[Elecraft] Yippee, M0KWV finally gets on air with K1-K1-4 #1534

Mon Jun 23 08:44:00 2003

In message <[email protected]>, 
[email protected] writes
>Well folks I finally did it! It has taken nearly 7 months including the
>RAE, 5WPM morse test, license application, building and testing K1 (many
>hrs of soldering fun), making a 40m dipole (2.5sqmm solid copper PVC
>insulated wiring cable and home brew centre piece), climbing trees and
>hanging out of attic window etc etc.

Snip
Well done Martin, it was obviously worth the wait and effort!

>1)    How come on 40m the power output is  10W and 1.5A drain when set for
>5W. Is it that the dipole Z is much lower than 50ohms. Power output matches
>K1 setting on 15m.
>
I'll leave that to a K1 owner
>2)    Why is SWR 1.5 on 40m and 1.0 on 15m. I was expecting the opposite.
>BTW I'm not using any ATU. I have the KAT1 but haven't built it yet.
>
A host of possible reasons, but don't complain:-)  you are probably 
getting a better match than many with that configuration.

>3)    Is it worth trying to alter the dipole length to get SWR of 1.0 on
>40m. I'm tempted to leave it if it works. (if it works don't fix it)
>
You're instincts are right.  Don't change it; the improvement (if indeed 
you don't make it worse) will not be at all noticeable.
>4)    My CW sending is fine and I get compliments on it but my copy speed
>is slow (10WPM approx). Copying live on the air is a different kettle of
>fish to doing it from a tape. I get nervous and mind goes blank. Some ops
>have great slow speed CW and I've got everything, but others either can't
>slow down, won't slow down or when they do it looses all the rhythm and
>becomes a jerky mess. Is this because they are using keyers. Some start
>slow and get faster. Some guys roll letters together and I can't make any
>sense of it. On some QSO's I've only copied 25%. I'm going to stick with it
>though and not get discouraged now that I've got this far. Not sure whether
>to use tapes or just practise as much as poss on the air. On the air is far
>more fun than a tape. Any suggestions or just some encouragment.
>
Ah, now here's a problem(s) that we all get from time to time.  Most 
people will slow down to your Tx speed, so for full copy don't tx faster 
than you can receive.  You could argue here that you will never improve 
if you always QSO at a comfortable rate.  Pushing yourself will steadily 
improve your skills and speed.  If you are getting around 80 percent 
copy from a competent operator, then you will probably be testing 
yourself at a useful level.  You will occasionally find some morse that 
even us 'old hands' find difficult to copy, regardless of the speed.  In 
these cases you will know that the problem is not your ears and will no 
doubt struggle through to completion :-))

My suggestions for you at this stage are first and foremost to enjoy the 
early thrill of having contacts.  (The fun will always remain, but there 
is a special buzz in those first weeks).  Secondly, if you are tempted, 
don't switch to using a keyer for a while yet.  Best to be really 
comfortable with a straight key then widen your horizons a little later.

>Well getting on the air has been a great experience for me and something
>I've wanted to do for years. The rest of the family think I'm crazy but who
>cares it's great fun and beats the internet any day. Doing it with the K1
>has made it even more rewarding. Looking forward to working some of you
>guys in the future. I shall be around 7.030 in the evenings.
>
The hobby could do with a continuing influx of people with your level of 
enthusiasm Martin.  Perhaps you can infect the family in due course :-))
Good luck, I'll look out for you on 40m with my K2 and bent bit of wire!

73
Trev G3ZYY
-- 
Trevor Day