[Elecraft] Elecraft K2 with (big MAYBE) Ten-Tec 2m transverter

[Jessie Oberreuter]

On Mon, 24 Feb 2003, Daniel L Brinneman wrote:

> I may have interest (big MAYBE) in building a Ten-Tec 2m transverter.
> I don't know much at all about using SSB, AM on the VHF and UHF bands.

     You won't be working repeaters on am/ssb, so there's no need for a
tone pad.  Weak signal VHF is a strange realm.  If you don't know what
you're doing, you'll think the bands are completely dead!  The BEST way to
get involved is to work a contest.  Find yourself a good location (as high
and in the clear as you can manage), be sure you're using a horizontally
polarized antenna, tune to 50.125, 144.200, 222.1, 432.1, etc., and give a
shout!  You don't need a lot of watts to have a good time -- especially if
you can find a good location.  The TenTec will definately bring you
contacts.  I'd also recommend a simple wire quad to get you started.
Once you make contact with others in your area, you can find out when and
where they meet, both on and off the air.  Getting involved with vhf
cw/ssb did as much to rekindle my love of amateur radio as getting into cw
did.  As soon as I got into it, I wondered how I ever lived without it!
     During non-contest time, there may be weekly nets you can tune into.
Otherwise, you get into the habit of doing a lot of monitoring in the
background for openings, and then the fun really begins.  Ahhh, nothin
like working NY from Seattle with 10w on 6m to a crappy vertical!  VHF
contesting also offers the rover category.  These brave people load up
their cars, trucks, vans, whatever, with rigs and antennas and drive from
grid to grid soaking up contacts and making all of the fixed location ops
/very/ happy :).  It's a great way to get out and have a lot of fun.