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The slow evolution of getting back into the game....

WX2MIG

WX2MIG

Still Alive & Well
Dec 10, 2008
730
5
28
39° 19' 23" N X 74° 36' 30" W
I spent some time today arranging some space in my garage to set up and build my ham radio shack. Put up a couple shelves, hung my FCC licenses, and International 10-10 Society certificate along side my trusty old time & tide wall clock.
Broke out an old Dell laptop that my daughter was using, cleaned up the mess she had on that, and loaded the CD that came with my new ARRL Antenna Book.
Then I found an old MFJ DC power strip, other than two 50' rolls of 9913, it's about the only piece of gear that survived from my first forray into amateur radio, so I hung the power strip up between the shelves, and moved the cordless house phone over too.
It ain't much, but it's where I'm starting from, got both my Apelco 501 VHF Marine, and Yaesu VX-170 2 meter HT's sitting on the top shelf with the phone.

What I add next is anybody's guess, I have a small amount of money squirreled away, no where's near enough to get an HF rig, but just enough to get a power supply, another FT-2800M, and a Cushcraft Ringo to replace the VHF Marine antenna I'm using now.
I just might go with a full power 2 meter rig and proper antenna, put the Ringo up higher on a pole, and mount the Metz Marine antenna below it to use with the Apelco 501.
Then hopefully the side job will pick back up and I'll be able to squirrel away enogh to start building on the HF side.
Anyway....it ain't much, but it's all I got for now......
HThamShack2.jpg
 

You bet ! When I started I had an HTX-202 and a homebrew 2m groundplane then a scanner antenna . I had made my entrance into the Amateur bands :) Have fun !
 
:thumbup1: It's a step on the path that never seems to end, but it was a good one. I started with a cushcraft AR-270( which i still have) and an alinco DJ 580 DB ht. It'll get there
 
Thanks guys....gotta crawl before ya can walk......:wink:

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards getting another FT-2800M, and a power supply, but instead of buying a Ringo, I just might build a J-Pole, and spend the money saved on an SWR meter.....(which I'll need if I build the J-Pole)....

According to the ARRL Antenna Book, the J-Pole works every bit as good as the Ringo, and if I build it right, and get it up a few feet higher than the antenna I'm using now, the FT-2800M should get to a lot more repeaters, and greatly expand my simplex range.
 
What's wrong with that picture?
Well, it's too clean, uncluttered, is my first thought. 'You Just Ain't a Real Ham' until you have to move stuff, to get to stuff. About the only time my radio station was ever that clean, 'logically' arranged, was when my mother helped arrange it. Pheeeuuu, I 'cured' that as soon as possible, you know? Put things where they 'belonged' whether it looked good or not.
'You Just Ain't Real Ham' till every 'flat' surface is filled with some kind of 'unique' thingy that probably will never be used. You just gotta save that 2" piece of partially stripped wire! Never know when it's gonna be needed, you know? When you run out of 'flat' surfaces, there's always the 'tilted' ones you can use. Then the steeply 'tilted' ones. Then the... oh well, you get the idea.
I don't see any paper, or pens/pencils! How can you possibly keep all the notes you just know you're gonna need later? Who knows when knowing the color of someone's socks on a particular day may be just the thing you need for something? Oh, and a dumpster to hold all the scrap paper you want to throw away? And after thinking about it for a minute, maybe one'a them @#$ plastic Wal-Mart sacks stapled to the edge of the desk to sort of have a handy place to put that scrap till you can forget to throw it away?
You got a fair start, but things just ain't 'right' yet. Don't worry, it takes time to learn how to handle all this important stuff. You'll get there.
- 'Doc


(You'll know when you are approaching that "get there" thingy when you have to stop and think about where the 'main switch' for all that gear is. That's another 'tip off', that 'main switch' never stays in the same place for a 'Real Ham'.)
 
N2ITH said:
Thanks guys....gotta crawl before ya can walk......:wink:

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards getting another FT-2800M, and a power supply, but instead of buying a Ringo, I just might build a J-Pole, and spend the money saved on an SWR meter.....(which I'll need if I build the J-Pole)....

According to the ARRL Antenna Book, the J-Pole works every bit as good as the Ringo, and if I build it right, and get it up a few feet higher than the antenna I'm using now, the FT-2800M should get to a lot more repeaters, and greatly expand my simplex range.
Click to expand...


just a side note , im running a kenwood ts130-s
got it for 200 bucks , doesnt have 160 , and its not real loaded
with bells and whistles , but it is solid and has served me well
in the fairly short time ive had my general ticket
a home built w5gi which cost about 50 bucks for the materials
AA(would have been less if i had been more resourceful)

point is , you can get on hf fairly cheaply , if your willling to
compromise , or settle for used gear
id bet if you kept your eyes open , and were patient
you could be on hf for less than 300 bucks

73
 
N9RZD said:
just a side note , im running a kenwood ts130-s
got it for 200 bucks , doesnt have 160 , and its not real loaded
with bells and whistles , but it is solid and has served me well
in the fairly short time ive had my general ticket
a home built w5gi which cost about 50 bucks for the materials
AA(would have been less if i had been more resourceful)

point is , you can get on hf fairly cheaply , if your willling to
compromise , or settle for used gear
id bet if you kept your eyes open , and were patient
you could be on hf for less than 300 bucks
73
Click to expand...


And would explain why I've been dragging my feet on dumping my $$$ on more 2 meter equipment. I've stopped myself 3 times now from jumping into the Jeep, and driving to New Castle, DE to visit HRO. I've put the word out on all the local 2 meter nets in my area that I'm looking for a used HF rig, preferably an IC-718, but I'd entertain any other piece of equipment as long as it's in good working order. So far no one has made any offers. I looked through the classifieds on QRZ, and there is a guy in my area that's selling an IC-718, but he's also selling a bunch of other gear along with it as a package deal. I really don't want the other gear, and can't afford the whole package.
I figure I'll hold out for a little while longer to see what happens, but you know as soon as I blow this cash on more VHF gear, someone will come along with the deal of the century on a bearly used multi function HF rig, and I won't have the cash to buy it......

In the mean time, I think I'll build myself a 2 meter J-Pole, and see how much better it works over what I'm using now.....

I have other VHF questions, but I'll post them in that forum....
 
QRN said:
I'm only allowed to post pictures of my operating desk in the shack. All other pictures of the shack are off limits due to the embarassment it may cause my wife and family. :biggrin:
Click to expand...

If you saw what the rest of my garage looked like, you wouldn't be so embarassed.......:ohmy:

It took me 3 days to clean out that small area, and it was the least cluttered spot in the whole place.......:redface:
 

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