My hamshack
HF bands:
I have two HF transceivers:
Older one is Icom IC 735.
This TRX is quite obsolete equipment. After I added 250 Hz CW Inrad filter I am satisfied with it. Construction is on the level of later 80s (without bells and whistles and DSP etc.) It is solid well filtered radio.
Other radio I have is Kenwood TS-480SAT:
I am mostly using this equipment nowadays. It is as good radio as bigger and more expensive large radios
I choose 100W version with ATU for easy tuning input of power amplifier. I have TRX with originál CW filter 270Hz and voice module..
In september 2007 I bought home made PA with russian tube GU74b. Although it should give 700W output reality is about 600W on some bands and on 160m after setting of PI match about 400W. But it is much better in DX work than 100W before.
I have worked ussually with much smaller output. That is fact that in OK land allowed output power is only 750W for normal DX-ing. Only in contests bigger power is allowed. Limiting factor of DX traffic is good reception. Particularly on low bands are RX aerials neccessary.
Aerials
160m
Since December 2009 I benn using dipole with feedpoint on former TV mast on the appartement house. It is about 25m above ground. One half is horizontal beaming to USA and second half is sloped to western Australia.
This aerial had its own evolution.
Originally I used to use qurterwave sloper down from TV mast on 5-floor apartment house to a street lamp. Afterwards that children broke the wire several time so I put the other end to the next house TV mast. Some kind of long wire has been evolved. Aerial was feeded by live end of coax. Ground of coax was connected to grounding wire of house lightning protection as a counterpoise. I cut wire to the resonance. I remember that antenna worked very well to UA9 side.
Problem appeared after change of end of antenna to the next house. Resonant frequency dramaticly moved down (1650 kHz). It was impossible to short wire, I was forced to use antenna unit. I worked with this aerial all continents except Australia with 100W.
Next problem with this aerial appeared during repairing of our house. I was forced to disassembly and than make new one.
New quarter wave sloper I made in January 20 2008. Sloper was long 38m to SE side. First QSO (with 100W) was with JA7NI. Not bad. Although condx through CQ WW 160m was bad I worked with 4 W/VE stations. But I heard them really bad.
Some other chages were done before ARRL 160m contest 2009. I have put into effect an idea I was thinking about for a long time. I connected both parts to the dipol. Horizontal to the next house and sloping part as two sides of dipole. New coaxial RG213 was connected. I suspended from using house grounding system (too noisy). First test showed the way is in right direction. Just resonant frequency was around 1930 kHz. Too high. It was just about make slope part 3 meter longer and the best SWR was on 1835 kHz. Bandwidth for SWR<2 is for 1790 - 1910 what is almost perfect. Aerial is now much better for both North and South Americas.
80m
I used to use for bands 80m and above FD4 windom with 2 aditional wires for 21MHz and WARC bands for many years. My FD4 was modificated for feeding by two-wires line (not balun and transformer 1:6). This two-wires line came to hamshack and was symetrised and matched. That is all easy for 100W. Aerial worked rather well (some 19m high). I wrote about some house reparations. Then I disassemled this aerial and gave it as a gift to OK2UYZ.
I made new antenna in New Year Eve. This time it was a dipol for 80 metres. Solution like this is for use with any power without need of any antenna unit. I cut it for resonance on 3.6 MHz to cover CW part part of band and some some SSB part. It is feeded by Aircell 7 coaxial (same as RG213 but only 7mm thick and not so weighty). I worked with this aerial with all continets including Oceania (VP6DX).
40, 30, 20, 15 and 10m
I have a vertical antenna for 80 to 10m. It is copy of Cushcraft FD6. This antenna is already not well tuned for bands 20-10m. Snow and freeze came too quickly this winter. On 80m is antenna bandwidth only some 30-40 kHz. It is tuned to SSB DX window on 80m.
There is aditional option for 18 and 24 MHz but I must make it first.
For 18 and 24 MHz I do not nave any antenna.
VHF/UHF bands:
I am QRV on 144 and 432 MHz from my home QTH..
I am using these equipments: Kenwood TM255E, TM455E and old fashioned Icom IC202.
I have also my very old homebrewed CW/SSB/FM TRX for 144 MHz from 80's with some %W output power and some handy for FM.
Output power on 2m is 200W maximum and on 70cm some 120W.
Antennas are on aluminium tubing mast driven by home made rotor. Mast is standing on superstructure on the roof and is 6m high. Upper antenna for 70cm is in some 9m above the roof and 28 above surrounded terrain.Coaxial used are RG213-FOAM for rotating part to mast foot. Fixed part is made from Aircom cables to ham shack. Cables are rather long: 70cm about 35m and for 2m 32m. Not good.
Antenna for 432 MHz is 21el. Tonna (cca 5m long).
I use DK7ZB antenna for 144 MHz. This antenna chaged DL6WU which really anoyed me with its mechanical performance (made by company Zach - OK1TN) I can't recomend this pruduct at all. DK7ZB antenna I am using now is very good. It is 12 elements version (4WL), DK7ZB antenna is solid state and well designed.
I have plans for 50 MHz antenna, but I have to wait till autumn 2010 when will stop analog TV transmitter here in Ostrava (1.TV channel).
Last edited 17th March 2010
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