Hi, I'm Dan YO3DAN!
operating 4U1ITU

Welcome to the

YO3DAN - PA2LA's

RADIO dedicated page

Dear visitor, this page is dedicated to my interest for RADIO.

Radio is not just my hobby or my profession. It is an important part of my life.

So, you'll find here next things - mainly radio related :

- radio engineering, RF/microwave design (circuits, Spice, etc) and projects ;

- antennas and propagation ;

- QRP ;

- Linux/Unix ;

- Morse telegraphy ;

- radio scouting and educational projects ;

- links and photos .

My first steps...

My interest for radio has begun at age 11, when I was in the 6th school grade and when I built a crystal set receiver - which was my first radio project. Later on, I added to this receiver a three stages audio amplifier and a two stages RF amplifier. All stages of the receiver used, at that time, Germanium transistors. But, the radio did help me to discover the world, when, I finished to build an HF regenerative receiver. With that one I was able to hear short wave radio stations from all over the world. The BBC, Radio Luxembourg, The Voice of America, and many others became my every evening "friends". The "exit door" to the world was a simple long-wire antenna. Another key-words for that time were: a very good earth ground connection and an Hi-Z phones pair.

Later, at age 16, I got my amateur radio SWL license in YO7 district. Thus, I discovered the big radio-amateur community.
I became member of FRR (Romanian Federation of Radioamateurs). After two years I passed the amateur radio examination and I got the license for the beginner HF class (max 25W output power in the 10, 40, 80, 2 meters and 70 centimeters bands). The issued call-sign was YO7DAN (simple because my home nick-name is Dan). It sounds very nice in Morse code (CW), too. During the following years, I got the advanced HF license (100W in all HF+V/UHF bands) and the first class license.
When I moved from Pitesti (YO7 district) to Bucharest (YO3 district), my call-sign has changed to YO3DAN.
In the Autumn of 2005, I've moved to Groningen - Netherlands and I got a Dutch call-sign: PA2LA. I'm member of VERON, too.
I operate mainly in the bands between 160m and 70 cm. Whenever is possible, I enjoy QRP.
My favorites modes are SSB and CW, but I'm active in other modes, too.

My station ....

During the years I built and used many homebrew equipments.
I used commercial equipments, too. Among them, Sommerkamp FT-277ZD, Yaesu FT-7B, Icom IC-726.
My station includes an Yaesu FT-847 HF/50/144/430 MHz ultra-compact satellite transceiver, accompanied by the Yaesu FC-20 automatic antenna tuner, an Icom IC-7000 with LDG AT-7000 automatic tuner and some QRP equipment, as well. For portable/mobile VHF/UHF I also use a Standard C500-EX and an Yaesu VX-6E handheld transceivers.
For HF bands, for the moment I use a slopped dipole antenna for 20m band, fedded with a 300 ohms ladder line. For the small yard/garden which I have, this antenna is one of the very few practical solutions.
I acquired some time ago a Mosley MP-33 HF tribander 3 elements antenna, which I hope that it will be up next year.
For VHF/UHF I use a Diamond X-200 vertical antenna (2 x 5/8 λ @ 145MHz and 4 x 5/8 λ @ 435MHz), a 11 elements cross-Yagi for 2m band (satellites), a 10 elements long Yagi for portable in 2m band.
For 70cm band, I have a 19 elements antenna.
The mobile operations are supported by a Diamond MR-77B 2m/70cm vertical and a SPX300 (similar to Outback-2000)- a 9 bands (80m-6m) 1,70m high HF taps coil based antenna, both of them with their magnetic mount for the car roof.

This is my station