[FARC] License testing during HAM FEST
Guitard, Joseph
Joseph.Guitard at dhs.gov
Thu May 31 08:22:38 EDT 2007
I would like to know some details on what I need to do to take my
Technician Class license during the HAM Fest on fathers day.
Particularly fees, location, time and any other pertinent info. I'm
studying and will be prepared for the test so I hope to join your group
in the future. Thank You!
Joseph A. Guitard
-----Original Message-----
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Subject: FARC Digest, Vol 35, Issue 16
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Antenna Tuner (M and J Gillespie)
2. Re: Antenna Tuner (Bob Moroney)
3. Tuner Resolved (Kirk Talbott)
4. Re: Antenna Tuner (Kirk Talbott)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 22:33:31 -0400
From: "M and J Gillespie" <gillesmj at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <001d01c7a32c$1576bc60$2d3bf804 at gatewaysystem>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Kirk,
Give me a call and I can help you I think with your antenna set up.
Jim, K3DQ (301) 668 2190
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kirk Talbott" <KirkTal7237 at msn.com>
To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 5:32 PM
Subject: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
>I recently bought a Vectronics VC300DLP antenna tuner and I am using it
>with an ICOM 718 transceiver. My antenna is a hy-gain model 18 AVT/WB-S
>vertical. I bought an antenna tuner based on a consensus of other
>experienced hams that if I used the ICOM 718 I would probably need an
>antenna tuner regardless of what antenna used.
>
> I am new to ham radio, HF, and antenna tuners in general and that is
> mostly the problem, however I am having specific problems with the
tuner
> and am ready to pitch it into the street!
>
> The instruction manual for the tuner is essentially useless due to
many
> typos and obvious errors in English translation. I was able to divine
how
> to hook it up to the transceiver and to set the defaults for the
> transmitter, antenna, and inductance controls on the tuner for a
> particular band. Since the labels on the tuner's controls didn't
match
> the labels in the manual, it's a toss-up as to whether I had things
set
> right from the get-go.
>
> Now to transmitting. Do I have it tuned? Probably not. Both the
forward
> and reflected power needles dance back and forth wildly to the lows
and
> highs of my voice during SSB transmission, making it nearly impossible
to
> read the SWR at the intersection of both needles. The tuner has a
dummy
> load built-in which is convenient, but remember, there is no carrier
in
> SSB transmission, so you can't just hold the PTT switch down while you
> simultaneously fiddle with the three tuner controls.
>
> Put the transceiver in FM or AM mode so you have a continuous carrier
you
> say? Nope, I tried that. The transceiver has no FM, and using AM
pegs
> both needles to their stops on the tuner with some erroneous
indication.
>
> After much fumbling I was able to finally coordinate mike, talking,
and
> twiddling the controls but to no avail, adjusting the controls did
nothing
> to change tuner meter needle indications. As a matter of fact, the
> controls on this tuner will turn past their stops infinitely, giving
you
> what tuner setting as a result? One ham said, "After you tune, write
down
> the settings." So I would write down, 20 turns to the right past "6"
on
> the antenna knob? Or 5 turns to the left past "1" on the transmitter
> knob? This can't possibly be the way it works.
>
> Now, fortunately the transceiver has an SWR meter so I could use that
> maybe as an indicator of getting close to doing something right, and
not
> burn up a transmitter in the process. Nope again. The transceiver's
SWR
> meter varied between 1:1 to 9:1 depending on the highs and lows of my
> voice during transmission. If I spoke softly, it would read 1:1 all
the
> time. Raise your voice, and it would peak out at 9:1 then drop back
to
> 1:1.
>
> Anyone up for some antenna tuner 101? Or better yet, would someone
like
> to purchase an antenna tuner, cheap, that is before I reduce it to its
> elemental parts with a sledgehammer? You don't have much time.
>
> Plodding along blind
> KB3ONM
> Kirk
> _______________________________________________
> FARC mailing list
> FARC at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/farc
>
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 22:42:25 -0400
From: Bob Moroney <windbrkr at erols.com>
Subject: Re: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <465E3611.6010403 at erols.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
OK, Kirk, now it sounds more as though you're simply working through
typical problems that often confront Hams, whether they're new, old or
somewhere in between. If your TS2K internal tuner can coexist happily
with the vertical's input impedance, things are probably "OK", at the
very least. That's not to say that things couldn't be made better,
but, if you can put a decent signal on the air, external to your abode
and without driving all of your and your neighbors' telephone and
electronic equipment bonkers, consider it a major plus.
As an aside, please keep in mind that ALL verticals are notoriously
narrow band antennas by nature, and can be pretty damn finicky as to
their "counterpoise" (ground screen) requirements as well. And on top
of that, their radiation patterns can be all over the map, depending on
terrain, installation and counterpoise. Again, if you're getting a
signal on the air in the bands you want, you probably want to count your
blessings and be happy.
I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that your vertical antenna is
happy that you rescued it from its overhead perch in Phil's garage, and
has quite simply deigned to bless you with Good Propagation (within, of
course, its design and installation limitations).
Bottom line is, don't despair, don't get too frustrated, and within the
bounds of safety and common sense (i.e., try not to fry your self or
your gear), keep trying to tame the RF beast in YOUR particular
operating environment. Believe me, there's a lot of "magic" involved in
operating an effective Ham Radio station in a residential area, but
there's no "magic bullet" to solve the myriad of problems that can crop
up, some even after you think you've run them all to ground, so to
speak.
If you poll the folks who have succeeded in doing this, you will
probably find that words like "try", "experiment", "search",
"persevere", "ask", "read" and any number of other "inquisitive" verbs
crop up again and again. Basically, that's the key to success, and as
usual, the entryway to still more discoveries and knowledge.
Gosh, that was inspiring! But on the other hand, it is getting close to
bedtime...
73, Bob K9CMR
====================
Kirk Talbott wrote:
> Bob,
>
> Yes, it's a cheap tuner.
>
> Yes I have the vertical antenna outside grounded (8 ft. ground rod)
and the
> ground wire connected to an MFJ window unit, but no the radio
equipment
> isn't ground connected to the window unit. Kind of a waste of time,
huh. I
> had every intention of running a ground strap to the window unit, but
the
> window unit is at one end of the room and the radio equipment at the
> opposite end. Computer desks, chairs, sewing machines, and
bookshelves
> necessitated that antenna leads and ground wires meander around or
behind
> furniture, meaning there would have been a very long ground strap
(over 25
> ft) from the equipment to the window unit. From the ham books long
ground
> wires are a no no, so I didn't know quite what to do there. Which is
worse,
> no ground or too long of a ground? You get "burned" either way.
>
> Connectors are fully seated, tight, and brand new, though the antenna
leads
> are over 25 ft. long as described above. I realize I'll have to
rearrange
> the room but I haven't gotten around to it yet. It was only two
months ago
> that I had a 2 meter mobile unit for a radio and an 18" mag-mount
antenna
> sitting inside the room on top of a stainless-steel mixing bowl.
Compared
> to now, those were the good ole' days, happy in blessed ignorance.
>
> I figured out the SWR meter on the radio, with the help of W3ICF, so
that is
> actually ok now.
>
> Yes, the antenna is marginal, sort of. It actually was an experiment
from
> W3ICF as he had this old antenna in his garage and never used it and
he just
> wanted to see how it would work. The antenna is ground mounted on a 1
ft.
> pipe, but there are no RF ground radials; supposedly it didn't need
any.
> W3ICF put his antenna analyzer on it and got acceptable (barely) SWR
on 40,
> 20, 15, and 10 meters. Using it with my Kenwood TS-2000 and its
automatic
> antenna tuner, it works fine on these bands. "Works fine" is my term
for
> 1:1 or 1.5:1 SWR and making contacts in the North East, South East,
Mid
> West, and far western USA. I can hear plenty of DX international
stations on
> 20 meters, but due to traffic pileups and propagation haven't been
able to
> contact any. So, does a radio and antenna work with no ground, long
antenna
> leads, and a marginal antenna? Sort of. Would it work better if
everything
> in the shack was set up by the book? Absolutely.
>
> So, if the antenna and a radio with an automatic antenna tuner sort of
> works, why did I purchase an antenna tuner? Well, it all stemmed from
> buying the wrong radio in the first place. The Kenwood TS-2000 is too
much
> radio for a rookie ham operator like me. Sure I can use it fine on 2
meters
> and 440, and on some HF bands, but I'll never, repeat never, be able
to
> realize the capabilities built into the Kenwood TS-2000. There is so
much
> to learn and the manual so intimidating, it just isn't fun. So, with
this
> in mind I bought a bare-bones Icom 718, which is a basic HF rig
designed for
> beginners. Since I wanted to experiment with dipole antennas I thought
I
> needed a manual antenna tuner, and there you have it. I guess this
> situation is analogous to a newly licensed driver getting a Ferrari
for the
> first car. It just won't work. I'll keep the Kenwood and learn bits
and
> pieces as I go and maybe if I live long enough the Kenwood TS-2000
will
> actually appreciate in value, like a Ferrari.
>
> Thanks for the info and the help.
>
> KB3ONM
> Kirk
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Moroney" <windbrkr at erols.com>
> To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 7:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
>
>
>
>> Kirk,
>> From the sound of it, you could have a screwed-up tuner, you could
have
>> a screwed-up antenna, you could have some station grounding problems,
>> you could simply not be using the tuner quite as it's meant to be
used,
>> or you could have some combination of the above.
>>
>> Does that make you feel any better? Probably not.
>>
>> Basically, you need to deal with one problem at a time, starting with
>> the antenna and feedline. If that system isn't behaving as it
should,
>> you might as well be beating your head against the wall. Have you or
>> anyone else put an antenna analyzer on the end of the coax that goes
>> into your transceiver? That alone will tell you a lot about your
>> antenna and feedline; e.g., what its impedance is at various
frequencies
>> and where it's naturally resonant.
>>
>> Is your station's grounding system solidly bonded to a real earth
>> ground, and is all your station equipment solidly tied into that
>> system? An ohmmeter will help answer that question.
>>
>> Are all your coax connectors "good" and fully seated into one
another?
>> Another job for the ohmmeter, at least as a start.
>>
>> I didn't know it until today, but I too have one of these tuners; I
just
>> never fully assimilated the make or model number. To me it was
simply
>> the somewhat cheap manual tuner I bought maybe ten years ago from
some
>> mail order place (Radio Works?). It's an OK tuner as far as it goes,
>> but it's definitely nothing special. I can't say that I've ever
looked
>> at the manual. Although I bought this tuner ten or more years ago, I
>> would doubt that the manual I have is any different or better than
>> yours, so loaning you my manual probably won't help.
>>
>> On the tuner, one thing I would say right off the bat is that the
knobs
>> on the front panel (other than the "Output Select" knob) have no
stops.
>> As you suggest, they will turn forever. So just picture what they
do.
>> Matter of fact, it wouldn't hurt to unscrew the cover from the tuner
and
>> view what lies beneath to help you visualize.
>>
>> You'll see two variable capacitors and a coil. The two variable
caps,
>> one "transmitter" and one "antenna" are just plates that twirl
around,
>> interleaving (or not) to various degrees, depending on how much
they've
>> been twirled, then start it all over again. The "inductor" (coil)
has
>> taps off of it that are connected to the "inductor" switch. You can
>> turn this switch forever as well, but in reality you are just cycling
>> through the same tap points over and over, adjusting the impedance of
a
>> capacitance/inductance bridge in various combinations until the
antenna
>> is "tuned". Unfortunately, though, an antenna can't really be
"tuned"
>> without increasing or reducing the length of its radiating elements
to
>> match the frequency desired.
>>
>> So the idea of an "antenna tuner" is to achieve a reasonable
impedance
>> between whatever radiating contraption you hooked up to the "tuner"
and
>> the transmitter, so you don't wind up releasing the smoke from your
>> transmitter's output transistors. The transmitter finals are
happiest
>> when they sense a 50-ohm impedance on their output; thus you need to
>> fiddle with the tuner controls until the radiating contraption
>> (antenna) "matches" what the finals want to see. So you could view
a
>> tuner as a "pacifier" for your transmitter finals, more than anything
>> else. It may or may not really increase the power that winds up
going
>> to the antenna, but it will help to keep the transmitter output stage
>> happy and smoke-free.
>>
>> Put the inductor switch into the position recommended by the "manual"
>> for a given band, then tweak the transmitter and antenna variable
>> capacitors within their range, until SWR is minimized. Make sure
you've
>> got the "Output Select" switch set to the "Tuned" segment so you're
>> getting the correct meter readings, and make sure you've got the
>> "Peak/Avg" push button "out", so that you're getting average readings
>> instead of peaks that depend on your voice modulation. Also, if you
can
>> get your transmitter to key in CW mode, do that instead of using SSB,
>> which as you note, various according to the volume of your voice. I
>> don't know your rig, so I don't have any suggestions there, other
than
>> plugging in a key.
>>
>> Well, I'm tired of typing, and I've got to make some cole slaw for
>> supper, so hopefully all these words may help you a little. Feel
free
>> to write or call if they don't, or whatever.
>>
>> 73, Bob K9CMR
>> ======================
>> Kirk Talbott wrote:
>>
>>> I recently bought a Vectronics VC300DLP antenna tuner and I am using
it
>>> with
>>> an ICOM 718 transceiver. My antenna is a hy-gain model 18 AVT/WB-S
>>> vertical.
>>> I bought an antenna tuner based on a consensus of other experienced
hams
>>> that if I used the ICOM 718 I would probably need an antenna tuner
>>> regardless of what antenna used.
>>>
>>> I am new to ham radio, HF, and antenna tuners in general and that is
>>> mostly
>>> the problem, however I am having specific problems with the tuner
and
>>> am
>>> ready to pitch it into the street!
>>>
>>> The instruction manual for the tuner is essentially useless due to
many
>>> typos and obvious errors in English translation. I was able to
divine
>>> how
>>> to hook it up to the transceiver and to set the defaults for the
>>> transmitter, antenna, and inductance controls on the tuner for a
>>> particular
>>> band. Since the labels on the tuner's controls didn't match the
labels
>>> in
>>> the manual, it's a toss-up as to whether I had things set right from
the
>>> get-go.
>>>
>>> Now to transmitting. Do I have it tuned? Probably not. Both the
>>> forward
>>> and reflected power needles dance back and forth wildly to the lows
and
>>> highs of my voice during SSB transmission, making it nearly
impossible
>>> to
>>> read the SWR at the intersection of both needles. The tuner has a
dummy
>>> load
>>> built-in which is convenient, but remember, there is no carrier in
SSB
>>> transmission, so you can't just hold the PTT switch down while you
>>> simultaneously fiddle with the three tuner controls.
>>>
>>> Put the transceiver in FM or AM mode so you have a continuous
carrier
>>> you
>>> say? Nope, I tried that. The transceiver has no FM, and using AM
pegs
>>> both
>>> needles to their stops on the tuner with some erroneous indication.
>>>
>>> After much fumbling I was able to finally coordinate mike, talking,
and
>>> twiddling the controls but to no avail, adjusting the controls did
>>> nothing
>>> to change tuner meter needle indications. As a matter of fact, the
>>> controls
>>> on this tuner will turn past their stops infinitely, giving you
what
>>> tuner
>>> setting as a result? One ham said, "After you tune, write down the
>>> settings." So I would write down, 20 turns to the right past "6" on
the
>>> antenna knob? Or 5 turns to the left past "1" on the transmitter
knob?
>>> This can't possibly be the way it works.
>>>
>>> Now, fortunately the transceiver has an SWR meter so I could use
that
>>> maybe
>>> as an indicator of getting close to doing something right, and not
burn
>>> up a
>>> transmitter in the process. Nope again. The transceiver's SWR meter
>>> varied
>>> between 1:1 to 9:1 depending on the highs and lows of my voice
during
>>> transmission. If I spoke softly, it would read 1:1 all the time.
Raise
>>> your voice, and it would peak out at 9:1 then drop back to 1:1.
>>>
>>> Anyone up for some antenna tuner 101? Or better yet, would someone
like
>>> to
>>> purchase an antenna tuner, cheap, that is before I reduce it to its
>>> elemental parts with a sledgehammer? You don't have much time.
>>>
>>> Plodding along blind
>>> KB3ONM
>>> Kirk
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 22:45:11 -0400
From: "Kirk Talbott" <KirkTal7237 at msn.com>
Subject: [FARC] Tuner Resolved
To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <BAY101-DAV73B073CDB7189AF55F46EA62D0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
My antenna tuner issue has been resolved, W3ICF walked me through it
tonight
over the air and we got it working fine, at least on 20 meters. Will
try on
40, 15, and 10 tomorrow.
Thanks again for the help.
KB3ONM
Kirk
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 01:40:04 -0400
From: "Kirk Talbott" <KirkTal7237 at msn.com>
Subject: Re: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <BAY101-DAV64D891BFC0CCF67C6B3EEA62D0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Well Bob, W3ICF worked me through it with a step 1, do this, step 2, do
this, approach and he got it working. He'd already put the antenna
analyzer
on the antenna and through adjustment got 4 bands within acceptable SWR
limits. From this he also knew there was nothing wrong with my antenna
tuner, with the exception of operator error. That must be why repeaters
work so well, very little human interaction or intervention. The
technical
guys just love to see guys like me coming, I'm entertainment.
Though working with the technical side of the hobby is fun for most, I
do
find it frustrating and getting more so. I ask a question, I get
referred
to a technical publication. I open the book only to find paragraph after
paragraph of Calculus equations illustrating some part of radio theory.
Then
you'd think after a three page Calculus derivation (which I would have
no
way in hell of understanding, but I read it anyway) there would be a
solid
answer. Make it this long and this high and out of this material and it
will
work. But no, you get "It depends," or "Try it," or "Cut this much off
and
test it again," or "It'll work in Texas, but not in Maryland." Of
course if
the hobby were this cut and dried, it would be boring so the uncertainty
and
the rewards of success must be the draw.
What I'm finding is that I probably entered this hobby too late with too
little and am trying to go too far too fast. Learning new and esoteric
things doesn't get easier at age 55, and by taking the Ham exams and
passing
with relative ease I underestimated the actual technical skills and
background that are needed to get a station up and running.
Soldering? There were no test questions on the General exam about
soldering.
Yeah, the ARRL handbook describes how to put a connector on a coax cable
and
it reads easy. Sure, I can do that, piece of cake. With book in one hand
and
soldering iron in the other I set to work. The outcome was a mess with
melted insulation and burned fingers as a bonus. I did learn a principle
of
Thermodynamics that day however, heat transfer. I'm sure the term
"Hamfisted" didn't come from Ham radio, but it sure applies to me and
I'm
confident in the following alliterative sentence: No background, no
skills,
no station. Can I get these skills, eventually, but not in 3 months.
Please don't ask me to hammer nails or use power tools on Hamfest set up
Saturday.
I've had a good lesson in what not to do in this hobby and fortunately
it
hasn't resulted in explosions, fires or electrocution....so far. My
wife
has demanded that Phil (W3ICF) be present at all of my equipment or
antenna
installations. Though he loves to do it, it places an undue burden on
him
and that ain't right.
KB3ONM
Kirk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Moroney" <windbrkr at erols.com>
To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 10:42 PM
Subject: Re: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
> OK, Kirk, now it sounds more as though you're simply working through
> typical problems that often confront Hams, whether they're new, old or
> somewhere in between. If your TS2K internal tuner can coexist
happily
> with the vertical's input impedance, things are probably "OK", at the
> very least. That's not to say that things couldn't be made better,
> but, if you can put a decent signal on the air, external to your abode
> and without driving all of your and your neighbors' telephone and
> electronic equipment bonkers, consider it a major plus.
>
> As an aside, please keep in mind that ALL verticals are notoriously
> narrow band antennas by nature, and can be pretty damn finicky as to
> their "counterpoise" (ground screen) requirements as well. And on top
> of that, their radiation patterns can be all over the map, depending
on
> terrain, installation and counterpoise. Again, if you're getting a
> signal on the air in the bands you want, you probably want to count
your
> blessings and be happy.
>
> I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that your vertical antenna is
> happy that you rescued it from its overhead perch in Phil's garage,
and
> has quite simply deigned to bless you with Good Propagation (within,
of
> course, its design and installation limitations).
>
> Bottom line is, don't despair, don't get too frustrated, and within
the
> bounds of safety and common sense (i.e., try not to fry your self or
> your gear), keep trying to tame the RF beast in YOUR particular
> operating environment. Believe me, there's a lot of "magic" involved
in
> operating an effective Ham Radio station in a residential area, but
> there's no "magic bullet" to solve the myriad of problems that can
crop
> up, some even after you think you've run them all to ground, so to
speak.
>
> If you poll the folks who have succeeded in doing this, you will
> probably find that words like "try", "experiment", "search",
> "persevere", "ask", "read" and any number of other "inquisitive" verbs
> crop up again and again. Basically, that's the key to success, and as
> usual, the entryway to still more discoveries and knowledge.
>
> Gosh, that was inspiring! But on the other hand, it is getting close
to
> bedtime...
>
> 73, Bob K9CMR
> ====================
> Kirk Talbott wrote:
> > Bob,
> >
> > Yes, it's a cheap tuner.
> >
> > Yes I have the vertical antenna outside grounded (8 ft. ground rod)
and
> > the
> > ground wire connected to an MFJ window unit, but no the radio
equipment
> > isn't ground connected to the window unit. Kind of a waste of time,
huh.
> > I
> > had every intention of running a ground strap to the window unit,
but
> > the
> > window unit is at one end of the room and the radio equipment at the
> > opposite end. Computer desks, chairs, sewing machines, and
bookshelves
> > necessitated that antenna leads and ground wires meander around or
> > behind
> > furniture, meaning there would have been a very long ground strap
(over
> > 25
> > ft) from the equipment to the window unit. From the ham books long
> > ground
> > wires are a no no, so I didn't know quite what to do there. Which
is
> > worse,
> > no ground or too long of a ground? You get "burned" either way.
> >
> > Connectors are fully seated, tight, and brand new, though the
antenna
> > leads
> > are over 25 ft. long as described above. I realize I'll have to
> > rearrange
> > the room but I haven't gotten around to it yet. It was only two
months
> > ago
> > that I had a 2 meter mobile unit for a radio and an 18" mag-mount
> > antenna
> > sitting inside the room on top of a stainless-steel mixing bowl.
> > Compared
> > to now, those were the good ole' days, happy in blessed ignorance.
> >
> > I figured out the SWR meter on the radio, with the help of W3ICF, so
> > that is
> > actually ok now.
> >
> > Yes, the antenna is marginal, sort of. It actually was an
experiment
> > from
> > W3ICF as he had this old antenna in his garage and never used it and
he
> > just
> > wanted to see how it would work. The antenna is ground mounted on a
1
> > ft.
> > pipe, but there are no RF ground radials; supposedly it didn't need
any.
> > W3ICF put his antenna analyzer on it and got acceptable (barely) SWR
on
> > 40,
> > 20, 15, and 10 meters. Using it with my Kenwood TS-2000 and its
> > automatic
> > antenna tuner, it works fine on these bands. "Works fine" is my
term
> > for
> > 1:1 or 1.5:1 SWR and making contacts in the North East, South East,
Mid
> > West, and far western USA. I can hear plenty of DX international
> > stations on
> > 20 meters, but due to traffic pileups and propagation haven't been
able
> > to
> > contact any. So, does a radio and antenna work with no ground, long
> > antenna
> > leads, and a marginal antenna? Sort of. Would it work better if
> > everything
> > in the shack was set up by the book? Absolutely.
> >
> > So, if the antenna and a radio with an automatic antenna tuner sort
of
> > works, why did I purchase an antenna tuner? Well, it all stemmed
from
> > buying the wrong radio in the first place. The Kenwood TS-2000 is
too
> > much
> > radio for a rookie ham operator like me. Sure I can use it fine on
2
> > meters
> > and 440, and on some HF bands, but I'll never, repeat never, be able
to
> > realize the capabilities built into the Kenwood TS-2000. There is
so
> > much
> > to learn and the manual so intimidating, it just isn't fun. So,
with
> > this
> > in mind I bought a bare-bones Icom 718, which is a basic HF rig
designed
> > for
> > beginners. Since I wanted to experiment with dipole antennas I
thought I
> > needed a manual antenna tuner, and there you have it. I guess this
> > situation is analogous to a newly licensed driver getting a Ferrari
for
> > the
> > first car. It just won't work. I'll keep the Kenwood and learn
bits
> > and
> > pieces as I go and maybe if I live long enough the Kenwood TS-2000
will
> > actually appreciate in value, like a Ferrari.
> >
> > Thanks for the info and the help.
> >
> > KB3ONM
> > Kirk
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bob Moroney" <windbrkr at erols.com>
> > To: "Frederick, Maryland ARC" <farc at mailman.qth.net>
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 7:02 PM
> > Subject: Re: [FARC] Antenna Tuner
> >
> >
> >
> >> Kirk,
> >> From the sound of it, you could have a screwed-up tuner, you could
> >> have
> >> a screwed-up antenna, you could have some station grounding
problems,
> >> you could simply not be using the tuner quite as it's meant to be
used,
> >> or you could have some combination of the above.
> >>
> >> Does that make you feel any better? Probably not.
> >>
> >> Basically, you need to deal with one problem at a time, starting
with
> >> the antenna and feedline. If that system isn't behaving as it
should,
> >> you might as well be beating your head against the wall. Have you
or
> >> anyone else put an antenna analyzer on the end of the coax that
goes
> >> into your transceiver? That alone will tell you a lot about your
> >> antenna and feedline; e.g., what its impedance is at various
> >> frequencies
> >> and where it's naturally resonant.
> >>
> >> Is your station's grounding system solidly bonded to a real earth
> >> ground, and is all your station equipment solidly tied into that
> >> system? An ohmmeter will help answer that question.
> >>
> >> Are all your coax connectors "good" and fully seated into one
another?
> >> Another job for the ohmmeter, at least as a start.
> >>
> >> I didn't know it until today, but I too have one of these tuners; I
> >> just
> >> never fully assimilated the make or model number. To me it was
simply
> >> the somewhat cheap manual tuner I bought maybe ten years ago from
some
> >> mail order place (Radio Works?). It's an OK tuner as far as it
goes,
> >> but it's definitely nothing special. I can't say that I've ever
looked
> >> at the manual. Although I bought this tuner ten or more years ago,
I
> >> would doubt that the manual I have is any different or better than
> >> yours, so loaning you my manual probably won't help.
> >>
> >> On the tuner, one thing I would say right off the bat is that the
knobs
> >> on the front panel (other than the "Output Select" knob) have no
stops.
> >> As you suggest, they will turn forever. So just picture what they
do.
> >> Matter of fact, it wouldn't hurt to unscrew the cover from the
tuner
> >> and
> >> view what lies beneath to help you visualize.
> >>
> >> You'll see two variable capacitors and a coil. The two variable
caps,
> >> one "transmitter" and one "antenna" are just plates that twirl
around,
> >> interleaving (or not) to various degrees, depending on how much
they've
> >> been twirled, then start it all over again. The "inductor" (coil)
has
> >> taps off of it that are connected to the "inductor" switch. You
can
> >> turn this switch forever as well, but in reality you are just
cycling
> >> through the same tap points over and over, adjusting the impedance
of a
> >> capacitance/inductance bridge in various combinations until the
antenna
> >> is "tuned". Unfortunately, though, an antenna can't really be
"tuned"
> >> without increasing or reducing the length of its radiating elements
to
> >> match the frequency desired.
> >>
> >> So the idea of an "antenna tuner" is to achieve a reasonable
impedance
> >> between whatever radiating contraption you hooked up to the "tuner"
and
> >> the transmitter, so you don't wind up releasing the smoke from your
> >> transmitter's output transistors. The transmitter finals are
happiest
> >> when they sense a 50-ohm impedance on their output; thus you need
to
> >> fiddle with the tuner controls until the radiating contraption
> >> (antenna) "matches" what the finals want to see. So you could
view a
> >> tuner as a "pacifier" for your transmitter finals, more than
anything
> >> else. It may or may not really increase the power that winds up
going
> >> to the antenna, but it will help to keep the transmitter output
stage
> >> happy and smoke-free.
> >>
> >> Put the inductor switch into the position recommended by the
"manual"
> >> for a given band, then tweak the transmitter and antenna variable
> >> capacitors within their range, until SWR is minimized. Make sure
> >> you've
> >> got the "Output Select" switch set to the "Tuned" segment so you're
> >> getting the correct meter readings, and make sure you've got the
> >> "Peak/Avg" push button "out", so that you're getting average
readings
> >> instead of peaks that depend on your voice modulation. Also, if
you
> >> can
> >> get your transmitter to key in CW mode, do that instead of using
SSB,
> >> which as you note, various according to the volume of your voice.
I
> >> don't know your rig, so I don't have any suggestions there, other
than
> >> plugging in a key.
> >>
> >> Well, I'm tired of typing, and I've got to make some cole slaw for
> >> supper, so hopefully all these words may help you a little. Feel
free
> >> to write or call if they don't, or whatever.
> >>
> >> 73, Bob K9CMR
> >> ======================
> >> Kirk Talbott wrote:
> >>
> >>> I recently bought a Vectronics VC300DLP antenna tuner and I am
using
> >>> it
> >>> with
> >>> an ICOM 718 transceiver. My antenna is a hy-gain model 18 AVT/WB-S
> >>> vertical.
> >>> I bought an antenna tuner based on a consensus of other
experienced
> >>> hams
> >>> that if I used the ICOM 718 I would probably need an antenna tuner
> >>> regardless of what antenna used.
> >>>
> >>> I am new to ham radio, HF, and antenna tuners in general and that
is
> >>> mostly
> >>> the problem, however I am having specific problems with the
tuner
> >>> and
> >>> am
> >>> ready to pitch it into the street!
> >>>
> >>> The instruction manual for the tuner is essentially useless due to
> >>> many
> >>> typos and obvious errors in English translation. I was able to
divine
> >>> how
> >>> to hook it up to the transceiver and to set the defaults for the
> >>> transmitter, antenna, and inductance controls on the tuner for a
> >>> particular
> >>> band. Since the labels on the tuner's controls didn't match the
> >>> labels
> >>> in
> >>> the manual, it's a toss-up as to whether I had things set right
from
> >>> the
> >>> get-go.
> >>>
> >>> Now to transmitting. Do I have it tuned? Probably not. Both the
> >>> forward
> >>> and reflected power needles dance back and forth wildly to the
lows
> >>> and
> >>> highs of my voice during SSB transmission, making it nearly
impossible
> >>> to
> >>> read the SWR at the intersection of both needles. The tuner has a
> >>> dummy
> >>> load
> >>> built-in which is convenient, but remember, there is no carrier in
SSB
> >>> transmission, so you can't just hold the PTT switch down while you
> >>> simultaneously fiddle with the three tuner controls.
> >>>
> >>> Put the transceiver in FM or AM mode so you have a continuous
carrier
> >>> you
> >>> say? Nope, I tried that. The transceiver has no FM, and using AM
> >>> pegs
> >>> both
> >>> needles to their stops on the tuner with some erroneous
indication.
> >>>
> >>> After much fumbling I was able to finally coordinate mike,
talking,
> >>> and
> >>> twiddling the controls but to no avail, adjusting the controls did
> >>> nothing
> >>> to change tuner meter needle indications. As a matter of fact,
the
> >>> controls
> >>> on this tuner will turn past their stops infinitely, giving you
what
> >>> tuner
> >>> setting as a result? One ham said, "After you tune, write down
the
> >>> settings." So I would write down, 20 turns to the right past "6"
on
> >>> the
> >>> antenna knob? Or 5 turns to the left past "1" on the transmitter
> >>> knob?
> >>> This can't possibly be the way it works.
> >>>
> >>> Now, fortunately the transceiver has an SWR meter so I could use
that
> >>> maybe
> >>> as an indicator of getting close to doing something right, and not
> >>> burn
> >>> up a
> >>> transmitter in the process. Nope again. The transceiver's SWR
meter
> >>> varied
> >>> between 1:1 to 9:1 depending on the highs and lows of my voice
during
> >>> transmission. If I spoke softly, it would read 1:1 all the time.
> >>> Raise
> >>> your voice, and it would peak out at 9:1 then drop back to 1:1.
> >>>
> >>> Anyone up for some antenna tuner 101? Or better yet, would
someone
> >>> like
> >>> to
> >>> purchase an antenna tuner, cheap, that is before I reduce it to
its
> >>> elemental parts with a sledgehammer? You don't have much time.
> >>>
> >>> Plodding along blind
> >>> KB3ONM
> >>> Kirk
> _______________________________________________
> FARC mailing list
> FARC at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/farc
>
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