Presently I am preparing "field" operations with a newly purchased FT-817 with accessories, to which I am adding d.i.y. wire aerials of different sizes and designs, mainly dipoles; however, matching units will possibly allow using the ubiquitous corral fences for propagation tests.

This cute little rig has been accommodated in an aluminium suitcase:

availabe are a MIracle Whip, several rubber ducks, 230V and car adaptors etc.

Two further metal cases - those sold in diy-markets for tools - have been adapted for accommodating several wire antennas, power supply alternatives, cables and extensions, allowing a variety of power supply; the second one contains the portable "office, workshop and first aid station". Experience in the field taught me that the possibility of hurting myself out there is not to be neglected... and Murphy lurks everywhere!

At present I am trying to familiarize myself with a recently bought 2nd hand laptop HP4150b which is going to be used for digital modes together with the FT817 when being on travel. In the meantime I succeeded finding the resp. drivers on the internet and bring the laptop back to life; it cooperates with the FT817, rendering highly interesting QRP contacts with 1--2 W in BPSK31 mode over 1500 miles on 20m.

Confuzius say: "no good thing cheap, no cheap thing good..." or in other words: "you get what you pay for"... You may invert this saying because in the meantime I have spent more for accessories to the FT817 than for the rig itself! There was the TCXO, 500 Hz CW filter, rf-processor mike, Miracle-Whip, ZD-2, psu, 100W qrp PA, atu, Z-100 and so on. 

I love it, or to use the words of N9HMG: "...I'll give mine up when you pry it from my cold dead left hand (my right hand will be holding a revolver full of spent cartridges), and even then, I'll haunt the one who takes it."... Well said, mate!

To enhance listening and processing of digital signals I have added an audio filter based on ASP, not DSP, which is giving excellent results as the audio handling in the FT817 is not entirely satisfactory. I bought the ED88NF from Eurofrequence in Germany and am delighted with the results:

Located on the upper shelf, it is only an inch larger than the FT817, feeds on 12V and fits into the portable set-up. To the left the small Wimo R-155  50W linear amplifier, and far left the MFJ-941 ATU. In the meantime there has been added a BHI DSP noise filter both to the FT817 (incorporated) and external for use with other rigs; the results are amazing and well worth the money invested.

Meantime I have built, based on suggestions and descriptions by Jake N0LX, a switchbox permitting the use of normal headset-mike-combinations with this transceiver. If you are interested how it looks, click here, please. 

Also, I play around with stealth aerial setups, i.e. something the always nosey neighbours will not discover on first glance. The most recent and funny achievements was matching one of our rain gutters to the FT817: about 15 loops of insulated antenna wire around the bottom, a home-made balun 1:9 and off we went: a cw qso with 3A2CC with the gutter antenna! Click here. The most rewarding experience were 2 contacts on CW on 160m using this arrangement, a band I had never been able to use again since Signals time.

However, as the results of this device are evidently poor, further trials are presently made with Windom antennas on the upper bands. This includes the making of Baluns in my little workshop.

The MAGNETIC LOOP antenna I am using daily is pictured here. The results are excellent, despite present conditions of propagation. Those of you interested in this design, please click on this link to Christian Kaeferlein, producer in DL.

Recently I purchased a FT-857 for stationary use; I shall report on my findings later.

I have ordered a kit for the Elecraft KX-1 QRP transceiver to be built in the forthcoming long and dark winter months of 2004/5.

Initiated by my service experiences I have dedicated quite some research on techniques and resources in this field. For those of you sharing this interest, I have listed some general information links on the resp. page; general knowledge about the various methods is quite helpful in understanding certain modes in use in ham radio.

Having worked on airports, in air cargo and other aviation branches, I got the "aviation virus" as well, in addition to the "HF bug"; in the past I intensely studied aeronautics but for several reasons never took the Private Pilots License when I had the time; however it does not hinder me to sometimes fly myself together with licensed friends. I frequently use the MS Flight Simulators for the fun of "settee flying", having also designed a series of airport sceneries which can be downloaded from www.fsfreeware.com .

I took this picture after my flight on this magnificent old-timer Ju52-3m built 1936 at Dessau, callsign DCDLH (ex DAQUI), in July 1999 at Hamburg EDDH. This picture is used for my QSL card on e-QSL.cc .

I started photography when I was 11 with one of those ugly black boxes I won in a kermesse lottery, but which one year later abandoned me by falling down a mountain side in the Alps what after about 1000ft of fall did some damage to the camera. Anyway, I continued with a 2nd hand wartime Robot24 which is now retired from duty and was substituted by a Ricoh SLR and a 3.3MP Casio digital camera.

During my life I have met several personalities of high standing in politics, military service and economy, in various countries; some have been my neighbours. As living in another than one's own country of birth usually opens the eyes towards truth resp. unanswered questions, I started to investigate deeper, at a very early stage. The findings were astonishing.

For those of you who might be interested about a usually ignored facet of WW2, viz. the neutrality of the Iberian countries, I am ready to send you a study I wrote in English some years ago, zipped in Word for Windows format. Please contact me by e-mail.

The official family name under which I am living now, is not my name of birth. I was born as "Manfred Holst" which was taken away and given the present one after my mother's 2nd marriage, due to a silly court ruling. Yet, nobody can hinder me to call myself as I like, irrespective of the rubber stamp put on our frown by public administration. I am presently endeavouring to get my name back.

Due to wartime and other events I am bitterly aware of my ignorance of my paternal roots; my father "Gustav Hinrich Holst" - his soul be blessed - was born in Wedel in this state of Schleswig-Holstein in 1915, himself being the son of Carl Holst and his wife Anna Öllrich, from Steinkirchen in Niedersachsen.

my father Gustav Hinrich Holst *1915 

Other members of the family were the late marine painter "Johannes Holst", as well as the author "Gorch Fock" a.k.a. Johann Kinau whose mother Mette was a née Holst.

Johann Kinau ("Gorch Fock") and his wife; he drowned in the battle of Jutland 1916 and was buried on the Swedish coast after having been washed ashore. The German Navy training 3-mast-bark is named after him.

Those of you readers who think they could help me to throw some light on my family, would be greeted with profound gratitude. Further detailed information can be found on http://jenssen.ionichost.com .

My interest in this field is based on very personal experiences and lifestyle. It would lead too far to explain them here. It is linked to my faible for photography, too.