I run a fairly modest hamshack. Unfortunately, I do not have any good pictures of my hamshack, but I do have a few messy shots to give you an idea.
This was taken just a few months after Kristin was born. I was using an Atlas 210 and a G5RV dipole.
This is how we keep track of her growth!
This is the hamtable with the new setup: the IC706MKII.
The following is a list of my equipment with some of my opinions of each piece.
This is my primary rig! I have had it now for about a year and it has done a fantastic job. It puts out 100 watts on HF and 20 watts on 2 meters.
I work most on SSB and CW, and this rig does a good job on both modes. Once you learn the menu system, it is easy to get around. It also does a pretty nice job of handling split operations. I have had nothing but good comments given about this radio, and I would recommend it highly! I have only taken it mobile once, but its size makes it ideal for that type of operation. I got this rig because I wanted one that worked all bands, but was easy to move with as I am in the Army and wind up packing my bags and moving frequently.
This is my backup radio. It was manufactured in the late 1970's and does a good job as well. I used this radio, courtesy of my father KD4YQG, for the first year I was here. Even though it claims to put out 100 watts, it actually pushes quite a bit more than that, usually on the order of 115W.
My biggest complaint about this rig was that it was miserable to work CW. Unless you do an external modification, you cannot hear the code that you are sending. You must switch the switch to TX to send and then back to RX to receive. I did this for a long time, but I did get tired of it.
The only other fault that I can give this radio is that it wanders some. If you try to operate on the same freqency for more than 20 minutes, there is some drift in it...you have to keep up with it, but this is only a minor inconvenience.
This desk mic has worked well with the radio. It is a hot mic and drives the rig much better than the stock microphone. It has adjustments for impedence level, tone, and output level. You can also run two transeivers from the one mic, but I took the other line out of the mic. I have gotten nothing but good audio reports from this microphone.
This amp is new to me, and I have not used it here yet. I just picked it up and need to make a relay for it, so until I do that it will be collecting dust. It has a set of 811 tubes in it right now. I am looking forward to using this! Should help keep the hamshack warm once I get to Germany.
This is my primary tuner, and it seems to do a pretty good job. I had to send it back to MFJ once to get fixed, so not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure if it was my fault or bad construction. Although it works well now, it seems to be made of cheap parts. It would be nice if MFJ took their ideas and put them to use with better hardware.
I borrowed this tuner from a friend, Rick HP1YAO, when my MFJ went into the shop. At the time I was running a G5RV antenna and I needed the tuner. Although it is a simpler tuner than the MFJ, I like it better. I managed to talk Rick out of it and now use it as a backup/mobile tuner.
This is the primary antenna that I am using now. It covers 10, 12, 15,17, 20, 30, and 40 meters. I just put it up a few weeks ago, but it seems to be doing a good job. It doesn't have as wide a bandwidth as the R-5 did, but it does add a couple of more bands for the tradeoff. It is supposed to have a 3dB gain on it, but that is debatable. I have gotten good signal reports with this antenna and would recommend it to anyone. It is about 22 feet tall, so it is a little awkward to mount on a pushpole, but my wife and I managed to get it up! The top element (40 meters) on this antenna is up about 50 feet.
This has been my primary antenna for the three years I have been down here. I would highly recommend this antenna to anyone. It covers 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20 meters and has a wider bandwidth than the R7 on those bands. The manuals claim to be nearly identical in response, but the truth is that band for band, the R5 does a better job, I think.
I have several dipoles, but only the 40 meter dipole is up right now. It is hanging as an inverted V about 25 feet up in the big oak tree behind the house. It is a Van Gorden antenna, and has withstood the brutal weather of the tropics well. It has been hanging in the same spot for three years, and outside of some discoloration of the wire, it acts like a brand new antenna.
I also have a 20 meter dipole, but I use that primarily for mobile operations. It is tuned for the high side of the 20 meter band as I spend alot of time operating on the Maritime Net.
I have also used the G5RV while down here. However, it was stolen. I guess someone needed a new clothesline or something. It was up about 50 feet on the low end to about 70 feet on the high end and did a good job. They stole the copper wire, but left the 110 feet of Coax that ran to the wire.
This is brand new to my collection, and I love it. It takes a little bit to get used to, but once you do, it beats a straight key. I have the Original Deluxe (sounds like Kentucky Fried Chicken, heh?) which has the jeweled movements and a polished chrome base. Nice key.
My older key is a $10 straight key that was miserable to use, but put in its time. It was mounted on a piece of Cherry Wood (stolen from Dad) that was worth more than the key was!
This pretty much desribes my ham gear. I have a UPS Battery backup that I use mainly for surge protection on these high quality power lines here in Panama. It does do its job as we here it chirp several times a week. I also use the PS15 power supply for the radio.