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DECEMBER  1993 
ISSUE  #399 
USA  $2.95 
CAN  $3.95 

A  WGI  Publication 
nternatioiial  Edition 


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707 
CONTEST 
WINNERS! 

The  Correct 

Country  Names, 

clockwise  from 

left  were: 

NEPAL 

K  BURKINA  FASO 

BHUTAN 

COMOROS 

KIRIBATI 

NAURU 

QATAR 

MADAGASCAR 

TRINIDAD  & 

TOBAGO 

TUVALU 


You  know  ICOM's  philosophy: 
We  listen  before  we  build. 

We  designed  the  new  IC-707  after  we 
listened  to  thousands  of  new  operators 
around  the  world.  They  iold  us  they  wanted 
1COM  quality,  but  in  an  easy-to-use  radio 
with  just  the  basic  functions. 


JACKET 
WINNERS 

Gv,  SgL  DA  VI 
BUMGARDNER 

AB4VM 

CHAKI  IK 

CHISHOLM 

KT7NO 

JIM  CUSHIN 

N IJMF 

JOHN  R. 
HERMANN 

W8TSF 

TRACY  HINt 
W1I6HR 

SCOTT 
MACKENZII 

KB0FHP 

JOHN  PI  Kill 

NJ0V 

DAVID  STAL 
N5MKK 

LARRY  VXXi 

N4VA 

MARC 
WOODWOKI 


K  we  said. 

The  IC-707  h  built  to  ICCMs  relentlessly 
high  standards,  without  expensive  "extras." 

■  ll  has  easy  to  use  push-hutlon  functions 


■  An  easy  to  see  large  LCD  display  that 
won't  wash  out 

■  An  eas>  to  hear  front-mounted  speaker 
for  great  audio  in  noisy  environments 

■  It's  easv  to  transmit—  a  stable  100W  of 
output  power  is  available  at  all  times.  In  fact, 
after  lab  tests  of  "key  down"  operation  for 
over  2  hours,  the  IC-707  was  still  at  full 
power  and  within  specifications 

3  Its  compact  design  is  great  for  easy-going 
mobile  operations 


All  ham  bands  ■  32  memory  channels  *  Dual  VFO  •  RIT  •  Noise  blanker  •  Band  slacking  re«isler 

itcral  coverage  receiver  *  Scanning  *  lOdB  preamp  •  2tkSB  attenuator  *  USB,  LSB,  CW,  AM, 
FM  (optional)  •  13.8VDC  ■  0.1 6pV  sensitivity  « -6/-6QdB  selectivity  •  -70dB  image  rejection  • 
\0U/  frequency  resolution  •  9,4  ( w>  x  3,7  {h)  x  9.4  (d>  ■  9.0  lb. 


■  It's  easy  to  transport,  with  a  rugged 
metal  ease  and  solid  internal  construction 

■  And  it's  easv  on  vrnir  budget  designed 
for  anyone  who  wants  to  join  a  fascinating 
hobby  with  minimal  investment  in  equip- 
ment 

IC-707.  A  basic  radio  designed  for  those 
who  want  the  easiest  introduction  e\er  to 
ICOM  performance  and  quality. 

ICOM.  Easy  choice. 

h>:  ;hli3iiiumil  information c iili  i\w  K'OYl  Brochure  Unlink*. 

1-206-450-6088 


O 


AKo  available:  the  IC-77.  Similar  ope  rat  ing 
features,  but  alphanumeric  display,  channel 
tuning  and  cloning  capability. 


CIRCLE  t  tB  ON  READER  SEHVICE  CAff  D 


INTERNATIONAL  INC. 


-r±  _TJ 


1  YEA 


.'iPTii 


a//  parts 

tor 


HP-4QO 
nd  Pass  Fitter 


ATH-15 

1-1 500  MHZ 


AlNhwt  WOE-M-d 


FIND  FREQUENCIES  FAST 

With  the  new,  high  sensitivity,  ultra-fast, 
Auto  Trigger  &  Hold  Startek  frequency 
counters,  increase  readability  distance  with 
the  new  Band  Pass  Filters,  All  products 
made  in  USA, 


TM 


AUTO  TRIGGER  &  HOLD 

Now,  for  the  first  time>  available  on 
inexpensive,  portable  counters  with  our 
new  ATM  ™  Series.  This  feature  is  the 
most  significant  improvement  ever 
made  to  the  pocket  sized  counters!  It 
allows  uHands  Free"  operation  to  auto- 
matically read  &  hold  a  signal  as  quick 
as  80ms  or  8%  of  a  second. 


I 

1 3 


Say  goodbye  to  ra 
counting  S  false  readings 
with  the  ATH™  Series 


TA-90  Antenna 

(pnced  separately] 


AUTD7hlQ9£fllttX0*r>fiGKZC&JttrEff 

soaoDooo 


ath 


ATH-1B 


ATH-30 
1^800  MHZ 

One-Shot  Feature 


ATH-5Q 

5  Hz  to  2SDG  i 

One-Shot  feature 


** 


uutniT  FUHOE'HHE 


Auto  Twob  i  hold  .  ze  Gkz  Coumt^ 

soaooooo 


A7*#" 


ifi"   95    *n 


Signal 

Strength 

Bar  Graph 

Works 
on  Every 

Range 


Law 

Battery 
Indicator 


TH  SERIES  FEATURES  INCLUDE: 

■  Easy  to  use  -  simple  controls 

•  Ultra  fast  response  time 

•  Extra  BRIGHT  LED  digits 

•  3-5  hour  battery  operation 

•  Automatic  clean  dropout 

•  Maximized  sensitivity,  <1mV  typical 

•  Signal  strength  Bar  Graph 

•  2  ranges  -  6  fast  gate  times 

■  9-1 2 V  auto-polarity  power  jack 

•  StarCab™  aluminum  cabinet 

Factory  Direct  Order  Lines 
SAME    DAY    SHIPMENT 

Orders  Only  Orders  &  Information 

P 0-638  8050      305-561-227  7 
FAX  305*561-9133 


wTEFrniATioruAt   intc 


and  A/C  Chargei 

INCLUDED 
with  ALL  Models 


J    1350 

jt    M3QDMHZ 


• 


+   i 


ame  Day  Shipment! 

A  THl  Ultra  High  Sensitivity  Frequency  Counters 

ATH-15  1-1 5DD  MHZ,  High  spend  $199,    *S 

ATrh3Q  1  £B0Q  MHZ.  High  speed,  cm  shot     259, 

ATH-50  5  Hz  to  2800  MHZf  one  shot      289.      333 

HSP13         G0DonaiO.2PPMTCXD  100.     155. 

high  Aooracy  Timeisase  (mstafedj 

Economy  Frequency  Counter 

13S0  1-1300  MHZ,  10  HZ  Res. 

3  gate  &mss,  Hold  switch  s  1 19.      1  S3. 


1350 


increase  range  or  distance  from  a  transmitter  with  a  Band 
Pass  Ftor  <1  tiB  pass  band  insertion  loss. 
IPSQ  JDC60  MHZ  Usage  369 

HP-40D  400-1 500  MHZ  Usage  ( 

HP-800  S0M0D0  MHZ  Usage  ( 

BM  Above  3  filters  JSAbE  $30}      $177      P.G7 


LP-6Q 
HP40Q 
HP-800 
BP-3 

Accessaries 

B  W90 


IfiK/tfl 


Case  for  aH  models 
Telescope  BNC  antenna 


1 13 1  ti?  »f  •[■C=3^1LilB'i,iV=1ii^^  ill!-] 


398  IUE  33th  St.t  Ft.  Lauderdale,  FL  33334 

rms:  Ship/Hand  charges  for  US  S  Can  $10,  others  add  15%, 


D  RD-150  15Q  MHZ  rubber  duck 

E   RD-B7S0  2 7-5Q  MHZ  rubber  duck 

f   ROWO  800  MHZ  rubber  duck  J 

M-207-tC  Interface  cafaie  for  MF J-207 

H  PLftO  200  MHZ  Ik  IDx  prate  | 

LP-22  L&Pass.  audio  usage  probe 

k  DC-10  Direct.  50  OHM  probe 

FL  residents  add  m.  C.Q.Q.  $5,  VISA,  MCt  Discover  accepted.  Prices  and  specifications  subject  to  change  without  notice  or  ohHgatkm. 


CIRCLE  247  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


ur  microprocessor  controlled  interconnects 
patch  your  FM  base  station  radio  to  your  phone 
line  and  allow  you  to  initiate  and  receive  phone 
calls  in  your  mobile  or  HT  without  assistance. 


Only  CSI  interconnects  offer  important  user  friendly 
features  such  as  Memory  Speed-dialing,  Last  Number 
Redial  and  a  built-in  Programming  keyboard  with  com- 
panion digital  display  which  makes  user 

set-up  quick,  

easy  and 
positive... 


All  features  are  fully  user  programmable:  *  Speed- 
dial  memories  ■  Single  or  multi-digit  access  code. 

•  Secret  toll  override  access  code  *  Toll  restrict  numbers 
and  sequences  *  Regenerated  tone  or  pulse  diatout 

•  Ringout  on  1-9  ring  *  Line  in  use  detect*  Call  waiting 

•  CW  ID  *  Hookflash  •  Activity  &  Timeout  timers... 
And  More  ! 

CSI  has  been  the  leading  producer  of  interconnect  prod- 
ucts for  over  eleven  years.  All  products  are  made  in  the 
U.S.  A,  and  come  with  a  one  year  limited  warranty. 

To  get  the  complete  story  Call  or  Fax  today  for  product  information 
and  dealer  listing. 


Connect  Systems  Inc 

2259  Portola  Rd 
Ventura,  CA     93003 
Tod  free 

(800)   §45-1349 

Phone      (805)  642-7184 
FAX  (805)  642-7271 


Private  Patch  V 

Pnvale  Patch  V  is  a  mufti- 
mode  interconnect  itial 
offers  lour  user  selectable 
modes:  1.  Enhanced 
Sampling  2.  VOX  Simplex 
3.  Semi-Duplex  4, Rep- 
eater Maker,  A  90  memory  speed-drater  and  remote  base  mode  are  afso 
included.  Can  be  connected  to  the  Mic  and  speaker  jacks  of  any  simplex 
Iransceiver  when  used  in  VOX  simplex.   Fully  FCC  and  DOC  approved.  No 
other  patch  offers  as  many  modes  and  features. 


CS-900  Control  Station  Interconnect 

The  CS-900  Is  VOX  act- 
ivated and  can  be  used 
simplex  or  through  any 
remotely  located  repeater 
The  standard  1/2  Second 
Electronic  Voice  Detay  to- 
tally eliminates  syllable  or 
word  clipping  and  results 
in  unsurpassed  simplex  performance    A  90  memory  speed-dialer  and 
Remote  base  mode  are  also  included.  The  only  required  connections  are  to 
the  Mic  and  Speaker  jacks  of  your  stmpfex  transceiver.   Fully  FCC  and  DOC 
approved.    This  is  the  best  deal  going  in  a  simplex  patch! 


CS-800  Full  Duplex  Interconnect 

The  CS-800  will  operate 
Full  or  Semi  duplex  and 
also  has  a  builMn  Re- 
peater Maker.  The  only 
required  connections  are 
to  the  Mic  and  Speaker 
jacks  of  your  dual  band 
transceiver.  A  9  memory 
Speed-diaJer  is  siandard.  Fully  FCC  and  DOC  approved    This  is  your  best 
choice  in  a  Full  Duplex  Interconnect  with  built-m  Repeater  Controller! 


CS-700  Intelligent  Interconnect 

The  CS-700  is  for  simplex 
operation  and  offers  sel- 
ectable VOX  Enhanced  or 
VOX  Controlled  Sampling. 
Sampling  allows  the  mobile 
operator  to  have  positive 
control  at  all  times.  The 
CS-700  requires  an  internal 
connection  to  the  discriminator  of  your  simplex  transceiver.  A  9  memory  Speed 
dialer  is  standard.  This  is  the  best  sampling  patch  in  the  business! 


CD-1  Communications  Decoder  Unit 

Decodes  and  displays  all 

50  CTCSS  tonesp  1 04  DCS 

codes  and  all  16  DTMF 

digits  when  connected  to 

any  scanner,  receiver  or 

service  monitor.  Extremely 

useful  for  service  work  or 

determining  the  correct 

codes  to  operate  open  repeaters  and  aulopatches.  DTMF  sequences  are 

displayed  a  second  time,  slowly  just  in  case  the  real  lime  digits  were  too  fast  to 

comprehend. 


CSi  is  a  registered  trademark  ui  Connect  Systems  Inc. 


CIRCLE  12  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


THE  TEAM 

PUBUSHER/EDrTOR 
Wayn©  Green  W2NSD/1 

ASSOCIATE  PUBLISHER/EDITOR 
David  CassidyNlGPH 

MANAGING  EDITOR 
Hope  Gunier 

SENIOR/TECHNICAL  EDITOR 
Charles  Warrington  WA1RZW 

EDITORIAL  ASSOCIATES 
Sue  Jewel) 
Joyce  SawtelJe 

CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

Bill  Brown  WBBELK 
Mike  Bryce  WBBVGE 
Joseph  E.CarrK4 1 PV 
David  Cowhfg  WA1LBP 
Michael  GeierKBIUM 
Jim  Gray  WlXUf7 
Chuck  Houghton  WB&1GP 
Amie  Johnson  N 1 BAC 
Or  Marc  Leavey  WA3AJR 
Andy  MacAJ lister  WASZIB 
Joe  Moeli  K0OV 
Carote  Perry  WB2MGP 
Jeffrey  Sioman  NlEWO 

ADVERTISING  SALES  MANAGER 

Dan  Harper 

ADVERTISING  COORDINATOR 

Judy  Walker 

1-603-924-0058 

1  "800-274-7373 

FAX;  1-603-924-9327 

GRAPHIC  DESIGN 

Suzanne  Self 

GRAPHIC  SERVICES 
Film  Works,  Inc. 
Hancock  NH 

TYPESETTING 
Linda  Drew 

CIRCULATION  MANAGER 
Harvey  Chandler 

To  subsc  fiber  1-800-289-0388 

WAYNE  GREEN,  INC. 

Editorial  Offices 

70  Route  202N 
Peterborough  ISIH  03458 
1-603-924-0058; 
FAX;  1  -603-924-9327 

Subscription  Services 
1  -800-289-0388 

Foreign  Subscribers 
1-609-461-8432 


Audit  Bureau 

of  Circulations 

Member 


Reprints:  53.00  per  article. 

Back  issues;  54.00  each 

Write  to  73  Amateur  Radio  Today.  Reprtnis, 

70  Route  2GSN.  Peterborougru  NH  03453. 

Printed  in  the  USA  by  Quad 
Graphics,  Thomaston.  Georgia. 


Y3 Amateur 

Radio  Today 


December  1993 
Issue  #399 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


FEATURES 


10  Deluxe  Communications  Audio  Board 

Enhance  your  audio  with  this  practical  add-on.  „»» WD4PLI 

18  Resofving  2  Meter/Cable  TV  Interference 

A  winning  strategy  for  keeping  the  peace,  and  staying  on  the  airl „„NM8R 

28  Five-Element  T-Match  VHF  Yagi 

Excellent  performance  characteristics  on  2  meters _.KA0NAN 

32  Remote  Tuned  Active  Antenna 

Tune  this  easy  amplified  antenna  without  leaving  your  chair W2IMB 

38  Melt  Your  Way  to  Better  Breadboards 

Discover  the  Macro  Surface-Mount  breadboard  method N1JU 

42   Maxl-Loop  80 

Here's  a  tried -and-true  indoor  favorite  you  can  build ...G2BZQ 


REVIEWS 


26  The  HANDI-Fi  rider 

Build  this  versatile,  accurate  DFersemi  kit  in  an  evening W6KOW 

34  Midland  73-005  Transceiver 

A  full-featured  HTatan  entry-level  price WA1RZW 


DEPARTMENTS 


70  Above  and  Beyond 

81  Ad  Index 

74  Ask  Kaboom 
68  ATV 

89  Barter  'n"  Buy 
56  Carrfs  Comer 

82  Dealer  Directory 
17  Feedback  fndex 
62  Hams  with  Class 
50  Ham  sals 

GO  Homing  In 

6  Letters 

4   Never  Say  Die 
88   New  Products 
66  Packet  &  Computers 
96  Propagation 
64  QRP 

8  QRX 
96  Random  Output 
53   RTTY  Loop 
76  73  international 
87  Special  Events 
94   Uncle  Waynes 

Bookshelf 
58  Updates 


Build  this  dandy  direction  finder  from  a  kit  in  one  evening.  See  page  26, 


FERDBACK~ 
FEEDBACK! 

IT*  like  being  there     right 
here  in  our  offices!  How? 
Juki  take  advaiuugt:  of  our 
FEEDBACK  curd  on  pace 
17.  You'll  notice  a  feedback 
number al  the  beginning  of 
each  article  and  column. 
We'd  like  you  to  rate  what 
vou  read  so  that  we  can 
print  what  type*  of  things 
you  like  best.  And  then  we 
will  draw  one  Feedback 
card  each  monlh  for  a  free 
subscription  in  73. 


On  the  cover:  A  recently-discovered  photo  from  the  Green  family  archives- 


Manu  scripts  Contributions  m  the  form  of  manuscripts  with  drawings  and/or  pnotograpns  are  welcome  and  will 
be  considered  lor  possible  publicairon.  We  can  assume  no  responsFbihiy  for  loss  or  damage  to  any  material. 
Please  enclose  a  stamped,  self- addressed  envelope  with  eacn  submission.  Payment  for  the  use  of  any  unsold 
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guidelines  are  available  upon  request  US  citizens  must  include  their  Social  Security  number  with  submitted 
manuscripts 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today  (ISSN  1052-2522)  is  published  monthly  by  Wayne  Green  Inc.,  70  Route  202  North, 
Peterborough  NH  034 b&  Entire  contents  VI 993  by  Wayne  Green  Inc.  No  pari  of  this  publication  may  be  repro- 
duced without  written  permisson  of  the  publisher.  For  Subscription  Services,  wrne  to  73  Amateur  Radio  Today, 
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Editorial  Offices 

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Peterborough  NH  03458 

phone:  603-924-0058 

Advertising  Offices 
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Peterborough  NH  03458 

phO/lB:  800^274-7373 

Circulation  Offices 

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phone  6034244060 


fa  You  have  stumbled  rtfo  tfie  pages  of  73  magazine  You  are  now  in  our  evif  dutches*  Now  gel  to  worft 
on  a  home-brew  project!  We  don't  mean  chugging  frosty  beers  in  the  living  room;  we  mean  slinging  solder  So. 
find  a  project  you  would  lice  and  get  going 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  3 


Number  1  on  your  Feedback  card 


N 


EVER  SAY  DIE 


Wayne  Green  W2NSD/1 


Spending  Money  is  a  Lot 
More  Fun  . , . 

.  .  .  than  making  it.  That's  the  hard 
part  .  .  ,  at  least  lor  most  of  us.  So 
wouldn't  you  like  all  trie  guidance  you 
can  get  to  help  you  spend  your  money 
wisely?  I  really  hate  il  when  I  get  suck- 
ered+  don't  you?  Well,  you  can  help  me 
and  the  rest  of  us  who  might  blunder 
into  some  sucker  bets  by  giving  us  the 
benefit  of  your  experience  .  .  .  happy 
or  sorry, 

Here's  the  drill.  Whenever  you  buy 
any  ham  product  ^  a  transceiver  HT, 
antenna,  book,  gadget,  and  so  on. 
check  1 1  out  carefully  and  then  let  me 
know  how  much  you'd  recommend  it, 
on  a  scale  of  one  to  10,  as  something 
you  think  the  rest  of  us  ought  to  buy. 
Give  me  your  call  your  recommenda- 
tion, your  age.  and  how  long  you've 
been  a  ham.  You  might  send  it  on  a 
OSL  card,  a  page  torn  from  your  old 
spiral  notebook,  via  the  73  BBS.  Com- 
puServe, MC1P  fax,  or  whatever,  Not 
never  mind  the  whatever. 

If  you've  bought  one  of  the  ARRL 
books,  how  is  It?  How  about  the  new 
CO  videotapes?  I  was  surprised  at 
how  good  they  are.  What  do  you 
think?  Tm  stifl  trying  to  decide  what  rig 
to  get  for  my  new  ham  shack  and  so 
far  you  haven't  been  a  lot  ol  help 
Look.  I  fell  you  when  I  find  things  I  en- 
joy and  think  are  a  good  deal,  so 
whats  wrong  with  you  reciprocating?  I 
might  even  pass  your  rating  along  to 
help  other  readers  gel  the  most  from 
their  money. 

One  to  10.  with  one  being  absolute 
garbage  .  + ,  like  a  certain  KV4  I  coufd 
name  , . .  and  10  being  heavenly  bliss 
« .  ♦  like  my  Scott  Kirby  CDs  of  Joplin  s 
music.  By  the  way,  99%  of  you  have 
disappointed  me  far  beyond  my  ability 
to  express  myself .  .  .  and  you  have  to 
admit  I'm  pretty  good  at  lhat .  _  by  not 
yet  buying  one  of  Kirby 's  Joplin  CDs, 
I've  thought  ft  over  carefully  and  decid- 
ed that  Scott  Joplin  was  the  most  cre- 
ative composer  America  has  ever  pro- 
duced. Yes,  he  was  black.  What  are 
you,  a  bigot?  This  came  to  mind  be- 
cause Volume  4  of  "The  Complete 
Joplin"  is  now  available.  This  is  the 
last  of  the  series 

Just  as  I  try  to  get  you  to  enjoy  all 
the  different  things  we  can  do  in  ama- 
teur radio  .  .  .  things  that  I've  enjoyed 


.  .  .  fve  been  trying  to  get  the  readers 
of  my  Secret  Guide  To  Music  to  try  the 
music  that  I  Love  the  most.  And  I've 
been  succeeding  pretty  welt.  I've  got- 
ten thousands  of  my  readers  into 
Joplin's  incredible  music,  and  even 
converted  thousands  of  rock  fans  to 
enjoying  classical  music,  too.  Do  you 
have  a  CD  player  yet?  There  musl  be 
some  music  you  enjoy  listening  to.  So 
get  a  player  and  take  a  little  time  to  sit 
back  and  luxuriate  in  music  that  will 
hetp  rebuild  your  psyche.  Then  try  one 
of  my  Joplin  CDs  and  see  what  hap- 
pens to  you* 

I'm  sure  I've  toid  you  the  story,  but 
you've  probably  forgotten  it.  What  hap- 
pened was  that  when  I  saw  The  Sting 
around  20  years  ago  I  loved  the  music 
and  started  buying  every  Joplin  LP  I 
could  find.  But  the  more  I  listened  to 
them,  the  more  1  knew  something  was 
missing.  They  aN  sounded  too  much 
Hke  a  player  piano.  I  wished  my  father 
hadn't  been  so  against  my  learning  to 
play  the  piano  when  I  was  young.  I 
wanted  to  let  the  beauty  I  could  sense 
In  the  music  come  out, 

When  I  got  into  the  music  business 
publishing  CD  Review  1  started  bug- 
ging the  fecord  companies  to  took  for  a 
pianist  who  played  Joplin  right  J  got 
nowhere.  They  just  looked  at  me  fun- 
ny. So  late  one  night  t  was  walking 
along  a  street  in  New  Orleans,  coming 
back  from  a  riverooat  jazz  concert, 
when  I  passed  a  grungy  little  bar  with 
piano  music  coming  out  the  door. 
Joplin!  I  grabbed  Sherry  and  slopped. 
Hey*  We  went  in,  sat  down  and  had  a 
couple  Cokes.  There  was  this  young 
kid  with  a  ponytalt  piaying  Joplin  the 
way  Td  heard  it  in  my  heart.  After  a 
couple  hours  of  ecstasy  I  knew  I  was 
in  the  record  business.  Yes.  I  knew 
that  95%  of  all  records  lose  money.  I 
didn't  care.  People  just  had  to  hear 
this.  It  was  a  mission. 

So  we  brought  Scott  Kirby  to  New 
Hampshire  and  recorded  a  CD  of 
Joplin's  music.  Sherry  found  a  nice  old 
Steinway  piano  in  the  Peterborough 
Unitarian  church,  and  by  luck  I  had  an 
experienced  recording  engineer  work- 
ing for  me.  We  got  Knud  Keller 
KV4GG.  who  had  been  my  bookkeep- 
er for  years,  to  keep  the  old  piano  in 
tune.  Knud  used  to  be  a  concert  pi* 
anist  in  Stuttgart  before  getting  practi- 
cal. I  paid  him  off  with  a  new  ICOM  rig. 


Kirby,  24,  was  an  Ohio  State  gradu- 
ate, with  a  good  solid  classical  music 
background.  But  he  loved  Joplin's  mu- 
sic so  much  he  moved  to  New  Orleans 
from  Columbus,  bought  a  piano,  put 
wheels  on  it,  and  played  Joptin's  music 
&v$fy  day  on  the  streets.  As  far  as  I 
know.  Scott  is  the  only  person  in  the 
world  making  a  steady  living  playing 
ragtime.  There  are  one  or  two  chaps 
playing  ragtime  in  the  Disney  parks. 
but  they're  part-time.  Kirby  turned  out 
to  be  one  of  the  nicest  guys.  Despite 
his  stupendous  talent,  he's  unas- 
suming. 

The  church  was  a  difficult  place  to 
record.  Every  time  a  truck  went  past 
on  Route  202  Scott  had  to  stop  and 
start  over  again.  He  and  David  Toney, 
the  engineer,  got  to  recording  after 
midnight  to  avoid  these  Interruptions. 
So  when  we  wanted  to  do  a  second 
CD  we  had  Knud  look  for  a  better  pi- 
ano, one  we  could  set  up  in  the  garage 
at  my  farm,  using  that  as  a  studio. 
Knud  found  a  wonderful  1898  Stein- 
way upright.  Great  sound.  Then  he 
found  an  1896  Bradbury  upright  con- 
cert grand,  which  was  even  better  for 
some  of  the  rags.  The  Steinway  was 
great  for  the  concert  pieces,  David  set 
up  sounding  boards  to  fiven  up  the 
garage  and  Scott  did  another  CD.  He 
tiked  the  new  pianos  so  well  we  decid- 
ed to  start  this  new  CD  as  Votume  1  of 
a  set  of  four  CDs  of  the  "Complete 
Joplin"  rags,  marches  and  waltzes, 

About  this  time  Phil  Martus.  from 
the  circulation  department,  got  to  help- 
ing dean  out  my  bam.  He  did  a  mar- 
velous job.  I  looked  at  the  huge  space 
he'd  cleared  and  thought  we  had  room 
to  build  a  recording  studio.  David  de- 
signed it  and  Phil,  with  his  brother 
Greg,  built  it.  The  end  result  was 
something  you  ought  to  see  if  you  ever 
get  up  this  way  It's  state-of-the-art  dig- 
ital. Artists  who've  come  here  from  all 
over  the  world  to  record  teti  me  it's  the 
finest  studio  in  the  country.  Scott  did 
Volumes  2.  3.  and  4  in  the  new  studio. 

Now  that  he's  done  all  of  Joplin's 
music  hell  be  coming  up  to  record 
some  good  rags  by  other  composers. 
Bui  most  of  all  I  want  you  to  hear  the 
wonderfuJ  rags  that  Scott's  written. 

Since  appearing  on  my  Greener 
Pastures  Records.  Scott  has  been  in- 
vited to  ptay  at  the  major  ragtime  festi- 
vals around  the  country.  He's  knocked 


'em  dead!  When  he  finishes  playing 
ihere's  a  silence  and  then  the  audi- 
ence gives  him  a  standing  ovation,  No 
one  else  gets  that,  and  there  are  some 
famous  ragtime  performers  at  these 
shindigs.  If  I  get  you  hooked  on  rag- 
time, which  I  hope  I  cant  you  may  be 
getting  together  with  me  at  festivals  in 
Sedalia  in  June.  Soulder  in  July,  and 
Fresno  in  November. 

I  hope  you'll  excuse  me  Cor  coming 
on  like  this,  but  since  most  of  you  have 
been  reading  my  stuff  tor  years,  I  think 
of  you  as  friends  I  write  to  every 
month,  not  as  subscribers.  So  \  share 
my  enthusiasms  and  frustrations  with 
you.  I  haven't  totd  you,  but  when  you 
take  me  time  to  write  back,  I  enjoy 
reading  what  you've  got  to  say  1  try  to 
answer,  when  I  can,  but  I  can't  answer 
everyone.  In  my  music  magazine  I  ask 
my  readers  to  let  me  know  if  they  find 
a  CD  which  they  think  111  enjoy , ,  .  and 
I  do  the  same  for  them. 

So  that's  why  i'm  after  you  to  try 
your  hand  at  10  GHz.  where  I  had  so 
much  fun  making  contacts  with  Chuck 
Martin  WA1KPS  in  seven  different 
states,  That  was  so  exciting  I  didn't 
want  you  to  miss  out.  Ditto  if  you  can 
make  it  on  a  DXp edition  somewhere. 
These  are  things  you'll  remember  thB 
rest  of  your  life  with  pleasure. 

That's  one  thing  I  like  about  music 
. . .  once  you  get  a  record  you'll  always 
be  abEe  to  enjoy  IL  Don't  get  me  start- 
ed! I  feel  the  same  way  about  books. 
Hey,  you  really  ought  to  read  this  onet 
Well,  I  can't  get  you  into  my  living 
room  and  play  my  favorite  CDs  for  you 
or  walk  you  through  my  library,  point- 
ing out  the  books  that  are  the  most 
fabulous  I  can't  even  get  out  my  slides 
and  show  you  how  exciting  it  was  to 
visit  and  operate  from  Sabah  or  New 
Caledonia,  But  maybe  I  can  get  you  to 
try  your  hand  at  some  satellite  con- 
tacts. And  how  about  getting  geared 
up  for  some  2m  aurora  contacts  this 
fall?  J  guarantee  you'll  never  forget  one 
single  contact!  And  rf  I  can  get  you  to 
subscribe  to  my  music  magazine,  we 
can  share  our  music  tastes.  I'll  try  to 
gel  you  tuned  into  Deli  us,  Gliere  Ip- 
palitov-lvanov,  and  a  few  more.  But  my 
first  try  will  be  Jopiinr  Maybe  I'EI  get  you 
to  buy  the  boxed  set  of  four  CDs  for 
$60.  Probably  not  But  you  should. 

I  bought  my  first  recoid  when  I  was 
around  12.  Strauss  waltzes.  RCA  Red 
Seal.  Cost  a  buck  for  10  minutes  Of 
music.  That's  around  S2Q  in  today's 
dollarettes.  Now  you  can  buy  a  superb 
60  minutes  of  music  for  around  $15. 
I've  been  putting  out  samplers  for 
$3,79,  jusi  to  cover  the  postage  and 
handling,  each  with  an  hour  of  wonder- 
ful music.  I've  over  a  hundred  of  "em 
available.  They're  all  fisted  in  my  Se- 
cret Guide,  Each  has  about  IS  of  the 
best-rated  tracks  from  recently  re- 
leased independent  record  company 
CDs,  This  Is  one  of  the  best  ways  to 
shop  for  new  CDs.  There's  nothing  like 
hearing  the  music  to  know  whether 
you're  going  to  want  to  invest  $15  in  a 
CD. 

On,  I  forgot  I  got  ail  wrapped  up  in 

Continued  on  page  BO 


4  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1 993 


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Letters 


Number  2  on  your  Feedback  card 


William  W,  McConnell  KD4UUB, 

Clover  SC  I  live  in  a  region  where 
thunderstorms  are  frequent,  sudden, 
and  severe.  I'm  concerned  about  pro- 
viding adequate  lightning  protection 
tor  my  nam  shack;  however,  I  find  that 
the  ham  literature  on  the  subject  is  su* 
pemcfal  and  not  very  helpful. 

I  sent  (or  and  received  the  catalog 
Trom  Poly  Phaser  Corporation,  a  73 
advertiser,  and  was  delighted  to  find  it 
contains  tots  ot  good  information 
about  lightning  protection/grounding 
systems  and  about  their  products.  But 
their  information  is  aimed  primarily  at 
large  commercial  installations  which 
are.  undoubtedly,  the  source  ot  most 
of  their  business. 

My  suggestion  is  that  75  commis- 
sion an  expert  in  the  protection/ 
grounding  field  to  prepare  a  compre- 
hensive article  (or  series)  on  this  vital 
subject.  I  envision  that  the  articie(s) 
would  cover  the  current  technology 
and  would  be  written  specifically  to 
cover  a  typical  ham  station. 

Perhaps  73  would  publish  this  up- 
to-date  Information  on  protection/ 
grounding  systems  that  wiil  be  defini- 
tive for  ham  applications. 

BHt—Coincidentatiy.  the  September 
issue  of  Radio  Fun  features  an  article 
on  the  fundamentals  of  lightning,  in- 
cluding dos  and  don  7s  for  the  average 
ham  and  a  book  review  for  those 
seeking  more  information.  This  may 
not  answer  all  of  your  questions,  be- 
cause lightning  is  still  not  completely 
understood,  but  f  hope  ft  helps  you ,  , , 
Chariie  WA1RZW 

Harvey  A,  Nelson  N9FHO.  Madi- 
son Wl  Wayne— OK,  here's  the 
check  for  my  renewal . 

1  usually  agree  with  most  of  what 
you  have  to  say  regarding  our  hobby 
One  instance  where  I  disagree  with 
you  (and  most  of  the  amateur  commu- 
nity) is  on  (he  14.313  MHz  issue.  You 
tend  to  view  things  from  the  perspec- 
tive of  an  entrepreneur  (you're  a  good 
onef)  .  .  .  cost/benefit  ratios^  market 
analysis,  perceived  value,  image, 
product  development  etc,  I  work  in  a 
hospital  (I'm  not  an  MD)  and  tend  to 
view  issues  in  terms  of  ireaiabletoon- 
t  re  at  able  disease. 

Suppose  that  your  community  was 
experiencing  some  sort  of  infectious 
epidemic,  Suppose  that  doctors  and 
public  health  officials  tell  you  that 
there  is  no  cure  for  the  disease  but 
that  it  can  be  localized  and  contained 
in  a  very  limited  area  . ,  ,  say  a  little  Is- 
land in  the  middle  of  a  river  that  runs 
through  your  town.  Would  you  be  will- 
ing to  sacrifice  that  little  island  for  the 
good  of  the  greater  community?  Are 
you  willing  to  accept  a  leper  colony  in 
your  midst? 

My  answer,  in  this  instance,  is  an 
emphatic  YES!  What  we  have  on 
14.313  MHz  *s  a  spot  where  a  good 

6  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1993 


From  the  Hamshack 

portion  of  the  "crazies'  have  decided 
to  collect  themselves.  Without  prod- 
ding from  the  rest  of  us,  they  have 
found  ihelr  fellows  and  are  busily  feed- 
ing on  one  another.  That  leaves  the 
rest  of  ihe  band  open  lor  our  more 
pleasurable  activities.  There  should  be 
one  such  frequency  on  every  band. 
We  can  avoid  being  "infected"  by  us* 
rng  our  receivers  property  .  .  ,  a  trick  I 
teamed  in  my  old  TV-watching  days: 
The  big  knob  changes  the  channel 
and  one  of  the  little  knobs  usually 
turns  it  off.  (We  might  include  this  bit 
of  knowledge  in  the  Extra  Class  ques- 
tion pool  I) 

You  and  I.  in  laissez-faire  fashion, 
need  not  concern  ourselves  with  what 
others  choose  to  listen  lo,  but  with 
making  our  own  conversation  interest- 
ing enough  to  attract  our  own  following 
. . .  hoping  that  our  insightful  question- 
ing wilf  add  to  our  own  stores  Ol 
Knowledge 

But  what  about  Ihe  youngsters? 
The  12-  and  14 -year-olds  we  hope  to 
attract?  Don't  we  have  some  responsi- 
bility for  ihem?  We  must  protect  their 
tender  ears,  if  not  their  minds  .  .  . 
right? 

Baloney!  Those  12-  and  14-year- 
olds,  each  and  every  one,  has  at  least 
a  parent  who  has  taken  on  that  re- 
sponsibility .  ,  ,  if  not  willingly  then  by 
force  of  iaw.  Our  obligation  in  their 
nurturing  is  to  pay  our  taxes  lo  provide 
for  their  schools  and  to  avoid  hitting 
them  with  our  automobiles  when  their 
parents  allow  them  to  play  in  the 
streets!  Nothing  more. 

The  parent  must  play  as  much  a 
part  in  the  kid's  newfound  hobby  as 
the  kid.  The  parent  has  Ihe  responsi- 
bility for  knowing  what  is  happening  on 
14.313  and  monitoring  his/her  child's 
activities  .  -  .  the  same  responsibility 
they  have  for  monitoring  what  books 
and  magazines  the  kid  reads  and  what 
movies  and  TV  programs  the  kid 
watches  ^hopefully  not  many!}.  When 
the  kid  blunders  onto  the  frequency* 
the  parent  will  have  to  explain  what 
the  NcancerH  Is  all  about  and  how  to 
cope  with  it. 

You  might  want  to  provide  par- 
ents with  the  insights  they  wiil  need 
(as  a  part  of  your  business  venture). 
How  about  sending  a  nice  letter/pam- 
phlet lo  the  parents  of  the  newly  li- 
censed young  ham,  explaining  some 
of  the  more  unattractive  aspects  of  our 
hobby,  along  with  complimentary 
copies  of  your  rags?  After  all,  mom 
and  dad  are  most  likely  paying  for  the 
kid's  magazine  subscriptions. 

For  my  own  part,  I  will  encourage 
youngsters  to  begin  their  ham  careers 
In  digital  modes  .  .  .  there  ain't  no 
backspace  key  on  a  tongue  or  micro- 
phone. 

The  only  problem  with  that  Harv,  is 
to  figure  out  how  we  can  keep  the 


FCC  Commissioners  from  hearing  the 
baloney  on  313,  and  thinking  that 
we're  alt  tike  that . . .  Wayne, 

Fred  Carmichael  KD4ATW,  Chat- 
tanooga TN  Reading  Wayne  Green's 
"Never  Say  Die™  columns  in  August 
and  September,  and  David  Cassidy's 
"Random  Output,"  has  encouraged  me 
to  voice  my  opinion  of  the  No-Code 
Tech  license  and  the  license  proce- 
dure, 

!  am  47  years  old  and  ever  since  I 
was  12  years  old  I  wanted  to  be  an 
amateur  radio  operator,  t  took  the  test 
ihe  first  time  when  I  was  12  years  old. 
and  have  taken  it  four  times  since. 
Each  time  I  failed  because  ot  not  be- 
ing able  to  receive  the  code.  However, 
two-and-a-half  years  ago  I  passed  the 
No-Code  Tech.  I  have  had  a  great 
time  since,  operating  2  meters,  70  cm, 
and  packet.  I  enjoy  packet  the  most 
because  it  involves  three  of  my  loves: 
amateur  radio,  computing,  and  bulletin 
board  systems  ll  it  weren't  "or  the  No- 
Code  Tech,  I  would  not  be  writing  this 
letter,  I  am  currently  working  towards 
my  General,  but  once  I  pass  I  will  only 
use  the  voice  bands,  not  CW. 

We  need  young  people  in  our  ranks 
of  amateurs,  Young  people  are  not  in- 
terested in  learning  code,  but  most  are 
interested  in  computers  and  other  digi- 
tal modes, 

I  agree  with  both  Wayne  and  David 
In  that  we  need  to  change  the  license 
structure  and  testing  requirements  if 
amateur  radio  is  to  survive.  I  suggest 
that  we  have  two  classes  of  licenses. 
The  first  would  be  for  10  meters  and 
below;  the  second  for  all  above  10 
meters.  We  could  call  the  first  class 
"Amateur  and  the  second  "Amateur 
Exlfa."  To  take  care  oi  all  the  old  folks 
who  like  relics  (code),  we  could  do  like 
the  present  system;  Tech  and  Tech 
Plus.  Next  we  would  need  to  change 
the  test  to  cover  the  FCC  rules:  oper- 
ating practices,  and  how  to  properly 
use  your  radio  equipment.  The  code 
side  of  the  test  would  be  optional, 
wilh  5  wpm  for  Amateur  Plus  and  13 
wpm  for  Amateur  Extra  Plus.  This 
way,  if  you  wanted  to  use  the  relic,  you 
could  take  the  optional  code  test  to 
gel  you  Plus.  Code  would  not  be  a 
requirement. 

I  have  read  articles  and  heard  ev- 
eryone talking  about  amateurs  need* 
ing  to  change,  getting  younger  people 
involved,  and  moving  into  the  21  si 
century  and  not  clinging  to  the  past.  I 
also  know  that  making  the  changes  I 
have  suggested  would  require  some 
changes  internationally,  but  why  not 
make  these  changes? 

Peter  A.  Bergman  N0BLX,  Brain* 

erd  MN  Wayne— I  agree  completely 
that  something  is  wrong  with  educa- 
tion in  America.  We  have  "Honor  Stu- 
dents" who  cannot  find  their  town  on  a 
map  and  have  trouble  with  arithmetic, 
forget  1  rig  or  calculus. 

Much  of  the  problem  comes  from 
the  fact  that  "fashion"*  sweeps  through 
the  educational  establishment  and, 
once  in  vogue,  some  ot  the  ideas  are 
almost  impossible  to  dislodge.  Cur- 


rently, it  is  considered  nasty  to  make 
kids  memorize.  This  bit  of  nonsense 
has  been  around  long  enough  that 
memory  skills  and  the  teaching  of  them 
is  almost  a  lost  art. 

Another  educational  jewel  is  called 
"process  not  product. "  The  followers  of 
this  one  believe  that  if  children  are 
taught  how  to  think— always  an  ad- 
mirable goal— they  will  derive  the  tacts 
for  themselves.  Rather  like  making 
bricks  with  straw,  not  clay.  If  you  want 
a  challenge,  iry  teaching  science  out  of 
a  "P  not  P"  textbook. 

I  enjoyed  your  thoughts  on  get- 
ting something  for  our  foreign  aid.  Why 
not  use  the  idea  a  little  closer 
to  home?  Let's  buy  Haiti — if  we  can  fig- 
ure out  who  the  government  is.  It 
would  give  us  a  place  for  an  open 
market  enclave  close  to  the  US,  also 
perhaps  a  location  for  a  large  HIV 
sanitarium  and  save  the  Haitians  wish- 
ing to  live  in  the  US  a  dangerous  boat 
trip. 

By  the  way.  I  have  a  college  degree 
in  education,  I'm  also  dyslexic  and 
have  ADD.  Sr  Mary  Margaret  didn't 
know  about  them  so  she  just  made  me 
work  harder  instead  of  giving  me  an 
excuse  for  failure. 

I  don't  teach  anymore;  I  drive  a  cab 
tor  the  handicapped.  It's  less  frustrat- 
ing, 

Lavee  Israel  5N0SVL/4X1 UF,  La- 
gos Nigeria  Wayne — It's  a  pleasure 
to  read  your  magazine  after  a  pause  of 
several  years,  !  especially  love  to  read 
your  editorials,  and  I  like  them  very 
much.  In  most  cases  I  agree  with  you 
100%.  It  is  a  pity,  however  that  people 
are  so  narrow-minded  and  stubborn! 
especially  when  they  have  to  dictate  to 
others  what  to  do. 

For  the  past  two  years,  the  reces- 
sion in  Israel  has  pushed  me  to  do 
business  in  Nigeria,  where  !  deal  with 
commercial  Iwo-way  radio,  combining 
it  wilh  my  hobby,  operating  as 
5IM0SVL  We  are  trying  very  hard  to 
help  as  many  youngsters  as  possible 
to  join  the  hobby  and  f  would  like  espe- 
cially to  mention  Kunle  5NOOBA. 
Peete  SNOCEP  and  Musa  5NOSAL  If 
we  need  contributions  ot  used  radio 
gear.  Peete  tries  to  help  us.  If  it's  lor 
VHF  repeaters,  we  keep  trying,  some- 
times In  a  hostile  environment .  .  ,  but 
usually  we  are  able  to  accomplish  the 
goal.  Your  editorial  from  August  is  en- 
couraging because  it  points  out  that  we 
need  to  bring  In  as  many  young  people 
as  possible  because  this  is  the  future. 
and  not  only  in  Nigeria,  ft  applies  to 
Jordan  as  well  as  to  Israel,  too,  since 
that  government  is  making  the  same 
mistakes.  Maybe  the  only  one  doing  it 
the  right  way  is  Japan,  as  you  men- 
tioned. 

There  are  many  club  stations  in 
Nigeria,  and  we  have  a  weekly  net  ev- 
ery Sunday  morning  at  0800  on  7065 
kHz.  What  we  are  trying  to  do  Is  find  as 
many  surplus  SSB  radios  as  possible 
so  those  clubs  can  operate  on  this  fre* 
quency. 

ft  is  very  good  to  read  your  excel len 
magazine  again.  Keep  up  the  good  won 
and  keep  saying  the  right  things. 


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AP-2  SIMPLEX  AUTOPATCH  Timing 
Board  Use  with  above  for  simplex 
operation  using  a  transceiver  ....  kil  $39 


MO-202  FSK  DATA  MODULATOR. 
Run  up  to  1200  baud  digital  signets 
through  any  fm  transmitter  with  full 
handshakes.  Radio  [ink  computers, 
telemetry  gear,  etc kit$49h  w&t  $79 

0€  202  FSK  DEMODULATOR.  For 
receive  end  of  link kit  $49,  w&t  $79 

9600  BAUD  DfGITAL  RF  LINKS*  Low- 
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DVR-1    DIGtTAL   VCMCE 
RECORDER  Module. 

Primarily  a  voice  ID'er 
far  repeaters.  May  also 
be  used  as  a  contest  CQ  caller  or  as  a 
"radio  notepad"  to  record  up  to  20 
seconds  of  received  transmissions  for 
instant  recall  As  a  repeater  ID'er,  it  will 
record  your  voice,  using  either  the  built- 
in  microphone  or  an  external  mic.  It  can 
be  used  with  almost  any  repeater  COR 
module  As  a  contest  caller,  you  can 
record  a  message  or  even  several  mes- 
sages and  ptay  them  through  your 
transmitter  at  the  press  of  a  switch  As 
a  radio  notepad,  you  can  keep  it  wired 
to  the  audio  output  of  a  receiver  ready 
to  record  up  to  20  seconds  of  anything 
you  might  want  to  recall  Eater.  Play  it 
back  as  many  times  as  you  like  through 
a  small  external  speaker,  (Call  for  more 
information.)   fc.„. kit  $89,  w&t  $139 

TD-3  SUBAUOIBLE  TONE  DECODER/ 
ENCODER.  Adjustable  for  any  lone. 
Design  ■-■ :  especially  for  repeaters, 
with  remote  control  activate/deactivate 
provisions  ...  kit  $29,  wired  &  tested  $69 

COR-3  REPEATER  CONTROLLER. 
Features  adjustable  tail  and  time-out 
timers,  solid-state  relay,  courtesy  beep, 
and  local  speaker  amplifier  kit  $49 

CWIO.    Diode  programmed  any  time  in 

the  field,  adjustable  tone,  speed,  and 
timer,  to  go  with  COR-3  P> kit  $59 

CQR^I.     Complete  COR  and  CWID  all 
on  one  board  for  easy  construction. 
CMOS  logic  for  low  power  consumption 
Many  new  features     EPROM  program- 
med, specify  call  kit  $99,  w&t  $1 59 

TD-2  TOUCM-TONE  DECODER/CON* 
TROLLER.  Full  16  digits,  with  toll-call 
restnetor,  programmable.  Can  turn  S 
functions  on/off.  Great  for  selective  call- 
ing, too!  kit  $69,  wired  &  tested  $149 

TD-4  SELECTIVE  CALL- 
ING Module.  Economy 
touch -tone  decoder  with  1 
latching  output  Primarily  designed  to 
mute  speaker  until  someone  calls  you 
by  sending  4-digtt  tt  signal  but  may  also 
be  used  to  turn  on  autopatch  or  other 
device kit  $49.  w&t  $89 

AP-3  AUTOPATCH,  Use  with  above  for 
repeater  autopatch.   Reverse  patch  and 
phone   line   remote   control    are    std 
kit  $89  wired  &  tested  $149 


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REP-200  REPEATER 

A  microprocessor-controlled  repeater  with  autopatch 
and  many  versatile  dtmf  control  features  at  less  than  you 
might  pay  for  a  bare-bones  repeater  or  controller  alone! 

We  donl  skimp  on  rf  modules,  either!  Check  the  features  on  R144 
Receiver  below,  for  instance:  GaAs  FET  front-end,  helical  resona- 
tors, sharp  crystal  filters,  hysteresis  squelch. 

Kit  $1095;  w&t  only  $1295! 

Voles  ID  Option  $189. 


Other  models  available: 

REP-200V  Economy  Repeater.  As  above,  except  uses 

COR -4  Controller  without  DTMF  control  or  autopatch.  Kit  only  $795. 

REP-200N  Repeater  with  no  controller.  For  use  with  external  controller, 
such  as  those  made  by  ACC.  Kit  only  $695,  w&t  $995. 


•  Available  for  the  50-54,  143-174,  213- 
233,  420-475,  9Q2-928  MHz  bands 

•fCC  type  accepted  for  commercial 
service  fhi-banti  and  urtf) 

•  Rugged  exciter  and  PA,  designed  for 
continuous  duty, 

•  Power  out  20W  S0-S4MHz;  15W  £25W 
option  avail.)  143 -174MHz;  15W  213- 
233  MHz;  10W  uhf;  1QVV  902-928MHz 

•Available  add-on  PA's  up  to  1O0W. 

•  Six  courtesy  beep  types,  Including 
two  pleasant  multi  tone  bursts. 

•  Open  or  closed  access  autopatch, 
toll-call  restrict,  auto-disconnect. 

•  Reverse  Aulopatch,  two  types: 
auto-answer  or  nng  tone  on  the  air. 

•  Pulse  (rotary]  dial  option  available. 

•  DTMF  COMTHOU  Over  45  functions 
can  be  controlred  by  dtmf  command. 
4-digit  controC  code  for  each  function. 


•  Owner  can  inhibit  autopatch  or  re- 
peater, enable  either  open  or  dosed 
access  for  repeater  or  autopatch,  and 
enable  tof  cafts,  reverse  patch,  ker- 
chunk fitter,  site  alarm,  aux  revr,  and 
Other  options. 

•  Cw  speed  and  tone,  beep  delay,  tail 
timer,  and  courtesy  beep  type  can  be 
changed  at  any  time  by  owner  pass- 
word protected  dtmf  commands, 

•Auxiliary  receiver  Input  for  control  or 
cross  linking  repeaters. 

•  Many  built-in  diagnostic  and  testing 
functions  using  microprocessor 

•  Color  coded  LED's  Indicate  status  of 
ad  major  functions. 

•  Welded  rf-tight  partitions  for  excrter, 
pa  receiver,  and  controller. 

•3Vfe  inch  aluminum  rack  panel  finished 
in  eggshell  white  and  black. 


XMTRS  &  RCVRS  FOR  REPEATERS,  AUDIO 
&  DIGITAL  LINKS,  TELEMETRY,  ETC. 


Also  available  In  nMigfit  enclosures,  and  wfth  data  modems. 

FM  EXCITERS:  2W  continuous 
duty    TCXO  &  xta!  oven  options 
FCC  type  accepted  for  com'/ 
high  hand  &  uhf. 
-  TA51   50-54.  143-174,  213-233 

MH2.  kit  $109,  w&t  $1 89. 
.  TA451   420-475  MHz 

..kit  $109,  w&t  $189. 
.  TA901;  902-928  MHz, 

(Q-5Wout);w&t$219. 
m  VHF  &  UHF  AMPLIFIERS. 

*  For  fm,  ssb,  atv    Output  levels  from 
1 0W  to  1 00W    Several  model s  starting  at  $9&. 

FM  RECEIVERS: 

*  R1447R220  FM  RECEIVERS  for  143-174 
or  213-233  MHz    GaAs  FET  front  end, 
0. 1  SuV  sensitivity*  Both  crystal  &  ceramic 
if  filters  plus  helical  resonator  front  end 
for  exceptional  selectivity.  >100dB  at 
±12KHa  {best  available  anywhere!) 
FluUer-proof  hysteresis  squelch;  afc 
tracks  drift.  ...kit  S149h  w&t  $219 

.  R451  FM  RCVR,  for  420^175  MHz. 
Similar  to  above.       kit  $149.  w&l  $219. 

*  R901  FM  RCVRT  for  902-928MHz. 
Trsple-con version.  GaAs  FET  front  end 
..Sl69Pw&t5249 

*  R76  ECONOMY  FM  RCVR  for  28-30.  50-54,  73-76.  143-174,  213-233  MHz, 
w/o  helical  res  or  afc      Kits  $129  w&tS219 

*  R137  WEATHER  SATELLITE  RCVR  for  137  MHz    Kit  $129,  w&t  $219. 


OUR  30TH  YEAR" 


somes,  inc. 

65-D  MOUL  RD,  —  HILTON  NY  14468-9535 
Phone  716-392-9430  —  fax  ?i6-392-942e 


QRX .  .  . 


Number  3  on  your  Feedback  card 


Government  Launches 
PCS  Era 

The  Federal  Communications  Commission 
has  allocated  160  MHz  lor  the  new  PCS  (Per- 
sonal Communications  Service)  in  the  2  GHz 
band.  The  decision  ts  expected  to  spark  intense 
competition  to  deliver  wireless  services. 

The  FCC  plans  to  use  auctions  to  award  PCS 
licenses.  Local  telephone  companies  afe  seen 
as  the  big  losers  in  the  decision.  The  new  PCS 
service  will  compete  with  the  cellular  telephone 
industry  and  will  carry  datat  video,  and  voice 
transmissions. 

What  this  will  mean  to  the  future  of  ham  radio 
is  anyone's  guess.  Some  are  already  speculat- 
ing that  PCS  will  be  to  the  1990s  what  the  cell- 
phone was  to  the  1930s.  One  lightweight 
portable  communicator  could  soon  serve  you  at 
home,  at  work,  and  in  your  car.  Your  phone 
number  would  follow  you  wherever  you  go,  The 
system  can  deliver  reliable  communications  to 
portable  phones,  FAX  machines,  and  pocket 
computers. 

The  Clinton  Administration  hopes  to  generate 
as  much  as  S10  billion  tor  (he  treasury  from  fre- 
quency auctions.  By  the  year  2010,  60  million 
subscribers  could  generate  up  to  $40  billion  In 
revenue,  TNX  Electronic  Engineering  Times,  is- 
sue 765.  Sept.  27,  1993,  and  W5YI  Report,  is- 
sue 19>  October  1,  1993. 

ICOM  Is  Dealing 


ICOM  America  is  for  the  first  time  offering  dis- 
count coupons  for  a  variety  of  products  that 
complement  ICOM  radios.  Anyone  purchasing  a 
new  ICOM  radio  between  now  and  December 
31 ,  1993,  will  receive  a  book  of  32  coupons  from 
21  leading  manufacturers  who  sell  products  and 
accessories. 

ICQM's  Chris  Lougee  says,  'Virtually  every 
lime  someone  buys  a  new  radio,  they  need  addi- 
tional components  to  go  with  that  radio.  ICOM  is 
taking  a  leadership  position  in  identifying  com- 
plementary products  and  making  arrangements 
to  sell  those  products  to  consumers  at  a  signifi- 
cant discount.  We  believe  it  will  broaden  the  ap- 
peal of  amateur  radio." 

High-Tech  Highway 


The  Clinton  Administration's  Information  Su- 
perhighway Plan  is  starting  to  take  shape.  The 
NTIA  (National  Telecommunications  and  Infor- 
mation Administration)  will  be  given  the  lead  role 
in  its  formation.  The  government's  strategy  caJIs 
for  competing  multiple  cable,  telephone,  and 
computer  networks. 

Commerce  Secretary  Ron  Brown  will  steer  an 
industrial  advisory  council.  You  can  expect  major 
modifications  to  existing  cable  legislation  and 
telephone  restrictions.  TNX  W5YI  Report,  issue 
19.  October  t  1993. 

Confirmation  Liki  ly 


Communications  attorney  Reed  Hundt  is  ex- 
pected to  be  confirmed  as  the  new  FCC  Chair- 
man. Hundt  was  well  received  in  his  initial  confir- 
mation hearing  before  Ihe  Senate  Commerce, 
Science  and  Transportation  Committee. 

The  45-year-old  Hundt  Is  a  partner  in  the 

8  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


Washington  law  firm  of  Latham  &  Watkins,  and 
he  enjoys  the  friendship  of  Vice  President  Al 
Gore.  Hundt  has  supported  increased  competi- 
tion in  the  telcom  industry  and  universal  access 
to  new  information  technologies  overseen  by 
the  FCC.  TNX  Eiectronic  Engineering  Times, 
September  27,  1993. 

Canada  Loves  Its  Hams 

A  seven-page  full-color  spread  titled  "Loud 
and  Clear**  graced  the  pages  of  Canadian  Geo- 
graphic magazine's  September/October  issue. 
The  feature  article  paints  a  sparkling  picture  of 
amateur  radio  operation  in  the  Dominion. 

The  story  was  written  by  Janice  Hamilton 
VE2JHJ  and  photographed  by  husband  Harold 
Rosenberg  VE2HRP.  Rosenberg  says,  1  feel 
that  spreading  the  good  word  about  ham  radio 
is  very  important,  especially  in  the  mainstream 
press."  TNX  ES  FB  VE2HRP,  VE2JHJ,  and  The 
Royai  Canadian  Geographical  Society. 

Technical  Opportunities 
Knock 

There  will  soon  be  far  fewer  opportunities  for 
blue-collar  workers,  and  a  lot  more  for  those 
who  posess  technical  expertise,  according  to  an 
expert  quoted  in  Eiectronic  Engineering  Times. 
Dennis  A.  Swytp  a  technical  manager  at  the  In- 
stitute of  Standards  Technology,  painted  a  pic* 
lure  of  an  America  where  engineers  and  skilled 
technicians  will  gain  influence  and  power. 

Swyt  delivered  his  remarks  to  the  Engineer- 
ing Workforce  Commission-  He  added,  The 
most  important  occupation  group  in  the  U.S.  to* 
day,  and  continuing  in  your  lifetime  and  your 
children's  lifetime,  is  that  of  the  technical  profes- 
sionals/1 TNX  Eiectronic  Engineering  Times,  is- 
sue 767,  October  11,  1993. 

RF  Standards  Could 
Impact  Hams 

New  RF  safety  guidelines  proposed  by  the 
FCC  could  have  an  impact  on  the  Amateur  Ra- 
dio Service.  The  standards  being  considered  (at 
press  time)  are  the  same  as  those  already 
adopted  by  the  IEEE  and  the  American  National 
Standards  Institute. 

Possible  ramifications  for  hams  include  new 
questions  in  the  licensing  test  pool,  tougher  reg- 
ulation of  RF  radiation  in  new  products,  and  a 
heightened  awareness  of  possible  hazards  from 
exposure  to  RF,  TNX  W5YI  Report,  issue  19, 
October  l  1&93. 

Making  Copies 

— «^ 

The  FCC  has  published  a  "Policy  on  the  Pri- 
vate Printing  of  FCC  Forms."  Under  the  Com- 
mission's rules,  blank  forms  may  be  reproduced 
by  private  companies  at  their  own  expense,  pro- 
vided: 

•  The  form  must  be  comparable  in  quality  to 
the  original  document  without  change  to  page 
size*  image  size,  configuration  oi  pages,  folds  or 
perforations,  and  matching  as  closely  as  possi- 
ble the  paper  weight,  paper  cofor,  and  ink  color. 

•  Reference  to  the  U.S.  Government  Printing 
Office  must  be  deleted.  Except  as  above,  do  not 


delete  from  or  add  to  any  part  of  the  form,  or  at- 
tach anything  to  it, 

*  Do  not  add  any  special  personalized  sym- 
bols, words,  phrases,  or  advertising. 

•  Be  sure  the  current  version  of  the  form  is 
being  duplicated, 

TNX  WSYi  Report,  issue  19,  October  1,  1993. 

Hams  Fight  Arson 

^ ^H 

Ham  operators  in  Oakland,  California,  are  pa- 
trolling the  East  Bay  hills  in  an  effort  to  stop  a  re- 
cent rash  of  arson  fires.  Four  volunteer  hams 
are  on  the  lookout  team  working  in  cooperation 
with  focal  fire  authorities. 

Officials  hope  the  additional  presence  will 
help  to  curt  the  purposely-set  fires.  The  latest 
list  of  arson  cases  has  reminded  residents  of  the 
fire  storm  thai  killed  25  people  in  the  bay  area 
back  in  1991.  TNX  Oakland  Repeater  Associa- 
tion, Oakland  Tribune,  and  Westiink  Report.  No, 
658,  September  30,  1993. 

Mega-Micro  QSO 

Paul  Lieb  KH6HME  and  Chip  Angle  N6CA  re- 
cently set  a  new  902  MHz  terrestrial  distance 
record  of  2n469  miles  (3,973  km).  The  CW  con- 
tact, with  signals  just  out  of  the  noise,  came  at 
0136  UTC  on  August  23. 

For  the  next  four  hours,  the  pair  tried  unsuc- 
cessfully to  make  contact  on  2304  MHz.  A  fre- 
quency near  144  MHz  was  used  for  the  fiason. 
The  equipment  used  for  this  historic  achieve- 
ment was  designed  by  N6CA.  TNX  Westflnk 
Report,  No.  658.  September  30,  1993. 

Gert  Alert 

^ -«^™*^. 

The  Miami-based  Sociedad  Internacional  de 
Radio  Aficionados  (SIR A)  activated  its  emergen* 
cy  20  meter  net  during  hurricane  Gert,  while  100 
mph  winds  slammed  into  the  Atlantic  coast  of 
Central  America  on  September  15.  Net  control 
station  operator  Rafael  Estevez  WB4ESB  han- 
dled relief  communications  with  many  amateur 
stations  as  65,000  people  were  evacuated  along 
the  Costa  Rican  and  Nicaraguan  coastlines. 
Weather  bulletins  Issued  by  the  National  Hurri- 
cane Center  in  Coral  Gables,  Florida,  were  also 
transmitted  to  Central  America,  afler  being 
translated  into  Spanish.  TNX  W5YI  Report, 
issue  19,  October  1,  1993. 


Rules  Change: 
No  Big  Deal 


So  far  the  concensus  is  there  has  been  no 
significant  change  in  amateur  radio  activity  in  the 
wake  of  the  FCCs  recent  "Relaxing  Restrictions 
on  the  Scope  of  Permissible  Communications  in 
the  Amateur  Service ."  The  new  Part  97  rules 
went  into  effect  on  September  13,  permitting  lim- 
ited business  communications  on  the  ham 
bands. 

Under  the  relaxed  rules,  hams  can  now  make 
appointments,  give  weather  report  information  to 
the  National  Weather  Service,  and  order  food. 
Fears  that  the  VHF  bands  would  become  a  piz- 
za ordering  service  so  far  appear  half-baked. 
TNX  WSYi  Report,  Issue  19t  October  tt  1993. 


Maxunum  Performance 


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happening  with  your  antenna's  S  WR  vs.  frequency.  Rugged 
design  and  battery  operation  let  you  use  these  Antenna 
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from  your  shack! 

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Use  your  Antenna  Analyst  to  measure  the 


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Optional  software  lets  you  view,  save,  and  print  SWR 
plots  on  your  PC -compatible  computer. 

For  more  information  on  the  SWR-121  VHF/UHF  (120- 
1 75MHz.  200225MHz,  400475MHz)  or  the  SWR- 1 2 1  HF 
( 1  -32MHz)  Antenna  Analyst,  call  AEA\s  Literature  Request 
Line  al  (800)  432-8873,  or  call  us  direct  at 
(206)  774-5554.  Contact  your  favorite  ham  radio 
equipment  dealer  for  best  pricing. 


10 


Number  4  on  your  Feedback  card 


Deluxe  Communications 

Audio  Board 

Enhance  your  audio  with  this  practical  add-on. 


by  David  Curry  WD4PLI 


Have  you  ever  wanted  to  improve  the  au- 
dio quality  of  your  old  receiver?  Would 
you  like  to  add  technical  improvements  to  a 
modem  receiver?  Though  state-of-the-art 
ham  transceivers  and  communication  re* 
ceivers  have  improved  audio  design,  there 
are  many  benefits  to  building  your  own  aux* 
iliary  audio  section  and  implementing  it  to 
your  receiver  Or,  for  the  truly  ambitious, 
use  it  as  pan  of  your  own  home-brew  com* 
mumcations  receiver 

The  strategy  here  is  to  simply  add  several 
audio  processes  in  series  to  achieve  an  im- 
proved audio  output  signal.  My  desire  to  de- 
sign something  like  this  was  purely  selfish.  1 
wanted  my  long-wave  receiver  (a  Watkins 
Johnson  R-1401)  to  have  some  bells  and 
whistles  like  my  Kenwood  TS-43QS.  I'm  al- 
so in  the  process  of 
building  my  own  re- 
ceiver for  LF,  and  1 
wanted  a  good  audio 
section  to  follow  the  RF 
section.    This    audio 
board  will  do  both  nice- 
ly. 

The  first  section  of 
the  audio  stages  is  an 
adjustable  bandpass  fil- 
ter, providing  control  of 
either  the  frequency  or 
the  bandwidth  without 
changing  the  volume  or 
other  parameters.  The 
original  bandpass  filter 
circuit  appeared  in  the  December  1992  issue 
of  RF  Design,  in  an  article  written  by  Jeffer- 
son Hall  and  Alvin  Connelly.  It  was  an  ex- 
cellent article  and  I  quickly  built  the  circuit, 
much  to  my  satisfaction-  After  a  short  time, 
however,  it  was  apparent  that  more  circuitry 
was  needed  to  eliminate  a  carrier  that  was 
within  i he  passband,  so  1  added  a  simple 
notch  filter*  This  very  effective  design  was 
by  Randy  Seden  WD6ELLL  The  combina- 
tion of  a  notch  filter  and  variable  bandpass 
filter  can  improve  receiving  conditions,  but 
for  weaker  signals  more  circuitry  is  re- 
quired. 

An  additional  circuit  that  adds  this  im- 
provement, especially  for  CW,  is  a  regenera- 
tive audio  stage  with  adjustable  frequency 
and  "Q/J  This  type  of  circuit  has  been  virtu- 
ally left  behind  in  modern  radio  equipment, 

10  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December  1 993 


yet  it  offers  many  advantages,  considering 
its  simplicity,  One  of  the  greatest  things 
about  a  regenerative  or  Q- multiplier  is  the 
ability  it  has  to  reject  noise  and  to  peak  the 
desired  signal.  As  the  regeneration  is  in- 
creased, the  sideband  noise  drops,  which  im- 
proves your  signal-to-noise  ratio.  The  final 
addition  to  the  audio  board  is  what  I  call  a 
"digitizer"  circuit,  which  eliminates  back- 
ground noise  for  CW  signals.  This  is  nothing 
more  than  a  comparator  used  as  a  variable 
threshold  detector.  The  digitizer  compares 
the  audio  signal  to  a  voltage  reference,  and 
provides  a  square-wave  or  digital  output. 
The  comparator  will  sometimes  trigger  on 
noise  thai  just  crosses  over  the  threshold 
point,  so  a  second  comparator  is  used  as  a 
"window;*  allowing  the  digitized  CW  signal 


1 1  WIB)      ■■ 


Photo  A,  The  Deluxe  Communications  Audio  Board 


(which  is  stronger)  to  pass,  but  not  the 
weaker  noise  pulse.  Low-pass  filtering  is 
used  to  clean  up  the  square- wave  signal  to  a 
more  natural  tone.  Finally,  an  audio  output 
circuit  that  has  appeared  in  virtually  every 
radio  handbook  was  chosen  for  the  speaker 
section. 

1  originally  discovered  the  circuit  in  a 
SAMS  book  written  by  Walter  Jung,  Audio 
IC  Op-Amp  Applications.  Low  noise  and 
low  standby  current  arc  the  hallmarks  of  this 
legendary  circuit  using  very  common  com- 
ponents. So  let's  review:  A  variable  band- 
pass filter,  followed  by  a  variable  notch  fil- 
ter, followed  by  a  Q-multip)ier.  then  a  digi- 
tizer, then  a  5  watt  audio  output  section. 
WOW!  With  these  devices  in  this  particular 
order,  it  is  very  possible  to  do  wonders  with 
your  receiver 


Circuit  Description 

The  schematic  shows  a  lot  of  ICs  and 
pans,  but  don't  lei  that  fool  you!  The  circuit 
is  rather  simple  and  can  be  followed  easily  at 
the  top  left  corner*  labeled  "Audio  Input," 
CI  is  simply  a  DC  blocking  capacitor,  while 
Rl  sets  the  overall  gain  of  the  first  section.  If 
a  very  low  audio  signal  is  connected,  Rl  can 
be  decreased  in  value  to  increase  the  gain. 
Ula,  b,  c,  and  d  are  all  low-noise  quad  op 
amps,  which  keeps  the  size  down.  The  filter 
frequency  is  adjusted  wiih  dual-gang  poten- 
tiometer R7.  The  bandwidth  is  adjusted  with 
R6,  which  controls  the  amount  of  feedback 
to  Ula,  The  entire  top  portion  of  the 
schematic  is  the  variable  audio  filter  section. 
The  next  stage  is  the  notch  filter  located 
directly  below  UL  U2a  and  c  sections  pro- 
vided a  180-degree 
phase  shift  of  the  fre- 
quency controlled  by 
R13a  and  b.  Using  two 
sections  of  notch  filter- 
ing provides  a  very 
deep  null  with  steep 
skirts.  Summing  ampli- 
fiers U2b  and  d  pro- 
vide the  nodal  point 
where  the  phase-shift- 
ed frequency  meets  the 
original  signal  and  is 
subtracted  to  almost 
zero.  U2  is  also  a  !ow- 
noise  quad  op  amp. 
Output  of  the  notch 
section  is  applied  to  R24,  which  is  the  regen* 
eration  control  for  the  regenerative  preamp. 
The  regenerative  preamp  is  located  by  itself 
on  the  right  side  of  the  schematic.  U3a  and  b 
make  up  a  dual  low-noise  op  amp  and.  as 
you  can  see*  feedback  is  applied  in  desired 
amounts  from  the  output  of  U3a  to  U3b  and 
out  to  the  U3a  input  again,  CIO,  R27,  C9t 
and  R25  and  26  provide  the  adjustable  fre- 
quency response  for  the  filter,  The  poten- 
tiometer marked  "Q**  is  adjusted  once  to  al- 
low smooth  control  of  regeneration  with 
R24.  If  oscillation  develops,  rotate  R28  to 
the  point  were  oscillation  just  ceases.  The 
frequency  control  has  a  fairly  wide  frequen- 
cy range  to  facilitate  most  CW  signals.  The 
audio  signal  is  sampled  at  the  output  of  U3a. 
and  directed  to  switch  SL  Normally,  SI  is 
out  or  OFF,  which  applies  the  signal  directly 


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CIRCLE  86  ON  HEADER  SERVICE  CARD 


Figure  L  Schematic  for  the  Deluxe  Communications  Audio  Board. 


to  the  audio  amplifier  stage  U5.  However,  if 
the  digitizer  is  desired,  the  signal  is  routed  to 
comparators  U4a  and  b.  The  same  low- noise 
dual  op  amps  arc  used  here  as  with  U3, 
Though  not  really  intended  to  be  used  as 
comparators,  the  T1072  or  LF353n  op  amps 
provide  a  softer  comparator,  making  the 
threshold  point  easier  to  adjust.  Potentiome- 
ter R29  is  the  input  threshold  control  to  the 
first  comparator  U4a.  The  signal  that  trig- 
gers ihe  comparator  will  provide  a  square- 
wave  output  at  U4a  that  is  the  same  frequen- 
cy as  the  input  signal. 

During  weak  signal  conditions  some 
residual  noise  may  slightly  trigger  the  first 
comparator,  creating  a  small  noise  spike  that 
is  usually  lower  in  amplitude  at  the  output  of 
U4a.  To  help  eliminate  this,  a  second  com- 
parator is  used,  sampling  the  signal  that  has 
the  largest  square-wave  output  from  U4a  by 
adjustment  of  R3L  R3i  is  set  to  not  trigger 
on  other  noise  that  has  a  lower  amplitude, 
U4b  provides  us  a  square- wave  representa- 
tion of  the  signal  to  the  low-pass  filter,  R23, 
R33.  R34,  C13t  Ct4,  and  CI 5  comprise  a 
low-pass  filter  arrangement  that  attenuates 
the  high  frequency  components  of  the  square 
wave,  providing  a  cleaner,  more  Untenable 
tone.  It  also  lowers  the  square-wave  ampli- 
tude to  a  level  that  can  be  used  by  the  audio 
power  amp  stage.  The  audio  power  amp  uses 
a  class  AB  op  amp  to  drive  power  transistors 
Ql.andQl 

The  biasing  for  these  transistors  is  done 


within  the  chip  ttselt  This  provides  good  au- 
dio quality  at  iow  and  high  volume  levels 
since  the  bias  is  internally  etched  in  U5.  Vol- 
ume is  adjusted  by  R35.  Power  amp  gain  is 
set  by  R40.  Usually  there  is  plenty  of  gain  to 
drive  a  common  4  or  8  ohm  speaker.  Diode 
Dl  is  a  clamping  diode  to  eliminate  any 
laich-up  that  might  occur  if  the  speaker  be- 
came shorted.  CI 8  rolls  the  high  frequency 
off  just  above  2,5  kHz.  Resistors  R43,  R44k 
and  R45  are  used  to  set  the  gain  and  bias  for 
Ql  i  and  Q2.  R41  and  R42  are  part  of  the  bi- 
asing and  power  to  U5. 

Building  Notes 

The  double-sided  circuit  board  makes 
building  this  project  very  easy.  Remember  lo 
solder  both  sides  of  this  double-sided  PC 
board  because  the  holes  are  not  plated- 
through.  Note  that  potentiometers  R26  and 
R29  are  located  next  to  switch  SI  on  the 
solder  side  of  the  board.  This  helps  to  fit 
more  controls  in  a  smaller  space.  R24  must 
be  installed  before  R26.  Similarly,  R31  must 
be  installed  before  SI,  and  R30  before 
R35.  A  small  5  watt  heat  sink  is  sandwiched 
between  Ql  and  Q2,  and  screwed  securely. 

Many  resistors  are  mounted  vertically  on 
the  circuit  board  A  smalt  square  on  the  lay- 
out sheet  indicates  this  configuration.  A 
longer  rectangle  denotes  a  horizontally- 
mounted  resistor.  Be  sure  to  solder  all  pads 
on  the  component  side  of  the  circuit  board 
that  have  connections  to  any  components. 


The  connection  points  to  the  speaker,  power 
supply,  and  audio  input  are  marked  on  the 
layout  sheet.  All  points  marked  "C*  on  the 
schematic  are  connected  together  as  a  com- 
mon bias-point  reference.  There  are  no  "C 
connections  to  be  concerned  about  during 
assembly. 

Operation 

Connect  the  speaker  and  the  audio  input 
cable  to  the  appropriate  points  on  the  circuit 
board,  then  apply  power.  The  advised  mini- 
mum voltage  for  this  circuit  is  12  VDC  with 
up  to  18  volts  recommended.  The  higher 
voltage  will  help  avoid  any  distortion  at  high 
volume.  Turn  all  component-side  controls 
counterclockwise. 

Push  SI  in  to  bypass  the  digitizer  section. 

Turn  the  far  right  hand  control  clockwise 
to  a  comfortable  level. 

The  controls  are  in  this  order  (from  left  to 
right  on  the  component  side):  Bandpass  Fil- 
ter Frequency,  Bandpass  Filter  Bandwidth, 
Notch  Filter,  Q  Multiplier,  Digitizer  Sam- 
pling Window,  Volume.  Under  the  circuit 
board  are:  Q  Multiplier  Frequency,  Digitizer 
Sampling  Threshold*  Digitizer  Bypass 
Switch.  Take  time  to  experiment  with  these 
controls.  The  Q  multiplier  and  digitizer  con- 
trols take  getting  used  to.  Remember  that 
with  a  Q  multiplier  you  must  have  the  fre- 
quency control  at  exactly  the  same  frequen- 
cy of  the  desired  signal.  The  more  regenera- 
tion you  apply  to  the  Q  multiplier,  the  more 


12  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


> 


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Receiver  runs  cirdes  around  rigs  at  twice  the  price.  90  dB 
dynamic  range,  low  phase  noise  design  lets  you  hear  the 
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pHonal  Noise  Blanker 

5B  and  CW  50  Watts  Output 
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Crystal  mixing  [no  synthesizer)  coupled  with 
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solicited compliments  on  transmit  audio. 


296 

Mobile  Brocket 

$15.00 

297 

Noise  Blanker 

SI  9.50 

937 

1 1  Amp  Power  Supply 

$79.00 

938 

Tiny  Switch inq  Supply 
(Only  3  lbs.  1) 

$95.00 

700C 

Hand  Mike 

$39.95 

607 

Weighted  Key  Paddle 

$39.00 

291 

Antenna  Tuner 

$89,00 

CALL  1-800  833-7373 

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. . .  America  *s  Best! 

irar 


VISA,  MC,  DISCOVER 

"Plus  shipping  and  handling; 
call  toll-free  tor  charges. 


lifts  Dofty  Partem  Parkway 
Smienrita.  TH  37862  USA 
Office:  (G1SMS30T72 
Fbjc(G15)428-44#3 
Repair  Depl.;  (61 S)  428-0364 


(a.) 


(b.) 


(c) 


Figure  2,  Double-sided  PC  board  layout;  a.  Solder  side;  b.  Component  side;  c.  Parts  placement  diagram. 


this  requirement  must  be  met.  Another  con- 
sequence of  using  large  amounts  of  regener- 
ation with  the  Q  multiplier  is  that  the  CW 
signal  becomes  elongated,  like  a  bubble. 
You  can  hear  this  efFect  distinctly.  The  digi- 
tizer can  minimize  this  effect  by  triggering 
on  the  lop  portion  of  the  elongated  wave- 
form, and  then  using  the  window  compara- 
tor control  to  shore  up  the  pulse  width,  Sim- 
ply put,  both  controls  can  adjust  the  duty  cy- 
cle when  heavy  regeneration  from  the  Q 

14  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


multiplier  is  needed.  During  regular  opera- 
tion, 1  recommend  notching  any  undesired 
signal  first,  then  apply  the  bandpass  filter. 
Sometimes  the  Q  multiplier  works  very  well 
to  improve  SSB  or  voice  communication, 
but  over-driving  with  too  much  output  vol- 
ume from  the  receiver  will  degrade  it's  abili- 
ty to  peak  the  desired  signal. 

Conclusion 

This  audio  output  section  will  provide 


improved  reception.  It  is  perfect  for  an  easy 
weekend  project,  or  for  someone  who  wants 
to  "go  all  the  way"  and  build  a  complete  re- 
ceiver from  scratch.  This  design  matches 
perfectly  to  an  NE602  mixer  or  product  de- 
tector I  would  like  to  thank  the  authors  for 
engineering  these  fine  circuits,  and  Randy 
Scden  for  his  computer  design  of  the  notch 
filter  section. 


See  Parts  List  on  page  16. 


AOM 


182  North  Maple 
P.O.  Box  73       ? 
Watertown,  SD  57201* 

(•out*  of  the  North  Pole) 


&u "  iBULLETINf 


TO  YOUR  HOUSE  .  .  . 

from  Burghardf s  Workshop,  straight  lo  your  door,  we've  been 
busy  bringing  aK  the  big  and  little  toys  for  big  Girls  and  Boys,  We 
have  connections,  not  only  with  Santa  Cfaus,  but  with  the  all  the  big 
names  in  Amateur  Radio.  Not  to  mention  that  we  are  also  a  fully 
authorized  Icom,  Yaesu  and  Kenwood  repair  center, 

At  this  time  of  year,  after  a  long  day  of  work,  we  like  to  sit  around 
the  fire  here  in  South  Dakota  and  remember  all  ihe  things  we  are 
thankful  for. 

-  for  taking  th@  time  to  read  our  ad,  If  w© 
could,  we'd  like  lo  cad  each  one  of  you  up 
and  wish  you  a  Happy  Hamming  Year 

~  to  all  of  you  who  helped  keep  us  in 
business  for  over  50  years. 


Call 


or  by 


Aienmy 

Chmsroms  and 

Happy  New 

Yean. 


i 


-  to  Stan  Burghardt,  our  founder. 

-  to  our  Sates  Staff  who  try  to  find  all  the 
answers  to  your  questions. 

*  lo  our  Service  Department  and  their 
faster  than  the  "Speed  of  Reindeer" 

Sen/ice. 

-  to  our  Bookkeeper  and  Support  Staff 

who  help  process  your  orders. 


Sincerely, 


AMATEUR  CENTER 


I 

Sales  Order  Line        | 
800-927-H  AM  1(4261) 

For  Technical  &  Info. 
(605)886-7314 

FAX  (605)886-3444 
CUP  &  SAVE 


zdmttdy 


Jim  Smith.  President 


HOURS:  MOM.  -  FBI.  1-5  pun.; 

SAT.   9-1  p.m. 
CLOSED  SUNDAYS/HOLIDAYS 


__ 


Part# 

C1.C17 

011,019 

CI  2 

013.014,015.016,020 

018 

02,03 

04,05,06,07.09,010 

08 

D1 

Q1 

Q1.Q2H/S 

Q2 

R1 

R10.R17 

R11,R19 

R12.R18 

R2,R3,R46IR141R151R161R20,R21,R22 

R24 

R26 

R28 

R29.R31.R35 

R36TR371R40 

R38,R39,R43,R44,R45 

R4.R30 

R41.R42 

R5  ^8^25^27^32^33^34 

R6 

R7.R13 

R9.R23 

SI 

S1D 

U1.U2 

U3,U4 

US 


Parts  List 

Description 

4,7  jiF  electrolytic 

100  uR16VDC  electrolytic 

22Q0llF/16VDC 

0.1  liF/50  VDC  disc 

27  pF/50  VDC  disc 

0.01  tiF/50  VDC  poly, 

0,0047  LtF/50  VDC  poly. 

0.047  liF/50  VDC  poly. 

1N914  diode 

TIP32B  PNP  power  transistor 

5  watt  heat  sink 

T1P31S  NPN  power  transistor 

33k  otim  resistor  1/4  watt 

316k  ohm  resistor  1/4  wattT  1% 

634k  resistor  1/4  watt,  1% 

274  ohm  1/4  watt,  metal  film,  1% 

100k  ohm  resistor  1/4  watt,  1% 

50k  ohm  potentiometer 

100k  ohm  25-turn  potentiometer 

10k  PC  mount  trim  poL 

10k  ohm  potentiometer  linear 

22k  ohm  resistor  1/4  watt 

1k  ohm  resistor  1/4  watt 

10k  ohm  resistor  1/4  watt 

470  ohm  resistors  1/4  watt 

6+6k  resistors  1/4  watt.  1% 

500k  ohm  potentiometer,  linear  taper 

50k  ohm  dual  potentiometer,  audio  taper 

4.3k  ohm  resistor  1/4  watt 

DPOT  switch  PC  mount 

Knob  for  S1 

TL074  low  noise  quad  op  amps 

TL072/LF353N  op  amp 

LW301ANopamp 


Purchase 

Digt-Key 

Mouser:  140-XRL25V100 


Digs-Key:  P4449 
Digi-Key:  P31 03 
Digi-Key:  P3472 
Digi-Key:  P3473 


Digi-Key;  316KX 
Digi-Key:  634KX 
Digi-Key:  274X 
Digi-Key:  1G0KX 
Mouser:  31 CW405 
Mouser:  594-43P1 04 
Mouser  32RM401 
Mouser:  31 CW401 


Mouser:  31 CW505 
Calrad:  25-397 

Digi-Key:  EG1003-ND 
Digi-Key:  EG1 092-ND 


A  complete  kit  is  available  for  S76.23  ppd.;  a  PC  board  with  complete  instructions  is  available  for  S22  ppd  (CA  residents  add  sales  tax)  from 
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Single  Band  CW.SSB,&  AM  Reception 
Front  Panel  Decal/Calibrated  Dial 
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NE602  Mixer  with  Varaclor  Tuning 
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1 S  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  Decemb9r,  1 993 


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CIRCLE  362  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  17 


Number  S  on  your  Feedback  card 


Resolving  2  Meter/Cable  TV 

Interference 

A  winning  strategy  for  keeping  the  peace,  and  staying  on  the  air! 


by  S,M,  Yost  NM8R 


Is  your  2m  packet  station  in  danger  be- 
cause of  interference  (TVI)  it  causes  to  the 
local  cable  TV  system?  Knowing  your  op- 
tions, responsibilities,  and  how  10  track 
down  the  problem  can  put  you  back  in  the 
driver's  seat.  This  article  walks  you  through 
the  entire  process  toward  resolving  this  diffi- 
cult issue:  the  technical  details,  how  to  deal 
with  your  neighbors,  and  how  to  work  suc- 
cessfully with  your  cable  company. 

The  story  starts  the  same  way*  and  is 
echoed  on  packet  BBSs  across  the  country: 
"HELP!  My  neighbors  are  up  in  arms,  and 
mad  as  heck.  I'm  interfering  with  their  cable 
TV.  If  I  don't  find  a  solution  soon*  my  new 
packet  station  will  have  to  go  QRT.  Can  any- 
one help?" 

The  plea  usually  goes  unanswered,  and 
when  it  dies  off  the  BBS*  with  it  goes  anoth- 
er amateur's  hard-earned  privilege  to  enjoy 
part  of  his  hobby- 

Worse,  it's  not  only  packet  operators  who 
can  suffer.  Amateur-caused  cable  television 
fCATV)  interference  can  rear  its  ugly  head 
during  2m  FM  voice  operations  as  well.  SoT 
even  if  you're  not  packet-equipped  (and 
shame  on  you  if  so!),  read  on,,, 

K18W  BBS>NM8R  (B JC.UR.S) 

S  WB8HSL 

rv1SG#    TO     FROM    DATE      TITLE 

7258    WBRHSL     NM8R    930907    HELP 

W/2m  CATV  INTERFERENCE 

ENTER  MESSAGE/  CTRL-ZTO  END 

OM — Pulled  the  message  about  your 
CATVI  problem  from  the  Bulletin  Board 
tonight.  1  understand  your  frustration,  but 
hang  in  there;  this  problem  can  be  solved!  I 
had  the  same  difficulty  here,  I  fixed  it. 
though,  and  I'm  still  on  the  air,  with  happy 
neighbors  to  boot.  It  takes  three  steps  to 
solve  this  matter*  so  lei's  get  started.  First, 
you  need  a  little  background. 

Long  ago  it  was  established  that  every  ra- 
dio service — commercial,  government,  and 
amateur — had  its  own  frequency  assign- 
ment. These  assignments  were  formed  into 
an  orderly  structure  throughout  the  radio 
spectrum,  A  latecomer,  however,  called  ca- 
ble TV,  added  a  silent  partner  to  the  plan. 
Silent,  because  cable  TV's  coaxial  media 
(versus  the  ether  used  by  the  original  ten- 

1ft  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1993 


ants)  ingenuously  allowed  room  for  coexis- 
tence. Coax  allowed  two  worlds,  the  off-air 
services  and  CATV.  to  occupy  the  same 
spectrum,  separated  by  only  a  few  mils  of 
copper  braid.  One  is  free  to  roam  the  ether* 
while  the  other  exists  only  within  the  con- 
fines of  a  coaxial  cable.  When  everything 
works  properly,  one  never  knows  the  other 
exists. 

Shielding— the  basis  for  this  coexis- 
tence— is  the  issue  in  your  case,  Because 
CATV  runs  a  shielded,  closed  system,  it  is 
permitted  to  borrow  frequencies  already  in 
use  by  other  services.  Nothing  leaks  out  to 
QRM  the  off-the-air  users,  and  conversely, 
nothing  gets  in  to  interfere  with  the  CATV 
system.  This  may  be  great  in  theory,  but  how 
does  tt  stand  up  in  practice? 


Photo  A.  Your  foot  survey  for  CATV  teaks  is 
easy  and  can  be  low  profile.  Who  would  sus* 
pea  that  this  amateur  operator  (N8HGM)  is 
sniffing  out  a  CATV  teak  in  her  neighbor- 
hood, rather  than  just  grooving  to  a  tune  on 
her  Walkman?  Conducting  your  leak  survey 
white  driving  is  also  very  effective,  hut  don  'f 
forget  to  pay  attention  to  the  road! 


Where  the  Rubber  Meets  the  Road 

Unfortunately,  there  are  many  things 
which  can  degrade  a  CATV  system's  shield 
integrity.  When  this  happens,  the  door  is 
opened  for  signals  from  the  outside  to  get  in, 
and  for  cable  signals  to  get  out.  You  didn't 
mention  it,  bui  I'll  bet  the  interference  is  on* 
ly  on  CATV  channel  1 8,  and  only  when  you 
are  on  2m,  (HI  bet  your  HF  gear,  the  'tradi- 
tional" television  interference  source,  isn't 
guilty  at  all  this  time.)  Further,  I'd  wager  it's 
not  a  harmonic  or  spurious  output  from  your 
2m  rig.  Consider  this:  Cable  TV  assignments 
are  spread  throughout  the  VHF  and  UHF 
spectra.  They  not  only  share  the  traditional 
TV  band  plan,  but  also  many  frequencies 
around  it.  All  told,  CATV  signals  occupy 
frequencies  already  in  use  by  aircraft,  broad- 
cast TV,  public  safely  services,  and  VHF 
amateur  radio.  Specifically,  the  video  portion 
of  cable  channel  18  is  centered  at  145.25 
MHz  ...  get  the  picture? 

A  cable  signal  is  very  weak  in  relation  to 
the  signal  you  can  accidentally  inject  with 
your  45  watt,  packet-equipped  2m  station. 
Once  your  signal  gets  in,  it's  not  even  a  fair 
match!  Plus,  it  doesn't  take  much  of  a  CATV 
shield  breach  to  let  in  an  ample  amount  of 
renegade,  2m  energy. 

The  Open  Door 

After  you've  pondered  that  for  a  moment, 
you  should  be  wondering:  **If  my  problem  is 
one  of  getting  into  the  cable  system,  why 
even  mention  their  signal  getting  out?"  The 
reason  is  simple:  This  is  where  the  shared 
spectrum  concept  comes  to  the  unexpected 
relief  of  amateurs.  The  shield  break  that  is 
letting  your  2m  signal  in  is  spraying  wide- 
band video  signals  over  the  nearby  area.  The 
FCC  lakes  a  dim  view  of  cable  TV  leakage, 
and  for  good  reason.  They  don't  want  jumbo 
jets  thrown  off  course  by  escaping  *i  Love 
Lucy"  renins!  As  a  result,  the  FCC  requires 
that  cable  companies  check  their  systems  for 
leaks,  to  prevent  this.  Also,  limits  are  set  on 
the  amount  of  radiation  permitted  to  escape 
from  a  CATV  system.  Lastly,  the  FCC 
requires  prompt  action  to  resolve  leaks. 

Thai  covers  the  theory  part.  The  second 
step  of  the  three-part  plan  is  foot  patrol.  Ba- 
sically, what  you'll  be  doing  is  scouting  your 

Continued  on  page  21 


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DDS  •  DUAL  VFO  •  BUILT-IN  KEYER 

iT»ie  la  lung  th*  cute  BOe  20  Meter  SSB/CW  hg  on  busness  tnps  or  vacations,  tea's 
fearure  galore  with  tr*s  beauiy !  A  DDS  tDirect  Ogii  Sjrflhesis)  synthesrter  tunes  riO  Hz 
steps,  two  VFO  w*h  memory  and  dig4at  PIT  w*h  &eq  rfcpfay*  Conventent  features  &e  adtf 
fast  button  alows  you  to  hop  around  the  barf  and  dual  selectable  AGC  aflows  comfortable 
operating.  Instant .  one- touch  WWV  reception  for  quick  band  condition  checks  and 
microprocessor  control  with  but-in  Iambic  CW  keyer  thai  has  dJgnal  readout  of  speed!  Perky 
1 0  watt  RF  oulpul  {only  1  1/2  S  units  below  100  walls)  can  be  turned  down  lor  OR  P.  Includes 
hand  mike  with  handy  Up/Down  buttons  lor  easy  remote  tuning.  This  no's  a  joy  to  operate, 
with  periormartce  equal  to  units  costing  hundreds  ol  dollars  more  and  with  some  features  not 

found  on  any  rig  at  any  price!  Covers  the  20  M  band  1 4  14.5  MHz  plus  15  MHz  WYW  Our  easy  lo  fb&ow  Instructions  have  you 

assemble  the  kit  in  simpte  ^bite-siiecf  sections  thai  arc  tested  as  you  build,  assuring  you  of  a  rig  thai  works  first  time 

Expenence  the  pleasure  ol  saying  the  ng  here  is  home-bTevv,  Avail  a  We  in  kit  or  buy  wjred. 

SX-20  SSB/CW  transceiver  kit __ $349.35      SX-2QWT  Fully  assembled  SX-2<h™ S429.95 


tomorrow 


rone  Grabber4 


TG-t  Tone  Grabber  kit ™ S99-&S    CT&  Maictiing  case  set SI 2.95 

TG-TWT  FuHy  assembled  TG-1  and  case ■-— — > -     Si  49-95 


TOUCH-TONE  REMOTE  CONTROL 

Control  virtually  anything  by  Touch-Tone  remote  control.  The  UflC*1  has  18  switched  outputs,  4 
adfustable  voliage  outpuis  [20  mV  steps  0  to  5  VDC),  two  1QK  digital  pots  (for  volume,  squelch, 
etc )  and  3  timers  adjustable  From  to  mS  to  40  hours!  Two  level  password  control  allows  secure 
control  and  mutli-level  access  Six  digit  LED  display  shows  currently  entered  codes  and  a  crystal 
conirolied  touch-tone  decoder  provides  reliable  operation  There's  nothing  else  like  this  unll.  be  m 
complete  control  ol  remote  radios  thermostats,  hi-fi  s,  homes  or  even  factories  with  Ihe  URC-* 
Add  our  matching  case  set  for  a  handsome  finish. 

URC-1  Remote  control  kit $129.95    CURC  Matching  case  set $12*95 

URC-IWT  Futy  assembled  URC-1  and  case 51&9.9S 


FANTASTIC  FM  TRANSCEIVERS  STNTHESIZED-NO  crystals 
Ramsey  breaks  ihe  price  barrier  on  FM  ngs!  The  FX  is  deal  tor  shack,  portable  or  moMe.  The 
wide  frequency  coverage  and  programmable  repeater  sotts  makes  the  FX  the  pertect  rig  lor 
A?n3ieur.  CAP  or  MARS  appfcatons  Pfckeleers  realy  appreciate  tie  dedfcated  packet  port 
TRUE-rlvT  signal  and  aJrnosl  insiam  TW  switching  High  speed  packet?  No  proWem, 
Twelve  diode  programmed  channets.  SW  RF  output,  sensitive  dual  conversion  recervef  and 
proven  EASY  assembly  Why  pay  more  lor  a  used  foreign  rig  when  you  can  have  one 
AMERICAN  MADE  (by  you)  lor  less.  Comes  complete  less  ease  and  speaker  mike.  Order  our 
matching  case  and  knob  set  for  thai  pro  look, 

F?C  5Q  kit  (G  Meters) ,$149.95    FX-14G  kit  {2  Meters) ,$149+95 

FX-223  kit  (1  1/4  Meters).. ,£149,95    FX-44Q  kit  (3/4  Meters) $169.96 

CFX  matching  case  sei $24.95    FXM-1 .  ICOWYacsu  style  speaker  mike  ..S24.95 


2  IvTTR  &  220  BOOSTER  AMP 

Here's  a  great  booster  for  any  2  meter  or  220  MHz  hand-hekJ  unt  These  power  boosters 
deftver  over  30  watts  of  output  atoning  you  to  hit  the  repeater's  M  quiring  whfe>  tne  to* 
noise  preamp  renark^Uy  improves  reception.  Ramsay  Etectrorics  has  sold  thousands  or  2 
meter  amp  kits,  but  now  we  oiar  Hrnpfclely  wired  and  tested  2  me*er .  a*  wel  as  220  fc«E 
un^  Bah  have  al  ihe  learures  d  the  rur/i-pr^ 
PA-10  2  MTR  POWER  BOOSTER  (10  X  power  gain) 

Fully  wired  &  tested  ...., (inimHuiHHHiHiMtM wsiW 

PA-20  220  MHz  POWER  BOOSTER  (8  X  power  gain) 

Fully  wired  &  tested ,„„ .,$89,9$ 


DIGITAL  VOICE  RECORDER 
Chatterbox  dgitai  voce  storage  unit  wi  record  your  message  of  up  to  20  seconds.  T«ne  is  spA 
up  into  lour  5  second  blocks  which  can  be  played  separately  or  cascaded  for  longer  messages 

An  LED  display  shows  message  location  and  current  mode  for  easy  operation.  Nifty  built- in 
interlaces  allow  simple  connexion  to  transmitters  for  automatic  keying  when  the  PTT  is  initially 
closed  or  a  tier  il  is  released.  You  can  even  loop  your  rig's  m-.ke  through  (he  Chatterbox.  For 
contest  or  tun  use,  the  CB-1  can  drive  an  externa!  speaker.  incSudea  a  built-in  electret  mike.  For 
lhat  finishing  touch,  add  our  matching  case  sel. 
CB-1  Voice  recorder  kit SS9.95    CCB  Matching  case  set $12.95 


FM  SUBCARRJER  DECODER 
Tap  into  die  world  of  cnmmerciai'free  music  and  data  thai  is  earned  over  many  standard  FM 
braadust  rack)  stations.  Decoder  hooks  to  Ihe  demodulator  of  FM  radio  and  tunes  Ihe  50-100 
KHz  SCA  subcamer  band  Many  rades  have  a  dernod  outpoL  but  tf  your  radio  doesni.  it  s  easy 
lo  locale,  or  use  our  FR-1  FM  receiver  fei  which  is  a  cornplete  FM  radio  wih  a  rjemod  jack  but  in 
These  "hidden'  subcarhers  carry  lots  of  neat  prrxiamming  -  from  stock  quotes  lo  news  to  mu$*c 
hom  rock  to  easy  Istenvig  -  al  commercial  free  Hear  what  you've  been  missing  wth  the  SCA- 1 

SCA-1  Decoder  kfl,.m„..,., S24.95     CSCA  Matching  case  se5.,T „....*l2-95 

FR-1  FM  receiver  kit .^$19.95     CRR  Matching  case  for  FR-1 $12.95 


SCANNER  CONVERTER 

Tune  In  on  the  900- 950  MHz  action  using  your  existing  scanner.  Frequencies  are  converted  with 
crystal  referenced  stabilty  10  the  400-550  MHz  range.  Instructions  are  even  included  on  building 
high  perlormance  900  MHz  antennas,  Well  designed  circuit  features  extensive  filtering  and 
conyenleni  on -off ■'bypass  switch  Easy  one  hour  assembry  or  available  fully  assembled.  Add  our 
matching  case  sel  for  a  professional  look, 

SCN-1  Scanner  converter  hn S49.95    SCN  Matching  case  set $12.05 

SCN-tWT  Assembled  SCN-1  arid  case.., „, - 589,95 


STEREO  FM  TRANSMITTER 

Run  your  own  Stereo  FM  radio  station! 
Transmits  a  stable  signal  in  the  86-109 
MHz  FM  broadcast  band  up  to  t  mile. 
Detailed  manual  orovides  helpful  mto  on 
FCC  regs,  antenna  ideas  arid  range  to 
expect  Latest  design  features  adjustable 
fine  level  inputs,  pre-emphasis  and 
cryslal  controled  SLbcarrier  Connects  to 
any  CO  or  tape  player,  mike  mixer  or 
radio.  Includes  free  tuning  tool  too!  For  a 
pro  took  add  our  matching  case  set  with  on-  board  whip  antenna 

FM-10A  Sloreo  transmitter  kit  $34.95  CFM  Case.whip  ant  set..$1 2.95 


FM  WIRELESS  MIKES 

Pick  the  unit  that's  righl  for  you.  All  unils  transmit  a  stable  signal  In 
the  88-103  MHz  FM  band  up  to  300'  e*cepl  lew  High  power  FM-4  and 
PB-t  Phone  bug  that  go  up  Jo  1/2  mtle. 

FW.-i  Basic  unit        ,    $5.95 

FM-2,  as  above  but  wrtfi  added  rnke  pre  amp S7.95 

FM-4.  long  range  with  very  sensrtive  audio  pekup  . $14. 95 
PB-1.  Phone  bug  needs  no  baitery.  hooks  1 0  phone  ine.S14.95 
MC- 1 .  Micro  size  sensitive  mike  cartridge 

for  FM-1.2.4 , „„^„ „■■„, ....^.SaJg 


AM  TRANSMITTER 

High  quality,  hue  AM  broadcast  band  transmitter  is 
designed  exactly  like  Ihe  big  commercial  rigs.  Power  of 
100  mW.  legal  range  of  up  to  Mi  mile  Accepls  line 
level  inputs  from  tape  and  CO  players  and  mike  mixers, 
lunable  550- 1750  KHz  Complete  manual  expiams 
prcuiry.  hek;  wth  FCC  regs  and  even  antenna  ideas. 
Be  your  own  Rush  Ejmcaugh  or  Rick  Dees  with  the  AM- 
\  *  Add  our  case  set  for  a  true  station  look. 

AWH  Transmitter  kit _ .524.95 

CAM  Matching  case  set S12j95 


STEREO  PEAK  HOLD  8ARGRAPH 
Finally  a  dual  LED  bar  graph  w*h  a  peak  hc4d  display'  Bar  graph  displays  are  neat  and  eye 
catching  but  Ihe*  speed  is  the*  oowntal  -  they  just  can!  capture  me  peaks.  Our  til  a  lie  two 
unis  in  one.  a  fast  rjsptay  to  show  the  signal  and  a  long  persistans  rjsptay  to  capture  peaks 
:  ~  jr  units  3c  t'  r._~:v-ds  51  budd  We  ofrer  3  models  _n^T  for  general  use  ^^  log  tor 
audfo  VU  meters,  and  Log  for  power  displays  Dual  ■  for  stereo!  - 10  segment  mufti-colored  LED 
display  for  snazzy,  eye  grabbing  display  and  easily  set  ranges  tor  virtually  any  signals,  from 
voU meters  to  audio  VU  meters  to  audio  power  amps  to  SWR  meters.  Complete  int ructions  for 
easy  hook-up  to  mosl  any  device  Add  our  matching  case  set  for  a  sharp  looking  unit. 

PH-14  Dual  Linear  bargraph  kit... S39 .95    PH-15  Dual  Log  bargraph  kit $39.95 

PH- 1  e  Dual  Semi-Log  bargraph  kit W9.9S    CPH  Matching  case  set $12. 95 


SURROUND^SOUND/REVERB 
Add  concert  hafl  reafem  to  your  stereo.  TV  or  even  2-way  radio'  Easiy  sythesize  a  stereo  effect 
from  mono  sources  or  richly  enliven  regular  muse.  Add  a  bic-voce  reverb  10  your  radio  voice  thai 
others  w*  envy*  Our  revertvsurround  sound  lot  uses  a  Bucket  Brigade  IC  Device  for  rekabte  sctti* 
state  performance.  Adjustable  reverb,  delay  and  ma  controls  to  customize  your  sound.  Easily 
connected  to  radios,  stereos  C8s  and  TVs-  PlenOy  of  aurJoto  drive  a  smai  upeafcir  for  stand- 
abne  operation  too.  Expenetenc*  Ihe  fun  and  realism  that  surround  sound  provrles  •  without 
spending  hundreds!  Add  our  case  set  for  a  neat,  pro  took, 

RV-1  Surround  Sound/Revert*  kit SS9.95     CRV  Matching  case  set- $12.95 

RV-1WT  Assembled  RV-  1  and  case ......S99.95 


SPEECH  SCRAMBLER 

Pescramble  most  scramble  systems  heard  on  your  scanner  rad*o 
or  set  up  your  own  scam  bled  communication  system  over  the 
phone  or  radio.  Latest  3rd  generation  IC  is  used  lor  fantastic 

audio  quality  -  equivalent  to  over  30  op-amps  and  mixers!  Crystal 
controlled  for  crystal  clear  sound  with  a  built-in  2  watt  audio  amp 
for  direct  radio  hook-up.  For  scramble  systems,  each  user  has  a 
unit  tor  f ulf  duplex  operation.  Communicate  iri  phvacy  with  the  SS- 
70.  Add  our  case  set  tor  a  fine  professional  linlsh. 

SS-70  Scrambler  /ctescrambiertoU..^... $29.95 

CSSD  maicning  case  set „..„ $12*95 

SS-70WT  Assembled  SS-70  and  case  set __... 


AIRCRAFT 
RECEIVER 

Hear    exciting    aircraft 

communications— pick  up 
planes  up  to  100  miles 
away!  Receives  110-136 
MHz  AM  air  band,  smooth 
varactor  tuning  superhet  with  AGC.  ceramic  filter,  adtustable  squelch, 
excellent  sensitivity  and  lots  of  speaker  volume.  Runs  on  9V  battery. 
Great  lor  air  shows  or  just  hanging  around  the  airport1  New  30-page 
manual  delate  pilot  talk.  too.  Add  case  set  lor  'pro"  took 

AR-1  kit ...„ ™ $24.95 

Matching  case  set,  CAR .._.... Si 2.95 


MICRO-MIKE 

World's  smallest  FM  wireless  mike.  Smaller  than  a 
sugur  cube  ■  Including  battery  and  mike  Two  sets  of 
SMT  parts  supplied  in  case  you  are  clumsy!  Terrific 
audio  pick-up  (pin  drop  al  5  ft)  and  transmit  range  of 
300  ft.  We  include  the  battery  {watch  style),  electret 
mike  and  even  a  tuning  tool!  Be  a  James  Bond  and 
team  SMT  too! 
FM-5  Micro  mike  kit  ..„ ....  - „... $19.95 


CRYSTAL  RADIO 

Relive  the  radio  past  with  a  crystal  set  like  your 
grandfather  bulL  Uses  genuine  Galena  crystal  and 
ca (whisker  Several  different  types  of  radios  are 

built,  including  standard  AM  broadcast,  shortwave 
and  even  WW  II  loxhole  style.  To  compare  modem 
semiconductor  detectors,  we  Include  a  diode  for 

comparison.  No  soldering  required  and  we  even 
give  antenna  ideas.  Radio  for  Iree,  get  It  now  before 

Clinton  lakes  it! 

LrtlS*!  L*rySI0l  S61  Mil  + T^j^^Mf^u+n^^ — 419. VU 


\K 


SHORTWAVE 

RECEIVER 
Fantastc  receiver  that 
captures  the  world 
wih  iust  a  12"  antenna'  Can  receive  any  2  MHz  portion 
from  ±U  MHz.  True  superhet.  has  smooth  varactor 
turang.  AGC.  RF  gari  control,  plenty  of  speaker  volume 
and  runs  on  a  9V  battery  Fascinating  Scout,  school  or 
dub  project,  provides  hours  of  fun  for  even  the  most 
serious  DXer.  For  the  car,  consider  our  shortwave 
converter.  Two  swilchable  bands  (In  3-22  MHz  range}, 
each  1  MHz  wide— lunabte  on  your  car  radio  dial.  Add 
some  interest  lo  your  drive  hornet 

Shortwave  receiver  kit,  SRI $29.95 

Shortwave  converter  kit,  SCI  ..+„1+„.++_.$27.95 

Matching  case  set  lor  SRI .  CSR $12.95 

Uatching  case  sel  tor  SCI.  CSC $12.95 


OHP  TRANSMITTERS  RECEIVERS  LINEAR  AMPLIFIERS 


*^t«r 


* 


SPEED  RADAR 

Now  low-cost  microwave.  Dopgler  radar  kit  "clocks*  cars,  planes,  boats,  horses. 
bikes  or  any  large  moving  object  Operates  at  2  6  GHz  with  up  lo  1/4  mile 
range  LED  digital  readout  displays  speed  in  mites  per  hour,  kilometers  per  hour 
or  feet  per  second1  Earphone  output  allows  for  listening  to  actual  Dopplcr  shift 
Uses  two  t  b  coffee  cans  for  antenna  (not  included)  and  runs  on  12  VDC  Easy 
to  buid— all  microwave  circuitry  is  PC  stripine  ASS  plastic  case  wih  speedy 
graphics  tor  a  professional  took  A  very  useful  and  tuH-of -fun  lot 


SG*7  Complete  kit. 


FM  RECEIVERS  4  TRANSWTTER 
Keep  an  ear  on  the  local  repeater  polce  weather  or  just  tune  around  These  sensitive  superhet 
receivers  are  fun  lo  build  and  use.  Tunes  any  $  MHz  portion  ol  the  band  and  nave  smooth 
varactor  lumng  with  AFC.  dual  conversion,  ceramic  filtering,  squelch  and  plenty  of  speaker 
volume.  Complete  manual  details  how  the  rigs  work  and  applications  2M  FM  transmitter  has  5W 
RF  oul,  crystal  control  ( 146  52  included),  pro-specs  and  daia/mike  inputs.  Add  our  case  sets  for  a 
nice  linistv 

FM  Receiver  kli  Sp^ily  band:  FrVW  (2M).  FR-6  {6MJ,  FR-to  (irjtl),  FR-M0 (feMMHzj $29.9S 

CFR  Matching  case  sel S12-95  FT-146  Two  Meter  FM  transmitter  kit $79.96 

CIRCLE  34  ON  READER  SEVICE  CARD 


20. 30.  40,  BOW  CW  TRANSMITTERS 
Join  tfie  tun  on  QPP*  Trousanas  of  rhese  mrv 
rigs  mv*  bwn  sou  and  tons  ol  OX  contacts 

nave  been  made,  imagine  working  trisiern 
Europe  wilh  a  J30  transmitter— that's  ham 
radio  it  H5  best!  Tnese  CW  rigs  are  ideal 
mates  lo  Iht  receivers  at  nght.  They  have  two- 
position  variable  crystal  conirel  (ono  popular 
ORP  kTAL  inciudedl.  one  wait  oulpul  and 
tHJiE-ln.  antenna  switch.  Runs  on  12VOC.  Add 
our  matching  case  and  knee  set  tar  a 
handsome  'msned  look. 
Your  choc*  of  band&tSpscfty  band  OBP 

20. 30. 40,  Or  90) ,J8>.95 

Malchmg  case 


knot-  S6LCQRP 


S12.9S 


7Q,  30,  40,  WM  All  Mode  RECCIVERS 

Buid  your  own  mmi  ham  station  Sen- 
Silrve  alt-mode  AM.  CW:  SS8  receivers 
use  direct  conversion  design  with 
NE602,  tO  as  featured  in  QST and  ARAL 
handbooks.  Very  sensitive  varactor 
tuned  over  entire  band,  Plenty  ol  speaker 
volume.  Runs  on  9V  battery.  Very  EASY 
to  build,  lots  of  fun  and  educational— 
ideal  lor  beginner  or  old  pro.  Mew  30- 
page  manual  Add  the  case  set  fw  weti- 
fitted  professional  took 
(S$wo*y  twrd-  HfVzo.  HR*30.  HR-40 

HTVarj) £29.95 

CHR.  Matcrmg  case  - _.S12.95 


QAMP 

For  a  sfick  i-nie  ORP  boost,  use  one  of 
Ihe  20  Wall  amplifiers  Needs  only  1/2-2 
watts  of  drive  for  full  output,  linear  for 
SSB,  AM  or  CW  operation,  power 
MOSFETs  for  high  effleciency  and 
multistage  low  pass  filter  for  a  clean 
signal.  Qmii-in  T/R  relay  for  automatic 
swilctimg.  runs  on  12-15  VDC  at  1-A 
amps  Add  our  matching  case  set  for  a 
complete  station  look 
your  cfjoice  of  bands.,.. ......549-95 

Spoc^y  t»nd-  EQAUP-20.  30. 40.  00) 
COAMP  Maitrmg  case  set S12.95 


C$ 


ORDERS  CALL   1-800-4  HOBBY  KITS  i446-2295) 

STrCH/ORDER/INFO  (716^24-4560  FAX  (716)924-4555 
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r,Lr.S    only|i  ad^i  35  Ofl    Ofrjara  yrrd«r  SSO  add  Sfl.Qfl  NV  ro»id«nt«  add  7%  tolfft  \KM,  90- day  pa^fi 
Wfltftmly  on  kit  port*.  1-y*nr  pails  &  bboe  wrtrnanly  on  winxi  nam. 

RAMSEY  ELECTRONICS,  INC  793  CANNING  PARKWAY  VICTOR  NY  14564 


2 WAY  RADIO 
SERVICE  MONITOR 
COM -3.  ihe  world's  moss  popular 
tow-cost  service  mowtor.  For  shops 
□q  or  small,  the  COM -3  deJhrers 
advanced  capaWes  far  a  fcamastc 
pnce— and  ouf  new  tease  pfggmm 
altows  you  to  own  a  COM- 3  for  less 
than  S3  00  a  day.  Feat  ures  •  Oiod 
entry  keyboard  with  programmable  memory  ■  Audio  &  tunsiiJtor 
frequency  courier  *  LEO  bar  graph  frequency/error  deviation  display 
•  0  i  10  000  jiV  output  lewis  *  ttgh  recede  sens*wiy.  fess  than  5 
uV  ■  100  kHz  to  999.9995  MHz  •  Condrtjous  frequency  coverage  ■ 
Tian&mi  protection ,  up  to  1 00  waitts  ■  CTS  tone  encoder  •  t  KHz  and 
externa*  modulation 

COM-3  2  Way  Radio  Service  Monitor.., S299S.O0 


SYNTHESIZED  SIGNAL 
GENERATOR 
FinaJry,  a  low -co  si  lab  quafily  signal 
generator— a  true  alternative  to  trie 
S7HuOO  generators.  The  RSG-T0  is.  a 
hard  working  but  easy  to  use 
generator  ideal  for  {he  lab  as  well  as 
lor  production  test.  Lease  it  for  less 
than  S3  00  a  day  Features  ■  too 
KHz  la  999  MHz  »  tOO  Hz  resolution 
to  500  MHz.  200  Hz  above-  -130  to  TOdBm  output  range  ■  Q  t  dB 
output  resolution  ■  AM  and  FM  modulation  *  20  programmable 
memories  *  Output  selection  in  volts,  dB,  dBm  with  instant 
conversion  between  wis  •  RF  output  reverse  power  protected  *  LED 
;  ?i  ;ay  o*  alt  car  aneterv-no  analog  guesswork' 
RSG  tO  Synihesized  Stgnat  Generator S2495.00 

SYNTHESIZED  AUDIO 
p-r — A  n  GENERATOR 

A   f|  DOS   [Oireci    Digital  Synthesis) 

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Resolving  2  meler/Cabte  TV  Interference 

Continued  from  ptige  18 

neighborhood  with  a  portable  FM  radio,  so 

put  on  your  sneakers ! 

Recon! 

Though  it's  the  cable  company's  job,  you 
can  track  down  the  leak  source  (they  call  it 
an  "egress")  yourself.  But  why  would  you 
want  to?  Don't  get  Ihe  wrong  idea* — 70U 
won't  fix  any  leak  you  find.  That's  up  to  the 
CATV  company.  You* I!  see  in  a  moment, 
though,  why  it's  helpful  to  know  the  source 
of  the  shield  breach  causing  the  leak.  For 
now,  be  satisfied  that  it  may  save  you  some 
embarrassment  if  the  source  is  in  your  own 
home!  Before  starting,  however,  carefully 
heed  the  following  warning:  Do  not  trespass 
on  other  people  s  property  while  performing 
your  self-styled  leak  survey.  It's  not  worth  a 
load  of  No.7  shot,  or  a  tangle  with  a  Dober- 
man,  to  find  the  leak!  Ham  radio  needs  your 
picture  in  the  local  paper  because  you 
hooked  up  a  homesick  foreign  exchange  stu- 
dent with  her  family  or  ran  a  battery  of 
phone  patches  for  weary  servicemen  through 
MARS,  not  because  of  an  article  about  your 
arrest  for  trespassing!  'Nuff  said? 

For  our  purposes,  you  can  perform  a  leak 
survey  handily  from  the  sidewalk,  or  from 
your  can  Don't  do  it  from  other  people's 
yards  without  their  permission  (and  even 
with  their  permission,  only  wilh  great  care). 
So . . .  how  do  you  do  it? 


CIRCLE  34  ON  HEADEfl  SEVICE  CARD 


Sniffing  It  Out 

CATV  systems  inject  a  special  modulated 
RF  carrier  into  their  system  to  act  as  an 
"odorant/'  sort  of  like  the  gas  company 
does.  If  they  have  a  shield  break — an 
egress — this  tone-modulated  radio  frequen- 
cy carrier,  or  tracer,  intentionally  escapes  the 
cable  and  Ehey  sniff  it  out  with  equipment 
carried  in  their  vans.  Luckily,  you  can  use  a 
portable  FM  broadcast  band  (BCB)  radio  to 
do  the  same!  Just  like  your  nose  finds  a  gas 
leak  because  of  the  odorant  injected,  your 
portable  FM  radio  can  find  a  cable  TV  leak. 

Here's  how  to  put  your  amateur  version  of 
the  sniffer  to  work.  First,  determine  what 
frequency  the  tracer  is  on  in  your  area*  Do 
this  by  placing  an  FM  BCB  portable  radio 
near  your  own  cable  TV  coax.  (What?  No 
CATV  in  your  home?  Then  try  this  test  with 
a  cooperative  neighbor,  or  even  better,  the 
one  who  is  complaining.)  Disconnect  the  in- 
coming CATV  coax  from  the  TV  or  VCR 
and,  with  an  FM  radio  close  by,  tunc  until 
you  come  across  a  raucous  whoop-whoop- 
whoop  tone.  If  the  carrier  injector  is  turned 
on,  you  cant  miss  it.  In  my  area  this  carrier 
resides  around  107.8  MHz,  although  in  some 
locales  it's  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  FM 
band*  Once  you  know  the  tracer  carrier's 
frequency,  drive  or  walk  your  neighborhood, 
listening  for  this  obnoxious  tone.  (Hook  the 
coax  you  pulled  for  this  test  back  up,  first! ) 

Don't  be  surprised  if  you  encounter  a 
number  of  cable  TV  leaks  in  your  search. 
Not  everything  you  will  hear,  however,  is  a 
leak  the  cable  company  needs  to  be  con- 


cerned about.  There  is  a  permissible  amount 
of  radiation,  tolerated  by  the  FCC.  You'll 
quickly  leam  to  sort  out  the  weak  ones  from 
the  strong  ones. 

Note,  too,  that  the  sensitivity  of  a  car's 
FM  BCB  radio  is  greater  than  the  squelch 
setting  of  the  commercial  sniffers  the  CATV 
companies  use.  As  a  guideline,  you're  inter- 
ested in  strong  leaks  within  a  few  block  area 
of  your  QTH.  A  strong  leak  would  be  one 
where  you  hear  "S9"  more  than  50  feet  from 
its  source.  I  find  the  car  radio  works  best  for 
the  general  search,  and  a  portable  radio  for 
pinpointing  the  source. 

Just  remember  this  clue,  Sherlock:  Where 
their  signal  escapes,  your  signal  enters. 

What  to  Look  For 

Once  your  sniffer  has  helped  you  zero 
in  on  a  possible  leak,  you  need  to  turn  to 
your  observation  skills.  As  you  drive  the 

system,  pay  particular  attention  to  pedestal 
junction  block  housings  (those  12"  square 
by  3'-high  metal  boxes),  and  any  pole- 
mounted  distribution  amplifiers.  Also,  scan 
the  overhead  cables  for  any  that  may  have 
been  damaged  by  falling  branches.  At  a 
residence,  the  leak  source  can  be  damaged 
or  water-corroded  cable,  especially  in  the 
drip  loop  where  it  enters  a  house.  Also  look 
for  loose  connectors  or  unterminated  split- 
ters or  cable  runs.  Devices  a  subscriber  puts 
on  his  line,  such  as  cheap  (poorly-shielded) 
coax,  lengths  of  300  ohm  twin  lead  (!),  and 
game  switches,  can  breach  the  system's  in- 
tegrity, too.  One  other  possibility  to  be 
aware  of  is  the  illegal  tap.  Take  the  safe  path 
and  let  the  cable  employees  "discover" 
these. 

Why  go  through  the  hassle  of  hunting 
down  the  leak  yourself?  You  don't  need  to. 
But  it  will  help,  and  might  even  favorably 
impress  the  CATV  company  if  you  can  tell 
them  where  you  think  the  egress  is  located. 
Possibly  you  can  even  guide  the  CATV  tech, 
saving  him  time  in  his  search. 

Contacting  the  Cable  Company 

The  last  step  toward  a  solution  is  to  make 
contact  (This  should  be  easy:  you're  a  ham, 
remember?!)  Once  you1  re  at  this  point,  sim- 
ply pick  up  the  telephone  and  call  the  cable 
company. 

First,  some  lips  to  make  your  effort  more 
successful; 

Plan  what  you  will  say  before  calling. 
Your  goal  is  to  get  one  point  across,  clearly: 
You're  the  one  who  is  causing  the  interfer- 
ence (that  will  get  their  attention),  and  you 
want  to  resolve  the  matter  quickly,  to  their 
benefit  as  well  as  yours.  Speak  and  act  pro* 
fessionally— tt  will  make  a  more  favorable 
impression.  Ask  to  speak  with  the  System 
Manager,  his  assistant,  or  a  member  of  the 
Engineering  Department.  (You  may  prefer  to 
visit  the  cable  company's  office  and  deliver 
your  message  personally.  If  you're  the 
charming,  amiable  type,  the  doors  will  open 
quickly.)  After  you've  clearly  stated  your 
reason  for  contacting  them,  run  down  the 
following  list  of  points  to  discuss:  Explain 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  21 


^— 


the  problem  and  how  you  know  the  things 

you  do.  (Expect  them  to  be  curious  how  you 
know  about  the  technical  aspects  of  their 
system.)  Use  ihe  word  egress.  (They  prefer 
it  to  leak;  it  sounds  less  threatening,)  Did 

you  find  anything  in  your  own  search  for  the 
egress?  If  so,  tell  them  now. 

Have  they  encountered  this  problem  be- 


fore? How  did  they  resolve  it? 

Keep  in  mind  it's  not  always  a  fault  of 
their  system  that  causes  the  leak — oops, 
egress.  Ir  can  be  devices  the  subscriber  puts 
on  the  line.  They  should  be  as  interested  in 
these,  however,  as  defects  in  their  own  sys- 
tem. Either  can  allow  CATV  signals  to  es- 
cape, or  permit  outside  signal  entry.  It's  all 


in  how  you  present  it 

Don't  pepper  your  speech  with  ham  "QM 
signals.  Even  though  we  talk  this  way, 
CATV  people  won't  find  it  intelligible,  or 
amusing. 

Inquire  if  the  cable  company  noted  any 
leaks  in  your  area  at  their  last  FCC-mandat- 
cd  leak  survey.  (They  refer  to  this  survey  as 


CATV 
CATV  Frequency  Assignments 

Knowing  what  frequency  is  used  (and  shared)  by  a  particular  CATV 
channel  can  be  useful  in  troubleshooting  CATV  problems.  Table  1  can 
help  you  determine  CATV  channel  frequencies  from  the  cable  compa- 
ny's decoder,  whether  your  local  system  uses  letter  or  number  designa- 
tors. Only  cable  TV  channels  2  through  13  correspond  directly  with  the 
off-air  channel  frequencies.  From  that  point.  CATV  channels  bound 
across  the  spectrum,  borrowing  slices  of  RF  real  estate  along  the  way. 
Although  it's  not  shown  on  this  chart,  in  some  systems  frequencies  as 
low  as  5  MHz  are  used!  (Source:  Scientific  Atlanta.) 

FCC  Rules  Governing  CATV  Service 

Part  76  of  the  FCC  rules  is  on  the  mind  of  every  CATV  system  oper- 
ator This  section  governs  how  he  operates  his  CATV  system,  and 
spells  out  the  technical  standards  he  must  follow.  The  FCC  Bulletin  re- 
produced here  in  pan  (FOB  Bulletin  No.  17).  is  a  checklist  CATV  oper- 
ators can  use  to  ensure  compliance.  Rules  76.601  and  76,61 1  arc  of  par- 
ticular interest  (and  help)  to  amateurs,  Rules  76.613  and  76.614  apply 
in  the  special  case  of  cable  TV  frequencies  shared  with  aeronautical 
services.  Keep  in  mind  thai  some  leakage  is  tolerated;  you  might  hear 
leaks  during  your  tone-sniffing  survey  that  are  entirely  legal.  How 
much  radiation  is  tolerated?  FCC  rules  stale  that,  at  2m  frequencies,  a 
leaking  CATV  signal's  strength  cannot  exceed  20  microvolts  per  meter 
at  a  distance  of  10  feeL  You1!!  probably  have  no  way  of  knowing  the 
actual  field  strength  of  any  leaks  you  encounter.  Note  them  all,  anyway, 
following  the  guidelines  given  in  the  main  article,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
service  technician.  HeTI  be  able  to  sort  out  the  strong  ones. 

Reverse  Psychology 

In  some  areas,  amateur  repeaters  at  the  low  end  of  the  2m  band  have 
long  suffered  QRM  from  leaking  CATV  signals.  The  concepts  de- 
scribed in  this  article  work  for  tracking  down  these  leaks  and  resolving 
them.  Think  of  it  this  way:  If  leaking  CATV  signals  are  ruining  2m  re- 
peater operation,  surely  some  ham  in  the  area  is  getting  into  their  sys- 
tem, too , , ,  Use  a  little  reverse  psychology  to  solve  this  one! 

What  to  do  if  the  TVacer  is  Off 

Occasionally,  lightning  or  equipment  failure  will  knock  a  cable  com- 
pany's FM  band  tracer  system  out  of  sen  ice.  If  so,  you'll  have  to  resort 
to  conducting  your  search  with  different  equipment  Your  2m  mobile 
rig  and  2m  HTt  or  a  scanner,  will  fill  the  bill.  (Be  aware  of  your  state's 
laws  regarding  scanners  in  automobiles,  if  you  employ  one  for  the 
search,)  Although  these  methods  won't  be  as  inconspicuous  as  a  Walk- 
man or  the  FM  receiver  in  your  car,  they  will  work.  Instead  of  a  tone, 
you'll  be  searching  for  the  actual  audio  portion  of  a  cable  TV  channel 
Here*s  how:  Refer  to  Table  1  for  the  audio  sideband  frequency  of  a 
CATV  channel  within  the  tuning  range  of  your  2m  rigs  or  scanner.  I 
suggest  channels  A  through  E,  as  these  lower  frequencies  carry  farther 
once  they've  escaped  the  cable,  After  programming  your  rig,  drive  or 
walk  the  area  listening  for  the  audio  portion  of  the  TV  channel  you've 
targeted.  Zero  in  on  it  in  the  same  manner  as  described  in  the  main  arti- 
cle for  the  FM  receiver.  Use  a  scanner  or  your  mobile  2m  rig  with  an 
external  antenna  for  the  general  search,  and  an  HT  for  pinpointing  leaks 
on  foot. 

What  to  do  if  the  FM  Tracer  is  Gone! 

Depending  on  how  progressive,  or  financially  flush,  your  local  cable 
company  is.  they  may  have  upgraded  their  leak  tracing  system  beyond 
the  FM  band  leak  tracer.  The  new  generation  of  leak  tracer  uses  spe- 
cialized equipment  which  searches  for  actual  video  radiation  on  chan- 


Notes 

nels  A,  B,  or  C.  These  are  aeronautical  frequencies,  slightly  above  the 
FM  band.  Why  the  switch  from  a  perfectly  good  system  that  was  also 
easy  for  us  to  track?  One  incentive  for  the  cable  operator  is  that  the  new 
system  frees  FM  band  frequencies  for  commercial  use.  Cable  systems 
sell  an  entertainment  product,  but  no  one  would  pay  to  hear  a  repetitive 
whooping  tone!  {Unless,  of  course,  the  customer  happens  to  be  a 
ham— the  type  who  parks  his  receiver  on  WWV  for  hours  on  end  . , . ). 
If  your  cable  system  has  made  the  switch,  use  the  tracking  methods  de- 
scribed in  "What  to  do  if  the  Tracer  is  Off." 

Portable  TVs  as  Leak  Detectors 

It's  tempting,  but  leave  the  portable  TV  at  home;  it  won't  work  well 
as  a  CATV  leak  sniffer.  The  video  component  of  a  leaking  signal  weak- 
ens too  quickly  with  distance.  Beyond  five  feet  or  so  of  an  egress,  a 
consumer-grade  TV  will  not  detect  a  leak  source,  Also,  note  that  only 
CATV  channels  2  through  13  correspond  directly  with  the  frequencies 
of  off-air  TV,  so  if  s  difficult  to  tune  the  entire  range  of  cable  channels. 

Neighbor  PR 

A  little  premeditated  public  relations  effort  with  your  neighbors  goes 
a  long  way,  Really  now,  why  be  hard-headed  about  it?  Try  a  gentler  ap- 
proach, I  always  start  with:  "I'm  sorry  that  I'm  affecting  your  TV/ra- 
dio/telcphone  . . ,"  It  can  be  positively  disarming,  and  that  can  work  in 
your  favor.  Ditto  with  the  cable  company. 

What  to  do  when  the  Problem  is  Wrapped  Up 

When  an  RF!  case  of  any  type  is  finally  wrapped  up,  I  make  a  call  to 
tie  the  ribbons  on  it  with  my  neighbor,  I  do  this  to  gel  his  agreement 
that  it  is  resolved,  or  (put  the  words  in  his  mouth  if  necessary)  "99% 
better,  and  acceptable/' 

Also,  call  the  cable  company  and  leave  a  message  for  your  contact 
person  to  say  thanks,  Our  CATV  system  manager  went  so  far  as  to  tell 
me  to  encourage  other  amateurs  to  contact  him  if  they  encountered  sim- 
ilar problems.  You  can  open  the  door  for  your  brother  and  sister  ama- 
teurs with  this  follow-up  calL 

Lastly,  write  down  what  you  did  and  learned.  Others  can  benefit 
from  this  knowledge!  Share  it  with  your  local  club,  repeater  group  or 
packet  organization, 

High-Pass  Filters . .  •  One  Thing  Not  To  Do 

A  local  amateur,  N8LDQ,  also  experienced  serious  CATVI  shortly 
after  my  situation  was  resolved.  Interestingly,  he  found  that  a  high-pass 
filter,  a  typical  TVI  solution,  was  causing  the  cable  system  shield 
breach  at  a  neighbor's  home.  It  was  a  poorly-shielded  L/C  unit  which 
let  2m  energy  in  and  cable  energy  out.  Although  it  would  have  been  a 
fine  approach  to  an  HF-related  source  of  TVI  in  an  off-air  TVX  case,  in 
the  cable  system  it  was  a  Pandora's  box  (or  gateway  i. 

The  Cable  Company  Field  Tech  and  You 

Try  to  meet  the  cable  company  technician  who  performs  the  investi- 
gation and  repair  work.  There  are  two  reasons  to  do  this.  First,  if  you 
impress  him  as  a  technically  competent  and  helpful  individual,  you'll 
enhance  the  image  of  our  hobby.  This  will  help  your  case,  and  those 
who  follow  you,  Secondly,  you  might  learn  something!  (Then  pass  it 
on  at  your  next  ham  club  meeting!)  Keep  in  mind  the  poor  tech's  lot: 
He  enters  the  home  of  strangers*  deals  with  their  smoke  and  pets,  must 
figure  out  and  fix  the  problem,  all  while  piaying  referee  between  the 
subscriber,  his  company  and  possibly  even  you!  If  you  can  ally  ihe 
CATV  company  lech,  your  job  of  msolving  the  matter  will  be  more  ef- 
fective, and  quicker  to  succeed. 


22  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December.  1 993 


& 


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•  SOLID  STATE  ELECTRONICALLY  REGULATED 

•  FOLD-BACK  CURRENT  LIMITING  Protects  Power  Supply 
from  excessive  current  &  continuous  sJiorted  output 

•  CROWBAR  OVER  VOLTAGE  PROTECTION  on  all  Models 
tistpt  HS-3A.  HS-4A.  ftS-5A  RS-4L  RS-5L 

•  MAINTAJN  REGULATION  &  LOW  RIPPLE  at  km  line  input 
Voltage 

•  H€AVY  DUTY  HEAT  SINK  •  CHASSIS  MOUNT  FUSE 

•  THREE  CONDUCTOR  POWER  CORD  except  for  RS-3A 

•  ONE  YEAR  WARRANTY  *  MADE  IN  u\S,A. 


PERFORMANCE  SPECIFICATIONS 

•  INPUT  VOLTAGE'  105-125  VAC 

•  OUTPUT  VOLTAGE:  13.8  VDC  t  0.05  volts 
(Internally  Adjustable:  11-15  VDC) 

*  RIPPLE  Less  than  Smv  peak  to  peak  (full  load  & 
low  line) 

*  All  units  available  in  220  VAC  input  voltage 
(except  for  SL-11A) 


LOW  PROFILE  POWER  SUPPLY 


MODEL 

SL-11A 
SL-11R 
SL-11S 
SL-11R-RA 


Colors 

Bray     Black 


Continuous 
Duty  [Amps] 

7 
7 

7 

7 


ICS* 
(Amps) 

11 
11 
11 
11 


Size  (IN) 

H  ■  W-  0 
2**7**9^ 

»*r  *9% 

2%*7%*9tt 
4%x7    *y% 


Shipping 

12 
12 

12 
13 


RS~L  SERIES 


RM  SERIES 


MODEL  RM-35M 


•  POWER  SUPPLIES  WITH  BUILT  IN  CIGARETTE  LIGHTER  RECEPTACLE 

Continuous  IDS*  Size  UN] 

Duly  (Amps]  JAmps)  H  -  W  -  0 

3  4  3tt  *  6ft  *  7% 


MODEL 

RS-4L 


5M 


RS-5L 


5 


Vh  *  6V9  *  Vk 


6 
7 


•  19"  RACK  MOUNT  POWER  SUPPLIES 

Continuum 
MODEL 

RM-12A 

RM-35A 

RM-50A 

RM-60A 

Separate  Volt  and  Amp  Meters 

RM-12M 

RM35M 

RM-5QM 

RM-60M 


Duty  (Ampsl 

9 

25 
37 
SO 

9 
25 
37 
50 


[Ampsl 
12 
35 
50 
55 

12 
35 
50 
55 


Size  [INI 

H  x  W  x  D 

5V-x19x8% 

5 'Ax  19  x  12ft 

5%  x  19  x  12V? 

7x19x12W 

5!Ax  19x87* 

5%  x  19  x12  V? 

571x19x12^ 

7x19x12% 


Shipping 
WL  [lbsl 

16 

38 

50 

60 

16 
36 
50 
60 


' 


RS-A  SERIES 


MODEL  RS-7A 


^__^_ 


MODEL 

RS^3A 

RS-4A 

RS-5A 

RS-7A 

RS-7B 

RS-1QA 

RS-t2A 

RS-12B 

RS-2QA 

RS-35A 

RS-50A 
RS  70 A 


Colors 
Gray        Black 


■ 
* 

* 


Ctnliiiois 
Oiff  (Ampsl 

2.5 

3 

4 

5 

5 

7.5 

9 

9 

16 

25 

37 
57 


IDS' 

(A»pt) 
3 
4 
S 
7 
7 
10 
12 
12 
20 
35 

50 

70 


Size  |1N| 

N  x  1  x  0 

3  X  4^  X  5li 

3%  X  61*  X  9 

3^  x  6ft  X  7% 

Vk  X  6te  x  9 

A  X  Vk  x  10^ 

4x7'A  X  1Qft 

A\h  X  8  X  9 

4  x  Vh  x  io>a 
5  x  9  x  10'£ 
5x  11  x  11 

6x  IS^Xl! 

6  x  13V*  x  12«i 


Skipping 

WI.  [111.] 

4 

5 

7 

9 
10 
11 
13 
13 
16 
27 


% 


RS-M  SERIES 


MODEL  RS-35M 


MODEL 

•  Switc table  volt  and  Amp 
RS-12M 

•  Separate  volt  and  Amp  meters 
RS-20M 

R5-35M 
RS-50M 
RS-70M 


Cifiliiiftit 
Ditf  (Amps] 


16 

25 

37 
57 


ICS* 
l*"f«l 

12 

20 

35 

50 
70 


Sizi  (IN) 
HxWxl 

4  ;  x  8  X  9 

5  x  9  x  1QV? 
5  x  11  x  11 

6  X  13^  X  11 

6  x  13V4  x  t2<» 


Skippiif 

Wt.  |lbs  ) 

IS 

27 

46 

48 


VS-M  AND  VRM-M  SERIES 


*  Separate  Vott  and  Amp  Meiers  *  Output  Voltage  adjustable  from  2-15  volts  *  Current  limit  adjustable  from  1.5  amps 


lo  Full  Load 


VS-12M 
VS2GM 
VS-35M 
VS-50M 


Cntiims 

Dity  (Anptl 

@  13. 8 VDC  @10VDC  <3s5VDC 

9               5  2 

16               9  4 

25             15  7 

37             22  10 


MODEL  VS-35M 


Variable  rack  mount  power  supplies 
VRM-35M  25  15 

VRM-50M  37  22 


7 
10 


IDS'  Sizi|IN| 

(Anpt)  H  x  W  X  ft 

<s>13.8V 

12  Ayk  X  8  x  9 

20  5  X  9  X  10V? 

35  5X11X11 

50  6  x  13%  x  11 


35  5%  x  19  x  12V* 

50  5%  X  19  x  12V* 


Slipplll 

Wt,  (lit.) 

13 

20 
29 
46 


JO 

50 


RS-S  SERIES 


MODEL  RS-12S 


Built  in  speaker 

MODEL 

RS-7S 

RS-10S 

RS-12S 

RS-20S 

SL-11S 


Colon 
Gray        Black 


CliHiltis 

Dily  jAnpt) 
5 

7.5 
9 
16 

7 


ICS" 
A»pj 
7 
10 
12 
20 

11 


Sizt(IN) 

H  x  W  x  I 

4  X  Vh  X  10tt 

4X  Vk  X  103/< 

4W  x  8  X  9 

5  x  9  x  10V? 

2V,x7%x9V- 


Shippil| 

Wt.  (III.) 

10 
12 
13 
18 

12 


S—  Intermittent  Communication  Serv.ce  (50*  Duty  Cycle  5m»n  on  5  min.  off) 


CIHCLE  16  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


the  Cumulative  Leakage  Index).  It's  not  a 
good  point  to  open  the  conversation  on,  but 
can  be  worked  in  during  the  visit. 

Be  prepared,  also,  for  the  possibility  that 
your  neighbors  have  not  yet  registered  a 
complaint  with  the  cable  company,  and  you 
made  it  there  first. 

Once  again:  The  basis  of  your  position  is 
that  you  are  entering  and  QRMing  the  cable 
system  because  it  has  some  type  or  shield  in- 
tegrity problem.  Likewise,  their  signal  is  get- 


CATV 

CONVTB 

STANDARD 

CH 

CH 

VIDEO 

AUDIO 

2 

2 

J?>LJ 

59.75 

3 

3 

61.25 

65.75 

4 

4 

67.25 

71.75 

5 

5 

77.25 

81.75 

6 

6 

83-25 

87.75 

A2 

1 

1 09.25 

113.75 

A1 

37 

115.25 

119.75 

A 

14 

121.25 

125.75 

B 

15 

1 27.25 

131,75 

C 

16 

133.25 

137.75 

D 

17 

1 39.25 

143.75 

E 

18 

145.25 

149.75 

F 

19 

151,28 

155.75 

G 

20 

157.25 

161.75 

H 

21 

163.25 

1 67.75 

I 

0-*Tt 

169.25 

173.75 

7 

7 

1 75.25 

1 79.75 

8 

8 

181.25 

185.75 

9 

9 

187,25 

191.75 

10 

10 

1 93.25 

197.75 

11 

11 

199.25 

203.75 

12 

12 

205.25 

209.75 

13 

13 

211.25 

215.75 

J 

23 

217*25 

221.75 

K 

24 

22325 

227.75 

L 

25 

229.35 

233,75 

M 

26 

235.25 

239.75 

N 

27 

241 .25 

24575 

O 

28 

247.25 

251 .75 

P 

29 

25325 

257.75 

Q 

30 

259.25 

263.75       j 

R 

31 

265.25 

269.75 

s 

32 

271.25 

275.75       ' 

T 

33 

277,25 

281.75 

U 

34 

283.25 

287.75 

V 

35 

289.25 

293.75 

w 

36 

295,25 

299.75 

AA 

38 

301.25 

305.75 

BB 

39 

307.25 

311.75 

CC 

40 

313.25 

317.75 

DD 

41 

319*25 

323.75 

EE 

42 

325-25 

329.75 

FF 

43 

331.25 

335.75 

GG 

44 

337.25 

341 .75 

HH 

45 

343.25 

347,75 

II 

46 

349.25 

353.75 

JJ 

47 

355,25 

359.75 

KK 

48 

361  25 

365.75 

;  ll 

49 

367.25 

371 .75 

MM 

50 

373,25 

377.75 

NN 

51 

379,25 

383.75 

OO 

52 

385.25 

389.75 

PP 

53 

391.25 

395.75 

QQ 

54 

397.25 

401 .75 

ling  out.  You  are  licensed  to  transmit  over 

the  air  on  2m;  they  are  not!  The  problem  is 
theirs,  whether  it*s  a  subscriber's  poorly- 
shielded  jumper,  or  their  own  damaged  ca- 
bles. You've  even  helped  them  locate  it! 
Both  economics  (lost  revenue  due  to  mad 
subscribers)  and  the  FCC  inspire  them  to  re- 
turn their  sysiem  to  a  shielded,  leak-free  con- 
dition. Remind  them  of  this,  ever  so  politely. 
Always  end  with  a  polite  *thank  you/'  not- 
ing you  arc  willing  to  assist. 

Now,  reread  the  last  paragraph,  pump 
yourself  up,  and  go!  In  the  unlikely  event 
your  contact  attempts  are  rebuffed,  a  letter  to 
the  system  manager  is  the  next  recourse. 
Keep  copies  for  reference.  You  might  need 
them  later  on.  That's  it,  the  third  and  final 
step! 

In  the  Meantime 

At  all  times  you  should  be  making  an  ef- 
fort toward  good  public  relations.  If  you  fa- 
vorably impress  your  neighbors  with  your  ef- 
forts, and  maybe  even  self-impose  some  qui- 
et hours  until  the  problem  is  cleared  up, 
they'll  have  a  better  impression  of  you  and 
of  our  hobby.  (Also,  in  the  future  they  might 
overlook  the  fact  that  your  kW  on  40m 
makes  their  phone  chirp  a  bit.  You  can  reap 
the  benefits  of  this  PR  effort  down  the  road, 
tool)  You  should  tell  your  neighbors  you  are 
working  with  the  cable  company  to  resolve 
the  problem.  Explain  as  much  as  they  want 
to  know.  Keep  relations  good,  and  try  to  en- 
list their  help  in  your  troubleshooting  efforts. 
Besides  being  the  right  thing  to  do,  allying 
yourself  with  your  neighbors  is  the  most  pru- 
dent path  to  follow.  You  may  even  need  their 
assistance  at  some  point  to  pressure  the 


CATV  company  to  resolve  the  matter. 

If,  after  all  this  (and  only  as  a  last  mea- 
sure), no  positive  results  are  attained,  write 
your  FCC  Field  Office,  Addresses  are  in  the 
ARRUs  FCC  Rule  Book.  This  is  a  last  resort, 
though.  My  philosophy  is  that  if  you  present 
yourself  in  a  friendly,  positive,  and  reason- 
able manner,  you'll  receive  excellent  re- 
sponse from  your  cable  company.  More  often 
than  not  they  will  be  ready  to  resolve  the 
problem  and  will  welcome  your  assistance. 
Case  in  point:  My  local  cable  company  took 
less  than  24  hours  to  solve  my  CATVI  prob- 
lem once  1  brought  it  to  their  attention, 

I  also  recommend  you  obtain  a  back  issue 
of  QST,  October  1990,  On  page  42,  two  Ca- 
ble TV  employees,  who  also  happen  to  be 
hams,  offer  some  insight  in  the  "Hints  and 
Kinks"  column.  Your  library  can  probably 
obtain  a  copy  of  that  page  through  interim 
brary  loan,  depending  on  their  copyright 
agreement.  Another  reference  well  worth  ob- 
taining for  your  shack  library  is  the  Interfer- 
ence Handbook  by  William  Nelson 
WA6FQG.  It  treats  a  wide  range  of  interfer- 
ence subjects,  including  that  of  CATVI,  in 
depth. 

It's  late,  and  time  for  me  to  sign  off.  I'll 
leave  you  with  these  final  thoughts:  You 
want  this  resolved,  and  you  don't  want  your 
neighbors  ticked  at  you.  They  probably 
blame  you,  even  though  it's  likely  that  the 
problem  is  the  cable  system's  shortcoming, 
or  even  their  own  fault!  Keep  their  viewpoint 
in  mind  though:  Everything  was  fine  until 
"that  ham  down  the  Street'  went  on 
the  air.  So  do  things  right,  be  helpful:  but 
remember — you  are  licensed  to  use  the 
airwaves.  Persist! 


Table  L  Scientific-Atlanta  frequency  chan- 
nel plan. 


Part  76 — Cable  Television 


Rule/Reference 

Leakage  Tests 
Rule:  76.601 


Suggested  Procedure 

Conduct  leakage  tests  once  a  year  to  show  compliance  with  leakage 

standards  in  Rules  Section  76.605.  Maintain  complete  test  data  from 

annual  tests  for  6  years. 

Note:  Performing  regular  monitoring  and  leakage  repairs  in  accordance 

with  Section  76.614  will  ensure  that  your  system  complies  with  leakage 

standards. 

Cable  Television  Basic  Signal  Leakage  Performance 

Rule;76,61 1  Conduct  a  test  once  a  year  to  establish  conformance  with  the 

Cumulative  Leakage  Index. 

Interference  from  a  Cable  Television  System 

Rule:  76.61 3  Stop  operation  immediately  and  correct  any  condition  that  threatens 

radio  navigation  or  other  safety-of-life  services. 
Before  reactivation,  submit  an  interference  report  to  the  Field 
Operations  Bureau  of  the  Federal  Communications  Commission.  Await 
response  from  Engineer  rn  Charge  before  resuming  operation. 


Regular  Monitoring 
Rule:  76,614 


Provide  for  a  program  of  regular  monitoring  for  signal  leakage  by 
checking  the  entire  plant  every  3  months  when  using  aeronautical 
frequencies.  Maintain  a  log  of  leakage  sources,  probable  causes, 
and  corrective  action  taken  for  2  years. 


Excerpt  from  FCC  FOB  Bulletin  No.  1 7,  revised  edition,  March  1991. 


24  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


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Cl RCLE  29  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Review 


Number  6  on  your  Feedback  card 


by  Dave  Martin  W6KOW 


The  HANDl-Finder 

Build  this  versatile,  accurate  DFer  semi  kit  in  an  evening. 


North  Olmstead  Amateur  Radio  Depot 

(NGARD,  Inc.) 
29462  Lorain  Ftd. 
N.  Olmstead  OH  44070 
Telephone:  (216)  777-9460 
Price  Class,  partial  kit  $27.95 


^ 


Reasons  for  owning  radio  direction-finding 
equipment  are  many.  DF  gear  can  be 
used  for  locating  a  source  of  unintentional  in- 
terference, documenting  jamming,  or  for 
what  is  probably  the  best  justification  of  all: 
The  fun  of  T-hunting  with  a  local  group  of 
transmitter  hiders  and  hunters. 

To  get  beyond  the  hand-held-next-to-the- 
body  method  of  determining  the  bearing  to  a 
transmitter,  some  specialized  gear  is  need- 
ed, Even  at  VHF  and  UHF,  often-cumber- 
some DF  antenna  arrays  are  often  seen  con- 
nected to  exotic  equipment  carried  by  seri- 
ous DFers.  By  contrast,  the  HANDl-Finder 
DF  device  marketed  in  partial  kit  form  by 
North  Olmstead  Amateur  Radio  Supply  De- 
pot is  small  enough  to  be  hand-held,  is  easy 
to  use,  provides  a  sharply  defined  bearing, 
and  is  inexpensive,  Its  only  apparent  disad- 
vantage is  180-degree  ambiguity;  if  you  don't 
know  ttie  general  direction  of  the  signal,  you 
will  have  to  move  until  the  bearing  changes 
to  solve  the  problem  of  whether  you  are  re- 
ceiving the  "front"  or  "back"  of  the  signal. 

Designed  by  Bob  Leskovec  K8DTS  and 
based  on  a  circuit  published  for  use  by  the 
Coast  Guard  Auxiliary,  the  HANDl-Finder  be- 


comes the  antenna  for  art  ordinary  hand-held 
radio  on  either  FM  or  AM.  A  canier  is  needed 
to  make  the  system  work.  The  HANDl-Finder 
works  by  switching  at  an  audio  rate  between 
two  antennas.  In  addition  to  hearing  the  sig- 
nal's modulation,  the  operator  hears  a  con- 
stant audio  tone— until  the  plane  of  the  two 


MM 


"Getting  into  the 

open,  however, 

demonstrated  that  the 

HANDl-Finder  works 

as  advertised. " 

antennas  is  perpendicular  to  the  signal  path. 
The  tone  then  nulls  sharply.  Indicating  the 
bearing  to  the  target  transmitter,  which  is  90 
degrees  to  the  antenna  plane.  Modulation  on 
the  carrier  is  unaffected;  only  the  tone  nulls. 

How  It  Works 

Powered  by  a  9  volt  radio  battery,  the  cir- 
cuit is  based  on  a  single  CD4047B  IC  that 


Photo  A.  The  HANDl-Finder  kit  was  easy  to  assemble  in  less  than  an  hour. 
26  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


contains  an  oscillator  and  a  flip-flop  that  pro- 
vides complementary  symmetrical  square- 
wave  outputs.  Switched  at  an  audio  rate  be- 
tween two  antennas,  the  switching-rate  audio 
tone  is  heard  unless  both  antennas  are  re- 
ceiving the  signal  at  the  same  time  and  are 
therefore  in  phase- 
Building  It 

The  North  Olmstead  kit  includes  a  1-5/8*  x 
6"  circuit  board  with  all  of  the  electronic  com- 
ponents mounted  on  the  board.  Working 
carefully,  I  finished  the  circuit  board  in  45 
minutes.  Not  included  in  the  kit  are  the  an* 
tenna  elements,  coax  and  connector,  handfe. 
battery,  and  two  1/8"  pop  rivets  to  mount  the 
battery  holder. 

For  antenna  elements,  I  used  two  18" 
lengths  of  3732"  brass  welding  rod.  (My  near- 
by welding  supply  store  simply  gave  me  two 
rods — enough  for  two  sets  of  antennas — 
rather  than  writing  up  such  a  small  order.) 
The  vertical  parts  of  the  antennas  are  the  re- 
ceiving elements,  and  the  distance  between 
them  can  be  optimized  for  a  particular  fre- 
quency band.  For  DF  work  mostly  on  2  me- 
ters, I  settled  for  a  spacing  of  about  14  inch- 
es. After  forming  the  U-shape  elements.  I 
soldered  crimp-type  wire  connectors  that  are 
bolted  to  the  circuit  board. 

The  13-page  construction  and  operations 
manual  suggests  using  a  paint-roller  handle 
to  hold  the  HANDl-Finder.  I  chose  a  $1.42 
plastic  model  that  is  threaded  at  the  bottom 
and  fits  a  painter's  extension  pole.  A  vise 
and  hacksaw  came  in  handy.  Attaching  a  6- 
foot  length  of  50  ohm  coax  and  a  BNC  con- 
nector completed  the  building  project. 

Using  the  HANDl-Finder 

First  experiments  were  near  my  house — 
too  nearh  as  H  turned  out  The  manual  notes 
that  used  indoors,  too  close  to  buildings  or 
even  large  trees,  multipath  signals  will  pro- 
vide multiple  nulls  and  no  clear  indication  of 
bearing.  Early  experience  confirmed  this. 

Getting  into  the  open,  however,  demon- 
strated that  the  HANDt-Rnder  works  as  ad- 
vertised. The  audio  tone  is  apparent  even  on 
weak  signals,  and  there's  a  sharp  null  when 
the  antenna  array  is  perpendicular  to  the 
bearing  to  the  transmitter. 

The  final  test  was  to  talk  my  wife  into  driv- 


* 

J  V 

HANDI-Finder li 


Photo  B.  The  compact,  lightweight  unit  is 
powered  by  a  9V  battery  and  mounted  on  a 
paint-rotter  handle. 

ing  around  as  I  simulated  a  T-hunt  with  the 
HANDI-Finder  on  its  paint  pole  outside  the 
car  1  cheated  by  knowing  approximately 
where  the  transmitter  was— the  continuously- 
broadcast*  low-power  ATIS  (automatic  termi- 
nal information  service)  AM  signal  associat- 
ed with  the  control  tower  at  an  airport  about 
six  miles  from  my  house.  This  target  was 
picked  because  I  knew  i  could  get  quite 
close  to  the  transmitter  without  driving  to  the 
top  of  a  mountain. 

We  played  the  game.  First  we  solved  the 
ambiguity  problem  by  driving  far  enough  to 
get  a  consistent  bearing  shift.  I  found  that 
"picket  fencing"  associated  with  weak  signals 
heard  while  underway  mobile  prevented  get- 
ting a  distinct  null;  we  pulled  to  the  curb  a  lot. 
Within  20  minutes,  though,  we  were  close  to 
the  airport,  and  driving  around  it  confirmed 
that  the  ATJS  antenna  is  on  top  of  the  control 
tower 

The  Bottom  Line 

The  HANDI-Finder  works  well  on  any 
carrier-based  signal  that  its  IC  can  hear. 
By  changing  the  antenna  elements,  the  unit 
should  work  as  low  as  50  MHz  and  as 
high  as  450  MHz.  The  circuit  could  also  be 
used  with  a  pair  of  directionaf  antennas 
that  would  solve  the  ambiguity  problem  from 
one  location — at  the  expense  of  hand-held 
portability. 

In  its  simplest  form,  using  a  hand-held 
radio  with  a  HANDI-Finder  offers  versatile, 
accurate,  easy-to-use  direction  finding  for 
about  S35+  How  could  you  beat  that? 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  27 


Number  7  your  Feedback 


Five-Element  T-Match 

VHF  Yagi 

Excellent  performance  characteristics  on  2  meters. 


by  Marty  Gammel  KA0NAN 


I  "finally  decided  to  gel  started  on  a  long- 
overdue  new  yagi  for  my  rooftop  antenna 
farm,  here  in  Minnesota,  I  needed  a  clean 
pattern  with  about  9  to  10  dB  gain  for  FM 
repeater  and  simplex  work. 

I  have  tried  several  different  types  of  an- 
tennas in  the  past,  but  Pve  never  tried  us- 
ing the  *TM  match  with  a  half-wave  balun. 
So.  1  looked  in  the  ARRL  Antenna  Book. 
15th  edition,  for  guidance.  The  baiun 
looked  easy. 

Due  to  our  harsh  winters,  I  needed  to  en- 
close the  balun,  and  I  also  needed  a  good 
solid  mount  for  the  *T"  match  feed  point.  I 
chose  a  plastic  box  from  Radio  Shack  thai 
measured  2-1/2"  by  4-5/8"  to  house  the 
bafun.  The  beam  itself  was  easy,  using  a  5*- 
long  square  boom  from  an  old  TV  antenna 
as  a  starting  point.  After  removing  the  old 
elements,  t  decided  to  use  a  close  standard 
spacing  of  13"  for  reflector-to-driven~eIe- 
ment  spacing.  1  wanted  a  close-spaced  first 


director,  so  I  used  9" 
for  dnven-element- 
to-first'director  spac- 
ing. For  second  and 
third  directors,  I  used 
15-1/2"  and  17"  spac- 
ing. The  1  "-square 
boom  was  big  enough 
for  this  small,  5'-Iong 
antenna.  I  used  3/8" 
diameter  aluminum 
tubing  for  all  the  ele- 
ments and  the  **T" 
match  bars. 

As  an  extra  feature 
on  this  antenna,  also 
from  Lhe  ARRL  An- 
tenna Book,  15th  edi- 
tion, I  added  a  ferriie  bead  choke  on  the 
quarter- wave  line  section  of  the  balun.  The 
local  electronic  surplus  house  proved  to  be 
a  source  for  cheap  ferrite  beads.  I  also 


Balun 
Box 


— 


Photo  A.  Baiun  assembly,  read\  to  install 


wound  the  halT-wave  section  of  coax  into  a 
four-turn  choke  to  fit  into  the  plastic  box. 
The  combination  of  the  ferrite  beads  and 
the  four-turn  choke  gives  good  isolation  of 

the  feed  line  and  avoids 
radiation  from  the  feed- 
line  shield.  The  dimen- 
sions for  the  #*T"  bars 
came  from  standard  de- 
sign lengths  for  gamma 
match  parts.  The  "T" 
match  design  gives  a  very 
clean  design,  without 
skewing. 


Ref. 

39-3/4" 

Driven   •■ 

=    38-7/8" 

1st 

DIr. 

=   37-7/8" 

2nd 

Dir, 

.  =  36-3/4" 

3rd 

Dir. 

=  35-1/2" 

13" 


9" 


15-1/2" 


-t 


17" 


Figure  I.  Five-element  2  meter  beam. 


Building  the  Beam 

Once  all  lhe  old  ele- 
ments have  been  removed 
from  the  boom,  mark 
where  you  need  to  drill  to 
mount  all  five  elements.  I 
found  that  by  mounting 
the  elements  in  the  center 
of  the  boom,  the  spacing 
for  the  *TP  bar  straps  was 
more  manageable.  The 
beam  will  also  look  bet- 
ter. If  you  can  use  a  drill 
press  to  make  the  element 
holes,  they  will  probably 
be  more  exactly  perpen- 
dicular to  the  boom.  After 
the  holes  are  drilled,  try 


28  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


filling  ihe  3/8"  tubing  in  each  hole  and 
check  for  squareness  to  the  boom  with  a 

square. 

Cut  all  the  elements  to  length,  and  flatten 
one  end  of  each  of  the  two  6-1/2"  match 
bars— about  MT  will  do.  Drill  a  1/8"  hole 
in  the  flattened  area  and  round  off  the  cor- 
ners (see  Figure  2).  Attach  all  five  ele- 
ments to  the  boom  using  the  1"  stainless 
steel  screws. 

Now  drill  holes  for  mounting  the  SO- 
239  and  the  I"  #8  bolls  in  the  plastic  box. 
and  attach  ihe  SO-239  with  three  of  the 
four  bolts  (see  Photo  B). 

Assembling  the  Choke  and  Balun 
Assembly 

Start  with  a  piece  of  RG-59U  about  14" 
long  and  prepare  both  ends  as  shown  in 
Figure  2.  Do  the  same  to  a  26- 1/21'  piece 
for  the  other  balun  section.  Allow  3/4"  on 
each  end  of  both  coax  sections  for  dressing 
the  ends.  Wind  the  longer  section  of  coax 
into  a  four-turn  coil.  Tape  the  coil  tem- 
porarily in  a  couple  of  places,  just  to  hold  it 
until  the  finished  balun  is  installed  in  the 
plastic  box.  Solder  the  shields  from  both 
sections  of  coax  together  (see  Photo  A).  In- 
stall the  balun  assembly  in  the  balun  box: 
be  certain  all  connections  arc  correct.  In- 
stall a  closed-end  crimp-type  connector  on 
each  end  of  the  center  conductor  of  half- 
wave  coax.  Install  the  1"  #8  bolts  through 
the  crimped  connectors  using  washers,  and 
apply  a  washer  and  nut  to  the  outside  of  the 
plastic  box.  After  doing  this,  remove  the 
tape  from  the  coil.  Install  as  many  ferrite 
beads  as  you  have  room  for  on  the  end  of 
the  quarter-wave  coax  section:  1  had  room 
for  six  ferrite  beads.  Solder  a  closed -end 
crimp-type  connector  to  the  shield  and  then 
connect  it  to  the  fourth  mounting  bolt  for 
the  SO-239  panel-mount  fitting-  Solder  the 
center  conductor  to  the  center  terminal  of 
the  SO-239. 

Apply  Crystal  -Cote  or  some  other  type 
of  sealer  to  everything  in  the  balun  box. 
Attach  the  4tT"  match  bats  to  the  balun  box, 
and  bend  the  ends  of  the  metal  strapping 
around  the  driven  element  and  match  bar. 
Then  drill  holes  to  bolt  the  straps  to  the 
tubing  (see  Photo  B),  You  will  need  about 
1-3/8"  between  the  *T"  bars  and  the  driven 
element.  Spacing  for  the  strap  should  be 
about  4"  from  the  center  of  each  1 "  #8 
stainless  steel  bolt  on  the  balun  box.  Fash- 
ion a  mounting  bracket  to  connect  the  SO- 
239  to  the  boom.  It  must  be  a  metal  bracket 
to  provide  the  needed  electrical  connection 
between  the  boom  and  the  balun.  I  used  a 
piece  of  plumbers  perforated  strapping 
that  was  in  my  junk  box,  and  cut  it  to  shape 
with  tinsnips.  Mouni  the  bracket  to  the 
boom  with  a  sheet  metal  screw  (see  Photo 
B),  Drill  a  weep  hole  in  the  lowest  corner 
ol'  ihe  balun  box  for  drainage  once  the  box 
has  been  mounted  on  the  boom. 

Cheek  all  connections,  nuts,  bolts,  and 
screws,  and  then  mount  the  antenna  on  a 
non-conducting  mast,  ready  for  tuning,  Tape 
the  coax  to  the  boom  and  bring  the  coax 


r~ 


Radio   Shack 
Part    #270-222 

2-1/2"    X   4-5/8" 


J 


T  Match  Bar 
Feedpolnts 


J 


SO-239 


Bracket   From 
Balun  To  Boom 


Spacer   From 
Balun  To  Boom 


Flatten 
Approx.    1/21 


3/8*  Tubing 


6-1/2"   T  Match 
Bar 


3/4"  Trim  On 
Each   End 


RG-59U    Coax 


Figure  2.  Balun  box  for  2  meter  yagL 


Photo  ft  Ciose-t4p  of  balun  bow  Note  the  "T"  match  bars  and  the  driven  element. 


down  the  mast  away  from  the  antenna. 

Tuning  Ihe  Completed  Antenna 

Tuning  the  antenna  is  easy.  Connect  the 
coax,  SWR  meter,  and  your  radio  to  the  an- 
tenna. Check  the  SWR  at  the  top.  center, 


and  bottom  of  the  frequency  area  of  design. 
By  noting  the  pattern  of  the  SWR  curve 
ypu  will  know  whether  to  move  the  match 
bars  in  or  out  for  the  best  match.  Move  on- 
ly about  1/8"  at  a  time,  rechecking  ihe 
SWR  curve  as  you  go. 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1933  29 


Mine  was  very  close  to  the  center  of  the 

destgned-for  frequency*  and  only  had  to  be 
adjusted  about  1/8W  from  the  text.  Be  sure 
to  make  all  adjustments  of  the  straps  on  the 
"T"  bars  equal. 

Builder's  Notes 

I  bought  the  fertile  beads  and  the  plastic 
box  to  make  a  clean  weatherproof  feed 
point,  but  all  the  aluminum  came  from  my 
stockpile  of  old  TV  antenna  parts.  All 
hardware  is  common,  and  can  be  bought 
from  any  local  hardware  or  building  supply 
store. 

"Be  careful  when  you  are 
cutting  the  coax  to  measure 
the  lengths,  and  check  the 
velocity  factor  for  the 
coax  you  use." 

I  cut  all  the  aluminum  to  length  with  a 

tubing  cutter:  this  gives  a  more  finished 
end  than  if  you  cut  it  with  a  hacksaw.  Each 
clement  is  installed  through  the  center  of 
the  boom  and  fastened  with  a  1"  #8  stain- 
less steel  screw  (two  screws  are  not  needed 
for  each  clement).  Any  type  of  non-metal 
spacer  that  you  have  may  be  used  for  sup- 
porting the  balun  box,  to  give  the  proper 
spacing  for  the  *+rT  bur  straps.  I  put  a  1 M 
sheet  metal  screw  through  the  plastic  box 
and  spacer  to  hold  them  in  place.  If  you 
cannot  find  an  old  TV  boom,  most  local 
scrap  metal  dealers  sell  aluminum  square 
and  round  tubinc. 

Be  careful  when  you  are  cutting  the  coax 
to  measure  the  lengths,  and  check  the  ve- 
locity factor  for  the  coax  you  use.  My  RG- 
59U  had  a  velocity  factor  of  66%.  The 
number  of  fertile  beads  is  not  critical,  but 
they  do  stop  radiation  back  down  the  coax 
shield.  Be  sure  to  drill  or  file  the  hole  for 
the  center  of  the  SO-239  just  big  enough* 
but  not  so  big  that  you  gel  a  sloppy  fit — it 
docs  have  to  seal  out  the  weather.  Tune  the 
antenna  before  you  weatherproof  and  seal 
up  the  plastic  balun  box  in  case  you  may 
not  have  wired  the  connections  righL  Make 


Photo  C.  Completed  five-element  vertical  vagi 


Tools  List 

Electric  drill 

3/8"  drill  bit  (for  holes  in  boom  for  elements) 

1/4"  drill  bit  (for  removing  old  elements  from  boom) 

3/32'  drill  bit  (for  #6  bolt  holes  for  SO-239  mounting) 

5/32"  drill  bit  (for  #8  screw  holes) 

Tinsrwps 

Electrical  tape 

Waterproof  sealer  (for  balun;  can  be  spray  or  brush-on) 

Plumbers'  strapping  or  thin  copper  or  aluminum  (for  balun,  and  *T*  bar  to  driven  element 

mounts) 

(Optional)  drill  press  for  drilling  all  holes 

(Optional)  9/16"  drill  bit  for  SO-239  to  balun  box  center  hole,  or  you  can  use  a  1/2"  drill 

bit  and  file  as  I  did. 

Solder  and  soldering  gun  (for  crimp  type  connectors  inside  balun) 


nice  neat  pigtails  on  your  coax  ends  so  that 
they  will  be  easier  to  attach.  This  design* 
with  its  close  spacing,  gives  a  very  clean 
pattern  of  radiation,  with  at  least  9  dB  gain 
and  a  from-to-back  ratio  of  32  dB. 


Many  thanks  to  John  Berglund  K0UBA 
for  his  help  in  editing.  If  you  have  any  ques- 
tions, send  them  along,  with  an  SASE*  to 
me  at  1703  Hewitt  Ave  West,  St.  Paul  MN 
55104-1128. 73  and  happy  hamming. 


Parts 

5Mong  1  "-square  aluminum  boom  (old  TV  antenna  type) 
2-1/2"  by  4-5/8"  plastic  box  (Radio  Shack  #270-222) 
3/4"  by  1 '  spacer  (wood,  plastic,  etc.  for  balun  box  mounting) 
5  to  S  ferrite  beads  to  make  a  ferrite  choke  (see  text) 
12.5"  section  of  RG-59U  coax  (finished  length)  (see  text) 
25"  section  of  RG-59LI  coax  (finished  length)  (see  text) 
2  pieces  3/8"  by  6-1/2"  aluminum  tubing  (T  match  bars) 
1  piece  3/8"  by  39- 3/4*  aluminum  tubing  (reflector  element) 
1  piece  3/8"  by  38-7/8"  aluminum  tubing  (driven  element) 
1  piece  3/8"  by  37-7/8  aluminum  tubing  (first  director) 
1  piece  3/8*  by  36-3/4"  aluminum  tubing  (second  director) 

1  piece  3/8*  by  35-1/2"  aluminum  tubing  (third  director) 

2  #8  by  1 "  flathead  bolts  for  attaching  T"  match  bars  to  balun  box 


6  #8  by  V  flathead  self-tapping  stainless  steel  screws 
(for  elements) 

2  #8  by  1 '  flathead  self-tapping  stainless  steel  screws 
(for  balun  mounting) 

4  #6  by  3/8"  flathead  bolts  with  nuts  &  washers  (for  SO-239) 

1  SO-239  panel  mount  fitting  (for  feedline  attachment  on 

balun  box) 

2  1  /2*  by  3*  metal  straps  (for  attaching  T  match  bars) 

4  #6  by  3/8"  flathead  stainless  steel  bofts  with  nuts  &  lock 
washers 

3  crimp-type  closed-end  connectors  {for  coax  connections 

inside  balun) 

You  may  have  to  find  a  few  assorted  bolts  and  washers  in  your 
junk  box  to  complete  this  antenna  (see  text  J 


30  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December  1 993 


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I 

I 
I 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  31 


Number  8  on  your  Feedback  card 


Remote  Tuned 
Active  Antenna 

Tune  this  easy  amplified  HF  antenna  without  leaving  your  chair. 

by  Ken  Cornell  W2IMB 


T 


he  March  1993  issue  of  73  Amateur 
Radio  Today  contained  an  article  that  I 
wrote  covering  an  active  antenna  using  a 
MOSFKT.  As  described,  it  is  a  very  broad- 
band device.  By  adding  a  tuned  input  cir- 
cuit* a  desired  frequency  range  coverage 
can  be  increased  in  sensitivity  and  selectiv- 
ity. The  problem  arises  as  to  how  to  tune 
the  remote  antenna  from  the  radio  shack. 

The  practical  solution  is  to  use  a  varac- 
tor, also  called  a  tuning  diode,  A  varactor 
acts  as  a  capacitor  with  an  adjustable  value 
which  can  be  changed  by  applying  a  vari- 
able positive  bias  voltage. 

The  antenna  circuit  is  shown  in  Figure  I, 
The  varactor  (V)  is  placed  across  the  tuned 
circuit  (L1/C1)  in  series  with  a  0,1  fiF  ca- 
pacitor thai  acts  as  a  voltage  blocker  and  a 
bypass.  The  variable  voltage  is  fed  to  the 
varactor  via  an  RF  choke. 

Due  to  the  basic  design,  the  antenna  is 
basically  a  monobander:  however,  the  con- 
struction cost  is  minimal  and  two  antennas 
can  be  fabricated  from  a  10*  length  of  I- 
1/2"  white  PVC  pipe. 

Varaciors  are  not  a  common  item  found 
in  every  mail  order  catalog,  but  E  have 
found  two  sources:  Hosfclt  Electronics, 
2700  Sunset  Blvd.,  Stuebenville  OH 
43592:  and  DC  Electronics,  P.O.  Box  3203, 
Scottsdule  AZ  85271.  Hosfeli  has  a  variety 
and  I  have  used  their  Motorola  type 
SMVI6623M  (catalog  #MVI662/S)  that 
comes  in  three  matched  units  for  $1.  DC 
Electronics  offers  a  variety  of  sizes  that  in- 
clude AM  tuning  diodes  with  capacity 
ranges  at  450  pE  I  have  ordered  some  of 
these  to  try  out. 

The  tuned  circuit  (Ll/Cl)  and  the  varac- 
tor (V)  have  to  be  resonant  through  the  de- 
sired amateur  band.  For  80  meters,  I  used  a 
small  5/16"  diameter  by  1"  long  coil  form 
and  wound  50  turns  of  #2S  enamel  wire. 
CI  is  a  5-to-6-mni  50  pF  trimmer*  Try  100 
turns  for  160  and  25  turns  for  40  meters.  I 
usually  wind  more  turns  than  my  target 
value  as  it  is  easier  to  remove  turns  than 
add  them,  A  smalt  slug  tuned  form  would 
also  help  in  zeroing  in  on  the  desired  range. 

I  used  a  I-l/4"-wide  by  3-)/4"-!ong 

32  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1 993 


piece  of  perf  board  for  the  circuit  and 

mounted  the  parts  on  both  sides  to  permit 
insertion  in  the  PVC  pipe.  Pipe  caps  arc 
used  at  both  ends  and  the  coax  cable  is  fed 
through  the  bottom  cap.  The  antenna  is  a 
piece  of  1"  diameter  aluminum  tubing  4- 
1/2'  long.  Assembly  is  the  same  as  de- 


scribed in  my  original  article. 

The  receiver  coupler  is  shown  in  Figure 
2,  The  variable  voltage  output  to  the  varac- 
tor is  fed  through  a  length  of  insulated 
hook-up  wine  that  is  taped  to  the  coax  cable. 
A  6-32  S,S-  machine  screw  is  mounted  in 
the  base  pipe  cap  to  accept  same. 


An: 


0517GP 
SSI  70 


220 


100K 


Tt 


UWv\ 

lmH 

ftFC  ♦ 


HI 
(SK     t«Xf) 


J1 


f 


To  Rcvr 
Coupler 


J310 
MPF1C2 


220 


I 


.1 


1M 


o 

+    Variable 
VolU 


SGD 
BS170 


£h 


OGS  GSO 

0S17OP         MPF102 

J310 
Bottom  V1*w 


Figure  I,  The  remote  tuned  active  antenna.  Gate  bias  for  the  BSI7Q  is  most  important  for  best 
performance*  /  used  a  1 00k  potentiometer  for  Rl  and,  after  the  proper  setting  was  found,  I 
measure ti  the  resistance  each  side  of  the  potentiometer  and  replaced  with  same  value  1/8  wait 
resistors. 


Ref 


Ant 


To  Active 
Ant 


.001 


I 


SW-1a 


.1 


1mH 
RFC 


O J  To  Rcvr 


SW-1b 


r 


NC  O 

O 


■O  + 


l" 


12  V 


10K 


+  Variable  Volts 
To   Varactor 


Figure  2.  Receiver  couplet:  Except  for  the  varactor  tuning  parts,  ait  parts  are  as  specified  in 
my  original  article. 


|~~RECEIVOI  COFLEfi 


♦ 


J2.oXm 


TO 
I     CI    \4=r  iOK 

ACTIVE     .1  I       4±VN 


F 

C 

z 


USD 


SEC 
ACT 


J3 


+      -     73 

3/93 
IMC 


J 


L1 


Figure  3.  PC  boa/ri  pattern  and  parts  placement  diagram. 

For  the  ex  peri  men  ten  a  JFET  can  be     minor  circuit  revision  is  shown  in 
substituted  for  the  MOSFET.  This     Figure  la, 


C1 


V 


Capacitors 

Resjslors 

Rl 

R2 

RFC 

T1 

SW1 

J1 ,  J2 

BS17Q, 

BS170P 


Parts  List 

To  suit  frequertcy  range  desired,  I  would  suggest 

that  you  consider  RF  chokes  for  the  inductance. 

They  are  cheap  and  come  m  many  values  to  suit 

any  frequency  range  desired.  Consult  your  L/C 

vs.  Frequency  Chart  (found  in  most  handbooks). 

50  pF  trimmer  capacitor.  Used  for  frequency 

adjustment  if  needed, 

Varactor.  I  suggest  using  VMAM1Q9.  Jt  has  a 

range  of  450  pF  @  1  volt  and  30  pF  0  9  volts 

(DC  Electronics). 

Are  all  disc  type  with  35  volt  rating. 

AJ1 1/4  or  1/8  watt  carbon  type. 

100k  potentiometer  RS  #271  -264  or  equivalent. 

See  text 

iQfc  potentiometer.  RS  #271-1715  or  equivalent. 

(Addition  to  the  original  receiver  coupler  design, J 

1  mH  for  HF  and  higher  values  for  MF  to  LF 

See  lesct. 

SPDT  switch. 

Your  favorite  coax  connectors. 


Available  from  Digl-Key  Corp.,  P.O,  Box  677 1 
Thief  River  Fails  MN  56701;  (800)  344-4539. 
Drilled  and  etched  PC  boards  are  available  from  FAR  Circuits, 
13N640  Field  CI,  Dundee  IL  60118.  for  $4.50  plus  $1.50  S  &  H. 


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The  Advertisers  in  this  issue 

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804-794-2500  FAX:  804-794-8284 


CIRCLE  27  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  33 


73  Review 


Number  9  on  your  Feedback  card 


by  Charles  Warrington  WA1RZW 


Midland  73-005 

Transceiver 

A  full-featured  HT at  an  entry-level  price 


Midland  Consumer  Communications  Division 

1690  North  Topping 

Kansas  City  MO  64120 

Telephone:  (800)  643-5263 

Price  Class:  $239 


My  first  2  meter  rig  was  a  digitally  synthe- 
sized Heathkit  mobile  which  utilized 
lever  switches  to  change  frequencies.  It  was 
a  neat  little  unit  that  took  me  40  hours  to 
build  and  was  a  dream  to  use.  Then  one 
night  some  low-life  crumb  decided  to  steal 
it,  aiong  with  my  r67  Plymouth  Belvedere. 
Two  days  later  the  police  recovered  the 
car — stripped,  of  course.  No  tires,  no 
wheels,  no  radio!  That  adventure  kept  me  off 
the  2  meter  band  for  a  while.  It  also  taught 
me  one  major  advantage  of  using  an  HT  as 
a  mobile  rig:  You  CAN  take  It  with  you  when 
you  go. 

Sure,  you  sacrifice  some  output  power 
and  certain  conveniences  with  an  HT,  versus 
a  dedicated  mobile.  But,  if  you  live  or  drive  in 
the  city,  you'd  better  have  some  practical 
method  of  protecting  your  rig  from  theft.  The 
only  sure-fire  method  that  I  know  of  is  to 
yank  the  rig!  Consider  the  HT  as  a  possible 
solution.  An  HT  can  sit  on  the  seat  next  to 
yout  keep  you  in  voice  with  the  local  re- 
peaters, and  offer  versatility  that  a  mobile 
can't  match.  Simply  remove  the  cigar  lighter 
plug  and  the  BNC  coax  connector,  and 
you're  good  to  go. 

Of  course,  this  illustrates  only  one  of  the 
many  reasons  why  HTs  have  become  so 
pervasive  in  recent  years.  If  you're  thinking 
about  buying  an  HT,  first  you  have  to  get 
past  the  Future  Shock  of  whafs  out  there. 
There  are  many  to  choose  from!  One  way  to 
narrow  the  field  would  be  to  ask:  How  much 
does  a  good  2  meter  portable  cost?  Well, 
how  much  have  you  got? 

Money  is  No  Object 

When  I  first  laid  eyes  on  Midland's  latest 
venture  into  the  amateur  radio  marketplace. 
I  thought,  "Heyi  Not  bad  for  a  $400-isb  HT."  I 
immediately  delved  into  the  liquid  crystal  dis- 
play and  buttons  without  ever  checking  into 
the  price,  (Herein  ties  the  difference  between 
purchasing  and  playing  with  a  review  unit.) 

Well,  I  kept  the  test  rig  by  my  side  for  sev- 
eral weeks,  happy  as  a  clam,  until  I  noticed 
the  Model  73-005  in  a  catalog,  sporting  a 
$239  price  tag.  What?  Midland  can  offer  this 
sophisticated,  surface-mount  technology,  mi- 
crocomputer-controlled, 2  meter  transceiver 
for  less  than  250  bucks?  (In  case  you 
haven't  shopped  around,  this  price  falls  into 

34  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


the  "rock-bottom"  range.)  So,  how  good 
could  it  be? 

First  Glances 

Now,  you're  probably  thinking,  rtYeaht 
right.  For  thai  price  if s  probably  a  real  no- 
feature  cheapie,"  But  the  73005  HT  is  no 
slouch.  This  is  a  nice  tittle  radio! 

The  actual  transceiver  is  a  tiny  5-1/2"  high 
by  2-1/8*  wide  by  1-5/1 6*  deep.  (I  grew  up 
pre-Nintendo.  so  I  still  find  myself  in  awe 
over  the  cramming  of  so  much  electronics 
into  such  a  small  package.)  Still,  the  Midland 
is  somewhat  larger  than  the  very  smallest 
rigs  that  I  have  seen,  You  can  attribute  much 
of  that  size  to  the  big  duckie  and  optional 
high-power  battery.  Even  so.  this  unit  has  a 
clean  look,  and  is  quite  small  enough. 

The  LCD  panel  is  easy  to  read,  and  it  is 
fiat  Many  HTs  on  the  market  have  convex 
panels  that  are  susceptible  to  scratches. 
Midland's  design  avoids  that  problem. 

Tough  Enough 

I  like  to  carry  an  HT  with  me  whenever  I 
go  mountain  biking  or  hiking.  They  are  very 
nice  to  have  with  you  in  the  woods  and  in 
the  mountains.  You  can  stay  in  touch,  listen 
around,  or  just  know  that  you  could  summon 
help  in  the  event  of  an  emergency.  One 
thing  you  don't  need  on  the  trail,  however*  is 
a  fragile  piece  of  gear. 

The  new  Midland  is  solid.  Very  solid.  The 
transceiver  is  constructed  on  a  die-cast  alu- 
minum chassis.  It  resembles  a  commercial 
transceiver,  which  is  no  surprise,  considering 
Midland  specializes  in  commercial  gear. 

This  radio  is  also  equipped  with  a  ptt 
lock  feature.  This  deactivates  the  ptt  button 
to  prevent  accidental  transmitting. 


This  baby  is  a  tad  more  conservative  in 
design  than  many  of  the  latest  HTs.  It  looks 
more  like  a  police  portable  than  some  of 
those  Star-Trek-looking  amateur  models  l+ve 
seen  lately,  Still,  I'll  give  Midland  good  marks 
for  ergonomics. 

The  volume  and  notary  channel  selector 
controls  are  easy  to  adjust  without  looking  at 
them.  The  push-buttons  on  the  front  pad 
were  designed  for  daintier  digits  than  mine, 
but  I  can  stilt  push  ttiem  one  at  a  time — even 


with  my  sausage  fingers.  These  buttons  are 
of  the  rectangular  rubber  variety.  They  feel 
like  Ihe  erasers  of  16  tiny  new  pencils. 

Say,  Where's  the  squefch  knob  on  this 
thing?  It  was  cleverly  "sawed  ofT  at  the  fac- 
tory. The  owner's  manual  describes  this  as  a 
"set  and  forget"  type  knob,  and  I  kinda  like  it. 
It  reminds  me  of  a  child-proof  cap  on  a 
medicine  bottle.  I  don't  like  to  constantly  ride 
the  squelch,  anyway — it  really  isn't  neces- 
sary. Still,  if  you're  a  knob  twiddler,  you  may 
find  this  feature  irritating.  Tough  twiddling  on 
the  Midland. 

On  the  left  side  of  the  73-005  you  will  find 
the  usual-looking  rubber-covered  ptt  button. 
Just  above  it  is  the  function  button, 
which  combines  with  the  front  pan-    ^~"^ 
el  buttons  to  offer  a  wide  array  of 
features.  Below  the  ptt  is  a  lock 
button  which  mechanically  holds 
the  battery  onto  the  transceiver. 

EXTERNAL  SPEAKER  and  MICRO- 
PHONE jacks  are  located  on  the 
unit's  topside,  next  to  the  BNC  an- 
tenna jack.  In  between  the  volume  and  chan- 
nel knobs  is  a  little  red  LED.  This  indicator 
lights  when  the  unit  is  transmitting.  The  light 
becomes  dim  as  the  battery  weakens,  indi- 
cating a  charge  is  needed. 

On  the  right  side  all  you  will  find  are  a  car- 
ry strap  loop  and  an  external  power  con- 
nector. This  connector,  like  the  microphone 
and  speaker  jacks  up  top,  has  a  little  rubber 
plug  to  help  keep  water  and  dirt  from  enter- 
ing, 

There  are  two  more  buttons  on  the  front  of 
the  73-005  you  need  to  know  about  {aside 
from  the  touch  pad,  of  course):  the 
call  and  the  squelch/monitor  but- 
tons. The  call  button  will  generate 
a  1750  Hz  repeater  access  code 
when  depressed  along  with  the 
ptt  button.  This  burst  tone  en- 
coder is  unusual  on  rigs  manufac- 
tured for  the  U.S.  market.  The 
1750  Hz  tone  is  common  in  Eu- 
rope, but  rarely  used  in  the  States. 
The  squelch/monitor  button  sim- 
ply shuts  the  squelch  circuit  off 
while  it  is  depressed.  Push  it  to 
hear  weak  signals  that  are  barely 
breaking  through. 

The  LCD  display  indicates  fre- 
quency channel  step,  and  special 
funclions.  These  include  pag  (Pag- 
ing), dual  (Dual  Watch  receive), 
apo  (Automatic  Power  Off),  oup 
{semi-Duplex  operation),  rl.  (Fre- 
quency Lock),  t.sq  (Tone 
SQuelch),  p.l,  {PTT  Lock  protec- 
tion), c.sq  {DTMF  Code  SQuelch), 
s  (battery  Save),  b  (Busy  scan — 
rather  than  the  pause  scan  default 
mode),  and  +  and  -  (repeater  off- 
sets). The  LCD  also  displays  the 
memory  address  number  and 
memory  mode.  The  number  line 
style  meter  across  the  bottom 
functions  as  an  S-meter  on  re- 
ceive, and  as  the  RF  power  meter 
on  transmit. 


Special  Attractions 

The  Midland  73-005  has  more  functions 
than  you  can  shake  a  stick  at.  Lets  take  a 
look  at  some  of  the  highlights: 

•Large  Capacity  Nickel  Cadmium  Battery 
Pack 

*LCD  Control  Panel 

•Multi- Function  Scan 

*20  Memory  Channels 

•Repeater  Offset  and  Reverse  Switches 

•Tone  Squelch  -s-  (P/L) 

•Dial  Lamp  (LCD) 

•Battery  Save  Function/Auto  Power  Off 

•Instant  Squelch  Defeat/Monitor 

•Speaker/Mike  and  12  Volt  Input  Jacks 


« 


Probably  this  rig 's 
best  feature  is  its 
hot  receiver  section. 


Note:  The  Tone  Squeich  Module  is  an  ac- 
cessory, as  is  the  oversized  (high-power)  12 
volt  battery  pack.  A  12  volt  wall  charger  and 
a  speaker/mike  are  also  available. 

The  73-005  comes  standard  with  some 
nice  features.  The  DTMF  (Dual-Tone  Multi- 
Frequency)  encode  touch  pad  has  become  a 
staple  in  the  market,  But  not  all  HTs  have  the 
decode  feature  as  well,  which  allows  you  to 
emulate  a  personal  pager  of  sorts.  The  LCD 
screen  displays  the  number  being  decoded 
and  "beeps*  when  activated. 

Probably  this  rig's  best  feature  is  its  hot 


?? 


Specifications 

Frequency  Range 

144-148  MHz  TX,  130-170  MHz  RX 

PLL  Lock  Range 

130-170  MHz 

Modulation  Type 

F3 

Channel  Steps 

5.  10, 12.5, 

20.  25T  50  kHz 

Antenna  Impedance 

50  ohm,  unbalanced 

Input  Voltage  Range 

5*0-1 6.G  VDC 

Nominal  voltage 

7.2  VDC 

CufTent  Drain  (approximate): 

Transmit 

13.8  V 

Hi 

950  mA  (5W) 

Mid 

650  mA  (2.5W) 

Low 

350  mA  (0.35W) 

7.2  V 

Hi 

650  mA  (2W) 

Mid 

650  mA  (2W) 

Low 

350  mA  (0.35W) 

Standby 

0.35  mA 

Save 

0,15  mA 

Auto  pwr  of 

0.7  mA 

RX 

(144-148  MHz  ham  band  only) 

Sensitivity 

(12dS  SIN  AD)  less  than  0.16  uV 

20  dB  quieting 

Less  than  0.25  >iV 

Distortion 

Less  than  5% 

Squelch  sensitivity 

G\16uV  max 

Audio  output  power  250  mW  10  %  distortion  at  8  ohms 

TX 

RF  output  power 

5W  (13.8  V) 
2W(7^V) 

max 

Max  deviation 

+/-5 

kHz 

Freq  stability 

+/-  10  ppm  from  -20*  C  to  +60°  C 

Spurious  &  harmonic 

emissions 

Less  than  -60  dB 

Dimensions 

152x63x34  mm 

Net  weight 

300  g  (with 

battery  and  antenna) 

receiver  section.  The  receiver  is  up  to  (low- 
end)  commercial  specs,  60  dB  adjacent 
channel  rejection  is  better  than  most*  It  is  a 
highly  selective  radio  with  a  very  respectable 
0.16  uV  (12  dB  SJNAD)  sensitivity  as  welL 

The  receiver  has  extended  range  capabili- 
ties- You  can  dial  up  some  local  police  and 
other  agencies  for  the  heck  of  it,  You  can  al- 
so hear  the  National  Weather  Service.  The 
VCO  stays  locked  from  135  to  170  MHz. 

The  transmitter  will  put  out  5  watts  with  an 
automotive  13.8  VDC  power  Input.  The  Mid- 
land is  not  real  picky  about  DC  power;  it  will 
run  happily  on  anything  from  5  to  15  VDC. 
The  circuit  is  reverse-polarity  protected. 
Note  that  the  center  pin  of  the  12 
volt  input  jack  is  negative. 

The  transmitter  section  gives  you 
plenty  of  choices  when  it  comes  to 
output  power  level.  The  b/pt,l  but- 
ton  Selects   HIGH.    MIDDLE,    QT  LOW 

power  operation.  With  the  optional 
12  vol!  battery,  this  will  give  you  a 
choice  of  5,  2.5,  or  0.35  watts  out- 
put. With  the  standard  7,2  volt  battery  you 
can  select  from  either  2  watts  out  on  high  or 
middle  or  0.35  watts  out  on  low  power, 

Semi-duplex  operation  is  available  by  us- 
ing two  different  memory  frequencies,  The 
2/dup  button  along  with  the  function  button 
will  get  you  into  DUPlex  mode.  You  can  also 
swap  the  transmit  and  receive  frequencies 
by  pushing  the  c/sc/m  along  with  the  func- 
kon  button. 

You  can  select  a  frequency  with  either  the 
rotary  channel  SELECTOR,  or  by  direct  entry 
to  the  keypad.  You  can  adjust  the  channel 
steps  with  the  3/step  and  function 
buttons  along  with  the  rotary 
channel  selector  knob.  For  re- 
peater use,  press  the  7/ss  button 
along  with  the  Function  button  to 
switch  from  -  offset  to  +  offset  to 
simplex  operation,  The  offset  is  ad- 
justable, too. 

The  Battery-Save  function  gives 
you  even  more  chorees.  This  func- 
tion allows  you  to  reduce  the  cur- 
rent drain  to  1/3  during  receiver 
standby.  In  this  mode  the  receiver 
takes  a  sample  once  every  single 
second.  This  is  great  for  working 
voice  out  in  the  field,  but  it  can  be  a 
problem  receiving  packet.  Pressing 
the  5/save  button  while  pressing 
the  function  button  (located  just 
above  the  PTT)  toggles  this  feature 
on  and  off.  The  unit  also  has  an 
Auto-Power  Off  function. 

Midland  shipped  an  accessory 
tone  squelch  board  with  the  review 
unit.  The  Tone  Squelch  control  al- 
lows you  to  gate  a  signal  through 
the  receiver  squelch  only  when  a 
particular  CTCSS  (Continuous 
Tone  Controlled  Squelch  System) 
tone  is  being  received.  On  trans- 
mit, you  can  similarly  generate  this 
particular  subaudible  tone  to  ac- 

Continued  on  page  37 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1993  35 


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Continued  ftom  page  35 

cess  "closed"  repeaters  or  particular  Individ- 
ual stations. 

This  miniature  board  took  me  all  of  10 
minutes  to  install,  and  five  of  those  were 
spent  looking  for  a  small  screwdriver.  The 
clamshell  housing  comes  apart  lickety-split 
after  removing  just  four  screws.  Inside  there 
is  a  very  neat  array  of  microcircuitry.  The 
thumbnail  PC  board  sticks  to  the  main  board 
with  its  own  adhesive  backing  and  a  tiny 
multi-pin  plug  makes  all  the  connections.  To 
operate  the  tone  soueuch  feature,  press  the 
4/t.sq  button  while  pressing  the  function 
button.  If  you  want  to  real  get  tricky,  you  can 
simultaneously  utilize  both  the  sub-audible 

TONE  SQUELCH  and  DTMF  CODE  SQUELCH,  TWO 

independent  subaudible  tone  frequencies 


can  be  programmed  into  the  memory  banks. 
Tone  frequencies  are  selected  via  the  rotary 

CHANNEL  SELECTOR. 

Conclusions 

For  this  review,  I  shoved  the  Midland  73- 
005  unit  into  my  backpack,  tossed  it  onto  the 
passenger  seat  of  my  cart  and  dipped  it  to 
the  handlebar  bag  on  my  mountain  bike.  If  s 
been  on  hikes  in  the  mountains,  to  the 
beach,  everywhere,  Lefs  cut  to  the  chase. 
Money  is  important  to  most  of  us  and  this  rig 
is  priced  quite  reasonably,  it  offers  more  fea- 
tures than  you  will  probably  need*  The  re- 
ceiver is  hot  and  the  rig  is  very  sturdy.  You 
can  lock  the  ptt  burton  and  the  operating 
mode  to  prevent  improper  operation.  That's 
handy  if  you're  active  outdoors. 

The  speaker  audio  is  very  good.  To  get 
better  audio  you  will  probably  have  to  fork 


over  quite  a  bit  more  money.  I  found  this  to 
be  a  cool  radio*  too.  I  didn't  have  a  problem 
with  the  output  power  circuitry  turning  into  a 
hot  hamburger  during  normal  use.  (I  don't 
usually  rag-chew  on  2  meters.)  The  alu- 
minum chassis  does  a  good  job  dissipating 
heat. 

This  is  not  the  easiest  HT  to  program. 
This  article  should  give  you  a  good  feel  of 
the  essential  operating  hieroglyphics.  Still, 
the  Midland  will  perform  well  for  you — just 
don't  forget  to  bring  the  instructions  along. 
The  manual  is  detailed  with  plenty  of  illustra- 
tions to  get  you  through. 

Midland  has  made  a  triumphant  return  to 
the  amateur  radio  business  after  a  Jong  hia- 
tus. They  have  done  a  fine  job  with  the  73- 
005  hand-held  transceiver.  Their  next  project 
is  a  UHF  mode),  which  is  already  in  the 
works. 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  37 


Number  to  on  your  Feedback  card 


Melt  Your  Way  to  Better 

Breadboards 

Discover  the  Macro  Surface-Mount  breadboard  method. 


by  Brad  Thompson  N1JIJ 


Chances  are,  you  build  one  or  more 
breadboard  versions  of  your  amateur  ra- 
dio projects  before  you  commit  them  to  a 
printed-circuit  board  layout,  or  you  may 
even  skip  the  PC  version  altogether  and  sim- 
ply package  the  breadboard. 

Bui  if  the  fun's  wearing  thin  and  you're 
"bread-bored/1  your  standard  construction 
method  may  be  at  fault — no  single  bread- 
boarding  method  meets  everyone's  needs. 
For  example,  perforated  grid  board  and 
wire-wrap  techniques  work  well  for  logic 
and  low- frequency  analog  circuits,  but  lack 
an  adequate  ground  plane  for  RF  applica- 
tions. 

Isolated  pads  carved  into  sheets  of  un- 
etched  copper-clad  laminate  solve  the  RF 
ground  plane  problem  but  are  totally  im- 
movable, as  are  through-hole  Teflon  stand- 
off insulators.  Terminal  strips  soldered  onto 
copper-clad  solve  the  nclocatability  problem, 
but  they're  relatively  bulky  and  add  to  board 
height. 

Enter  the  Macro  Surface-Mount  bread- 
board method,  or  MSM  for  short.  Using  the 
MSM  technique,  you  keep  your  bread- 
board's copper-clad  ground  plane  intact  and 
install  connection  pads  wherever  they're 
needed,  Vou  can  easily  remove  unw- anted 
pads  and  relocate  their  replacements  and,  as 
Photo  A  shows,  you  can  even  build  bread- 
boards on  almost  am  substrate — from  win- 
dow glass  to  business  cards. 

Best  o(  all,  you  won't  tie  up  much 
"bread"  in  your  breadboards — the  raw  mate- 
rials cost  a  penny  or  two  per  connection,  and 
the  tools  you'll  need  arc  available  nearly  ev- 
erywhere. 

What  are  the  secret  ingredients?  The  con- 
nection pads  consist  of  disks  of  thin  single- 
sided  copper-clad  printed  circuit  board  lami- 
nate punched  from  sheet  stock  with  a  $3 
hand- held  paper  punch  (see  Photo  B).  Hard- 
ware-store hat-melt  adhesive  secures  the 
pads  to  the  ground  plane. 

Forming  the  Pads 

Printcd-cinruit  board  material  consists  of 
one  or  two  layers  of  copper  foil  laminated 
onto  an  insulating  sheet.  While  most  of  us 
are  familiar  with  the  thicker  sizes  sold  for 
fabricating  one-  or  two-sided  etched  circuit 
boards,  the  PC  board  industry  also  uses  mil- 
lions of  square  yards  of  thinner  stock  to 

30  73 AmatBur Radio  Today*  December.  1993 


manufacture  the  inner  layers  of  multilayer 

boards. 

For  MSM  breadboard  applications,  you 
can  use  single-sided  epoxy/Fiberglas  board 
(commonly  designated  as  G-IO  or  FR-4 
stock).  Material  of  0,012"  insulation  thick- 
ness laminated  with  I -ounce  (0.001 4")  cop- 
per works  well — a  common  hand-held  paper 
punch  easily  penetrates  the  laminate,  and 
normal  levels  of  soldering-iron  heat  won't 
delaminaie  the  copper 

To  create  MSM  connection  pads,  you 
slide  a  piece  of  laminate  into  your  paper 
punch  and  squeeze.  The  pad  will  pop  out 
like  a  miniature  tiddlywink  unless  you  place 
a  finger  over  the  punch's  exit  side. 

If  the  remaining  laminate  sticks  to  the 
punch,  work  it  free  with  a  twisting  motion. 
To  prevent  cuts  while  handling  the  sharp- 
edged  laminate,  wear  a  parr  of  lightweight 
cotton  sloves. 

No  one  will  ever  mistake  a  paper  punch 
for  a  precision  tool,  and  the  fit  between 


punch  and  die  is  typically  rather  sloppy. 
Thus,  squeezing  the  punch  forms  a  raised  lip 
or  burr  on  an  MSM  pad's  copper  surface.  If 
you  punch  through  the  board's  insulated  side 
(i,e.,  with  the  insulation  in  contact  with  the 
steel  punch  and  the  copper  side  against  the 
punch's  die)  the  copper  burr  overhangs  the 
pad's  edges  and  reduces  the  insulation  path. 

Also,  epoxy/Fiberglas  materia)  acts  as  an 
abrasive,  further  wearing  the  punch.  When 
the  edges  of  pads  exhibit  a  torn  rather  than 
sheared  appearance,  discard  the  punch  or  rel- 
egaie  it  to  paper  and  cardboard. 

MSM's  Electrical  Properties 

While  epoxy/Fiberglas  laminate  and  hot- 
melt  glues  offer  dielectric  strength  of  ap- 
proximately 500  volts  and  650  to  1300  volts 
per  mil  of  thickness  respectively  (i.e.  a  12- 
mtl  board  should  withstand  6,000  volts),  the 
practical  working  voltage  for  an  MSM  pad 
cemented  to  a  ground  plane  falls  well  below 
the  dielectric  limit. 


Photo  A.  Using  MSM  techniques,  you  can  build  circuitry  onto  almost  any  surface  from  plate 
glass  to  business  cards  to  wood  to  Plexlglas. 


In  practice,  the  creepage  path  across  an 
MSM  pad's  edge  from  copper  lo  ground 
plane  determines  the  voltage  flashover  mar- 
gin. While  a  ring  of  hot-melt  glue  around 
and  beneath  a  pad  may  raise  flashover  volt- 
age, glue  thickness  and  thus  flashover  volt- 
age is  hard  lo  control. 

As  a  guideline,  printed-cireml  board  de- 
sign rules  impose  a  150  volt  limit  for  trace- 
to-tracc  clearances  of  0,025".  Thus,  adopting 
a  maximum  working  voltage  limit  of  50 
volts  for  a  12-mil  (0.012")  MSM  pad-to~ 
ground  plane  separation  will  provide  a  con- 
servative safety  maigin.  Of  course*  if  you're 
using  an  insulating  substrate,  pad-to-pad 
flashover  and  substrate  breakdown  voltage 
limits  will  apply. 

Pad  area  and  dielectric  layer  thickness 
value  determine  the  capacitance  of  an  MSM 
pad  mounted  over  a  ground  plane.  For  a 
worst-case  assumption  of  no  glue  layer,  cal- 
culated capacitance  of  a  1/4"  diameter  cop- 
per pad  and  12-mil  epoxy/Fibcrglas  dielec- 
tric layer  is  1 ,06  pF  (picofarads). 

In  practice,  edge  effects  increase  and  the 
thickness  of  a  hot-melt  glue  layer  decreases 
capacitance,  A  cluster  of  four  MSM  pads 
measured  1.08  pF  per  pad,  a  value  reason- 
ably etosc  to  the  theoretical  capacitance. 

Dissipation  factor  (DF),  a  measure  of  a 
capacitor's  AC  power  loss,  varies  from 
0.001  to  0.120  for  hot-melt  adhesives,  a 
range  that  brackets  C-IO  and  FR-4  lami- 
nates* DFofO.018 — given  the  small  amount 
of  adhesive  used,  RF  losses  won't  present  a 
problem  in  most  MSM  breadboards. 

Applying  the  Glue 

Use  a  sharp  hobby  knife  or  single-edged 
razor  blade  to  shave  a  1/8*'  by  1/8"  by  1/16" 
thick  flake  from  a  hot-melt  glue  slick.  Size 
and  thickness  of  the  Hake  isn't  critical,  but 
too  little  glue  won't  fully  wet  a  pad's  under- 
side and  too  much  glue  will  form  a  messy* 
looking  ring  around  the  pad,  A  little  practice 
will  demonstrate  the  proper  amount  of  glue 
to  use. 

Place  the  glue  flake  on  the  substrate  using 
tweezers  or  needle-nosed  pliers.  Put  an 
MSM  connection  pad  (copper  side  up)  over 
or  against  the  flake.  Using  a  small  (20  watt) 
soldering  iron,  tin  the  pad*s  surface  with 
60/40  rosin-core  solder 

As  the  solder  melts,  so  does  the  glue, 
which  secures  the  MSM  pad  to  its  substrate 
after  cooling.  While  the  glue  remains  lique- 
fied, you  can  slide  the  pad  to  a  slightly  dif- 
ferent location.  If  you  incorrectly  place  a 
pad,  simply  reheat  and  remove  the  pad.  Use 
a  section  of  copper  braid  or  solder  wick  to 
absorb  leftover  glue. 

You  can  obtain  MSM  materials  and  tools 
locally,  with  the  possible  exception  of  thin- 
substrate  copper-clad  PC  laminate.  If  your 
local  surplus  outlet  doesn't  stock  the  lami- 
nate, check  mail-order  surplus  dealers  who 
advertise  in  7J, 

Also,  contact  local  printed-circuil  board 
manufacturers  and  PC  laminate  suppliers  for 
availability  of  scrap  and  leftover  material. 
To  get  started*  you  can  purchase  a  3"  by  5" 


trial  sample, 
enough  for 
over  200 
MSM  pads, 
from  the  au- 
thor for  $4 
postpaid  (see 
address  at 
end  of  story). 

Assembly 
Techniques 

Before 
soldering  a 

component  to  a  pad,  trim  and  tin  all  of  the 
component's  leads.  Bend  a  lead  to  form  a 
"foot"  and  place  the  t4foof l  on  the  pad.  Ap- 
ply a  soldering  iron  to  the  lead  and  pad,  si- 
multaneously melting  the  solder  and  soften- 
ing the  glue.  Adjust  the  pad's  position,  if 
necessary*  and  remove  the  iron.  Allow  the 
glue  to  cool  for  approximately  30  seconds 
before  moving  the  part  or  bending  its  leads. 

As  noted,  MSM  pads  can  slide  on  a  "bear- 
ing" of  molten  glue,  but  the  first  component 
lead  soidered  to  the  pad  effectively  pins  the 
pad  in  place.  While  the  first  connection  is 
the  most  difficult  to  make,  subsequent  con- 
nections go  more  easily. 

Use  a  hemosiat  or  locking  tweezers  to 
hold  a  component  while  soldering.  Grasping 
the  lead  between  component  and  connection 
helps  keep  excess  soldering  heal  out  of  tem- 
perature-sensitive components. 

For  best  results,  use  a  low-wattage  solder- 
ing iron — a  20  watt  iron  with  a  1/16"  lip 
works  well.  To  solder  leads  to  a  copper-clad 
ground  plane,  use  a  larger  iron  of  40  to  50 
watts  capacity.  Apply  enough  heat  to  make 
quick,  clean  connections  and  minimize  soft- 
ening of  the  glue  securing  adjacent  compo- 
nent pads. 

If  you're  installing  MSM  pads  over  a 
ground  plane,  use  an  ohmmeter  to  check  for 
pad-to-ground  short  circuits  caused  by  ex- 
cess solder  or  too-long  component  leads. 

To  make  connections  between  pads,  use 
light-gauge  solid-  or  stranded-conductor 
wire.  Solid  wires  hold  their  shape  when 
bent  an  advantage  when  routing  many  con- 
ductors among  pads.  You  can  use  tbermally- 
strippable  magnet  wire  for  interconnections, 
but  for  best  results  trim  and  tin  individual 
wires  before  soldering  to  pads,  Tinned  cop- 
per wire  strung  with  sections  of  insulating 
tubing  also  works  well. 

Layout  Suggestions 

While  the  MSM  method  encourages  a 
free- form  approach  to  breadboarding,  you'll 
gel  best  results  by  planning  your  layout  be- 
fore you  place  a  single  pad.  Proceeding  from 
input  to  output,  convert  your  schematic  to  a 
component-placement  diagram.  Allow  a 
1/4"  circle  for  each  MSM  pad  at  a  connec- 
tion point.  If  you're  using  a  copper-clad 
ground  plane,  allow  a  margin  of  approxi- 
mately 1/4"  to  1/2"  around  the  ground 
plane's  edge  for  mounting  holes  and  a 
shielding  box,  if  required. 

Route  power  busses  parallel  with  the  sub- 


Photo  B*  A  light-shot  of  the  MSM  connection  pads, 

strate's  edges.  In  general,  you'll  find  that 
MSM  layouts  can  closely  follow  a  circuit's 
schematic  diagram,  easing  troubleshooting 
and  modification. 

Given  a  copper-clad  ground  plane,  there's 
no  excuse  for  insufficient  RF  filtering.  You 
can  liberally  sprinkle  bypass  capacitors  from 
MSM  pads  and  power-distribution  points  to 
ground.  When  bypassed  on  cither  side,  a 
low- value  resistor  passed  through  a  clear- 
ance hole  in  a  shielding  partition  serves  as  a 
fcedthrough  insulator 

You  can  use  DIP  (Dual- In  line  Package) 
components  in  a  predominantly  analog-  and 
discrete-component  MSM  layout  via  "dead- 
bug"  and  "porch"  techniques.  In  the  dead- 
bug  approach,  you  place  the  part  with  its 
pins  in  the  air  and  bend  power  and  ground 
pins  to  contact  MSM  pads  and  the  ground 
plane  respectively.  Use  individual  pins  as 
connection  points  for  wiring — AWG  #30 
wire  wrapping  wire  works  well- 
As  an  alternative,  you  can  mount  DIP 
components  on  sections  of  perforated  board 
or  salvaged  prinicd-circuil  board*  wiring  the 
ICs  as  a  socketed  subassembly  and  then  se- 
curing the  "porch**  board  to  the  ground  plane 
with  hot-melt  adhesive.  If  your  design  con- 
sists mostly  of  DIP  components,  build  the 
circuit  on  pcrfboard  and  tack  on  discrete 
parts  via  MSM  pads. 

If  you  experiment  with  nontraditional  cir- 
cuit substrates  (e,g.,  cardboard  or  unused 
ashtrays),  consider  the  substrate**  mechani- 
cal and  electrical  properties.  While  an  MSM 
pad  and  its  glue  provide  a  margin  of  insula- 
tion, wood,  paper  and  cardboard  lose  me- 
chanical strength  and  can  become  conduc- 
tive when  wet.  causing  electrical  sneak 
paths. 

Glass  and  plastic  substrates  offer  superior 
insulation  but  require  careful  handling  and 
mechanical  mounting.  In  general,  remove 
din.  grease  and  corrosion  products  from  sur- 
faces before  applying  hot-melt  glues.  Other- 
wise, MSM  pads  may  separate  from  the  sub- 
strate due  to  poor  glue  bonding. 

You  can  use  a  transparent  plastic  box  with 
a  removable  lid  as  an  enclosure  for  an  MSM 
circuit  by  building  the  layout  on  the  box's 
lid.  However,  the  plastic  may  soften  beneath 
each  MSM  pad,  so  apply  minimum  solder- 
ing heat  for  best  results. 

If  you* re  uncertain  about  selecting  a  par- 
ticular combination  of  substrate  and  hot- 
melt  glue,  conduct  a  pull  test  by  attaching  an 
MSM  pad  to  the  substrate  and  soldering  a 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  39 


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I/4  watt  resistor  to  the  pad.  Allow  two  min- 
utes for  the  glue  to  bond.  Secure  ihe  sub- 
strate in  a  vise. 

Using  pSiers  to  grasp  the  resistor's  unsol- 
dered lead,  apply  a  steady  pull  at  a  45-de« 
gree  angle  with  respect  to  the  substrate,  ir 
the  glue  bond  fails  before  the  resistor  frac- 
tures or  the  soldered  connection  peels, 
choose  another  glue  or  substrate. 

When  assembling  an  MSM  breadboard, 
remember  that  bends  in  a  component's  leads 
help  alleviate  mechanical  stress  induced  by 
soldering  heal.  Also,  raising  a  component's 
body  above  the  substrate  improves  heat  dis- 
sipation and  provides  clearance  for  cross-un- 
der wiring. 

Depending  upon  formulation,  hot-melt 
glues  soften  ai  temperatures  ranging  from  70 
to  163  degrees  Celsius.  Therefore,  avoid  de- 
signs that  heat  the  substrate  or  dissipate 
large  amounts  of  power  into  MSM  pads  via 
component  leads.  Provide  longer  component 
leads  for  extra  cooling. 

Assembly  Ideas 

As  an  alternative  to  a  paper  punch,  you 
can  use  sheet-metal  snips  or  even  heavy-du- 
ty scissors  to  cut  rectangular  pads  and  bus 
strips.  However,  circular  pads  are  free  of 
sharp  corners  which  can  cause  short  circuits. 

Lightweight  copper-clad  material  forms 
easily-assembled  shielding  partitions  and  en- 
closures. Use  EMI-suppression  conductive 
adhesive-backed  copper  tape  to  form  comers 
of  shields  and  for  seam  coverage.  For  per- 
manent tapc-to-substraie  bonds,  tack-solder 
the  tape  and  substrate  at  1 M"  intervals. 


If  you're  modifying  or  repairing  a  con- 
ventional printed-circuit  board,  use  MSM 
pads  as  tie  points  for  discrete  components. 
While  it's  preferable  to  secure  MSM  pads  to 
an  area  of  ground  plane,  in  most  cases  you 
can  also  cover  signal  traces  with  pads. 
Trace-to-pad  capacitance  will  amount  to  on- 
ly a  fraction  of  a  picofarad  per  pad,  and  stray 
signal  coupling  shouldn't  present  problems. 

Drawbacks  to  MSM  technology  include  a 
tendency  for  reheated  pads  to  slide  on  a  glue 
"bearing."  Use  a  scribe  or  soldering  aid  tool 
to  hold  a  recalcitrant  pad  in  place.  Also,  af- 
ter repeated  soldering  and  unsoldering,  a 
pad's  glue  bond  may  weaken,  forcing  you  to 
replace  or  regluc  the  pad. 

Hardware  built  with  MSM  breadboards 
tends  to  spread  in  two  directions*  forming 
shallow  layouts  that  are  great  for  trou- 
bleshooting but  somewhat  hard  to  package 
for  some  applications. 

While  the  author  has  used  MSM  technolo- 
gy for  several  months,  MSM  remains  an  ex- 
perimental assembly  method — long-term  ef- 
fects of  storage,  shock  and  vibration  resis- 
tance, and  repeated  thermal  cycling  remain 
unexplored.  In  the  tradition  of  amateur  radio 
experimentation,  the  author  releases  MSM 
technology  to  the  public  domain.  Your  com- 
ments are  invited. 

NOTE:  To  obtain  a  3"  by  5"  sample  of  li- 
mit single -sided  copper- clad  laminate  for 
experimental  MSM  pad  fabrication,  send  a 
check  or  money  order  for  $4  (U.S.)  postage 
and  handling  to:  Brad  Thompson  NlJU,  100 
Powdermill  Rd.,  M/S  BX-233,  Acton  MA 
01720. 


CIRCLE  153  OK  READER  SERVICE  CARD 

40  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1 993 


Hot-Melts 

If  your  workshop  includes  an  electric 
glue  gun.  chances  are  youVe  already  fa- 
miliar with  the  varieties  and  brands  of  hot- 
melt  adhesives  typically  stocked  by  hard* 
ware  stores.  If  not,  here's  a  review  of 
what's  available. 

Hot-melt  glues  come  in  three  varieties. 
Polypropylene  adhesives  arc  yellowish 
white  in  color  and  slightly  translucent. 
Ethylene  vinyl  acetate  (EVA)  glues  are 
colorless  and  translucent.  Polyamidc  glues 
are  opaque  and  dark  amber  in  color. 

You'll  find  all  three  types  in  1/211  or 
1/4"  diameter  slicks  of  various  lengths, 
You'll  also  find  hot-melt  sealants  and 
caulking  compounds — avoid  these,  as  they 
don't  adhere  adequately  for  MSM  applica- 
tions. 

In  exploratory  pull  tests,  all  three  types 
of  hot-melt  glues  provided  strong  bonds — 
typically,  components1  bodies  fractured 
before  either  solder  or  glue  bonds  rup- 
tured. However,  pads  secured  with  white 
sealer/caulking  compound  failed  during  a 
moderate  pull,  well  before  component  fail- 
ure occurred. 

Peel  strength  of  copper  on  G-10  or  FR- 
4  board  stock  is  approximately  eight 
pounds  per  inch  of  width.  Various  hot- 
melt  adhesives  offer  peel  strengths  ranging 
from  13  to  45  pounds  per  inch  of  width, 
and  thus  an  MSM  pad's  foil-to-Fiberglas 


for  Hams 

hund  will  fait  before  the  actual  glue  bond 
between  pad  and  ground  plane  fails. 

A  $0.25  single  glue  stick  yields  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  connections,  and  a 
carton  of  slicks  probably  represents  a  life- 
time supply  for  most  amateurs.  However, 
hot- melt  adhesives  offer  all  kinds  of  inter- 
esting possibilities  and  chances  are,  you'll 
use  more  than  you  expect. 

Beyond  MSM  assembly,  hot-melt  glues 
offer  additional  applications  for  amateur 
radio.  For  example,  you  can  tack  wires  in 
place,  secure  heavy  or  bulky  components 
to  a  substrate,  and  mount  subassemblies  in 
cabinets.  However,  hobbyist-grade  glue 
guns  typically  provide  poor  control  of  glue 
flow  and  produce  unwanted  stray  fila- 
ments of  glue. 

Use  a  clean  soldering  iron  operating  at 
reduced  voltage  via  a  variable~AC  trans- 
former to  daub  beads  of  melted  glue  stick 
where  needed.  Hot  glut:  adheres  to  every- 
thing (fingers  included)  and  can  cause 
burns,  so  wear  gloves  and  use  caution 
when  applying  the  glue.  Periodically  wipe 
the  iron's  lip  on  a  damp  sponge  to  remove 
overcooked  glue  residue. 

When  applying  hot-melt  glue  to  large 
metal  objects,  note  that  the  metal  acts  as  a 
heat  sink  and  may  weaken  glue  bonds. 
Warm  the  metal  beforehand  for  best  adhe- 


sion 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  41 


Number  it  on  your  Feedback  card 


Maxi-Loop  80 

Here's  a  tried-and~true  indoor  favorite  you  can  build. 


by  Richard  Q.  Marris  G2BZQ 


Those  of  us  who  frequent  the  lower  HF 
bands  (80  and  160  meters)  know  lhat 
sometimes  the  signal  we  want  can  sink  into 
the  ambient  noise  and  disappear.  This  ap- 
plies to  both  amateurs  and  shortwave  lis- 
teners. The  noise  in  question  appears  to  be 
an  amalgam  of  a  number  of  sources — some 
radiated,  some  atmospheric*  and  some 
man-made. 

Many  hams  resort  to  the  use  of  a  mulli* 
turn  tuned  loop  antenna  for  reception.  Un- 
fortunately, many  are  then  disappointed 
wiih  the  resulting  lower  signal  strength. 
Still,  the  loop's  directional  properties  can 
reduce  some  of  the  noise.  So,  a  preamplifi- 
er is  inevitably  used  between  the  loop  and 
the  receiver  This  increases  signal  strength, 
but  also  amplifies  the  noise. 

Such  lower  HF  loops  are  usually  capaci- 
tor-tuned multi-turn  affairs,  with  a  single 
coupling  turn,  The  loop's  wire  turns  are 
spaced  close  together  or  are  even  touching. 

The  loop  receiving  antenna  has  been 
with  us  since  the  first  days  of  wireless.  It  is 
usually  seen  in  the  form  of  a  small-space 
domestic  antenna.  It  is  also  used  for  direc- 
tion finding  (DF),  especially  in  ships  fitted 
with  earlier  radio  telegraphy  equipment.  1 
know,  because  I  collect  old  wireless  books 
and  I  often  used  physically  small-size  MF 
and  lower  HF  direction  Finding  loops  dur- 


Figure  L  Maxi-Loop  80  antenna  pmfile. 

42  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


ing  WWII.  Their  performance  was  often 
impressive. 
A  review  of  the  literature  shook  my  poor 

old  brain  box,  producing  the  realization 
that  these  older-type  loops  were  mostly 

"The  loop  receiving 
antenna  has  been  with 
us  since  the  first  days 
of  wireless. n 


very,  very  efficient,  small  in  size,  and  very 
sensitive.  They  usually  had  their  multi- 
turns  spaced  well  apart.  I  also  recall  lhat 
during  more  recent  experiments  with  multi- 
turn  small-dimension  transmitting  loops, 
the  problem  called  "proximity  effect"  had 


been  encountered,  usually  from  the  wire 
turns  being  too  close  together.  The  proximi- 
ty effect  may  occur  in  cases  where  insulat- 
ed turns  arc  close-wound  (e.g.  one  wire 
turn  apart).  As  the  turns  arc  brought  close 
to  each  other,  the  current  density  around  the 
circumference  of  each  conductor  gets  redis- 
tributed. The  result  is  a  loss  in  sensitivity  or 
signal  strength.  For  any  reader  who  is  inter- 
ested, the  proximity  effect  is  analyzed  more 
deeply  in  the  ARRL  Antenna  Book  (16th 
edition),  and  in  other  textbooks. 

I  decided  to  experiment  to  try  and  im- 
prove the  loop's  sensitivity  (i.e.  signal 
strength)  and  selectivity  (to  reduce  the  am- 
bient noise  level  and  other  interference). 
The  experiments  compared  various  turn 
spacings  and  various  methods  of  coupling 
to  the  receiver.  For  the  initial  experiments, 
a  convenient  suitable-size  cardboard  carton 
was  used  as  a  simple  frame.  A  reel  of  PVC 
covered  hook-up  wire  and  a  roll  of  masking 


6  Loop  Turns 

&  Coupling  Turn 


Coupling 

Gamma  Tap 


/' 


C1 


Max   Signal 


75 


RG-50 


Figure  2.  The  antenna  s  electrical  circuit 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  *  December,  1993  43 


^ 


18" 


4" 


Gamma  Tap 


1/16"   Wood 
(see    text)  ~ 


1/4"  x  1/4"  x  6" 
Corner  Bracers 


T 


Front  View 


Wire 
Ends 


6" 


A 


18" 


Coupling 
Turn 


t 


'••■ 


t 


9"  x  1/4"  x  1/4" 
Strip 


6X  Loop  Turns 
Spaced   .6"   Apart 


End  View 


9"  x  1/4"  x  1/4" 
Strips 


Figure  3.  The  Maxi-Loop  80s  frame  wtd  winding. 


44  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


1 


I 

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A 


/"^ 


Edge  Of  Loop  Frame 


RG-58 


Inverted    Box 


9"  x  1/4"  x  1/411 

Strip 


Base  Is  Screwed  To 
Brass   Inserts  In   Box 


Base 


tape  held  things  in  place  and  allowed  for 
quick  alterations.  After  several  hours* 
work,  using  a  frequency  around  3.5  MHz,  I 
wro[e  down  a  loop  specification: 

1.  To  be  usable  indoors,  the  loop  must  be 
small,  lightweight,  and  decent  to  look  at 

2.  The  goal  is  maximum  sensitivity  (i.e. 
greatest  signal  strength)  with  maximum  se- 
lectivity. 

3.  A  minimum  of  1/8  wavelength  of  wire 
would  be  necessary,  as  performance  falls 
off  when  proceeding  with  much  less. 

4.  The  estimated  size  was  18"  x  18"  x  6" 
using  six  wire  turns  spaced  at  0.6f'  apart. 
from  conductor  center  to  conductor  center 

5.  A  form  of  gamma  match  coupling 


Figure  4.  Mounting  the  antenna  frame  on  the  box. 

would  be  used  in  preference  to  the  usual 
loop  coupling  turn, 

6,  To  obtain  the  absolute  best  results  the 
loop  would  be  an  80  meter  band  monoban- 
der. 

Design  Description 

The  resulting  loop  profile  is  shown  in 
Figure  I.  The  loop  frame  is  neatly  pivoted 
on  the  flared  base  with  a  small  plastic  box, 
which  encloses  the  resonating  variable  ca- 
pacitor and  sundry  wiring. 

The  circuit.  Figure  2,  shows  a  six-turn 
loop  resonated  by  a  75  pF  variable  capaci- 
tor. The  coupling  to  the  receiver  is  a  form 


of 


.» 


gamma"  match  which,  in  the  original 


cardboard  carton  experiments,  was  proved 
to  provide  better  sensiiivity  than  the  more 
typical  coupling  turn.  The  frequency  range 
is  3000-5000  kHz,  with  excellent  sensitivi- 
ty. Note:  If  CI  is  replaced  with  a  200  pF 
variable  capacitor,  this  will  give  a  frequen- 
cy range  of  1750-5000  kHz.  with  perfor- 
mance falling  off  somewhat  below  2500 
kHz  but  still  usable.  A  slow-motion  drive 
would  then  be  required  with  C I  =  200  pF. 

The  resulting  performance,  throughout 
the  80  meter  (3.5  MHz)  band  was  lively, 
with  a  hiah  degree  of  signal  strength  and 

•tea  b  L_  tea- 

good  selectivity  reducing  the  ambient  noise 
level  substantially.  A  preamplifier  was  not 

necessary  with  a  good  superhet  communi- 


46  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  47 


cations  receiver,  and  this  is  with  the  loop 
on  a  table  indoors  alongside  the  operating 
position.  However,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  results  from  such  a  loop  may  vary 
from  location  to  location  and  operator  to 
operator 

Construction 

The  lightweight  box-style  mainframe  is 
shown  in  Figure  3.  It  consists  of  four 
obeche  wood  panels  t8M  x  6f"  \  1/16", 
(Obeche  appears  to  be  similar  to  balsa 
wood,  but  stronger.)  Of  course,  1/16"  ply, 
or  other  wood,  could  be  used,  with  an  in- 
crease in  weight. 

The  four  panels  18"  x  6n  are  corner- 
glued  together,  with  1/4B  x  1/4"  molded 

wood  corner  bracers,  as  shown     

in  Figure  3,  Two  9M  x  1/4"  %  1/4,T     

mounting/bracing  strips  are 
glued  at  the  bottom,  as  shown  in 
Figure  3. 

Onto  the  frame  wind  six 
counter-clockwise  turns  of  PVC- 
covered  single-conductor  0.6 
mm-diameter  hookup  wire,  with 
the  turns  spaced  at  0.6"  apart 
from  conductor  center  to  con- 
ductor center.  The  same  wire  is 
used  for  the  gamma  match  cou- 
pling turn,  which  is  tapped  onto  ^_^_ 
the  main  winding  4"  from  the  top 
left-hand  corner  {Figure  3)  of  the  First  turn, 
It  is  run  alongside  the  First  loop  turn  and 
touching  it  as  shown  in  the  circuit.  The 
turn's  ends  (about  3")  are  secured  by  run- 
ning them  through  small  holes  drilled  in 
the  9"  x  1/4"  x  1/4"  bracing/mounting 
strips,  and  they  can  be  pruned  back  later 
during  wiring.  To  keep  the  turns  exactly 
0.6"  apart,  a  blob  of  glue  should  be  placed 
on  them  at  the  frame  corners.  Note:  After 
initial  tests,  the  loop  frame  (and  turns) 
should  be  varnished  outside  and  inside 
with  polyurethane  varnish.  This  makes  the 
somewhat  flimsy  loop  frame/winding  (Fig- 
ure 3)  quite  rigid. 

Figure  4  shows  the  plastic  box  (5-1/16" 
x  2-5/8"  x  1-5/8").  which  has  a  thin  metal 
tid  fastened  with  four  corner  screws  inio 
brass  threaded  comer  inserts.  The  metal  lid 
is  not  used. 

First.  CI  is  mounted  in  the  box  end  cen- 
ter, as  shown,  and  the  mainframe  loop  is 
secured  to  the  box  with  two  screws  with 
washers  and  nuts  (Figure  4).  The  two 
screws  pass  through  the  9"  x  1/4"  x  1/4" 
bracing  strips,  and  the  inverted  plastic  box. 

Using  Lhe  discarded  metal  box  top  as  a 
drilling  jis.  drill  four  holes  throush  the 
flared  mounting  base,  which  is  a  rigid,  col- 
ored plastic  picnic  plate,  which  loses  its 
original  identity  when  inverted  and 
screwed  to  the  box. 

The  RG59  coaxial  feedltne  to  the  receiv- 
er is  brought  through  a  hole  in  the  side  of 
the  plastic  box,  as  shown,  and  is  48"  long. 
It  is  cleated  to  the  inside  of  the  box. 

After  completing  the  simple  wiring  in- 


side the  box,  the  inverted  plastic  plate  is 

screwed  to  the  box. 

Testing  and  Operation 

After  plugging  the  coaxial  feedline  into 
the  receiver,  which  is  tuned  to  3500  kHz, 
CI  is  rotated  to  resonance.  This  is  repeated 
at  3800  kHz  (4000  kHz  in  the  U.S.A.  and 
some  other  countries).  There  should  be  a 
frequency  overlap  at  either  end  of  the  80 
meter  band.  The  prototype  tuned  from  ap- 
proximately 3000  to  5000  kHz. 

Tuning  to  various  stations  over  the  3.5 
MHz  band,  you  should  find  that  there  is 
very  adequate  signal  strength,  with  excel- 
lent selectivity  and  low  ambient  noise.  The 
directivity  of  the  loop  is  the  usual  figure- 


t€I$  is  absolutely  essential 

that  the  loop  is  deactivated  on 

transmit,  otherwise  the  whole 

transmitted  power  will  arrive  at 

the  receiver  input,  with  quite 

devastating  results. " 


Though  the  construction  is  very  simple, 
it  must  be  followed  as  closely  as  possible 
as  the  design  has  been  targeted  at  the  80 
meter  band  only,  and  I've  been  somewhat 
amazed  how  critical  the  turn  spacing  ap- 
pears to  be  to  get  maximum  signal 
strength. 

The  transmitting  amateur  will  obviously 
be  using  the  loop  with  a  receiver,  and 
the  main  antenna  on  the  transmitter.  It  is 
absolutely  essential  that  the  loop  is  deacti- 
vated art  transmit,  otherwise  the  whole 
transmitted  power  will  arrive  at  the  receiv- 
er input,  with  quite  devastating  results.  The 
method  that  I  adopted  is  to  "short**  the 
RG58  loop  feedline  at  the  point  where  it 
enters  the  receiver.  This  can  be  done  with  a 
__^_  manual  switch,  relay,  or  RF- 
operated  device.  Whatever 
the  method  adopted,  it  should 
be  tried  with  great  care  at  low 
power  and  then  at  gradually 
increased  power. 


eight  polar  diagram,  with  maximum  signal 
off  the  ends,  and  minimum  on  the  flat  side 
of  the  loop.  However,  due  to  the  coupling 
method  employed,  one  lobe  is  larger  than 
the  other.  Though  the  purist  may  shudder  at 
this,  it  is  an  advantage  as  it  reduces  other 
unwanted  stations*  interference  on  the  re- 
ciprocal bearing  (i.e.  180  degrees),  and  is  a 
quite  deliberate  feature  of  the  design.  I 
haven't  needed  a  preamplifier  as  there  is 
quite  adequate  signal  strength  with  the  loop 
indoors  at  this  location  in  a  built-up  area. 
The  loop  should  be  kept  well  clear  of  the 
room  walls  and  metal  objects  and  wiring 
and  pipes,  etc. 

Using  a  2  watt  QRP  transmitter  as  an  ex- 
periment, it  was  possible  to  load  up  the 
loop.  However,  with  those  thin  loop  wire 
conductor  turns,  it  is  unlikely  that  the 
transmitted  results  would  be  very  accept- 
able. 


References 

The  following  are  some  of  the 
textbooks  used  for  reference. 
The  first  two  are  readily  avail- 
able, whereas  the  others  are  col- 
^^^™  lector's  items.  Such  older  text* 
books  should  not  be  scorned,  as 
the  conclusion  that  I've  reached  is  that 
some  of  the  older  loop  designs  were  proba- 
bly superior  to  many  of  the  present-day  de- 
signs. Such  books  can  often  be  found  at 
flea  markets,  etc. 

h  Antennas  by  J.  Kraus. 

2.  The  ARRL  Antenna  Book,  16th  edi- 
tion. 

3.  The  Admiralty  Handbook  of  Wireless 
Telegraphy,  1938. 

4.  The  Radio  Designers  Handbook, 
1953,  by  Langford-Smith. 

5.  The  Handbook  of  Technical  Instruc- 
tion for  Wireless  Telegraphists,  1942,  by 
KLM,  Dowsett  and  L.E.Q.  Wallen. 

6.  Radio  Techniques,  by  A,G.  Mills, 
1 943/44. 

7.  Outline  of  Wireless,  by  L.B.  Turner, 
192L 

8.  Measurements  in  Radio  Engineering, 
by  F,E.  Thcrman,  1935. 


Parts  List 

1 

Box 

5*  1/t6"  x  2-5/8"  x 

1 -5/81' 

Tandy/Radio  Shack  270-233 

1 

Variable  capacitor{C1) 

75  pF 

Jackson  C809  or  C802, 
or  similar  small  ceramic 
variable  capacitor 

4 

Obeche 

18"  x  6"  x  1/16" 

Or  alternatives— see  text 

1 

Length  moulded  wood 

1/4"  x  1/4' 

t 

RG58  coaxial  feedline  with 

suitable  coaxial  plug 

46" 

1 

Baseplate  (see  text) 

1 

Knob  and  extension  shaft  for  C1 

1 

50-foot  reel  of  PVC-covered 

single-strand  wire 

0.6  mm  conductor 

48  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1 993 


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Hams  a  rs 


Number  12  on  your  Feedback  card 


Andy  MacAf lister  WASZiB 
J4714  Knights  Way  Drive 
Houston  TX  77083 

New  Satellites  in  Orbit 


A  one-day  delay  due  to  poor 
weather  conditions  was  the  only  snag 
in  the  launch  of  four  new  satellites 
carrying  amateur  radio  payloads.  Con- 
ditions for  launch  require  that  wind 
speeds  not  exceed  30  mph,  horizontal 
visibility  be  at  least  1 .970  feel,  and  Ihe 
cloud  ceiling  be  €20  feet  or  higher. 

On  September  26,  1993.  at  0145 
UTC,  the  59th  rocket  of  Ihe  European 
consortium  Arianespace  lifted  off  from 
lis  South  American  launch  pad  carry- 
ing seven  satellites  bound  for  an  800- 
km-high  polar  orbit.  The  sidebar 
snows  the  sequence  of  events  follow- 
ing engine  ignition.  White  this  launch 
was  the  31st  for  an  Ariane  4  booster, 
is  was  only  ihe  third  time  an  Ariane  4 
had  been  used  without  any  strap-on 
boosters  and  the  fourth  time  for  the 
ASAP  (Ariane  Structure  for  Auxiliary 
Pay  loads)  platform.  The  ASAP  is  a 
donut -shaped  mounting  plate  for  small 
satellites  near  the  base  of  the  main 
pay  load. 


Amateur  Radio  Via  Satellites 


The  Ariane  40  used  for  V-59 
stands  180  feet  tall  with  a  lift-off  mass 
of  240.000  kg.  ft  is  a  three-stage  vehi- 
cle capable  of  placing  4,670  pounds 
of  payload  into  the  desired  polar  orbit. 
The  first  stage  (L22Q)  is  built  by 
Aerospatiale,  and  is  powered  by  four 
liquid-fueled  Viking  V  engines.  The 
second  stage  (L33)  is  built  by  MBB 
Erno,  and  is  powered  by  a  single 
Viking  IV  engine.  The  first  and  sec- 
ond stages  use  a  billquld  fuel  The 
third  stage  (H1G)  Is  built  by  Aerospa* 
Hale,  and  3s  powered  by  a  cryogenic 
liquid  hydrogen  and  oxygen  fueled 
HM-7B  engine. 

Most  Ariane  launches  are  for  com- 
munications satellites  destined  for 
geostationary  orbits  over  the  equator. 
The  main  payload  on  V-59  was 
SPOT-3.  an  earth  observation  satel- 
lite used  for  earth  imaging  and  map- 
ping. Its  mass  is  almost  10  times  that 
of  all  the  other  satellites  on  the  mis- 
sion. 

Of  the  six  small  satellites 
launched,  two  were  based  on  the  mi- 
cfosat  design  from  AMSAT-NA.  four 
were  of  SSTL  (Surrey  Satellite  Tech- 
nology Ltd.)  design,  and  one,  Stella, 


was  a  space  geodetic  satellite  from 
ONES  (Centre  National  d'Etudes 
Spatiaies)  Stella  was  mounted  under 
SPOT-3,  inside  the  payload  adapter 

The  two  microsat-type  satellites 
were  ITAMSAT,  now  known  as  ITAM- 
SAT-OSCAR-26p  and  EYESAT-A, 
now  called  AMRAD-OSCAR-27.  Both 
were  built  from  designs  originally  from 
AMSAT-HA,  but  with  changes  and  up- 
grades. IO-26  is  dedicated  to  amateur 
radio  service  while  AO-27  is  primarily 
for  commercial  uses  and  was  con- 
structed by  Interferometrics,  Inc.  of 
Vienna,  Virginia. 

The  Ihree  SSTL-slyle  spacecraft 
include  KITSAT-B.  now  known  as 
KfTSAT-OSCAR-25,  POSAT  1 ,  which 
may  be  named  POSAT-QSCAR-28 
and  HEALTHSAT-1.  K-O-25  from 
SaTReC  (Satellite  Technology  Re- 
search Center)  of  Korea  is  dedicated 
to  amateur  use,  PO-2B  from  LNETl  in 
Portugal  is  primarily  to  stimulate 
space  application  efforts  in  Portugal 
and  may  be  available  for  some  ham 
operation.  HEALTHSAT-1  from  SSTL 
is  to  be  used  by  medical  schools, 
universities,  hospitals  and  documen- 
tation centers  in  Africa.  It  carries 
no  equipment  tor  amateur  radio 
use,  although  its  downlink  is  in  the 
420-430  MHz  band,  in  Europe  this 
is  not  a  ham  band. 


The  first  signals  heard  from  the 
new  hamsats  were  those  of  AO-27  on 
436.8  MHz.  Within  a  day  all  of  the 
satellites  had  been  heard  and  were 
being  loaded  with  software  and  suc- 
cessfully commanded  by  ground  sta- 
tions. The  SSTL  craft  carry  16.5-fooi- 
long  gravity  gradient  booms  that  are 
deployed  after  all  tumbling  motion 
has  been  dampened  by  on-board 
computer  control,  PO-28  and 
HEALTHSAT-1  were  both  stabilized 
within  a  few  days.  Boom  deployment 
was  accomplished  first  on  PO-28  and 
later  on  HEALTHSAT-1  by  SSTL. 
Control  of  KO-25  was  accomplished 
from  the  group  in  Korea, 

Last  months  column  contained  de- 
scriptions of  the  frequency  plans  for 
the  new  hamsats  and  further  data  on 
their  operation,  White  they  will  pro- 
vide more  digital  communications  for 
hams  on  earth,  other  onboard  experi- 
ments like  KO-25S  color  camera  will 
furnish  new  excitement  for  those  in* 
terested  in  the  scientific  aspects  of 
amateur  radio  satellites. 

The  End  of  ARSENE 

On  September  25th  a  group  of 
French  ground-control  stations  for 
ARSEN£t  the  recently  launched 
French  hamsal,  made  a  senes  of  at- 
tempts to  recover  control  of  their  satel- 


ARIANE 

(Short  fairing) 


SPOTS 

in  launch 

configuration 

STELLA 

Auxiliary 
Payloads  in 
launch 
configuration 


ASAP  (Ariane 
Structure  for 
Auxiliary  Payload) 


Photo  A,  Preparing  the  microsat  payloads  for  the  V-59  flight  (Arianespace  photo.) 

50  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


Figure  1.  Ariane  payload  fhght  configuration.  (Arianespace  drawing  J 


Photo  C.  Liftoff  of  the  ARIANE  40  launcher  (without  strap-on  boosters) r  Kouru, 
French  Guiana,  September 25,  1993.  (Ahanespace  photo.) 


Photo  B.  The  ARtANE  40  launch  vehicle  (without  strap-on  boosters)  into  prepara- 
tion on  its  table  before  liftoff,  Kouru,  French  Gutana,  September  25,  1993,  (Ari- 
anespace  photo.) 


fite.  Since  launch,  ARSENE  has  had 
problems.  The  2  meter  transmitter  did 
not  function  and  commands  to  the 
satellite  were  not  always  executed. 

The  F5ELL  UHF  moonbounce  sta- 
tion was  used  to  send  a  long  series  of 
tetecommands  on  70cm  to  ARSENE. 
The  F5ELL  system  includes  a  26-foot 
parabolic  dish  and  2,000  watts  power. 
F5PL  monitored  the  ARSENE  down- 
link on  2 A  GHz  with  a  23-foot  dish. 
Nothing  was  heard  after  several  at- 


tempts. It  is  likely  that  the  satellite  has 
experienced  a  catastrophic  failure. 
Some  efforts  will  be  made  to  regain 
control,  but  prospects  are  not  high  in 
France. 

Many  stations  made  contacts 
through  the  ARSENE  transponder 
It  is  hoped  that  the  groups  responsi- 
ble for  this  ambitious  satellite  will 
use  the  experience  gained  to  build 
another. 


00:00 
00:04 
02:39 
03:48 
04:48 
04:53 
16:44 
17:17 
20:39 
22:56 
24:27 
26:34 
29:00 


Flight  Profile  of  V  59 

Ignition 

Liftoff 

First  stage  separation 

Fairing  Jettison 

Second  stage  separation 

Third  stage  ignition 

Third  stage  shutdown/orbit  injection 

SPOT  3  separation 

STELLA  separation 

KJTSAT,  PQSAT,  HEALTHSAT  separation 

EYESAT,  JTAMSAT  separation 

Third  stage  avoidance  maneuver 

End  of  Ariane  mission  59 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  51 


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Number  13  on  your  Feedback  card 


Mara  I  leavey,  M.D,t  WA3AJR 
6  Jenny  Lane 
Baltimore  MD  2 1208 

Last  month,  f  hinted  at  a  modifi- 
cation to  the  Fiesher  RTTY  terminal 
unit  thai  would  enable  it  to  run  as 
an  interface  to  some  of  the  popular 
RTTY  software.  This  month,  thanks  to 
information  provided  by  Joe  Masur 
AA5YA,  of  Perkinsh  Oklahoma,  I  can 
offer  a  way  to  accomplish  this  transfor- 
mation. 

This  modification  fs  for  the  Fiesher 
TU-470  terminal  unit.  I  do  not  have  in- 
formation regarding  other  Fiesher 
units,  but  I'd  iike  to  hear  of  information 
developed  in  this  vein  by  any  of  you. 


Amateur  Radio  Teletype 

General  Information 

Begin  by  unplugging  the  unit  and  re- 
moving the  two  rear  screws.  Slide  the 
modem  out  of  the  case.  Remove  the 
one  screw  holding  the  main  fuse  and 
push  it  aside.  For  RS-232  operation,  it 
is  advisable  to  disable  the  loop  supply 
by  lifting  CR7  and  CR6.  Then  install  a 
4,7k  1/4  watt  5%  resistor  in  the  resistor 
position  marked  with  "RX"  between 
R20  and  R25. 

If  you  cfont  like  to  make  up  plugs, 
you  can  purchase  a  Radio  Shack  fe- 
male DB9  to  female  DB9  serial  cable, 
and  cut  it  in  two.  You  will  have  a  spare 
three-foot  piece  for  later  use.  All  the 
cables  will  fit  inside  the  DB25  connec- 
tor housing. 


C 


12    3    4    5 
6    7    8    9 


J 


MRK 
O 


SPC 

o 


Fuse 

S2  S1 

BAY  ~>  BMK      BAY  -:-  BMK 


120   VAC 
Outlet 


O       O        O       O 


GND  * 


L 


RX     AFSK      FSK      PTT 


120   VAC 
Power 


You  will  have  to 
enlarge  the  outlet 
hole  some,  or  pick 
one  that  will  fit.  You 
can  also  purchase 
three  Radio  Shack 
audio  cables,  double 
male,  and  cut  them 
in  two,  as  you  will 
need  five  total:  three 
to  the  radio  and  two 
to  the  scope.  You 
could  add  the  extra 
cable  and  then  have 
the  choice  of  operat- 
ing AFSK  or  FSK. 
When  marking  the 
quad  board,  mark 
jack,  and  the  DB9 
connector  locations, 
leave  enough  room 


Switches   Reversed   And   Vertical    For  Clarity 


S1    SPOT 

1   O 
(BMK) 

A  O^- 

(BAY) 
BO 


S2    DPDT 
BO  O    4 

(BMK/BAY) 
#40  O  #6 

(TRTY) 
2  O  O    3 


#7         #8 

O        O 

M         S 

#13      #12 

#14 

#10 

o      o 

O 

o 

RX    AFSK 

FSK 

PTT 

Figure  2.  Switch  detail  wiring. 


Figure  1.  Ffesher  TU-470  rear  view.  Not  to  scale. 


at  the  outer  edge  for  the  terminal  unit 
case. 

All  of  the  cable  grounds  do  not 
have  to  go  to  any  special  pins  on  the 
terminal  unit,  but  pins  23  and  24  are 
not  used.  Use  pins  from  15  to  22  to 
make  up  the  neatest  arrangement,  in 
any  order  possible. 

Quad  Jack  Phono  Board 

Unsolder  and  remove  the  25-pin 
connector  from  the  PC  board.  Be 
careful  not  to  damage  the  solder- 
through  pads.  Line  up  the  quad  jack 
board  on  the  inside  of  the  unit  and 
mark  with  a  pencil  at  each  end  on  the 


rear  frame.  With  a  small  file  or  Dremel 
tool  remove  3/16  inch  of  the  PC  board 
between  your  pencil  marks,  or  until 
there  is  enough  room  to  insert  the 
phono  board.  Mark  and  drill  the  mount- 
ing holes  for  the  phone  board  and  set 
aside. 

DB9  Connector 

Remove  the  loop  supply  plug  and 
unsolder  the  lead  to  the  PC  board. 
Mark  and  form  this  hole  to  fit  the  con- 
nector and  drill  the  two  mounting 
holes.  Cut  and  solder  a  three-inch 
length  of  proper  color-coded  wire  to 
each  of  the  eight  pins  and  set  aside. 


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The  S(»2000  HF  transceiver  is  type  accepted  for  commercial  and  marine  service 
made  wllh  traditional  US  commercial  radio  quality  (and  of  course  It  can  be  used 
on  the  ham  bends  also).  While  the  Japanese  radios  have  A  final  translators  that 
strain  to  put  out  100  watts  on  \te  low  bands  and  only  75-85  watts  on  ten  meters. 
the  SG2000  has  4  large  transistors  that  loaf  along  at  150  watts  on  ALL  THE 
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keyed  down  for  an  additional  10  seconds.  %)  EVERY  SG2Q0Q  is  put  In  the 
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The  SG2000  Is  then  re-evaluated  and  an  control  functions  are  verified  to  ensure  that  the  microprocessor  Is  up  to  spec,  THEN  AND 
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dipoles,  rain  gutters,  shopping  carts,  etc.  The  result  MORE  POWER. 

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Office  Boxes.  UPS  will  no*  deiiwrfr  and  Telsphorw  number  to: 

Jo©  Brancato 

THE  HAWI  CONTACT 

PO  Box  3624,  Dept  73 
Long  Beach,  CA  90803 

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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  53 


AfsklnRS         ScopeS 
3  #4  5         #6  #7         #8         9 

DmOutRS  ScopeM 


#14 
Fsk 


15 


16         17         18         19 
Ground  Pads 


20        21 


#10 

XmitP 


22 

J 


SendAudio 
11         #12         #13 

RcvAudio 


23 
NC 


24 
NC 


#25 
SendP 


Scope  Outlets 

Locate  the  two  scope  outlets  be- 
tween the  phono  jack  board  and  the 
DB9  connector.  Mark  and  drill  the  1 .4* 
inch  mounting  holes.  Solder  on  wires 
as  above  and  set  aside. 

Switches 

Find  the  correct  placement  for  the 
switches.  Check  to  see  that  the  fuse 
block  can  be  mounted  and  that  tnere 
is  clearance^  then  drill  a  1/4-mch  hole 
lor  each  switch.  Do  not  install 

Wiring  and  Mounting  Quad  Board 
and  Scope  Jacks 

Cut  all  lead  lengths  for  neatness 
and  short  runs  while  making  the  con- 


Figure  3  PC  board  connections, 

nections.  Solder  all  the  ground  lugs  on 
the  quad  board  in  series  with  one  wire 
with  enough  lead  on  one  end  to  go  to 
the  ground  lug  on  the  terminal  unit  and 
the  other  end  to  go  to  the  scope  outlet 
ground  lugs.  Solder  a  three-inch  wire 
to  each  center  lug  on  the  quad  board 
and  mount  the  board.  Install  the  scope 
jacks.  Solder  the  quad  board  ground 
wire  to  the  terminal  unit  ground  rug 
and  the  other  end  to  the  scope  jack 
ground  lugs.  Then  add  one  more  wire 
to  any  convenient  ground  pad  on  the 
PC  board  and  back  to  a  scope  jack 
ground  lug, 

Solder  the  Four  quad  board  and  the 
two  scope  wires  to  the  following  PC 
board  pads: 


10 
12 
13 
14 
7 
8 


PTT 

AFSK 

RX 

FSK 

MARK 

SPACE 


(XmitP) 
(SendAudio) 

(RcvAudio) 
(Mark/Space) 
(ScopeM) 
(ScopeS) 


D89  Connector  and  Switches 

Install  the  connector  and  solder  PC 
board  wires: 

5    BLUE    (Signal  Gnti)  to  a  ground  pad 
7    GRAY    (SendP)         to  pad  25 

Solder  a  three- inch  wire  to  #4  and 
#6  on  S2  and  install.  Solder  one  three- 
inch  wire  to  A  on  St  and  install.  Solder 


Parts  List 

# 

Description 

Radio  Shack  No. 

1 

Quad  Jack  Phone  Board 

RS-274-322 

1 

Pkg.  shielded  phono  Jacks 

RS-274-346 

t 

DB9  male  connector 

RS-276-1537 

1 

SPOT  toggle  switch 

RS-275-613 

1 

DPDT  toggle  switch 

RS-275-620 

3 

3- foot  audio  cables 

RS-42-2366 

1 

RS232C  female/female  cable 

RS-26-116 

RS232C  Interface  Data 

PIN  1 

RED 

DCD 

BMKMULTY  RX 

PIN  2 

ORANGE 

RXD 

TRTY  RX 

PIN  3 

YELLOW 

TXD 

TRTYTX 

P3N4 

GREEN 

OTR 

BMK/BAY  TX 

PIN  5 

BLUE 

GND 

SIGNAL 

PJN7 

GRAY 

ATS 

PTT/FSK  KEYING 

PIN  8 

WHITE 

CTS 

BAYCOMM  RX 

PIN  9 
i 

BLACK 

Rl 

BMKMULTY  FAX/TUNER 

A-Si  to  B-S2  and  to  the  PC  board 
solder: 

#4  to  pad  4 (DmOutRS) 
#6  to  pad  6  (AfsklnRS) 
From  the  DB9  connector  solder  wires: 
1  (RED)  and  8  (WHITE)      toSt 
4  (GREEN).  2  (ORANGE),  and 
3(YEUQW)  toSZ 

"'  DOUBLE-CHECK  YOUR  WORK!  ™ 

Mount  the  fuse  block  and  the  fuse. 
Slide  the  modem  back  into  the  case 
and  secure  with  the  two  screws.  This 
completes  the  modification  to  the  ter- 
minal unit. 

Any  communication  program  that 
uses  pins  2.  3.  5,  and  7  of  the  run  us* 
fng  the  TRTY  position*  Operation  de- 
tails include  the  following: 

Terminal  Unit:  Serial  cable  to  computer 

Front  panel  push -buttons  to 
coned  shift,  etc. 
RX  to  radio  audio  OUT 
AFSK  to  radio  audio  IN 
PTT  to  radio  FIT  jack 
FSK  1o  radio  MARK/SPACB 
FSK  inpul  jack 
PTT  to  radio  RTTY/ 
KEY  Jack 
S1  S2 

BMKMULTY 

BMK  BMK  (set  soft- 

ware 1oTXR1/RXR1) 
BAYCOMM 
BAY  BMK  TRTY 

NC  TRTY 

Now,  I  defer  to  Joe  for  all  of  the  in- 


Cables: 
AFSK: 

FSK; 


Switches: 


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CIRCLE  t&4  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


54  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


formal  ion  on  this  rather  extensive,  but 
useful  modi fi cation.  As  he  points  out. 
win  the  ability  of  the  Flesher  TU*47Q 
to  work  on  these  modes,  there  is  no 
reason  to  cart  one  of  these  off  to  the 
flea  market,  Conversely,  if  you  spot 
one  at  a  bargain,  you  might  just  be  in- 
clined to  give  it  a  shot. 

I  look  forward  to  hearing  from  you 
all.  with  the  results  of  such  fufure  ef- 
forts. Thanks  to  Joe  for  the  hard  work, 
and  all  the  information. 

Now,  having  done  aft  of  this, 
gelling  the  software  to  run  with  is  a 
piece  of  cake.  Just  send  a  seJf- 


addressed  stamped  envelope  For 
a  current  list  of  the  "RTTY  LoopH  soft- 
ware disks,  collections  of  programs 
available  tor  the  IBM  PC  compati- 
ble computers  out  there.  Email  sent  to 
me  on  CompuServe  (75036,2501), 
Delphi  (MarcWASAJR),  or  America 
Online  {MarcWA3AJR)  will  be  simi- 
larly answered.  I  look  forward  to 
your  comments  and  questions  online, 
or  in  the  man.  I  hope  all  of  you  have 
a  good  holiday  season,  and  with  all 
that  is  happening  in  the  world,  may 
we  ale  look  forward  to  a  1994  of  peace 
for  alf  the  peoples  Of  the  world. 


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CfRCLE  299  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December;  1993  55 


—a 


Carrs  corner 


Number  14  on  your  Feedback  card 


Joseph  «£  Can  K41PV 

RO,  Box  1099 

Falls  Church  VA  22041 

Building  Small  DC  Power 
Supplies,  Part  1 

Hams  and  other  electronic  hobby- 
ists Often  need  small,  low-voltage, 
low- current.  DC  power  supplies.  Most 
solid-state  circuits  require  these  pow- 
er supplies.  Indeed,  if  you  look  at  sol- 
id-state circuits  published  in  this  mag- 
azine you  will  see  that  +5  VDC,  +9 
VDC  and  +12  VDC  are  the  most 
commonly  specified  DC  power  supply 
voltages.  We  also  see  the  same  volt- 
ages in  negative  polarity  used  some- 
times, as  well  as  variable  voltages 
(e,g,  0-12  VDC),  Current  ratings  for 
this  class  of  DC  power  supply  vary 
from  100  mA  to  5  amperes,  with  1 
ampere  being  by  far  the  most  com- 
monly seen.  This  month  we  will  take 
a  look  at  how  these  DC  power  sup- 
plies are  selected  and  designed. 
While  DC  power  supply  theory  has 
gone  far  beyond  trie  material  present- 
ed here  (watts/cu.  in.  are  way  up  and 
lbs  J  watt  are  way  down  in  commercial 
supplies),  these  supply  circuits  are 
easy  to  build  with  components  that 
are  available  at  almost  any  parts  dis- 
tributor (including  Radio  Shack), 

Safety  First 

The  DC  power  supplies  described 
in  this  article  operate  from  115  VAC, 
I.e.  residential  wall  current.  There  is 
an  unfortunate  and  very  stupid  belief 
that  this  type  of  current  is  only  moder- 
ately dangerous,  indeed,  when  I 
worked  as  a  biomedical  equipment 
technician  in  a  major  hospital  I  over- 
heard an  Intern  claim  that  115  volts 
from  Ihe  wall  isn't  dangerous  be- 
cause they  taught  him  in  medical 
school  that  it's  the  current  not  the 
voltage  that  kills,  I  leaned  over  the 


table  and  asked  him  if  he'd  passed 
high  school  physics  on  his  way  to  an 
MD  degree.  Allowing,  rather  arrogant- 
ly that  he  had<  I  asked  him  if  he'd  ev- 
er heard  of  Ohm's  Law.  I  then  mut- 
tered to  some  people  who  were  with 
me*  *lf  he  learned  the  rest  of  his  med- 
school  lessons  Ihe  way  he  teamed 
that  one.  will  someone  pi  ease  shoot 
him  on  sight  if  he  comes  into  the 
emergency  room  while  I'm  uncon- 
scious/ The  real  fad  is  simple  and 
brutal  ,  .  .  so  don't  ever  forget  it:  Its 
VAC  from  the  wail  is  potentially  fatal, 
IT  WILL  KILL  YOU  it  given  a  chance. 
A  few  guidelines  will  help: 

1 .  Never  wonx  on  a  circuit  that  is 
plugged  in. 

2.  Work  on  a  dry.  insulated  flooring 
{I  keep  a  masonite  mat  under  my 
workbench  stool). 

3.  Use  a  1:1  isolation  transformer 
to  convert  the  one-side  grounded  AC 
power  lines  to  a  floating  local  power 
system. 

I  can't  give  you  all  Of  the  informa- 
tion you  need  for  safety  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, so  ptease,  please, 
please  use  some  good  sense  when 
working  with  AC  power. 

The  Basic  LVLC  Power  Supply 

Figure  1  shows  the  basic  low  volt- 
age low  current  (LVLC)  DC  power 
supply  sans  switching  and  fusing. 
The  basic  components  of  the  power 
supply  are:  transformer  (T1),  rectifier 
(BR1),  ripple  filter  capacitor  (C1)  and 
a  bleeder  resistor  (Ri).  We  will  take  a 
look  at  other  components,  such  as 
voltage  regulators,  later.  But  first,  lefs 
discuss  the  function  of  the  basic  com- 
ponents- 
Transformer.  The  transformer  (T1) 
serves  to  reduce  the  AC  voltage  from 
the  power  mains  to  a  level  required 
by  the  DC  circuits  to  be  served  by  the 
power  supply.  We  will  shortly  discuss 


Figure  1.  Baste  full -wave  rectified  DC  power  supply. 


what  voltage  and  current  ratings  are 
needed  for  any  given  application. 

Rectifier,  The  rectifier  consists  of 
diodes  that  convert  bidirectional  alter- 
nating current  (Photo  A)  from  the 
power  mains  to  unidirectional  pulsat- 
ing DC  (Photo  B).  There  are  two  ba- 
sic classes  of  pulsating  DC:  half- 
wave  rectified  and  full-wave  rectified. 
The  half-wave  rectified  type  only  us- 
es half  of  the  AC  Input  waveform t 
while  the  full-wave  version  (shown  in 
Photo  C)  uses  both  halves  of  the  AC 
waveform.  Note  that  there  are  no 
spaces  between  the  "humps"  of  the 
full-wave  rectified  version.  In  the  half- 
wave  rectified  form  there  would  be  a 
flat  line  between  humps  representing 
the  time  taken  by  the  rejected  half 
wave.  The  output  frequency  of  a  half- 
wave  rectifier  equals  the  AC  line  fre- 
quency (e.g.  60  Hz  In  USA  and 
Canada);  the  output  frequency  of  the 
full-wave  rectified  pulsating  DC  is 
twice  the  line  frequency  (e.g.  120  Hz 


in  USA  and  Canada), 

In  Figure  1,  a  "bridge'reetlfler  is 
shown  in  the  circuit  An  inset  shows 
the  innards"  of  the  bridge  rectifier, 
which  is  a  ring  of  rectifier  diodes. 

Rippfe  filter.  The  pulsating  DC 
from  the  rectifier  is  almost  as  useless 
to  solid-state  electronic  circuits  as 
AC.  The  ripple  filter  smoothes  the 
pulsating  DC  to  make  It  much  nearer 
to  the  pure  kind -you*  get- from -a- bat- 
tery DC. 

Bleeder  resistor  The  bleeder  re- 
sistor serves  two  purposes.  First, 
there  is  the  issue  of  safety.  Gharged 
capacitors  can  be  dangerous.  While 
12  VDC  is  not  usually  dangerous  to 
intact  humans,  It  can  produce  dam- 
age to  circuits,  in  addition,  if  you 
wear  a  ring  or  watch  or  other  Jewelry, 
it  is  possible  for  the  current  stored  in 
a  large  low-voltage  capacitor  to 
cause  a  nasty  burn.  Not  likely, 
maybe,  but  life  is  full  of  nasty  little 
Mnot- likely"  surprises.  The  second  use 


Photo  A.  The  60  Hz  AC  input  to  rectifier. 

56  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


Photo  &  Full-wave  rectified  pulsating  DC  output  of  rectifier. 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  57 


Photo  C-  a)  Ripple  with  100  uF  filler;  b)  rippie  with  1,000  uF  filler, 


for  the  resistor  is  to  provide  a  minimal 
load  to  trie  rectifier.  I've  seen  high- 
current  low-voltage  power  supplies 
cause  problems  for  marginally  rated 
filter  capacitors  when  the  load  was 
removed.  It  seemed  that  the  pulsat- 
ing DC  peak  voltage  rose  dramati- 
cally. 

Component  Ratings 

The  reclilier  should  be  selected 
according  to  two  ratings:  peak  in- 
verse voltage  {PIV},  aJso  called  peak 
reverse  voltage  (PBV),  and  the  for- 
ward current.  The  PIV  rating  is  the 
highest  reverse  bias  vottage  that  the 
diodes  Inside  can  tolerate  without  de~ 
struct  ion.  The  general  rule  to  follow  is 
■Mils:  The  minimum  PIV  rating  should 
be  greater  than  2. S3  times  the  RMS 
voltage  rating  of  the  transformer  (T1) 
secondary  winding.  The  reason  for 

this  vafue  is  that  the  diode  will  see 
the  peak  voltage  from  the  transformer 
(1.414  Vrms),  and  this  voltage 
charges  the  ripple  fitter  capacitor  (C1 ) 
to  the  same  level  Thus,  the  reverse 
bias  voltage  seen  by  the  rectifier  is  2 
X  (1.414  Vrms).  or  about  2.83  Vrms. 
This  minimum  PIV  rating  is  not  usual- 
ly a  problem.  Indeed,  you  can  elimi- 


nate the  problem  altogether  if  you 
use  1.000  volt  PIV  diodes  or  bridge 
rectifiers.  If  you  go  to  most  parts  dis- 
tributors, you  will  find  1,000  volt  PIV 
ratings  on  most  of  the  diodes  avail- 
able. 

The  transformer  (T1)  Is  selected  to 
produce  the  required  voltage.  The  av- 
erage voltage  across  the  filter  capaci- 
tor after  only  a  few  cycles  (millisec- 
onds) win  be  about  0.9  times  the 
peak  voltage,  or  vet  =  (0.9) 
(MUHVrms).  Thus,  a  12,6  VAC  fila- 
ment* transformer  will  produce  nearly 
16  volts  across  the  filter  capacitor. 

The  current  rating  of  the  trans- 
former secondary  winding  should  be 
twice  the  expected  maximum  load 
current.  For  example,  if  you  are  build- 
ing a  1  ampere  DC  power  supply, 
then  use  a  2  ampere  transformer. 
This  guideline  assumes  that  full- wave 
rectification  is  used.  Many  times  I've 
violated  this  rule,  and  gotten  away 
with  it  targe ty  because  the  circuits  I've 
built  generally  use  a  lot  less  than  the 
maximum  current.  The  maximum  1 
ampere  (1,000  mA)  current  drain  usu- 
ally only  occurred  briefly.  However,  2 
ampere  transformers  are  easily  avail- 
able, so  the  guideline  makes  sense. 


Also,  if  you  violate  the  rule,  check  the 
trans  formers  operating  temperature 
with  the  thumb  test  Run  the  power 
supply  for  about  five  minutes,  unplug 
it  from  the  AC  power  mains  (safety 
first!)  and  then  quickly  and  gingerly 
touch  the  transformer's  metal  frame 
with  your  Ihumb,  If  it  runs  hot  enough 
to  bum  then  it's  running  at  too  high  a 
current  load, 

The  filler  eapacflor  has  two  ratings 
to  consider:  capacitance  and  working 
voltage  direct  current  (WVDC).  The 
WVDC  rating  refers  to  the  maximum 
voltage  that  the  capacitor  can  tolerate 
on  a  continuous  basis.  I  am  generally 
quite  conservative  about  this  rating. 
First,  assume  a  20  percent  tolerance: 
The  minimum  allowable  WVDC  rating 
should  be  1,2  times  the  maximum 
pulsating  DC  that  will  be  applied  to  ft. 
I  generally  prefer  a  2X  margin,  rather 
than  1.2  margin.  Generally,  whenever 
one  sees  a  piece  of  equipment  that 
has  frequent  problems  with  the  filter 
capacitors  "going  west"  it  can  be 
traced  to  using  a  supposedly  safe  but 
low  margin  of  safety.  In  other  words, 
lor  a  power  supply  with  a  12.6  volt 
transformer,  which  outputs  about  16 
volts  peak,  use  a  25  VDC  capacitor 


at  minimum,  and  prefer  35  WVDC 
and  50  WVDC  models. 

The  capacitance  required  for  the 
ripple  filter  depends  on  the  degree  of 
ripple  suppression  required,  and  Ihe 
ripple  frequency,  The  ripple  frequency 
of  hall-wave  rectified  power  supplies 
1$  60  Hz  in  North  America,  so  these 
require  about  twice  the  capacitance 
as  full-wave  rectified  power  supplies 
(120  Hz  ripple  frequency). 

Photo  Ca  shows  an  AC-coupled 
{to  eliminate  DC  offset)  oscilloscope 
presentation  of  the  ripple  present  on 
a  lightly  loaded  1  ampere  12  VDC 
power  supply  with  a  100  jjF  filter  ca- 
pacitor (C1  In  Figure  1).  Without 
changing  the  settings  of  the  oscilfo* 
scope.  Photo  Co  shows  the  same 
power  supply,  under  the  same  condi- 
tions, when  a  1.000  uF  \3  used  in 
place  of  the  tOO  jiF  capacitor.  Note 
the  substantial  reduction  of  npple. 

In  some  cases,  the  ripple  reduction 
of  Photo  Cb  is  good  enough.  Howev- 
er, there  are  many  cases  where  a 
considerably  better  degree  of  ripple 
suppression  is  needed.  Those  cases 
require  a  voltage- regulated  DC  power 
supply .  .  which  is  the  subject  of  next 
month's  column. 


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I    IV. 

73 


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CIRCLE  193  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 

58  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1993 


Number  IS  on  your  Feedback  card 


■    ■  Number  1 5  on  you 

Upda  tes 


Active  Antenna  Using  a  MOSFET 

by  Ken  Cornell  W2IMB 

Please  refer  to  the  above  article  in  Ihe  March  1993 
issue,  page  32.  The  parts  fist  correctly  sets  the  values 
tor  RF  chokes  t  and  2  a!  i  millihenry;  however,  ihe 
schematic  defHCIed  them  (incorrectly)  as  1  microhenry 
RFCs.  TNX  to  Victor  Bennight  lor  spotting  the  mistake. 
The  author  makes  another  good  point.  He  suggests  that 
you  set  the  R1  pot  to  its  mid -point  before  applying  pow- 
er (Adding  a  series  resistor  would  provide  an  addition 
margin  of  safety  for  the  MOSFET) 


mat 


r 


Sell  your  products  In 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today 

Call  Dan  Harper 

8D0-Z74-7373 


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from  ALINCO. 

Standard  features  include  50  CTCSS  Tones,  Programmed 
Memory  scan,  Programmable  "Time-Out"  Timer, 
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Channels  with  optional  plug-in  chips. 

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CIRCLE  67  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


Homing  in 


Number  16  on  your  Feedback  card 


Radio  Direction  Finding 


Joe  Moeti  P£  K0OV 

PO.BQX250S 
FuUerton  CA  92633 

Testing  the  Ramsey  Fox- 
hound 

You  can  tell  that  a  ham  radio  activ- 
ity Is  gaining  popularity  when  estab- 
lished manufacturers  begin  to  supply 
equipment  for  it.  Until  recently,  hid- 
den transmitter  hunters  {sometimes 
cat  led  foxhui  iters  or  T-hunrers)  had  to 
build  their  own  gear  or  buy  rt  from  a 
few  companies  specializing  in  radio 
direction  finding  (RDF)  sets,  such  as 
Doppler  Systems  and  8MG  Engi- 
neering. 

The  big  three  manufacturers  from 
JA-land  aren't  making  T-hunt  prod- 
ucts yetH  but  at  least  one  well-known 
US  mall  order  company  has  begun  to 
supply  this  growing  market.  Last  win- 
ters Ramsey  Electronics  catalog  an- 
nounced two  new  items  of  foxhunting 
gear  The  "Sly Fox"  transmitter  is  still 
futuraware  as  of  this  writing,  but  the 
DF-1  "Foxhound"  direction  finder  is 
available  at  hamfests,  from  dealers, 
and  by  mall  order  from  the  factory 
(see  Photo  A). 

A  Versatile  TDOA  Set 

Mobile  VHF  T-hunters  usually  use 
a  Doppler  unit  with  its  ring  of  anten- 
nas, or  the  amplitude- based  RDF 
method  (beam,  attenuator,  and  5- 
meter),  in  contrast  the  Foxhound  is  a 
"homing"  type  of  RDF  set.  Homing 


RDFs  have  two  vertical  antennas — 
dipoles  in  this  case — spaced  less 
than  a  half  wavelength  apart,  plus 
some  sort  of  left-right  indication 
(LEDs,  meter,  or  tone  pitch  change). 

There  are  two  look -a  f  ike  kinds  of 
homing  RDFs:  switched  cardioid  pat- 
tern and  time-difference-of-arrival 
(TDOA).  Of  the  two,  hams  prater 
TDOA  units  because  they  work  with 
unmodified  VHF-FM  transceivers  and 
do  not  require  an  RF  attenuator  at 
the  receiver  input.  The  DF-1  is  a 
TDOA  unit,  similar  in  principle  to  a 
number  of  sets  that  have  been  devel- 
oped since  the  early  1980s. 

RF  diodes  in  the  Foxhound  switch 
the  receiver  input  rapidly  back  and 
forth  between  the  two  antennas  at 
about  1  kHz  (see  Figure  1).  When 
the  incoming  Signal  wavefront  arrives 
at  one  antenna  before  the  other  (as 
for  transmitters  #1  and  #3},  the  an- 
tenna switching  produces  pulses  out 
of  the  receiver's  FM  discriminator, 
heard  as  a  (one  mixed  with  the  re- 
ceived audio. 

The  phase  of  these  pulses  is  de- 
tected within  the  DF-1  circuitry,  acti- 
vating the  left  or  right  Indicator  as  ap- 
propriate. When  the  two  antennas 
are  equidistant  from  the  source  (as  is 
transmitter  #2  in  Figure  1  )<  no  tone  is 
heard  and  no  LEDs  light  A  sharp  null 
in  the  tone  gives  a  precise  line  of 
bearing  to  the  fox. 

Ustng  a  homing  RDF  set  is  easy. 
Watch  the  indicators  and  listen  to  the 


Photo  A.  Aha!  it's  in  the  trashcan!  Jason  McLaughlin  KDBICZ  shows  how  to  "sniff" 
out  a  hidden  2  meter  transmitter  with  the  Ramsey  Foxhound  The  unit  connects  to 
the  antenna  and  earphone  jacks  of  his  handie-talkie, 

60  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  *  December,  1 993 


XMTR    #2 


XMTR    #1 


XMTR    #3 


ANTENNAS 
EQUIDISTANT 


\ 


I 


/ 


ANTENNA  A 
IS  CLOSER 


ANTENNA  A 


LmR 


ANTENNA B 
IS  CLOSER 


ANTENNA   B 


Figure  1.  TDOA  RDF  sets  such  as  the  Ramsey  Foxhound  find  direction  by  deter- 
mining which  of  its  two  verftcai  antennas  is  closest  to  the  transmitter. 


RDF  tone  while  you  hold  the  unit  and 
turn  slowly.  You  should  hear  two  dis- 
tinct nulls  in  the  RDF  tone,  180  de- 
grees apart,  You  are  facing  the  direc- 
tion of  incoming  signal  when  the  tone 
is  nulled  and  movement  to  the  left 
makes  the  "turn  hghf  indicator  come 
on.  Conversely,  your  movement  to 
the  right  makes  the  "turn  left*  LED 
light  tf  the  opposite  happens,  do  an 
about-face  and  try  again, 

By  walking,  turning,  and  following 
the  null  and  fights,  you  home  in  on 
the  fox.  The  Foxhound  is  designed 
only  for  on-foot  ^sniffing."  Using  it  In 
motion  on  a  vehicle  would  be  unsafe, 
unless  you  build  a  special  rotating 
antenna  system  with  extended  coax 
lines  so  that  the  antenna  pair  is  out- 
side the  vehicle  and  the  rest  is  inside. 

The  DF-Vs  manual  cover  lines 
proclaim  that  it  "works  with  any  radio, 
any  frequency."1  Not  exactly.  TDOA 
sets  need  carrier-type  signals,  such 
as  CW  or  FM.  They  aren't  designed 
to  track  SSB  or  broadband  impulse 
noise.  The  receiver  musl  have  an  FM 
detector.  AM  and  product  detector 
sets  will  not  work  with  it. 

The  two  TDOA  antennas  must  be 
less  than  a  free-space  half-wave- 
ten  gth  apart.  The  PVOptpe -frame 
antenna  pair  described  in  the  manual 
{23-inch  spacing)  is  intended  for  2 
meters,  but  will  work  over  a  wide  fre- 
quency range.  You  can  use  it  with 
your  extended -receive- range  hand- 
held or  scanner  to  track  signais  in  the 
business  and  maritime  bands  below 
250  MHz,  For  higher  bands,  the 
dipoles  must  be  shorter  and  closer 

Theoretically,  the  supplied  whip 
set  works  on  6  meters,  but  the  non- 
resonant  antennas  and  short  spacing 
results  in  too  little  DF  tone  from  the 
receiver.  A  bigger  antenna  system  Is 
needed  below  108  MHz.  Portable 


use  of  the  DF-1  on  80-10  meters  is 
not  practical  because  an  effective  an- 
tenna set  would  be  excessively  large. 

tf  At  First . .  > 

The  Model  DF-1  kit  (Photo  B. 
Price  $59.95)  includes  a  circuit 
board,  all  necessary  components, 
meter,  gain  control,  whip  antennas, 
miniature  coax,  and  instruction  man- 
ual You  will  need  a  case  tor  physical 
protection  and  for  meter  and  gain 
control  mounting.  The  optional  Model 
CDF  case  set  (Photo  0.,  $12.95) 
includes  a  clamshell  enclosure  which 
Is  predrilled  and  lettered,  plus  all 
essential  hardware. 

An  antenna  framework  is  not  pro- 
vided. The  manual  shows  how  to 
make  a  frame  for  2  meters  from  inex- 
pensive PVC  pipe  and  fittings.  The 
whips  mount  on  small  circuit  boards 
inside  the  pipe.  {See  Photo  D.) 

Ramsey  supplied  their  Revision 
1.0  kit  for  review.  The  circuit  board 
was  marked  DF4  Rev  1.4  10/12/92.  It 
took  me  one  evening  to  populate  the 
board  and  another  to  construct  the 
antenna  system.  Aside  from  minor 
pad  discrepancies  and  some  missing 
hardware,  it  went  smoothly. 

When  1  set  up  my  lest  transmitter 
and  powered  up  this  early  version, 
the  performance  was  disappointing. 
Sometimes  the  meter  would  "hang" 
or  bounce  for  no  apparent  reason. 
RDF  indications  were  not  trustworthy. 
The  right  indicator  was  on  most  of 
the  time  and  the  left  indicator  seldom 
came  on. 

Probing  the  DF-1  board  with  a 
scope  showed  clock  noise  and  oscil- 
lation at  the  active  tone  filter  output 
and  on  the  Vcc  lines,  The  favoring  of 
on©  indicator  appeared  to  be  caused 
by  asymmetry  of  the  antenna  switch- 
ing waveform,  which  should  be  a 


Photo  B.  The  spacious  circuit  board  is  easy  to  assemble.  For  ease  of  trou- 
bleshooting, I  used  ribbon  cable  instead  of  the  supplied  short  jumper  wires  to 
panel  components.  The  Ramsey-recommended  9  volt  battery  is  shown,  but  I  lat- 
er changed  to  12  vott  power. 


50%  square  wave  to  minimize  har- 
monics in  the  DF  tone  at  the  receiver 
output.  A  couple  of  electrolytic  capac- 
itors were  installed  according  to  l he 
instructions,  but  were  not  observant 
of  correct  polarity  for  this  circuit 

I  suggested  some  circuit  changes 
to  Ramsey  Electronics  engineer  Tom 
Hodge  WA2YTM  and  he  agreed  to 
review  the  DF-1  design  A  few  weeks 
later,  a  Revision  1.3  kit  arrived.  Its 
new  circuit  board  (DF1  Rev  2.0 
5/13/93)  had  fixes  lo  provide  a 
square-wave  switching  waveform, 
better  supply  filtering,  and  proper  ca- 
pacitor polarity.  Several  glitches  in 
the  manual  had  been  corrected  and 
there  were  no  missing  parts. 

After  another  session  with  the  sol- 
dering iron  {it  went  much  faster  ihe 
second  time),  the  new  board  was 
ready  lo  test.  Now,  with  a  fresh  9  volt 
battery.  I  was  abfe  to  get  good  meter- 
ing null  and  usable  left-right  indica- 
tions with  my  test  fox. 

Raise  the  B+ 

The  Foxhound  uses  a  MFS  active 
filter  ICf  which  is  temperamental 
about  Its  power  source.  When  Vcc 
dropped  from  9.5  to  7  8  volts  after  a 
few  hours,  it  went  into  uncontrollable 
oscillation  Duracelf  specifies  end-of- 
life  of  a  standard  MN1S04  alkaline 
battery  at  4.3  volts.  Thus,  much  of 
the  batlery+s  capacity  is  wasted  by 
replacing  il  al  7.8  V. 

I  substituted  a  series  pair  of  6  volt 
Duracell  7K67  batteries  in  place  of 
the  MN1604  battery.  These  "J-sizefl 
batteries  are  widely  sold  for  replace- 
ment in  TV  remote  controls,  etc. 
Each  7K67  has  the  same  ampere- 
hour  rating  as  an  MN1604.  Although 
DF-1's  current  drain  is  slightly  higher 
at  12  volts  than  at  9  volts,  the  J's  East 
much  longer  because  they  can  be 
used  to  near  end-of-life  voltage. 

Performance  of  the  DF-1  is  notice- 


ably better  on  12  volts,  compared  lo 
9  volts.  The  meter  circuit  is  much 
more  sensitive  and  the  left-right  indi- 
cators flicker  less.  I  couldn't  find  hold- 
ers for  the  J  batteries  and  the  tabs 
would  not  take  solder,  so  l  pried  out 
the  tabs,  crimped  them  to  stranded 
wires,  and  hooked  the  wires  to  the 
connector  Irom  an  old  9V  battery. 
Double-sticky  foam  tape  holds  the 
batteries  to  the  board. 

The  Foxhound  has  a  power  jack 
on  the  bottom  pane  J  for  external  sup- 
ply, ft  you  don't  mind  another  dan- 
gling wire,  you  can  use  it  to  supply  12 
volts  to  the  board.  If  you  do  this,  be 
sure  to  remove  all  Internal  batteries. 
The  steering  diode  in  serf  eg  with  the 
battery  was  deleted  when  the  board 
was  revised.  II  you  don't  remove  in- 
ternal batteries,  the  external  source 
will  attempt  lo  charge  them  with  no 
current  limiting.  Damage  lo  batteries 
or  your  supply  coutd  result. 

Foxhound  Pluses  and  Minuses 

Most  TDOA  sets  require  you  to  lis- 
ten carefully  to  the  DF  tone  to  detect 
the  exact  null  The  DF-1  is  the  first 
set  I  have  seen  with  a  panel  meter  to 
help  you  find  the  null.  Usually  your 
ear  is  the  best  null  detector,  but  the 
meter  is  useful  when  hunting  in  I  oca- 
lions  with  lots  of  acoustic  noise,  or 
when  there  is  heavy  voice  or  tone 
modulation  on  Ihe  bunny's  signal. 

Plugging  the  DF-1's  audio  cable 
into  your  receiver  disables  its  speak- 
er. The  onfy  way  to  hear  the  hidden  T 
and  its  tone  null  is  to  plug  an  ear- 
phone into  a  jack  on  the  bottom  of 
the  DF-1H  I  don't  like  a  tangling  ear 
phone  cord  when  I'm  tramping 
through  the  brush.  Furthermore,  the 
mini -jack  supplied  by  Ramsey  is  the 
wrong  size  for  my  ICOrVl  earplugs,  so 
I  added  a  1-1/2-inch  speaker  inside 
the  DF-1  case.  The  speaker  is  wired 
to  the  normally  dosed  terminal  on  the 


Photo  C.  The  DF-1  cimuit  board  is  designed  to  fit  into  the  optional  CDF  ptasttc 
case.  Coax  and  connector  locations  on  the  revised  board  are  different  from  this 
original  model.  It's  wise  to  order  the  case  and  board  at  the  same  time  to  be  sure 
they  are  compatible. 


DF-1  earphone  jack,  so  an  earphone 
can  still  be  used  if  desired- 

With  no  audio  from  the  radio,  both 
LEDs  are  off.  it's  easy  to  forget  to 
turn  off  the  Foxhound's  power  after 
the  hunt.  To  remind  you  to  save  the 
battery,  you  may  wish  lo  add  an  LED 
power-on  indicator. 

In  Conclusion 

The  Foxhound  adds  sniffing  capa- 
bility to  your  RDF  arsenal  for  less 
than  73  bucks.  Us  left-righ!  LEDs  give 
an  unambiguous  direction  indication, 
The  spacious  circuit  board  Is  well 
documented  to  help  you  build  and 
modify  it  to  your  particular  needs. 
When  powered  by  a  12  volt  supply, 
its  performance  on  2  meters  \s  com- 
parable to  competilive  TDOA  RDF 
sets  for  on-f oot  foxhunting . 

If  you  already  have  an  early  model 
DF-1.  I  recommend  upgrading  il  to 
the  latest  circuit  for  best  perfor- 
mance. John  Ramsey  told  me  his 
company  will  provide  modification  in- 
structions on  request.  Ramsey  Elec- 
tronics is  at  793  Canning  Parkway, 
Victor  NY  14564;  telephone:  (716) 
924-4560, 

Remember  that  there  are  certain 
RDF  situations  where  all  TDOA  units 
work  poorly.  Horizontally  polarized 
signals  are  much  more  difficult  lo 
track  than  vertical,  because  signal  re- 
flections are  enhanced  relative  to  the 
direct  signal  on  the  vertical  whips. 
Weak  signals  may  be  masked  by 
noise  from  antenna  switching.  A 
properly  polarized  beam  or  quad  is 
needed  in  thoso  special  situations. 

Tracking  in  severe  muttipath  (in- 
side a  building,  for  instance)  is  diffi- 
cult with  a  TDOA,  too.  But  when  sig- 
nals are  strong,  vertical,  and  m  the 
clear,  the  TDOA  will  give  sharper 
bearings  than  a  beam,  and  bearings 
will  be  easy  to  get  even  if  the  fox 
IransmHter  is  changing  power 


Photo  D.  A  dose-up  end  view  of  one 
antenna*  Ramsey  supplies  the  tele- 
scoping  whips,  small  circuit  boards  to 
mount  them,  and  miniature  coax.  You 
provide  the  PVCpipe  frame. 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  61 


Number  1 7  on  your  Feedback  card 


■     ■  Mumoer  i  /  on  your  j-eeo 

Hams  with  class 


Carole  Perry  WB2MGP 
Media  Mentors,  foe, 
P.O.Box  73 f 646 
Staten  island  NY  1Q313OQ06 

New  Resources 

At  the  beginning  of  every  school 
year,  I  like  lo  force  myself  to  search 
out  now  resources  to  use  in  the  class- 
room with  my  ham  radio  classes. 
There  are  lots  of  commercially  pre- 
pared materials  that  are  highly  publi- 
cized thai  t  use  year  after  year  to  pre- 
pare the  kids  for  the  license  exams.  \ 
realize,  however,  that  it's  important  to 
continuously  be  on  the  lookout  for  new 
resources  and  new  ideas . 

With  the  delay  of  school  opening  in 
New  York  City  due  to  the  asbestos  cri- 
sis. I've  had  time  to  peruse  some  won- 
derful new  leaching  aids  and  materials 
that  ni  be  adding  to  my  program.  In 
the  spirit  of  sharing,  111  describe  the 
new  resources  I'll  be  incorporating  into 
my  ham  radio  curriculum. 

Alpha  and  Zulu 

Riding  The  Airwaves  With  Alpha 
and  Zulu  by  John  Abbot  K6YB  is  a  de- 
lightfui  soft-covered  book  that  uses 
comic  book  characters,  the  Phoneti- 


cos,  to  prepare  you  to  take  two  differ- 
ent amateur  radio  license  exams,  the 
Novice  and  the  No-Code  Tech,  One- 
hundred-andtwelve  comic  strips  re- 
view all  the  Questions  and  answers.  If 
you  look  closely  at  the  Phonetlco  char- 
acters you  will  notice  that  each  one  of 
their  bodies  is  made  up  of  Morse  code 
"Dits"  and  "Dahs"  that  form  the  correct 
symbol  for  that  character's  letter. 

After  each  cartoon  page  is  a  testing 
page.  The  answers  may  be  found  on 
the  following  page  on  the  bottom  left 
side.  There  are  puzzles,  connect  the 
dots,  word  searches,  games,  and  pro- 
jects throughout  the  book. 

This  book  will  be  a  fine  addition  to 
any  teacher's  library,  it  retails  for  $15 
from  Artsci,  Inc..  P.O.  Box  1428t  Bur- 
bank  CA  91507;  (818)  843-4080. 

The  Aft  of  Science 

If  you're  a  teacher  working  with  old- 
er or  more  advanced  students  you 
should  take  a  look  at  a  book  called 
The  An  of  Science  by  Joe  Carr  K4IPV. 
This  book  is  an  excellent  resource  and 
guide  for  teachers  and  students  alike 
that  addresses  the  practical  Nhow  to  do 
it*  phase  of  scientific  experimentation, 

Joe  discusses  how  to  choose  the 


type  of  experiment  best  suited  to  your 
application,  how  to  keep  professional 
quality  scientilk;  records,  how  lo  make 
accurate  measurements  and  correctly 
estimate  errors,  how  to  present  your 
results  tike  a  "pro,"  how  to  think  critical- 
ly about  your  theories,  and  how  to  spot 
fallacies  in  the  arguments  ot  others. 

For  the  serious  students  who  partic- 
ipate in  science  fairs,  there  8tc  valu- 
able tessons  in  this  book.  Too  often  we 
forget  to  teach  the  basics  of  scientific 
inquiry  and  we  neglect  to  give  the  stu- 
dents the  tools  they  need  to  be  cre- 
ative yet  exacting  in  their  efforts. 


The  book  is  available  from  Hghtext 
P,0.  Box  1489.  Solana  Beach  CA 
92075;  [619)  793-4141. 

Slow- Scan  Program 

The  ham  radio  students  in  my 
classes  always  enjoy  working  with 
Slow-Sean  TV,  John  Langner  W620S2 
has  a  terrific  package  available  for 
$229.95,  Pasokon  TV  is  the  interface, 
software,  and  manual,  assembled  and 
tested. 

Here  are  some  features:  It  can  send 
and  receive  ali  popular  modes  The  in- 
terface fits  inside  the  computer.  It  can 


Photo  A  John  Abbot  K6YB  developed  his  Riding  the  Airwaves  book  from  personal 
classroom  experience  at  Los  Feltz  Elementary  School  In  Hollywood,  California. 


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62  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


read  and  write  popular  image  File  for* 
mals.  It  has  user-defined  menu  items 
for  running  external  programs,  such  as 
N9AMFTs  HiRes32,  it  displays  color 
pictures  in  reaf-time  during  reception,  It 
has  an  on-screen  tuning  indicator  and 
has  automatic  fine  tuning  of  signals  up 
to  100  Hz  off  frequency. 

The  hardware  requirements  are  as 
follows:  IBM  PC/AT  or  compatibfe,  one 
empty  expansion  slot,  *286  or  later 
CPU.  640K  memory,  VGA  display 
adapter,  and  a  color  monitor. 


These  wilderness  and  adventure 
stories,  Night  Signals ;  Hostage  in  The 
Woods ;  and  Firewatch,  will  enchant 
and  enthrall  any  youngster.  The  char- 
acters are  easy  for  most  kids  to  identi- 
fy with.  My  students  enjoy  the  fast- 
paced  action  and  they  like  the  way 
ham  radio  has  been  incorporated  into 
the  story.  These  books  will  be  highly 
motivational  and  a  fine  addition  lo  your 
classroom  library,  Hiey  retail  for  $5.95 
each. 

I  cannot  stress  enough  how  Impor- 


"/  cannot  stress  enough  how  important 
it  is  for  teachers  to  keep  themselves 
stimulated  with  new  and  challenging 
materials  in  the  classroom  every  term. 


t§ 


Contact  John  for  further  details  at 
115  Sledman  Si.  #M  Chelmsford  MA 
01824-1823;  <5u0)  256-6907. 

Cynthia  Wall 

Authoress  Cynthia  Watl  KA7ITT 
was  one  of  the  guest  speakers  at  a 
seminar  !  conducted  at  the  Texas 
Hamcom  East  June.  She  spoke  about 
the  series  of  books  she  has  written 
that  are  being  sold  through  the  ARRL 
I  was  ven/  pleased  to  have  a  chance  to 
meet  with  her  and  to  read  her  three 
terrific  books.  i  see  ihe  potential  for  us- 
ing them  in  the  classroom. 


tant  it  is  for  teachers  to  keep  them- 
selves stimulated  with  new  and  chal- 
lenging materials  in  the  classroom  ev- 
ery term.  You  owe  it  to  yourself  as  a 
professional,  and  you  certainty  owe  it 
to  your  students,  to  utilize  the  latest 
techniques.  So,  avail  yourself  of  new 
resources  whenever  possible. 

One  great  place  where  teachers 
can  meet  to  exchange  ideas  is  on  the 
CQ  All  Schools  Net  every  Tuesday  and 
Thursday  at  17:30  UTC  on  28.303 
MHz.  Listen  up  for  net  controls  Carole 
WB2MGP,  Gordon  W86NOAH  and  Jim 
N4MDC. 


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CIRCLE  268  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1 993  63 


Qrp 


Number  tfl  on  your  Feedback  card 


Michael  Bryce  WB8VGE 
2225  Mayflower  NW 
Masstlton  OH  44646 

(Editor's  Nolo:  Observant  readers 
of  this  column  noticed  last  months 
material  was  a  repeat  of  the  column 
originally  printed  in  June  1992.  We 
don't  know  how  this  happened, 
Michael  passed  in  a  new  column  but 
we  somehow  substituted  an  old  one, 
We  apologize  to  Michael  and  to  his 
toya  I  readers.  —Ed.) 

Back  to  the  Future 

A  transmitter's  output  must  be  as 
clean  as  possible.  Just  because  it  only 
produces  5  watts  of  output  is  no  ex- 
cuse for  a  dirty  signal.  That's  the  pur- 
pose of  the  output  filler— to  make  sure 
the  srgnal  is  clean.  This  month,  I'll 
show  you  how  to  design  an  output  til- 
ler for  your  latest  creation. 

Of  course,  the  reason  we  need  an 
output  t titer  <n  the  first  place  is  simple: 
A  transistor  amplifier  generates  buck- 
ets full  of  harmonics.  Without  a  prop- 
erly designed  filter,  these  harmonics 
would  cause  ali  sorts  of  problems  to 
other  stations  and  even  other  ser- 
vices. Unaltered  transmitters  can  pro- 
duce interference  to  devices  not  in  the 
amateur  bands,  such  as  your  neigh- 
bor's TV.  stereo,  toaster,  and  so  on, 
Never  place  a  transmitter  on  the  air 
without  a  harmonic  filter! 

The  Output  Filter 

So  then,  the  purpose  of  an  output 
filter  is  to  keep  unwanted  harmonics 
from  ever  reaching  the  antenna.  We 
do  this  by  designing  a  filler  to  cut  offal 
a  frequency  just  above  the  one  we 
want  to  keep.  In  a  40  meter  transmit- 
ter, ir>e  operating  frequency  is  7  MHz. 
of  course.  A  good  cutoff  frequency  for 
our  output  fitter  would  be  just  above  7 
MHz,  Most  output  filters  for  the  40  me- 
ter band  have  a  cutoff  frequency  of  8 


Low  Power  Operation 

MHz.  Some  may  be  lower,  some  may 
be  a  bit  higher,  but  a  El  will  be  around 
this  range. 

Frequencies  under  B  MHz  will  be  al- 
lowed to  pass  to  the  antenna.  Those 
above  the  culoff  frequency  will  be  at- 
tenuated. Depending  on  the  type  of  fil- 
ter, this  attenuation  may  be  as  great  as 
60  dB.  The  amount  of  attenuation  re- 
quired is  based  on  the  amount  of  RF 
power  too.  A  5  watt  transmitter  is  al- 
lowed a  greater  amount  of  harmonics 
than  a  transmitter  running  100  walts. 
Get  your  rule  book  out  and  you'll  see 
that  transmitters  under  5  watts  are  to 
have  their  harmonic  contents  under  30 
dB  down.  A  100  watt  transmitter  must 
have  its  harmonic  contents  reduced  to 
40  dB  down  from  the  fundamental  fre- 
quency. In  either  case,  the  larger  the 
number  in  terms  of  dB.  the  better  the 
filler  works. 

The  amount  of  attenuation  required 
will  determine  the  type  of  filter  re- 
quired. In  many  simple  QRP  transmit- 
ters, a  single  coil  and  two  capacitors 
comprise  the  output  filter  The  more 
sections  you  have  in  the  filter's  design, 
the  better  ihe  filter  The  amount  of  at- 
tenuation is  measured  as  ripple.  The 
Jess  ripple,  the  better  the  filter.  Ripple 
is  measured  in  dB. 

The  Coils 

In  today's  filter  circuits  the  coils  are 
almost  entirely  wound  on  toroid  cores. 
Not  only  is  a  toroid  self -shielding,  it  al- 
so allows  a  large  amount  of  inductance 
in  a  very  small  package.  You  would  be 
hard  pressed  to  find  a  output  filter  in 
today's  equipment  not  using  some  sort 
of  toroid  cores. 

In  filter  design,  we  need  to  know 
several  fundamental  items:  cutoff  fre- 
quency, core  type,  input  and  output 
impedance,  power  handling  capacity* 
and  physical  size. 

Given  a  culoff  frequency  in  MHz,  we 
need  to  first  find  the  proper  core  to  use 


in  our  output  titter.  This  is  best  done  by 
looking  up  the  core's  characteristics 
on  a  chart  or  table.  You  can  gel  one  of 
these  tables  from  any  of  the  compa- 
nies selling  cores.  The  ARRL  Hand- 
book ts  also  a  good  source. 

As  a  good  rule  of  thumb,  a  type  2 
core  is  good  from  SO  meters  to  about 
30  meters.  Above  30  meters,  a  type  6 
core  is  a  good  choice  I've  seen  some 
applications  where  a  type  2  core  was 
used  for  20  meters  and  type  6  material 
on  30  meters. 

Don't  be  duped  into  thinking  the 
color  of  the  core  is  etched  in  glass. 
I've  been  bitten  by  this  bug  before. 
Just  because  the  core  is  yellow,  don't 
assume  it  is  type  6  material.  Be  espe- 
cially careful  of  hamfest  or  surplus 
toroid  cores.  A  mislabeled  core  In  your 
next  rig  could  be  a  hard  problem  to 
track  down. 

The  amount  of  inductance  required 
will  also  dictate  the  required  core, 
There  are  two  more  factors  that  need 
to  be  addressed:  wire  size  and.  to  a 
certain  extent,  output  power. 

I  have  found  that  wire  size  has  little 
to  do  with  the  final  inductance  of  a  coil 
wound  on  a  core.  Before  \  get  hate 
mail  from  Mike  WAS.  let  me  say  most 
hams  donM  have  the  specialized 
equipment  to  measure  the  exact  in- 
ductance of  a  homemade  coil  If  the 
plans  call  for  24  turns  of  number  26 
gauge  wire  but  all  you  have  in  your 
junk  box  is  24  gauge,  then  use  il  You 
won't  be  able  to  tell  any  difference  in 
the  final  output  of  your  project, 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  coil  needs 
to  be  wound  with  six  turns  of  number 
12  gauge  wire,  you  can't  realty  sub- 
stitute six  turns  of  number  22  gauge 
wire  either  Most  high-power  (high- 
current)  applications  will  require 
a  thicker  gauge  of  wire  to  handle 
the  current  flow,  be  it  RF  or  DC  The 
core  size  and  type  will  also  have  to 
be  determined  to  handle  the  power  at 
the  required  inductance.  A  larger  core 
will  be  required  to  hold  larger  wire 
to  gel  the  same  amount  of  turns 
required. 

Inductance  Values 

Output  filters  of  0.01  dB  of  ripple 


have  become  somewhat  standard  with 
OHP  transmitters.  A  better  filter  would 
have  0.1  dB  of  ripple.  You'll  see  about  a 
two  percent  loss  in  power,  but  you'll  gain 
a  10  dB  improvement  In  attenuation. 

The  desired  filter  frequency  will 
be;  Fc  =  Fo  (1.15).  Use  1.2  MHz 
for  Fo:  Fc  =  7 2  x  LIS*  825  MHz.  The 
filter  cutoff  frequency  (Fc)  is  3.25  MHz. 

From  the  chart,  for  a  0.1  dB  ripple, 
seven-pole  fitter,  the  value  for  L1  is 
11.32.  So,  L1  -  L3  =  11,32/8,25  =  1,35 
MH, 

From  the  same  chart,  the  value  for  L2 
=  12.52.  SO  .  .  .  L2 ■  =  12.52/8.25  -  1.15 
pH. 

This  tells  us  the  required  amount  of 
inductance  for  each  of  the  coils  in  our 
transmitter.  The  number  of  turns  will  be 
calculated  next,  but  first  we  have  to  see 
what  type  of  core  we" II  use. 

I  happen  to  have  a  handful  of  T-50-2 
cores,  so  that's  what  I'll  use.  According 
to  the  table  supplied  by  Amfdon.  a  2  mix 
core  is  good  from  1  to  30  MHz.  This 
same  (able  provides  us  with  an  impor- 
tant factor  required  for  calculating  the 
number  of  turns;  the  AL  value.  This  tells 
you  the  uH  per  100  turns  of  wire  on  the 
core.  The  AL  value  for  the  T-50-2  core  is 
50. 

So,  lums  required  = 

100\  desired  L  (pH) 
AL  value, 


Lt~L3  =  100  s1  1.35 


50, 


L1  and  L3  require  16  lums  of  wire. 
L2=100  V  1J5 
50. 
L2  requires  15  turns  of  wire. 

Capacitor  Values 

This  takes  care  of  ihe  coils.  Now  for 
the  capacitors  required  in  the  filter. 
Again  from  the  table,  CI  and  C4  = 
37598,  Cl  -  C4  -  3759.8  /  B2B.  C1  and 
C4  are  454  pF;  use  the  standard  value 
of  470  pF. 

C2  -  C3  =  6673.9  /  8.28.  C2  and  C3 
are  806  pF;  use  the  next  standard  value 
of  820  pR 

By  using  Ihe  information  available 
to  usT  we  can  calculate  the  values 
required  lo  keep  our  transmitters  clean 
Give  the  old  calculator  a  try  and  create 
your  own  QRP  machine. 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  65 


Numoer  19  on  your  i-e^ODae*  carg 

Packet  &  computers 


^m 


Jeffrey  Stoman  N1EWO 
RO,  Box  636 
Franklin  IN  46131 

Getting  Started  with 
TCP/IP,  Part  3 

Wow!  I  guess  you  ARE  interested 
in  getting  a  TCP/IP  station  on  the  air 
At  least  that  is  the  way  it  looks  from 
here.  I  have  received  hundreds  of 
email  requests  for  information  about 
software  and  IP  addresses.  My  Inter- 
ne! mailbox  overflowed,  so  I  lost 
some  of  the  queries,  and  1  just 
couWnt  possibly  answer  all  those  re- 
quests^— not  enough  ttme  in  the  day 
Sor  III  do  the  best  I  can,  and  try  to 
dear  up  the  confusion  that  a  transpo- 
sition of  letters  caused  In  the  first  in- 
stallment of  this  series,  and  give  you 
the  best  Information  that  I  have  about 
IP  address  coordinators. 

In  the  first  column  1  lold  you  to  get 
a  copy  of  JNOS  version  1.03c  from 
USCD.EDU  via  anonymous  FTP. 
Well,  forget  that.  Here  is  the  COR- 
RECT information: 

Localion:  UCSD.EDU  (note  the 
correction  from  USCO.EDU) 

Directory;  hamradio/packet/tcpip/ 
wg7j 

Filename:  JNOS  107B  EXE 

Those  of  you  who  have  managed 
to  get  later  versions  of  JNOS,  this  is 
fine.  The  choice  of  1  07b  is  based  on 
its  stability  and  availability,  but  later 
versions  will  work,  Keep  this  in  mind 
because  this  version  is  available  in 
the  directory  noted  above,  The  T.07b 
versfon  will  be  available  on  the  7$ 
BBS.  in  the  "Packet  and  Computers" 
area  {8}.  You  can  reach  the  73  BBS 
al  (603)  924-9343.  2400  baud,  8N1, 
Note  that  this  is  a  relatively  large  file 
and  the  slow  speed  of  the  73  BBS 
should  convince  you  to  try  other 
places  first 

Uncoordinated  Coordination 

I  thought  most  of  you  would  be 
abfe  to  find  your  local  AMPR  coordi- 
nator, though  l  expected  a  few  re- 
quests tor  help.  Well,  after  receiving 
hundreds  of  messages  via  Interne! 
mail,  I  realized  that  maybe  some  of 
you  were  having  some  trouble.  I  have 
to  do  something,  but  answering  each 
of  your  cries  for  he tp  is  not  a  practical 


Digital  Amateur  Radio 


route.  So,  here  (In  the  sidebar)  Es  the 
list  of  the  official  volunteer  AMPR  co- 
ordinators. THIS  IS  ALL  THE  INFOR- 
MATION THAT  I  HAVE.  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  to  contact  these  people  or 
exactly  which  one  is  the  coordinator 
for  your  location. 

Look  on  the  list  and  take  your  best 
shot.  It  has  been  sorted  by  tocation, 
to  make  H  easier  for  you.  Also,  the 
last  column  is  the  subnet  for  the  co- 
ordinator's area.  This  can  also  be  a 
clue  for  you.  Find  someone  with  an 
IP  address  and  look  for  the  matching 
subnet.  Remember  that  these  people 
are  volunteers— please  be  friendly 
and  courteous  with  your  request  If 
you  think  that  you  might  want  to  run 
more  than  one  station ,  request  more 
than  one  address.  Though  the  specif- 
ic information  that  the  coordinator  will 
need  may  vary  from  place  to  pface,  it 
you  contact  them  via  packet  radio,  try 
to  include  at  least  the  stuff  below  to 
decrease  your  chance  of  being  asked 
to  provide  more  information; 

Your  name, 

Your  call, 

A  mailing  address. 

A  phone  number. 

The  county,  town  or  city,  and  zip 
code  where  the  station  will  be  located. 

You  may  have  to  wail  a  little  while 
for  a  reply,  try  to  be  patient.  If  you 
want  to  get  started,  but  don't  yet 
have  an  address,  you  can  use  the  of- 
ficial lest"  network.  This  is  any  ad- 
dress in  the  44.128.XXX.XXX  range. 

An  Important  Note  About  Packet 
Radio 

While  I  always  enjoy  correspond- 
ing with  you  via  packet  radio,  I  simply 
Cannot  do  business  thai  way.  Be- 
cause I  do  not  want  to  have  even  the 
appearance  of  impropriety,  I  just  can* 
not  answer  any  mail  that  refers  to  the 
column  and  then  asks  for  help. 
Please,  if  you  need  help,  use  com- 
mercial  email  or  paper  mail.  I  can  be 
reached  on  the  Internet: 

jsloman@bix.com 

and  by  US  mail: 

N1EWO 

P.O.  BOX  63S 

Franklin  IN  46131 

Thanks  for  your  understanding. 
Note.  toot  that  I  still  want  to  hear  from 


you  on  the  amateur  packet  network. 
Please,  just  restrict  this  traffic  to 
pleasantries  or  questions  that  relate 
to  ham  stuff  with  no  reference  \o  the 

column. 

More  Than  Error  Correction 

Though  I  had  planned  to  get  start- 
ed on  the  tutorial  this  month,  I  had  to 
clear  up  the  confusion  caused  by  ty* 
pos  and  whatnot.  Now  I  don't  want  to 
completeiy  frustrate  those  of  you  who 
have  managed  to  get  the  software 
and  an  IP  address,  so  lets  take  what 
space  is  left  to  at  least  begin  the  tuto- 
rial. (Next  month  wiEl  be  dedicated  to 
the  tutorial) 

JNOS  and  fts  Fifes 

Tne  heart  of  making  JNOS  work  is 
a  set  of  text  files  thai  configure  the 
program  and  provide  information  to  it 
Though  they  all  must  be  in  good 
shape  for  things  to  work,  the  central 
focus  is  on  a  configuration  file  called 
AUTOEXEC.NOS.  Like  a  combina- 
tion of  DOS1  CONFIG.SYS  and  AU- 
TOEXEC.BAT, AUTOEXEC.NOS 
contains  hardware  and  software  con- 
figuration information  and  commands 
for  the  program  to  carry  oul  on  start- 
up. II  is  the  arcane  and  not  ^so-logical 
stuff  in  this  file  that  will  make  or  break 
your  station. 

Unfortunately,  the  exact  lormat 
and  syntax  o1  AUTOEXEC.NOS 
varies  not  only  among  implementa- 
tions of  NOS,  but  even  among  ver- 
sions of  the  SAME  implementation. 
To  get  you  started  with  JNOSt  we'll 
look  at  one  of  the  most  confusing  and 
absolutely  required  sections  of  AU- 
TOEXEC NOS  as  it  works  with  JNOS 
(and  most  other  NOSs.  thank  good- 
ness)* 

The  section  is  reproduced  here  in 
Figure  1.  These  are  the  statement(s) 
that  attach  the  communication  de- 
vice (s)  to  the  program.  Our  example 
here  is  to  connect  a  TNC  to  a  comm 
port  Later  on  we'll  look  at  more  ad- 
vanced stuff  like  Ethernet, 

Any  of  the  lines  that  begin  with 
"*#*  are  comments,  and  shown  are 
tines  for  all  four  comm  ports.  The 
active  one  Is  coml,  since  iE  is  not 


preceded  by  "#." 

The  attach  command  instructs  the 
program  to  connect  a  hardware  de- 
vice to  the  program.  The  parameter 
"asy"  is  an  abbreviation  for  "asyn- 
chronous," the  type  of  communica- 
tions device.  The  next  value  u0x3f8" 
is  the  base  address  of  the  communi- 
cations port,  you  probabEy  don't  need 
to  change  Ihe  values  from  the  stan- 
dard ones  listed  here.  Following  the 
base  address  is  the  IRQ  (interrupt). 
This  is  also  a  standard  value  tor  each 
port.  The  next  parameter  -AX25f" 
tells  JNOS  what  sort  of  interface  this 
will  be.  There  are  other  values  which 
we  will  discuss  later. 

The  value  "tncO"  is  an  arbitrary 
name  that  is  used  to  refer  to  the  in- 
terface you  are  creating.  This  name 
can  be  nearfy  anything,  and  should 
probably  NOT  be  tncO,  Many  users 
name  it  by  frequency — 01,  03.  05, 
etc.-^o  make  it  easier  to  understand 
what  Is  going  on.  If  your  station  will 
not  necessarily  stay  on  one  frequen- 
cy, name  it  anything  that  seems 
meaningful  to  you. 

The  next  two  numbers  are  buffers; 
don't  change  these  until  you  know 
more.  This  is  another  advanced  topic 
which  we  will  discuss.  The  last  num- 
ber is  the  baud  rate  of  the  port.  Note 
lhat  it  is  set  to  4S00  here.  Why?  Be- 
cause the  program  may  have  difficul- 
ty decoding  the  information  from  the 
TNC  if  it  comes  at  a  higher  rate,  but 
the  messages  from  the  TNC  will 
seem  intolerably  slow  at  1200  or 
2400.  This  is  a  good  compromise. 
One  way  to  tell  if  you  have  the  port 
speed  set  too  high  is  the  presence  of 
corrupted  or  "nonsense*  calls  in  the 
"just  heartf  list. 

Keep  It  Simple,  Stupid 

The  other  absolute  requirement  for 
NOS  to  operate  is  that  the  TNC  be 
made  to  operate  m  KISS  (Keep  It 
Simple,  Stupid}  mode.  In  this  mode. 
JNOS  takes  over  the  operation  of  the 
TNC.  There  is  a  small  script  included 
as  part  of  Ihe  AUTOEXEC.NOS  that 
is  designed  to  turn  your  TNC's  KISS 
mode  on  {most  TNC  command  sets 
require  a  simple  "KISS  ON"  com- 


-ATTACH  THE  TNC- 


attach  asy 

=  ar.tach  asy 

I  cicach  asy 

t  atinach  asy 


0x3fS  4  ax25  tncO  2C4S  256  4800 

0x2f8  3  ax25  trtCO  2048  256  4SC0 

Ox3e8  4  ax2S>  tncO  2048  256  4800 

Cx2e6  3  5x25  LncG  2046  256  4800 


I  COM1 

•  COM2 

*  CGK3 

#  COM4 


Figure  7,  One  of  the  critical  sections  of  AUTOEXEC.NOS. 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1993 


AMPR  NETWORK  VOLUNTEER  COORDINATOR  LIST 


^ 


Region/Country 
Calif:  Sacramento 
Calif:  Silicon  Valley- 

San  Francisco 
Calif:  Santa  Barbara/ 

Ventura 
Calif:  San  Diego 
Calif:  Orange  County 
"Eastern  Washingion, 

tdaho" 
Hawaii  &  Pacific  Islands 
Cafif:  Los  Angeles- 

S  F  Valley 
Calif:  Antelope  Valley/ 

Kern  County 
Calif:  San  Bernardino  & 

Riverside 
Colorado:  Northeast 
Alaska 
Washington  state:  Western 

(Puget  Sound) 
Oregon 
Texas:  North 
New  Mexico 
Colorado:  Southeast 
Tennesee 
Georgia 
South  Carolina 

Utah 

Mississippi 

Massachusetts:  Western 

Missouri 

Indiana 

Iowa 

New  Hampshire 

Vermont 

Eastern  &  Central  Mass. 

West  Virginia 

Maryland 

Virginia 

Virginia 

(Charlottesville  Area) 
New  Jersey:  Northern 
New  Jersey:  Southern 
Delaware 

New  York:  NYC  & 

Long  Island 
New  York:  ENY 
New  York:  WNY 
Ohio 

Chrcago-North  lit 
South/Central  III. 
North  Carolina  (East) 
North  Carolina  (West) 
Texas:  South 
Texas:  West 
Oklahoma 

Pennsylvania;  Eastern 
MontanaSteven  Elwood 
Colorado:  Western 
Wyoming 
Connecticut 
Nebraska 
■Wisconsin,  Upper 

Peninsula  Michigan" 
Minnesota 

(Minn-Twin  Cities  area  only) 
District  of  Columbia 
Florida 
Alabama 
Michigan  (Lower  Peninsula) 


Coordinator 
Bob  Meyer 


Cat  I  sign 
KSRTV 


Subnet 
44.002 


Douglas  Thorn  N60YU  44,004 


Don  Jacob 
Brian  Kantor 
Terry  Neal 

Steven  King 
John  Shalamskas 

Jeff  Angus 

Dana  Myers 

Geoffrey  Joy 
Fred  Schneider 
John  Stannafd 

Dennis  Goodwin 
Ron  Henderson 
Don  Adkins 
J.  Gary  Bender 
Bdale  Garbee 
Mark  J.  Bailey 
Doug  Drye 
Mike  Abbott 
Matt  Simmons 
Phil  Akers 
Bob  Wilson 
William  Simmons 
Jacques  Kubley 
Ron  Breitwisch 
Gary  Grebus 
Ralph  Stetson 
Don  Hughes 
Rich  Clemens 
Howard  Leadmon 
Jim  DeArras 

Jon  Gefaefl 
Dave  Trull  I 
Bob  Applegate 
John  DeGood 

Bob  Foxworth 
Bob  Bellini 
Paul  Gerwitz 
Gary  Sanders 
Ken  Stritzel 
Chuck  Henderson 
James  Curran 
Charles  Lay  no 
Kurt  Freiberger 
Rod  Huckabay 
Joe  Buswell 
Doug  Crompton 
N7GXP 
Bob  Ludtke 
Reid  Fletcher 
Jon  Bloom 
Mike  Nickolaus 

Pat  Davis 
Gary  Sharp 
Andy  Warner 
Don  Bennett 
Bruce  La  Pointe 
Richard  El  ling 
Jeff  King 


WB5EKU 
WB6CYT 
AA6TW 

KD7RO 
KJ9U 

WA6FWI 

KK6JQ 

KE6QH 

K0YUM 

KL7JL 

KB7DZ 

WA7TAS 

KD50N 

WS5N 

N3EUA 

N4XHX 

KD4NC 

N4QXV 

KG7MH 

WA4DDE 

KA1XN 

WB0ROT 

KA9FJS 

KCOOX 

K8LT 

KD1R 

KA1MF 

KBSAOB 

WB3FFV 

WA40NG 

KD4CQY 
NN2Z 
WA2ZZX 
NU3E 

K2EUH 

N2tGU 

WA2WPI 

N8EMR 

WA9AEK 

WB9UUS 

KA40JN 

WB4WOR 

WB5BBW 

KA5EJX 

K5JB 

WA3DSP 

44,082 

K9MWM 

WB7CJO 

KE3Z 

NFON 

K09UU 

WD0HEB 

NOREN 

K4NGC 

WD4H1M 

KB4HB 

WS8WKA 


44006 

44.008 
44,01 

44.012 
44.014 

44.016 

44.017 

44.018 

44.02 

44.022 

44024 

44.026 

44.02S 

44.03 

44.032 

44.034 

44.036 

44.038 

44.04 

44.042 

44.044 

44.046 

44.048 

44.05 

44,052 

44.054 

44.056 

44.058 

4406 

44,062 

44.062 
44.064 
44.065 
44.066 

44.0681-32 

44.068.64+ 

44.069 

44,07 

44.072 

44.073 

44.074 

44.075 

44.076 

44.077 

44.078 

44.08 

44.084 
44,086 
44.088 
44.09 

44.092 
44.094 

44.096 
44.098 
44.1 
44,102 


Region/Country 
Rhode  fsfand 
Kentucky 
Louisiana 
Arkansas 

Pennsylvania :  Western 
N&S  Dakota 

'Oregon:  NW  &  Portland, 
Vancouver  WAn 
Maine 

Kansas 

Arizona 

Southern  Nevada 
Northern  Nevada 
Puerto  RiCO 

Tak  Kushida.  JH3XCU  Joty 

Kanbayashi* 
Ra«D.  Kloth 
Paul  Taylor 
Robby  Soebiakto 
Jose  Antonio  Garcia  Madrid 

(EA4DQX  @  EA4DQX) 

Barry  McLamon 

John  Tanner 

Gerard  Van  Der  Grinten 

Pel  eg  Lapid 

Matti  Aarnio 

Lennart 

Per  Eftang 

Marco  Zollinger 

Krzysztof  Dabrowski 


EddJe  Ma  nolo 
Wayne  Knowles 
Ted 

Thomason  FAN 
Iztok  Saje 

Pierre-Francois  Monet 
Luis  Suarez 
Pedro  Converse 
De metre  Valaris 
Paul  Healy 
Bela  Mark  us 
Raul  Burgos 
Artur  Gomes 
Kunchit  Charmaraman 
John 

Erny  Ton  \  linger 
C.  Costis 
Chuck  Hast 
Otto  Morroy 
Andrzej  K.  Brandt 

lakshman  (Lucky! 

Bijanki" 
Bolon 
Kunle 
Sinisa  Novosel 

Ekendra 

(no  one  has  volunteered  yet) 

Luiz  F.  Catalan 

Jose  Amador 

Abdul- Ha  mid  Sadka 

Karel  Odehnal 

Karen  Tadewosyan 

Tom  Clark 


Coordinator 
Charles  Greene 
Tyler  Bamett 
James  Dugal 
Richard  Duncan 
Bob  Hoffman 
Steven  Elwood 

Tom  K300S 
Cart  Ingerson 
un  assigned 
Dale  Puckett 
David  Dodetl 
Earl  Petersen 
Bill  Healy 
Karl  Wagner 
TEST 

Japan 
Germany 
United  Kingdom 
Indonesia 

Spain 

Italy 

Canada 

Australia 

Netherlands 

Israel 

Finland 

Sweden 

Norway 

Switzerland 

Austria 

Belgium 

Denmark 

Philiipines 

New  Zealand 

Ecuador 

Hong  Kong 

Slovenija 

France 

Venezuela 

Argentina 

Greece 

Ireiand 

Hungary 

Chile 

Portugal 

Thailand 

South  Africa 

Luxembourg 

Cyprus 

CentraJ  America 

Surinam 

Poland 

Korea 

India 

Taiwan 

Nigeria 

Croatia 

Serbia 

Sri  Lanka 

Mexico 

Brazil 

Cuba 

Turkey 

Czech  Republic 

Russia 

Outer  Space 


Caiisign 

W1CG 

N4TY 

N5KNX 

WD  58 

N3CVL 

N7GXP 

WS7S 
N1DXM 

K0HYD 

WB7TPY 

KF7TI 

N8KHN 

KP4QG 


JG1SLY 
DL4TA 
G1PLT 
YB1BG 

EA4DQX 
I2KFX 
VE3JF 
VK2ZXQ 

PAOGRI 

4X1GP 

OH1MQK 

SM0IES 

LA4JL 

HB9CAT 

OE1KDA 

ON7LE 

OZ1EUJ 

DLMUJ 

ZL2BKC 

HC5K 

VS6YHJ 

S53FK 

FGlBOP 

OA4KQ/YV5 

LU7ABF 

SV1UY 

EI9GL 

HA5DI 

CE6EZB 

CT1DIA 

HS1JC 

ZS6BHD 

LX1YZ 

5B4TX 

TI30JT 

PZ2AC 

SP5WCA 

Unknown 

VU2LBW 

BV5AF 

5NOOBA 

77 

77 

4S7EF 

XE?7 

PP5AQ 

C02JA 

TA2LA 

OK2XTE 

FLA3APW 

W3IWI 


Subnet 

44.104 

44.106 

44.108 

44.11 

44.112 

44.114 

44,116 

44.118 

44.12 

44.122 

44.124 

44.1250-126 

44.125,128-254 

44.126 

44.128 

44.129 

44.13 

44,131 

44.132 

44.133 

44.134 

44.135 

44.136 

44.137 

44.138 

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44,15 

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mand).  We  will  cover  this  part  of  the 
file  next  month,  in  the  meantime,  if 
the  TNC  does  not  seem  to  initialize 
correctly  try  this:  Talk  to  the  TNC  with 


any  communications  program,  ensur- 
ing that  the  communications  speed 
(baud  rate)  matches  the  one  you 
chose  in  ihe  AUTOEXEC.NOS. 


Check  your  manual  for  how  to  get 
your  TNC  into  KISS  mode.  Send  the 
commandos)  and  exit  the  program. 
Start  NOS.  and  you  should  be  all  set 


Next  time  we'll  get  Into  more 
meaty  stuff,  Sony  for  the  contusion — 
I  hope  it's  cleared  up  now.  Tit  then 
73deNiewO. 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  67 


Atv 


Number  20  on  your  Feedback  card 


Bill  Brown  WB8ELK 
c/o  73  Magazine 
70  Route  202  North 
Peterborough  NH  03458 

Super  Portable  ATV 
Repeater 

One  night  while  i  was  visiting  with 
Mike  Henkoski  KC6CCC,  we  decided 
to  try  to  build  a  lightweight  ATV  re- 
peater with  a  minimum  number  of 
components.  The  idea  was  to  come 
up  with  a  compact  battery-operated 
system  that  could  be  easily  transport- 
ed (or  even  bacfcpacked)  to  a  remote 
site  to  act  as  a  temporary  relay  during 
a  special  event  or  emergency.  To  test 
it  out  in  me  field  we  chose  to  launch  it 
into  the  stratosphere  with  a  weather 
balloon,  From  our  planned  maximum 
altitude  of  100,000  feet  we  could  po- 
tentially link  up  two  ATV  stations  that 
were  800  miles  apart  (provided  the 
repeater  was  midway  between  them). 

The  System 

In  order  to  eliminate  the  filtering 
and  shielding  required  of  an  in- band 
repealer,  we  went  with  a  cross  band 
system  that  received  on  915  MHz  and 
transmitted  on  434  MHz  (see  Figure 
1).  Mike  KC6GCC  designed  a  home- 
brew receiver  taken  from  a  commer- 
cial surveillance  system  that  provided 
us  with  a  complete  receive  board  on 
915  MHz  that  outputted  video  and  au- 


Ham  Television 


dio  directly.  Note  that  you  could  also 
use  a  crystal-controlled  receive  board 
with  a  companion  IF  strip  available 
from  P.C.  Electronics  for  this  part  of 
the  repeater. 

The  transmitter  consisted  of  a  RC. 
Electronics  80  milliwatt  mlcro-ATV 
board  (with  companion  subcarrier 
strip)  which  drove  a  PAS  power  ampli- 
fier module.  This  combination  gave 
us  a  5  watt  sync  tip  output  while  only 
drawing  a  tittle  over  1  amp  of  current. 

The  repeater  ID  consisted  of  an 
Elktromcs  VDG-1  with  an  external 
timer  It  would  be  better  to  go  with  a 
video-operated  relay  (eg:  a  VOR-2) 
instead  of  the  timer,  but  we  used  what 
we  had  in  the  shack  at  the  moment. 

To  keep  the  total  repeater  as  light 
as  possible,  we  used  five  D-cell  lithi- 
um batteries  (7.5  Ah),  Although  usu- 
ally very  pricey,  we  found  a  good 
source  of  very  reasonably  priced  sur- 
plus lithium  packs  (10  D-cells)  from 
S&G  Photographic,  telephone;  (215) 
474*7663.  One  pack  should  give  you 
around  10  hours  of  operation  (five 
hours  using  just  five  cells)  Where 
weight  is  not  critical,  you  will  probably 
want  to  use  a  5  Ah  rechargeable  ge li- 
ce 1 1  pack. 

Mike  KC6CCC  built  a  pair  of 
quadriiilar  helix  antennas  (one  for 
each  band)  for  our  flight  test  since  we 
wanted  a  good  pattern  beiow  the  bat- 
toon  repeater.  For  a  hilltop  or  remote 
site,  you  will  probably  want  to  go  with 


Photo  A  Mtke  KC6CCCf  Mike  WA6SVT,  and  Curt  N6TWB  ffl  three  balloons  to  lift 
the  ATV  repealer. 


a  linearly  polarized  omni  or  gain  an- 
tenna system,  depending  on  the  area 
you  want  to  link  up. 

The  Flight  Test 

About  24  hours  after  tossing  the 
potential  repeater  components  into  a 
big  pile,  we  had  the  ATV  repeater 
wired  up  and  mounted  in  a  lightweight 
styrofoam  package.  The  modules 
were  fastened  to  a  piece  of  foamcore 
and  surrounded  with  one-inch-thick 
styrofoam  for  insulation.  We  powered 
up  the  repeater  and  discovered  that 
the  transmitter  section  was  badly 
overloading  the  receiver  board.  Fortu- 
nately. Mike  Collis  WA6SVT  arrived 
on  the  scene  and  went  fo  work  by- 
passing the  power  leads  while  Mike 
KCGCCC  shielded  the  receiver  with 


copper  foil.  Alter  spacing  the  anten- 
nas about  five  feet  apart  {the  434 
MHz  helix  dangled  below  the  pay- 
load),  we  finally  came  up  with  a  fully 
functional  crossband  ATV  repeater 
that  performed  well.  The  entire  re- 
peater (complete  with  batteries) 
weighed  in  at  a  mere  six  pounds! 

We  Loaded  everything  up  and 
headed  for  the  hills  above  KC6CCC's 
house  in  San  Clemenle.  We  decided 
to  launch  the  repeater  with  three 
small  weather  balloons.  As  Mike 
WA6SVT  held  onto  the  repeater,  the 
balloons  whipped  about  in  a  strong 
10-15  knot  wind.  The  possibility  of 
crashing  the  repeater  into  the  ground 
at  takeoff  was  very  real.  Mike  sotved 
the  problem  by  walking  over  to  the 
edge  of  a  cliff  and  tossing  the  re- 


S7 


Audio 


91 5  MHz 

Receiver 


Video 


4 


Video 


Video 


+ 


l 


V 


434  MHz 
Transmitter 

|&WBtt) 


Timer 


Photo  B<  The  completed  ATV  repeater  next  to  its  styrofoam  enclosure, 
69  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  *  December,  1 993 


Figure  1.  Bfock  digram  of  the  lightweight  ATV  repeater  system. 


peater  over  the  side!  Just  like  taking 
off  irt  a  hang  girder,  the  balloon  re- 
peater headed  slowly  off  to  the  edge 
of  space. 

The  5  watt  transmitter  power  pro- 
vided most  stations  within  100  mfles 
of  the  repeater  with  P5  cotor  reception 
throughout  the  three-hour  flight.  Two 
stations  in  the  area  were  capable  of 
transmitting  up  to  the  repeater  on  91 5 
MHz  during  our  flight  lest.  We  were 
able  to  send  color  video  through  the 
repeater  from  the  launch  sfte  when  we 
had  our  antennas  oriented  properly 
and  Sam  Lutweiler  K6VLM  could  ac- 
cess the  repeater  with  P2-P5  signal 
levels  from  his  location  in  La  Mirada 
(about  50  miles  to  the  north).  He 
could  even  repeat  through  the  system 
using  just  1  watt  of  uplink  power. 

It  was  such  a  clear  day  thai  we 
were  able  to  see  the  balloons  with 
binoculars  and  even  observed  two  of 
them  bursting  at  72T000  feel.  The  re- 
peater started  descending  with  one 


balloon  still  intact  and  landed  near  the 
top  of  ML  Elsinore  near  a  dirt  bike 
park. 

Curt  N6TWB  and  Jon  N6ZYX  Tou- 
manian  were  chasing  the  repeater 
with  DF  gear  and  quickly  spotted  the 
remaining  balloon  bobbing  above  the 
repeater  as  it  rested  on  a  ridge  about 
a  mile  ahead  of  them.  As  they  round- 
ed a  curve  and  arrived  at  the  landing 
site,  they  were  surprised  to  see  thai 
the  balloon  and  repeater  had  disap- 
peared, They  walked  past  some  near- 
by pickup  trucks  at  the  dirt  bike  park 
and  heard  a  strangely  familiar  beeping 
sound  coming  from  the  back  of  one  of 
the  trucks.  It  turned  out  that  one  of  the 
dirt  bikers,  Tom  Vetter,  had  beaten  the 
chase  team  to  the  repeater  and  was 
about  to  call  us  for  the  reward!  Al- 
though our  wallets  were  a  little  thinner 
we  did  recover  the  repeater.  The  re- 
peater survived  the  flight  in  excellent 
condrtion  and  we  hope  to  fly  H  again 
soon  to  test  it  out  with  different  combi- 


Photo  C.  Sam  K6VLMf$  1  watt  signal*  as  seen  wa  the  airborne  repeater 

nations  of  in  and  out  frequencies.  For       tAHz  in  wfth  either  919-25  or  1253,25 
example,  a  future  flight  may  use  434       MHz  as  the  output. 


FIELD  STRENGTH  METER 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  69 


Number  21  on  your  Feedback  card 


numoer  £1  on  your  rt 

Above  &  beyond 


a  L  Houghton  WB6IGP 
San  Diego  Microwave  Group 
6345  Badger  Lake  Ave. 
San  Diego  CA  92179 

Microwave  Waveguide 
Construction:  Detector 
Mounts  and  Transitions 

This  month  I  would  like  lo  pass  on 
information  about  constructing  mi- 
crowave waveguide  components,  I 
want  to  cover  diode  detector  t  ran  si- 
tions  and  other  bits  and  pieces,  in  re* 
sponse  to  several  questions.  Where 
can  you  find  these?  The  answer  is 
they  can  be  found  at  swap  meets  and 
such.  If  you  can't  find  them,  you  can 
construct  them  at  home  out  of  very 
junky  waveguide  scrap,  with  just  a  lit- 
tle effort,  The  construction  doesn't  re- 
quire close  tolerance  work;  suitable 
devices  can  be  constructed  in  any 
home  workshop,  The  units  you  con- 
struct  should  have  a  usable  frequency 
span  of  an  octave  or  more. 

The  best  waveguide  to  select  tor 
construction  is  brass  because  it  can 
be  soldered  with  a  heavy  soldering 
Iron  (300W  or  so),  or  even  a  small 
torch  is  OK  Aluminum  can  be  used, 


VHF  and  Above  Operation 

despite  the  fact  that  it  cannot  be  sol- 
dered without  special  fluxes  This  can 
be  donet  but  I  feel  that  itTs  not  very  ef- 
fective. I  don't  use  the  special  alu- 
minum soldering  fluxes.  They  are  cost- 
ly, and  my  experience  with  them  has 
given  poor  results.  Let's  get  on  with  the 
construction  and  remove  the  veil  of  se- 
crecy from  these  useful  microwave 
components. 

Finding  Waveguide 

Where  do  you  get  material  for  this 
construction  project?  Well,  waveguide 
can  be  purchased  new  from  suppliers 
at  nearly  $4  a  foot  but  most  suppliers 
have  a  minimum  order  value  far  in  ex- 
cess of  what  you  are  probably  willing 
to  spend,  pretty  much  removing  that 
source  from  our  list.  What  I  prefer  to  do 
to  remedy  this  situation  and  to  keep 
prices  low  Is  to  select  some  scrap  sec- 
tions of  used  waveguide  at  swap 
meets,  These  can  be  pan:  of  an  attenu- 
ator or  other  obscure  Old  World  test  or 
filter  section.  These  waveguide  pieces 
can  best  be  described  as  a  short  sec- 
tion of  guide  with  something  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  section  that  is  not  desirable 
and  would  make  good  doorstop  mated* 


T 


3/4- 


1 


imJ 


Threaded    Type 

BNC,  SMA  Or  N  Connector 

(BNC   Is   Best   Fit) 


RF  Choke  Made 
From   Brass  Slug 
.250    Dia.    Insulate 
From  Brass  Tube 


1 

N 
2 
3 


1N23   Mixer  Diode 
10  GHz  Mixer 


T_? 


1/4 


Brass    Block 
Snug  Fit  To 
Bottom   Of 

1N23    Diode 


Waveguide 
Flange 


Xg  Dimension  =  Back  Of  Waveguide  To 

Center  Of  Probe  Or  Mixer 


Figure  f .  Waveguide  mixer  construction.  Brass  tube:  size  to  fit  BNC  connector 
Brass  choke:  Q25Q*  long,  with  hote  to  fit  TN23  diode,  and  other  end  soldered  lo 
connector,  insulate  from  brass  tube  with  Scotch  tape.  Ground  the  diodes  bottom 
end  in  the  brass  block.  The  dimension  for  Xg  is  1/4  wavelength,  modified  by  the 
velocity  change  in  waveguide,  or  (Xg).  The  length  is  1/4  Xg,  For  further  data,  see 
the  BASIC  program  in  the  sidebar  to  compute  Xg. 


al.  The  modification  is  to  cut  off  the 
middle  section  and  toss  it  into  the  junk 
box  or  scrap  metal  box. 

The  more  obscure  the  guide  sec- 
tion looks,  the  more  inexpensive  the 


part  will  be.  I  always  try  to  locate 
something  in  the  surplus  market  thai 
was  bent  into  something  special  with 
an  appearance  more  tike  a  pile  of 
worms  than  waveguide.  The  reason 


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Maryann  (WB6YSS) 


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70  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  *  December,  1 993 


CIRCLE  22  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


for  picking  up  these  obscure 
of  waveguide  is  simple:  We  only  wan! 
the  flange  end  and  about  an  inch  of 
waveguide  behind  it  for  our  applica- 
tions. The  rest  can  be  junked.  Usually 
these  special  bent  pieces  will  yield  two 
flanges  and  short  sections  of  guide. 
That's  all  we  need  to  construct  either  a 
detector  mount  or  a  transition  to  coaxi- 
al connectors  for  our  use,  In  these  ap- 
plications we  can  use  SMA,  BMC.  or 
even  type  N  coaxial  connectors . 

Any  connector  can  be  used;  the  im- 
portant point  is  where  the  coaxial  con- 
nector's pin  is  located  in  the  waveg- 
uide in  respect  to  the  shorted  rear  end 
of  the  guide,  Basically,  the  detector 
mount  construction  is  a f most  the  same 
as  for  a  transition.  The  detector  mount 
difference  is  due  to  the  diode  decou- 
pling capacitance.  In  this  way  it  varies 
from  the  transition,  which  does  not  re- 
quire any  decoupling.  Whichever  unit 
you  con  struct,  the  design  principles 
are  the  same. 

Let's  start  with  a  detector  mount 
construction  and  its  capacitance  de- 
coupling. To  obtain  this  output  capaci- 
tance for  the  diode  detector,  a  small 
circular  lower  (pipe)  is  built  on  top  of 
the  waveguide  to  accommodate  this 
capacitor,  The  capacitor  is  constructed 
out  of  a  solid  piece  of  brass  round 
stock  that  is  cut  to  size,  allowing  a  fit 
when  insulated  inside  the  tower  pipe. 
This  makes  it  an  RF  short  at  mi- 
crowave levels,  hence  it  is  an  RF 


Photo  A.  Example  of  a  homemade  horn  constructed  from  PC  board  and  a  transition  for  24  GHz,  Note  the  smalt  coax  con- 
nector center  for  size  comparisons.  Photo  by  WA5VJB. 


choke.  Together  with  the  diode  mount- 
ed in  the  waveguide,  this  tower  con- 
nects with  the  business  end  of  the 
diode  and  connects  it  to  the  coaxial 
connector  for  easy  use.  The  RFC 
(brass  rod}  decouples  the  RF  at  mi- 
crowave frequencies,  giving  good  iso- 
lation  from  the  waveguide  RF  to  de- 


tector output  at  low  frequency  RR  usu- 
ally 145  MHz.  The  RFC  is  not  appar- 
ent at  T45  MHz. 

Well  now.  how  about  a  little  boring 
math?  This  is  needed  to  construct 
these  devices  for  your  desired  fre- 
quency or  different  waveguide  type. 
This  formula  is  good  not  only  on  10 


GHz  but  also  on  almost  any  frequency 
lor  which  you  have  a  section  of 
waveguide,  even  24  GHz.  The  calcu- 
lations are  needed  to  determine  where 
to  position  the  diode  or  coaxial  probe. 
The  computer  program  In  the  sidebar 
gives  the  required  spacing  needed  for 
proper  operation .  J  have  made  the  pro- 


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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  71 


Flush  Mount  Type 
BNC,  SMA  Or  N 

Connector 
Center  Pin  On 
Xg   Back  Of  Guide 
Spacing 


1/4 

xg 


Dimension  From  Flange  To 
Probe  Or  Mixer  Diode  Not 
Critical   Space  To   Suit 
Your   Needs 


Figure  2.  Waveguide  transition  construction.  Solder  ihe  coax  connector  direct 
through  the  mounting  note  in  the  top  of  the  waveguide.  The  pin  on  the  connector 
should  be  0. 1  *  long  for  24  GHz  and  0,2'  tong  for  W  GHz,  SMA  center  pin  diame- 
ter is  OK  for  24  GHz;  for  10  GHz  the  diameter  of  the  pin  should  be  0,050'. 


gram  short  and  easy  to  use — no  frills 
here. 

The  calculations  depend  on  Just 
what  type  of  waveguide  you  are  using 
and  what  frequency  you  wish  to  opti- 
mize your  device  for.  Table  1  includes 
some  of  the  more  popular  waveguide 
types  and  lists  both  their  ~WR*  number 
and  the  older  equivalent  "WG"  num- 
ber. To  match  waveguide  up  I  have  al- 
so included  the  guides'  inner  and  out- 
er dimensions  so  you  can  compare 
the  guide  you  have  to  the  table  for 
identification,  Normally,  for  10  GHz 
WG-16  is  used,  but  WG-17  can  also 


be  used.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  you  can 
mix  sections  of  both  WG-16  and  WG- 
17  without  much  extra  loss;  this  works 
reasonably  well,  Just  bolt  up  as  best 
you  can  with  the  smaller  waveguide 
centered  about  the  larger  waveguide's 
opening  and  drill  the  larger  guide  bolt 
holes  to  match  the  smaller  bolt  pat- 
tern. Then  connect  them  up. 

I  don't  mean  to  say  thai  you  can 
use  several  conversions  between  two 
points,  but  rather  that  in  a  line  ot  say, 
WG-16  you  can  terminate  the  end  in 
WG-17  with  little  change  In  loss  com- 
pared to  a  proper  termination.  We 


have  observed  additional  losses  in  the 
0.4  dB  range  for  this  adapting.  Nol 
much  of  a  price  to  pay  for  making 
something  ^sab'e.  See  TaSie  1  *or  di- 
mensions for  your  frequency  selection. 
XG  Is  the  dimension  for  a  guide  wave- 
length, which  is  shorter  than  free- 
space  wavelength. 

Computing  Guide  Wavelengths 

The  guide  wavelength  program 
(see  sidebar)  in  BASIC  requires  only 
the  broad  width  of  the  waveguide  and 
the  frequency  of  operation  to  compute 
Ihe  guide  wavelength.  Guide  wave- 
length is  different  from  free-space 
wavelength  and  must  be  accounted 
for,  "X"  is  catcutated  for  free -space 
wavelength  at  sea  levef  and  some  hu- 
midity is  entered  into  the  calculation.  It 
uses  a  fudge  factor  instead  of  using 
the  more  familiar  300,000  figure.  The 
guide  wavelength  Is  then  divided  by  4 
(step  84}  and  this  is  the  quarter-wave- 
length dimension  needed  for  the  probe 
or  diode  placement  in  your  selected 
waveguide.  The  probe  is  centered 
about  this  dimension  from  the  rear  in- 
side  point  of  the  waveguide  in  both  ap 
pHcattons. 

Now  for  some  practical  applications 
in  the  real  world,  ff  you  go  and  check 
these  calculations  out  against  existing 
transitions  and  mixer  diode  mounts 
that  you  might  have,  I  hesitate  to  tell 
you,  but  there  will  be  some  glaring  er- 
rors. Primarily,  the  errors  in  sizing  wilt 


happen  because  the  pan  being  mea- 
sured was  designed  for  some  other 
frequency  that  we  are  not  aware  of. 
When  we  think  of  mate  rial  being  suit- 
able for  10  GHz.  remember  that  some 
of  the  commercial  equipment  was  de- 
signed for  use  at  12  GHz  and  this 
could  be  part  of  the  error  observed  6n 
the  calculations.  Any  other  errors  can 
be  attributed  to  the  free  service  that  l 
offer,  and  will  be  taken  in  the  same  re- 
gard. To  place  a  "forgiveness"  factor  in 
any  calculations  you  could  make  the 
rear  wail  a  little  longer  and  place  a  sol- 
id metal  plug  to  fit  Ihe  inner  waveguide 
dimensions.  Adjusting  this  metallic 
plug  will  allow  any  error  in  assembly  to 
be  effectively  adjusted  out  of  the  unit. 
It  requires  more  construction  but  is  a 
fine-tuning  method. 

Construction  Details 

Actual  constructed  mounts  are  de- 
picted in  Figure  1  for  the  transition  and 
Figure  2  for  the  waveguide  mixer 
mount.  I  think  it  has  been  shown  that 
being  oil  a  few  thousands  will  not 
have  much  effect  on  the  quality  of 
your  mount.  However,  when  you  con- 
struct anything  with  waveguide,  having 
any  material  like  solder  inside  the 
guide  will  have  a  detrimental  effect 
and  will  increase  the  device's  loss. 
These  materials  include  various  sol- 
ders and  fluxes,  water,  any  obvious 
metal  particles,  or  burrs  on  the  edges. 
The  mating  flanges  can  be  cornmar- 


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72  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December  1 993 


cia!  or  homemade,  and  should  be  flat 
lo  mate  well  with  each  other 

The  only  (rick  with  old  flanges  or 
home-brew  flanges  is  to  make  sure 
thai  the  surfaces  are  flat  To  be  sure, 
lightly  ffle  any  rough  edges  to  approxi- 
mately flat  Then  place  a  sheet  of  light 
grade  emery  or  sandpaper  on  a  small 
sec  lion  of  junk  glass.  Sand  the  flange 
and  waveguide  with  the  flange  face- 
down on  (op  of  the  glass  plate.  Sand 
flat  on  the  sandpaper/glass,  moving 
with  a  circular  motion.  In  this  way  you 
will  guarantee  that  the  flatness  of  the 
glass  sanding  table  will  be  transferred 
to  the  waveguide  flange.  Alter  a  few 
passes  on  this  sanding  table  it  will  be 
obvious  how  well  this  method  works, 
The  high  and  low  spots  are  very  evi- 
dent on  the  sanding  just  completed. 
When  the  Range  is  uniform  in  appear- 
a  nee.  it  is  flat 

Well,  thafs  it  for  transitions.  The 
main  point  Is:  Don't  let  junky-looking 
waveguide  remain  in  the  scrap  heap. 
Even  the  most  wormy-looking  section 
can  be  put  to  use  if  it  has  a  one-  or 
two-inch  straight  section.  The  ooaxiaJ 
part  of  the  probe  should  enter  the 
waveguide  about  half  of  the  waveg- 
uide's smalt  dimension  for  good  cou- 
pling, SMA  connectors  have  quite 
small  probes.  In  this  case,  build  it  out 
with  a  small  brass  tube  about  1/16 
inch  In  diameter  to  make  the  probe 
wider,  Remember,  dimensions  can  be 
very  forgiving.  High  accuracy  Is  not  re- 
quired in  construction.  A  milling  ma- 
chine is  not  required. 

Mailbox 

Raymond  Clancy  of  Westminster, 
California,  writes.  "Where  can  I  locate 
suiptus  IN  As  10  convert,  as  per  your 
May  93  column?* 

Well,  Raymond,  that's  the  paradox!* 
cal  question,  as  they  are  where  you 
find  them.  I  have  responded  to  several 
newspaper  advertisements  for  satellite 
service  and  have  had  lots  of  rejec- 
tions, but  one  strike.  1  believe  this 
method  could  be  tried  in  almost  any 
city  to  attempt  to  locate  some  used 


LNAs.  These  are  not  much  use  to 
commercial  dealers;  these  dealers 
should  be  your  best  bet.  Some  deafens 
don't  want  to  talk  about  used  units, 
they'd  rather  do  a  sales  pitch  on  new 
systems.  I  guess  some  business  own- 
ers don't  want  to  redistribute  used  ma- 
terial, perhaps  because  they  fear  com- 
petition for  new  sales.  In  this  case 
stress  that  the  units  will  be  torn  apart 
and  that  they  are  not  going  back  into 
satellite  service,  but  into  amateur  radio 
service  instead. 

Some  shops  will  hustle  you  for  a 
high  price,  without  knowing  the  LNA's 
condition,  presumably  because  they 
are  stEEl  trying  to  sell  you  a  new  unit. 
You  just  have  to  get  by  that  barrier. 
For  the  time  being,  since  you  are  lo- 
cated in  the  Los  Angeles  area.  I  would 
suggest  you  go  to  (he  swap  meets, 
particularly  at  TRW,  which  is  in  the 
Los  Angeles  area.  Cost  for  most  units 
as  Is  should  be  no  more  than  $5. 
Thafs  the  typical  price  I  have  found 
for  swap  meet  units.  And  don't  over- 
look the  local  non-ham  swap  meets — 
there  are  a  lot  of  people  getting  rid  of 
their  satellite  systems.  The  bottom  line 
is  that  if  the  asking  price  for  an  old  80- 
to- 100  degree  LNA  is  over  S5+  they're 
asking  too  much.  That  is,  unless  the 
unit  is  new,  from  stock,  and  never 
used.  1  paid  $25  for  my  first  LNA  and 
$35  for  the  first  12  GHz  LNB.  What  a 
price  to  pay  for  education. 

Mark  W0PMX  wants  information 
on  the  Mitsubishi  M57716.  I  looked  at 
my  reference  material  and  could  not 
come  up  with  the  data.  RF  Pans  Co*, 
a  73  advertiser,  lists  many  of  the  mod- 
ules  for  sale,  but  not  the  M57716, 
What  Mar*  needs  is  the  pinout  infor- 
mation and  spec  sheet  for  the  device. 
Does  anyone  out  there  have  the  infor- 
mation for  him?  He  is  at  4810  Indiana 
St„  Golden  CO  S0403.  I  am  sending 
off  to  Mitsubishi  for  data  on  their  mod- 
ules, and  I  hope  to  get  back  to  you 
soon  with  data. 

Well,  as  I  write  this  column  I  am 
getting  ready  for  the  last  weekend  of 
the  ARRL  10  GHz  contest.  The  plan 


COMPUTER  PROGRAM  IN  BASIC  FOR  COMPUTING  XG 

Example  of  sample  calculation: 

Wavelength  in  MM  =  299780  /  freq.  in  MHz 

Example:  28.9139  MM  =  299780  /  10368  MHz) 

Guide  Wavelength  Program 
1  REM  PROGRAM  COMPUTES  THE  GUIDE  WAVELENGTH  "Xg" 
£REM  OF  SPECIFIED  WAVEGUIDE  SUCH  AS  WG-20  OR  16 

3  REM  FORMULA  USE  Xg=WAVELENGTH/SQfi 
(1-  WAVELENGTH/raK^ 

4  REM  FOR  WAVEGUIDE  16  OD=  1  INCH  BY  ,5  INCHES  A=,9  INCHES 

5  REM  FOR  WAVEGUIDE  20  00=  .5  INCH  BY  .250  INCH  A=.170 

6  REM  PROGRAM  FORMULA  COMPUTES  IN  MILLIMETERS 

8  INPUT  "DIMENSION  WOF  YOUR  WAVEGUIDE  IN  INCHES*,A 
10  INPUT  ^FREQUENCY  IN  MH2      M,F 

22  X=299780!/F 

23  PRINT  "WAVELENGTH  FOR  FREG  SELECTED  m.X.m  MM" 

24  B=2  * (25.4 'A) 

65  G=X/{SQR  {1  -(X/B)^)) 

80  PRINT  *Xg  GUIDE  WAVELENGTH  IN  MM     ",G  •  MM' 

84  H=(G/4)/(25>4) 

90  PRINT  "1/4  guide  wavelength  in  inches  is  ">  Hunches* 

94  PRINT 

96  GOTO  10 


TABLE  1. 

WR# 

WG# 

OD-inch                 ID-inch 

Freq.  GHz 

WR-90 

16 

1,0     X,5                 9      XA 

8-12.4 

WR-75 

17 

.75    X  .375 

10    15 

WR-42 
WR-34 


20 
21 


,5      X  .250 
.420  X  .250 


,420  X. 170 
,340  X. 170 


18^26 
22-33 


Figures  for  WG-16  (8  TO  12,4  GHz): 
Frequency        10000  10050 

XG-  29.978  29828 

XG=  39.703  39.359 

Figures  for  WR-42  (16  TO  26  GHz): 
Frequency        24000  24193 

XG*  12.491  12  391 

XG=  15,407  15.221 

Formula  to  figure  your  own: 

Xg  =  Guide  Wavelength 

Xg  ■  X  /  V    (X/2a)2  where  X  =  wavelength  in  MM  and 

a  =  Guide  ID  width  (WG-16  =  .9  inch) 


10388 

28.914 

37.320 

24240 

12.362 
15,167 


10500 

28.550 

36.553 

MHz 

MM 
MM 


MM 

MM 


this  month  is  to  operate  near  our  local 
area  and  get  as  much  activity  up  and 
running  as  possible.  I  will  be  operating 
SSB  with  10  watts  power  output  to  a 
30-inch  dish.  I  plan  to  bring  my  older 
system,  a  wideband  FM  unit,  to  be 
able  to  work  those  stations  using 
wideband.  This  year  N6I2W  and  I  plan 
to  test  a  video  system  with  our  narrow- 
band rigs  on  10  GHz.  W6VLF  and 
NSOYJ  plan  to  do  similar  work  ai  the 
other  end  of  the  test  link.  The  lest  wiN 
be  to  attempt  a  two-way  contact  on  10 
GHz  video.  It's  fust  a  preliminary  test 


and  ril  fill  you  in  on  the  results  next 
month. 

Don't  let  video  operation  or  SGB 
operation  displace  wideband  FM  oper- 
ation. All  modes  have  their  place,  and 
t  have  had  lots  of  fun  with  wideband 
FM  just  experimenting  and  trying  dif- 
ferent modes  of  operation. 

Well,  that's  it  for  this  month.  As 
at  ways,  I  wiil  be  glad  lo  answer  ques- 
tions concerning  this  and  other  re- 
lated subjects.  Please  send  an  SASE 
for  a  prompt  reply.  Best,  73  Chuck 
WB6IGP. 


KENWOOD 

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CIRCLE  331  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  73 


Ask  kaboom 


22  on  your  Feedback  card 


there's  smoke  there's  fire,  and  you  sure 
don't  want  one  on  your  workbench;  il 
you  see  any  smoke*  turn  the  thing  off 
quickly. 


Your  Tech  Answer  Man     zip 


Michael  J.  Geier 
do  73  Magazine 
70  Route  202  North 
Peterborough  NH  03458 

The  Case  of  the  Mystery  Rig 

I'm  going  to  assume  that,  because 
you  read  this  column,  you're  at  [east 
somewhat  technically  inclined.  So,  I  can 
also  assume  that  you  have  been  to 
hamfests  and  have  occasionally  picked 
up  a  "mutf  of  some  kind,  mostly  be- 
cause it  was  cheap  and  it  looked  like  a 
challenge.  I  know  I've  bought  things  I 
couldn't  possibly  use,  just  for  the  puzzle 
they  presented,  or  because  I  rational- 
rzed  1  could  sell  them  after  I  fixed  them. 
(Thai  almost  always  turned  out  to  be  a 
bad  idea  which  resulted  In  my  working 
for  about  $4  an  hour.)  Nonetheless,  I've 
enjoyed  owning  some  of  the  "mystery 
rigs"  that  have  followed  me  home  now 
and  then,  and  some  of  them  are  still  in 
active  use  in  my  station. 

What  First? 

OK,  you  bought  a  radio  or  some  oth- 
er electronic  marvel  for  next  to  nothing. 
You  know  il  doesn't  work.  Where  to 
start?  Well,  before  you  plug  it  in  or  in- 
sert batteries,  consider  taking  a  look  in- 
side. You  might  be  surprised  at  what 
isn't  In  there!  Recently,  I  picked  up  a 


Uniden  10  meter  rig  for  a  ridiculously 
low  $10.  The  seller  didn't  hide  the  fact 
that  it  didrfl  work,  but  I  sure  was  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  microprocessor 
had  been  removed.  Ouch. 

If  the  radio  looks  complete,  go  ahead 
and  apply  power.  One  exception  would 
be  in  the  case  of  antique- vintage  gear 
whose  electrolytic  capacitors  might  not 
have  seen  voltage  in  many  years.  By 
simply  turning  such  things  on.  you  might 
literally  blow  those  caps  to  smithereens! 
A  Variac  is  very  helpful  with  that  kind  of 
equipment.  Another  exception  would  be 
if  you  see  any  signs  of  a  short:  burned 
parts  or  a  charred  PC  board.  There's  no 
sense  in  repeating  a  disaster. 

With  modern,  so  fid -state  gear,  a 
Variac  is  a  bad  idea.  First  of  all  modern 
electrolytics  don't  blow  up  (well,  not 
very  often,  anyway),  and  second,  many 
devices  employ  switching  power  sup- 
plies or  regulators,  and  they  donl  like 
the  gradual  power  approach  one  bit 
Most  just  won't  work  at  all  below  a  cer- 
tain voltage,  but  will  suddenly  spring  in- 
to action  above  their  thresholds,  thus 
defeating  the  purpose  of  gradually  rais- 
ing the  power.  And  some  will  actually 
malfunction  on  low  voltage  in  such  a 
way  that  you  think  something's  broker 
when  it  isn X  So,  go  for  the  gusto  and 
give  it  the  juice.  Just  remember,  where 


Most  likely,  though,  what  you'll  see  is 
nothing  at  all.  Or,  perhaps,  the  pilot 
lights  or  display  will  come  on  but  noth- 
ing else  will  happen.  Can  you  fix  such  a 
beast? 

Sure,  why  not*7  Naturally,  the  best 
thing  you  can  do  is  get  the  schematic. 
For  a  currently  available  or  recent-vin- 
tage rig.  that  should  be  no  problem.  Un- 
fortunately many  hamfesl  treasures  are 
older  or  of  oddball  origin,  and  you  may 
have  trouble  getting  the  data.  If  you 
have  packet  radio  capability,  I  strongly 
suggest  you  put  up  a  notice  looking  for 
help.  I  recenily  did  that  after  I  brought 
home  a  Santec  HT-1200  2  meter 
waikie.  This  older  radio  falls  into  the 
worst  of  both  categories:  It's  old  and  it's 
relatively  obscure.  Yet.  within  a  week  I 
had  the  diagfam  and  owners  manual  In 
my  hand,  thanks  to  a  caring  ham  who 
also  had  a  broken  '1200. 

if  you've  got  the  diagram,  you  should 
be  looking  at  a  fairly  straightforward  re- 
pair job.  That  Is,  if  the  previous  owner 
hasn't  already  botched  the  rig's  In  sides. 
Unless  the  price  is  reaily  low  (as  it  was 
on  the  "1200),  I  avoid  any  gear  which 
has  had  obvious  tampering.  There's  an 
old  saying  about  driving  a  car:  Always 
drive  as  if  everyone  etse  is  crazy  except 
you,  i  feel  the  same  way  about  techni- 
cal wort:  Everybody  else  is  incompe- 
tent Obviously,  that  isn't  really  true,  but 
enough  people  are  that  trusting  anoth- 
er's work  is  asking  for  big  trouble, 


Which  Came  First . .  * 

When  exploring  a  broken  rig  with  a 
muddy  history,  it  can  be  hard  to  tell 
which  problems  were  original  and  which 
were  the  result  of  incompetent  repair  at- 
tempts. Let's  examine  the  case  of  that 
Santec  waikie;  it's  a  great  example  of 
what  you  can  run  into.  When  I  got  it,  it 
had  an  obviously  destroyed  tantalum 
capacitor.  The  seller  pointed  to  it  and 
told  me  thai  "that  resistor  is  blown. 
That's  ail  that's  wrong  "  The  component 
misidentification  and  the  lack  of  the  ra- 
dio's back  cover  told  me  J  was  in  for 
some  real  detective  work, 

I  hadn't  yet  gotten  the  schematic  but. 
luckily,  there  was  enough  I  el  t  of  the  ca- 
pacitor thai  I  could  read  its  value.  The 
part  was  charred  and  the  top  of  it  was 
completely  missing.  From  experience,  I 
knew  that  the  most  likely  cause  of  that 
kind  of  catastrophic  failure  in  a  tantalum 
is  reversed  polarity.  That's  about  the 
worst  thing  you  can  do  to  a  radio.  Uh 
ohr  could  someone  really  have  made 
that  mistake? 

It  didn't  seem  NkeJy.  The  battery  pack 
obviously  had  been  replaced,  because 
its  wires  had  been  spliced  onto  the  old 
connector.  But,  the  positive  terminal  was 
connected  to  the  red  wire>  and  the  neg- 
ative to  the  black,  so  that  seemed  nor- 
mal. Plus,  the  external  power  jack  had  a 
series  protection  diode,  so  reversed  po- 
larity there  wouldn't  make  it  to  the  in- 
side. Hmmm.  I  guess  that  cap  must 
have  blown  for  some  other  reason. 

More  Clues 

After  replacing  the  cap.  i  applied 
power  to  the  rig  through  the  external 
power  Jack,  Naturally,  the  thing  didn't 


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74  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


work.  Wait  a  minute,  the  display  came 
up  for  a  second  or  two  and  then  quit.  A 
quick  check  revealed  that  the  blown 
cap  was  part  of  a  regulator  circuit  con- 
sisting of  a  transistor  and  a  eerier 
diode;  the  zener  symbol  marked  on  the 
PC  board  was  Ihe  tip-off  that  it  was  a 
regulator  Both  components  were 
btown.  Too  much  vottage?  1  still  couldn't 
be  sure  I  replaced  them  and  tried 
again.  This  time,  the  display  came  on 
and  stayed  onT  and  the  keypad  even 
worked  {!},  but  there  still  was  m  audio 
and  no  transmit,  Apparently,  nothing  but 
the  micro  was  getting  power.  Scoping 
all  the  pins  on  the  audio  power  amp 
chip  showed  that  none  had  any  voltage. 
I  assumed  that  no  power  was  getting  to 
most  of  the  rig  (I  was  wrong,  as  you 
shall  see).  At  this  point,  the  hunt  be- 
came fruitless  because,  without  the  dia- 
gram, it  just  wasn't  possible  to  follow 
the  maze  of  wires  to  find  out  where  the 
power  was  disappearing.  I  put  the  rig 
away  and  nearly  forgot  about  it. 

A  Map 

When  Ihe  schematic  arrived,  the 
chase  was  back  on.  The  first  thing  I  dis- 
covered was  that  the  seemingly  impen- 
etrable forest  of  wires  and  transistors 
was  actually  a  fairly  simple  electronic 
TX/RX  switching  circuit.  But,  the  Q 
numbers  in  the  diagram  didn't  match 
the  ones  on  the  board!  Which  transistor 
was  which?  Wait  a  minute,  there's  an- 
other schematic  in  here,  and  it  has  the 
right  numbers.  They  must  have  had 
more  than  one  version  of  the  board, 

Now  that  I  had  the  correct  schemat- 
ic. I  Quickly  found  that  the  transmit 
switch  transistor  was  blown.  I  popped  in 


another  one.  and  the  TX  LED  now 
worked  when  I  pressed  the  PTT,  I 
hooked  the  rig  to  my  dummy 
load/wattmeter  and  keyed  up,  Nothing; 
the  transmitter  wasn't  working.  But  I  fig- 
ured that  if  l  could  get  the  receiver  to 
go,  the  rest  would  fall  into  place.  So.  I 
ignored  the  transmitter  and  focused  on 
why  I  had  no  audio.  Why  wasn't  that 
chip  getting  power? 

It  Ain't  Supposed  To 

Following  what  appeared  to  be  the 
DC  line  of  the  audio  amp  chip  (the  big 
electrolytic  to  ground  gave  it  away),  I 
came  to  ...  a  transistor.  I  should  have 
known:  The  amp  chip  wasn't  getting 
power  because  the  squelch  circuit  was 
keeping  it  turned  off.  Sure  enough,  the 
other  side  of  that  transistor  had  full  volt- 
age. AndT  the  transistor  was  good.  So. 
there  was  something  wrong  with  the 
squelch  circuit,  t  followed  the  irne  back 
through  a  couple  of  transistors  to  the 
squelch  output  of  the  detector  chip  and 
scoped  it  while  I  turned  the  squelch 
control  back  and  forth.  Sure  enough,  it 
jumped  up  and  down  just  fine.  That 
meant  that  the  detector  chip  was  get- 
ting power  and  was,  in  fact,  working 
Next,  I  checked  each  of  the  three  tran- 
sistors between  it  and  the  squelch  tran- 
sistor They  were  good  So  were  the 
two  diodes.  So  why  the  heck  wasn't  this 
thing  working? 

Anrgggh 

I  must  have  s  peril  over  an  hour  go- 
ing around  in  circles  with  this  thing. 
Then  I  saw  It.  The  wire  going  to  "point 
B.*  which  was  one  end  of  a  small  coif 
connected  to  one  of  those  squelch  Iran- 


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sistors.  was  supposed  to  be  for  an  op- 
tional tone  decoder,  which  this  radio  did 
not  have.  Thai  wrre  shouldn't  have 
been  there,  yet  there  it  was,  going  to 
the  microprocessor  board.  And  wait  a 
minute,  there  was  supposed  to  be  a 
wire  sending  an  'unmute'  signal  from 
the  micro  connected  to  another  point 
only  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  away. 
And  II  wasn't  there!  You  guessed  it: 
Somebody  had  broken  the  wire  and 
resoldered  II  in  the  wrong  place.  I 
moved  it  back  and.  wowb  the  receiver 
came  to  life!  Mow  I  was  getting  some- 
where. 

Can  You  Hear  Me? 

A  quick  check  on  the  wattmeter 
showed  that  the  transmitter  still  wasn't 
working.  The  diagram  showed  that  the 
unmute  skjnaJ  enabled  the  transmitter 
as  well  as  the  receiver,  SO  I  had  hoped 
that  everything  would  be  fixed.  Obvi- 
ously, the  transmitter  still  wasn't  getting 
power.  Or  was  It?  I  had  never  actually 
listened  for  it;  perhaps  it  was  worth  a 
try. 

I  set  the  frequency  to  0.52  and 
keyed  it  up  into  the  dummy  load  while 
listening  on  my  other  rig.  Son  of  a  gun, 
there  it  was,  dead  on  frequency  and 
with  good  audiol  My  victory  thriFI  turned 
to  sudden  defeat  when  I  realized  what 
that  meant:  a  dead  final.  Yuck.  Sure 
enough,  the  linal  was  connected  righ! 
across  the  incoming  DC  line,  before  the 
regulator.  Nothing  there  to  protect  it 
and,  if  the  polarity  had  in  fact  been  re- 
versed, that  ffnal  would  have  been  a 
forward- biased  diode  directly  to  ground; 
pretty  much  a  dead  shod.  But  then  I  no- 
ticed that  there  was  a  1  ohm  resistor 


between  the  transistor  and  the  DC  line. 
An  ohmmeler  check  showed  it  to  be 
2.6  k  ohms!  I  popped  in  a  new  res  Is  to; 
and,  wham!,  4  watts  out,  just  like  it  was 
supposed  to  be.  The  resistor  had 
blown,  protecting  the  transistor. 

So,  the  radio  was  fixed.  Well,  al- 
most. I  was  about  to  consider  it  finished 
when  I  took  another  look  at  the  battery 
pack.  Yup.  the  positive  goes  to  the  red 
wire,  which  goes  to  ...  I  looked  at  the 
PC  board  and  saw  thai  positive  was  go- 
ing to  ground  Backward  That  connec- 
tor must  not  have  been  the  original  one, 
and  the  previous  owner  had  just  as- 
sumed the  wire  coding  would  be  the 
same.  So  that  was  it:  The  radio  had 
been  connected  backwards  after  all 
Case  solved. 

A  Thought 

Many  people  assume  that  a  re* 
versed-polarity  rig  will  be  completely 
destroyed.  Certainfy,  reversing  the  po- 
larity is  pretty  destructive.  Often,  how- 
ever, the  regulators  and  semiconductor 
switches  which  a*e  directly  connected 
to  the  DC  line  will  blow,  protecting  the 
rest  of  the  circuitry.  Sometimes,  as  in 
this  case,  most  of  the  radio  will  be  fine 
and  well  worth  fixing, 

The  End 

I  hope  this  little  excursion  has 

hefped  you  see  what  you  can  be  up 
against  when  you  donl  know  who  else 
has  been  inside  your  new  find.  Never 
assume  anything,  and  happy  hunting! 
Until  next  time,  73  de  KB1UM.  Hey. 
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CIRCLE  10  ON  READER  SEHV1CE  CAfiO 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  75 


Number  23  on  your  Feedback  card 


m  *m  Numoer  23  on  your  heeooai 

73  INTERNATIONAL 


Amie  Johnson  NtBAC 
43  Old  Homestead  Hwy. 
N.SwanzeyNH  03431 

Notes  from  FN42 

/  received  a  phone  call  from  Dave 
Benedict  W8REN  of  Troy,  Michigan, 
one  evening,  I  guess  that  isn't  too 
spectacular,  tut  he  had  always  want- 
ed to  know  what  the  "Notes  from 
FN42"  meant.  Weil,  for  those  of  you 
who  are  involved  in  VHFAJHF  contest- 
ing it  might  not  be  too  good  a  ques- 
tion, but  for  the  rest  of  you  it  might 
make  you  wonder. 

Somewhere  in  the  'dungeon'  f 
have  a  booklet  from  the  ARRL  ex- 
plaining the  grid  system  of  the  earth, 
but  it  seem  to  be  hiding,  so  here 
comes  my  simple  (hopefully)  explana- 
tion, 

The  earth  is  divided  up  into  grid 
squares,  each  measuring  to  degrees 
of  latitude  (600  nautical  mites)  and  20 
degrees  of  longitude  (0  nautical  mites 
at  the  poles  and  1£QQ  nautical  mites 
at  the  equator).  Each  square  is  given 
a  two-letter  designation.  Each  of  those 
squares  is  further  divided  into  WO 
squares,  each  one  degree  of  latitude 
and  two  degrees  of  longitude  with  00 
in  the  southwest  comer  and  99  in  the 
northeast  corner.  The  coordinates  of 
Peterborough,  New  Hampshire,  are 
approximately  42*  52~5WN  and  71° 
57W  Those  coordinates  fall  into  the 
FN  primary  square  and  42  secondary 
square  bounded  by  42*  to  43>  latitude 
and  70*  to  721  longitude,  thus  FN42. 
Hopefully  this  explanation  has  not 
confused  anyone. 

Regular  readers  of  this  column 
know  Vm  always  trying  to  get  others 
involved  in  this  wonderful  hobby  of 
ours.  I  try  to  keep  my  eye  out  for  ex- 
amples of  people  getting  involved  and 
report  them  in  this  column. 

One  of  those  examples  is  Chris  Ed- 
scorn  NQCUH.  Chris  works  at  the 
Crotched  Mountain  Rehabilitation 
Center  in  Greenfieldt  New  Hampshire. 
I  remember  talking  to  him  on  one  of 
the  local  repeaters  when  he  moved  in- 
to the  area.  He  was  looking  for  some 
hams  in  the  local  area  to  help  him 
start  a  ham  club  at  the  center.  I  am 
happy  to  report  that  he  found  some 
help  and  is  very  busy  developing  a 
ham  club  and  teaching  those  with  dis- 
abilities the  joy  of  ham  radio. 

I  attended  the  open  house  at  their 
new  ham  shack.  One  room  in  the 
basement  of  a  building  has  been 
turned  into  ope  noting  positions  and 
meeting  space.  Operating  the  day  of 
my  visit  were  a  2  meter  FM  transceiv- 
er, a  2  meter  packet  station,  an  HF 
station,  and  a  computer  used  to  learn 
Morse  code,  There  are  approximately 
six  operating  positions  with  coax 
hookups  and  both  AC  and  DC  power 
available. 

The  room  was  very  busy  thai  day 


and  very  crowded  with  young  people 
in  wheelchairs  and  on  crutches,  some 
helping  with  the  operation  of  the 
equipment  and  others  providing  infor- 
mation to  new  young  people  who 
came  to  find  out  what  was  happening. 
Several  of  the  older  ham  volunteers 
were  there.  They  had  traveled  over 
two  hours  to  get  there,  and  they  had 
done  it  many  times  before  to  help  in- 
stall the  antennas  and  ready  the 
shack.  That's  dedication,  folks r  and 
getting  invofvedl 

I  was  very  heartened  to  see  one 
young  lady  in  a  wheelchair  spelt  her 
name  in  Morse  code  on  a  practice  os- 
cillator and  to  observe  the  joy  in  her 
eyes  when  she  realized  what  she  had 
done.  WOWt  What  an  experience! 

Do  you  want  that  same  kind  of  Joy? 
ft  doesn't  have  to  come  from  working 
with  disabled  young  people  like  Chris 
does.  It  can  come  from  helping  with 
ciasses  or  testing  sessions,  or  helping 
with  public  service  during  emergen- 
cies or  worthwhile  public  events.  Fos- 
ter the  use  of  ham  radio  on  the  air.  Be 
positive  in  your  attitude  toward  ama- 
teur radio  Don't  be  part  of  a  problem, 
be  part  of  the  solution. 

Finally,  December  is  a  holy  month 
for  many  of  our  world's  religions.  I 
wish  aft  of  you  the  joyt  peace,  and 
prosperity  that  you  deserve.  May  our 
world's  troubles  be  solved  and  peace 
to  ail  mankind  endure. 

Happy  Hobdays!  73.  AmieNiBAC 

Roundup 

Me  1 1  is  h  Reef  Letter  from  Murray  D. 
Adams,  WA4DAN:  Me II is h  Reef  is  fo- 
cated  at  coordinates  17°  241  S,  155* 
5V  E.  Herald's  Beacon  Inlet  is  the  only 
part  of  the  reef  thai  remains  above 
sea  level  at  high  tide— it  is  not  much 
more  than  a  sandbar.  It's  been  over  4- 
1/2  years  since  the  last  Mellish  DXpe- 
dition,  bul  in  January  1989  a  group  re- 
ported that  the  islet  was  approximately 
150' wide  by  800' long 

Since  the  last  operation,  a  couple 
of  major  storms  have  passed  through 
that  area:  hopefully  things  have  not 
changed  drastically  during  this  inter- 
val. The  islet  is  basically  pear-shaped. 
The  intent  of  our  operation  is  to  set  up 
two  separate,  completely  self-con- 
tained sites  as  far  apart  physically  as 
possible  to  try  to  reduce  adjacent  sta- 
tion Intermod.  One  site  will  be  at  the 
north  end  and  the  other  site  will  be  at 
the  south  end. 

One  site  will  contain  three  HF  sta- 
tions white  the  other  site  will  have  two 
HF  plus  one  6  meter  station.  They  will 
strive  to  listen  as  much  as  possible  in 
the  U.S.  Generai  class  bands. 

All  expeditions  have  certain  logisti- 
cal difficulties  to  overcome.  U elfish 
Reef  is  no  exception.  Heat  (there's  ab- 
solutely no  shade)  is  a  concern,  along 
with  the  effects  of  salt  spray  on  the 
equipment  and  antennas.  Fitful  rest  on 


RADIO  AMATEUR  OF  MACEDONIA  GREECE 


SV2ASP)A     ^ 

MOUNT-ATHOS   *^f^ 


MONK     APOLLO 

DOCHIARIOU    MONASTE 
GR  630  87  MOUNT  ATriCS 
GREECE 


TO    RADIO 


DAY 


MON, 


YEAR 


GMT 


MHZ 


RST 


MODE 


Rig; 
Ant: 
No: 


Photo  A.  The  beautiful  OSL  of  Monk  Apollo  SV2ASR 


this  type  of  DXpeditton  is  a  rarity.  For 
some  insight  on  this,  read  the  fascinat- 
ing account  of  the  AHWHowtand  Is- 
land DXp edition  earlier  this  year. 

The  MelJish  Reef  team  has  spent 
the  last  six  months  planning  and  work- 
ing on  the  logistics  for  this  DXpedition. 
We  all  look  forward  to  contacting  you 
Jrom  the  reef 

The  callsign  for  the  operation  is 
VK9MM.  The  operators  are;  VK4CCR, 
VK2BEX,  V73C,  K5VT,  VK2BJL. 
P29DX,  WA40ANt  and  G3WGV. 

We  plan  to  operate  CW,  SSB,  and 
RTTY. 

Power  will  be  supplied  by  one  4 
KVA  and  two  3.5  KVA  generators,  950 
liters  of  fuel  will  be  transported,  and  in 
addition,  80  liters  of  oil. 

Equipment  has  been  donated  by 
Dick  Smith  Electronics.  Cornan  Anten- 
na Co,  Australia,  Emtronics  Australia. 
GAP  Antenna  Products,  Cushcraft 
Corp.,  Heil  Sound,  Dunesfar  Systems, 
and  Oklahoma  Communication  Cen- 
ter. 

On  arrival,  the  team  hopes  to  quick- 
ly get  a  couple  of  the  stations  opera- 
tional using  one  yagi  and  one  vertical 
while  the  rest  of  me  team  is  ferrying 
gear  to  the  two  sites  and  assembling 
antennas P  tents,  etc. 

The  OSL  manager  will  be  Bill 
Horner  VK4CRR,  26  Iron  Street, 
Gyumpie  OLD  4570,  Australia.  Please 
Include  SASE/SAE  +  $1/IRCs.  Any 
donations  will  be  gratefully  received 
and  used  to  offset  the  high  cost  of  the 
expedition.  QSUng  wifl  commence  by 
December  1,  1993- 

Many  thanks  to  all  of  the  major  DX 
foundations,  many  national  regional 
and  local  DX  clubs,  and  literally  hun- 
dreds of  individual  DXers  whose  sup- 
port has  made  this  expedition  possi- 
ble. Our  primary  objective  is  to  work 
as  many  stations  as  possible  and  to 
give  as  many  who  need  it  a  new  coun- 
try. 

[As  most  of  you  DXers  realize,  the 
Meiiish  Reef  DXpedition  completed  its 
operation  several  months  ago.  This  re* 
port  did  not  arrive  at  73  in  time  for  ad- 
vance notice.  I  hope  to  receive  an  up- 
date from  WA40AN  in  the  future, — 
Amie] 

USA/Mt.  Athos  Letter  from  Wafery 
Sawka  KB2FIV:  I  was  more  than  hap- 


py to  see  Father  Apollo's  SV2ASP 
statement  printed  in  73  magazine.  Let 
me  explain. 

About  eight  years  ago.  I  visited  ML 
Athos  for  the  first  time.  I  fell  in  love 
with  the  beauty,  people,  and  spiritual 
values  of  the  place.  It  is  still  a  very 
unique  place  on  our  planet,  I  have 
been  traveling  there  every  year  since, 
not  as  a  tourist,  but  as  someone  who 
shares.  I  work  wilh  them,  pray  with 
them,  and  share  their  humble  life. 

I  am  also  a  ham  and  faithful  reader 
of  73  magazine.  Through  a  short  note, 
I  learned  about  the  existence  of  Father 
Apollo.  After  a  strenuous  walk  through 
rough  mountains,  we  met  in  the  mag- 
nificent Byzantine  Monastery  of 
Dochiariou.  He  proudly  displayed  his  2 
meter  rig.  It  was  an  old  Kenwood  and 
some  wire  dipoles.  He  loved  them  and 
was  talking  about  it  with  gleaming 
eyes.  He  had  problems,  not  only  with 
the  Administration  of  Mount  Athos 
to  get  an  operating  permit,  but  with 
the  power  supply  as  well.  The 
monastery  operates  the  electric  gener- 
ator only  during  the  day  for  using  pow- 
er tools.  The  rigid  monastery  schedule 
doesnt  leave  much  time  for  hamming. 
The  donated  old  Japanese  generator 
is  not  only  noisy  but  produces  117 
volts  instead  of  the  European  220 
volts. 

Father  Apollo  is  working  hard,  long 
days  and  prays  long  nights.  He  is 
friendly,  gentle,  and  always  smiling. 
Two  years  ago  disaster  struck— a  can- 
ister ot  cooking  gas  exploded  I  Father 
Apollo  survived  wfth  bad  bums  of  the 
face  and  was  almost  blinded!  His  be- 
ing able  to  see  is  one  of  the  miracles 
of  the  Holy  Mountain.  And  then,  last 
year,  there  was  the  unpleasant  experi- 
ence with  unauthorized  transmission 
of  DJ6SL  With  my  knowledge  of  ML 
Athos  and  all  the  documentation  given 
to  me,  I  don't  have  even  the  slightest 
doubt  that  it  was  illegal.  How  can  the 
ARRL  pass  such  easy  judgment? 

Father  Apollo's  problem  might  hap- 
pen to  us,  too— we  can  become  the 
victims  of  unauthorized  transmissions, 
tampering  with  packets,  etc.  In  my 
opinion.  Father  Apolto  has  become  the 
victim,  and  I  hope  his  faith  in  decency 
and  people  won't  be  disturbed  again.  I 
am  including  his  famous  QSL  card  so 


76  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


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...and  he  doesn't  want  you  to 

Declare  War! 

On  Our  Lousy  Government 

Fed  up  with  the  mess  in  Washington? 
The  mess  in  your  state  capital? 
Poverty,  crime,  our  Tailing  schools? 
Wayne  Green  has  solutions. 
Clever  solutions. 


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CIRCLE  112  OK  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  77 


that  others  can  see  what  (hey  are 
missing. 

If  anyone  has  any  questions, 
please  contact  me:  Walery  Sawka 
KB2F1V,  Box  290.  New  York  City  NY 
10028. 

OKINAWA 
JAPAN 

David  CowNg  7J6CBQ/WA 1LBP 

AmCon  Naha 

FBU  PSC  556.  Box  340 

FPO  AP  96$72+0840 

June  brought  Telecom  Week  and  a 
demonstration  ol  satellite  communica- 
tions, packet  radio,  ham  TV,  ham  fac- 
simile using  the  qUS  NEC  mini4ax  ma- 
chines  available  cheaply  here,  and 
eyeball  rag-chews  in  Urasoe  City,  The 
packet  radio  stations  used  the  DX- 
TERM  Japanese  language  packet  ra- 
dio software  which  automatically 
switches  Into  the  display  mode  when  it 
hits  a  NAPLPS  videotext  message  on 
packet  radio.  It  was  very  startling  to  be 
watching  the  kana  and  kanji  of  a 
Japanese  packet  message  moving  up 
the  screen  when  suddenly  the  com- 
puter started  to  draw  a  full-color  car- 
toon or  map,  You  have  probably  seen 
videotext  pictures  on  the  news  or 
weather  bulletin  channel  of  your  local 
cable  TV  sysiem.  At  the  Telecom 
Week  hamfest  aspiring  YL  ham  10' 
y ear-old  Toshitaka  Ayaka.  daughter  o( 
Toshilaka-san  J56KVP,  told  me  she 
will  take  the  August  JARL  ham  class 
in  Naha,  A  video-equipped  Apple  com- 
puter generated  I  his  picture  of  Ayaka, 
her  6-year-old  brother  Tsutomu,  Toshi- 
laka-san JS5KVP  and  myself. 

NAPLPS  attracted  many  loll  owe  rs 
in  Japan,  where  drawing  cartoons  is  a 
very  popular  hobby.  CO  Ham  Radio. 
Japan's  biggest  ham  magazine,  runs 
works  of  art  by  ham  cartoonists  every 
month,  Some  ol  these  images  make  It 
onto  the  Japanese  packet  radio  and 


landline  computer  networks  as 
NAPLPS  images.  NAPLPS  image  files 
are  a  series  Of  graphics  commands 
which  the  receiving  computer  exe- 
cutes to  draw  a  picture,  A  nice  draw- 
ing can  be  sent  in  a  lile  of  1  or  2  kilo- 
bytes' which  would  require  50  kilo- 
bytes of  more  if  sent  as  a  bit -mapped 
image.  You  can  find  NAPLPS  software 
such  as  NALPVIEWZIP  and  other  se- 
ries of  NAPLPS  programs  in  ZIP  files 
beginning  wilh  NALP  written  by  enthu- 
siastic Japanese  hams  such  as  Roy 
JM1VSP  Kurashima  Aklhisa  on  the 
AMRAD  BBS  (703)  734-1387.  or  the 
Virginia  Connection  BBS  (703)  648- 
1841  with  its  supeNas!  modem.  Look- 
ing at  this  collection  of  pictures  and 
playing  with  the  software  will  give  you 
an  idea  of  what  NAPLPS  is  like.  I 
translated  the  documentation  from 
Japanese  several  years  ago.  Creating 
a  good  NAPLPS  file  is  hard.  I  would 
like  to  blame  NAPLPS  but  the  real 
problem  is  that  I  am  not  an  artist. 

I  hope  that  all  hams  throughout  the 
world  are  enjoying  learning  about  the 
Okinawan  culture  and  lile.  My  fellow 
hams  on  ihe  island  are  certainly  en  joy  - 
I ng  seeing  their  news  in  73. 

PHILIPPINES 

Lorenzo  D.  Gaston  DU1CHD/6 

PO  Bcr  27 

6116  Silay  City  Neg.  Ox. 

Philippines 

DX  stations  who  wish  to  operate 
temporary  during  their  stay  in  the 
Philippines  must  apply  for  a  reciprocal 
license  before  bringing  their  transceiv- 
ers) into  the  Philippines.  Section  IX  of 
the  Philippine  Amateur  Radio  Regula* 
lions  states  that  The  NTC  may  autho- 
rize a  person  who  is  a  resident  and  cit- 
izen of  a  foreign  country  to  operate  his 
or  her  amateur  station  while  temporar- 
ily in  the  Philippines  provided  he  or 
she  is  a  holder  of  an  appropriate  ama- 


Photo  B.  Computer-generated  picture  from  Okinawa, 


teur  station  license  and  an  operator's 
license  or  certificate  issued  by  the 
government  of  Ihe  country  of  which  he 
or  she  is  a  citizen  and  provided  that 
the  same  country  has  a  formal  or  an 
informal  reciprocal  agreement  with  the 
Philippines.  He  or  she  should  be  en- 
couraged to  affiliate  with  a  local  ama- 
teur club  for  belter  camaraderie  and 
fellowship/  All  reciprocal  license  call- 
signs  have  their  original  call  suffixed 
by  the  word  "portable"  or  "mobife/  fol- 
lowed by  the  appropriate  DU  district 
numoer  (from  /DU1  to  /DU9  only,  no 
™0),  For  example,  N1BAC  will  sign 
N1BAC7DU6  or  DUB/N1BAC  in  Ne- 
gros  Island  (IOTA  OC-129)  when  he 
goes  on  a  expedition  here.  (Vm  ready, 
Wayne*  When  o*0  we  leave? — Amie] 
NTC  Reciprocal  Licenses  are  usually 
issued  with  a  maximum  effectivity  peri- 
od of  one  year  and  can  be  renewed  30 
days  before  the  date  of  the  expiration 
of  the  license. 


The  following  documents  are  re- 
quired when  applying  for  an  NTC  re- 
ciprocal license:  (1)  Application  letter 
slating  your  request  to  appfy  for  a  re- 
ciprocal: (2)  Reciprocity  agreement  or 
Informal  agreement  with  the  Philip- 
pines. Either  document  should  come 
from  your  country's  amateur  licensing 
authority  certifying  that  it  has  issued 
or  will  issue  an  amateur  radio  recipro- 
cal license  to  citizens  of  the  Philip- 
pines who  are  holders  of  Philippine 
Amateur  Radio  licenses  and/or  certifi- 
cates to  be  able  to  operate  his  or  her 
amateur  radio  station  with  appropriate 
privileges  while  in  your  country;  (3)  A 
certified  copy  of  your  license;  (4)  A  list 
of  the  transceivers)  (brand,  model* 
and  serial  number)  you  plan  to  bring  to 
Ihe  Philippines:  and  (5)  Certification 
from  your  country's  amateur  radio  li- 
censing authority  stating  it  has  no  ob- 
jcclion  to  your  operating  your  amateur 
radio  station  in  the  Philippines. 


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CIRCLE  251  OK  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


78  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


The  NTC,  in  the  future,  may  also  re- 
quire other  documents  or  may  not  re- 
quire an  of  the  documents  listed  above, 
so  please  write  Id  the  Philippine  Ama- 
teur Radio  Association  for  the  lalest  re- 
quirements months  before  visiting  the 
Philippines.  The  address  is:  PARA 
Secretariate,  G/F  Remedios  Bfdg..  55 
A.  Roces  Ave.,  1100  Quezon  City. 
Philippines.  The  phone  numbers  are 
96-40-69  and  98-47-05. 

73.  DU1CHD/6. 

TAIWAN 

Tm  Chen  BV2A 

PO  Box  30-547 

Taipei,  Taiwan 

China 

Hello,  everybody!  I  would  like  to 
submit  this  statement  about  our  ac- 
tivities and  the  progress  of  ham  radio 
on  this  island  lo  the  readers  of  73 
magazine. 

All  hams  are  delighted  to  hear  the 
long-awaited  announcement  that  the 
Chinese  Taipei  Amateur  Radio  League 
(CTARL)  has  become  ihe  126th  mem- 
ber society  in  the  International  Ama- 
teur Radio  Union  (IARU)  and  its  Re- 
gran  III  since  October  30  and  Novem- 
ber 7.  1992.  respectively.  We  tried  hard 
over  the  past  years  to  obtain  those 
very  memberships.  We  are  grateful  lo 
all  those  societies  over  the  world  lor  fa- 
voring us  the  votes  (71  votes  without  a 
nay,  unanimous!).  We  are  encouraged 
and  believe  that  we  will  have  more  and 


closer  relationships  and  cooperation 
with  all  concerned  in  the  future. 

There  was  a  celebration  party  held 
in  the  Mandarin  Hotel,  Taipei  on  De- 
cember 12,  1992.  Not  fess  than  400 
hams  and  guests  were  present,  and 
the  buffet  dinner  was  served  from  the 
evening  until  midnight.  Special  guests 
attending  were  Legislator  YT  S.  Lin;  Mr 
C.  V.  Chen,  Director  of  Post  and 
Telecommunications  Department, 
M>0,C:  Mr.  Chen  Yen,  Division  Chief 
of  International  Department,  M,O.F,A,; 
and  many  other  VIPs. 

tn  April,  the  government's  examina- 
tion for  ham  operators  will  take  place  in 
central  Taiwan— Talc  hung  City  We  are 
expecting  2dQ0O  or  more  candidates 
and  those  passing  will  turn  out  700 
more  new  stations  at  the  end  of  the 
year.  The  continuing  growth  of  hams 
will  make  it  possible  to  hold  two  exami- 
nations every  year,  beginning  in  1993, 

CTARL  members  m  Taipei  Taich- 
ing,  and  Kaohsiung  cities  are  in  full 
swing,  organized  to  serve  the  newcom- 
ers. Usually  they  supply  cold  drinks, 
stationery,  and  code  practice  for  the 
fast  dash  at  the  venue  at  no  charge. 

The  CTARL  is  going  lo  re-elect  the 
seconcMerm  directors  and  president  I 
will  be  retired  from  CTARL  service,  but 
will  never  cease  to  be  a  ham.  All  visi- 
tors from  abroad  should  call  as  usual  if 
they  happen  to  be  in  Taipei. 

Next  month  \  will  report  on  the 
expedition  to  initiate  the  first  BV9  on 
Quemoy  Island. 


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CIRCLE  96  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December.  1993  79 


Never  Say  Die 

Continued  from  page  4 
my  own  enthusiasm,  and  you  probably 
could  care  less  about  music.  Well, 
that's  a  shame  to  miss  seeing  or  hear- 
ing beauty.  Ifs  probably  too  late  now. 
Your  parents  sboutd  have  opened  the 
worlds  of  music,  art,  and  books  to  you. 
Yeaht  art.  I've  been  in  every  major  art 
museum  in  the  world  and  have  just 
about  every  book  on  Hopper's  paint- 
tngs  ever  published.  Did  I  tell  you 
about  the  lime  I  was  working  on  a 
Guggenheim  grant  at  the  Guggenheim 
Museum  on  Fifth  Avenue?  Probably 
did. 

Say,  I'm  beginning  to  ramble  like 
Old  Indiana  Jones.  Have  you  been  en- 
joying the  summer  Indiana  Jones  se- 
ries? I  particularly  enjoyed  the  one 
where  he  met  Sri  Krishnamurti.  I've  al- 
ways enjoyed  K's  books  and  used  to 
go  to  bis  lectures  in  New  York.  J  liked 
his  philosophy,  which  they  got  across 
nicely  in  the  Young  Indiana  Jones  pro- 
gram. I  suppose  religious  fanatics 
might  be  upset  by  his  ideas. 

Speaking  of  religion  (a  no-no),  a  re- 
cent Newsweek  had  an  interesting  arti- 
cle about  the  latest  scientific  tdeas  on 
how  life  got  started.  I  was  pleased  to 
see  that  there  are  more  and  more  sci- 
entists leaning  toward  the  Hoyte  theo- 
ry, I  think  I  mentioned  Hoyle's  book, 
Evolution  From  Space,  sometime 
back,  I  like  things  to  make  sense,  and 
this  does. 


If  I  can  make  some  time  I'd  tike  to 
start  doing  a  series  of  audio  tapes 
which  would  discuss  trie  music,  books, 
amateur  radio,  and  other  things  Td  like 
to  share  with  others.  A  few  die-hards 
got  irritated  with  me  at  Dayton  be- 
cause I  didn't  talk  about  amateur  radio 
the  whole  lime.  Heck,  I  talked  for  two 
hours  and  was  only  barely  started,  i 
did  talk  about  my  concerns  about  the 
ability  of  us  continuing  to  keep  our 
priceless  frequencies  without  giving 
anything  much  in  return  as  a  quid  pro 
quo,  But  then  I've  been  writing  about 
that  theme  for  years.  I'd  like  to  get 
around  to  more  ham  tests  to  talk,  but 
between  music  and  computer  showst 
plus  a  little  work  to  do  around  here, 
I've  boxed  myself  in.  If  I  get  some 
spare  time  I'd  like  to  organize  my  li- 
brary and  gel  the  barn  in  better  shape. 
And  maybe  chase  a  fittte  DX.  1  was 
having  fun  on  10m  until  the  sunspots 
killed  it. 

As  soon  as  I  can  get  set  up  with  a 
remote  transmitter  system  Til  be  look- 
ing for  duplex  contacts  ,  ,  ,  mostly  on 
20m.  Oh  yes,  don't  forget,  if  you  talk  to 
JY1.  pass  along  my  regards,  and  tetl 
him  Pd  like  to  help  him  get  his  educa- 
tional system  out  of  the  basement  Jor- 
dan has  the  only  school  system 
they've  measured  that's  worse  than 
ours.  We  Ye  talking  world-class  bad. 
which  ts  a  real  shame.  That's  a  terrible 
legacy  for  his  people.  The  bright  side 
is  that  their  kids  are  only  just  a  little 
dumber  than  ours.  But  weYe  working 


diligently  on  dumbing  our  kids  down 
even  more,  so  who  Knows. 

Now.  please  don't  forget  to  write. 
Lets  at  least  see  a  OSL  with  a  rating 
for  a  book,  gadget,  or  kit. 

Ham  Club  Responsibilities. 
How  Does  Your  Club  Shape  Up? 

in  my  reports  to  the  New  Hampshire 

Economic  Development  Commission 
and  our  humongous  citizen's  legisla- 
ture, I  was  expressing  my  frustration  at 
their  allowing  excessivefy  lousy  over- 
priced  schools,  ridiculously  expensive 
health  care,  poverty,  rampant  crime, 
drugs .  and  so  on  to  continue  .  .  .while 
there  are  some  practical,  inexpensive 
solutions  to  all  these  problems.  I  hap- 
pened to  look  up  the  word  "civics"  in 
my  dictionary.  Check  ft  out,  since  ft  ap- 
plies to  our  beloved  hobby,  too-  The 
division  of  political  science  dealing  with 
the  privileges  and  obligations  of  citi- 
zenship." 

It's  the  quid  pro  quo  bit  again.  If  you 
want  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  citizen- 
ship, then  you  must  fulfil!  your  obliga- 
tions. You  can  mull  over  the  many  priv- 
ileges you  enjoy  as  an  American  citi- 
zen, then  start  considering  how  well 
you  re  handling  your  attendant  obliga- 
tions. Like  being  an  informed  voter,  for 
instance.  It  you  were  informed,  you 
wouldn't  keep  sending  the  same  old 
crooks  to  Congress,  term  after  term 
. , ,  and  then  ask  for  term  limits  to  stop 
you  from  doing  this. 

So,  what  has  this  to  do  with  ama- 


teur radio?  The  quid  is  our  privilege  of 
using  billions  of  dollars  worth  of  fre- 
quencies as  our  playthings.  The  quo  is 
our  obligation  to  provide  something  in 
return,  other  than  abuse. 

What  should  we  be  doing?  Wel1H 
we're  supposed  to  be  a  technical  hob- 
by h  >  ,  a  training  ground  for  youngsters 
. . .  and  for  each  other.  Considering  the 
complications  o!  technology  today,  ifs 
difficult  for  us  to  become  experts  on 
everything  This  is  where  our  clubs  can 
help.  Suppose  every  club  meeting 
started  off  with  a  technical  talk  by  one 
of  the  members.  One  might  explain 
how  RTTY  works.  Another  about 
SSTV.  Others  could  explain  about 
packet,  satellite  communications,  auro- 
ra, moon  bounce,  fox  hunting,  and  so 
on.  You  might  assign  club  members 
the  responsibility  to  learn  about  spread 
spectrum,  digital  radio,  digital  video, 
compression  algorithms,  Iractal  com- 
pression, orthogonal  frequency  divi- 
sion multiplex,  and  so  on  . ,  .  and  then 
have  them  explain  these  concepts  to 
the  club.  Many  hands  make  light  work 
and  it's  exciting  to  learn  new  things. 
You  might  even  find  more  hams  com- 
ing to  club  meetings,  and  more  getting 
interested  in  trying  new  modes  and 
bands. 

I  keep  reading  all  of  the  ham  club 
newsletters  I  get.  hoping  to  see  signs 
that  some  of  our  clubs  are  taking  our 
obligations  as  hams  seriously,  I'm  not 
encouraged.  How  about  your  club?  Let 

Continued  on  page  82 


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CIRCLE  244  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993 


A 


D  VERTISERS 


R.S.f 


page 

•  A  &  A  Engineering,. „ .,64 

•  A&  A  Engineering .65 

t8  A,SA, ....69 

18  A.S.A 62 

351  Absolute  Value  Systems  ...„..» 69 

164  Ace  Communications  of 

Indianapolis + .....54 

■     Action  Communications.. .27 

•  Advanced  Electron ic  Applications  ..9* 
281  Agreto  Engineering <55 

67  Alinco Electronics ...59" 

194  All  Electronics  Corpomtion.- 


I  MH1IHIH  ■■■■JIBBii  I  i  ■  *  ■  i  ■ 


29  A/neco  Corporation  „ ™™,,.25 

368  Antennas  West..„..„„.„ „ 33 

107  Antennas  West , 37 

336  Antennas  West..,. 53 

380  Antennas  West™ .„„ 66 

I  WW     FTll  llwP   M  luJ      V  T  V01  +  #  III  +4  hi +4*  IIMl>IH4»HtiHiinf 

296  Antennas  West., ,.....„...„.... 91 

319  Antennas  West , 92 

89  Antennas  West 93 

16  Astron  Corporation .23 

27  Avcom  of  VA 33 


fr-i  ■■*+  ■■•++hl+TT 


■  ■■+4-1II+  +  4  ri    t  ■ k 


.45 
.41 
.19 
.41 

16 

....69* 
-T,93" 


*  Azden  Corporation 

C.     I  U     U      D,      lilt, r,.w 

41  Barry  Electronics  Corporation 

42  Bilal  Company 

273  Boyd  Electronics 

56  Buckmaster  Publishing 
168  Buckmaster  Publishing ,. 
7    Buckmaster  Publishing AY 

*  Burghardt  Amateur  Radto 15 

■  Butternut  Electronics.... ....„..„„.„„. 27 

222  Byers  Chassis  Kits ..69 

184  C  &  S  Sales,  Inc. 65 

■  Cable  X-perts,T... 16 

■  CBCfty  International 77 

*  Cellular  Security  Group ..65 

265  Chipswitcn.... ....77 

99  Communication  Concepts,  tnc 92 

10  Communications  Specialists,  Inc.. 75* 


R.S.#  page 

26S  Computer  Automation 

Technologies ....63 

12  Connect  Systems , ,2 

146  Creative  Control  Products  „,11W11„„1 6 

•  Digfteq 37 

•  Down  East  Microwave 58 

114  E  H  Yost  64 

•  Eavesdropping  Detection .77 

•  Electronic  Distributors.......... 63 

■     Electronic  Distributors . 75 

8  Elktronics ..93 

•  Engineering  Consulting 74 

•  EUR-AM 17 

75  Fair  Radio  Sales 76 

33  FB  Enterprises JB2 

I     '   »       t      Ij  Lt#ul   U  I  L    <  l  l  ■  i  J.  Kl«-1f  MMl-l-HPH+M+Ml.i-H-M-l'ltHI    I    ¥ 

■■      '         t       fj    t«rUl  Wj  '  ■      iit.-iiii«J|i"in«inf+Hm  » +  1-4-1  *  +  **    f  fl 

329  For  Hams  Only 37 

169  G  &  G  Electronics 79 

T   ^r'\aF     \d*  \mi    I     ^m     ■   ■■■■■  ■■■■  ■.■■■&■■■■  j .a  ■  ■  «.>■  ■  ■  ■  *«  h  |  ■  1,+  m  4  h  M  ■  H  *tf%^ 

291  Gracilis 74 

192  Grapevine  Group , 91 

•  Hambrew  Magazine.,, , ..51 

•  Hamtronics,  Inc 7 

331  Hardm  Electronics 73 

187  Harlan  Technologies ...... ...„™„„„37 

264  Heights  Tower  Systems ., ,. 57 

•  Highlands  Electronics  ..„«... 41 

293  IC  Engineering 69 

77  InterRex Systems ,..„....„.„ , 17 

42  Isotron „ «41 

112  ITC ........77 

295  Itech 17 

175  J-Com 65 

39  J-Com .92 

55  J-Com .....31 

26  J.M.S 17 

133  Jade  Products ........92 

159  Japan  Radio,,-  -r.-..--.T. ........49 

285  JPS  Communications 43 


R.S.#  page 

•  K-Comm..  ...„.„.„„,.„ 55 

2  Kawa  Productions ,51 

I  O  I   l\LA^  ouunu ............ .. +. ..+*.... .... h.j.4..  -OD 

•  Kenwood  USA  Corporation CV4 

382  LDG  Electronics 17 

234  Lentinl  Communications 89 

243  Luke  Company.,, „. ,71 

25  Madison  Electronic  Supply SI 

•  Meadowlake  Corporation „.,  1 7 

86  MFJ  Enterprises 11 

160  Micro  Computer  Concepts 55 

144  Micro  Control  Specialties B4 

30  Micro  Video  Products, „.72 

114  Mr.  Nrcad , 64 

246  MoTron  Etectronics 72 

1  Number  One  Systems  Ud 89 

102  ONV  Safety  Ben 37 

96  Orlando  Hamcalion 79 

■  P.C.  Electronics .62* 

■  P.C.  Electronics ..,.,„„. ....70* 

178  Pacific  Cabie  Company,  Inc 41 

198  Personal  Computer  Repeater 

Controller .25 

•  Personal  Database 78 

249  Pmltips  Industries.  Inc .66 

311  Pioneer  HiH  Software .90 

394  PKT  Electronics .91 

145  QSO  Software „.71 

147  R.L.  Drake  Company  .....................47 

110  Radio  Amateur  Satellite ....54 

153  Radio  City ..............40 

58  Radio  Engineers 64 

■  Radio  Fun .„... ............36 

•  RAI  Enterprises,.... 25 

34  Ramsey  Electronics...... .....20-21* 

171  RF  Enterprises.. 91 

377  Ron's  CDROMS «.„« 69 

134  Rose .....90 

254  Ross  Distributing 52 

•  RT  Systems 90 


R.S.#  page 

<y4  »>cto  tnyjneenny, ..,,......,.,.,.„.... .,+♦,,>  J 

•  SAMS  90 

W>  F^i  » ■  V>   +  r  r  -  tti  ■  ■  tt  ■  ■  ■  T4"t  ii  +-k  I  I  i  4«#l  *■  +  +  -ww  r  -m  -m  »-»-r  rr-->i>    -tf  V 

•  Schnedler  Systems...*...*.. .43 

36  Scrambling  News. .............. ..,..,.....,33 

•  Sensible  Solutions 25 

167  Sescomf  Inc ,....31 

•  73  Amateur  Radio  Today 31 

168  SGC  Inc 57 

250  Software  Systems.... .43 

244  Software  Systems... 60 

51  Spectrum  Communications.... ...... ..S3 

163  Spectrum  International .......57 

247  Sta/tek....™. 1 

■  Tejas  RF  Technologies ..65 

i en-'  i^q  ........ — .............. i ■■■..miiHi 

•  The  Ham  Center  ..„.„ w — .55 

384  The  Ham  Contact.. ............87 

384  The  Ham  Contact.. 41 

384  The  Ham  Contact.. 53 

131  The  Ham  Station 85 

269  Tigertronlcs  .„.„.. 47 

299  Townsend  Electronics 55 

11  Transel  Technologies. ...37 

22  Tri-Ex ..70 

255  Tripp  Lite 80 

50  Tropical  Hamboree.. .81 

121  U.S.  Cable  TVr  inc 37 

•  Uncte  Wayne's  Bookshelf 94,95 

•  Universal  Radio ....** .„..47* 

•  Vanguard  Labs „.,31 

259  Versate!  Communications .93 

104  Vis  Study  Guides,  Inc 91 

191  W  &  W  Associates .36 

20  Wolte  Communications ..92 

■  Yaesu  E  feet  ron  ics  C  o  rpo  ra  tion  . . .  C  V3 

•  Yaesu  Electronics  Corporation 5 

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CIRCLE  50  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1 993  81 


Never  Say  Die 

Continued  from  page  80 

me  know  (J  you  run  across  any  skjns  of 
rife. 

Psy nee 

What's  been  your  contribution  to  the 
world  ...  so  far?  K's  probably  just  ihe 
result  of  another  bit  of  deformed  DNA. 
no  ooubl  resulting  from  my  famer 
smoking  before  I  was  conceived  (It 
was  Falimas  thenT  but  H  was  Camels 
that  eventually  Kilted  him),  but  Tve  al- 
ways had  this  weird  urge  to  somehow 
contribute  something  to  the  world  dur- 
ing my  short  visit,  11  has  to  be  a  genetic 
problem  because  I  donl  ever  recall 
any  philosophical  discussions  along 
this  line  with  anyone  in  my  family.  Or 
theological  either. 

Progress  seems  accepted  as  being 
beneficial,  so  I've  always  been  inclined 
to  do  what  I  could  within  my  limitations 
to  help  the  world  progress.  My  contri- 
butions have  admittedly  been  minus- 
cule, but  satisfying  to  me. 

How  about  you?  Have  you  a  feeling 
on  some  level  that  you  owe  the  world  a 
little  positive  push,  or  are  you  satisfied 
to  be  just  a  taker? 

There  are  plenty  of  things  you  could 
do  which  would  put  a  little  more  posi- 
tive spin  on  our  world  Its  probably  too 
late  to  get  you  to  learn  to  write  so  you 
can  help  others  to  find  out  about  inter* 
esttng  things,  or  even  just  enjoy  what 
your  mind  provides  for  them.  But,  be- 


ing a  ham,  there  are  a  ton  of  scientific 
areas  you  could  research  and  help  pio- 
neer. YouVe  got  a  bas*c  understanding 
of  technology  which  could  be  put  to  ex- 
cellent use.  if  you  don't,  you  should 
have.  That's  part  of  your  ham  resporv 
siblltty.  I  hope  you  haven't  been  cheat- 
ing on  this. 

One  area  wide  open  for  scientific  in* 
vestigation,  one  which  doesn't  even 
have  to  be  expensive  to  pioneer,  is  the 
field  of  subtle  energies.  1  like  the  term, 
I  recently  attended  a  conference  in 
Monterey  on  the  subject  and  was  im- 
pressed with  the  progress  that's  being 
made.  But  even  more,  I  was  excited  to 
find  that  this  is  such  a  new  scientific 
field  that  almost  anyone  can  get  into  it 
and  produce  worthwhile  data.  Yet  I  on- 
ly ran  into  one  ham  a!  the  conference. 
Tsk. 

Subtle  energies?  What'n  hell  are 
they?  That's  the  great  pan  ...  no  one 
really  knows  much  yet. 

Scientists  have  always  been  un- 
comfortable with  anomalies,  They  real- 
ly hate  extra  sensory  perception  and 
psychokenisls.  They  hate  H em  so  much 
that  most  scientists  refuse  to  acknowl- 
edge that  anything  of  the  kind  exists, 
Pathoiogical  skeptics.  Having  had 
enough  proof  in  my  own  life  thai  some 
sort  Of  instant  communications  is  pos- 
sible over  large  distances:  having  had 
enough  fortune-tellers  read  my  tea 
leaves  with  incredible  accuracy;  and 
having  read  a  hundred  or  so  books 
about  other  carefully  researched  cas- 


es, I've  been  impatient  with  scientists 
for  so  blindly  ignoring  all  Ihts  data- 
Reincarnation,  the  soul,  past  lives, 
out-of-body  and  near  death  experi- 
ences, UFOs,  and  so  on  are  all  scien- 
tifically unexplainable,  despite  endless 
detailed  reports  substantiating  their  ex- 
istence. Of  course  one  problem  is  the 
profusion  of  charlatans,  both  intention- 
al and  unintentional,  taking  advantage 
of  the  situation.  Another  is  that  even 
some  of  the  better  mediums  fudge  at 
times,  trying  to  make  up  for  the  unpre- 
dictability of  their  gifts. 

Despite  the  seemingly  endless 
number  of  scams,  many  centered  in 
La-La  Land  (aka  Southern  California], 
often  dressed  up  in  scientific-sounding 
baloney,  down  there  somewhere  there 
may  be  some  important  break- 
throughs waiting  for  you  to  lift  the  right 
rock.  As  a  registered  skeptic  1  enjoy 
the  hokum  about  scalar  physics*  sub- 
liminal tapes,  hemisync  tones,  and  so 
on.  If  you  do  get  involved  with  this  high 
weirdo  stuff,  try  not  to  get  swept  up  as 
a  believer 

So  IVe  put  psy  and  science  togeth- 
er to  describe  a  still  almost  virgin  field 
which  is  out  there  ready  to  be  ex- 
plored. Psynce.  I  like  that  better  than 
pscience.  If  you  can  harness  psy,  you'll 
have  il  made.  ESR  clairvoyance,  psy- 
chokenisis.  Wow!  It'll  be  a  lot  easier 
finding  out  how  this  stuff  works  than 
trying  to  disprove  it,  where  you  have 
mil  lions  of  people  who've  had  psychic 
experiences  to  face.  The  last  statistics 


I  saw  claimed  that  over  67%  of  Amen* 
cans  have  had  a  psychic  experience. 
So  let's  kick  some  sand  in  the  face  of 
the  scientists  who  won't  even  try  to 
explore  psi  and  the  other  anomalies 
they're  ignoring.  My  experience  in 
Monterey  is  that  you  are  not  going  to 
be  alone. 

Yes,  there's  a  need  for  an  honest 
communications  medium  ...  a  pubti- 
cation  ...  lo  help  Ihls  new  field  devel- 
op. But  with  many  of  the  potential  ads 
being  for  unproved  products  and  ser- 
vices ,  ,  ,  and  I'm  being  very  kind  with 
that  description  .  .  .  it  s  probably  still  a 
little  early  for  a  magazine.  And  where 
would  I  ever  find  people  to  honestly 
evaluate  the  products  so  we'd  know 
what  really  works  and  what's  baloney? 
Heck,  science  doesn't  even  have  a 
clue  as  to  how  the  placebo  effect 
works. 

So  here's  a  field  where  the  frontiers 
are  still  accessible.  How  does 
acupuncture  work?  How  does  ESP 
work?  Where  does  herbal  medicine  fit 
in?  Can  rainmakers  make  rain?  What 
about  dowsing?  There's  a  whole  world 
of  weirdness  out  there  which  needs 
honest  investigation.  So,  it  you  have 
any  pioneer  spirit,  and  would  like  to 
contribute  to  the  world,  there's  plenty 
to  do. 

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for  a  better  situation  for  the  indepen- 
dent researcher.  You  see,  the  modern 
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CIRCLE  51  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today  December,  1993  83 


number  of  papers  published.  Being 
pubtished  results  in  grants,  prestige, 
larger  laboratories,  and  positions  on 
decision-making  committees. 

One  thing  scientists  know  is  that  it 
is  much  easier  to  publish  papers  that 
don't  challenge  the  present  orthodoxy. 
As  a  result,  few  career  scientists  are 
interested  in  investigating  anything 
which  might  cast  a  doubt  on  estab- 
lished beliefs,  So  they  work  over  and 
over  on  smaller  and  smaller  areas,  and 
those  generous  grants  keep  acoming, 
The  end  result  Is  that  science  today 
has  lost  its  spirit  of  adventure  .  .  .  and 
that  leaves  a  wide-open  opportunity  for 
the  amateur. 

If  you  look  back  on  hisUny.  almost 
all  of  the  major  breakthroughs  in  sci- 
ence were  made  by  amateurs.  And 
most  of  them  had  to  fight  the  en- 
trenched scientific  community  of  the 
day.  It  took  years  before  scientists  rec- 
ognised the  work  of  Max  Planck  and 
quantum  mechanics.  As  Planck  point- 
ed  out,  his  new  theories  were  not  ac- 
cepted by  the  scientists  of  his  day.  its 
just  that  eventually  the  old  scientists 
died. 

There  are  whole  worlds  of  science 
(and  psynce)  that  are  wide  open  for 
anyone  with  the  guts  and  a  never-say- 
die  attitude. 

Saving  Amateur  Radio 

In  line  with  my  normal  gloom  and 
doom  approaches  to  our  hobby.  I  fear 
that,  perhaps  by  accident,  someone 


win  be  appointed  as  an  FCC  Commis- 
sioner who  has  at  least  a  slight  grasp 
of  communications  and  is  not  just 
reaping  a  political  reward.  As  a  result, 
the  legitimacy  of  our  exclusive  rights  to 
several  billion  dollars  worth  of  public 
radio  frequencies  might  be  challenged* 
My  proposition  ts  simple:  I  suggest  we 
spend  a  little  time  building  at  least  a 
feeble  leg  to  stand  on  should  such  a 
day  of  reckoning  surprise  us. 

You  might  want  to  suggest  this  to 
your  ARRL  directors  and  see  how  far 
you  get  with  them.  Something  like  this 
might  give  you  a  hint  as  to  how  much 
of  a  voice  you  realty  have  wrth  the 
League. 

Fortunately,  past  Commissioners  In 
recent  years  have  been  too  wrapped 
up  with  avoiding  more  mighty  matters 
to  notice  us,  so  we've  been  sailing 
along  In  the  foolish  belief  that  ft  Is  our 
good  works  that  have  preserved  our 
hobby.  My  thesis  is  that  we'd  better 
damned  well  re-invent  our  hobby  be- 
fore the  Commissioners  notice  that 
we're  no  longer  paying  out  dues. 

I've  been  enjoying  what  is  essential- 
ly another  generous  government  hand- 
out .  .  .  the  use  of  our  bands  ,  ♦ ,  but  I 
keep  wondering  how  long  it's  going  to 
be  before  the  piper  comes  around, 
wanting  to  be  paid.  One  of  these  days 
some  Japanese  firm  pushing  a  new 
satellite  communications  system  is  go- 
ing to  need  some  channels  for  the  ser- 
vice and  is  going  to  start  looking  close- 
ly at  all  those  lovely  megahertz  we're 


not  using  and  figure  which  senators 
and  congressmen  will  have  10  be 
bribed  to  get  those  frequencies  more 
productively  allocated.  Less  than  one 
million  dollars  invesled  in  the  right  con- 
gressional re-election  campaigns  could 
free  up  several  billion  dollars  worth  of 
channels.  Our  government  is  famous 
for  outstanding  bargains  when  it 
comes  to  congressional  bribery.  And 
who  were  some  of  the  biggest  collec- 
tors of  these  bribes  in  the  recent  past? 
Secretary  Bentsen  and  VP  Gore! 

Hmm,  come  to  think  of  il,  I've  been 
a  registered  lobbyist  for  around  20 
years  or  so.  Maybe  there  are  some 
companies  who'd  like  to  have  some 
help  in  getting  tons  Of  radio  channeis 
so  they  can  sell  the  equipment  to  use 
them?  Ho  problem,  I  know  exactly  how 
to  go  about  It. 

In  my  past  gloom  and  doom  editori- 
als Tve  suggested  a  new  reason  for 
our  existence,  other  than  the  dubious 
proposition  that  well,  we  were  a  help 
many  years  ago.  We  have  to  remem- 
ber that  gratitude  is  one  of  the  least  felt 
of  all  human  emotions  and  stop  betting 
our  whole  hobby  on  it.  I've  recom- 
mended that  we  establish  ourselves  in 
the  role  which  was  so  successful  for  us 
in  the  1950s,  as  the  major  supplier  to 
our  country  of  high-tech  career-orient- 
ed youngsters. 

In  line  with  this  I've  been  encourag- 
ing ham  clubs  to  not  just  accept 
youngsters,  but  to  go  out  and  get 
thern.  I've  some  further  ideas  along 


this  fine.  I'd  like  to  see  the  main  dub 
activity  be  the  promotion  of  the  hobby 
instead  of  just  a  meeting  place  for  old- 
timers  to  kvetch  about  how  bad  the 
bands  have  gotten  lately,  what  with  all 
those  lousy  no-coders  and  everything, 
and  how  we  need  to  raise  the  entry  li- 
cense to  50  wpm,  not  get  rid  of  the 
code,  and  keep  out  trie  damned  riff- 
raff. 

In  the  days  before  the  ARRLs  in- 
centive Licensing  proposal  to  the  FCC, 
we  had  over  5.000  school  radio  clubs. 
Now  we  have  onty  a  lew  hundred  left. 
So  what  Tm  proposing  as  a  major  ham 
club  activity  is  the  re-establishment  of 
school  radio  ciubs.  under  the  guidance 
of  local  ham  clubs. 

The  school  clubs  should  meet  at 
least  once  a  week.  The  youngsters 
would  be  invited  to  attend  the  focal 
ham  club  monthly  meeting  where  there 
would  be  show-and-tells  on  all  of  our 
main  ham  activities,  such  as  DXing, 
CW.  packet  RTTYT  SSTV.  repeaters. 
QRPT  satellite  communications,  moon- 
bounce.  ATV.  foxhunting,  and  so  on. 
Then  how  about  a  short  technical  talk 
on  AC,  DCT  tuned  circuits,  antennas, 
feedfines,  and  so  on? 

If  there  a  half  dozen  schools  in  your 
area,  each  might  have  20-30  mem- 
bers, and  you  might  be  able  to  get 
maybe  10  from  each  school  club  to 
come  to  your  club  meetings,  if  you 
keep  'em  interesting.  If  we  only  got  five 
new  hams  each  per  year  out  of  50,000 
school  radio  clubs,  we'd  be  adding 


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MICRO  CONTROL  SPECIALTIES 


Division  of  Kendecom  Inc. 

23  Elm  Park,  Grov eland,  MA  01834 


2  meters  220  440 


84  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


CIRCLE  144  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


250,000  new  bairn  a  year  to  our  hob- 
by, and  you'd  make  it  much  more  diffi- 
cult for  me  to  zip  down  to  Washington 
and  sell  oui  our  bands  1o  the  highest 
bidder. 

I  wish  I  were  exaggerating  about 
how  easy  it  would  be  to  take  hundreds 
of  megahertz  away  from  us.  And  just 
one  attack  like  that  could  get  the  FCC 
to  thinking  about  how  much  trouble  we 
are  and  how  little  we  offer  in  return  for 
all  that  aggravation.  The  next  thing  yoo 
know  pffft-  SayT  who  could  we  sell  our 
old  ham  rigs  to?  I  suppose  we  coufd 
put  'em  up  on  1 1  meters  and  join  the 
happy  HFers,  Yet,  considering  the  so- 
phistication of  today's  direction  finding 
technology,  I  dunno. 

How  much  is  your  ham  ticket  worth 
to  you?  Would  you  sell  it  for  $100,  with 
the  understanding  that  you'd  never  op- 
erate again?  How  about  a  $1PGQ0? 
Whai's  your  price?  Okay,  I  know 
youVe  got  a  price,  so  weYe  just  hag- 
gling. Let's  say  that  the  average  ham 
will  sell  out  for  S1 0,000,  Then,  how 
much  would  you  be  willing  to  pay  to 
get  a  license?  How  much  are  your 
ham  privileges  worth  to  you? 

Some  DXers  think  nothing  of 
spending  $100  jus!  to  get  a  new  coun- 
try. WeVe  had  hams  travel  around  the 
world  making  a  business  of  this.  No 
"donation."  no  QSL.  f've  been  harcv 
ming  far  so  many  years  J  can  remem- 
ber when  a  "Green  Stamp*  was  a  dol- 
lar bill.  Now,  if  you  want  that  rare  DX 
QSL  you'd  better  enclose  a  $20  bin. 


If  your  amateur  radio  license  has  a 
value  for  you,  how  much  would  you 
pay  right  now  to  preserve  your  pnvi* 
leges?  Would  you  spend  $10  a  year? 
$50?  $100?  Yes,  I  know,  you're  a 
member  of  the  League  and  they're 
supposed  to  be  preserving  the  hobby. 
Other  than  threatening  to  sue  the  FCC 
every  now  and  then,  in  what  way  are 
they  doing  this  preserving?  I  haven't 
seen  them  doing  diddly  to  get  our 
crummy  bands  cleaned  up.  And  that 
despite  the  creative  ideas  I've  pro- 
posed to  help  them.  Too  much  trouble. 
I  guess.  Let's  wai!  until  the  FCC  really 
gets  fed  up  wrth  the  mess  wepre  mak- 
ing and  then  sue  them  if  they  try  to 
give  our  frequencies  to  some  outfit  will- 
ing to  buy  them  via  generous  gifts  to 
Congress, 

Not  I  don*t  know  of  any  other  outfit 
doing  what  needs  to  be  done  cither. 
despite  there  being  several  aimost  En- 
visible  "national"  ham  groups.  And  no, 
I'm  not  asking  for  donations.  If  I  get  a 
big  need  for  money  I  can  go  to  Sony 
and  explain  how  tor  maybe  as  tittle  as 
$20  mjlfion  I  can  get  them  20  MHz  of 
choice  microwave  channels.  Oh.  make 
that  SSOrn.  they've  got  the  bucks  and 
I'll  need  a  tittle  extra  to  do  Ihe  usual 
hidden  video  of  my  talks  with 
Congress'  best.  That' If  give  me  some- 
thing to  show  at  hamfests. 

I  suppose  I'd  better  put  a  little  dis- 
claimer in  here,  just  In  case  someone 
is  dumb  enough  to  think  t'm  serious, 
We  don't  give  IQ  tests  as  part  oMhe  li- 


cense exam,  so  now  and  then  I  get 
Some  really  weird  letters.  I'm  often 
tempted  to  try  and  explain  that  at  times 
I  use  irony,  sarcasm,  and  even  whim- 
sy, to  gel  across  a  point. 

So  no.  I'm  not  here  with  my  begging 
bowl  in  hand,  Bui  instead  Of  asking 
you  for  money,  I  am  asking  you  to 
cough  up  some  time.  Time  to  either  get 
your  local  ham  club  to  get  into  action 
or  to  put  together  a  putsch  and  take 
the  club  over  so  you  can  gel  some- 
thing done.  Sure.  I  wish  you'd  con  a 
few  of  your  friends  into  getting  73.  If 
every  reader  recruited  one  more  read- 
er, we'd  knock  the  socks  off  OS  Tr 

Bui  I  know  what's  going  to  happen. 
You  Ye  going  lo  tell  me  you  don'1  agree 
with  everything  I  write  and  not  chance 
any  put-downs  from  friends  who  hale 
Wayne  Green.  Hate  lovable  old  me? 
Lovable  old  "a  spade  i$  a  spade"  me? 
I  suppose  they're  still  mad  at  me  for 
trying  to  get  them  to  stop  feeding  that 
lard  pile  hanging  over  their  belts,  and 
trying  to  embarrass  them  into  saying 
something  of  interest  during  OSOs 

Please  fet  me  know  how  you're  do- 
ing on  getting  school  radio  clubs  going, 
and  send  some  pictures  of  the  kids 
you  con  into  trying  our  bobby.  If  I  dorYl 
see  pictures  Vm  not  going  lo  believe 
you're  doing  anything. 

Extraordinary  Science  Conference 

While  I  was  attending  a  Subtle  En- 
ergies Conference  in  Monterey  {CA),  I 
came  across  a  promotion  piece  for  a 


science  conference  in  Colorado 
Springs,  So  naturally  I  zipped  out  to 
see  what  this  was  all  about  The  pro- 
motion promised  all  kinds  of  dumb  son 
ence  scams,  but  heyt  if  even  one 
turned  out  to  be  worthy  of  investiga- 
tion, it  would  be  worth  the  trip. 

The  conference  surprised  me.  First , 
the  place  was  packed  with  hams.  Wall 
to  wall.  They  even  had  a  ham  rig  set 
up  and  running,  generating  a  comfort- 
ing sideband  garble  in  the  background 
of  their  amplifier  system  for  the  speak- 
ers. Secondly,  the  hams  weren't 
kooks.  Third,  some  of  the  conference 
sessions  were  very  interesting  and 
well  done.  A  couple  of  them  almost  got 
me  excited.  Afas,  most  Of  the  rest  were 
crackpots  1  get  annoyed  when  some- 
one has  this  great  invention  ...  but 
dam j  the  prototype  got  busted  on  Ihe 
way  to  the  show  ...  it  was  working  just 
a  few  days  ago.  The  chap  then  ex- 
plains that  he  doesn't  have  any  of 
those  old  letters  after  his  name.  After 
about  one  minute  of  talk  I  Knew  that 
anyway.  Further,  J  knew  right  away  that 
he'd  never  even  bothered  to  learn  the 
fundamentals  of  electricity. 

So  I  sat  through  three  days  of  poor- 
ly done  videos  and  non-working 
demonstrations  of  preposterous  ma- 
chines. You  start  it  with  a  battery  and 
it'll  generate  a  zillion  watts  of  power. 
Sigh. 

One  of  the  bright  spots  was  the 
opening  speaker  who  talked  about  the 
experiences  he'd  had  as  a  dentist  with 


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CIRCLE  131  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


amalgam  fillings  and  nickel  crowns.  Til 
try  to  get  his  book  for  you  and  make  it 
available  through  Uncle  Wayne's  Book- 
shelf. If  you,  or  anyone  you  know,  has 
any  fillings  or  crowns,  you've  belter 
read  this  book  ASAP:  It's  Alt  In  Your 
Head  by  Hal  Huggins  DOS.  These 
could  well  be  causing  you  all  kinds  of 
miseries.  The  50%  mercury  in  those  fill- 
ings leaches  out  into  your  system.  It's 
enormously  poisonous  and  can  cause 
Parkinson's,  leukemia,  multiple  sclero- 
sis, diabetes,  and  so  on.  Life  is  tough 
enough  without  your  having  a  mouth  full 
of  poison  feeding  into  your  system. 
Touch  a  sensitive  miliiam meter  io  your 
tooth  filling  and  your  tongue  and  see 
how  much  current  your  tooth  batteries 
are  generating.  And  when  a  battery 
generates  voltage,  some  of  the  metal  in 
the  battery  goes  where?  Into  you,  that's 
where.  So  why  doesn't  the  ADA  stop 
dentists  from  putting  in  amalgam  Ml 
Ings?  If  they  ever  admit  the  liability  it 
could  cost  dentists  billions.  So  denlists 
are  continuing  to  poison  us. 

One  ol  the  most  interesting  and  visu- 
al of  the  talks  was  by  Sill  Wysock 
Neuxw.  who  snowed  off  a  Testa  gener- 
ator which  flashed  sparks  for  about  10 
feet  If  you've  got  a  few  bucks  and 
would  like  to  experiment  with  ultra-high 
voltages,  you  might  want  to  look  up  Bill. 

I  was  disappointed  that  so  few  in  the 
audience  spoke  up  to  point  out  that  the 
speakers  were  ignorant  about  their  sub- 
jects. But  then,  I  didn't  either.  I  didn't 
know  how  to  ask  questions  of  someone 
with  a  power  generating  device  who 
wasn't  really  clear  about  the  difference 
between  a  volt  and  a  watt.  Most  of 
these  characters  were  looking  for  mon- 
ey to  finance  their  work. 

But  there  were  enough  interesting 
ideas  there  to  keep  an  inquisitive  ham 
busy  for  months.  And  some  ideas  could 
be  developed  into  practical  devices.  As 
I  pointed  out  to  some  young  hams  who 
were  watching  all  this  with  eyes  bug- 
ging, all  you  have  to  do  is  spend  a  Tew 
weeks  learning  the  basics  of  electricity 
and  you'll  be  ready  to  tackle  some  of 
these  projects,  AC  and  DC  theory  isn't 
difficult.  Nor  are  motors  and  generators. 
And  learning  is  exciting, 

I  might  not  have  zipped  out  to  Col- 
orado Springs  for  the  conference  it  the 
Second  Annua!  Boulder  Ragtime  Festi- 
val hadn't  been  on  the  same  weekend. 
The  two  cities  are  only  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  drive  apart,  so  I  did  the  con- 
ference all  day  and  then  drove  to  Boul- 
der for  ragtime  concerts  at  night, 

Scott  Kirby  had  driven  up  there  from 
New  Orleans,  where  he  plays  on  Ihe 
street  Scott's  now  being  introduced  as 
the  foremost  interpreter  of  Scott  Joplin 
in  the  world.  He  draws  standing  ova- 
tions. Hell  be  giving  some  concerts  in 
San  Jose  in  November,  and  later  at  the 
Ffesno  Ragtime  Festival. 

The  disappointing  thing  for  me  about 
many  of  the  ragtime  festivals  Is  that 
most  of  the  performers  seem  to  pride 
themselves  on  discovering  long-lost 
rags  to  play.  The  reason  they  were  lost 
is  that  they  never  were  any  good,  Uke 
all  popular  music,  only  about  t%  is 
worth  hearing  twice.  But  oh,  that  1%! 
The  good  rags  are  fantastic  and  addic- 

73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


At  the  Colorado  Springs  Extraordinary  Science  Conference.  Standing  (left  to 
right);  Tony  Cheilemi  KDdiFC,  Covina  CA;  Bill  Wysock  N6UXW,  Monrovia,  CA; 
Rosalie  Sorreit  KD6KSG,  Covins*  CA;  Skip  Juhasz  WB2UFV,  Colorado  Springs, 
CO;  and  Jim  Hardesty  N2DRT,  Ithaca,  NY.  Seated  (left  to  right):  W2NSD;  Mike 
Dipersio  KC2Qt  Bradley  Beach.  NJ. 


tive.  but  l  doubt  there  are  much  more 
than  a  hundred  of  them  that  are  winners. 

So  these  performers  exhume  the 
dead  and  foul  up  the  festivals.  They're 
tired  of  playing  Jopiins  "The  Entertain- 
er" and  'Maple  Leaf  Rag,"  but  guess 
what  the  audience  wants  to  hear?  They 
want  to  hear  the  good  stuff  over  and 
over.  There  are  about  20  of  Joplin's 
pieces  that  bring  tears  to  my  eyes. 
They're  what  I  want  to  hear 

The  other  superb  performer  at  Boul- 
der was  Frank  French.  I've  go!  to  get 
him  up  to  my  studio  and  do  a  few  CDs 
for  you  of  him  playing  Gotischaik  and 
Nazareth,  and  doing  some  of  tus  mono- 
logues. If  1  can  get  you  to  try  my  Kirby 
CDs  and  a  couple  of  French,  you'll  see 
why  til  fly  to  San  Jose  and  then  drive  to 
Fresno  to  hear  them  perform.  Or  to 
Boulder, 

Kirby  recorded  "More  Damned  Good 
Rags"  in  my  studio  this  summer,  plus 
some  ol  his  own  rags.  And  he's  got 
some  corkers. 

We»t  I  had  a  great  time  at  Colorado 
Springs  at  the  conference  and  meeting 
the  hams  there,  plus  the  concerts  in 
Boulder,  ft  was  a  great  weekend.  And  if 
you  old-timers  would  pay  attention,  you 
could  meet  me  at  things  like  this.  You 
can  buy  a  year's  pass  on  Continental 


Aihines  if  you're  over  62  . . .  which  most 
of  you  are  by  now.  The  pass  costs 
about  S2.000  and  lets  you  fly  once  a 
week  for  a  year.  For  $2,000  you  can  My 
(rrsl-dass  alt  year  Yes.  Continental  flies 
to  Dayton.  So  Sherry  and  1  zap  out  to 
las  Vegas  for  the  CES  show,  then  As- 
pen for  some  skiing,  and  to  various 
hamfests.  electronic,  computer  and  mu- 
sic shows.  I  have  my  Macintosh  Power- 
Book  with  me,  so  I'm  able  to  work  wher- 
ever I  am. 

I've  been  under  some  pressure 
from  (nends  to  check  into  some  net- 
works, but  I've  avoided  'em  so  far.  They 
can  be  time-consuming.  Sherry  checks 
into  Prodigy,  if  you  have  any  traffic  for 
me.  The  new  Prodigy  rales  seem  to 
have  their  customers  dropping  out  by 
the  thousands. 

Learn  To  Write 

It's  unfortunate  that  our  schools 
don'l  teach  kids  to  write,  Oh,  they  can 
put  a  few  words  on  paper,  but  that's  not 
realty  writing.  Writing  takes  some  skill, 
and  that  means  you  need  to  learn  how 
to  do  it  I  don't  recall  ever  being  taught 
how  to  write,  and  I  notice  that  the  re- 
cent books  about  our  school  system 
have  the  same  complaint.  If  you  could 
see  the  mail  1  get  you'd  get  a  better 


Lambda  Amateur  Radio  Club 


An  IninwtKnil  Or^jrazUMi  Off 

Official!}  RccognLEfi  And ' 


Rld»Op«*tQn 
i  To 


F 


Wayne  Green,  W2NSD/1 

IBtt 

Certificate  of  Appreciation 

W  lui  iirki~rtijjkln"i£  iti  tlK  if  fTiCiihy  *JV  rtd  lextni  imifcmr  radio 
*«■ Id* hfc  iwc  m  inning  jni^mn  m  *e  muicttr  UHiiiwy; 

For  fau  conuucnl  encwngFireoi  ind  fUpfwn  of  the  clffurti  uf  Ihe   Ijinbdn 
Amateur  Kjditi  ("lull  cu  gain  KOJpUrttt  Ln  iht  inwalEur  camnmiuiy  .Mitl 
For  hit  mmruhcc  m  LAftC's  struggle  m  prumute  ihe  e*.istcm:t  „>f  the  C'Jub 
ihinugh  paid  lulveitLiing  and  hi*  willingncill  la  publkLy  support  such  eflnru. 

Fw  LOCK  MNUrittHiidUB  In  the-  continuing  junecu  nf  the  LdWltnia  Amueur  RmlUh  Club,  ilk 

OflLccfi  And  Members «rUre  Club  extend  cur  heartfelt  appreciation, 


idea  of  how  poor  American  writing  skills 
are. 

Yes,  il  takes  some  practice  and 
some  education,  but  once  you  learn  it  is 
fun  to  write.  I'll  bet  you  have  a  boo*  in 
you,  if  you'd  just  Jet  it  come  out.  So  get 
a  laptop  computer  and  one  of  the 
cheaper  laser  printers  and  make  it 
easy,  I've  tried  a  bunch  of  laptops  and 
like  the  Mac  PowerBook  best.  And 
they're  available  used  for  peanuts  these 
days.  I  bought  a  4/40  Model  140  for  un- 
der a  kilobuck.  That's  with  4  megs  of 
RAM  and  a  40  Mb  hard  drive.  That 
should  handle  anything  you'll  need. 
With  it  you  can  answer  mail  in  a  couple 
minutes  You  can  write  spec  sheets, 
ads.  manuals,  newsletters,  and  even 
that  book.  Maybe  some  articles  (or  73? 
Once  you  try  a  laptop  you'll  never  go 
back  to  a  typewriter  again.  Or  a  pen. 

An  apology. 

Apparently  I  have  innocently  offend- 
ed one  of  the  more  militant  homo- hams 
by  my  comments  about  homosexuality 
in  my  October  editorial,  in  which  I  men- 
tioned that  I  don'l  condone  pedophilia 
.  .  .  they're  messing  with  children.  The 
W5Yt  Report  gaily  leaped  id  defend 
homosexuality,  writing:  ■Clearly,  his 
behavior  is  abnormal . . ,  Green  is  to  be 
pitied. p 

Pm  not  sure  I've  ever  made  any 
claims  of  being  normal,  I'm  just  not  that 
deceptive.  But  no,  I'm  not  normal,  I 
don't  sit  home  lake  most  normal  people, 
with  a  six-pack  watching  bait  games  on 
TV  and  eating  pretzels.  I  don't  even  like 
beer,  pretzels,  or  ball  games.  No  one  is 
going  to  call  that  normal,  I  hope.  I  apol- 
ogize if  i  offended  any  child  molesters 
with  my  editorial 

On  the  other  hand.  I  sit  on  Ihe  bed 
and  put  my  pants  on  both  legs  at  the 
same  time,  just  like  everyone  else,  so 
there  are  many  normal  things  about  my 
life,  Andt  like  any  true-btue  ham,  I've 
been  active  on  OSCAR,  have  worked 
over  300  countries,  helped  pioneer 
NBFM.  was  an  early  user  of  SSB. 
ATTY,  SSTV,  and  6m.  have  made  some 
unbeaten  microwave  records,  have  won 
alJ  Ihe  bigger  ham  contests  for  my  sec- 
tion, have  DXpeditioned  from  dozens  of 
rare  countries,  have  done  rnoonbounce 
work,  have  sat  patiently  through  end- 
less roundtables.  have  kerchunked 
thousands  of  repeaters,  and  have 
helped  tens  of  thousands  of  hams  pass 
the  stupid  code  test  with  my  superb 
code  tapes,  which  I  just  happen  to  think 
are  better  than  any  others  anywhere. 
Only  my  overweening  modesty  pre- 
vents me  from  telling  you  how  great  I 
think  they  really  are. 

Well,  as  they  say,  any  publicity  is 
good  pub  Lid  ty.  so  I  appreciate  what  at 
first  glance  seems  like  just  one  more 
wearisome  Green-bashing  attack  by 
W5YI.  1  also  appreciate  the  letters  from 
other  homosexual  hams  apologizing  for 
the  hysterical  and  unwarranted  attack 
on  me  by  a  lone  over-motivated  gay 
activist. 

One  more  thing  ,  ,  .  I  do  wish  thai 
W5YI  would  not  encourage  hams  to 
sue  hams,  even  though  it  makes  won- 
derful grist  for  his  pinko  paper  and 
no  doubt  satis  subscriptions. 


^^  Number  26  on  yoi 

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FARIBAULT,    IAN       The   annual 

Courage  Center  Handt-Ham  Winter 
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DECS 

HAZEL  PARK,  Ml    The  Hazel  Park 

ARC  will  hold  its  28th  annual  Swap 
and  Shop,  tram  8  AM  -2  PM.  at  Hazet 
Park  High  School,  23400  Hughes  St. 
Tallin  on  146.64-  (DART),  Contact 
HPARC.  Box  368.  Hazel  Park  Ml 
48030, 

SPECIAL  EVENT  STATIONS 

DEC  3-5 

SAN  ANGELO,  TX  The  San  AngeJo 
ARC  will  operate  Station  WSQX  to 
celebrate  Christmas  at  Old  Fort  Con- 
cho, from  00012  Dec.3rd-2000Z  Dec. 
5th,  Frequencies;  Lower  General  por- 
tions of  40.  20  and  10  meters  Fot  a 
certificate,  send  QSL  with  contact 
number  and  a  9  x  12  SASE  to: 


WSQX,  P.O.  Box  4002,  San  Angelo 
TX  76902. 

DEC  4 

FLINT,  Ml  The  Genesee  County  RC 
will  operate  W8ACW  1200Z-2400ZT  to 
cefebrate  their  60 Ih  Anniversary.  Op- 
eration will  be  in  the  General  60-15 
meter  phone  subbands.  the  Novice  10 
meter  phone  subband,  and  2  meters 
For  QSL.  send  QSL  and  SASE  to 
GCRCt  P.O.  Box  485.  Flint  Mi  43501 . 
KALAUPAPA,  HI  Kalawao  County 
will  be  on  the  air.  with  several  SE  Sta- 
tions operating  from  the  site  of  the 
Hansen's  Disease  Hospital,  and  the 
historic  lighthouse.  Phone.  CW.  and 
digital  activities  are  planned  for  all 
bands,  including  the  Novice  sub* 
bands.  Look  for  us  at  the  lower  por- 
tion of  each  subband.  Listen  tor 

AH6IO,  AH6IN,  AH6KY.  AH6KX,  and 
others.  For  a  commemorative  QSL 
card,  please  send  your  card  and  an 
SASE  to  the  home  address  of  the  op- 
erator contacted. 

DEC  11 

HOLLY,  Ml  The  Fenton  Area  ARA  will 
operate  KB8MBJ  14O0Z-24OQZ,  dur- 


ing the  annua)  Charles  Dickens  Festi- 
val Operations  will  take  place  be- 
tween 28.300/,500  MHz  and  in  the 
General  portions  of  the  20  and  40  me- 
ter phone  subbands.  For  a  special 
card,  send  your  QSL  and  #10  SASE 
to  Bill  Coaie  KB8MBJ,  605  S.  Broad 
St,  Hotfy  Ml  48442. 

DEC  11-12 

TROY,  NY  Tne  Troy  ARA  announces 
lis  2nd  annual  RTTY  SprinL  The  con- 
test period  this  year  will  be  from  2100 
UTC  Dec  Uth-0100  UTC  Dec.  12th. 
Scoring  and  bands  will  be  the  same 
as  the  ARRL  RTTY  Roundup.  Logs 
should  be  submitted  by  Jan.  17th, 
1994  to  Bill  Eddy  NY2U.  c/o  TARA, 
2204  22nd  SL>  Troy  NY  1218Q. 

DEC  18 

PERRIS.  CA  Hams  of  the  Orange 
Empire  Railway  Museum  will  operate 
KC6TKT  and  other  calls  190QZ- 
2359Z,  to  celebrate  their  annual  North 
Pole  Limited  Steam  Train  operation. 
SSB:  28.330  MHz,  For  OSL.  send 
QSL  and  19  SASE  to  OERM,  P.O. 
Box  548y  Penis  CA  92572-0548. 


DEC  18-19 

NAZARETH,  PA  The  Delaware- 
Lehigh  ARC  will  operate  W3QK 
1400Z-0200Z  Dec.  18-19,  from  the 
twin  Christams  cities  of  Nazareth  and 
Bethlehem  PA.  Frequencies:  3.965t 
7.265,  14.265,  21.365,  28.365.  For  a 
certificate,  send  QSL  and  SASE  to 
DLARGt  RD4,  Greystone  Btdg*. 
Nazareth  PA  18064, 

DEC  30sJAN  1 

PASADENA,  CA  The  Relay  Repeater 
Club  will  operate  Station  WB6BNJ 
from  the  Wrigtey  Mansion,  Dec.  30th- 
Jan.  1st.  from  1600Z-O200Z  each  day, 
Primary  frequency  will  be  28.460  MHz. 
Secondary  frequencies:  21.335  MHz 
and  14.260  MHz.  This  event  rs  in  con- 
junction with  the  105th  Anniversary  of 
the  Tournament  of  Roses,  Amateurs  in 
California/Nevada  can  contact  the  Sta- 
tion on  2  meters  through  the  147.21 
repeater,  on  the  half  hour,  or  on  220 
MHz,  via  the  Condor  Connection,  on 
the  hour  For  a  certificate,  send  a  QSL, 
with  contact  number  and  a  9  x  12 
SASE  with  58  cents  postage,  to  Relay 
Repeater  Cfubr  RO,  Box  660081. 
Arcadia  CA  9106&€Q8t. 


Serving  Tne  LORD 
Since  1987 


THE  POWER  STATION 

The  POWER  STATION  is  a  12V  x  6,5  AmpHr  gel-cell 
battery  complete  with  voltmeter,  wall  charger  and  a 
cord  for  charging  via  automobiles.  It  will  power  most 
HTs  at  5  Watts  for  2-4  weeks  (depending  upon  how  long-winded  you 
are).  Also  VHFT  UHF,  QRP,  or  HF  mobiles  such  as  the  KENWOOD  TS-50 
(at  SOW).  There  are  no  hidden  costs,  all  you  need  is  your  mobile,  HT 
power  cord  or  cigarette  lighter  adapter. 

The  POWER  STATION  provides  12V  from  a  cigarette  plug  and  has  two 
recessed  terminals  for  hardwiring.  A  mini-phone  jack  with  regulated  3V, 
6V,  or  9V  output  can  be  used  separately  for  CD  players,  Walkmans,  etc. 
THE  POWER  STATION  can  be  charged  in  an  automobile  in  only  3  hours, 
or  in  the  home  in  8  hours.  The  charger  will  automatically  shut  off  when  the 
battery  is  completely  charged,  so  you  can  charge  it  even  when  it  has  only 
been  slightly  discharged,  (unlike  Ni-Cads  that  have  memory).  Our  charg- 
ing circuit  uses  voltage  sensing  circuitry,  other  brands  are  timed  chargers 
which  always  charge  the  battery  a  full  cycle,  this  damages  their  battery 
and  shortens  its'  life  if  it  only  needs  a  partial  charge.  The  POWER  STATION 
has  a  voltmeter  that  shows  the  exact  state  of  charge  of  the  battery,  not 
worthless  idiot  lights  that  tell  you  *  YOUR  BATTERY  IS  NOW  DEAD/1  The 
voltmeter  can  even  be  used  to  measure  voltages  of  other  sources. 


To  order,  send  check  or  money  order  for  $49  J5  + 
$8.50  for  shipping,  along  with  your  shipping  address 
and  telephone  number  to: 

Joe  Brancato 

THE  HAM  CONTACT 

P.O.  Box  3624,  Dept.  73 

Long  Beach,  CA  90803. 

CA  R**«fefflt  Add  6  1/4%  Safes  lm  CttKftm  H«*tert$  Rep**  Senj  O  S  Money 
Ortfc*  &  Si  7  10  Stopping. 

H  you  wrth  more  information  please  send  «  SASE  to  the  above  Address    For  COD 
orders   call  (310}  433-5960    out  side  of  CA  call  (B00)  933-HAhH  and  leave  a 

wmmm. 


CIRCLE  384  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  87 


Number  27  on  your  Feedback  card 


■  Number  27  on  \ 

New  products 

Compiled  by  Charles  Warrington  WA1RZW 


ABSOLUTE  VALUE 
SYSTEMS 

A  new  full-featured  receive-only 
SSTV  system  has  been  announced  by 
Absolute  Value  Systems.  The  new 
SSTV  Explorer  is  for  enthusiasts  who 
don't  need  transmit  capability.  This 
new  system  will  receive  mosl  popular 
color  modes  and  the  compact  interface 
plugs  into  a  serial  port  with  no  extra 
power  supply  required. 


SSTV  Explorer  te  priced  at  $94.95, 
The  package  includes  the  interface, 
manual*  and  software  on  a  3.5" 
diskette.  fA  5,25*  diskette  is  available 
upon  request.)  For  hams  who  want  to 
transmit  as  well  as  receive.  Absolute 
Value  offers  Pasokon  TV* 

Pasokon  TV  Version  1,2  is  a  popu* 
Jar  PC-based  system  with  an  interlace 
that  fits  inside  the  computer  Features 
include  an  on-screen  tuning  indicator, 
a  built-in  test  pattern  generator,  and 
automatic  fine-tuning. 

Pasokon  TV  can  handle  all  popular 
SSTV  transmission  modes  and  is  com- 
patible with  IBM  286  or  later  PCs.  ATs, 
or  clones  with  VGA  color,  one  expan- 
sion slot,  and  64DK  memory.  The 
$229.95  price  includes  interface,  soft- 
ware, and  manual.  For  more  informa- 
tion contact  Absolute  Value  Systems. 
i  15  Stedman  Street,  Chelmsford  MA 
01824*1823;  (508)  256-6907.  Or  circle 
Reader  Service  No,  201. 


AZDEN  CORPORATION 

A  new  headset  with  an  anached 
boom  microphone  has  been  an- 
nounced by  the  Communications  Divi- 
sion of  Azden  Corporation.  The  Model 
HS-03  has  a  special  lightweight  design 


and  an  audio  frequency  range  particu- 
larly well  suited  for  communications 
applications, 

The  adjustable  headband  provides 
a  perfect  fit  for  all  sizes.  The  padded 
earpieces  cover  the  ear  so  outside 
sounds  are  reduced  but  not  eliminated. 
Low  frequency  noise,  such  as  power 
supply  hum,  and  high  frequency  inter- 


AGRELO  ENGINEERING 

Agrelo  Engineering  has  introduced 
two  new  micro-sized  voice  recorder 
identifiers.  The  Micro  U  is  small 
enough  to  fit  in  a  microphone  at  1-1/4"  x 
1 5/1 6".  The  Micro  2.1  is  slightly  larger  at 
1-1/2"  x  2-1/2".  They  are  both  capable 
of  serving  as  amateur  radio  station 
IDers.  beacons,  contest  identifiers,  re- 
peater identifiers,  or  as  foxhunt  teasers. 

Both  a re  designed  around  the  ISD- 
2560  voice  recorder  chip,  using  direct 
analog  storage  technology,  The  chip 
eliminates  any  need  for  battery  backup 
with  its  100-year  no-power  retention. 
You  can  select  cither  60  or  16  seconds 
of  record  time,  The  circuit  also  has  a  50 
mW  audio  amplifier  capable  of  driving  a 
small  speaker. 

The  Micro  2A  has  all  the  features  of 
the  Micro  1.1 1  but  adds  multi-function 
DIP  switches,  5V  key  output  ID  timer, 
and  COR  or  squelch  keying.  The  Micro 
1.1  is  priced  al  $69.95  for  the  16  sec- 
ond model  and  $79.95  for  the  60-sec- 


If                                  ^^ 

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p^™****J#i  * 

m     Mil           ■  -—                                                              ^ 

—   *                                  *«■ 

1 

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■           -     |T        t  r  r  r            ^pflpr     ~j 

1 

1 

orid  version.  The  Micro  2,1  is  priced  at 
$109.95  for  the  16-second  and  $119.95 
for  Ihe  60-second  version.  For  more  ir> 
formation  or  to  order,  contact:  Agreto  Fn- 
gineerirtg*  1145  Catalyn  Street.  Sch- 
enectady, NY  12303;  Sales  (BOO)  588- 
4300,  Tech  support  (518)  387-1057,  FAX 
(5i8)  381  1058.  Or  circle  Reader  Ser- 
vice No.  205. 


AEA 


works  fine  even  if  there  is  an 
answering  machine  on  the  line. 
RadioLink  is  similar  to  Ham- 
Link,  letting  you  use  the  touch- 
tone  keypad  on  your  handheld 
or  mobile  radio  to  control  your 
HF  base.  RadioLink  can  go  be- 
tween your  HRVHF/UHF 
transceiver  and  a  repeater  or  a  220 
MHz  or  UMF  Ml-duptex  link. 

A  demonstration  unit  has  been  set  up 

for  people  who  would  like  to  call  and  try 

It  out.  Call  (800)  432-8873  and  request 

a  brochure  with  the  telephone  number 

list  of  commands.  The  suoqesled 


■M|  Number  30  on  ] 

Barter  w  buy 


Number  30  on  your  Feedback  card 


Turn  your  old  ham  and  computer  gear  into  cash  now.  Sura,  you  can  wait  for  a.  hamtest  to  iry 
and  dump  it.  but  you  know  you'll  get  a  far  mora  realistic  price  if  you  have  it  out  where  1 00.000  ac- 
tive ham  potent^  buyers  can  see  it  than  the  few  hundred  local  hams  who  coma  by  a  flea  market 
tabte.  Check  your  attic  garage,  cellar  and  closet  shelves  and  get  cash  for  your  ham  and  computer 
rjear  before  its  too  old  to  set  You  know  you're  not  going  to  use  it  again,  so  why  leave  it  tor  your 
widow  to  Birow  out?  That  stufl  isn't  oenif>9  any  younger? 

The  73  Rea  Market  Bader  rV  Buy,  costs  you  peanuts  (almosi)— comes  to  35  cenis  a  word  lor 
individual  (noncommercial)  ads  and  St. 00  a  word  lor  commercial  ads.  Don't  plan  on  teJJing  a  long 
story.  Use  abbreviations,  cram  it  in.  But  be  honest-  There  are  ptenty  of  hams  who  love  to  fix  things, 
so  if  if  doesn't  work,  say  so. 

Make  your  list  count  the  words,  including  your  call,  address  and  phone  number,  Include  a 
check  or  your  credit  card  number  and  expiration,  II  you're  piactng  a  commercial  ad,  include  an  ad- 
ditional phone  number,  separate  from  your  ad. 

This  is  a  monthly  magazine,  not  a  daily  newspaper,  so  figure  a  couple  months  before  the  ac- 
tion starts:  then  be  prepared  If  you  net  loo  many  caBs,  you  priced  it  km.  If  you  don't  get  many 
ca»s.  too  high. 

So  get  busy  BJow  the  dust  off,  check  everything  out  make  sure  it  still  works  right  and  maybe 
you  can  help  make  a  ham  sure  it  stsfi  works  hght  and  maybe  you  can  hetp  make  a  ham  newcomer 
or  retired  ok)  timer  happy  with  that  rig  you're  not  using  now.  Or  you  might  get  busy  on  your  com- 
putcr  and  put  together  a  list  of  small  gear/pans  lo  send  to  those  interested? 

Send  your  ads  and  payment  Eo  the  Baler  'n'  Buy,  Judy  Walker.  70  R(.  202N,  Peterborough  MH 
03456  arid  get  set  for  the  phone  calls. 


The  deadline  (or  the  January  classi- 
fied ad  section  is  November  11, 
1993. 

ALL  ABOUT  CRYSTAL  SETS-  Trieory 
and  construction  of  crystal  set  radios, 
$7.95  each,  ppd  USA.  Send  to: 
ALLABOUT  BOOKS,  Dept.  S,  P.O. 
Bo*  22366,  San  Diego  CA  921 92. 

BNB200 

CUSTOM  MADE-HAND  TOOLED 
leather  products  with  your  initials, 
name,  call  letters.  Photo's  &  estimates 
available.  Key  rings,  wallets,  belts, 
purses,  hanging  signs,  specFalty  items. 
Great  X-Mas  gift,  LEATHER  &  WEST, 
67  Causeway  Bd,,  West  Swanzey  NH 
03469,  (603)352-6256.  9-4  pm.  M-F 
ET.  BNS215 

5UPEHFAST  MORSE  CODE  SU- 
PER EASY,  Subliminal  cassette.  St 2. 
LEARN  MORSE  CODE  IN  1  HOUR. 
Amazing  supereasy  technique.  $12, 
Both  $20.  Moneyback  guarantee.  Free 
catalog:  SASE.  BAHR-T8,  150  Green- 
field. Bloom tngdale  1L  60108.  BNB221 

QSL  CARDBOXES  &  INDEX  DI- 
VIDE RS,  Send  SASE,  7-Mlke  HAM- 
STUFF,  P.O.  Box  14455,  Scotlsdale  AZ 
85267-4455.  BN8224 

NO  DSP  AUDIO  PROCESSING  COM- 
PARES TO  J  PS*  Eliminate  variegated 
noises,  NIR-10  special,  $329.95;  NF-GO 
Notch  Filler,  $139.50,  Satisfaction  guar- 
anty. Authorized  dealer  DAVIS  RF  CO. 
24-HOUR  ORDERS:  (800)484-4002. 
CODE  1356.  FAX:  (508)369-1738. 

BNB254 

3LS  SAMPLES*  50  cents.  SAM- 
ZTARDS,  48  Monte  Carta  Dr.,  Pittsburgh 
DA  15239.  BNB275 

/HF,  UHF,  QUAD  4+  ELEMENTS: 

'arts  list  and  assembly  instructions  for 
sasy  construction.  Send  $10  and 
3ASE,  TODD  KI6JE,  MB#  1029,  Ridge 
Dark  Drive.  Concord  CA  94518. 

SNB235 

COMMODORE  64  REPAIR.  Fast  turn 
iround  SOUTHERN  TECHNOLOGIES 
AMATEUR  RADIO,  10715  SW  190th 
Jtreet  #9,  Miami  FL  33157.  (305)238- 
;327,  BNB295 


RADIO  RUBBER  STAMPS  free 
brochure.  REID  ASSOCIATES.  6680 
Mellow  Wood,  West  Bloomfield  Ml 
48322.  BNB297 

WANTED  ELECTRON  TUBES,  ICS, 
SEMICONDUCTORS.  ASTRAL  PO 

Box  707ST  Linden  NJ  07036.  Call 
(800)666-8467,  BNB307 

KENWOOD  AUTHORIZED  REPAIR. 
Also  ICOM,  Yaesu.  GROTON  ELEC- 
TRONICS. Box  379,  Groton  MA  01 450. 
(800)869-1818.  BNB310 

RCI-2950  OWNERS:  New  modification 
manual  Including  Power  increase.  Clar- 
ifier  modification.  Modulation  increase. 
Operating  hints,  and  more.  Parts  in- 
cluded. Only  $20.00  ppd  in  US.  (Mis- 
souri residents  add  $1 .15  tax).  SCOTT, 
P.O.  Box  510408,  SL,  Louis  MO  63151  - 
0408.  (314)846-0252.  Money  Orders  or 
C.O.D.  BNB340 

CONNECTICUT'S  FAVORITE  HAM 

STORE.  ROGUS  ELECTRONICS.  250 
Meriden-Walerbury  Turnpike,  Southing- 
ton  CT  06489.  (203)621  -2252.BNB355 

KIT  BUILDERS!  Complete  list  of  136+ 
kit  vendors.  SASE  +  $3.00  USD  to: 
RUTENBER  ENGINEERING,  38045 
10th  St.  E.  #H75,  Palmdale  CA  93550- 
AR.  BNB365 

QSL  CARDS  —  Standard  and  custom. 
Your  ideas  or  ours.  Excellent  quality. 
Foil  stamping  available.  Many  designs 
and  type  styles.  Catalog  and  samples 
$1.00  refundable.  WILKINS.  Dept.  A, 
Box  787,  Atascadero  CA  93423. 

BNB370 

20  METER  SUPERHET  C,W. 
TRANSCEIVERS  KIT,  $49.95  plus 
$3.75  stepping.  Check/M.O  1994  Cat- 
alog (or  2  Stamps.  DAN'S  SMALL 
PARTS  &  KITSf  1935  South  3rd  West 
#1,  Missoula  MT  59801 ,  BNB385 

AMATEUR  MARKET  PLACE.  New 
monthly  newsletter  listing  for  sale  & 
wanted  Amateur  &  Computer  equip- 
ment C$19.95  or  USS16.50.  US  Hams 
reap  value  of  $  exchange  by  buying 
Canadian  CALE  ENTERPRISES, 
P.O.  Box  8180,  Ottawa.  Canada  K1G 
3H7.  BNB405 


FREE   1  "800-666-0908  ORDERS  ONLY 


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AEA  *  ASTRON  •  AZDEN  -  COMET  *  CUSHCHAFT  •  DIAMOND  -  KANTRONICS 
MFJ  «  SANGEAN  *  SONY  SHORTWAVE  *  DRAKE  -  MANY  MORE... 

NEW  EQUIPMENT  PRICING  AND  ORDERS  1  -60O~6«6-O9O6  OUT  Of  STATE 
TECHHFCAL  USED  GEAR  INFO  203-666*5227   J4HA  FAX  70i«C?  iS&1 


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CIRCLE  234  ON  READER  SERVICE  CARD 


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Design  Single  sided, 
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Provides  Surface  Mount 
support. 

Standard  output  includes 
Dot  Matrix  /  Laser  /  Inkjet 
Printers,  Pen  Plotters, 
Photo-plotter  and  N.C, 
Drill. 

Award  Winning  EASY-PC 
is  now  in  use  in  over 
17,000  Installations  in  70 
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Much  easier  than 
Lightbox  and  tapes, 
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Not  Copy  Protected. 


Options:- 1000  piece  symbol  library  $75,00, 
Surface  Mount  library  $1 12,  Gerber  Import  facility  $195.00 


For  full  info',  write,  fax,  call  or  use  Inquiry  # 

Number  Otie  Systems  Ltd.     1 

REF:  73,  HARDING  WAY,  ST.IVESf  HUNTINGDON, 
CAMBS,,  ENGLAND,    PE17  4WR. 

Telephone:  Fax: 

USA:  [415]  96S  9306  USA:  (415)  968  9306 

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73  Amal&ur  Radio  Today  •  December,  ?993  89 


AH  Band 

Field  Day  Antenna 


Mo  tuning, 
"T  NT  i*  No-iuro  oil  flO  cw,  4D,  20, 1 7, 13, 


N^  pruning, 


2W.  I  (I  WurkoLtiLThimbi  w/  Inner. 


Red  J v  !rt  Use 
Include*  isolation 
twiun4  9?flKCfli 
Tte  worimt  axi-ttil 


An^imas  West 


Kink-propf 
Wn-Stfkd 

Low  Nniw 


NJnknuK  In  twist. 
.  10.  TNT/ 2  is  N<Hunt?  rm  J0r 
DX  AGiiin  rise  w/  frequency 


Wmtom 

TNT/2 

Wtntiom 


Nti  Trap*  inr  Rrci^iora 
Insublvd  If*  3W»  V 
RailJ  500  Walts 

-Si 
PAH 


$89/* 
579.^ 


PAH 


Box50062S,Prm^UT84«B         m£S«  ©01-373-6425 


Amateur  Radio  Language  Guide 


>  Hundreds  of  phrases.  espeoaTy  for  the  tiam  rarjo  operator 

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P.O.  BOX  06017*  Fori  Myers.  Florida  33906 
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Wsa*  MosturCani  Check  or  Money  Order  to: 
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GREAT  HAM  LOCATION  in  beautiful  PRESCOTT, 
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quality  2300  sq,  ft-  3  bedroom,  two  bath  home  with 
gorgeous  views  from  every  room.  By  owner, 
$1 99,900.  (602)778-3370,  BNB410 

BROWNIES  QSL  CARDS  SINCE  1939.  Catalog  & 
samples  $1  (refundable  with  order).  3035  Lehigh 
Street,  Allentown  PA  1 81 03.  BNB430 

QSL  CARDS-  Look  good  with  top  quality  printing. 
Choose  standard  designs  or  fully  customized  cards- 
Request  free  brochure,  samples  (stamps  appreciat- 
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GREAT  HOLIDAY  GIFT!  Copy  Code.  See  page  64 
August  GST.  KY6P.  (61 9)453-9446.  BN  B4  50 

INTERESTED  IN  PUBLIC  SERVICE?  Join  REACT 
TODAY!  For  information  write,  KA3PDQf  c/O  REACT, 
P.O.  Box  3797.  Allentown  PA  18105.  BNB465 

QSL  SAMPLES  send  $1  (refundable).  Bud  Smith, 
Box  1943,  Blaine  WA  9S231.  BNB475 

BEAM  HEADING&YOUR  QTH  AND  THEIRS  55.95. 
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CRYSTALS:  High  quality  for  your  VHF/UHF  and  SHF 
trans  verier  projects.  SASE.  WA3IAC.  7148  Montague 
St,.  Philadelphia  PA  1 91 35.  BNB51 5 

WE  BUY  MEW  &  USED  HF  AND  VHF  RADIOS  for 
RUSSIAN  Hams.  Please  send  info  by  Fax  (206)661- 
1197  or  mail  to:  NOVOSIBIRSK-SEATTLE  1NTL  429 
So.  321st  Place  E  10.  Federal  Way  WA  98003. 

BNB530 

DACRON  ROPE,  WHY  RISK  ANTENNA  SUPPORT 

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CO.  24  HOUR  ORDERS:  (800)484 -4002,  CODE 
1356.  FAX  (508)369-1735.  BNB557 

LEARN  TO  EARN  COURSES:  Electronics,  robot,  ra- 
dio, others.  Free  Catalog.  A&A  PRODUCTS,  Rt  1 
Box  4B2-L,  Rockdale  TX  76567,  BNB560 

WANTED-FM  unit  tor  ICM  S51D  all  mode  6M 
transceiver.  Leo  Schein,  32  Douglas  Drive,  Ocean 
Ridge  FL  3S435.  (407)276-8871 .  BNB575 

DONT  BUY  QSL  CARDS  UNTIL  YOU  SEE  MY 
FREE  SAMPLES,  Also  I  specialize  in  custom  cards 
and  QSL  business  cards.  Write  or  call  for  free  sam- 
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PRINT  SHOP,  Box  1160,  PfJugerville  TX  78660. 
(512)990-1192.  Mastercard  and  Visa  now  accepted. 

BNB595 

WANTED:  Western  Electric  Amplifiers,  speakers, 
tubes,  etc.  Toll  Free  (800)251  -5454,  BNB61 5 

CLEANING  SHACK.  Want  my  list?1  LEWALSKI, 
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BNS620 

160  TO  1 0  METERS  WITH  47  FOOT  LONG  ANTEN- 
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Catalog.  THE  ANT  FARM,  P.O.  Box  3196, 
Wescosvilie  PA  181 06.  BNB625 

duplexer  tuning  GUIDE.  A  complete  booklet 
showing  step-by-step  instructions  on  tuning  ail  types 
of  duple xers  included  is  theory  of  operation,  detailed 
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s&h  to  RGM  PUBLICATIONS.  533  Main  Street  HiSs- 
boro  NM  8S042,  For  faster  service  using  a  major 
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day  money  back  guarantee.  BNB635 


90  73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1 993 


SATELLITE  EQUIPMENT  AT  40%  TO  50%  OFF. 

Drake,  Toshiba.  HTS,  Gl,  25°  LNBt  $68.95;  F  Ku, 
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for  wholesale  price  lisL  SATELLITE  WAREHOUSE, 
Tucson  A2.  Fax  (602)624-1629.  BNB640 

VHF-UHF-SHF  Large  SASE.  VBFer,  RO,  Box  *6S5t 
Holbrook  AZ  86025.  BNB660 

ELEGANT  QSL  CARDS  AT  LOW  PRICES  Samples 
S1  (refundable  with  order)  AACO,  Dept.  S312,  1639 
Fordtiam  Way,  Mountain  View  CA  94040,        BNB670 

HAM  RADIO  REPAIR-  All  makes  and  models  Fast 
Professional  Service.  AFFORDABLE  ELECTRONIC 
REPAIR,  7110  E.  Thomas  Rd.t  Scottsdale  AZ  85151. 
(602)945-3908.  BNB700 

9  1/2  INCH  UTC  WALL  CLOCK-  $26.50  ppd. 
GABAY  TOOL  CO.,  P.O.  Box  68,  Necedah  WJ  54646 

BNB705 

ROSS*  $$$$  NEW  DECEMBER  (ONLY)  TELEX^HI- 
GAIN  DX-88,  $241.50:  21 6S-  $319.90;  285,  $79.90; 
335S,  $58.00:  383,  $129.90;  380St  $81.90;  393S. 
$520.00:  CD-45IL  $222.00:  HAM-fVT5333,00;  T2X. 
3397.00;  KENWOOD,  PHONE  $;  ALJNCO,  PHONE 
$;  YAESU,  PHONE  $;  ICOM  IC-471H,  $1,000.00;  AS- 
TRON,  PHONE  $;  CUSHCRAFT,  A1 47-22,  $150.00; 
40-2CD,  $380.00;  4218-XL  $145.00;  416-TB.  $78.50; 
A144-10T.  $65,00;  JERSEY  SPECtALlTY  (J.S.C.J 
500  FT.  RG-213.  $150,00  500  FT.  99  J3.  $205.00: 
BUTTERNUT,  PHONE  $  ALL  LIMITED  TIME  OF- 
FERS. OVER  9035  ham-related  items  in  stock  for  im- 
mediate shipment.  Mention  ad.  Prices  cash,  F.O.B. 
Preston,  HOURS  TUESDAY- FRIDAY  9:00  TO  6:00, 
9:00-2:00  P.M.  MONDAYS.  CLOSED  SATURDAY  & 
SUNDAY.  ROSS  DISTRIBUTING  COMPANY.  78 
SOUTH  STATE,  PRESTON  ID  83263.  (208)852- 
0830.  BNB7Q7 

ALINCO  DR570  VHF/UHF  DUAL  BAND  MOBILE, 
less  than  one  year  old  $465.00,  Realistic  KTX-100  10 
meter  $150.00,  (J  will  ship),  Keister  Whitt,  AD4JJ, 
Route  1 .  Box  25.  Ringgold  VA  24586+  (804)822-7005, 

BNB710 

GIANT  SOLAR  PANELS  $44,00  EACH!  Excellent 
Prices/Solar  Equipment/Accessories.  Free  Informa- 
tion/Send Stamped  Envelope,  Catalog  $3.00.  To: 
QUAD  ENERGY,  P.O.  Box  690073,  Houston  TX 
77269.  (71 3)893-031 3.  BNB71 5 

ELECTRON  TUBES:  AH  types  and  sizes.  Transmit- 
ting, receiving,  microwave  .  .  .  Large  inventory  - 
same  day  shipping.  DAILY  ELECTRONICS,  10914 
NE  39th  ST.  Suite  B-6,  Vancouver,  WA  98682. 
(800)346-6667  or  {206)896-8856.  6NB719 

MINIATURE  POLICE  RADAR  TRANSMITTER  One 
mile  range.  $41  assembled,  $31.00  kit.  (219)489- 
1711.  P.O.  Box  80096,  Fort  Wayne  IN  46898,  BNB725 

COAX  CABLES!  Custom  built  to  your  specifications. 
Choose  between  BELDEN  8214T  8267.  9913.  92S8t 
8219  and  BNC,  N  or  PL-259  connectors.  PL-259  Sil- 
ver Tefbn.  S1-25  each  or  10  for  $1,00  each.  PL-259 
Gold  Teflon.  $1 .50  each  or  10  for  $1 .25  each.  Type  N 
$2.75  eacn  or  10  for  $2.50  each.  BNC  male  to  UHF 
female  adaptors  $1,75  each  or  10  for  $1.50  each.  We 
can  supply  ail  your  adaptor,  cable  and  connector 
needs.  Competitive  prices,  quality  materials  and 
workmanship  f  Call  or  write  for  catalog  and  price  Itst. 
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HAM  RADIO  REPAIR— Prompt  service.  ROBERT 
HALL  ELECTRONICS.  1660  McKee  Rd.,  Suite  A. 
San  Jose  CA  95116,  (408)729-8200.  BNB751 

THERMOGRAPHED  CARDS!  Raised  print  QSLs  at 
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73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993  91 


Tower? 


Where's 

the 

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Potent  Pending  Roof  Cro^l  Mount 
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WANTED:  HAM  EQUIPMENT  AND  OTHER  PROP- 
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NYCt  Inc.  is  not  only  the  Big  Apple's  largest  Ham  club 
but  also  the  nation's  only  lull  time,  non-profit  organi- 
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Send  your  radio  to  school  Your  donated  amateur  or 
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nationwide,  can  get  high  on  Ham  Radio  wilh  your 
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7238  MHz.  1200-1330  UTC  and  21,395  MHz.  1400- 
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SOLAR  POWERED  HAMS!  The  Sunswitch  is  a 
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WANTED:  CP/M  Program  for  TNC  Packet  DEC  VT- 
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POSITION  WANTED:  Aggressive  sales  representa- 
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WANTED;  clean,  unused.  COAXIAL  CONNECTORS, 
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FREE  SHAREWARE  AND  HAM  CATALOG  for  IBM 
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SENSATIONAL  NEW  WAY  TO  LEARN  CODE-Do 
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ppd  KAWA  RECORDS  P.O.  Box  319-S,  Weymouth, 
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FCC  COMMERCIAL  LICENSE  PREPARATION  RA- 
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ELECTRONICS  GRAB  BAG!  500  pieces  ot  new 
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$5.00  postpaid.  ALLTRONICS,  2300  Zenker  Rd.,  San 
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92  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1 993 


WANTED;  COLLINS  ANTIQUES,  anything  old  from, 
speakers,  receive rsh  transmitters,  and  afl  accessories, 
any  condition.  Top  $$$  paid,  flick.  (800)462-2972 
anytime.  BN8S65 

PRINTED  CIRCUIT  BOARDS  for  73  Magazine,  QST, 
ARRL  Electronics  Now,  Nuts  <S  Volts,  projects.  US  or- 
ders deduct  20%.  Free  lisL  B-C-D  ELECTRONICS, 
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Canada  L9C  7M5,  BNB910 

WANTED:  BUY  &  SELL  All  types  of  Electron  Tubes. 
Call  [612)429-9397.  Fax  (6l2}429-0929,  C  &  N 
ELECTRONICS,  Harold  Bramstedt,  6104  Egg  Lake 
Road,  Hugo  MM  55038.  BNB91 5 

COMMODORE  64  HAM  PBOGRAWIS-8  disk  sides 
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grams. (3 1 6)251^2761 .  BNB923 

INEXPENSIVE  HAM  RADIO  EQUIPMENT  Send 
postage  stamp  for  JisL  Jim  Brady  WA40SO,  3037  Au- 
drey DR.,  Gastonia  NC  28054.  BNB927 

USED  AND  NEW  AMATEUR  RADIO,  SWLt  AND 
SCANNERS,  We  buy,  sellt  consign  and  trade  used 
equipment  Thirty  day  warranty.  Western  Pennsylva- 
nias*  newest  Amateur  Radio  supplier.  We  also  offer 
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RADIO  REPAIR  Amateur  and  commercial,  profes- 
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QRP  KITS  A  COMPONENTS  only  2  stamps  for  cata- 
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AMIGA,  MACINTOSH,  ATARI  XUXE/ST  Amateur 
Radio  &  Electronics  PD/shareware  software  $4.00 
per  disk.  Two  stamp  SASE  brings  catalog.  Specify 
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FL  32067-1646.  BNB965 

PRINTED  CIRCUIT  BOARDS  for  projects  in  73, 
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FAR  CIRCUITS,  18N640  Held  CL  Dundee  I L  60118. 

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AZDEN  SERVICE  by  former  factory  technician, 
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COMPUTER  &  PRINTER  USERS:  SAVE!  SAVE! 
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BUY  ELECTRON  (VACUUM)  TUBES  Magnetrons, 
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it  (800)995-6851 .  BNB987 

10TOR  PARTS  ROTOR  SERVICE.  ROTOR  acces- 
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EVERY  ISSUE 

of  73 
on  microfiche! 

The  entire  run  of  73  from  October,  1 960 
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73  Amateur  Radio  Today  •  December,  1 993  93 


Uncle  Wayne's  Bookshelf 


REFERENCE 


20 N 1Q2  Practical  Digital  Electronics  Handbook  bx  HUf  Tt*t- 
try  HA  Contains  nine  digital  test  gear  project  v  Digital  circuits.  \wcir 
g;ncs  hiMJhk^i  and  timers,  rmcropcocctMirv  memory  and  inpuisouipui 
devicev  $t4.5tt 

20N1U3  Electronic  Power  Supply  Handbook  by  ten  ft. 
Sinclair  Cover*  many  type*,  of  supplies — batteries*  simple  AC 
supplier  twitch  nnnfc  supplier  and  tmerterv  $14*25 

2      \^  Electronic  Test  Equipment  Handbook    by  StneMm 
er  A  etude  to  electronic:  test  equipment  for  the  engineer,  technician, 
siudcm  und  tomie  enthusiast,  $1H.0Q 

2GN105  Digital  Logic  Gates  and  Flip-Flops  by  km  H.  Smdtilr 
A  (inn  foundation  in  digital  electronics.  Treat*  ihe  toptci  of  gale*  and 
flip-flops  thonmyhh  and  from  the  bc^mnins  $  IK0O 

01CBO  Master  Handbook  of  1001  Practical  Electronic 
Circuits   Tried  and  prm  en  solid  OMc  circuits  I  19 *95 

Q1P68  Pi  rale  Radio  Station*  />>■  AndVrn'  jwv  Tuning  in  to 
umWj1  round  broadcast*.  Si  2,95 

0 1 T01  Tran  smi  tier  H  u  nting  fry  Jo  ifnfr  hto  tett  and  Thomas  Carter 
R^Jm  directum  finding  simplified  £19.95 

03R02  Rtty  Today  to  Dai*  Ingram  Modern  guide  (o  amateur 
radiweleHpe.  S&30 

05ED3  First  Book  of  Modern  Electronics  Unique  project  iImi 
art  money  saving,  S  12.9  5 

09022  TTre  World  Ham  Net  Directory  to  Mite  WiiLmtli 
Nl*  Zmi  cduiun  Introduces  the  special  incejr^t  lum  radio  network* 
and  turav  you  when  and  where  you  can  tunc  them  m,  $9.50 

09  P33  Pirate  Radi  o  0  irectory  fry  Gwryc  JEr/h-r  W  here  to  tarn  in 
mi  *ceret  enti'iniiiitiicni  station*.  $7,95 

1 0F 093  1993  International  Callbook  The  ne*1  tW  Interna. 
imiul  L"jI(Nh<  lisis  ^niHit  licenced  radio  amateurs  id  I  he  e  oumncs 
owtttde  North  America,  li  coven  South  America*  Europe,  A  frit  a. 
.Via.  jod  ihe  Pjtilk  area  (exclusive  of  Hj^  jh  Jind  the  l"  5  povscv- 
**on>).  129,95 


100093  1993  North  American  Callbook  The  19«  North  American 
Callboul  Wv  the  salU.  names,  and  address  inAirmaiioa  for  5UMJUH*  li- 
censed  radi 0  amateurs  hi  all  countries  ut  Norm  America-  $29*95 

05H24  Radio  Handbook,  Z3rd  Ed,  by  Wtttim  I  On  WrfiAt  MU 
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ARRL  BOOKS 


AR1994  ARAL  1994  Handbook  (71at  Ed.)  Fea- 
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Aft3t93  Weather  Satellite  Handbook  (4th  Ed.) 
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in  reflet  I  lodav's  ssciUheMa*  mic  Elite  tevhnofojfy, 
ttUtt 


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AR3291  Now  You're  Talking!  All  You  Need  To 
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AR1 Q33  The  DXCC  Companion  ftv  Jim  Kearmun 
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ARRL  License  Manuals  Complcfe  FCT  question 
pools  wJM  m  "Hi. 


AR2375  Technician  Class 
AH2383  GenetaJ  Class 
ARC  1 66  Advanced  Class 
ARK  91  Extra  Class 


SKjtKl 

s&ai 


ANTENNAS 


20N108  The  Easy  Wire  Antenna  Handbook  In 
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10A343  Alt  About  Cubical  Quad  Antennas  tn 
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UHF/VHF/PA  CKET, 

0 IPS 2-2  The  Packet  Radio  Handbook  (2nd 
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|!ukk  in  niikilL'ur  packei  ^peralKm/— Gwyrt  Reedy 
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20NQ19  U.S.  Repeater  Map  book    tn  kt-t*n 

Xtitnin  The  Guide  lor  I  ravelin];  radio  anuirurs. 
S**.*5 


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10A346  Simple .  Low-Cost  Wire  Antennas  For 
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09V1 1  The  Basic  Guide  to  VHF/UHF  Ham 
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intnKiueliuri  to  the  2.6  and  1.2?  rneler  bjuds  a> 
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03R02  flTTV  Today  hi  n^r  htsrum  K4JWJ 
Mom  onrnprehenvi^e  RTTY  guide  citfr  puMKhnl- 
ttJI 


BOOKS  FOR  BEGINNERS 


D2D42  Digital  Novice  M  Jjm  GnJ*/»  Geared 
lo  make  ytiu  a  more  know  ledpahlc  partieipjnt. 

Hji 

0SC25  Basic  A.C.  Circuits  A  ^trp-by-viep 
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20N018  Technician  Class  License  Manual: 
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UW1293 


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Number  28  on  your  Feedback  card 


■■  Number  2u  on  your  heedoacK  cai 

Random  output 

David  Cassidy  N1GPH 


Peace 

It  is  the  time  of  the  year  wtien  all 
the  world's  peoples  contemplate 
brotherhood,  goodwill,  and  peace. 
Maybe  it  would  do  us  some  good  If 
we  could  stop  contemplating  it  and 
Start  doing  it.  The  world  Sure  is  a 
mess! 

In  the  tast  year,  the  former  Soviet 
Union  narrowly  missed  yet  another 
attempt  by  the  old  guard  to  return  to 
the  repressive  policies  of  the  past. 
Tne  people  of  Russia  are  still  coming 
to  grips  with  the  fact  that  freedom 
costs. 

The  beauliful  country  of  Bosnia 
(formerly  Yugoslavia),  host  to  the 
Winter  Olympics  just  a  lew  short 
years  ago,  has  been  literally  de- 
stroyed by  religious  and  tribal  bigotry. 
The  faces  of  the  children  of  Sarajevo 
tell  the  story. 

Boiched  policy  in  Somalia  has  re- 
sulted in  the  deaths  of  several  Amen* 
can  (and  other)  citizens,  We  went 
there  in  peace  to  do  our  duty  as  the 
leader  of  the  free  world.  We  saved 
millions  from  certain  death,  and  the 
citizens  of  Mogadishu  have  paid  us 


country  have  escalated  I  heir  mes- 
sage with  intimidation  and  bullets. 
Can  you  believe  this  war  has  been 
going  on  now  for  20  years? 

The  current  ruling  party  has  decid- 
ed that  the  fact  that  Socialism  has 
failed  miserably  in  Eastern  Europe 
shouldn't  deter  the  United  States 
from  giving  it  a  try,  Ointon  Adminis- 
tration policies  (and  the  fear  of  what's 
next)  have  essentially  paralyzed  an 
already  failing  U.S.  economy.  In  the 
name  of  "fairness."  the  American 
people  appear  to  agree  that  they 
should  give  up  some  of  their  hard- 
won  freedoms.  There's  enough  pork 
in  the  barrel  for  both  political  parties, 
so  the  Republicans  cannot  claim  any 
philosophical  high  ground,  either 

Are  there  glimmers  of  hope  tn  all 
this?  Sure,  For  the  first  lime  since 
Moses  came  down  from  Ml.  Sinai. 
Arabs  and  Israelis  have  met  and 
agreed  to  at  least  try  to  live  together 
without  bashing  each  other's  heads 
in.  This  is  peacemaking  at  its  most 
basic  level.  These  I  wo  groups  have 
agreed  thai  the  other  has  the  right  to 
exist.  It  ain't  much,  but  it's  a  start. 


Once  again,  the  good  intentions 
of  the  United  States  are  being 
answered  with  the  barrel 

of  a  gun. " 


back  by  dragging  l he  dead  bodies  of 
American  soldiers  through  their 
streets. 

Haiti  is  exploding  even  as  I  write 
these  words  (in  mid -October),  Once 
again,  the  good  intentions  of  the  Unit- 
ed States  are  being  answered  with 
the  barrel  of  a  gun. 

The  mess  hasn't  avoided  the 
streets  of  America,  either,  The  judi- 
cial system  in  the  State  of  California 
has  abdicated  its  power.  The  so- 
called  "leaders"  of  the  minority 
groups  living  in  the  Los  Angeles 
area,  the  very  ones  who  should  be 
concerned  with  uplifting  and  provid- 
ing  opportunity  for  people,  are  the 
very  ones  who  make  excuses  for 
thugs  and  criminals.  Instead  of  rule  of 
law.  California  has  instituted  rute  by 
mob.  Threats  of  violence  and  riots 
seem  to  be  the  ways  to  get  what  you 
want  out  of  the  California  Courts. 

This  year,  for  the  first  time,  terror- 
ism reached  the  shores  of  America  in 
the  form  of  the  bombing  of  the  World 
Trade  Center. 

While  crimes  against  tourists  are 
aclually  on  the  decrease  in  Florida, 
the  news  media  decided  to  create  a 
crisis  so  that  foreigners  are  now 
afraid  to  vacation  here. 

The  anti-abortion  forces  in  this 


Number  29  on  your  Feedback  card 


Number  ^  on  your  reeooacK  ca 

Propagation 


My  mother  is  the  choir  director  at 
her  church.  When  P  was  young,  my 
brothers  and  I  ail  sang  in  her  choir. 
One  Christmastime,  she  taught  us  a 
song  that  is  based  on  The  Prayer  of 
St.  Francis  of  Assist.  I'd  like  to  offer 
Ihe  words  to  this  song  as  my  holiday 
gift  to  you: 

Lord,  make  me  an  instrument  of 
your  peace. 

Where  there  is  hatred,  let  me  sow 
love. 

Where  there  is  injury,  pardon. 

Where  there  is  doubt,  faith. 

Where  there  is  despair,  hope. 

Where  there  is  darkness,  light. 

Where  there  is  sadness,  joy. 

Oh.  Divine  Master,  grant  that  I  may 
not  so  much  seek 

To  be  consoled,  as  to  console, 

To  be  understood,  as  to  under- 
stand. 

To  be  loved,  as  to  to  love. 

For  it  is  in  giving,  that  we  receive, 

And  it  is  In  pardoning,  that  we  are 
pardoned. 

And  ft  is  in  dying,  that  we  are  bom, 

To  eternal  life. 

No  matter  what  your  religious  be- 
liefs, the  truth  is  still  the  truth. 
I  wish  you  peace,  Shalom, 


Jim  Gray  W1XU 
210  Chateau  Circle 
Payson  AZ  85541 

In  spite  of  the  decline  in  sunspot  ac- 
tivity, December  ought  to  be  a  Good 
month  for  propagation  on  the  HF  bands. 
The  daily  chart  shows  only  the  12th  and 
13th  and  again  the  27th  to  be  Poor 
days.  Alt  the  rest  of  the  month  will  be 
characterized  by  many  days  of  decent 
propagation  ...  the  first  month  like  this 
In  a  long  time.  The  P  (Poor)  days  may 
also  be  accompanied  by  severe  weath- 
er condil  ions. 

Of  course,  you  can't  rule  out  an  un- 
expected and  sudden  disturbance 
sometime  during  the  month,  but  i! 
doesn't  seem  likely  except  on  the  days 
marked  P  (Poor)  or  trending  between  F 
(Fair)  and  P  (Poor).  Times  given  below 
are  LOCAL  times,  but  the  Band-Time- 
Country  chart  uses  Coordinated  Univer- 
sal Time  (what  used  to  be  called  GMT). 

10  end  12  meter  bands:  Occasional 
morning  openings  to  Europe,  frequent 
midday  openings  to  South  America  and 
Africa,  and  late  afternoon  openings  to 
the  South  Pacific  and  Aus- 
tralia. Also,  short-skip  open- 
ings during  daylight  hours 
between  1 ,000  and  2,300 
mires  possible  on  Good 
days. 

15  and  17  meter 
bands:  Worldwide  OX  dur- 
ing daylight  hours  possible 
on  Good  (G)  days,  with 
bands  peaking  toward  the 
EAST  after  sunrise,  toward 
the  SOUTH  at  midday,  and 
toward  the  WEST  during 
the  afternoon  hours,  Short 
skip  between  1,000  and 
2,300  during  daylight  hours. 

20  meter  band:  Once 
again,  this  will  be  the  top 
DX  band  for  December  be- 
tween  dawn  and  sunset. 
The  band  will  close  earlier 
than  during  summer  or 
equinox  monjhs,  but  you 
can  expect  excellent  day- 
light OX.  Also,  short  skip 
beyond  500  miles  will  be 
frequent  during  daylight 
hours. 

30  and  40  meter 
bands:  These  bands  are 
expected  to  open  to  the 
EAST  during  late  afternoon 
and  early  evening  hours. 
with  excellent  propagation 
lor  DXers  on  Good  (G) 
days.  The  band  ought  to 
stay  open  for  DX  during 
nighttime  hours  and  close 
shortly  after  sunrise.  Short 
skip  up  to  1,000  mites  dur- 
ing daytime  and  beyond 
tOOO  miles  at  night,  when 
the  band  "goes  long." 


Jim  Gray  W1XU 

60  and  160  meter  bands:  You  will 
find  much  DX  and  LOW  NOISE  on 
many  days  of  the  month,  with  DX  peak- 
ing toward  the  EAST  around  midnight 
and  peaking  in  various  directions  just 
before  sunrise  local  lime.  Daytime  short 
skip  of  around  500  miles  on  80  meters 
and  over  500  miles  a  I  night  should  pre- 
vail  on  Good  (G)  days. 

On  160  meters,  there  will  be  NO 
daytime  propagation,  due  to  heavy  ab- 
sorption of  signals  by  the  ionosphere. 
Occasional  DX  between  dark  and  sun- 
rise should  be  possible  on  Good  (G) 
days,  but  as  always — QRN  will  be  a  lim- 
iting factor.  Short  skip  up  to  about  1 ,000 
mites  during  nighttime  hours  can  be  ex- 
pected ,  ,  ,  sometimes  even  when  static 
is  heavy. 

Grey-line  propagation:  During  the 
hours  surrounding  sunrise  and  sunset 
{local  time)  you  may  be  able  to  lake  ad- 
vantage  of  grey-line  skip  to  the  parts  of 
earth  in  the  "fuzzy"  areas  belween  total 
dark  and  total  daylight.  Try  all  the  HF 
bands  during  these  times  for  unusual 
signal  strength  to  and  from  unexpected 
areas.  See  you  next  month,  W1XU 


EASTERN  UNITED  STATES  TO: 


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SUN 

MON 

DECEMBER  1993 

TUE        WED      THU 

FRI 

SAT 

1  G 

2  G 

3  G 

4  G 

5  G 

6  G-F 

7  F 

a  F-G 

g  G 

10  G-F 

11  F-P 

12  P 

13  P 

14  P-F 

15  F-G 

16  G 

17  G 

18  G 

19  G 

20  G 

21  G 

22  G 

23  G 

24  G 

2b  G*f 

26  F-P 

27  P 

28  P-F 

29  F 

30  F 

31  F-G 

96  73  Amateur  Radio  Today*  December,  1993 


"Dual  Decode.  Now  that's  a  first!" 


ES 


"Buift-in  VOX?  Right!" 


"Wow,  a  real  Battery  Voltage  Readout! 

"Yaesudid  it  again!" 


*-    i>. 


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Tone  Search 


Transmit  Battery  Saver 
(Repeater  &  Simplex  Operation) 


Built-in  Vox 


One  Touch  Reverse  Button 


Dual  fn-Band  Receive 
(V+V  U+U) 


Programmable  External 
Speaker  Audio 


YES 


YES 


YES 


YES 


YES 


Kenwood 
TH-78A 


50 


NO 


NO 


NO 


Alinco 


40 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


YES 


YES 


NO 


YES 


YES 


Optional  Digital  Display 
Mrc  with  "S"  Meter 


AM  Aircraft  Receive 


YES 


YES 


NO 


NO 


NO 


YES 


NO 


NO 


loom 
E-W-21AI 


70 


'  v"  i: 

'■^'W^ 



NO 


YES 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


NO 


YES 


NO 


NO 


YES 


YES 


NO 


YES 


The  Best 


vs.  "the  rest'.' 


T-530 

Dual  Band  Handheld 


Frequency  Coverage: 
2-Meter  130-1 74  MHz  RX 
144-148  MHz  TX 
70  cm    43^450  MHz  RX/TX 

4  TX  Power  levels: 
w/FNB-25:2.0,1.5,1,0,0.5W 
W/FWB-27:  5  0.  at)r  1  5.  0.5W 
DTMF  Paging  and  Coded  SqueFch 
ACT  -Auto  On-Timer  with  buflHn 
clock  and  alarm  functions 

IBS  -  intelligent  Band  Select  (pro- 
vides automatic  TX  band  select  on 
scan  stop) 

Backlit  keypad  and  display  with 
time  delay 

Built-in  cross  band  repeat  function 
AP0  -  Automatic  Power  Oft 

5  Watts  output  w/  FNB-27  battery 
Of12VDC 

2  VFO's  tor  each  band 
Accessaries: 

NC-42    1  -Hour  Desk  Charger 
FNB-25  600  mAh  Battery  (2  watt) 
FNB-28  1000  mAh  Battery  (2  watt) 
FNB-27  600  mAft  Battery  (5  wstt) 
FBA-12  6  AA  Cell  Holder 
CSC-56  vinyl  Case  w/  FNB-25 
CSC-58  Vinyl  Case  w/  FNB-26/27 
E-DC-5BT2VOC  Adaptor 
YH-2      Headset  for  VOX 
MrM2A2fl  Speaker  Mic 
MH-1&A2B  lapel  Speaker  Mic 
MH-19A2B  Mini  Earpiece  Mic 
MH-29A2B  LCD  Display  Mic  with 

Remote  Functions 
MMB-54     Mobile  Mounting 

Hanger 


N 


yaesh 


'j>*  "i  CT^[ 


litllitfttf 


ui»i*»  »P*" 


rH***'**' 


_  sifl 


lo  other  dual  band 
handheld  beats  the  FT-530  on 
features  for  performance  and 
ease  of  use.  With  the  largest 
backlit  keypad  available, 
82  memories,  exclusive  Dual 
CTCSS  Decode  and  AM 
Aircraft  Receive,  the  FT-530 
is  simply  the  best  value 
there  is. 

Compare  for  yourself, 
then  forget  "the  rest,"  See 
your  dealer  for  the  best  dual 
band  handheld  you  can  buy. 
The  FT-530, 


Performance  without  compromise™ 


Specifications  subject  In  change  without  notice  Specifications  guaranteed  only 


©  1993  Yaesu  USA,  17210  Edwartis  Road,  Cerritos,  CA  90701  (310)  404-2700 
within  amateur  bands  Some  accessories  and/or  options  are  standard  in  certain  areas  Check  with  your  focal  Yaesu  dealer  for  specific  details. 


Tune  Into  A  Sweet  Deal! 

Tune  into  special  values  with  end-of-the-year  savings  on 

Pvour  favorite  Kenwood  proXc.. 


TS-950SDX:  An  industry  first!  50-volt 
MOS  FET  final  amplifier  and  DSP  for  superior 
linearity.  150  watts  ootput»AII-band  HF 
transceiver  with  general  coverage 

receive r-Switchable  AGCP  selectable  IF  filters  with 
memory,  dual-mode  noise  blankers,  IF  notcii  filter,  CW 
reverse  mode,  CW  pitch*  SSB  slope  tuning  .I  F  and  AF 
variable  bandwidth  tuning-Built-in  CW  memory  keyer 
(DRU-2  voice  keyer  optional) 

TS-850S:  Alhband  HF  transceiver  with 
general  coverage  receiver.  100  watts*  SSB 
slope  tuning,  CW  variable  pitch  and  reverse 
control.  IF  notch,  1 -Hz  fine  tuning 
function^Superb  receiver  sensitivity  and 
extremely  quiet  noise  floor*sse  high  boost 

function  to  bust  through  the  pile-ups*Filter  options  for 
both  first  and  second  IF  sectlons*Built-in  CW  memory 

keyer  (DRU-2  voice  keyer  optional) 

TS-45US-  All-hand  HF  transceiver  with 
general  coverage  receiver!  00  watts 
•Wonderfully  easy  to  use,  yet  high- 
performance  package*Filter  options  for  superb 
receiver  performance 

TS-50S:  An  exceptional  compact  all-band 
HF  transceiver,  with  500  kHz  to  30  MHz 
receiver.  1 00  watts.  DDS  with  "fuzzy  logic" 

Control.  Kenwood's  Advanced  Intercept  Point  (AIP) 
ensures  top  performance  with  reduced  noise  floor 


TM-J4JA 


TS-50S 


TM  742A 


wSU  * 


TS-4503 


TH-79A 


TS-S&OSDX 


T9.&50S 


KENWOOD 


KENWOOD  COMMUNICATIONS  CORPORATION 
Amateur  Radio  Products  Group 
P.O.  Box  22745. 2201  E.  Dominguez  Street 
Long  Beach  California  90801 -5745 


©Copyngm  1993  Kenwood  Communicatkons  Corporation 
All  rights  reserved 

mnanm 


TM-241  A:  Wide  band  receiver 
coverage»CTCSS  encode  built-in  "Three 
power  settings:  5T  10f  and  50  W*20  fuli-tunctior 

memory  channels  store  everything  you  need'Multiple 
scanning  functions 

TM-732A:  50  watts  on  2m,  35  watts  on 
70cm *Wide  coverage  receiver* CTCSS 
encode  built-in,  decode  optional-so  memory 

channels*Unique  S-meter  squelch'Remote  controllable 

via  OTMF 

TM-742A:  2m,  50  watt/70emf35  watt 
modular  FM  transceiver-101  memory 
channels  for  each  band*CTCss  encode  buwt- 

in»Wide  band  receiver^Optional  modules  for  28, 50P 
220,  or  1200  MHz*Remote-mountable  front  panel 

TH-28A:  *2m  pocket  HT,  2.5  watts  outpu 

*  Sub- receiver  for  70cm  band* Alpha  numeric  displ 
and  message  paging -CTCSS  encode/decode  built- 
in*Wide  band  receiverMO  memory  channels 

TH-78A:  Full  duplex  cross-band 
operation* CTCSS  encode/decode  built- 
in  "Alpha  numeric  display  and  message 

paging*Wide  band  receiver  »50  memory  channels 

•  Sliding  keyboard  cover  and  illuminated  keypad 

r-<rfc 

Cut  Your  Own  Deal !! 

To  our  customers:  PRESENT  THIS  COMPLETED  COUPON  AT  THE 

TIME  OF  PURCHASE  TO  YOUR  AUTHORIZED  KENWOOD  AMATEUR 

RADIO  DEALER  FOR  YOUR  DISCOUNT    I  his  cuupon  may  be  used 

onry  for  Mie  Kenwood  niodeis  listed  here,  for  the  appropriate 

discount  indicated.  Ttvs  coupon  is  not  good  for  cash  Offer  ocod 

only  at  authorized  dealers 

To  aiitfmrized  Kenwood  dealers,  indcaie  Che  radio  purchased  and 

discount  amount  Send  th*s  coupon,  along  wtn  a  copy  of  the  sales 

receipt,  to  Kenwood  Communications  Cor  potation 

NAME 

ADDRESS 

CITY,  STATE  ZIP 

PHONE 

Please  check  model  purchased  &  discount 

_TS-950SDX  $100  Off  _7M-732A  $  30  of 

_TS-850S '  S  50  off  _TWI-742A  $  30  of 

_TS-450S*  $  50  Off  _TH-2BA     S  20  o 

_TM-24 1 A  S  20  Off  _TH-78A     S  20  o 

_TS-50S  S  3CofJ  'With  or  without  Turn 

Coupon  offer  valid  in  USA  only:  void  where  proftibite< 
This  coupon  has  no  cash  value.  COUPON  MUST  B 
FILLED  OUT  BY  CUSTOMER  and  PRESENTED  TO  A 
AUTHORIZED  DEALER  TO  BE  VALID.  N ot  valid  with  an 
other  offers  or  discounts.  Coupon  offer  valid  betwM 
October  20  and  December  31, 1993  only 

Redeem  With  Authorized  Deale