tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54985002110498233092024-03-21T21:18:59.907-07:00Ham Radio in a Small SpaceFollow the adventures as a Ham battles the evil HOA and avoids violating the awful and dreaded CC&Rs in a modern South Carolina neighborhood. All without offending his beautiful XYL's aesthetic sensibilities all this and raising a young daughter and toddler son!N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-68172436854337254572014-03-03T04:48:00.003-08:002014-03-03T04:48:26.821-08:00ARRL DX Phone Contest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-R-oh14f-QRrAFOwPoJsJLyGTPYNUuF-RnBnR92g1jCc_5XgIjPu96uvJpgkIrStC7_7sNtPdB5wI1zBWWIs_Gxkgc_SrKDr6hRGeMtthWrgIZMKcrIlFHfuUF7429EeRR2nxC3S88PE/s1600/ant=c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-R-oh14f-QRrAFOwPoJsJLyGTPYNUuF-RnBnR92g1jCc_5XgIjPu96uvJpgkIrStC7_7sNtPdB5wI1zBWWIs_Gxkgc_SrKDr6hRGeMtthWrgIZMKcrIlFHfuUF7429EeRR2nxC3S88PE/s1600/ant=c.jpg" height="320" width="40" /></a>In a prior life I became interested in contests and Dx' ing. This weekend was a big one. With my new stealth antenna I managed 27 contacts. What a confidence builder! This was with the help of my five year old tuning the radio, the antenna tuner, pressing the PTT for me. what a blast! The antenna worked fairly well as I made all those contacts in about 2 hours of casual operating.<br />
<br />
The most interesting aspect is propagation. I can recall years ago that 10 meters would be dead after sundown . . . except during the 10 meter contest, then paths no one had any idea were there opened. Still my favorite band (10 meters) because it seems very much true that if you can<br />
hear them, you can work them regardless of power or antenna.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-13623480934452156432014-02-26T09:49:00.000-08:002014-02-26T09:49:08.901-08:00Another Stealth AntennaStill looking for the killer antenna which will stay under the RADAR. My current one is a three band trap vertical to replace my single wire up the palm tree. I used 1/2" copper pipe, 1/2" sch 40 pvc pipe for the insulators and coax traps. One for 10 meters and one for 15 meters. I am planing on installing a 20 meter trap and adding a wire to the top for 30 or 40 meters. The whole thing is about 12 feet tall. When I painted it black, it all but disappeared. Only been using it for a couple of days. I am finally getting some responses to my calls. <strike><strike></strike></strike><br />
<div>
I am a little wary of posting photos as who knows who may be looking at this site!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-200555073817179742013-02-20T04:21:00.002-08:002013-02-20T04:21:39.103-08:00Old Gear.I was working on my Yeasu FT-707 (yes, 707!) it's not even one of the famous 101's which I remember so well. Anyway as I was struggling with it, I complained to my wife that it seemed that all my equipment was getting old. She laughed and pointed out that it was old when we met (we've been married 12 years!) .<br />
<br />
I suppose she is right, the Heathkit SB104 I built in 1980, right after I got out of the navy and I acquired the Yaesu in 1992, it was old then. Still, my HK does not seem like a 30+ yea old radio, it has been solid. I have needed to clean the switch contacts and a bit of care for the potentiometers and it keeps humming along. I suppose that someday I will get a radio which is not middle-aged. The HW7 and HW-8 are about as old as the SB104. ,but I did not build those, so although they are fun, they're more of the order of stuff I wanted when I was younger.<br />
2 meters around here is almost dead compared to Southern California, I miss the QSOs I used to listen in on and take part in. I am sure that is part of the difference in living in a 600,000 population vs 10 million. It's OK, I'll take the smaller crowds. But my old Kenwood TM201 is more than I need and stays off most of the time. I did have fun building a tone board for it.<br />
Anyway, as so many have already said elsewhere, older rigs are easier to work on. The Yeasu is probably about as complicated as I really want to work on. . . although you do what you have to do when it comes to staying on the air.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-29187321411503083012013-02-18T05:42:00.002-08:002013-02-18T05:42:33.699-08:00Has it really been so long since my last post? Yea it has!<br />
Seems that like so many others, I have not had a lot of new things to add here. My palm tree vertical still working OK. I would like to add some matching tuning to the base, but I am too cheep to buy a remote or auto-tuner to do the job right. SO perhaps an UNUN? Some say a 9:1 or 4:1 would be right and would help decrease my feed-line loss (50 feet of low loss coax.) The problem is that it now works well enough on 40, 10 and 20 meters for the occasional QSO and in general I seem to have 10 minutes here and there to listen and less time to actually operate. As my (now 4 years old) gets older, In some ways the workload goes down, but in others it goes up!.<br />
No progress on my smd bitx20, but I did get my workbench cleaned up. . . . I can do two sided pc boards fairly well now, although I do not try to register anything smaller than about .2 inches, so through the pins dips routing is out. However, it does replace a lot of wire jumpers on my boards.<br />
The HMO police still are not on to me. I am planning a flagpole and Martin house to be up this spring . .. that should help my signal a bit.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-86883099200664011362011-05-20T10:38:00.001-07:002011-05-20T10:38:42.939-07:00Nothing lika an open bandHave you ever watched static on the analog television after the broadcaster off the air? How about listening to 10 meters on the down side of teh sunspot cycle . . .you know just listening to white nose. I can recall doing that a while back (way back!) when I decided to check my SWR. Instead of going into tune mode, i simply did "aaahhhhhhh" sort of thing. Out the dead band, comes back " You can at least identify your self!"<br />
Turned out to be a station in Colorado. I wonder how often a band is "dead" just because no one is trying. Sort of profound?N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-86110096261229964542011-04-22T10:58:00.000-07:002011-04-22T10:58:38.007-07:00My HW-8 and other delightsI moved my beloved SB-104 (Heathkit) into the closet and have placed my HW-8 into the main position. Darn thing works. As so many others have commented, a DC receiver really does sound like you are closer to the RF itself. No mushiness, just "crisp" signals. I suppose it is the group delay in the if filter and the myriad of other devices the signal must get through in the Yeasu, the HW-8 is more pleasant to listen to. . . until the QRM picks up, then I miss the 400 hz filter on the SB104.<br />
My bitx also has a crisp and clear quality to the sound, maybe it is not group delay in the filter, but AGC that gives the mushiness? Perhaps it goes back to the fewer the stages, the less distortion that gets added.<br />
<br />
Still trying to figure out how to multi-band the palm-tree so I can get on 40 and 10. . . I am still pondering putting a 40 loop on the roof and if it is too noisy (QRN) use the vertical for receive and the loop to txmit on. Got the PA and filter board laid out for the Bitx, when I etch and stuff it, I should be close to actually using the darn thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
Still trying to work a QSO a night, haven't gotten far with that, although I have been getting some practice in on the keyer, I may be ready next time I get into a QSO.<br />
<br />
Oh, here's a story: When I was building my power meter, I used a LM324 (quad op amp) for only one amplifier (what I knew I had on hand.) Brilliant self, I used a TSSOP instead of the SOIC package I had on had. No problem, I only need the first four pins and ground. . . only my LM324s had 16 pins instead of 14! After I looked at the data sheet, I looked at the part numbers on the chips and figured out that Digi-key sent me the wrong parts 18 months ago! So I designed my board for a chip I never had! I will just use some TL084 (still SOIC.) <br />
That's all for now.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-22118031984713674022011-04-17T17:34:00.000-07:002011-04-17T17:34:02.748-07:00Chugging along -- or is it QRMing?Boy am I rusty on the keyer. I am using the Norcal keyer chip as my keyer now and it is much better than what I was using. However, I still seem to struggle. I can remember a few (many few!) when my Bencher paddles seemed to do all the work for me. Now I stumble over my own QTH! I need to consider this the next time I move. Perhaps a city with a five letter name would be nice.<br />
<br />
I did work a station in Columbia (the country, not the SC capital!) and a few more local ones. I am quite impressed with the palm-tree vertical. I still would like to add 40 and 10 meters.<br />
<br />
Finally got the rest of the parts for my Bitx-20 (my own SMD design.) so I can resume work on that. I also am about to get my Rock-mite finished, although I still need a portable antenna to use it (or my HW-8 for that matter.)<br />
<br />
All seems in slow motion, I know, but progress is progress. As my kids get older, I should have more time. I still am looking at how I can operate during my compute, but the drive may be a bit too intense to focus on ham radio.<br />
<br />
Well, 73' s for now. Hope to see you on 20 meters.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-40444392893629856102011-04-04T08:24:00.000-07:002011-04-04T08:34:20.527-07:00Back on the air!If I had known how much better the "Palm Vertical" would work, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble. I worked Texas Sat. night and received a 599 with 10 watts. I know that Texas is not far, but I also heard a station on the Galapagos (and a massive pileup) on 20M. The key is that the antenna is far from all the crap on the house wiring. I am wondering about the quality of the service ground. Still thinking about a roof mounted loop for 10M and 15M. With the sunspots on the rise, I certainly want to have some capability on those bands.<br /><br />I finally broke down and bought the replacement Norcal keyer chip to replace the one I lost (along with the board!) So I laid out a new board and built the thing. Now all I need is a case. I hope it will improve my CW.<br /><br />I am down to the power meter and the DDS signal generator and I will be caught up and ready to get back to my SMD bitx. . . I ordered some Toko IF transformers for the band-pass filters today. Hopefully I can move that project along and start talking on it. I have an exciter and VFO and can produce a few mw of RF, but still need the filters and PA to make a completed unit.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-70974288932467681912011-03-28T08:44:00.000-07:002011-03-28T08:53:14.537-07:00A simple wire over the palmThe crappie pole was interesting. Still, there may be an easier way. This past Saturday I improved my radial system around the palm tree. I buried 6 14 foot radials just under the sod. I then took an eighteen foot long piece of wire with a fishing weight on the end and threw it over the palm tree.<br /><br />Ok, not the fanciest. But, by gosh, I was 59 in to Michigan. Completed my first CW QSO in a long, long time. Boy was I rusty on the 'ole Benchers. My Keyer is a design from "Fundamentals of Amateur Radio, circa 1970s. It is made up of two 741 op-amps. It is far from perfect and has a few quirks which can make it tricky to use. I think I sent di-di-di-di-di-di-di-dit (error) more times than I would like to count! Still I survived.<br /><br />With the antenna 40 feet from the house I can hear! The thing does tune up on 30, 15 and 10. But I doubt the efficiency is high. Still need a good way to get on 40. I am thinking of a loading coil and another wire tossed over the palm. It's a shame the palm is only about 18 feet high (to the top of the leaves, the trunk is a bit lower still.)<br /><br />Someday I still wnat to try a lop lying on the roof. . . we shall see. For now I am QRV!N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-52228807830700907832011-03-07T06:01:00.000-08:002011-03-07T06:11:55.242-08:00A Crappie pole may be the answer after allI actually had some time Saturday to play with the antennas. Moving my random wire to the chimney did not help the noise problem enough to make it worth while. So I took the 100 feet of Beldon 9918 I have had laying around for . . . many years, I think about 17!, ran it along one of the fence stringers to the farthest corner of the Baby/Dog enclosure (about 50 feet form the house.) I used a 12' crappie pole with 24' of wire and a 12' radial, I tossed the "extra" wire over a nearby palm tree. AMAZING! I can actually hear stations on 40M (S5-S6 noise levels.) I can also hear on 20, 15 and 10! I think I am on to something. Another beautiful thing is that it is invisible from the street. In addition, during long terms of not using it, I can lay it on the top fence stringer so it is really invisible. This may be better than a flagpole.<br /><br />I am ordering a 20' rod from amazon and the new plan is to use 3 parallel wires for a 40,20,15 and 10 meter vertical, sort of leaning up against the palm tree (which also places it outside the baby enclosure.) I may be on the air yet! (almost 2 years from the start!) Maybe play with 30M too.<br /><br />I'll post some pictures when I get it set up for real.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-22897327616168625092011-03-02T06:41:00.000-08:002011-03-02T06:47:55.007-08:00Boy has it been a while!You ever see and interesting blog, that never comes to fruition? That would be this one. I have been soooo busy, this is the last thing I have had time for. Plus, I have had no time for Ham radio since last July! I am still working on the antenna problem. My mag loop (my daughter calls it: my contraption) needs a better mounting and a little more capacitor for 40M. The adapted electric screwdriver works well. I will have to confirm that it is difficult to get more than an octave (2:1 freq. ratio) because of the Min/Max Cap ratio. So, I will probably build two loops. Another possibility is build a small receive only loop and put it outside, well away from the EMI of my home and use it so I can hear stations (my main problem right now with the Attic/Siding random wire.) Even before all that, when I get an hour or two, I am going to move my wire to up along the chimney and out to a vent pipe and see how that works. <br />My Bitx is still in the container I use for projects under construction, as are all my other projects.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-80805688943647818712010-07-10T08:32:00.000-07:002010-07-10T09:46:11.646-07:00Busy days of SummerIts been a while (how many blogs do you see that on?) Let's see . . . I built a fence to keep the little one out of the pond. It my work out as a great camouflage for a better antenna. I am thinking of a sloper from a corner of the fence to the chimney or vent pipe on the roof. A few radials and viola -- I'm on 40 again! I also built a Rockmite 40 for travel. I would like to also finish an amplifier and a tuner, also a portable set of paddles. I am looking forward to being able to operate when I have some down time (on vacation or such.)<br />Oh yeah, the smt Bitx is still waiting for me fo finsh the rx filter and PA. Just seems hard to get to it all right now.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-36592088666471599422010-05-11T10:25:00.000-07:002010-05-11T10:34:40.441-07:00Some of us Take a bit longer . . .Ok, So I am building an oscillator for my SMD BitXxx(20.) A long time ago my dad taught me how to read the codes on capacitors – 1st significant digit, 2nd significant 3rd is the multiplier.<br />So … why is it so hard to get the #$#$@ thing down to 4 Mhz? When I started I had a 19Mhz VFO (vice 4!) Let's think about this -- a cap marked 104 is 1 and 4 zeros pico-farads (10,000 pF or .01 uF) a 103 is .001 or 1000 pf. Now what is 330? I thought my dad had taught that (my fault, not his) it should be 330pf (cause zero makes no sense as a power of ten!) At the age I learned it, I thought that 10 to the 0 was absurd. It was not until later that I learned that it was equal to 1. So if the caps I was using were 330 pF they would have been marked “331.” It was when I was trying to figure out what a 681 cap would be if 680 were 680 pico-farads . . . that the light finally came on and I realized the error of my thinking. Wow, it only took 40 years to straighten that one out! Think how fast it could have happened if I had had a capacitance meter!<br /><br />So now it makes sense that my Oscillator is going at 18 Mhz instead of 1.8<br /><br />My shack building continues on. I finally created a hole in my exterior wall so I could feed cables out in another way besides through the open window (not popular around here and it does look a bit tacky.) So I finally got to tear into Vinyl siding and put in an external outlet box (J-Box.) It came out pretty nice. I will have to put some photos up.<br /><br />I also figured out that my screening is Al . . . not fiberglass. I was trying to figure out why my mag-loop was so badly de-tuned when sitting on the screen porch near the edge. I still have yet to make a contact on that antenna as my stupid microphone quit working on the Yaesu (another long story!) and my confidence in my CW skills are still pretty low.<br /><br />Someday, I will actually be able to talk on Ham radio!N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-13632603043190136192010-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:002010-04-12T10:50:40.933-07:00Low Voltage at High CurrentSo , in addition to my great need for an antenna that works, I am also trying to cleanly wire up the 13.6 to the equipment in my shack. Along with many others I turned to Anderson Power-pole connectors. Having struggled with trying to power it all up and keep it neat for may years, I have to say that I think this is going to work out!<br /> Imagine: one connector for every piece of equipment that uses "12" volts!<br />Not only is it one connector, the parts of the connector are the same! No "Male" or "Female" to keep straight, no need for different housings for different size contacts, what a great idea.<br /> However, in making up the "pigtails" to connect my Heathkit, which has this octal 13 pin connector on it. the cable has four 14 gauge black and four 14 gauge red wires. Unfortunately I couldn't cram all the wires into the powerpole contact. So I made a very messy splice (actually, I made two ugly splices) to a short length(s) of 10 gauge wire. . . very ugly and is going to require some re-think and rework.<br /> The amazing part of it all is that now all my radios and power supplies will use the same connector for power, eventually I will. It is so obvious, why didn't I do something like this before? I am about to wire my Ham Radio insert for 12v powerpoles. This way the wiring, at least for power, can be neat and under control. The coax may never be so easy to manage, but the power distribution will be a work of art. <br /> I did manage to do some listening this past weekend. I think the weather was way too nice to stay inside. So I didn't!N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-8523521769896608712010-04-02T16:07:00.000-07:002010-04-02T18:34:43.768-07:00My Shack<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvX3rEa7wUaNjmDww-umXm82p8oaY2jh3_ILPCxFyYavznGyz1vExUOQEDXOkczdh5QYpgNNbfJp6Qt9NNof8l-Cbn5oLh6JILn1KIm3aAqrA9fap_GuGtVnsdYxqC10LJ-d2p1WXbTg/s1600/n4ddp-stowed.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455689950108544306" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvX3rEa7wUaNjmDww-umXm82p8oaY2jh3_ILPCxFyYavznGyz1vExUOQEDXOkczdh5QYpgNNbfJp6Qt9NNof8l-Cbn5oLh6JILn1KIm3aAqrA9fap_GuGtVnsdYxqC10LJ-d2p1WXbTg/s320/n4ddp-stowed.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnAwgJWGX-IulgKtSCnJZrg9Wn_Ul7-WugaAjA2yuySc6xuO3ARnGZJQ2YLd9iy_aoKIYIW-qe4pdZXkhNSZJsmX16s7bdjiq8O2iPhYYMkX6WhYQ62l_xKwLwELtfSNYwYnh5BI7fI4/s1600/Picture+138.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455686291912360834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnAwgJWGX-IulgKtSCnJZrg9Wn_Ul7-WugaAjA2yuySc6xuO3ARnGZJQ2YLd9iy_aoKIYIW-qe4pdZXkhNSZJsmX16s7bdjiq8O2iPhYYMkX6WhYQ62l_xKwLwELtfSNYwYnh5BI7fI4/s320/Picture+138.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />So here is my current shack -- most of the equipment works, but not all is hooked up yet -- I am still working on antennas. The most clever part, I think, is the monitor swivel. In any shack I have ever set up, the most critical and precious space is what is directly in front and easily reachable for the operator. By making the computer monitor swing out, I maximize usable space and am still able to use the computer. With the monitor stowed, I can use the setup as a computer station. Also 2 meter FM is still very doable as there is not much tuning required. The shelf insert is also part of my main requirement to make it all reversible and invisible when I am not using it.N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-55236775550507390122010-03-30T17:34:00.000-07:002010-04-02T17:40:40.714-07:00What's so hardSo among my projects (I try to have a few open at any time so I can work on something I feel like doing when I get a few moments.) . . .anyway, I picked up a Kenwood 2 meter rig with no CTCSS tones. A tone board goes from $12.00 to $60.00: a bit much for a radio I spent 40 bucks on! I also used to love to build things. I have recently discovered Eagle Cad and the idea of printing the layout onto a glossy magazine page so it can be ironed onto the pc board material.<br /> The last pc board I made involved rub on transfer pads and tape. Wow, does this do a better job! Not only is it much, much faster, I can do down to 20 mill or less pitch -- that's darn near my limits for hand soldering. Anyway, the key to the process is the correct iron temperature -- too hot ad it smears, too cold and it doesn't stick, For my iron it is two clicks above "woolens." I wish I had a thermometer so I could do this a little more accurately.<br /> Anyway, I decided on my tone encoder to use a MX465 chip and surface mount parts (the chip is a 24 pin wide dip.) By mistake I ordered 603 components instead of 1206. I found that it was not that difficult to solder. I do have to admit to having a bit of experience with hand soldering, and really it is more about technique than some unique skill. It went OK (other than losing a few parts!) and the board works, although I ended up hacking up the rigs case trying maintain access to the dip switch on the tone board. My mechanical engineering skills are still no better than they were 15 years ago!<br /> I also have parts for a smd bitx20 that I laid out the board for. I am excited and a little nervous about it. I would like to build it into a small rig I can use in the car. I am including a mod for CW (yet to be finalized,) and provision for at least 40 and 20 meters (I would like to also have 15 and especially 10, but we shall see.)N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498500211049823309.post-42579940901191457942010-03-29T18:29:00.000-07:002010-04-12T10:52:34.362-07:00My Challenges<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After a 20-year hiatus I am trying to get back into Ham radio. I am amazed at how much it has changed. Surprised that my prize transceiver is now considered a “classic” - or even worse - “antique” radio. Perhaps I would appreciate it more if the title “boat-anchor” were used.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Perhaps my biggest challenge is the dreaded CC&R's which are attached to my property, along with the included HOA (Home Owners Association.) When we were looking for our home, we found it impossible to find a home that we could afford, that was in a decent neighborhood with decent schools that did not include CC&R's. It seems that developers and the city love them as a means of helping to sell homes and as “free and easy” code enforcement. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Along with the HOA and CC&Rs, I also am married to a wonderful wife, who unfortunately does not share my aesthetic appreciation for antennas. To me, few things are so inherently symmetrically beautiful as a four element multi-band beam on a 60 foot tower. Except, of course, the aforementioned wife. Even a dipole has a certain simple elegance and no-nonsense visually clear purposefulness. To my wife (and to my HOA) they destroy the beautiful clean uncluttered roof lines. They clutter up the yard . . .</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So where do I stand? How do I get on the air? </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A wire run under the eave shows promise, except that the noise is well over S8 – S9 . . . not so useful. One day when no one is home, I plan to turn off / unplug everything to see if I can localize the noise. My portable antique short wave radio shows that the AC wiring in my walls is where it's coming from. In fact, I can trace the wiring with the radio! A spectrum analyzer would be handy, then I could watch what EMI disappears when I unplug, say, the wireless phone base station (another one of my offenders.)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have been playing with the mag-loop; I think that will be my answer. I have a 16-foot circumference square loop that listens great! I am still working out the kinks with the trombone cap. I can get 40 and 30, or 30 and 20; I can't quite get 40 – 20 meters. I am close to making the darn thing a 40 and 30 meter antenna, and then make another one for 20 – 15 ( or maybe even 10.)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I would be in a bigger hurry to get back on 2 meters, except that 2 meters is fairly quiet compared to where I used to live (in K6 land.)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I also used to have a whole bedroom dedicated to my hobbies; now I have an entertainment Armoire! But, I think I can make it work. The first project I really want to share is the insert I made for it. See, the ground rules are that I can make no irreversible mods to the furniture. Now the biggest problem so far is what to do with the computer monitor. You see, this amoire also contains my computer. I think I got that solved and will share that as soon as I work out the kinks.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Enough for my first post here. More to follow.</p>N4DDPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15531479336368001118noreply@blogger.com0