NR5A's Beacon Blog

3 June 2010

2010-06-04T01:57:00.000-07:00

Well it appears the Hamstick has fixed my problem, you can see the one watt beacon is doing quite well. Notice I have broke the West coast hangup !! For now I won't make any changes, except probably move the beacon to another shelf,
.

28 May 2010

2010-05-27T03:53:00.000-07:00

Big News ! Finally got the new antenna up. Its a 10m Hamstick with 2 radials. Also this morning I put the one watt beacon back on, its a much better unit. Besides the Cobra CB was causing friction between me and my wife. She has a touch lamp and the CB Beacon was driving it crazy.

May 16, 2010

2010-05-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Worked on blog, added map. States in red is where I've been heard! Notice 2 mores states heard me today. Tomorrow I will start testing a new ant that I hope will actually should work better, it won';t be so directional. It will be a Hamstick at 12ft with 2 radials.

Fri May 14

2010-05-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Finally someone heard my beacon. Checked DX Summit and some station I think in Ca reported. Changes coming to the blog, and I hope a better ant sys coming soon, like soon as I have time.

Another FEEBLE Attempt

2010-03-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well seem to be getting no where. Tonite I put the inverted vee back on tuned thu tuner for 1 to 1` a nd took the817 out of line. In its place put the orginal Cobra 29 at full power, looks like 4-5 wts. Now we wait and see again..

BACK

2010-03-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Lets see during the 3 day Christmas Blizzard I lost my ant, yes between nasty bitter cold weather and getting terribly sick its taken this long to bget the antenna back up. Then I discovered the transmitter was not putting out but maybe 10 MW,since it was a special built system I sent it back. I got the idea us my FT-817 at 1 watt and Norcal Pico Keyer. After getting the SWR down to useful levels it backon 24/7. The ant is a just a 10m coax fed inverted vee 16ft up running north and south.

Nada

2009-09-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

No reports since the 9th of Aug. I did fix the antenna, it had wrapped around the 88 foot vee. I put on plastic spacers then hot glued the ends. Still using the tuner but will be easy.

JULY 20,2009

2009-07-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Changed antenna tuner from a Elecraft T-1 to a MFJ-971. Need to free the T-1 and I hope this works. Need to drop the vee, add wire and retune it, this gives me more priority to get on this. 4 hits on DX Summit but no new states. Can not get a good output reading, anywhere from 400mw to 700mw, your guess is as good as mine.

10 July 09

2009-07-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

Time for a update. I looked at DX Summit and my lil beacon has been reported by 25 stations. Now I've been heard in 10 states!! I even got a report from a old ham buddy WB0WQS Kelly who use to live here here, he is now in Mo. I'm impressed with this beast.

QSL

2009-06-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

I got a QSL from WF7K giving my beacon a 549 report. He is in Ariz which is a new state. At least I know its getting out.

Finally

2009-06-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Finally got a few reports on my beacon so I know the new antenna works. Even was heard by my buddy in Rapid City, wow, about 20 miles away. So I've been heard in 6 states now. I need to find some kind of WAS map I can put on here to show where the beacon has been heard. Also soon as I can I want to get the tape spacers off the antenna and retune it so I don't need my T-1 tuner in line all the time.

2009-05-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well there you have it pics of my beacon. I just moved it to the shelf behind me. Got the 10mvee up. Yesterday lowered the vee and started cutting wire off for SWR checks. I had the SWR almost 1 to 1 so raised it back up, checked and SWR was over 4 to 1, Grrr. So for now it I'm using the T-1 autotuner.

Noticed I have 4 new sightings but no new states.

2009-05-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

2009-05-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

2009-05-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

10m Vee

2009-05-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Wellat long last the 10m Vee is up, but SWR is 4:1. Its going to need some trimming but the main thing is its up. My cough is getting worse. too. Short one tonite, just don't have the time.

Fractured Toe

2009-05-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

No dipole up yet, fractured my toe and have had a nasty cold. I have been reported two more times but both from Washington. Have decieded to just run the coax up to the 88ft ant and put the beacon ant just below that. Now trying to figure out what to do with the dipole ends.

2009-05-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Good Day, well the last 2 days have netted 4 reports. Now have been heard in 4 states. And no still don't have the beacon antenna up, Mother Nature and life are against me. 50mph wind gusts don't help either. SOMEDAY

Life

2009-05-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Life or weather gets in the way of doing anything it seems. I got the 88ft vee ready to go up and 10m beacon antenna will be right under it. Had hoped to get it up this weekend but got new roof put on so didn't want it to be in the way of the roofers. Was going to get it up today but 50 mph winds sorta stopped me. Maybe Sunday we can try again.

Oh a good note I was heard by Chris KC0CKS today in Mo. So two states have heard my mighty one watter.

YIPPIE

2009-05-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

I guess the lil 1 watt beacon is working, got this report today:
WA4ZKO-@ 28229.0 NR5A/B SD>KY 339 2343 02 MayJeff the poster also operates abeacon...28.230 MHz73 Bill WJ5O

Bill told me about it. So thats one state, KY and a 339 off the vertical. I hope to raise a 10m inverted vee on Monday.

Need to find a map so I can show where its been heard now I guess.

Struggle

2009-04-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well it was a struggle to have to pull myself up a ladder but worth it. I now have a 20 ft tall mast up. Next step is to pull up a couple of antennas. Right now not sure when that will happen, soon is all I can say right

OOPS

2009-04-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

For some reason could not get the picture to post, operator error I'm sure, anyway here it is!

BEACON ON THE AIR

2009-04-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

YEP, thats what I said the beacon is on the air. A while back there was a email about a guy who would help people with beacons if they were newbies. Because of too many health issues and no time I wrote him. Turns out he is making beacons out of JTech boards which were part of a 27mhz digital paging system. He has added a keyer and controller. Put it in a very nice case even supplied the power cable with the right connectors on both ends. Mother Nature seems to be against us here in South Dakota, like 6 inches of snow on Sun nite. The plan is to put up a new mast and hopefully keep it up this week. At the top will be a 88 ft inverted vee fed with open wire feedline because I've always wanted to try one. Right below that will be a dedicated 10m inverted vee for beacons. My yard is like walking on a sponge but I'm going to try to get the mast up tomorrow. All depends on 2 things, if I have the strength to climb the ladder, last time I could not get up to the first step, and the weather. The guy that builds the beacons is Paul Shinn. He does outstanding work and will work with you on its set up.

Last nite before going to bed I thought I'd fire it up and give it a test. Its been going since about 10pm last nite , cool to the touch. I have not measured the output cause the battery in my WM-2 is dead cause someone I know forgot to turn it off. hi When I move it to its permant location I will open it up and take pictures. I'm quite happy with it!!

Got Beacon

2009-04-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well the new beacon came today and it sure looks nice!! Unfortunatly 6 inches of snow also came yesterday but its mostly melted now, only problem is my yard is waterlogged. I'm going to try and get the new mast up Wed with the planned date of beacon on the air by Friday. Well see what happens

Beacon being built

2009-04-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hope to have a new beacon on the air soon. Its a converted JTech board and is putting out one watt Some day soon if winter will ever go away I will get the antenna up. Would you believe 85 degs last Wed, and 37 with snow on Thurs. Gotta love South Dakota!!

Tired

2009-04-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

This time will not really have any beacon stuff but Bill Merra of Solder Smoke Fame is now doing WSPR and checking the Wispher Log he was heard a lot. Thats cool.

Today I didn't do alot, Mr Miles and I went for a 3 mile ride and enjoyed it alot. Started putting a large cutting board down on its real axle for the IC-706.

Paul is suppose to start working on my 10m beacon this week and I've been thinking about getting a inverted vee up.

Thats it for tonite pretty tired

WSPR

2009-04-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Got WSPR to magically work today. Last week I tried and tried to get it to work and it refused. Today as if by magic its working. Since coming home tonite I fired up the FT-817 running 1/2 watt to the 6BTV with 30 radials and this is what I'm treated too: Not too bad huh? Aw life is
good!!
2009-04-11 01:14

K1CT
DM12jt
1755 mi

K1JT
FN20qi
2364 mi

VK6DI
OF88cd
16357 mi

K3XT
FN20id
2319 mi
1441

WB9GHD
DM12kv
1743 mi
DN84lc

YIPPIE

2009-04-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

My half watt 30m QRSS made it across the pond, to VK6DI and ON5EX. Of course I feel like its cheating using a FT-817 and Freakin Beacon to do it, but then again.......YIPPIE

KEWL

2009-04-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is so neat, have the FT-817 at a half watt teamed with Freakin Beacon running QRSS on 30m. At 2320 utc I'm seeing myself on these Grabbers. VK6DI, ON5EX, and WA0UWH which means I made it across the pond. YIPPIE

Paid Bills

2009-04-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Have not got to have any fun today, maybe tonite. I'm transmitting QRSS on 10.140.07 tho with the FT-817 at 1 watt now. Very weak on a couple of Grabbers.

Beacons Beacons and more Beacons

2009-04-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

I've been interested in beacons a long time. Right now my 10m is a Yaesu FT-817 running either 5, 2.5, 1, or .5 watts. Today its on my assigned beacon freq of 28.229. The antenna is a 6BTV vert with 30 radials. Its also doing QRSS which is very very slow CW.

I just put up a fiberglass mast about 3 weeks ago it was going to support a 10m inverted vee. However our first blizzard took care of it for me. To replace it are some steel masts right now burried under 3 feet of snow from our 2nd and 3rd blizzards in 3 weeks. Believe me folks its getting really really old.

I'm having a guy convert a JTech board into a beacon for me. I just have too many irons in the fire. He will convert the board, build a beacon, mount it in a nice box then ship it back to me. The JTech boards are part of a 27mhz digital numberic pager. A guy had a bunch of them so I got a couple. That will be my future beacon, untill then I'm using and lovin my used FT-817.

Thanks to my good friend Bill Merra of Solder Smoke fame he got me interested in 30m QRSS. My first tx was a failure. I was working on another one and got sidetracked for a short bit. Need to get back to it. I build a Freakin Beacon and it works great!

More will come in the follow days can't say it all at one time cause there will be nothing left to tell