Station

The Station

Currently I operate an Elecraft K3 – mostly in the digital modes. I finished off the interior of a tool shed and use it as a radio shack. It doubles as a clean tool shed and a music studio. For antennas I use a multiband doublet that is resonate on 40m. It is up about 40 feet in the trees around the shack. I also have a full-sized 20m rotatable dipole, a 10m rotatable dipole and a Comet CX-333 vertical for 2m and 70cm. I’m using a Palstar AT2K to match the doublet to the K3. For UHF and VHF I am running a Kenwood TH-G707. On the right on the wall is a Davis Instruments Vantage Pro 2 weather station.

Using Boot Camp on a vintage iMac, I run Windows 8.1 native. I use the Ham Radio Deluxe suite including Digital Master 780 as a digital interface via an Xonar U4 external soundcard.

The SOTA station incorporates an Elecraft KX2 with a Bioenno 3AH external battery. My main SOTA antenna is a home brew 20 AWG zip cord doublet that is resonate on 40m. I also carry a PackTenna end-fed random wire antenna for quick deployment in tough conditions. For 2m and 70cm I use a Kenwood TH-F6a and a roll-up Slim Jim. Recently I’ve added a Yaesu FT5DR and APRS capability. The antennas are supported with a Goture 20′ carbon fiber fishing pole, a Jackite 30′ and a Jackite 20′ fiberglass masts.

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