[OKDXA] OKDXA at Green Country Hamfest

[N5PA]

Guys:

 

Sounds like you guys had a good turnout at the OKDXA meeting at Green
Country Hamfest this past weekend.  I wish I could have been there with you
guys.  Instead, I was in my shack building the K1EL WinKeyer USB Kit.  It
took less than an hour to put it together, but it probably took about two
hours to sort out the parts into correct stacks beforehand.  Those little
1/8 watt resistors are hard to tell the value even with the use of a high
intensity flashlight and a magnifying glass.  A test with the multi-meter
verified them.  It set up fine and worked right first try.  I have to redo
some of my cable connections.  The RCA phono plug to a ¼ inch mono plug
cable will not work for the output to the Mark-V.  The Mark-V is looking for
a stereo plug.  I fooled it with a ¼ inch mono to stereo conversion plug,
but I will make a cable tonight that is RCA phono to ¼ inch stereo tonight.
I also need a longer USB cable to go to the computer.  I am taking out the
W5XD Multi-Keyer, which was acting flakey and I need to get a longer serial
cable to go straight to the Mark-V’s CAT connection.  I need another long
serial cable for my RIGblaster Pro.  But I was able to get it configured
with DX4WIN and WriteLog rather quickly and test it out.  You have to load
the USB software before attaching the device.  It actually creates a COM
Port from the USB device.  It worked real smooth.  You can see the kit at:

 

http://www.k1el.com/ 

 

I have the one in the top photographs, the WKUSB.  It was fun to put
together and it will make switching from CW to RTTY much easier now.  I was
using the same COM Port for both before and I had to manually change the
software to switch from one to the other and it did not like it when you did
it.

 

The next projects for the shack are to get a new operating desk and put up
my Zero Five 43 Foot Multiband Vertical.  I am going to try and operate some
in the OK QSO Party this coming weekend, but I am waiting for new traps for
my Cushcraft R6000 vertical to come in.  I am hoping they come in before the
weekend so I can get them installed.   Hope to work you guys this weekend
during the Party.  Oh, by the way, Jerry, the dues will be on the way this
week!

 

73,

Alan, N5PA