Equipment Bay

By July I was running our of room.  I had rearranged the shack to try to consolidate some items and arrange cords to reduce the rat's nest that was growing under my desk.  So, I brought inside a smaller bay to use as my primary operating position and rearranged the equipment to provide a more ergonomic and useful operational configuration.  At the same time I routed wires and cleaned up everything.

The arrangement now appears as shown below:

Audio Patching

The next phase of my expanding shack was to deal with the various audio connections and try to get something under control so I did not have to adjust all the radios and connections.  So I looked and purchased a 19" patch panel to fit the equipment bay that I had.  Once I had that in place I began routing the various audio outputs and audio inputs in an attempt to get my primary audio down into one speaker with no more than two volume controls. I also wanted to switch my digital from one radio to another.

Well after a quick trial and error I found that for whatever reason my RIgblaster did not appreciate being routed patched audio back to the panel then to the computer and patched to the RB.  So I ended up patching the audio from the radio to the RB then cords from teh RB to the computer and back, then routing the monitor audio to the panel for use.

After it was over I was able to patch the audio from the VHF and HF radios into the Behringer 802 mixer and to a dedicated single speaker for each (two speakers, one for VHF/one for HF).  While this seems like a standard one radio one speaker set up - what it does provide me is the ability to control volumes from one location.   By putting one radio on the left channel and one on the right I can control the volume of each to either hear them both for monitoring or turn one down to hear the other.

Exceeding the past ....

Within a month or so of work I had recreated, for the most part, where I was previously in terms of capabilities.  I had a working, reliable HF station.  Good VHF in the shack and the vehicle and mobile APRS for digital tracking (so the wife can figure out where I am - no more smartphone apps).  I also reinstalled my 6 meter dipole for when the band decided to open up.But in keeping with time honored tradition - it was time to move forward.  So I started to expand some.

Battery Backup

 One capability that I had always wanted, but never gotten to was emergency power.  With my ARES and MARS influences in full march I decided to add a battery powered backup for the HF station.  This was done and I also added a  PowerGate and Rigrunner to handle the power transfer and routing jobs.  At this stage I had and auto-switch to battery backup for HF and VHF transceivers.

That still exists but I also now have a meter to monitor battery voltage overall, amperage draw when on battery power, and a UPS to support the computer, audio mixer and digital operations.  Current load gives me just over 15 minutes to cover quick drops.  It also prevents me from losing a contact or communication mid-word.  If it looks prolonged I can shut down the computer to conserve power as well as consider setting up the generator to cover for extended time frames.  On the planning dock is a solar charging addition that will help keep the battery up and running as needed.

BEAM!

Six meter beam that is.  I had always wanted a VHF beam.  Have one up for 2/440 but never had one for 6.  So after working the VHF spring contest and doing OK, I purchased a Cushcraft 3 element beam. Use a Radio Shack TV rotator to spin it.  Works like a champ.

Getting the word out

Another addition I had wanted was a boom microphone.  The looks of the arm reaching out and holding the microphone just so - also fit the the ability to type while transmitting without too much hassle.  So I purchased a Heil boom and microphone holder. The holder fit my Kenwood MC60A microphone and I added a foot switch I already had.

By this point my shack looked like this:

Volunteering and Emergency Communications

Being back in the hobby was fun, but it's better with others.  Since I'm not much of a rag chewer sort of guy and I do prefer to volunteer for a reason.  I investigated, and ultimately joined, the local ARES group (http://clayares.org/).  Turn out to be a wonderful bunch of guys.  Some of the equipment decisions being made are to support being able to interact and support ARES emergency operations.

I also rejoined Navy MARS.  I had originally become a member of Navy MARS back in 1987 in Puerto Rick and maintained pretty much continuous membership up until the 2006 timeframe.  At that point, work and family made it nearly impossible to meet my obligations so I let the membership slide.

Several of the Clay ARES group were members of MARS and it made me re-examine where I was.  I determined that i had the time and space so I re-volunteered and became a member of MARS again.  That is also driving a LOT of my equipment/operating decisions since the April 2014 time frame.  It's sort of like coming home after being away for a long time.  It's familiar and you know the neighborhood, but there have been some changes that need to be dealt with.

 This time around there is a very large emphasis on digital communications that was not in my earlier MARS experiences.  Then RTTY was a pretty exotic thing for members, now RTTY seems to be a dinosaur.  It's all about learning new skills.

Blowing off the dust .....

With the decision to get back on the air came the inevitable scrambling to figure out what I still had.  Some things, such as my TS-2000, had never been far from my desk.  Others, like my outside HF antenna, were pretty much non-existent.  So I looked around and determined that what I needed was a way to transmit in order to get back on the air.  Since I was sure the rig was good that meant an antenna.  So I looked in the box and found an HF dipole that I had made - measured it and strung it up.  Hooked up the new 50' run of RG-8 came inside to test and first contact was on 17 meters to upstate New York with 5-9 reports.  Its working.

Within a month or so of string up the dipole we had a pretty large gust of wind come through the backyard.  The only casualty was a termite ridden tree trunk - unfortunately this tree ate my HF antenna!  It feel into a leg of it and wrapped it up so bad the antenna was essentially unrecoverable.

So, instead of working to get a new balun and cut more wire, I took the easy way out and purchased a new G5RV.  I had used one when I first moved down here in 2004 to very good succcess and didn't want to end up with another antenna that I had to tune round one way and back another.  So why mess with something that worked.  Got it up and again, good reports all around.  And the tuning was pretty much good across the bands.  The internal tuner on the TS-2000 does a good job of tuning to match.  I'm sure its not perfect, but it works.

Meanwhile ....

At the same time I was re-constructing my VHF capability.  I had a Kenwood TM-261 but it had a dead speaker for whatever reason.  Seemed to work - but no sound unless you had an external speaker connected.  Minor inconvenience.  Got my D700 up and running for APRS, ending up buying a GPS from Baycom to work with the APRS side of the radio.  So I had voice and digital in the truck.

Ended up buying a new TM-281 for the shack so I could have digital uploading of frequencies.  The TM-261 is nice but a pain to load manually.

Packet .... what packet?

I also worked out getting my RigBlaster Pro up and functioning for HF digital signals.  When I got out of the hobby in 2004 PSK31 was the new rage.  Now it seemed to be the standby for HF digital. APRS was also the new kid on the block (well toddler actually) and Packet was still king of VHF.  Now, nearly a decade later you can't consistently find a packet signal that is not APRS.  Lots of changes to contend with and learn.

Station History for KB4RAC/W4GFQ

KB4RAC - Puerto Rick (KP4)

I began working toward my ham license while stationed with the Navy in Puerto Rico in mid/late 1985.  On the base where I lived/worked was a Chief (Fred Bourne, NP4IG) who was a Ham and a Ham Shack (KP4USN) available for use.  Since my rating in the Navy was related to communications most of the written challenge for Novice was in learning the rules.  The really hard part for me was learning Morse Code.  Even at 5 WPM - it seemed a daunting task.  So I studied the tapes as best I could.  In November we came to the sudden realization that the Chief was soon transferring.  So in a frenzied rush I got to where I thought I was OK and he presented me with the Novice exam - including the code.

Realize that this was the "old style" wherein any ham could administer the standard test to anyone.  Then the results (presuming you passed) were submitted to the FCC.  Well I passed the exam and in the Spring of 1986 I received my license and call sign KB4RAC (no rapid licensing back then!).  I realized later that if I had not used my FPO address but instead used the PR mailing address, I would have received a KP4 call sign.

Well now I was official. So I ventured up into the ham shack on base and nervously attempted my first contact - in CW.  However, I cheated.  In the shack was a PK64 TNC that had the CW mode in it.  Since my privileges were pretty limited at the time, I decided to use the CW mode and get on the air using this equipment.

A Shack of my Own

I continued working in the base shack until July where I set up my own station in my home.  A Kenwood TS-520 feeding a dipole that was (if it was lucky) 12 feet in the air.  By early 1987 I had my own PK64 in service and had a full fledged station running.

Technician Class

By this time I pretty much had the bug well in hand. So in September I attended the PR ARC convention and passed my Technician license.  This lead to voice privileges and an expanded band access.

Back to the States

In November of 1987 we left Puerto Rico and my ham activities continued in Pensacola.  First using the base ham shack and then (after Christmas) at my apartment off-base.  That was a pretty small affair - I used a coffee table on one side of the living room.

In February we moved to my ultimate station in Homestead, FL and of course we had to set up a ham shack in one corner of the house.  Same basic concept as in Puerto Rico - TS-520 feeding a dipole in the backyard with a height of about 15-20 feet or so.  Pretty basic.

At that time VHF Packet was pretty big and I needed a better signal so in April I purchased a 4 element VHF Beam and 37 foot push up mast to get a signal out to the various PBBS's operating in the area.

While my TS-520 was working for me - I coveted a new and fancy (read a bit more modern) transceiver. So I bought a Kenwood TS-440 and matching power supply and I loved it! 

On the Road Again

In the best tradition of the service, 3 years later saw me moving yet again.  This time up north to Maryland.  Waldorf, just out side the DC beltway area, to be exact.  Once again I set up a station but this time I had an entire closed in garage to work with.  Still not much more than a backyard to string a dipole in but I managed.

In 1995 I accepted an early retirement and we moved to a more permanent home (we were renting the prior residence).  Again I had a garage to work with but this time a fairly extensive tree collection behind me.  At this QTH I experimented with using an HF multiband vertical and ended up (in 2003) with a 40' tower and a pretty decent VHF station.

Since I had passed my novice code exam I had credit for 5 WPM code speed.  When they reduced the General class license requirement from 12 WPM to 5 - I jumped at the opportunity and obtained my General class license.  A bit later I tested and earned my Extra class license - again without having to code test.  While not the best of solutions for using Morse - it surely made it easier to advance up the line.

In 2001 I requested, and was granted, my current call sign of W4GFQ.  

Last Move (I think)

 In 2004 I was offered the chance to move back to the area I was born and accepted.  So once again we packed up the house (first time on our own) and moved back south.  My new residence is just outside Green Cove Springs (where I was born quite a few years ago) and resides on over 2 acres of land.  About half of this lot is nothing but woods.  Antenna structures galore!

I set up my shack and worked HF until late 2006.  Then I ended up taking about eight years off for other things.  I returned to the hobby in early 2014 and have been working on reestablishing my capabilities.  At this point I have my station up on HF consistently, have an ability to be on VHF digital (but not much there these days) and have just put up a 6 meter beam for the Sporadic E season and six meter DXing.

Purpose of the W4GFQ Station Log

This station log is being written starting June of 2014.  Its purpose is to fill in the blanks that my station contact log will not easily provide. I will be adding comments from my log from my first point in Ham Radio, anecdotes/comments until I catch up and move forward.  So it may seem a tad disjointed and "distant." I will also be recording equipment comments pertinent for historical purposes.

I have been an amateur radio operator since 1986, but I have had some gaps in my time on the air for one reason or another.  While I hold an "Extra" class license I am not steeped in the technical side of things.  I actually consider myself to be more of an operator.  I can follow directions and actually build things if need be.  Just don't ask me to sit down and troubleshoot why that radio isn't working without a good bit of research first.

I was first licensed as KB4RAC but now hold the call W4GFQ in honor of my grandfather Ed Wright – the original W4GFQ.  He is the first person who I ever knew that was a ham radio operator.  We did not spend much time together and didn't talk at all about radios - but I'm sure he put the genesis of the bug into my young head.  When he passed away I resolved to request his callsign through the vanity licensing program so that his call would not fall by the wayside or end up with someone who would not appreciate its history.

I don't know a lot of what he did in the hobby but I've pieced some pieces together.  It seems for one reason or another he was primarily interested in the VHF side of things.  Below is a picture of my granddaddy at a Flamingo ARC picnic (what I believe is now the South Florida FM Association). Granddaddy is in the back right corner watching the operator.

At some point I learned that he was interested in satellite operations (further cementing to me that he was primarily interested in the VHF side of things).  I discovered via an online search that my granddaddy was a life member of AMSAT. In the March 1974 newsletter, W4GFQ is mentioned as being LM-27.  Pretty much a commitment to what was then a 5 year old organization of satellite enthusiasts.

So while this blog may not interest very many folks, it will be of some historical interest for me.  As such it is here for free.  Feel free to visit and peruse - maybe even critique.  Just don't be offended if I don't respond to non-constructive criticism.