Amateur Radio
Station KA1MUY
Scott
Cameron
Contents
Location
Pemaquid, ME
Lat-43.89, Long-69.53
Lincoln County
Grid Square FN-53
Pemaquid is 50 miles north of Portland, Maine. The coast of Maine between Muscongus Bay to
the North, and Sheepscot Bay to the South extends into the Atlantic about 13 miles.
This is the Pemaquid Peninsula.
At the end of this peninsula is the
Pemaquid Point Light. You can get information about the history of
the area by clicking here.
SSB Audio Information:
The links below relate mostly to my current interest
in Single Sideband Audio.
In Single Sideband the range of available frequencies
is, in most cases limited to between 0 and 300 Hz on the low end, and between
2400 and 3000 Hz on the high end. “Communications quality audio” uses a limited
frequency response, loud audio, and a degree of compression to build the audio
envelope and create a “punchy” sound. (It gets your attention!) “Broadcast quality audio” has a much more
balanced frequency response, and tends to be more pleasant when listening.
Interesting Links
Reviews of the Kenwood TS-870S (from Eham.com)
An Outstanding 1000MP Reference Page
(One of the best sources of info on the 1000MP)
Rane Tech. Notes on Audio Equipment Connection (very complete information on hooking up audio)
Microphone and PTT advice from the "Eham"
website (another Eham.com
article)
Jim Forgione-K6JRF-FT 1000D Audio
Pages (excellent info on
audio and customizing the 1000D)
Information on Station Grounding
(from Eham and N5NJ)
Horizontal Loop info (from WA4HWN)
John Anning's "High Quality Single Sideband
Audio" Page.
I will add more pages as
I have time
I have
been involved in Amateur Radio since the early 1980’s. My current interest is SSB Audio and AM. I have been studying and
working on this for about two years. It
has been a very interesting, although slow, process. Searching out and experimenting with different equipment,
eliminating the “RF” problems, and educating myself about the principles of “Broadcast Quality” audio, has been a real
challenge. I would have been lost without the help of the many amateurs that
gave freely of their time, wisdom, and encouragement. If you choose to explore the “world of wideband audio”, you will
find guides and mentors eager to share their knowledge with you.
There
are a growing number of audio amateurs on the ham bands, and there are a number
of bands and frequencies that have become “hang-outs”. If you listen on 75 meters, 20 meters, and
17 and 10 meters you will find them. When you do, please introduce yourself and
jump into the conversation. I am sure
you will be welcomed.
Here is an audio group you can join-
Click to subscribe to the Hi-Fi SSB/Audio Group
There
are a number of products specifically developed for the amateur audio market,
including; the W2IHY EQ box, the AOR Multi-Media Terminal, and the Heil
products (Goldline). Several amateurs
are exploring the capabilities of the Kenwood TS-850. This radio coupled with the DSP-100 can receive very wide. I have
heard recordings taken from the 850, and they sound wonderful!
Settings for the Behringer
1100P Equalizer
Here are some settings that I have found work well
with the TS-870, and the TLM-103 Mic. (the 870 in 100 to 3kHz for transmit) Please be aware that EQ settings are
very subjective and the results will vary greatly from person to person and
station to station.
Filter Frequency Bandwidth Gain Fine Tune Notes
#1 50 30 +3 +4 (you could also try a
frequency of 40 on this filter)
#2 100 120 -6
#3 160 120 -11 +4
#4 .40 60 +1
#5 .63 120 -11 +9
#6 1.6 45 -4 +1
#7 2.5 15 +5 +5
#8 3.2 25 +1 -5 (try different gains here
but no more than +2 to –2)
#9 4.0 20 +4
#10 5.0 20 +13 -6
#11 6.3 30 +7
#12 8 to 20kHz 15 -8 (an optional filter to surgically cut the high frequencies)
Station Description
My current station consists of a Kenwood TS-850 along with a Kenwood
DSP-100. I also use a Kenwood TS-830.
My antennas are an Off-Center-Fed Dipole for 80 through 10 meters, inverted
“L” for 160 meters, ( it works great on 17 meters), and a 3 element Delta Loop
Beam for 10 meters. I usually just run
100 watts of power, but I have an Ameritron 811 for times when I need a little
boost. For audiowork, I use an R0de
Broadcater studio condenser microphone. I process the audio through a two-tube
12AX7 preamplifier, a Behringer 1100P (12 band
parametric equalizer), and a Behringer 2200
compressor. With the TS-830 I use an
Electrovoice 664. I have found the
addition of tube gear, early in the audio chain adds a very distinctive and
appealing element to my audio. “I just like the sound”. In my opinion my voice really benefits from
the richness and articulation that tubes provide in the audio chain. Because
you can slightly “overdrive” a tube stage without the nasty distortion that
occurs with an overdriven solidstate device, tubes can act slightly “compress”
the audio with a smoothness that is impossible with solid-state
components. There are a number of
resources for information on the Internet about tubes and tube microphone
preamps.
If you want more information about
any of this equipment, click on the underlined text for the link. If you are searching for equipment,
or you want to sell equipment, may I suggest this website. Scott Neader is
providing a wonderful service, and it has worked great for me!
Buy and Sell amateur radio equipment on QTH.com
Thanks very much for viewing my page. If you would like to contact me, there is a
link below.
Last
revised: 05/01/03