EQUIPMENT CURRENTLY USED
Here's a roundup of the equipment I currently use:
My HF transceiver is a Yaesu FT-950.
It runs 5 to 100 watts and covers all ham bands.
Rated at full legal limit this is my antenna tuner, an Ameritron ATR-30. It can pretty well match everything to 50 ohms the transceiver wants to see.
This is my homebrew speaker system. It includes a BHI DSP audio noise reduction filter with 8 selectable levels of noise reduction. Details of it are in my 'technical stuffs' section.
This is the interface I use between the transceiver and computer for operating JT65 or PSK31 modes.
This is a K1EL Winkeyer that can be used between the computer and transceiver to send CW.
I made this patchbox to eliminate moving input and output cables from the transceiver. All I have to do is flip switches to select either a speaker or headset for the audio output, or the headset boom mike, hand mike, or digital input from the Signalink for the audio input to the transceiver. For transceiver control I use either a hand switch or foot switch on audio modes.
I still use this Speed-X hand key a lot...a carry-over from my first days as a novice back in the 1960's.
In addition to the computer controlled keyer or the straight hand key, I can also use this paddle keyer. Details are in my technical section.
This is a Radio Shack digital swr/wattmeter I use, a catalog number 21-527. This is probably one of the better pieces of Radio Shack stuff I ever owned. It has three ranges: 0-20, 200, or 2000 watts, average or peak reading, as well as SWR readings. It's not made anymore but you can sometimes find them on ebay, but they are highly sought after.
For 2-meter coverage I use this old Yaesu CPU-2500R transceiver. Not up to current standards it still does a fine job, capable of putting out 25 watts on high power. I also use a Communication Specialists TE64 to generate the PL tones repeaters require.
This is the power supply I use to power most everything in the shack. It is home-brew and can supply a constant 33 amps. Details are in my technical section.
This is 'Mr Henry', my Henry Radio 3K-A linear amplifier that uses a pair of 3-500Zs. If propagation is just not cooperating when using the 100 watts from the transceiver, I can fire up this behemouth and put out a few more watts. I normally keep it down to around 600-1200 watts output.