Station Description of ZS6DX

This is what My shack looks like at the moment, major changes coming soon !
 

Personal comments on some equipment that has passed through the ZS6DX shack, see what I liked and what I disliked.

The main operating position at ZS6DX, I am still waiting for a new desk and rack that I have had custom made, as soon as it is here I can sort out the mess !, the secondary position is used for multi operator contest work, there is also space for a third operator but this space is currently used for the amplifiers, tuners and antenna switches.  As you can see it is a bit of a mess but then I am forever changing and upgrading, that is half the fun !. I am also waiting for my FT-1000MP that is currently in for a general service, I did not get it back in time for CQ WW CW but I ended up running QRP with a FT-817 anyway !. The FT-1000MP has now been replaced, till further notice, by 2 Icom IC-756 radios. I must admit that I am slowly falling in love with these radios so if Yaesu don't sort out the MP soon that will be the last of it !

The complete main operating position with radios, computer, FL-7000 and T1000 amplifiers.

The "Oldie" operating position for rag-chewing etc. This position can also be configured as a second contesting position for use during a multi operator contest entry.

To read more about my current contest configuration click here.

I have moved QTH in the last year, the new QTH is on the North side of a hill, about 1490m a.s.l. and higher than most of the surrounding ground except south, as most of the world is west/north/east from me that is no problem. My old QTH was on the south side of the same hill and that was not ideal !. I must still put up all the towers but when we first moved in with just a 20/40m dipole about 8m above the ground I have already added a new country on 40m, a new one on 17m (using the internal tuner and the 20m dipole) and an all time new one on 20m. I now have a Cushcraft A4S up and the new location is really proving to be great with 3 all time new ones in the week after it went up ! I have also worked some 6m TEP into Europe using the 20m dipole and a tuner with 59 and 599 reports, a lot better than the old QTH. The noise level is also a lot lower than the old QTH so this is all looking very promising ! I managed to get up one tri-bander before CQ WW CW but this proved to be ample, see my report on the contest here. Now I must get the rest of the antennas/towers sorted out.

My plan is to eventually run 3 radios with 3 amplifiers going into 3 separate mono-band antennas for contest use. Now I must just get used to listening to 3 radios at the same time !. I have had some luck running 2 rigs at the same time so I think once I am used to it 3 will be even better, if nothing else it allows for super fast band changes. When you have a good opening and the QSO rate is high I find that only 1 radio is needed/useful but when it is quiet the other radios allow you to catch some multipliers on the quieter bands. Till I have my new antenna farm sorted out I mostly try to work as many multipliers in contests as possible to up my band/country standings for DXCC, often contests are the best place to find new ones.

My station currently consists of (Always changing.....):

1. Yaesu FT-1000MP with home-brew linear (using 2 x 4-400 valves) used as main CW contest station, this rig has had a CW side-tone problem for a while and has now gone in for repairs, all the way back to Japan, once it gets back I will make a decision on keeping it or getting rid of it!. 
2. Kenwood TS-870S with Heathkit HL-2200 amplifier (using 2 x 3-500ZG valves) used as backup CW/SSB contest station. 
3. Icom IC-756 rigs, I have recently acquired 2 of these rigs, after looking at a lot of equipment I decided that these radios are very good value for money. I have also compared the original IC-756 directly with the newer IC-756PRO and the latest IC-756PROII. The PRO and especially the PROII have many DSP filter selections but the basic receiver is far worse than the original IC-756. The front-end is not as solid, this is in spite of the "144db" dynamic range advertised for the new rigs. This 144db dynamic range is derived from the theoretical limit of a 32bit DSP chip but in the real world it does not work like that !, Dynamic range is a bit more than the bus width of the processor and lots of other factors in the front-end of the receiver are also involved ! The new receivers also have much more phase-noise than the old receiver. With additional filters and a simple mod to increase the sensitivity of the band scope the original IC-756 becomes a great contest rig as well as a general DX radio. My findings on the RX are also proved by the ARRL lab tests, go check if you do not believe me, see (ARRL lab tests summary) !. I have been told that the 2 newer models were build down to a price and not up to a specification. The original 756 was just to expensive too produce on the receiver side !. I am now using a T1000 solid-state amplifier by Trans World Electronics on the one radio and a FL-7000 solid-state amplifier on the second radio. So far I am VERY happy with these radios and they have exceeded my expectations by far. I will be writing an evaluation report on these radios as well as the IC-756PROII soon. In the absence of the FT-1000MP these rigs are now my primary contest/DX radios, When the MP returns I will make a decision if they will remain in that position, if not I will at least surely miss the spectrum scope ! New
4. Yaesu FT-990, I am using this radio as a backup rig and for general local 40/80m contacts. It is complete with the additional CW and SSB filters. The Digital SCAF filter on this radio is amazing !. The radio is connected to a Yaesu FL-2100Z amplifier but the amplifier is seldom used. New
5. Yaesu FT-847 with home-brew linears (using 4 x 4cx250R valves), used mainly for 6m and satellite work, also a superb portable HF/VHF/UHF rig ! Apart from some 6m work this radio is not used much at the moment. For 6m this is now connected to a Hy-gain model DX66 6 element long boom yagi. 
6. Icom IC-746, great rig on CW, I just love the APF feature, will be used as third band rig in future contests, I have now installed a 250hz CW filter (Icom) in this rig and it makes a HUGE difference !. I am now also using a converted SB200 amplifier on this rig for 6m and HF, works great !
7. Yaesu FT-767GX for general use on HF, mostly local rag chewing. I have recently used this rig in a SSB contest and I was quite impressed by the dynamic range and the general performance of the receiver.
8. Yaesu FT-890SAT. A great rig to use portable as it is robust, compact and has a great tuner !. This rig will now be retired from daily used and only used for portable/field work.
9. Icom IC-706MKII  for HF, 6 and 2m, used mainly on 2 and 6m portable and mini DX-peditions and long distance mobile trips, this radio worked very well on the yacht and made me friends all over the world.
10. Yaesu FT-107M used mostly on 30, 40 and 80 for local contacts, relaying of bulletins and PSK31 ect. This rig is not used much anymore and has been replaced by the FT-767GX for most everyday use. It had now been moved to the museum area of the shack !.
11. Alinco DR-605 dual bander used mainly for local 2m and 70cm FM repeater work, I have also used this radio with great success on some of the FM satellites while mobile.
12. Icom IC-471A with homebrew amplifier used for satellite and EME work with a bit of packet radio now and then, this radio has been replaced by the FT-847.
13. Kenwood TS-120S used for QRP CW work, not used much anymore, also in the museum area but still fun to play with.
14. Home-brew transverters for 435, 1296 and 2400 Mhz.
15. Yaesu and MFJ manual tuners, not used much but there if needed..
16. Yaesu FT-707 with FV-707 transverters for 430 Mhz and 50 Mhz as backup, not used much these days.
17. Various older radio like Kenwood TS-520, Yaesu FT-101 and FT-200, Heathkit SB-102, Yaesu FT-901DM, Hallicrafters SX-38 and  KWM Viceroy  because I love them and REAL radios glow in the dark -:)! (some of them are older than me !).The FT-901DM with its spectrum scope (YO-901) is actually quite a nice combination and I have used it often for local rag-chewing. These radios are also used when I join in with a local group called "The Antique Radio Association", a group open to anyone interested in restoring or using older tube based equipment. They gather at 0900 SAST (0700 UTC) on 7.070MHz on a Saturday morning, please join the fun !

FL-2100Z, HL-2200 and Homebrew tube amplifiers for HF.

FL-7000 and T1000 solid state HF amplifiers with a few tuners, meters and rotator control boxes.

My (growing) antenna farm includes:

1. 12 element long boom home-brew yagi for 2m.
2. 5 element yagi for 2m FM.
3. 17 element home-brew yagi for 70 cm.
4. 9 element home-brew log-yagi for 6m. 
5. Hy-Gain DX66 6 element long boom yagi for 6m, this is a very well made antenna that really works well, at last I have a big signal on the band !.
6. TH5DX tri-band yagi for 10, 15 and 20m, currently this antenna is not in use, I am considering using the boom to build a 12/17/30m antenna. 
7. TH7DX, 7 element tri-bander for 10,15 and 20m, this will now be used for the primary operating position.
8. Cushcraft A4S Tribander with a 40m kit still to be installed, this is a great all rounder and performs a lot better than than some much larger antennas!, will be used for the second operating position of for chasing multipliers during SO contests.
9. Dipoles for 80, 40, 30, 17 and 12m, about 18m above ground level, they will be raised to 25m soon.
10. Long wire antenna (40m) for 80 and 160m, not used often but also great for SWL.
11. Hustler BTV4 vertical for 10, 15, 20 and 40m, this is now seldom used because it is too noisy but on 40m it is a great DX antenna !. I had this antenna on the yacht and it was amazing how well it worked, but then I did have 17000Kg of steel in saltwater as a ground plane. This antenna is very useful for spotting multipliers during contests. It is omni directional so you can hear DX from any side without  having to swing the antenna all the time, the fact that it is vertical also helps by lessening inter radio interference created by 2 or more radios operating in close proximity.  
12. 5/8 vertical antenna for 70cm packet and repeater work.
13. 3 element yagi for 70MHz. We do not have much activity in South Africa on this band but I was hoping to work into the UK in September/October/November 2002 on TEP, so far no luck but at the new QTH I am planning on a better antenna for this band. On 70MHz I am currently using the FT-847.
14. Full-size loop antenna for 40m (vertical). This is great for DX but not for local work.

Cushcraft A4S and 5 element 2m yagi at rooftop height, look at the nice blue sky!  The A4S is a far better antenna than the TH5 or even the other larger antennas that I have used.

I have now finished building 5 element mono-banders for 10, 15 and 20m. As soon as the new tower is up they will be installed. I also need to do something better for 160m, currently I am using a 60m long long-wire. 12, 17 and 30m needs some attention as well, here I am also considering mono-banders, maybe on the same boom?. At the new QTH I should have the space for this but I would have to put up a few more towers.