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| The 2 resistor through hole and SMT |
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| Front panel removed |
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| Now that is small!! |
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| The deed was done not pretty but it works fine. |
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Powering the K-Pod via its RJ12 cable.
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North American CW QSO party contest
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| Oliver keeping a close eye |
Part time summery
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| The P3 in action |
Sections 8
Multi 4
Total points 372
My setup for the contest was as mentioned the MFJ 1788 loop antenna, The Elecraft K3 the rig has the 8 pole inrad filters 500,400 and 250 which I installed. These filters work great in contest conditions when signal are very close to each other. The Elecraft P3 Pan-adapter , my new Elecraft K-pod which allowed me to have VFO control right beside my keyboard and as well programed macros. My key is the Begali contour a very smooth key and makes CW even more of a pleasure to send. The Win4K3 rig control software, N1MM+ contest software and finally MRP4064 CW decoding program for when the CW is at 40+.
software was
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A 40m WSPR weekend
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| 40m from 7am-7pm local time |
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| 40m from 7am-1am local time |
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Article 1
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| Has it been this long since I was on the radio?? |
John also quoted VK3CWB regarding a great attitude to have:
"Its not the QRP which is important, it's the enthusiasm, endeavor, application and belief that things can be done simply which I really admire. And of course, if you run QRP there must be a persistence and a "never say die' attitude which is also most admirable".
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Working some JT-65 this afternoon
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| A decent showing on 20m JT-65 |
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| My spots on Hamspots |
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| Afternoon contact |
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Some DX contacts today.
I had some spare time today and was able to get on the radio! Over the past month or so it has been lots of work and no time to play radio. Today while on 20m CW I was able to snag HA7GN from Hungary, IQ0PG from Italy I was given special report number of UN90ARI1. According to their site this qualifies me for there ARI 90 years award. The last contact of the day was IO0MDC again from Italy and this call was in celebration of 20 years for the Mediterraneo DX club. I was thrilled with
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these short contacts and I really was only on for about 20 min's. On a side note.........I have posted in the past that I am the proud owner of an Elecraft K-pod. This thing works great and is a great asset to the shack. It has 8 programmable push buttons, at my age I loose track of what is on what button! I came up with an idea of adding some magnetic strips with the naming of each of the buttons. Since they are magnetic I can remove them when the button macro has been changed or rearrange them if need be.
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Upgrade to K1EL Winkeyer USB
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| New IC chip installed |
I recently upgraded the IC chip in my K1ELWinkeyer USB to version 3, it was only a 10.00 upgrade that gave me some nice advantages over the old IC chip. It was a very straight forward change out as the IC chip was not soldered in place. One of the main advantages is this IC chip has the ability (via supplied software) to be upgrade over the internet. As new functions become available in the future the upgrade is just a click away. Some of the other new features are:
1. With WK3tools downloadableprogram software you can store messages and retrieve messages. For example in contests you can store the contest exchanges, give the file the name of the contest. In the future when setting up for the contest just download the file to the keyer and your 4 push buttons (that can be preprogramed for 8 messages) can be used for that contest. When the contest is done simply reprogram the keyer with the file for calling CQ.
2. You can custom configure the keyer for 2 separate users or like me if you’re the only one using the keyer…..then have one configuration for contesting and one for QSO’s.
3. You can now adjust the side tone frequency which is not a big deal for me but for some it may be.
4. You can put your rig into tune with just the pressing of 2 of the Winkeyers top buttons the command and PB4 buttons.
5. During the transmission of a message a simple tap of the keyer will stop the message.
6. When and if you operate the unit from an internal battery the battery life has been extended by less drain.
7. Finally on the K1EL’s website under the software tab you will find some great finds. WK3tools, Winkeyer3 test app, WKscan that finds out what comport your Winkeyer is using, WK remote app and a software tools that is in the development stage and according to the website soon to be released a Winkeyer QSO simulator app,
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| With added volume and headphone jack |
These are just a few of the changes in the new IC chip to get a full rundown go to K1EL’s site where you can read thingsin more detail.
You may notice from the picture, if you are familiar with the insides of the Winkeyer USB that is I have done some upgrades to the unit of my own. I removed the internal speaker and added a headphone jack, I also added a volume control for the headphones.
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A fast cool trip to the park
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| Starting out on my cool walk |
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| CHA P-Loop antenna |
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| My setup |
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You never get a second chance to make a first impression!
- I emailed DX Engineering regarding some questions I had about the loop and I was promptly emailed back with an answer.
- They did offer free shipping on orders over 99.00 but it was CLEARLY indicated that for orders outside the U.S this did not apply (I'm in Canada). I hate very small print or no print regarding this but DX Engineering had it plainly stated.
- I ordered the antenna on a Monday evening and it was shipped Tuesday.
- The antenna arrived Wednesday, over the boarder, through customs and to my door.
- The price I was given for the antenna and shipping (FedEx) was the TOTAL cost. In the past I have dealt with Amateur radio dealers in the U.S. I pay for the item, it gets shipped and then I get a call from a carriers "broker" who tells me to clear the item it's going to cost "X" amount. Then I'm asked for my credit card number or it goes back. Let me tell you it has never been cheap.
This is where DX Engineering went over the top!
- I sent DX Engineering an email regarding the bag and I was promptly answered that they would contact Chameleon and have them send me a new bag.
- DX Engineering contacted me promptly after the sale when there was an issue.
- I was not passed off and told to contact Chameleon myself, they took ownership.
2. I was then contacted via email from Maria at DX Engineering and also a phone call regarding
the outcome of contacting Chameleon Antenna. (more on Chameleon's reply later) I personally
spoke with Maria on the phone, she told me at DX Engineering they tried to see if one of their
bags would work. It was determined it would not meet the need of the antenna. Maria then told
me to go and get the bag repaired and they would cover the cost.
- I was contacted in person by Maria who was the person dealing with my issue from the start and was very knowledgeable on the situation.
- DX Engineering took the time to see if one of their bags would work but would not.
- They did not stop there I was then told by Maria to get the bag fixed and send them the bill. Again DX Engineering took ownership and went out of their way to solve the issue.
3. I went out that day and contacted DX Engineering with the cost and was told not a problem to
scan the bill and email it to them and I would then be re-inbursed for the cost.
- 10 out of 10 to DX Engineering for the way they handled the issue! Thanks very much Maria for your personal attention and professionalism .
This is where Chameleon Antenna dropped the ball!
First off let me post the email Chameleon sent DX Engineering regarding the issue I was having with the carry bag:
We realized about a month ago that the last batch of bags that we ordered last year have more or less all the same issue which is if they press fit too much things into the bag then the zipper might fail. They seem to have all the same issue. Those zippers aren’t the best! But if they use the flap over with Velcro without the zipper everything will be fine. So sending a replacement won’t change anything as it already happened to few other people already and we can’t do anything about it. To be honest, It would be better for him to get a local zipper replacement for about $5 or $10.
2. Chameleon's email states "If they (the customer) press fit too much things in the bag then the
zipper might fail"
We realized about a month ago that the last batch of bags that we ordered last year have more or less all the same issue which is if they press fit too much things into the bag then the zipper might fail. They seem to have all the same issue. Those zippers aren’t the best! But if they use the flap over with Velcro without the zipper everything will be fine. So sending a replacement won’t change anything as it already happened to few other people already and we can’t do anything about it. To be honest, It would be better for him to get a local zipper replacement for about $5 or $10.
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| As you close the bag the zipper opens up |
- Chameleon only admits to having an issue with their bag to the customer and supplier when the defect has been mentioned.
- This is poor support for the distributors who sells this product under there name and reputation.
- Knowing there is an issue with the bag and still sending it out promotes poor customer trust.
- I also emailed Chameleon regarding the issue and I received the exact email that DX Engineering received. Seems like it's a cut and paste answer to all who email about this issue.
2. Chameleon's email states "If they (the customer) press fit too much things in the bag then the
zipper might fail"
- You never win when you blame the customer.
- The only items I planned on fitting into the bag were the antenna items that the bag was meant to carry.
- My zipper "failed" while opening it with nothing in the bag for the first time.
3. I am asked to repair a bag that is expected to work but does not. The cost is 20.00 Canadian to
replace all 3 defective zippers on the bag. (main compartment and 2 side pockets that failed.)
- Don't ask the customer to fix your bad and to foot the bill.
- Chameleon should bite the bullet and order bags that work, not sell the bag or inform the customer on their website of the known issue. Informing there dealers won't not hurt either.
Some may think this is only a small issue but to me it is the lack of customer and dealer support. Also the lack of taking proper responsibility for the issue. Having said the above about the carry bag I do want to say the Chameleon CHA P Loop antenna is a quality product and I tend to give it the glowing review it deserves in a later post.
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I heard a loud bang!
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| Oliver likes the other use for the antenna cover |
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| The inside looked great |
Over this past weekend I was not able to get out and about with KX3 and CHA P Loop for portable ops as the weather was not very co-operative. I decided to throw the switch on the K3 at home instead, I really did not find too much on the bands. My antenna as I have mentioned in the past is the MFJ 1788 Mag loop. For me to get on the radio the antenna has to be moved to the centre of the balcony and a feedline brought out to it. This is only a 2 minute job to accomplish and the plan most of the time is when I am done to remove the coax and store the antenna back in the corner of the balcony. Now and then I leave it where it is after setup as I may want to use it later. On Saturday I left the antenna in the “operation position” overnight. I woke up at about 3:30 AM to some very loud and strong winds, I thought I should go and get the antenna and put it to the side in its stored position. Then as that thought was leaving me I heard BANG!!! The wind had blown the Loop over and it hit with a very loud bang. I went out right away and up righted the antenna removed the coax and placed the antenna off the side. Later in the morning I brought the antenna in to inspect it for damage. The outside looked good but it was the antenna tuning capacitor and circuitry end of the antenna that made the loud contact with the concrete floor. I removed the covers and was pleased to find no damage had been done. I then tested the antenna and all was good. Lesson learned, it only takes to minutes to put it to the side and bring it out again. This is worth the time as opposed to spending HUGE money on a new antenna or getting it repaired. With taking the covers off it allowed me to also do my annual inspection of the antenna as well.
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Customer service excellance
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Reading PC4T's blog and then WOW!!
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| Digi signals. |
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Skunked on my day out.
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| The setup in the car |
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| The CHA P loop |
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| Reverse Beacon Network |
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| The broken connector |
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Chameleon CHA P Loop review
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| The Chameleon CHA P Loop antenna |
- It has a very small foot print when setup and is very portable which makes it easy for traveling on foot or bike.
- In very little time you can get very proficient as setting up the antenna.
- The Loop (LMR-400) section and PL-259 connectors are very good quality and also they are fitted with heat shrink to add a nice water tight fit.
- The tuning box is sealed and weather proof just for those days when Murphy decides to bring some rain on your portable operations.
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The tuning box - The 6:1 reduction gear makes tuning accurate and finding the peak noise level very fast. On the tuning box I added a 40-10 meter decal to remind me of tuning direction. Also I added the DX Engineering sticker as I am blown away with their customer service.
- I was able to successfully tune the loop to at least 1.3:1 on all bands wether is was 10m or 40 meters.
- Once the antenna was tuned to the lowest SWR and you move away from the antenna the SWR does not change. In the past with other loop antennas I have used the tuning know was on the top of the tuning box. Your hand being in the loop would affect the SWR and once your hand was removed the SWR would change and this made tuning frustrating. Other loops did not have the 6:1 gear reduction and finding the sweet spot and lowest SWR was a challenge. The slightest touch of the tuning knob threw the SWR off and often you would have to start over again.
- On the base of the handle is a 1/4-20 female thread that makes putting this antenna on a tripod a breeze. Other loops I have used do not have this and I had to make up a homemade mount.
- RG-58 with integrated RFI choke feed-line decouples the Faraday coupling loop from the radio which is essential to prevent SWR fluctuation while rotating the antenna or moving the coax cable around.
- If you have an HOA situation and getting on the air is a challenge this antenna could be the answer for you.
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Quality PL-259 on Loop
Some of the drawback I found with the antenna are:
- The coax that runs from the antenna to the rig is only 12 feet and longer would had been better but that is my humble opinion. In all fairness the other portable loops I have own I had the same issue. Now Chameleon does offer coax with the RF choke in a 50 foot length for 65.00.
- The telescoping mast seems a bit delicate and could if your not careful become damaged making the antenna unless until it's replaced.
- I noticed right away the PL-259 connectors on the feed line are the crimp type and look of low grade quality. In my opinion this makes for a very weak point in the antennas construction. The loop section has quality grade PL-259 but this was skipped with the feed line.
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Crimped PL-259 - The carry bag it comes with is defective right off the self and admitted so by Chameleon. I'm not going to go into detail about that here but you can read my post about it HERE.
In conclusion I am very happy with the antenna and it's built quality, easy deployment and reduction gear tuning. It is pricey but in all fairness all the loops of similar characteristics are in around the same price.
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Heathkit has a new product out.
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| The HM-1002 |
The spec's are below:
Power / SWR / Return Loss Accuracy:
- Meter: 2% nominal for Power, SWR, Return Loss.
- Sensors: Specs vary per sensor model. 5% or better when assembled as directed (no promises yet but we actually hope to beat 2%).
Frequency Accuracy & Precision: 6-digit precision, displaying 100Hz units with +/- 100Hz accuracy for MF, HF, 6 meters. Accuracy and precision always depend on sensor as well as meter. Frequency measurement requires a Heathkit® frequency-capable sensor; one is provided with each meter purchase.
Range: Frequency and power range depend on the sensor model(s) in use. With standard sensor, meter range is 50mW to 2kW power (17dBm to 63dBm) nominal, and 1.6MHz to 54MHz frequency nominal, when assembled as directed. (Subject to change) As with any power device, true SWR handling capability varies with sensor and depends on applied power level, and we will report lab results here as they are confirmed.
Front panel: Sensor/mode cluster, power cluster, SWR/return cluster, color graphic LCD display, calibrated DigilogTM bargraph, configurable visual alert.
Rear panel: Power jacks, sensor jacks, digital jack, audio annunciator.
Enclosure: Hardwood sides, plastic top/bottom, screwless top & front design with integral feet (patent pending).
Size: Approx. 2.2" high x 5.5" wide x 4.75" deep (6 x 14 x 12cm).
Weight: 1 lb (0.5 kg) nominal.
Included: All kit parts, any required assembly hex wrenches, one sensor, silver solder, one six-foot (2m) indoor sensor cable.
Compliance/legal: RoHS. Optional AC power adapter is UL approved. Patent pending.
AC power: Optional AC adapter accepts 90-130 VAC 60 Hz pure sine wave (North American standard), approx. 4 watts. 6ft (1.9m) power cord. (UK, Europe: 50 Hz compatible, but requires a different power adapter.*)
DC power: Accepts 12VDC nominal. Anderson PowerPole jack.
Tools required: Low-wattage soldering iron, wire cutters, needlenose pliers.
RFI/EMC & safety: No switching power supply brick. No mains line voltage (no 120VAC or 230VAC) in the box.
Accessories: (Coming soon) AC adapters, cables, more sensor models.
The cost for all this is 575.00 U.S.
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FT8 from zero to fifteen seconds
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| A FT8 contact |
1. Double-click on call sets Tx enabled.
2. Disable Tx after sending 73
All the Radio settings were passed from the older release to the beta release. I found as others have posted that the FT 8 section of the band is very busy for a brand new mode it sure has caught on very fast. Watching the YouTube videos was a big help as this is a very fast mode compared to other digi modes. In the past with JT8 and JT65 I was able to get some blog writing done when operating BUT this new mode you have to pay attention. If you are searching and pouncing the software is very automatic when you make contact with a station as it moves through the contact process on it's own. I have up to this point only made State side contacts but having said that with the solar conditions that's great for my QRP.
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Chameleon CHA P Loop 2.0 antenna 20% discount!!
Below is the comment:
I've added the information to our website and also added a CHA P-LOOP 2.0 20% OFF discount for your readers, at the link below. The discount will be applied at the check out. The discount is valid until the end of July 2017.
https://chameleonantenna.cartloom.com/product/cha-p-loop-2-0
Cheers,
Carl
I've added the information to our website and also added a CHA P-LOOP 2.0 20% OFF discount for your readers, at the link below. The discount will be applied at the check out. The discount is valid until the end of July 2017.
https://chameleonantenna.cartloom.com/product/cha-p-loop-2-0
Cheers,
Carl
This is a new and improved version over the one that I have been using. The up to date spec's of this antenna can be found here. This is very generous of Carl and if you have ever been considering a portable Mag Loop antenna this is a great find.
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Flight of the Bumble Bee QRP contest
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| Setting up |
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| The view from the op table |
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| Setting up the loop |
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| The outdoor shack. |
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| Chameleon CHA P |
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| Fuelling up before |
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Oh those Eqsl cards
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NAQP CW contest.
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