Being a radio amateur involves creating connections and friendships with individuals you may never meet otherwise. This hobby inspired me to learn about technology and social issues through study and experience.
Magnetic Loop Antenna 70cm diameter Battery Powered 20 dB amplifier Frequency range 0.1-180 MHz
I plan to set up effective HF transmitting antennas that comply with the restrictions imposed by my community.
I'm a casual FT8 reporter who also enjoys playing with a 10 band QRP uSDX transceiver.
As a child, I was fascinated by the "radio miracle," as seen in the video below.
The above video tells anecdotes about radio amateurs wishing to save lives or assist society.
Most of these hams used junk as equipment. QSL cards proudly cover the wall of their stations.
My curiosity grew after watching the movie "If All the Guys in the World"; French: "Si tous les gars du monde" A French fishing boat crew in the North Sea eats contaminated food, making them unable to continue their duties. The story focuses on the attempts of a global group of amateur radio operators to deliver an antidote.
A few years later I got the desired operating license, Novice in 1964 and General in 1965.
4X4XM operating on a field day (1966) Rig: Drake R-4A HF RX attached to SCR522 VHF TRX
In 1992, I took a break due to my family's needs, and returned to ham radio in June 2020, after a 28-year absence.
Until 1964 (age 17), my entire rig was homebrew. Then I began modifying vintage and surplus equipment.
See the list below for the gear I've preferred over other gadgets I've collected and used over the years.
In 1964, I bought a second-hand commercial receiver, a Hallicrafters SX-110. It was a single conversion (I.F. 455 kHz) general coverage receiver in four bands ranging from 535 to 34000 kHz. I have added a Product Detector (ECH81) and replaced the Noise Limiter with a Noise BlankerUS 3,195,052 patent. A year later, I added an external Xtal-controlled front-end that converted the higher HF and VHF bands, down to 3.5, 7, or 10.7 MHz with 50Hz stability and image rejection greater than 75 dB. It was considered a remarkable achievement at the time.
In 1966 the late Erik Friedman MD, 4X4WF (SP5WF), lent me Bandmaster Delux TBS-50D Transmitter (Harvey Radio Laboratories, Brookline, Southbridge, MA, USA) covering 80m through 2m.
I have added a homebrew VFO.
Using this transmitter I made thousands of CW and AM QSOs.
In the same year (1966) I fixed a 19 years old broken Hallicrafter S-37, 130-210 MHz Single Conversion VHF receiver (I.F. 18 MHz) found in a junkyard. This was a true gem that enabled me to search for spurious signals, listen to (audio of) TV channels (from Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt), 2m ham radio, civil and military aircrafts, ships, and police. I have operated this amazing receiver from 1966 to 1970.
At the same time I refurbished and modified a ground based SCR-522 WWII transceiver, originally covering 100-156 Mhz in 4 preselected channels.
The BC625A transmitter and BC624A receiver were both Xtal controlled.
The I.F output of the BC624A receiver that I modified was at 10.7MHz and was fed to an HF receiver that operated in CW/SSB modes. I used an SX-110 and later a Drake R4A. This configuration allowed easy tuning, clear and stable reception of CW and SSB modes on the 2 meter band.
For example, during a field day the I.F. output from the BC624A (2m band receiver's front-end) was fed into Drake R-4A:
In addition, a 16dBi pseudo-horn VHF antenna (2m) was installed. It enabled S9+ AM QSOs between Haifa, Israel, and Larnaca, Cyprus, which is about 270 kilometers across the Mediterranean Sea.
This antenna was constructed from an aluminum expanded mesh in the shape of two isoscale triangles, attached to a rectangular wood pyramid.
The pyrmid's base and the triangles' sides measure 2450 mm. The mesh triangles were aligned at a 60-degree angle.
The next decade
In 1975 I bought a second-hand Yaesu FT200. It was an SSB/CW transceiver that covered the pre-WARC amateur bands from 80m to 10m and provided up to 180 watts PEP. Modification were added to improve operations. Various wire antennas allowed flexibility in 5-band HF operation around the clock.
In 1977, I purchased ICOM IC-240, a two-meter FM transceiver, and modified it to double the number of channels by adding two diodes. It was my favorite "Taxi Radio" that I'd ever used; it was simple, cute, and durable. Antenas used: Classic GP, Ringo Ranger, and 2-el Quad at home; 5/8 mobile.
In 1982, I won a raffle for a broken Siemens E311 receiver. I restored it until it operated like new and used it as a high-quality receiver for eight years in my shack, with an accuracy of 100 Hz and stability of 20 Hz over 24 hours.
While on Sabbatical Leave (1990-1992) in Plainsboro, NJ - the late Sid Gogel, W2FUR (1919-2015) lent me a vintage rig:
This Collins 51S-1 receiver enabled me to listen to the Voice of Israel on HF every day from New Jersey, USA.
While operating this Swan-350 living in Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA, I kept contacts with Israel using Camouflaged Vertical Antenna. Fortunately, cycle 22 of the sunspots was at its peak at that period.