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   AMATEUR_RADIO      Ham radio for when Armageddon strikes      2,531 messages   

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   Message 430 of 2,531   
   Roy Witt to Ed Vance   
   Resurrected   
   07 May 14 18:37:41   
   
   Greetings Ed!   
      
    RW>>>> This kind of antenna experimenting is what brought me to   
    RW>>>> Amateur Radio in 1970...now that I could work VHF and UHF, the   
    RW>>>> antennas I built were much easier to handle...   
      
    EV> Yes, VHF and UHF are small antennas to build.   
      
   I started a new project today after weeks of building and final assembly   
   of an AR-15 rifle.   
      
    EV>>> Another antenna I had 'thought' about almost 50 years ago, but   
    EV>>> never made was the 6 Meter Corner Reflector mounted horizontally. I   
    EV>>> thought it looked real neat, but even if I used Hardware Cloth for   
    EV>>> the reflector element it would probably get Blown Down in a Storm   
    EV>>> as big as that thing would be if I made it for 50.7 Mc/s.   
      
    RW>>> You don't have to use hardware cloth to accomplish that. My   
    RW>>> corner reflector yagi for HDTV is made of tubing. At 6mtrs, it   
    RW>>> would be half the size of one for 10/11mtrs.   
      
    EV> A 10M yagi with a Corner Relector would be a monster antenna???   
      
   Could be, depending on the number of "radials" and the length of the   
   boom...   
      
    EV>> You're right, I have seen photos of corner reflector antennas built   
    EV>> using Rods for the reflector.   
      
    RW>> 8^) I have one on my rooftop tower. My bowtie antenna also uses   
    RW>> rods to make up the reflector.   
      
    EV> When I was thinking of making a 6M Corner Reflector antenna I thought   
    EV> that it was BIG if I had built it.   
      
   Only about half the size of a 10mtr or 11mtr antenna.   
      
    EV>> If I ever wanted to use 6 Meters AM again, I have that 5 element,   
    EV>> Beta Matched Beam still in the box, so I wouldn't need to build a   
    EV>> Corner Reflector for 6.   
      
    RW>> But you could, if you had an inclination to do so.   
      
    EV> Only one 6M rig in my shack, so won't need any second antenna for it.   
      
   LOL! I won't say it.   
      
    EV>> I don't use the Heathkit Sixer anymore because of learning my   
    EV>> neighbor's TV Set was receiving the Audio and I don't want to cause   
    EV>> them any inconveience(sp?) when they are watching a show on their   
    EV>> set. When I watch TV (whenever) I wouldn't want any outside   
    EV>> interference overriding the Video or Audio.   
      
    RW>> Ummm. If he's using an HDTV these days, your sixer wouldn't   
    RW>> interfere with his TV. There's a big difference between an   
    RW>> analog signal and a digital signal. Most likely, your sixer's   
    RW>> signals mixed with his old tv's frequency multipliers or   
    RW>> mixers.   
      
    EV> I wouldn't know if the set they have is HDTV or not, I don't have   
    EV> anything HDTV here to test to see if my SIXER would bother it or my   
    EV> neighbors TV.   
      
   It probably won't interfere with a standard TV either. At least not one of   
   recent manufacture.   
      
    EV>> I know that neighbor wouldn't write the FCC about MY 6 Meter Signal   
    EV>> being received on his TV Set, but another neighbor may not be so   
    EV>> kind and understanding and I get a Pink Slip from the Friendly   
    EV>> Country Cousin that limited my 6 Meter operating hours.   .... ..   
      
    RW>> When I was a youngster in the 50s, we had a ham that lived two   
    RW>> houses up and across the street from us. His xmitter interfered   
    RW>> with our TV reception and my parents complained to him about   
    RW>> it. He didn't xmit during primetime TV and everybody was happy.   
    RW>> I don't think my dad knew that if he complained to the FCC,   
    RW>> they'd put a stop to his interfering, but I know my dad never   
    RW>> complained to the FCC.   
      
    EV> When I started High School in 1956 the School Radio Club got so many   
    EV> complaints from one household that had an older TV Set with a IF of   
    EV> 21MC/s was being interferred with by the clubs KW AM XMTR on 15M that   
    EV> the Radio Classroom Teacher pulled out the 15M plug-in coils and put   
    EV> 20M coils in it.   
      
    EV> The club didn't get any RFI complaints after that mod was made.   
      
   8^) Of course not. 15m is on the 21MHz band...20m is in the 14MHz band.   
      
    EV> I'm thinking the Finals in that TX were 810's in push-pull.   
    EV> Can't remember what tubes they were Modulated with.   
      
   12AX5s?   
      
    EV> The Rack Cabinet was over 6 Feet tall for the TX.   
    EV> -snip-   
      
   That would house a complete 2mtr repeater, with tuned antenna cavities.   
      
    EV>>> I 'Think' I recall that several Transmitters on different   
    EV>>> frequencies could be connected to the Discone (through Antenna   
    EV>>> Tuners) and used at the same time.   
      
    RW>>> That's how a repeater works. It uses tuned cavities to allow   
    RW>>> the xmitter to use the same antenna as the receiver w/out   
    RW>>> interferring with each other.   
      
    EV> You're thinking VHF/UHF, the Discone was HF.   
      
   If they were xmitting on the same frequency or in close proximity to it,   
   they'd use tuned cavities. If they were using one band to xmit on and   
   another band to rx on, they wouldn't need tuned cavities. i.e.   
   crossbanding. I have a radio that will do that. It receives on one band   
   and repeats it on anothere, VHF to UHF...   
      
    EV> I got out of the Navy in 1962 and the only thing I could remember   
    EV> aboard the Ships I were on that used tuned cavities was the Radar   
    EV> sets.   
      
   A user of frequencies in close proximity?   
      
    EV>> The Navy Air Craft Carrier I was on used the Discone just for HF   
    EV>> Transmitting, and they used seperate Vertical Antennas for Receiving   
    EV>> HF.   
      
    RW>> I'll bet that they still needed tuned cavities to use those   
    RW>> antennas, unless they shut down the receivers during xmit.   
      
    EV> There wasn't any Antenna Switch used, the HF RXs had seperate   
    EV> Antennas from what the HF Rigs used.   
      
    EV> Up 3 or 4 Levels above the Flight Deck there were some 300MC/s UHF   
    EV> gear but I can't remember if they were Transceivers or Transmitters,   
    EV> all I remember about them was they had a 4X150A Final that the ET's   
    EV> (Electronic Technicians) had to replace after so many hours of use.   
      
   Whether it was worn out or not.   
      
    EV>> And then there was a person who had both a Citizens Band Call for   
    EV>> his self and a 27 MC/S Business Band Call for his business, who   
    EV>> would sometimes use the Business Band RF Amp when he talked on the   
    EV>> Citizens Band Frequencies (Channels).   
      
    RW>> I don't recall there being a business band on 27MHz...   
      
    EV> Sure was, it had a FCC Class Letter but I can't remember if it was   
    EV> Class C service or what.   
      
   Class C was remote controlled hobby toys. Model airplanes, etc. Still used   
   today, btw...   
      
    EV> I think the old 365MC/s CB was called Class A???, IIRC there were   
    EV> four Citizens Band Classes A through D, one of them was for 27.255   
    EV> Radio Control Model use that was shared with 11M Amateur Radio   
    EV> Operators back then. -snip-   
      
   The FCC gave RCC more bandwidth when CB was made available. There are   
   still some spaces between CB channels for that. I thought that 27.255   
   was/is channel 23 and channel 24 is 27.235 or 27.245 on the new bandplan   
   of 40 channels.   
      
    RW>> Well, in those days most hams thought that the FCC (expletive   
    RW>> deleted) them by giving their 11mtr band away for a citizen's radio   
    RW>> service.   
      
    EV> I'd figure it was some one in Congress or the Senate that pushed the   
    EV> idea.   
      
   Could be. Whoever it was provided a lot of fun for the citizens back then.   
      
    RW>> Thus the name, bootlegger...   
      
    EV> No, Bootlegger's are anyone transmitting on any unauthorized Freq. or   
    EV> using any unautorized Mode, or unautorized Power Level.....   
      
   You know, I looked all over for a defintion of that phrase, but all I   
   could find were references to moonshiners.   
      
    EV> Just like bootleggers in Kentucky and elsewhere who ran Stills to   
    EV> make Moonshine Whiskey without a Government Distillary License to do   
    EV> so. -snip-   
      
   8^) That terminology deosn't apply today, as there is no license required   
   to operate on the CB channels.   
      
    EV>> Sorry I was wrong, I'll watch what I type in This echo, if I can   
    EV>> remember not to say any discouraging words about NON-CB Operators   
    EV>> who use their TOYS for their own enjoyment, until they get caught.   
      
    RW>> Say what you want...we've been off-topic just in discussing TV   
    RW>> antennas and I won't object to that because it also includes   
    RW>> topical things related to radio. And it keeps the echo alive,   
    RW>> which is also very important.   
      
    EV> VHF and UHF Antenna design is the same (except for the frequency) for   
    EV> both the Amateur Radio Service and Commercial Radio/TV Services,   
    EV> AFAIK we've been on topic talking about Antenna Design.   
      
   Yes, but television isn't radio. BTW, I started to build a LPA antenna   
   tody, using the layout from that antenna I provided a link to on YouTube.   
      
   Since it is for UHF only, I'm using 3/8" copper tubing with #12 house wire   
   for the "radials"...and I'll use phenolic or PVC blocks to insulate each   
   boom from the other.   
      
    EV> I've haven't got a Pink Ticket from the FCC (yet), but I did get a   
    EV> White Slip of Paper from he FCC just after I built my Heathkit DX-40   
    EV> on around September 1958.   
      
   I got a visit from the FCC way back in the mid-90s...it seems that my   
   wife's manic-depressive daughter was using my modified VHF radio to   
   broadcast her snide comments on the police frequency.   
      
   I used to monitor their comms, but the intent was to use the radio with a   
   group that had commercial radio on the same band. The FCC engineers wern't   
   very happy about the mods and I had to promise to disable that radio to   
   get out of their confiscating it. I complied and never heard from them   
   again.   
      
    EV> I never could figure out why no one ever answered me on 7173 KC/s   
    EV> when I called CQ, but I made QSO's all the time on 3720KC/s just   
    EV> fine, until I got that white slip in the mail from the FCC Monitoring   
    EV> Station in Laurel, Maryland that said that my signal had been heard   
    EV> on 14.346MC/s.   
      
   8^) Was that a common problem with those radios?   
      
    EV> So off my DX-40 went to Benton Harbor, Michigan by way of an Local   
    EV> Heath-kit Dealer. When it came back, the bill for the service was for   
    EV> replacing a RF Tuning Coil in it.   
      
    EV> After that I finally could make QSO's on the 40M Novice Band.   
      
   8^)   
      
       Have a day!   
      
            R\%/itt - K5RXT   
      
   --- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012   
   --- D'Bridge 3.99   
    * Origin: HAM Radio, aka Amateur Radio. 804? Over! (1:387/22)   

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