RGVHam Weblog

This week I took on the job of re-ordering my shack and moving it to the other side of the house, closer to the tower.  The idea here is to reduce the amount of feedline I am using ( by half or more ) and to update the antenna farm. A third benefit comes with starting off a new hamshack from scratch. - Immediately after I set everything up, the shack will go through a brief ‘photogenic’ period before the desk ends up being littered with post-it notes, partially completed projects and stacks of periodicals. I’ll take a few snapshots of the freshly setup hamshack that I can share online. Some hams may be fooled into thinking that I keep it that neat all the time, you never know.

The most difficult work I did first, moving and re-ordering my antennas and feedlines. Now all I have to do is to move the radios and computer to the new location, get it all hooked up and working again, and take a few snapshots before clutter has a chance to set in.

I was able to eliminate two-thirds of the coax I had been using for my HF antenna, and ditto for the VHF antenna I use to access the local repeaters. Only one antenna, a VHF yagi I use for Packet, will end up with a longer feedline than before.

Things are progressing nicely if slowly… I still need to move the Packet station and its computer, but I already have the HF rig and the radio I use for repeaters moved and set up. After being off the air for a week or so, it is nice to participate in the evening VHF net on the STARS linked repeater system again.

73 DE Charles Brabham, N5PVL

Yesterday I had an opportunity to put my new HT through its paces and to start getting used to it. Through all of my years as an amateur radio operator, this was the first time I wore an HT on my belt all day as I went about my business.

Two accessories I used yesterday were a speaker-mike and an aftermarket neoprene belt-pouch for the radio.

I never have been all that big on handy-talkies, but now that they are smaller and the batteries are better, I am beginning to warm up to the idea.

First I wanted to see how the radio would perform in simplex mode locally, communicating with our 2m base station at the farm. I decided that a good test would be to go to the other side of nearby Raymondville, Texas where we do much of our shopping and business.  With my motorcycle parked at the McDonalds parking lot where Raymondvilles’ main drag intersects with HWY 77, the seven-watt ICOM V85 did a great job, with some static reported on a very clear and usable signal.

Later on the same day I was in Harlingen and La Feria, where the radio did a fine job on the 146.70 repeater located in Bluetown, close to the border on the old military highway.

The new lithium-ion batteries are just what I have been waiting for… I left the radio turned on for over five hours, had several nice QSO’s and still had plenty of battery left when I got home again. The radio’s manual says the battery is good for 6-7 hours of ‘normal operation’, where the radio only ends up being keyed up on an occasional basis. - Quite a change from my earlier experience with HT’s, where the batteries always seemed to give out just about the time you need them the most.

I had QSO’s with a couple of fine Valley hams, Jim K5OYR and Mike, KB0VWG. I heard Dr. Woolweaver K5RAV on the air but couldn’t respond as I was riding and have resolved not to QSO while the motorcycle is in motion. - For safety’s sake. The simplex QSOs in Willacy county were with my son Charles, KE5SLI at the base station.

It rained on me briefly as I rode around on the motorcycle. - But the IC-V85 is waterproof so I literally didn’t have to worry about it - and I didn’t. That was nice.

Overall I was pleased with the radio’s performance, it did just what I was looking for. I still have some “getting used to it” ahead of me, but I no longer harbor any doubts about the radio’s performance and utility.

73 DE Charles Brabham, N5PVL

Last night I finally found the charger to my new HT. - The thing had been missing for a month or more, leaving me stuck with using disposable batteries instead of the lithium-ion battery pack that lasts so long.

I picked the Icom IC-V85 for portable use on my motorcycle. It’s a VHF talkie that is weatherproof, small, and puts out seven watts instead of five.

I’ve never been a big fan of HT’s, but I wanted something I could use while out on my motorcycle.

I experimented with a VOX system for use while riding, but in the end I decided that the best course would be to forget operating the radio and the motorcycle at the same time. I hooked up a speaker-mike and only intend to use the radio when I’m not rolling.

Note that my Harley is a Sportster, not a bagger. - There’s really no place to bolt radio equipment onto the bike, and I wouldn’t if there were.

73 DE Charles Brabham, N5PVL

Today it was so nice that I took the windshield off of the motorcycle, and really enjoyed the relatively calm air. It has been windy and gusty for weeks now, but today was very nice.

On 20meters, things started off kind of dead this morning but it picked up quite a bit by early afternoon. This appears to be a pattern, it has been like this for a week or so, now. It seems like it does best around 7pm, then not long after it starts to fade.

I’m enjoying this spring weather as spring only lasts for a few weeks here in the Valley, before going over full-bore into the nine-month summer we enjoy.

73 DE Charles Brabham, N5PVL

Today I thought I’d start up a weblog.

The title is also the guide here, but it is a rough guide…  

For general information about being an amateur in the lower Rio Grande Valley, stop by at RGVHam.Com:

http://www.rgvham.com

For more detailed, specific information, you are invited to subscribe to this weblog:

http://rgvham.com/weblog/?feed=rss2

73 DE Charles Brabham, N5PVL