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N0NB

Joined: Sat, Apr 4th 1998, 00:00 Roles: N/A Moderates: N/A

Latest Topics

Topic Created Posts Views Last Activity
Centennial QSO Party site broken on later Firefox versions Jul 1st 2015, 17:31 2 6,896 on 9/7/15
Well done, ARRL! Jan 1st 2015, 14:26 2 7,040 on 1/1/15
Shortcuttng the SS exchange Nov 7th 2011, 20:56 3 9,508 on 8/6/12
QST feedback forum? Sep 15th 2011, 12:04 4 9,471 on 22/9/11

Latest Posts

Topic Author Posted On
Browsing QST prior to 2012 AC5ZX on 9/12/19
A number of years back I wrote a script to collate the images on the QST CD-ROM sets into a PDF file for each issue. The script reads the images from the CD and sets to work. For anyone interested in converting their own sets, they can get the script from: https://github.com/N0NB/qst2pdf
QST archives or not 2001204744H80 on 27/12/16
Are you looking at the correct archive? On the main QST page there are two boxes, one is for the digital QST archive 2012 to present and the other for 1915 through 2011. The latter has scanned individual articles available as PDFs. The former is the digital version of QST available to all members.

What I don't know about the former is whether a new member gets access to issues older than your join date. Since I've been a member continuously for going on 34 years, I don't know.

73, Nate
N0NB.us
Renewed Ham in Boston KA1TMA on 27/12/16
For QRP there are a number of active organizations. One such is the Four State QRP Group. Anyone from anywhere can get involved and buy the offered kits, if interested.

As for contesting, the best thing to do is jump in. I'm not sure if you qualify as a "rookie", but you might want to investigate the ARRL Rookie Roundup set of events staged throughout the year as a starting point. Another good starting point is your state's QSO Party, if it has one, where you can hone your craft. QSO Parties are generally far more relaxed affairs than the major contests and are a good introduction to such events.

73, Nate
N0NB.us
Inverted v configuration around a corner?? ND9Y on 5/8/16
90 degrees is getting rather tight. I've never tried an antenna in that tight of a configuration. It may exhibit some interesting directional characteristics.

Right now the doublet I am using has about a 160 degree angle in the horizontal plane. I cannot detect any sort of operational issue. The doublet is about 205 feet overall, fed at the center with 450 ohm ladder line with the apex at 40 feet and the ends at about 25 feet. I use it with a large tuner on 160 and 80/75m. I will sometimes use it on the higher bands if it appears to have an advantage over the fan dipole I also have up.

A few years back I added 160m to my 80/75m doublet by adding 33 feet of wire to each end of the old doublet. The original doublet ran along the back of the rental lot and there was not enough room to extend it along the back side. At each front corner of the narrow lot stood a utility pole. I ran the attachments to the poles and the angle was slightly more than 90 degrees. The antenna continued to perform well enough on 80/75m and allowed me to get on 160m after a number of years absence.

73, Nate
N0NB.us
Any truth to this rumor? W0SJF on 5/8/16
The OP is certainly puzzling as plenty of ops wear name badges to radio related events, not just hamfests.

Perhaps the confusion is that there are companies that will sell a facsimile of a law enforcement badge with one's callsign on it. I suppose it could have some usefulness but as one who never aspired to be a cop, I certainly would not get one. Perhaps these are what the comments the OP overheard are referring to.

Hats and the usual badge styles available from vendors at hamfests should not raise a concern.

73, Nate
N0NB.us

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