Sometimes the small things matter a lot.
The Island Rack basically has been put together piecemeal, and now that it is settling into an all-FlexRadio setup it was time to tidy things up.
Here is the backside of the rack:
K9ZW Island Rack – Backside View
Kind of a “So What?!” picture as I forgot to capture before tidy-up shots.
Changes made include:
Reality check – if your station takes a direct lightning strike it will be damaged.
Second reality check – it isn’t just a direct lightning strike that will do damage, and you can mitigate somewhat against these lesser issues.
So at the new K9ZW Home QTH I’m installing Lightning Arrestors with Static Bleed-Off capabilities.
Lots of other new items at Dayton
Kenwood has their new Flagship in mock-up form. Looked to be a “catch up – me too” transceiver rather than a rig that shouts “KENWOOD!!”
Yaesu has a middle grade “dx series” radio out. Appears to be a price-point filler for the series.
Alpha didn’t have their new tuner in the booth when I stopped and was expecting it to arrive later in the show. Not certain what that was all about.
Hilberling-USA had shack ready radios at the show. I’m hoping to talk with Marcus today.
Array Solutions had the OM line of amps on display Impression is very solid and physically large amps
Attended the DXBanquet last night, and by chace was at a table with W9OP and AA9A from NEWDXA, our local DX club! Didn’t think much of the weak keynote presentation though.
73
Steve
K9ZW
We’re perhaps 6-7 weeks from the likely end of “fun” antenna season, so it sounds like a perfectly good time to decide to add some antennas!
Modest set of plans before the weather sets in (actually it is the very short daylight hours that limits me more until the hard frost comes in):
First to put the Gap Titan DX vertical antenna back on line, including installing the DX Engineering tip-over base that I’ve had for a year now. I’m not looking to use the Gap all that much for a transmit antenna, as I would like the vertical Omni-directional receive as my log periodic is deaf to anything weak that it isn’t pointed directly at. So the Gap would become “receive vertical for 80-6m” in my antenna farm, as well as an occasional transmit antenna – specially for digital.
Gap Titan DX Antenna
DX Engineering Tilt-Over Base
Second receive antenna I am considering is a K9AY loop receive four-way array, like the Array Solutions offering. This would be a space effective way to add a topband (160m) and 80m directional receive to put some “real ears” on my lowband efforts. That their Wolf Systems K9AY setup is potentially DXpedition portable seems a plus, though whether I’ll get to use it for a DXpedition is a question.
Unlike the first antenna, I need to order this K9AY unit soon if I am to get it cabled in before the frost hardens the ground.
Array Solutions K9AY Array - General Layout
Array Solutions K9AY Array - Controller
Perhaps I will have to settle for getting the underground in for the Gap and getting it sorted out. Those limited daylight hours you know….
73
Steve
K9ZW
With Varying Frequency - Amateur Radio Ponderings 