Amateur Radio W5ALTIndex Home PageAbout W5ALT How I got Started YV1/W5ALT Ham Slang QSL Cards My QSL Cards DX QSL Cards Projects Morse Keyer Field Strength Meter Other Info CW Info Antenna Info Digital Etc. Other Links Comport Computing W. B. Fair, Jr. |
About W5ALTCurrently I am working in Maracaibo, Venezuela and spend very little time at home in Houston, Texas, USA. Consequently, I maintain 2 separate stations so I can operate at either location. In addition, I have a portable QRP (low power) tranceiver that I carry with me when I travel, so I can operate from hotels or where ever I may happen to be. My home station is Houston consists of an Icom IC-735 tranceiver along with an Icom R-71A that I use for shortwave listening. The antennas are a random wire about 65 feet long in the trees in the back yard and a Butternut vertical. Station accesories include an MFJ keyer with Bencher paddle, and an MFJ-941B antenna tuner. I also use a military surplus bug for CW. My station in Maracaibo consists of a Yaesu FT-100D tranceiver along with a Drake R8B shortwave receiver. The antennas currently in use consist of a 40m dipole drooping outside the apartment window and supported on plastic cup hooks. In addition I have a homebrew vertical sitting in the corner of the living room that is 2 meters tall with 2 radials running along the baseboards. Station accesories include a Bencher CW paddle, an MFJ-941E antenna tuner, and a Hi Mound bug. For travel and QRP operations I use a Yaesu FT-817 with a small CW paddle. FOr antennas, I usually carry a couple of Radio Shack "reel" antennas that consist of a roll of wire inside a small case that can be reeled in when not in use. Sometimes I carry a Radio Shack 2 Amp power supply, other times just use batteries. I've also carried a MFJ portable tuner, but I've found I can usually get the wires to match without a tuner, so lately I just leave the tuner at home. Other equipment I have used over the years includes a Knightkit T-60, Hallicrafters S-40B and SX-99, Heathkit DX-60B, SB-200 HW-101, HR-1680 and 2036, all of which I built. I also have a Kenwood TS-50S and TS-850SAT that are not currently in use. Here's what my novice station consisted of in 1970:
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