My station

 

It all started in the 50's with a cristal-radio followed by a 0V1 (with an A415 triode as detector). Taking old radio's apart was the main source of components to build something "new". As my father was a captain on a freighter I sometimes had the chance of staying on board for coastal trips. The most intriguing cabin on the ship was the radio room with dimmed lights, a funny smell and very strange sounds... That got me interested in radio and communication.

 

I got my license in 1961 - as PA0ADC - and my first rig was a WS19 set MKIII (the US model) which I used as a receiver after I built my first homebrew transmitter: the Geloso VFO with 807 in the final and a pi-filter. For an antenna I had a full size 80M zeppelin with open line feeders and a matching unit with a huge coil on my desk (see the picture).

 

From 1967 - 1973 I was too busy getting my degree, working to keep the family happy and spending some time with them, so ham-radio was totally on the back burner. But the same day I got my degree I visited Joep, PA0UM - at that time the unofficial Yaesu importer for the Netherlands - who had a Yaesu FT200 ready for me. The next day my neighbours started complaining about RFI.... Antennas in those days were first an open wire fed dipole, followed by a multi band vertical (Fritzel GPA-3) and later a FB33 tri band yagi - also made by Fritzel.

 

After our move to Hoogeveen (Dr - Netherlands) I was able to put op a Versa tower (60ft - model BP60) with the tribander on top and as a support for various wire antenna's. The peak of the sunspot cycle around 1980 brought many new DX entities within reach of my fairly basic station and with a new FT-980 and a second hand Dentron GLA1000 I worked even more....

 

With a demanding job and two teenage children there was not much time for ham radio until the late "nineties" when I retired and... when we moved to the other end of the world. We took all the gear with us (including the tower) and gradually rebuilt the station that we had in Holland.

 

 

The top section contains the Geloso VFO with 807 and pi-filter. Middle section is a plate AM modulator and the bottom section contains the power supplies for the modulator and transmitter. Output 35W AM with max. 90% modulation.

The antenna (80m zepp) was tuned with a parallel/serial circuit with a big coil. No SWR meter but a little neon bulb for max RF tuning.

Click on the picture to view it in a larger format.

Current set up.

 

After a start with a long wire antenna and the "old" equipment we gradually replaced the various station components. At the moment we are operating with:

 

Yaesu FT 2000

Emtron Linear, model DX2-b

3 element SteppIR yagi

30 m dipole at 18 m high.

2 sloping dipoles for 40M (sp and lp EU)

inverted V dipole for 80M

 

The station is fully computerised with automatic antenna and band switching (except for the linear) and automated rotor control. For details see the

homebrew projects pages.

My SteppIR

In September 2004 I ordered a 3 element SteppIR antenna which was delivered early November of the same year. Putting the antenna together took two days (I did not hurry...!) and was simple and easy to do on your own. The manual is clear and easy to follow.

Putting the antenna in the tower was not too much of a problem either, as my tower is the "crank up, tilt over" type. So all mounting could be done at ground level.

The difference with the old Fritzel tribander was immediately noticeable: better SWR at the band ends, more gain and better directivity away from the "sweet spot". And the button on the control box to switch the antenna direction 180 degrees: invaluable!!! Now it is very easy to check whether it is a long path or a short path opening and in many cases I just don't bother turning the antenna but just flip the switch!

The Versa Tower model BP60 is 18m (60') high.

The other (wire) antenna's are supported by the tower and a very tall (20M) casuarina tree. The problem is that with high winds the hoist wire chafes on the branches and breaks regularly. I am lucky to have a bow and arrow with which I shoot new hoist wires up.

 

We have about 1 acre (0.5 ha) of land adjacent to a national park and no immediate neighbours. The yagi peeks just over the sand dunes and can "see" the Pacific Ocean.

 

However, the proximity of the ocean causes sea spray to settle on the insulators of the overhead power line and makes them - at times - rather noisy. Other than that: an ideal ham location!

 

(last updated 18 January 2008)

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