Rigs & Antennas

The Shack

The shack setup.

The computer is for logging only as well as lookups in QRZ.COM a. o. The computer will never be a part of any radiocommunication whatsoever.

On the table you can see my Elecraft Dual paddle HexKey.

Soldering iron and screwdriver?
My workbench is upstairs and not worth taking photos off yet 🙂

CW on a PC? Never, I want to have fun.

The flag on the wall is a modern version of the Ravenbanner (Dane Broge) which was used by the Vikings during a raid.

Shack window view

On the flagpoles, left: The Bornholm Island regional flag and right: The Danish flag “Dannebrog”, which celebrates its 800th anniversary June 15, 2019.

As you can see, it was a nice spring day with a calm wind from N/NW, sunny with abt. 8 dgrs. C.

Messy CW?

He loves to push my hand while I’m sending CW and it happens that I get hold of his -…/.-/.-../.-../… instead of the paddles.
Then hell really breaks loose 😆 .

His name is “DX” and his motto is: “It is not necessary, but I need” and at the same time looking at his food bowl.

(Maybe he uses CAT Interface?)

Elecraft K-Line K3 – P3 – KPA500 – KAT500

From left:
GSV-3000 PSU on top of ATU KAT500 – K3 – P3 – KPA500 amplifier. Paddle = Elecraft Dual paddle HexKey.

Barefoot operation:

The radio is equipted with internal ATU, Sub-receiver and 100 Watt output.
In most cases the internal ATU is bypassed and I will use the KAT500 external ATU.

The P3, Panadapter, which gives me an excelent wiew over the band I’m working on.

The radio has 11 bands, 6 m through 160 m. The optional 2 m module is not implemented in my radio.

Power Amplifier operation:

On February 12, 2019 I got my first external PA-unit ever. Since 1974 and until that date I have worked with 100 Watt.
From 1973 to 1974 QRP with 5 Watt.

KPA500 amplifier, output depended of band and antenna, but are usally abt. 400 Watt. KAT500 external ATU.

Transceiver/Panadapter/KAT500 PSU:
Diamond GSV-3000, 30A at 13.8VDC.

Yaesu FT – 450D

Are used as my spare station and non-home-QTH activities, like fielddays, ILLW etc.

Bands:  160-6m, incl. WARC and 60m bands.

Output power: 100 Watt.

Racal RA17L

Freq. range: 0.5 through 30 MHz.

Ground Plane for 6m band.

The antenna is an old antenna for 2 meter band, but modified to 6 meter band.

The antenna is installed on the Chimney, abt. 8 meters up from ground (15 meter ASL). The antenna will be replaced during the summer (2021) with a ground plane/vertical antenna covering the 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m and 6m bands.

The flag is “Bornholmerflaget” (Bornholm Island regional flag).

Inverted L for 10-160m bands.

I use the 5 lower sections (of total 8 sections) of a MFJ-2990 vertical antenna. The remaining 3 top sections are made as a horizontal wire. The wire are made much longer than the 3 sections, because that produce a better SWR on the 160m band.

The vertical part is abt. 9 meters high and the horizontal wire is abt. 22 meters long, sloping to 6 meters hight at the end.

The antenna was set up exclusively for the 160m band, but after my Carolina Windom was destroyed in a blizzard, this antenna is used temporarily for 160m and all HF bands. When my new vertical/ground plane is installed, this antenna will be used for the 160m, 80m, 40m and 30m bands.

The antenna is self-supporting, but since my QTH are very close to the coast, sometimes with very strong winter storms, the antenna are equipped with guying ropes.

The antenna is installed with the feed point at ground level (up 50 cm) and with 20 burried radials of different lengths. Due to the lack of space, the radials are not evenly distributed, but mostly in the western and southwestern direction.

Elecraft Dual Paddle HexKey

Bencher BY-4 paddle.

Perfect for my stiff fingers (hi).

Kent Twin TP1-B paddle

Vibroplex Original

Vibroplex Vibrokeyer

Single lever and also nice to use.

Vibroplex Square Racer, Iambic paddles.

CWtouchkeyer, P1PAD, Iambic paddle.

You have to pratice a lot, not easy to use. It CAN be very sensitive to HF on some bands, but else nice to use.

Is available in many configurations, with and without internal keyer Electronics. My model have only the paddle Electronics and I use the internal keyer in the K3 transceiver.

Great Northern Telegraph (GNT) handkeys

The black one (model 605) is similar to the one I – for many years ago – learned the art of CW.

My arthritis wrists do not allow them to be used daily, but they are touched once in a while.

Previously used stations.

1969-1973:
Various radio stations 25 W – 2-3 kW as professional radio operator.

1973-1974:
Ten-Tec PM2B QRP transceiver, 2 Watt, modified to 5 Watt output.

1974-1977:
Yaesu FT-200 transceiver, 100 Watt output.

1977-2011:
Atlas 210x transceiver, 100 Watt output.

2011:
Yaesu FT-101ZD transceiver, apx. 120 Watt output.

2011-2013:
Yaesu FT-840 transceiver, 100 Watt output.