Running a Comprehensively FlexRadio System – September 2021

It has taken quite a while to assemble an all-FlexRadio setup.

FlexRadio took longer than expected to introduce the Amplifier (PGXL) and Tuner (TGXL) components. To FlexRadio’s credit the general releases were held until the units were sorted out to some pretty exacting standards, and just like the radios the PGXL & TGXL continue to be worked on for improvements.

Here is my basic system at the Home-QTH:

Flex-6700 — PGXL Amp — TGXL Tuner — Antennas

At the Home-QTH Antenna 1 is a Zero-Five Flagpole Vertical and Antenna 2 is a T-12 12 element Log Periodic

Here is my basic system at the Island-QTH:

Flex-6700 — PGXL Amp — TGXL Tuner — PowerMaster SWR Meter — Antennas

At the Island-QTH Antenna 1 is a Zero-Five Flagpole Vertical

For reference the Work-QTH setup is:

Flex-6600M — Vertical Antenna

In all cases an Array Solutions AS302 arrestor is in-line before the antenna.

Main software is SmartSDR (Windows) either by LAN or WAN using SmartLink.  I do have SmartSDR (iOS) and SmartSDR (Maestro) to fall back on, but mostly am using the Windows version.  (Also have DogparkSDR available on my MacOS machines.)

For a while I am going to run everything in this simple configuration.  Actually rather frustrated with myself in the implementation of antenna switches and various additional sensor/software packages.

The Home-QTH and Work-QTH are able to be kept on standby 24/7, but island infrastructure being unreliable leaves the Island-QTH able to be up only when someone is in attendance.

73

Steve
K9ZW

How NOT to handle Volunteers

The XYL is always a problem solver and for years has quietly assisted with a charity to support higher education, at times serving as an organization’s officer.

She described to me how a newer officer she has been mentoring lost sight of the basics that a volunteer’s affinity with the organization they serve is more emotional and conditional than the relationship employees have with their employer.  Treating the volunteers as employees is not going down well.

Her “apprentice” also publicly forgot that when you need to criticize a volunteer you do so personally and privately, rather than in a broadcast email.  Serious bad bedside manner when handling volunteer’s critiques via group emails.  Bad stuff.

A lot in this case has to do with attitude.

The “apprentice officer” has a newly inked “adult executive MBA” from a tertiary school, and may not realize that those she is treating poorly are every bit as well educated, and have the added credentials of being schooled in handling volunteers the real world.

Having an MBA myself I have seen a lot of new MBAs let their diploma and the coveted extra letters on their business card really mess up their relationships with others, especially volunteers.

Hard not to be excited about the new Tennadyne T-12Log Periodic Antenna

Tennadyne T-12 Antenna up at 76 ft on Skyneedle at K9ZW Main QTH

The Tennadyne T-12 is up at about 76 ft (23m) but I don’t have the rotator controller set up yet, so it is essential fixed.

Yet the performance already has me enthused!

First day running FT8 in the background (I was pretty busy, so I missed a lot of DX opportunities) netting a bunch of DX – over 40 DXCC entities in 165 QSOs!

In no particular order:

Assembling Log Periodic Antennas – Part 2

Another big lift in the process of getting the HF log periodic antennas up. With much help from Vern K9EME, the T-12 is up and initial testing shows it’s performing very well.

There are a lot of steps to do in any antenna project, and this one was no exception.

I’m completing this post Sunday afternoon, as I have had enough feeding the mosquitos for a weekend.  Pictures with brief comments (and yes, the project is not done yet):

The Skyneedle has an offset rotator drive.

 

At the Skyneedle’s lowest elevation it is obvious a few more trees need to be cut back.

Non-Radio – Citroen Traction Avant 11BL

1954 Citroen Traction Avant 11BL Sedan

 

Side view

 

A 1954 Citroen Traction Avant 11BL joined our fleet.

While having a very gangster/steampunk look, the Traction is technologically an advanced car for its era.

Thinking Ahead – Active Countermeasures for Security, Privacy, and Anonymity Exposure as an Amateur Radio Operator

The series start with https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2019/09/10/im-a-ham-or-am-i/

Okay, active countermeasures are a different level of action intended to enhance your Security, Privacy, and Anonymity Exposure as an Amateur Radio Operator.

Suggestions here are mostly low-tech, as we are not going to pretend we will spoof voice-printing and transmitter-technical-identification.

What the goal is will be to provide served agency services while avoiding compromising your personal and family security, negating your privacy and completely losing your anonymity.

Why?

Reasons range from physical security to reducing your personal exposure when the legal (or political) jackals decide to see who they can take a bite out of.

The list is not comprehensive, and is intended to get your thinking down the paths that will preserve your security, privacy and anonymity best.

Your Personal Transponder:

First is almost all of you are carrying a personal transponder. Yes, your cell phone. Having an awareness that if the cell system is up, you are located and identified is important. While not commonplace, it is possible that this information drifts out to where you might not like it.

Your strategy might be to turn off and shield your phone. Or leave you phone at home and use a burner-phone while activated. Or go phoneless.

Your Transport Transponder:

If you vehicle is contemporary it will have one or more transponders active. On-Star is one. Other telemetric systems may be active or it may respond if “pinged.”

Countermeasures include removing the gear (difficult if recently built), shielding the transceiver parts, or feeding the system misinformation.  Easier is to use a pre-transponder vehicle.

Remote Transmissions:

If conditions allow and you have the ability to work remote, your physical presence may be obscured.  In warfare often the transmit antenna or antenna/transceiver for some systems is displaced from the operator for exactly this sort of reason.

Obscured Transmissions:

Going digital comes to mind, as does using a phrase-based system to convey information.  Makes more sense to transmit “Cowboy sees Mouse” – a phrase that is NOT encoded and means exactly what it says, and then have a cheat sheet where you can see that “Cowboy” means a certain operator. “sees” means is nearby or at a location, and “Mouse” means “Main House.”  Sort of like when the XYL says a few words and you “know” the bigger meaning…

 

73

Steve
K9ZW