'Ham' Radio...

[Mikey P]

Quick question: I'm looking to move to morse and was wondering what people's experiences of the Koch and Farnsworth systems are? Any pointers?

Oh yeah, anyone selling an FT-817ND and/or a cheap, beginners morse key (straight)?

 

[santaman2000]

I have to start looking for a radio too. I'm wondering how the tsunami is going to affect the availability and price of the Japanese products.

 

[johnboy]

I have to start looking for a radio too. I'm wondering how the tsunami is going to affect the availability and price of the Japanese products.

I haven't heard it's had any effect on production of any form of Japanese consumer products

I also suppose it depends if you're going to buy new or secondhand..

All of my rigs are second hand with the exception of a cheap chinese hand held.

I think going the used / preloved / second hand route to start with might not be a bad idea you get on air for a 'reasonably' low cost and then get to learn / understand what you really want...

There seem to be lots of really good used rigs out there.

I use an old boat anchor Ts 520s for a lot of work on 80/40/20 m and I get a good amount of contacts.. As HF Transcievers go this was a low cost start...

 

[Doc]

Quick question: I'm looking to move to morse and was wondering what people's experiences of the Koch and Farnsworth systems are? Any pointers?

Oh yeah, anyone selling an FT-817ND and/or a cheap, beginners morse key (straight)?

My view is the Koch method is better if starting from scratch, but I don't think it really matters - the key thing is that the individual characters should be at 15-18 wpm or more so that you are recognising the sound rather than counting dits.

I sold off my surplus keys a while ago, but there are always plenty on ebay. I would try and get something semi-decent as it makes sending more of a pleasure. In order of preference, I would suggest:

NATO/Admiralty key. Ugly as hell (has blue/gray cover), costs £30-£200, not portable. But superb action from the long lever, almost as good as the Amplidan and Marconi PS213.
Junker. Maybe £20 used from German ebay, occasionally found on UK ebay but prices higher.
Kent. Good honest key, British made. Passed my test on one.

Cheap but worth considering:

HiMound
US Signal Corps J-37
Cherkassy keys (Soviet surplus)
Brass and wood GPO type keys
Chinese K4 mil surplus
WT 8 Amp key - British wartime key: small, good for portable use, action is not particularly great but useable

Or if money no object:
Swedish Key (£80)
Marconi 365 series (£100 ish)
Marconi PS213 (Holy Grail...£400ish!!!)
Amplidan (Have gone for over £500!!!)

 

[Mikey P]

Hi Doc,

Have seen an MFJ 'basic' key for £17. Any experience of these? They look OK but I'm not really sure what I should be looking for!

 

[santaman2000]

I haven't heard it's had any effect on production of any form of Japanese consumer products

I also suppose it depends if you're going to buy new or secondhand..

All of my rigs are second hand with the exception of a cheap chinese hand held.

I think going the used / preloved / second hand route to start with might not be a bad idea you get on air for a 'reasonably' low cost and then get to learn / understand what you really want...

There seem to be lots of really good used rigs out there.

I use an old boat anchor Ts 520s for a lot of work on 80/40/20 m and I get a good amount of contacts.. As HF Transcievers go this was a low cost start...

I haven't heard anything yet either. Just wondered. I plan on going used to start (if not longer) Was thinking if there was any effect on production there might also be a knock on effect. Good to hear no one else has any rumors either.

 

[Doc]

Hi Doc,

Have seen an MFJ 'basic' key for £17. Any experience of these? They look OK but I'm not really sure what I should be looking for!

The MFJ key (costs $15 in the US, £17 here...typical!) I think is the same as the Ameco K1, and there is the odd review on eham, seems okay. The Ameco K4 gets very good reviews but I think it is different as it has ball races and looking at the picture on the MFJ website, I don't think it has ballraces. It looks rather cheaply made in the big photo, but I expect it woud do the job. You'd need to screw it to the desk or a baseplate. This can be a good thing because a heavy baseplate helps. Or you can blu-tak it down.

 

[Mikey P]

Thanks mate - I'll have a look at them. Got a good couple of SOTA contacts on 2m today - lots of people out and I was doing the Beinn me round (Cobbler, Beinn Narnain, Beinn Ime, Beinn Lubhean).

Mike

 

[Sniper]

Well I finally got the exam last Wednesday at long last, after a series of cancelled dates, tutor not available, premises not available but finally I've got it. Only foundation for now but I'm looking to do an intermediate course late summer / early winter so hopefully after the main camping season. Just waiting for my callsign to be allocated which will hopefully be beginning of next week. Bought myself a Yeasu FT 757GX (HF) with auto tuner and an MD1 desk mike, now waiting for a GV5 antenna to be delivered however having re read this thread I may look into the 10 metre pole for here. My back garden is very small and I'm mid terrace and have a telegraph pole at the bottom of it with 12 telephone lines radiating out like a spider's web to all the houses including mine so a bit wary of dipoles. Also my house is orientated front west / back door east so a dipole would fit east to west house to end of the garden but I would prefer to orientate the antenna north / south naturally. What like are loft antennas..... any good or not?......my first instinct would be not so hot.

 

[johnboy]

Well I finally got the exam last Wednesday at long last, after a series of cancelled dates, tutor not available, premises not available but finally I've got it. Only foundation for now but I'm looking to do an intermediate course late summer / early winter so hopefully after the main camping season. Just waiting for my callsign to be allocated which will hopefully be beginning of next week. Bought myself a Yeasu FT 757GX (HF) with auto tuner and an MD1 desk mike, now waiting for a GV5 antenna to be delivered however having re read this thread I may look into the 10 metre pole for here. My back garden is very small and I'm mid terrace and have a telegraph pole at the bottom of it with 12 telephone lines radiating out like a spider's web to all the houses including mine so a bit wary of dipoles. Also my house is orientated front west / back door east so a dipole would fit east to west house to end of the garden but I would prefer to orientate the antenna north / south naturally. What like are loft antennas..... any good or not?......my first instinct would be not so hot.

With a UK foundation licence are you limited to output power and specific bands on HF??

I have a G5RV jr which I run as an inverted V with the centre at about 10m it works well enough on 40, 20,17M for DX. I had a contact into VE on 17m the other day I was running 10w not a spectacular report but we had a good QSO. I use a Clansman Dipole for 80m which is pretty much local ZL work and over into VK

Getting the G5RV up a good height seems the key and not letting the twin lead feeder near to anything metallic like a support pole which can give you problems...

Have fun...

 

[Sniper]

Thanks Jb yep I'm all excited at the prospect of getting on, and am really looking forward to my first contact. I'm more into the contact side than building anything at the moment but who knows the more I learn that may change.

 

[johnboy]

Thanks Jb yep I'm all excited at the prospect of getting on, and am really looking forward to my first contact. I'm more into the contact side than building anything at the moment but who knows the more I learn that may change.

Aye building stuff is good fun. I knocked up a vertical antenna from some old alloytubing which tuned up nicely on 20+17m yesterday.

But operating is really good fun. Especially in 'field' conditions. I quite like taking my Ic 703 up to the top of a hill or to the beach and running on a battery and a dipole or end fed wire seeing what contacts you can make.

Looking at RSGB's info the foundation licence 'limits' you to 10w on the HF bands. So that should get you around most of Europe and over into the US and VE.

Have fun and good luck with your intermediate licence.

Cheers

John