match 80M.  Amazingly,
I loaded up with no problem, and quickly worked 8 contest stations,
including W1TO in MA, N3QE in MD, and K4GMH in VA.  80 was so nice I
wished I'd tried it earlier, before getting sleepy.

Key points:

1) No feedline was used
2) Antenna was a real compromise
3) I carried several pieces of #22 PVC wire so I could put up
whatever would fit the site
4) The EZNEC models for the antenna, done later, were medicocre,
several db worse than a dipole on all four bands - but they don't
include the sloping ground
5) Even though the antenna was low, it radiated well from the high
mountain with the deep valley below.
6) By using a series resistor with my 3-cell lithium battery, and
with an absorbtive bridge in my tuner, I was able to tune reactive
matches without tripping the ATS-3B overcurrent detector.
8) I operated for over 3 hours, including 1 hour of ragchewing, at 5W
output, and the lithium battery dropped from 12.6V to 11.75V.
9) The ATS-3B worked perfectly
10) All the radio stuff weighed 3 lb 5 oz.  Over 1 lb of this is the
pack I use for an organizer.  Room for improvement!
11) Compromise is the key to successful portable operation

Sorry I couldn't do more ragchewing, but the NA Contest dominated 20,
40, and 80M.

72/73
Carey Fuller
KX0R

> All,
>
> KX0R may be on the air this weekend from an alpine site at 11,700'
in
> the Colorado mountains.  It's "maybe" because of uncertainties
> related to weather and whether our group actually reaches the hut.
>
> My antenna will be modest at best, but the site is awesome, on the
> side of a high mountain near the Divide, right at treeline.  If I
get
> on, I plan to be near 7.045, 10.120, 14.065 - depending on the
> contest and what's available.  I may jump into the contest also.
>
> Most likely time to find me will be on 40M, around 9 PM MST
Saturday
> night (0400 UT Sunday), or later.  Saturday afternoon is another
> possibility - between 2 and 5 PM MST, or 2100-2400 UT Saturday.
> Unfortunately I can't be more specific, being part of a group of
> folks, and subject to many of Murphy's laws.
>
> No promises here - just maybe.  I know the rig will work if I can
get
> an antenna up and have no other problems....
>
> I will use my name George for CW -
> 72,
>
> George Carey Fuller
> KX0R
>

Gary,

It passes my test for cool too,

I ask myself, "would I be allowed to take this on the airplane?".

Prolly not.

Bill, ni5x.

Very nice Gary! I'll have to try that idea. I'm planning on playing in
the VHF test from a local mtn top this weekend  weather permitting.
Single handed keying would be a huge convenience not to mention be
able to send with gloves on!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for sharing! Steve/n0tu

On Jan 17, 2008 8:27 PM, Gary Eldridge <beartrack1@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Photos of the UD key are posted in the photo section of this group.
>
> 73
>
> Gary  KC8UD
>
>

Gary:
  Your pix atached to your email message
73
John  W2GB/6Y0B

----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Eldridge <beartrack1@...>
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2008 3:27 pm
Subject: [AT_Sprint] Photos of UD key
To: AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com

> Photos of the UD key are posted in the photo section of this group.
>
> 73
>
> Gary  KC8UD
>
>
>
>

Very cool........... I want one of those!
73/72
John W2GB/6Y0B

----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Eldridge <beartrack1@...>
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2008 3:11 pm
Subject: [AT_Sprint] Yet another portable key invention - The "UD" key -
  hand held iambic key
To: AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com

> Hello group,
>
>
>
> The hose clamp keying method is indeed clever. I think I'll try it
> but with
> a slight twist. I'm fond of iambic keying so a hose clamp around
> the thumb,
> first and second fingers would allow for true iambic operation
> with just a
> little practice.
>
>
>
> In the mean time - let me offer something I've invented and been
> using for
> many years now. It is a modified 35mm film canister with a couple
> of push
> buttons mounted at a 90 degree angle from each other. It's
> extremely light
> weight and allows for iambic keying while holding the unit in one
> hand. You
> can send iambically while walking, driving or huddled up inside your
> sleeping bag. In fact, I mostly use it on the trail while in my
> sleepingbag. With my earbuds in my ears and my UD key in my hand I
> can lie there
> with my eyes closed while sending / receiving CW and the other
> hikers nearby
> think I'm sleeping. They don't hear a thing (wide band receive
> allowed me to
> listen to my buddies in SSB while I sent them CW on 20 meters).
> This little
> key along with my ATS-3 also won the grand prize in 2005 at Trail
> Days in
> Damascus, VA. After explaining to the crowd that I built a
> portable ham
> radio that has allowed me to stay in touch with my friends all
> over the
> country while hiking the Appalachian Trail, they were somewhat
> amused. But
> when I pulled the Altoids tin out of my pocket and opened the lid
> to show
> the guts, chins began to fall to the floor. Thanks Steve. We owe
> it all to
> you.
>
>
>
> By the way - UD stands for UP / DOWN (not to mention that it is
> part of my
> callsign). I got the idea while playing around with my Icom-706
> while using
> the UP / DOWN buttons on the microphone to send CW.
>
>
>
> Pictures to follow. I hope they transfer.
>
>
>
> 73
>
> Gary  KC8UD
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

This would be great for Pedestrian Mobile operations, the hose clamps
could easily be adjusted to fit over even heavy winter gloves!

I guess you could take this one step further and make a glove key; using
snaps or rivets attached to finger/thumb as the contacts and snaking a
couple of small insulated wires through the material of the glove.
Hmmm this gives me some ideas for the upcoming FYBO ;-)

Michael VE3WMB


--- In AT_Sprint@yahoogroups.com, "kc7fys" <kc7fys@...> wrote:
>
> You know the overused expression LOL. Well, I have to say, I laughed
> out loud. You thought StraightKey Nite was big--I propose HoseClamp
> QRP Night! Somebody set a frequency and time, and I'm there.
> http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XJHXzchBg
> Jonathan
>

Way cool - I think I'll try this with my old Knight T-150 transmitter ;)

73 - john - n0hj

There's always a music tie-in. Hams have a lot of musical ability. Banjo
fingerpicks would work.

At one point I thought about using metal guitar finger
picks in a very similiar manner. Never did it though.
Hmmmmmmmm....

-mike

--- kc7fys <kc7fys@...> wrote:


> http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XJHXzchBg



      
________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

You know the overused expression LOL. Well, I have to say, I laughed
out loud. You thought StraightKey Nite was big--I propose HoseClamp
QRP Night! Somebody set a frequency and time, and I'm there.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XJHXzchBg
Jonathan

>The next morning, I hooked up the radio to the doublet I have at home
>and turned the radio on.  My problem had returned and no amount of
>playing with the paddle connector, removing the paddle plug, or moving
>the pc board would help.  I have made macrophotographs of each side of

Lets hope you didn't crack a capacitor, which is definately possible if you
flex the board too much!
72,
Steve, KD1JV
"Melt Solder"
White Mountains of New Hampshire
http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com

Last Saturday, I brought my ATS-3a, which has low receive sensitivity,
to my friend, Keith WB2NVY.  Keith is an EE who works on
digitally-controlled power systems.  The first thing that caught his
attention was the short piece of RG-174 with a SO-239 at the end.  We
soon learned that between the connector and the center conductor pad
on the board the resistance was significant and changed with
manipulation of the coax.  Changing the coax and connector produced a
great sounding receiver.  We promptly worked MN and TN during the NA
QRP Party on 40m!  The tx put out about 2.25 watts with a 9v battery.
  However, as we played with the radio, we found that moving the pc
board could produce momentary loss of receiver sensitivity!  After
experimenting, we decided that this problem was caused by the plug
size adapter I was using for my paddle.  It was difficult to imagine,
though, how the paddle could effect receive sensitivity.

The next morning, I hooked up the radio to the doublet I have at home
and turned the radio on.  My problem had returned and no amount of
playing with the paddle connector, removing the paddle plug, or moving
the pc board would help.  I have made macrophotographs of each side of
the board and I am systematically inspecting and reheating all solder
connections.  If this recheck does not help, I plan to bring the radio
back to Keith's bench and trace signals through the receiver, as
described by Carey KX0R.

72/73, Dave K1YHR.