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WhatRadios - Antenna - Equipment![]() A new HT in 2021I started with an old radio borrowed from my ham club, and I've been operating with a low-budget HT for a few years since then, and I was finally ready to make a more significant investment in radio equipment. After much (very enjoyable) research online and talking with other hams, I finally settled on the newest Yaesu HT, the FT3D.I am so glad I did! I'm delighted with my new 'toy', even if it did take me a while to get it programmed, it's a far different beast than the relatively simple Baofeng, it's a super-trick bit of kit, very high tech with loads features I don't actually understand (yet)! I will be learning it's features, modes and functions for quite a while, which is money well spent in terms of learning opportunities. Wires-X and several other (insert adjective here, I'm not even sure how best to describe them) are on my list to figure out, and I also need to reacquaint myself with APRS, which I've used before, but on a different radio, and not recently.
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My first HT! 2014![]()
![]() My first HAM radio! 2012The Salt Spring Amateur Radio Club has been kind enough to loan me a 2 meter mobile radio, a TAD M8-1540, which I gather dates from the early to mid-1980's. I think it's an excellent radio to start on the air with, basic operation seems simple, and there are some user programmable features I can experiment with when I've read a bit more about it.
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![]() It does faintly resemble a coat hanger impersonating a star-fish, but the fact that I can send and receive radio with it makes it simply amazing. While it's not exactly hand-held-portable, my entire rig can be easily relocated - the radio, battery, spare battery, battery charger, all their assorted cables and connectors fit in a box I can lug under one arm while I brandish my antenna in my free hand... would you call that semi-mobile? (ungainly-but-portable?).
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![]() I realize it's not a very elegant set up yet, but it works great, and eventually I'll build it a shelf, or case, or box... depending on how much I end up moving it around, a box of some sort might make it more mobile. Eventually I'll know more about what I want in a radio, get my own; then the club can pass this one on to the next graduating class of new hams. Getting on the air can seem like a big (and confusing) investment for a new HAM, and I really appreciate the opportunity to learn a bit more about radio first - thanks SSIARC!
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MORE TAD M8-1540 InformationOperating InstructionsTAD-M8 User Programming SHORT Instructions 1 Page PDF File (66 kb)TAD-M8 User Programming DETAILED Instructions 4 Page PDF File (41 kb)
Service ManualLink to download the AWA (Amalgamated Wireless Australia) Service Manual for the TAD M8-1540 (from the '80's)http://www.eserviceinfo.com/downloadsm/38988/AWA_M8-1540.html
Company WebsiteTAD Radio Canada http://www.tadradio.com/
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![]() AntennaI've discovered I'm quite keen on antenna building, although many of the complexities of antenna tuning are still a mystery to me, I like soldering projects, and often making an antenna involves soldering.So far I've build a copper plumbing J-Pole and a PVC & Measuring Tape Yagi... not adventurous designs but lots of fun to build. I have also discovered that antenna bees are a great social event, and I really like working on projects with other people. The J-Pole pictured to the right is the one I built at the SSIARC Antenna Bee... that was a fun day I remember fondly, and I have this lovely (now developing an attractive patina of age) VHF J-pole. I'm deciding what VHF antenna to build next, if you have a novel plan, attractive compact design or a favourite pattern, please let me know?
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More Equipment!Oscillator - My first 'home brew'![]()
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Interested in trying this project?You can find the ARRL's instructional PDF file here: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ETP/A%2520One%2520Hour%2520No%2520Solder%2520CPO%2520ver%25202_2.pdfI'm still working hard to master morse code, but my brain is very reluctant... I am definately not an auditory learner, and I'm having to be very patient with my brain. I read somewhere that it took Samuel Morse 8 years to reach a speed of 10 WPM, and that's made it easier to be patient with my learning process; I can give myself a few years to work on it... (2024 note: I think I've now taken longer than Mr. Morse, but I'm getting close to test speed!)
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Thanks for visiting... hope to meet you on the air! 73 ~ Andrea VA7ALG
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