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Dragon 10m radio.....

Well Rob, I've been reading over the pfd file Mole posted, and I might look into expanding the frequency range and increasing the output, but for now I'm saving the D-104 for the Kenwood...(assuming I can ever get it running)

The mic that's up for the Valentine's give-a-way would be a good one for this Dragon, maybe I'll get lucky this time around......;)

As for the antenna, I'm somewhat restricted on height, but I'll come up with something....

gotta go on a call, be back to finish this in a short while..........
 
"OK"....back from the call....(I just love these absentee home owners that leave their outside water on in the winter).....:headbang

Getting back to the antenna issue, what has always worked very well around here is the Shakespear Super Big Stick fiberglass verticals. They can be cut or tuned to the 10m band with ease, and seem to throw out a solid signal because we are for the most part surrounded by sea water. The second best choice has been the Cushcraft 10m Ringo which is still made, and easier to find then the Big Stick antennas.

The trees I have to work with are only about 30 to 35 foot high at best, and they are kinda thin at that height, so how well they'll support a long wire dipole is questionable, but as soon as the parachute cord I purchased from eBay arrives, I'll work on getting my support system up so I can raise and lower things a lot easier, and also get them a few feet higher than this 10m dipole is now. This will also give me a better N to S orrientation to the radiation pattern, as it is now I'm throwing half my signal out to sea where no one can hear it.

Interestingly, last night I picked up a guy in Florida (W2GGI) who was 50 miles north of Miami, he was working stations up and down the east coast, and he was booming into my little dipole, but I doubt he would have heard me, especially with the pile up he had going. It was fun listening to him work a bunch of stations, some of which I could pick out of the noise. W2GGI was running a top of the line Yaesu rig with a 1,000 watt flame thrower, so it's no wonder I heard him as well as I did......;)

Anyway, as with all radios, it's a work in progress......
 
It took a little brain storming on my part, but I figured out the wiring between the D-104 and this Dragon 10m radio, pulled the plug off the stock mic, and put it on the D-104. I assume I did it right, this radio will not receive unless the mic is plugged in, I got reception, and when I key down the "Tx" light comes on, and I can make the needle jump on the modulation meter.......
DragonD104.jpg


One of the unfavorable comments concerning this radio in the review on CBMagazine.com was it's serious lack of modulation that could only be helped by a power mic, so let's hope at least my local friends can hear me now.
Once a few of them get home from work I'll get them on 28.400 USB to see if this actually makes an improvement.

The only thing I really don't like about this radio is the tuning steps being set at 10Kz, I'd prefer it set at 1kz. The other night a guy from Florida was booming in up here, he was on 28.395.0, I had to dial in 28.390, then hit the "step" button (#2) and dial the 1Kz digit from 0 to 5 in order to tune him in. Every turn of the dial I'm missing 10Kz of band that a distant station might be on. Assuming this radio was designed for the CB'er / Freebander I can only assume it's programed this way to benefit that particular style of radio work....

If anybody knows how to re-program this thing to tune in 1Kz steps without having to stop every 10Kz, hit Function, then steps, then dial through the 9 remaining Kz, then get out of the 1Kz step, go back to regular tuning, and do this all over again every 10Kz....I'm all ears......:cry:
 
Did ya make any local contacts?
That's great that you put that mic on that rig.
CBRM has a page that explained how to turn the mod up in this radio:
Comanche Warrior 10 Meter Radio Review
With that mic and a little turn on the mod pot, it should swing OK.

Now, if you get your antenna up as high as you can get it, it will have to get heard.
I'm still stuck getting my antenna up - after all this time - too.

BTW-What is your CB handle? What are you going to use? "Joisey State"?
That would work. Or....?
 
Rob,
This D-104 kicks butt, made a 110% improvement.
Got a buddy in the next town on 28.400 USB, and he was able to hear me pretty good, and he's picking me up off the end of the antenna so he's not even in the prime radiation pattern of this dipole.
We then went up to 29.650 FM and it was like being on 2m simplex, full quieting between us, I got him with an S-9, and he had me at around an S-5, he's on a 100 watt Kenwood with beams, and I'm on my QRP Dragon with a dipole made out of scrap house wire and PVC pipe insulators.......;)

Good call on using this old Astatic microphone, I've always liked these things and still do......(y)

No mod to go into the CB band, I did download a mod, but it cautioned that once done the radio can drift off frequency, and I really don't want to de-value a radio that's only been in my shack for two days....

Once I get a good working HF rig up and running I'll start tooling around with this to squeeze a little more power out of it, and add some frequency range.....;)......but for now I'm leaving things well alone.......
 
Fantastic, N2ITH - now you got a second radio up on the band.
That's a good report you got there - too. Good plan.
Does your SWR still hold a good number on FM?
I was wondering how it does on FM, as I never used a meter on my 2m radio because I don't have a 2 meter SWR meter. I understand that SWR will not be the same; is it true?

True, you are on a 10 meter radio.
Does it have the 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval' from the FCC on the back?
Either way, if you don't give them a reason to look - then they can't tell the difference anyway. Since you have a General ticket, you can legally talk all over 10 meters.
Good report!
 
I never checked the SWR's on FM, just AM & SSB, I'm stuck at work til tomorrow morning so I won't be able to give you a report on that til then, but I will look....

Never looked for Uncle Sam's seal of approval either, however there is a boiler plate on the back panel, and I'll give that a look see tomorrow as well...
It was my understanding that only RF amplifiers had to have the FCC seal of approval, and radios didn't have to be certified....especially low power units like this.....:confused:

Got the General ticket so the entire 10m band is at my disposal, I prefer to play by the rules so I stay out of the CW pourtion, stick to USB between 28.300 and 29.500, and only do the FM thing between 29.500 and 29.690.....(I can make it go to 29.699 but why risk spashing a wide FM signal at the edge of the band)

From the signal reports I got there seems to be no need to open it up and mess with the modulation pot, with the mic gain cranked all the way up, and this D-104 set on the high side I've been told that I'm loud and clear on both USB and FM. And like I said, running it on FM on 29.650 is just as good as being on 2m simplex between the few of us that have tried it so far....

I'm having fun with it, and that's what it's all about.....(y)
 
Hi guys,

Glad you're having fun with the new rig. It looks interesting.

And no, FM operation will not show a different SWR. SWR is only about frequency resonance. It has nothing to do with operating mode.

Good luck!

interview.gif
 
Wire Weasel said:
Hi guys,

Glad you're having fun with the new rig. It looks interesting.

And no, FM operation will not show a different SWR. SWR is only about frequency resonance. It has nothing to do with operating mode.

Good luck!

interview.gif
Click to expand...


That is true but in the case of 10m the band has a separate sub-band for FM mode and since the band is so wide it is possible to have a good SWR on the SSB portion of the band down around 28.400 MHz but when going to FM you would have to go to at least 29.000 MHz before you can operate FM and up there the SWR may be considerably higher and even higher yet on the 10m calling freq of 29.600 MHz. So in essence you are correct but since switching to FM mode also requires that you move to the higher part of the band I can understand what they mean by "Is your SWR OK on FM?" I suppose saying "Is your SWR OK on the FM portion of the band?" would be better.
 
QRN said:
That is true but in the case of 10m the band has a separate sub-band for FM mode and since the band is so wide it is possible to have a good SWR on the SSB portion of the band down around 28.400 MHz but when going to FM you would have to go to at least 29.000 MHz before you can operate FM and up there the SWR may be considerably higher and even higher yet on the 10m calling freq of 29.600 MHz. So in essence you are correct but since switching to FM mode also requires that you move to the higher part of the band I can understand what they mean by "Is your SWR OK on FM?" I suppose saying "Is your SWR OK on the FM portion of the band?" would be better.
Click to expand...

(y)...what he said......(y)

I assumed that's what Rob ment, and it's what I ment to say, but didn't quite word it as well as QRN did....
I had the radio set to 28.400 when I did the SWR test, did it on USB, then just to make sure I was getting a proper reading I rechecked it on AM.
When my buddy suggested we go up to 29.650 FM, I never thought to re-check my SWR's up there, but will do so tomorrow to see if they got up, or hopefully down a little.
At 28.400 they're running approx 1.2:1, and that ain't bad, it's a heck of a lot better than what the 2m radio is doing at 2:1.....(I gotta get up on the roof and readjust the tuning ring and get them down, it's just been too cold and windy)....
 
10 Mtr Radiofun

Tony: Looks like a nice rig. I never had one of those or one with that chassis...but hey got you on!
I would not hesitate to jump in with the 15-25 watt output from that rig and work stations.
10 meters is really a very cool band...when it is open 5 watts can sound like a KW!
I have worked many stations with just 25 watts mobile, and can work them easily.
I have worked the world on less than 5 watts!
That dipole will shock you when the band is open! Operating 10/12/15 meters it does not take monster power to work worldwide when they are open.
I built a 15 meter XCVR few years back from a kit board and added a VFO...it runs a max of about 2 to 2.5 watts output.
I can check my logs but just from a guess at least 30 states worked including HI and Alaska on my Double Zepp at 35/40 ft. and several times to Euro Land...all from here in good old cornfield Indiana.

When 10 mtrs is open it is a riot!

You will find the most early openings in the 28.3 to 28.5 segment but check up and listen above 28.5 allot of DX works up as high 28.8 so they do not draw such a pile-up.
29.0 to about 29.2 is mostly AM and will be pretty empty unless the band is wide open.

I listen for FM DX starting around 29.5
I have a couple of old Citi-fone SS from the 60's I am going to convert for 10m AM when she starts to open more. I have a couple of Johnson Black-face's with 29.020 and .030 also...15 watts output and had a blast!

Contrary to popular belief it does not take a KW to work coast to coast...even when I have one of my amps on I never have it cranked up more than a couple hundred for 10 mtr usage...you just do not need it!
Enjoy(y)
All the Best
BJ
 
QRN said:
That is true but in the case of 10m the band has a separate sub-band for FM mode and since the band is so wide it is possible to have a good SWR on the SSB portion of the band down around 28.400 MHz but when going to FM you would have to go to at least 29.000 MHz before you can operate FM and up there the SWR may be considerably higher and even higher yet on the 10m calling freq of 29.600 MHz. So in essence you are correct but since switching to FM mode also requires that you move to the higher part of the band I can understand what they mean by "Is your SWR OK on FM?" I suppose saying "Is your SWR OK on the FM portion of the band?" would be better.
Click to expand...

I was reading about the IMAX 2000 on eHam. One guy was explaining how to make some effective mods on it for a 10-20 meter usage. He showed his SWR figures for AM and for FM on all of those bands in between were very different. It ididn't make sense to me why they should be any different either. But they were, and that is why I raised the question.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1376
Thanks for the answer!
(y)
 
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I have to look into one of those Solarcon Imax-2000 antennas, I'm thinking one of those on a roof tripod with the ground radial kit on top of my garage would give this Dragon a better edge, and they're a lot cheaper than the Shakespeare Big Stick.......
 

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